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1Characters in the Literature/HiveMind2016 books by Creator/JanetEdwards.
2
3[[foldercontrol]]
4
5!Amber and her team leaders
6
7[[folder:Amber]]
8[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hive_mind_2_defender_complete_7.jpg]]
9 [[caption-width-right:350:Amber as the Light Angel]]
10FirstPersonPerspective narrator and protagonist. She has no idea what she’ll be good at or what use the Hive will find for her as she goes into Lottery, only to discover that she is an (exceptionally rare) full telepath. ID number 2514-0172-912.
11----
12!!Provides examples of:
13
14* AllLovingHero: Amber loves the people in her unit, even beyond the point of reason. She keeps [[spoiler:Fran and Tobias]] even after it is blatantly clear they need to be removed. This appears to be an artifact of her telepathy going further into emotions than other telepaths.
15* AnimalLover: Amber loves being around animals, because their minds are simple and generally happy, at least for the well-treated ones in her park. She's the only telepath who can see their minds at all.
16* BigEater: Apparently telepathy takes a lot out of you.
17* TheEmpath: Amber isn't just a telepath, she's the only telepath who can feel the emotions of the people she's reading. This seems to lead to her AllLovingHero tendencies.
18* HatesWearingDresses: Downplayed. She doesn't hate them, but she doesn't have any she likes, because her mother always dressed her in clothes that were the right coloration and style for herself. Amber takes after her father, and her mother's colors don't work for her. Once she finds dresses that she likes, she wears them more often.
19* HowTheyTreatTheHelp: Amber goes out of her way to thank Hannah for keeping her room clean, and makes a point of saying that the unit's success is not just due to the active teams but also to all the support staff that keep them fed and maintain the facilities.
20* IJustWantToBeNormal: She frequently wonders what her life would have been like if she hadn’t been a telepath, and wishes she could just have a normal life in a job that Lottery would have made sure she enjoyed.
21* SecretLegacy: [[spoiler:She's the great-granddaughter of Claire, a powerful and dedicated telepath, and Wilder, considered to be the greatest Strike Team leader of all time.]]
22* SmittenTeenageGirl: Over Forge, and even she doesn’t understand why. [[spoiler:He strongly resembles Elden, so she subconsciously feels a need to obey any ‘command’ he gives her. Once the implant is removed, this goes away.]]
23* {{Telepathy}}: Amber’s ability, and the reason she’s so vital to the Hive. Amber can go deeper into a person’s subconscious than the other telepaths, but that means she may end up finding out things she doesn’t want. She can only read what the person is currently thinking about at some level.
24* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Don't get between Amber and her chocolate crunch cakes.
25* TrashOfTheTitans: Downplayed; Amber's mess never gets that bad, but not due to her efforts. Amber has a tendency to just drop things on the floor when she's done with them. Hannah was brought in as one of the first people in the unit so that she could clean up after Amber, and is the primary reason Amber's apartment isn't a complete mess.
26* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Amber has a fear of heights, and a fear of nosies. She also has a fear of Outside, especially the ‘truesun’, [[spoiler:until the imprint from Genex is removed]]. She, of course, has to deal with all of those.
27* YoungAndInCharge: Eighteen years old, fresh out of Lottery...and in charge of one of the Hive’s scarce telepath units.
28
29[[/folder]]
30
31[[folder:Lucas]]
32[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hive_mind_3_hurricane_complete.jpg]]
33%% [[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
34Amber’s tactical commander and boyfriend. She’s drawn to him largely because of his fascinating mind, which works on more levels than anyone else she’s met.
35
36----
37!!Provides examples of:
38* AwesomenessByAnalysis: He is always watching and observing patterns. At a young age he figured out that the water jets in a play area fired in a sequence such that if you ran through at a certain point of the cycle, you could get all the way through without getting wet.
39* IHaveNoSon: Disowned by his father at age 6, and by his mother as soon as he left for teen level.
40* InsecureLoveInterest: He’s certain that Amber’s going to trade up from him at any moment. He refused to get into a relationship with her at Hive Futura because he was certain that as soon as she met her Strike Team, she'd lose all interest in him. Meeting [[spoiler:Atticus and finding out that Amber dated him a couple times]] had him fully convinced she was going to dump him, and he almost had a panic attack at New Years out of fear that Amber would reject him the way his father had.
41* LimitedWardrobe: Wears his old teen level clothes when hanging out, and some classic outfits in neutral colors (grey or blue) when acting as Tactical Commander.
42* LivingLieDetector: Downplayed. Part of his imprint involves being able to read a person's reactions, so he can generally tell when somebody is lying. This is more of a problem than an advantage, as Amber can more-easily tell if somebody is lying by reading their thoughts, but Lucas can use this on Amber when she knows something that he shouldn't.
43* ParentalNeglect: He was a duty child of his high-level parents, and was supposed to be adopted out, but one of his parents cancelled the adoption out of spite and they were required to raise him. His father left when he was six, and his mother disowned him as soon as he left for teen level.
44* PickyEater: Downplayed, but he never wants to eat what gets cooked when the team goes Outside, sticking instead to protein bars and other normal Hive foods.
45* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Unless Amber reads his mind, he completely trounces her. He played competition-level chess before becoming tactical commander, but doesn't have time to any more.
46* XanatosSpeedChess: His specialty. His job is taking the information Amber can get by reading a target’s mind, combining it with the information provided by liaison, and using it to capture the target, ideally without anyone getting hurt.
47[[/folder]]
48
49
50[[folder:Adika]]
51[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hive_mind_1_new_complete_6.jpg]]
52%% [[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
53Amber’s strike team commander. He has previously worked with Mira and Morton.
54----
55!!Provides examples of:
56* AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: He’s been working on strike teams for seventeen years, ten on Mira’s squad and then seven as deputy strike team commander for Morton.
57* BelligerentSexualTension: With Megan. Even after they get their issues sorted out, arguing is a turn-on for them.
58* CrazyPrepared: He gets annoyed at Elliott's bodyguards for not noticing that somebody had cut into his apartment's ventilation system within the past month. He checks the security of Amber's apartment daily, and has defensive plans that only his trusted deputies know about.
