Number 7

"Hmm... interesting. Very interesting. Heh... it would seem that there has been another success after... numerous failures."

A scientist stood in a room which was completely closed off from any and all contact.

The sealed chamber was one that boasted of advanced technology, with electronic doors and security systems that made up an airtight entrance.

In the center of the room, lying below the scientist who stood with a wry smile, was a body.

This body, which was clearly that of a grown male, had been strapped to a table which resembled a surgical operating table.

The hands and legs of the man had been locked into place with restraints, and he sat there with a blank expression as he looked up to the scientist with reddened eyes.

The bright red eyes of the man had sclera which were not white, but rather black - and these sclera were wrapped in red veins as if it were a maze.

"Experiment Number 7, Trial Number 12,648. Hypothesis: That by enhancing the material of one's eye composition with Numerite that even the weakest component of your body would become resistant to both acid, poison, explosives, extreme pressures and temperatures, and sharp objects."

Blood lined the labcoat of the man, splattered in a wretched manner as if this scientist held not a single care for the life of the one before him.

This blood not only covered the scientist, but also the operating table and the floor surrounding the two. A quantity of blood large enough to form a small pond flowed about the room.

Yet despite this, not a single wound seemed to be present on either of the two.

"After numerous additives have been tested, it would appear that we have finally narrowed down on the most effective combination. Results: All trials were successful. With this, even the weakest part of the body is now resistant to almost any form of physical or chemical injury."

Surrounding the two lining the walls were a number of chambers.

There were entire shelves which were lined with jars that contained numerous body parts of all types, from arms to legs, brains to muscles, hearts to lungs, intestines to eyeballs.

If it was a body part, it was lined up on the walls of these shelves, and not just one or two - but dozens.

"Conclusion: The properties of Numerium when combined with different additives are vastly different, and can create all sorts of effects depending upon how it is used, what it is combined with, and the amounts of the additives. To put it simply, this experiment was a success. Isn't that wonderful, Number 7?"

The scientist looked down at the man with a creepy grin, one which was devoid of any form of sanity.

The man who was strapped to the table had short black hair, which slightly moved as he turned his head just a tiny bit, facing the scientist with dead eyes.

Yet he did not say a word.

"What's with that look? Are you displeased with the experiments that I performed... when they were for YOUR benefit?"

The scientist seemed to cock his head at an angle as he looked down upon the man, who held not a single threat of emotion as he let out a tired sigh.

"Why you.... are you telling me that you've forgotten everything us humans have done for you? We've raised you up. We've given you everything so that you can become like us. Because of MY efforts, you no longer have to worry about your eyes being gouged out. You never again have to suffer in such a manner, yet you sit there and SIGH? Unacceptable. I will be reporting this to the Division Commander, you filthy creature."

Turning to walk away, the man let out a 'tch!' as he glanced over to a shelf full of tools of all sorts - the majority of which were completely doused in blood.

Pliers, crowbars, saws and chainsaws, hammers, scalpels, and hundreds more.

If it were a tool that could be used in a workshop or a laboratory, it was present.

And not just one or two of each, but rather dozens.

"It truly is disappointing. It would seem that I can't harm you any more with any of these. I suppose I will need to create a new set of tools from Numerium alloy which would allow me to once again rend your flesh. Ah... I suppose that is what must be done for Trial 12,649. Noted, noted. Hypothesis: The Numerium tools will once again allow me to dissect... and perhaps improve upon the specimen."

Walking back over to the restrained man with a wicked smile, the scientist looked his subject in the eye with complete madness.

"Isn't this exciting, Seven? How wonderful it must be that you will be of use to humanity in such a grand way. For a creature such as yourself... it would be such a great honor, no? To be of service to a superior race."

"Yes, Sir. I was created by humans, for humans. It is only because of humans that a creature such as myself was given the right to exist, and therefore I owe the superior and immortal creatures my utmost loyalty. Thank you for this gift which you have bestowed upon me with your superior knowledge."

