The Gentle Sniper

Chapter 32: Meeting Fury

A/N: Another chapter. Here we go, folks

Review Responses

CajunBear73: We'll see about that.

Scrumblenut: Continued character stuff with Bekker and Hiccup in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy :)

…

"I want to go back to active duty."

Throk stared at Heather from behind his desk. "As you wish, officer Oswaldottir."

Heather perked up. "Really? I can go back on patrol duty?"

"No, of course not. You were assigned to the receptionist desk for coming to blows with a certain female senior citizen while on the job."

Heather shuffled her feet upon hearing this and refused to meet Throk's gaze as he continued. "For this reason, I am led to believe that this decision of yours is being prompted by the recent death of your father, as you feel the need to do more for Berk. Am I wrong in this?"

Heather's cheeks heated a little, which, combined with her still not looking at him, served as an answer. "I can get a partner, though; to keep me in check."

"Officer Hofferson, you mean? Your friend? The one who is impatient and prone to losing her temper? What could go wrong there?"

"If we screw up, you can fire me, or put me on receptionist duty permanently," Heather counter-proposed.

"Fine, I'll hold you to that," Throk conceded after a moment's pause. "If my wife hears of this, you'll be my scapegoat."

"Understandable, sir. Thank you," Heather said and when she left his office, she was smiling broadly.

"I take it that's a good sign?" asked Astrid, who was waiting by the reception desk.

Heather nodded happily. "You bet, Astrid. You're my partner from now on. So let's go."

Astrid nodded and turned to leave. "And you owe me the details of what you've been up to lately," Heather added.

"You'll get them, don't you worry about that Heather. Now, c'mon."

So when the pair were in Astrid's squad car and were driving away from the station, Astrid spoke unprompted. "I was abducted. Hiccup helped find me though. Then, yesterday, he taught me how to use a sniper rifle - specifically the one he uses. That's the gist of it."

"Were you scared?"

Astrid shrugged. "Not really. I was knocked unconscious for most of it, waking up only after Hiccup found me."

Heather nodded. "He's a good guy."

"Yep. So, partner, what about your guy? Have you two been having fun together? How did that movie date of yours go?"

"It went amazing. We went to go see Joker," Heather smiled, though it was a little forced. "Though it still bothers me that Fishlegs was shot in both knees. It kinda puts a damper on things; him being stuck in a wheelchair."

Astrid smirked. "Is that because you want to reach fourth base with him?"

"Yes," Heather replied immediately. "Yes it is. I'm also curious to see if he's open to the idea, or if he'll be too shy for that. Heck, I'll settle for second or third base at this point."

Her friend's lips twitched upwards. "It's really difficult to not act smug right now."

Heather laughed. "You go girl. I'm envious. Any chance you could talk to Hiccup about a one time threesome?"

"Not on your life, Heather. He's all mine."

"Aww, man," Heather whined, prompting a laugh out of both.

Then the moment subsided, and Astrid eyed Heather warily. "How are you doing, Heather? I mean, after everything that happened recently…"

"I'm doing as well as could be expected, I think…" Heather mumbled, her voice wavering a little.

Astrid looked her friend over. "Do you want to talk about it after our shift? I haven't lost anyone, but I think I can help if you need a shoulder to cry on."

Heather sniffed and nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

…

Krogan sat at a table, gazing out of a window, through which a phone line had been set up around half a day prior. Lowering the handset in his right hand, the man let loose a yawn; as he hadn't gotten any sleep in that time, and it was starting to take its toll.

"What is the status of our request?"

"A bus will arrive in three days," the calm, and dare he say it, bored sounding voice on the other end, announced.

"That is not good enough!" Krogan roared. "You have until noon tomorrow to send a bus as well as Emil Bank and Drago Bludvist, or a hostage will be killed for each hour there is a delay!"

Slamming the phone down on its dock, the man got up as the device chimed, then strode out of the room.

Outside, Krogan shuffled past a waiting Mildew, not wanting to consider the man for the moment, but the man fell into step beside him all the same. "What did they say?"

"They're saying the bus will be here in three days. I told them they have until noon tomorrow before we start offing our guests."

"Why not start tonight?" Mildew proposed.

