Hard Wired Trilogy

by DeAnna Pearce

  “It’s Marco’s.” A heavy weight pulled at her shoulders. Whatever her brother was mixed up in was big.

  “Oh,” Reed said, but not as surprised as Ari wanted him to be.

  “Why does he have a gun? Did you know about this? He’s going to be expelled if anyone finds out.”

  Reed walked towards Ari with his hands up. “Hold on. Let’s put it away while we talk about it.”

  More than happy to get rid of the gun, she placed it back in his drawer. Maybe if it was out of sight, then it wouldn’t seem as real. Her hands, now empty, shook uncontrollably. Reed had her sit on Marco’s bed. She tugged the hem of his shirt down to cover the top of her thighs.

  Reed pulled a chair and sat across from her. “Marco’s been getting mixed up with some sketchy guys lately.”

  Anger rose up, hot and fast. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  He let a long breath out. “I’ve talked to him about it and was hoping things had gotten better. But today he asked for money again. I’ve lent him some, but he wanted more.”

  “You should have told me.” Anger burned the back of her eyes, frustrated by being left in the dark.

  “I know.”

  She tried to push aside the fury building inside and focus on how to help her brother. “You don’t think he’s stealing.”

  “No, Marco wouldn’t do that.”

  “Wouldn’t do what?” Marco asked in a jovial voice as he walked through the door but froze when he saw Ari.

  The color drained from Marco’s face, and she raised her defenses. This was Marco. She had fought with him enough as a kid. Unfortunately, now, the stakes were much higher now.

  “Reed, I’ll only ask this once.” Marco slowly shut the door. “Why are you on my bed with my sister, and where are her pants?”

  Ari stood, determined not to let him turn this situation around. “Marco, why do you have a gun? Do you think it makes you a man?”

  Ari took after her mother and grandmother and could yield a hot Spanish tongue. They both stood for a moment starring at each other. Finally, Marco caved. He headed to his drawer to make sure it was there.

  “You don’t know, okay. I need it for protection.”

  “Who do you need protection from?”

  “None of your business!” Marco spit back at her.

  “It is my business and Mom’s if you wind up dead.”

  “Is it Mom’s business that you’re sleeping around like some slutty freshman?” He glared at her with more contempt than Ari had ever seen. They had fought over the years, like most siblings, but there was a line of how far they would go and he’d just crossed it.

  Ari’s words stuck in her throat. In her frustration and rage she lunged for him. She punched him in the shoulder and tried next for his face. Marco grabbed her hands. Reed had both hands around her waist hoisting her away from her brother. She fought against his hold. How dare he stop her? Did Reed not hear what Marco had just said?

  “You don’t want to do this,” Reed said.

  Blood rushed in her ears. “Yes, I do.”

  “Give me a minute, and then you can kill him.” Reed turned back to Marco, keeping Ari behind him.

  “Look, Marco. I didn’t sleep with your sister. We’ve kissed a bit and that’s it. She came over soaking wet. She was looking for a pair of sweatpants when she found the gun.”

  Marco lowered his gaze, a red mark blossoming on his cheek. He nodded and bit his lower lip. “Okay.” Then he reached inside his drawer to grab the gun and put it in the back of his jeans.

  “We’re worried about you, Marco,” Reed said. “I don’t want to see you hurt, or your future destroyed.”

  Ari’s temper continued to boil. She didn’t want to care about her brother. How could he talk to her like that? He knew her better than anyone, or so she thought.

  “It’s my future.” Marco looked at his face in the mirror above his dresser and ran a hand through his hair. “I gotta go. Don’t wait up.”

  “Can’t we talk about this?” Reed asked again.

  “Don’t worry. You have my blessing, Reed.” Marco motioned to Ari with weary disgust. “You can have her.”

  Ari growled and reached for the closest thing she could find, a cup of water, and threw it at Marco. It missed his head and crashed against the wall as he shut the door.