59* GentleGiant: When he's dealing with someone who is not a threat to others, he's very calm and non-judgemental. He's seen everything and is long past being shocked by it.
60* HeroSecretService: The strike team member most likely to die is the commander, but he'd gladly sacrifice himself to protect Amber.
61* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Adika immediately changes his tune on staying behind to defend Amber when he hears that Wilder will be there. His willingness to leave Amber in Wilder's care in a threatening situation shows the incredible esteem he has for Wilder.
62* RomancingTheWidow: With Megan - it caused problems when they had to work together, until they worked out a solution with Buzz’s help.
63* ScaryBlackMan: He's a large, powerful, imposing man with dark skin, imprinted to be the most devastating combatant the Hive has, and then continuously training and practicing for 17 years.
64* SirSwearsALot: The swears are never printed, but Amber comments that he frequently has a mental level that is nothing but repeated swearing.
65* TheTeetotaler: Adika does not drink or use any drugs at overnight clubs, because armed Strike Team members should never indulge in substances that affect their judgement, and their training and imprint mean that a Strike Team member is effectively never unarmed.
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Nicole]]
69Amber’s liaison team leader. She has an unstated disorder that means she needs to use a powered chair about half the time.
70----
71!!Provides examples of:
72* FieldPromotion: Gets a sudden promotion to liaison commander the night before the unit’s first emergency run.
73* MissionControl: Her job. The liaison team sits in the telepath unit and feeds information between the unit and the rest of the Hive.
74* YoungAndInCharge: Just nineteen years old, and promoted to team leader of Amber's liaison team.
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:Megan]]
78Amber’s senior administrator, initial counselor, and physician. She was an administrator on Keith’s team until her husband, a member of the Strike Team, was killed on a mission.
79----
80!!Provides examples of:
81* BelligerentSexualTension: With Adika. She’s strongly attracted to him, but having trouble getting over Dean’s death. This tends to come out as shouting matches.
82* DeterminedDoctor: Faces down Adika and informs him that she ''will'' be helping Atticus perform surgery on the injured sailor from another Hive, even if it puts her at risk from the Sea Farm murderer.
83* GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak: Megan presents herself as extremely feminine, but she was a Colonel in two different Teen Games.
84* HasAType: In the discussion about teen games, Lucas realizes that she is irresistibly attracted to dominant, risk-taking men. Her teen level boyfriend was so involved with teen games that she reached Colonel in two of them, she was married to a member of Keith's strike team within two months of her Lottery, and after her husband's death, her BelligerentSexualTension with Adika starts up almost immediately after he arrives at Hive Futura.
85* LegFocus: Amber's first experience reading the mind of an aroused male is when Adika is ogling Megan's legs. They factor into his thoughts frequently afterwards as well.
86* SomeoneToRememberHimBy: She decides to have a pair of embryos from her late husband implanted, and to have his children before marrying Adika.
87* TeamMom: Explicitly her job. She manages the personnel and acts as a parental figure for the telepath.
88[[/folder]]
89
90[[folder:Buzz]]
91[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hive_mind_4_borderline_complete.jpg]]
92%% [[caption-width-right:350:some caption text]]
93Amber’s counselor. A borderline telepath who first met Amber as a teen, when she hurt her head.
94----
95!!Provides examples of:
96* AgeInappropriateDress: Shows up for her first meeting with Amber dressed like a teenager.
97* CommitmentIssues: She's never been involved with someone for more than a couple weeks before.
98* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: When she breaks up with Forge, she changes her hairstyle from loose curls to a much tighter, more formal look. When she realizes what happened and wants to get back together with him, she changes it back.
99* LadyInRed: Her love of tight, revealing, red dresses shows her forceful personality and blatant sexuality. When she wants to get back together with Forge, she puts on a red dress, commenting, "I think red suits me better than black."
100* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Her given name is Simone.
101* ReallyGetsAround: She has a strong libido and has been known to pursue men aggressively. Doesn't qualify as EthicalSlut because she's been known to trap cute guys in lifts with her.
102* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: She's fond of wearing tight, revealing clothing and showing herself off.
103* SignificantWardrobeShift: After the breakup with Forge, she changes from her previous tight, colorful dresses to serious black businesswear. When she is ready to offer to get back together again, she puts on one of her tight red dresses.
104* SixthRanger: She doesn’t join the team until the second book.
105* TraumaButton: Anything related to Franklin, the murderer she encountered and survived as a child. It's mildly played for laughs when Forge has to dye his hair a similar shade of blond to Franklin's while undercover and Buzz declares that "certain things aren't going to happen" until he dyes it back, but seeing Franklin himself causes her to spiral.
106* UnderdressedForTheOccasion: For her first meeting with one of the telepaths, she dresses like a casual teenager.
107[[/folder]]
108
109!Amber's Strike Team
110The Strike Team's job is twofold: first and foremost, protect Amber. Second, run down and capture whatever 'wild bee' Amber is tracking, ideally without anyone getting hurt. There are typically forty-three members of a Strike Team: the team leader (Adika), two deputy leaders (Rothan and Forge), and two twenty-person teams, Alpha and Beta. However, as of ''Borderline'' some extra members are added to the Alpha team from Claire's unit to help cover shortfalls due to injury as the load picks up after Morton's unit is shut down for his surgery.
111
112----
113!!Tropes applying to the Strike Team members in general:
114* FormerTeenRebel: Strike team members are taken from those who are willing to explore beyond the normal boundaries. Most strike team members went at least four zones away from home on their Freedom Day.
115* HeroSecretService: Their job. While stopping whatever disordered individual they're chasing is important, priority number one is protecting the telepath, laying down their own lives if necessary.
116
117[[folder:Forge]]
118[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/perilous_lighter_ebook_complete.jpg]]
119 [[caption-width-right:350:Forge in his natural habitat, an air vent]]
120Amber's friend from teen level, whom she had a massive crush on. Lottery picked up on this and not only chose him for her strike team, but chose other team members based on their resemblance to him.
