Chapter Four: Friends

The Gymnasia were on the lower ground floor, huge rooms packed with weight machines, treadmills, cycling machines, elliptical trainers, rowing machine all other sorts of instruments of torture. Hiccup usually only visited them for showers when he forgot to go home and fell asleep at his desk...when he still had a desk. He had a small locker here-every employee did-but he generally avoided the Gyms for two reasons. One was that he was lean and not especially muscular and so ended up being pretty harshly taunted by everyone else. The other was the PE evaluator and combat tutor: Astrid Hofferson.

He slank into the changing rooms and dispiritedly changed into his sweats, hoping that maybe Astrid would be on a day off. The way he was feeling, she would beat the crap out of him and fail him hopelessly...and that would end his AI6 career dead. He sighed, ran his fingers through his messy auburn hair and took a shuddering breath. He hadn't asked to have a Dad who was Commander of AI6, he hadn't asked to have a family that all worked in the service, he hadn't asked to be skinny and clumsy and he certainly hadn't asked for a cousin like Snotlout who was determined to hog all the glory at the expense of every other person despite his complete stupidity and overconfidence: all he had wanted was a Dad who liked him and for someone to actually treat him like a human being. Really, was that too much to ask?

He closed the locker and headed into the Gym, looking around as he entered-and he inwardly groaned as he saw her: Astrid Hofferson. She was a young woman of his age: beautiful, athletic, ferocious and determined. Her long thick blonde hair was braided over her left shoulder and she had a blue headband to keep the sweat out of her stunning azure eyes. Her lithe form was sheathed in a pale blue lycra sleeveless vest and matching leggings. She face lit as she watched him trudge into the training zone.

"Hiccup!" He groaned: at least she sounded pleased to see him.

"Oh, hi Astrid, hi Astrid, hi Astrid!" he gabbled and instantly wanted to face-palm. He had a terminal crush on her-had since the moment he first saw her and definitely since she first threw him in basic combat training. A blonde eyebrow arched as she inspected his flustered shape.

"What are you doing here, Hiccup?" she asked directly. His shoulders slumped.

"I had an accident in Q department and demolished my desk," he admitted. "It was that purse I was building..."

"The one with a gun, an explosive and a tranquilliser?" Astrid asked, a small smile lifting her lips. He had told her last time he had seen her in the canteen, enthusing about the new device. She liked Hiccup-he was genuine, kind, enthusiastic and enormously well-meaning but he was clumsy, accident-prone and cursed with amazingly bad luck. And bad relatives, she added silently.

"Yeah-it was going really well...but I saw the twins messing with it and I guessed they had done something...and I kind of fell asleep at my desk while checking it over and this morning...I knocked it and when it fell to the floor...it exploded."

"Not especially useful for a device designed to be used as a combat weapon," Astrid added, trying not to smile. She could tell from his tone that he was upset. He sighed.

"Kinda got that...though I would be almost as good as a suicide pill," he muttered. She did smile at that-she secretly loved his sarcastic sense of humour. "Not sure I could've got Eret to take it, though." Her smile faded: Eret Eretson, VA1, the leading agent was a sore point for Astrid. The man had decided she was worthy of her attentions and had pursued not very subtly, even hinting he would get her on the active agent programme is she slept with him. Infuriated, she had turned him down...but he had seen this as a challenge, not a rejection and had redoubled his pursuit, hounding the girl whenever he was in HQ. He seemed genuinely surprised that she wouldn't just leap into bed with him and submit to his demands but Astrid was fiercely independent, determined and a high achiever in her own right. She didn't want to be counted as just another conquest and known as getting on the active roster just because she was one of Eret's bed-warmers.

"I'm sure I could persuade him," she said sweetly, her eyes glittering.

"Yeah, well I tried yesterday," Hiccup admitted. "And forgot to get him to sign for a load of tech." Astrid rolled her eyes. "And now he's even got a partner-Snotlout."

"SNOTLOUT!" she shouted, all her good humour vanishing. "That lily-livered self-centred mutton-headed twerp?"

"I am sure my cousin would be delighted he's graduated to three epithets!" Hiccup sighed.

"Excuse me-I think 'twerp' counts as a fourth," Astrid said smugly.

