Chapter 19: Base Camp

“The camp is just up this road,”Allan said, constantly looking down at his GPS.

Being put as the tracker did make him a little antsy. 

“This road looks pretty steep. How long?” he asked.

“A little over a mile. Mr.Haddock does mention that there is a . . . gas station?”Peter said, looking rather confused at the directions. 

I looked over Peter’s shoulder and the gas station seemed to be a,”Garage. There is a garage that holds a automobile that can take us up the hill,”I concluded.

We walked to the base and saw the fault line. I ran my hand over the fault and felt a button. Of course, I pressed it. The rock lifted up like a regular garage would and inside were . . . “Snow bikes! Pretty fancy,”Chelsie said.

There seemed to be only three. 

“I will get one snow bike. Melana, you share with Peter. Chelsie, you share with Allan,”I directed. 

They nodded and ran off to their bikes.

---------------------------------------------

Peter held onto Melana tightly as the bikes climbed higher and higher up the road. As they were barely at the center of the peak, the air became very frosty. 

Just as the road turned off into the cave, a wave of heat hit Peter. He took a sharp intake of breathe, confused on where this heat is coming from. It wasn’t very near but he could tell that it was very strong.

But  . . . how can I tell? He thought, very confused. 

His confusion only made the heat more annoying and unbearable. He became very clammy and his hair was matted in sweat, despite the cold weather. 

Melana could feel Peter heating up.

“Are you okay?”Melana asked.

“So . . . hot,”Peter said, fighting to keep his eyes open.

Immediately, Melana knew something was wrong and sped past Elysie.

“What are you doing?”Elysie yelled.

Melana couldn’t reply, all she knew was to get to the base. Peter could slowly feel the heat reside and the cold come back in as they sped farther up the peak. 

What was that? He thought.

Peter limply held on to Melana as they neared a sealed automobile door. Melana turned around and helped Peter sit near the rock wall. He shivered slightly but didn’t care after a while. 

Soon enough, the team caught up.

-------------------------------------------

I pushed my bike to the limit when I saw Melana speed off with a unresponsive Peter

“What’s wrong?”I asked as I halted my bike when I was in the entrance. Soon enough, Chelsie and Allan’s bike halted after me. 

“I don’t know. Peter got really hot even though it was super cold,”Melana said.

“Is he still hot?”I asked as I walked over to her.

“Not anymore.”

I paced around a little.

What if that heat was heat from starstuff? But, only a Watcher can sense that. None of us experienced any extreme heat . . . except him.

“Let’s just get inside,”I said.

Allan and I walked up to the door and typed in the code written on the blueprints. The doors slide open to reveal a dimly lit hallway with a door at the other end. We walked up to the door and typed in another code. We heard a low hum as the doors opened. The room lit up with monitor and controls of the entire island. 

A dome of security. 

We all walked around in amazement.

Melana and Chelsie helped Peter sit down in one of the chairs. 

“Wow,” he muttered, also in amazement.

“Yes. But before we move on, what happened back there?”I asked, kneeling in front of Peter.

His eyes flashed with fear and confusion. 

“I really don’t know. Once we were at mid peak, there was a rush of heat that felt so unreal,”he explained. 

Then he looked at me, hands shaking. “Elysie, what’s wrong with me? The flying, dreams, and heat . . . what’s happening to me? I feel like you know more about it then I do.”

I sighed and looked at the ground. I glanced to the other agents.

They need to know too.

“I will tell you the truth,”I said, looking Peter straight into the eyes, as if those eyes didn’t bore a hole into my soul already.

Chapter 18: Skeleton

The team decided to rest the night at the Haddock’s house, planned to set out first thing to the security base.

Peter kept his tossing and turning on a shark mattress that he was forced to sleep on. 

How was this considered as comfortable?

He couldn’t stop thinking about the evens that happened today. Apparently his gut feeling was right. Somehow, the Starcatchers are in this mission and from his dreams, he can’t help but know that he will play a big role. He knows the Others took the Haddocks because there were no signs of break in. 

