Who really killed Wanda Day! - Wedding Bells (DAY! Series Book 2)

Chapter 18 - The Darknet, Danger, And Degradation

Ah yes, the mysterious and alluring Darknet - the seedy underbelly of the World Wide Web, where the rules of polite society don't apply. It's like the Wild West of the internet, where anything goes, and the only limit is your imagination. Most folks, when asked to define the Darknet, would probably paint it as some sort of digital black market - a place where you can score anything from illegal weapons to exotic pets, humans - whole or in parts - drugs, and everything else your heart desires. If it's taboo and you've got the Bitcoin, the Darknet's got your back.

However, the Darknet isn't exactly a one-stop shop for all your illicit needs. It's not like you can just hop on, add a Kalashnikov to your cart, and wait for the friendly neighborhood UPS guy to show up with your package. Nope, it takes a bit more effort than that.

It should also be noted that the darknet is crawling with undercover cops, like a seedy flea market filled with shady characters in trenchcoats. This makes navigating the murky waters of the darknet a bit like playing a high-stakes game of 'Where's Waldo?' with the FBI. Still, if you're feeling lucky and don't mind the risk of a surprise visit from the Internet Police, the darknet is just one click away. Just remember, when it comes to the darknet, the only thing more shadowy than the websites themselves are the agencies monitoring your every move online.

But there are still some corners of the darknet that even the most seasoned undercover cop hasn't managed to infiltrate. These hidden havens are so obscure, that they make a needle in a haystack look like a neon sign. And the 'bad guys' of the darknet? They're like a secret society of supervillains, guarding these sanctuaries with the ferocity of a mama bear protecting her cubs. Enter Paxton Smith, the ninja of the darknet. This guy knows the darknet like the back of his hand, and his skills are always on the side of the DAY!s. Paxton writes his own programs, traces IP addresses like a bloodhound on the scent, and his own IP leads to a laptop in the Netherlands owned by a woman named Helga Lassen, a pensioner who uses it solely to send emails to her grandson in Australia.

He knows how to find his fellow DAY!s and makes darn sure their IP addresses don't belong to a computer in a police station or, heaven forbid, the NSA headquarters. Through his carefully crafted search parameters, Paxton has already recruited a veritable army of darkness devotees from the depths of the darknet.

And there, in the deepest, darkest corner of the digital underworld, Paxton has created a secret sanctuary for the DAY!s. This hidden haven can only be accessed by those with the most secure devices. The 193 members around the world have been granted access to this digital fortress, and they are just able to when no agency is spying on them.

To make it easier to understand:

Imagine the internet as a giant living room, with every single webpage represented by a shoebox. Now, picture one of those shoeboxes as a very special one, and it is not even in the living room, no, it is hidden away on a secret balcony that Paxton built himself. And if anyone who's not supposed to be there even thinks about coming near, it sets off a silent alarm and just disconnects itself from the house.

When the balcony disconnects, it's like a tiny, flying fortress next to the house, completely inaccessible to both the good guys and the bad guys. The DAY!s can't get in to check on their secret shoebox, but neither can anyone who shouldn't be able to find the balcony in the first place.

But there's one person who's determined to find this elusive balcony, and that's McBride. Now, McBride may be a decent detective, but when it comes to the darknet, he's about as lost as a fish out of water. So, while he's stumbling around trying to find the shoebox of the DAY! community, Paxton is sitting back and watching his every move like a hawk.