Disclaimer: All official MegaMan characters are property of Capcom.

MY LONELINESS

Gospel

The orders were always given through emails and transmissions. If anything was discussed face-to-face, the followers would always find themselves speaking through sound-only lines. Nobody had actually met the leader of Gospel in person and the mystery surrounding the anonymous one continued to shroud them completely from the rest of the world.

"This company started as nothing more than a small family business and over the years it has grown into what you now see before you."

"I've never even heard of them," a blond man in a blue suit wearing a pin with a green tornado on his lapel replied, "Can't we move onto some place that'll have a bigger impact on the world?"

"Revenge must be savored, not rushed, Mr. Kazefuki. Take it slowly and someday you may even be able to wipe out Microsoft."

"That'll be the day," the one known as Arashi Kazefuki thought out loud before turning his attention to the immediate task at hand, "Alright, then. AirMan, are you ready?"

"I've been waiting for this moment!" a duck-like voice squawked from the PET in the man's hands. Arashi pulled the jack out from the side and plugged it into the port in the wall. In a few short seconds, a blue NetNavi with a fan in the center of his chest appeared inside the building's systems. His sudden appearance drew the attention of a few programs working nearby, but he quickly dealt with them with a few bursts of air from his fan.

"You're no match for the mighty AirMan!" he bellowed before he proceeded to laughing, which sounded more like a series of quacks.

"AirMan, better hurry before anybody notices anything wrong," instructed Arashi.

"Quack!" AirMan made his way through the system, opening maps that their leader had provided them to find his way, until he finally arrived at his destination.

"The central ventilation system." A small smile appeared on Arashi's face, "AirMan, shut all the vents leading outside."

"Quack!" AirMan's fan began spinning and several puffs of air shot out and hit the main program. Immediately, the vents leading outdoors were sealed one by one and it was not long before all of them had been closed.

"Now let's move onto phase two. This map shows us that a gas pipeline runs right under this building. There's a computer in it that maintains the flow of gas and prevents leaks. AirMan, I want you to take care of it," ordered Arashi.

"With pleasure, Arashi." AirMan made his way through the system undetected. It took him a few minutes before he finally arrived at his destination. "Let's bust this thing up, Arashi!"

"My thoughts exactly, AirMan." Arashi took a Battlechip from his pocket and slotted it into his PET. "Tornado Battlechip in, download!" AirMan's fan began to turn and before long a powerful cyclone had been generated from his body which he then forced into the maintenance program. The device sparked wildly as the winds tore at its code, ripping apart vital information. Red warning lights began to flash as sirens sounded inside the building. Arashi looked up from his spot at an exterior maintenance panel and nodded.

"Jack out, AirMan." He unplugged his PET and AirMan's body morphed into the word "LOGOUT" as he returned to his operator.

"Well done, Arashi," a voice congratulated over the PET.

ooo

Protesters stood in front of a forest with signs as they faced a bulldozing crew, which was getting very irritated with them. In front of the protesters was a man wearing a red hoodie, glasses, and a baseball cap bearing a symbol resembling a boomerang.

"Stand together, everyone!" he shouted through a bullhorn, "We will not allow any harm to come to this forest!"

"Get outta da way, youse punk kids!" the bulldozer crew's foreman shouted.

"We shall not move!" the young man leading the protesters called out.

"Dis is gonna be da site for da new Super Mega Ultra Mall," the foreman said, "Thousands a' people been lookin' forward to dis place. Youse can protest all youse want, but that ain't gonna stop us from levelin' dis forest."

"That's why I came prepared," announced the young man. The foreman laughed.

"What youse gonna do about it?" he asked.

"You want to know?" The young man took out a PET. "QuickMan, do it." Silence fell upon the area as everybody waited to see what would happen. A few minutes passed and still nothing.

"Ha ha ha! Dat's real cute, kid," the foreman laughed, "Now get youse selves outta heres. A'right guys, get ready!" The bulldozers revved up and were ready to advance. However, before anyone could do anything one of the machines exploded, killing the man in the cab. "What da?"

