In the Limelight (1)

"What are you all saying, Yuri? He's Haro.." Kath said in a doubting voice, looking at him pleadingly as if she did not want to be wrong at this point. "Right?" she added. She had invested her trust in the guys and now they are all accusing him of that very person she despised.

"That is read as Hachiro, in his nameplate,... and he knows that Kath" Yuri explained. "All this time he lied to you to gain your trust and use you to his advantage. He's lied to us! He's always been a liar." Yuri added. "He is the Hacker!"

"What are you saying...he's" Kath tried to argue, but deep inside she is already convinced. She just wanted to give Hachiro the benefit of the doubt to calm herself.

"He's deceived you, Kath. He's that kind of a trickster. He's a liar... a hacker... a murderer!" Yuri added. "He can't be trusted in any way, Kath. So.." Yuri stepped towards Hachiro who was on the ground after Alex beat him up and crouched in front of him.

Hachiro didn't say a word. He doesn't have anything to counter what they have said. He tried to cry, but no tears came out of his eyes. He felt numb. His breathing is heavy just like his body which is burdened with pain and the loss of his fellow Arachnids. Now, everyone around him blamed him for all the adversities.

He wanted to complain but he chose not to.

"So what should we do with him?" Mike asked as he stood behind Yuri.

"We kill him of course!" Alex screamed.

Sandra said NO! but no words came from her mouth. Her feet felt heavy like she is stuck in quicksand. One false move and she will sink into the depths of despair. Her friend is being tortured and tormented. But all she was able to do is stare at them. "You can't do a thing.." Hachiro's voice kept crossing her mind. "Just leave me alone.." She is remembering the time they talked in the lobby of their school.

Jayson pulled Alex away from him but Alex refused to let go.

"I have the right to do this, Jay. Don't stop me.." Alex said in rage. "He needs to pay for the cruel things he's done.."

"I know. I, too am mad, Lex. But we need to stay calm. You're filled with emotions, we all are. And it is blinding our thoughts." Jayson said.

Alex met his eyes and he realized what he meant. He let the poor brat go and Hachiro tried to catch his breath.

Everyone tried to move towards him but Jayson stopped the commotion.

"We need this guy!" he exclaimed.

They all felt confused about what he said.

"What do you mean, Jay?!" Alex replied.

"I have a few questions..."Jayson continued. "We can use him to find ways to get us out from here," Jayson explained. "We need to get the information... we need to know the truth."

"Even though I, too, have casualties on our side, I agree.." Yuri stepped forward, still holding Kath's hand. "We can use this guy."

"What are you saying, Yuri?!" Mike exclaimed.

"We just need to get hold of him, right?" Yuri faced Jayson.

"Ahh..." Jayson replied.

Yuri eyed Mike and Ivan and they immediately understood what he meant. They picked the boy from the ground and cuffed his hands at the back, forcing him to stand.

Kath stepped forward and faced Hachiro, anger filled her nerves. "How dare you do this to me?" she said. "I thought you were a good guy..." She slapped him and said. "So everything up until now is just a farce, ne? I'm just a fool to believe the scene." She took a step back. "when I saw you on the bus, I thought what you want to do is sincere. I saw the spark in your eyes, the conviction to defeat the enemy so I decided to trust you." Her tears kept falling. Everyone fell silent, giving her a chance to talk her heart out. "I forced myself to get your help. I know you have something in mind, but I never knew it was this!" she shouted. "I told you about my grief...I told you how badly I want to make the hacker pay for everything he has done to the families of the passengers on flight Loki....what he has done to ME!" she sighed deeply. "I trusted you! The Arachne did...but what have you done? You lied to us, and now, Michiyo is---"

"Now that I remember, where is Michiyo?!" Jayson reached and wring his face. "What did you do to her?!" he exclaimed. "Where is she?"

Hachiro didn't answer. Instead, he looked away.

"Where is Michiyo, you bastard!" Alex shouted.

"We left her in Deimos..." Kath said wearily. "She tried to save him."

Alex turned red and Jayson tightened the wring now on Hachiro's neck. The poor boy struggled to breathe.

"How dare you leave her inside that dangerous place! You could have just died there!" Jayson said with angry eyes. "What will you do if something bad happens to her, huh?!"

Hachiro tried badly to grasp his breath.

"Answer me!" Jayson demanded. "What did you do to manipulate that girl? Why didn't you save her?!"

"Stop it!" Sandra screamed. "Just stop it...everyone!" she cried, staring at the center of the commotion.

Everyone stared at her. Jayson saw the dread in her eyes so he let the boy go. Hachiro coughed hard, struggling to find his breath.

"Stop adding to his pain...he had had enough..." she slowly paced forward and found the courage to step up. "You don't know the real story...no one did..." Sandra continued.

"I'm done, Ha-chan.." Shichiro said in his brain.

Hachiro coughed and slowly stood from his feet.

"It's fine, Sandy...you don't have to defend me." He said. The cuff faded slowly, and his hands were free. "I've got myself.."

Everyone was shocked and took a step back.

"Hey, how can he stand well after all those beatings?"

Hachiro sighed deeply and laughed maliciously. "That's right... everything you've said is the truth." He said. "I did all that. Are you happy now?!" he sarcastically said.

Sandra felt like the sky had fallen on her. Her friend suddenly changed.

"I can't believe you trusted me back then, Kath..." he turned into a fiend. "I mean, you looked damn great in that despair, hahaha!" boasting.

Kath snapped and landed a hard slap on his face. Everyone was enraged.

"That's all you can do, right?... put the blame on others because you cannot accept the fact that in the first place, it was your fault.." Hachiro said eyeing Kath.

Alex spat on his face again. Hachiro didn't flinch.

"So what if I invaded ORION? That just proved their incompetence. I'm a greater hacker than they are with their upgraded programs. What they do is all fancy and absurd. So what if I hacked the flight Loki and many died? I did have fun. Look at all the faces of the loved ones who lost something, their expressions are great. So what if you got in the middle of MY fight with the Game Master? At least you've had the chance of dying." Hachiro said. "Isn't it fun to chase your forgotten life?"

Everyone glared at him, ready to strike.

"Yes, I am Markus Lockwood...I am Ginsei Hachiro. And I--" He grinned. "I am your beloved hacker."