Chapter 21

H.I.V.E.

Otto sucked in a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

"Alex Rider. Such a surprise to see you coming out of the toilet." Wait, that didn't come out right.

"Otto, what are you talking about? I didn't go into the girls' toilet, did I?" Alex faked a grin. It was obvious that Otto didn't like him, but Alex wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of an argument.

"No, I know what you did in there." That doesn't sound right, either.

Alex just smirked.

"You were hiding under a blanket sending a distress signal to MI6," Otto quickly added.

Alex paled but quickly recovered. Better not use the laptop anymore, he thought. "What makes you say that?" He asked weakly.

"I-uh- I've obtained evidence."

"Hacking my laptop, Otto? That's not very nice of you."

"Yes, but you're going off topic, Alex," Otto smiled knowingly. "You're working for MI6 and I'm going to expose you before you expose our school."

Otto started to walk away.

"Wait. I could offer you a... a deal."

Otto turned around. "What? I didn't take the Negotiations and Bribes class, just so you know."

"It's just that it seems like we both want essentially the same thing. You want me out of H.I.V.E. to ensure the safety of the school, and I just want to go home."

"So?"

Alex inhaled deeply. "If you agree to help me get out of H.I.V.E., I promise I won't expose it to the world." For the horrendously evil school it is, he silently added.

Otto narrowed his eyes. "How can I be sure you will keep your promise?"

"You can't. You'll just have to take my word for it."

"What good will that do me?" Otto sneered. "You walk away, home free, telling MI6, of all people, about H.I.V.E.. Nah, I'll just tell Nero, and everyone else here, about your... job. Don't worry, he'll just give you another of Professor Pike's truth serums first and then some kind of untested memory loss pill. Your stomach should be able to handle that."

"No, listen," Alex tried again, sounding pathetic even to himself. "I-uh-I..." What would stop Otto from telling everyone about me? Think, Alex, think!

Otto turned away, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Then it dawned on Alex. "Otto, you're forgetting something," he said, sounding more assertive.

"What?"

"Nero already knows. And he doesn't care." Probably a big, fat, lie, but Otto doesn't know that.

Pausing dramatically, Alex continued. "I mean, he is head of the world's most evil organization, right? What makes you think he doesn't know about me? He probably thinks he can convert me. But you and I both know that I am more of a risk than an asset."

Otto stayed silent. What Alex was saying had some truth to it - in fact, Nero had confessed to it the day Otto went to his office. What now? He panicked.

"As I said, the best thing for you to do right now is to let me get away from H.I.V.E.. You'll have things back to the way they were. I promise."

"I'll think about it."

"And Otto, hurry. I cannot afford to wait. My offer expires within today."

MI6 Headquarters, otherwise known as the Bank

"Ma'am, we've detected two intrusions to our database in the past hour."

"Send the details to me later. I'm busy right now."

"Ma'am, this can't wait. The location signal cannot be traced, but-"

"I said send it to me later, Derek," she snapped. "If it can't wait, then send it to me now. I'll just read it later." She smirked.

"Yes, Ma'am." The technical expert muttered curses under his breath and breathed deeply.

"Smithers, something wrong?"

"No, Ma'am."

"Good."