Fourteen: Countermeasures

The door of the motel room burst open and Astrid marched in, her face furious. Toothless looked up and was about to open his mouth-but saw the woman lock her fierce azure gaze on the stocky shape of Snotlout, who was lounging on the bed again.

"You!" she snapped. He smiled lazily as Fishlegs swivelled round with a look of fascinated horror as the oblivious man made a 'kissy' face at her.

"Hey, babe," he said smugly. "Missed me?"

She punched him full in the face. He yelped as he collapsed backwards, clutching at his nose.

"Nope-I think that was directly on target!" she snapped as Hiccup walked in, looking very much the worse for wear. In a second, Toothless was on his feet, hugging him fiercely, leaning forward to breath quiet words into his ear.

"Thank Thor you're alive," he murmured. "Are you okay?" Hiccup hugged him back.

"No," he murmured. "Thanks." Then he pulled back and turned his attentions to Snotlout, was was whining and trying to staunch the bleeding from his broken nose.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Snotlout sneered thickly, his clear blue eyes sweeping over Hiccup's battered shape-and then he stiffened as the pistol was whipped from the back of Hiccup's waistband, the click of the trigger cocking loud in the sudden silence. Astrid could see the muzzle was aiming directly between Snotlout's suddenly shocked eyes and no one dared move-not even the twins who arrived, chewing burgers laden with ketchup and onions.

"Wow-NF looks really really really REALLY pissed," Tuff mumbled loudly, spraying crumbs over his sister. She pulled a face and almost choked mid-chew.

"You betrayed me," Hiccup said in a cold, deadly voice. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't dispose of you like the trash you are?" Sweating, Snotlout looked appealingly at the others-and found a sea of blank or unfriendly faces.

"Astrid? Babe? You know I love you…and I would never…" he protested. She looked fit to kill him with her bare hands.

"AAGH! You muttonhead! Didn't you realise my phone call to Fish was a set-up…to confirm that you were the traitor?" she yelled, lunging forward. Toothless and Fishlegs grabbed her and held her back with difficulty. Snotlout cringed back.

"What? I mean, babe-how could you possibly believe…?" he protested in a desperate voice.

"You idiot! Fish and Toothess watched you make the call! They checked your phone and saw you phone your Dad every day-often more than once-so he knew exactly what we're doing. This whole mission has been open to him-and through him, to Dagur!" she yelled. "Shortly after you called your Dad, Dagur's men turned up at the hotel room and emptied four machine guns into the room indiscriminately. If he and I had been in there, we would have been killed! And that's your fault!"

"Now come on…" he protested and made to grab at her but Hiccup cleared his throat and Snotlout recalled he was about to be executed by a professional hitman who-despite his own protestations-was the single most deadly shot Snotlout had ever encountered.

"Dagur was one step ahead of us all the way," the hitman confirmed coldly.

"Hey-I am an agent of Berk Homeland Security!" Snotlout replied indignantly, eyeing the gun angrily. "I didn't give away anything. I just reported to my superior officer like you all should have been doing…"

"No, only the mission leader is meant to report-at specified times and giving only required information," Toothless growled. "This isn't a free-for-all where every soldier on a mission runs to tell tales to the superior officer every day! "

"Especially when the superior officer is your precious Daddy, who knows his son won't care for protocol or the chain of command," Fishlegs added.

"The question is-who is Daddy talking to?" Hiccup added, his icy emerald gaze boring into Snotlout's shocked gaze. "Any idea, muttonhead? Is there a leak in the department or is your Daddy a traitor?"

"How dare you?" Snotlout growled, momentarily forgetting about the gun trained at his head. "My father has served Berk all his life with distinction! His only mistake was…well, getting me into the service. I mean, I know it's not the best use of my skills even though I'm awesomely handsome and brave and amazingly awesome at undercover work and a fantastic shot and…"

"…and in reality, none of those," Hiccup commented sarcastically. "Wanna tell me why I don't kill you and send you back to your Daddy as a warning?"

"Because that's my service weapon and when they have dug the bullet out of his tiny brain and matched the striations, I would be blamed for the death," Astrid growled and Snotlout stared at her.

"What?" he squeaked.

"I could always retrieve the bullet after he's dead to ensure you aren't linked to the execution," Hiccup said coldly.

"WHAT?"

"That's very sweet," Astrid growled. "Okay. I have no further objections…"

"I DO!" Snotlout yelped desperately. "Look-all I did was what Dad asked! He didn't trust Astrid and he hated that Fury was free and not rotting in jail…"

"And yet, when he was sent off to jail, they weren't taking him to Hopeless but in completely the opposite way!" Astrid growled.

"I don't know anything about that!" Snotlout protested. "No one tells me anything! I mean, my Dad treats me like a muttonhead, you treat me like a muttonhead, Fish treats me like a muttonhead…"

"You are a muttonhead!" Fishlegs said firmly.