"I told you I came prepared," the young man warned.

"Dave, isn't that going a bit too far?" one of the other protesters asked, but the one whom he called Dave turned his head and cast a death glare in his direction.

"Nobody's going to listen to petitions and signs or the words of protestors. If we want to be heard, we want to take action!" Dave brought his PET up. "QuickMan, destroy another one." No sooner had he spoken those words, another bulldozer exploded. "Those were your only warnings. If you don't leave now, I'll blow up all of your machines AND the company who hired you."

"Youse don't have da guts!" the foreman yelled.

"Try me." Dave pressed a button on his PET and another bulldozer exploded. "This is for the preservation of our precious environment."

"Youse got a lot ta learn 'bout da real world, kid. No one don't care 'bout no environment no more," the foreman told the environmental activist. He then got into one of the bulldozers and started advancing. He didn't care who was standing in his way. He was determined to plow the forest down at any cost. However, Dave had other plans. He turned to his PET and spoke.

"QuickMan, do it." In the cab of the bulldozer, the foreman was ready his machine to plow past the protesters when the system suddenly died.

"What's going on?" he asked as he tried to restart the machine, but nothing he did worked. Suddenly, the computer screen on his dashboard came to life, revealing a black-suited, red-armored NetNavi with two large blades on his arms and a boomerang on his helmet.

"You're not moving an inch further."

"QuickMan, hurry up," said Dave.

"Hurry? Ha. Who needs to hurry when they're this fast?" QuickMan slashed a device on the other side of the computer system within two seconds before escaping in the blink of an eye as the bulldozer exploded.

"Don't mess with nature," was all Dave said as he watched the foreman's machine erupt in a blaze of fire. A shard from the bomb he planted landed by the hand of what had once been the foreman, bearing an insignia that resembled a spiky capital G shaped like a dog's head.

ooo

"They do some real good work," CutMan commented as he stood next to FreezeMan watching the events unfold on the window before their eyes.

"I must say I am impressed with what Arashi and Dave have done," FreezeMan agreed.

"CutMan. FreezeMan." A new window opened up, displaying a chalk-white partially-hidden face with the left side covered by long green hair.

"Sir!" FreezeMan immediately knelt down and CutMan quickly followed.

"I have an assignment for CutMan." The scissor-headed NetNavi looked up at the window.

"What is it that you want me to do?" he asked.

"This will have all the details." A beam of light shot down and deposited a Blue Mystery Data into CutMan's hands. He took one look at it and saluted before logging out.

"Did you also have a task for me, sir?" asked FreezeMan.

"Yes, FreezeMan. I've hiring an assassin for our organization and I require you to meet with him to discuss the long-term contract."

"Are they good, sir?"

"Would I have even considered them if they weren't?"

ooo

CutMan looked at his orders once again when he arrived at his destination. When he read them the first time, he wasn't sure if the job he had been given would be appealing even though it was perfect for his skills. However, upon arriving at his target's location he realized that it might actually be fun. There were a few guards to contend with, but security was light enough to get through. CutMan quickly made his way in without being detected. He wanted to start cutting things down right away, but his orders had told him not to do so. He grumbled as he remembered this and focused more on being able to destroy everything later. After spending several minute sneaking around corners and hiding behind walls, he eventually made it to the objective of his mission. Large sheets of data lay stacked in massive piles, which caused CutMan to snip his head scissors happily. He quickly regained his composure and remembered his order. He checked the contents of each stack and searched for one particular group. Ten minutes passed before he finally found what he was looking for and he pulled the data sheets out.

"Scissors cuts paper." He closed his head scissors and snipped the sheets in two. He laughed as he continued to cut them into increasingly smaller pieces and enjoyed every moment of it.

"I saw something here," a voice could be heard saying, causing CutMan to freeze.

