Night had fully settled by the time Ben managed to put an end to the cyber attack on the Shirayama Industries website. Hajime walked into the living room, fully suited up in his winter clothes. As much as he dreaded leaving the comfort of his house, especially on his day off, he was certain that there was field work to be done.

"Worry not, I've managed to save the website in the nick of time. Last time they attempted to DDoS it, now they tried to breach through its security and corrupt files and links with malware," Ben explained.

"That's good news. Still, we can no longer play on the defensive. Do you happen to have a lead?" Hajime asked while adjusting his gloves.

"As a matter of fact, yes! Since their last attack, I've been looking into the proper tools to combat hackers, for lack of a better term. Little do our 'friends' know, I can now trace the source of this attack."

"Great work! Make sure to send me the coordinates as soon as possible, I'll look into booking a flight to whatever corner of the Earth these people are hiding in."

A frown grew on Ben's face as he inspected the data he was gathering. "I'm afraid you won't have to search far and wide. The coordinates are right here, in Sagakin."

Hajime sighed audibly and pulled the fixed Achilles mask out of his pocket. "Sometimes I hate when I am right..."

Cold, dark, suffocating - those words best described that night's atmosphere. A rapid snowfall had begun not long after Achilles reached the central business district of Sagakin. With each step he took while wandering the empty streets, he regretted leaving his warm house even more. Physical endurance was an important skill for a spy, it was the main reason he started working out not long after Shishima left Earth, when he decided to fully embrace the field of espionage. However, he soon learned that being accustomed to the luxuries of a rich lifestyle left one soft. This was the main reason influential people hired spies rather than doing the dirty work themselves. A part of him regretted he grew up as Hajime Shirayama, an identity that now carried the spotlight of fame which was mostly anathema to respected detectives. But if he grew up as a middle class nobody, he would have lacked the resources required to properly carry out his missions. He most likely would have not been able to afford letting someone like Ben move in and also pay for his expenses.

Following the coordinates that were texted on his phone, Achilles reached the headquarters of a company known as Network and Economy Trading, its office building counting seven levels. He checked the time on his phone, it was 10:07 PM. Office hours were finished by 8 PM according to their website. The only way he could enter undetected was by sneaking through the back. The alley was snowy and slippery, but with careful steps he managed to reach the backdoor. Much to his surprise, he found it unlocked. That must have meant there was still personnel in the building, either security or employees working extra hours. He carefully snuck in, ensuring to close the door behind without it creaking. The place inside was surprisingly narrow, with two large wooden crates occupying most of the space and a long flight of metallic stairs zigzagged upward.

All of a sudden, the door got locked and he heard rushed steps descend to where he was. That was when he noticed a small security camera above, cleverly hidden in a corner just behind the stairs. He looked around for a possible hideout but did not have the time, as soon he found himself surrounded by ten armed men, all wearing black uniforms and helmets with tinted glass visors.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" asked one of the security men, only to receive cold silence from the intruder.

"He's a gaijin, most likely one of Hajime Shirayama's henchmen," added another.

"Off to gather intel for your boss, ey?" a third one said. "We'll see how much you speak during the interrogation. You'll be begging for the police when we're through with you."

Taking advantage of the fact that they did not yet point their weapons at him, Achilles swiftly pulled out his gun and shot a laser through the first one's helmet. Smoke came out the hole from his head and he collapsed. With the same speed, Achilles shot the second one through his chest and then immediately ducked behind the crates as the remaining eight started shooting back. That was when he saw a familiar purple smoke seep from beneath the locked door. Oddly enough, the others did not seem to notice it at all and it soon surrounded each of them, entering their nostrils. Then, one by one, each security guard screamed in sheer terror and dropped dead in a matter of seconds.

Once he was assured the coast was clear, Achilles walked out of his hideout and the smoke came out of each dead body, uniting and taking the form of Shishima.

"What are you doing out in public?!" Achilles snapped at him.

"Saving your life, that's what," Shishima placidly replied. "Don't worry, I'm invisible, not even surveillance cameras can pick up my presence."

"Good, then come, we've got to find some clues."

"Lead the way then, Hajime."

Achilles leaned down to one of the dead bodies and took its uniform and badge. Then he climbed the stairs, Shishima flying mid air behind him.

"You know, I wonder, why did this cyber attack happen so suddenly? And how could Ben easily track it to this building? Even those thugs, they seemed ready to apprehend me and knew I was 'working' for Hajime Shirayama. Unless..." Achilles stopped in his tracks as a revelation suddenly hit him. "It was all a setup from the beginning!"

"So it seems," Shishima agreed. "You're now inside a trap. So what will you choose: endangering yourself for clues or running to safety?"

"Hajime Shirayama will never be safe unless the culprit is brought to justice."

"Keh, then this Shishima will be your backup. Lead the way, detective."