121
122Deputy team leader in charge of Beta team, and in a relationship with Buzz.
123----
124!!Provides examples of:
125* DistinguishingMark: Had a birthmark on his cheek, which he had removed after he got a cut in that area during a training exercise. [[spoiler:Turns out it was a mark that made him look like Elden, which caused Amber to have a crush on him.]]
126* LeParkour: He's extremely fond of climbing and getting into places he normally couldn't. Becomes important when he's teaching the strike team how to get around the power complex.
127* ScaryBlackMan: He's large, dark-skinned, imprinted as one of the most deadly combatants the Hive can create, and trained on top of that.
128* WeDoNotKnowEachOther: He and Amber pretend not to have known each other on Teen Level so that people don't feel he got the job due to their friendship. By the time it comes out, he's proven that he belongs there.
129[[/folder]]
130
131[[folder:Rothan]]
132Adika's second in command, and deputy team leader of the Alpha team. In a relationship with Emili.
133----
134!!Provides examples of:
135* RuleAbidingRebel: His family are members of the Ramblers Association, a nonconformist group that the Hive uses as a safety valve for people who need to go Outside.
136[[/folder]]
137
138[[folder:Matias]]
139A member of the Strike Team, and imprinted as a team leader but not serving as one now. In a relationship with Sofia.
140----
141!!Provides examples of:
142* HighSchoolSweethearts: Dated Sofia on Teen Level, and thought they'd be separated after Lottery. Amber finds out and convinces Sofia to come join the unit, and Matias and Sofia resume their relationship shortly thereafter.
143* RupturedAppendix: Amber at first thought he'd been stabbed. He feels it's part of the reason he didn't end up as a deputy team leader, as he was recovering when Adika made the decision.
144[[/folder]]
145
146[[folder:Eli]]
147A member of the Strike Team, and imprinted as a team leader but not serving as one now. After a severe leg injury, he barely makes it through emergency surgery.
148----
149!!Provides examples of:
150* AfraidOfDoctors: After his initial surgery, the doctors need to go back in to put in a permanent fix. Eli is terrified of this, and Amber has to talk to his surgeon (Atticus) to find out why it's necessary and what the risks are.
151* ForbiddenLove: Downplayed. Eli was desperately in love with his Teen Level girlfriend, Becca, but despite being only a few months apart in age, those few months have a Lottery between them. Romance across Lottery years isn't forbidden but it's strongly advised against due to the older partner having to leave the younger one behind on Teen Level for at least another year.
152* LivingIsMoreThanSurviving: Amber has to choose - should the surgeons focus on saving Eli's life at the cost of his leg, or risk losing him by trying to save the leg? She chooses to save the leg, because he would not want to survive if he were forced to the lighter duties available to him with a missing leg.
153* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When even Eli isn't joking around, things are very serious - for example, after the deadly fire in ''Defender''.
154* PluckyComicRelief: Eli is the comedian of the strike team, lightening the mood with jokes.
155[[/folder]]
156
157[[folder:Kaden]]
158A member of the Strike Team, and imprinted as a team leader but not serving as one now. He panicked on the unit's first trip Outside when an animal ran over his foot unexpectedly, which eliminated him from contention and almost got him transferred out of the unit entirely.
159[[/folder]]
160
161[[folder:Tobias]]
162A member of Amber's strike team with a rough relationship with his brother, who was imprinted as a strike team leader.
163----
164!!Provides examples of:
165* AlwaysSecondBest: How he feels toward his older brother, who was imprinted as a strike team leader instead of just a strike team member.
166* ChekhovsGunman: In ''Defender'', he shows up complaining about the 'greenies' on the beta team. By ''Hurricane'', he's making mistakes and getting jealous of Forge. [[spoiler:This leads to his FaceHeelTurn in ''Borderline''.]]
167* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:His ego, laziness, and jealousy lead to him getting kicked out of the unit and eventually set up in an attempt to kill Amber.]]
168* GreenEyedMonster: He’s jealous of Forge, who was imprinted as a strike team leader (instead of just a team member), leads the beta strike team, and is involved with Buzz.
169* NeverMyFault: He makes excuses for all his mistakes, blaming them on others.
170[[/folder]]
171
172[[folder:Osric]]
173A former member of Claire's Strike Team, brought back to help bolster Amber's Strike Team during the period when Morton is unable to work due to health issues. He's a devout Hiveist and originally hoped to be a Ministrant like his parents, but his wild escapades on Teen Level led to him becoming a Strike Team member. Married to Nora, who joined Amber's unit at the same time as a second deputy administrator under Megan.
174----
175!!Provides examples of:
176* UncertifiedExpert: He knows many fine points of Hiveist theology, and led Hiveist ceremonies in Claire's unit, but insists that his doing so is technically a breach of doctrine as he's not imprinted as a Ministrant.
177[[/folder]]
178
179!Other members of Amber's team
180[[folder:Fran]]
181Initial candidate for Amber’s liaison team leader. Fired just before the unit went operational due to FantasticRacism against telepaths.
182----
183!!Provides examples of:
184* FaceHeelTurn: Was tasked by Jupiter with [[spoiler:stabbing Amber.]]
185* FalseFriend: Tries to run a telepath’s liaison team while hating telepaths.
186* HowTheyTreatTheHelp: Fran tells Amber not to bother being nice to a mere Level 57 Law Enforcement Office Cleaner (Hannah).
187* TheResenter: Was bypassed for Sapphire’s liaison team, and spent the next twenty-five years building up a dislike of telepaths.
188[[/folder]]
189
190
191[[folder:Sofia]]
192A Level 1 Mural Painter that Amber invites into the unit, partly to liven the place up but mostly so she can resume her relationship with Matias.
193----
194!!Provides examples of:
195* EccentricArtist: Hates having people watch her paint, and threatens to throw paint at them until they leave. Even the telepath.
196* HighSchoolSweethearts: Dated Matias on Teen Level, and thought they'd be separated after Lottery. Amber finds out and convinces Sofia to come join the unit, and Matias and Sofia resume their relationship shortly thereafter.