  As he left, he’d sucked out all the energy and fight from the room. A bot beeped and emerged from under the bed to begin cleaning up the mess. Ari stumbled back and sank onto Reed’s bed.

  Reed approached, hesitantly. “You okay?”

  Ari stared at the tears that fell into her hands. Suddenly aware that she was partially naked and sitting in Reed’s room with tears pouring down her face, embarrassment burned her face.

  “I better go. It’s getting late.” Ari hurried to put on her wet jeans while avoiding Reed’s glance. “Turn around so I can change my shirt.”

  Reed reached for her arm. “Hey.” He steadied her and waited for Ari to meet his eyes.

  “Keep the shirt. I like it on you.” Reed pushed a wet strand of hair out of her face. “Let me walk you back, and we can grab a drink from the student center.”

  “I don’t think I can.” Ari’s voice wavered.

  Reed pulled her in close. She fought back the tears as she relaxed in his hold.

  “You’re not alone in this, okay?”

  Ari nodded.

  “You sure you don’t want a hot chocolate or something?”

  Ari shook her head. She didn’t feel like hot chocolate but tightened her hold on Reed. Her world was unraveling around her and the only thing she had to grab onto was him.

  Chapter Nineteen

  After a couple days, Ari’s anger at her brother gradually turned to fear. She had tried messaging him several times, but he didn’t answer. She wanted to tell their mother but decided to give him a few more days to respond, a week max. Besides, what could her mother do?

  Throwing herself into her schoolwork, she hoped to ignore the mess that was her brother, and the unanswered questions about her abilities in the VR. The routine helped, but the worry and ache remained. After hours of work in Programming, her grade climbed to a B+. She found art a nice distraction, and even Dr. Coleman’s VR class was easier, although her cuticles might have disagreed with that last part as they received the brunt force of her anxiety from the VRs.

  Thursday night, Ari and Tessa were knee deep in homework when a knock sounded. Not surprisingly, Tessa ignored it. Ari jumped up to answer it. They didn’t have many visitors, other than other students wanting to borrow notes or something lame.

  When she opened the door, Reed stood there. His dirty blond hair was styled up in front and his shirt looked crisp and clean.

  “What’s up?” She tried not to be too obvious as she checked out his cute jeans that hung just right on his slender hips.

  “I wanted to ask you something.” He glanced down at his shoes and nervously kicked at the carpet.

  “Okay ...” She wondered why he didn’t just message her.

  “Do you want to go out this weekend, like on a date?” He glanced up, his cheeks flushed.

  Her lips curled up in a smile. She had never seen Reed nervous before. Her stomach did happy flips. “Sure. You could have just messaged me.”

  He shook his head. “My mom gave me some rules about girls. I never bothered following them before, but they sounded like a good idea.”

  “I’m interested in hearing about these rules.”

  He glanced into her room where her computer was up and running. “Another time when you’re not busy.” He stepped towards her and planted a light kiss on her cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

  She stayed in the doorway watching him walk away. Her cheek tingled where his lips touched her skin, and her heart pooled in a puddle at her feet.

  By the time the weekend came, even the mountains of homework couldn’t ruin her mood. Reed had asked Ari on a date, an official date. Their school sat on the edge of a s
mall town with only a few restaurants and stores, but Ari didn’t care if he took her to a swamp. To spend time alone with Reed, outside of school, sounded amazing.

  Ari changed into a pair of black pants and a green top. She was straightening her long black hair when Tessa walked in.

  “Getting ready for your date, I see. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Tessa grinned.

  “We’re going into town to eat or something.”

  “Cool.” Tessa settled into her chair, drink in hand.

  “What are you doing tonight?”

  “You’re looking at it. I’ll maybe order some pizza and crush some guys online whose egos have been getting too big.” Tessa pushed back a stray of long hair and turned to her computer.

  “Okay. I’m heading out then. Smash some egos for me.” Ari grabbed her bag. She was supposed to meet Reed downstairs.

