Hard Wired Trilogy

by DeAnna Pearce

  “I’m sure Marco can do it when he shows up tonight, or if Reed comes, he could do it too.”

  “Oh, right, Reed,” Tessa smiled. “You may want to sleep in the room with the Jacuzzi in it.”

  “What? I don’t need a bed. Well, in fact I do, but not in the way you are thinking.”

  Tessa laughed at her. “Whatever. Let’s get dressed. You can raid my stepmom’s closet. You’re about her size.”

  “I’m fine in what I have.” The idea of wearing other people’s clothes didn’t sit well, especially after the mental image with the couch.

  “Come on. You’ll see.” Tessa lips curled into a smug smile.

  Ari knew rich people lived in a different world but knowing and seeing were two different things. Tessa’s stepmother had over sixty pairs of shoes in a vacation rental. Ari counted them. The wardrobe was about the same. Shirts, dresses, and pants hung tightly together in every color, shape, and style that she could imagine.

  Ari walked through the closet, touching the different textures. Even though it was an excess, part of her loved all the different colors and fabrics. All of her life, she had worn hand-me-downs or homemade clothing. There was no need for her colored dyes or pens in this closet. A large grin grew on her face at all the choices before her. “How can she even wear all of these?”

  “She doesn’t. You should see her home closet, but she comes from old money.” Tessa grabbed a black jacket off the hanger. “One of the reasons she is wife number four.”

  A small black dress called to Ari. When she moved the dress, a rainbow of colors appeared. It was unlike anything she had seen before. Computerized lights were somehow constructed into the soft material. Amazing, didn’t begin to describe it. “Won’t she know if we borrow her clothes?”

  “Probably not. She’d be happy if she thought I could fit into one of those dresses. She’s been pushing me to go to a cosmetic doctor before school.”

  “Ouch.” Most wealthy people paid doctors to change their size, color, or pretty much anything, but Ari was surprised a stepmother would be so bold as to offer it. It was one of the things Ari liked about Tessa: she was who she was with no apologies.

  Tessa shrugged on the jacket. “But I can’t ever go to a doc, for spite, you know.”

  “You don’t need to anyway. Who wants to be a plastic?”

  “Hurry up. We want to get first dibs on team members.” Tessa grabbed a pair of tall purple boots and headed out.

  “What team members?” Ari asked a now-empty closet and realized this weekend was going to be like nothing she imagined.

  The girls exited the condo, and instead of getting in Tessa’s car, Tessa lifted an arm to flag down a cab. “Parking is a nightmare, so I thought it would be better to catch a ride.” She wore a bright neon green tank top under the black jacket, which held a variety of micro drives sewn into it.

  Ari decided on electronic dress that changed color with every step. She pared it with a bright blue jacket and black dress shoes that crawled up her ankles in a myriad of straps. The three-inch heels had her towering over Tessa, who was already a couple inches shorter.

  As they waited outside the building, someone crept out of the shadows next to them. She was younger than Tessa and Ari. Her small frame hunched over. Before the stranger could speak, an attendant appeared.

  The young man wore a stiff uniform of blue jacket and pants. “You can’t beg here.” He waved the young girl off and then turned to Tessa. “A car will be arriving shortly.”

  Ari watched the girl wander off into the darkness and wondered why she wasn’t in school. Suddenly the extravagance of their outfits sickened her and made her feel guilty. Their outfits could help that girl. Soon the quiet black car pulled up in front of them, and Tessa opened the door.

  “Come on, Ari,” her friend motioned her into the car.

  Safely tucked in the confines of the car, Ari questioned Tessa about the girl.

  “People like that used to infest the city, usually druggies or prostitutes. VR eliminated most of that. She’s probably a runaway and just needs to go home.”

  Ari wondered if Tessa ever saw a rundown VR center full of desperate people looking to escape and willing to do anything to do so. Granted, druggies and prostitutes were less frequent since the upstart of VRs—the government helped with that—but Ari wasn’t sure VR centers were much better.

  Once they arrived at the club, Tessa paid with a swipe of her electronic bracelet.