"And bring the Jaeger Corps on our heads? Armed police is about what we can handle, since there's only three of us."

"Well if we're fucked either way, why not deal with Asmund Pedersen? That damn politician is doing my head in with all his whining."

"Do it tonight, in the top room away from everyone."

"With pleasure," Mildew grinned, then turned away. "Now back to my post I go…"

…

Fishlegs watched as Nora and Snotlout went at it, him with boxing gloves and her with pads to absorb each punch. Currently, Snotlout was advancing, aided by a barrage of hits that served to drive Nora back.

"Well this is a little lame," a nearby voice whined.

Fishlegs eyed Dagur with a snort. "How'd you get here so quietly?"

"Skills," said Dagur. "Who do you think will succeed?"

"Well they've been at it for a few minutes, so I would say neither. No, I'm not making a bet, before you ask."

Dagur exhaled through his nose. "You're no fun."

"So I've been told before. Why don't you spar with her once they're done?"

"Good idea," Dagur grinned wryly. "I think I approve of you and my sister being together. But hurt her and you deal with me."

Fishlegs raised an eyebrow. "You really think I would hurt Heather?"

The man shrugged. "Gotta make sure anyways."

"Right… looks like they're taking a break. Now's your chance, Dagur."

"So they have. Later, Fishlegs. I'm off to make a new friend."

"Yeah, you do that," but Dagur was already gone, and Fishlegs focus was soon directed elsewhere; namely, the vibrating phone in his pocket.

Hey, you think you could come around to my place later on? Bring Dagur too, if you see him.

Will do. Any particular reason? I haven't been inside your house before.

I'll explain everything when you get there, okay? Can't talk right now; I asked to be put back on patrol duty and I don't want to mess things up on my first day back.

Alright. And uh, what should I call you, as a pet name I mean. I'm not sure, since having a girlfriend is still kinda new to me. If you're not ready for that yet though, I'll understand.

I'll give it some thought, later. Don't you worry.

Alright. I'll see you later, Heather 3

…

The second 'assault' on the bus ended with Hiccup successfully locating Lieutenant Colonel Ulf and pointing his gun at him, discouraging him from moving while Magnussen and Kai handled Lieutenant Hjort and Lieutenant Toft in the same fashion.

"Much better, you three," Ulf commended them, then glanced at a stopwatch, which he had acquired before they began their second attempt. "Now let's see if you all can get this thing done faster than a minute and eight seconds. Your target time will be… let's say forty five seconds."

…

"One minute, five. Let's go again!"

…

"One minute, dead. Again!"

…

"Fifty seven seconds. Try again!"

…

"Fifty three seconds. Can we make fifty?"

…

"Fifty point five. Go Again!."

…

"Forty eight seconds. One more go and we'll call it a day, I think."

…

"Final time, forty seven seconds. Great work, even if we didn't quite break the target. That's sundown. You may break for dinner, you've earned it after all."

The major stomped off after that, with everyone in his way parting like the red sea to let him pass.

When the older man had passed Hiccup, he melted into the nearest bus seat and with a groan that was reciprocated by his colleagues, removed the dark green netting that covered his face. "Why do we wear these damn things? In our line of work, nobody's going to care what we look like. They'll be focused on the fact that we're there in the first place."

A figure appeared on Hiccup's left. "It's to let them know they're screwed-"

"I know why we wear them, but I've always found them annoying," Hiccup grumbled, before glancing at the speaker. "What's your name again? Lieutenant Toft?"

"Yeah, nice to meet you," the soldier, who had a full head of brown hair, piercing eyes of the same colour and a long, crooked, nose, extended a hand to Hiccup. "You're Haddock right? Lieutenant Haddock?"

They shook hands. "Captain, actually. You don't need to salute me. At ease."

The man lowered his arm, his cheeks a fair deal redder than before. "Sorry…" he murmured and hurried off.

After him came Lieutenant Hjort; a girl with dirty blond hair who stepped into the space Toft had just vacated, gazing down at Hiccup for a moment as her lips twitched upward, fighting a losing battle.

"Don't worry. He's just easily embarrassed. God knows how he managed to become a Jaeger," she said, then shuffled down the bus aisle after the man in question.

