Kestal Prison Holdings
Max made his way to the holding center where the two individuals responsible for the video upload were being kept. He wasn't there to visit them. He came for one reason: to retrieve valuable information—nothing more.
At the reception desk, he approached the officer on duty.
"Identification?" the officer asked.
Max flashed his ID. The officer raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Huh, you with the feds?"
"No," Max replied flatly.
"Then what brings you here?"
"Private investigation. Two individuals were recently brought in. They're carrying something important."
"The reporters, you mean?"
He nodded.
"They're here, alright," the officer said. "You wanna see 'em?"
"No. Just their equipment. Their luggage."
The officer shrugged. "Suit yourself." He grabbed a ring of keys and motioned for Max to follow.
They walked down a short corridor to a secured room. The officer unlocked the door and led him to a shelf.
"Here you go," he said, placing the bags on a metal table.
Max unzipped the first bag and began digging through its contents. A laptop caught his eye. He set it down, flipped open the screen, and powered it on. A password prompt appeared instantly.
"Of course," Max muttered, unsurprised. "Never easy."
He tried a few guesses. Nothing. Another. Still nothing. His fingers hovered over the keyboard.
Incorrect password.
One attempt remaining before permanent lock.
"Thhh—shhh," Max hissed under his breath, brushing off the tension.
He checked the rest of the bag—folders, clothes, a charger—but no clue, no notebook, no sticky note with a scribbled password. Just the two bags. That was it.
Running out of options, Max stood and glanced back at the officer still watching him.
"They still in their cells?" he asked.
"Yeah. Why?"
Max's expression shifted—subtle, but certain. He hadn't come to talk. But maybe he had to.
"I need to see them," he said.
~~~~~~
Two Minutes Earlier
The cell the two girls are held in isn't a typical one. It's a private, high-security unit—designed for special cases. The kind of people who leak videos to the world. Isolated. Quiet. A room within a room. There are still bars, but this cell was meant to keep them from more than just escape.
They wait, unsure of what comes next.
Alice grips the bars and shouts, her voice echoing through the cell. "Hello! Anyone there? We didn't do anything! This is a mistake—we're not supposed to be here!"
"They're not going to come," Luna said flatly.
That response sparked something in Alice. She turned, furious, and grabbed Luna by the front of her shirt. "This is all your fault! Why did you have to send it?!"
She shook Luna like a child fighting over a toy.
"Why are you asking this now?" Luna yanked Alice's hands off her. "This was your idea. You wanted the fame, the attention—the recognition!" she shouted back.
Alice didn't answer. Her silence said more than words. "Forget it," she muttered.
"Oh, playing the goody-two-shoes now?" Luna sneered.
"Don't try to pin this on me," Alice snapped. "You knew what that video was. People died, Luna. I saw it. You saw it. Why would you still send it?!"
"I did it for us!" Luna yelled.
"And how's that working out?!" Alice shouted.
Silence followed. Luna looked away but then murmured, "Can't you just accept it?"
"What, that this is how it ends?" Alice asked.
"Yeah. So what's wrong with that?"
Before Alice could respond, a new voice cut through the tension, tinged with annoyance. "Is it really this loud in this cell?"
"No, sir," another voice—the officer—replied.
"You can go. I'll handle this."
"Alrighty," the officer said, stepping away.
Both girls turned toward the newcomer. Alice narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
"No one," the man said.
"Really?" Alice replied, skeptical. "Who are you really?"
"Just a guy doing business."
"What kind of business?"
"The kind that doesn't have time for people who mess with information."
The girls exchanged glances but stayed quiet.
"Look," the man continued, "your sentence can be reduced—if you cooperate. Deal?"
Luna perked up. "How?"
"Depends. But give me one answer, and I'll see what I can do. Maybe even get you released. Right now."
Luna didn't hesitate. "Okay. What do you want?"
"What's the password to your laptop?"
Alice's instincts kicked in. Why the laptop? Something felt off.
"You want the password?" she asked.
"Yes. That's right. Do that, and you're free."
