Higher Institute of Villainous Education Read Free

pointing this way and that, this boy had merely observed it, noted it, as if filing the information away for future use. Yes, he would be the one to watch. And Nero had noticed something else unusual – the tall Asian boy standing next to the white-haired recruit had been staring straight at him, not distracted in the slightest by the amazing sights around. He had studied the Asian boy’s features – there had been something strangely familiar about him, but he could not place precisely what it was. So I shall need to keep both eyes open in future, thought Nero, smiling. This should be an interesting year.
    ‘You can come out now, Raven,’ he said softly.
    A figure detached itself from the shadows at the base of the sculpture and stepped forward into the light. Clad entirely in black, face hidden behind a mask with black lenses covering the eyes, the figure moved silently towards him. Nero thought the shadows almost seemed to follow the figure as it approached.
    ‘Please remove your mask, Natalya. You know I hate talking to you while you’re wearing it.’
    Raven nodded slightly and pulled the mask off to reveal her pale but beautiful face, perfectly symmetrical but for a livid curved scar that ran down one cheek. Her eyes were a cold blue and her dark hair was cropped close to her skull.
    ‘As you wish, Doctor.’ She had a slight accent that betrayed her Russian origins, trained in infiltration and counter-intelligence by the very best that the Soviet system in its cold-war prime had had to offer. ‘But one day you will tell me how it is that you are the only one who can still see me, when to all others I am invisible.’
    ‘Perhaps one day I shall tell you, my dear, but for now there is something else I wish to discuss with you. I understand that you were responsible for the student recruitment operation this year.’ Nero turned back to the lectern from which he had addressed the new intake. He pressed a button on the control panel mounted there and a panel slid back to reveal a small screen displaying an image of the assembled group from a few minutes earlier. He pointed at the figure of Otto. ‘This student, who is he?’
    Raven looked down at the screen. ‘Otto Malpense. Scholarship student, but I was not informed of the identity of his sponsor. He was responsible for the incident involving the British Prime Minister. I conducted his retrieval personally.’
    ‘Interesting.’ Nero was impressed. The incident Raven mentioned had just made global headlines, but there had not been any word of the capture of the perpetrator or even who might have been responsible. The fact that it had been the work of this child was quite remarkable, and only served to reaffirm Nero’s initial impression of the boy. He made a mental note to check exactly who had sponsored Malpense’s selection and scholarship. Some of the scholarship students were orphans, some were runaways but, critically, none of them had concerned relatives who might set the forces of justice upon H.I.V.E.’s trail. Malpense was one of these students.
    ‘I want you to keep a close eye on that one, Natalya. I suspect he has . . . potential.’ In much the same way that an unexploded nuclear bomb has potential, Nero thought to himself. ‘And this boy here, who is he?’ He pointed at Wing, who, being significantly taller than the others, stood out clearly.
    Natalya paused for a moment, studying the tall boy with the long dark ponytail. ‘That is Wing Fanchu, sir. His retrieval was carried out by our Far-Eastern operations division. He is, I believe, a private student. I am not fully familiar with the details of his background but I do know that his retrieval was complicated. Several men were injured when they attempted to subdue him, which, as I’m sure you are aware, is extremely unusual.’
    Indeed it was unusual, Nero thought. Children were usually put forward for selection by their parents or guardians, who, having already expressed an interest in