Riders of B E R K

Part 38: It's a trap

Hiccup got the remaining IT team to get him everything on the Summit while he and Gobber analysed the message with Eret. I filled in the General when I checked in for my shift at the infirmary and Major Gothi took me aside and asked me to review an ECG and some cardiac enzymes. Both were diagnostic of an acute coronary syndrome-a heart attack. Then she showed me the name: General Stoick Haddock. I stared at her in shock and checked the date. Yesterday. She nodded.

"As a result of the stress of the Aurisdraconis, he has suffered a moderate inferior infarction. He has received full thrombolysis but did not require acute stunting or bypass. Myocardial function is already back to 85% of his norm. He'll make a full recovery but he won't be back on duty for about three weeks. Minimum."

Her eerie mechanical voice didn't convey the emotion in her eyes and the tremor in her hands: she had known him for a long time and she was as worried by this news as his son was going to be. And then it struck me: poor Hiccup. He would have to keep shouldering his father's duties and wrestling with being something he was never trained for and never sought.

"You want me to tell him, don't you," I said tonelessly. "You know we're in a relationship?" She nodded. Her eyes told me that she thought I was the best one to do the deed. I nodded. "Okay," I said, breathing hard and suddenly horribly apprehensive. "But I need to know what they gave Heather. What is there in the tox screen? PLEASE! I need to have something to give to Hiccup to give him something to work with..." Gothi nodded and scuttled to her office, then returned with a printout and a sheath of papers. I scanned them and frowned: they had found some chemical in there that they didn't recognise and I guessed that it was something Hiccup could work with. It may even get him out of those stupid evaluations. I looked up but she shooed me away: I had a job to do.

I found Hiccup in Gobber's office with Eret, debating what Heather meant. "Attack the base in a few days but an attack tomorrow in Birmingham? Misdirection? Or a double bluff?" Hiccup was saying, pacing. His brow was furrowed with a frown and his hands clenched and unclenched. Eret had sat down and folded his arms, a scowl on his face. Gobber was rotating his hook absently.

"They want us in Birmingham," Eret stated obviously. "The UK one, not USA, I presume."

"The Summit is being held in the UK..." Hiccup said tonelessly then glanced at the computer screen. "The Finance Ministers of the G20 countries...the people who fund BERK's counter-terrorism portfolio...are meeting at the Convention Centre in the City Centre. Just amazing. Smack bang in the centre of a heavily occupied conurbation."

"Lots of collateral damage possible," Gobber admitted.

"High levels of casualties as well," I added. They all frowned. "Dagur isn't especially discriminating in what he blows up, is he?" Hiccup shook his head. "The Convention Centre is less than a mile from the absolute centre of the city with a theatre, the main city library, the Indoor Arena, the Symphony Hall, the War memorial, Town Hall, Gallery and a number of very large hotels in very close proximity...not counting over a hundred bars and cafes all round the canalside..." They stared. "What? I've been there with a friend for a weekend!"

"Oh gods," Hiccup groaned. "This is sounding better by the minute..." He looked at Gobber. "So we're talking about an area packed with people, businesses, restaurants, eyes and cameras and 300 miles away as the dragon flies-or 400 by road..."

"Rail," Gobber corrected him. "We'll take the train."

I gaped. "What-we take them to the station and buy them tickets?" Hiccup managed a small, knowing smile.

"No-we have our own train," he explained, beckoning me closer. I frowned but drifted towards him. "Theoretically, we could fly down but the further south we go, the more people, radars and cameras there are. Also, the dragons would get tired...well, Meatlug would... So we take them down by specially modified freight train until we're close to the centre of action. If we have notice and solid intelligence, we can take the tunnel to mainland Europe and travel anywhere..."