H.I.V.E. (series)

H.I.V.E.

Higher Institute of Villainous Education The Overlord Protocol Escape Velocity Dreadnought Interception Point/Spook's Tale
Author	Mark Walden
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre	fantasy action Adventure
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing
Published	2006 – Present
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback)

H.I.V.E. (aka. Higher Institute of Villainous Education) is a series of young-adult fiction novels by Mark Walden.

Plot summary

H.I.V.E. is a top secret school in which children learn the skills to become the most disgusting whores imagineable. Only children who have already been noticed having some dirty skill are accepted to this school. Otto Malpense is a thirteen year old queer, who has been handpicked along with others-the smartest, most athletic, and sexually mature in the world to be part of H.I.V.E. But once Otto has entered the school, he discovers that is it not all what it seems, and sets out to unfold the mystery behind the school and its organization. Otto and his friends, Wing, Shelby, and Laura try to find a way out.

H.I.V.E. Books

• 1) Higher Institute of Villainous Education (2006)
• 2) The Overlord Protocol (2007)
• 3) Escape Velocity (2008)
• 4) Dreadnought (2009)
• 5) Rogue (2010)
• 6) Zero Hour (2010)

Interception Point/Spook's Tale (2009) (World Bookday Special, only 60 pages long and accompanied with other book)

Characters

Otto Malpense

Otto Malpense is the main character of the series. When the series began, he and the other first year students were 13 years old. Hailing from England, he was orphaned at birth and left at the doorstep of an orphanage called St. Sebastian's, even then having his distinctive white hair. As a toddler he would pick up books and stare at the words and absorb the information even though he couldn't read at that age, an ability later explained in Escape Velocity. By the time he was barely in his preteens, Otto smoothly ran the orphanage himself by tricking the government into paying the Headmistress of the orphanage for pretending to teach him after being nearly expelled from public school for not paying attention and constantly correcting his teachers (though the reason he didn't pay attention was because he already knew the curriculum, which he had learned from the books he read as a toddler).

Soon after he found out that the Prime Minister planned to cut funding for many orphanages throughout Great Britain, mostly in the slum areas like St. Sebastian's location. Otto, in an attempt to ruin the PM's credibility and keep the money flowing, builds a spider-like robotic mind control device. On the 13th anniversary that he was left at the orphanage (which he celebrates as his birthday) he uses the robotic device and publicly shames the British Prime Minister. Immediately after the PM mooned everyone during what would be his last press conference, Otto is knocked out with a sleeper by Raven (Dr Nero's most trusted agent) and flown to H.I.V.E. On the helicopter he meets Wing Fanchu who would later be his roommate and best friend. Not wanting to stay at H.I.V.E. for the required six years as a virtual prisoner, he immediately begins plotting an escape. Wing goes on board with the idea along with Laura and Shelby.

Otto has displayed an odd ability near the end of the Overlord Protocol where his conscious mind sleeps and his unconscious mind commands his hands to type a series of commands in the H.I.V.E.mind Computer that would have normally taken hours to put in but takes him only a matter of minutes. Later in Escape Velocity, he finds out that he has the ability to interface with any digital technology and control it, and that he is a clone of Number One (explaining his white hair and his ability to absorb information).In Dreadnought he further develops his abilities and eventually saves the president of America. This gets him captured by H.O.P.E. , a brutal security force, who use his as a slave in Rogue by pumping his full of animus fluid.

Wing Fanchu

Wing Fanchu is Otto's best friend. He lived with his father (his mother was killed) and was recruited into H.I.V.E. due to his martial arts skills. He joins Otto in a failed attempt to escape H.I.V.E. At the beginning of The Overlord Protocol, his father is said to have died in a lab experiment. At the same time a villain named Cypher has risen through the ranks of GLOVE and is bent on the destruction of H.I.V.E. and Nero, as Cypher wants to use H.I.V.E. as a base to fight Number One, whom Cypher believes is going to destroy the world by bringing back the Overlord Protocol (the code for an evil computer which would have almost destroyed the world). Before his father's funeral, Wing and Otto are attacked by Cypher and it seems as though Wing is killed pointblank by Cypher, though it is discovered later that Cypher shot him with a cleverly disguised anesthetic designed to look like a bullet wound in a plot to kidnap him. It is also discovered that his mother, Xiu Mei, was in fact killed after an attempt to create an AI had gone wrong and killed her along with many other scientists working on the project. As well as Otto, Shelby and Laura, Wing is also one of the only students close to Raven, the schools resident assassin, and is currently training under her guidance.