"Jealous," Snotlout snapped. "But I don't know why you were sent the wrong way! Maybe there is some super-secret maximum security prison that you were meant to go to. I mean, you are a stone-cold killer and you just dispose of people like trash for money…" Hiccup lunged forward, the muzzle resting against Snotlout's forehead.

"Speaking of which…any last words?" he asked in a deadly whisper.

"I was only following orders!" Snotlout wailed.

Hiccup stilled, staring into the pale blue eyes of the stocky man facing him, reading fear and anger and utter desperation. Snotlout was lazy, unpleasant and irritating but he was an almost barely-adequate agent and he had played his part in the mission-albeit reluctantly. And he was doing what he had been ordered by his superior-his father-without question. He had never considered the consequences of his actions.

But did I? My job was to follow orders and wipe out those my superiors said were to die. I followed orders and killed Oswald…and here were are…

Flicking the safety on with a click, Hiccup pulled back, his eyes still pitiless.

"Well, now you are following my orders," he told the stocky man. "T-disable his phone. Snotlout-if you contract your father without my express permission, I will gun you down where you sit. Your telling your Dad what we were doing meant Dagur always knew what was happening. He played us. He played us all. And he was never going to be accessible. So we change our tack and you, Snotbrain, will do exactly what you are told or I will ensure your death is part of the plan. Understood?"

"Yes!" Snotlout's voice was a strangled whisper. "Can I go to the bathroom now?" Hiccup's nose wrinkled and he glanced down, seeing the wet patch.

"Phone," he demanded and allowed the man to slink off to clean himself up as he handed the device to Toothless. Then he slumped back onto the couch and closed his eyes. "Taron, pimp it. I know he'll get his hands on it eventually. I want to make sure he can't do any damage." The twins sat down on the couch, one on each side of him and they both hugged him. He just let them, because it was easier than trying to argue-even though Tuff gave him a sloppy, ketchupy kiss on the cheek.

"NF-you know you can rely on us, right?" he asked and the hitman nodded.

"Always you and T," he said.

"Hey!" Ruff protested.

"Plural you," Hiccup sighed. "You guys were there when I needed you most."

"And we'll always be with you," Ruff confirmed. "So what's the plan?"

"Fish-can you trace Dagur's call to Heather?" Astrid asked, watching the interaction. It was obvious Fury's friends were really close-and equally as worried about him. "It's going to be complex…and the man hides his location well, but he has to be somewhere…"

"So if he exists, I'll find him," Fishlegs vowed and then turned back to his computer.

"And preferably before Dagur finds us," Toothless murmured. "He knows you're alive, Fury." The emerald eyes snapped open as Hiccup smiled.

"That's what I'm banking on."

oOo

"I am making a formal complaint about Heather Oswaldson," the blonde said sharply to the Legal Services Office in Hysteria. The clerk looked up.

"Really?" she asked but the blonde folded her arms.

"She is violating the Ethical Code of the Berk, Berserk and Bog Bar Association," Astrid said flatly, seeing the clerk begin to look panicked. It was obvious he knew who Heather was-and who her brother was. It only fuelled her suspicions that any previous qualms about her practice had been conveniently lost in the office.

"Really?" the clerk asked, his high-pitched voice betraying his nervousness. Lazily, the agent flipped open her fake journalist ID and smiled.

"She is the sister and sole legal counsel for the known terrorist and enemy of the state, Dagur 'the Deranged' Oswaldson," she stated firmly. "He has claimed responsibility for the murders of hundreds of civilians in multiple attacks on soft targets, the most recent of which was Berk General Hospital in broad daylight. His illegal actions and his illegitimate businesses have been vigorously defended by Heather, even though it must be obvious their true purpose was anything but legal. And she has also managed his accounts-and in doing that, she has been filing fraudulent accounts to the Berk Revenue Services. She's a qualified accountant as well as lawyer and she must therefore be wholly aware of the illegal nature of the accounts she is submitting. Likewise, as a lawyer, she is clearly aware of the nature of the businesses she is defending."

"I really don't think…" the clerk protested. Astrid noted his name was 'A. Fungus' as she flipped out pictures of the women in cages.

"These are pictures supplied by BHS of a warehouse that Heather Oswaldson swore that she had visited and was just a fruit and vegetable storage facility," she spat. "As you can see, there were human beings held there in an appalling example of person trafficking and modern slavery."

The clerk took a deep breath and suddenly seemed to recover his composure. He riffled through his desk and pulled out a form that seemed to compose of sixteen pages.

"Please complete this complaint form in full and I will forward your concerns to the Compliance Office," he said flatly. "I am sure they will get back to you within 28 days per Bar Association Regulations…"

"No," Astrid said through gritted teeth.

