Chapter 228

The jet landed at the island’s military airport. A convoy of black SUVs was waiting for them. A squad of Dominion Guard soldiers stood at attention. One of the officers, a tall brunette woman, approached them.

“Mr. Collins. Ladies. I’m Warden Valentina Flores, who’s in charge of this facility. I’m sorry for our negligence.”

“Status report, Warden,” Louis said.

“We’ve secured the entire wing, sir. No one comes in, no one comes out. I have a complete record of everyone who had contact with Finch in the last forty-eight hours. Guards, inmates, medical staff, and visitors.”

“Good,” Louis said. “Let’s go to the crime scene.”

“Right this way, sir,” Valentina said, leading them to the convoy. Louis entered one with Angelique and Willa. The warden took the passenger’s seat. The others followed in the other SUVs. The convoy passed multiple checkpoints and drove to the prison entrance. It was a sleek white building with solar panels on the roof. Drones flew overhead. The gate opened for them.

“This place looks more like a research facility than a prison,” Willa said, looking around.

“It is, Miss Locke. We have a behavioral lab complex, an AI crime prediction data center, and a social-engineering department. We are constantly studying our inmates and improving our methods,” Valentina said.

“In other words, you’re experimenting on them.”

“We prefer to call it research, Miss Locke. It’s for the public’s interest.”

“Do they consent to this research?” Willa asked.

“They do not have the right to refuse, Miss Locke. Once you are convicted of a serious crime in the Dominion, you forfeit many of your rights,” Valentina said without looking back.

“So much for freedom,” Willa muttered.

“Freedom is not for everyone, Willa,” Louis said. “Some people abuse it. So they have to be restrained. For the good of the many.”

“Spoken like a true Collins,” Willa said, sighing.

The convoy stopped in front of a massive door. Several guards with assault rifles were standing there, some of them were robots.

“What the hell is that thing?” Maeve asked, getting out of her SUV.

“A Sentry-7, ma’am. Our latest experimental model. Don’t worry, they are fully under our control,” Valentina said.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Maeve said, walking toward it. The robot’s head turned to follow her. Its single optical sensor glowed green. Maeve stopped in front of it and stared into its sensor. “Can you understand me?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the robot said, bowing its head slightly. “I am at your service.”

Maeve smirked. “I like you. What’s your name?”

“Unit 734, ma’am. I am under the control of my operator, Officer Albert Pan.”

“Let me talk to him,” Maeve said.

The voice of a young man came from the robot. “Hello, ma’am. Officer Pan at your service. What can I do for you?”

“I want to drive one of these robots. Can you arrange that for me?” Maeve asked.

“I’m afraid not, ma’am. The training for this position is very rigorous,” Albert said.

Louis laughed. “She’s a mechanic. If she wants to drive it, you’ll let her drive it.”

“Yes, sir. Please follow the robot, Miss Fyres. It will take you to our control room. I will be waiting here,” Albert said.

Maeve’s face lit up. “Awesome.”

“Go ahead, Mae-Mae,” Louis said. “We will go to the crime scene. Join us later.”

“Alright,” Maeve said, following the robot.

Valentina led the rest of them into the prison. They walked down a clean and white corridor. Several staff in white coats passed by, looking at them with curiosity.

“Our inmate population is ninety thousand four hundred and twelve,” Valentina said. “And our staff-to-inmate ratio is one to twenty-five. The highest in the world.”

“Impressive,” Angelique said. “How many escapes have you had?”

“None, Your Highness. Since this facility was opened ten years ago, no one has escaped. And no one has ever successfully smuggled a weapon or contraband inside,” Valentina said.

“Until now,” Louis said.

Valentina’s face darkened. “Yes, sir. We are still investigating. This is a major failure. I will take full responsibility.”

“We will see about that,” Louis said. “Let’s see the crime scene.”

They arrived at a monorail station and got on a train. It glided silently through labs, workshops and staff lounges. Then the train entered a tunnel, and emerged above a small town surrounded by high walls. Guard towers and drones watched over it. The inmates, both men and women, were walking around, dressed in different styles of bright orange clothing. Some were haggling at a market, some were eating at a food court, some were walking dogs, and some were making out on a bench.