  Tessa put on her headset and the look of determination that often accompanied it. “Will do.”

  By the time Ari made it down to the lobby, Reed was already there by the front door, watching the sky. With one hand in his pocket, he stared outside. The falling sun cast a gold glow to his hair and outlined his features. He looked ... beautiful. And not just in the “I want to kiss your face off” kind of way, but truly beautiful. She hated to disturb him.

  As she approached, he turned to greet her. His face lit up in a smile. “Ready?”

  Unable to help herself, she just stared.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” Ari took his hand, shaking herself out of her stupor. This was Reed who she had known forever. Get a hold of yourself, Ari. “This is a bit surreal. You and me, going on a date together.”

  “I know what you mean.” He reached for her hand, and they left her dorm. “I feel like I should be asking your mother’s permission or something.”

  “Don’t worry. I actually talked to her about it.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, last night. She says she couldn’t think of a better boy she could trust me with. I’m glad that I never told her about Garrett.”

  “Don’t remind me,” he growled. “When I saw you two together—”

  Thankfully, security interrupted him. Several guards stood by the gate. Ari and Reed approached the officer at the gate and scanned their identity bracelets. Several others walked back and forth along the fence. The electric fence wasn’t enough? Extra guards have been stationed since the intruders.

  “Curfew is at ten tonight. No exceptions,” said a tall, pale officer that Ari didn’t recognize.

  “Really?” At the beginning of the year it was midnight on the weekends.

  “The gates are closing early due to Monday’s incident. If you want to stay out later, you have to sign out an extended pass.” The officer’s pressed lips didn’t offer any room to debate.

  “We’ll be back.” Reed pulled Ari along.

  Ari was used to guards at her old school, but they were friendly and more relaxed. These men weren’t security guards but soldiers. “How often do things like Monday happen?”

  “Not that often, but there are enough attempts that security is kept pretty tight. Some fanatics think the VR and the computer age are detrimental to evolution or something.”

  “Some days I wonder that myself,” Ari replied. She had witnessed the ill effects of VR first hand.

  “Come on.” Reed grasped her hand tighter. “We’re supposed to be having fun. Forget about the guards.”

  Alone with Reed, it was easy for Ari to forget about everything else. He took her to a small restaurant with fresh food that tasted of home. She got lost in his eyes more than once, and he had to remind her to keep eating. Over hot salsa and spicy meat, they talked of home and even of the future. Reed was in his last year of school. After finals he would be assigned as an intern, anywhere in the country. He’d requested to stay in the Southwest, close to his mother and Ari.

  “Want dessert?” He scanned the small screen that displayed the menu.

  “I’m actually stuffed.” Ari hadn’t eaten that much in a while, but it was so worth it.

  He paid on the screen and then turned back to Ari. “Okay, well I have another surprise for you.”

  “Surprise?” She raised a brow as her lips pulled up in a smile.

  “It’s nothing too exciting, but I thought you’d like it.” He reached for her hand as they left the restaurant.

  As they walked by various outdoor restaurants, stores, and VR bars, she relished having Reed at her side. They held hands or lightly touched, both of them like magnets, constantly drawn back to each other. Ari wondered if this feeling of wanting to touch him or be next to him would ever fade.

  At the next block, an older store sat squished in the corner. Large green letters flashed overhead that spelled “GAMING” and then underneath it read “BUY, SELL, TRADE.” Reed headed towards the store.

  “This is it?” Ari worried for a moment that he was taking her to a VR, a popular date for most people. And while she could stomach a VR date, she would much rather have Reed in reality next to her.

  “Trust me.” Reed continued through the automatic door.

  From a screen on their right a mechanical voice welcomed them to the store and offered to locate specific products for them. Reed ignored the prompt and continued inside. “Hey, Pete.”

  “Good to see ya.” Pete was a slim man with brown hair pulled back into a short ponytail.

  They didn’t stop to chat, but instead headed to the back. The store held a random array of multi-dimensional games, sensory games, and even some VRs. Ari noticed a sign for screening rooms in the back. The store wasn’t packed but had several people browsing the merchandise.

