Chapter 11: Slave

Hiccup regained consciousness only seconds after fainting. Being horizontal meant the blood had rushed back into his head, clearing it. Hiccup was therefore able to discern, without a doubt, that he was fucked.

But he'd been fucked before, so he knew how to deal with it.

Hiccup sat up cautiously and waited for his heartrate to stabilise. After a moment of thought, he snatched up a notebook and quickly wrote a message.

To Whom It May Concern,

If I have not returned after leaving the facility on the 10th of August at 8:20 AM, then I am most likely dead or held captive by an unknown party. They sent me a threatening message involving my girlfriend before giving me GPS coordinates. I'm going to try and talk my way out of this one, but if I fail, the coordinates are as follows:

Hiccup checked his phone and scribbled the end of the note. At the very least, if he didn't come back, his father would have something to work with. It was tempting to leave the full story in a note, but if he actually did manage to talk his way out of this, he didn't want to be undone by his own thoroughness.

Standing carefully to test his balance, Hiccup took a deep breath and left his room. He was passing through the cafeteria when something caught his eye.

Astrid sat alone at the table now, her head in her hands. She looked like she really needed someone. Hiccup hated himself as he slipped out of the cafeteria and left her behind. Guilt weighed heavy on his heart.

I never should have joined the team.

It was a stupid thought. If he hadn't joined, Toothless would already be dead, his complex, nuanced consciousness mercilessly extinguished in the name of progress. Maybe they would already be on the next cycle of emulation, torturing another dragon. How much suffering had he averted through his treachery? Was it worth the pain he was putting his friends through?

Well, yeah. But he still didn't like it.

The coordinates led him to an ordinary suburban house on an ordinary street, but Hiccup knew how deceiving appearances could be after today's events. He walked up an old-fashioned wooden veranda and pressed the doorbell.

Nothing happened.

Hiccup looked around anxiously, waiting for menacing figures to step out of nowhere. But the street was empty. Not a single curtain stirred in the windows of each house, and not a single pedestrian roamed the sidewalk. It was like he'd entered an eerie little pocket of nonexistence that the rest of Berk couldn't penetrate.

His phone rang. Hiccup glanced down at his pocket instinctively, and something was pressed against the back of his neck. He froze in place. A tiny, familiar beep sounded. There was a pinch on his neck, and his sense of awareness dropped into inky blackness like chips off an iceberg.

Hiccup couldn't believe it. He was wearing actual, genuine shackles, and was being forced to kneel at the base of a throne.

"And I thought Berk took things too far with the medieval analogy," he muttered.

The throne room was lavish. Bare metal walls were draped with tapestries depicting ancient battles, and the floor was genuine ebony. An honest-to-god hearth crackled to his left, carved from dark marble.

"I have old-fashioned tastes," said the woman on the throne. She had striking blonde hair cut close to her skull, full lips, and a body that had likely inspired more than a few eating disorders during her adolescence. In particular, the generousness of her chest region was matched by only one other woman in Hiccup's life, the very one he was intent on rescuing.

"My name is Bertha," the woman said with a smile, as though reading his thoughts. "I'm the leader of the Bog Burglars – and Cami's mother."

Hiccup swallowed. "Then it was a lie. She's not in danger."

"I never lied to you," Bertha chided. "I simply told you I knew about the two of you… and your pet. I must say, it's rather promising that you immediately leapt into action. Quite the knight in shining armour, aren't you?"

Hiccup slumped a little. "Then what's this about? If Cami's not in danger, then –"

"I never said that, either." Bertha's lips pursed in annoyance. "She's in quite a lot of danger, actually. Keeping high-value assets hidden from me, conducting secret missions to aid you, liquidating her life's work just to afford the rush-contracts that gave you the final parts to your little project… Yes, her safety is by no means assured."

"Then what's this about? What do you want from me?"

"Circumstances have conspired to create an agent who can traverse the Archipelago seemingly unhindered by detection systems and radar," Bertha said coyly. "Such an agent would be useful to me. The exploits of such an agent, properly directed, might even be more valuable than the agent himself."

"What are you saying?" Hiccup said slowly. He'd been on edge ever since he woke up on the floor with his hands chained together, but this lady was giving him the creeps.