"I'll check it out," a big burly voice replied.

"Be careful, GraniteMan." As the thundering footsteps of a large and heavy Navi approached, CutMan began to panic. He quickly sought a hiding place behind a stack of data sheets and crouched behind it. He could see a large shadow slowly appear on the wall and he began to get scared. There was no way he would be able to fight an opponent like that and win. He needed to escape, however there was only one route both in and out and the only cover he had was the data sheets.

That's when it hit him. Cover! CutMan waited in his hiding spot for GraniteMan to get closer. As soon as he was within range, he pushed the largest stack of data sheets and they all fell on top of the large Navi. Once he was sure he was down, CutMan came out of hiding. He glanced at the massive form covered by the stack of data sheets he had pushed and quickly ran out.

"Mission accomplished, boss," he reported as soon as he was in a safe location.

"Well done, CutMan. Return as quickly as you can."

"Yes, sir." CutMan ended his transmission and logged out, having completed his mission and destroyed vital bank information for a certain uncle and aunt.

ooo

Back inside the computers of the organization's headquarters, FreezeMan was meeting with a purple ninja wearing a long red scarf for the first time.

"And so those are the conditions," the frigid NetNavi concluded.

"Your conditions appear reasonable," the ninja said, "I shall now consult my operator." He turned and opened a private window. FreezeMan waited patiently for several minutes, not once moving a frozen muscle. When the other NetNavi was finished, he turned to him.

"Your conditions are accepted."

"Excellent. We look forward to having your abilities serve our purposes." FreezeMan cracked a rare smile. "Now then, perhaps you can finally tell us your names."

"You can simply refer to my operator as Dark. As for me, you can call me ShadowMan."

"ShadowMan… Well then, let's see if you are as stealthy as your name suggests." FreezeMan handed over a Purple Mystery Data. "Your first assignment is in here." ShadowMan accepted the item and nodded. With the data in one hand, he held up to fingers in front of himself and vanished in a cloud of smoke.

ooo

Elsewhere in the world, government leaders were meeting to talk about what they should do in case of a receding economy. It was a teleconference involving leaders from various countries around the world. The debate had gone on for hours and with no visible end in sight. This, however, provided an excellent distraction. From a hotel not far away, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair wearing a white dress looked down at the government building from her suite window. Two bodyguards stood by the door at full attention.

"Could you leave me for a moment?" she requested.

"Of course, Princess Pride." The two suited women exited through the door and shut it behind them, but they continued to remain outside. Now that she was alone, the woman whom the bodyguards had addressed as Princess Pride sat down at her desk and took out her PET.

"KnightMan, let's get this done quickly before anyone suspects." She plugged in the blue device and sent her NetNavi through the internet into the government building. Security was heavy, however that would prove not to be a challenge as an enormous heavily armored NetNavi armed with a giant mace in place of his right hand appeared. As he approached a protective firewall, many guards stationed in front of it immediately turned his way.

"Sorry sir, this is currently a restricted area," one of them called out.

"But I am here on official business," KnightMan insisted, "I have some information that is vital to the information."

"I suppose we could let him in for a little bit," one of the security guards proposed.

"I guess." The one that had been talking to KnightMan turned back to the large Navi and held out his hand, "May I please see some identification?"

"Certainly. I hid it in my arm in case I ran into any trouble." KnightMan deployed his mace and let it drop to the floor with a thunderous crash. He placed his hand into the hole where it had been and began to rummage around. His eyes flashed menacingly for a moment before he unexpectedly swung his arm and sent his mace into the guards. He reeled his weapon back in and advanced.

"STOP!" More security Navis rushed to stop him, but KnightMan simply plowed right through them. A team of five approached from his right and he deployed his mace into flail mode.

