Chapter Twenty-Two: The Most Wanted Man in the Archipelago

Eret listened gravely as Astrid, Fishlegs and the twins explained everything that had happened since he had been captured by Alvin and had decided to infiltrate the Outcast First Minister's operation. He shook his head a few times and frowned a lot but finally he sat quietly in the limousine and absently drummed his fingers on his knee.

"I can't believe it," he murmured. "Hiccup Haddock? What in Thor's name has happened to the world? And Heather...damn..." Astrid folded her arms and glared at him, irritated beyond words that he was still undervaluing her friend.

"Well, you sent your emergency call to Hiccup, not the Commander, because you're so arrogant that you input by hand rather than use the speed-dial function built into your phone. You were impossible to find because you're such an ass you never use your tracker. And why did you leave Snotlout on his own? You know he's a total idiot!" Her tone was incredibly sharp. There was a definite look of triumph in her eyes as his thick black brows dipped in a scowl.

"How..."

"And then of course Heather dismissed the message...when anyone would at least check it out," she pointed out. "And because the Commander naturally assumes his son is always wrong, he believed Heather's assessment. Hiccup was really abused for pushing to investigate. In the end, he went himself-and found the remains of your tech. But he couldn't show anyone because he would be dismissed for pursuing it even when told not to..." At that, Eret suddenly looked embarrassed, knowing he was as guilty as everyone else in mistreating the young agent. Hiccup had just done what any good agent would have: followed a lead doggedly until he got to the truth of the matter, despite the treachery of one of the senior officers and the prejudice of the rest.

"And you tell me that you have proof of what happened to AI6?" he repeated and Fishlegs nodded.

"Fish is in support-a freelancer," Ruff added as Eret gave a disbelieving look.

"What kind of name is Fish?" he asked.

"Um...a popstar one?" Tuff suggested with a wry grin. "Lead singer of Marillion, anyone?"

"Anyway, who're you to talk-Eret?" Ruff sneered. "My beefcake," she added with a grin. Surprisingly, the agent shuddered at her leer and edged away from her so he was almost sitting in Astrid's lap-which earned him a very harsh elbow in the side.

"And of Heather meeting Dagur-including recordings of what they said," Astrid continued determinedly. "We have the information she managed to suppress-that she is the daughter of Oswald 'the Agreeable' and sister of Dagur DeRange, the assassin!"

"And you really infiltrated the Casino off your own back?" Eret checked.

"Well...after we escaped from Hunter's Isle," the girl admitted. "We were kidnapped and they questioned us...well, mainly Hiccup. He was pretty badly hurt but he didn't say anything! And we broke out and he flew us to Bog..."

"Ooh-have you told him about the shoot-out with Dagur...and the bus ride?" Tuff asked eagerly. "Because that was awesome..." Eret raised his hands.

'Okay-so I may have underestimated him," he admitted. "And hugely overestimated Snotlout...which is quite a feat since my opinion of him was microscopic to start with."

"We need you to help us to explain this to the Commander," Cami said calmly. "My mother and I witnessed the blatant treason in Asgard and we could not stand by and allow the President to be assassinated by Forraeder and DeRange. My mother is going to shout at Stoick for his stupidity but evidence would be helpful in persuading him...as well as your testimony-agent VA1." Eret's eyes widened and he stared at her.

"How...how did you...?" he mouthed.

"Snotlout!" Ruff sniggered. "He actually boasted he had been on the mission with the top agent-as he was sitting waiting to be fed in his unlocked cell." Eret stared at them-and then chuckled.

"Where is he, by the way?" he asked, still sniggering.

"My mother's retinue still has him in the Residence," Cami explained. "We could hardly bring that ass on this mission!" Eret stroked his chin and then nodded.

"Keep him away from the Command Staff as well," he said and nodded to the others. His eyes fell on Astrid and he winked. "You and me, honey..." She elbowed him again and he groaned. "And the twins and Fish-man..." he wheezed in pain. "We'll see Commander Haddock and persuade him we need to postpone the Presidential Opening of the Viking Heritage Research Centre..."

