Venturing: Race for Zero

Upon the streets once again, southward from
where the station was, me and Zander were standing around. Silence was between
us as we kept an eye on our surroundings. Dragons were moving about. The
majority kept silent, walking to and from their workplaces. So few of them were
talking; enjoying a good conversation. Those few were scattered about and were
easily covered up by the other walking dragons obstructing our visions. Not
that I had mind anyway. Opening my mouth, I released a breath and closed my eyes
momentarily before shifting my attention to the black dragon. Zander. His arms
were folded, his face harden as if he was some kind of secret service
protecting the most important figure of the town. He also donned black glasses
to make himself cooler. His police suit was changed from lightest blue to dark
blue because he complained about not wanting to look identical to the rest of
the officers. This incident had happened one week prior since our capture of
Sen and Lope. Oh yeah. From the information given to me by Kyro, extracted from
our prisoners. They had said that ‘The owner was a white dragon. Cunning. He
used to own the fish business before being placed into that factory building
that we had seen earlier on. Said to be making dishes that looked like UFOs for
some reason.’

‘However, he had no name. Literally no name.
So it was hard to track him if he had decided to rear his ugly white head.’
Getting a forced chuckle from the depths of my throat, I caught the attention
of Zander who curiously looked over to me with a confused look upon his face.
In response, I coughed and cleared my throat, coming up with a cliche lie as
‘Sorry. Something was blocking my throat.’ “Do you need some water?” Zander
asked, I shook my head and raised my claw. Shaking it off as if it was some
kind of bug. Zander shrugged in response, shaking his head before returning his
attention towards the horizon. Going back to what I said. In conclusion, we
never found the owner. Even when we conducted a full search around the town and
invaded many private homes, all the while getting hit on the head by old bags
thrown by the older dragons. The owner just disappeared. Vanished. Just like
that. It was so amazing that I wanted an encore. Unfortunately, the others did
not see it my way. And we just dropped the search for the owner. I am confident
that he would be back. Perhaps.

Besides, me and Yang manage to have a
relationship with one another after twenty years of being apart. As it turns
out, however, we both have feelings for one another. But we were too afraid to
even speak our minds about it. I had finally proposed this relationship to Yang
after investigating the tower that we were called into. And after that, we just
hit it off easily! Kyro and Natty were pretty excited and enthusiastic about
our confirmed relationship. But I was surprise about Zander. All he gave us was
a respective nod then silence that continued until today. I had always wondered
what was on his mind. And sometimes wish that he would speak instead of
bottling up them. Questions would pop up into my mind wondering if Zander had
feelings for Yang too, considering that all four of us go to elementary school
together… I guess we will see eventually.

The silence was overwhelming for both of us.
Perhaps due to the awkwardness that rifted between us. As I kept staring at the
horizon ahead, I opened my mouth and spoke. The thought I had in my mind was
not what I was going to say. “Do you have feelings for Yang, Zander?” I asked
before immediately sealing my mouth with my claws. Widening my eyes as slowly
me and Zander turned to one another; met each others’ eyes before Zander shook
his head. “No. I never even met her during elementary school. I met with
Natty.” “Only Natty?” I asked him, he nodded his head and released his arms
“Yeah, she was annoying as heck during elementary.” “How so?” I continued,
hoping to hear his perspective of the elementary incident story that me and
Yang were left out on. But after five seconds, Zander kept silent. Only his
tail was wagging as I shifted my eyes to him then asked again.

Before either of us had any chance to talk,
our walkies suddenly came to life and ate us- wait. Wait. No. It was just
static. False alarm everyone; sorry! We both were startled that we jolted in
place. Wings spread outward from our bodies, showing off the brightest shades
of color that we were so proud of. We lowered our eyes, pointing daggers to our
walkies, thinking it was some kind of prank set up by either Kyro or Natty,
before I grabbed mine suddenly. And pressed the button on the side of the
walkie, talking “Yang? Kyro? Natty? What is wrong?” “Are we called into a
case?” Zander asked as his ears erected from his head, showing interest in the
conversation. However, we waited in the silent period. Anxious mixed together
with pains and needles deep upon our legs until the static came back and a
familiar voice was on the line. “Ling? Zander?” “We are here!” I called through
the speaker, “Great.” Answer the voice, “We are all called in by Yang. She
wants us to meet at the schoolyard again.” “Again?” Zander groaned and his face
tightened into a growl but I planted my claw onto his face to prevent him from
reaching onto my walkie as I asked more. “What is it this time? Murder again?
Students stealing? Gone missing?”