As he climbed the stairs, Achilles texted Ben a picture of the badge he was wearing. It had the logo of a black spider spreading its legs around Earth. During his investigation, he discovered that the first level hosted a regular customer service office, the second a broker service office, the third a server maintenance office, the fourth an advertising and data collection department, while every level from the fifth and above were marked as off limits. He tried opening the entrance door from the fifth level and was pleased to find it unlocked. Peeking in, he noticed that the office inside was bigger than those from the lower levels. Once he was sure that the coast was clear, he got in and immediately noticed a sign to his left which read 'espionage department'.

"We've struck gold," Shishima whispered from behind.

"You stay here and keep watch while I investigate," Achilles instructed him and started snooping around for clues.

Most desks and computers seemed untouched for days. However, there was a single desk which had its chair lying further than the others. Achilles went to start the computer but unfortunately it required a password.

"Just typical..." he spat and then pulled out his cell phone. Much to his surprise, it buzzed immediately and he answered, "Hello?"

"Hajime, get out of there!" Ben urged him, sheer panic in his voice. "This is no normal business enterprise you've infiltrated. This is just a cover for a secret organization known as WEB."

"How do you know this?"

"That spider symbol you sent me is associated with them. Their websites are well-protected on the deep web. It took me a while to access one of them without having my IP tracked."

"That's all fine and dandy, Ben, but who exactly are these people?"

"WEB is short for World Elite Bureaucracy. It is a secret society run by the world's richest elites. They have influence over all world governments and can easily build or topple economies. Apparently they also have all the major secret services in their pockets. Do you realize how serious this is?"

"Yes, I do. But if we back off now, me and my family business will still be targeted by these people. I need to find out what is it they want from me," Achilles reasoned and plugged a USB stick in the computer. "Can you try to break this PC's password? I believe it was used recently."

"Consider it done," Ben replied and started typing on his laptop. "But after you're done there, I want you back here as soon as possible. We're walking on eggshells with these people and need to plan our next move with extreme caution. Do you understand me?"

"I heard you loud and clear. Now, may I please have the password?"

"The word 'textum', all in capitals. Good luck."

Ben hung up, leaving Achilles to log in on the computer. Apparently it had been on sleep mode and there were a few programs that were still open. Among them he recognized the software that his partner used to hack into computers. More so, he noticed that a browser had a single tab opened, and it was on the Shirayama Industries website. Lastly, there was a word document simply titled 'HS'. He clicked on it and had the shock of seeing a picture of Hajime Shirayama. Reading further, he soon realized the document had personal details and was a retelling of the major events from his life.

Full name: Hajime Shirayama

Age: 25

Height: 1.76 m

Weight: 71 kg

Date of birth: 7th of January

Place of birth: Tokyo, Japan

Hajime Shirayama was born to Takuma Shirayama and Aki Shimada. He was given the expected upbringing for an upper class child. Although he was sociable, his parents never allowed him to get too close to any children his age due to paranoia of him dishonoring the Shirayama family name. As the years went by, they grew stricter with him and placed high expectations of academic results on him. After failing to join the Tokyo School for Gifted Youth, his leisure time was heavily monitored by his parents who also left a middle-aged butler named Paul Parker to oversee his studies. Three years later, Paul was fired and sued by the Shirayama family over allegations that he had raped Hajime.

Achilles paused his reading and stared blankly at the screen. It was as if an old wound had reopened deep inside. The pulled curtains, the thick handkerchief in his mouth, the unwanted touching, the unheard cries, the overwhelming fear, the feeling of being tainted, it was all coming back to him. Shishima immediately flew by his side, taken aback by the sudden surge of negative emotions which was feeding him.

"Hajime, someone's coming, we've got to go!" he said, but his words fell on deaf ears. "Aren't you listening? You're going to be caught!" The lion daiyoukai then looked at the computer screen and quickly read the document, his jaw dropping at the major revelation. "Hajime, you've got to snap out of it, for your own good!" he insisted and then flew back to the door, pressing his body weight against it as someone tried opening it.

Suppressing those terrible memories felt like a Herculean task, but eventually Achilles listened to Shishima's words and snapped out of the state he was in. He took out the USB stick and hid it in his pocket, then put the computer on sleep mode and closed it. Next he pulled out an escape rope and went to open a window.

"The intruder's inside! Call the authorities!" a muffled voice spoke from the other end.

Shishima pressed his head against the door and tried to get a feeling of who was on the other side. He could sense a mixture of anger, paranoia and ill will. A part of him wished to break through the door and unleash hell on all those foolish mortals, but as he had promised Hajime weeks ago, he would only use his powers in extreme situations when their lives were endangered. After all, the world needed to believe that Shishima was banished forevermore.

Glancing back, he saw Achilles toss a rope with a hook to a nearby balcony. He immediately let go of the door and ran to his aid, grabbing him from behind and flying off, following the rope's trajectory. Although they were dashing through the air, Shishima could still hear the sound of the office door being barged open. Unfortunately, Achilles had not calculated his jump too well and they were both on the verge of crashing right into a concrete wall.

The last thing Hajime heard was the flapping of wings as he fell at incredible speed, clinging to the rope as if for dear life. The last thing he saw was a snowy alleyway. Then it all went black for him.