Sneaking

May 2, 2013                8:15 AM

            Andrew came to work like a dead that came back to life. Walking groggily, eyes were heavy wanting them shut; his body only wanted sleep that he cannot give because work's waiting for him and the lady gorilla of course. Candace in contrast with him doesn't look bothered at all.

            "Hey Andrew! What the heck happened to you?" Shawn asked while laughing. Andrew just grunted and made his way to his working place. Candace soon followed him and sat beside him. Noticing this, Shawn came to a conclusion. "Hey! Why did you come here together? Don't tell me, you two were together this morning?"

            "They were since last night." Suddenly, Rika came to view. After stating the fact that the two were together, everyone went into a commotion. "What?!" "Hey you're fast huh!" "Why?!" "What did they do?" those questions were thrown by their colleagues.

            "Please don't be malicious. He just helped me, I was kicked out of my place because the landlord heard about me being one of the Six Mercenaries." Candace said and eyed each of them. Rika scoffed, "I only said you were together since last night. I did not mean anything." Then, she walked out.

            The others were ashamed thinking of something frivolous about Andrew and Candace. So they all went back to their business. Muttering sorry and mentally scolding themselves for being malicious.

Remembering that Harold has something to give Andrew, he went to his drawer and fetches an envelope. This envelope holds the fingerprints from the ID, the possible lead to the Phantom. Results came fast because Chief Rika has this influence that she rarely uses.

"Andrew! I have the results. Mind looking at them now?" Harold said and gave it to Andrew. The said guy on the other hand was still out of his world and did not even grab the envelope being handed to him. He just dumbly looked at the hand in front of him. "Uhmm... earth to Andrew?" 

"H-huh?"

"I said if you could look at this now? Though, I don't think you're in the condition to do so. Maybe later bro, you need sleep." Harold patted him on the back. He pitied Andrew. It really looked like he wasn't able to sleep at all. What did Candace do to him?

Harold put back the envelope to his drawer. Before leaving to go to the second floor, he reminded his sleep deprived friend, "If you think you're fine, just get it in my drawer okay?"

Andrew mindlessly nodded but he did not completely understand what Harold just said. His mind's half asleep now.

Candace was just standing in the corner observing people inside the place. This is her favorite hobby, quietly watching people. What they do, what they usually talk about and what are the things that affect people inside the place they're in.

Additional to this, she uses this as her skill in being part of the Six Mercenaries. And she will be using it now. Calculating the people who would look at her, sensing if Andrew would wake up she passed by him, or if people there by any chance would see her walking towards Harold's drawer.

She walked confidently and talked to the people inside the office. Good thing there were few incidences happening around the area, residents doesn't need to go to the police station. Though there is a little number of people, Candace was very careful. She made sure that no one's suspecting that she's planning something. Sometimes, she would glance around and pass by in Harold's table. Then, she would listen to the complaints of people and at times, she gives them advices.

When the time is right, for her opinion, she walked towards Harold's table. She swiftly got the envelope without anyone noticing her. She quickly went out of the office.

However, Candace thought that the only eyes who might look at her were the people inside the office and the CCTV cameras. She miscalculated. There is another pair of eyes looking at her, observing her every move, Chief Rika.

Seeing what Candace has done, she flipped her phone and pressed a certain person's number.

"Max…I think I know…." Rika was completely cut off by the man on the other line.

"Rika~ How have you been?" he cheerfully intervened. Sensing that this guy, Max doesn't want to hear what she has to say, Rika became furious.

"Will you please listen first?!" she shouted. "Just do what I always tell you. When it comes to the Phantom, just observe things."

Max Hollens, another police in that department. He is one of the 'Crownless Polices' that gained fame before the Six Mercenaries became known. He would always be the guy who smiles every day without worry but is always asked for his opinion. When Rika needs help, she goes to him, just what she has done. Even if Rika doesn't think it is the right thing to do, something inside tells her that Max's right.  Now though, Max is in the hospital because of an accident in work involving the Phantom.

