Authors Note: A friend pointed out that I haven't put a disclaimer on this, so here goes..
Sadly I do not own the H.I.V.E series or characters, but if you would like to help me track down and abduct Mark Walden to make him give me ownership, then I shall be glad for your help. This is dedicated to Chameleons who commented first. I hyave had 3 people proof read this for me so hopefully grammar and stuff will be better. Fingers crossed. Will update as soon as I can.
Franz, screaming, grabbed Nigel, and pushed him in front of him as a shield. Suddenly, Otto appeared in the doorway behind Raven.
"Raven", he gasped, "Don't kill them please; we need them if we are going to get Laura back."
As though he had pressed a pause button, everybody froze and stared at Otto. "This better be good, Malpense", Raven growled as she lowered her katanas, "Explain."
Otto sighed in relief and gestured for them to follow him into the house. Once in the house, he opened a news website and pointed at an article as though it was the greatest discovery since sliced bread. "Umm, Otto," Shelby said, "Don't mean to burst your bubble or anything, but that is a newspaper article about a dead man."
"Not just any dead man", Otto replied smugly, "That particular dead man is named John Baken, a low time dealer in stolen goods and information".
"Did he tell you where Laura is?" asked Wing looking excited. "Umm, no, but he told me where I can find out, and he also told me a bit more about the Furan family."
With those words he began to explain.
3 days before:
Otto walked down the dim street. The sun was just beginning to come up, although Otto didn't notice. He was more worried about what Raven would do when she discovered that he taken the shroud.
"Mr Malpense?" came a voice from the shadows. Otto turned and stared into the shadows of the alley.
"Mr Baken, I assume?" he asked as a man detached from the shadows.
"You wanted to know about the Furan family?" John Baken said, "Dangerous business asking about them you know, powerful family." He sounded scared, Otto realized, not of him, but of the Furans.
"You are scared of them, why?"
"Of the Furans, of course not. Well not much anyway," the man sounded shocked, "I am more worried about the council."
"The council?" Otto asked confused; in all his inquiries he hadn't heard of a council.
"Yep, you see the Furans weren't always the Furans, they took that name, the name that all runners of the Glasshouse had to take 25 years ago when they were 23, been in charge of that place ever since. Their real name is Mercer, and they were part of a chosen few called the Students that were trained at the Glasshouse of their own free will. Are sure you want me to hear this, the Mercer family are very protective of their secrets. They will kill you, Mr Malpense."
Otto hesitated, just for a second, before replying.
"Tell me everything."
So he did.
The safe house:
"You mean," Shelby said, "There are more of them?"
"Yeah", Otto said, "Look at the article. His body was found by some school kids as they cut through the alley; police believe that he was killed shortly after dawn."
"Never leave this house without me again," Raven snapped, realizing what that meant before anyone else, "They are probably already trying to find you."
New York:
Julia Mercer sighed as she slipped out New York penthouse window, she could already hear the police sirens. "Another job done, time to sleep," she thought as her phone beeped. A picture of a white haired boy was on screen, she looked at the name Otto Malpense. No location just a warning. Boy must be brought to council unharmed for questioning. Raven is guarding him, kill her.
