Hard Wired Trilogy

by DeAnna Pearce

  The man slid a card into her hand and leaned in, his breath uncomfortably close. “Contact me if you have any questions or change your mind. Trust me. The pay alone can take your mother off the assembly line and into a private estate.”

  How does he know about my mother? Ari tensed at the idea that this man, this stranger, had researched her mother. What about the rest of her family?

  “Hey,” Reed said, walking up behind them.

  Dave gave her one final look and walked away.

  “Are you alright? I saw that old guy hitting on you, and I thought I better come to the rescue.” Reed slid his arm around her. “Man, you’re cold. Did he spook you?”

  “No, no, I’m fine. Just creeped out a bit.”

  “I understand. There was this girl who graduated last year. She was on the strip with a guy that could have been my grandpa if he was still alive. Seriously. Sick.”

  “Yeah.” Ari needed to leave, to find some fresh air and think. She didn’t want to tell Reed anything until she knew for herself what was going on.

  “Pete will give me a good deal on the book, if you still want it.” Reed watched her, his brow tightening in concern.

  Ari pasted on a smile. She never really did have a poker face. “Thanks, but I’m okay. I enjoyed looking at them though.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. I’m good.”

  “Okay. Up for dessert?”

  “Sure.” She slipped her hand into his.

  “Great.” Reed turned and led her towards the door. With her free hand, Ari tucked the card in her back pocket.

  Chapter Twenty

  Another long week passed. A week full of sleepless nights. A week full of Ari telling herself lies, trying to convince herself that contacting Dave was a mistake. That if she kept everything to herself, nothing would change.

  Saturday, Ari woke early to a dark and cloudy sky. Tessa snored softly, her rumpled purple hair strewn all over her pillow made her look like she’d had a wild night—even though Ari knew it was spent in front of her computer screen.

  Ari headed out the door, hoping for an early start on studying. She grabbed a coffee from the vending machine and headed to the student VR lab on the sixth floor. She swiped her bracelet and the large metallic door slid open for her.

  She checked in with the groggy aide who assigned a room for her to work in. “Call me if you need anything.” He took another drink of his coffee.

  “I got it.” Sometimes Ari struggled hooking herself in, but she managed to do it by herself. It felt too intimate, too close for a stranger.

  Ari walked down the maroon and silver corridor, with large screens mounted on the walls flashing various announcements. “Tutoring help offered Saturday afternoons 12-5” one screen displayed. The screen flipped images then, “Career day January 18th.” Ari paused at the monitor. She tapped on it and swiped her bracelet to send herself a reminder.

  Her thoughts drifted back to the recruiter from VisionTech, Dave. Could she trust him? She didn’t know. Ari wasn’t sure if she was really a warper, but she could see the code. She wasn’t sure what happened in the game with Garrett, but she needed to figure it out. Dave’s promises about her mother lingered with her all morning.

  For the first time in her life she wanted to go back in the VR. She wanted to see if she really was what Dave had said, a warper. She remembered his warning though and had second thoughts as she waited outside her assigned door. Her student card hung precariously over the scanner. Should she chance it? She didn’t quite believe Dave. If he really was a recruiter, his only goal would be for her to sign a contract. There had to be other companies to work with. Maybe even working with the government wouldn’t be that bad. The card shook in her hand, and her gut turned with unease.

  Unsure of who to trust or what to do, she turned and left the lab. The student aide at the desk had nodded off next to a cup of coffee. Ari left her dorm and zipped up her jacket as the freezing wind cut against her face. She headed towards Reed’s dorm thinking he might be able to sneak her into a virtual that wasn’t being watched, but then remembered Reed handled security. He didn’t have the keys for an offline VR. But Garrett did.

  The pit of her stomach sank, and her pace slowed as she realized she had to ask Garrett for a favor, to face a conversation she had been avoiding for weeks. She walked into the tech center. The same place she had visited on the first day of school with the same trepidation rising but for different reasons.

  Ari spun the ring on her finger, the one that Garrett had given her. Tessa had told her the real cost of the ring that turned into an earpiece along with other cool tricks. Ari couldn’t afford another one of her own. Practicality won out. Besides, she didn’t blame Garrett for what happened between them, not really. He was who he was. It was Ari who wasn’t ready for that type of physical relationship with someone she’d just met.

  With wide eyes, Garrett couldn’t hide his surprise when Ari entered the room. Self-consciously Ari tugged at her messy ponytail. But she found solace in his wrinkly shirt and messy hair. His hair jet black looked a little shorter.

  A condescending smile curled on his lips. “To what do I owe this great pleasure? Your HUB broke or something?”

  “You got a haircut.” Ari regretted the remark as soon as it left her lips.

  “Huh? So that’s how we’re going to do this?” He played with a pen in his fingers. “Yes, I did get a haircut. How nice of you to notice.” His tone was much sharper than his words.

  “Can we talk? In private?”

  He arched an eyebrow and turned back into that mischievous, cute little boy again. “Sure, let’s go for a walk.” He typed something into the computer and then hollered to the back. “Keyton, I’m going on break. Listen for the door.”