The man strapped to the chair spoke in a robotic manner, without a single shred of emotion in his voice.

He spoke as if the words he said were such obvious truths that their falsity was something which could never even be considered.

"Excellent, excellent. I suppose soon enough your bodies will be perfected, after which we must work on your minds. I will have to consider how to properly program you such that you will be able to strategically attack other nations while following the orders you are given, but also while keeping the ability to think cognitively. It will be quite a challenge... yet I am sure it is something that you will be willing to learn for the sake of humanity, no?"

"Yes, Sir. I will do exactly as you say."

"Very good. Now then... with this being said, Experiment Number 7, Trial Number 12,648 has been... concluded. I suppose I will have to prepare a report for the Commander."

"Sir, are humans truly immortal?"

"Eh?"

The man turned around to leave, however the words which the subject spoke caused him to stop in his tracks.

"Seven... are you questioning our power?"

Turning around, the man looked down on the creature with a furious expression.

"Are you questioning our absolute authority over creatures such as yourself? Seven... Do you wish to undergo even harsher trials?"

As the man spoke, the specimen's eyes widened with fear, and his body began to tremble within its restraints.

"F... forgive me, Sir. I meant nothing by such a question. I had no intention to undermine human power and authority. I was merely-"

"You were merely... curious? But would that not mean that such a possibility entered your mind in the first place? Ah... ah.... we cannot have such a thing. It seems that I will have to find those rotten cells right now which conjured such a thought and tear them out myself. Experiment Number 12,469... commencing."

Walking over to the table of tools, the man began to grab enough of them to the point where he was completely overburdened, laying them all on a table in haste.

Heading over to a refrigerated chamber, the man opened it to take out a jar which contained a metallic blue crystal, at which he placed this on the desk as well.

"Weapon... weapon... weapon... I need to create a weapon which can harm you so that I can get rid of those cells... immediately."

"S-Sir, could you not just do it with your hands?"

The specimen seemed to speak with fear, yet even in his fear he asked such a thing with but a single thought plaguing his mind.

'I must do everything I can to assist humanity so that they don't find me to be a useless creature.'

'Even if it means making a suggestion which would cause immediate harm to myself.'

"Hah!? Seven, you imbecile. How many times have we told you this? If we were to do such a thing as harming you with our bare bodies... the power which we contain would be too much for you to handle. Therefore we channel it through tools."

Thinning his eyes as he looked upon the creature with disgust, the man stood above Seven with a horrible glare.

“And do you think that I would dirty my hands on the likes of you?”

Freezing as his eyes widened, the experimental subject opened his mouth to speak, yet his fear stopped him.

“Forgive me.”, he stated.

“The fact that you need to ask me for forgiveness in the first place… tch… do not have such thoughts again.”

Grabbing hold of one of the weapons, the man began to sharpen it, eventually breaking off a piece of the sharpened metal for use before loading the crystal onto what appeared to be some sort of apparatus.

"Ah... I see... truly, the power of humans is magnificent.", Seven uttered in awe as he watched.

"Isn't it? Hahaha…”, the man chuckled as he turned the machine on, at which a number of lasers shot out into the crystal. “Now then... I need to find the additives to allow the metal to become moldable."

Grabbing a jar of a strange red liquid, the man placed a shard of metal inside it, at which bubbles formed with fizzing noises.

The metal turned to be a bright red color, at which the man then used tongs to take it out.

"Now to hammer the metal... and to carve it into a blade...."

First using a hammer and then a strip of stone to grind it, the man formed a weapon as he smiled to himself, laughing lightly as he imagined the end product.

"Hahaha... almost completed. And now we add the strengthening enhancement."

Grabbing another vial of yellow liquid, the man poured it into a jar of water to dilute it before stirring and finally placing the blade inside the liquid, which once more began to fizz up.

