A/N: Merry Christmas! Sorry it has been so long since I updated this story. It is not abandoned, it just takes a lot of thought for each chapter because of all the spy stuff and having to leave clues or hints about things, and referencing episodes of "Chuck" while also trying to make it my own thing.
This story is difficult to write sometimes. I also got caught up in writing my other fan fictions, "What Lies Beneath" and "Deviation."
—
Episode 2, Part 1: Hiccup Vs. The Doctor
Sten wasn't quite sure how he had gotten involved in this whole mess to begin with. He had needed a job, a friend of a friend had hooked him up. He had said it was in "security." Now Sten found himself making his third lap around the dreary warehouse holding some kind of rifle —that he mostly knew how to use— while a team of people loaded wooden crates into the backs of trucks.
The young, inexperienced man had decided that he didn't want to know what was inside the mysterious crates. The less he knew the better, and he already knew more than he wanted. His job was simply to keep watch and alert the ones in charge if there was an intruder. Apparently, that was easier said than done.
As Sten meandered to the dark recesses of the warehouse to do a check on the side doors he suddenly found himself devoid of his weapon. Before he could think twice about what had just happened his face was pressed into a wall with his right arm pinned painfully behind his back.
"Don't make a sound, or I snap your arm." A firm, feminine voice whispered in his ear.
"Whoa! Don't do that!" A quiet, but panicked voice said from somewhere behind him.
"Don't be such a wuss." Another male voice nearly growled, reprimanding the former speaker. "Why is he here? Why did we bring him again?"
"Shut up you two! I swear..." The woman sounded exasperated. "He's here because he has the information we need."
"Please don't... Ah!" Sten reminded the group of three that he was still there, cut off by a painful pressure on his arm.
"Quiet! What's in those crates?" The woman demanded.
"I... I don't know." Sten answered honestly, desperately wishing he had never taken this job.
"Liar." She applied more pressure, making his body jerk in protest.
"No! Really! I'm just temporary security. Once they leave, my job is done." Sten informed them. Hopefully, the more information he gave, the less likely it would be that they would hurt him. "They said the most important thing they plan on smuggling, hasn't been brought in yet."
"I think he's telling the truth." The nice one spoke up, Sten hoped the nice one could convince the others.
"You would." The third deeper voice muttered.
Sten was suddenly yanked over to a wooden beam and he felt handcuffs close around his wrists. "...don't hurt me, please."
"Hiccup. Watch him and stay here." The woman who had subdued him turned out to be a pretty blonde in black clothes. "Throk. Let's go."
"Uh... okay." Hiccup, the nice one, responded as he watched them sneak off to apprehend the other mercenaries. Hiccup was still new at this whole, going on missions thing. Usually, he was forced to wait in the car, not that that ever worked out for anyone. This time was a step up, he was left to babysit.
"Is she going to kill me?" Sten had to ask, the blond one was intimidating.
"Um... Well. I want to say no..." Hiccup's response was not reassuring like he had hoped it would be.
"What? I didn't intend to get caught up in all of this! I swear!" He was starting to freak out.
"Shhhh! Be quiet!" Hiccup moved closer to him and slapped a hand over Sten's mouth. "Your chances are definitely higher if you cooperate!"
Sten wiggled his head around, trying to scream for help through the fingers grasping his mouth. He really didn't want to die because of some stupid job he shouldn't have accepted.
"Ugh! Gross! Did you just lick me?!" Hiccup pulled his hand away. "Why would you do that?"
"Help! They're going to kill me! Intru-" Sten was cut off as Hiccup punched the side of his face in panic. Sten fell unconscious and Hiccup looked at his closed fist with wide eyes. He had never punched someone before, he didn't think it would be that effective coming from him.
"I'm so sorry...!" Hiccup felt bad and apologized to the unconscious form. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but he also didn't want Astrid and Throk to be given away.
The sound of shooting erupted from behind him and Hiccup whipped around in the direction that Astrid and Throk had gone. His eyes widened in fear as he worried for their safety. He hadn't shushed the security guard fast enough.
He hated this part of what they did— the waiting and the uncertainty. What if he could help in some way? Astrid had told him to stay put— that was what they always told him. He usually listened... but they were outnumbered and Astrid had left the security guard's rifle behind...
Hiccup stood still and waited as he listened for any sign of what was happening out there, the sounds of struggle and the occasional gunshot didn't cease. With a determined expression, Hiccup snatched the weapon and cautiously followed the route of his spy companions.
He rushed from crate to crate, ducking for cover as he wandered further into the warehouse, the sounds of battle getting closer. When he peered around a particularly big crate he saw that most of the adversaries had been taken out. However, one was holed up on one side of the building while Throk took cover on the other. He didn't know where Astrid was, and that worried him. He needed to make sure she was okay and see if she needed assistance.