197[[/folder]]
198
199
200[[folder:Emili]]
201Lucas's deputy. In a relationship with Rothan. Notably, only imprinted as a deputy tactical commander as Lottery did not feel she could handle the strain of being a lead tactical commander full-time.
202----
203!!Provides examples of:
204* MissionControl: When Lucas isn't available or is out with Amber's team, Emili takes over as tactical commander.
205[[/folder]]
206
207[[folder:Kareem]]
208A member of the tactical team. Twenty-five years ago, he was a Tactical Commander when he called a strike wrong. Seventeen people died, and he was unable to continue as a commander.
209----
210!!Provides examples of:
211* MyGreatestFailure: Not the failed strike that killed seventeen people - quitting as tactical leader afterwards, and handing the job over to somebody who wasn't as good. He estimates that hundreds of people died because of that.
212[[/folder]]
213
214[[folder:Gideon]]
215A member of the tactical team. He's seventy years old, and initially started in Claire's unit. Father of two of Claire's duty children. He was brought back to give long-term perspective to the team.
216----
217!!Provides examples of:
218* CoolOldGuy: Gives good advice to Amber and Lucas, and the rest of the team.
219[[/folder]]
220
221[[folder:Beckett]]
222A Lottery-mate of Lucas, and formerly on Keith's tactical team with him. The best pattern analyst in the Hive. Moves to Amber's team after Keith fires him to hurt Lucas. Likely autistic, and has a Comfort Cat (named [=CeeCee=]) to help keep his anxieties in check.
223----
224!!Provides examples of:
225* HollywoodAutism: Subverted. While he is never formally labeled as autistic, his symptoms and abilities are much more in line with reality. He has focus issues, strong objections to people breaking rules, sensory-processing issues, and strong aversion to change.
226* SensoryOverload: He has a sensory-processing disorder, causing all sensory inputs to be much stronger. When Amber reads his mind while finding him, she hears a loud thumping noise; when she reads Lucas's mind in the same location, she finds it's a quietly-dripping water tap. He normally wears special headphones and glasses when outside controlled areas.
227[[/folder]]
228
229!Other telepaths
230[[folder:Morton]]
231The oldest active telepath, approximately 40 years older than Amber.
232----
233!!Provides examples of:
234* TheAtoner: After what happened to Celandine, he became focused on propriety and not abusing the authority he has as a telepath. He takes this to extremes, disdaining Sapphire for her informal relationships.
235* UnrequitedLoveLastsForever: He still mourns Celandine, forty years after her death.
236[[/folder]]
237
238[[folder:Sapphire]]
239A telepath known for working hard and playing hard. She is twenty-five years older than Amber.
240----
241!!Provides examples of:
242* HasAType: Her strike team members are all tall, blond, blue-eyed, fair-skinned men with determined chins. Rumor is that about half of the strike team dyes their hair.
243* ReallyGetsAround: Strongly implied that she has had several lovers among her strike team. She clears echoes through "physical love", so this may be necessary for her mental health.
244* TheStoic: Unclear how much of this is her actual personality and how much is her trying to not expose herself before another telepath, but she shows no emotions when she talks to Amber.
245[[/folder]]
246
247[[folder:Mira]]
248A well-loved telepath, 17 years older than Amber. She has Down Syndrome or a similar disorder, which causes physical and mental limitations.
249----
250!!Provides examples of:
251* FlowersOfFemininity: Her unit is filled with flowers, and when Amber sees her she's wearing a flower-print dress, standing next to a vase of flowers, with the wall behind her covered in flower images.
252* HandicappedBadass: A significant genetic disorder that causes both physical and mental issues, but she’s also one of the Hive’s few telepaths, and is deeply loved by her team. Morton holds her up as an example Amber should emulate, as opposed to Sapphire or Keith. When we meet her, she is full of self-confidence and joy.
253* HappilyMarried: She remarries Geo, her teen-level boyfriend, every Valentine, and is clearly totally in love with him.
254* HighSchoolSweethearts: Geo was her boyfriend on teen level, and they've been together ever since.
255[[/folder]]
256
257[[folder:Keith]]
258The youngest active telepath other than Amber. He is thirteen years older than Amber. His telepathy tends to flake out unpredictably, putting his team in danger.
259----
260!!Provides examples of:
261* TheChessmaster: His plans to make Amber and her team miserable involve a lot of long-term planning and preparation, with multiple attacks going on at once.
262* DisabilityImmunity: Keith's telepathy randomly cutting out is absolutely awful for him and everyone he works with, but it does an excellent job of clearing echo personalities out of his head.
263* HatedByAll: Thirteen years as a JerkAss who can't be punished because his telepathy is that important to the Hive can do this to a person. It's clear that none of the other telepaths like him, and many members of his unit can't stand him either. One of the members of his own Tactical team apparently attempted to stab him, managing to draw blood but not much more than that.
264* IHaveNoSon: [[spoiler:Keith was one of the less-liked of Claire's grandchildren. When he became a telepath, his family - including his parents - took the excuse that telepaths can't ever meet to exclude him from all family events.]]
265* JerkAss: He takes out his anger at his flaky telepathy on his team, to the point where it is strongly implied that one of the members of his own Tactical team tried to stab him after being pushed too far. [[spoiler:Becomes much more so when he declares war on Amber, nominally over her role in Olivia's reset and her usage of the Light Angel codename.]]
266* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler:When he apologizes to Amber, most people believe he must be sincere because he never apologizes to anybody.]]
267* SinisterShades: When he calls to demand Amber help him after New Year, he's wearing sunglasses; Amber assumes that he uses them to block out visual distractions while using his telepathy. Amber dislikes that they make it so she can't see the expression in his eyes.
268* TheSociopath: His distancing has gotten so bad that he considers everyone else a mere toy to play with.
269* TheUnfavorite: Among [[spoiler:Claire's descendants. Even his being a full telepath wasn't enough.]]
270[[/folder]]
271
272
273[[folder:Olivia]]
274A telepath eight years older than Amber. She had problems with fragmentation and was unable to resolve them, leading to her mind being taken over by an echo personality.