"You will strike the targets I designate for you. You will retrieve the assets or information I require, and deliver them to me."

"You want me to steal for you?"

Bertha nodded. "If you are willing, we will enter a compact. I will keep your myriad secrets as long as you complete my tasks. I've calculated that the greatest value lies in using you rather than selling you out along with your dragon."

Hiccup reluctantly asked the question he didn't really want the answer to. "What if I'm not willing?"

"Then your moral crusade comes to a tragic end," she said with false solemnity.

Her words hung in the air for a few tense moments.

"Proof of life," said Hiccup.

Bertha raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she replied placidly.

"Prove to me, beyond all doubt, that Cami is alive and unharmed. If we do enter into a compact, I will be demanding this at regular intervals."

Chuckling, Bertha waved a hand at someone behind Hiccup. "I'll have a video sent to your phone."

"Video's not going to cut it," Hiccup said harshly. He didn't care how rude he was being, and if seeing Bertha's cheek muscles twitch in irritation pleased him at the same time, then so be it. "Have you seen special effects in movies these days? Indistinguishable from real life."

"I don't see why I should bother humouring you."

"You will, unless you want me to talk."

"How exactly will you tell anyone?" Bertha asked dryly. "Your disappearance will, I'm sure, enrage Stoick even further, but it will be impotent anger. He won't have any reason to suspect us. Although, at least this way he'll remember you fondly. Have you thought about how he's going to react when he finds out?"

"I left a contingency plan in place in case I don't return," Hiccup said, keeping his tone mild, like they were discussing the weather.

Bertha's predatory smile widened. "You didn't know who you were going to meet here, and we can certainly move the dragon long before Sif works up the courage to break Archipelago law and bust into Cami's asset base. Any contingency you left would only implicate yourself. It poses no threat to me."

"Really? Because if I'm not back on Berk by the end of the day, the Foundation is going to know everything I know about the tunnels."

That did the trick. Bertha's eyes sharpened, the playfulness evaporating in an instant.

"She told you that?" Bertha whispered.

"Nah," Hiccup lied flippantly. "I figured it out. I'm a one-in-a-billion genius, believe it or not."

"Is that so?"

"I built a robot dragon that can fly undetected through the Archipelago," said Hiccup confidently. He didn't feel the need to mention the fact he had no idea why Toothless wasn't detected. "I've fooled Sif and Stoick, both." With Cami's help and a hell of a lot of luck. "You think the tunnels are the only thing I've figured out?" A complete lie. "You should count your lucky stars I'm such a 'knight in shining armour', because you do not want me as an enemy."

Cami must have been rubbing off on him, because Bertha actually seemed to buy it.

Hiccup pressed the attack. He just had to remain focused on his one goal at this very second: ensuring Cami's safety. "You want me to steal for you? Fine. But my going rate is Cami's safety." He narrowed his eyes. "So I'll say it again: proof of life."

Bertha sighed in acquiescence, but there was cruel amusement in her eyes when she gestured behind him.

Turning slowly, Hiccup dreaded what he might find.

A slumped figure entered the room, pulled by two masked guards. Blonde hair dangled lankly over a gaunt, hopeless face. Hiccup had never seen Cami looking so exhausted. It was like the fight had been beaten out of her, but there wasn't a single mark on her body that he could see.

"Cami," he whispered, shifting on his knees to face her.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," she said softly, her head bowed.

"You did nothing wrong. I dragged you into this mess. I promise I'll get you out of this."

"How sweet," said Bertha over a yawn. "Now, is this sufficient proof?"

"Bring her closer," Hiccup demanded. The guards ignored him.

Bertha sighed again and waved her hand. "Go on, then. Let's just get this out of the way."

Cami was brought over to Hiccup, her feet scuffing every few steps. Up close, her skin was pale and slick with sweat. Hiccup went to kiss her lips, but she turned her head away, her expression pained.

"Forget about me, Hiccup," she whispered.

"I don't know how long it will take," Hiccup hissed fiercely, "but I'll rescue you. I'll figure something out. I promise."

"I'm your pressure point, Hiccup. She'll hold me hostage in order to use you up and wring you dry. Then you'll be cut loose. If you want to help me, you have to leave me behind. If you don't care about me, I can't be used to control you."

