Unintentional Hero
Author: Nightstar Fury of Nightstar Productions
Rated: M for a variety of things that will happen
Pairing: Hiccup/Astrid
Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD
54; Revelations
That hour and a half went by all to fast for Hayden as his alarm beeped from his phone at 2am signaling he had to get up for guard duty with his squadron. He tiredly groaned as he looked to see Avery still asleep against Toothless, he carefully picked her up and placed her on the cot-then covered her up before getting himself dressed. He only took a few minutes to grab his coat, helmet, and gun then leaving the tent with Toothless while the others were still asleep. Hayden met with Alpha Fire outside then they began making their way through base to the front lines. Upon arriving, he saw Boggs there as they all got set up to walk up and down their line perimeter, lay with their guns or sit with them. It was going to be a long six hours for them and then a continuously long day as it was Christmas and Hayden's family and friends were all there. Likely that Ethan, Dylan, and Heather would be joining him since Dylan was now officially dating Camille, Felix and Heather were together, and of course Ethan and Rachel were still together. Joyful for him. This was officially the strangest tour he'd every served. Allowing civilians into a war zone just for Christmas, his mother would have Anderson's head for such an act if she were still alive.
The entire time Hayden was on guard duty, he was just thinking about how wrong it felt that his family and friends were there. He kept getting a bad feeling but couldn't pinpoint what was causing it, he knew they were safe and if anything happened to them for him allowing this then he'd never forgive himself. Avery was already suffering from her memories of shooting the soldier in the head and she hadn't even been in Iraq a full day yet. It worried him how easily it came back to her but then again, it didn't surprise him because every time he though he'd be okay, his memories consumed him. They weren't unbearable but they still came back. Currently it was about 4am, they'd only been on guard two hours. "Major Haddock, this is Evans. Do you read?"
"Loud and clear." Hayden replied.
"Mind taking your dragon up and doing a sky patrol?" Evans asked.
"Not at all. Am I going by myself or with the rest of aerial?" Hayden stood up now as he prepared to get on Toothless.
"Take Strike One up with you since you all have dragons. You lead, and go as far as the tenth perimeter mark," Evans stated.
"Yes sir." Hayden nodded as he faced Strike one, "Mount up, Strike one. We're taking aerial to the tenth perimeter." Without an argument they all called for their dragons and mounted up, ten minutes later the group was in the air. The patrol never took long, it was a lot like sector clearing, start at the farthest and work the way in clearing them all in a straight line spread out about a mile or two apart keeping in contact by radio of anyone saw anything. After maybe an hour, making it 5am now there was nothing to report until the sound of a dragon crying out for help caught Toothless's ears.
"What was that?" Theo asked.
"Not sure, sounded like a dragon in trouble in the direction of East...Is there a dragon in distress, Toothless?" the dragon warbled sadly.
"What do we do?" Ethan asked.
"Follow me, we'll check it out and go from there..." Hayden said firmly, they Strike One members nodded to him as they all headed East in arrow formation with Hayden leading. After fifteen minutes of flying they say nothing but Toothless was still following the sound so Hayden didn't back out.
"We're way outside the perimeter without permission, Major...We should radio this in," Jasmine called to Hayden.
"Not gonna radio in if it's nothing..." Hayden retorted as he looked forward again as Toothless's ears began to twitch around, then he suddenly stopped mid-air and looked down. Hayden pulled his binoculars out and looked down as well, then he saw it: A large, four winged dragon with an owl like face. Brown, reds, and oranges for colors. Hayden just about froze seeing it.
"Major...Haddock? Is something wrong?" Theo asked him, Hayden didn't answer at first.
"Stay up here and wait for orders...I'm going in to check this out..." Hayden said firmly as he patted Toothless's neck as his dragon dove down towards the other one laying wounded on the ground. Toothless crooned sadly as Hayden got off Toothless and moved closer to it, it growled at him as he put his hand out. "Clo—Cloud Jumper?" Hayden asked softly, his tone cracking. The dragon stopped it's glare on Hayden and sniffed his palm, then it's eyes dilated more and it smiled softly at him. "Cloud Jumper, I...can't believe it, you're alive?" Hayden whispered now. He couldn't believe it, his mother's dragon was alive after ten years of assuming to be dead. The dragon nuzzled his face as Hayden looked around then all of a sudden, nets shot out and trapped, him, Cloud Jumper and Toothless-who roared out. Hayden looked when he heard enemies coming closer but found a gun to his head as he just put his hands up, that's when his unit came into sight. "No! Get out of here!"
