Chapter 30

"Wait what?!" Hiccup's eyes widened at the sudden news. "Global-what?!"

"Didn't you hear me boy?!" Drago growled. "Global euthanasia! The higher ups and the rich conspired to kill the overpopulation on Earth."

"Can you please stop calling me boy?" Hiccup muttered. "I have a name you know."

"And I'll use it when you stop being such an optimist." Drago stated with what could only be seen as an eyeroll.

"You are basically telling me that the entitled of this planet plotted mass genocide against their own people." Hiccup waved his hand in the air. "Do you know how insane that sounds?"

"Just as insane as people getting transferred into machines?" Drago countered. "Boy, you got yourself tangled up in a bigger conspiracy web than even you know."

"And how do you know about all this?" Hiccup asked as Drago started to reminisce.

-------Flashback-------

Drago was minding his own business in the laboratory when Johann rushed in and locked the doors manually. "What in Thor's name?" Drago asked as Johann's eyes looked wild and full of fear.

"We have to get out of here!" Johann exclaimed as he looked at his colleague. "Where is everyone else?"

"In the breakroom and just what are you on?" Drago asked in suspicion.

"Drago..... Gather the others... we need to get out of here! NOW!" Johann pleaded.

"Why?"

"Because we will all die if we don't." The slightly grey-bearded man uttered so solemnly that it was almost terrifying. Drago, knowing that Johann wasn't much of a joking person, grabbed the satchel on his desk he used to keep his research in. He and Johann were about to leave the labs when the klaxons sounded.

"THOR-DAMNIT!" Johann shouted as he rushed to the door and inputted his code. The code wouldn't work and the two scientists were locked inside as the klaxons stopped momentarily and a familiar voice was transmitted over the speakers.

"Greetings all inhabitants of Arcadia," A female voice filled the room through the speakers. Drago immediately recognized it as Mary Hofferson's. The klaxons only sounded in emergencies like hazard spills or a contamination and Drago wondered what was going on. Almost as if she read his mind she stated over the speakers "I am sure all of you are wondering what is going on."

The laboratories were soundproofed but Drago imagined that many of his colleagues in different areas were shouting "Let us out this instant," He certainly would have if Johann wasn't trying to input his code again.

"Escape is futile," Mary's voice chirped happily over the speakers again. A stark contrast to the dire situation that the scientists now faced. "The Terran Council has decided to revoke all your security clearances and has approved of project Transcendence."

--------End Flashback-----

"Hold up." Hiccup suddenly interrupted. "Project Transcendence?! Just what is that?"

"I have no record of that in the databanks I've been decrypting either." Astrid told both men.

"And you wouldn't either." Drago's gruff voice cut through Hiccup's musings. "The project was scrapped by the council the moment it was proposed. But that didn't stop the Hoffersons from lobbying to get it clearance."

"Why?" Hiccup asked. "What caused it to get turned down?"

"Ethical reasons mostly." Drago folded his arms in front of him as he frowned in thought. "It was basically Mary's pet project. Hank just went along with it. He always was at his wife's beck and call. The theory was that humanity had come to the end of its natural evolutionary path with the planet dying. Project Transcendence would study ways to force human evolution to greater lengths. One of the suggested methods was digitization of the human consciousness. No one thought it was possible. The science didn't exist at that time and even if it did it would mean experimenting on humans."

"So subject J and Astrid were part of this project is what you're saying." Hiccup quickly put the pieces together as he and Astrid continued listening. "What happened after you got locked in the labs?"

"The intruder suppression system activated releasing sleeping gas." Drago muttered. "When I woke up again I was in a cell in the old part of Arcadia."

--------Flashback-------

"Ugh....." Drago groaned as he came too. He was laying on the cold metal floor face down. His body hurt and he thought he might have just been dumped in the room.

When the man managed to stand up, while trying to shake off the after effects of the sleeping agent he noticed that he was in the brig which should have been located in the old Arcadia building. The cell was small and made entirely out of metal. It was also further down the facility so digging out a tunnel to freedom wasn't really recommended. Drago moved to the door, several of his muscles protesting along the way. Once he was looking out of the little open slot where food usually came through he spotted someone else doing the same thing.

"Oh thank Thor," The person in the cell opposite to him exclaimed.

"Hofferson?! What are you doing in there?!" Drago's eyebrows shot up as he recognized the voice of Dr. Finn Hofferson, Hank's brother. The all too cheery scientist that he usually wanted to throttle in the morning before he had his usual dose of caffeine.

"Well currently I'm just chilling in this cold damp cell." Finn could be seen rolling his eyes.

"Will you stop with the sass. You know I hate sass." Drago growled.

"Just trying to lighten the very dark and depressing mood." Finn mumbled. "If you want to know why I'm in here then it's probably for the same reasons as everyone else. It seems we all are going to be Hank and Mary's test subjects."

"But you're their family!" Drago stated with incredulity.

"Which apparently does not give me a free get-out-of-jail card." Finn stated before directing his voice to someone else. "Johann! The grump is awake!"

"Ah, good," Johann came to the door as well. Drago couldn't see him but his voice seemed to be coming from a bit further away. Possibly the cell next to Finn.

"Johann you seem to know what is up here." Drago stated. "Would you care to enlighten us?"

"Ah, yes you see. Well I was having quite an awkward day, having spilled coffee on my notes and shir-" Johann was interrupted when Drago muttered "the short version."

