Somewhere in the Canadian wilds
0500 hours
July 30, 2019
"That's the last of them, yeah?" The man's partner nodded and tapped the side of the cage, his assault rifle clutched firmly in his grip. "Took us five hours and ten men, but we bagged 'em. How much do you think they'll fare on the black market?"
"How much? How much?!" The mercenary laughed in disbelief before tapping the side of the cage proudly. "Have you even seen 'em?! Ten grand, tops!" Another man just sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You'd think that by now, people would be sick of those things. It's been… what, almost ten years since they popped out of the ocean or whatever?" A noise from the cage stopped him from going any further: a low predatorial growl.
The man responded with a growl of his own and whipped out a taser stick. "Don't you give me that look, you overgrown lizard!" A flash of blue flickered when he stuck the taser inside, and a pained howl followed the surge of electricity. The animalistic noises died down, and the man joined the other two. "As I was saying, they've been getting used to us just as we've gotten used to them. Honestly… you'd think they'd know better."
"But what about that lizard-loving group?" one of the men asked. "Y'know, those conservationists? What is it they call themselves again? The, uh…"
"The Dragon Preservation Society," his partner informed. "And you're right, they've been booming as of late; busting egg smuggling, poaching, the works." The first man immediately went on edge. "Whoa, whoa, hold up! You… you don't think they're coming here, do you?!"
"Calm down already!" the second man groaned, smacking his partner in the gut with the butt of his weapon. "If anything or anyone gets within twenty meters of this place, we'll know. We got cameras and patrolmen around the camp, right?" The third mercenary was about to reply when he was interrupted by a sharp buzz on a walkie-talkie. Picking up the radio, he pressed the transmit button and held it close to his face. "What is it?"
"Clemens here. Thought I saw movement on the south side. I'm checking it out, but send a couple to back me up, over?"
"Why the extra security?"
"I ain't taking any chances, especially with these new guys from New York. I heard they-"
"They're just a buncha kids," the man growled. "They ain't stupid enough to come up here. You probably saw a bear or something, so just check it out and report back, yeah?"
"Roger that. Clemens out."
The first man looked at the third suspiciously. "You don't think they're legit?" The third man turned on him sharply. "Hell no I don't! Just think about it: who in their right mind would ever think we could turn a dragon into a dog or something? And a bunch of people straight outta their teen years, at that? They'd get themselves killed the moment they tried." With an exasperated groan, the man reached for his radio again. "Clemens, what's the-"
All he heard on the other end was static. "Clemens? Clemens, do you copy?" There was no response, which earned a frustrated groan from the man. "Go check it out. I'll get these things ripe for transport." The other two nodded and jogged away, leaving the mercenary alone while he approached another cage. He went through a lot of trouble to get these dragons, and if somebody was stupid enough to try and stop him…
The man rounded a corner, facing down a line of cages filled with the beasts that would make him rich. But he immediately found a problem: someone was fiddling with one of the cages; a thief looking to steal his prize, no doubt. The man sneered and raised his weapon, aiming it at the stranger's head.
"You," he spoke coldly. "Stand up. Slowly. Try anything and it'll be the last thing you'll ever do." He expected the figure to freeze up in fear or immediately shoot his arms skyward, but that wasn't what happened. At first, it looked like the stranger was ignoring him until they turned to face him. He was wearing a helmet of some sort with a pair of green eyes exposed; eyes that were staring with disinterest. The stranger didn't bother giving him a second glance, as they turned back to the cage's locking mechanism.
"Hey!" the man shouted, marching towards the figure with gritted teeth. Ignoring him was gonna be this guy's last mistake. "You hear me?! I said-!" A distant sound yanked his attention away from the stranger for a minute: faint popping. Gunfire. And it was coming from the south. The man's rage slowly turned into curiosity and he activated his walkie-talkie again.
"Clemens, what's going on over there?" He waited for the response… but nothing came. Only static. The man switched off his walkie with a grimace. This was a waste of time, the guy probably got spooked by a bird or some-
"What the-?!" The instant he looked back at the cage, he noticed the strange figure was gone without a trace. His rage returned instantly; whoever that was must've slipped away while he was distracted. "HEY! Get back here!" He wasn't sure where that guy could've run off to, but he couldn't have gotten far. The man broke into a sprint and charged down the row of cages, ignoring the agitated snarls and growls their cargo directed at him.
