I don't own H.I.V.E. Mark Walden does.
If I did, I'd be in a volcano. Eating pineapples. And chilling with the nerd herd. You know which one.
The first part of this fic was taken from Chapter Two of Aftershock- the seventh book in the H.I.V.E. series. I (obviously) don't own it. Well I want to own the book (who doesn't?) but I don't have that yet. I got the extract of the chapter from the H.I.V.E. website. You get to read a full chapter! The only thing is, it's chapter two which means chapter one must be a flashback. But about whaaaaaaat? The plot thickens…
The Hunt
The main hall at H.I.V.E. fell silent as Dr Nero walked across the stage to the lectern. Standing in neatly ordered rows on the polished black granite floor in front of him were the third year students of H.I.V.E. They had come from all four corners of the globe but were united by one thing. They were the children who had demonstrated a gift for the nefarious or some talent for villainy, something uniquely special that had attracted the attention of H.I.V.E., the Higher Institute of Villainous Education. They were all being trained in the art and science of villainy, being prepared, upon graduation, to take their place within the organisation known as G.L.O.V.E. The Global League of Villainous Enterprise was the most powerful clandestine group of international mega-villains that the world had ever known. The head of its ruling council, and also the headmaster of H.I.V.E., was Maximilian Nero, the very man who now stood in front of this particular group of students. He wore an immaculately tailored black suit with a white shirt and at his neck was a blood red cravat. Only the wide streaks of silver running through the jet black hair at each temple would have given an observer any hint as to his age.
'Good morning, students,' he said. 'I know that you are all busy studying for the forthcoming exams but I have gathered you here today to make a couple of important announcements. Firstly, we will soon be welcoming some new arrivals to the school. Most will be joining the lower years but a few will be joining you. These students will be unfamiliar with H.I.V.E. and will doubtless require some adjusting to their new home. I know it's unusual for us to take new students into the higher years of the school like this but I will still expect you to ensure that your new classmates are given a warm welcome.'
There was a brief murmur of discussion as Nero paused and scanned the crowd.
'Secondly,' Nero continued, as the students fell silent once more, 'I wanted to inform you that the groupings will shortly be announced for the field assessment exercise or to use the more lurid nickname it seems to have attracted . . . the Hunt. For many years this exercise has been an important part of the training for every student at H.I.V.E. and I have no doubt that some of the older students will have taken great pleasure in informing you about what it entails. For those of you who do not know, the Hunt is an assessment of both your wits and your physical fitness. You will be taken to an undisclosed wilderness location and given a one hour head start before elite G.L.O.V.E. forces, led by Raven, are sent after you. Beyond that there are no rules; you must simply evade capture for as long as you possibly can. In all the years that we have been running the Hunt no one has evaded the trackers for more than twenty-four hours. That is a record I would be delighted to see beaten by somebody in this room. You have one week before the Hunt begins – further details will be sent to your Blackboxes shortly. If you have any questions please direct them to H.I.V.. Please remember that this is merely the first stage of your examinations and, while I understand that the Hunt has a certain notoriety in the school, I do not want you to focus exclusively upon it. Additional time is being allowed within your existing timetables for extra revision periods and I urge you to take full advantage of the opportunity for extra study. I will expect you all to excel in your examinations, failure will have . . . consequences. Dismissed.'
Nero turned and walked off the stage as the students dispersed to their first lessons of the day amidst a buzz of excited chatter.
H.I.V.E.
"That's interesting. I wonder what the new students will be like?"
Laura Brand tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and looked at her companion. Otto was quiet. But then again, ever since Lucy took the bullets for him, he hadn't really been his normal boisterous self. Laura heard the shots every night in her dreams herself. Otto had gradually improved but often she found him in the grappler cavern. Just sitting in the most inaccessible spot and staring at the water.
"Otto?" She sighed and looked around Accommodation Block 9. Shelby and Wing were off doing God knows what, Franz was no doubt in the kitchens/at the vending machines/doing something involving food, and Nigel was probably hiding from Block and Tackle.
She sat down on a nearby couch. Otto sat next to her but for once she didn't feel ecstatic he was near her.
Somehow, Nigel Darkdoom managed to turn his tormentor's skin multi-coloured. She had no idea how he'd done it. The diminutive Darkdoom had been spending a lot of time in the Hydroponics department for the past few weeks. She'd assumed it was because of Lucy's death, which had changed everyone. Who knows what else he had been doing in there. Hopefully another relation of Violet's wouldn't appear. Then everyone would either kill the wee bald lad or feed him to his pet.
All she knows is, one minute they were in the lab and Block and Tackle were (relatively) normal. Then they were walking rainbows. She giggled.
"What's so funny, Brand? You saw your reflection?"
She looked up. Shelby Trinity and her boyfriend Wing Fanchu were smiling down at her.
"Nope, nothing as entertaining as that. I just remembered the sight of H.I.V.E.'s very own walking rainbows."
They all laughed.