"President Larsson won't listen," Cami frowned, peering at her phone and the message she had just received. "My mother has already had an audience with him and he refused flat to postpone or alter a thing. He doesn't want to appear weak in front of the First Ministers."

"Instead, he's going to appear dead!" Astrid commented. "At least if the Commander says the same thing he may listen?" Eret looked at her: in the course of his missions, he had experienced some dealings with the perma-tanned, stubborn and self-confident President and he doubted anything would turn the man if he had made up his mind.

"Worth a try," he said sceptically. "But please tell me you have a Plan B."

oOo

Hiccup realised he was becoming an expert at unpleasant awakenings when he didn't even scream or feel disorientated as he awoke again with no clue where he was. He seemed to be in a wrecked aircraft that was half-buried in a large muddy bank, four giant gorse bushes and three fir trees. Wincing, he automatically slapped the release for his four-point harness and shoved a branch aside that was protruding through the smashed windshield. Scrambling, he managed to get out of the chair and realised the three other people in the cockpit-titled at an inconvenient 45 degree angle-were unconscious and lightly injured. And he could smell the almost aromatic smell of aircraft fuel.

They had crashed and their fuel was leaking.

Grimacing, he hauled himself to the door of the aircraft and managed to wrench the lever down, jimmying the door open enough to escape...and then he looked back and sighed, clambering back up the floor to the nearest victim. He was a big, tanned man with a hard face and chestnut hair. Releasing him, Hiccup realised with dismay that he weighed a ton as he was forced to drag him down the floor, out of the door and across the muddy, mossy ground of the spruce forest until he could dump him safely behind small ridge.

As he looked back, he realised that they were even more lucky than he had guessed, for the back half of the fuselage-including the tail and half the left wing-were missing. The branches of the tree impaling the downed aircraft had missed him and the pilot by millimetres which was extraordinary in itself. But as he straightened up, his head spun and his vision blurred.

"You belong to the Queen. You are her subject. Nothing else matters. Not family. Not friends. Not Berk. Only the Queen..."

He blinked. There were two people trapped in a crashed aircraft and if he didn't get them out, then they would die in the explosion that was inevitable. So he ignored the nagging voice and the driving pain through his temple and staggered back through the cold grey afternoon into the cockpit, struggling even worse with the huge, solid woman in the other passenger seat. He had barely got her from the plane when the whole thing shifted and the smell of aircraft fuel grew stronger. With a sudden burst of energy, he dragged her clear then almost ran back to the cockpit, dragging himself up to the pilot.

The man was hanging limp in his straps, his tanned and handsome face slack with blood smeared down one temple. Jet hair was strewn over his forehead.

"Toothless," Hiccup murmured as he unstrapped the man. "Toothless, Night Fury Clan from Dragon Isle. You...saved me...from..." The pain intensified but the memory of a pair of azure eyes made the pain recede a little. "Astrid." He swallowed and carefully lifted Toothless from the pilot's seat. "I can do this...after all, even VA1019 can accidentally get it right, once in a while." His foot slipped and they slammed against the door, the edge bruising his ribs, but he pressed on and managed to drag Toothless out and across the ground before he could smell burning. He glanced back and tried to hurry up...until the plane exploded. He threw himself across the other man as the flames rolled up into the dull grey sky and pieces of the plane whizzed overhead.

"N'you weren't even flying..." Toothless murmured, his acid-green eyes fluttering open. His voice sound hoarse and pain-filled but his words were as dry as ever. Achingly, Hiccup raised his head and winced.

"Like you're doing any better," he snarked back as he climbed off the man. "At least I wasn't shot down over Bugla Harbour. We just ran out of fuel and flying ability..." Hand pressed to the wound on his head, Toothless sat up and stared in anxiety at the burning wreckage.

"The others?" he asked, a faint hint of trepidation entering his voice. With a small smile, Hiccup gestured towards the ridge behind them.

