Truth be Told

A blinding light and a shocking wave forced everyone to move away from the center of the fight creating a mist filled with dust and some debris.

Jayson took a deep breath as he collected his thoughts after his trong attack towards Dave. He shook his arm which is holding the sword to ease some tension.

"How can this be?" Yuri asked, startled. "They should be dead."

Jayson heard what Yuri said and stared where he's looking at. His eyes widened.

"I gave it my all.." Jayson murmured. "Then, why?? Why ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!!"

A light appeared in the center of the mist and it slowly turned into a black wolf. His silver eyes glared at Jayson with an intent to kill when one makes a false move.

"Stop this nonsense. I won't let you kill my master." Shichiro ordered and a strong gust of wind cleared the mist. Dave, Sandra, and Hachiro all crouched behind the standing 5-foot wolf.

"Who the hell are you?" Jayson furiously asked.

"I am Shichiro, the upgraded Phantom Algorithm."

Words of silence flood their midst. They all know the power of the Phantom Algorithm from all the rumors for the past years it has existed. It's beyond their comprehension. After the ORION incident, the CEO issued a research team composed of NUMBERS to gather information about the virus that infiltrated their stronghold. They got bits of info but none of it was substantial. The president saw the algorithm himself on a kid's computer and ordered his men to counter it. They tried to copy it thinking that they can make use of it but, they can't even break the barriers. And that leads to the creation of AMOS with the aim that "If they can't defeat it, they'll just prevent it." But that didn't compare to what the PA can do.

The algorithm was pretty infamous on the internet. All hackers around the world were challenged and tried their own methods of infiltrating the ORION, but no one triumphed. Many have tried to recreate the algorithm but none had succeeded, and Jayson was among them.

"You are the Phantom Algorithm??" Jayson asked anxiously.

"Yes. And you don't have the right to hurt Hachiro for your petty reasons..." Shichiro said, still glaring.

"Petty, you said?!!" Alex exclaimed, he tried to get away from Brent and Ken's grip. "You think we can just forget all that had happened? He confessed already and I bet you are his accomplice, you virus!" Alex brushed Ken and Brent aside and walked toward Shichiro. "I don't care if you are the Phantom Algorithm or whatnot. All I want is the death of THAT hacker!" Alex brushed the two away and swing his full-powered punch aimed at the wolf.

Before the punch reached a centimeter near Shichiro, the wolf raised his paw and immobilized everyone, freezing everything around them. It seemed like time was frozen at his will.

"What have you done?" Alex exclaimed, stretching his arm position. "You coward!!"

"I'm no coward. You all are." Shichiro turned his back and face Hachiro. "You judged someone who doesn't want anything but to save you all."

"What are you saying?" Jayson asked, still not moving. "You trying to defend that freak now?"

"No. What I mean is, you don't know a thing and yet you concluded something. How dare you bare your fangs on the one who has done all the saving all this time!?" Shichiro exclaimed. "I guess, that's just how the world is, huh. Of all the good things someone has done, people will remember the worst. People will always criticize no matter what a person has contributed."

"What are you saying? You think you can fool us with reverse psychology now?" Alex muttered. "You can't bail that guy with your words, damn you!"

"I am saying you all are fools," Shichiro emphasized. "You never tried to see the other side of the story. That just proves you are all weak. You can't accept the facts slapping on your faces."

"Then tell us the truth now...Tell us what really happened during that day..." Jayson said with a calm voice. "Our anger will depend on your answer."

"Very well, I will tell you what really happened. You all are to learn the lies behind the curtains now.." Shichiro said. "So, you better listen carefully..."

Kath felt a strange feeling on the tip of her neck; the wolf's words kept echoing in her head. She knew something was off.

A melee of emotions engulfs the silence in their midst. The strong wind kept blowing in the depth of the night sending shivers down to their bones. Stories of the untold past kept resonating in their heads like wildfire cutting around the bushes. It made Kath feel like drowning in quicksand. She held Hachiro's unconscious body on her shoudler. She can feel his weight now that they have been crouching for quite some time.