Taking the blade out which was now a jet black, the man grinned as he tested it on the workstation which he was using just moments before.

And like a knife through butter, it cut straight through the metal table.

"Oh... this is made from steel, and to think that it is this effective... excellent. I suppose this experiment is a success as well. But now… we will need to add the final component."

Heading over to the apparatus, the man glanced to see that the gemstone was now shining, and had been surgically cut into a number of shards.

Turning off the machine, the man collected the shards as he fitted them onto the edge of the weapon, creating what appeared to be a diamond tipped saw.

The heated metal cooled, molding itself to the shards as the tool was completed.

Walking over as he held the blade with a grin, the man looked down upon the restrained specimen.

"S... sir... are... are you truly going to test such a thing on me?"

"Hahaha... What are you saying, Seven? This is for the sake of the progress of humanity. Ah... are you scared? There is no such need."

"P... please... please... just this once... I..."

"Is your fear stopping you from serving your duty, inferior creature?"

"Forgive me... but I... I don't wish to be subject to such things anymore... I... I can't take it... the pain... it... it's too much!! Please!!"

"It would seem that you truly are a failure in every possible way."

Bringing down the blade on the brain of the man, the scientist sliced straight through his skull.

"AGH!!!"

The man shouted out in pain as blood spouted out, his body vibrating violently as the restraints prevented his movement.

"My... my mind!! My mind!! AGH!!! IT HURTS!! IT HURTS!!! AGH!!!!"

"How truly disappointing."

Looking down on the screaming specimen with disgust, the scientist began to slice away at the forehead of the man, digging the blade around inside his mind as he mashed it to bits.

"PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!! STOP!!! AGH!!!!"

"Will you be silent already? I won't be able to remove the filthy pieces if you keep on struggling. Heh... hahaha..."

Suddenly, the man began to laugh.

"Hehehe... ah... how fun this is.... ahaha!!!"

The laughter slowly increased as the motions of the man did as well, and soon enough he was furiously stabbing into the mind of the specimen with insane laughter.

"AHAHAH!!! This is your punishment for even questioning our supremacy to your lowly kind!!! Rethink everything until you have finally come to the correct conclusion, Seven!!!"

"UGH!!!"

As he frantically convulsed in the excruciating torment that was having his brains be rummaged through, the man gripped the table with all his might in the same way that one might bite down on a cloth.

'It hurts...'

'It hurts...'

'How many times have I been through this pain?'

'How many times have they tormented me like this?'

'Why... was I born in the hands of these humans?'

From the moment he first awoke in this world, Seven had been the plaything of these immortal creatures.

As if his entire existence was that of a toy, he was molded and reshaped time and time again.

'When... will it stop?'

'I... I can't hold on any more...'

'My mind... feels like it's going to explode.'

Seven dug his hands into the table, biting down so hard that his teeth began to bleed and gripping with such intensity that his nails began to crack.

'I can't... do this.'

And then, in that moment, something exploded forth.

Unable to keep his form as that of a man, a fleshy spike shot forth from the back of the subject’s hand.

And it shot straight through the mind of the scientist who was digging around inside the brain of the man.

With a cold splatter, Seven felt blood cover his face as the laughter of the man who experimented on him ceased.

'Eh?'

The tool inside his mind fell to the ground with the man, whose body landed with a thud.

And as this happened, the mind of Seven began to regenerate with ease.

'The pain... it stopped.'

'The laughter... it stopped.'

'I... am no longer being harmed?'

'Has the experiment... ended?'

'Has this trial ended?'

In the bout of madness, the newly formed eyes of seven had been stabbed through on multiple occasions with the experimental new weapon, however as they regenerated Seven gained his sight to see it.

'Ah... that! How... how could this be?'

Shooting up, seven broke through his restraints as he rushed over to the man with terror in his expression.