"Everyone!" he practically roared into his walkie. "We have an intruder! You see him, you shoot him! Got it?!" The answer was immediate, but it sounded nothing like an approving response. "Boss! Keep it down!"
"The hell do you mean, 'keep it down'?! This is an emergency!"
"No, you don't get it! Something-" The other end went static, stopping the mercenary in his tracks. He paused to contemplate this… but shook his head and continued his pursuit of the intruder. He may have lost him, but not for long. There were only so many places he could hide, so many corners to duck into. Whether he found that intruder or if one of his men did, he'd make sure that guy never made it out alive.
"Tower!" he called into his radio, turning his attention to a watchtower along the camp's perimeter. "Where is that bastard?! Where's the intruder?!"
"Intruder?" someone on the other end repeated. "I've got eyes on something near the cages, boss. It might be your… wait… what is that?"
"What is it?" The man was eager for an explanation. "What's going on over there?"
Hang on, I'll see if I can get a… HOLY SH-!" A bright violet flash of light struck the tower, blasting it to kingdom come and leaving nothing but burning rubble behind. The mercenary jolted back in horror, the fire's light reflected in his eyes. He reached for his radio again, the words waiting in his throat. But they died before they could leave his mouth because the other channels were already packed with activity.
"Where is it? Where is it?!"
"Shoot it! Shoot it already!"
"It's behind- AAAAAAGH!"
"St-stay back! Stay back, you freak of-!"
The screaming flood of voices was mixed with the echoes of gunfire and other noises the man couldn't quite identify. But what he heard wasn't the only thing he had trouble comprehending: the sky was alight with red and orange light, occasional flashes of purple ringing out like fireworks. Once the man's brain registered the fact that the camp was under siege, he ultimately decided that the human intruder was the least of his worries and sprinted to the scene as fast as he could.
And when he arrived, the mercenary found only chaos.
His ears were barraged not just by frantic shouting and gunfire, but also by furious roars and the whooshing of flames. Human figures were snatched up through the smoke, vanishing with the aid of jaws or claws. Cage doors were ajar and vehicles were capsized, lying on their sides or tops. The lead mercenary instinctively raised his rifle, but he was aiming at only shadows and smoke. He fought to quell the rising panic within him, desperate to find a clear target.
There came another roar, louder and higher than the others. Almost immediately, every other noise halted, bathing the camp in silence once again. All the man could hear now was his shaky breathing… which became a startled gasp when he registered movement in the smoke. His weapon was shaking when he pointed it at the source, an error he forcefully attempted to correct. He wouldn't be scared by stupid lizards.
A human-like figure burst out of the smoke, and it took all the man's might not to unload everything he had on it. The man was panting heavily with no weapon in sight, running full speed for the leader while frantically whirling his head around. "Help! Help m-" As quickly as the man had come, he was swiftly silenced when a bolt of violet light flashed from the smoke and struck the man in the back. But rather than detonate like a point-blank grenade, that same purple light lit up the man's body and froze him in place.
The merc dropped at his boss' feet like a stone and without a word, completely out of action. The lead mercenary turned back to the now-rumbling smoke… no, it was what was inside the smoke that was rumbling. Or growling. It made itself known when a dark figure moved silently through the clouds, a pair of amethyst eyes staring down the human and bared teeth on full display.
The merc's heart skipped a beat and he kept himself from lowering his weapon. He knew this dragon. A whispered name that spread through the dragon-smuggling business like a virus. Extremely rare and extremely dangerous…
...which also meant extremely valuable.
The man's face turned from fear to an eager sneer and he pointed his rifle at the creature's snout. "The Shadow! I am gonna make a fortune offa you!" The black dragon's only reply was a challenging snarl and a slow advance, like a predator about to lunge. If it thought it was the predator, though, it was sorely mistaken.
With a smug grin on his face, the man squeezed the rifle's trigger…
…and heard only a click.
"Wh-what the-?" Looking over his weapon, the merc noticed that the ammo magazine was gone. It was there when he looked it over earlier, so what happened to it? That question answered itself when the merc felt something at his back: he wasn't even aware he was slowly moving away from the dragon until he made contact. Did he dare risk turning his eyes from the beast?
Wait, what was it doing? The creature's aggression appeared to have ceased. The dragon was now… gesturing behind the mercenary? Despite his best intentions, curiosity took over and the man snuck a glance over his shoulder… and what he saw almost startled him.
