Hiccup in a Flash, chap 37

- Chapter 37: Changes

In a parking lot close to the forest a few miles outside of Berk, a second generation black Camaro with white strips parked itself in a hidden spot on the early hour of the morning. The sun had just started to rise, and a few brave birds began to sing despite the cold morning. Hiccup came out of the car in his regular clothes and looked around to make sure he was alone.

The black Camaro was his. Hiccup was never much interested in old cars, and he would have been entirely satisfied with a more recent low-key car. But his father insisted that he took the black Camero after he got his license. At the time, Stoick told him that this car was the car his father gave him as a present when he first got his license. Now it was Hiccup's turn to have it as his first car. Stoick had always taken great care of the black Camaro. So much that Hiccup felt a bit moved when his father insisted for him to have his beloved car.

Hiccup knew that it was mostly an attempt by his father to try to fix things between them. Stoick wanted for him to have something in common they could share. To have something to discuss as they did before. However, even if the Camaro did help, it was limited to some occasional small talks about the maintenance of the car. It did not solve the fundamental issue between them. Much to Stoick's despair, there is no medicine for regret and some words can never be taken back.

Despite that, Hiccup grew fond of the car and kept it to this day. Sure, with a car as old as that, it regularly had some problems that needed fixing, but it was no challenge for the young genius. Hiccup even enjoyed doing the repairs. For a change, there was something between him and his father that was easy to fix.

Hiccup drove a fair distance from Berk to the recluded woods west of Berk to train. Usually, he would have just run there, as it was much faster than driving. However, he decided last night to stop being Night Fury so that Helheim's Gate could no longer harvest his Speed Force. But it also meant that he had to stop using his powers in Berk for his everyday problems. If Helheim's Gate managed to extract some Speed Force from him while he was training instead of when he was Night Fury, it would defeat the purpose of him stopping his activities as Night Fury.

So Hiccup swore to himself that, from now on, he will no longer use his powers. At the very least, not when he was in Berk. That meant using a lot more his car again. And no using the Speed Force to help on his forensic job and no longer washing his dishes at super speed.

In truth, Hiccup did not have to go that far in stopping using the Speed Force. The chance that Helheim's Gate's extractors would be close enough to him to catch Speed Force residues when he was training or doing menial tasks was close to zero. However, Hiccup still decided to keep his promise of not using the Speed Force in Berk. It was a proof of his determination and a reminder to himself that he needed to train to no longer emit Speed Force residue as fast as possible.

Another consequence of his self-imposed ban on the Speed Force was that Hiccup would now have to wake up early in the morning. Especially if he wanted to get to work on time. Hiccup did not look forward to that.

The reason he came to this forest was that, beyond the woods, there was an abandoned military base that no one used. It was not easy of access, and the fences around the base were still in perfect state. But that was not a problem for Hiccup who could run up walls.

Being isolated was not the only reason Hiccup was interested in that military base. Not only there was a significant amount of forest that could hide him and his training from the eyes of others, but it was also a former air base. It meant long straight lines where he could test his speed limits. It was perfect for his training. There was also a fair amount of abandoned building where he could practice his ability to pass through walls or just practice running on them.

His new ability to pass through matter, or phasing as Hiccup decided to call it, that he discovered last night was not the sole reason he chose to train as much as possible before coming back to Berk as Night Fury. For quite some time now, Hiccup had the feeling that he did not know his own powers well enough. For the moment he started to run up buildings, he kept discovering new uses or more depth to the Speed Force than he ever imagined.

He could now run faster and faster without any sign of an upper limit. He quickly discovered that the Speed Force not only augmented his running speed, his recovery ability, his reflexes and his ability to think but it also improved his strength significantly. He managed to feel the Speed Force deep into his body and almost felt as if he touched it. Incidentally, he almost lost himself in contemplation of the Speed Force at that time, nearly costing his life. Finally, he also managed to temporarily boost the Speed Force in his body, and now he could pass through matter by vibrating his body.

