Evening fell over Berk, as Astrid waited at the meeting room, waiting for the other participants to arrive. She had wanted to report her findings and theories to Stoick, and he had called for this meeting.

"Hofferson."

Astrid eyes narrowed in frustration, her jaw clenching. She turned around, facing the person who called her and finding Thuggory, approaching her with a smug smile on his face.

"Thuggory." Astrid greeted him back with a frown.

"How's the arm?" he asked, glancing at her arm.

"Why do you care?" Astrid retorted.

"I don't really." Thuggory said,"Just don't want you dying so early. A pretty girl like you has so much to do, you know. By the way, how was your encounter with Nightfury? Must have been feeling pretty giddy to be saved by your target, huh?"

Astrid's patience was running thin by this point. "Just, what the heck do you want, Thuggory? I don't have the time to humor you."

"Nothing, nothing really. Just wanted to check up on a colleague and cheer her up." He smirks. "After all, you're our only hope at a hopeless case of finding a vigilante." He circles her, before standing by the doorway,"Now be careful of what happens when you do finally catch him. You'd run out of your usefulness then."

"Thuggory!"

Thuggory groans hearing that voice. Astrid turns around as she sees Director Mildew approaching. Astrid was surprised by his sudden appearance. Where did he appear from? She thought. It was as if he was hiding nearby and popped up from his spot.

"Come on, you have better things to do. Once this meeting is over, I expect you to give me a report regarding your investigation on the illegal activities around the 10th Swanson."

"Yes sir." Thuggory replied, before heading inside the room.

Director Mildew followed after him, but just as he passed Astrid, he glanced at her. "As for you, Agent Hofferson, still working on this bogus case of yours, huh?" he remarked, before heading inside.

Astrid gritted her teeth to stop herself from lashing out. Director Mildew is an ass, and everyone knows and agrees to it. He's snobby, disrespectful, always looking down at others below his position, and meddling in things he shouldn't be caring about. Honestly, she wouldn't have been surprised if he was secretly working for some criminal.

Slowly, over time, all the other participants of the meeting arrived, Astrid finally started with the meeting. Today only Chief Stoick, Gobber, Director Mildew, and senior agents Thuggory, Dogsbreath and Lars joined in for the meeting.

"Good evening, everyone." Astrid greeted,"I'd like to first thank everyone for giving me their time."

"How's the arm, lass?" Gobber asked, pointing at her sling.

Astrid winced a bit at the mention. "It is okay." she said, adjusting her sling,"I should be getting out of this sling by next week or so. Thank you for asking, director."

Stoick cleared his throat and asked,"So, what do you want to share with us, Agent Hofferson?"

Astrid let out a deep breath and began speaking,"As you all know, for some time now I've been working on a high priority case entrusted upon me by Mr. Haddock. Finding out who Nightfury is and apprehending him before he causes any major harm to the society.

During my investigation, I have discovered a few things, some of which I have shared with you all previously. While these findings won't reveal the face behind the mask of Nightfury, I believe these will help me catch him soon."

She walks over to the projector set on the table. "During my investigation, I noticed a pattern in his movements."

She turned on the projector, and it projected the image of the map of Berk on a white board, with some areas marked with large red spots. "As you can see here, these are what we call 'hot zones'. Places in the city which have a higher density of crime." She spoke.

"Those are some messy places." Dogsbreath commented.

"Yeah." Lars added,"Going in those places without proper preparation is a risk at best, and a death sentence at worst."

"And these here are officially recorded locations of Nightfury's actions." Astrid said, as she pressed a button on a remote, and multiple blue dots appeared on the screen, many of which were clustered around and at the hot zones.

"As you can see, he has been conducting his activities at these hot zones, taking out criminals, halting their activities, and bringing down some significant criminal organizations." Astrid continued,"I have already established that Nightfury is targeting the Outcasts, and by taking out these smaller gangs that are connected to the Outcasts and stalking the hot zones, he's disrupting their business."

"And how does this help us?" Director Mildew grumbled.

Astrid could feel her annoyance flare up, her shoulders stiffening as she fidgeted with her sling, as she managed to keep her cool.

"I was explaining that, Director," she said, hissing slightly at Mildew.

She pressed the button again, and multiple white dots appeared on the map, clustered and spread around a specific area. Astrid continued on,"These are the recent appearances of Nightfury. As you can see, he has been conducting his acts here."

