Riders of B E R K

Part 30: Buying Time

I was utterly exhausted as we finally descended towards BERK. It was freezing, it had been a horrendously long night and I had never flown so far. I had aches where I had forgotten I had muscles (I clearly knew I had muscles there as I got a Distinction in Anatomy...) How Hiccup was feeling, God only knew. He had endured an even busier night than I had.

As we circled for final approach, I noticed we weren't coming round the glen and heading towards the external entrance to Pen One and I tapped Cami's shoulder. "What's going on?" I shouted. "We're coming in along the road!"

"We've been ordered to land in the Main Garage!" she shouted back. I blinked and then realised they had proper riding coms-earpieces-as well as our standard wrist-coms. And something was already telling me this wasn't good. I cast a glance at Hiccup but he was shouting at Eret and the corporal wasn't giving any answers either. Unconsciously, my grip tightened on Cami as we swooped down towards the huge double doors of the Garage. "Ow, Astrid! Way to snap me in two!"

"Sorry..." I mumbled as we swooped in, backwinged and landed by Gustav. I leapt off and ran to Hiccup, making sure he landed safely. His hand tightened on my shoulder as he steadied himself before turning to the main base. And then he stiffened: Gobber and Spitelout were standing there, both looking grim. Hiccup limped forward urgently.

"What's happened?" he asked directly, his voice breathless. He looked like crap, to be honest, and how he was standing was a bit of an achievement but he was focussed as a laser. He knew both men and could read their faces. "Dad?" he breathed and his face fell. He looked as if he had been winded. "No..."

"I'm sorry, Commander," Spitelout announced as the other Riders walked up. "General Stoick Haddock was shot by Heather an hour ago. She has taken off on Windshear and has taken the Snowraith as well. The General...didn't make it..."

"No!" Hiccup breathed, his legs buckling. I caught him but he was a dead weight. He was shaking all over. "No..." he repeated, his voice broken. "No..." I wrapped my arms around him as Snotlout ran up. His eyes searched his father's face and he paled.

"Dad...you aren't serious...?" he asked but Spitelout scowled at him. Blinking, shocked, he looked at Hiccup but he was wrapped around me, his head buried in my shoulder. He kept shaking his head slightly and whimpering 'No,' as if saying it enough times would make it true. My heart was breaking for him as I felt grief consume him and my arms tightened on his body.

"Sir..." I began but Hiccup lifted his head suddenly.

"I want to see him," he said abruptly. Gobber sighed.

"We thought yer would, laddie," he said in a sympathetic voice. He caught my eye and nodded. "Yer too, lassie. I think he'll need yer support." I nodded.

"The rest of you-to your rooms. Base is in lockdown," Spitelout announced. "All personnel should leave their rooms only when contacted and their passes activated to permit passage through security doors. All security doors will be closed otehrwise. All Pens will be restricted. And the future of BERK itself is in doubt."

oOo

Hiccup was walking as if in a daze, his right hand closed around mine, the scarf wrapped round his left arm soaked with blood from his wounds. He looked as if he was going to cry and honestly, I didn't blame him. How could this happen? How-how could base security be so lax that a hostile could get hold of a weapon, walk through security and murder the commanding officer? I cast Spitelout a look that probably amounted to insubordination because it held utter contempt. Then I turned my attention back to Hiccup and wondered how the hell I could help him through this.

And then I knew: I was the only one who could-because I had already been through this. I had lost everyone who meant anything to me: Gran, both my parents. I never got to say goodbye to anyone, never got to prepare myself for such devastating losses. But I had found the strength to go one. I would make sure I lent it to him to keep him going. I couldn't fail him now when he needed me as never before.