"That's enough," Bertha said loudly, and Cami was dragged out of the room without another word. Hiccup watched her go, ice in his chest. He thought he understood what she was trying to tell him. It wasn't something that could be done quickly, but if he surrendered to Bertha's demands, he might just regain a little control of the situation. Enough to buy the time he needed.

Hiccup glared up at the hateful woman, who watched his struggle with undisguised mirth.

"Fine," he said.

Two months later…

Hiccup put his hands over his head and stretched, groaning as the knots in his back loosened.

Compared to Bertha's training regimen, Cami had been treating him like a delicate flower. He missed the love.

But, pain aside, he couldn't deny the results. Over the last two months, at Bertha's direction, he and Toothless had executed a number of minor thefts and data extractions. He'd become familiar with Bog Burglar tools, and had made a few trinkets of his own with their workshops and materials. Bertha was more than happy to let him ply his trade, provided he did it at her discretion.

So far, the goods and information he had collected were worth in excess of 200 million dollars. All of it went to Bertha and her people, of course, not that he was desperate for money. His fee was much simpler: Cami was brought to see him every two weeks, though they weren't allowed to talk anymore. Their plan was still in motion, but it was long-term, and nowhere near completion.

After today, though, he would be one step closer.

His phone rang.

"Hello?" said Hiccup.

"Hey… it's me," said Astrid. Her voice was low and close to the microphone. She was probably curled up in bed.

"Uh, hey. What's… what's up?"

A blast of static told of her sigh. "Nothing. You know that. That's why you're never at the facility anymore."

Hiccup bit his lip. "…Yeah."

"I just…" Was he imagining it, or did Astrid sniffle? "They still haven't found anything else for us to do. The twins are hardly here anymore. I think they got jobs out in the city since their scholarship doesn't cover everything. Stein spends most of his time in the gym or going to high-society parties, and Finn just watches cartoons all day. There's nothing I can do… there's nothing keeping this team together. We have no goal, no driving force. I just feel like everything's falling apart."

Hiccup's mouth worked. Shame prickled at his skin. He'd been so focused on Bertha and her demands that he'd spent barely any time with his fellow interns. Before he could think of something to say, Astrid continued.

"Sorry for calling so late… or early, I guess. It just got too much, you know? I had to say this stuff, and you're the only friend I have with any emotional maturity."

Hiccup exhaled heavily. "Yeah, I know the feeling. It's been a rough couple of months for me too."

"Really?" Astrid sounded surprised.

"I… kinda got dumped."

"Oh." There was a moment of silence. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too." He forced a chuckle. "Must seem like a pretty silly thing to be upset about compared to what you're dealing with."

"No, no," Astrid said hurriedly. "I mean, is this the depression Olympics or something? We both feel like shit. It doesn't matter why."

"This is probably a dumb idea," Hiccup said impulsively, "But do you want to hang out sometime soon? It sounds like you need someone to vent to, and I'm told I make a surprisingly good punching bag."

"Oh – uh, yes, sure. Why not," she replied. Was it his imagination again, or did she sound a little flustered?

"Maybe… the diner?" he suggested. "Like old times."

"Like a couple of months ago, you mean," Astrid said dryly.

Hiccup huffed a laugh. "Feels longer."

"I know what you mean."

"Friday, then? For breakfast?"

"Why not tomorrow?" asked Astrid. He could picture her raising an eyebrow.

"It's going to take at least that long to make myself presentable," Hiccup explained. It wasn't far from the truth. The missing part of the explanation was that he might very well be dead or in a whole lot of trouble by then.

Astrid made a noise of understanding. "Got to make sure your makeup isn't running."

Hiccup choked on his retort. "Is that – was that banter? From Astrid Hofferson?"

"I was stuck in a van with you for days at a time," Astrid said defensively. "You must have rubbed off on me."

"In that case, I look pretty good on you," he said tactlessly.

There was an awkward pause.

"You know what?" Hiccup went on. "It's 3AM. I'm not responsible for anything that comes out of my mouth this late."

Astrid laughed at him. "I'll keep that in mind. See you on Friday?"

"Yeah, absolutely. Sleep tight."