Every once in a while someone would brave taking a shot, but the situation was going nowhere. Making up his mind, Hiccup observed his surroundings until he discovered a relatively safe path from where he stood, to where the remaining bad guy was hiding. He ducked down and moved quickly but quietly along his route, weaving between obstacles. However, before he could round the last corner and make it to his goal, he heard a scuffle.
"Where's your boss? Is he here?" Hiccup tilted is head to peer around the crate he was taking cover behind. Astrid was interrogating the remaining bad guy. She had him at gun point, his back to Hiccup.
"Ha!" The man laughed. "He only shows up when the important merchandise arrives."
"So, there's more coming in?" Astrid pressed for more answers.
"Only one thing." The guy laughed again.
"One what?" Astrid asked.
"Something very important." The man said, being aggravatingly vague. "Coming in with a special client, a trader of sorts."
"A deal? For what?" Astrid stepped closer, holding the gun level so the guy knew she meant business and would pull the trigger if necessary.
"You think they trust me with information like that?" The guy asked skeptically. "All I know is it sounded like it was a computer or something."
The man wasn't able to finish as a gunshot rang out through the warehouse. The guy sputtered for a moment as he swayed on his feet, then fell to the ground. Astrid barely had enough time to react as she was shot at. She dived to the ground and rolled, but as she brought her weapon up to shoot back, it was kicked out of her hands.
A more menacing looking man was looming over her with a gun, he kicked her back, so she was sprawled out and vulnerable and she grunted as she fell back, though she held her intense glare.
"Can't have you reporting back about our boss." The man said with a smirk.
—
In all the time that he had been working with Astrid and Throk— which admittedly had only been a few weeks and a mission here and there— Hiccup had always been left in the car, or at base. He had never witnessed such an intense situation. It had seemed like Astrid had things under control, so Hiccup had stayed put. But then he had watched as someone got shot, right in front of him. Hiccup had gasped in fear and drew himself back behind the crate, gripping the weapon in his hands and trying to prevent himself from panicking.
Now, Hiccup was torn. Astrid had been disarmed and knocked down, she was about to be killed. Hiccup was peeking around the crate again, eyes wide. He was rooting for her to do some kind of awesome fight move or something, to gain the advantage again. But he knew hope was futile. The man was ready to shoot and she was completely vulnerable. Throk was no where in sight.
Hiccup had to make a decision, and quick. A determined expression came over his face. He wouldn't let Astrid die, he wouldn't be able to handle watching such a thing, and he really liked her. She had done so much for him, the least he could do was help her out.
—
"So you're not the boss, then?" Astrid mocked. "Just some lackey who moves crates around."
"I'm the one in charge of operations like this." The man allowed her to egg him on, wanting to prove his importance.
"Great job. All your employees have been taken down, it's just you." Astrid kept talking, trying to buy time. "My partner is out there. Whatever happens to me, you're not getting out of here."
The man growled and took a step forward as he raised his gun with resolve. Before Astrid could try anything to get out of the situation, there was a loud thunk. She narrowed her eyes in confusion as the man lowered his weapon and staggered, tripping on the body of his fallen comrade, and falling to the ground, to reveal Hiccup to have been standing behind him.
"I don't know how to use this thing, so I just..." He swung the rifle in his hand like a bat in demonstration, his expression resembling that of a child who just got caught doing something he shouldn't have done.
"Clear!" They heard Throk's voice echo from somewhere else in the building.
"Clear!" Astrid called back as she got to her feet. She gave Hiccup a look as she snatched the rifle from him. She looked down at the guy she had been trying to get answers from earlier and sighed. She had been so close to getting important information. If they interrogated him, he would likely be less forthcoming. Without saying anything, Astrid gestured for Hiccup to follow her to the trucks that had been being loaded with crates.
"Want to see what the all-knowing Dragon Master uncovered?" Throk asked, a completely unimpressed look on his face. He moved to the side as Hiccup and Astrid looked into a crate, Throk had pried the top off before they got there.
"Animals...?" Astrid asked, surprised.
"Aw..." Hiccup cooed. "Look at their big ears."
"What are they?" Astrid wondered as she looked at the cute, but odd creatures.
"They're called fennec foxes." Hiccup answered.
"What they are, is a waste of our time." Throk interrupted their conversation. "When you flashed on that guy's face the other day, you said he was an illegal smuggler. This is below our pay grade. I thought you were leading us to a weapon's dealer. Maybe someone who sold drugs."
"All I saw was that the CIA had an incomplete file on someone who was suspected to be illegally smuggling things in and out of the country. I told you everything I knew!"
