Defender (Hive Mind 2)

* ebook
* Print

## POV Information

**Gender**
**Char Name**

Female
Amber

## Description

Eighteen-year-old Amber is the youngest of the five telepaths who protect the hundred million citizens of one of the great hive cities of twenty-sixth century Earth. Her job is hunting down criminals before they commit their crimes, but this time her team arrive too late. Someone is already dead. Someone that Amber knows.

Amber is determined to catch the murderer, but she doesn’t realize who she’s up against, or the true danger of opening her mind to the thoughts of others.

Defender is the second book in the Hive Mind series.

### Major Characters

* Amber
* Lucas
* Adika
* Megan
* Fran
* Forge
* Rothan
* Eli
* Nicole
* Amber's parents
* Gregas

### Plot Summary

*Defender* picks up immediately after *Telepath* ends. On their latest chase, Amber and her team find Fran - a former member of their unit - dead with no obvious killer. Amber and her team must hunt down Fran's killer. Amber must also deal with her feelings about Fran. Buzz is brought in as Amber's councillor and becomes a permanent member of the unit.

Lucas and the Tactical team suspect that the suspect is part of Law Enforcement. While on a run to check their suspicions, Lucas, Rothan, and many other bystanders are caught in an enormous intentionally-set fire. Many, including Rothan, are seriously injured and a few die.

While this major fire confirms that someone in Law Enforcement was involved, Lucas suffers a crisis of confidence as he believes the devastating fire was caused by one of his decisions. He learns to accept that he will not always make perfect choices, but he is the most qualified person to make those choices. No one else could do better.

As the investigation continues, Amber's unit discovers that Fran was one of three conspirators, lead by the mysterious agent Jupiter, who would launch three disasters on the Hive. Fran had second thoughts, tried to get more information, and was killed as a result. Amber and the Strike team successfully catch the second conspirator and learn that the third conspirator will attack in just a few days.

Another major problem arises - Amber begins to experience fragmentation symptoms. This is a major concern for Amber and her unit - they must come up with a way for Amber to clear her mind of echoes before the echoes overwhelm her.

Lucas decides to deal with both the investigation and Amber's fragmentation by taking the entire unit to Hive Futura. Amber learns that she needs to be Outside and among supportive minds to cleanse herself of echoes. Lucas then reveals his plan to deal with the third conspirator. The third conspirator plans to attack a Hive power nexus during Operation Rainbow Cascade, an operation that restricts movement around the Hive. Gold Commander Melisande, who is in charge of Operation Rainbow Cascade, will help coordinate Lucas' plan. Amber's unit will use aircraft to get as close as possible to the targeted power nexus, set up a mobile command centre, and deploy the Strike teams to catch the target. The mission is codenamed "Light Angel".

The plan is successful and the Hive power nexus is saved. Law Enforcement staff nickname Amber's unit the "Light Angel" unit after their mission name.

Throughout the book, Amber learns that telepaths communicate in secret and follow a code of conduct that they call "good manners". She needs to keep this secret, even from Lucas. In this book, she communicates with two other telepaths, Sapphire and Olivia. She finds out that Olivia had been suffering fragmentation but never overcame her echoes, leaving her broken and tormented. One of her echoes is Jupiter, the lead conspirator. Amber is involved in the decision to have Olivia reset.

## References

1. ↑ Edwards, Janet. Defender (Hive Mind Book 2) . Wallam-Crane Press. Kindle Edition.