Which Others are we up against? Peter thought to himself as he slowly let himself fall into a deep sleep.

------------------------------

He remembered Wendy’s words. Leave us behind if you have to. Just don’t let him get the stone.

He started to crawl back the way back he and others had come, away from the struggle. Slowly, he rose to his feet and shuffled forward, feeling for the wall in the utter blackness. Behind him the shouts continued. He heard Wendy scream. And then an odd sound, a deep rumbling, then a fearsome roar. The sounds of struggle increased, a confusing mix of shouting and banging. Peter listened for a minute, paralyzed, then again started shuffling away from the noise. 

Stop!

Tink’s urgent chime was right in his ear. Peter froze.

Close your eyes.

Knowing what was coming, Peter shut his eyes tight. Through his eyelids he saw the brilliant flash. He opened them just as the flash ended, and saw the reason for Tink’s alarm. 

The hooded man was in front of him, not even three feet away. His back to Peter.

Either he had been looking the wrong way, or he had somehow known that the flash was coming. It had not blinded him. 

He was turning around . . . as the last of Tink’s light faded, Peter saw the gaping hole where a mouth should have been, the empty socket, the lone yellow eye . . . 

The claw-hand reaching out . . .

Peter screamed and turned. In the blackness, he stumbled away from the hideous thing,

-------------------------------------

“Peter,” she said

He didn’t move.

“We’re going to need you tonight,” she said.

His head snapped up. His eyes red, his face tear-streaked. 

“Why?” he said. “So I can fail again?”

“Peter, it wasn’t your fault. That man, or that thing, whatever it was, would have been too much for any of us.”

“I ran away, Wendy. I left the stone. I left Tink. I left Tink. Because I am afraid of him. I am afraid of him.”

--------------------------------------

Peter screamed, and it wasn’t a quiet one. He gripped the sides of the shark mattress as he tried to ease the entire dream away. 

But all he could think of is the hooded figure. That figure who scared the wits out of him, even in his dream

“Peter?” called out a familiar voice. Though Peter still flinched like he was about to run.

“Woah, woah, dude, I’m no ghost,”Allan joked.

“Oh, it’s just you,”Peter panted.

“Wow, that’s hurtful,”Allan said, then noticed Peter’s odd behavior. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh nothing. Just a nightmare. Just a normal nightmare,”Peter said, mostly to himself.

“Ah, I see,”Allan said. “Yea, this place does give you the creeps.”

Peter just nervously laughed.

“Well, get some sleep. You will need it,”Allan said.

“Yea, night.”

--------------------------------------

A hooded figure stood at a cliff, waves rumbling below him. 

The figure smiled, whatever was left of his smile that it.

“He’s here,”he rasped. “He’s here.”

Chapter 17: Berk

I tied the last knot to keep out boat on the ancient dock. We all had to put on our coats since the temperature dropped dramatically after we enter Berk waters. 

The first sign.

I took out my sniper and Chelsie did the same.

“Do . . . do we get one?”Allan asked.

I nodded and tossed both boys a couple. Their faces broke out in grins as they played with the guns in their hands. Probably excited to use a weapon since the juniors at JUSS just train.

I really don’t blame them. Training is boring.

We slowly walked into the abandoned village area. Most of the buildings were worn away: rotted wood, cracks, and broken windows. The village seemed to be from the Viking era since there was a forge filled with trashed weapons and dragon gargoyles. Allan tried to grab one of the weapons but I snapped at him. 

I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that we were being watched. Specifically by the Others.

“So, their home is on top of the hill. Commonly known as the Chieftain house since the chiefs used to live there,”I directed.

We walked up the hill and arrived at the steps of the home that seems more refurbished then the rest. I slowly opened the door, its creaks echoing through the silent home. 

Once we got inside, we saw furniture thrown about, plates broke, and stuff thrown everywhere.