"For real?" Luna asked, eyes wide. "Then the password is—"
But Alice grabbed Luna's arm. "Wait. Don't."
"What are you talking about?" Luna frowned.
"This doesn't feel right," Alice whispered.
"Our ticket out is right here!"
"No. Listen to me." Alice held her close and whispered. "He's lying. You can tell. If we were being released, there'd be paperwork, a process—not some random guy asking for a password. And why would he want the laptop, of all things?"
They exchanged a look. Then Alice whispered, "Let's use that."
The two girls quickly hatched a plan.
"So," the man pressed. "Is it a yes, or—"
"No," Alice said firmly.
The man blinked. "What?"
"We're not giving it. Unless you release us first."
"You can't be serious."
"We are. We know you're lying. And once we gave you that password, you'd disappear, and we'd still be stuck here. Asking for the laptop is suspicious. What do you even want with it?"
Max's smirk faded. His cover was blown.
"So you figured it out," he said, now unapologetic. "Yeah, I'm not here to help you. I've got my own reasons."
"What reasons?"
"Like I'd tell you," he scoffed. "Last chance to cooperate."
"Or what?"
"Or this."
He flashed an ID and a photo. "I'm a security agent. Friend of the Prime Minister. You don't want to make enemies."
He leaned in. "Now be a good girl. Hand it over."
Thirty seconds later, he had what he came for.
"Thanks for your help," he said as he walked off.
The girls remained behind bars.
Alice's plan had failed.
Luna slumped to the floor. "What now?"
They sat in silence on opposite sides of the cell, both pondering their next move.
~~~~~~
Max had already secured the password. A thought lingered—should he might've had to use force. Force tied to the special powers granted to him by the government. Fortunately, the two individuals had cooperated quickly, sparing him the need to escalate things.
He made his way back to the equipment room. On his way, the cell door was still ajar. Good, he thought. He slipped inside without issue.
Powering on the laptop, Max typed in the password. It worked.
Relief washed over him. If he'd guessed wrong, the security lockout would've shut the system. Then he'd be stuck driving to the nearest IT shop, paying a fee, and—worse—wasting precious time. Time he didn't have. Time which allied against him
Everything was stacked against him now. No backup. No team. Just Max, and the burden he carried alone.
He opened the main folder and clicked on the first video. It was the original footage, untouched. But something told him there was more hidden beneath the surface.
He watched each clip carefully, taking notes as he went. The videos offered solid leads. Though the context are unclear. He remembered. He knew someone who could decrypt the whatnot in the recordings.
Max downloaded the files onto a flash drive.
Job done, he left the laptop and bags behind.
"Oh, you're done?" asked the officer at the door.
"Yeah," Max replied firmly. "Thanks for the help. I'm heading out."
But as he turned to leave, something stopped him. A thought—no, a feeling. He remembered the two individuals. He wasn't obligated to help them. Wasn't responsible for them. So why the hesitation? Why did he feel this pull?
A breath escaped his lips. He made up his mind.
PPPPRRRRR — the metallic screech of the cell door sliding open echoed through the corridor.
"You're free to go," Max said firmly, standing tall. "Do as you please."
Alice and Luna stared in disbelief. They rose slowly, stunned. Their shock showed first in their faces, then in their hesitant movements. By the time they reacted, Max was already disappearing down the hallway.
"Wait!" Alice called, running to catch up.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked.
"Why?" Max replied, turning briefly. "Or would you rather stay in the cell?"
"No," she said quickly.
"Then go. I don't have time for chit-chat," he snapped, brushing past her.
But Alice wasn't done.
"I've made my decision!" she declared. "We're going with you. We'll help however we can!"
"Huh?" Max said, as he got caught off guard by Alice's announcement. _______________________________________________________________
UNKNOWN LOCATION
Beneath the still waters of an undisclosed facility, a lone figure floated in silence. Clad in a diving suit, a breathing tube snaking to the surface, and goggles shielding his eyes, the person remained eerily calm.
The closer you looked, the clearer his features became.
Behind the lenses, his eyes were shut—serene, motionless.
Then, without warning, they snapped open.