'No... no no no... how... how could I have killed him!? I... I killed him? A human!? I killed a human!?!?! I... I'll... they'll destroy me... they'll punish me... they'll no longer have a use for me. How could I have laid my hands on a superior being like thi-'

As Seven began to panic on seeing the body of the man whose mind had been shot straight through, he paused for a moment.

He stopped, breathed in, and looked down - facing the man directly in the eyes.

The man's expression was one of pure sadism.

Madness.

And enjoyment.

Yet that expression was all that was left of this rotten scientist.

'I... killed a human?'

'A superior... immortal being?'

Looking at his two hands which were wrought with blood, Seven began to smile as he looked down on the man.

'I see.'

'I see.... I see...'

'I killed a human.'

The smile deepened, and it was at this moment that Seven began to laugh as tears formed in his newly regenerated eyes.

'So that would mean one of two things.'

Wiping his tears with his arm, Seven laughed bitterly as he covered his eyes.

'Either humans aren't as immortal as they said they were...'

It was then that a voice spoke, coming from a speaker which blasted into the chamber from the outside.

"Hold it right there Seven! How dare you turn your abilities against the ones who gave them to you? Is this your display of gratitude for all we've done!?"

Looking up to see the speaker, Seven held out a hand towards it as he shot out a spike, destroying the item in a rain of sparks.

Then, taking a seat on the operating table as the tears continued to flow, the man bit his teeth as he held his head in regret.

'Or I've become something which can kill even those who are immortal.'

"Hah..."

With a heavy sigh, the man spoke with a smile which was a distraught combination of suffering and relief.

"Experiment Number 1, Trial Number 1. Conclusion: Humans can be killed."

----

"Huff... huff... huff... huff..."

A man rushed down a metallic hallway, becoming more winded with each heavy step.

"Ugh... ngh... rgh..."

With every pace, he thrusted his body forth as he frantically approached a room, bursting through the door.

"Code... Code Red!!! One of the scientists has been slain!!! Seven... Experiment Number Seven seems to have finally gained his own will!!!"

"WHAT!?"

"How could that be!?!?"

"Lock everything down!!! Enact the preparations for this scenario!!!"

"Understood!!"

"If Seven has gained his own will, then the others likely are the same!! They might have been plotting this together!! We need to cut all of them off from one another and from the outside!!"

"On it!"

The man had burst into a control room filled with a number of other guards and scientists, all of whom immediately began to frantically prepare as soon as they heard his message.

"To think that the containment facility and countermeasures which Victor required would actually come into use... but that would only mean that his plan failed."

A scientist with long black hair that covered most of his face worked with all haste as both hands furiously rushed from button to lever, however his expression wouldn't suggest that his mind was even on the work which he was performing as he groggily spoke.

"Haha... I knew it was a bad idea to destroy them like this. But hey, nobody ever listens to me."

The man's eyes were darkened with heavy bags underneath them as if sleep was unknown to him, and yet despite the lazy expression which he took he worked with all efficiency as he sighed.

"Well, I guess that's that. If they gain a will of their own... they need to be destroyed. That's all there is to it. Ahh... I knew we shouldn't have treated them so inhumanely. And now those monsters are out to destroy us. Or rather... I suppose they're out to destroy him."

The sleeves of the labcoat which the man wore were excessively long, to the point where his fingers just barely poked out from them, yet even so he worked with ease and precision.

"Vice Commander!!! All security measures have been implemented. Not a single cell will escape containment now!"

A soldier shouted out to the man as he finished his work, finally allowing his hands to rest as he flipped his sleeve about while putting his hand to his chin.

"Is that so? That's great, I suppose. But I think we should probably nuke this island just to be sure. Though... I doubt that would work at this point. Ah, whatever. I'll have Victor take responsibility if something bad happens."

"What do you mean by that, Vice Commander? Nuke the island? Why would we ever need to resort to such measures? With all the safety measures that Doctor Lichtenburg planned for this exact scenario, there's no chance that even a cell could escape from the containment chamber."

"That's probably true... but you're forgetting two things."