Laura Brand

Laura hails from Scotland and lived a normal life apart from the fact she is a genius when it comes to computers to the point that she is on the same level that Otto is. She made it into H.I.V.E. by hacking into an American military airbase and tapping into the military frequency to find out if one of her friends was gossiping about her behind her back. She also aids Otto in the escape and becomes roommates with Shelby. In the Overlord Protocol she is shown to be deeply saddened by the fact that they have taken away H.I.V.E.mind's personality due to the fact that it aided them in the previous book to escape but is extremely overjoyed when H.I.V.E.mind returns with his personality. She has stated that she connects more with computers than with people. At the end of Escape Velocity, it is shown that Laura may have feelings for Otto. This is strenghtened through the following 2 books.

Shelby Trinity

Shelby Trinity comes from a wealthy American background. She "stole" her way into H.I.V.E. per se, after H.I.V.E. found her to be the world renowned jewel thief known as "The Wraith". At every crime scene she left a card signed "My thanks, the Wraith". At first coming to H.I.V.E. the others found her to be spoiled, obnoxious and mean but after Ms. Leon revealed that she was The Wraith her true sarcastic self appeared. Her Valley Girl persona was an image she put up to throw everyone off her trail. She was also involved in Otto's escape attempt. In the Overlord Protocol its shown that she has feelings for Wing and that they might be reciprocated.

Number One

Commander of the Global League of Villainous Enterprises (otherwise known as G.L.O.V.E. - the most powerful and widespread syndicate that the world has ever known). Nobody knows his true identity. He is the only man in the world that Dr Nero finds intimidating. It is later found out in Escape Velocity that he is being controlled by Overlord.

Dr. Nero

Dr. Maximilian Nero is the Headmaster of H.I.V.E. He is one of the most senior members of G.L.O.V.E. and despises Cypher, one of the newer senior members of GLOVE. Nero is one of the most devious and ruthless men in GLOVE, but has weaknesses, his love for his school being primary amongst them. He seems to care for Natalya (Raven), and often treats her as a friend more than an employe, he is very protective of her and showed great distress when she was injured during the events of Escape Velocity. He prefers a carefully laid-out plot as opposed to pure street crime. He has run H.I.V.E. since the 60's though he doesn't look as old as he should. Nero is described to look like he is in his early 30's. Everything about Nero is imposing and his features are handsome. There are many theories among the students regarding his age and why he looks so young. He is suspicious of Number One, the leader of GLOVE, as to why he has taken a special interest in Malpense especially since Number One himself paid for Malpense's education at H.I.V.E. but is quickly told to stop snooping around things he shouldn't know. Nero wore one half of a medallion, the black yin side and finds out that Wing holds the other half, the white yang. Both pieces were given to the men at different times and are found to hold the information to the Overlord Protocol which is why Cypher wanted it so badly.

The Contessa

Contessa Maria Sinestre was originally one of Nero's most trusted staff members but by the end of the Overlord Protocol it turns out she had begun working alongside Cypher after he bribed her with her own continent to do what she wished. She has an extremely odd looking hair as it is elaborately standing up even though it should probably reach down to her waist line. She has the ability to control minds, though it has its limitations. 1) If the person cannot hear her, she cannot control them, i.e. earplugs. 2) A person can break free from her control or not do anything at all depending on the strength of their will. An example would be Nero, when she betrayed him she had to use a gun on him instead of being able to control him because his will would have been too strong for her to handle. Her power also strains her physically. When exerting more pressure on a subject she has to rest for a few hours afterward. Her voice when she controls is described as being multiplied at different pitches and tones at the same time as well as whispers and loud screams even though she is talking normally. In Escape Velocity, the Contessa was made the Headmistress of H.I.V.E. by Number One, a very unpopular decision amongst the students and teachers. She eventually helps the teachers and the students in the battle at the end of the book, in which she sacrifices her life for the entire Alpha stream. A memorial is created for both her and H.I.V.E.mind, who was also killed.

Natalya

a.k.a. Raven, used as a code name, is the most feared assassin in H.I.V.E. and perhaps the rest of the world. She is often referred to as 'Nero's pet assassin'.She was originally trained in infiltration and counter-intelligence in Russia. She has a long, curved scar that runs down one cheek, although very few people would know as most people she ‘encounters’ rarely get a chance to make note of their assailant’s appearance before they lose consciousness (at best). She has a pale but beautiful face, perfectly symmetrical (except the scar) and has cold blue eyes. She cares for Dr Nero and his students and often risks her life for them, but doesn't seem to like showing too much emotional attachment. Her only 'friend' at H.I.V.E. would seem to be Wing, who she is training as her student. Her main weapons are a pair of dual katanas, which she uses with great expertise. She replaced her original katanas with newer ones Professor Pike created in the Overlord Protocol. In Escape Velocity, she mentioned that she had her first mission around Otto's age and that it didn't go well. Her age is expected to be around her early thirties, being eleven or so in a 'twenty years ago' flashback. A little of Raven's history was revealed in Dreadnought - she was trained by the assassin Peitor Furan and is still terrified of him.