  He shoved something in his pocket and walked around the tall silver counter. After you, he motioned, and Ari led the way through the door. Ari headed towards the lake, hoping the shore would be empty this early. Garrett maintained a forced distance but kept up with Ari. She bit the inside of her lip trying to figure out a way to begin.

  Once the lake was in sight, Garrett stopped walking. “So is this all about my grooming habits?”

  “I’m sorry,” Ari blurted out.

  Garrett’s face froze with no emotion, and then he continued on the path around the lake without a word.

  Ari kept up next to him. “I had my reasons to leave, but I shouldn’t have ignored you. You deserved more.”

  “And those reasons?”

  Ari didn’t reply at first. She watched the ripples on the lake as they curved alongside the rocky shore. She swallowed and continued, “I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a relationship, and I heard about your reputation with the first-years. I didn’t want to be another first-year. Not that way.” She couldn’t look at him. Her face burned.

  He nodded and continued on the path. “You were right. If you weren’t mature enough to talk to me, it was probably better that you left.”

  “Well,” Ari stumbled over her words as he surprised and offended her in the same breath.

  Garrett stopped and turned to her. “What do you need?”

  “I was hoping you could get me into an unsupervised virtual.”

  He watched her, as if dissecting more than she said. “Is this about what happened in the game?”

  Ari nodded.

  “You freaked me out, Ari. After the game I went to complain about the glitch. Of course, they ignored my protest and gave me a discount for the next game, but they were worried about it for sure. I’m surprised they haven’t contacted you yet.”

  “I signed into the game as Tessa’s stepmother.”

  “Nice. I wonder if they contacted her?”

  Ari remembered how angry Tessa’s father was when he came over. “I think so.”

  “I’m surprised you’ve flown under the radar for so long, but most people don’t have a fear of virtuals.”

  “Lucky me,” Ari said sarcastically. “So, can you he
lp me?”

  He looked her up and down, making her skin crawl. This was the part of him that Ari couldn’t trust, the part of him she didn’t like.

  “We’ll need Reed. Instead of changing the time, he’ll have to find a way to get you off grid.”

  “I’ll talk to him.” Ari shifted slightly.

  Garrett noticed her hesitation. “You mean you haven’t told your boyfriend yet?” He guffawed at the idea. “Okay, I think watching this might be worth it.”

  “Whatever.” Ari started to leave.

  He caught Ari’s hand. He seemed to be trying to make her uncomfortable and squirm under his grip. Instead, annoyance and anger grew in the pit of her stomach. She was done playing the scared little first-year. She tugged hard and he let go. “When can we do this?”

  “My part is pretty easy, letting you in. You need to make sure you cover your trail if you don’t want everyone to know. You won’t be able to keep this quiet for too long, not in your program.”

  She ignored that last part. “I’ll let you know after I talk to Reed.” Ari walked away from the lake. A chill ran up her arms, and she wanted to leave.

  “I’ll miss having you around,” Garrett said.

  Ari paused for a moment, her back to him. In an alternate universe they could have been friends, but not in this one. Garrett pushed too many of her boundaries. She left, not bothering to answer.

  Ari wrapped her hands around a peppermint hot chocolate as she sat across from Reed in his room. Marco had never come home the previous night. Reed convinced her that it wasn’t unusual for her brother to sleep in another room for the night. Ari shouldn’t be sidetracked with her brother. Instead she focused on telling Reed how she saw the code and about the recruiter on their date last week.

  Reed’s countenance fell at the news. “Why didn’t you tell me this last Friday?”

  “I didn’t tell anyone. I don’t think I was ready to believe it myself.”

  He set down his drink and leaned back. “Wow ... you’re a warper. You’re sure?”

  “Well, no, that’s why I want to go in one more time.”

  “And you can’t use the VR lab because ...?”

  “Because then the school will know I’m a warper, and who knows what will happen next.” Ari sighed in exasperation. They’d already gone over that before.

  “I’m stupid, I guess. When you first asked about scheduling a VR on-site, I thought you wanted an unsupervised VR to be with me.”

  The thought had never crossed her mind—even though it was common for most couples.

  The next second Reed acted as if the words had never left his mouth. “I thought warpers were a myth. If they worked for the government we would have heard about it, just another specification in our schooling. Maybe that Dave guy was making it up.”

  “Maybe, but something is going on with me, and I need to figure it out.” An uneasy feeling turned her stomach as she thought of her unusual abilities.

  “I understand. Maybe we could ask someone?”

  “Garrett once said he knew a warper that went missing. He’s ready to let me in. I need you to make sure the VR trip isn’t being watched.”

  Reed sat up, and Ari realized it was the wrong thing to say.

  “You already talked to Garrett?”

  “He was there in the game with me when it happened at the Strip. I knew I needed him to get me in.”

  “Still ...”

  Guilt settled in. In retrospect, she should have talked to Reed first. Things were going so well between them. She wanted to figure this out before it messed things up between them. Guess it had anyway.