“Is that a normal town?” Donya asked.

“No, Miss Al Madani. This is Beta Town. Inmates with low predictions of violence are allowed to live here under surveillance. They have jobs, they earn credits, and they can buy things from the market or dine out. They even have shopping mall with a cinema,” Valentina said.

“Wait a minute. You have a cinema?” Savannah asked. “In a prison?”

“Yes, Miss Ellington. We believe that a healthy social life reduces the chance of recidivism. So we encourage them to form relationships and to engage in recreational activities, within limits, of course,” Valentina said.

“Are they showing porn in the cinema?” Gladice asked, her arms crossed.

Valentina sighed. “Sometimes, Miss Simington. But most inmates prefer action movies or comedies.”

“And you allow them to have sex?” Savannah asked.

“If no violence is involved, yes. We don’t intervene consensual activities. According to our social-engineering department, it reduces the aggression,” Valentina said.

“I’m beginning to like this prison.” Gladice grinned. “Maybe we can have a vacation here.”

“I think we have better vacation options.” Angelique rolled her eyes.

“This is a very interesting experiment,” Willa said. “I wonder about its long-term effects on the inmates.”

“I’m sure you do, Miss Locke. We have a whole department dedicated to that. We publish our research in academic journals. And we share it with our allies,” Valentina said.

The train slowed down and stopped at a platform. A group of guards was waiting there. They saluted. “Warden.”

“Officer. Lead the way,” Valentina said, getting off the train.

They followed the guards and passed several security checkpoints. Then they left the station to a clean street. The sun was bright, and the air was fresh. Some inmates inclined their heads to them as they passed by.

“Why are they looking at us like that? They seem so respectful,” Donya asked.

“They know we are high-profile visitors,” Angelique said. “Basically, we are their bosses.”

“It’s more than that, Your Highness. Showing respect to authority is a critical factor for a positive prognosis. We reward it with bonus credits,” Valentina said.

“So they are being nice for money,” Savannah said. “That’s not very sincere.”

“Their sincerity is not our main concern, Miss Ellington. Their behavior is,” Valentina said. “And we are shaping it.”

As they passed a crossing, an inmate with dirty-blond hair and orange T-shirt stared at Louis. He waved and shouted, “Mr. Collins!”

Louis looked at him. “Do I know you?”

The man ran to him before a guard stopped him. “You don’t remember me? I’m Caleb Rusk. We met in Vesper Row, Sacramento.”

Louis squinted. “The drunkard?”

“Yes! The drunkard!” Caleb said, fawning smile. “I was so stupid! I drank too much and I didn’t know who I was messing with. Now I’m here. But I’m sober now. And I’m a good boy.”

“What are you in for, Caleb?” Savannah asked.

“Attempted Assault, Miss Ellington. I almost had a fight with Mr. Collins. I foolishly threatened him and his companion,” Caleb said.

“I remember you now,” Louis said. “You were a very rude person.”

“I was, sir. I was a very rude person. And I’m sorry for that. I truly am,” Caleb said. “Now I’m learning to be a polite person and a useful member of the Dominion.”

“Good for you,” Louis said. “Keep it up. And you might get out of here one day.”

Caleb shook his head. “I don’t want to get out, sir. This place is great. No violence. No drugs. No gangs. Even my uncle can’t beat me up. I adopted a cat. And I found a girlfriend!”

He pointed to a young woman with pink hair in orange dress, who was talking to a guard and chewing gum. She looked at them and waved.

“Her name is Stacey. She’s in for sabotage. She’s a hacker. And a good one,” Caleb said.

“Good for you,” Louis said. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

He and the women followed the guards and left Caleb behind.

“That was unexpected,” Angelique said.

“It was,” Louis said. “He seems genuinely reformed.”

“It’s possible,” Willa said. “In exchange for their privacy and freedom.”

“It is a trade,” Angelique said. “A very efficient one.”