"And we uncovered an illegal pet trade. Aren't you the useful one?" Throk insulted.
"Whoa! Whose intelligence is in my head? Oh, the CIA's. Maybe if your organization was better at their jobs I would have had a complete file in my brain instead of a partial one!"
"Gods! You two are insufferable!" Astrid butted in, still frustrated about earlier. "Throk, this may seem like a small operation, but I was interrogating one of the smugglers. He said their boss had a bigger deal going on."
"When? Where?" Throk demanded.
"I don't know, he was killed by one of the other smugglers before I could get the rest of the info." Astrid answered with a huff. "It had to have been important, to silence someone like that."
"Doesn't matter now." Throk growled. "Their boss won't come back here, not now. He's lost to us and we're stuck with crates of animals."
"We stopped part of his operation, I'm sure that'll make a dent in things." Astrid pointed out. "So, let's just call this one in and take the win, okay?"
"I'll make the call." Throk threw Hiccup a look of disdain, then walked away. Hiccup glared after him before turning back to look in the crate of furry animals.
"The exotic pet trade is actually pretty serious, you know." Hiccup said conversationally.
"I know Hiccup. Don't mind Throk, he's still pouting over this new assignment. He used to get big, important missions. Now he's in Berkeley, California protecting a civilian and working at the Buy More."
Hiccup turned back to her and nodded. He knew he was the reason for Throk's moodiness and felt kind of bad, but before he could say anything a movement caught their eye.
"Stay back..."Astrid warned as she put a hand on her holstered weapon. "And I mean it this time."
Hiccup stood back as Astrid carefully stepped closer to a vehicle. She tilted her head and bent down to look underneath, expecting to find one of the smugglers hiding. Instead, a black, furry creature darted out from underneath and ran past her. Astrid watched in surprise as the startled animal went in Hiccup's direction. He took a startled step back at the sudden movement.
It was a black fox with emerald, green eyes and a white tip on its fluffy tail. It's quick movements slowed as it's limp caught up to it. The adrenaline that got it running in the first place wore off and the creature collapsed to the ground, panting.
"Oh... you poor thing." Hiccup cautiously walked toward it, crouching to the ground.
"Hiccup, he careful. That's a wild animal."
Hiccup sat down and scooted closer to the furry creature. The fox gave a half-hearted growl as Hiccup reached out a hand, causing him to hesitate. They stayed that way, looking into each other's eyes— both emerald green and reflecting back their fears, both wishing for something better in life— before the black fox blinked slowly and accepted the touch.
Gaining confidence, Hiccup took off his jacket, laid it in his lap, and gently scooped up the fox onto it.
"Hiccup!" Astrid reprimanded, exasperated with his constant risk taking.
"Astrid, it's fine. Look, he just wants a friend." Hiccup reassured while petting the fox's head, but Astrid looked like she wanted to grab Hiccup and drag him away from the creature.
"Just be careful. I swear you're trying to get yourself killed with the way you've been behaving today."
"His back leg is injured. It's bleeding." Hiccup ignored her reprimand. "What's going to happen to all these animals?"
"I don't know. Maybe some of them will go to rescues, reserves, or zoos." Astrid said with a sigh, giving into Hiccup's current interest and putting aside the lecture on safety. For now. "Any injured or sick might be put down."
"What?!" Hiccup looked up at her with righteous anger.
"Budgets for rehabilitating animals are tight. They don't get the funding they need. The healthy ones will get help, the others..." She trailed off, giving him a sympathetic look. Hiccup looked down at the injured animal in his lap.
"No." Hiccup said firmly.
"Uh... what?" Astrid asked in confusion.
"He's coming with me. I'll take him to a vet." It was decided, Hiccup wouldn't have it any other way.
"Whoa. Hiccup, no. You can't." She hadn't expected him to decide on taking in some wild animal.
"Why not?" Hiccup was petting the thing now, stroking it's fur gently and holding it close. The fox didn't protest, almost seeming to like the attention.
"Didn't you just say that the exotic pet trade is serious? And what, now you want an exotic pet?" Astrid tried to reason with him.
"Silver foxes aren't exotic to the US." Hiccup argued.
"He's still a wild animal!"
"Who was taken from his natural habitat, treated badly, and injured. He didn't ask for this. He's an innocent victim! And now you're saying that people are just going to give up on him now? He's just a casualty to circumstance?" Hiccup's voice began to grow louder as he got more passionate.
"Hiccup... what's this really about?" She put a hand on her hip and gave him a look.
"What do you mean? This is about saving this little guy's life." Hiccup wasn't about to confide in his CIA handler about all of his complicated feelings that had been building up over the past couple years, his current situation with the secret service not helping.
"I'm not sure..." She didn't push, but tried to voice her doubts.