"You're captured, Hayden!" Theo said quickly.
"I don't care! Go! Get out of here, that's an order! I'll find another way but I'm not endangering all of you. Go! If I'm not back in four hours...assume I'm dead." Hayden called to them. Theo looked worried as Hayden had his guns and weapons taken from him, his hands tied behind his back. "GO!" Hayden yelled as he felt a gun hit him hard in the face. Not wanting to, they sped off back towards the Doragon base. Hayden glared at the enemies now as he was sure they heard him chuckling. Hayden looked at both dragons, they'd been muzzled and tied as well so they couldn't get away. Hayden felt a gun jab him in the back as he started walking, to what he assumed was the army base. So now he was a Prisoner of War, but he wouldn't be for long. He'd get out, he already had a plan-he just had to wait for the right moment to strike.
(Doragon Base-Hour Later)
They all flew in top speed, panting, and worried. "Strike One, what the hell is going on?" Evans asked quickly.
"Hayden was captured!" Theo said quickly after getting off his dragon.
"WHAT!" Evans yelled.
"Toothless heard something and we went to check it out, Hayden told us to stay in the sky and he'd find out...then all of a sudden we heard nets being fired. We went down to check out what happened and Hayden was captured and weapons being taken. He told us to get out and get back here..." Jasmine cried. Evans, Boggs, and Greenhalgh rushed to Hayden's office.
"Anderson! Get up, we've got a problem..." Boggs shook him, Anderson sat up quickly as did the rest of Hayden's family and friends wondering what was going on.
"What? We under attack, Haddock see something?" Anderson asked quickly.
"Harry...Hayden was captured. His unit just returned, without him. They said they were investigating something and Hayden got captured, he told them to get clear and leave him behind." Evans panted.
"He was...captured!? Well send a fucking team out, they couldn't of gotten far!" Anderson yelled getting to his feet quickly. Theo came in now, trying not to cry.
"It's no good, Anderson...Haddock...was captured with Toothless and some other dragon. Tied up, weapons taken...he said he'd find a way out but if he wasn't back in four hours...to assume he died." Theo admitted.
"Where were you all?" Greenhalgh asked.
"An hour East of the tenth perimeter line. Toothless heard something, Hayden asked him if it was a dragon in distress and insisted we go check it out...everything just happened so fast. We didn't even have time to react and he ordered us back here..." Ethan informed now.
"What do we do...He said to give him four hours, it took you an hour to get back here so that's three remainder...Your call, Anderson..." Boggs said.
"If...he sent the others away when they could of helped...he was making his choice, the one to sacrifice himself to save his friends and unit," Anderson lowered his head, "I know Haddock and I know...he wouldn't want us going out and risking our lives just to save him...He'd never forgive me if I did that. Hayden Haddock...just became a POW."
Avery and Camille hit their knees crying uncontrollably. "NO! No it's not true!"
"Announce it..." Evans ordered to Greenhalgh now-who nodded and rushed off. Not more than two minutes later, the speakers gave the sound to alert everyone of an announcement.
"Attention Doragon base. I regret to inform that at 0500 this morning, Major Hayden Haddock of the Nightstrike Company became a POW to enemies." came Greenhalgh's voice on the speakers, Camille and Avery just cried hard as they held one another in grief.
"He could still be alive! Go out and find my son!" Gerald said quickly.
"We can't, Hayden knew what he was doing when he got captured. He knew his team could of saved him but they also could have been hurt or killed so he sacrificed himself as a captive to save them. He allowed himself to be taken as a POW and no matter how much we may not like it, we don't dishonor such a sacrifice by going in and risking lives that he gave his to save." Anderson said firmly.