Hiccup shrugged and rose, stepping into the aisle. "So does anyone know where the cafeteria is? It's been quite a while since I visited there."

"That's what we're here for," said Magnussen, from one of the next available bus seats.

"Yeah, we'll show you the way," Kai, who was sitting in a seat directly across the bus from Magnussen, answered. "In fact, let's go now. No point wasting time."

…

The cafeteria was a large room filled with tables and benches laid out around an open serving area at the room's centre.

But that wasn't Hiccup's focus point. Nor was his focus on his colleagues that had seen fit to collect their food and spread out across the large open area, leaving him alone at a table.

Being alone served him just fine. It meant he could focus on the text currently displayed on his phone's screen.

So after all these years of radio silence, imagine my surprise at getting a message from you, and about the mission, I assigned to you at that. Then I asked myself, what exactly is the reason behind the sudden contact. Answer me that, Haddock. Why contact me now?

Closure, curiosity… take your pick, Major Hansen.

After sending the text, Hiccup put his phone away, then sighed into his hands as his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Why did my father take so long - until I already knew that my mother was alive - to tell me about it? What reason did they both have to keep that fact a secret?

"Penny for your thoughts?" a familiar voice asked, drawing Hiccup from his thoughts.

He looked up into the blue eyes of one Sofie Bekker and sighed. "Sorry, I'd rather not talk about that."

"Fine then. Tell me what's Berk like."

"Alright," Hiccup stood up from his chair. "Berk; a fishing town that has existed since the age of the Vikings, surviving war - both civil and against the Danish mainland - before eventually being subjugated by Denmark and having a military base placed there."

He then paused for a moment. "Oh, and in the past, some former residents decided to end up being forcefully removed from Berk as a result of turning to a life of crime. There. That's all the interesting stuff to know about Berk."

Hiccup proceeded to bow theatrically, ringing a laugh out of Bekker in the process, before straightening back up and retaking his seat. "Any questions?"

"You mean the Outcasts, right? Might be getting the name wrong…"

Hiccup shook his head. "No, that's the right name."

"What did they do to get removed from Berk, again?"

"Uh…" Hiccup paused for a moment. "They staged a riot while trying to kill the mayor and take over Berk. It happened before I was born, in 1990."

"Okay. Now I'd like to know more about you; have you had girlfriends before this Astrid you mentioned yesterday?"

Hiccup's face adopted a wry smile. "Three, including the one I have now. Why the sudden curiosity?" he inquired, crossing his arms playfully.

Bekker shrugged. "Making small talk, really," she said, then glanced around to check the coast was clear before smirking at him. "Didn't take you for a womaniser, Haddock."

"That wasn't the idea. The idea was to find one person to be with. For one reason or another, things didn't work out twice before. If Astrid breaks up with me for any reason…" Hiccup sighed. "Then I give up, because if that happens, it's a big sign that I'm awful at the whole dating thing."

Bekker looked away, wiped her eyes with one hand, then focused on him again. When she addressed him next, her voice was softer than usual. "You care a lot about this Astrid of yours, don't you?"

Hiccup simply nodded. "If this is bringing up memories that you'd rather not think about, we can stop talking about Astrid. The last thing I would want is to bring you pain. I can relate to losing someone after all. It's not fun."

"Y-yeah. Thank you, Henry."

"Hakuma Matata, Sofie."

At that, Bekker paused, then her head disappeared past her side of the table as she doubled over and broke into a fit of laughter.

Recovering some, she regarded him with an expression that contained both a sense of incredulity and amusement. "I-I wasn't expecting that. Y-your timing - ah, your timing is impeccable, Haddock, even if the joke is far from the funniest. 'No worries' really?"

Hiccup shrugged. "Glad to help. It stopped you from crying anyhow, which is a win in my book."

"Y-yep, I would agree it's a win," she beamed across the table at her friend. "Thank you for that."

"Don't mention it."

But then everyone in the cafeteria looked to the left when the double doors slammed open, the noise reverberating through the room.

It was Ulf. "Captain Haddock! You've got a visitor!"

Hiccup's eyes were narrowed on the man beside Ulf, who was significantly shorter. He sighed. "Send him over, sir!"

