The Seven It was no mystery that Christine Velshoni—going by the appropriate alias Envy—hated everyone in her group, even her Master—well, especially her Master. After all, he had much more power than she did, and could give and take as he saw fit. There was nothing he could not have: for pleasure, Lust; for amusement, Pride (he loved tormenting the egotistical brat); for indulgence, Avarice and Gluttony; for bloodlust, Wrath; for peace, Sloth; for the mere want of want, she herself. Envy despised that kind of power, but could do nothing against it, except kowtow and be silent. Lust and Pride she abhorred, for their beauty and perfection, whereas she was plain at best. She was constantly mocked by the two, whether purposely or no, but knew that, even as Envy, she could never measure up. Avarice she hated for his wealth—she had always been a poor girl—and Gluttony for his appetite, because she knew hunger well. Sloth she loathed, because he literally didn't have to work for anything, while she had been a slave all her life; and Wrath was contemptible because of his strength, his rage, his sweet vengeance. Envy had been walked on all her life; she had seen too few flashes of such retribution. Christine distanced herself from everyone and worked mostly by herself—solitude gave her nobody to compare herself against. In truth, her Master provided everything she could ask for, mostly things that the others possessed and took for granted, but for Christine, it was never enough, ever. Much like Avarice and Gluttony—and in a way, all of "The Seven"—she was cursed with Want, and ached and ached for everything even if she got it. But this weakness was in truth her ultimate strength, and thus had made her ideal for the roster. Her Master loved her desire and brought it to its bubbling potential. Of course, he expected something in return. "Envy, could you come into my chamber, please? I have something I wish to say to everybody." "All right." ...... Holivx Dirge and Hanz Himmler—better known as Wrath and Pride—knelt anxiously before their Master, one finding the task considerably easier than the other. Pride hated kneeling before anyone, but this was his Master, the man in control of his life and his future, the one being—aside from nearby Lust, perhaps—who was his equal, if not his better. Pride sucked up his best trait and waited patiently for his Master to speak. Lust's cleavage was out and proud as she knelt (probably why Master was taking so long); Envy had a look of scorn, as always, and poor Gluttony could only nod lowly, he was so fat. Sloth was the only one who didn't kneel, but only because he was in a wheelchair and didn't have to get out. He hung his head, but his head always hung down anyway, so really he was just wheeled in by somebody, not needing to do anything else save attend. "Welcome," said their Master at last. Most of them stood, or those who were able and willing (Gluttony gargled as he lifted himself up). Master continued: "It's not normal we all see each other in the same room. I've been sending all of you everywhere, letting you test your skills and your loyalty. I must say, every one of you has proven himself or herself perfectly in their own way. Individually, you have done better than most small groups of exceptional people, so you can imagine what a group effort could do." "And what is this group effort?" wondered Avarice, who would soon find out. "It has come to my attention that there are more forces at work in this world than I have reckoned. Many more. None of them have the capability to overwhelm us, of course, but if they combined their forces, it would be disastrous. I've been testing and flexing each of you for this one eventuality—to strike before we are struck!" "There are forces all over the world," muttered Wrath; "how are we to go about this?" "At first, here and there, subtly and secretly. Advanced tests, you could call them. In a week or so—seven days, fittingly—I will unveil my grand scheme. It's better to get a toehold before you climb a mountain, though, so this is why this first step is necessary. I assume there's no objection?" There wasn't. "Splendid. I'll be putting most of you with partners, so do try and get along. Envy, you're the exception; I know how you love working by yourself." "Thank you, sir," she said with a relieved smile. "You will start by planting your seeds in the nearby city, which is casually frequented by so-called superheroes. There's nothing more delightful than a city full of people envious of their own idols, and each other." "Sounds fun." "I'm so glad you think so. You may leave whenever you wish," (and with that she was instantly away, wanting rather to work than lounge). "The rest of you, here are your assignments. Avarice, Sloth, I'm sending you as a recon team into the lion's den. Find out about this place and see what you can't...extract. But be wary; I sense a strong force is approaching that area. Use caution." "I understand. Where are we to go?" "The Militaristic Enterprise for the Reformation of Civilization and Society." "Oh, there." "Yes. Would it be a bother?" Avarice chuckled. "Of course not, no. Walter, are you up to it?" Walter Barsnef, the man designated as Sloth, let out a soft groan, perhaps his way of saying yes. Avarice shrugged—Walter didn't have a choice anyway—and the two left as soon as they were prepared. "Wrath, Pride, I know you are going to like what I have in store for you. Remember those girls you fought against in that burning town? Pride, do you especially recall the matters we discussed after I summoned you away from that tournament? Well, here