The more Hiccup thought about it, the more he realized that he knew next to nothing of his powers. Not only did not know how all his powers worked, but he also realized that he had no idea what his limits actually were. All of it made him profoundly aware that he did not know his powers at all. And that ignorance not only put himself in danger but also Astrid and others.

Hiccup did not forget the terrible way those Nadders died. He needed to control how much strength he was using at every moment. To make things worse, he later realized the highly destructive potential of his phasing power. He managed to destroy the shutters like it was nothing but air. The power of canceling his phasing was enormous.

He did not want to imagine what kind of damage phasing could do to a human body. However, much to his dismay, terrifyingly realistic pictures of what it would look like composed itself in his mind, powered by the imagination of years of working on violent crimes as a forensic scientist.

Hiccup shook his head as he chased those images away.

One thing was clear, this training should be his top priority. Until the day he fully mastered his powers, or at least no longer produce Speed Force residues, he would not return as Night Fury. Doing so would endanger Astrid and others while only making Helheim's Gate stronger.

He rapidly changed into his Night Fury suit and stretch a bit as he tried to think of what should be his more immediate goals for this training.

"I need to have a precise idea of what I can and can't do. How fast do I need to run to climb a building? What is the relation between my speed and my strength? What are the conditions to activate the phasing? Is it a specific frequency or are there more conditions? Is it the same to phase my entire body or just my arms? What is that boost of Speed Force? But more importantly, how do Speed Force residues appear?"

Once he knows the answer to all those questions, then the training to control his powers could really start. He needed to achieve perfect control of his abilities because, without it, he was not confident in using his powers. He did not forget his almost failures of the past couple of days. He repeatedly stopped next to criminals because he did trust his control over his strength. Not only did that put him in danger, but others also found themselves injured because of it. That should not happen again.

"Looks like I have a lot to do yet."

The fight against Helheim's Gate was rapidly intensifying, and Hiccup had the uneasy feeling that Helheim's Gate knew a lot more about the Speed Force than he did. They were way more experienced in handling the Speed Force than him.

"It is time for it to change."

Hiccup looked at the woods with a determined look on his face. It was an excellent opportunity to train essential skills like running on the traitorous ground.

Hiccup officially started his training as a strange purple wind moved rapidly across the forest.

Astrid did not know what to feel or think as she passed the door of the hospital. Her medical results were excellent, and the doctor released her from the hospital after a single night of observation. However, Astrid did not sleep much that night. The discussion she had with Hiccup late last night and his decision to stop being Night Fury kept her awake most of the night.

Astrid did not know what to think of it. In a sense, it was what she wanted all along. She tracked Night Fury for so long and now, even if she did not arrest him, she finally discovered who he was and Night Fury's vigilante days were over. Night Fury was essentially gone from Berk, but she could not feel a shred of happiness at that thought.

On the contrary, Astrid felt that Hiccup should continue being Night Fury. It was what her guts were telling her.

TThe strangest part was that she agreed with what Hiccup said. Helheim's Gate already mass-produced Speed Force extractors and use the Speed Force to make super soldiers. It was only after an arduous fight that they barely managed to kill those super soldiers during Crime Day. The last thing they needed right now was to give Helheim's Gate the means to make even more super soldiers. Until they either discover Helheim's Gate headquarters or that Hiccup found a way to not leave any Speed Force residue behind him, the best thing to do was to keep the Speed Force as far away from Berk as possible. Thus, no longer having Night Fury in Berk.

Astrid intellectually understood those arguments and agreed that Night Fury could no longer be in Berk. However, her guts kept screaming at her that it was a terrible idea. She did not want to admit it, but Astrid knew that Berk needed Night Fury to fight Helheim's Gate. Not just Berk, she also needed Night Fury. Astrid wanted her partner with her, watching her back. And she wanted both sides of him.

Despite what her pride might say, with just her and the BCPD, they would not stand a chance against Helheim's Gate.

When the whole thing started, Stoick and the entire BCPD – her included – prided themselves that the full might of the BCPD would be more than enough to dwarf whatever new gang appeared. They thought that they did not need a wannabe vigilante to intrude into their business and fight those newcomers by himself. In their arrogance, they even thought that they could spare resources to chase after both that vigilante and Helheim's Gate. Thinking back, it was incredibly arrogant of them.