(With Hayden, Toothless, Cloud Jumper)
Hayden don't remember how long he walked for but he knew he was going South from his original location. With once glance at the sun he could tell it was close to 7am, maybe closer to 8am. Toothless was growling and trying to get free but Hayden gave him the command to calm down and wait it out. The dragon huffed but didn't fight him, Hayden knew what he was doing. Before long they were separated, Hayden being taken to a cell where another captive just sat in silence. After being thrown in, Hayden sighed-then looked to else was captive in the cell. It was a woman, head down wearing some kind of tan dress with a black cover over her head. He wondered if she was a soldier who had been captured too, it happened a lot but rarely did they let soldiers live unless it benefited them directly: they had him and his Night Fury, Thor only knew what could happen with those odds.
"You're a solider from the BAA?" said the woman calmly to him.
"Yeah...Are you?" Hayden asked, she only nodded once. "How long you been captive?"
"Ten years," the woman replied. This woman had been captive for that long?! "You're pretty young, you must be a private or corporal." she offered a slight chuckle.
"Actually, I'm a Major. Was promoted when my fourth tour started back in November." Hayden remarked now.
"When did you join?" she asked.
"When I was sixteen, I'm twenty-one now." Hayden shrugged.
"That's impossible to reach Major when you've only been in five years..." the woman scoffed slightly.
"Not when you have a Night Fury. I jumped from Private to Sergeant at Basic Graduation, then to Lieutenant, Captain, and now Major in the course of five years for a bunch of different things: saving lives when wounded, training a Night Fury, so on and so forth...My ranks don't really bother me. I'm not in it for rank." Hayden stated.
"I never was either. I wanted to help people, I was deployed twice...and the second one I got shot down with my dragon and captured here, haven't left since." the woman said. Hayden twitched a bit, that sounded...familiar to him.
"You have a dragon too?" Hayden asked.
"A Stormcutter, named him Cloud Jumper...my kids loved him, I still wonder how they turned out...they must think I'm dead I'm sure. At least their safe..." the woman sighed, Hayden backed up quickly.
"Hold the hell on...You have a dragon named Cloud Jumper? A big four-winged dragon with an owl like face, brown, red, and orange in color?" Hayden said panting heavily. This woman...couldn't be, just just couldn't be who he thought she was.
"Yes..." the woman replied.
"Where are you from in the Archipelago?" Hayden breathed out.
"Berk. I have a husband and two kids there, twins actually. Camille and Hayden Haddock...My husband's name is Gerald Haddock. Can I ask why you are so worked up?" she inquired. Hayden couldn't believe it, this...woman was his mother! She was alive and held POW for ten years here!? She was alive!?
"You don't...know who I am? I'm Hayden Haddock...I'm your son. Oh my Gods, you're alive!?" Hayden exclaimed, the woman froze as she lifted her head and took off her black cloth covering her head-she looked at the man before her and her eyes widened seeing his face.
"Hay-Hayden?! My boy, is it really you?" the woman cried instantly as she put her hands to his face, her thumb brushed over a scar on the right side of his chin, "It is you...Cloud Jumper gave you this scar when you were just a little thing...You're...in the army? You're deployed here to Iraq...Oh Gods, you're a POW like me!" she said. Hayden couldn't believe it, he really couldn't. She was alive, his mother was alive and had been for ten years. His mother just hugged him tightly and he hugged her back. "Tell me everything!..." She said quickly.
"We'll have plenty of time to catch up when us out of here..." Hayden said pulling from the hug.
"It's no good son...I tried." she insisted.
"You haven't tried with me, don't worry, Mom...I've got a plan..." Hayden smiled softly at her. They both sat there against the cell wall talking, Hayden told her everything about the last ten years-including all the grief Gerald gave him after she was assumed dead and when he joined the army. The woman, Valora Haddock was beside herself hearing it all. The two talked for hours, well past what they'd meant too. If Hayden had to guess, he got there around 8am, and they talked for a good five or so hours meaning it was 1pm. The Iraqi soldiers came through to give them food and Hayden would of gladly taken an MRE over the food choice.