"Very well," Johann sighed. "I overheard Hank and Mary's conversation with the Teran Council."

"There wasn't a meeting scheduled for today." Drago frowned since you couldn't just 'contact' the Terran Council.

"Yes yes. And that made it all the more interesting and suspicious." Johann stated. "So naturally I decided to have a quick listen."

Johann could be heard making a 'hmm' sound before he continued. "I overheard the Terran Council asking Is it destroyed? Now naturally I was wondering what they were discussing. Hank answered saying the last of the Midas research and drug have been safely disposed of."

"They had samples of the Midas drug in this facility?" Drago asked astonished. "We were told there wasn't any left. Do you know how much faster our research would have progressed." He growled out.

"They weren't supposed to have samples. At least not anymore." Finn muttered as Drago's eyes fell on him.

"What do you know?" The gruff man now asked with suspicion.

"My family has been working in this facility for years." Finn stated.

"Of course. The Hoffersons are one of the founding families of Arcadia. That is old news." Drago stated annoyed.

"I am saying they were here when this place wasn't Arcadia." Finn stated. "A newer facility was built on top of this place that used to be a military missile silo. It was here that they developed Midas in the past but a fire broke out and destroyed all records and samples."

"Convenient if you ask me." Johann stated. "But that is beside the point. The next part is the most interesting." This got the attention of both men as Drago craned his head so he could hear better. "Now I overheard the Council talk about delaying Project Re-genesis because the population on the planet was still higher than they expected. It seems we all here had been deceived. We weren't working for the betterment of humanity but for its end."

"What are you blathering about old man." Drago huffed. "Why would they want the population to be lowe-"

"Ah, I see you've caught on." Johann stated. "It took me a while to figure it out as well but from what I overheard it seems the Midas drug is more sinister than we thought. It isn't supposed to just lower the pregnancy rate. With each generation, the drug becomes stronger until all of the people on this planet are rendered entirely infertile and we die out. The project apparently got delayed because the tests showed that the human body was more resilient than they thought."

"If all the humans were wiped from the Earth and then the automated terraforming began........." Finn could be heard muttering. "Then the only people benefiting from it would be the Terran Council and the other space colonists."

"Now that's just ludacris!" Drago uttered. "What you're suggesting is a conspiracy spanning several generations which entails the deaths of billions!"

"But is it really that farfetched?" Finn mumbled. "It's the rich and powerful that went up into space. "The politicians, the industrialists, basically the greedy. The more you think about it the more it seems like we were played with to do their bidding. If their descendants came back to Earth do you think the people here would welcome them with open arms? Do you think that anyone would share resources with them?"

"It's a lot to process." Johann said.

"What about my brother and his psycho wife?" Finn wondered.

"Well that's an awful thing to say about your dear sister-in-law." Was suddenly spoken and Drago bent back down to the latch. His eyes widened when he saw Mary standing there with a tablet. Hank was nowhere to be seen however.

"How about sociopath, insane, cookoo, nuts, needs-a-straight-jacket." Finn uttered with contempt in his voice. "Were you working for the Terran Council as a spy?"

"Oh, no no." Mary laughed. "The Hoffersons and my family have always worked for the council. You were just never told how deep any of the family members were since you were adopted."

"Why have you done this to us?!" Drago now asked as he banged his fist against the door.

"Why?" Mary mumbled. "Well, the Council is cleaning house and I needed test subjects." She told him bluntly. "It's a win win for both of us."

"Mary, they're playing you! What's stopping them from getting rid of you and Hank once you finish doing their bidding?" Finn tried to convince her.

"I know the Council can't be trusted." Mary shrugged. "This is just a you scratch my back, I scratch yours situation. Besides they wouldn't dare harm me or Hank. I made sure that we have an insurance policy. Now why don't we get started with my little project."

--------End Flashback------

"This insurance policy." Hiccup said once Drago finished the recount of events. "It's the Midas drug samples isn't it."

"Most likely." Drago muttered. "I would have been studying all these years to find a cure if I actually had an original sample."

"How about we make a trade?" Hiccup suggested. Internally he didn't want to do this but looking at the man's behaviour he might not have a choice.

"What?!" Drago muttered while lifting a brow in confusion.

"You help me clone a body for Astrid. In return I'll hand over the drug sample." Hiccup suggested.

"Boy.......... I do have to ask." Drago smirked suddenly. "Does your girlfriend even want a human body?"

"What?" Now it was Hiccup's turn to be perplexed.

"She's immortal." Drago stated. "Immortal and with access to information anyone would dream of. She doesn't get sick either. Why throw that all away........... For a boy."

"Why don't you ask me directly?" Astrid's voice suddenly filled the room. "I don't like it when you talk about me as if I am not here."

Drago lifted a brow and then asked again. "Well do you? Are you really going to give up immortality for a boy? One you've known for less than a month?"

"I would," Astrid stated without hesitance. "Hiccup's worth it."

"Answering without hesitance," Drago said and sounded mildly impressed. "Teenage love....... It's often foolhardy and can get you into quite a bit of trouble. It might even save this planet. Just don't go regretting your choice in the end." He warned.

"Don't worry," Astrid said with conviction. "I won't."

AN: Welp........ I just came down with the flu....... Time to down some major fluids..... >_< (This puts some kinks in my April fools prank at my University. I was totally gonna go out with a bang)