275----
276!!Provides examples of:
277* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: [[spoiler: Keith]] is admittedly an unreliable source, but he describes her as having been drawn to the darkness in him just as he was drawn to the light in her.
278* TheOphelia: A pretty girl in a white dress with gauzy bits, wearing flowers in her hair, completely mentally shattered by her otherworldly powers. She sings [[IronicNurseryTune nursery rhymes with the words changed to be much creepier]], and calls herself a "broken doll".
279* SplitPersonalityTakeover: She was unable to get the people she read out of her mind and vanished under them.
280[[/folder]]
281
282
283[[folder:York]]
284A telepath about thirty years before Amber’s Lottery.
285----
286!!Provides examples of:
287* DrivenToSuicide: Committed suicide just after his first emergency run.
288[[/folder]]
289
290[[folder:Nishant]]
291An older, respected telepath who died the year before Olivia came out of Lottery.
292[[/folder]]
293
294[[folder:Blake]]
295A troublesome telepath who died unexpectedly young, leading to part of the Hive's current issues.
296----
297* ShadowArchetype: Inverted. As a troublesome telepath that the Hive was able to actually get under control by posting him for trade and forcing him to use his sole transfer to exit the trading system, he's basically what Keith could have been if the Hive wasn't in so dire need of every telepath that they're forced to let him run rampant.
298[[/folder]]
299
300
301[[folder:Claire]]
302An older telepath who died three years before Amber came out of Lottery.
303----
304!!Provides examples of:
305* CoolOldLady: Still doing emergency runs into her 90s after a near-fatal heart attack in her 80s.
306* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Helps [[spoiler:Celandine get away from Morton]] because it's the right thing to do, even though interfering in another telepath's life is the worst of bad manners.
307* SuperBreedingProgram: Given the opportunity to have duty children, she had the maximum of 25, in hopes that at least one would become a telepath. None of her children did, but at least two of her descendants did. [[spoiler:Keith is her grandson, and Amber is her great-granddaughter.]]
308[[/folder]]
309
310!Amber's Family
311[[folder:Amber's Dad]]
312Amber's father. He was raised on Level 14, but ended up on Level 27, working on breeding Comfort Cats.
313----
314!!Provides examples of:
315* BreakingTheCycleOfBadParenting: Made sure Amber knew that, no matter what level she came out of Lottery, he would love her and she would still be welcome to visit. After what [[IHaveNoSon his parents did to him]] this was something he took very personally.
316* IHaveNoSon: His parents disowned him after he came out of Lottery 13 levels below them. [[spoiler:As a duty child, they would have expected him to end up at Level 1 like his genetic parents.]]
317* SecretLegacy: [[spoiler:He's Claire's grandson, and apparently carries her telepathic genes, but they don't express in him for whatever reason. He's also the grandson of Wilder, considered to be the greatest Strike Team leader of all time.]]
318* UnnamedParent: We have never been told his name.
319[[/folder]]
320
321[[folder:Amber's Mom]]
322Amber's mother. She was raised on Level 34, and ended up on Level 27, working on breeding Comfort Cats with Amber's father.
323----
324!!Provides examples of:
325* ParentalFashionVeto: Downplayed. She suggests clothes for Amber that would be perfect for herself; unfortunately, they're not the right style or color for Amber, who resembles her father.
326* UnnamedParent: We have never been told her name.
327[[/folder]]
328
329[[folder:Gregas]]
330Amber’s younger brother by five years; he goes to teen level just after Amber’s Lottery.
331----
332!!Provides examples of:
333* AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Couldn’t wait for Amber to leave for teen level so he could have her room. Once he finds out his SecretLegacy, he starts getting into everything in an attempt to help protect the Hive.
334* HeritageFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Hates nosies, until he finds out that he's a borderline telepath.]]
335* SecretLegacy: [[spoiler:He's the great-grandson of Claire, a powerful and dedicated telepath, and Wilder, considered to be the greatest Strike Team leader of all time.]]
336* SuccessfulSiblingSyndrome: His sister is Level 1 and (allegedly) a researcher with her own lab. Until he finds out he's a borderline telepath and will also be Level 1, he's quite sure there is no way he can possibly compare.
337[[/folder]]
338
339[[folder:Emmett and Palma]]
340Amber and Gregas's maternal grandparents, a pair of young-at-heart older people who love to do things like crashing teen parties. They live on Level 34 but come up to visit Amber's family for holidays.
341----
342* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Amber's mother is scandalized by their inappropriate behavior, such as sneaking off to teen parties.
343* WackyParentSeriousChild: They're the parents of Amber's very serious mother, and are both fun-loving and irreverent. Their job is working in the dataview factory...as quality control, as they find all the interesting ways to break things.
344[[/folder]]
345
346!Teen Level
347
348[[folder:Shanna]]
349Amber’s best friend and Forge’s Teen-Level girlfriend. Becomes a Level 9 Media Presenter.
350----
351!!Provides examples of:
352* AlphaBitch: She's less vicious than typical, but once Lottery happens she's clearly thrilled with her Level 9 life and wants nothing to do with Forge (Level 20, security/law enforcement)...until she realizes that he's really Level 1. She tries to make nice to him then, but it's far too late.
353* TheBeautifulElite: She's beautiful, from high up in the Hive, and ends up on Level 9 covering parties and fashion.
354* TheFashionista: She's always dressed stylishly, and brought her Carnival dress to the park during the blackout as an essential.
355* ItsAllAboutMe: Much of her mindset. When told that the power outage may last for days, her primary concern is that it will set back her Carnival decorating.
356* LifeOfTheParty: When their section of Teen Level is stuck in the area park due to the power outage, Shanna's the one who shows up with music and starts a party. She even has a special song lined up for when power comes back.
357[[/folder]]
358
359[[folder:Atticus]]
360Amber’s friend and Carnival date who grew up on Level 80. Lottery makes him a Level 3 Physician Surgical, and he is chosen by Morton to perform the surgery he needs because Morton considers him being on Teen Level with Amber to be good luck. Because he knows the truth about telepaths, he becomes the preferred surgeon for any cases involving Amber's unit as well.