"You owe me this." Hiccup was resolute.
"How do you figure?"
"I've cooperated. I do what you say, I tag along on missions, I give you information. I haven't asked for anything! I haven't complained. Tell Director Mala that this silver fox is mine now. I'm going to take care of him and give him a good home and she can handle the legalities of it."
"You didn't do what I told you, today." Astrid pointed out.
"I saved your life!"
"Hiccup." Astrid looked exasperated but Hiccup remained determined. "Fine. I'll talk to Mala. We'll take that thing to a vet. We'll see what happens. But you have to promise to listen to me. I need you to trust me to get the job done, without interfering. Your safety is important."
"Okay. I promise." Hiccup agreed, though he was glad he had been there to help Astrid out today.
Astrid sat down next to Hiccup. She let the fox sniff her hand before attempting to pet its head. "I admit... this little guy seems to like you."
"I've always had a way with animals. I almost wanted to be a vet, but chemistry and biology aren't my best subjects." Hiccup told her.
"You know what? I can see that." Astrid laughed, the tension gone.
"What? Me being bad at science?" Hiccup pretended to be offended.
"No... you being an animal person." Astrid smiled at his antics, then lightly tapped his shoulder with her fist, eliciting a smile from him. "So... aren't silver foxes supposed to be... silver?"
"Not necessarily. Silver foxes usually have a mixture of white and black fur, giving the appearance of a silver color. But some are more black than others, like this one. Silver foxes are just a melanistic form of a red fox."
"And there's that nerdiness seeping through. It's a wonder you didn't do well in science." She teased.
"Very funny. Someone's developed a sense of humor." He teased back.
"I am very funny, I'll have you know." She boasted, and Hiccup didn't respond. He looked straight ahead, trying to keep a straight face. Astrid laughed again and Hiccup finally gave in, joining her as they waited for their back-up to arrive.
—
Hiccup snuck along the side of his house, stopping at his ground floor window. He pushed it open from the outside, having left it unlocked for this very purpose, and climbed into his bedroom.
Astrid had dropped him off at home after an emergency trip to the vet and a stop at her place for a change of clothes. The vet had said that she would need to keep the fox overnight, the injury to its leg was pretty serious. She would keep him updated, but amputation was more than likely. The fox wouldn't survive long in the wild with just three legs, so it was looking like Hiccup's place was to be its new home.
Hiccup planned on breaking the news to his father later. At the moment he was more concerned with making it seem like he hadn't been out with Astrid since the day before. Not that his dad would have minded. Hiccup was an adult and capable of making his own decisions. But Hiccup didn't want his dad to think that his and Astrid's fake relationship was progressing that fast. If their cover as boyfriend and girlfriend was to hold up for an indefinite amount of time, they needed to seem to be taking it slow.
The sun was just barely starting to rise, giving the interior of the house a dim light. Stoick was an early riser and would likely be up soon, so Hiccup quickly slipped into some comfortable clothes that he usually wore to bed, and crawled under the covers.
He had been laying there for maybe fifteen minutes, just beginning to relax into sleep, when a curt knock to the door, followed by it being thrown wide open, startled him completely awake.
"Oh! So you are home." Stoick observed.
"Mmhmm..." Hiccup replied lazily, relaxing again and sinking back into his bed. He just wanted to get some sleep after the long day and all-nighter.
"I thought you'd spent the night with Astrid. Haven't seen you in a while."
"Huh? No. We just started dating a couple weeks ago..." Hiccup's eyes started to close, he couldn't keep them open.
"You do spend a lot of time together. Things seem to be getting serious between you two."
"Maybe..."
"Look, Hiccup. I know your instinct is going to be to take it slow and be cautious, but... don't push her away because you're afraid to open up to new people. Put a little trust in her, see what happens."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Hiccup agreed as he forced his eyes open again.
"In the meantime." Stoick broke into a smile. "I rarely see you around anymore and I've never actually met Astrid. I've only seen her in passing at the Buy More. I want you to invite her over for dinner tomorrow."
"Um... okay. I'll do that. Just promise me you won't be the one cooking."
"I'll make Gobber cook. He wants to meet her too." Stoick gave a hearty laugh at Hiccup's comment. "I'm leaving for work in a couple hours, so be ready."
Hiccup gave a groan and covered his face with the blanket. So much for sleep. As his dad was about to retreat out the door Hiccup quickly spoke up, his voice muffled, "Oh, and I adopted a pet."
There was silence as Stoick paused in the doorway, Hiccup was content to remain hidden under his covers.
"What was that?"
Peeking his head out, he met his father's eyes. "I... rescued an animal. He's at a vet's office right now. I'm bringing him home in a couple days."
"What kind of animal? Please say it's a cat, they're easier to care for."