"Whoo you!" he said glumly. "So he gets to join the agent programme after wrecking my-sorry, our-chances and ends up partnered with Eret!"

"So there was a silver lining," Astrid commented. "We could have ended up with Eret instead!" Hiccup shrugged.

"My father would send me to Freezing-to-Death before he sent me out with his favourite agent," he sighed. Astrid stared at him: his determination to be an agent was endearing but everyone knew that Hel would freeze over before Hiccup was allowed onto the active duty roster.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Astrid asked him briskly, seeing him looking self-conscious.

"Um...after my accident, I saw Dad about a text I received from Eret...he sounded like it was in trouble," he started and explained the situation. Astrid frowned and folded her arms, staring at him.

"I have to agree with Heather," she said after a moment. "It's much more likely to be a hoax from that ass Eret and mutton-head Snot...which they would think of as a joke..." Hiccup sighed.

"Not you too," he said defeatedly. "It has attachments which are genuine scans of documents...and it was sent from Eret's handset at a location identified as under suspicion. I mean...why would Eret waste time in the middle of a mission and a hostile location to play a prank. He may be an ass-but he is professional ass."

"So you are here because...?" she prompted him.

"He sent me for a further physical and combat evaluation," he admitted. "And then a formal evaluation with Mildew tomorrow." Astrid stared at him and frowned.

"How many is that?"

"Eight," he confessed. "Eight evaluations in two years. When everyone else gets one or two a year tops. I know he wants me out." She turned and flipped her braid over her shoulder, leading him to the treadmill.

"Okay-so you know the drill," she told him. "Five minutes, 11kph, no slacking." He clambered onto the treadmill and watched her thumb it up to speed...then started running. She stood back and watched. "You've been practicing," she commented, seeing him pound on the belt. He nodded, breathing hard.

"Yeah...I jog around where I live..." he panted as he kept up the pace.

"And that is..."

"Grimbeard Avenue..."

Astrid stared at him. "That's a terrible area!" she blurted out. "High crime rate, no facilities, poor lighting..." Hiccup glanced over, his face red and sweat beading his brow.

"Yeah...can't afford anything more," he admitted. She stared at him.

"What? But I..." And then she paused. All new young recruits were offered service sponsored accommodation in safe areas...but she guessed Hiccup would have been excluded. For some reason, the Commander seemed to want to put his son through the mill. To her it seemed cruel: Hiccup was no Eret but he wasn't a bad guy and he worked exceptionally hard and tried even harder. He didn't deserve to be treated worse than even the lowliest maintenance worker.

"I can't," he repeated as he continued his steady run. She watched him silently. He was skinny but there was stamina and lean muscles in his frame and he looked very determined. She checked the time and slowed the treadmill, nodding and motioning him to move to the combat mat. He walked over and turned-to just about duck a measured and ferocious swing at him by Astrid. He ducked back and parried a punch, then caught her arm and flipped her instinctively. She rolled and faced him in a crouch.

"I see you were paying some attention when I tutored you," she growled.

"Oh Thor, you're going to kill me, aren't you?" he muttered, backing up, his eyes eyes leaving her face. She threw herself at him and he caught her, finding himself being forced back. Her leg swept his way and he fell, rolling and dodging a stamp at his hand. "Hey!" he protested as he scrambled up.

"Not if you fight as I taught you!" she snapped, her eyes glittering in anger. He backed up, circling and waiting for her to attack. He wasn't antagonistic by nature: he preferred to counter and assess his options..while she was more impulsive and aggressive and, as expected, she broke first. But she dodged, feinted and grabbed his arm, throwing him with ease. He slammed to the mat, rolling away as she threw herself on him and pinned him.

"Astrid..." he groaned as she pulled his shoulder fiercely.

"Remember what I taught you!" she growled and, though he thought his arm would be ripped off, he jerked his body, flipping her off and changing the position to a throat lock on her. He stared down into her azure eyes and dared a slight smirk.

"Good enough?" he suggested. Her leg flew up, slamming him sideways and rolling as he went down to punch him in the middle, throw him really hard onto his front and press her foot wickedly firmly against his throat. Pinned and unable to breathe, he slapped his palm on the mat desperately signal his submission...and she waited ten seconds longer than usual, waiting for his vision to start to grey before letting him go. He lay back, gasping as she straightened up a triumphant smile on her face.