"Goodnight."

Hiccup ended the call and tucked his phone away. His reflection stared back at him from the mirror, judging.

"I don't really have a choice," he whispered. Without breaking eye contact with himself, he picked up his flight helmet and pulled it on tight.

Tonight was the most important job Bertha had given him so far.

Hiccup was going to raid his father's office.

The entry was swift and silent. Toothless, invisible to all detection apparatus for reasons Hiccup still didn't understand, clung to the outside of the facility with his claws. His body had been improved and redesigned over the past two months, and was now as sleek as a bullet, and more than capable of withstanding high-speed flight.

"That's it, bud," Hiccup murmured as he cut through the exterior wall with a smaller, subtler tool he'd made just for this job. His kinetic-heat conversion blade was strapped to his back. "Now, when I'm in, I want you to take off and circle around above us until I give you the signal. I might be in a hurry, so be ready."

Toothless warbled softly in acknowledgment. One of the improvements Hiccup had made to Toothless's body was a vocal converter that allowed him to chirp, gurgle, and even roar.

"Wish me luck."

Hiccup slipped through the hole he'd created and landed in a pitch-black cupboard. His flight helmet was already set to night vision, and was currently displaying a full, 3D map of the floor he was on. This closet was the nearest room to his father's office that shared a wall with the outside world.

Moving out into the hallway, Hiccup tried to keep his nerves under control. He'd gotten a considerable amount of practice over the last two months, but knowingly stealing from his father was pushing him further than ever before.

Hallway cameras were easily spoofed thanks to a clever Bog Burglar device. The same went for heat sensors and other fancy security gear. The Bog Burglars wouldn't be as good at what they did if they were that easy to stop.

At 3AM, the corridors were empty. Most guards were on the perimeter, lower levels, or the roof, since it was unlikely someone could breach the facility from a sheer wall. Stoick's office was unguarded but locked. Even the administrator wouldn't pay men to stand motionless for twelve hours outside a door. Technology would suffice where humans were inefficient. Cameras and sensors had infinite patience and never lost focus.

Hiccup disabled them one by one, making them think they saw nothing. He was a walking magic trick, the embodiment of sleight-of-hand. Blindsight afflicted every lens. They saw him, but they didn't register it.

Like a ghost, he drifted through the door and closed it silently behind him.

And sitting at the desk, staring in surprise at the sudden visitor, was Stoick Haddock. In all Hiccup's preparation, he hadn't once considered that his dad would still be at work this late at night.

Stoick gripped the edge of the heavy table and flipped it so hard that it rolled several metres towards the door. Leaping into the air, Hiccup's light feet danced on the spinning edges as he remained on top of the moving table until it came to a rest on its side. Hiccup balanced carefully with one foot on the narrow lip, now facing the roof, and one on the thick legs, now pointing back at Stoick.

Stoick charged just as Hiccup noticed a pump-action shotgun strapped to the underside of the desk. Hiccup removed his foot from the table leg and put all his weight on the lip, tipping the table a further 90 degrees and making the backboard rise up and intercept Stoick in the gut, robbing the man of momentum with a choked gasp that elicited a cringe of guilt from Hiccup.

The guilt didn't stop Hiccup from drawing his sword, flicking the power switch with his thumb, and then driving the carbon blade through the shotgun on the underside of the desk, which was now flat on the floor.

The main threat eliminated, Hiccup danced back a few steps towards the door, only hesitating when he saw his father struggle to rise. The blow to the gut must have hurt him more than it appeared –

Stoick grabbed a thick table leg (all four of which were now facing skyward) and ripped it free of the desk with a grunt and far more speed than a man that size had any right to possess. He launched the leg at Hiccup with a wordless roar.

Hiccup, caught off-guard, dropped to one knee and brought his sword up in a half-moon curve. The superconductive lattice screamed bright, hot light at his eyes as it sheered through the incoming leg and sent both pieces to either side of Hiccup's head, slamming against the door behind him.

Hiccup blinked the afterimage away and rose to his feet, holding the sword before him defensively. Stoick halted his advance, eyeing the sword and Hiccup with equal disgust.

"You've never used that thing on a person before," growled the older man.