"A fox..." Hiccup said as quietly as he could.
"A what? Speak up Hiccup."
"A fox! I'm bringing home a three-legged fox!"
Stoick didn't know how to respond. Whatever his son's answer was going to be, that certainly wasn't what he was expecting. "Do foxes even live around here?"
"Yeah." Hiccup answered confidently, then lowered his voice again. "Probably..."
"Is that even safe? Don't they have places for animals like that to go?"
"They do, but he had a severe injury to his back, left leg. Chances are he would be put down because of medical costs. I already took him to see a vet. They're going to help me get a license to keep him since he wouldn't make it on his own with an amputation."
"I don't know, Hiccup. It sounds dangerous."
"He was very nice! I promise he won't be a problem. Just give him a chance."
"Alright, fine." Stoick gave in with a sigh. "But if it doesn't work out you find a place for him to go."
"Okay."
It looked as if Stoick had more he wanted to say, but after a moment, he finally retreated out the door, closing it behind him. Hiccup sighed in relief. Maybe having a soft, furry pet to come home to after a long and stressful day would help him to relax. He would need that, he knew the next couple days were going to be eventful.
—
Hiccup jolted up in surprise at the sudden feeling of falling forward. Wide awake for a couple seconds before resting his head back on his hand lazily as he sat at the Nerd Herd desk.
"You should get more sleep." Throk's voice reached his ears. Hiccup turned his head lazily to look at the CIA agent, standing on the other side of the counter.
"How are you not exhausted? Do you even sleep, like ever?"
"Of course I do. Don't be ridiculous." Throk replied impatiently. "I'm used to running on less sleep than you. It's part of my job."
"Right. Of course, excuse me." Hiccup responded. "If that is all... I was getting some important work done. Or, at least, I was trying to make it look like I was."
"I have important information to relay to you." Throk was all business.
"Oh? You mean you didn't come over here just to socialize?"
"This is very important. You should take it more seriously." Throk reprimanded. Hiccup responded by giving him a look. "We might have found someone who can help you."
"What?" Hiccup perked up. "You mean...?"
"Yes. There's a possibility of getting that thing out of your head." They were speaking vaguely, just in case. "He will need to run a couple tests first. To be sure."
"Okay, when?" Hiccup tried not to get his hopes up. He could get back to his life. Not that it had been much of a life before all of this... but he wanted some normalcy.
"Tonight. After we get off work at this infernal store." Throk glared at their surroundings. "Meet at Dragon's Edge. Tell anyone who asks that you have another date with Astrid."
"Okay..." Hiccup had a couple more questions, but Throk was already walking away.
—
Hiccup walked across the parking lot from the Buy More to Dragon's Edge at the end of his shift. He had told his dad to go home without him because he was meeting up with Astrid. Which had of course, resulted in some teasing.
Upon reaching the building, recently purchased by the CIA, Hiccup realized that he hadn't actually been inside yet, as Astrid and Throk had been setting things up. At least, they had told him that they were. Peering through the glass windows, he saw plenty of empty shelves and piles of boxes. It didn't look like much. Maybe that was part of the disguise.
The door was unlocked, which seemed rather neglectful for a secret base, and Hiccup let himself in.
"Hiccup. It's just you." Astrid appeared around a shelf, her hand hovering over a holstered weapon at her waist.
"This place doesn't seem very secure to me." Hiccup pointed out.
"It's a work in progress. I left the door unlocked for you since I knew you were coming. The cameras are installed, but I haven't gotten them hooked to the monitors yet." Her stance became less defensive and more relaxed as they talked. "You did trigger a motion detector when you approached the building though, that's how I knew you were here."
"More secure than it appears, then." Hiccup let his gaze wander around the room. "This is not how I imagined a secret base to look."
"This area will be the last part to be put together. I decided to make it a pet supply store as it's disguise. The secret base stuff you want to see is downstairs."
"Downstairs? So it's also bigger than it looks." Hiccup tried to seem uninterested, but he was just too curious. "Do I get to see the downstairs?"
"That's where we'll be doing the tests." She smiled at his excitement. "Come on."
Astrid led the way to a back room that had a door with a fancy lock on it. She held up a badge to a scanner that beeped and allowed them entrance. As they descended the stairs on the other side of the door, it was as if they had entered a completely different place. It went from small time business to high-tech, spy base.
"This is more like it." Hiccup complimented as he took in his new surroundings. "But how... the logistics don't make sense... the basement is bigger than the building."
"We've made some alterations." Astrid replied vaguely. "It may not look like it when you're upstairs, but we have made a lot of progress with our base."
"And yet, you don't even have the cameras plugged in yet." Hiccup mock reprimanded her. Astrid cocked an eyebrow at him, a small smile on her face.