"Um...got them out first...and for the record, they're really heavy," he admitted. "Especially Meatlug?" Toothless inspected his fingers and winced as he saw blood on them.

"Gronckles are blessed with very dense skeletons and musculature," he revealed idly, slowly getting to his feet. "No such thing as a skinny Gronckle. But Meatlug's a really sweet person and she hated that you were being hurt." He offered Hiccup his hand and hauled the young man to his shaky feet. "And I think she may have her eye on that friend of yours, Fishlegs." Emerald eyes snapped wide and Hiccup said the only thing he could.

"Oh Thor."

And then the first bullets exploded around them and the two men turned and sprinted to the shelter of the ridge-to find a trio of men covering the recovering Meatlug and Hookfang with rifles and another five running towards them. Sharing a resigned glance, they both raised their hands.

"I don't suppose you're the Archipelago Breakdown services?" Hiccup said as the nearest one jabbed the muzzle of his gun into the young agent's bruised ribs. "I think we may have broken our plane..."

oOo

Though they had all been released from ITU, the senior Command Staff of AI6 were all still in the Blessed Freya Infirmary, having occupied half an entire ward on the fourth floor with heavy guard presence on all entrances. It had taken almost all of Eret's considerable powers of persuasion to be allowed in with his little entourage-and only then when Bertha and Cami had joined in and demanded to see the Commander of AI6 on behalf of the Isle of Bog.

They were all escorted into the day room, where the command staff had set up a de facto conference room and rec area...though most of them weren't up to much activity. Stoick Haddock was seated in a huge arm chair, a sheath of papers on the small table by his side, the blue hospital pyjamas emblazoned with the words 'hospital property' stretched across his still huge frame. In a motorised wheelchair next to him, Phlegma was making notes of his comments on an encrypted tablet, her legs in external fixators and one arm in a sling. She looked extremely grumpy as she winced, stretching for a large cup of coffee. In the centre of the room, Spitelout was pushing his drip stand around the pool table, complaining the Gobber was hustling him-probably because the Quartermaster seemed to have already managed to make himself a pool cue prosthetic and was handily sinking every ball in sight, taunting the other man as he went. Ack was seated on a sofa, a leg in plaster and eye-patch on as he reviewed the security videos from the day of the explosion while Mildew was sitting at the far side of the room, complaining bitterly about the hospital menu.

"It's all genetically modified irradiated rubbish!" he moaned. "Not a natural unspoilt morsel among it. It's a miracle we ain't all got cancer or dementia yet..."

"Not sure about the second one of those," Cami murmured under her breath as they entered the room and approached the Commander. Eyes flicking up, Stoick scowled and lowered his papers, but First Minister Bogcastle strode forward and glared at him, looming over the huge shape of the Commander.

"Do not dare give me that look, Stoick Clarence Haddock!" she snapped as every eye turned to the Commander, seeing his bushy red brows dip in annoyance as the revelation of his embarrassing middle name. Ruff and Tuff immediately sniggered.

"Bertha-did you come all this way to insult me or are there going to be grapes as well?" he shot back gruffly.

"I know you're allergic, Stoick-I brought peaches instead," she answered calmly. He slowly got to his feet and shock his head.

"Let's go to my room," he commented and walked very slowly off, with Phlegma wheeling along behind. He paused and turned to her. "This is confidential..." he began but she banged her fist on the arm of her chair.

"Don't even think to try that line with me!" Phlegma snapped. "I know more about what happens in the service-and on the missions than anyone else. Now get a move on. I've got 37 minutes until my meds are due!" Bertha gave a grin as she stomped after the Commander, the little gang following. The Commander lowered himself achingly into the chair by his bed and faced the group as Eret walked forward.

"VA1-report," the Commander said.

Assisted by Astrid, Cami, the twins and Fishlegs, Eret gave a thorough and concise report of everything that had happened since he was dispatched in the mission to infiltrate the warehouse. Stoick's face remained impassive as they finally reached the end and then he scowled.

"I'm not sure I can believe you," he said gruffly as the twins shared a glance and Astrid's fists bunched tightly.