"So what is your plan to get out of here?" his mother asked him.
"Don't you worry about that. Toothless and I got it covered...Just waiting for the right moment to strike...We'll be safe at the Doragon base by dinner time." Hayden smiled to her.
"I believe you." she nodded to him.
(5pm)
The sun was beginning to set, Hayden could tell. "Play along..." Hayden whispered to her as he cupped his hands over his mouth and let out an ear piercing screech, his signal to Toothless. As soon as he did it, he just collapsed in a coughing fit, wheezing hard, he glanced to his mother who got the picture. She jumped up banging on the cell bars to get someone's attention. A soldier came by and saw the state Hayden was in, he opened the cell up to check on Hayden so he wouldn't die but as soon as he was in far enough: Hayden got him in a headlock and just knocked him out, bringing him slowly to the floor. Hayden grabbed the keys off his belt and grinned at his mother.
"Using your asthma to escape, very clever son..." Valora shook her head.
"We can talk about my awesome skills later, let's go. Ain't gonna take long for them to come looking for us and our way out should be arriving about now," He stopped when the he heard Toothless roar in response, "There he is." Hayden grabbed her hand as the two raced out of the prison, taking out any guards in the way. Hayden managed to grab a gun and start shooting too, once outside Toothless was there with Cloud Jumper, glowing blue and keeping the soldiers back in fear. "Atta boy bud!" Hayden jumped on his back as Toothless screeched out shooting a blast to keep the others back. Valora got on Toothless behind Hayden and held on to him. "Take us back, Toothless." Hayden commanded, the dragon too to the sky and Cloud Jumper followed them.
(Doragon Base-Two Hours Later)
All of them were a mess knowing Hayden was a POW, not knowing if he was a live or dead either and the soldier refusing to go search for him because of some honor code that would disgrace Hayden's sacrifice. All of them were just sitting around sadly, some were crying, others were silent. The horn blew signaling an incoming attack as Anderson and the others got themselves ready. "This battle...we fight for Hayden!" Anderson announced. They rushed out to fight, it was going to be a big one too. They got right into it. An hour of fighting and it was seeming pretty hopeless until the sound of a Night Fury was heard swooping overhead.
"Toothless?" Jasmine asked, the dragon whipped around firing a line of purple blasts at the enemies, and given Toothless was glowing blue they all ran for it.
"Hey! What gives, I'm gone fifteen hours and you suddenly forget how to fight without me?" Hayden called as Toothless hovered in the sky above them.
"Hayden!?" Anderson and the members of Strike One yelled back, Hayden chuckled as he had Toothless land and he climbed off his back walking forward, his mother was on Cloud Jumper and staying above the clouds. Hearing Hayden's name, his family-although disobeying orders rushed out to see him standing there, completely unharmed with his arms over his chest.
"Were you expecting someone else to come in riding a Night Fury?" Hayden asked.
"WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD YOU ASSHOLE!" Anderson yelled at him, but overcome with emotion all he he did was hug Hayden tightly.
"I wasn't dead, I was captive up until three hours ago." Hayden stated, Avery and Camille rushed over in tears to hug him next.
"You said four hours and assume you were dead, how the hell did you get away!?" Theo asked quickly.
"Assume I was dead so you wouldn't come getting yourselves captured. I swear you people underestimate Toothless and I...who the hell is gonna stand up against the glowing blue Night Fury? I had a plan from the moment I was captured. I just took longer to execute it because I was exactly a lone captive, I was sharing a cell with another member of the Barbaric Archipelago Army. We got to talking and turned out, we actually know one another pretty well so I rescued that solider too." Hayden stated.
You...found another soldier who was a POW?" Evans asked, Hayden nodded to him. "Well...where is the soldier?" Hayden gave a whistle as the dragon descended to the ground and Hayden watched their faces turn to utter shock when the person jumped down off of the dragon's back. He saw his father just about lose the feeling in his legs and nearly drop, Camille was in shock but tears forming in her eyes nevertheless.
"I found my mother and her dragon." Hayden stated the woman walked beside him with a soft smile.