"That's not the thing we've heard from them," Jayson muttered. He stood frozen on his feet because of the spell that Shichiro had cast around them. He felt his heart throbbing, confused about the recent information. He doesn't know what to think or what to say. "He is the hacker. The murderer who brought chaos.. then why? Why do these things feel so real?!" he exclaimed.

"I know," Shichiro said. "Hachiro knew. That day came like a storm. Earlier, it was calm. The next minute it's raining. A second after it's already flooding. And you know what happened?!" Shichiro glared and bared his fangs. "Of course, you didn't know idiots...After all the things he's done, they've condemned him. Accused him of a crime he didn't commit without giving him a chance to defend himself."

Sandra felt like she knew all of it. She knew that his friend can do the stuff being said. She knew that her friend had suffered and she only felt like crying. She was drowned by her own helplessness.

Kath heard everything from where she stood. She felt numb, her senses became dull. Murmurs and squirms around her slowly fade. The air felt heavy.

"He tried to save all those people!" Shichiro exclaimed. The wolf became annoyed.

Shame slapped their faces.

"You didn't wonder why there's no investigation that has occurred? They just affirmed the identity of the hacker right after the incident, right?" the wolf continued. "Isn't that suspicious?"

Alex felt cold. His anger dried and now he feels empty.

"That's because they knew who could have done that. They know who to blame. They know who will be their scapegoat. The Bureau was tracing the harbinger during the chaos on the flight. They have initiated a search team to track whoever is causing the havoc, and..." Jayson explained. "They got wind of where he's hiding. And, he was caught red-handed." He continued.

"That's the story they found to keep the incident a secret. And you know what? He was caught inside the Bureau office!" Shichiro exclaimed. "He was there to help them solve the crisis. He used their resources to fight and tried his hardest to put up a front against the REAL hacker but—" he lowered his head and took a deep breath "...the moment when everything went to naught, they chose a person to blame for all of those things. And my idiot master accepted the role for no reason!..." the wolf glared. "they took advantage of the guilt he felt."

Jayson swallowed his angst. He convinces himself not to buy the wolf's words but it is devouring him, eating him half-alive.

"Hachiro didn't fight against them. He felt responsible for what happened but he shouldn't have! All he did was to save people and yet...." Shichiro thrust in anger. "I tried to convince him to fight back but he refused, he won't listen to reason. He doesn't want to aggravate the situation that's what he's been saying. He always has been like that...always wanted to do the saving." he turned his back to see his master's face. "He turned himself to the cops and was put in jail."

"I don't believe what you're saying right now!" Alex exclaimed. "If it's the truth, why didn't president Reiko help his son?!"

"The upper echelon froze the GSTech's power on this matter. President Reiko got him a lawyer but it didn't help. The Bureau planted strong evidence against him that no amount of reason can surmount. Even his mom, who was working in the Bureau, couldn't help but watch over his son being taken again by people from the Bureau. Witnesses and defenses were laid behind him but the court didn't accept all of those. In the end, he was imprisoned and that place was Hell." Shichiro explained.

"That's impossible."

"For a normal person, yes." Shichiro raised his head. "But for a person like him, they'll do anything to get him leashed."

"That's---"

"The Truth you've been yearning to know." Shichiro uncast the spell and released everyone. "A truth they concealed from the public; a truth they've fabricated to seal the greatest hacker of all time; the greatest threat to them."

Silence passed by, felt like the sky has dropped on them. Everyone took a sigh.

"Now go..." Shichiro said. "Go before I'll wipe you in no time. If you hate the guy, I have hated you, people, more than ever." He bared his fangs. "Now, if you will excuse us...." He continued. "Let us heal our wounded."

That queued their way to scatter away. Jayson felt burdened by all he's heard. He turned around and grabbed Alex. He signalled to everyone on the scene to move way and leave them be. There were disagreements but the others followed them.