At B.S.D.I HQ, another debriefing session had taken place. Snotlout, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, Thuggory, Eret, and a few other senior agents were gathered in the room, sitting on their respective seats around a table. And sitting at the very front is Astrid Hofferson.
In front of them, Ruffnut stood in front of a big digital board. A sketch was being shown on one side of the screen. This sketch was of the assassin Astrid had seen when she had encountered the vigilante last night.
Astrid had it immediately made once she had returned to the HQ after her encounter with Nightfury.
On the other side of the screen, was a coloured picture of a dark skinned man in military uniform. It was clear to the people in the room that the man in the coloured picture and the man in the sketch were the same person.
"Krogan Bouchard. Ex-military. He used to be in the Canadian Armed Forces and was even part of the Canadian Special Operations Regiment." Ruffnut spoke, informing the occupants of the room,"He had seen a trip in Afghanistan between 2006 to 2010. During his time there, he had gained quite a reputation as a capable soldier, taking part in and conducting many missions, some of which he had completed alone, all by himself."
The pictures on the screen changed to show Krogan and a team of soldiers standing with their weapons ready, presumably either heading to or returning from some mission.
"Despite his reputation though, Krogan is noted to have a rather displeasing attitude. There are also several reports of him committing human rights violations, and minor war crimes. As well as reports of him committing unnecessary violence and bloodshed. Due to his records, he was promptly discharged from his services during 2010."
The pictures changed again, this time showing a single hazy picture of Krogan in a black military gear and combat uniform. The picture was taken from a top down perspective, probably from some security camera.
"It is assumed that he made a career in mercenary business sometime soon after that, and in the past 5 years has gained a good name for himself. He and his men/employees are known for their deadly effectiveness and their clean work." Ruffnut said.
She then walked over to the table, and took a seat for herself, as Astrid took over.
"Him having a run in with the Nightfury can mean one of two things. Either A, Nightfury started to meddle in businesses of private mercs. Or B, the more likely scenario, somebody with enough money had sent Krogan after Nightfury." Astrid said.
Suddenly, Thuggory started laughing, drawing the attention of everyone towards him.
"Mercenaries? Ha! What's next? We're gonna have the freaking Darkseid show up?" he laughed.
"Oh come on, Thuggory," Eret groaned,"If you can't say anything nice, then at least don't mock."
"Shut up, Eretson. Don't you have a raid to do?" Thuggory inquired.
"What is it to you, Thugg? You didn't seem interested in whatever I'm doing an hour ago."
"Oh nothing. Just pointing out you're wasting your time here listening to this pointless case, instead of actually doing anything productive."
"Thuggory, with all due respect, if you don't want to be here, you're more than welcome to leave. Mr. Haddock has appointed me to handle the case and I'm more than capable of handling it on my own." Astrid responded, feeling annoyed with the senior agent.
"Sure thing, buttercup." Thuggory said as he got up,"Just a word of advice, better come up with some excuse to tell Chief Stoick, because this case isn't really going anywhere."
Astrid let out a frustrated sigh as the senior agent made his exit. The meeting went for a few more minutes, mostly discussing future steps to take, and analyzing what data they have currently available.
After the end of discussion, the people involved started to leave one by one, until only Eret and Astrid were the only ones left in the room.
"By the way, what was Thuggory talking about?" Astrid asked Eret as he was preparing to leave.
"Oh. Well, I'm heading out for a raid." Eret said.
"Raid?" She inquired.
"Yeah. We recently got information about a possible location for one of the warehouses used by the Outcasts." Eret informed,"Director Mildew authorized this raid. A squad of police officers and SWAT are gonna be accompanying me. If it is successful, it will be a good hit to this gang."
Astrid nodded. "Okay. Good luck."
Eret smirked hearing that. "Thanks, princess."
"Don't call me princess!" Astrid snapped.
"Alright, sweetheart." Eret laughed and quickly made his exit.
Astrid groaned in annoyance, but Eret was already out before she could reprimand him again. Sighing in frustration, Astrid decided to take a break. Despite the escalation of the situation, she was tired. So, she headed towards the canteen to grab herself something to eat, and headed for the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was a large hall, with the food stalls arranged in a line on one side of the room, and the rest of the space being occupied with tables and chairs, and a large TV hanging on the wall, which displayed news to entertain the people eating in the cafeteria. Astrid grabbed a tray and served herself some rice and spicy pork bits. The freshly made food was radiating a delicious aroma.
