PROJECT ASTERIA

F O U R

"Enjoying the view?" Igor's voice floated into the room, and Carina quickly turned around, tightening the strings on the silk bathrobe that she put on after washing herself off.

"It's fantastic," she smiled politely. "Thank you for your generosity."

Behind them was a window that showed the beauty of the sea, beneath the cliffs. "You did well today," he said. "You surprised all of us. We had not been expecting this type of... brutality or efficiency from you, even with your background. Andrei was right about you."

She shrugged. "I try not to disappoint."

Igor was standing next to her now, looking at the sea, listening to the waves crash against the cliffs. Then, he looked at her. And she tried not to fold under his icy gaze.

"So," Carina said, breaking the ice. "Am I going to meet your friends soon?"

"Tonight," he promised. "You will meet everyone. Make sure you look presentable."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm serious," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure they'll want to meet the final contender for the last spot in the Seven."

Excuse me?

Did Andrei know about this? She tried not to look surprised or befuddled. Her supervisor wouldn't have sent her here knowing about this.

Igor simply chuckled, seeing the tiniest change of expression on her face. He gestured at a gift box that he had left on her desk. "You wanted to work with me, remember?"

***

She looked at the dress Igor picked out for her. A sage green, floor length dress, with a cowl neck and thin straps. It was silky to the touch, and she twirled in front of the mirror, exposing a slit alongside her leg. Her back was open, with straps to hold the two sides together.

It was beautiful. And as messed up as Igor and the others might have been, she had to admit they had good taste.

The butler cleared his throat. And she quickly turned around. "Sorry," she said.

He smiled tightly, "did you want any more help?"

Carina shook her head. "It's okay," she said. "Thank you. You can go."

He nodded, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. She breathed out, putting on the golden necklace set on the counter, then the golden peacock feather earrings. She stared at herself in the mirror, unable to comprehend who she was staring at.

A literal goddess. The butler had helped her bring out her best qualities in her face and her body, elevating her otherwise ordinary looks to a level that she never thought possible.

Are you ready? She asked herself, exhaling deeply.

Ready, her mind responded.

***

Dinner was an interesting affair, in a grand room whose brightness overshadowed all others in the mansion. Carina looked around, trying to see if she could pinpoint the members of the Seven that she had seen earlier in the day. But everybody in the room radiated power.

There was the United States Secretary of State, the CEOs of the top Fortune 500 companies, the technocrats of the world's largest software companies, and the man whose son this was all about.

Cyrus Anvari.

The more she looked at him, the more he looked like Armon.

And the atmosphere hummed with laughs, gossip, secrets, scandals, and pretentiousness. But only for a few minutes before a female voice floated around the room on a microphone.

"Good evening, friends," her voice was soft and melodic. Carina's head snapped to the source of the voice—six figures standing in the middle of the room. The exact same six she had seen, without the masks.

There was a pause in the room, as everyone held their breaths. And as she looked at the six people. She couldn't recognize the female, but she certainly recognized everyone else.

Igor Levin, the former Russian ambassador, former Russian intelligence officer, and the owner and president of Levin Industries co., a military technology corporation.

Charles Kinsley, Great Britain's former famed Marshall of the Royal Air Force and the current Leader of the Opposition.

Daniel Yates, the CEO of the international company Yates Technologies Inc., and one of the biggest sponsors of intergovernmental projects in the world.

Jonas Harkenstein, the former German intelligence officer and the current United Nations Secretary-General.

And...

Her eyes widened. It couldn't be. But he was looking at her with a smug expression on his face. Andrei Stefanovic, the Director of the CIA, the supervisor behind most of the black operations, including this one, and a war hero in the United States. A man she had grown to trust more than anyone in the world.

In that brief moment, she understood why people feared the Seven. The others she probably wouldn't have been surprised about, but Andrei?

These people were all people that the citizens trusted.

"We are happy to announce the contenders for the final spot in the Seven," the woman said, then passed the microphone to Igor. Carina felt hands on her shoulders, which pushed her forwards into the light alongside Cyrus and Alejandro Delgado, the billionaire oil and natural gas moguls from the Middle East and South America, respectively. She did not feel like she belonged, even with the claps and cheers echoing from around them.

"Welcome Cyrus Anvari, Alejandro Delgado, and Liliana Federova."

Another pause, while he waited for the applause to stop.

"Most of you know Cyrus Anvari as the owner of PetroIran Co., and one of our biggest funders, bringing us billions of dollars each year, helping us with global expansion with our prized clients," Igor smiled at the businessman, before turning his attention to the Colombian. "You also know Alejandro Delgado as the owner of PetCo Corp., also one of our prized sponsors, who also dabbles in the arms trade and the nuclear energy industry, and has provided us with many resources that allowed our victory in Dubai."

A huge round of applause, before Carina swallowed. The attention was shifting over to her. What she provided wouldn't even compare to what Anvari and Delgado were doing, and the people around her must have realized it too, as she was beginning to get curious looks from them. She felt out of place.

"Liliana Federova," Igor said, eyes twinkling in amusement. Andrei leaned over, whispering in the Russian's ear.

Igor passed the mic to Andrei.

"You may not recognize her," he said. "But that is because she has done our work in the darkness."

He smiled.

"Liliana Alexsandra Federova grew up in a politically influential family. Her mother was a Kennedy, her father a Russian General—General Alexsandr Ivanovich Federov, so she was groomed to follow in their footsteps," Andrei said. "But instead, she pursued a different path. She joined the CIA, where her intelligence and skill set made her an ideal candidate for undercover operations for the Seven, bringing our influence into the upper echelons of the United States and the British governments, hence why Mr. Yates and Mr. Kinsley are here today, as is Mr. Harris, the US Secretary of State."

He delivered the last sentence with an air of arrogance, and she could see the expressions of the three men he mentioned. The air of superiority was clearly meant to put her in favor for the seventh spot, while putting those men down. He wanted everyone, especially Yates and Kinsley, to know that had it not been for her, they would not be there. And now, they would owe her a favor.

He was putting those two in a terrible spot. And now they would know that she could remove them as easily as she wanted to.

He raised a glass of champagne, and grinned as the room burst into applause.

"To success!" Igor called the toast. "And to our Seventh!"