It was that same person he saw near the cages, the helmet and armor an unmistakable sight. Those emerald green eyes continued to stare silently at the man until the mercenary caught sight of something in the stranger's left hand: his ammo clip. As if he was aware of the attention on the object, the masked man proceeded to dump its contents onto the ground.
That reignited the mercenary's anger and he drew a large combat knife from its sheath. "Do you have any idea what you've just cost me?! Those dragons would've made good money on the black market! I warned ya about messing around here, and now you're gonna get it!" An angry cry tore its way from the man's throat and he lunged at the stranger…
Suddenly there was a rush of heat and a bright arc that struck his knife out of his grip, the weapon falling to the ground. The next thing the mercenary knew, a concentrated length of fire was pointed at his neck, the flames tantalizingly close to licking his flesh. The mercenary froze, helpless while the stranger glared at him again.
"Now, I am the one who is warning you," his voice was stern and rigid. "Leave this place and tell whatever business partners you have that dragon smuggling will soon be a dying practice."
"L-Like hell it is!" the merc spat. "I-" He didn't get the chance to finish before a hard boot connected with his chest, sending him sprawling. The first thing the man saw from there was the snarling expression of the black dragon, a sight that provided enough adrenaline for the mercenary to scramble back to his feet.
"Th-this is my camp!" the merc roared. "You have no right to-"
"Not anymore," the stranger replied, winged silhouettes emerging from the smoke. Various dragons gathered near their rescuer, growling and snarling at the man. The black one kept a close eye on them, barking at any who got too close to the mercenary.
"This is your last chance, Silas," the stranger ordered. "Overstay your welcome and I guarantee you'll make a nice roasted meal for your inmates." The merc was running out of options: his men were gone, his prized dragons were out, and this one man had ruined everything. There was nothing he could do now… but run.
"This… this isn't over… Rider," the man spat before spinning on his heel and hightailing it out of there. Nothing pursued- human nor dragon- as the mercenary made his getaway past the walls and into the wilderness. The gathered dragons calmed upon his departure, wounds or fatigue or otherwise settling in. The black dragon huffed and expectantly turned to the human figure…
…who removed his helmet, revealing calm emerald eyes and scruffy blonde hair. "Well… that went better than I anticipated." A smile crossed his face and he gave the black dragon a congratulatory rub on the head. "Nice work on the stun shot, Nightwatcher. Practice is finally paying off."
There was a curious glint in the dragon's eyes, followed by a low warble that made the young man think for a moment. "Well… yeah, I guess that counts as practice. I mean, we are pretty good at this already. Speaking of…" The young man raised a hand to his ear and cleared his throat before speaking again. "Alice, it's Dan. The site's clear. Your guys are clear to move in."
"Copy that. What about Silas?"
"I made him a messenger. People are either gonna slow down on dragon trafficking or not give a damn about it… which is a clear invitation."
"And the dragons? Any injuries?"
"Several. I'm seeing scars, taser burns, signs of malnutrition… the DPS is gonna have a field day with this batch, I'll say that."
"Every day's a field day for us, even with your help. Helos and medical personnel are en route now. Remain on-site for now, Dan. The dragons trust you so far, but they don't trust anyone else. We need you to tell them that we're here to help them, not hurt them even more."
"Got it. See you soon," A quick tap of the earpiece ended the transmission, giving Dan a moment to sigh. "All in a day's work." A part of him still couldn't believe this was routine, and many months ago he wouldn't have thought it was possible. It seemed like yesterday he was just an ordinary New Yorker trying to get by in the Big Apple, his biggest concern consisting of landing a job that would get him enough money to keep him from being evicted.
But all that changed when somebody tried to kill him. And not just some everyday thug or mugger that wanted to pick his corpse clean like a vulture. He didn't know it then, but he was about to be thrust into a new life like he was Peter Parker or something. Scratch that, thrust into another new life. Almost ten years ago, the world watched as a species long thought to be myths and legends emerged from the sea and settled on the surface. The Resurgence.
In the following years, humans and dragons have struggled to maintain a healthy coexistence. Fortunately, there was no full-scale war or apocalyptic event that involved the world burning, but the best way to describe it was a fragile peace. And keeping that peace in check was the Dragon Preservation Society. It used to be an ordinary conservation agency that fought to recognize dragons as your normal endangered animal in need of protection rights, but now it was a full-blown charity organization on par with the National Humane Society. And it was all thanks to his help.
