Will to Fight
Merida held on to Hiccup for who knew how long. She heard and saw the blue flames engulfing them. She didn't know what was going on. Just clutched his form tightly before they suddenly vanished. And that's when she noticed the area had changed. Glancing around she saw she wasn't outside anymore. She was…in a cave?
A click behind her got her attention, she turned and her eyes flew wide as she a white robot with a blaster arm aiming right at her. Blue lights on its face resembled narrowed eyes as it kept her within its sights. Merida didn't know what to do. She didn't have the energy or the time to react before this thing could probably kill her.
"Eve stop!" suddenly came a familiar voice. Merida's eyes widened more as she glanced passed the robot and saw Jack. And beside him was Rapunzel. She looked up again and then realized she was at the Cove. She guessed the wisps must have somehow moved her there.
Eve kept her blaster pointed at her as she did a facial scan. When it was complete she lowered her weapon.
"Archer recognized," Eve said.
Jack and Rapunzel rushed to her side to see if she was ok. They were utterly confused as to how she suddenly just appeared. One moment nothing, then there was a bust of blue flames and then she was there. They were about to ask where Hiccup was when they saw what lay under her.
"HICCUP!" Jack shouted as he dropped to his knees beside him. "Hiccup, come on man get up," he said in worry. He saw the deep slashes in his armor. His bent and damaged helmet. And the nasty puncture in his shoulder armor. And he could smell blood and scorched flesh.
"What happened?"
"Mor'du and Drago attacked us…I," Merida paused to swallow a sob. Her shoulders began to shake as tears began to flow. "He did it to protect me," she choked out miserably.
"Damn," Jack cursed as he tried to get the armor off. But it wouldn't give. "Eve, remove the armor," he commanded.
Eve came forward and complied. Her arms were a blur as she worked at the armor's screws and bolts. But at some parts she just had to rip it off him. But eventually the armor was completely gone. Revealing the nasty scars and burns.
"Punz please," Merida begged with tears in her eyes. Rapunzel nodded and came forward. She wrapped her hair around him and started to let her energy flow into him. But after only a moment she felt something wrong.
She looked up at Merida and gave her a sorrowful look. "Mer…I'm sorry," she whispered. Merida looked at her in confusion, but then she noticed. Her blond locks began to shorten, and slowly the gold began to recede, leaving behind a brown. Even her skin seemed to pale. She'd reached her limits.
She was out of power. And she couldn't heal Hiccup.
"No…damn it," Jack cursed. He looked at Hiccup who was pale and still. He had to get medical attention soon. "Eve, let's get him to the needle room," Jack said looking to the robot. Eve remained still.
"Scans show needle room compromised. Not useable at this time," Eve replied. Jack cursed. Eve had attached a small camera to Toothless who was making his way through the base to see what areas weren't destroyed by the Drago bots.
He racked his brain for another solution.
"Recommend Migration protocol," Eve piped in. He looked at her and mulled it over.
"Agreed. Eve, take him," he said standing up. Eve nodded. The girls looked at him in confusion before Eve's chest released an energy field around Hiccup. It lifted him off the ground as he was surrounded by a blue sphere. Then Eve began moving him, making her way to the tunnels.
Jack led the girls after her.
"Jack, what's the migration protocol?" Merida asked as she kept a nervous glance on Hiccup.
"It means we evacuate. The Cove is compromised and we can't come back. So we move to the main base," he explained.
"Main base?" Merida asked in surprise.
"Yeah, Cove is the most used one. But there are backup facilities all throughout the city. Hiccup is a careful guy. Doesn't like to work take work home. We'll collapse this one later, but for now we have to take care of Hiccup," he finished resolutely.
As they made their way through the tunnels they ran into Toothless. The wolf dog whined when he took in Hiccup's state. Her barked and nosed him but earned no response. Merida stroked him in comfort, sharing his worry and concern.