Shelby wiped tears from her eyes. "Wow. I mean, that was just great. And it's been three days and they haven't managed to clean it off."
"I love Christmas tree lights," said Wing with a straight face, sending the girl's into peals of laughter, attracting the attention of a rather plump German boy.
"Hey guys. What is being up?" said Franz Argentblum.
"Oh, you know, nothing much."
"Just the sky."
"And the ceiling."
"Don't forget those delightful stalactites!"
"If you're lucky, you might even see a rainbow!"
Franz grinned. "Ja, I liked that sight very much. Speaking of rainbows, where is Nigel? The new students will be in here soon, I think."
Laura looked around. "Oh I think he's there"-
A crowd of third year girls parted to reveal the Darkdoom heir. He said something to them and they giggled. He walked quickly over to his friends, missing one or two of the girls collapse. Otto perked up and smiled evilly. He sensed comedy gold.
"Well, well, well, Mr. Darkdoom. Bored of your fanclub?"
Nigel looked confused. "My fanclub? I don't have a fanclub. At least I don't think I do"-
"Hi Nigel!" said a voice behind him. He turned around. "Hi! Daynah, right? Technical Stream?" The blonde haired girl froze. "You know my name?" Nigel nodded. "Yeah, you're in my Political Science class, right?" She uttered a high-pitched squeal and ran off to her friends who immediately huddled and walked towards the lifts.
"That's the third time this week! It's really creepy!" said Nigel looked really confused.
"You're so like Otto, Nigel," said Shelby. "Oh I agree," said Laura. "A genius in some things but in others…."- "A total retard."
"Thanks, Shel. My self-esteem really needed that one."
"Look! The new students are coming!" said Otto. They all looked and saw Ms. Gonzales, Head of the Hydroponics Department, lead a group of students into the room. She said something to them and left while they sat down on some couches near the waterfall.
.
"Shall we roll out the H.I.V.E. welcome wagon?" Otto smirked.
"Again with this wagon. It makes no sense," said Wing.
They strolled over to the group, who were busy goggling at the large cavern with stalactites, a waterfall and the accommodation block itself. There were five of them. A small Asian girl and a tall, broad-shouldered black boy were conversing with a dark-haired white girl. A girl around Shelby's height was looking around, at anything and anyone. She seemed Hispanic. A pale faced blonde boy then engaged her in conversation.
"Welcome to H.I.V.E., ladies and gentlemen!" said Otto with a smile. "I assume you're the new students?" Without waiting for a reply, he carried on. "My name is Otto Malpense, genius extraordinaire!" "Wouldn't go that far…" someone behind him muttered. Ignoring them, Otto continued on his introductions. "This is Wing Fanchu – he's tall, dark and lacks a sense of humour!" "You will lack something else if you do not keep quiet, Otto." "The fairly intelligent blondie here"- "HEY! WATCH IT!" –"is Shelby Trinity. This bald little munchkin"- "HEY! I'M TALLER THAN YOU!" –"is Nigel Darkdoom. The German trigger-happy dude here is Franz"- "SILENT DEATH!" –"Argentblum. And this amazing red-haired hacker is Laura Brand." "I don't know whether to be pleased that you just complimented me or annoyed that you insulted everyone else." "I'd go with the second one."
"You will never introduce us to anyone again," said Nigel, glaring at Otto. "I agree." Said Wing. "Me too." "Me three." "Me four."
"Anyway, who are you guys?" said Laura, smiling at the new students.
"I'm Vivienne Beauregard," smiled a dark-haired girl with lively violet eyes. Her hair was parted to the side, and the rest of her long tresses were tied back in a long plait. She had an onyx stone tied to the end. Her features were vaguely familiar to Otto.
With a look at her companion, the small Asian girl opened her mouth. "My name is Adeline Yen Li. I'm Chinese." She was petite, with her black hair in an elegant bun. Her brown eyes looked at everyone intently, noting everything.
The broad-shouldered black boy smiled warmly. "Hey guys, I'm Arthur Richardson. But you can call me Arty. I'm from New York." He smiled and his white, perfect teeth flashed. His brown eyes carefully sized everyone up, betraying no emotion.
The Hispanic girl flicked her hair behind her shoulder. "My name," she began, batting her eyelids, "is Nancy Russo. I am from Argentina. Or at least, I used to be, before some crazy Russian woman kidnapped me and brought me to a school for super-villains in a volcano." She scowled.
Shelby grinned. "Yes, it's completely normal, right?" The others laughed and the American was rewarded with a cool smile.
Franz looked at the last newcomer. "What is being your name?"
The pale boy inclined his head regally. "I am Stephen Campbell Parker," he said in an upper-class British accent. His light blue eyes were like shards of ice in his face. His teeth were perfect, as was his smile. He looked at everyone with just a hint of disdain. Here, was someone who had always gotten what he wanted.
"So, some of you guys have to tutor us, right?" said the American boy.
Otto looked sideways at Laura. Tutoring? She shrugged.
Just then everyone's Blackboxes beeped urgently. Shelby flipped hers open to find out….