Over a thousand years ago, peace between humans and dragons was nothing but a dream. A dream one man wished to set into motion: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, Dan's ancestor. But that dream was next-to-impossible to accomplish… at least, in that time. Hiccup's only option to ensure his dream was to hide the dragons away in their hidden home deep within the planet, and hope that one day they would return to a brighter future.
Call it a hunch, but Dan believed that this wasn't the kind of future Hiccup intended for them. As usual, there were humans wishing to use the dragons for their own means. But this bunch was different: far different than the dragon hunters of old that Hiccup and his friends fought. This group didn't have their sights set on the dragons but on the very bloodlines of the people that devoted their lives to keep the dragons from falling into extinction.
They called themselves the Bloody Fists, and until recently, the rest of the world thought of them as a small militia force that posed no real threat. That all changed when they launched an invasion on U.S. soil and attacked New York: an attack Dan and the rest of his friends- other descendants of the original Dragon Riders- thwarted. They had beaten back the private army and their leader Mordred, and they were still licking their wounds as far as Dan was concerned.
They were defeated, but they'd be back eventually. But Dan didn't want to get bored, so he struck up an alliance with the DPS and aided them in their dragon smuggling operations. It was toppling one greedy buyer after another for him and Nightwatcher, his trusted dragon pal and the first Night Fury to appear in over a thousand years, but he wasn't complaining about it.
But as much as he enjoyed scaring the crap out of mercenaries or unlocking cages… he needed a break sometimes.
…
Sometime later, Eastern Quebec
Overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence
It was isolated locations like these that provided the necessary chance to catch their breath. Those moments were small, but Dan ensured he would savor them. Keeping a bunch of dragons calm around unfamiliar people was a rather daunting task. And it was something not even his… unique genetic skill could handle. No way was he calling it a superpower.
Like something straight out of a fantasy novel, Dan had discovered he could communicate with dragons thanks to an ancestor of his ancestor spending the majority of his life with them. He still didn't know how to entirely describe it: it started as a secondary voice in his head, almost as if he was hearing his own thoughts. But now, after numerous experiences provided by Nightwatcher, his team's dragons, to even dragons he had liberated, the inner voices faded away and evolved.
Now, Dan felt like a computer receiving emails. Instantly, a dragon's emotions and opinions would… appear in his mind and he would just know what was going on with them like he was psychically linked to them. Was this the work of his own mental state adjusting to the genetic trait? Speaking of mental stuff, Dan made a note to have Fred, an old friend and brains of the squad, perform a brain scan or something.
He had that look on his face again.
Dan looked over his shoulder where his black-scaled companion was giving him a concerned stare, the tip of a salmon's tail vanishing into his mouth. "Um… what look?"
That look. The one where he's thinking too hard.
"I am not 'thinking too hard'," Dan retorted. "That's not even a thing… right?"
It's totally a thing. For being such an intelligent species, Nightwatcher is surprised that human brains can still function after they've been overloaded. No offense.
"Uh, yes offense," Dan snapped. "You're just saying that because you have the potential to outsmart a human."
The Night Fury gave his rider a challenging look. Almost a decade of living on the surface can do that to a dragon. Perhaps Nightwatcher has already outsmarted Dan already and he doesn't realize it yet.
"Oh, really? Try me, big guy."
There was a hint of a smile at the corner of the dragon's mouth. If he wanted to, he would beat Dan at many-intelligence based activities. Like chess.
"Wha- hey, that's not fair! I don't even know how to play!"
Exactly.
"No! Not exactly! That doesn't… you don't… I-"
See? Nightwatcher had already confused him. Consider him outsmarted.
"Oh, shut up," Dan relented with an exasperated groan. Another note: ask Fred if he could somehow find a way to turn off the dragon-communicating lobe or whatever. But Nightwatcher had a point; Dan had a habit of diving too deep into stuff and worried over the smallest of details much like his ancestor did. He needed to focus on the immediate… like when his next DPS assignment was. Or…
"It's been over a month and still nothing," Dan broke the silence that had befallen him. "I can't help but wonder what it is they're doing." Nightwatcher let out a huff as he approached his friend. Did he seriously need to remind Dan that they took a big bite out of the latest threat to dragon-kind?
"Yes, I get it," the rider sighed. "But they're still out there, somewhere. We can't let our guards down now. The last thing we want is to be unprepared for when they come back."
"And this is how you do it? By taking out smugglers?"
