In The Archipelago's Secret Service

15: Rescue Mission

Fifteen: Rescue Mission

Astrid was a demon driver. It wasn't such a surprise, given her natural aggression and her excellent physical strength and co-ordination but as Hiccup clung on for dear life, he found himself wishing he had taken the wheel.

The Land Rover fishtailed as they drifted round a corner and across the scrub before hitting a slope. Astrid was smiling as she shifted down and floored it, the wheels biting into the slope and the car lurched. She swiped the wipers across the windshield, smearing the drizzle over the glass.

"This is good-handles really nicely," she commented as they jolted and jounced up the slope. "Never tried one of these before..." Hiccup braced his arms against the dashboard and the roof and stared forward, trying to minimise the jolting. He honestly still wanted to just curl up and sleep for maybe another week but instead, they were being chased by the Hunters.

"Maybe you could organise a team building exercise," he suggested wearily. "Though the twins would almost certainly crash and burn..."

"Or blow up the vehicles before they could even get into them," she added.

"Forgot that," he murmured, his eyes fixed ahead. She snatched a quick look at him, seeing his eyes unfocus.

"Are you alright there?" she asked, jerking to the right and accelerating down a scree-slope. The Land Rover slid and skidded and he winced.

"Just thinking that we are trying to escape on Hunter's Isle when we have no clue where we are going, if there is any way off here and how close they are after us," he admitted.

"Not in sight," she reassured him.

"I have no clue-and no plan," he said anxiously. "Oh Thor-they'll recapture us and then I'll be taken back to Viggo and Ryker..." There was a slight hint of panic and she hummed as they lurched round a corner.

"I meant to ask you about that big guy..."

"Ryker."

"Yeah-what was going on there?" she asked him directly, missing his flinch. "I mean, I didn't know you were into guys but that's cool, I'm not prejudiced, each to his own but there is such a thing as time and place, you know?"

"Um...not into guys," Hiccup told her urgently. "Nope. Girls. Blondes, actually." His eyes flicked up and she almost-but didn't-miss the unspoken word. You. Then he looked away, embarrassed. "But when they tortured me, um...Ryker...the big guy whose ass you kind of kicked...well, he kinda said he wanted to...well, you know...but I really had no intention whatsoever. Nope. NEVER. But if they get their hands on me...he will anyway...no matter what I want..."

There was a real edge to his voice and she looked at him. He was taut as a bowstring, embarrassed and scared. And that struck her because this was Hiccup, who had got them out of the collapsed disaster that had been AI6, been calm and cool-headed in the shoot-out and on the bus and even faced by Toothless. Ryker must have treated him really badly to shake him so much.

"Good thing I stopped him then," she commented briskly, trying to take the emotion out of the situation. He groaned.

"Yeah, thanks. Way to make me feel like a total damsel in distress," he managed sarcastically. Then he sagged. "What was I thinking? I mean, these guys are serious and they were threatening you and all I could think of was keeping them focussed on me so they wouldn't hurt you and...and I never did Resisting Torture Training because they only give that to operational agents so I guess I really did it wrong and annoyed them and that will be why Ryker wanted to..."

"Hiccup Haddock!" she began shortly in an exasperated voice.

"You forgot Horrendous," he interrupted.