Deadlock (17 page)

‘Good afternoon, Doctor Nero,’ H.I.V.E.mind said calmly. ‘It is good to see you again.’

‘H.I.V.E.mind, can you tell us how long it would take us to decrypt the Disciple carrier signal using conventional means?’ Otto asked as H.I.V.E.mind’s hovering head turned to face him.

‘The signal employs biphasic quantum encryption. I calculate that using the full processing capacity of H.I.V.E.’s systems it would take nine years, three months, one week . . .’

‘OK, we get the idea,’ Nero said impatiently. ‘So how does this help us?’

‘Because we’re going to use more processing power,’ Otto said. ‘It’s going to take a few hours to set up and I’ll need to speak to Professor Pike about some of the details, but I think there’s a way we can crack their code in a matter of hours. Once we do, it should be relatively straightforward to work out exactly where this thing is trying to transmit its location to.’

‘And you believe that’s the Glasshouse,’ Nero replied, staring at the device on his desk.

‘Yes, though we can’t be sure until we crack the code,’ Otto replied. ‘If I’m wrong, it’s back to square one. If I’m right, it might be us catching Furan by surprise for a change.’

‘If we do find the facility’s location, we’ll need to have an assault plan in place,’ Raven said, turning towards Nathaniel. ‘Presumably the blueprints for the Glasshouse were lost when your studio was destroyed.’

‘Yes, but I have a copy,’ Nathaniel replied, tapping the side of his head. ‘I’ll need a drawing board and some pencils and paper.’

‘I can provide you with access to a full suite of CAD and visualisation software if you require it,’ H.I.V.E.mind said.

‘No, I most certainly do not require it,’ Nathaniel replied, sounding offended. ‘Amateurs use computers, a professional doesn’t need them. Just find me somewhere quiet to work.’

‘As you wish,’ H.I.V.E.mind replied with a nod. ‘I will need to be transferred back to my datacore in order to work at peak efficiency.’ He turned to Otto. ‘No offence.’

‘None taken,’ Otto said, grinning. The organic supercomputer in his head was unbelievably powerful for its tiny size, but it would be much more efficient for H.I.V.E.mind to move back into the school’s system for now. ‘I’ll head down there now and you can transfer over.’

‘Good,’ Nero said. ‘It sounds like we have a plan of action. Natalya, will you escort my father to one of the spare teachers’ offices and provide him with whatever he needs. Keep me updated on your progress.’

Raven nodded and gestured for Nathaniel to follow her.

‘Mr Malpense, you will be needing this if you’re going to be staying here for a while.’ Nero walked over to a tall cupboard on the far wall and pulled out a black jumpsuit, the distinctive uniform of a H.I.V.E. Alpha stream student, from inside.

‘I seem to remember that we told everyone that I’d been expelled,’ Otto said.

‘Then I expect you’ll want to tell your friends of your reinstatement in person,’ Nero said, handing the uniform to Otto. He tapped something into the terminal on his desk. ‘They have just finished their final lesson of the day. I expect they’ll be heading back to their quarters.’ He picked up the Disciple device from his desk and passed it to Otto. ‘You have work to do, of course, but I’m sure it can wait for an hour or two. Dismissed.’

‘I’ll make sure the Leviathan is ready for launch,’ Darkdoom said, as the door hissed shut behind Otto. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Fine,’ Nero said. ‘It’s strange to see him again after all these years. I know that H.I.V.E. is the safest place for him now, but I’d forgotten just how exasperating he can be.’

‘He’s stubborn as a mule,’ Darkdoom said, smiling. ‘Rather like someone else I know. You two have more in common than you realise. Though I think Natalya may be slightly annoyed with me that I didn’t tell her the whole truth about who Nathaniel was.’

‘I’ll tell her that I asked you not to,’ Nero said. ‘I’m sure that she’ll understand the situation in Venice was quite complicated enough without the details of my family tree complicating it still further. I was sorry to hear about the Megalodon’s crew, Diabolus. I know how much your people mean to you.’

‘We’ve all suffered losses, Max,’ Darkdoom replied. ‘The real tragedy would be if the people responsible weren’t held to account. For now we need to concentrate on getting your students back and making Furan pay for what she’s done.’

‘Oh, she’s going to pay, Diabolus,’ Nero said, a look in his eye that Darkdoom had only seen on a couple of occasions before. ‘That much I can
promise
you.’

Otto zipped up the front of his uniform and looked at his reflection in the mirror. It had been months since he’d worn it and he was surprised at how comfortable and familiar it felt. It seemed strange to think now that when he’d first arrived at H.I.V.E. all he’d wanted to do was to find a way to escape. Now it felt like home and it was good to be back. He opened the door of the cubicle and walked out into the changing room. There were a small group of Henchmen students getting changed after one of their physical training sessions and Otto immediately recognised two familiar, but unwelcome faces.

‘I thought we’d finally seen the back of you, Malpense,’ the hulking shaven-headed Henchman student called Block said with a nasty sneer. The last time Otto had seen Block, the thug had tried to kill him and very nearly succeeded. The other Henchman students turned to face Otto, including Block’s half-witted accomplice Tackle.

‘Well, I’m back,’ Otto said with a smile. ‘Awww, did you and Tweedle-dummer miss me? That’s sweet really.’

Block advanced towards Otto, his hands balling into fists, but Tackle grabbed him by the shoulder and held him back.