They followed Eve deeper into the base. To a section Merida and Rapunzel hadn't been shown. And then they came to what looked like a monorail system, complete with a trolley. Jack explained that the tunnel led right to the main base, and that Eve had used it to get here. Hiccup was placed down onto a bench before Eve powered up the trolley and got it moving.
Merida stroked Hiccup's head and face. She wished he would move. Or do something. The ride was quiet. Everyone letting their situation sink in. Their enemies had what they wanted. They'd lost. And Hiccup's life was in danger.
The ride must have taken at least an hour by Merida's guess. But she wasn't really paying attention. They came to a stop before Eve activated her energy field and lifted Hiccup up and carried him into the new facility. Like the Cove it was underground, but with fluorescent lighting in the ceiling. A pathway lit up as Eve moved.
She made her way to a room with a glass screen. She went inside through a sliding door on the side and laid Hiccup on a table. Merida was about to follow when Jack held up his staff to stop her. She looked at him in confusion. Wondering why he'd stopped her.
"Sterile environment," he said motioning with his head to the room. "Needs to be clean for surgery."
"Surgery?!" Merida choked out. She looked inside to see Eve move into a nook in the wall. She was suddenly sprayed and wiped down to disinfect before she exited. A holographic display suddenly appeared in front of her as she got to work.
Her fingers were a blur as she began to heal her master. From the ceiling robotic arms came down. All with surgical tools attached to them. She controlled them effortlessly as she began reknitting nerves, sewing up skin, and removing pieces of armor that had melted onto Hiccup's flesh. Eve took an X-ray and memorized it with only a glance.
The girls watched in amazement. Eve was moving so quickly. There was no hesitation, no nervousness, only precision focus and skill.
"Eve has the medical knowledge of every textbook and journal ever published," Jack explained. "She can perform an open heart surgery single handed if she had too," he said as he watched Eve work.
They continued to watch in silence before the door to their viewing room opened. They looked to see a square cube on wheels roll in. On it was a tray of drinks. It came to Jack first. He smiled won at it before grabbing the slushy. Then it moved to Merida. She eyed it curiously before she took a glass of iced tea off it. Then it rolled over to Rapunzel who took some lemonade.
They stared at the cube until suddenly arms came out from the sides. They grabbed the sides of the tray before lifting it off it. Then from on top of the cube popped out a small head. It was some kind of robot, with two large camera like eyes. It looked between Merida and Rapunzel, almost like it was curious.
"Wall-E," it suddenly said. They raised an eyebrow at it.
"Guys, this is Wall-E. He's a maintenance and garbage bot for the main base. And Eve's boyfriend," Jack said smiling at it.
Merida looked back at Eve who was still working. "Eve?" she finally said. She was curious about the robot.
"Yep. Eve. You may have noticed that her voice sounds familiar?" he asked them. The girls thought about it and it occurred to them that her voice was similar to the voice they would hear from their rooms' interface. "Eve is Fury's systems AI. She's also the security droid for the main base. She controls everything," he explained.
"She's amazing," Rapunzel said in wonder as she looked at the robot.
"Yep. Besides his armors and plasma core, Eve is probably Hiccup's greatest creation. She became the system AI after his old one, Otto, or something, went all Skynet terminator and he had to destroy it," he explained. "Eve is decades ahead of her time. Probably the most advanced robot on the planet."
"And Wall-E?" Merida asked jerking a thumb to the little robot.
Wall-E released a dreamy sigh as he watched his girlfriend work.
Jack pursed his lips and shrugged. "Wall-E has heart."
"She seems different than most robots," Rapunzel pointed out.
Jack nodded. "Both Eve and Wall-E's AIs allow them to feel. It gives them a sense of right and wrong, personalities, likes and dislikes. But also a sense of duty. Hiccup thought this was necessary after Otto."
They continued to watch as Eve patched Hiccup up. She finished by cauterizing and sewing up his wounds. With one more scan she deemed him stable.