“Worst.” The voice answered back, at a higher
pitch in its voice. We were not sure whether or not she or he was desperate or
annoyed at us. Regardless, I released a breath before nodding my head. Then
responded back into the walkie, “We will be there. Shall it be the front yard
or inside one of the rooms?” “The principal.” I froze and so did Zander. As he
no longer persist against my blocking claw, we turned to one another for a
second time. Questions and thoughts raced our minds as our wings unknowingly
spread and jumped into the air as the winds surrounded us. Knocking some of the
dragons off their feet as the majority looked our way. But we avoided them.
Flying eastward from the bottom of the town, we started heading straight for
the schoolyard where we hoped to see the other familiar officers there waiting
for us. But upon arriving, we saw no one there. So we landed upon the grasses
below us, folded our wings, and kept an eye upon the school. Of all the ten
windows installed, only one of them was opened. It was the farest leftmost from
where we were standing. It even had a colorful rope that goes through the
opened square hole that the window had left behind. I figured that this might
be where the others were.

So I called Zander who was busy watching the
frontal doors of the schoolyard. And when he turned to me, I raised an eye
questioning him. But he barked back aggressively and stormed in front. Grabbing
onto the rope, he pulled himself up and over the square hole with me following
behind him. Thus we entered in. The room inside was small and pitch dark. There
were three flashlights scattered around the room. One on the principal’s desk.
One at the desk in the corner of the room. And the last was on the floor,
adjacent to Zander and myself. Kyro and Natty were studying the school board on
our right as Yang was sitting in the red big chair, staring at the computer
screen. She seemed so focus and determined that I did not want to snap her
concentration. Zander, on the other claw, walked over to Yang who turned her head
towards him then to me. A bright smile came from her face as she rose from the
chair and stepped to the side, allowing Zander to sit onto the chair as I
walked forth to the principal’s desk. She tapped her claw against the desk,
gaining my attention as she explained everything.

“The call happened around nine forty-eight in
the morning. Right when the first period was called in. A student was walking
in here with a white piece of paper. I think that he was having a meeting with
the principal. But upon arriving, the door was locked and jammed. So he started
calling the faculty members for help. When the door was forcefully opened by a
series of ram jabs by the dragons’ horns. They saw the room empty. The window
was opened and the principal was gone. They phoned the police after the event.”
I nodded in response, taking in all the information that Yang was saying. When
she grew silent, I voiced out my question and curiosity, “First of all, what
have they found?” “Nothing,” Yang answered, shaking her head as her arms folded
upon her chest. Narrowing her eyes answering me further, she said “No one dared
to touch anything within the room. They were frozen at the door, looking inward
with shocks and awes on their faces.” I nodded and followed it up with another
question,

“What did you guys find out?” Yang turned her
head over to the silver computer in front of her and raised a claw pointing to
it as she answered, “The computer was locked out for some strange reason. There
is a sticky note sitting adjacent to the computer. But it is cryptic saying
‘ABCDEF’ then the word ‘ double’ adjacent to the sequence of letters.”  She turned her head away from the computer
and the desk, looking over onto the school board as she continued talking,
“Over here is the school board. It only had one yellow sticky note on it. Kyro
and Natty are studying it now.” “What does it say?” I asked, walking over to
Kyro and Natty. Both of which turned in response to me, looking startled for a
second before relaxing a bit. As their wings folded behind them, Kyro
exclaimed. “You startled us! I thought you were the media?”

“Huh?” Was all I could respond to Kyro while I
tilted my head to one side, a frown of confusion emerged from my face as I
stared at him. Ashamed, Kyro admitted “The media had started pooling into the
front yard of the school. Demanding answers from their questions.” “We have the
media now, Yang?” I asked Yang who raised her shoulders and grunted in
response, turning around and walking to Zander muttering something as the
dragon responded back. She avoided the question and I shrugged afterward.
Turning my back to her, I asked Kyro again. “Now what were you saying again?”
Kyro opened his lips and raises his claw towards the board. Stabbing the yellow
note as I stepped to the board, eyeing it. On the note, it just said ‘Owner’
with a huge question mark imprinted on top of it. ‘This is huge’ I thought to
myself, nodding with a low pitch humming vibrating my throat as I stared onto
the note. “Could this mean the owner is back for vengeance?” I asked Kyro who
shrugged, “Maybe. We did not see him for the past week since the imprisonment
of Sen and Lope.” “he could be planning a prison break and release the two
again. Repeating last time.” I muttered as our ears caught the attention of Yang’s
voice.

