TGS'verse

Chapter 8

TGS'verse

Chapter 8: Pyrrhic Victory

A/N: Bonus bit of writing this week, for you guys.

Now, a notice before I let you guys read and return to writing The Gentle Sniper; another M rated TGS'verse chapter is due next week, but one with some important stuff happening in Hiccup and Astrid's relationship.

Hope some of you enjoy it, but if not, the main story will resume the week after next.

Now, enjoy this mostly canon omake, for a reason that should be apparent upon reading, written by my good friend and beta reader.

...

Afghanistan, unknown military facility

In a dark room, two men sat at a table.

One, smoking a cigarette, spoke: "We have intel about a potential alliance between the Taliban and a new Insurgent faction. There will be a meeting tomorrow, at 1700 hours in a village south-east of Kandahar, near the Pakistani border. This poses a serious threat to the peace in this country and our operations. Our intelligence suggests that two representatives will meet in a neutral location. This alliance needs to be prevented and these representatives need to be eliminated."

Green eyes looked back at the man through the cigarette smoke.

"Who's on the team?"

"There won't be a team. This mission is top secret, you are to tell nobody of it."

The man then put out his cigarette and slid an envelope over the table.

"Everything you need is in there. See to it that you dispose of it properly, Haddock."

"Yes sir."

...

Afghanistan, near the Pakistani border

Hiccup had been lying in wait on a hill overlooking the village for three hours since dawn. His vantage point was well hidden between some boulders. As he looked through his binoculars, he noticed a cloud of dust on the horizon, which meant a vehicle was approaching the village.

Soon enough a white jeep pulled into the town square and a person emerged from the back seat. The person wore a tan bulletproof vest and their face was obscured by a hat and a scarf, but the body shape was distinctly feminine. The town square became quite busy, as several locals, all armed, emerged from their houses and formed a perimeter around it.

Hiccup watched as another front door opened and a man emerged, dressed similarly to the villagers. He, however, somewhat differed from the locals. Although his face was hidden by sunglasses and a shemagh, his hair was a lighter shade of brown than most Afghans and he was noticeably taller than the locals.

Something was off, Hiccup felt it. He pulled out the burner phone he had been given and called the only contact available.

"Every nest has its queen.", was the first thing he heard.

So he answered with: "But this is the king of dragons."

"I presume the targets have arrived."

"Yes."

"Good. Take them out."

"I don't know sir, something seems wro-"

"Are you questioning your orders soldier? If you can't pull this off, then you can forget your Special Forces application. Remember this and remember it well, Haddock: Good soldiers follow orders."

A brief moment of silence.

"Yes, sir."

The call ended.

Hiccup now looked through the scope of his rifle. The woman and the man were talking with each other. He gripped the bolt handle, lifted it, pulled it back, pushed it forward again and then pulled it down, chambering a .338 Lapua Magnum round.

The tall man pulled out an envelope and handed it to the woman.

Hiccup switched off the TRG 42's safety and took aim. Breathing out, he pulled the trigger.

The firing pin dropped, engaging the cartridge's primer, which ignited the gunpowder inside the casing. The expanding gases propelled the bullet through the barrel, following it until they were delayed by the suppressor at the end of the barrel, reducing the sound of the shot.

The woman screamed as she was splattered by blood and the man in front of her collapsed. Before she could have any other reaction, the screaming stopped, as she too, crumpled to the ground, unmoving.

Hiccup was already on the move when the guards reached the two corpses. But his mind was far away, thinking of other things.

"Good soldiers follow orders."

...

Berk, a day later, 2100 hours local time

Hello and welcome to the 9'o clock news. I am Mulch Larsen.

News from Afghanistan: A Danish journalist and a moment later a soldier were killed in an incident near the Pakistani border yesterday.

Official sources are holding the Taliban responsible for this killing, but anyone has yet to claim responsibility for this atrocity.

...

B/N: Another omake for my fellow author and friend Silvolde.

This work explores the past of Hiccup Haddock in his story, 'The Gentle Sniper'.

I hope you enjoyed it!

CommanderGreya, going dark.