"I can't just let this slip away! SHE TOOK A FILE!" Rika became restless and paced around her office. "But, something nags me that I have to follow you…again. Why are you always right? Do you have premonitions or something?" she sighed and sat down on her chair again.

"No, of course not. I don't have special powers or anything.  Why don't you just follow that nagging thing inside you?"

The line went dead. Guess she has to follow him. Again.

"Chief! Miss Candace…" a police man came running to her office. This police man is in charge of the surveillance. She already knew what this guy has to say. "Just let it be." She said even before the police man says anything. Confused, the police man stared blankly at Rika.

"I said just let it be."

 May 2, 2013               9:32 AM

When Candace finally got out of the office, she quite felt relief. She started walking towards some other place but a car stopped in front of her. A police car from a district near them to be exact. A woman with long curly blond hair that reached her shoulders came out from the said car. She's very beautiful and has a good body. She smiled warmly at the stoic girl but Candace doesn't seem to care that much about her.

"Keira, what are you doing here?" Candace asked the blond nonchalantly.

"To see you of course!"

Kiera Sheer is another member of the famous Six Mercenaries. If Candace's specialty is observing people and helps them move in missions, Kiera's specialty is her talking ability. She's used in transactions with the other police and criminals. She's good with talking and socializing which makes them use less violence. Which doesn't comply with why they were suspended.

A brunette fine guy came out of the car too. He leaned on the car and lit a cigarette. He wears police uniform. Each Six Mercenary would have one companion wherever they go, and this guy must be Kiera's companion. As for Candace, Andrew became her companion without designation. It just became like that because she practically lives with him for now.

"I'm in a hurry so please get out of here now." She coldly said. Fake sadness can be seen on her. Feigning hurt. "So cruel Candace."

Another ability of hers is acting and she uses it way too much.

"I need to go." Candace said much seriously now. Knowing that Candace can see through her, she stopped acting and smirked. "Oh? Why in a hurry?"

Kiera saw the envelope she's holding and quickly snatched it from her. Candace got pissed off her. "They let you hold cases? Huh... They're really low. We're not allowed to do such things and they let you? So incompetent, can't they solve cases on their own?" the blond mockingly said. But she knew this wasn't the case. She just wanted to add fuel to the fire.

 Looking inside the envelope, she saw the fingerprint results. "Phantom? You're really interested with this criminal…"

Candace snatched the envelope back and hissed at her. "Mind your own business Kiera." The said girl just shrugged and giggled. "Touché."

Candace rolled her eyes at Kiera's antics. "I know where you're going. 'Wanna have a lift?"

Hearing what Kiera said made her companion choke in smoke. "Hey! I'm not your driver and this car's not your private vehicle!"

Kiera stared blankly at him and then laughed and winked at him. "It's fine. It's the same way back to the office." With a lot of protests, he agreed and went off.

While driving to the Harrison Hospital, Kiera excitedly intrigued Candace. She likes hot and juicy gossips but Candace seemed to shrug her off and kept her silence.

"Oh c'mon! Why won't you tell me? Your companion is that guy you like way back your high school days right? Right?" Kiera kept pushing her talking ability and wishing her friend to spill some. Unfortunately, the car halted. They arrived in the hospital.

"Oh look! Michie's over there!" Kiera squealed and hurriedly went out of the car. "Michie!" she called out to the tall girl with eye glasses. The said girl turned around and gave a stern look to whoever called her. Though, there's only one person who calls he that. "Hey-o! Michie!" Kiera ran towards her and gave a bear hug suffocating the other girl.

Michelle pushed her away and re-adjusted her glasses. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?!" Her nickname was just way too off for a tall girl like her.  She brushed off her blouse and sighed at the grinning girl in front of her. "Is there anything that you need?" she asked. "Nope, but the person who's with me has."

Michelle gave her a confused look and soon realized that Candace was walking towards them.  "Candace?" Michelle gave a discern look at her. "Hello."

"Oh well, I need to leave. My companion's seething with anger now. Bye~" Kiera skipped away from them and went back to the car. Before driving away, she bid goodbye again.