Why is he here? Hiccup thought as the man started forward, heading towards him.

"You okay?"

Hiccup glanced over, seeing Bekker look at him with concern. "I will be. I just saw someone who has been slacking off and causing me trouble. I might get violent in a minute, so if you don't want to see that, I'd recommend heading over to the others for a little while."

She glanced at the approaching man, then back at Hiccup. "I think I should stay, then; for his sake at least."

Hiccup blinked at her. "I'm not planning to kill him, if that's what you think, even though nothing of value would be lost in that situation."

Bekker's eyes widened. "Wow. What did he do for that to be an option?"

"Basically, he did nothing, when he ought to have been doing something."

Hiccup then glanced to the left and rose, seeing the man arrive. "Johann. Why are you here?"

"Hello to you too, Henry."

Thud!

In an instant, Hiccup had grabbed Johann's arm and flung him on the table between himself and Bekker, then pinned the older man down with his other arm. "It's because of you and your DDIS buddies not doing anything that Drago's fiends are out in Copenhagen orchestrating a hostage situation. I am not in the mood for being polite. Why are you here?!"

"Ow," Johann groaned.

By this point, every eye in the room was on Hiccup, not that he cared.

"Well?!" The irate soldier demanded.

"Unhand me and we'll talk," Johann replied.

"I'll uh… on second thoughts, I'll leave you boys to it. Not my place to interfere and all, so… later, Haddock," said Bekker, sounding and looking rather wary as she looked at him one last time before leaving.

Hiccup looked up as she retreated and sighed, then let go of Johann. "Look what you made me do. Start talking."

Johann quickly slid into the chair beside Hiccup. "Let us come to an arrangement, you and I, to resolve your issue with me.

The words came out before Hiccup could stop them. "I want to join the DDIS."

Johann's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes," Hiccup nodded, suddenly certain of his decision. "That way, I can teach you people how to do things, since this concept seems difficult for you. Actually, I think you should make a department, specifically created to deal with the Drago's of the world."

"An interesting proposal, one which I will pass around, but I don't have a say on who gets hired and who doesn't. Only what jobs are carried out, and by whom. On that end, I wish you good luck."

Hiccup stood up to leave. "Then get me in touch with the person in charge of hiring. And, if it's not too much to ask, after I've dealt with his people, I want to dispose of Drago. On that note, Mildew is spoken for."

"Mildew is spoken for?" Johann was visibly puzzled for a moment before his face cleared. "Oh, for your wheelchair-bound friend. Planning some sort of revenge, I see. Well, if you can do me a certain favour, I can have certain arrangements made to ensure Mildew is put in military custody, rather than ending up in a holding cell in Copenhagen, as would otherwise happen."

"What's the favour? It better not be something outlandish."

"Quite achievable, I can assure you. In fact, he's in a cell in the local area."

Hiccup's eyes narrowed at Johann like before. "Who is 'he'?"

…

Finn Hofferson was lying on his back on the bed when the door to his holding cell opened.

Glancing over, he glimpsed a shaven head and set of green eyes. "Who are you?"

"Do you fear death? Let's find out," said Hiccup, as he drew a USP9 and pointed it at Finn's forehead.

Finn frowned, then turned away from the man in favour of staring up at the ceiling. "If you're going to shoot me, get it over with."

"Still as headstrong as ever, General. I've always respected that. But is a shaven head all it took to be unrecognizable to you? This would have been great to know sooner."

"Hiccup?" Finn stared over at him again.

Hiccup glared at him. "That's Henry to you. You don't get to call me that. We're not friends, not after all you've done."

"I did what I did to-"

"Protect your family? Protect Astrid? Yeah, I get that. I take issue with your method."

"As you should. So what now, Captain? Are you going to kill me to avenge your friend's deaths? Do that, and you'll be in much the same situation as I was."

Hiccup shook his head. "No. Actually, I decided to give you some good news, not that you deserve it. Drago is behind bars now. Also some of his people are causing trouble in Copenhagen."

Finn's jaw dropped. "Really? Drago's behind bars? How did that happen?"