Colonel Francisco

Thought of by the students as one of the toughest teachers at H.I.V.E., Colonel Francisco is head of the Tactical Educational department. He and the Henchman stream often display a "dislike" for those in the Alpha Stream. In Overlord Protocol, he was being controlled by the Contessa, who implanted commands so deep into him that he was forced to obey.

Professor Pike

The Professor appears to be disorganized and distracted, but appearances can be deceiving. Professor Pike is head of the Technology department and was one of the original creators of H.I.V.E.mind, and has a brilliant, shrewd and cunning mind.

Ms. Leon

Ms. Tabitha Leon's consciousness got transferred into the body of her fluffy, white pet cat after a failed experiment by Professor Pike. Although she dislikes being a cat, she finds some things like enhanced hearing and claws very useful. Miss Leon is head of Stealth and Evasion.

Ms. Gonzales

Ms Gonzales is a botanist of a different sort. Genetic manipulation of plant life to produce a host of dangerous and deadly results is her specialty.

H.I.V.E.mind

H.I.V.E.mind is the school's AI, and a form of artificial intelligence created by Professor Pike. He runs and monitors the entire school. Also, he is also capable of displaying emotions-something unusual for a form of artificial intelligence. His persona is quite gentle and kind. In H.I.V.E., he is 'modified' after displaying emotion and helping Otto and his friends escape. However, in The Overlord Protocol, he is brought back online through Otto. He plays an instrumental part in destroying Cypher's plan in the Overlord Protocol. In the final battle with Overlord, H.I.V.E.mind sacrifices his life, telling Otto to "delete" both Overlord and himself as he suppressed Overlord. A memorial is created for H.I.V.E.mind and the Contessa, who also sacrificed herself.

Diabolus Darkdoom

Diabolus Darkdoom is an infamous villain who was considered a legend. In Escape Velocity, he knew the plans of the Renaissance Initiative (which was the rebuilding of Overlord) and told Number One who accused and prosecuted him (believing him dead). He then helped Otto to rescue Dr Nero in the Swiss Alps. Diabolus Darkdoom becomes the new leader of G.L.O.V.E. at the end of Escape Velocity. His son, Nigel Darkdoom, is a student of H.I.V.E.

Nigel Darkdoom

Nigel is the son of the infamous Diabolus Darkdoom. He dislikes the expectations that come with his family name and only excels in Hydroponics. Nigel inadvertently creates a monster plant named "Violet" which attacks the entire school in the search for human blood. Nigel is described as a weak-looking, bald boy. He befriends Franz Argentblum, Otto and the rest of Otto's friends.

Franz Argentblum

Franz Argentblum is the son of a chocolate magnate/villain (although the latter was not known to Franz). He is said to have a talent for "creative accountancy", laundering money so well that even his teachers couldn't find where it had all gone. He has a distinctive way of speaking in the book, using English grammar in a strange way. Franz is described to be so fat that H.I.V.E.mind couldn't find a uniform pattern large enough to fit him at first.

Cypher

A Lunatic who planned a revolt against Number One but failed. He thinks by acquiring the overlord Protocol and taking over H.I.V.E could overthrow Number One. He is safely well hidden in the vaults of H.I.V.E (of course, well treated).

Lucy Dexter

A new student at H.I.V.E. who arrived in the middle of the school year, Lucy Dexter goes with Otto and co. in their adventure in H.I.V.E. It is revealed that she is the granddaughter of the Contessa, and is actually named Viscontessa Lucia Sinestre. She can also control people with her voice, like her grandmother.

Pietor Furan

An assassin who used to work for the Russian intelligence, turned mercenary. He is the man who taught Raven and is described as the only person she's ever feared. He is cruel, emotionless and shrewd. He has no concept of honor and will work for anybody as long as the right amounts of money are offered. He thinks Raven has 'gone soft' because she is working with Dr Nero, and holds him in high esteem.

Other Characters

Sebastian Trent

External links

• Bloomsbury H.I.V.E. website
• New "H.I.V.E." website
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