The sound of plastic rapidly tapping on plastic was the only sound was the only sound to be heard in the STN-J office aside from Michael's frustrated, depressed sighing as he desperately tried to patch up his violated security network. It had been two days since the hacking and he still hadn't figured out how they'd done it. His security was perfect, barriers impenetrable. Only an act of God could have allowed someone to gain access to the STN-J's most confidential files. His pride had been severely damaged.

Yesterday, he'd told everyone at the office that he hadn't been able to track the hacking, though that had been a lie. Secretly, he wanted to meet this devil that could break through his flawless security and congratulate him…and, of course, find out how he did it. If the STN-J got to the hacker before him…he knew first hand he'd never have the chance.

He glanced at the computer clock in the lower right hand of the screen. It was already seven o'clock. He was just waiting for Karasuma to finish up and be on her way home before he took off for the address he had acquired. He felt a hand on his shoulder suddenly and looked up to see the twenty one year old Karasuma with a concerned expression. "You alright?" she asked him.

"Yeah." He replied and continued typing. "You going?"

"I should've left hours ago." Karasuma put on her coat. "Work's really piling up around here." With Robin and Amon gone. She didn't say the last few words but Michael knew that's what she meant. They hadn't heard from them in two years now. Even he was beginning to wonder if they hadn't really died in the collapse of the factory. "See you."

As soon as he heard the door shut behind her, Michael grabbed his coat. "Time to meet face to face…"

The third floor of the apartment building was accessible only by stair so he had to climb all three flights of stairs. Being used to elevators, Michael was a little annoyed and tired after all the walking. I really should get a car…he thought as he stood outside of apartment 316. He took a deep breath and tried to imagine what such a great hacker might look like. Ultimately, he decided the hacker behind the closed doors probably looked a lot like him. God forbid it turned out to be some pubescent punk with acne and his nose buried in a manual he was reading for kicks. He knocked three times on the door and waited, trying to get the most serious, stern look on his face that he could. The door opened partway to reveal a wrinkled face with glasses.

"Who are you?" the old woman asked.

"Uh…" Please don't tell me she did it. Am I at the right address?

The old woman turned away from the door and shouted back into the apartment. "Ren! There's a boy here to see you!"

"…Ren?"

The old woman opened the door the rest of the way. "That girl is probably on her computer again with that awful noise she calls music blasting away her brain cells." She muttered. "I'll get her. REN!"

"Don't worry about it." Michael said quietly. "Would you mind if I went in to talk to her?"

"By all means, go. Young men don't often drop by for Ren. She…doesn't have much of a social life. Her room is right through there."

He followed the old woman's pointing, feeling somewhat uneasy about being in her house and practically lying to her about knowing this Ren girl but he had to see her, just in case she was the one. He stopped just outside a door plastered in posters and 'do not enter' signs and knocked, hoping she would hear him.

In a moment the door opened and Michael's jaw dropped involuntarily. They were about the same height…no, perhaps she was shorter than he. She had dusty blonde hair, thrown up wildly in an oddly attractive style. She was wearing a dark tank top, exposing her stomach and a pair of faded blue jeans. "Who are you?" she asked him, reaching for the volume on her computer speakers. When he didn't answer he right away, she repeated her question, more annoyed. "Are you deaf? I asked you who you were."

"I'm…theprisoner." He said, giving her his online alias. He knew she would recognize the username if she'd been the one snooping around in his computer.

Her face turned ghastly white and she took a step backwards. It quickly became obvious that she was the one he was looking for.

She took another step backwards and clenched her fists. Michael raised both hands with open palms, as if to gesture surrender. "Calm down…I don't want to hurt you. I just came here to talk. I swear."

"But I…"

"Listen, you can either talk to me or talk to the people I work for…and I'm more likely to listen because I've been in your shoes, Miss Ren."

She frowned nervously. "You're alone? You didn't tell anyone?" He nodded. She pulled him forward suddenly and slammed the door behind him. "Sorry about that…" she said locking the door behind him. "My granny doesn't know what I've been doing in here. She'd just die if she found out. You didn't tell her, did you?"

"No."

She heaved a sigh of relief and sat down on the floor. "It's weird that you'd come to find me like that." She stared directly at him. "So is all that true? Witches and seeds and the supernatural…is it all real?"

Michael smiled and shrugged. "Reality is what you make of it."

"So what's your real name?"

"Michael Lee."

She extended her hand. "Ren Takahashi." He took it and she smiled. "You know, the whole time I was hacking you, I was imagining you were some fifteen year old nerd stuck in a game of Dungeons and Dragons or something. But you've got to be…what…twenty or something?"

Michael couldn't help but laugh. "I'm only eighteen."

"I just turned seventeen. I hate it." He shrugged. "So you going to ask me or what?"

"Ask you what?"

"How I did it." She pulled a wireless keyboard from under the desk. "That is why you came all the way out here, isn't it?"

"Sort of…"

"Am I…in trouble?"

He looked away and remembered the day that he'd suddenly been taken from his home four years ago and practically forced to become a prisoner. Eventually, they would find her and do what they could to silence her. The general public didn't need to know about the existence of witches. It would only cause a panic. But the STN-J probably didn't need another computer expert. When they caught up with her, they'd probably kill her and Michael knew of no safe place in the world for someone like her. The STN would find her, no matter where she went.

"That depends." He replied and she frowned.

"Great."