Hiccup scowled at the ground. "The DDIS intervened," he said. "Only took them years to do it. They had people in Drago's inner circle, though one of them somehow went rogue without anyone noticing until recently. Whatever, point is, you don't have to worry about him now."

"Okay… And what about these people of his in Copenhagen? What's going on there?"

"Mildew, Krogan and Grimmel are there. You'd know them better than me, so care to share what they're like? Assuming you had personal contact with them."

"I haven't been thinking about them lately, so I'm not going to be much help."

"Anything you can give me would be good. People's lives could depend on it. They've holed themselves up in the Iceland embassy in Copenhagen with the staff."

"They've got hostages? Must be desperate then," Finn mused before sighing. "I'd like to help, but I really don't think I could tell you anything that would make a difference."

It was Hiccup's turn to sigh. "Shame. Well, one last thing. If you had anything to say to Astrid, what would you say?"

"I would like to apologise to her, of course, but I'm still deciding on what to say exactly. If you can, let her know that I want to talk to her."

"I'll pass the message along. Luckily for you, she's surprisingly forgiving."

Finn raised a brow at him. "Thank you. Now, if I may ask, are you and Astrid an item?"

"Yes, we are. Why do you ask?"

"She deserves someone who will treat her well. I don't know anyone I'd rather she be with, than you. We both know you're the better of the two of us."

"We're more alike than you know. I also killed people who didn't deserve death. The only difference is that I had never met my victims. On that note, how did you manage it? How did you ignore the fact that the people you killed, knew and trusted you?"

"I didn't. I think about them often, even when I did my best to give them a swift death. They certainly deserved not to suffer."

Hiccup turned his back on Finn. "They trusted you, we all did, and you killed them. I think they suffered plenty. But that's in the past. Tell me, before you decided to orchestrate an escapade, did you hear anything from Kasper Hedegaard? You know, the guy you and Lieutenant No-Name heard was around and were meant to be detaining? I know the chances are slim on that end, but you wouldn't happen to have notes in some secret safe or hiding spot somewhere, by any chance?"

"That's a negative. Sorry. All I know is that he's dealing in weapons. But that's a well known fact already."

"Yeah. Well, I'll be going. I'll be back… maybe."

"And I'll be here… maybe."

…

Sir, requesting permission to leave the base for tonight.

For what purpose, Captain Haddock?

To deal with Drago Bludvist. If all else fails, those men causing trouble in Copenhagen won't get him.

You know where this 'Drago Bludvist' is? The name rings vaguely familiar.

Skagen. I know because I was unfortunate enough to meet him in the past. Johann here can fill you in on the details.

Ulf glanced at the man who stood beside Hiccup in silence, then focused on Hiccup again. How did you end up involved with the DDIS?

Let's just say they found me. I'm sure I'm not at liberty to say more. I'll leave that to Johann.

Smart. Very well. I expect you back at 0700 hours for your flight back to Copenhagen. The powers that be want this mess cleaned up as soon as possible.

Consider it done, sir.

…

Drago's eyes fluttered open, then shut against the near blinding light of the torch that was directed his way.

"I see you're finally awake. Thank goodness for that; you snore like a damn pig," Hiccup said from beside him as Drago lay on his bed.

"What do you want?" Drago asked, managing to turn onto his side, then grunted as a result of the pain that blossomed against the side of his head after being struck.

"I ask the questions, you answer. Otherwise, I hit you with this torch again. That's how this arrangement is going to work. Clear?"

More pain flared up a few seconds later, but Drago simply smiled, even in the face of another hit. "Clear."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Good. Now then, since you're probably unaware, your people are off making a mess in Copenhagen. Krogan, Mildew and Grimmel. I want details on their usual behaviour - and don't think to lie, because I have a way to verify what you tell me. It goes without saying that any falsehoods will result in your death."

"Hmm. How about I provide you with something better?"

"Better than information to deal with your underlings with greater ease? That's too good to be true. But alright then. Make me an offer I can't refuse; if you can."

"How about the man that your father took the rank of? His predecessor; General Kasper Hedegaard."

Hiccup's eyes closed, and he sighed, exasperated. "Did Finn tell you that?"

"Yes."