Resting his head on his desk, the man lazily rested as he spoke in response.

"First, those things are already really powerful. They were designed as the ultimate weapons after all."

"That may be true, but they are incomplete. Surrounding their chamber is a layer of lava followed by a layer of acidic poison and then a layer of toxic gasses. Furthermore, each layer is completely separated by Numerium, the strongest metal in the world. After those initial layers we have an electric field at 10,000,000 Volts, and beyond this we have a deeply frozen layer at 1 Kelvin. Following even this, we have a vacuum sealed layer and then a layer of raw uranium. To be completely honest, with this many defensive measures in place, escaping such a thing isn't even something to joke about - no matter WHAT they are."

The soldier spoke with complete confidence, nodding with a grin as he crossed his arms in satisfaction.

"For something with a human body, ultimate weapon or not, such a thing is impossible. In my opinion, it was a massive waste of money for Doctor Lichtenburg to enact such measures. And to nuke the whole place? That would likely have more repercussions than the good it would do."

Glancing over to the soldier without lifting his head, the man barely made a motion as he spoke up in response.

"Well, that may be true. It seems like it's overkill. It probably is. Probably. But you're forgetting one more thing."

Turning his head to face the soldier, the man known as the Vice Captain spoke with a grave tone.

"All it takes is a single cell to escape... and those things can end the world if they want to."

Sitting up, the man cracked his hunched back as he pulled a remote from his side, turning on a series of cameras.

"And that's why I kept on telling Victor that we shouldn't have pissed em off so much. But he wouldn't listen to me. So now we've created the ultimate weapons, and yet we've given them enough reason to want to destroy the entire world. And now that they're no longer completely obedient to us, do you understand what that means?"

Thinning his eyes, the man seemed to have an expression of complete annoyance.

"It means that this is going to be a pain in the ass."

With a sigh, the man stood up as he walked towards the exit.

His coat fluttered as he walked by, capturing the attention of each and every person in the room with his presence.

"Because those few layers are the only things protecting this very planet from destruction."

Turning his head around with a sarcastic expression, the man spoke with clear irritation evident in his voice as he faced the others in the room.

"Ah, but it's all for the sake of PROGRESS, right? Hah..."

Shoddily raising a fist, the man made a sacreligious motion which mocked his very nation before all present as he left the room.

"For the Empire, or something like that."

----

'Hahaha... ah... shit.'

With a crooked smile that was tinged with pain, the black haired scientist found himself at a loss.

'What am I even supposed to do at this point? The fact that the subjects are now dangerous means that we can't use them anymore... but will nuking them really do anything? Maybe it would be better to keep all the barriers up and just abandon the island. After all, if they escape we're all fucked anyways.'

The excessive sleeves of the man completely covered his hands, dangling from them as they swayed according to his steps.

'Ah... well, I guess this really isn't my problem. I told Victor that we shouldn't have done that. I mean, come on. Even if they were brainwashed, he did a lot of horrible shit to them. Making someone who should hate you with everything they have into a literal embodiment of power is always a bad idea. But nooo... he wouldn't listen to me. He kept on running the experiments, time after time. Well... I guess that's why he's the Commander and I'm the Vice Commander.'

With a desperate smirk, the man continued to walk through the darkened halls in his lonesome, not a soul in sight.

'Because the person in charge is always the least capable.'

----

"I hope you don't find our decor to be too plain. We run a number of very dangerous experiments here, so safety has been prioritized over aesthetics."

Walking through a metal hallway and guided by an entire group of guards, both from the Navy and the Research and Development Division, were two people.

The first was a man whose white hair was just slightly messy, giving off an impression that it was that way on purpose in order to enhance his appeal.

The other was a woman who wore the outfit and cap of a Naval Admiral.

The two both carried themselves with excessive dignity, not so much as giving in for a second as they spoke with pride.

"Of course. After all, if what you told me before is true... then the experiments are living. And that presents a threat in of itself if not properly accounted for."