"You shouldn't have done that," she told him sternly. "Never taunt an enemy-even if you have her helpless-because she may get free and really want to kick your ass!"

"I'll remember..." he croaked and sat up gingerly. "Have I failed?" Smiling at his wince, she offered him her hand as she rose and he allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

"Nah," she said kindly. "You met the minimum standard for fitness and your combat skills were up to standard. As I would expect from one of my students. Just...don't turn into Eret, okay?" He nodded, gingerly feeling his throat.

"I'll remember that," he croaked. She slapped him hard on the back and almost knocked him over.

"My report will be on Mildew'a desk by close of business," she assured him and saw him sigh. "Get some rest, Hiccup. You passed."

"Then why do I feel like a failure?" he asked.

oOo

Trudging away from HQ with his bag slung across his body and his jacket zipped up tight against the bitter Berkian wind, Hiccup headed downtown. No one paid him much attention as he weaved through the sparse crowds on the sidewalk, heading towards an innocuous florist's-Sif's Blooms. Peering through the window, he pushed the door open and entered, seeing the assistant serving a very fussy woman who was arguing about the colour of some roses.

"These are red!" she snapped.

"Actually, they're soft carnelian!" the husky young blonde man said. He was taller than Hiccup, heavily built with short legs and powerful arms. His short pale blond hair was cut in a very unfashionable pudding bowl style and his blue eyes were kind. The old woman scowled.

"And these pink roses..."

"...cool fuchsia..."

"If I wanted fuchsias, I would have bought..."

"No, that's the colour, not the genus," the shop assistant argued. The old woman banged her walking stick on the ground in annoyance, her long grey plait swinging as she shook her head.

"I asked for bright pink roses for my husband's grave and..."

"Ah...you wanted the bright flamingo!" the assistant suddenly realised brightly.

"NO! I wanted flowers, not a Thor-damned bird!" she snapped then turned to the door, pushing past Hiccup. "Honestly, can't a Viking even buy a simple bunch of pink roses in this place?" The door slammed behind her and the bell forlornly tinkled. Hiccup sighed.

"I think you may be a bit obsessive about your colours, Fish!" he said to the assistant. Fishlegs Ingerman-probably Hiccup's only friend-made a helpless gesture.

"I can hardly be a successful florist if I can't tell my flamingo from my teaberry!" he protested, offering Hiccup his hand. The younger man grasped it warmly, managing to produce a small smile. His miserable expression wasn't lost on his friend though and Fishlegs immediately came round the counter to stare at the skinny young man. "What's wrong, Hiccup?"

"I think I may be asking you for a job," he admitted wearily. "And I need your help." Fishlegs glanced around and turned the sign in the door to CLOSED, flipping the latch down.

"It's yours," he said. "C'mon-I'll lock up properly and we'll head back to my apartment."

They arrived at a very nice apartment block overlooking the harbour and caught the elevator to the third floor. Fishlegs smiled cheerily as he got in and waved at a fat bulldog that waddled up to him. "Meatlug! Daddy's home!" he exclaimed and dropped to an awkward crouch to rub the dark brown dog happily. Hiccup closed the door and sighed. Fishlegs loved his dog and was a complete botany geek, hence his job at the florists'...but he had other more important skills that Hiccup needed. He walked forward, looking round a hall with pale buttercup walls, light pine furniture and white curtains and rugs.

"End room!" Fishlegs called and Hiccup walked in...and paused. The room was sultry and warm, heaters placed around and plants on every surface, exotic and ferocious. Hiccup backed away and his emerald eyes widened as he saw every possible carnivorous plant he knew in that room. Fishlegs appeared at his shoulder, his voice squeaking with enthusiasm. "Ah...I see you've found my babies. I've got a handful of new Sundews, three Giant Pitcher plants and a half-dozen Venus's Flytraps..." Hiccup stared at him.

"Fish-how do you afford these on your pay check?" he asked in shock. The boy gave a conspiratorial grin and led Hiccup to the next room-a small study packed with computers, hard drives and a pair of well-tended air plants. Hiccup face-palmed. "On second thoughts, don't tell me!"

"But you know how much of a discount you can get a part of a major multinational plant retailer..." Fishlegs told him happily as he sat down and his fingers played across the keyboard.