‘Remember what Nero said,’ Tackle whispered. ‘We touch ’im or any of his friends, we’re dead.’

Otto turned to leave. He didn’t have time to deal with these two idiots right now.

‘Count yourself lucky, Malpense,’ Block snarled. ‘Nero won’t always be around to watch your back, you know.’

Otto stopped, his hand on the door handle and then he turned back towards Block. The look on his face alone was enough to send a shiver down a couple of the other Henchman students’ spines. They’d heard the rumours about Otto. He could do
weird things
or at least that’s what they’d heard. Otto walked straight up to Block and jabbed his finger into the hulking brute’s chest.

‘No, you drooling moron, count
yourself
lucky,’ Otto snapped, something cold and hard in his voice. The lights in the room flickered for a moment. ‘Because I never told Nero what you and this idiot actually tried to do. He doesn’t know that you were going to kill me and Laura. I told him you were “unwitting accomplices” of Harrington and that you weren’t really to blame. Here’s the thing though. I haven’t forgotten what you did or what you were going to do and if I ever think for one second that you’re going to lay a finger on me or any of my friends ever again, you’re both dead.’

‘Yeah? What you gonna do, Malpense?’ Block said, still sneering. ‘You gonna go running to Nero?’

‘No,’ Otto replied, his voice like ice. ‘I’m going to reach inside that thick skull of yours and switch you off. I’m not even really sure if I could do it. It might just leave you brain dead. It might leave you with just enough consciousness to feel each spoonful of baby food that the nurse shoves into your stupid fat face. I don’t know and I don’t care. You shouldn’t be afraid of Nero, you should be afraid of
me
.’

Block opened his mouth, but nothing came out. A moment later, he closed it again and swallowed nervously. Otto stared at him for a second and then turned and walked out of the room.

‘Do you really fink he could do that?’ Tackle whispered nervously as Otto left.

‘I dunno,’ Block said, shaking his head and silently praying to himself that he’d never find out.

‘Hey, what you guys up to?’ Shelby said cheerily as she flopped down on to the couch next to Wing, who was frowning at the piece of paper on the table in front of him. On the paper was a phenomenally complicated diagram that looked like a set of intricately nested flowcharts.

‘I am being trying to explain to Wing how G.L.O.V.E. is using the bankers’ bonuses as a way of paying operatives,’ Franz said. ‘It is being quite simple really, but I am not being sure if I am making it clear enough.’

‘Your explanation has been quite clear, thank you, Franz,’ Wing said, still frowning. ‘I just think that financial corruption on this scale may be a little more than I can get my head around.’

‘Poor old ninja boy,’ Shelby said, smiling. ‘Knows twenty-seven ways to take you down with just his pinky, but can’t actually count to twenty-seven.’

‘So this makes perfect sense to you, I suppose,’ Wing said, handing the sheet to Shelby.

‘Yeah, it’s easy,’ Shelby said, pointing out one area of the diagram. ‘See this piece here is just gobbledegook.’ Her finger moved to another area. ‘Whereas this section is premium-grade incomprehensible gibberish and this section,’ her finger moved again, ‘appears to be mostly in Greek.’

‘Am I to take it that you have not studied for the test tomorrow at all then?’ Wing asked, raising an eyebrow.

‘Nope,’ Shelby said with a grin. ‘There’s going to be some good old-fashioned last-minute cramming later though. Either that or I’m going to just sit near my best bud Franz here and he’s going to write out all the answers in nice, b-i-i-i-i-g, easily legible letters. Right, bud?’

‘This is being what I normally do,’ Franz said with a sigh, ‘isn’t it?’

‘You could always try studying for a change,’ Wing said, taking the incomprehensible diagram back from Shelby.

‘Yeah, but where’s the fun in . . . oh my God!’ Shelby’s eyes widened in shock and a huge grin appeared on her face as she spotted something over Wing’s shoulder. She instantly leapt to her feet and began sprinting across the atrium. Wing turned and looked behind him, a look of bewildered surprise on his face, trying to see just what had provoked her reaction. Standing in the entrance of accommodation block seven was a boy with snow-white hair.

‘Otto!’ Wing yelled and he too jumped up, running towards his friend. Otto braced himself as Shelby hit him at high speed, almost knocking him clean off his feet, hugging him and squealing at a pitch that was normally only audible to dogs.

‘OhmyGod, OhmyGod, OhmyGod,’ Shelby said after a second, talking incredibly quickly. ‘What are you doing here?’ She grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him up and down with tears in her eyes, as if checking that he was actually real. She stepped back as Wing reached his friend and wrappped him in a back-breaking bear hug, lifting him off the ground and laughing.

‘Whoa there, big guy,’ Otto said, grinning. ‘I’ve only got the one spine, you know.’

‘Otto, it is so good to be seeing you,’ Franz said, jogging up to the others as Wing put his friend back down on the ground.

‘Where have you been? What have you been doing? When did you get back? Aren’t you expelled? Are you unexpelled?’ Shelby asked, apparently unconcerned with breathing.

‘My friend,’ Wing said, smiling from ear to ear, ‘it is so good to see you.’

‘You too, Wing, you too,’ Otto said, suddenly feeling as if a massive weight had somehow been lifted from his shoulders.

‘Are you back for good?’ Shelby asked, oblivious to the crowd of students in the atrium who were all suddenly looking in their direction.