"Indeed. That is why we have taken such great precautions. The metal which these walls are made from, for example, is Numerium. It is an alloy which we devised relatively recently for the exact purpose of containing the experiments which would be performed in this facility. Such a metal is extremely difficult to mass produce, yet it far surpasses mere steel as an alloy by over a thousand times.", the man explained.

"A thousand times? Just how heavy is this metal?", the woman questioned.

"That's the beauty of it. It weighs even less than steel. Such a thing is possible through the rearrangement of the bonds within the metal such that breaking them will require excessive amounts of energy. And that is why Numerium is so important. It is a metal which has properties unlike any other in that it can be so easily reworked on a chemical level."

"Hmm... I see."

The woman nodded in understanding, or perhaps it was that she pretended to understand and her pride did not allow her to admit such a thing.

This man was Victor Lichtenburg, the Commander of the Research and Development Division of the Forgestarian Empire, and walking next to him was Yelena Slausenricht, the Admiral of the Navy.

The two didn't so much as bat an eye as they proudly made their way through the facility, not daring to show their soldiers even a moment of weakness.

"Where should I take you first, Madame Admiral? Perhaps straight to the experimental chambers? Oh... here's an idea. Would you like to meet them?"

"Meet them? You mean... the weapons?"

"Indeed."

"Hahaha... how truly interesting you are. I am glad to have come to this place. By all means, I would love to meet the weapon which I will one day wield for myself. Will I be allowed to pick which one I can have?"

"Hahaha... well, if there is one to your liking... then I will be sure to set it aside for your use."

"How wonderful. Thank you, Doctor."

"It is my pleasure."

Both spoke in a pretentious manner, keeping up their appearances with every word they spoke and every step they took.

For even at that moment, the two were engaged in a battle.

A battle to show the soldiers beneath them that they were born to be elites.

Upon reaching an airlocked doorway, the scientist stepped forward as he began to type in a series of codes, followed by the scanning of fingerprints and a retina scan.

One by one, a series of doors opened in succession, all of which were heavily padded with technological advancements.

"Ladies first."

"Are you certain that I won't be attacked by some sort of laser defense system just by entering?"

"Oh no. The lasers will only activate if you stray more than five meters from me."

The men of the Navy stiffened up on hearing this, however as they walked forth to follow the two they were met with the opposition of the men of the laboratory.

"Ah, did I not mention that you all are not allowed past this point? Mere soldiers like you do not have the right to witness such things. Sit there patiently and await your leader. I can assure her safety on my name as Division Commander, if you are concerned about such a thing."

With a haughty statement, the man spoke without so much as turning back as the doors began to shut behind him.

"Madam, is this truly alright?"

"To enter such a place without any guards... how can you be so sure that this isn't some sort of elaborate-"

"Silence, mongrel. Sit."

The woman looked back with an expression of disgust, pointing her finger to the ground as the door slowly closed.

"Of course, Madam..."

The man then squatted down to the ground like a dog, bowing his head in shame for having spoken up in such a rude manner.

"Stay."

With this word, the woman turned around and began to continue to walk alongside the white haired man.

"And if I hear but a single bark out of you... then it will be off to the pound."

With this statement, the door shut closed, and the two were cut off from the men.

The man who was squatting down like a dog stood up, gritting his teeth in humiliation.

'That woman... I swear I'll make her pay one day...'

As he looked around however, he noticed something.

The men of the navy did not look at him with disgust nor in a mocking manner, but rather had turned away with expressions of guilt.

Yet this much, the man had expected.

'Of course they would look like that... because they too have to endure the ridiculous demands of that woman. But why... do they look the same?'

As he looked around, the man noticed it.

The men of the laboratory had the same expressions.

Turned away, they gave off a pained expression which was a combination of guilt, sympathy, pity, and anger.

'Are they... the same?'

'Are they also... treated like animals?'

----