In The Archipelago's Secret Service

20: For The Mission

Chapter Twenty: For the Mission

Fishlegs had burst into action, the moment he saw Hiccup, Snotlout and Astrid taken. The sight of Toothless standing by the Red Queen meant that their cover was blown and he was on his own. So in moments, he grabbed his laptops and cables, stuffed them into the bag and then snatched Hiccup's things-especially his precious Night Fury key fob: he knew how irreplaceable that was to his friend. But as the sped to the door, it opened-and the buxom female with the figure-hugging deep teal evening gown and wild golden hair entered, a gun pointed at his heart.

"Oh dear," the hacker murmured, backing up as she kicked the door closed.

"This really isn't your lucky day, is it?" she said philosophically, her blue eyes swinging over the room. She walked sideways to the lamp, confirmed the position of the listening device and sighed, then aimed the gun at it and fired. Finally she lowered the weapon. "Or it wasn't until I got here."

Fishlegs stared at her, completely thrown. "Um...what's going on?" he asked suspiciously as she tucked the gun away.

"Cameron Switcher, VA3," she introduced herself, glancing around the room. "Hmm-I see the Queen's people pulled out the moment she showed up and changed her orders. Shame. They seemed to be pretty handy."

"Um...I thought you were one of the Casino employees...and the daughter of the First Minister?" Fishlegs said cautiously, eyeing her warily. She was confident, moved like a predator and was very attractive...all of which made him very uncomfortable: he was really wishing he was back, caring for his Sundews and patting Meatlug right about now.

"Right on both counts," Cameron said, flashing him a very bright grin. "But I am also agent VA3-and my mother is an old ally of Commander Stoick Haddock of AI6." She paused. "The Casino has always been a haunt for the less legally-inclined members of Archipelago society and Mom keeps an eye out on them. She respects the conditions of the Casino but she will act if there is out and out treason-as there is now. And of course, my job is to stop them..."

"But they have Hiccup and the others," Fishlegs pointed out and she suddenly scowled at him.

"Yeah-no thanks to you!" she snapped. "If you hadn't screamed through his earpiece, they wouldn't have known. When Snotlout turned up and you proved that he was wired, his cover was blown. If it was just Snot shooting his mouth off, we could have covered it."

"We?"

"Mom and I. Hiccup was in on it as well-well I gave him the golden chip with our motto on it. Play Along. He knew to go with our cover story that he had joined us. Though his female companion was glaring daggers at me throughout the entire game..." Fishlegs grinned sheepishly

"Um...I think Astrid may be staking a claim on him," he noted and Cameron shrugged, checking the room for any more surveillance devices.

"We played as kids," she admitted, "but he's not really my type. Too dorky. I like the more...macho model, to be honest." She glanced at him. "You're not AI6, are you?" The hacker sighed.

"Nope. Florist. Hiccup's my friend-and when he was being thrown out of AI6 and worried about Eret and Snot, he persuaded me to go with him to check Alvin out..." Cameron frowned. "And it's a problem that Eret has joined Alvin and..." But she snapped round, her eyes narrowed.

"Eret's still on our team," she murmured. "He gave Hiccup the code Monstrous Nightmare. That means captured and playing along but still with us. Even when he believed Hiccup was working with Mom, he gave that in hope he would help him."

"And if he was lying?" Fishlegs asked suspiciously. "I mean, he could have been trying to entrap Hiccup? Would he betray you?"

"Eret doesn't know about me," she told him simply. "I'm deep cover. Only the Commander, D and Q know my identity..."