However, after several clashes with that gang, Astrid now knew better. Helheim's Gate was not like any gang they ever fought. Their ambitions were higher than the sky, and they had the means to accomplish it. The BCPD's answer to the threat of Helheim's Gate had been underwhelming to say the least. Helheim's Gate imported massive amounts of weapons and made honest-to-god superhuman soldiers and Stoick still decided to chase after the only guy that managed to stop that gang so far. They needed to start treating Helheim's Gate seriously, or Berk was doomed.

Another positive aspect of the fact that Night Fury was removing himself from the equation was that it would force Stoick and the BCPD to focus more on Helheim's Gate. Otherwise, knowing Stoick's stubbornness, Astrid feared that Stoick would still concentrate his effort on Night Fury even if Helheim's Gate took the city over.

Despite making the BCPD focus on Helheim's Gate or preventing them from harvesting more Speed Force, Astrid still was not convinced that Hiccup made the right choice.

Truth be told, Astrid also had another selfish reason to want Night Fury to stay. Hiccup no longer was her partner at the BCPD, so they did not work on the same cases anymore. If he also stopped being Night Fury, it would also mean that she no longer had any reason to interact with him as they did before. That she would no longer have either Hiccup or Night Fury at her side every day. She did not want that.

With all of what happened last night, Astrid learned one important thing: no matter what anybody else could say, or how angry she could get at him, Hiccup was her partner. He had her back, and she had his. It took several life or death situations and coming extremely close to dying for her to realize that. She did not want it to be over so soon after having found someone to trust completely.

She wanted him to continue having her back and her his. The idea that he would no longer be at her side deeply disturbed her. She liked having his crooked smile, his sarcastic humor, his crazy ideas, his dry wits and most importantly, she wanted to fight by his side whatever all-powerful organization coming their way. To no longer have him by her side felt unnatural.

It felt intolerable to her. If Stoick forbade her to have Hiccup at her side, then she must have Night Fury instead. There must be a better solution than having Night Fury disappear from Berk. If there was no solution, she would kick Hiccup's butt senseless until he found one.

Armed with her newfound determination, she walked to the parking of the hospital to find her car before remembering that it was Hiccup that dropped her there. Her car was still parked in front of her building. Moreover, it was unlikely that Hiccup would give her another lift.

Grumbling, she walked to the nearby bus stop as her phone started to ring. She grimaced when she saw who was calling her.

Stoick

She knew what he wanted and to be honest she was not looking forward to it.

Astrid took a long breath before resolutely facing Stoick the Vast on the phone.

As she expected, the call was to ask her – no. Scratch that. It was to order her to come to his office immediately and explain why he got a call from the hospital telling him that Night Fury took his best detective to Berk Hospital because of suffocation from gas. Not leaving her any time to say something to defend herself, Stoick told her that she better had a goddamn good explanation by the time she arrives at his desk before hanging up.

The welcome she received when she finally arrived an hour later was less than warm, to put it mildly. Astrid stood straight like a spear in salute as Stoick purposely ignored her. She did not dare to take a seat or stop saluting unless told by Stoick.

After a long moment of tense silence, Stoick finally looked her way.

"At ease. Sit down."

Astrid promptly sat down, but it did nothing to ease her nervousness in front of Stoick. Astrid knew she was in trouble. Even if Stoick usually was partial towards her, Stoick already suspended her three days ago and, before she even came back from her suspension, she was once again convoked into his office for working with Night Fury, the very same reason she got suspended in the first place. The circumstances were not in her favor. Astrid did not dare to say anything before Stoick did.

Stoick glanced at her once before purposefully ignoring her and continuing to read the report in front of him. Only after he completely finished reading the two pages document, signed it and cleanly put it on top the pile next to him, he decided to finally speak.

"Should I even ask?"

Astrid knew full well why she was here and wasted no time to explain herself.

"Sir, the events of last night happened because I-"

However, Stoick interrupted her before she could start.