361----
362!!Provides examples of:
363* DeterminedDoctor: He will do everything he can to save his patient's life, even if they're from another Hive and he has to put himself in danger to do it.
364* FirstGuyWins: Subverted. He dates Amber briefly during Carnival, but they decide to just remain friends. When they meet again after Lottery, she’s already involved with Lucas, but he makes it clear that if she's interested, so is he.
365* RagsToRiches: His parents are level 80, almost as low as you can get. He ends up on level 3 and is the surgeon of choice for the telepaths and their teams.
366[[/folder]]
367
368[[folder:Reece]]
369The corridor's bully. Becomes a Level 93 pipe technician.
370----
371!!Provides examples of:
372* TheBully: He picks on teens who came from lower levels, teases Casper, tells people's secrets, breaks into Amber's room, glues Forge into the ventilation system, and tries to scare people during the power outage. The job that makes him happy involves having a crew of robots at his beck and call, because he can't be trusted to be in charge of people.
373* TheBusCameBack: Shows up in ''Adversary'' after not appearing since ''Perilous'' and only getting minor mentions in the interim.
374* CallItKarma: He ends up as a Level 93 pipe technician.
375* CharacterDevelopment: Surprisingly, while he's still a deeply unpleasant person when he reappears, he's mostly content with his new life, aware enough of consequences to stop bullying people and playing cruel pranks, and he cares deeply enough for his cleaning robots to risk getting into trouble to get them needed help.
376* FakeAristocrat: He claims his parents are from high up in the hive, but Atticus figured out that he’s from no higher than level 40.
377* TheFriendNobodyLikes: They're stuck with him on the corridor, but nobody likes him.
378* JerkAss: During the power outage, he pulled out an Hunter of Souls costume to scare people, which led to one person falling down some stairs and breaking their leg. He gets arrested for it.
379* SpannerInTheWorks: By tracking Amber down at New Year to try to get help for his robots that are getting "sick," he causes her unit to discover Prospero's groupette room early and forced the mastermind to change their plans on the fly.
380* StalkerWithoutACrush: He followed everyone in his corridor back to their home levels so he could tell where they were from.
381[[/folder]]
382
383[[folder:Margot]]
384A friend from Amber’s corridor. Becomes a Level 30 Protein Enhancement Specialist.
385----
386!!Provides examples of:
387* IHaveNoSon: Her older sister came out of Lottery twenty levels below their parents, and was disowned. Margot refused to drop contact with her sister, and was disowned by her parents as well.
388* PickyEater: Amber finds it amusing that she's a Protein Enhancement Specialist, because she was so fussy about her food.
389[[/folder]]
390
391!Other Hive people
392
393[[folder:Melisande]]
394The Hive's Gold Commander, in charge of the defense of the Hive against both internal and external enemies.
395----
396!!Provides examples of:
397* AcePilot: In addition to commanding the Hive's defenses, she's imprinted as a fighter pilot.
398* ButchLesbian: Downplayed. She's commander of the Hive's military and security services, a fighter pilot, typically seen wearing a Hive Defense uniform, and exclusively interested in women; however, she does have long hair, and we see her in a festival dress for New Year [[spoiler:and a lacy white wedding dress]].
399* TheChainsOfCommanding: If one or more Zones need to be cut off from the rest of the Hive to protect the rest, she's the one who has to make that call.
400* {{Determinator}}: She was born with a health condition that should have killed her by age 7, but willed herself through the surgeries and treatments needed to survive.
401* FieldPromotion: Suddenly promoted to Gold Commander at age 21 after Ryne retired and both of the other two people imprinted as Gold Commander (including Ryne's chosen successor) melted down under the stress.
402* PintsizedPowerhouse: She's tiny, a head smaller than Amber, and leader of the Hive's military.
403* SicklyChildGrewUpStrong: A health condition should have killed her by age 7; now she's the Hive's Gold Commander, in charge of Hive Security and Defense.
404* YoungAndInCharge: Became Gold Commander at age 21, and is still only 26.
405[[/folder]]
406
407[[folder:Elliott]]
408Head of Hive Politics, a Level 1 Senior Ambassador. He is the oldest of six Duty Children, and was an avid surfer on Teen Level.
409----
410!!Provides examples of:
411* ChekhovsGunman: He shows up (indirectly) early in ''Borderline'' when Amber and her team use his apartment as a base; he later plays a much larger role and is a key part in helping Lucas figure out what's really going on.
412* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Head of Hive Politics, completely dedicated to the Hive, and willing to work with Amber as soon as she finds a way to protect knowledge of events from Keith and disable Bruce.
413[[/folder]]
414
415[[folder:Michaela]]
416A newly-imprinted Level 1 Senior Ambassador, Elliott's youngest sibling. An avid surfer as well, until Bruce attempted to use her to get an unwarranted promotion.
417----
418!!Provides examples of:
419* {{Claustrophobia}}: A crippling fear of lifts, after being stuck in one for forty-seven hours during the Blue Zone power cut. She worked through it eventually, but it took months of therapy.
420* FormerTeenRebel: She took over running Blue Upway as a way to keep herself entertained while stuck in her room.
421* YoungAndInCharge: An 18-year-old Senior Ambassador, sent to Hive Genex as part of the delegation investigating the attempt to kidnap Amber. She is forced to register a claim immediately, the day after receiving her imprint.
422[[/folder]]
423
424[[folder:Wilder]]
425A legendary Strike Team leader from Claire's unit. Despite being in his nineties and walking with a cane, he is still considered a deadly combatant.
426----
427* CaneFu: Forge picks up that the ebony-handled cane that Wilder uses is clearly designed to be a weapon in addition to its use as a support.
428* RespectedByTheRespected: Wilder's status as a living legend is cemented when Adika unhesitatingly lets him take command of Amber's defense in a crisis. Adika had previously refused to let anyone else command the defenses - including his own deputies or Claire's final strike team leader - even if that meant someone else had to take charge of a crucial strike.