"Let's get him to bed Eve," Jack said aloud. Eve nodded before picking Hiccup up with her energy field and carrying him out of the room. The other followed. Eve led them to a platform that rose up, before the ceiling opened to place them in the center of a large room. Toothless opted to stay below since his monster form would hinder his movement in the upper levels.
"This is Hiccup's house," Jack explained. Merida and Rapunzel looked around impressed. It was a mansion. Eve made her way through it and the girls followed and noticed a new robot come out. Alongside it were what looked like a vacuum and a squeegee on wheels. They appeared to be scrubbing the floor behind them diligently.
"That M-O. Head cleaning bot for the mansion," Jack said motioning to the small one. They made their way up some stairs that led to the second floor. The hallways were filled with rooms. Opening one they saw it was the master bedroom. Eve deposited Hiccup on the lush green bed and allowed Jack to throw the blankets over him.
"Good girl Eve," Jack told the robot. Eve nodded in acceptance and saluted before leaving the room. "We should get some sleep," Jack recommended. They all nodded in agreement. Jack led Rapunzel to a spare bedroom while Merida stayed beside Hiccup.
She took off her cloak and dropped her bow and arrow to the floor. She was exhausted beyond belief. She took a look at her bow. She wondered how she'd done all these new things. But deciding to leave it for later she crawled into Hiccup's bed. She curled up beside him, snuggling against his warmth. She hoped he would wake up soon.
She let her eyes fall and soon she fell asleep beside him.
Rapunzel got out of bed a few hours later and went outside. She planned to absorb as much sunlight as she could get. She'd never been this drained of energy before. She found a table outside on Hiccup's huge front lawn and laid back, allowing her body to absorb the light.
But soon she got tired of remaining motionless and got up. She wandered around the grounds, going around the side of the house and to the backyard. She gasped when she saw that Hiccup's house was on a cliff outside the city. She peered over the edge and saw the cliffside and water below. She stepped back and looked around some more before noticing a green house.
Curious she walked toward it and found a door leading inside. Inside it was very warm and somewhat humid. She was amazed at all the plants. She looked at all the different flowers and grasses when she noticed Eve. Eve had a watering can as she floated around watering the plants.
Eve looked up from a flower and saw her. Her eyes changed, resembling smiling expression and she waved. Rapunzel smiled and waved back before walking over to her. She guessed that Eve must have loved planting. Eve seemed very enthusiastic as she flew around and brought Rapunzel colorful and beautiful potted flowers. She also led her to small trees in bloom and other plants Rapunzel hadn't seen before.
She looked at Eve and smiled. She was definitely more than a machine. She seemed to love her collection of plants and she clipped, watered, and cared for them very tenderly. Then Eve darted to a corner of the greenhouse and came back with a pretty purple flower. It was bell like in shape and its petal spread open.
"Campanula rapunculus," Eve explained as she pointed at the flower. Rapunzel looked at her and smiled, assuming that's what it was called. "Common name, Rampion."
"It's beautiful," Rapunzel said smiling down at it. When she'd had enough she held it out for Eve to take. But to her surprise Eve gently pushed it back toward her. Rapunzel looked up and saw Eve nod. With a smile Rapunzel held the flower close, viewing it as a token of friendship.
"Wow, so Eve actually gave you a flower?" Jack said as Rapunzel showed it to him. She nodded and smiled at it. "Eve's usually very protective of her plants. She won't even let me go into her greenhouse. She only lets Hiccup," Jack said thoughtfully. They sat in the kitchen at the table as they had some sandwiches. They felt better, rested and now were just waiting for Hiccup.
"That's cuz she thinks you'd freeze them icicle," came a welcomed voice. Rapunzel and Jack's heads whipped around to see Hiccup. Standing at the entrance to the kitchen with Merida beside him.
