<P> H.I.V.E. (short for The Higher Institute of Villainous Education) is a series of young adult fiction novels by Mark Walden . </P> <P> H.I.V.E., the Higher Institute of Villainous Education, is a top secret school hidden inside a still active volcano . The school is a part of G.L.O.V.E., the Global League of Villainous Enterprises, and was built for the purpose of training children to become criminal masterminds . Only children who have already been seen to have some villainous skill are accepted to the school . The school has four streams; the Alpha stream, Henchmen stream, Technical stream and the Political / Financial stream . Each stream is associated with a color, and their uniforms reflect this . Alphas have black, Henchman has blue, Technical is white and Political / Financial is grey . Otto Malpense is a thirteen - year - old criminal genius, who has been handpicked along with others - the most intelligent, most athletic, technologically advanced children in the world to be part of H.I.V.E. In the first book Otto has entered the school; he discovers that it is 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 defy the headmaster, Dr. Maximilian Nero and try to accomplish something no one has ever succeeded in: escaping H.I.V.E. alive . </P> <Ol> <Li> Higher Institute of Villainous Education (2006) </Li> <Li> The Overlord Protocol (2007) </Li> <Li> Escape Velocity (2008) <Ul> <Li> Interception Point / Spook's Tale (2009) (World Book day Special, only 60 pages long and accompanied with other book) </Li> </Ul> </Li> <Li> Dreadnought (2009) </Li> <Li> Rogue (2010) </Li> <Li> Zero Hour (2012) </Li> <Li> Aftershock (2014) </Li> <Li> Deadlock (2015) </Li> </Ol> <Li> Higher Institute of Villainous Education (2006) </Li>

What is the first book in the hive series