429* RetiredBadass: Wilder is lauded as the epitome of a Strike Team leader, to the point where Adika is willing to let him take charge of Amber's defense. He's in his nineties and walks with a cane, but still carries himself as a deadly fighter.
430* YourDaysAreNumbered: Doctors have told him he's got three to nine months to live.
431[[/folder]]
432
433[[folder:Koloman]]
434Lucas's father, who was traded from Hive Zurich. He abandoned Lucas and left his wife when Lucas was 6. Shortly afterwards, he and a woman who is not Lucas's mother were both reset and lowered to Level 63. He was told afterwards that he had a head injury that caused memory loss and loss of his imprint, and to take medication to help him with his memory. The medication is actually a drug that removes whatever element of his personality made him do what caused him to be reset; in the process, he became a much nicer person and is a loving parent to his other five duty children. He is the nominal leader of the gathering of Hive Zurich emigrés, and given the nickname Prospero due to his oldest daughter being named Miranda.
435----
436!!Provides examples of:
437* JerkAss: What he comes across as in Lucas's recollections of him prior to his abandonment of his family and subsequent reset. Mention is made of him pointedly grumbling about language details cluttering up his imprint and how primitive the Hive's electrical items are, not because he was actually bothered by those things but just as a way of emphasizing his inherent superiority as someone the Hive found valuable enough to pay to bring in from another Hive.
438* MysteriousPast: We don't know exactly what he did to get himself reset, but it must have been horrible. Lucas refuses to look in his secure record to find out, especially since he can't be sure Keith hasn't modified it. He asks Melisande to lock it down such that he can never look.
439* TookALevelInKindness: Being reset and put on medication may have cost him his imprint and over sixty levels of status, but it also seems to have made him a more pleasant person and a much better father to his subsequent five children than he ever was to Lucas.
440[[/folder]]
441
442! The Sea Farm
443
444The Sea Farm is a separate installation from the main Hive; all Hives are required by treaty to maintain a Sea Farm with certain population numbers. It's almost entirely self-sufficient, and most people there don't go through Lottery, instead learning through apprenticeships.
445----
446!!Tropes applying to the Sea Farm as a whole:
447* BornUnderTheSail: While the Sea Farm is about much more than fishing - it's intended to be entirely self-sufficient, with mining, farming, and herding - its culture is centered around the sea, with the leader bearing the title Admiral.
448* CrazyPrepared: It's not widely known among the people there, but this is the whole purpose of the Sea Farms. They're meant to be places that can survive if the Hives collapse, so they keep alive knowledge of how to do things without all the Hive's technology.
449
450[[folder:Admiral Tregarth]]
451The leader of the Sea Farm. He's a bulky, sun-worn man in his 60s with a bushy grey beard, worried about the murders, the upcoming census, and whether the Hive will find him a successor in time.
452----
453!!Provides examples of:
454* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He's devoted to the Sea Farm and its people, and willing to do whatever he needs to find the murderer in their midst.
455* SeadogBeard: A distinct contrast from the normally clean-shaven Hive citizens.
456[[/folder]]
457
458[[folder:Tressa]]
459Admiral Tregarth's wife, who came in as driftwood from a French-speaking Hive's Sea Farm. She acts as a general troubleshooter for the Sea Farm, as well as working on the ships sometimes to help out.
460----
461!!Provides examples of:
462* TheGhost: She's only available by voice communication until the end because she's out on a fishing boat. [[spoiler:She wanted to be away from Amber to make sure that Amber didn't see her past.]]
463* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler:For Morton. He believes Celandine is dead, and that it's his fault; he has become TheAtoner in response.]]
464* MeaningfulRename: [[spoiler:When she came back from the Hive, Celandine took the name Tressa, meaning 'third', to indicate that this is the third part of her life.]]
465* RedHerring: Initially seen as a possible suspect in a poisoning attack on the visiting Telepath Unit, since she was one of the few people who knew about the furniture delivery with enough time to have interfered with it and who isn't nearby enough for Amber to read her mind and eliminate her as a suspect, up until the team realizes that the attacker [[spoiler: must have used a drone.]]
466[[/folder]]
467
468[[folder:Juniper]]
469A young woman whose hand was mangled in an accident; Perran put her arm in a switched-off machine as a Halloween joke because he knew the machine was off, only to find that the switch had been tampered with.
470----
471!!Provides examples of:
472* ArtificialLimbs: She has an artificial hand to replace the one that had to be amputated.
473* CareerEndingInjury: Her dreams of being a sea captain are destroyed by the loss of her hand.
474* {{Claustrophobia}}: She grew up on the Sea Farm, and being in the Hive makes her feel closed-in and trapped.
475* CommonalityConnection: Bonds with Eli over them both having recently suffered a major injury to a limb.
476* {{Determinator}}: Despite her traumatic injury, having her claustrophobia triggered, and being afraid of nosies, she gives permission for her mind to be read so the security unit can hurry up and find the person who is setting traps before more people get hurt, and she unhesitatingly puts herself on the line to help the investigation even while personally struggling with the loss of her dream of being a sea captain. [[spoiler: This foreshadows her lottery result as a future Sea Farm Admiral, since such a vital post would have to go to someone who is not just intelligent and loyal but brave and resilient enough to handle it.]]
477* YoungAndInCharge: [[spoiler:She ends up imprinted as Sea Farm Admiral, Tregarth's long-awaited successor, and takes over as his deputy at the end of the book.]]
478[[/folder]]
479
480[[folder:Cador]]
481The head of Sea Farm Security, and down on himself because his team can't solve the ongoing crimes. He's overimpulsive and jumps to conclusions, causing problems.
482----
483!!Provides examples of:
484* LoweredRecruitingStandards: When the head of Sea Farm Security was killed, the best available candidate in the next Lottery was imprinted for the job, despite not being the ideal candidate.
485[[/folder]]
486
487[[folder:Perran]]
488A young man who caused Juniper's accident, not knowing the safeties had been disengaged.
489----
490!!Provides examples of:
491* TheAtoner: He realizes he can never make up for what he's taken away from Juniper, and goes out as 'driftwood' so that they can both rebuild.