"Royal Wrecking Ball!" he swung his weapon and the enormous spiked ball attached to his arm via a chain slammed into the Navis with such terrifying force that they were deleted upon contact. When the last of them had been killed off, KnightMan swung his flail at the firewall. The first impact left a crack in the near-impenetrable structure. Reeling his mace back in, he walked up to the damage he had made and began punching it with both arms. It finally gave out a couple of minutes later and he stepped through. Up ahead, KnightMan could see the program he was looking for: the translator. With so many government officials from different countries involved, one was needed to allow for easier communication. KnightMan walked up to it, making sure to keep a look out for any other security guards. To his surprise, there were not any more. He personally made a thought about the people organizing this meeting being stupid for posting guards outside the firewall but placing none behind it.

KnightMan stopped just two feet away from the program and looked down on it. It bore a resemblance to a large anvil. He smiled beneath his mask as he raised his mace. Then with a loud cry, he slammed the heavy spiked ball on top of the program. He smashed right through it with little effort and the translator system was quickly affected. People's listening devices failed and words were scrambled beyond comprehension.

"My work here is done." KnightMan logged out and returned to his operator's PET.

"That was a very good job, KnightMan," said Princess Pride.

"Anything for you, milady."

Back in the government building, panic had gripped all the people inside as the doors locked and a big red capital G shaped like a spiky dog appeared on the computer monitors.

ooo

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, one of the largest investment banks in the world was experiencing problems. People were randomly losing or gaining money. Deep inside the system, a large red NetNavi resembling a magnet was holding out his hands and using his abilities to shift all the data in the bank's computer systems around.

"MagnetMan, are you finished yet?" a man's voice came in through the PET-to-Navi communication line.

"Almost done, Mr. Gauss." MagnetMan stood in that position for several more minutes before finally lowering his arms. "All done."

"Excellent. We now have another target to take care of so log out."

"Right away." MagnetMan logged out of the bank's computer system and returned to his PET, which was in the hands of an elderly man wearing a business suit that had literally been split into two separate colors right down the middle; the right half of his suit was red and the left half was black.

"So what is our next objective?" asked MagnetMan.

"We're going to a place where we'll find anything that can only exist in a truly decadent society." Gauss placed his PET into case under his blazer and headed downstairs. A limousine was waiting for him outside and he got in. The chauffeur closed the door after him and quickly ran over to the driver's seat. Once settled in, he drove away from the large skyscraper with an enormous sign out front that said "Gauss Inc.".

An hour's drive passed before the vehicle stopped at the Electopia International Airport. Gauss got out and made his way inside with his suitcase. He stopped at the airline desk to check in and once it was confirmed, he made his way through security to his gate. It didn't take long before boarding began and Gauss was quickly seated comfortably in the first class cabin.

"How long will this flight be?" MagnetMan questioned.

"Fifteen hours," answered Gauss, "Now I must turn you off for takeoff." He turned off his PET and let it rest on the table beside his seat as a flight attendant came around with a wine list. Afterwards, he settled down comfortably. He was in for an extremely long flight.

ooo

Nearly two thirds of an entire day had passed when the plane finally landed at Heaven's City airport. Gauss disembarked with the other passengers and reclaimed his luggage before making his way through customs. When he was eventually done, he exited into the arrivals lobby and stepped outside where another limousine was waiting for him. He got in the backseat and rode for another two hours to his company's Netopian branch headquarters.

"Ahhh, finally I can relax a little." Gauss stepped into his office on the top floor and placed his PET on his desk. After seventeen hours of remaining seated, he wasn't too eager to sit down at his desk. He walked over to a mini-bar in the corner and poured himself a glass of wine. A beep from his computer indicated he had a call coming. He walked over to his desk and answered it. Immediately, his screen became occupied by a spiky red capital G shaped like a dog.

"Mr. Gauss."

"Ah, sir. I was just about to contact you."

"You've arrived in Netopia?"

"Yes, I have. I just came into my office."

"Good. I expect favorable results from your mission." And with that, the transmission ended. Gauss took out his PET and plugged it into his desk.

"MagnetMan, let's get this started."

