In The Archipelago's Secret Service

12: Dealing with Dragons

Twelve: Dealing with Dragons

"Seriously-was there any need to tie us all up?" Hiccup asked, his wrists and ankles roped tightly to the plain chair that went with the kitchen table. The stranger with the gun had forced him tie the twins, Fishlegs and finally Astrid up before the gunman had roped Hiccup up securely. The man's tanned face tilted in a smile, showing white teeth.

"Makes it easier for me," he admitted. "Maybe if you hadn't tried to give your gun to blondie, we could've sat comfortably but now..."

"Yeah-way to go, Astrid!" Ruff grumbled, fidgeting against her bonds. Astrid had brushed her hand across Hiccup's ass as she had tried to sneak the gun from his waistband...and his yip of shock and fierce blush had given them both away. Ruthlessly, the man had jammed his pistol into Hiccup's throat, tossed the gun aside and kicked Astrid back into the chair, the humour briefly leaving his face, making him look suddenly very menacing. None of the team had wanted to chance annoying him any further at that point. Narrowing his emerald gaze, Hiccup saw the man lazily pull up a chair and settle opposite him, his pistol lowered but still in his hand. He was back to his confident, casual manner and as a small smirk lifted his mouth, Hiccup felt a sense of deja vu. The tanned face, unusual eyes and tousled jet hair all rang alarm bells.

"Canteen," he murmured. "You were the guy in the canteen."

The gunman afforded Hiccup a small round of ironic applause as the others stared at him. "You don't know how much I hate mac and cheese-but I guessed you would like the slimy mess," he said lightly. "And you have no idea how important it was I got you to that table."

Hiccup stared and his eyes glittered with anger.

"YOU KNEW!" he shouted. "You knew AI6 was going to be blown up and you couldn't have raised the alarm? All those people died because you..." The acid-green eyes narrowed.

"It's hardly my job to protect an Intelligence Service that can't even keep a crudely-disguised bomb out!" the man snapped. "But it was my assigned duty to keep you alive."

Hiccup flinched and felt every eye land on him. "M-me?' he mumbled. "I-I mean I'm nothing...I'm not e-even an agent..."

"Hicc?" Fishlegs asked softly, a note of betrayal entering his voice. The twins were scowling but Astrid looked at Hiccup and saw as much confusion in his green eyes as she was feeling. The other man was playing them all-she just couldn't understand why. Yet.

"And yet here you are!" the gunman said with a shrug. "You saved these people's lives from the building, from Dagur..."

"Dagur?" Astrid asked.

"Dagur 'the Deranged', the top assassin in the Archipelago," Hiccup replied automatically. "Wait-he was the lunatic with the gun after us?"

"And why?" Astrid asked directly. The gunman gave that irritating smirk.

"Your boyfriend really annoyed the wrong people!" he noted.

"He's NOT my boyfriend," she snapped angrily, missing Hiccup's flinch.

No, I'm not that lucky. Ever. Even if I was the best agent in the whole service. I mean, I'm Hiccup, the lowest ranked, most useless agent in the service...

"Who?" Hiccup asked. The gunman gave a small chuckle.

"Alvin the Treacherous, of course!" he laughed. Everyone started at Hiccup but the auburn-haired young man groaned.

"The Warehouse," he sighed. "They must have realised who I was when we went there..." Then he flicked his glance up to the man facing him. "But how did you know? Who are you? What are you?"