Later that day, in Chinatown

“Hiroto, we have more of a problem than I thought,” Sumoto said.

“What are you talking about?”

“When checking the security of the detention center, I came across an IP address that was traced back to my dark net tracking list. I found it odd, so I traced it back to an internal network activity so I could find where the traffic originated from. It leads to the warden’s office!”

“Okay, but what does that mean?”

Sumoto sighed.

Once I confirmed that the connection was initiated from a dynamic IP belonging to the warden’s subnet, I made the decision to scan certain fetish sites on the dark web. It took some time, but I found a post asking for pictures of woman in prison. I came across this post.”

Hiroto’s heart sank as he read the message.

Seeking sneaky peeps of incarcerated females. Will pay more for barely legal money shots.

Signed Voyeur Mick

“That’s some creep looking for photos. How is the warden involved?” Hiroto asked.

“Keep reading,” Sumoto said.

I have the cure for your need of photo assistance. Here is a sampling of my wares.

The post was dated yesterday by someone with the handle MonkeyBars. Two low resolution images of women in orange jumpsuits and another photo of girls with no clothes at all. Hiroto thought he could see a view of a shower room in the distance. A sickening sensation overcame him.

“Need to stop this—now!” Hiroto said.

His friend nodded, a look of disgust on his features. “I agree, Hiroto. But we need to be careful. The detention center has sophisticated detection systems. More than a regular prison should. We can’t afford to make any mistakes.”

Hiroto took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil. “First, we need to get a message to Aiko. She must know that we’re trying to get her out and that she shouldn’t lose hope.”

Sumoto’s fingers flew over the keyboard, accessing the camera feeds of the detention center. “I’ll find a way to get a message to her. But we need to be strategic. Given his suspected activities, the warden likely monitor everything, and we can’t risk tipping him off.”

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As Sumoto worked, Hiroto’s mind raced with plans and contingencies. He knew they needed to infiltrate the detention center, but they had to do it in a way that wouldn’t raise suspicion. They couldn’t afford to fail.

“Sumoto, can you access the camera feeds in the bathrooms?” Hiroto asked, his voice low and tense.

Sumoto hesitated, his fingers pausing over the keyboard. “Yes, but why?”

Hiroto’s eyes narrowed. “I want to know why there are so many cameras inside all areas of the detention center, including the bathrooms.”

Sumoto’s face darkened, and he looked away. “Hiroto, it’s not something you want to know.”

Hiroto’s anger flared. “I need to know, Sumoto. Tell me.”

Sumoto sighed, his shoulders slumping. “The warden likes to watch the girls. He gets off on it.”

Hiroto’s fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. “This must not be allowed. We must put a stop to this depravity.”

Sumoto nodded, his expression pained. “That’s not all. He’s selling the footage of the goings-on in the detention center to bidders in private rooms on the dark web.”

Hiroto gave Sumoto a dumbfounded look. “The dark web?”

Sumoto nodded. “It’s a private area of the internet that’s hidden from regular internet traffic. People pay good money for illegal things, including horrible stuff.”

Hiroto’s mind reeled. “Let’s expose this operation and bring the warden to justice.”

“We need to get Aiko out of there first.”

Hiroto nodded, his resolve solidifying. “What’s the plan?”

Sumoto’s fingers flew over the keyboard again, pulling up schematics of the detention center. “We must create a diversion to distract the warden and his guards. While they’re occupied, we’ll infiltrate the detention center and get Aiko out.”

Hiroto studied the schematics, his mind working through the details. “What kind of diversion?”

Sumoto’s lips curved into a grim smile. “Leave that to me. I’ll create a cyber-attack that will knock out their systems. It should give us enough time to get in and out.”

Hiroto nodded, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination. “And how do we get a message to Aiko?”

“That will be tough, since Aiko has no access to outside communications. But—there may be a way,” Sumoto said as his fingers assaulted the keyboard. “I ran a facial recognition filter on the camera feeds and there’s an area of the outside yard that’s not as protected. It looks like she’s training!”

Hiroto examined the feed and recognized the moves he taught her all those months ago. It looked like she was teaching other girls. A pang of loss ran through Hiroto’s heart. He missed their training sessions.

“How are we going to do this?”

“During tomorrow’s exercise period, you’re going to be waiting at the edge of the field. It’s about thirty yards away, so you’ll need to get her attention,” Sumoto said.

“How am I going to do that? and what about the guards?”

“The detention center is in a remote part of the county and it’s surrounded by a forest. You’ll sneak to the edge and wait for my distraction. You’ll only have a few minutes to cut through two fences and get Aiko once I take down the electric field.”

“Okay, once I have Aiko, how do I get out of there?”

“I don’t know yet, but let me make some calls. I need you to do your homework and examine these blueprints of the facility and surrounding area.”

Hiroto grabbed the printed blueprint and examined. His skills as an operator were going to be put to the test.