"Right away, Mr. Gauss." MagnetMan entered his operator's computer system and swiftly exited out onto the internet. As he made his way through the web, Gauss reviewed his mission details. His task was to infiltrate a highly-advanced research facility which housed a special program. MagnetMan was to steal that program. Gauss had always wondered why the leader of the organization required such things, but he never questioned him. In fact, nobody ever questioned the leader. As long as they were able to take their revenge against others, they didn't care.

Meanwhile, MagnetMan finally arrived at his destination. The research facility's computer systems were heavily guarded. Guards and turrets surrounded the incredible firewall that blocked off the entrance. These wouldn't be a problem. "Magnet Missile!" Two giant U-shaped magnets appeared and the large Navi launched each one at a turret. The magnetically-guided projectiles hit their targets and destroyed them, alerting the guards. They did exactly as MagnetMan had predicted and began running toward him. He placed his hand on the floor and formed a line of Magnet Panels straight down the middle. The security team was quickly pulled toward it and stuck in place. With the MagLine holding everybody down, there was only one thing left to do. MagnetMan summoned a blue copy of himself behind all the Navis and the two of them readied themselves.

"North-South Tackle!" The two MagnetMen were drawn together by the other's magnetic pull and their collision with one another deleted all the Navis that had been caught between them.

"Are you done with them, MagnetMan?" asked Gauss.

"Yes," was the answer as the blue MagnetMan disappeared. The original MagnetMan proceeded forward and slammed his enormous fists into the firewall. When that failed to dent it, he began tackling it. After ten tries, he finally broke through and continued to make his way further into the system. "Mr. Gauss, any idea where that program is?"

"It shouldn't be too hard to find," Gauss answered. Sure enough, he was right. A blue fist-sized cube was the only object protected by several automated gun turrets. When MagnetMan arrived, they all turned on him and fired.

"Is that it?" he laughed, "That's pathetic!" He surrounded himself with a barrier generated with his own power and the bullets ricocheted off its surface. He grinned as he slowly pushed against the barrage of tiny lead projectiles. The cube was just within his reach. However, in order to grab it he was required to drop his shield. Privately, he admitted to himself that KnightMan probably would have been a better choice for this mission but he was already in the middle of doing it so he decided he may as well finish it.

MagnetMan finally reached the nearest turret and swiftly slammed himself into it, causing the tower to topple. He turned to the other turrets and brief dropped his shield long enough to form two black balls of energy. "Mag Ball!" After tossing one in either direction, he quickly reapplied his shield and watched as the two orbs collided with their intended targets and destroyed them. MagnetMan nodded and deactivated his barrier. He picked up the program from its stand and looked at it.

"Such a tiny little thing. But if it's what the boss needs, it's what the boss gets." MagnetMan put the program away and logged out.

ooo

The task seemed easy enough ShadowMan thought as he stealthily leapt across rooftops. His first job under the new contract was a simple assassination. According the information he had received, his target was someone who had quit the organization not long ago. It seemed that he did not like how it focused on satisfying the lust for revenge of its members through any means necessary, even death. As such, he left and was last reported heading for the Official Center to give them information. Fair enough. It was just to silence a squealer. The traitor and his Navi had gone off separately to ensure that at least one of them would make it. No doubt they had taken into account that the organization would want their heads. What they hadn't counted on, was the identity of their pursuers. While ShadowMan tracked down the Navi, his operator, Dark, was on the trail of the operator.

"ShadowMan, report on your status," a scrambled voice came through on the ninja's personal PET communicator.

"I am closing in on the target," ShadowMan reported. He could already see the Navi he was after trying to run away. Against any other tracker, he might have been able to get away. ShadowMan was not just any other tracker. "Shall I dispatch of him quietly?"

"As quietly as possible."