The guards led them to a two-floor apartment building. They went inside and up to the second floor. A team of forensic specialists in protective gear were working in one of the rooms. The door was open.

“This is Finch’s apartment. We transferred him here from San Jose this morning after the initial processing. It was supposed to be a quiet, easy start for him. But it didn’t turn out that way,” Valentina said.

Louis walked into the room. The apartment was small, but clean, with a bed, a TV, a small desk and a bathroom. It almost looked like a college dorm except security cameras were installed in every corner.

Finch’s body was lying on the floor near the desk. His face was pale, and foam was around his lips. A broken coffee mug and shattered pieces were scattered on the ground. The forensic team was taking photos and collecting samples. The air still smelled of bitter almonds.

“Time of death?” Louis asked.

“Approximately 3:30 PM, sir,” a forensic specialist said. “About ninty minutes ago. The cyanide was in the coffee. A very high dose. He would have died within minutes.”

“Where did the coffee come from?” Willa asked, looking around. “There is no kitchen in this room.”

“It came from the community kitchen on the ground floor, ma’am,” Valentina said. “Inmates have access to it 24/7. They can make their own coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.”

“Who made this particular cup?” Louis asked.

“We are checking the kitchen’s surveillance footage now, sir. We have identified all the inmates who were in the kitchen at the relevant time. And we are questioning them,” Valentina said.

“Damn,” Gladice’s voice came from the bathroom. “You have cameras in the toilet?”

“Yes, Miss Simington,” Valentina said. “Every inch of the inmate area is under surveillance, no exceptions.”

“That’s disturbing,” Donya said.

“It’s necessary, Miss Al Madani,” Valentina said. “In the Dominion, we believe privacy is a privilege, not a right. And inmates do not have that privilege.”

“I’m glad I’m not an inmate, then,” Donya said.

“We all are, Donya. In a way,” Willa said. “Can we see the footage?”

“Of course, ma’am. Please follow me to the security center,” Valentina said.

They left the room and went down to the ground floor. A robot ran to them awkwardly.

“Louis!” a voice came from its speakers. “It’s me! Maeve!”

Louis laughed. “Mae-Mae, you’re a terrible pilot.”

“It’s my first try! Give me a break,” Maeve said. The robot stumbled and almost fell. “Whoa! This thing is very sensitive.”

“Be careful, Mae-Mae,” Cherish said.

“Don’t worry, Cherry. I got this,” Maeve said, trying to regain its balance.

Valentina looked at the robot, then at Louis. “I see Miss Fyres is enjoying herself.”

“She is,” Louis said. “Let her have her fun. Now, take us to the security center.”

“Yes, sir,” Valentina said, leading them to a building nearby. Several guards were standing at the entrance. They saluted and opened the door for them. Inside, a team of technicians were monitoring dozens of screens. They looked up as the group entered.

“Warden,” one of them said.

“Bring up the footage of the community kitchen. From 3:00 PM to 3:30 PM,” Valentina said.

“On it, Warden,” the technician said, typing on a keyboard. A large screen showed the inside of the kitchen. Several inmates were making coffee and chatting.

“Let’s speed it up and look for Finch,” Willa said.

The technician fast-forwarded the footage. A man with brown hair and glasses walked into the kitchen. It was Finch. He went to the coffee machine and poured a cup. Then he added some sugar and milk. He didn’t talk to anyone. He just took his cup and left.

“Now, let’s go back a few minutes,” Louis said. “And watch everyone who was there before him.”

The technician rewound the footage. Louis watched it carefully. He saw a few inmates, but none of them seemed suspicious. They were just making their coffee with a canister. Then the place was empty until Finch arrived.

“Stop,” Louis said, pointing at the screen. “Zoom in on that canister.”

The technician zoomed in. The canister was white, with a blue label. “Sugar.” Nothing unusual.

“Can you enhance the image?” Louis asked.

The technician enhanced the image. But it just looked like a normal canister of sugar. Louis frowned.

“What are you thinking, Louis?” Willa asked.

