Dan, Val, Ben, John and Julie entered individual rooms with a circular interior. Fred had to stay behind for "scientific purposes." Val admired her surroundings. The room was round with a long, mechanical arm hanging down from the ceiling. A control lay just directly ahead, while spotlight-like projectors aimed themselves right at the center of the room. Val almost felt like this was an execution arena. She froze as the arm lowered itself down to waist level. Two men came from behind, grabbed Val and secured her to the arm with a belt before she could protest. The belt contained a family crest with blue and orange colors. "What's going on?" she asked nervously. The men ignored her. Suddenly, she heard Fiona's voice through speakers. "Assume former preparations. Astrid Hofferson, Isle of Berk, 841 A.D. Record everything." "Yes ma'am." A technician replied and started punching in keys on a computer. All around Val, the room began to activate. "Systems online." A female AI reported. "Normally, Val, I would have said that this wasn't the right thing to do." Fiona remarked. "But this is the only way." Val suddenly felt pain in the back of her neck. She gritted her teeth to prevent herself from crying out. "Listen to me carefully, all of you." Fiona announced to everyone, who were probably undergoing the same thing Val was. "You are about to see, hear and feel the memories of people who have been dead for over a thousand years." The arm violently yanked Val into the air, and she yelped in surprise. "You can't change what happens, for it has already happened. Engage sequences." Val could see data flowing throughout cables. Nerve signals, maybe. "Status?" A technician spoke up. "Scanning DNA chains… searching for timeframe." Val immediately squinted as the projectors shone into her face. "Memory match locked. DNA match identified." Fiona leaned forward. "Attempt synchronization." Val breathed slowly and heavily as images appeared on the projectors. Images of winged beasts. One of the projectors shone so bright Val had to squeeze her eyes shut. "That's it. We found them." Someone said. "Synchronization achieved for everyone." "Commence sequence." The arm suddenly dropped Val to the ground as a wave of blue light flashed before her eyes.
Val groggily opened her eyes. She was on a boat. A cell, to be exact. But how did she get here? Did someone disrupt the sequence and kidnap her? She noticed something was binding her arms tightly. She looked up. Her wrists were roped together and…wait… her hands had fur bracers on them. Weird. Val then noticed something else about her attire. She was wearing fur boots, a skirt with miniature spikes and she noticed a lock of blonde hair sticking out from the corner of her vision. Did someone dye it?
Without warning, her head jerked to face the cell door, but she hadn't moved it. Footsteps came into earshot and Val's heart pounded. A man with a vicious attitude, armor from head to toe and a razor-sharp sword opened the cell door and came close, smiling. "What do you want from me?" Val asked. Well, she tried to ask it, but her mouth didn't move. Instead she felt her face making a menacing expression. The man sneered. "The fearless Astrid Hofferson. Captured at last. That is what they call you now, isn't it?" Val's eyes tried to widen in shock, but they scowled instead as she learned the truth.
She was seeing through Astrid's eyes. Doing what she did. Saying what she said. She was experiencing her ancestor's life.
"But I know that everyone- everyone- has something to fear. And I intend to find what you hold dear." In response, Val-no, Astrid- spat in the guard's face. Growling, he wiped it away and punched her in the face. Val could feel blood running from her ancestor's mouth. "You won't take it from me that easily, creep." Astrid snarled. Val could feel her mouth moving, yet she couldn't speak. The man turned and stormed out of the cell. "Drago will find out everything he needs to know about his enemies. Everything! Especially you!" He slammed the door shut.
Val tried to think. What had Fiona said? "You cannot change what happens, for it has already happened." So, what now? Did Val just have to play along? She concentrated and embraced her ancestor's memory.
Thinking about her previous tactics to escape, Astrid began to viciously rub her roped hands against a sharp splinter on the wall. The crew had a made a big mistake putting her there. Within seconds, the ropes snapped and she jerked forward, free. She smirked. Time to kick some ass.
From the control room, Fiona watched as Val made her way to the cell door conjured by the projector. Everything from Astrid's life, from enemy soldiers to walls, was conjured by the projectors, making them seem almost ghost-like. The mechanical arm whirred with Val's every move as she grabbed a guard and snapped his neck. Every action Astrid had performed, her descendant would copy using the machine. "So far, so good." Fiona remarked as she went to take after the others. Dan was currently undergoing the time when Hiccup had tried to prove himself to his people by shooting down a dragon… one he would later choose to spare.
After Astrid snatched the key from the guard's dead body and unlocked the cell door, she grabbed her knives that he was carrying. How humiliating to be killed with your own weapons, since she guessed that had been his plan if she managed to break loose. She snuck out into the hallway and quickly threw one knife into the head of a passing soldier, killing him instantly. She jogged down the hall, spotted her axe and took it. Stormfly had to be here somewhere. Astrid had seen soldiers wrap her in chains before she had been knocked unconscious. If she saw even a single drop of Nadder blood…
"Hello, dearie." Astrid whirled around to see a soldier with a double-bladed sword right behind her. "I'll just be takin' your pretty little head to Drago now." Astrid growled and charged just as the soldier spun his weapon to hold her back. She rolled and her axe made a gash in his right leg. The soldier screamed in pain, but was cut off when Astrid slit his throat, blood pouring onto the wooden floor. She ran above deck, guessing if maybe Stormfly was on one of the higher levels.
She apparently had no luck, but she had run into some other guards, who she dispatched. However, she did not emerge unscathed. One of them had nicked her near her right thigh, affecting her speed and agility. When Astrid reached the top deck, she froze. When of the guards had escaped her wrath and alerted the captain, the man who attempted to interrogate her. And now, here he was, with the entire crew beside him. Not willing to back down, Astrid drew her axe and let out a war cry, charging towards the captain. Two soldiers attempted to block her, but a pair of blue talons grabbed them and dropped them into the ocean. Astrid looked up and gasped. "Stormfly!" She had managed to escape! Turning her attention back to the captain, she was too late to act as he slammed his elbow right into her stomach. She tumbled onto the deck and leapt back to her feet. He roared as he brought his sword down, and Astrid blocked it. She struck at him repeatedly, weakening his defense. Astrid knocked away his sword and, with a swift stroke, sliced the captain's head clean off.
Staring at the captain's body, Astrid crouched down. "Tell Drago… that he's next." A squawk came from behind her. Astrid stood up and smiled at her best friend. "C'mon, girl. Let's go home." As she mounted Stormfly, that blue light came again, racing through her mind.
Val collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily as her senses returned. She could feel the arm unhook from her and Fiona coming up to her. She helped Val to her feet. "Are you alright?" For once Val didn't have an answer as she and Fiona walked out. Outside the room, they noticed Dan, terrified. He had probably relived his dream, she guessed. Except this time, it was different. As Val left, she heard Dan, his voice shaking uncontrollably. "What I saw in there… it felt real." Fiona replied with, "It was."