  Tucked away in one little corner, there were some books, real physical books. She hadn’t held a book since her part-time job cataloging and scanning old novels. It had been the only time she had touched books. Books you knew didn’t change with a slight tap of your finger.

  She picked up a yellowed book with a cowboy on the front. Though paperback, the cover was coated with some sort of plastic. As she opened the book, the smell of mothballs and old paper wafted up. The fragile paper had browned on the edges. It was the epitome of the older generation, when stories were only one-dimensional.

  “You like them?” Reed leaned over, resting his chin on her shoulder, and wrapping his arms around her waist. “How much is it?”

  “Probably worth more than I am.” Ari looked for a price on the back.

  “Doubt it. Pete is trying to sell off all his books. These antiques don’t sell as well as they used to.”

  She turned the book over but didn’t see anything.

  “Here.” He reached for the book. “I’ll go ask him. Stay and check out the others.”

  She picked up another book, this one a cheesy romance of some kind. Another customer approached to peruse the books. The man was older, but with strong, broad shoulders. His friendly smile and goatee softened his muscular features. “Do you happen to know much about these antiques?”

  “Some, but not much.” Ari shrugged, not able to shake the feeling that she had seen him before somewhere.

  His caramel eyes blended well with his tanned skin. “Do you study ancient text in school?”

  “No, I’m in the VR program here.”

  “Very cool. I work in VRs. I’m Dave, by the way.” He reached out a hand to shake.

  Ari hesitated for a moment, assuming he must work at the VR bar they passed. This was a busy store, though, and he appeared friendly enough. She returned the handshake. “Ari.”

  The man glanced briefly at the front desk to where Reed was, and Ari followed his gaze. Reed was talking to his friend, engrossed in conversation.

  “Ari, have you ever thought about going into the corporate VR market?”

  “No, not really. I’m just trying to make it through school. I have another year or so before I begin thinking about careers.”

  Dave’s face fell a bit, his eyes looking older and more seri
ous. “I’m sorry to say, you don’t have that long.”

  “That long for what?” Instinctively, Ari took a step back.

  “I work for VisionTech. We know about your trip in the game over break. We know what you can do.”

  Ari shook her head and started to walk away.

  He set the book down but didn’t try to follow her. “Changing a character in the middle of a busy game is not the way to stay discreet.”

  She froze, not out of fear but curiosity. How did he know about Garrett and the game? She was still trying to figure out what happened herself, and she wanted to know more despite this man being a stranger.

  “Don’t be afraid, Ari. We have no reason to let others know. They are our competition.”

  “Competition?” The word escaped Ari’s lips, as her mind spun with what was happening.

  “Recruiters. There are only so many warpers, and everyone wants one.”

  “I’m not a warper.” Ari thought back to her lessons and the game with Garrett.

  “You’re telling me you don’t see code inside the VR? And what about all those unexplainable incidences with Garrett or the glitches you see? There is a reason they happen, and the reason is you.”

  Ari swallowed and found her voice. “I’m not sure what’s going on. I’m not whatever you think I am.”

  “We won’t tell anyone, but it won’t be long before the government finds out through your school. I’m amazed you’ve lasted this long. You’re definitely the oldest untrained warper there is.” He let the last statement sit for a moment before continuing. “And let me tell you, of all the companies, VisionTech, is one of the best. Many places won’t have any perks or spending accounts. If the government snatches you up first, you’ll be working for the military torturing people, and training soldiers. Something a little girl should know nothing about.”

  “I’m not a little girl.” She sounded absurd, like a three-year-old stomping their foot. Ari didn’t care.

  “True. But you’re not a soldier either. Are you?”

  She didn’t answer him. The Never-Ending War had stretched into another decade. With so many countries involved, Ari couldn’t even tell you who her country was fighting anymore. She wasn’t a soldier and didn’t want to become one.