A: Surprise
Astrid's footsteps made an eerie crunching sound on the pavement as she walked nearer and nearer to the umbrella factory. The sun was still in the sky and she had a nice warm coat wrapped around her, but chills still raced up and down Astrid's spine. When she arrived at the factory gates, the ruins seemed darker and eviler than before. Was that a ghost's howl she heard?
Astrid immediately reprimanded herself for being childish, and picked up her pace. Soon, she pounded up the ramp. The gang minus Hiccup and the twins were already there, rubbing their hands together to stay warm.
"Hey, darlin'," Snotlout drawled in greeting. "How was your day. Oopmh!" He went sprawling on the floor.
Astrid shook her hand out. "Don't call me darling. Hello, everyone."
Camicazi and Fishlegs nodded at her. Snotlout groaned from the floor.
"Where's Hiccup?" Astrid asked, peering around the ground below them. "We need to get ready."
Snotlout snicked. "Don't you mean to ask where the twins are, too?"
Astrid shot him a look. "That's what I meant." She shielded her eyes against the sun, wishing she had sunglasses like Hiccup. They all stood around in awkward silence for about ten minutes, until the silhouettes of Hiccup, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut could be seen coming.
Camicazi let loose a loud cat call. "They're in trouble!"
Fishlegs groaned. "They need to be more responsible."
Hiccup dragged the twins by the ears up the ramp, crutch nowhere to be seen. "-and I want you to write an apology letter, too!"
"But, Hiccup!" Ruffnut whined. "It was only an innocent prank!"
"No buts!" Hiccup dropped them down in front of Fishlegs. "Make sure they don't make a noise tonight, will you?"
"Nice to see you, too," Camicazi drawled.
Hiccup's hair was in a cute mess and he looked completely annoyed. "You all ready?" he asked. "The sun's going to set pretty soon.
"Yeah," they all chorused. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs each went to their chutes and climbed down inside. Astrid, Camicazi, and Hiccup simply backed up into the shadows. There wasn't really anything else that needed to be said. The job was going to be short and sweet, just the way Astrid liked it.
The sun sank lower, sending orange and yellow streaks across the sky. Darkness engulfed them all. Astrid resisted talking, even though she wanted to ask where Excellinor was. If Excellinor came, she came, and there was nothing Astrid could do but wait for her.
The moon broke through the clouds, illuminating the platform. Astrid shifted her scarf, which was damp with the perspiration from her breath. Astrid saw a tiny aqua glow from where Hiccup was, and she deduced that he had checked his watch.
Camicazi bumped into Astrid, and then whispered in her ear, barely making a noise. "There she is."
Astrid peered closer and saw a thin, frail shape picking its way up the ramp. As Excellinor got closer, Astrid could make out her features better. She had very scant, white hair that covered a warty skull. Her eyes were beady and black, like a spider's and she was dressed in all black like a ghost.
When Excellinor was about thirty feet away from them, she stopped walking and spoke, revealing a set of rotting teeth. "Come out, Hiccup Haddock. I know you're there." Her voice sounded like she gargled gravel instead of mouthwash.
Hiccup, Astrid, and Camicazi stepped out of the shadows. Hiccup awkwardly cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck. "I'm glad you could make it?"
Astrid elbowed him hard. How was not the time to be a dork. "Your time is up," she stated matter-of-factly. "We know what felonies you've committed and-"
"Ha!" Excellinor sneered. "So the little fish bone brought along a crazy blonde and a thick-headed woman to be his back up. Scared, runt?"
Camicazi jutted her chin out defiantly. "You're the one who should be scared, Excellinor."
"We know that you want to get revenge for Alvin," Hiccup broke in, "but I didn't kill him on purpose. He kind of did it to himself."
"Ha!" Excellinor spat again. "Alvin. So what? He did the same thing to me." Her left eye twitched, morphing into a dragon's eye before slowly changing back. "I know you killed him, runt."
The three exchanged glances, surprised. So Excellinor had gotten the same DNA morph that Hiccup had. She didn't seem too upset over that or her son. Why?
"You've grown so much, fish bone," Excellinor taunted, then doubled over in a coughing fit. She angrily wiped her mouth, and her hand came away covered in blood.
"Then why go through all the trouble of writing that message onto my wall and breaking into my house?" Hiccup questioned.
Excellinor laughed, the sound echoing off the shell of the factory. "Give me what I want, runt."
Hiccup's nostrils flared at the third use of the word. "I don't know what you're talking about, and I'm not a runt."
"Really?" Excellinor jeered. "I know all about the night you escaped from N.E.S.T. You burned down quite a lot, but before you read something."
Hiccup stiffened, and Astrid wished she knew what Excellinor was talking about.
"Yes, you read something," Excellinor sang. The wind picked up and her hair started flapping in the breeze, making her look even more like a ghost. "A little formula wasn't it? The formula for the radiation treatment for mutation. Oh, yes. You know what I'm talking about."
Hiccup's eyes turned a darker shade of green and seemed to glow darker at the mention of the formula.
"Hiccup?" Astrid whispered. "Do you know...?" If Hiccup knew the formula, and Excellinor got her claws on it, the results would be devastating.
"Yes," Hiccup answered her, glaring at Excellinor. "But what makes you think I'd give it to you?"
"You're hardly in a position to negotiate," Camicazi remarked idly, inspecting her nails. "There's three of us and one of you."