"It shall be done." ShadowMan picked up the pace and closed in on his target. Before long, he was running right beside him along the rooftops. He looked at his surroundings and began to assess the situation to determine the best way to take out his target. He needed to do so in a way that would not only allow him to kill the Navi without alerting him, but also without alerting the others in the area. His cloning technique was definitely out of the question and his fire technique would serve no purpose. He considered shuriken for a good length of time, but in the end his decision was made when he brought up his arm and rested his hand against the hilt of his sword.

The Navi stopped for a moment to look around. No one seemed to be following him. After a few seconds had passed, he turned and ducked into an alley from which he later emerged into a busier street.

He thinks someone is after him, and so he has entered a busier location in hope that I will not attempt to kill him with so many others present, thought ShadowMan as he continued to observe his target. He continued to tail the Navi regardless. As the situation currently stood, his target was too close to the other Navis for an efficient strike. If he could just get even the smallest opening, it would be enough. ShadowMan continued to wait. Eventually, the target NetNavi arrived in an open plaza where the crowd was more thinned out over a larger area. So far, narrow streets had been this one's ally. This sudden change left more wide-open space which ShadowMan immediately acted upon. He vanished from the rooftop and reappeared on the other side of the plaza crouching with his sword in one hand. Behind him, his target seemed to have frozen in place before his torso and his hip separated and both pieces were erased. ShadowMan closed his eyes and stood up.

"ShadowMan to Dark. Target eliminated."

"Excellent work, ShadowMan. My target is dead now too. Log out immediately."

"At once." ShadowMan re-sheathed his sword and placed his hands together as he logged out and returned to his operator's PET.

ooo

Inside a single room, a computer monitor was blinking. A figure walked over to it and answered the incoming call. Immediately, the icy face of FreezeMan appeared. "Master Shuryou, did you send for me?"

"Yes I did, FreezeMan." From the shadows of the dark room, the figure moved closer to the illumination of the screen. His face was chalk-white with long green hair that went down to his knees with a single lock covering half of his face, which had no features, not even a mouth, save for a single black eye with a glowing red pupil. The rest of his hair ended off with countless crooked purple ends which branched off into random directions. He wore only a long black coat with red patterns on the sleeves and crimson triangles on the coattails. A spiky dog-shaped capital G was emblazoned across the center of his chest.

"Report on everything, FreezeMan."

"Right away, Master Shuryou." FreezeMan brought up a window and expanded it behind him so he could explain the display while it played since his only other option was using low-budget Zero Punctuation-esque puppets. "Well the traitor who left us has been swiftly dealt with. We are most fortunate to have Dark and ShadowMan. The progress of all our other members is doing very well. The more they do, the more they seem loyal to Gospel."

"They're being given the chance to take revenge on that which they hate the most. Anyone given the opportunity to experience that will follow those who provide it."

"In addition, MagnetMan has successfully retrieved the program you wanted."

"Excellent. My master plan will soon be complete. Just a few more pieces and it shall be complete. But enough on that for now. FreezeMan, are you ready for that special mission?" The frozen Navi nodded.

"My loyalty is to you and you alone, Master Shuryou. I will go where you wish me to." Shuryou Gospel was silent for a moment before transferring FreezeMan into a PET. He unplugged the portable device and left the room. He descended an elevator and stepped outside.

The streets of Kotobuki were empty. The buildings were too. In fact, nearly the entire town had been evacuated. The radiation emitting from the apartment complex was intense as the Gospel servers tirelessly worked night and day. Even the sky itself seemed to have dimmed over the small town. What had once been trees now lay as decrepit pieces of wood. Shuryou Gospel was the only one who seemed to be unaffected by the radiation as he made his way to the subway station. The KotoLine had been shut down for a few months, but he still had the means to make it work. After boarding the lone train he kept there as his means of transportation, he jacked FreezeMan into the system and let the frigid Navi drive the subway train away.