  Guilt gnawed on the corners of Ari’s mind. She hated feeling like a freeloader. “Can I help?” she asked even though this weekend would wipe out the rest of her savings.

  “I put it on my family account. Don’t worry. Good old Dad is paying for this weekend.” Tessa climbed out of the cab.

  For a moment, the assaulting smells and noise of the busy street gave Ari déjà vu of her time in the VR. It took a minute for her to orient herself amongst the chaos. Large buildings crammed together on the street. Hotels, clubs, and restaurants all vied for attention, with each sign bigger and brighter than the last.

  They approached a dark club tucked into the corner. Instead of flashing pictures and neon lights, the black four-story building only had patterned green lights running along its name: Hooked. On closer inspection, there were numbers—binary code actually—running through the words. Old school for sure, but cool.

  With a wave of Tessa’s electronic bracelet, they entered. A sheet of binary code hung in the air, and the girls walked through a cascade of code and dense fog. There was no dance floor or tables for conversation. This was for gamers. Colors of code raced in lines along the ceiling, casting eerie lights on the throngs of people inside. On one wall, an enormous bar ran the entire length and a 3D screen floated behind it. It displayed statistics of the ongoing games and upcoming tournaments. Electronic music blared overhead, not giving her a chance to talk to Tessa, so Ari followed her to the bar.

  Tessa approached a couple of guys and talked to them with a familiarity that told Ari she was probably a regular here.

  Looking around, Ari controlled the fear in the pit of her stomach. This was how she’d always imagined it would be like getting trapped in a virtual, like getting caught in a huge computer, yet the rational side of her brain knew she was wrong. That very moment her father was probably enjoying a cruise in his mind for the hundredth time.

  “She is our fourth,” Tessa told the guys by way of introduction.

  Ari pulled her attention to the others and gave a weak smile.

  “Is this girl any good? We don’t need eye candy.” The boy with dark blue hair and tats on both arms looked her over. His nose was sharpened to an unnatural point.

  She leaned forward slightly. “I’m Ari.”

  “You better be as good as Tessa says. I’m planning on winning this thing.”

  “Hey, I already told you I’m good enough for two, so don’t worry about it,” Tessa turned to Ari. “The stress case here is Aron.”

  “And I’m Logan.” The guy with curly brown hair gave a friendly smile. “Don’t worry about Aron. Tessa will tear it up in there. I’ve never seen someone take on so many wizards at a time. Epic.” He raised his hand to high five Tessa.

  While the two guys continued to discuss strategy, Ari leaned to her friend. “What in the world did you sign me up for?”

  “It’s the latest version of Shadow Lands. Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. This was my summer vacation last year.”

  “I think I’m going to pass on this one. I don’t have extra money right now.” The excuse was true even if it wasn’t the main one.

  “Don’t worry about the money. Trust me, you won’t regret it,” Tessa said.

  Ari wasn’t sure how she felt about being Tessa’s charity case. At least by the sounds of the game, Ari wouldn’t confuse the VR with reality. But VR gaming was low on the list of things she wanted to do.

  A shoulder brushed against hers. She turned to find Garrett, his hair a blue-black. On his side was some gi
rl. Ari recognized her as a second year in the IT program.

  “Don’t waste your time on this one,” Garrett told Tessa.

  Tessa looked as if she found something disgusting on the bottom of her shoe.

  Ari ignored the insult. “Hi, Garrett.”

  “Oh, is that the problem we had?” He tapped his finger on his temple in a mock sense of enlightenment. “Maybe you swing the other way?”

  Ari grabbed a drink on the bar and threw it at him, not at all confused about her feelings now. “You really are a jerk. You know that?”

  Garrett’s girl sent some choice words in Ari’s direction before they stormed off.

  “Am I supposed to take offense to you saying you wouldn’t want to be with me?” Tessa’s sarcasm lightened the mood.

  “I’d pick you over Garrett any day,” Ari said.

  “Let’s go to the Shadow Lands, and maybe you can really kick someone’s ass.”