"Really don't want to know!" Hiccup reminded him. "Work for AI6? Security agent?"

"You work as an assistant's assistant in the quartermaster's department," Fishlegs told him tactlessly.

"Yeah, rub it in," Hiccup said bitterly, slumping onto a wooden stool in the corner that was the only uncluttered surface in the room and shrugging off his coat and bag. "And maybe not for much longer." Fishlegs stared at him and sighed.

"You want me to cheer you up?" he asked, a small grin lifting his mouth. Hiccup shook his head and handed over the phone.

"I received that last night," he said. "It wasn't meant for me...but no one believes it's anything other than a hoax."

"And should it be?" Fishlegs asked thoughtfully.

"Well, VA1 is a total asshole to me and pretty much everyone else..and his new partner kinda ruined my chances of becoming an agent so it isn't impossible they would think it's hilarious to make a total fool of me and...well...yeah..." He stared at the floor. Fishlegs scanned the text.

"But you don't think so, do you?" he asked astutely.

"It doesn't make any sense," Hiccup argued. "My number is one different from the Chief's. He's used Code Black which would be a hanging offence to invoke without due cause...and even though Eret is an asshole, why would he waste time in a hostile enemy location to play a prank? I've confirmed it was from his com and from lower Thorstonby Street where there was a tip-off about an enemy warehouse. Eret hasn't reported in...well, he hadn't when I left but as I'm suspended for arguing about this and kind of bursting into a meeting...he may well've done by now..."

"Let's check..." Fishlegs said and Hiccup's eyes snapped open.

"No!" he cried. "Please-don't hack AI6!"

"Even to save your job?" Fishlegs suggested archly. Hiccup shook his head.

"I'll get a drink," he sighed and wandered out. When he returned with two beers, Fishlegs was looking pensive.

"The text was made from that location," he said and his pudgy fingers danced nimbly over the keyboard. "The device entered the warehouse with this man..." He displayed surveillance video of Eret swiping himself in. "No camera shows him leaving...before these men arrive..." Hiccup leaned forward, handing Fishlegs a beer as the four men from the bar-and Snotlout-entered the building. "The text was made at this point." The screen was unchanged.

"So it was genuine," Hiccup said absently. "I knew it." He blinked. "And they have Snotlout as well."

"So you can prove you were correct," Fishlegs told him but Hiccup just shook his head.

"That won't work," he sighed. "I was told to drop this or be immediately discharged from the service..." Fishlegs stared at him and sighed.

"I can't see him leaving...or those guys, to be honest..." Fishlegs said, scrolling rapidly through the surveillance video. "Though around eight this morning, this car arrived..." He showed a black limousine with heavily tinted windows. It drove straight into the warehouse without stopping or revealing the passenger though the husky young man checked out the license plate.

"Outcast Inc?" Hiccup asked, sipping his beer. Fishlegs nodded.

"Registered to the Berk branch...to one A. Forraeder..." he read. Hiccup frowned and his green eyes narrowed.

"Alvin the Treacherous," he murmured. "So you're behind this." He glanced at the text. "Can you look into these documents?" he asked. Fishlegs nodded and scanned then as soon as he sent them to his workstation. "Interesting..."

"What?" Hiccup was on his feet on a shot, leaning over Fishlegs' shoulder and peering urgently at the screen.

"There are a lot of details here especially about the President," the hacker read, his blue eyes concerned. "And there's a date-three weeks. Hmm...whatever's going on has a deadline..." Hiccup stared at the screen and then back at the words of the text.

"Okay, Fish-you're with me," he decided. "As soon as it gets dark, we're going down there. Eret and Snotlout are in danger-and we're their only hope!" Fishlegs' blue eyes grew rounder with shock.

"Oh Thor!" he squeaked. "I only do anything brave with a computer..."

"Fish...I need you..."

"But..."

"Fish-I'm gonna lose my job...and my father...and any chance with the girl I'm madly in love with..."

"You know that's underhand? I could just make you a millionaire without any effort at all..."

"FISHLEGS INGERMAN!" Hiccup snapped. "You are my only friend and I need your help in going there and seeing if we can find out what's going on. You like prying into other people's business-now's your chance."

"I HATE that about me," Fishlegs grumbled. "Okay-but if you get us killed, I'll never forgive you!"