In The Archipelago's Secret Service

7: Outcasts

Chapter Seven: Outcasts.

The encounter with Gobber really wasn't any better, the Quartermaster's big face scrunched in a scowl as he saw the tall, hunched shape enter the department. He beckoned Hiccup directly into his office and slammed the door. But because Gobber didn't do quiet any more than he did subtle, everyone in the department could hear him roaring at the young man.

"Yer an utter disgrace!" he shouted. "How they didn't fire yer beats me!"

"Guess this is your lucky day, then," Hiccup replied wearily. An entire morning of everyone telling him how useless he was hadn't been much fun: notwithstanding the pains and headache he had from the beating the last night, what remained of his self-esteem had been effectively blown to bits. He was even starting to doubt what he had seen outside the warehouse. "You get to yell at me to your heart's content!" Gobber stared at him, almost speechless.

"I ain't having yer back," he said firmly. At that, Hiccup flinched.

"Please, Gobber...Q...give me one more chance," he begged. The Quartermaster's department was really the only place where he had actually enjoyed working in AI6: if he was kicked out, where was left? "I know what went wrong and I..."

"Yer not being given the chance to destroy anything else," Gobber snarled. "Get yer things from yer station and get outta my sight. Yer ter report ter Maintenance in sub-basement 2 tomorrow 0800."

"But..."

"GO!" Gobber snapped and Hiccup stared at him, feeling utterly betrayed. It was now official: everyone hated him. He had a hat-trick of complete dressings-down, he had no friends, no future and when he was kicked out of AI6, he wouldn't even have the money to keep his meagre apartment. For a brief moment, as he walked in a daze towards the remains of his workstation, he wondered if he should just apply to one of the criminal syndicates that had their tentacles spread over the Archipelago. They would either hire him or shoot him...and frankly, either would be preferable to how he felt right now...

There wasn't much of his station left, just the charred remains of the base and a small cardboard box with the remnants of his tools and notes perched on top. He deftly sifted through it, picking out a couple of the tools, discarding the rest after finding, with relief, the little Night Fury metal toy that his mother had given him and that he took with him for luck to every posting. He stared at it and sighed.

"Yeah...I think you're the only one who hasn't left me, bud," he mumbled, tucking it into his pocket and dumping the scraps of his possessions into the trash. There was no point even looking back as he walked out of the department, head down and cheeks scorching in humiliation. He still heard the echoes of laughs as he trudged down the corridor.

The only place he could head was the canteen because his brain was fried by all the non-stop recrimination, so he stuffed the tools and his light coat into his bag and trudged down the stairs to the canteen in sub-basement 1. It was lunchtime and he didn't have any food in his home so he was feeling distinctly hollow...but it also meant the canteen was pretty full and he really wanted a table to himself to avoid the awkwardness of people looking at him like something they'd trodden in. But as he got to the front of the line, the server paused and ducked down to swap the container of mac and cheese-despite there being plenty left for Hiccup-and the young agent watched with dismay as the table he was eyeing was occupied by three agents with the green flash on their IDs of Heather's Coms department. The server straightened up and his bright green eyes twinkled, his tanned face twisted in a smile with black hair sticking out from under his white catering hat.

"Sorry about that," he apologised, his voice calm and friendly. "Supervisor really hates if we get empty. Mac and cheese?" Hiccup nodded silently, accepting the plate with a nod. The man called him back and splatted an extra spoonful and a slice of garlic bread onto his plate. "You look like you need it, friend," he said amiably. "I think there's a free table right in that corner...there..." Hiccup's glance flicked up, his emerald eyes inspecting the friendly and helpful face and nodded.