Chapter Eight
Author's Note:
Short chapter but wait until you read what's ahead. The death scene is awesome!
This chapter is dedicated to BlueEminems because she buys me oreos and she is God! (DEDICATION HIIACK ALERT)Thank you so much ; )
Quick recap: Several months after the events of Zero Hour, new students have come to fill up the depleted ranks of H.I.V.E. Otto & Co befriend some of them as they prepare to leave for the Hunt – a wilderness exercise in Siberia. They eventually arrive (after Otto is knocked unconscious and Franz and Wing attack each other with permanent markers), but disaster soon strikes….Shelby and Nancy (a newbie) fall into a river and Wing makes the others go on without him as he tries to save them. Ah! Nobility! ; ) Franz and Laura are swept away in an avalanche of their own creation. Otto, Stephen, Arthur and Adeline are captured along with some PoliFi, SciTech and Henchman students. Nigel and Vivienne are left to be chased by the group that captured their friends…
Disclaimer: I don't own H.I.V.E. – Mark Walden does. I unfortunately don't own a super duper secret underground facility hidden in a volcano. I don't get enough pocket money to pay the rent….
H.I.V.E.
Raven frowned. And crouched down to look at indentations in the snow. Someone had fallen, and subsequently had been dragged away.
The G.L.O.V.E. operatives around her shifted their weight uneasily, giving each other dark looks. This was the sixth site so far. They had all wondered what Raven was capable of (who hadn't?) and knew she would not be above taking out her frustration on them.
Raven stood up. "There were six people here. Two were much lighter than the others. Seven hid out of their line of sight–" she pointed to disturbances in the snow behind a number of trees "–and were significantly heavier than at least four of the original six. It seems that two fell down this hill," she peered down a steep slope descending into the dense fog "–and shortly after that the seven subdued I think four – no, three. And then–" she stopped, distracted by a dark red stain on a root protruding through the snow. She carefully sifted through the snow, though for what the operatives didn't know.
She froze. Concealed underneath at least a foot of snow was a congealed pool of blood. A foot or two away was a large blood drop. And then another. And another. Raven followed the trail to the top of the hill. She looked down into the fog, searching for answers which wouldn't come to her.
Raven gave a look to the men and women surrounding her. And pointed to three of them. "You. Check down at the bottom of that hill. Report back as soon as possible."
They gave her a curt nod and filed down the slope.
A crackle came from her radio. ..::Raven, this is Op324, Beta Team. We followed the trail and found evidence of another altercation with the students.::..
Raven fumed in silence. The operatives closest to her face palmed.
"How do you know they were H.I.V.E. students?" barked the Russian.
..::A student tore off a lapel from their jumpsuit. There was a muddy fingerprint which we indentified to be Otto Malpense's.::..
Rustling from behind indicated the return of the three she had sent away earlier. Raven heard a collective gasps from the men and women surrounding her.
She turned slowly.
It must be bad if people who had seen and done so much in their careers were to show any emotion. Even worse if they made a sound.
The black clothed figures stopped before Raven. The tallest was flanked on either side by the others. The two held a soaking wet bag and a bloody knife.
But that wasn't the thing that immediately caught Raven's attention.
In the arms of the tallest man rested the body of a young Hispanic girl. Her grey jumpsuit was torn and bloody. Congealing blood surrounded a vicious looking wound in her stomach.
Raven looked at her subordinates in desperation but a curt shake of one's head slaughtered her futile hope.
Esmeralda Ruiz was placed in a body bag and concealed in the upper branches of a tree. Her body would be retrieved once the exercise was over.
Raven withdrew her Blackbox and stared at it. With a sigh she flipped it open.
"Get me Nero."
H.I.V.E.
Everything is being white.
And wet.
He tried to blink but it hurt.
Snow! That's what it was being.
Why is I surrounded by snow?
He wriggled but could hardly move.
Being I upside down? I is feeling light-headed.
The avalanche!
The memories all flooded back. Franz struggled to remember the guidelines for when one was buried in snow. He spat and it slid slowly up his cheek. At least now he knew he was upside down.
He flailed his hands and legs around. A foot broke the surface of the snow. He slid out his other foot and slowly, painfully he made his way out into the open air. He lay spread-eagled, gazing up at the starry skies.
So different from the constellations his Opa had taught him so long ago. Had it really been almost four years since he had left his family? Nigel sometimes talked in his sleep but it was mostly when he had nightmares. Franz didn't like to pry but he had surmised his friend had flashbacks of his father's 'death.' Laura sometimes talked about her family but he knew she found it painful. She and himself were the only ones who had had no existence of G.L.O.V.E. and no thoughts of criminal career.
He took an anxious look at the shoreline mere metres away. They had been so close to falling in the water. Cracks covered the lake as far as he could see.
Wait a second – Laura!
Franz frantically searched the snow around him but he found nothing. When he had blacked out, she hadn't been too far away…
He scrabbled at the ground with fat little paws. Paws that had been exposed to the bitter cold for hours. Paws that had been buried in snow. He ignored the thin rivulets trickling down his fingers from his battered knuckles.
Suddenly Franz noticed a red hair wrapped around the twig. He swept the snow aside, creating a small mountain mirroring those concealing the lake from human settlements.
A whimper caught his attention.
"Laura!"
Franz tugged her out onto the snow and she convulsed. Franz held her hair back as she vomited. Laura lay gasping for breath on the snow. He freaked seeing the icky-smelly-gloopy-stuff-that-somehow-smelled-like-food-but-would-undeniably-taste icky-smelly-gloopy. She eventually calmed down enough to talk to him.
"Franz!" *huff, gasp,* "Where are the others?" *huff, gasp*
Franz scratched his head in discomfort. "I don't know really. We is swept away by the snow."
Laura cursed violently and punched the snow in frustration. Franz looked away discreetly. Excessive displays of emotion annoyed him. They detracted from the task at hand.
A beam of light shone into Laura's face. It was so bright it hurt. Suddenly she felt a sharp jab to the back of the neck. Then nothing.
Franz remained oblivious to Laura's plight. If only he had a paintbrush to attempt to capture the beauty of this place. Lack of food, snow, possible hypothermia and death aside of course. A hand dropped onto his shoulder.
"You is better now, Laura?"
His shoulder was squeezed.
"That is good. Now we must find the others."
Franz turned in shock to see Laura unconscious on the ground and black suited figures staring back at him. The one with his hand on Fran's shoulder had three small skulls on his lapel.
The commander waved.
Then punched Franz in the face to knock him unconscious.
End of Chapter Eight
Author's Note:
What did you think? Exciting enough for you? Now this is the point where everything gets complicated. Next time everyone is together is the death scene! It's going to be deadly! (Bad pun intended. Feel free to send death threats. That bad pun was intended too).
If you were wondering, Opa is a German term for Grandfather. BlueEminems thought it would be cute. It is, however, not to be confused with Oppa, which is Korean for big brother. Wing, Shelby & Nancy will pop up in the next chapter!
Cairdiuil Paiste : )
P.S. Random quote!
"A pillow may help you sleep for a night,
But it can also help you sleep
forever…"
I intend on making one of the Nerd Herd say it in the future…
