Under the Starlight: CHAPA X BOSE

12. We were thinking...

"I don't know what I'm gonna do. What if I was the one who took those other phones? I've been taking phones for so long for every little problem, sometimes they weren't even problems!" She sat on the nearby bench, the same one they sat in last night. "I can't give it back, I'd get in trouble. They'd think I stole it." A silent moment fell over the two of them.

"Let's just tell the rest of Danger Force, I'm sure Mika would be able to figure something out?" Bose took a seat next to Chapa, remembering the night before. How similar the circumstances- another predicament, sitting and thinking of what to do next.

Chapa scoffed, "And you think Mika can hold that secret? That I had her phone the whole time- before I can explain myself? Please we all know the longest she's ever held the truth was the time Schwoz's mom stayed at the Man's Nest."

Bose nodded in agreement. "Let's just leave it here. Somewhere on the ground?" Bose scanned the area, searching for a spot to hide the phone. "Maybe somewhere she wouldn't have looked."

Chapa turned to him, "How come you have so many good ideas- when sometimes you can't even tell the difference between a coat rack and a ghost?" Bose shrugged his shoulders, avoiding the question. "What do you think, we leave it here?"

Chapa took a moment to look around, there were still a number of workers cleaning and testing rides. "Nah, It'll be too obvious, we come back to investigate and then it's found? There's so many people here who would've found it before we came here to look. Mika would have more questions than we can answer." Bose sighed, "Well we have to return it. Before it gets worse."
"Yea, but how? We can't leave it here, and there's no way we can sneak it into her house- she has all that security now."

She leaned back against the bench, noticing the blue sky and pondered for a little. "What if? Nah..."
Bose faced her, "What if what?"
"We just need to get her out of the house, so we can get her phone back somehow." Chapa straightened up.
"Yea? How do we do that?" He responded.
"Well I don't know about you but I noticed she has a little interest in you." She didn't realize until she said it, but she said it with such hostility she wanted to take it back the moment the words left her lips. She could see Bose hesitate as if he were waiting for her to go on. "Yea, trust me I noticed." His eyes wide in curiosity still not grasping exactly what Chapa was getting at. "I don't know, maybe you ask her out somewhere." She couldn't even look at him. She felt like after last night, he's been through his fair deal of fake dates, and for her to ask that of him again was ridiculous. "Me? Out with Natalie?" She nodded in response. "Yea. We can tell Danger Force that you're helping her retrace her steps or something, what she did that day- maybe that'll help her remember something from last night. When you two go out, I can distract her and you can put her phone back in her purse, or I can put her phone back while you distract her.. Whatever works."

"Ok." He stood up- a smirk forming in his face, "I'm an expert at dates you know."
"Rrriighhtt." Chapa took a moment, "I think we're done here then, you should tell Miles to pick us up."

Miles arrived in an instant, just as he usually did when he and Mika worked together- She always went on about how she needed him by her side in case she needed an extra pair of hands or to make sure to bring back whatever new information she could get her hands on as soon as possible. They flashed back at the Man's Nest. Mika sat on her chair, a pile of papers scattered all over the desk.
"So? How'd it go?" Chapa was relieved she was too focused on her investigation to even bother to look up at them.

"Oh you know, the usual." Bose tiptoed to the Man Couch. "There was nothing there." Chapa added.
"Ugh. That sucks. But you know I did find something... A pattern. Looks like a phone has gone missing every time there's an emergency. Like okay, this person who's been stealing phones... Has been doing it right under our nose. This. Entire. Time. Oohh when I get to the bottom of this..." Anybody who was in the room could sense a rising anger in Mika. "Are you okay?" Oddly enough, Bose was the only one brave enough to ask. "Yea, I just... You know! All those people. All those missing phones. And the fact that that person had the audacity to try something like that when we are around. Just makes me think they wanted to make a fool out of us. Especially since they didn't try to hide it at all." Miles lay a hand on her shoulder. "I feel you, sis. Don't worry. We'll find whoever did this."

Chapa got closer and examined the papers- she was right, a phone went missing every time they answered a call. She didn't know yet if it was her who took all the phones. That would mean they never got swiped, and Schwoz never returned them. She would have to see why, since it was protocol to do that. They knew she would have to take phones sometimes, in fact they encouraged her to do it, to make sure she was safe after every mission.

"Guys, you know we were thinking..." Chapa glanced at Bose, "Maybe Natalie doesn't remember everything too well. Maybe she forgot some details, she obviously looked stressed." She could see Miles and Mika both lit up with curiosity. "Yea?" Mika put down one of her papers. "That does tend to happen. Why?" She raised a brow. "Well we were thinking some fresh air would do her good!" Bose added. "Yea! Like maybe she's stressed and some time off would help her clear her mind. Let her have some fun. Maybe by the end of today, we'll have some answers." Chapa looked at Mika and Miles, "She'll obviously agree to a nice day out with Bose here," She pat down on Bose's shoulders. "You know, her liking him and all." A silence filled the room.

"Are you suggesting Bose take out Natalie for a date?" Miles squinted his eyes at them. "Yea, Kinda. Not a real one though." Chapa stiffened under his glare. "Well, I don't see why not... But would she really go out with him so soon? Considering the break-up yesterday? I mean who wants to go out with a cheater? No offense Bose."
Mika finally broke contact with her pile of papers. "I don't think that's an issue sis, she hasn't seen what's happened- she doesn't have a phone. And she was all over him this morning." Miles sat back down next to Mika, who was nodding her head in agreement. "Okay, Chapa you can just stay here and help me figure out a list of who's been at all these emergency's." She picked up a blank paper and offered it to Chapa. "Oh! You know I was thinking of going with him, you know... Extra security never hurts!"

Mika paused and grew in suspicion. She new something was up. "Is there something you two aren't telling us? About last night? Bose?"
"What? What do you mean?" Bose said.
"Oh I don't know, something seems off between you two. Something different." Mika pursed her lips. "Mmm."

Bose could explode right then and there. Mika was too smart, she would figure them out in a heartbeat. Of course things weren't the same between them. He touched her and she lit up blue! Sometimes when she looked at him, the world froze and his stomach grew butterflies. He thought about last night- how pretty she looked, and how every time he looks at her now-he would have to remind himself to look away.

"No, we just you know! Bose doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to doing missions by himself." Chapa swallowed, trying to convince herself as much as Mika. She could tell Mika wasn't going to let this phone thief off easily and Chapa was raising more questions than she wanted to. Mika glanced at Chapa and Bose. "Fine. I'll just have Miles help me. He can drop you off. And Bose?" He stood, ready to leave again. "I hope you rested well last night. Long date ahead of you."

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END OF CHAPTER 12
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