Hiccup gazed at Drago. "I'm going to skin him alive. You have my interest, as much as I would hope for it not to be the case. What do you know about Kasper? Do you have ties to his gun smuggling ring?"

"Not directly. Alvin deals in that business. I simply knew of the Outcast involvement and took a share of the profits."

"Right. You no longer have my attention. Unless you have another offer I can't ignore, then we're done here."

"Well in that case, how about we discuss the nature of being a good soldier?"

Hiccup snorted, turning back to Drago. "Really? That's what you're going with?"

Drago said nothing for a few seconds, taking the time to swing his legs over the side of his bed and wrestle with the handcuffs on his right arm that were bound to the bedframe. "What did it feel like to kill those two soldiers in Afghanistan? Good, bad, or did you feel nothing at all?"

"Confusion, suspicion about the nature of my mission, and, later on, hatred at a certain former superior of mine," Hiccup admitted. "Where are you going with this?"

"I'm making use of my time to talk with a fellow soldier. Conversations in this place are few and far between."

"Not my problem," Hiccup retorted. "You got yourself here. Deal with it."

"Tell me, captain Haddock. What would you do if the army decided you were unfit for duty, like they did to me one day? I ask this not as an opponent, but as a former soldier. Would you do as I have done?"

"No."

"Your younger self would have; particularly at the time you killed those two."

"Again, where are you going with this, Drago? If you're trying to get inside my head, don't bother."

"Because I already have."

"Because you can't affect me now," corrected Hiccup, letting the torch in his left hand fall to the ground while he drew the USP9 from the holster on his hip.

When he looked at Drago next, the man noted that Hiccup's eyes had grown cold. "Your men will be dealt with shortly. Any last words, soldier?"

Drago gave a feral grin. "I see I'm speaking with your true self at last. Greetings."

"Greetings. Any last words?"

Drago leaned forward, his gaze unwavering. "You can shoot me, but you won't. Not after what I've had done to your friends. You'll try to exact some measure of revenge first. It's what I would do, in your situation."

The USP9 was returned to its holster. "Oh? And what would you do? Some inspiration would be nice, though I have a general idea already."

"I would go for the jugular vein, or some artery; leaving a particular opponent to bleed out while I watch. Nothing fancy; I've never been one for theatrics."

Hiccup turned and headed for the door as he addressed the man once more. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Enjoy your remaining time on Midgard, Drago. It is shorter than you think."

As soon as he was outside the door, Hiccup reached for his phone and checked it for texts.

There were three messages; two texts and an email with a photo attachment.

Alright son, let me know when you're ready for us to talk to each other about everything. I'll likely be still in Copenhagen when that happens.

I have little to no regard for the two people I had you kill, Haddock. So take the matter up with someone else. I can't help you find your closure.

Then Hiccup moved onto the email, with the following words.

Hey, babe, check this out…

But he was quick to back out of the email after a brief glance.

Well then. It's been a few years since anyone has sent me a text like that…

Doing his best to ignore what he had just witnessed, Hiccup selected a particular contact and started typing out a message of his own.

I know we haven't spoken in a while, and you both have good reason to hate me for what happened, but I would like it if we could get back on speaking terms.

If you agree to hear me out, message me back, and I'll visit you at the harbour when I get back to Berk. I happen to know where to find the person responsible for your son's death, and I can arrange for him to be handed over to you to dispose of, as you wish.

"How did it go?" Viggo was standing on his left, one foot pressed up against the wall behind him and gazing at Hiccup expectantly.

"A simple bullet is too good for him. Tell Johann that he is mine, in the same way that Mildew is Fishlegs property, to dispose of as we wish. Tomorrow, Krogan and Grimmel will be yours. This is non-negotiable."

Then Hiccup looked to the right, where Sigrid stood in silence. "And don't even think of telling Astrid about any of this. I will do that myself. If you do, well… I know where you live. Watch your back in that case, because I'll be coming."

"Who are you, really?" asked Sigrid.

"A monster, masquerading as just a soldier. Do you remember that day when I said that Astrid was better than you all combined?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, that applies to me as well. She is far better than I deserve."

You bet she is. All rosy and smooth… Mmm… No, stop it brain!

