In The Archipelago's Secret Service

23: Plan B for Berk

Chapter Twenty-Three: Plan B for Berk

Toothless stared at the rigid shape of Hiccup, his beautiful and expressive emerald eyes blank and staring as he mouthed the mantra they had branded onto his resisting brain, subjugating his stubborn will under layers of drugs, hypnosis and sheer pain. The process wasn't long, but the fugitive dragon knew it was brutal and potentially immensely damaging. Hiccup had resisted bravely and it was clear the programming hadn't been completed when Toothless had interrupted-but hearing the pleasant, slightly nasal voice so flat and toneless was chilling. Especially as Oswald 'the Agreeable' Oswaldson's words hung in the air.

"You prevent him being triggered by blinding him. You deprogramme him using the machine that programmed him...or, for the good of all, you can kill him."

"Get me another option," Toothless growled, his tanned hand reaching out and resting on Hiccup's rigid shoulder. The young agent's skin was paler than usual, his few faint freckles more obvious and his lean shape breathing hard, as if he was still fighting. Which he probably was, the dragon realised.

"I belong to the Queen, I am her subject. Nothing else matters. Not family, not friends, not Berk. Only the Queen's will counts. Kill Forraeder. Kill Commander Haddock. Kill the President. The Queen will take all. The Queen will rule all."

"And you see, that there is the problem," Oswald pointed out, reaching for his whiskey and draining the cut-glass tumbler. "Drink?"

"You are the Archipelago's premier fixer," Toothless growled as the man casually poured himself a generous slug of a ten-year oak-aged single malt. "So fix this."

"I've given you the options," Oswald said. "Bet you destroyed the device they had him hooked to." The silence that ensued answered his question eloquently. "So you blind him or kill him."

"Unacceptable. He's my friend," Toothless growled, feeling the flames begin to rise in his blood. His nails bit into his palms as he forced his own control back. "Try harder."

"Lock him up for good? That would stop him harming anyone," Oswald smirked, settling back on his couch and reaching for the remote. The mirror on the far wall transformed to a flatscreen and the channel menu flashed up. "Hmm...looks like the Football season has started..." Toothless rose and walked slowly over to the man, then lifted the remote and crushed it. His acid green eyes flashed.

"I bargained for a solution, not an abdication of duty," Toothless snapped. "I know there is a pharmacological means to hold back to programming...at least in the short term. Give that to me-and transport to Berk." Oswald gave a small chuckle, his pallid green eyes-the mirror of his son, Dagur-filled with grim amusement.

"And I assume this is some new version of logic that I am not aware of," he smirked. "The boy wants to kill the President-so you take him to his prey..." There was an awkward pause as Toothless turned to his friend, still and pale.

"I trust Hiccup," he said. "Get me the damned drug." Oswald glanced up and smiled coldly.

"Dihydrochlorofluoronexaline is an incredibly powerful agent," he smirked. "It may cause him to hallucinate-or break his mind altogether." For a long moment, the dragon stiffened, his acid green eyes narrowed and locked on the smug man sitting opposite him.

"If that happens, I guarantee I'll be seeing you again," he growled.

"And I am not impressed-even if you are the last Night Fury," Oswald sighed theatrically. "However, there are other means to snap him out of the trance. Pain is one...but I guess you don't want to torture your little friend. Finding the memory that allowed him to fight may do it...possibly the person..."