is your chance to get back at those girls. They have become a nuisance. I have a feeling you might even find some willing accomplices." "I'd much rather go by myself," said Pride with a haughty sigh, "but if it's your orders, well...even I can heed them. Just don't expect a very pretty description of the mess we will leave behind." "I never do." "Lust, Gluttony, this leaves the two of you. I know it seems like an odd combination, but bear with me, I'm going somewhere with this. It's a food shipping plant that has recently began using their merchandise to secretly spread drugs throughout the streets. They hide everything in the food—Frederick, pay attention now, you'll get your chance—and ship it to all the chains. Now this is an action I rather like, but so much more could be done with it. This is your field, Gluttony, so you may do as you wish. Lust..." "Seduce and destroy as usual?" she said. Her Master smiled. "You know me very well. You're not tiring of it, are you?" "Why would I?" Master chuckled. "I hear there are many people in charge. Do you think you can handle them all?" "Who do you think you're talking to?" she squealed prettily. "I'm the girl who once enslaved an entire prison block. I'm the lady who indirectly controlled one of the most powerful brothels in the country. This will be easier than napping." "I knew you could do it. And Gluttony?" "What?" he barked. Master sighed. "Make sure that food doesn't have drugs in it before you eat it. I would hate for you to become an addict—well, to that stuff, at least." Gluttony laughed and promised he'd do his best, and the two left their Master all by himself. Once he was with the silent, empty black air of his room, the Master stood up, shed off his dark robe, and stared at his own face in the mirror. "Omega, my friend, you're as ambitious as the great Morning Star himself." ......... Edward Nashiyori had only known terror thrice in his successful life. The very first two were interlaced with each other, one right after the next—it had been when he first met his Master, the only one he bowed to. Master frightened him, and that near-death experience he suffered directly before meeting Master had scared the wits out of him, but there was a different fear this time, as he sat waiting impatiently for an audience with Director Taichou. Not one to be fearful, his nervousness surprised him, but who could blame him? After all, even his cohort Hanz Himmler would be distant from this new menace. To ease his mind, Nashiyori—Avarice to his companions and Master—thought about how he had gotten to where he was presently. Never mind his enigmatic Master sending him on a quest to speak with Taichou; Avarice thought further back and reflected on history. He had been born, in a sense, a vacuum, much like his partner Frederick Revini had, but Edward sucked money and power, not food. His mother, a useless and wasted person in his eyes, had divorced his father decades ago (he didn't bother keeping track of her after that), leaving him to be a student of his father's greed. And like a vacuum, he had sucked up every little scrap of wealth, from the very small to the very large, and was soon dealing in even filthier businesses, such as drug and weapons trafficking, and had even started an illegal "Human Exchange Program", where people—usually those who had opposed him and their families—were bought and sold just like anything else. Oh, those were good days; he could still recall how bloated he felt from those dealings, even though he kept his body in rather good shape. Of course, even the best made mistakes, but hey, that was where his Master came in, and two of his three known fears as well. One was far behind him; surviving a near-death encounter with a person of exceptional skills (Sanaa, was it?) gave him an increased edge, and made him feel a little stronger. Even humbly cowering before his Master was of no consequence, for why would Master hurt his own disciple, Avarice, when he so admirably performed his duties? No, Edward was invincible by all means, and could laugh at fear—except now. Things were different now. He was in the presence of Ezekiel the Seeker, and dreaded every moment of it. Luckily, he would not have to be stuck inside that room for long. A young woman with pretty, slightly exotic features called him, and guided him (and Ezekiel, unfortunately) into an anteroom. There, Avarice was called by himself into a further room, where he would be split from the crazed old man for quite some time. And when he got out, well...who cared if he showed rudeness by walking exceptionally fast? Even great and terrible men had fears, and things they did not want to confront. Ezekiel's glare was just the only one, that's all. Meanwhile, Sloth waited very patiently by himself, sometimes chuckling as his powers oozed throughout the building. The employees of MERCS would soon become lazy, weary, and fatigued, and their progress would die—along with them if they were unlucky. He had such a marvelous gift, and all he had to do was sit there and enjoy the décor. Too bad most of the temporary help in the building gave him dirty looks, and rushed off before the effects of his numbing abilities took hold of them. Oh well, no loss. ...... Ten minutes earlier, Vita-might employees had been crowding around, screaming for joy as the nubile young woman offered her "services" to them in exchange for little more than smiles and politeness. Now, though, every one of them lay dead, piled on the floor as if their sexual congress had taken their very lives—which it had. Lust sighed emptily as she stood, not yet