“An ambush?”Allan whispered.

“Yea,”I murmured back.

I looked around, trying to find any clues of where they went. Apparently shadows don’t leave any evidence. But I am not going to explain it to the newbies.

“Search the upstairs,”I commanded.

Chelsie lead the way as we walked upstairs to the two rooms. The first room to our right seemed to be Mr.Haddock’s room. We searched throughout his entire room for any clues.

“Wait! I found something,”Allan said.

I walked over to Allan as he held a coffee stained notebook.

“Inside, it explains where the base is and how to get there. Lots of blue prints though,” he continued. 

“Great job,”I said.

“Umm, I don’t know if this is going to help but there are some interesting things in the kid’s room,”Peter shouted from the other room.

“He already searched it?‘Chelsie said, surprised that Peter checked there without orders. 

“Deal with it,”I said.

We walked into the room and saw Peter next to an open floorboard next to one of the beds.

“What did you find?”I asked.

Peter pulled out a large book, a ancient piece of some sort of faded red fabric, and a ancient notebook.

“What’s this?”

We opened the book and notebook and all it read in sticks. 

“Old Norse. Haha, the only language we never learned,”Chelsie commented. 

“This book is the Book of Dragons according to Asia. She told me that Berk used to be inhabited by dragons,”Peter said.

“Really?”

He nodded and flipped to a page with a black dragon and a boy.

“The writer of this book is a young viking who I forgot the name of. He trained the dragons and brought peace. It is said that he is one of the most famous chieftain of Berk.”

“Wait . . . you don’t mean,”Allan started then pointed to the pictures of the viking boy pressing his palm on the dragon’s snout,”that this boy is Hiccup and the dragon is Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon.”

“No stickin’ way,”Chelsie and Peter said.

“The movie,”I questioned.

“Yes. This means that this red thing is Toothless’s tail and the notebook is Hiccup’s”Allan said.

“Unbelievable,”Chelsie kept sayinf.

“Snap out of it,”I said.

I took the notebook from Peter and opened it. It had many drawings and a lot of writing. I took out my phone which had a sight translator. 

“When did you get that?”Chelsie asked.

“ A month ago. Don’t have it? Too bad,”I teased.

The pages mostly read about information of dragons and ‘flight training’. The last few pages caught my eye. And strangely, it was in really horrible English handwriting.

It read - Mission: Stuff. 

I read it aloud to the team:

I was told not to journal about this but I feel like I really should.

The stuff is located where the forbidden happened.

Beneath the picture, under the stars.

*Gosh I sound like Hamish the Second*

“A riddle? Hiccup left us a stupid riddle? Why can’t he write like, clear instructions? Did he train  people with riddles?”Chelsie complained.

“Cool it, we will figure it out somehow,”I said.

“The forbidden. If we find out where that is, we are good,”Peter said.

There was a moment of silence. 

“The cove,”Chelsie said. 

“What?”I asked. 

“Hiccup made a forbidden friendship with Toothless in a place known as the cove. And the picture must be the picture he drew with Toothless.”

“What about the star?”Allan asked.

“Sign of the Starcatcher. This sign usually leads to . . . starstuff. Which means that Hiccup somehow had connections with the Starcatchers to obtain the starstuff,”I concluded.

Everyone looked shocked.

Chapter 16: The Journey Begins

It’s Saturday and it’s the day we set out to our journey. Currently, I am double checking that the new agents have all their stuff.

“Jacket?”I asked.

“Check,” chorused the other agents.

“Gloves?”

“Check.”

“Hand wa -,”but interrupted by Chelsie,”Check, can we please continue?”

“Yea, whatever. Berk isn’t the warmest tropical island in the world,”I noted.

“We know. I wish Melana didn’t have to go to her grandma’s funeral.”

“well, it is her grandma . . .,”Peter added.

“So what? If she were here, we wouldn’t be listening to Elysie’s constant babbling.”