"Well look who came back to the land of the living," Jack said as he ran to him mockingly. With a smiled he held out his hand. Hiccup smiled and clasped arms with him. "Glad you're ok partner," he said in earnest.
"Yeah. You too," he said with a nod. "Good to see you're alright too Punz," he said looking to the girl. She smiled at him and nodded. But then his face became serious.
"Let's get down to the supercomputer. It's time Eve told us the full story."
The team gathered in the base below Hiccup's mansion as Eve explained what Mor'du was planning. From what she had translated from the many scrolls and books, Mor'du was planning to open a doorway. One leading to a realm occupied entirely by dark spirits. She explained that his sword was the key to opening it.
"And where is this doorway?" Hiccup asked in his chair. Eve pulled up an image on the computer screen. It was from one of the books and it looked like an old illustration of Stonehenge or something.
"The standing stones," Merida breathed out as she recognized them.
Hiccup looked at them before turning to ask Eve another question. "Eve, how soon will Mor'du be able open the door?" he asked seriously.
"Information speaks about some kind of event taking place on this day 1000 years ago," Eve explained. Hiccup was about to command her to elaborate when she spoke up. "An event in which the moon eclipses the sun," she said.
"The solar eclipse," Rapunzel gasped out. She looked at Jack. "The one you told me about at the fair," she reminded him.
"Eve, how long until the eclipse happens?" Hiccup asked.
"Estimated time…5.5 hours," Eve informed him.
Everyone blinked in surprise. They were already on a deadline. The time was drawing near as they spoke.
"Eve, what's so special about the lodestone?" Merida asked the robot.
Eve looked to Merida and started pulling up a variety of images on the computer screen. "Portal will only remain open as long as eclipse lasts. Approximate time is seven minutes. But the lodestones will allow portal to remain open indefinitely by halting the position of the moon."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
"Halt the moon? That high level magic right there," Jack said with a shudder. The kind of power to do that was unimaginable.
"Stones were hidden away thousands of years ago. Scattered to different sections of the earth," Eve informed them.
"And Ah led Mor'du to the last one," Merida groaned out as she rubbed her temples.
"There was no way of knowing Merida," Hiccup said to console her. She gave a weak smile in thanks.
Hiccup scratched Toothless' head as he laid at his feet. He thought of what else to ask.
"Why does he want the portal to be open Eve? What's his plan?"
Eve changed the screen to a different set of images. And Hiccup recognized them.
"Those look like the tattoos I saw on Mor'du," he said scratching his chin.
"Texts explain that markings allow object to absorb the power of spirits. Druids theorized that absorption of a large quantity by a mortal would make one…a god," Eve said.
"Oh crap, he's gonna absorb the power of thousands of dark spirits. He's gonna become a god," Jack said paling. He'd heard of dark magic like that. But not on this kind of scale. It was similar in nature to Pitch absorbing the fear of others.
"But what about the others? What are their roles?" Rapunzel questioned.
"Gothel, dark magic user with the ability to absorb energy. Pitch, someone who knows how to use and absorb dark energy as well. Drago, someone who can make technology to do that. Combined with Mor'du, who has the arcane writings to make it possible…they're all gonna become gods," Hiccup said grimly.
"If they do manage to succeed…they'll be unstoppable," Jack said quietly.
Hiccup swallowed. They need a solution. "Eve, what can we do?"
"Druids theorized that portal could be sealed off forever by sword from the dark realm, in addition to sealing the sword inside it forever. Destruction of stones and ending of eclipse should close portal…however," Eve paused.
"Explain Eve," Hiccup commanded lightly.
"Opening of portal will release dark spirits upon world. Destruction and damage…immeasurable."
Everyone gulped nervously.
"Counter spell to call all spirits back to portal translated and completed," Eve piped in. Hiccup released a breath in relief. So they could call all the spirits back. "Only possible with possession of the sword," Eve added.