  Anger burned through Ari’s veins, and it pushed her to be more daring than normal. “Let’s do this.”

  When they signed in for the game, Tessa had Ari use her stepmother’s ID. “Don’t worry my dad will pay for it. Plus, it will drive him crazy to see she’s doing virtuals here. You could make out with a few guys, then if he pays to have the history checked, he’ll really go nuts.”

  “I’m not going to make out with a ‘few’ guys. Hit them, maybe.”

  Tessa laughed. “I hope so. I set up your user profile as Oya the Undergoddess. Try not to die ‘cause it’ll take twenty minutes to get you back in.”

  “I’ll try.” A thin dark-haired woman assisted Ari into the leather recliner and hooked her into the VR port. Ari closed her eyes and let herself fall into the other world.

  Chapter Fifteen

  When Ari first awoke inside the game, blue filled her vision. Make that a blue man standing right in front of her. The guy with blue hair from before, Aron, now was completely colored a rich blue from head to toe. Dark tribal tattoos covered his bare chest which bulged with defined muscles. The tattoos moved with the man, swirling and drifting as if animated. The only hair on his body that she could see was a short beard. He wore black leather pants that fit a lot better than they would on the human version of her teammate. He held a scimitar in one hand and a ball of swirling purple light in his other. He glanced at Ari and then continued walking around, scanning the surroundings.

  A huge knight, Logan, stood off to the side. He had to be at least seven feet tall and clad in a gold and red armor that hid most of his features. A massive sword hung at his side.

  Turning from the guys, she took in the landscape. A thin layer of green grass blanketed the world in front of them. Gray boulders created rock formations dotted with patches of grass, and an arch loomed in the distance. Foreign white trees were scattered amid the rocks, creating a lone path leading into the unknown.

  A hand grabbed Ari from behind and she whirled around, knocking the person several feet back. Whoa. Ari’s strength astounded her.

  Tessa stood, no floated, several feet in the air with the help of slowly flapping dark wings. She wore a blood-colored outfit with leggings and a tight shirt that could be a second skin. Her hair stood out like fire rising from the ash, wild and free. She had transformed into some kind of beautiful dark creature. Her dark eyes and plump lips were the same, but her cheek bones were sharper, stronger.

  As Tessa approached again with a definite scowl on her face, Ari noticed the other differences. She now had red eyes, swirling in a mesmerizing pattern. Her features were also darker, her teeth, sharpened to points, and a growl came from her. “I’m glad you know how to use your powers, but please don’t use them on your teammates.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that.” Ari looked down at her own personal changes. Her skin kept its tanned color, but her hair, which fell around her shoulders in curls, was now silver. Her body appeared taller as well, and her fingers were longer, ending with long sharp nails polished in silver. She touched her clothes, a smooth light blue color. The top was clingy but flexible. She wore a skirt on the bottom with slits up to her waist and tights underneath.

  A shiver of fear coursed through her body. Ari had played her share of fantasy games but never in VR. The errors of the program were harder to find here, but they were here, she told herself. This is a game, and only a game.

  Tessa had sped through some pre-game instructions that Ari pretty much had all forgotten. “Who am I again?” Ari asked.

  Tessa gave a blow of exasperation. “You’re Oya the Goddess of the sky. You can control wind, tornados, lighting, and whatnot.”

  “Not bad.” She played with her fingers, and the power between them sparked as if alive. The electricity that pricked her palms didn’t hurt but was like nothing she had ever experienced. Not reality at all. But definitely interesting.

  “Get your head in the game, Oya. The others are already probably up and ready to fight.”

  “Who is everyone else?” Ari asked as she took in her surroundings. The blue man had scaled a tall rock formation and was surveying their position.

  “The blue man is Torq,” Tessa said, then motioned to tall knight. “He is Ra-soon.”

  “It is time,” Ra-soon said.

  The others walked ahead while Tessa leaned in close to explain the rest of the game. The teams had to find the Jewels of Achman. There were only enough jewels for one of the three teams to win and participate in the revelry back at the castle with the winning teams from other rounds.