fully undressed even, and assessed the situation. It had been far too easy to tame this group. Far too easy. "I hope he's done," she sighed, thinking of Gluttony. "I'm really bored. Maybe if I find a few employees to pass the time with..." She dressed herself and left the dead to rot, presuming Frederick would clean up the mess in his own fashion. Vita-might was quite a large building, encompassing twice the mass of the Seven's own headquarters, and Lust had all of it to herself, or at least the parts Frederick had not called for his own. She was more than content to let him be alone, for the great fat man disgusted her, and she feared his hungry gaze. Lust came across a break room by accident, and grimaced as she discovered nothing but hoary, wrinkly, crusty old men, most of them smelling like they had just smoked a cigar made of pitch tar. They hollered for her—what a curse her beauty was—but she knew she could do better, and scampered away, looking for other prospects. She found a younger and more attractive man wandering around, and forced him into a closet before he even knew what happened. In more ways than one, he was screwed. Lust was still unsatisfied as she left him dead in the closet. She hadn't even taken anything off and had already won. Perhaps a woman would be more of a challenge. She found a very striking, slightly older blonde walking about, eyes fixed on a clipboard and hair tightly braided in the back. She had glasses and looked far too pretty to be working alongside those walrus-like men, and Lust just had to wonder about her. She approached the woman, broke into a conversation, and in only a few minutes found herself in one of the women's bathrooms, pleasured briefly but thoroughly by the hot blonde. Unfortunately, said blonde had only just brought her "new lover" to one climax before covering her lips with her mouth, and that was her mistake. Lust had wanted things to go on (and on), and for awhile contemplated not killing this sensual creature. But she still had some clothes on—Lust had never totally disrobed at all during her thousands of sessions—and being not yet nude, felt dissatisfied. And anybody who could not satisfy her deserved the kiss of death. So, with a sigh of regret, she stepped over the unfortunate lady, and went in search of other pursuits. Gluttony had gotten hold of the manager of Vita-might, and chewed his ear off. Along with the rest of him. Food distribution managers always did have a unique flavor to them. ...... Much like Sloth and Pride, Envy's mere presence affected people, and true to her alias, it instilled in their hearts a sense of Wanting, of need, of desire that could never be fulfilled. Wives and daughters eyed husbands and sons. The poor craved, the rich pined, the mundane burned. She felt better just by strolling and seeing the look of jealousy in people's faces, even those she merely passed. Small riots broke out, and these in turn became huge. Stores were looted, people mugged or beaten, buildings torched—all for the want of more, of More. Envy wanted to cause more chaos, but the day was over quickly—her day had ended as soon as it began. Feeling empty as always, she returned to the Seven's base, and waited six long days for the others to come. Master Omega praised her outstanding success, but even this did not slate her thirst long. She soon became enflamed as he confronted everyone else about their jobs: Sloth and Avarice had done so well, Lust and Gluttony were such great successes, Pride and Wrath... Envy allowed a rare smile of satisfaction to curl on her face as Omega stared coldly at Pride, at Wrath, and demanded to know why they, even teamed with four others, had not succeeded. They shamed him. Envy guffawed when she heard the news. Only true suffering, the suffering of others, for people to be brought lower than her, made her happy. "Master," intoned Wrath shamefully, "we couldn't do anything. One of their number was a priest. He knew how to counter our actions. We were helpless before him!" "A priest?" Omega whispered to himself and, for the first time since anyone had known him, seemed to lose his grasp of power. The mere mention of a priest, a follower of the hated God, sent many of them into shock. Yet Omega recovered, and even wore a smile again. "You did say that only one of their number was a priest, right?" "Yes, Master." "Then it is only one. Only one. He'd be overwhelmed by our group...or somebody working for us who does not have such...weaknesses." The Seven flinched at the mere mention of weaknesses; Omega grinned cattily. "Regardless, you've all done well. Wrath, Pride, I can overlook this blunder since it was a special case and had conditions I did not factor. Up until then, you performed perfectly. Our next goal is the big one." "Which is...?" demanded Avarice. Omega stood, which meant everyone else knelt or bowed. "The Seven are to launch an all-out assault against that group of specially-talented people known as 'The Lost'," he announced. "And I myself shall contest with their founder. He and I have an old...score to settle." ---------- To be continued... Things seem to be growing worse as the darkness spreads. Will the Seven emerge victorious over the Lost? What will happen in the battle between Omega and Mr. White? Who will survive, if anyone? For the moment, the focus turns elsewhere, to the MERCS organization, where its mysterious Director has just been granted his deepest wishes, and where a terrible power awaits. Many questions will remain unanswered in the next chapter, "Taichou". Stay tuned!
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