"I've never been backed into a corner before, either," Hiccup replied, glad that the voice filter didn't portray how uneven his voice was. He adopted as menacing a stance as he could manage, praying that Stoick wouldn't see through the act. If it came down to it, Hiccup would surrender rather than harm his father. Everything would go to hell, but at least he'd live.

"There's no need for martyrdom, Stoick," said Hiccup, thinking quickly. "Stand aside and I'll leave. We both live to fight another day."

"You're a plague on the Foundation. On the entire Archipelago. If I die, my son will take over and the company will thrive like never before. If you die, we'll reclaim our property and the company will still thrive like never before." Stoick's eyes were hard, unyielding.

"Really? Because from what I've heard about Hiccup Haddock, he's not really the businessman type. More of a loner than a leader," Hiccup replied, basking in the surreal nature of finally having a talk with his dad about the future of the company.

"You mention my son again, and that sword won't protect you," Stoick replied in a low, venomous tone Hiccup had never heard before.

A knock on the door heightened the sudden, deadly tension between them. Hiccup reached back with his free hand and locked the door just as someone tried to open it. The handle rattled.

"Sir? I heard some loud noises, is everything alright?" called a dainty, female voice.

Hiccup's blood quickened. That was Sif's voice. She knew something was up and was testing the waters. Stoick backed away from Hiccup, moving to an alcove at the back of the room with deliberate slowness. A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Just peachy, Sif. I'm adjusting my office."

Hiccup held his sword before him, blade down. Then he crouched while turning on the spot to gather momentum. The sword carved a circle into the carpet below him, then the concrete, then more concrete, then the ceiling plaster of the room below. The circle fell out from beneath him and he rode the various layers of flooring down into a pristine white laboratory, scattering a gang of screaming scientists.

Is anyone not working late tonight?

Such an over-the-top escape method was made necessary by one simple fact: in a situation of unknown quantities, mentioning 'peach' in a sentence was code for 'shoot through the fucking door'.

In the office above, gunfire from several automatic weapons ripped the wooden doors to pieces only seconds after Hiccup dropped out of the way. Stoick would be safe in the alcove, but Hiccup would have been slaughtered in less than a second.

The panicking scientists, whose extensive educations didn't include dealing with sword-wielding ninjas dropping through the ceiling, converged on the entrance to the lab, of which there was only one. There were no armed guards out there, so this lab wasn't top-secret, but if he stuck around there would be enough guards to make it look like Fort Knox.

Hiccup threw himself against the far wall, driving the sword in to its hilt. By jiggling it around, he was able to generate enough kinetic energy to cut a small fissure, which allowed him to move the sword further, generate more energy, and snowball it all into a long vertical crack in the wall. He used the same method to carve the other three sides of a rectangle, then used his body weight to push the layers of brick and plaster and steel out the other side. It was crude, and he felt a little disgusted with himself for using the beautiful sword in such a blunt way, but he was low on options.

Hiccup emerged into a corridor along with a cloud of dust and chunks of plaster. A glance to his left showed him a team of black-suited guards charging past an intersection without noticing him, likely heading for the entrance to the lab he just escaped from.

No sense waiting for them to figure it out.

Hiccup deactivated his sword, sheathed it, then ran like hell.

Surprised night-shift employees leapt aside as he bolted past them, and he avoided every security checkpoint he could remember. In a stroke of brilliance, he keyed his radio to pick up the secure channel that Sif Hofferson would be using to direct her people.

Multiple voices screeched over each other, many out of breath.

"–fucking hole in the wall, how the fuck did he–"

"–spotted on second eastern corridor, floor six–"

Hiccup burst into a stairwell and dropped three floors, skipping four steps at a time. His lungs burned with exertion, but he couldn't stop.

"–floor six stairwell, upper floors stay alert, he's a tricky fucker, might double back–"

"–negative, he's going for the ground floor exit, close the perimeter–"

"–lab one unit, divert to main entrance, link up with lab units two and three, all labs on lockdown–"

Hiccup swore as he emerged onto the third floor, which consisted of a corridor with a few maintenance rooms – and a large grate made of reinforced steel. It looked as though it had only recently been replaced.

He drew his sword.

One of the radio voices sounded very excited.

