Mark Walden - H.I.V.E. 6: Zero Hour

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For Greybeard the Stupid Pirate

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Contents

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Chapter One

A thin, elderly-looking man sat in a darkened office, facing an array of screens. At first glance a casual observer might have thought that he was ill, but closer inspection would have revealed the fine black veins covering his skin. Nothing was left of the man who had once inhabited this shell all that mattered now was that it belonged to Overlord.

Overlord watched as the screens lit up one by one with the digitally distorted faces of his most loyal followers: men and women who had honoured his legacy and continued the work he had begun while imprisoned inside the body of another. His Disciples.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, he said. I have called this meeting to discuss a very important matter. I have reviewed the plans that you initiated during my enforced absence and, while many are impractical, one has true potential. Its code name is Tabula Rasa and although its scope is currently rather limited I believe that with some simple modifications it can be made... effective.

Master, one of the faces said, what can we do to assist?

The facility which contains the substance we require is quite secure, Overlord replied. I believe that Furan can provide the manpower necessary to handle that side of the plan but we will also need to address the greatest threat to our success, G.L.O.V.E.

G.L.O.V.E., the Global League of Villainous Enterprise, was an organisation that had once been entirely under his control. That was, quite literally, in a previous lifetime. Now it was under the control of Maximilian Nero, a man who had been a thorn in Overlords side for far too long.

We can eliminate that threat, Overlord continued, but I shall need your assistance. I am sending you details of a number of key G.L.O.V.E. facilities around the world. When I give the signal you are to attack and destroy them. I, meanwhile, will put into action a plan to eliminate G.L.O.V.E.s leaders in one fell swoop. I will transmit the details of your targets to all of you shortly so that you may make your preparations. Our time is coming, ladies and gentlemen. Soon we shall remake the Earth in our image and there will be no one to stand against us.

The screens went blank again and Pietor Furan stepped forward out of the shadows.

I do not mean to question you, Furan said, but Tabula Rasa was one of our more extreme initiatives. I take it that you have an idea for how we can modulate its destructive power?

Of course I do, Overlord replied, but to do it we need one last piece of the puzzle. We need Otto Malpense and I know exactly how were going to get him.

Otto ducked behind the low wall, trying to control his breathing, his ears straining for any sign of his pursuers. He knew that they were out there but all he could hear was the slow drip of water from a leaking pipe nearby. Raising himself up just far enough to look over the wall, he scanned the wide open concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse. The only illumination was provided by the dirty cracked skylights far overhead. He crept out, moving as quickly and quietly as possible from one area of shadow to the next. Suddenly he heard the crunch of someone stepping on loose gravel and he flattened himself against the wall, raising his silenced pistol to shoulder level, ready to fire.

A shadowy figure rounded the corner and just had time to grunt with surprise as Ottos pistol coughed twice, the shots catching his target square in the chest. The hunter slumped to the floor with a thud and Otto broke into a run. He knew that in the silence of the deserted building even the suppressed sound of his shots would have given away his position. He was halfway towards the other side of the open area when a bullet buzzed past his head and hit the wall twenty metres away with a puff of ancient plaster dust. He dived and rolled behind a wooden crate, knowing full well that the shelter it provided was temporary at best. As if to hammer that message home another bullet passed through the crate in an explosion of splinters just centimetres from his head and struck the ground nearby. He looked desperately for anything that would provide him with more substantial cover and spotted a concrete support column about ten metres away. To reach it he would have to cross open ground.

Time seemed to slow down as he glanced at the splintered hole in the crate and the tiny crater in the concrete floor where the bullet had ricocheted away. He subconsciously calculated the trajectory of the bullet, his mind drawing a line back from the crater and through the crate. Springing up from behind the crate, he sighted his pistol and fired three times. There was a scream of pain from somewhere off in the darkness and Otto sprinted for the comparative safety of the column. He pressed his back against the pillar, listening for signs of pursuit but hearing nothing. Suddenly there was a flicker of movement from off to his right and he spun round, raising his weapon. He gasped as he felt a sudden sharp pain in his chest and looking down he saw the silver hilt of a throwing knife protruding from the centre of his chest. He collapsed to his knees, his pistol falling from his numb fingers, and as the darkness swallowed him he saw a familiar figure detach itself from the shadows nearby and walk towards him.

I am sorry, my friend, Wing said, looking down at him as Otto lost consciousness.

There was a sudden flash of white light and the warehouse seemed to melt away to be replaced by a brightly lit cave with a smooth metal floor.

Exercise terminated, H.I.V.E.mind said calmly. Holographic projectors and variable geometry forcefields offline.

Otto rose groggily to his feet, feeling his strength gradually returning.

There is such a thing as too realistic, you know, he said, rubbing at his sternum and trying to forget the pain and shock that he had felt just a few moments before.

Thats the whole point, Mr Malpense, Colonel Francisco said, striding across the empty cavern as Wing helped Otto to his feet. The neural feedback suit allows you to feel all of the pain without suffering any of the physical injury. It ensures you take these training sessions seriously.

That may have been the proper name for the bodysuit that Otto was wearing but he definitely preferred the nickname that it had earned among the students of H.I.V.E. the Agoniser.

Good work, Mr Fanchu, Francisco said. You took your target down without hesitation but I would still rather see you using your side arms.

It was not necessary, Wing replied with a slight shake of the head.

Well, one day it might be, Francisco replied with a frown. Lets hope you wont hesitate then. The end result is the same, after all.

Wing gave a small nod. Otto understood very well why his friend had not used his gun. The first and only time that Wing had shot somebody it had been his own father. He had saved Ottos life but had still not forgiven himself for killing Cypher and breaking the solemn vow he had once made to his mother never to take a life.

Thanks a lot, Otto, Shelby said as she walked towards them, rubbing her shoulder. When the hell did you become such a good shot?

Beginners luck, Otto replied with a shrug.

And did you really have to shoot me twice? Laura asked, still looking slightly groggy from being rendered temporarily unconscious by the neural shock administered by her own Agoniser suit.