She points at a spot on the map. "The south-west region of Berk. I believe, by thoroughly examining this data, and doing some further investigations, I can figure out his movement patterns and eventually apprehend him."

"All this talk and you tell us your work is still incomplete?" Thuggory snickered,"That's kinda lame, Hofferson. I was hoping you'd show us something better."

Astrid was about to retort back with her own snarky remark, but Stoick beat her to it as he whipped his head towards Thuggory.

"Theodore Griffins," He said,"The only reason you are in this meeting is because you, similar to some others present in the room, are a senior agent. You have plenty of experience under your belt, so we were led to believe your insights on this matter may be helpful, valuable even.

But if you can do nothing but mock Agent Hofferson on each step, you are welcome to leave the meeting."

Thuggory sighed, raising his arm in surrender. "Alright, alright, shutting up."

"He has a point, Stoick." Mildew interjected,"What's the point of all this, if Agent Hofferson can't lead us to the vigilante?" He scanned the room, his eyes falling onto the blonde agent in question, before turning back to Stoick,"I still retain my original opinion on the case being bogus and a waste of time and resources. If someone wants to play hero and put their hand in fire, I say let 'em burn then."

Stoick sighed as he heard those words from Mildew. "Because we are better than that. It's our duty to make sure no fire harms the innocent, let it be set by some guy in costume." He said,"Mildew, Nightfury is not a conventional threat that we are used to dealing with. It's not about who he is, or what he does. But more about what he represents, and how it affects others."

"I agree with Mr. Haddock." Astrid added in agreement,"Nightfury already has made a significant impact on the civilians. And it's not an admirable one."

Gobber nodded. "Aye, I agree with the lass. Nightfury's actions can lead to further chaos down the line."

Mildew scoffed. "And what's the plan to stop him? Huh?"

Astrid shifted her weight and adjusted her sling, her movements jerky, as she composed herself before saying,"I propose we have police increase patrols in the South-west region, while I continue on with my investigations, gather more intel, and—"

Thuggory snorted. "More of the same? That's not a plan."

"Thuggory." Stoick warned, causing him to shut up again. Stoick then let out a sigh and spoke,"Let's commence this meeting for today." He looked up at Astrid and continued,"Agent Hofferson, I will leave it to you to make decisions on what actions to do regarding this case. But for the next report, I want to see results. You got it?"

Astrid nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good." Stoick stood up, fixing his tie,"Today's meeting is dismissed. You all may return to your tasks now."

And with that, everyone got up and followed after Stoick, leaving the room.

"Don't disappoint, Hofferson." Thuggory snickered, before he was pushed out of the doorway by Dogsbreath.

Astrid let out a sigh as sat at her spot, contemplating her next course of actions.

…

Alvin sat on his chair in the living room of his high end apartment, a glass of whiskey on rocks clutched in his hand, staring at the city through the large, floor to ceiling window. A fireplace burned in the living room, keeping it cozy and warm. A small table was set beside him, with a bottle of whiskey on it, which Alvin used to replenish his glass.

It was late night, the city, shrouded in darkness, glistening with electric lights. The scenery looked pleasing to Alvin as he finished his drink and poured himself another one.

"All this, all this is mine." He thought, taking another sip, as his eyes took in the scenery.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Alvin noticed it was from his informant and picked it up. "Yes?"

"Keep an eye out at the 10th Swanson. The upper management wants that area to be thoroughly checked." The informant said.

"Anything else?" Alvin asked,"Did that girl say anything more about Nightfury?"

"Not much. She and I aren't so close that I can just go and ask her about the details. But from what I learnt, she suspects Nightfury will be more active in the south-west region."

Alvin pondered about the information, but he was sure he could utilize it somehow. "Hmmm.That's all?"

"For now." the informant replied and ended the call.

Alvin let out a deep sigh, holding back his frustrations, as he set his phone down on the table beside him and sipped his drink. Suddenly, the door behind him on the other side of the living room opened as his housekeep let someone in.

"You asked for me, Alvin?"

Alvin stood up from his seat, his drink still in his hand, and turned around to face his guest, Krogan Bouchard.

"Krogan." Alvin greeted him with a smirk,"The situation in this city hasn't been ideal lately, all because of one little pest."

"Get to the point, Alvin." the mercenary said.

"Of course." Alvin's smirk widened, as he poured another glass,"Krogan, I want you to get rid of Nightfury, no matter what you have to do, how you have to do it. Take. Him. Down."

This time a smile broke on the mercenarie's face as the words deeply resonated with Krogan.