The Black fire (BOOK 1)

A death machine

-Narrator: Mark.

A noise woke me up. I was lying in the pilot seat when I saw Hiccup entering by the back door''Good morning. I hope you slept well last night, we have a lot of work today.'' He said. I streched out and jumped off the cockpit. Meanwhile, Hiccup opened the front door. He was carrying a metal bucket full of water and a sack with something in it. He leaved both on the ground.

''Thanks.'' I said to him. I leaned over and washed my hands with the water on the bucket. Then I opened the sack. There was cooked fish inside. It looked delicious. I looked over and saw Hiccup offering a dagger to cut the fish. ''Thanks, again.'' I said taking it. ''I will start counting them.'' he said, sarcastically.

I chuckled a little.

-Narrator: Hiccup.

I was just trying to be friendly. A lot of work was needed to fix the plane and I needed his help, otherwise the machine will never work again.

He ate the fish I gave him and returned the dagger. ''Ok, first things first...'' he started standing up ''... If you want my help you will need to fulfill some conditions. First, I want a life insurance.'' I turned my head in confusion. ''What that means is, that when we finally fix the fighter, I will not get killed instantaneously.'' I agreed with my head and he continued. ''Second: I am the leader here. No matter how much you are in control, I am the one that knows how to control this thing. So you will follow my instructions.'' I didn't complain, but I wanted to. Finally, I nodded with the head. ''And third: If we successfully repair the plane, I want my revolver and the chance to take a boat and leave this place and never get back.'' He finished, menacingly. I maintained the eye contact for a couple of seconds, but inside, I was scared. ''Understood?'' He asked. I gave up and nodded in agreement again.

He relaxed and jumped inside the plane. He pulled the seat, reavealing a secret compartment behind it. He grabbed something and took it out. I was a paper. A very big paper if you ask. In the paper was a drawing of the same plane but in a vertical and sideways angle. All the pieces were pointed and the exact measurement of them was there too. ''The instructions'' I thought.

I looked at Mark, who was looking the paper, inspecting it. ''We are going to need a lot of wood.'' He whispered to himself. Moments later, he folded the paper and leaned over me saying:

''Before anything, you will need to learn the basics.''

-Narrator: Mark.

I wanted him to know what he was doing before we started. I leaved the instructions in a desk and got inside the canopy again. I grabbed the keys I got inside my pocket and pluged them in. I tryed to start the engine, but It was futile: the plane made a few buzzing sounds and then stopped. I leaned over the cockpit glass to see the engine. ''It's not the battery... It must be the propeller shaft.'' I said. I looked for it and, seconds later, I saw it. It was broken in half.

''Your sling tangled with the propeller, stoping it. But the engine continued working, so the tube that connected both, broke, making a fire.'' I explained. I was not sure If he got it, but he nodded anyway. ''So... the thing that spins in the front of the craft is called the propeller... and what is it's purpose?'' he asked. I took a few seconds before answering the cuestion: ''It makes it go foward by spinning it very, very fast.'' He looked at the broken propeller, it originally had three blades, but one broke when the sling got wrapped with it.

I sat on the pilot seat and tested the rest of the controls: the rudder was a little unequal, but the rest seemed nice enough. The elevator was working, the landing gear took no dramage and the structure looked nice in general, discarding a few holes and cracks on the lower fuselage.

I opened the hidden compartment behind the seat and took out the plane manual. It was in german, but the pictures will help. I got out op the canopy and gave the book to Hiccup.

''Before we start repairing I will teach you the basics of a working plane.'' I said.

-Narrator: Astrid.

I stealthly looked at them by the side of the front door. They were talking about something and Hiccup was holding a blue book with a drawing of the machine on the front.

This plan could only go bad.

I holded my axe tight, calming myself down. I wanted to kill that person so much... but Stoick had other plans: he wanted to repair the machine to use it by himself? But the worst part was that he agreed that Hiccup wanted the pilot to help him. The same person that, without any doubt, whould kill any of us with the machine if it gets fixed. Just thinking of what he did to us these last weeks drives me crazy. But still, even Hiccup wanted the machine fixed over that.

I could not let that happen.

-Narrator: Mark.

I saw, with the corner of my eye, someone peeking over the side of the front door. When I looked at him, or better said, her, and she rapidly hid again. I went after her. When I turned the corner, an axe flew above my head. Before she could attack again, I grabbed her arm and immobilize it. She kicked me in the knee and I shouted in pain, but I didn't  release her. I finally immobilize her. ''If you try to move, you will miss your arm.'' I said, trying to sound as menacing as I could. After a couple of seconds, the girl stopped moving. I relaxed and so did her. ''Your name'' I ordered. ''You think you are in control here, but all the village is watching you.'' she responded. I grabbed her arm thighter, and she moaned. ''Your name, now.'' I tryed once more. ''A...Astrid.'' she finally said. ''Well, Astrid, why were you spying us?'' I asked, calmly.

Then Hiccup showed up.

-Narrator: Hiccup.

''Astrid? What are you doing here!?'' I asked. She looked at me. ''Mark, release her, she is no threat.'' I ordered, but I actually didn't know if I was right. ''She was watching'' he said. ''I know, just let her go.'' I repeated.  With a grunt, he released her arm. She fell down to the floor, panting. After that, he went back inside.

Astrid looked at me again, holding her arm. ''Astrid, I...'' I started. ''Be carefull with him, Hiccup.'' she interrupted me ''Or you will be in trouble.'' Then she walked away. I was just going to follow her, when Mark shouted.

''Come here Hiccup, let's get started!''

And I went inside the armory again.