"–dumbass just cornered himself on the third-floor maintenance corridor, go, go, go–"

Hiccup laughed as he cut through the same grate Cami had destroyed months ago. It was far thicker and was wired up with ten times as many detectors as there had been then.

It was a good thing kinetic-heat conversion blades didn't really care about that sort of thing.

Sif Hofferson's steel-toned voice dominated the channel.

"You mean he's in the same corridor he used to break into Odin's chamber? And he possesses the same tool he used to do so last time?"

"Uh…" replied the previously-enthusiastic guard.

"Get the lab one unit in there immediately."

Hiccup crawled through the short shaft behind the grate and entered Odin's chamber for the first time.

He stood in the middle of a row of dark, gleaming, cylindrical towers at least four metres in diameter. They rose like monoliths in the dim light, and coils of mist obscured the ground before them due to the liquid nitrogen cooling system, adding to the otherworldly atmosphere. The chamber was as large as the facility, occupying the entire third floor. Hiccup was breathless as he stared at the grid of towers fading into the distant mist. For a moment, despite the urgency, despite the adrenaline coursing through him, Hiccup felt a bizarre urge to sit down and think for a while.

I guess no matter how much things change, I'll never stop loving enormous amounts of processing power, he thought.

"What's wrong with the lighting in Odin's chamber?" Sif's voice barked on the radio. "That room is supposed to be completely lit at all times. The cameras are useless to us like this."

"Yeah, the mood lighting is great in here," Hiccup replied, only realising what he'd done a moment later. His distorted voice echoed a little over the radio waves, which were dead silent for a couple of seconds.

"Who was that?" asked one voice.

"Jesus, he's on the fucking channel!" roared another.

Hiccup raced through Odin's chamber with a cacophony of surprised security personnel screeching in his ear.

"Change to designated secondary channels and continue pursuit!" Sif ordered, fury audible in her voice.

"Oh come on, don't leave me all alone," Hiccup answered absently as he rotated the 3D map of the facility projected inside his helmet. He left a path of disturbed mist behind him as he bolted towards the south-western corner of the massive chamber.

Surprisingly, Sif remained on the same frequency as Hiccup. Though, more likely, she was switching between several channels to give orders and listen to him at the same time.

"Give yourself up. You are already surrounded. If you surrender, you will be taken into custody. If you do not, you will be killed on the spot," said Sif.

Hiccup slammed his sword into the floor between two towers, dissipating the mist nearby due to the sudden heat. He cut a smooth, circular hole in the floor just like he had in Stoick's office, and fell into the kitchens of the second-floor mess hall.

"I'm not really enthusiastic about either of those options, if I'm being honest," Hiccup said plainly, already cutting a second hole in the deserted kitchen. The staff had likely bolted for their emergency gather point as soon as the alarms went off.

The first two floors of the facility mirrored each other in many ways. Mid-level on-site employees could use the second-floor mess hall, and their rooms were in a couple of different wings nearby, sorted by pay-grade. The first floor was for low-level employees and interns, and it also contained the mess hall Hiccup, as an intern, was most familiar with.

This was all completely useless information to anyone who wasn't trying to figure out how to cut their way down into the interns' shower room. The very same showers that were on the western edge of the facility, with only a wall between them and the outside world.

Hiccup dropped into the shower room while riding a smoking cylinder of flooring and plaster, and immediately realised he wasn't alone. Hot steam filled the chamber, and three of the stalls were in use.

Tuff and Ruff were in adjacent stalls blasting music from two different waterproof speakers, which explained why none of them had heard the alarms yet. The stalls had no doors, and the second the twins noticed the black-clad helmeted figure holding a sword, they dropped their shampoo bottles simultaneously.

Why is everyone awake?! Hiccup thought, exasperated.

"Pardon the intrusion," Hiccup said, averting his eyes out of politeness. He hurried over to the final wall between him and the night, and only then noticed the person in the third stall.

Astrid stood with only a poofy white washcloth thing in her hands, and she seemed too shocked to cover herself with it. Soap suds rolled down her lithe curves, and her wet hair hung over her face in a demure sort of way that Hiccup found quite becoming.

Man, I become a total dork around naked women.

"Please forgive me," he said out loud. "I didn't see a thing."

