Project K-9

Chapter 35

"Found it!" Bad yelled as he held up the phone that the creeper most likely used to send the video. The screen was smashed, but the rest of the device looked fine.

"Sapnap was right, it was in one of the trash bins," Skeppy said, as he opened a small plastic bag so Bad could put it in.

"We'll let Red check it out when we get back," Sapnap stated.

Meanwhile, Dream was looking around the area and spotted a few security cameras.

"Think they might have gotten anything?" George asked when he noticed what his partner was looking at.

"Only one way to find out," Dream replied with a smile.

After gathering all the feed they could get their hands on, they returned to the office and handed their findings to the respective professionals.

Red sighed then glared at the dirty and smashed phone in the bag, "Just once, I wished the bad guys would be nice and dispose of their stuff in a nice and clean place." He commented making the group chuckle and smile.

"Get going Honey, that data isn't going to extract itself..." Antfrost teased as he shoved his Red towards the lab area.

Red suddenly sagged his shoulders and leaned onto Antfrost. "I don't think I can do it, Darling. I need some motivation..."

With a smug look on his face Red leaned into a smiling Antfrost, but just before their lips met Ant used his hand to cover Red's lips.

"Ah...come on Ant," Red whined.

Ant giggled and then whispered something into Red's ear. The latter's eyes popped open, and a surprised but pleased look crossed his face.

"I'm gonna have this phone ready in a few minutes!" the forensics agent declared cheerfully.

Antfrost gave him a little peck on the cheek before sending his man off to do his work.

"So what now?" Skeppy asked.

"Now we wait and let the experts do their thing." Wilbur said, "How about we head out for lunch, and buy these boys some food as well?"

The masters and their K-9s left the office again and went to a nearby fast food restaurant.

While the rest of the table was engaged in a boisterous conversation, George stared out the window lost in thought.

"What's going on in that little head of yours George?" Wilbur asked while the rest of the group continued conversing in the background.

"I'm just a bit frustrated that I can't do anything right now that could help close this case faster." The brunette answered with a sigh.

Wilbur chuckled, "That's normal, and you will get used to it over time. Trust me, after serving as a master for nearly 5 years now, I have learned that there are times when you need to let your friends take over, and let them do their part."

Wilbur lifted his sleeve to reveal a faded mark on his forearm.

"Got this during my very first mission. I was so impatient and driven by the need to prove my worth to the organization, that I charged head first into everything. If it wasn't for my best friend and Tommy I wouldn't be here."

"Best friend?" George probed.

Wilbur nodded, "His name was Jschlatt. We trained and joined the agency together. He was also Tubbo's previous master."

"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but what happened?"

"Nearly three years ago he was on a ship with a couple of other agents, trying to take down the head of a human trafficking syndicate. Tubbo got knocked out during the fight so we don't have all the details. We found Tubbo floating in a lifeboat the next day, and discovered that the ship had sunk nearby. Besides Tubbo, we could find no other survivors."

"I'm sorry Wilbur..." George said in a sympathetic tone, as he squeezed his friend's hand.

"It's okay George, I've made my peace with it. After that, I asked the chief to allow me to take Tubbo as well. I felt like it was my duty to look after him, and Fruit accepted."

George opened his mouth to say something, but the words died on his lips when Dream's phone started buzzing. The blonde checked the caller ID and quickly answered it when he saw that it was Fundy.

"What did you guys find?" Dream asked.

"A lot, besides sending the video from a public spot and dumping the phone afterward, these guys are not that good at covering their tracks. There are several fingerprints on the phone which Red is processing right now, and a ton of data for us to go through."

"We'll pick up your food then head back to help you guys," Karl declared and Fundy gave the brunette his thanks.

Once the extra food arrived, the agents and K-9s quickly returned to the agency and handed it out to their subordinates. Fruitberries had to leave since he was called by the higher-ups, but he asked them to keep him updated.

"You will not believe the amount of information on the MOB this phone had..." 5up commented.

"Something feels off though, it's never this easy..." Eret commented.

As if on cue, Punz informed them that the creepers had sent another message, which they quickly opened.

"There's been a slight change of plans. All this waiting is making me bored, so I have decided to begin the festival." The voice declared.

"Okay first game on the list is 'find the bomb!' We will provide you a hint to its location through a riddle, do you agents like riddles?" Another voice suddenly yells, it was distorted but they could tell that it was a different person.

The first guy who spoke to them sounded cold and calculative, this second guy was more chaotic.

"Seriously?" the first guy says, sounding rather annoyed by his partner.

"Yes I am serious, boss!" the second guy answers cheerfully. "Now here's your little riddle..."

They heard the sound of papers shuffling as if the person was flipping through a notebook.

"Huh? That's weird, I thought I wrote it down..."

The sound of someone face-palming in the background is evident, as there is more shuffling of papers.

"Where...where did I write it?" the man continues before he runs off, the sound of his footsteps echoing across the hard floor.

"Okay I've had enough of this, I'll just make one up right now," the first man spoke up in an agitated voice.

There were a few seconds of silence as the creeper thought of a riddle, "listen well, agents...

The evil serpent runs all day, only making quick stops in different homes. Its deadly fangs strike out for you when the hands of the clock meet on the 9th hour.

"I found it!" guy number two suddenly yells out, but the video ends there.