Shuryou sat looking at the Geiger gauge on his wrist watching as that radiation level dropped. As soon as the needle reached the green area he had added in, he pressed a small button on the side. The white-faced leader of Gospel faded away, leaving no one on the train but the young Sean Obihiro. The boy ran his hands through his fine grey hair as he got up and slowly made his way around the train, trying to get used to his small stature again.

"FreezeMan, do you have the coordinates programmed into the train?" he asked.

"Indeed I do, sir."

"Excellent." Sean raised his arms over his head and stretched. It had been days since he had actually been himself His guise as Shuryou Gospel was not only used as a menacing alter ego that commanded the NetMafia he had formed, but it also served as a radiation suit inside his apartment, which had been converted into Gospel headquarters.

The ride was long, so Sean had brought along his laptop. He opened his portable computer and began re-reading the profiles of the members of his organization. Arashi Kazefuki was once the owner of a small company which had been bought out by a bigger company. As a result, he lost his job and his wealth and he vowed revenge against anyone who was richer than him. "Speedy" Dave was an environmentalist. He loved nature. Yet he was also an extremist. The way mankind was destroying the environment disgusted him. Gospel offered him the opportunity to save nature by force and he accepted it, proclaiming himself to be fighting on behalf of Mother Nature. Princess Pride was the ruler of Creamland, a country that had once been technologically advanced but had now been left behind as the world advanced beyond it. With no support from any other country, she vowed revenge against the world. Last and not least was Gauss, a successful businessman who had come from a poor family. He had a brother named Jack who was taken in by a rich family, leaving him alone with his parents who eventually died from an illness while he was still a child. Gauss saw that the world cared little, if anything at all, of those who were unfortunate. As a result, he swore to work hard and rise to the top in society so he could destroy it from the very same position from which it had looked down on him as a child.

Gospel had united all these people who shared a common goal: revenge. Everyone had a cause and a goal to achieve. The way Sean saw it, there was no greater drive than a desire to bring justice to those who had wronged oneself. As this thought passed through his head, his hand came to rest on his hoodie and he smiled.

"Sir, we've arrived," FreezeMan reported as the train slowed to a stop.

"Excellent." Sean closed his laptop and unplugged FreezeMan. He stepped out and walked up the stairs out of the station and into the familiar setting of his former hometown.

"Where shall we go from here, sir?" FreezeMan inquired.

"You know that old saying," Sean replied, "family comes first."

ooo

Sean's old attic bedroom had been turned into a storage space. The few possessions that he had left behind either now belonged to his cousins or had been sold. His relatives seemed to have completely forgotten about him. His uncle was away at work, but he could clearly see his aunt and cousins inside through the front window. He ground his teeth when he saw what had been his favorite shirt being used as a rag to wipe up spills. He turned to his cousins. One of them was wearing his jeans. He couldn't take it anymore. He had hated his relatives for a long time, but this sent him over the edge. He plugged his PET into an access box outside the house and sent FreezeMan into the house's computer systems.

"Your orders, sir?" he asked when he landed inside.

"Show them just how cold they were to me," Sean answered with venom dripping from his words.

"What about your uncle, sir? He's away at the moment," FreezeMan pointed out.

"I want him to feel the pain the most. The pain of losing your family." The icy NetNavi nodded and got to work. He created several icicles and fired them into the programs. As soon as they hit, the ice spears exploded and froze everything they touched. The effects could be seen right away. Sean watched as his cousins started to shiver. The indoor thermometer they always kept dropped rapidly.

"Colder, FreezeMan."

"I'm rigging the system right now," FreezeMan reported, "In a few moments, I'll be able to flash freeze them and…"

"No flash freezing, FreezeMan. I want them to suffer." Sean touched his cheek where his uncle had cut him so long ago. "I want them to suffer the way I did."

"Yes, sir."

ooo

Sean's uncle came back home and parked his car in the garage. He got out with his briefcase and walked in through the door. Immediately, he was hit with frigid cold air. "Honey, I'm home!" he managed to call out. But there was no answer. "Honey, have the kids been playing with the thermostat again." He took a step in and the sound of cracking came out from under his feet. He looked down and saw that the floor was covered with a thin layer of ice.

