Lonely Thieves

Intermission

Hayasaka Security headquarters sat at the very center of the Eclipse district's business zone, towering over its high-end shops and luxurious restaurants. At the top of this ten-story building was where Ingrid Hayasaka's residence, a penthouse suite that took up the whole floor, was situated. The suite had not only the usual living areas, but also a training facility, where Ingrid was currently working up a sweat with some light weightlifting.

The usual philosophy among the Hayasaka Security guards when it came to physical training was that it was, for the first part, unnecessary. Top-of-the-line equipment made it rare for them to need to leverage much of their own strength, and in times where physical capability was important, strength-enhancing implants could always make up for what was lacking. As a result, many of the officers under her command tended to find the concept of regular training a waste of time.

However, Ingrid Hayasaka thought differently. Physical training didn't just increase your strength and endurance, it also got your body used to exerting itself. She had seen many overzealous rookies try to use strength enhancers only to overstress the muscles in the process. Even with top-of-the-line modern tech, there were no shortcuts when it came to personal health and fitness.

Plus, it was great for relieving stress, and right now Ingrid was very stressed for two very good reasons. The first source of stress was the grating failure she had just experienced. Only last night, two thieves were able to escape the reach of her security team during her grandfather's anniversary gala. It was an embarrassing failure that made both the Hayasaka family and the security company lose face. Her grandfather kept his composure the whole time, but it was very clear that this situation had caught even him off guard. It was her failure, and she felt the responsibility of it keenly.

"There you are. Ugh, you smell of sweat."

And there was the second source of her stress. Kaname Hayasaka, her cousin, came into the training facility with a pouting grimace on her face. She was no longer wearing the ritzy ballgown she had on at the gala, but a white blazer, skinny jeans, and rhinestone-embossed heels. She looked very much like a woman about to go a party, despite it still being early morning.

Ingrid put down the handles and sat up from the machine she was working on. Though her suite was a bit too luxurious for her taste, she did find it very convenient. However, she was not a fan of the fact that Kaname was given a key in case of emergency. "What do you want, Kaname? I have to work soon, unlike some people."

Kaname scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You sure you still have a job after flubbing things so hard last night?"

"You still haven't told me why you dropped by."

"Did you see Grandfather's broadcast on the news earlier?"

Ingrid nodded. It was an unusual move, even for a person as ostentatious as her grandfather. She had no clue what was important about the necklace that was stolen, but it was clearly very important for him to have gone to the trouble of delivering a personal message.

"Then you know that he's really serious about this whole burglary thing. Not that I can understand it, but he told me to make sure you know that he's not going to accept failure again this time."

"I didn't need you or him to tell me that," Ingrid growled. When her father abandoned the family all those years ago, it was her grandfather who took her in. She was happy to do whatever he asked of her, even if she didn't feel personally responsible for the whole situation.

"Then, make sure you deal with it," Kaname replied with a casual wave. "Well, that's my job done. See you later."

Once Kaname left, Ingrid went back to her weight training with a little more force than usual. After that, she continued her normal morning ritual, taking a shower to wash off the sweat, then eating a simple breakfast of granola and yogurt. Once she'd finished, she put on her Security uniform and headed down to the main office.

The office was already up in an uproar, with staff members and officers running about trying to get a handle on the situation. Ingrid walked past the desks of her sergeants fielding calls from civvies trying to call in tips into her office, where her sergeant Amelia Luong stood waiting for her with a small stack of reports and a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

"What's the situation so far?" Ingrid asked as she took a sip.

"It's not too clear," Amelia explained as she placed the reports on the desk in front of Ingrid. "We have a fairly accurate description of the girl, but no one seems to recognize her at all."

"What about the accomplice? Didn't we capture his image on the security cameras?"

"We're still processing him through the population files. If he's not a career criminal, it might take a while to actually discern his identity."

"Well, considering he hadn't bothered with camera-obscuring implants, we can say that he's not used to thievery."

"Is it possible that he did it on a whim? If so, he might be completely unrelated to the theft."

"Even if that's the case, he helped a thief escape the grasp of Hayasaka Security. We can't leave him be no matter what."

Amelia gave a nod of acknowledgment. "Of course."

Ingrid flipped through the files and let out a heavy sigh. "The Overman Foundation is supposed to be sending in a representative, right? Are they here yet?"

"About that... the Overman Foundation is here, but they've also come with someone else in tow."

"A third party?" Ingrid had a quizzical expression on her face. "Who did they bring?"