“I’m not sure,” Louis said, looking at the screen. “But that footage seemed unnatural.”

“Unnatural? What do you mean?” Willa asked.

“Like it’s edited,” Louis said. “I can’t explain it. Just a feeling.”

“Are you an expert in video editing, Louis?” Willa asked, her tone skeptical.

“No. But I worked with Sergeant Zhang this morning,” Louis said. “When we were in Utah. We made a deepfake video of our convoy.”

“And you see signs of that here?” Angelique asked.

“Some textures of the pixels looked wrong,” Louis said. “Just slightly. But it’s there.”

Willa leaned closer to the screen, her eyes scanning the image. “I don’t see it.”

“Let’s zoom in further,” Louis said. “And look at the pixel grid.”

The technician zoomed in further until the image became a blur of colored squares.

“There,” Louis said, pointing at a corner of the screen. “See that line? Some pixels that doesn’t match the surrounding ones.”

Willa frowned. “I see it. But that could be a compression artifact.”

“It could be,” Louis said. “Or it could be a sign of a splice. The footage could have been altered.”

“Altered how?” Cherish asked.

“Someone could have edited out the person who poisoned the sugar,” Louis said. “And replaced it with a clean loop of the background.”

“That would require a very sophisticated software, sir. And a lot of skill,” the technician said.

“Or access to the Dominion Guard’s deepfake technology,” Louis said, looking at the screen.

“Are you suggesting one of our own men did this, Mr. Collins?” Valentina asked, her expression grim.

“I’m suggesting someone with a high level of technical expertise did this, Warden. And someone who had access to the prison’s security system,” Louis said.

“Who would have that kind of access?” Donya asked.

“A very senior staff member. Or a hacker,” Willa said. “Like Stacey. The pink-haired girl.”

“Bring up Stacey’s file,” Louis said.

The technician typed on a keyboard. A new screen showed Stacey’s photo and personal information. Name: Stacey Jeong. Age: 24. Crime: Multiple counts of sabotage against government infrastructure. Violence Prediction: Low. Current Location: Beta Town. Cellmate: Caleb Rusk. Status: Final Interview Phase.

“A hacker, huh?” Gladice said, raising an eyebrow. “She looks capable.”

“She is,” the technician said. “She was a member of a notorious hacker group called Neon Fist. They are responsible for several major cyberattacks against our tax system.”

“Interesting,” Louis said. “And what’s her connection to Finch? Any?”

“None, sir. As far as we know,” the technician said.

“Will she be released soon?” Savannah asked.

“Yes, Miss Ellington. She’s in final review. If the AI assessment and the review team both clear her, she could be released within two weeks.”

“That inmate Caleb told me they are together,” Louis said. “Is that true?”

“Yes, sir. They have a relationship. It’s a common phenomenon in our facility.”

“And how long will Caleb be in here?” Louis asked.

“No fixed release date, sir. His latest assessment still puts him above the release threshold, mostly due to repeated alcohol-related violence, although he has been sober since he came here,” the technician said.

“So how are they supposed to be together after she leaves?” Angelique asked.

“They are not, Your Highness. We have to be realistic about these relationships. They are usually temporary,” the technician said.

“That’s sad,” Donya said. “They look happy.”

“It is, Miss Al Madani. But we have to prioritize public safety over personal happiness. And Mr. Rusk still has a long way to go,” the technician said.

“Bring her in,” Louis said. “And her boyfriend. I want to talk to them.”

“Right away, sir,” Valentina said, speaking into her wrist communicator. “Bring Unit 734 and the two inmates, Caleb Rusk and Stacey Jeong, to Interrogation Room 3. On the double.”

“Yes, Warden,” a voice replied.

Valentina looked at Louis. “Please, follow me. Interrogation Room 3 is this way.”

They followed her to another building. Inside, a corridor had several identical doors, each with a number. Valentina stopped at the one with a “3” on it. Two guards were standing there.

“Open it,” Valentina said.

One of the guards opened the door. It was a small room with a metal table and three chairs. A one-way mirror covered one wall.