  Leaning in closer, Tessa added, “And I told these guys you were good, so don’t let me down.”

  “Why would you say that?” Ari had never even seen this game before, let alone played it.

  With a shrug of her shoulders, Tessa picked up her pace. “Just try not to get yourself killed too much.” Then she lifted off into the sky, her dark wings carrying her high.

  The next few hours flew by in a rush. She had never been so scared or so exhilarated as she fought, ran, and tore through imaginary monsters. Her body had strength and endurance beyond a human, and the smile remained on her face even when a gremlin that reeked like rotten eggs punched her. The hits didn’t hurt as much as in the real world. Ari assumed that was part of the appeal. She only died once and hated waiting impatiently back in the club to be allowed back into the game.

  It didn’t take Ari long to realize that she was the weakest link in the team. Tessa made up for it though, and they quickly collected five out of the six required stones. As they approached the den of Auni, they ran into trouble. A different team had already arrived and was battling a fifteen-foot troll and the gremlin creatures they had run into before. Gremlins weren’t too painful, but they drained your life and were difficult to kill.

  Tessa and the team discussed their strategy before they attacked. They’d need to not only avoid the warlock and the gremlins, but also outfight the other team. The blue man, Torq, spoke first. “Okay, I will kill the troll. He looks large and stupid. Then I’ll distract the gremlins. You two,” he said pointing to Tessa and Ra-soon, the knight, “Take out the other team. And Oya, can you manage to secure the jewel?” He said this with such attitude that Ari was tempted to hit him. Something that she would normally never consider, but as Oya it was more appealing.

  “I can do it,” Ari replied pushing her hair out of the eyes and wishing for a ponytail for the hundredth time.

  “You’re her back up,” Torq said to Tessa.

  “I said I’ll do it,” Ari snapped.

  “Yeah, and Tessa said you knew how to play. Pardon if I don’t take your word for it.” His eyes flashed in disbelief.

  Before Ari could reply, Tessa pinned Torq to the ground. “Take care of the damn troll and we’ll get it. Remember who is a level four champion here, huh?”

  Torq rolled his eyes as Tessa released him, and he did a back roll to get up. Ari couldn’t take too much offense. They probably had no idea she’d never played before. And as annoying as he was, Ari loved to watch Torq. When fi
ghting, his intricate tribal tattoos spun wildly around his body.

  “Let’s do this,” Ra-soon said, and they all went charging over the rocky cliff face into the battle.

  While Tessa carried down the guys, Ari crawled down the side of the cliff so as to not to draw attention to herself. At the base, four gremlins charged her. Despite the fact they were slow, they were also strong. She took care of three with a gust of wind, but the last one held on to a nearby rock. Ari took her small blade out and finished him off with a swift jab in the general direction of where his heart should be. He dissolved into a black miasma that clung to the ground.

  Ari approached the battle from the side. Tessa repeatedly dove towards another winged fighter, attacking and pulling back before the counter-strike. She had a finesse and grace to her that the other purple-winged fighter could not match. Tessa toyed with them, while they struggled to stay afloat.

  Torq had almost defeated the huge troll, while Ra-soon fought off gremlins and the other team on the ground. The needed jewel laid in a cave directly behind the battle. As Ari neared the fighting, she cast a spell. The wind obediently picked up dust to cloud her from the warriors’ vision. With the needed cover, she sprinted for the cave.

  Once inside the interior appeared dark, almost blood red, with a small light shining deep within. The jewel. She was almost there. As she crossed the entrance, someone slammed into her side, taking her to the ground. He grabbed her hands, restraining her powers. They struggled, but he obviously had the upper hand.

  “Why, hello there.” A guy, dressed in slim green armor, sat on Ari’s chest. A metal mask surrounded his head, with large insect like eyes poking out. “You really think we’re going to let a newbie get the last Jewel of Achman? Sorry, sweetie.”

  His voice sounded familiar, even with the computerized lilt to it. Changing your voice was another option in the game, one Ari never bothered with. She didn’t have time to figure out who he was as he gripped her hands together over her head and used his other hand to slowly squeeze her neck.