"No?" The clerk had the temerity to raise an eyebrow at her flat refusal. "I am afraid the process…"

"No," she repeated more loudly. "I have already made my complaint…verbally, to you…" She slid her hand into her pocket and pulled out the small but powerful recording device. "And I have, of course, recorded the conversation. So you are going to complete whatever forms give you pleasure but you are going to forward the complaint to be investigated today. And I will receive acknowledgement that the investigation has started by the end of the day."

"I'm afraid that is not possible," Mr A Fungus said smoothly as Astrid gave a tight smile.

"Then I will have to ensure that everyone knows that the Berk, Berserk and Bog Bar Association is ineffective, corrupt and is basically a haven for crooks and people who support terrorism," she said evenly. "My Editor will publish the transcription of this conversation along with the evidence against Heather Oswaldson. We will let the public decide whether this crook should be allowed to masquerade as a lawyer and hide behind her supposed status to excuse her crimes in helping her terrorist, murderer, people-trafficker, gangster brother in continuing to ravage our society."

"You can't do that" Fungus protested. "That's slander…"

"No-it's facts," she said. "And freedom of the press covers a legitimate investigation into the incompetence, corruption and inertia of the Bar in failing to stop this crooked lawyer!"

"But…you can't…" Fungus was panicking. "You…"

She smiled as she rose to her feet.

"Remember…I want confirmation she is under investigation and is looking at suspension by tonight or everyone knows you're in her pocket!" she told him bluntly and then turned away. "I'll be waiting."

But she was smiling as she walked out…because she knew her friends were already ramping up the pressure…

oOo

"How's the website coming?" Hiccup asked, peering over Toothless's shoulder. Fishlegs was busy, chasing Dagur's location via his communications trail, leaving Hiccup's former handler to construct the website for the fake Magazine that Astrid used as cover- JORMUNGANDR, News that wraps around the world!

"Look, it's less complicated than making your pseudo-military website or sanitising your records," he admitted, his fingers dancing over the keyboard, his bright green eyes focussed on the screen through his glasses. "I need to lift some images from other news outlets to bolster our verisimilitude but of course, our main headline is…Heather."

"And we can be sure to forward it to the top investigative programmes," Hiccup added, seeing an image of Heather flash up. He grimaced at the sight of the cool green eyes that had flashed with such fury before she had sat down and watched her subordinate torture him. You aren't innocent or remote from him, you bitch, he thought savagely. Maybe at first…but you know damned well who he is and what he does now. You played me as well.

"You okay?" Toothless murmured as he glanced over to his friend. Hiccup had closed down since he had threatened to kill Snotlout and the handler had asked the twins to take the agent out on a sinecure just to give him time to talk to his friend. Hiccup looked over to Fishlegs-who was typing away furiously, an algorithm working furiously and an abstract pattern representing the search whirring across the screen. He wore a large pair of headphones with the distinct sounds of Handel's Water Music blaring out. And Fishlegs was humming along, a small smile on his round face.

"No," Hiccup said, sitting back on the couch and staring at Toothless's screen. "No-because this has just taken…everything I had left, Taron. All I can see now is Dagur's face, his eyes wild with hatred as he shot her…shot him. And I heard his voice and all I wanted to do was kill. To tear him apart with my bare hands. To make him suffer as I have suffered. As I am suffering. And he has taken so much from me…that now I can't see her face any more. I mean…I have my picture of them…but I can't see her smile any more. All I can see is her eyes widen as she was shot and her eyes close. And I can't even remember her smile…" His voice cracked. "Gods, I should have killed Snotlout…because he's stopping me killing Dagur. And I need to kill him. Or I'll never get her back…"

"I promise…I'll do whatever I can to make sure you get your shot," Toothless promised, lifting an image of a film star who had just split from her wife. "Hopefully before I die of celebrity overload…" He glanced over at Hiccup, who was slumped back on the couch. The man had fallen asleep, exhausted by his trials and grief. He knew the man didn't sleep well and his recent failure was making him despondent-and then Fishlegs swatted him.

"I think we have a problem with Dagur," he said quietly, his headphones pulled up onto his head like the horns of a Viking helmet. The handler frowned.

"Define problem?" he asked, his eyes glancing over to the screen.

"Military grade intel disrupting the trace," Fishlegs told him. "Ours, to be precise. I can get round it…but it will take time."

"Dagur is using BHS anti tracking algorithms?" he repeated. "And…you can get round them?"

"Um…yeah…I mean, I studied them when I started because there was always a scenario where an enemy got hold of our systems and used them against us…so I worked up a few scenarios and work-arounds when I started…because it always pays to be prepared…" Toothless smiled suddenly.

"You know, I think I can help…because I've spent the last two years working my way round and penetrating military systems," he grinned. "So between us…I am sure we can finally track him…provided you help me build this website…" Fishlegs grabbed his hand in both of his and grinned.