"Everything we've told you is true, sir," she said angrily. "Hiccup got us out of the collapsed building. He was completely decisive and got us out just in time. If we had hesitated another five minutes, we would all be dead."

"I was overconfident and keyed my message to you manually," Eret confessed with a wry grin, the smile fading as he saw the cold anger in Stoick's expression. "Though I would have expected anyone to realise that I wouldn't use Code Black-our highest priority code-unless it was serious!"

"You believed Heather," Astrid said grimly, her eyes narrowing. 'Anyone would at least investigate-but you let your personal feelings towards your son to compromise the safety of an agent and the Archipelago!" Stoick's huge fists clenched.

"I don't need your amateur assessment!" he growled.

"Then have my professional one!" Bertha snapped. "You're a stubborn, arrogant, prejudiced, blind ass!"

"I..." he began.

"You believed Heather-who, it seems, was a traitor in the pay of the Hunter Syndicate as well as the daughter of Oswald Oswaldson, the most corrupt politician in Archipelago History...which is really saying something-and half-sister of the most lethal assassin alive!" Astrid growled.

"And she used the fake name of Heather Daguerre instead of her real name, Heather Oswalddottir-which any competent human resources and personnel department should've uncovered!" Cami noted.

"Yeah...about that..." Tuff muttered.

"I believe she suggested she use 'Oswalddottir' as her alias on her property documents to ensure she wasn't uncovered," Phlegma stated tartly.

"And you never suspected that she was suddenly late for the staff meeting when she is always punctual?" Gobber asked gruffly from the door, letting himself in, despite the scowl from Stoick.

"And then miraculously appears with a bag from 'Bread-Making Vikings' when she was supposed to be in the Commander's Office when the bomb went off!" Ruff added.

"And she didn't bring any for us either," Tuff commented. "She was mean to Hiccup because he asked why she hadn't been in the meeting..." Stoick's eye flickered.

"Wait-he knew about the meeting?" he asked sharply.

"Of course he knew about the meeting!" Phlegma snapped at him, her dark eyes glittering with sudden anger. "I am not sure what your issue is, Commander, but Hiccup's scores in all aptitude tests were extraordinary. He is amazingly observant, makes connections quicker than any computer and is a sponge for intelligence and data. He never forgets a fact and is brave, diligent and incredibly hard-working. In fact, his only fault is believing that one day, you will give him the credit that he deserves."

"And for you to believe-even for a second-that he would have anything to do with the destruction of AI6-is an insult to him and to your wife, Odin rest her soul!" Bertha snapped. "There isn't a disloyal bone in that boy's body. I don't know why you persist in punishing him for your action in sending your wife to her death, but it has to stop, Stoick!"

"First Minister, you cannot tell me what to do!" he growled. "And you certainly can't tell me what to think and feel!"

"Then try facts," Fishlegs said angrily, tapping data into his computer and thumbing on the flatscreen TV on the wall. He played the videos of the delivery of the bomb, highlighting Mildew's insistence on circumventing the security procedures due to his own stupid prejudices that had been betrayed to the bombers. The path of the bomb was tracking using the internal surveillance cameras and then the explosion data-from all cameras and seismographs-was displayed. The twins explained what a Zippleback was and how it worked and they comforted that they could only be obtained from the Defender Syndicate of Queen Mala-and that Hiccup didn't have the millions of kronor required to purchase the device or the equipment to make his own.

"Hiccup is not to blame," the hacker said firmly. "Now Hiccup, Astrid and Cameron all heard the plan to assassinate President Larsson...and I recorded it, of course. Are you going to do anything about it?" The Commander scowled and then nodded.

"I will need all my agents," he said gruffly. "Eret, Thuggory...Heather-though she will be being played, not us, for once...Snotlout and could Cameron lend her assistance, First Minister?"

"Snotlout?" Astrid spat. "That mutton-head? He has almost blown the mission more times than I can tell you and..."

