The series as a whole is surprisingly heartwarming for a YA book, but a few examples stand out above the rest:
Book One: The Higher Institute of Villainous Education:
- Otto, fully prepared to leave the Island for good, decides to stay to help Wing find out who killed his mother. He reminisces on his promise to Laura and Shelby, as well.
- This is particularly notable because in Otto's backstory, we see he cares little for other people and up to this point in his life has only ever seen them as means to an end. This is the first sign we see that Otto may be growing into someone who cares.
Book Two: The Overlord Protocol:
- The reunion between Wing and Shelby is so heartwarming it borders on tearjerking territory.
Book Three: Escape Velocity:
- Laura explaining to Otto at the end that although he will never know what it is like to have blood parents, he has a family already in her, Wing, and Shelby.
- Nigel finding out that his father is alive.
Book Four: Dreadnought:
- Lucy, scared new girl who has been dropped into the plot with no knowledge of what is going on, is taken in by the main cast without question although they are aware she must have done something to get where she is.
- Diabolus choosing his son over the operatives of G.L.O.V.E.
Book Five: Rogue:
- Laura getting harassed by Block and Tackle in the hallway, only for Lucy Dexter to come by and put the two boys in their place.
- The return of H.I.V.E.mind.
- Otto finally overcoming the Animus when he is told to shoot Wing.
- The whispered comment from Otto to Laura that isn't revealed for another two books: I love you.
Book Six: Zero Hour:
- Otto finally getting to vent to somebody in the beginning, somebody in this case being Lucy Dexter.
- The Big Damn Kiss between Wing and Shelby
- Otto preventing anyone from trying to take out Raven, who has been infected with the Animus, because he knows what it is like to be locked inside your own head.
Book Seven: Aftershock:
- Seeing how well Raven has adjusted to life after seeing her flashbacks from her childhood doubles as this and a moment of awesome.
- Otto confessing to hacking the system to take the blame for what all eight kids did.
Book Eight: Deadlock:
- Laura worries that Nero doesn't care what happens to her after what she did, when in fact the opposite is true. When it becomes apparent that Anastasia will punish her for sending the distress signal, Nero orders the rescue mission to be moved up for her sake.
- The joint effort between Otto and Laura to rescue the Alpha stream despite being several months and thousands of miles apart.
- Otto and H.I.V.E.mind's discussion about girls.
- Otto's return to the H.I.V.E. and subsequent reunion with Shelby, Wing, and Franz.
- Shelby and Wing going all Big Damn Heroes on the rescue mission.
- Otto completely ignoring part of the plan so that he can be the one to save Laura.
- Otto recognizing that the only difference between he and Zero is that he has grown a heart over the course of the series.
- Otto and Laura's reunion in the library at the H.I.V.E., when she decides not to leave the Island.
Book Nine: Bloodline:
- Seeing a young Nero excited to be married and become a father is bittersweet since we know what happens, but heartwarming in the moment.
- Otto and Laura's conversation in their first scene, where they enjoy a brief reprieve from their Official Couple Ordeal Syndrome. It's clear that during the timeskip, they've become very happy together. They generally get along and support each other through most of the volume.
Otto: I want you to know that I love you. You make me more human.
- Even though it can be seen from a mile away, the revelation that {{Connected All Along Natalya, Nero's adopted daugher, is Nero's long-lost biological daughter}} is easily the most heartwarming revelation of the series.
Nero: I think in some way I always knew.
- Despite the fact that any human member of the audience is crying their eyes out at this point, H.I.V.E.mind denying Otto's Heroic Sacrifice by killing him and sending his consciousness to a cloning vat at the Cradle so he can start over as a normal person is this.
- The various epilogues are this in spades. Mostly.
- In the first epilogue, Raven gives Nero his first Father's Day card. He's clearly very awkward about it, but it's adorable nonetheless. The rest of the adult cast is also very entertained, especially Nathaniel, who seems very excited to suddenly be a grandfather.
- In the second part of the first epilogue, Franz has become an assistant instructor to Francisco at the temporary school, while Nigel helps Nathaniel plan the construction of the new one on the ocean floor. Franz is beloved by the students, and Nigel has finally found something useful to do with his niche knowledge.
- In the second epilogue, we mix in a healthy dose of Tearjerker, where we learn that Shelby and Wing are still happy together and are running an Orphanage of Love, the Otto Malpense Home for War Orphans. Cue the freaking waterworks.
- In the final epilogue, [[after the events that ended her school, love interest, and half of her friend group, Laura is struggling to define her future at her parents' house. Otto, having just been regrown into a new body over the course of a year and presumed dead during that time, heads straight to Scotland and BigDamnReunion knocks on her front door.]]