"Of course it is," Hiccup said rubbing his eyes. So it wasn't all hopeless. They just needed to stop their enemies before they absorbed enough spirits to make them invincible.
No pressure or anything.
"So what the plan partner?" Jack asked looking to Hiccup. Hiccup looked back and saw all eyes on him. He was the leader, he had to make the call.
"Well…I'm not gonna lie. Things are bad. Even I'm a little out of my element," he said chuckling weakly.
"Way to rally the troops Hiccup," Merida deadpanned.
"But," Hiccup said. He steeled his nerves and rose to full height. He looked into the eyes of his friends and let them see the fire in his. "I'm gonna go. I'm gonna stop them. No matter what it takes. We started something, the four of us, alone, we're powerful, but I think together," he paused to smile.
"I think we're unstoppable," he said, his voice firm and strong. Jack smiled and so did Merida.
"So I'm not gonna lie. We may go down. But I'd rather go down fighting," Hiccup said with conviction. He looked to them all to see what they thought.
"Pssh. I've already save the world like…seven times with the guardians. No biggie," Jack said nonchalantly as he looked at his nails.
"And I'm not letting you go anywhere without me. You need all the protection you can get," Merida said playfully. Hiccup shook his head and smiled. Looks like everyone was in.
"I can't go," came Rapunzel's voice. Everyone looked at her in shock.
"My powers aren't back to full strength. I'd be in the way. And with the eclipse I won't be able to recharge in time. I'd need at least a full day," she explained sorrowfully.
Hiccup tapped his chin in thought. He had an idea. It was a little dangerous. But it just might work.
"What you need is a jump start."
Rapunzel raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm not a car Hiccup."
"No, but I have something that I think will work. But first," he paused to look at Eve. "Eve, what's the status on the mark 11," he asked.
"Fully operational and tested," Eve informed him.
He smiled. "Good. Time for an upgrade," he said. Pushing passed his friends he made his way to the lab. Eve followed after him as did his friends and Toothless.
Inside his lab were lots of robotic parts and wallx\s full of design schematics. But Hiccup walked with purpose as he stood on a platform in the center of the room.
"Eve," he said to the robot. Eve nodded before initiating the suit up sequence. Arms came out form the floor and the ceiling. He held his arms up at his sides as they began to build his armor on around him. When he was done he was standing in what looked like his regular armor. But his friends could note minor differences. There were spikes on his shoulders, two sets of spines running down his back, and on his chest, over his plasma core was a coiled up black dragon with a splash of red on its tail. His friends stared in wonder and in a brief instance lights running down his back lit up.
"Eve, get in here," Hiccup said tapping his helmet. Eve nodded before beaming herself into the armor. A small icon of her face appeared onto his display. "Eve, how are the micro cores?" he asked.
"Operating at full capacity. Adjusting output every .0000002 nanoseconds. Armor integrity 100 % and systems fully operational," Eve said.
"Good," Hiccup said smiling. This newer suit was more powerful than his last version. It had micro cores, tiny plasma cores that would supply it with more energy and firepower. With the micro cores running down his back his suit's strength was tripled, allowing him to lift at least 150 tons.
"Like the new suit Hiccup," Jack said impressed.
"Thanks. Been waiting to test it out. And I think you need to gear up too," he said pointing at his staff. Jack nodded before walking out of the room. Rapunzel and Merida watched him go before Hiccup went to a work bench. He came back to Merida holding something. A new quiver of arrows.
"For milady," he said smiling. Merida smiled back gratefully. She took the new arrows before he handed her something else. Two things. One looked like the hilt of a sword. And the other was a small circular disk with a loop for her arm.
"I call this Inferno. The blade of the sword can burn at very high temperature without weakening its integrity. It can cut through nearly anything. And that's a small kinetic energy barrier generator. I think you could use them," he explained.
Merida smiled excitedly before equipping herself. She slid the sword into a loop on her utility belt and strapped the small disk onto her arm. She felt ready to go already. She trusted in Hiccup's technology.