I just rolled my eyes. 

“So, what’s our transportation?”Allan asked.

“We are going to fly to Scotland and take a small boat to Berk,”I said.

The boys nodded.

“So . . . we ready?”I asked.

“Ready,”the entire team said.

-----------------------------------

“Does this boat have any food?”Allan complained, looking everywhere to find  a good piece of food. 

“No, because it is a old rusty fisherman’s boat that no one used since the 50’s,”Peter replied.

“Perfect.”

I looked over the map of Berk, trying to locate the possible base. Calvin had planted a security base in the middle of Berk peak to monitor all activity on the island. How we are going to find it and get there is a whole other story.

“So, any background you can give us about our destination?”Peter asked.

“So . . . I have to be true right now on why we are actually here, right?”I mumbled.

I heard Peter gulp and fidget a little.

He knows something.

“So, there is a family who takes care of this island. They are called the Haddocks and there is only a father and two kids. We don’t know what happened to the mother but we are assuming that she is dead. They have recently no been in touch with their organization for three days and has raised alarm.”

“What organization?” Allan asked.

I hesitated for a little until I said,”the Starcatchers.”

Peter took a harsh intake of breathe and starting coughing. Like this entire subject is harsh on Peter. 

Dad is right. Something is up with this kid.

“Our job is to find the family and secure their security.”

“Seems pretty easy to me,”Chelsie said.

“So, Asia and Paul are missing? Man, I love those kids,”Allan said.

“Only because Paul believed everything you said,”Peter added.

“Because he knows who’s boss, unlike you.”

“Yea, like you ever will be a boss at anything.”

While Peter and Allan bickered about each other, I just couldn’t help but pray that they will stay safe until we get there. 

Somehow I know that this island will be infested with Others and there may be a leader that I am not looking forward to seeing. 

After an hour, the peak of Berk could be seen from our location and strangely, the waves quieted.

The cold set in.

We’re here.

Chapter 15: Oceans

It’s finally Friday night, a day right before we set out to Berk. 

My favorite thing to go to is youth group at my church. Tonight, I decided to drag some additional persons. 

“Why do we have to waste out time hearing a man talk?”Allan complained. 

“Can’t we go to a bowling alley or something?”Peter added.

“Because you guys need to be reenergized,”I said.

“By an ancient book?” Peter questioned.

“Yes, because the Bible knows more then you think.”

--------------------------------------------

In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus,”Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed had withered!”

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.

“I will tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea’, and does not doubt it in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins. - Mark 11:20-25

“From this small chunk of Mark, you see Jesus talking about faith over a withered fig tree. From last week’s study, the tree is used as an example for his disciples. In Mark 11:12-14, Jesus passed by a fig tree, hungry. Seeing that the fig tree had no figs, he said to the tree “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” The next day, it withered. But this passing example of the fig tree is an example of humans at times. 

Have you ever made a promise and just flaked out at times? For example, you promised your best friend that you will help them with a school project but you always give an excuse not to because you need to take care of your own. This is what this passage is talking about, but on a deeper level.

The fig tree is us, when we believe in God, we promise him that we are all in. Ready to get our hands dirty for his glory. But when he expects something out of us that we don’t want to do or think we can’t do, we don’t do it. Thus, we bear no fruit. And as you can see from this passage, believers who bear no fruit are no good. If you don’t bear fruit, you probably might not reach the kingdom of God. 

You may be asking, how can I bear fruit?

Well, first of all, you have to give your life to Christ. 

But that’s the first step. There is more afterwards. 

Everyone should take note of this: A believer must always have faith to back up their belief.

If you don’t have faith in God, why did you believe in him in the first place? 

You become the one flaking out in your promise. 

That’s how Jesus explains it to his disciples. He told them to “Have faith”, because that is one of the most important factors of the Christian life. 

Jesus used the example of a mountain throwing itself into the sea. And it did. This is a example of how God’s capabilities are endless. If a mountain can be able to jump into the sea, we sure can do what God wants us to do. 