"It's a deal!" he squeaked. And then he frowned. "But how did he get them?"

"And who did he get them from?" Toothless asked.

oOo

Hiccup was still sleeping as Astrid returned from Hysteria, smiling with grim satisfaction as she came in at the expression on Fungus's face. Quietly, she walked in, seeing the two men working on the computers and she leaned over Toothless's shoulder, her eyebrows raising in approval at the site.

"I'm impressed," she said. "I'd apply for a job there." And she handed over her recorder. Fishlegs plugged it on for the transcribing programme.

"You already work for it!" he teased her as he eyes trailed over at the sleeping Hiccup. When he was asleep, the anger and bitterness dropped from his face and he looked younger, more vulnerable and handsome. Something in Astrid-the woman who had helped him escape and had hugged the badly tortured man for a brief moment because he needed some human comfort, not the agent-reminded her that he was a hero, a man who served her country and didn't deserve the horrors that had taken his family and almost his life. He didn't deserve any of this…and because he had been betrayed, he couldn't trust them. But the truth was…she trusted him. He did what he said-usually far more impressively than she could have imagined.

"Is he okay?" she asked in a low voice. Toothless shook his head.

"All he's got left is his revenge," he reminded her. "He's broken. Losing his father was the last thing he had left…" She sat on the end of the bed, folding a leg under her, and she stared at him. He snored gently.

"He really loved his wife, didn't he," she said softly. "And he wants to join her." Toothless stared at her in shock: he wouldn't have guessed she was actually that sensitive. "His wife worked for the shelter that helped my sister. I know who she is-and I saw a picture of her son. His son. Look-I'm an agent of BHS and my job is to stop Dagur-and this is the reason why he has to be stopped. Because he kills innocents without mercy, he enslaves helpless women, he murders and destroys. And somewhere…someone helped him do it…because he couldn't have found Hiccup on his own."

"Even if the trail leads to the department?" Toothless asked him thoughtfully.

"Or higher," she added. "Snotlout was right: Spitelout is an ass but he follows orders. Sure, he's over-promoted his son and hates Fury because he's a hitman…but someone enabled Dagur to find out who killed his father. And Spitelout doesn't have a high enough security clearance to access that intelligence or deploy ASS."

"So who does?" Toothless asked. Casting a worried look at Fishlegs, she chewed her lip.

"Head of Military Special Ops and Intelligence, Cabinet and President," she said grimly. "Whoever did this…it goes right to the top."

oOo

"And on Eye on Berserk tonight, we present a scandal of colossal proportions!"

[Head shot of Heather Oswaldson with ominous music overlay].

"My name is Ushi Dagmarson and this is Heather Oswaldson. And over the next half hour, we will show just how corrupt, depraved and evil this woman is as she assists her murderous, people-trafficking, arms- and drug-dealing brother stay in business and continue to terrorise and abuse the people of Berserk!"…

Snotlout sat back and drained his can.

"Do we have to watch this?" he whined, crumpling the metal and tossing it expertly into the bin. The twins were barbecuing ribs in the shower and Astrid was sitting determinedly beside Hiccup, frowning as she listened to the report.

"How did you swing this?" she asked Fishlegs as the husky agent blushed.

"I know Ushi from the 'Carnivorous Plants Club," he explained. "I swapped her a Sumatran Pitcher Plant for a Devil's Sundew a couple of years ago and we've been friends ever since…so she was very keen to get her hands on the scoop…"

"Fishface has got a girlfriend…" Snotlout sneered as Hiccup absently grabbed the ashtray and threw it at him. The stocky agent yelped as it knocked him off the seat.

"You are so going to regret that!" Snotlout threatened from the floor.

"I already am," Hiccup grumbled lightly. "I was aiming to shut you up." Astrid cast him a glance and smiled.

"Breaking his jaw is probably the only way," she admitted.

"Anyone want ribs?" Ruff asked, poking her head around the door with smoke billowing out. "Umm…we only have smoky barbecue flavour…"

"And onions!" Tuff yelled from the shower room.

"Who has onions on ribs?" his sister asked him.

"I would," Snotlout said from the floor. Toothless stared at the screen, his eyes widening.

"I think we've got him," he murmured. Head snapping round, Hiccup stared at him in shock.

"What?" he mouthed as Snotlout and Ruffnut continued to argue about the correct toppings for ribs. Toothless swung his chair round to face them.

"I've found Dagur," he said as the door swung open and three men filled the doorway. Savage walked forward in the middle, his gun levelled at Hiccup as his companions covered the others with their machine guns. The hitman's emerald eyes narrowed in recognition as as he stared at the man who had tortured him.

"You're looking well for a dead man," he sneered. "Come with me. Heather and Dagur want a word…before they kill you."