"If you're done with the tour, he'll be here soon." Throk appeared from another room.
"The guy who can help me?" Hiccup asked.
"Doctor Johann, who may be able to help you." Throk clarified.
"He's one of the CIA's best scientists. He helped with the encoding process of the Alpha Dragon." Astrid explained. "He said that he had a theory on how to extract it from your mind. He just needs to run some tests first. He's going to examine you."
"What do you mean by 'examine?' Like, needles and probing?" Hiccup wasn't sure what to expect.
"This is the best chance you have at getting your life back. Isn't that what you want?" Astrid's demeanor changed ever so slightly. It was as if she was a little bitter at the notion that he didn't want to work with them anymore. "To get the secrets out of your head?"
"Um, well. Yes." Hiccup replied hesitantly. "But you're being rather vague about the probing and I'd very much like an answer to that question..."
Astrid grabbed his wrist and led him into another room. The space was gray and mostly empty. It was small and square with a simple table with a laptop atop it, and a black, cushioned chair. Astrid rolled the chair out from under the desk and indicated for him to take a seat. Hiccup obliged, then looked up at her with a concerned look. With a sigh, Astrid's face softened.
"Hiccup, it'll be okay." She reassured him. "Just watch this screen. When images appear, just tell us what you see."
"That's it?" Hiccup thought the process would be more complicated than that.
"I'm sure you'll find a way to screw it up." Throk commented from behind them, standing in the doorway.
"You'll be fine." Astrid threw Throk a glare over her shoulder. "I'll be just on the other side of that wall."
"I'll be in here on my own, with the doctor, then?" Hiccup wasn't thrilled about that idea, and it showed.
"No." Astrid answered.
"Please don't tell me that it'll be me, a doctor, and Throk." That would be even worse.
"You're not meeting the doctor." Astrid finally told him.
"I'm not?" Hiccup was confused. "Then how is this going to work?"
"We can't let anyone else know that you're the Dragon Master." Astrid explained. "You'll tell us your answers through this headset. Doctor Johann will hear your answers from another room. It's important that he doesn't see you. You're too valuable."
"Thanks. I'm flattered and totally freaked out." Hiccup took the headset and put it on.
Astrid gave him a reassuring smile before exiting and closing the door. The screen lit up, but remained blue and Hiccup waited for something to happen.
—
Astrid walked a few steps down the hall and turned into another room, set up with a computer and speakers. Throk was there, speaking with a man.
"Doctor Johann, this is Agent Hofferson." Throk introduced.
"Thanks for meeting us here." She greeted.
"Of course!" Doctor Johann replied enthusiastically. "I've travelled to many different places and met all kinds of different people. Berkeley, California is one of the more tame locations that I've been."
"Right." Astrid hoped to cut him off and get to business.
"However, it is unusual for me not to have interactions with my patient— that is the odd thing about this meeting. I always interact with the people I examine or work with. I don't see why I can't meet my patient. I always like meeting new people. You meet a lot of interesting people in my line of work."
"For your safety, and that of Patient X, it is best if you don't interact with one another." Astrid answered.
"And does Patient X live here, in Berkeley? Patient X, who knows all of the Alpha Dragon's secrets— just hanging out in California while you two keep tabs on him? That is an interesting twist. The Dragon Master is supposed to be a spy, correct? Surely he can handle a face to face with his doctor?"
"You can get all the necessary information you need without meeting him." Throk told him sternly. "You will not be meeting Patient X."
"Alright, alright. Let's just begin." Doctor Johann pulled out a notebook and sat down in front of the computer. He pressed a button and spoke into a microphone.
"Patient X?"
—
Hiccup jumped in his seat as a voice came through his headset. He'd been waiting for a while and had zoned out. Patient X? He supposed that must be him.
"I'm here." Hiccup replied into the headset.
"We are about to begin." The voice said, probably Doctor Johann. "I'm going to show you a series of images and I want you to tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Just tell me what you see."
"Okay. I'm ready." Hiccup took a deep breath, not entirely sure why he was nervous. It was a rather simple thing to do. He supposed, that maybe he was afraid of what the results would show. What if this doctor could fix his head? Then what? He continues to work at the Buy More? He tells his dad that he and Astrid broke up and disappoint him further? He trudges through life without a purpose until he dies alone? Part of him wanted to keep working with the CIA. It gave him a purpose. It gave him hope for a better life than the one he had been enduring for the past couple years. And... he really liked Astrid.
"Patient X? Everything okay?" Doctor Johann's voice broke through his thoughts.
"Uh... yes! Sorry. I was thinking..." Hiccup sighed. And Throk had been right. He already found a way to screw up the test.