"I have to tutor you guys? Like, seriously? I had Goddamn better not miss water polo practice….."
H.I.V.E.
"So what do you think of the newbies, Laura?"
Laura looked up from her laptop at her roommate. "I don't know, they seem interesting. I guess we'll get to know them better soon enough."
"The boys are cute but Wing's still cuter. I mean seriously, have you seen his ass?"
Laura tuned out Shelby's endless praise about her boyfriend and focused on the list on her Black box.
Laura Brand must tutor Adeline Yen Li and Nancy Russo in Science & Technology.
Otto Malpense must tutor Arthur Richardson, Stephen Campbell Parker and Vivienne Beauregard in Science & Technology.
Franz Argentblum must tutor Adeline Yen Li, Vivienne Beauregard, Arthur Richardson, Stephen Campbell Parker and Nancy Russo in Simulator Training.
Wing Fanchu must tutor Adeline Yen Li, Vivienne Beauregard, Arthur Richardson, Stephen Campbell Parker and Nancy Russo in Tactical Education.
Shelby Trinity must tutor Adeline Yen Li, Vivienne Beauregard, Arthur Richardson, Stephen Campbell Parker and Nancy Russo in Stealth & Evasion.
Nigel Darkdoom must tutor Vivienne Beauregard and Adeline Yen Li in Hydroponics.
All tutoring is compulsory. Failure to attend will have dire consequences.
Laura tilted her head to the side. This should be interesting…
H.I.V.E.
Vivienne Beauregard sat on her bed in her new room. Her roommate Adeline was in the bathroom. H.I.V.E. seemed strange. And the worst thing was, she was joining in late. And she hated other people getting a better chance at something than she did. Well she was highly competitive. She flicked through one of her textbooks. Then flung it back down again with a sigh. She didn't want tutoring. She didn't need tutoring. And why the hell was she here anyway? Was there anything new H.I.V.E. could teach her? She stretched out her fingers. She certaintly didn't need help in certain things at any rate. Considering what she'd done…
Adeline came in from the bathroom. "What do you think of this place?"
"Apart from I want to run away? Nothing really."
Adeline nodded her head. "Otto Malpense certaintly reacted when I asked him has anyone ever escaped."
Vivienne laughed. "Yes, because jumping in his seat and mumbling that they got dragged back in again is really helpful. I bet he tried to escape before."
"I agree. Laura, Shelby and Wing were jumpy as well."
"If by jumpy you mean widen their eyes fractionally, then yeah. You're quite the observer, Addy."
The Chinese girl raised and eyebrow. "Addy?"
"Everyone deserves a nickname. Now that Nancy seems suspicious…"
Adeline laughed. "You mean she got hit on more than you did at dinner."
"Exactly what I mean."
"I have Hydroponic tutoring with Nigel Darkdoom tomorrow." Adeline leaned in subconsciously. "Do you think he's one of the Darkdooms?" she whispered, eyes wide with curiosity.
Her roommate nodded. "There's no doubt a child from every prominent crime family in this school. Tomorrow should be interesting. Our first full day in H.I.V.E. Now is that scary or what? We should probably get to sleep."
The two quickly got ready to go to sleep but slumber eluded them. Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting.
H.I.V.E.
WAAH! WAAAAAAAAH! WAAH!
The three trumpet notes symbolised the end of another day in H.I.V.E. Doors opened and students poured out. Noise filled the previously silent corridors.
"What did you think of your first day in H.I.V.E., Adeline?" said Franz.
"Oh it was quite different to what I'm used to. We have a cat for a teacher. A big, furry white one." Adeline smiled at him.
"What are you being used to?" he replied.
"My father is an industrialist in Beijing. He remarried over a year ago and my stepmother sent me to boarding school. I've barely seen him since. What about your family?"
Franz looked nostalgic. "I was growing up in a castle in Germany with my biggest extended family. Then I wakes up here. I have not been eating the testers for my father's chocolate company in so long! Where is you living your childhood Vivienne?"
Vivienne looked at the two, her expression angry. "I travelled around a lot. Look, I'll see you guys later." And with that she strode off, losing herself in the crowds.
Franz and Adeline looked at each other, confused.
"What's up with Vivienne?" came a voice behind them. Adeline decided Stephen and Arty were looking far too interested for their own good. "She forgot something in the room. We'll meet up with her later!" she lied convincingly.
Or so she thought.
H.I.V.E.
Author's Note
Ladies and Gentlemen: Chapter Two! The plot thickens….
Who are these mysterious new students? Will they cause trouble for the nerd herd ( I love this phrase!), or shall they be the best of friends (pfffffft. Lame.) ? Will Block and Tackle send the King of the Nerd Herd home in a matchbox? When will the (eventual) baddie appear? And when shall I procure a copy of Aftershock?
Thanks to Ruth for editing (again). Chapter Three shall be coming soon!
cairdiuil paiste
(irish for kid friendly. It's a loooooooong story.)