Riders of B E R K

Part 58: The Loki Protocol

Fifty-Eight: The Loki Protocol

"Fishlegs," Hiccup said with forced calm, "what the Hel happened?" There was a pause and the com crackled.

"Someone unlocked the gates to the Pens," he admitted.

"Someone? Not the twins?" Hiccup checked.

"No-they were with everyone else when the doors opened and the alarms all went off," Fishlegs told us. I frowned.

"All the Pens are open?" I asked and Hiccup nodded. "So the insane Changewing is free?" He froze and nodded.

"Odin," he breathed. "Keep all the staff on their quarters until I get back. Do not-I repeat DO NOT-attempt to recapture them."

"Why? I think security are already..."

"Fish-Shimmer will be out!" Hiccup said urgently. "You know how disturbed he has been since Dog...well...fell..."

"Understatement," Fishlegs sighed, "but not sure Colonel Mildew will believe you-or General Zakhysnyk."

"Show them the video of when Savage and Amund broke into Pen Seven," I advised him shortly and shuddered. Sometimes, the image of Savage melting under the acid from the Changewing came back to me and I still broke out in a cold sweat: it was the single most horrific thing I had ever witnessed.

"I'm not sure I could wrangle him...but I have Toothless and his Alpha mode may calm him down a little," Hiccup sighed.

"Where are you anyway?" Fishlegs asked curiously, realising we weren't on the base.

"Ben Nevis," I grumped.

"What are you doing up there?"

"Oh, let me think...trying to have some private time!" I snapped.

"But how did you...?" he gabbled on curiously.

"Fishlegs, Hiccup just proposed to me-literally. Just. When you blundered in..." I growled.

There was an awkward pause and Hiccup grimaced, feeling bad for the object of my ire.

"Sorry..." Fishlegs said in a small voice. "Um...congratulations...but I thought you were already engaged..."

"I told him to do it properly," I sighed, "and being Hiccup, he managed to find a glorious sunset, the highest peak in the United Kingdom and complete isolation with our dragons to pop the question incredible romantically...most of which consisted of him forgetting to actually ask me and telling me the reasons why I shouldn't marry him. And then he failed to notice I had said yes about five times!"

There was sniggering from over the com. "The others will love this," Fish said more cheerfully. "I'm sure Ruff and Cami will be aching to see your ring..."

"Fish...check for external coms and...which Protocol was activated?" Hiccup asked urgently.

"Loki," Fishlegs said. "Is that bad?"

"Get into your rooms now! The base will go into shutdown any minute unless someone activates the Odin override!" Hiccup shouted.

"Okay, I'll....."

The Com went dead. I stared at Hiccup, whose face had gone pale.

"Hiccup?" I asked him gently, His hand found mine but his face was desperately worried. "What is Loki Protocol?" His grip tightened.

"It's been activated in error in response to an external attack on BERK," he told me softly.

"What, you have a Protocol that lets the dragons out?"