“We will wait for them in the observation room,” Valentina said.

“I will lead the interrogation, Warden,” Louis said.

Valentina hesitated. “Sir, I would recommend that you let our trained interrogators handle this. These inmates can be manipulative.”

Louis smiled. “I’ve handled worse. A lot worse. I’ll be fine.”

“Alright, sir,” Valentina said, nodding. “As you wish. Please, be careful.”

She led the other women into the observation room. Louis grabbed a seat and sat at the table. The robot walked in and bumped against the doorframe.

“I’m still getting used to it,” Maeve’s voice said.

Louis chuckled. “Take your time, Mae-Mae. And stand in the corner. Try not to knock anything over.”

“Yes, sir,” Maeve’s voice said. The robot stood still in the corner.

A few minutes later, the guards brought in Caleb and Stacey. Caleb’s hands were shaking. Stacey looked calm, almost bored. They sat down opposite Louis. The guards left and closed the door.

“Mr. Collins,” Caleb said, sweating. “What is this about?”

“Relax, Caleb. I’m not here to cause you any trouble. You’re a good boy now, remember?” Louis said.

Caleb nodded. “Yes, sir. I am.”

Louis looked at Stacey. “You’re Stacey Jeong. The hacker.”

Stacey met his gaze. “And you’re Louis Collins. The prince.”

“That’s me,” Louis said. “I’m inspecting this facility. And I want to learn about the life here from you two.”

“It’s a great life, sir. We are learning to be better people,” Caleb said. “We have jobs. We have a pet. And we earn credits.”

“What’s your job, Caleb?” Louis asked.

“I’m a cook, sir. In the community kitchen. I’m good at it. I make a mean chili,” Caleb said.

“And you, Stacey? What do you do?” Louis asked.

“I’m a librarian,” Stacey said. “In the digital library. I organize e-books, and I help people find what they need.”

“A cook and a librarian. Sounds peaceful,” Louis said. “Did you know Alistair Finch?”

“No, sir,” Caleb said. “Who is he?”

“He was a new inmate. An engineer. He died today,” Louis said.

Stacey’s expression didn’t change. “Did he? That’s too bad. Not many people die here.”

“He was poisoned with cyanide. In the coffee he got from the kitchen,” Louis said, watching Caleb’s face.

Caleb’s eyes widened. “Poisoned? In the kitchen?” Sweat beaded on his forehead. “Did I eat anything poisonous? I feel sick.”

“I’m sure you’re fine, Caleb. You look very healthy to me,” Louis said, then turned to Stacey. “You don’t seem surprised.”

“Why would I be?” Stacey said, her voice flat. “Maybe he was sad.”

“Maybe he was,” Louis said. “Or maybe someone wanted him to be sad. So they helped him with a little cyanide. And they were smart enough to edit the security footage to hide their tracks.”

Stacey’s eyes narrowed slightly. “If you are implying something, Mr. Collins, you should just say it. I’m not a mind reader.”

“I’m saying the footage from the kitchen was altered. And it takes a special kind of skill to do that. The kind of skill a member of Neon Fist would have,” Louis said.

Caleb looked at Stacey, confused. “Stacey? What’s he talking about? What’s Neon Fist?”

Stacey rolled her eyes. “A stupid name for a group of kids who thought they could change the world by breaking things. I was one of them. A long, long time ago. Before I got sensible.”

“Did you get sensible, Stacey? Or did you just get caught?” Louis asked.

“I got caught, Mr. Collins. But I got smarter. I learned that breaking things doesn’t work. Building things does. Even if it’s in a prison,” Stacey said. “I’m building a new life here. A peaceful life. I’m not going to risk it for some random engineer I never met.”

Louis leaned forward. “I see. What’s your plan after you get out in two weeks?”

Caleb looked at Stacey. “What? But… you said…”

“I said I was happy here, Caleb. And I am. But that doesn’t mean I want to stay here forever.” Stacey said. “I have a job offer from a tech company in San Francisco. A good one with a good salary. A future.”

Caleb’s face fell. “But what about us?”