"What the?" He walked into the living room and saw nobody there. He was about to try the kitchen when he saw the couch. A thick blanket had been pulled up over the middle.

"Kids, are you under there?" He walked over to the couch and slowly pulled the blanket away. What he saw caused him to drop his briefcase in horror. There was his wife with their kids, whose skin had turned whitish-blue while she was very near that state. All three of them had put on their thickest winter clothes, but it still wasn't enough to shield them from the cold.

"Honey! What happened?" he asked. His wife tried to answer, but no words could escape her mouth.

"Now you know just how I felt." He turned and watched as Sean stepped in through the open door with a parka hood covering his head.

"You…"

"It's been a long time, uncle. Can't say I'm pleased to see you again. But seeing you like this…it just seems right."

"What did you do to them, you little cretin?"

"I only gave them, and you, exactly what you deserve," answered Sean, "Now you know the pain of losing your family. Now you know MY pain!"

"You little…"

"Be glad I still have SOME shred of mercy left in me, uncle." Sean took a step outside. "I'm not going to let you live alone. You'll see auntie and your kids again soon. In Hell." He slammed the door closed and FreezeMan froze it shut, trapping all the house's inhabitants inside.

"Mission completed, sir," FreezeMan reported upon returning to Sean's PET.

"You did very well in there, FreezeMan," Sean replied as he left the house.

"So do we return to headquarters?"

"Not yet. There's still one more thing I need to do. Let's head back to the motel for now."

"Yes, sir."

ooo

Sean sat in a tree overlooking the schoolyard of his former school. He had been there for an hour waiting for the right opportunity. He checked his PET clock to make sure he was on schedule. Sure enough, the five bullies that had tormented him and murdered his only childhood friend had snuck out of class like they did every Monday afternoon. He watched as they crossed the street to a nearby convenience store. They came back out quickly with Slurpees and candy and headed back to the schoolyard most likely to vandalize the playground equipment. Sean quickly got down from his perch and ran over to meet them.

"And then I stuck his underwear up the flagpole," the largest bully laughed, "Look, it's still up there."

"What a loser!" another cackled as they arrived at the playground, "Hey, look who it is!" Everyone looked and saw Sean sitting on one of the swings.

"Hey loser! Heard ya left town. You back for some more hurt?"

"Good to see you again, too," Sean greeted back, his very being seemingly emitting a dark aura.

"What's the matter? You gone emo now?" the third bully taunted. Sean said nothing. He slowly got up from the swing and reached into his hoodie. He slowly pulled out a small handgun and pointed it at the biggest bully, who just laughed and brushed it off as a toy.

"This is no toy." Sean pulled the trigger and shot him in the chest. The bully collapsed as the bullet pierced his heart.

"Dude, you okay?" the others asked as they crouched down around him. One of them got up to look at Sean, who fired another shot and pierced his jugular.

"What the fuck, man?" the third bully demanded.

"This is for years of torment." Venom dripped from Sean's words as another bullet sailed through the air and struck the bully in the head. The two remaining ones were now very scared. One of them tried to run away, but Sean shot him in the back and he fell just two feet away from the first bully who had fallen. The last one got on his hands and knees and turned toward Sean.

"Hey man, I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Please let me live!"

"You're not sorry. And you never will be." Sean slowly walked over to the cowering boy and stood over him. "You're done." He pressed his handgun against the bully's head.

"But...why?" the boy pleaded.

"This is the justice my new organization stands for," Sean replied. He pulled the trigger and ended the fifth bully's life. A strong wind blew across the playground as the body collapsed, blowing through Sean's fine grey hair as lightning began to flash from an incoming storm; the corpses seemingly forming a large capital G.

"This is the way...of Gospel."

That finally concludes My Loneliness. Thank you all very much for reading. And remember, never forget about Sean!