"Let's go over those events shall we?"

His tone reminded her of the calm before the storm. She could feel that this storm was coming fast as his voice gradually became louder and louder as he slowly narrated of the events of the last night one by one.

"Last night, while you were still on a three days suspension for working with a wanted criminal without the authorization of your superiors or even reported it to said superiors, you went God knows where with the same criminal and ended up in another impossible situation. That situation went so out of control that you needed to be urgently taken to the hospital after you inhaled a large amount of gas and passed out from suffocation. Is that a fair description?"

Astrid wanted to answer, but Stoick still did not leave her the opportunity as he continued his rant.

"And this morning, I received a call from Berk Hospital telling that my best detective – who was supposed to be suspended mind you –was discharged with minor irritation in the lungs after being admitted in urgency during the night. Imagine my surprise when – worried – I asked what happened and was told that they did not have any idea, but I should ask Night Fury as he was the one who brought her there. I'll ask again: is that a fair description?"

His thunderous voice resounded across the room and Astrid could not help but lower her head as she felt Stoick's form kept being more and more imposing despite still seating at his desk.

There was a small silence as Astrid was not sure if Stoick was finished. However, Stoick was not feeling patient today.

"Well?!"

Astrid hurriedly raised her head to meet Stoick's eyes for the first time and tried to give him a satisfying answer. Her future in the BCPD might rest on her explanation. She better make it great.

"Sir, the reason I was accompanied by Night Fury last night was that I received a call earlier in the evening from an informant telling me that he may have found a hideout of Helheim's Gate. Immediately after that I ..."

This time Stoick did not interrupt her and silently listened to all she had to say. He was intrigued about that hideout and wanted to know where this story was going. Without moving a muscle, he calmly listened to Astrid who quickly retold the event of last night as truthfully as possible. She did make a few omission however. Like the fact that Hiccup was Night Fury.

However, Stoick's mood did not improve the further the story went on. He looked especially disturbed when she told him about the large number of Speed Force extractors they found at Double Fold Tree and Co. His complexion went even worse when Astrid described to him the elaborate trap they encountered and how she came very close of dying from suffocation.

"It's even worse than I thought!" roared Stoick when Astrid finished recounting the events. "Such a trap would have been easily avoidable should you have take the appropriate SWAT team. You wouldn't have been trapped in that loading zone long enough for your life to be in danger in the first place!"

Astrid tried to defend herself.

"But sir, if I did that they would have been long gone and we would have never known about the Speed Force extractors! It was absolutely vital we act as fast as possible. The fastest way for me to get there with decent reinforcement was to call Night Fury. Even if he is a wanted criminal, he showed several times that he's willing to work with us. He even fought multiple times Helheim's Gate and proved himself far more efficient than a SWAT team. There was no time to go through the proper procedure and chain of command. Helheim's Gate has always been a step ahead of us, so we needed to move faster than them."

Stoick silently glared at her, but he had to admit that she made some excellent points. He did not dispute the fact that there was no time for the proper procedure. Stoick had been at Astrid's place before, and for a much longer time too. Back in the days, he ignored the proper proceedings more than a few times over guts feeling.

Moreover, he also could not refute that Helheim's Gate had been a step ahead of them the whole time. He knew that against that kind of opponent the only solution was to move faster than them and, as unwilling as he was to admit it, no one was faster than Night Fury. However, Stoick would not be Stoick The Vast if he let it go like that.

"You should still have taken a SWAT team with you! I would have given my authorization to you even without proper explanation. If you had raided that Double Fold whatever company with a full SWAT team, you would have not been in such a dangerous situation with a criminal as only support."

However, Astrid was ready for such critic.

"Do you really think so, sir? If I had taken a SWAT team, it would have only been more dangerous. You know the standard procedure. If we were all locked inside the loading zone, the protocol says to occupy the center of the room in case of attack from multiple points and call for backup to open the room in case of booby trap installed on the exits. We would have never noticed the gas filling the room until it was too late or even managed to identify what type of gas it was. Even if some of the SWAT team was left outside the loading zone, by the time they could free us we would have all died long ago. All the exits were heavily reinforced, it was not something that could be breached in a short time with the standard gear of a SWAT team. Without previous knowledge of that trap, or someone with abilities like Night Fury, no one would have it out alive."