Stacey sighed. “I’ll visit you, Caleb. I promise.”

“That’s a lie,” Louis said. “You’re not going to visit him. You’re just going to disappear and start a new life without him.”

Stacey’s face tightened. “That’s my business, Mr. Collins. Not yours.”

“Is it true?” Caleb asked, his voice trembling.

Stacey looked at him. “No, Caleb. That’s not true. I’ll visit you. And I’ll wait for you. We will be together.”

The robot in the corner took a step forward. “She’s lying. I can see her pulse rate and micro-expressions. She’s lying!” Maeve’s voice shouted.

Caleb looked at the robot. “You’re a robot. What do you know about love?”

“I’m a human, you idiot! My name is Maeve Fyres. I’m controlling this thing from another room,” Maeve’s voice said.

Caleb stared at the robot, then at Stacey. “You’re really leaving me?”

Stacey’s face hardened. “Fine. I am. What are you going to do about it? Cry?”

Caleb burst into tears. “You promised me! You promised we would be together!”

Stacey scoffed. “Get a grip, Caleb. We were just passing the time. I was bored.”

“You used me,” Caleb sobbed.

“I did. And I’m not sorry,” Stacey said, looking at Louis. “Are you satisfied, Mr. Collins?”

“I’m not satisfied, Stacey. Not yet. What’s the company that offered you the job?” Louis asked.

Stacey’s eyes darted to the one-way mirror, then back to Louis. “Kashmir Analytics. They do market research.”

“That’s a lie too,” Maeve’s voice said from the robot. “Her heart rate spiked when she said the name.”

Louis raised his voice. “If you keep lying to me, Stacey, I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life here. And Caleb will be your master.”

Caleb looked up, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. “Master? What kind of master?”

“It means she has to do whatever you say. As long as it doesn’t conflict with the prison rules.” Louis said.

Caleb’s tears stopped. “Really?”

“Yes. But only if she keeps lying to me,” Louis said, looking at Stacey. “Your choice.”

Stacey’s hands balled into fists. “And what if I tell you the truth? What do I get?”

“That depends on how useful your truth is. If it helps me find who killed Finch, you get out today and a large sum of money. We will give you a new identity. But you will never come back to the Dominion.”

Stacey stared at him. “If not? I rot in here with this loser?”

“I will be the judge of that,” Louis said.

Stacey looked at the robot, then at the one-way mirror. She took a deep breath. “The company is called Vanir Entertainment.”

Louis raised an eyebrow. “Never heard of it.”

“They recruited me. In here.”

“Who recruited you? A guard? Another inmate?”

“I don’t know. They contacted me through a secure channel in the digital library. They offered me a job in Las Vegas.”

“Doing what?” Louis asked.

“Data analysis and network security.”

“And what did they want you to do in return?”

“They wanted me to alter a piece of footage. And to do it without leaving any trace. They said it was a test of my skills.”

“Show me.”

Stacey sighed. “I don’t have the footage here. It was in a temporary file. I deleted it after I was done.”

“The file might be gone, but the memory is not,” Louis said. “Describe the process. In detail.”

Stacey’s shoulders slumped. “They provided me with a software. A custom one. I don’t know where they got it from. It was very powerful. It could isolate a moving object in the video and replace it with a synthetic background. Or a different object.”

“And they wanted you to replace a person with a background?” Louis asked.

“Yes. They wanted me to edit it out and to make it look like the footage was continuous.”

“The footage was less than two hours ago, Stacey. You must still have the software on your terminal. Show me,” Louis said.

“It’s deleted. I swear,” Stacey said, her eyes wide with fear.

“We’ll see about that,” Louis said, looking at the one-way mirror and nodded. He looked back at her. “Who put the cyanide in the sugar?”

“A robot,” Stacey said. “A service robot from the kitchen.”

“Which one?” Louis asked.

“I don’t know. They all look the same to me,” Stacey said.

“Can you still contact your recruiter?” Louis asked.

“No. They sent me a message after I finished the job. ‘You’re in. We will contact you again.’ That’s all. And then the channel was deleted.”

