Free Monster by Jessica Gadziala Page A

meaning. Just one I didn't understand.
“Out where?”
    “The dark net.
Deep web. Whatever you want to call it.”
    I'd heard of it. Anyone
who did anything illegal in their lives probably had. It was a place
for people like Alex. Hackers. People who did shit they wouldn't be
able to do on normal browsers. And other small time crimes- endless
pirated material. Porn. Government documents. But also, it was for
other things. The bad shit. Gun running. Drug selling. Skin trading.
Pedophilia. Fuck, even to get yourself black market organs.
    “How would that
help?”
    At this, she shrugged.
“It could incense the right people. You'd be surprised. There's
a lot of people out there who actively try to shut down things like
this. Operations other people are too scared to take on. In the grand
scheme of things... I'm a nobody. My skills are pathetic compared to
what some of these people can do. And some of them aren't just freaks
behind a computer screen. They're people who... do shit. If I can
ferret them out, get them interested, maybe they will take action
into their own hands.”
    I couldn't disagree
with her. There had been a lot of hackers calling themselves
hacktivists all over the news in the past few years. Taking down
federal websites, turning the internet back on in Egypt when the
government shut it down, releasing the names of KKK members, trolling
organizations until they caved into whatever demands the hackers were
making. They were powerful in ways I didn't understand but knew
enough to respect.
    “How long would
that take?”
    “No way to tell,”
she said, typing until my screen went black and some site opened up a
forum called 'info exchange'. “Could be minutes. Could be days.
But it's worth a try.”
    I had to agree since it
was all we really had to go on.
    So she set to work,
digging out the occasional USB, unlocking certain files, adding them
to the post she was creating. Crime reports of beaten and raped women
with descriptions of their attacker, detailing a very specific scar
he had running across his chest. She found a shirtless picture of Lex
and posted it beside the reports, scar on full display. Then she
opened the USB that made her pale, unlocking a folder saying simply
'faces' - and uploaded half a dozen shots of women with their faces
brutalized.
    She ended the post
explaining her situation. Who she was (a nickname. Not her real
name). That she had been working on her case for ten years. That she
was compromised and there was a price on her head. Leaving out the
part about me. Detailing how many more incriminating files she had on
the topic. Then giving instructions for anyone to contact her.
    Which was, apparently,
through some kind of coded chat that she was going to leave open on
my laptop to keep an eye on.
    “Now we wait,”
she said, settling the laptop on the coffee table and reaching for
her cold coffee. She was silent for a minute, contemplating the black
TV. “How long do you think I have?”
    “What?” I
asked, turning to look at her.
    “Before Lex
finally decides to come fetch me. How long?”
    That was a good
question. One I had been considering myself. He didn't seem like he
was in a rush when he told me of the deal. And maybe that was because
he wanted me to get worried about Shoot. The more time that passed,
the more chance of him getting himself into trouble. If Lex made me
sweat it, maybe I would be more willing to hand over Alex.
    At least, that was all
I could come up with anyway.
    Nothing else made
sense.
    “Not more than a
few more days I'd guess,” I admitted. “Three tops.”
    Alex simply nodded. No
hysterics. No reaction whatsoever.
    “Did you happen
to pick me up...”
    At this, I sighed,
reaching into my front pocket and pulling out a baggy with white
powder. “This is the good shit. Strong. A third of this could
make a non-user OD.” I handed it to her. “Ain't never
bought drugs before,” I admitted, looking down at the baggy.
    “Well, at least
it was for a