492[[/folder]]
493
494[[folder:Treeve]]
495A technician responsible for repairing the Sea Farm's drones. His murder with a hammer triggers Amber's unit going out to the Sea Farm.
496----
497!!Provides examples of:
498* AssholeVictim: He wasn't liked very much, so when he's murdered, he's only missed because of his technical skills.
499* EvilNerd: The best tech at the Sea Farm, but nobody liked him because he tended to say cruel things for fun. [[spoiler:He started setting traps for revenge.]]
500* JustJokingJustification: The sort of person who'll say borderline-nasty things, then claim that they're being taken too seriously when people get offended.
501[[/folder]]
502
503[[folder:Massen]]
504A friend of Treeve's who used to work with him until he was caught stealing.
505----
506!!Provides examples of:
507* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Even more of an asshole than Treeve, and killed because he knew too much.]]
508[[/folder]]
509
510!People from outside Hive England
511[[folder:Adversary Aura]]
512[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adversaryaura.jpg]]
513%% [[caption-width-right:1000:some caption text]]
514The leader of the team sent by Hive Genex to challenge Hive England's claims, a talented Adversary who Hive Politics has a deep and wary respect for.
515----
516!!Provides examples of:
517* AdvertisedExtra: [[spoiler:She is on the cover of ''Adversary'', but plays a fairly minor role in the story, which is mostly about Keith's attacks on Amber, albeit with the threat of Aura's visit in the background. We finally get to meet Aura in the last 15% of the book.]]
518* TheDreaded: She was heavily involved in the negotiations that Keith tampered with, and Hive Politics considers her a serious threat.
519* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: [[spoiler:She defects to Hive England, apparently because she thinks she will be killed upon her return to Hive Genex.]]
520[[/folder]]
521
522[[folder:Rune]]
523The Investigator sent by Joint Hive Treaty Enforcement to handle Hive England and Hive Genex's claims against each other.
524----
525!!Provides examples of:
526* TheChessmaster: Amber specifically thinks of him with those words, after seeing how he has manipulated both Adversary Aura and Hive England to get what he wants out of the investigation.
527* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Unlike everything we've heard about JHTE so far, he seems to be very fair and level-headed.
528[[/folder]]
529
530
531!Antagonists
532'''This section contains unmarked spoilers for all books!'''
533
534[[folder:Telepath]]
535!!Elden
536An agent from Hive Genex, sent to imprint Amber to request a transfer as soon as she completes Lottery.
537----
538!!!Provides examples of:
539* AirVentPassageway: Uses the air vents and structural pillars to get around the Hive secretly.
540* DespairEventHorizon: When he realizes that Amber has broken free of his control. His imprints are already dangerously large, and the realization breaks his mind.
541* DistinguishingMark: Has a birthmark on his left cheek, which was where the genetic compatibility mark Hive Genex implants in children was removed so as not to give away that he was a spy.
542* TrapMaster: Sets several traps for Amber and her team, using a three-year-old girl (also named Amber) as bait for the first one.
543* WouldHurtAChild: Unsafely imprints Amber at age three, and uses another three-year-old girl as bait to trap Amber after she grows up.
544[[/folder]]
545
546[[folder:Defender]]
547!!Mars
548Real name Martin. A pyromaniac from Jupiter's group of saboteurs. His job is setting a massive fire in Purple Zone, but he also burns the Security Unit that Fran had worked in, almost killing Lucas and Rothan, and killing the daughter of a member of Sapphire's strike team.
549----
550!!!Provides examples of:
551* PyroManiac: He really loves fire, and really loves burning people.
552
553----
554!!Mercury
555Real name Gareth. An uncle adjusted his Lottery results, putting him in a position that he wasn't capable of filling. He ended up shifted down from Level 4 to Level 37 due to his imprint restricting where else they could put him. He joined Jupiter's group of saboteurs to blow up the power system in Green Zone.
556----
557!!!Provides examples of:
558* CargoShip: [[invoked]]In love with the power nexus.
559* HairTriggerTemper: He snaps and kills Fran.
560* {{Nepotism}}: Deconstructed. He was given a role beyond his capabilities, and ended up getting people hurt, leading to him getting demoted to a job well below his capabilities.
561
562----
563!!Jupiter
564See 'Olivia' under Other Telepaths.
565
566!!Venus
567See 'Fran' under Other Members of Amber's Team.
568
569[[/folder]]
570[[folder:Hurricane]]
571!!Rose
572
573Treeve's daughter, and his murderer. A ten-year-old sociopath who murders her teacher, her father, and her father's friend without remorse.
574----
575!!!Provides examples of:
576* TheBully: She was having fun hurting the other kids until Hazel caught her.
577* ChildrenAreInnocent: Exploited by her to conceal her murders.
578* {{Patricide}}: Rose murders her father to prevent him from reporting her.
579* TheSociopath: Amber declares her unredeemable.
580* TamperingWithFoodAndDrink: She poisons her teacher, who is threatening to send her to the Hive for therapy.
581[[/folder]]
582
583[[folder:Borderline]]
584!!Bruce
585Blue Zone teen surf coach. Stalked and harassed Michaela on Teen Level, even having her ambushed on her way to Lottery. Once she got through Lottery, he stole the Blue Upway gamemaster stack and added increasingly-dangerous challenges to it, blackmailing Michaela's family to prevent them from interfering.
586----
587!!!Provides examples of:
588* {{Blackmail}}: He blackmails Michaela's family to let him stay in her (Level 1) room and keep running Blue Upway, threatening to turn her in. It works, but not for the reason he thinks.
589* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: After he knocks out Forge with the sedatives, he kicks him in the ribs.
590* StalkerWithoutACrush: Stalked Michaela to punish her for not going along with his desire to get promoted to the Level 1 beach.
591* WoundedGazelleGambit: Attempted after Michaela quits the team, but her family backs her against him.
592[[/folder]]
593
594[[folder:Adversary]]
595!!Keith
596See 'Keith' under Other Telepaths.
597[[/folder]]

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