"Oh, dearie me. I'm sorry." Excellinor sounded anything but sorry. "Didn't you forget someone?"
Dread grew in Astrid's stomach as something cold and metallic pressed against her neck: a knife. Thick, sinewy arms even stronger than Astrid's wrapped around her. She fought and fought, but couldn't break loose.
"How about now, Hiccup Haddock?" Excellinor sneered. "How about when the girl you love is in danger? Checkmate, I think."
Astrid choked. The girl he loves? She was going to...do something.
"Let her go!" Hiccup demanded, advancing towards Excellinor. Astrid hadn't known he could look so murderous.
The knife pressed closer to Astrid's neck, drawing a hot drop of blood. "Not a step closer," Excellinor warned, "or she dies. Call off your friends in the chutes who want to ambush. That goes for the thief, too."
Camicazi had been trying to sneak up behind the mysterious person who was holding Astrid but Excellinor motioned her away. Camicazi moved back, her hands in the air.
"You can't overpower me in a fight, Dragon Boy. I definitely turn into a bigger dragon than the Night Fury. Now how about it, Hiccup Haddock the Third?" Excellinor smiled contemptuously. "Should I kill her like I killed your mother?"
Hiccup stepped back like a semi truck had run him over. "My...mother?"
"You remember that night in the alley. Sure, it was Alvin who held the gun, but who do you think has all the brains in the Treacher family? I was the one who told him to do it! Valka didn't give me what I wanted, and if you don't tell me what the formula is, the same thing will happen to her." Excellinor pulled out a gun from a hidden pocket in her jacket and cocked it. "Well, Hiccup Haddock?" she asked, training it on Astrid.
Astrid fought to get free. Whatever happened, Hiccup could not give the formula to Excellinor. Astrid tried slamming her head back into whomever was behind her, but the guy's chest was like a barrel and stars danced before her eyes.
Hiccup's mouth moved soundlessly, his eyes still wide in shock. His face clouded in defeat, and he started to speak, but Astrid cut him off.
"Don't you dare tell her a single thing, Hiccup Haddock!" she shouted. "If you do, I'll kill you! Haunt you! Whatever!"
"I'm giving you five seconds," Excellinor hissed. "Five."
Hiccup turned around to face Astrid. "I can't let you die!"
"Who cares about me?" Astrid asked, sounded braver than she felt.
"Four...three..."
"Don't tell her!" Astrid yelled.
"I can't, Astrid!" Hiccup shouted right back at her, and it might have been the light, but Astrid thought she saw tears leaking down his face.
"Two!" Excellinor crooned.
"DON'T TELL HER!" Astrid put as much force into the syllables as she could.
"One! Too late!" Excellinor screeched. The bear behind Astrid shoved her forward, and Astrid fell onto the ground.
Unable to move, she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the bullet to come. Her mind raced through everything she hadn't done in life. She hadn't straightened out the twins, traveled anywhere, or even beat her uncle Finn in chess! She regretted that she never had cared about the full life she had until now.
The gun went off with a loud bang, and Astrid expected to die. But she didn't, and the sound of a body collapsing reached her ears. Astrid looked up.
Camicazi lay on the ground, bleeding profusely.
"No!" Astrid shouted, but she didn't have time to check if Camicazi was all right. She pushed herself off the ground and lunged at Excellinor. Both of them fell to the ground and Astrid wrestled with her for the gun. It went off again before Astrid threw it off the platform.
The twins, Fishlegs, and Snotlout exploded out of the tubes to assist with the man. Hiccup was leaning over Camicazi, desperately trying to stop the blood. The second of distraction was all it took for Excellinor to punch Astrid in the face and roll away. Astrid tried to follow, but just like a ghost, Excellinor disappeared.
Snotlout pinned the man down on the ground. "I need handcuffs here!"
Astrid pulled a set off her belt and tossed them to him as she ran to Camicazi and Hiccup. "Is she going to be all right?" she asked, kneeling by them.
"Right as rain," Camicazi drawled weekly.
"We need bandages!" Hiccup started taking off his coat. "Someone call nine-one-one!"
"How could you do such a stupid thing?" Astrid fumed. Why had Camicazi risked her life for her?
Camicazi's head lolled to the side.
"Hey! You're not going to die!" Astrid lightly slapped Camicazi in the face. "Don't fall asleep!"
Hiccup ripped a strip of fabric off the bottom of his shirt. "You're going to be all right," he told Camicazi, pressing the fabric against the wound. "Just hold on."
Someone – Astrid was too busy focusing on Camicazi to tell who – yelled into his or her phone, and the wails of sirens filled the air as the sky opened up and rain poured down on the sorry scene.
"I'm not going to die," Camicazi mumbled. "I'm too young. I never returned Stoick's toy sheriff badge."
Hiccup frowned. "He was wondering where that went. How'd you get it?"
Astrid scowled at him before realizing that he was keeping Camicazi talking, which was a good thing. If she was talking, she wasn't dead.
"Easy. I simply..." Camicazi trailed off.
Astrid whacked her across the face. "Hey! You're not going to leave us hanging!"
"I simply... What were we talking about?" Camicazi blinked dramatically to clear her eyes of rain, which would have made Astrid laugh in a different situation.
Behind Astrid, an ambulance swerved into the parking lot. The twins hollered to get their attention. Astrid and Hiccup stayed with Camicazi before the ambulance loaded her into the back and the vehicle screeched out of the parking lot with blaring sirens, leaving the gang staring after it.