"That's okay. No need to be nervous. I remember back when I first started working for the CIA. It was a bit intimidating. Such important and urgent work to be done and I didn't want to mess up." Doctor Johann started rambling.
"Yeah..." Hiccup responded. "I really am ready now."
"Right, right." The CIA doctor got back on track. "Tell me what you see."
The screen changed from its blue state and an image appeared.
"Uh, that's a dog. A German Shepherd."
Another image. "A hippo..."
"Good, keep going." Johann encouraged.
"A man in a fedora." What random images. What was this supposed to prove anyway? "A woman on a beach."
Then, when the next image appeared, he felt that familiar throbbing in his head that indicated he was about to flash. It didn't hurt much anymore and the persistent headache he had when this all started had finally gone away, but it was still an overwhelming feeling.
"Cardinal One is the top Moscow spy in the White House office of—" The pictures continued to change as he talked and the information being triggered in his mind changed along with them. "...The plot to assassinate the President was orchestrated by— The Northdrop-Davis voting computers have been approved by the DNC, RNC, and CIA— Oceanic flight 815 was shot down by surface-to-air— work on subterranean— beneath Denver International Airport has reached phase four— Benedictine agents within the Vatican report— assassin still active— Scenario Five is—"
The image changed one more time. Hiccup shook his head and blinked.
"...okay, well that's just a tortoise."
The screen remained on the photo of the tortoise and no one responded through his headset. Hiccup assumed the test was over and he remained seated at the table, trying to clear his head. That was a lot of information all at once.
—
"Patient X is phenomenal." Doctor Johann said in awe, the microphone had been turned off. "All of our secrets in one person's head."
"Can you remove them, doctor?" Astrid asked.
"Yes. I think I just might be able to." Johann said. "I'll work on something and get back to you."
"If that is all. I can walk you out." Throk offered. Doctor Johann gathered his things and followed Throk. Astrid could hear him talking Throk's ear off all the way up the stairs and couldn't help an amused smile, the agent was likely very irritated by their guest. Once the sound of Johann's voice faded, she went to check on Hiccup.
The door to the room Hiccup was waiting in opened and he looked up to see Astrid. He slid the headset off, assuming that if she was here then he no longer needed it.
"So, how did it go? Did I pass the test?" Hiccup inquired, looking a little anxious.
"You did great, Hiccup. Is your head okay? I know that was a lot."
"Yeah, I'm fine. My head was spinning for a second, but it passed quickly."
"Let me know if something is wrong. Okay?" Astrid had some concern in her voice.
"I will, yeah. Um... so, can he fix me?" Hiccup wasn't sure what he wanted the answer to be.
"Doctor Johann is very hopeful. He's going to work on something and get back to us. We want to make sure that we get it right, so that you'll be okay." Astrid didn't think she was ready for this assignment to be over. She had worked with civilians before. She had worked with plenty of other men. But there was just something about Hiccup. He was different than anyone she had ever met. He had an affect on her.
"Okay." Hiccup nodded. Nothing was definite yet. "In the meantime... we just keep doing what we've been doing?"
"Yeah. That's the plan. Hopefully, he'll get back to us soon." Hopefully, she had a little longer before Hiccup was out of her life and they both moved on.
"Oh!" Hiccup suddenly remembered something. Astrid raised her eyebrows at the change in tone. "Before I forget... my dad wants me to invite you to dinner tomorrow. At my house. He wants to officially meet you."
"Oh, yeah. That's probably a good idea, anyway... for our cover." Astrid agreed.
"Yeah, our cover. That might not even be necessary anymore... when Doctor Johann gets back to us." Hiccup tried not to show his disappointment.
"Right..." Astrid's demeanor changed again, like before. She didn't seem quite happy with the prospect and Hiccup wondered if maybe she looked down on him because she thought he didn't want to see this through. An agent like her must consider such an act cowardly. If she were in his shoes, she wouldn't try to find a way out. Hiccup wanted to tell her that he wanted to keep doing this, that he was willing to keep working with the CIA, but they probably didn't want to keep babysitting him forever. Project Alpha Dragon had been meant for the best of the CIA agents, not him.
"I... don't have a car. My dad took it home." Hiccup decided to change the subject. "Unless you want to take pity on me and drive me home like a good, fake girlfriend. I guess I'm walking. Or... camping out at the Buy More."
"I can drive you home." Astrid smiled, his comment pulling her out of her sudden mood. "We can even stop for food on the way. Make it look like we actually did something. Besides, you're probably hungry. I know I am."
She led the way back out of the little bunker, hidden underneath the future pet supply store. They passed Throk on the way out, who nodded in acknowledgement at them.
"Will this be an actual, functioning pet store? Or just like, a fake one?" Hiccup asked as they walked past empty shelves.