"Even then-"

"Even then what, sir? I should have taken enough time to research the company and the building before doing a reconnaissance mission to spot any trap? With such action, we would have never know that Helheim's Gate made so many Speed Force extractors and that they are using moving trucks to capture Speed Force residues. It is critical information. Who knows how much they managed to obtain so far. I don't have to tell you how dangerous that energy is, especially in the hand of Helheim's Gate."

Stoick still was not convinced.

"It seems that it was quite the risk to obtain such small information. It would have been better not compromising yourself with Night Fury than learning that."

Astrid was shocked at how Stoick so easily dismissed such an important piece of information. Because of that information, not only did it lead to the retirement of Night Fury, but it also gave them an opportunity to act against Helheim's Gate.

"Sir, I strongly disagree. That information is highly important and worth every risk. With that information, we now have several ways to face Helheim's Gate. It is certain that they'll keep using those trucks to harvest more Speed Force. We should install random inspections of trucks driving into the center of Berk, especially near frequent apparition sights of Night Fury. We should also trace all recent acquisition of a large fleet of trucks made since the first known test of Helheim's Gate's Speed Force extractors. With some luck, we might find more company like

Double Fold Tree and Co that were recently bought as a cover for Helheim's Gate. Thanks to the information from last night we finally have some solid leads on Helheim's Gate's activity."

Stoick's body moved deeper into his chair. A look of intense reflection appeared on his face as he stared at the Astrid. She nervously waited for Stoick's answer.

After a long minute of anxious silence, Stoick finally spoke again.

"You're right Astrid. The information was worth the risk. I don't approve of you working with that criminal of Night Fury, but you made the right decision. I want you to immediately start working with that information. Contact all large sellers of trucks in the state and ask them for any recent large command of trucks from companies based in Berk. Investigate those companies and look for all those that were recently bought by others. Also, inform Spitelout of the random inspections you proposed and immediately start the search. Justify it by saying that you are looking for some loot from Crime Day."

Astrid enthusiastically agreed to the orders and immediately stood up to follow them. She knew that Stoick was no longer mad at her.

"Wait!"

Stoick stopped her before she could leave. The commanding tone of his voice stopped Astrid dead in her tracks.

"I'm not finished. I will not pursue the matter of you working with a criminal without authorization while on suspension. However, it does not change your priorities."

Stoick could see the confusion on Astrid's face.

"From what you told me, even if you find the trucks Helheim's Gate use to harvest Speed Force it will not resolve the source of the problem: Night Fury. Helheim's Gate might not solely rest on those trucks, they may have other ways to collect the Speed Force residues. Without Night Fury, there is no Speed Force, and there is no way for Helheim's Gate to grow even more powerful. Apprehending Night Fury is still your number one priority. You can't be working with him anymore, as long as he is out there, he is a danger to Berk whether he wants it or not."

Astrid finally understood what Stoick was saying. Some sadness quickly passed through her eyes. However, she kept it under control so that Stoick did not notice.

"Don't worry sir. Night Fury is no longer a problem."

"Eh? No longer a problem?"

This time it was Stoick's turn to be confused.

"Yes, sir. After last night incident, when Night Fury discovered that Helheim's Day planned the attacks on Crime Day to use him to harvest more Speed Force, he decided that it was better for Berk if he disappeared."

"What?! Are you certain?!"

The resolute face of Hiccup at the hospital flashed through her mind at that moment.

"Yes, sir. Absolutely certain."

"You really think he'll disappear just like that?"

"Yes. Night Fury swore that he would no longer appear in Berk if it meant it would be of help to Helheim's Gate."

Stoick fell silent. He was not expecting that Night Fury would choose to disappear just like that. On one side, Stoick was glad that Night Fury was far from Berk, but on the other hand, it was not how he wanted to accomplish it. He then asked Astrid, the most serious he had been since the beginning of their conversation.