As believers, God calls us to do certain jobs for him. And he wants us to follow through. Sometimes they seem absurd, but we have to believe that we can do it with God’s help because in the basic verse of Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things in Christ, who strengthens me”; through Christ, we can do anything. If it’s His will. If it’s our, probably not. 

Another thing Jesus brought up is prayer. 

If you are having a difficult time, ask him for help. Believe that it will actually go higher than the ceiling and that someone is listening in the other end because I can tell you a 100% of the time, God hears your every prayer. And he will answer. 

Jesus used this explain before in Matthew 7:7-8 ;

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Finally, the last thing Jesus mentioned is to forgive. 

Forgive your enemies as He forgave you. 

You may know some really difficult people in your life that you are not that forgiving too. They may bully you, say snide remarks, or just act flat out not-so-nice with you. Even though you want to hate them so much, you have to learn to love them. If you don’t have a loving heart towards your enemies (which is really hard), you will have no loving heart in your service. 

Our main job is to bring others to Christ. Which means we have to have a open and forgiving heart to everyone like Jesus does. This doesn’t mean that we will be like Jesus because we will never be like him, but we are to be examples of him. I am pretty sure that Jesus didn’t forgive us because we were nice. We were probably real jerks in his eyes. Sinning all over the place. But he died on the cross and forgave us of our sins anyways. He loved us so much that he died for the sins of people that weren’t even born yet. 

So have an open heart and mind and forgive/love your enemies and neighbors. That shows an example of Jesus Christ working in your life because sinners would never think of loving on their enemies. 

To conclude our message, remember: Through faith, we will be able to shine the work of God to the people around us.”

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) - Hillsong 

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown

Where feet may fail

And there I find You in the mystery

In oceans deep

My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand

Will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You’ve never failed and You won’t start now

So I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters 

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander 

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

So I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

Chapter 14: Is This Real?

Peter kept looking across the room, towards his neatly folded JUSS uniform which had a really dull green color.

Why can’t it be the cool black color like the elites? Probably be I am a “junior” elite.

To Peter, it makes no sense. Either you are an elite or not, there can’t be any in between. 

The whole apollo has taken his life by storm. All the plans he made with his team (Elysie, Melana, Chelsie, and Allan) made his mind so overwhelmed. 

This apollo doesn’t seem right through. He has a feeling that this apollo is more then it seems. That it’s more important top him then it seems. It gives him a sense of fear. A fear that his inner feeling thinks is true.

He shakes it off quickly.

 Stop psyching yourself off. Just go to sleep.

Peter laid back in bed and slowly dozed off. Again, not knowing that another dream is about to haunt him further.

--------------------------------

Peter picked up the sword.

“Get into the front car,”he said. “Everybody.”

“What are you going to do?”said Wendy.

“The only thing that will stop them,” he said, looking at the chest.

“Peter,”said Wendy,”you can’t.”

“Please,”said Peter,”I’ll be all right. This is our only chance. They’ll have us in another minute.”

There was no argument to that.

“Go to the front, and stay away from the passageway,”said Peter. “Mr.Magill, when I tell you, call Karl.”

Reluctantly, the others went into the front car. Peter holding the sword, positioning himself next to the chest. Karl, still snarling had been backed up halfway through the cart. The Skeleton came relentlessly forwards, followed by the guards and Ombra. Peter tried not to look at the glowing eyes, He knew they were looking at him. 

Another station flashed past.

Peter took a breath, then turned to Magill.

“Now!”he shouted. 

Magill growled something with a roar, Karl reared up on his hind legs, took a massive swiped at the Skeleton, then spun and ran past Peter, into the front car.

Now Peter stood alone next to the chest. He tapped the lock with the sword.

“If you come any close,”he said. “I’ll break it open.”

The Skeleton hesitated. 