For we turned around and looked to Yang. Her
back was straightened and her head turned to us. Meeting our eyes, she asked
“But did we not pardon the two already from their jail time? Knowing full well
they are innocent and just joining with the wrong set of crowds?” “He could be
meeting up with them again. Looking for vengeance alongside.” Natty’s growl
came up to the conversation as our heads turned to her, she added “I bet they
are hiding in some alleyway or abandoned building.” “or within the crowd.”
Chimed Kyro as Natty formed a knuckle and hit him on the arm. Resulting in red
and bruised, Kyro winced growling at Natty “I was kidding!” Me and Yang rolled
our eyes then rejoined into the investigation again once the atmosphere was
settled. But none of us had any thoughts. We were dry as a desert and all we
could do in the meantime was to stare. And for a short time, we upheld the
silence until we broke our invisible bonds from one another because of a sudden
shout. Turning to Zander who grinned excitedly, his claws thrown above his head
as if he had won a game or something, Yang was the first to ask. “You broke
through the computer’s defenses?” “Yes! I am at the main screen right now!”
Zander replied, but his talking was rapid fast that it was almost hard to hear
what he was saying. Regardless, we gathered up to Zander and turned our eyes to
the screen.

Nothing was on the screen. Just a wallpaper of
the principal’s family. Two hatchlings. Son and daughter looking like nine and
seven respectfully. The principal and her or his mate, standing side by side
behind their hatchlings. It looked as if they were a happy family. I kept an
eye upon the family, studying and staring at the picture while I kept asking
myself questions and wondering about the principal’s family. Everyone kept
silent and the celebration was cut short due to the silence. Then Zander
growled popped the silent bubble as his claws banged the keyboard underneath
them. He leaned forward, getting closer to the screen. His eyes slowly turning
red and tears started forming around his eye that I had to grab his head and
pulled him back to the chair while he complained and ranted angrily. We turned
to one another frowning. A thought popped into my mind and Kyro commented.
“What happened to the screen? It looked like someone had cleared it!” Everyone
else nodded and Yang pitched in a thought, “A crazy idea guys.” She said as our
eyes shifted to her. “This perhaps sounds crazy but… What if we were wrong?
What if it was the principal doing these actions? What if she was obsessed with
the ‘owner’ that she is willing to do what is necessary? I mean think about it…
Why was the screen blank? Only showing the picture of the principal’s family?”

“She could have delivered the information to
the owner in exchange for her family, perhaps?” I said and they turned to me.
Pondered and chew upon that thought before nodding and exchanging approving
looks to one another as Zander’s voice pitched into our eyes as he stabbed
something with his claw.

“Guys look,” Zander said as our heads looked
to the screen again. On where he was stabbing his claw, it was a document file.
But it was not on word, rather Wordpad. “Click on it,” I ordered amongst the
silence that followed afterward as Zander complied with my request. Double-clicking
onto the file as the computer humming loudly in our ears. We waited a few
seconds, maybe more until the main screen was replaced by whiteness. A green
bar was on top of the white screen. In between those were different unique
tools and tabs. But neither of us knew how any of them worked.  Below the toolbar was the familiar white
screen, there were words typed onto that screen too. The names of students.
Their private information. Their grades. Everything was there. We were shocked
beyond belief. Surprise even to see this many students here. Zander hits the
down key on the keyboard suddenly, rapidly moving the cursor down to the bottom
of the page. To our surprise, it never stopped there. Page after page, hundreds
of students were listed here. From now to the time when the school was first
built which was in 1994. Years before we had arrived…

It was a lot of information to take in. But
this document was an important clue than the other obvious clues that were
around us as I reeled back my head, shifting my attention to the others’
confusion and amazement, I started “Looks like we have everything we had
needed.” “And someone new to apprehend with,” Kyro commented as the remaining
three dragons agreed. Zander slid his mouse to the lower left-hand part of the
screen, clicking onto a window icon. On it were five other icons. But it was
the bottom-most icon that Zander had wanted. And thus clicking onto that shuts
off the computer. Zander got up. We went to the opened window and jumped out of
the window. Landing onto the grassy soft grounds below us where we spread our
wings, preparing for flight towards our station. But right as we flapped our
wings, gaining elevation. Our walkies turned on suddenly and another voice came
out.

“Is this the frequency of the Vaster police?”

Yang answered, “Yes. We are. What is the
problem?”

“Good. Cause we needed help! Two dragons are
killed in a double murder!”

We were all shocked as we heard the news. ‘Two
dragons killed in one day?’ Our thoughts must be like as Yang struggled with
her shattered voice, often squeaking through the speaker of the walkie “Where
and can you identify the bodies?”

After Yang released the button, we waited in
midair. Our wings flapping to stay airborne while we listened to the silence.
It took long into the period that Zander growled impatiently, “Well, Yang?”
“Stay patient, Zander.” Yang started, staring at the dragon for a while before
turning her attention to the walkie again. In response, we heard a grunt of
noise before dark grayish smoke erupted from his nostrils. His arms folded over
his chest as his eyes narrowed to the dragoness who ignored him. In a nick of
time, the voice answered to Yang’s question.

“I do not know where. But the identities are
Sen and Lope.”