Finally Hiccup looked to Rapunzel. "All right Punz. This way."
Hiccup led them to a part of the base with gigantic metal doors. Tapping a small panel on the side he opened them. And inside Merida and Rapunzel could see what looked like huge solar lamps. They looked at Fury in question.
"Over the years I've tinkered with many projects. This is my sun chamber. I've been able to successfully generate artificial sunlight. I think we can use this to power you back up," he explained.
"You really had no other hobbies did you Hiccup?" Merida asked with a smirk.
"Well I don't know what else to do with my time," Hiccup said with a shrug.
"Ah can think of a few things," Merida said with a wink. Hiccup blushed underneath his helmet and sputtered in embarrassment.
"OH MAN! FINALLY!" Jack cried as he suddenly ran up to them. He threw an arm around Hiccup. "You finally got laid man. Hazzah! When this is all over I'm buying you a drink," he said excitedly. Hiccup pushed him away and rubbed his head in embarrassment.
The girls chuckled at knowing he was probably flushing like mad. Then they noticed Jack was holding a different cane than normal. It was about as long as his old one but the wood was a sleek polished black. And the hook at the top looked like a white crescent moon.
"This staff used to belong to Moon Man," Jack explained noticing their curious stares. "When I use it, it increases my power greatly," he elaborated. The situation required them to be at their strongest. He only ever brought it out on emergencies. Otherwise it was kept locked up in the main vault.
"So anyway Punz," Hiccup said getting back on track. "I think this will work. But the rays will be more intense than you're used to. It's going to be like you're right near the sun's surface," he explained.
Rapunzel gulped but nodded in determination. "I can take it," she said firmly. Hiccup studied her expression and nodded. Reaching onto the side of the panel he pulled out some dark shades. He offered them to her but she declined them.
"Won't need them," she said as she walked into the room. She stood in the center and gave Hiccup a nod that she was ready. Hiccup nodded back and sealed her inside. The door to the room whirred and sealed her in. They were powerful, able to take the force and heat from a nuclear explosion without a scratch.
"Alright Punz…here we go," Hiccup said as he activated the lamps.
They turned on and Rapunzel was suddenly surrounded by light. It blocked out everything and would have blinded or burned her if not for the magic inside of her. She felt her energy levels starting to stir. They were rising, she was absorbing faster than normal….but it wasn't enough.
"Turn it up Hiccup!" she shouted.
Hiccup complied, increasing the insanity. Rapunzel felt it, she felt her reserves starting to fill. But she needed more.
"HIGHER! ALL THE WAY!" she shouted out.
Hiccup was hesitant, but Merida placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a firm look. "She can handle it," she said in total belief.
Hiccup relented, turning the intensity as high as it could go.
Rapunzel definitely felt that. Her energy levels shot back up. She felt the sun's power returning. Like molten gold running through her veins. She absorbed and absorbed, letting it fill her, letting every cell drink and pore n her body drink in its energy.
She felt her levels reach their norm. She was about to tell Hiccup to turn it off when she suddenly felt them go beyond what she thought had been her limit. She gasped as she felt it suddenly go and spread to a place she didn't know was there. Filling pools of untapped potential she'd never knew existed.
All this time she thought she was a glass half full. But in reality…there was ever only a few drops in the cup.
"Rapunzel…can you hear me?" came Hiccup's voice. She ignored it and closed her eyes.
"Punz…answer us," came Merida's voice.
"RAPUNZEL!" came Jack's.
Outside the door they were all getting worried. Rapunzel wasn't speaking to them. They didn't know if she was ok.
~Flower gleam and glow~
Suddenly came her voice. It was filled with warmth and strength.
~Let my power shine~
At that Hiccup turned it off. He was about to open the door when suddenly a thumping was heard from inside. He looked at them and saw and bump form on the surface.