Ombra spoke, his groan coming through the charred hole that had once been von Schatten’s mouth: “You don’t know that the sword will break the lock..”

“You don’t know that it won’t,”said Peter.

A moment of silence. Another station flashed past. The train rocked violently as it rounded a curve it was not to take at such a high speed. Peter staggered sideways, then caught himself. 

Ombra moved forward, toward the Skeleton. The guards spread to the sides of the car. Ombra groaned something, too low for Peter to hear. Peter gripped the sword tightly and drew it back. 

There was an urgent sound from Tink, and at the same instant the two creatures moved toward Peter, the Skeleton to his right and Ombra to his left. With all his strength, Peter swung the sword at the lock. The two piece of metal clashed together in a brilliant cascade of sparks; there was a clattering sound as the tip broke off and fell to the floor. A light whiter than white filled the car.

-------------------

Bam!

Peter groaned loudly when he connected with the floor. He slowly rubbed his eyes and noticed that there was something under his bed, Something shiny.

He slowly reached out and touched the shiny thing. 

It felt really warm. Then he grabbed it and felt it cutting into his hand.

“Ouch!” he mumble and drew back his hand with a hiss.

He looked at his palm and blood was quickly dripping out of the slit in his hand. 

He then again, tentatively reached for the tip, not wanting to cut his other hand. 

When he looked at it in bright moonlight, he knew what it was.

The Sword of Mercy. 

Then he remembered the dream. 

“Ahh!” He yelled a little too loudly as he dropped the tip and backed up into the wall, away from the tip.

Was that dream real? Why is the tip here? What is happening? Why is this happening?

All Peter could do is look in fear at the tip. All he could think is why the tip was still there, gleaming in the middle of the room. 

Was that nightmare real? Was he actually in that dream?

Was it really real?

Chapter 13: New Schedule

“On three,” Peter said, dangling by his legs on the roof of the school. 

There were three boys who were currently running away from the school officials for selling drugs. 

Peter’s plan: eat their dust, literally.

Right when they were a few feet from the tree, Allan let go of Peter’s leg and Peter flipped continuously towards the ground. His legs kicked the first two guys to the ground while Allan finished off the third. After their stunt, they immediately sprinted away, leaving the boys to the officials.

----------------------

Peter rounded a alleyway near the school and took deep breathes to calm his frantic breathing. 

“Dude, that was awesome,”Allan said breathlessly.

“Yea,”Peter replied. 

Once they got their breathing back in control, they strolled casually into their schools, as usual, like the entire ambush never fazed them. 

This part of their day is called action, it is very common in their schedule. 

What comes next is very new.

---------------------------

“19 . . . 20!”Allan yelled in desperation after doing twenty pull ups on a bar over a foam pit. 

This part of their day is called training. 

Ever since they joined the JUSS, everything was training in knowledge and physical ability. Nothing exciting. 

“When do we get to do the guns and stuff?”Peter asked, getting himself ready for his set of pull ups.

“That’s at the next level, which the test isn’t towards the end of this month.”

“Darn, training is so boring.”

-----------------------------

After their long hours of training, they finally were able to leave the base. 

When they neared the entrance, they saw the same three girls who recruited them a couple of days ago.

“Hey,”Allan said.

“Hey, can I talk to you two for a minute?”Elysie asked.

They nodded.

“So I saw your stunt today and I have come to a conclusion.”

Peter motioned her to continue.

“I talked with the JUSS and we have arranged an apollo to a remote island near Scotland. This mission is just securing bases and setting up security systems, no big danger involved. I have been given the permission to assign you two as temporary agents for this apollo.”

“This rarely happens so take this as a honorable privilege,”Chelsie said.

“Why us?”Peter asked. 

“You shown capable abilities,”Melana replied.

“But when are you going to need it?”Allan asked.

“That can be explained further once you accept this apollo,”Elysie said.

Peter and Allan looked towards each other and shrugged.

“Sure, we’re in,”Peter replied.