"Agent VA73-I suggest you leave now, while you still have the hope of a career!" Stoick snapped at her. Her eyes widened in shock. "Bertha-take a seat. You too, Eret. We need to make a plan. The rest of you...are not field agents. GET OUT!"

Astrid stared for a long moment before she turned and marched out, the twins and Fishlegs on her heels. Blinded with anger, she saw Snotlout coming along, a smug smile on his face and she guessed that he had already been to see his father.

"Didya get your marching orders, babe?" he asked her cockily. "Only real agents needed for this one!" She punched him in the face and kicked him as he lay on the ground, howling about his rebroken nose.

"I'll show you a real agent, you mutton-headed pile of yak dung!" she growled and stalked away, the twins on her heel. They hit the stairs and she stormed down, recalling how upset Hiccup had been the last time he had been to visit his father-and been rebuffed. Now, despite all they had done, they were all being rebuffed. So they stalked out into the afternoon and Astrid finally stopped by the fountain in the gardens beside the hospital, settling on a bench and staring at the water trickling over the abstract granite sculpture. The twins sat on the lip of the fountain and Fishlegs settled beside her.

"So...is that it?' he asked. "I mean, I ought to drop in at home. I asked my neighbour to look after my plants and feed my dog but even so...I miss my home." Astrid shared a look with the twins. She smiled.

"You know-we're all homeless as well," she suggested. "Can we come and stay with you?"

"AAARGH! NO!"

"Fishlegs Ingerman, I would love to meet your dog...and tell you my plan for how we are going to be at that Presidential Opening and save the day!" she told him. "Think about it. We can prove Stoick wrong...and make a fool of Snotlout once more..." The hacker stared at her, eyes round and jaw dropped. "Come on," she added in a honeyed voice. "You want to help Hiccup, don't you? He is your best friend, isn't he? And you would do anything to help the poor sap, wouldn't you?" Sighing, Fishlegs nodded and wearily got to his feet.

"Yeah, he is and yes I would," he admitted. "I HATE that about me." Astrid linked her arms with his, smiling.

"Time to be a hero," she told him.

oOo

The building was a hunting lodge, deep in the southern spruce forests of Berserk, a sumptuous sprawling three storey wood and stone building that seemed more like a mini-Palace than a simple cabin in the woods. There were guards stationed on the approaches, surveillance cameras and drones overhead and the most advanced communications arrays deployed to gather all possible intelligence. Hiccup hung to the strut he was cuffed to in the back of the truck as they bounced up the approach road and swung round into what looked like a very well-equipped barracks.

The guards shepherded them round through an armoured entrance and into a dark holding lobby before Hiccup and Toothless were marched through and into a very neat hardwood-floored sitting room, containing three cream leather couches, a low acacia wood coffee table inlaid with granite and a huge picture window that overlooked a steep slope dropping to a lake. A buff man in a cream safari suit was standing by the drinks cabinet, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his dulled greying carrot-red hair vaguely familiar-as were his piercing pale green eyes.

"Oswald Oswaldson," Toothless said. "I see impeachment hasn't diminished your quality of life." The man took a calculating sip.

"Toothless," he said calmly, his eyes lingering over the unfamiliar shape of Hiccup, "I hear the Red Queen isn't too happy with you."

"Boy, good news travels fast," the dragon commented dryly. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"I guessed she wouldn't send her Nadders to shoot down her best agent if he wasn't being a bad boy," Oswald commented, his rugged face thoughtful.

"Lose the trigger-happy grunts," the dragon commented, walking calmly to a couch and sitting down, tossing his cuffs aside. Oswald's eyes widened: he had been informed that the cuffs were inescapable. Hiccup walked to sit by his friend, though his wrists remained cuffed in front of his waist. "I have need of your services."

"My services?" the former Chief Minister of Berserk asked, taking a seat opposite his guests. He waved a finger and the armed guards left. Very deliberately, Toothless closed his fingers over the chain binding Hiccup's cuffs and crushed it, then calmly sat back in his seat as Hiccup moved his hands apart, trying to rub some life back into his wrists.