She sat down on a vacant table and started eating her food, enjoying the spicy taste of the pork, which was soft and juicy, albeit a little chewy, and it went perfectly with the rice.
"Breaking news! Tonight on Nyhet TV, we bring you the latest news on what's going on in the city. Yesterday, at around 9:40 PM, police were called at Hamish port, where they found several mercenaries, some beaten, some dead. It's speculated that these mercenaries are the latest victims of the fabled Nightfury."
Astrid looked at the TV in curiosity as she heard those lines. From her spot, she could watch the news being displayed with no problems at all. Some other people in the cafeteria were also staring at the TV as they watched the news.
"In fact, there have been reports of Nightfury chasing a person, whom we speculate is one of the mercenaries present at Hamish port, in areas nearby the port." The lady anchor spoke,"And today we actually have a really important guest present here on this channel, who will help shed some light over this situation."
The scene changed to show the guest in question, a blonde woman dressed in a red outfit and dark coloured jacket.
Astrid frowned as she saw the woman on the screen. She knew who this woman was.
"This is Miss. Camicazi Boggs, the person who informed the authorities regarding what happened at the dock. Miss. Boggs, what can you tell us about your encounter?" the anchor questioned.
Camicazi Boggs, a private detective working for the private detective agency, Wing maidens.
"I was passing by, when I heard some gunshots coming from this general area. Got curious and drove over to the dock. Curiosity got the better of me, and I started looking around. That's when I found these folks and decided to inform the police about the situation." Camicazi Boggs told the reporter.
Astrid's frown deepened as she heard her statement. There were quite a few mentions of Camicazi Boggs when she did her research for her case.
"What do you think of the situation, Miss. Boggs?" The anchor asked again.
"What I think is that the situation in this city has probably gotten a bit hotter." Camicazi remarked.
"What's your opinion on Nightfury?" The anchor questioned.
"I don't really have much opinion on Nightfury. But his appearance seems to have put some level of effect on the criminal world of Berk."
"Anything else you'd like to remark, Miss. Boggs?"
"Nothing really. As I said, I don't have many opinions on this matter. And you'd find many of the citizens sharing my thoughts."
"Alright, thank you for your time, Miss. Boggs, it's really appreciated that you could spare time for us and add your own thoughts on the matter."
The scene then changed back to show the lady anchor. "We will get back to you again after a short break. For further news, keep watching NTV." The anchor said, and the news broadcast ended as advertisements started being shown.
Astrid looked away from the TV, and decided to focus on her meal.
After returning back to her office, Astrid looked at the board where she hung her notes. She had a feeling that she should have a meeting with the private detective soon.
...
"How the fuck could you fail me!?" Alvin bellowed in anger, slamming his fist on his desk. In front of him, Krogan stood quietly, his stone cold face not showing any emotion. "Countless times I've hired you for tasks more difficult than this! And you failed me this time! How!?"
"I had simply underestimated my opponent. I thought how much trouble some Batman wannabe can be? And paid the price for it." Krogan then looked up, his eyes flaring up with anger and determination,"But it won't happen the next time. Mark my words, I'd finish my objective, I'll take out that peepsqueak, no matter what. I'll crush him myself!"
Krogan then turned around. "Hold onto the remaining money you owe me. I'll take my payment after I've gotten rid of him." He said and marched out of the room.
Alvin rage fully stared at the retreating form of Krogan. There was more he wanted to scream at the mercenary's face, but he managed to restrain himself. Just then, his phone rang up, snapping him out of his thoughts. He picked up his phone, and found it was a call from his informant in B.S.D.I.
He received the call and pressed the phone against his ear.
"Your warehouse at 221B Bugler street is gonna be raided. You might wanna move your things out from there." the informant said.
"Very well." Alvin replied and ended the call.
He let out a deep sigh, trying to calm himself before heading out. He could bother himself with the situation regarding Krogan's incompetence a bit later. For now, he had more important matters to handle.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys, Commander Alfa here. Hope you liked the chapter.
I'm really sorry for not updating this book sooner. I've been busy with college exams and life. I'd try to uploaded more frequently now that I have more free time in my hands.
Anyways guys, that's all. Have a good day or night or whatever time of day it is at your place. Bye guys. See you in the next chapter. Alfa out. Peace.