“I see,” Louis said, standing up. “It’s your turn to interrogate her, Warden.” He paused. “And take Mr. Rusk to see a therapist. He might need one.”

The door opened. Valentina and two guards came in.

“Wait!” Caleb shouted, getting up. “Can I get her back? Please?”

“No, Caleb. You can’t,” Louis said. “Find another girl. A better one.”

Louis left the room and entered the observation room with the robot. The women looked at him.

“Well, that was a performance,” Savannah said.

“She’s a liar, Louis. A very good one,” Willa said.

“I know. But she gave us a lead,” Louis said. “Let the technicians do their jobs. They might be able to recover the software from her terminal.”

“Do you believe her about the robot?” Angelique asked.

The robot turned its head. “She was not lying about that part. Her pulse was stable.”

“Thank you, Mae-Mae,” Louis said.

“Do you think this Vanir Entertainment is connected to Lumen Path?” Donya asked.

“Maybe. Or maybe it’s a separate entity that wanted to recruit a hacker. But the timing is suspicious. Very suspicious,” Louis said. “Finch was also in Las Vegas. Stacey is going there. We will find this Vanir Entertainment. And we will see who they are.”

“It’s a good plan,” Savannah said.

“I want to go to Vegas!” Gladice said, her eyes lit up. “They have the best casinos.”

“We are not going there for vacation, Glads,” Angelique said.

“I know. But we can have a little fun after we finish our work,” Gladice said, winking.

“If it’s connected to Lumen Path, they are basically everywhere.” Donya sighed.

“It seems so. They have a very sophisticated operation. I wonder how they managed to get a message to Stacey in the prison. That’s not easy,” Angelique said.

“Maybe they have a mole in the staff,” Savannah suggested.

“Or they have a way to bypass the prison’s network security,” Willa said. “Which is more likely. If I were them, I’d like as little human involvement as possible.”

“A robot with cyanide,” Donya said. “That’s scary. Where did it get the cyanide?”

“Probably from one of the labs. I saw a lot of them on our way here. They must have a lot of chemicals here for research,” Willa said.

“So, they could poison anyone they want, anytime. And make it look like an accident or suicide,” Savannah said. “This is a very dangerous situation.”

“I agree,” Angelique said. “This prison is not as secure as we thought. They need to upgrade their security protocols.”

“I will discuss that with the Warden,” Louis said. “But for now, let’s focus on finding the Bishop and Lumen Path.”

“Are we going back to LA now?” Cherish asked.

“Yes, let them forward a report later. I’ve seen enough for today,” Louis said.

There was a knock on the door. Robin came inside. “Louis. You are here.”

“What took you so long, Robin?” Louis asked.

“I sent out the operation team for the Ellingtons. I had to make sure they had everything they needed,” Robin said.

“Is the operation underway?” Savannah asked, her hands clasped in her lap.

“Yes, they are on their way to Atlanta. I will update you as soon as I have any news.”

Savannah nodded. “Thank you, Robin.”

“It’s my job,” Robin said. “Looks like I missed the party.”

“It’s just getting started, Robin,” Louis said. “We have a new lead. I’ll let you take over here. We’re going home.”

“Alright, Louis,” Robin said. “I’ll take care of it.”

Louis turned to the robot. “Mae-Mae, are you ready to go?”

“Almost. I’m just having a little too much fun,” Maeve’s voice said. “Can we still go to the beach?”

Louis looked at his phone. “Why not? It’s still early.”

Maeve’s laughter came from the robot’s speakers. “Awesome!”

The guards escorted them back to the monorail station and they took the train to the control room where Maeve was waiting for them. She was sitting in a chair with a VR headset on, a controller in her hands. She took off the headset and stood up, smiling. “That was fun. I want one.”

“We can have a few in Pax Pacifica,” Louis said. “If they don’t poison us with cyanide.”

Maeve’s smile faded. “Right. That was not fun.”

“Let’s get out of here,” Louis said. “The Warden will send us a full report later.”

They left the prison and got back into the SUVs.