"That's not possible," he whispered out. His friend watched in amazement as more bumps suddenly formed. Then a hand burst through the crack in the large door before they were pushed apart. They flew open with a screech, damaging the mechanisms that moved them.
"You know I could have opened them," Hiccup said in annoyance.
Merida went to stand in front of Limelight. She looked at her friend in concern. Her shoulders were heaving and she was taking deep breaths. Her eyes were glowing a bright gold and her very skin was radiating light. And her hair! She looked behind her to see it snaking its way around the room. It had to be at least eighty feet in length.
"Punz…are you ok?" Merida asked quietly.
Rapunzel stayed silent as she raised her hands up to examine.
"I feel…I feel…fantastic," she blurted out. Suddenly in a flash she was on the other side of the cavern. "Look at all this space! I could paint a mural here! I want to clean! I want to dance! Let's dance Merida! Let's exercise!" Rapunzel shouted out as she was practically bouncing off the walls. She kept zipping around the room in a golden flash as she ranted about what she wanted to do.
It was like watching a kid on a sugar rush.
As she stopped in front of Merida, Merida grabbed her shoulders and turned her to look in her eyes. "Punz, Ah think you should calm down," Merida said nervously.
"CALM! I'M CALM! I'M COMPLETLEY CALM!" Rapunzel shouted not controlling her volume.
"Uhm…maybe I should run a test," Hiccup offered.
"Test…I'll give you a test," Rapunzel suddenly blurred across the room while cocking back her fist. "BOOM!"
She punched the cavern wall with enough force to shake the entire mountain. A huge crack formed on its surface.
"Come on guys, follow me. OUT OF MY WAY WALL!" Rapunzel said as she began punching her way through solid rock. She started punching a tunnel down it with a flurry of lightning fast fists.
Her friends exchanged a glance. Their looks said, what have we done?
"Good enough for me. Let's go before she collapses the entire mountain on us," Hiccup said as he led the way out of the chamber.
"Punz, we're going!" Merida called back to her friend.
Rapunzel ran out of the tunnel and after them.
"MERIDA LOOK HOW CALM I AM! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Oooh shiny! It looks big! I wonder how fast it is?! Are we gonna fly in this?!" Rapunzel asked as she kept buzzing around the aircraft Hiccup was showing them.
"I give you the Timberjack," Hiccup said proudly.
Merida was impressed as she looked at the red aircraft similar in size to a private jet. But its huge wings were sharp, like blades. Rapunzel was right, it looked very fast.
"Can it get us to Scotland before the eclipse?" she asked.
"No. But it's our best shot. We'll have to beat them before they become too powerful," Hiccup said shrugging.
He turned to look back at Eve and Toothless. Toothless whined sadly. Hiccup smiled and knelt down to pet him. He scratched him under the chin lovingly.
"I'll be back bud. Count on it," he told the wolf. Toothless lolled his tongue and licked him on the helmet. Hiccup chuckled before standing up and looking to Eve. "Eve, defend the city. And be ready to feed me that spell" he told her. She nodded and gave him a salute.
With that Hiccup opened the hatch door to the Timberjack.
"C'MON!" Rapunzel shouted as she ran inside.
Hiccup rolled his eyes and sighed before making his way inside.
Merida looked around impressed. She saw four main seats, one for pilot and co-pilot and two behind them. Then there were two rows of seats with straps and buckles for more people.
"Shotgun," she said aloud.
"Damn it," Jack cursed. "I always get the back seat," he grumbled. Merida giggled at his expense before taking seat to Hiccup's left.
Rapunzel sat behind her tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for Hiccup to do a quick system's check and start the engines. The plasma core engines fired up and the hangar door opened. Hiccup activated the boosters and soon they shot forward. They flew out of the hangar that was on the side of the cliff face where Hiccup's house sat and Hiccup steered them toward Scotland.
They were all nervous. The fate of the world was in their hands. But they felt ready as they'd ever be.