"My friend here has a problem," he said calmly, despite the fact his head was still pounding from the impact of the crash. "He's spent some quality time with the Changewing Programmers and he may not be thinking as clearly as usual."

"And he usually does?" the former Chief Minister asked pointedly.

"He's a remarkable young man," Toothless admitted. "And yes, he sees very clearly."

"What's his name?" Oswald asked idly, pulling out his mini-tablet and tapping in a quick query.

"Hiccup Haddock."

Pale green eyes flicked up and Oswald smirked.

"Now there's a name that has been mentioned more than once recently," he commented.

"Good things, I hope," Hiccup said, affecting what he hoped was the correct air of nonchalance. He had no idea what Toothless was planning but he had no choice but to trust the dragon and play along.

"Interesting things, certainly," the older man admitted. "My son has been cursing your name since he failed to kill you twice...and there is a rumour that you are the most wanted man in the Archipelago for destroying AI6 and killing hundreds!"

"Go me!" Hiccup snarked. "I seem to be very busy."

"Haddock...as in Stoick?" Oswald checked and Hiccup nodded.

"Family-love it!" he replied sarcastically.

"Changewings?" Toothless prompted the older man and cast the young agent a warning look. "Come on, Oswald-you're not the only one who hears things..." The man sat back, the light catching the cut glass of his whiskey tumbler as he toyed with the object, watching the amber liquor sloshed back and forth.

"I may have some small intelligence in that area," he admitted.

"Oswald, you purchased covert programming for your successor to ensure he does exactly what you want in Berserk!" Toothless reminded him sharply. "You are the Chief Minister in all but name-but with none of the responsibility, blame or scrutiny that you should have when wielding all that power."

"And it's so much more fun to be 'Oswald the Agreeable', the Fixer of the Archipelago," the older man protested lightly. "What do you want?"

"A solution," the dragon said quietly. "I need to know how severe the effect is, what his programming is-and how we can overcome it."

"And the price?" Oswald asked pointedly. "I don't work for nothing." Toothless sat back and waited because he knew Oswald would make an offer. There was a long pause and Hiccup inspected his friend, seeing him more tense than he could ever recall seeing. Oswald's eyes narrowed. "A favour," he said definitely. "No questions asked, no refusal. One favour for the secrets I had to bargain an enormous price for in order to prise them from your former employer."

"Agreed," Toothless said without hesitation. Oswald got up and walked forward, offering his mini-tablet, the contract already typed out. Both men pressed their thumbs onto the touch-screen and confirmation flashed up. Calmly, Oswald stowed the tablet and fetched a small device, like a slim torch, from the drinks cabinet then walked to look at Hiccup.

"You know, he has really pretty eyes," he commented. "I could imagine my son would appreciate them..."

"Keep to the point!" Toothless snapped. Oswald shrugged and pointed the device at Hiccup. The end lit and the light seemed to pulse.

"Changewings work using visual triggers," he explained as Hiccup stiffened.

"You belong to the Queen. You are her subject. Nothing else matters. Not family. Not friends. Not Berk. Only the Queen..."

"What is your mission?" Oswald asked grimly, thumbing the intensity of the light up.

"I belong to the Queen, I am her subject. Nothing else matters. Not family, not friends, not Berk. Only the Queen's will counts." Hiccup's voice was eerily flat and devoid of his usual light tone and instinctive sarcasm. "Kill Forraeder. Kill Commander Haddock. Kill the President. The Queen will take all. The Queen will rule all."

"Not if I can help it," Toothless muttered, grabbing Hiccup's shoulder and realising the young man was stiff as a board. "Break out of it, Hiccup! Astrid and Fishlegs need you. Thor-so do I!" He looked up.

"Interesting," Oswald murmured, lowering the device.

"How do I break him out of it?" he asked urgently. Oswald gave a small, cruel smile.

"Three options," he said. "You prevent him being triggered by blinding him. You deprogramme him using the machine that programmed him..."

Which I destroyed, Toothless realised with a sinking feeling.

"...or, for the good of all, you can kill him."