"Do you believe him?"

Astrid did not hesitate for a second.

"Yes, sir. There is no doubt in my mind that he'll do what he said."

Stoick let out a sigh at the conviction on Astrid's face. It seemed like his best detective trusted this criminal a lot more than he initially believed. However, this was a headache for another time.

"Alright. Time will tell us if he'll really do as he said. But if he ever comes back, you have to arrest him. No matter what, he can no longer run in the streets of Berk. We can't afford him making Helheim's Gate stronger."

"Yes, sir!"

Under the scrutiny of Stoick, Astrid showed the same conviction in her answer than before.

With a nod of satisfaction, Stoick moved to the last topic he wanted to discuss with her.

"There is one last subject we need to talk about. Your partner."

A small light of hope shone into Astrid's eyes at Stoick's mention of her partner. One of the resolution she took this morning was to have Hiccup back as her partner at all cost. She knew that she was currently not in the good graces of Stoick and that Stoick would be even more unhappy with her from the events of last night, but she had to try.

"Sir. Are you giving me back Hiccup as my partner? He would really be useful for the investigation..."

Stoick did not miss the hopeful tone in her voice, but he had already made his decision.

"No. It stays the same. Harold is no longer your partner, and he will not work on the Helheim's Gate's case."

Astrid failed to hide her disappointment.

"Then who? Not Snotlout sir?!"

Stoick felt a bit amused by the horror on Astrid's face.

"No, lad. I'm not that cruel. You made your opinion about detective Joggerson very clear the last time he was your partner. Moreover, he would not be of much use to your investigation. I have someone better in mind."

"Who?"

"Detective Ingerman."

She was not expecting that.

"Fishlegs?"

"Yes. Harold might be the best with all that concerns science or some technical gizmos but digging into paperwork is detective Ingerman's forte. He will be far more efficient to help you track those trucks and companies under Helheim's Gate's control than my son."

Astrid could not refute Stoick. Fishlegs was indeed better for that kind of work.

"Moreover, Harold already provided all the scientific expertise we needed. We know how Night Fury's powers work and we also know what Helheim's Gate is actually looking for. We don't need to know more about Night Fury's powers or the Speed Force to catch them. The time for scientific research is over. Now we need actual detective work to stop Helheim's Gate."

"But we still don't know everything about the Speed Force or-"

"It doesn't matter. We know that Helheim's Gate wants the Speed Force and their only source is Night Fury. Now that Night Fury is out of the picture, so is the Speed Force. The only job left is to capture all members of Helheim's Gate and the Speed Force they harvested so far to prevent them from harming the people of Berk. First, we protect our own. Learning about the Speed Force comes later. Is that clear?"

Astrid knew she no longer had any say in this conversation.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You are dismissed. Go see Spitelout and ask detective Ingerman to come to my office."

"Yes, sir."

Astrid left the office after receiving Stoick's instructions. This discussion went better than she had initially thought. Even if she did not manage to get Hiccup back as her partner, Stoick decided to not pursue the events of last night, and Astrid convinced him that Helheim's Gate was the priority to pursue and not Night Fury. Things could have been worse.

While Astrid hurriedly went to find Fishlegs, Stoick was left alone with his thoughts in his office. He was frowning tightly as he mused over what he learned from Astrid.

"So you decided to leave. Don't think it is over. All those who know about the Speed Force either hunted or killed my Valka. No matter which side you are, I will not let you go. After I deal with Helheim's Gate, it'll be your turn Night Fury."

End of the chapter

Sorry for the long wait. Things have been a bit crazy. I initially planned to publish 2 chapters during the holidays but got time for none. As soon as the holidays were over I had a lot of work and an article to write for my PhD so I did not always had the motivation to write when I came back home.

However I want to continue this story, especially because some good stuff is coming. I'll try to do a chapter every 2 weeks again but as it is my last year of PhD I'll often have lot of work to do so don't worry if it takes more times sometimes.

I hope you enjoyed that comeback chapter and Happy New Year everyone !

Thanks for your support this year again.