Both human and dragon turned around, caught off-guard by the new arrival. A dark-blue Deadly Nadder had touched down almost silently, its presence immediately calming the Night Fury. The creature's rider dismounted, revealing themself as a raven-haired young woman with sapphire eyes wearing a black bodysuit with blue outlines. She'd done something different with her hair the last time Dan saw her, as it was now cut short with the ends dyed blue. "We shouldn't be wasting time with them, then."
Dan let out a sigh. "Val, come on, we've been over this. The dragons need us, it's what-"
"And our team needs its leader," his genetic relative interrupted. "I agree that we need to be ready for the Bloody Fists, too, but that can't happen if the DPS has you running errands for them."
"I've been killing two birds with one stone, Val!" Dan protested. "Nightwatcher's already perfected his stun shot on our last mission!" These words caused the girl to pause. "Stun shot?"
"A low-energy nonlethal plasma blast," Dan explained. "If Nightwatcher doesn't put too much power to blow someone to bits, he can instead take out their nervous system and paralyze them."
"For how long?"
"A half-hour at minimum. They're totally out of it when they wake up, though."
He expected Valerie to continue her disapproval of his partnership with the DPS, followed by a few choice words about keeping the others in top shape and all. There was a reason he'd assigned Val to be acting leader in his absence: like her shieldmaiden ancestor before, Val was headstrong and courageous. But that also meant she was stubborn as hell.
Surprisingly, her only response was a roll of the eyes and a low sigh. "Okay, I'll admit… maybe this wasn't a total waste for you two."
"Ha! See?" chortled Dan, who turned his attention to Nightwatcher. "Told ya it'd be useful eventually." The black dragon nodded in agreement, although he preferred using it on John whenever he got too annoying. "But… just because I'm off opening cages or sending messages to people who want to use dragons for their own gains doesn't mean I've forgotten everything else. How's everything back home?"
"Ben's been helping me train," Val explained. "He's a good sparring partner. Fred's been scanning the dark web for any signs of the Bloody Fists, and the twins are… well…"
"...trying not to be too much like their predecessors?" Dan asked. Val just shrugged. "That's putting it lightly. Still a pain in the ass sometimes."
"And…" Dan paused, careful about his next words. "...our houseguest?" The silence he was met with did nothing to ease his concerns, nor did Val's following shake of the head. "Still out cold. Nothing."
Dan huffed in frustration. "He's been out for a month now, is he gonna wake up or not?!" Val placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, worry and concern in her eyes. "I'm more worried about what he may do if he does. We have no idea how messed up his mind is from that chip. Look, I'm having Fred keep tabs on him, but… it wouldn't hurt if you took a break from these runs, okay?"
"Suppose you're right," Dan sighed. "This was my fifth one in two days. But I can't just bail on Alice, she-"
"-will have a word with me," Val finished for him. "Yes, none of us can turn our backs on endangered dragons, but we shouldn't work ourselves to the bone helping them! Don't make the same mistakes Hiccup did, Dan… for all our sakes."
"If it wasn't for you and the others, I would've already made them," Dan relented. He had to admit that his friends weren't just his teammates; they were anchors keeping him in check. He had no idea what to do without them, and he wasn't just thinking that out of spite or loyalty or anything like that. "You've made your point, Val. I'll head back, and-"
Before he could finish, Dan heard something faint off in the distance. Something a little more powerful than birdsong or rushing water. And judging by Val's eyes going wide, Nightwatcher standing at attention suspiciously, and the Deadly Nadder Spike gazing at something far behind Dan, it was worthy of Dan's own attention. The young rider turned to look over his shoulder…
…and saw a plume of fire and smoke rise into the sky. About a few miles ahead, he could barely make out the shape of a ship out in the water. Dan's mind immediately processed several questions about the scenario until he shut those thoughts out. He wouldn't find out by sitting here thinking.
"Dan, if there's someone on that boat…"
"I was just thinking that. Let's go!" Nightwatcher broke into a run, allowing Dan to jump flawlessly into the saddle before launching off the landmass. Spike followed suit with Val, both dragons flying towards the mysterious burning vessel. The homecoming would have to wait for now, anybody on board that boat needed help as soon as possible. However, they probably wouldn't be expecting this kind of rescue… but it would have to do.
It was then that Dan remembered that it was not just dragons Hiccup needed to save back in his time. It was time to see if his descendant was more than capable of fulfilling that duty.