"It would be a little suspicious if it didn't ever open or sell anything." Astrid seemed amused.
"I don't know how these things work." Hiccup defended himself. "Can you run a pet store and do secret agent stuff at the same time?"
"I am a master at multi-tasking." Astrid replied. "Although, you have a point. I do have my hands full, keeping an eye on you."
"I am very cooperative. And I don't do much." Hiccup protested. "So, if you can't handle me then you must be one poor secret agent."
"Oh! Wow." Astrid pretended to be offended. "If you consider what you do, 'not doing much,' then I would hate to see what it looks like when you try to get into trouble."
"How are your customer service skills?" Hiccup asked while laughing. "I bet this place gets terrible, one-star reviews because 'The blond woman in charge is intimidating and rude.'"
"Psh, I don't need good reviews. Do people really need someone to hold their hand while buying dog food? It's not hard, you come in and you either buy something or you don't. That's all there is to it."
"I hope my safety doesn't depend on this place doing well, because you are going to offend anyone who walks through this door..."
—
Once Throk had made it downstairs, he decided that he would finally get around to connecting the camera cables to the monitors and the speakers, he was beginning to wish that he had held off on that task, though. He heard every bit of Hiccup and Astrid's banter as they walked through the store and it didn't stop until they were a distance away from the front doors.
"Those two have it bad for each other..." He muttered as he rolled his eyes and got back to work.
—
Astrid had just dropped Hiccup off at his house. They ended up spending several hours together before she had driven him home. That hadn't been the plan, but they had been having a good time, there were no current pressing CIA matters, and they were supposed to be on a "date," anyway.
Before she could pull away from the curb, her phone started ringing. She looked at the lit up screen and saw that it was Throk.
"Yes?" She answered curtly.
"I'm going to send you an address, meet me there. Don't bring Hiccup, he doesn't need to see this." Throk's voice came through with an urgent tone.
"What's going on?"
"Doctor Johann has been in an accident." Throk hung up the phone, not really one for drawing out conversations. Especially when there was work to be done.
After glancing at the address, Astrid pulled out of her parking spot and drove urgently, to meet up with Throk.
As she she got closer to the designated meet up, she saw a plume of smoke rising from a back road. She was able to find her way without consulting the address further. She stopped her car in the middle of the road and got out. She could see Throk standing by the wreckage of a vehicle.
"What happened?" Astrid demanded as she approached the other CIA agent.
"The car exploded. No signs of Johann's body. He was probably vaporized." Throk said without much emotion.
"He's dead...?" Astrid raised an eyebrow and tried not to show her shock.
"I guess those secrets are staying in Hiccup's head." Throk seemed irritated by the idea.
Astrid left Throk's side and started examining the wreckage. She made a circle around the car, not seeing anything at first. Upon taking a closer look at what used to be the backseat of the car, Astrid saw a damaged cellphone. She crouched down, pretending to be examining something, then scooped up the evidence and placed it in her pocket when she thought Throk wasn't looking.
"It's a shame." She said as she casually wandered back to Throk. "That he would die in a violent car accident right after declaring that he could fix Hiccup."
"It is. I thought I would finally be rid of him, and this assignment." He looked at
Astrid with a neutral gaze. "But you don't mind this assignment, do you?"
"I do my job without complaint." Astrid didn't like the accusing look in his eyes and glared back
"Hiccup trusts you, you know." Throk's face almost seemed to soften, the slightest bit, but Astrid knew that he didn't like Hiccup and so dismissed it.
"Why shouldn't he?" She defended herself.
"No reason, I just wanted to make sure you knew." Throk's expression hardened again.
"Right, well. I have a busy day tomorrow. So I'm going to go." Astrid started walking toward her car.
"I'll oversee the situation and file any evidence. That is, assuming that there is any evidence to gather. He could have just crashed." Throk said casually. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Astrid nodded slowly before continuing to her car. Throk watched her as she left, then went back to work.
—
A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
—
Northern Goshawk: Yes! I am returning to this story. I have quite a bit of this story plotted out, actually, but they take time to write. I was also focusing on some of my other stories for a while. And thank you, I'm glad you like the story!
CHSHicstrid: Hi there! I'm glad you like it! HTTYD and Chuck mix together very well! I am very excited for this story, I'm glad you are too!
Midsully: Haha, yeah, that would be an awesome moment to add into this story! Casey is my favorite character.
ChibiReads: Thank you, I'm glad to hear it!
Guest: Glad you like it! I hope you read and enjoy the new chapter!
MaverickMike: Chuck is a great show, and HTTYD fits so well with it. I decided on Throk for Casey, he seemed the right type, other than that he is generally more polite, I think. I haven't read all of the books though, so I don't know all of the characters.