With that, he raised his sword once more and cut his way to freedom.

"Until next time, Sif," he said into the radio before disconnecting without waiting for a reply.

Toothless was ready for him, and less than five seconds after stumbling through the hole into the pitch-black night, there was a hum of power and four hydraulic paws landed in front of him. Hiccup mounted the dragon in one motion, securing his sword as he did so.

Toothless sprinted a few paces before extending his wings and activating the EM engine. With a rush of wind and their signature wind-shriek, they were above the clouds and safe once more.

Two days after the break-in, the interns were summoned to a late-night audience with Stoick and Sif. Hiccup was notably absent. That, coupled with the fact the thief had mentioned Hiccup by name, had the administrator frantic with worry.

"Has anyone been in contact with Hiccup?" demanded Stoick. They were gathered in Sif's command centre, the most secure place in the facility. The whole place was lit up like a Christmas tree, and guards were working double shifts as punishment for their failure to apprehend the thief.

Astrid raised her hand. "I have. I called him two days ago." She pulled out her phone and showed them the call history.

"At 3 AM," Sif murmured.

Astrid's eyes flashed. "I didn't realise I was still on a schedule, mum." She flushed. "I mean, ma'am."

"What did you speak about?" Stoick asked desperately. "Did he sound okay?"

Astrid hesitated. "He sounded fine." Both Sif and Stoick narrowed their eyes at her. It took all of her pride and self-control to keep from squirming under their gaze. "Well, he sounded a little depressed," she admitted, before hurrying to clarify, "But that was because he broke up with his girlfriend. It's not really relevant."

"He had a girlfriend?" Stoick muttered in surprise, the worry vanishing from his face for a moment.

Sif cleared her throat. "Perhaps you should simply call him, rather than hope for the best," she suggested.

"Aye, enough mucking about." Stoick pulled his phone from a deep pocket, only to pause before dialling anything. "Actually," he said slowly, "Astrid, why don't you call him?"

"Uh, of course, sir," Astrid slid past the awkward moment by quickly yanking her phone out again. Nobody wanted to dwell on the fact that Hiccup might let his father's call go to voicemail. Their strained relationship was practically a corporate secret in that nobody was dumb enough to gossip about it.

Astrid put the phone on speaker as it rang. The tension in her superiors rose with each second that Hiccup failed to answer.

Finally, on the last ring before it would have gone to voicemail, a familiar, nasal voice greeted them.

"Astrid?" Hiccup said, audibly yawning. "What's up?"

Astrid swallowed, aware of all the eyes on her. "Uh, not much. What's up with you?"

There was a long moment of silence.

"Astrid, did you seriously wake me up at 2AM to exchange pleasantries?" Hiccup spluttered.

The twins sniggered, and Stoick gave a quiet sigh of relief. A sarcastic, annoyed Hiccup clearly indicated that all was well. He waved a dismissive hand at Astrid and she took the call off speaker. With Hiccup's safety confirmed, Stoick and Sif marched off to attend to other areas of importance.

Astrid stepped away from her fellow interns, but they annoyingly followed her, listening in with wide smiles.

"Sorry, Hiccup," she huffed. "I was just checking you were alright. There was another break-in at the facility."

"What?" Hiccup sounded wide-awake now. She regretted robbing him of his sleep, but he deserved to be kept in the loop.

"It happened two days ago. The thief got into Administrator Stoick's office, but was chased off before he could take anything."

"Is my dad okay?" Hiccup's voice had a little hitch in it that made Astrid's heart melt. If only he and his dad could just sort out their issues. She knew they both cared a lot for each other.

"He's fine," Astrid said calmingly.

Hiccup sighed in relief. "So… it's technically Friday now."

Astrid smiled a little, but quickly hid it when the twins exchanged meaningful glances. "Yes, it technically is.

"Are we still good for today?"

"Yes. Unless we get called in again, I think we're free to go."

"Then I'm gonna try and get back to sleep, and I'll see you in a few hours. Don't stress too much until then, alright?"

Was it her imagination, or did Hiccup sound a little guilty?

"I'll do my best," Astrid replied.

Author's Notes:

I know, I know. I just hope you enjoyed the chapter.