Hiccup clamped his legs together as Sigrid replied. "I disagree on that; I don't think she could find anyone better. Less morally questionable, perhaps, but you care for her a great deal. Focus on that, instead of what you've done. That's an order from your future mother-in-law."

"Kinda difficult to do that, when my mistakes haunt my dreams. But that is a nice idea; focusing on Astrid," Hiccup sighed and directed his gaze to the floor. "Shame I have a job to do tomorrow. Speaking of which, I should head back now. See you two later."

So with a final wave, he left.

…

Heather stared motionless into the fireplace in the living room of her house, which cast flickering shadows on her face.

"Heather? Are you okay?" Fishlegs voiced with no small amount of concern in his tone.

"Fine. Just watching the flames."

A snort rang in her ears. "Yeah, I can see that. It's just that, you haven't moved at all since you sat down here. Should I be worried?"

"No," Heather said, her voice suddenly a whisper as she leaned her head on Fishlegs shoulder. "Just don't move, babe."

"N-no worries there," the suddenly tense man muttered, drawing a gentle laugh out of Heather.

"Astrid, get your butt over here," the raven-haired woman then uttered, her tone sharp. "Dagur, you too. Group hug time."

The duo, onlooking the scene from the sofa behind Heather and Fishlegs, gave no argument or reply of any kind really, as they advanced and embraced the duo from either side.

There they remained for an undetermined amount of time, and when Fishlegs detected moisture seeping through his shirt, he kept silent on the matter, but filed it away for later, to bring it up when he and his girlfriend were alone.

Heather sniffed and wiped her eyes dry with one hand. "Dagur, y-you remember the time we spent at that cabin we used to visit around Snoggletog? That one in Finland?"

"Yeah," Dagur sighed. "We would all roast marshmallows together over a fireplace like this one."

"Yeah," Another sniff, before the dam broke and the waterworks spilt onto Fishlegs's shirt anew.

I'll need to get a fresh shirt later, I think, Fishlegs mused silently, as he began to rub circles on Heather's back.

"W-why?!" Heather sobbed loudly. "Why d-did they kill him?! W-what did he ever-r p-personally do to t-the Outcasts?!"

Astrid and Dagur exchanged helpless glances, and Fishlegs could only sigh gloomily. "I don't know, Heather…"

…

From a window in one of the rooms of the barracks at Aalborg military base, Bekker watched a lone figure stride across the runway heading from the direction of the entrance towards the building she and the others were currently in.

The sun had long set by now, and it was getting progressively darker, but there was still enough light for Bekker to make out the hair colour of the individual in question; that being a mix of red and brown.

So the prodigal son returns to the fold. But the question is, where did he go and what did he do? Just who is Henry Haddock?

Her mind flicked back to him losing his temper at the nameless man who approached their table in the cafeteria earlier, and her latter question became more prevalent in her mind.

"Penny for your thoughts, Bekker?" said Loft.

Bekker looked her way, then sat on the window sill, this time facing Loft. "I was just thinking about Hiccup. Speaking of which, he's back."

Loft peered past her, out of the window. "You mean you were thinking about what he did in the cafeteria."

"Yep," Bekker emphasised the p. "Today we learned that he has an occasionally short temper."

"Uh, we all do. Usually for good reason. War changes everyone, and Afghanistan is no different."

Bekker shook her head. "I don't think it was that. He lost his temper at that guy, who didn't look like a soldier or anything. He looked more like a businessman or government official than a soldier."

Loft shrugged. "Maybe he's from the DDIS? They are involved with the army after all. It would explain why he showed up with the major, and wasn't escorted around the base."

"Maybe. After we finish the job tomorrow, I'm cornering him and getting to the bottom of this."

"You can count me in as well."

"Don't forget about us, ladies. Or did you forget where you were?" Lam piped up. "Next time, don't talk as if you're alone when in a room filled with people."

Both laughed awkwardly. "Yes sir."

"Now, time for bed I think. Big day tomorrow."

…

A/N: The bus assault to come next chapter. Wanted to get Hiccup's confrontation and other things out of the way first.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, though. But if not, as ever, feel free to give criticism.

Silvolde out.

B/N: Beta-read and approved for publishing by CommanderGreya