  Reed turned to face the screen on his desk. “It will take a little bit of work to run an off-grid VR. They have built-in program alerts when we go off grid. It’s easier to change the time or date, but I might be able to work something out.”

  “Thanks.” Awkwardness settled in between them. “Do you want to do anything tonight?”

  “I’m working with Garrett. Marco hasn’t been around much, so I get the late shift tonight.”

  Ari bit her tongue as she almost asked if he wanted her there. If he did, he would have asked her. Reed focused on his computer.

  It hurt to leave things between them like this, but it didn’t seem like there was anything she could say. “I’ll see you around.”

  “See ya.” Reed faced his screen. Ari walked down the hall in stunned silence. She hadn’t realized Reed would be that mad. Garrett had been right. That idea frightened Ari in more ways than one.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The days went by uneventfully with homework, virtuals, and the usually derisive comments from Wake. Studying proved difficult as her mind kept traveling back to Reed and her supposed abilities. By the way Garrett acted, she felt like she might already know the answer about her being a warper. But what could she do about it? As much as she had initially hated the VR, she was slowly growing used to the idea of designing virtuals as a career. Dave’s warnings rang in her ears though. She wanted a life on her terms, not anyone else’s.

  On Wednesday, Reed finally messaged her. He wanted to meet at the cafeteria for dinner. Ari agreed and went down early, thinking she could use the time to catch up on some reading.

  She had her tablet out reading through an article with a drink in her hand when Reed slid into the chair beside her. His shoulder brushed against her, sending a chill down her spine. She had missed him.

  “Hey.” She smiled up at him.

  “I think I found a way, but it will be tricky.”

  Ari swallowed. “I can work with tricky.”

  “We can try this Friday night. I’ll work out some of the details with Garrett.”

  He pushed his chair back as if to leave, but Ari caught his arm. She wasn’t about to let the uneasiness between them grow.

  “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner. I was scared. I don’t want things to—”

  “It’s Garrett,” Reed spat out. “He’s driven me crazy this year. I couldn’t stand you being with him whether we were together or not. And you went to him before me.” He turned his fiery stare at Ari. “I don’t know what drives me crazier, that I’m actually jealous of him or that you are with him.”

  “Were,” Ari corrected him. “It’s been past tense for some time, and it’ll stay that way. I needed his help. I know he was a jerk before—”

  “Still is,” Reed added. “Remember I work with him.”

  “Yes, but I need him, okay? This is sort of a big thing.”

  “I know.” Reed reached across and grabbed Ari’s hand.

  His warm fingers tightened around hers. Her chest ached at the pain she caused him, and for the first time, she let herself acknowledge the fear that their relationship might end. Reed had been the one thing since coming to school that felt right, and she couldn’t imagine a future without him.

  “So, this Friday, you and me?” she asked hoping they could do this together.

  “Yeah, this Friday. But I don’t think I can wait for Friday for this.” Reed leaned in to kiss Ari in a way that was probably inappropriate for public display, but neither of them cared.

  Friday night there was another party starting later than usual, at one in the morning. They needed the party to be later for Reed, who was planning on deleting the footage in the system’s weekly clean up. He also wanted several other students plugged in, just in case it didn’t work. They were planning on switching the feeds, so it wouldn’t track back to Ari even if they were caught.

  Garrett told Ari he didn’t like that part. He didn’t like the chance that his whole business could be at stake. It had taken him two years to set up and some things he wasn’t willing to sacrifice. Ari couldn’t blame him.

  Ari brought Tessa, because she could use the extra support, even if Tessa believed she was sneaking into another VR party. They walked off the trail, crunching over frozen grass. The bright moon helped to light their path.

  “Sometimes I think these parties are all
a big ruse,” Tessa said as they approached the student center.

  “Really?

  “Yeah, think about it. You really don’t think the faculty notices twenty kids sneaking off to the virtuals every week or so?”

  “We block our tracers though, and the bribe—”

  “I know, I know. Truthfully, I think the faculty doesn’t care. They want us to push the limits in the virtuals. Either way, I’m not complaining. But I don’t think they are as naive as we think they are.”

  Ari hoped it wasn’t true. She was counting on them being blind to what they were doing. She glanced at Tessa and wondered if she should tell her about being a warper. It’s not like Tessa would say anything, heck she would probably give her advice. They arrived at the lab before Ari had a chance to talk to her. They went inside to find Garrett and Reed waiting at the door.

  “Make it okay?” Reed placed an arm around her.

  “Yeah.”

  A couple slid in behind them and went to pay Garrett. “Go ahead and pick your machines. The virtual is loaded if you want to start. Others will join you soon.”

  Tessa handed him a fifty.

  “You don’t have to—,” Reed said, but Garrett interrupted him.

  “Sorry, chap. I’m not really a good friend of your dear Ari anymore, and I’ve got bills to pay.”

  Ari rolled her eyes and before Reed could argue, Tessa cut them off.

  “No worries. I got it,” she said with a shrug and headed to a machine.

  “You can plug in, Ari, but don’t start getting freaky without me,” Garrett said with a slight wink.

  Ari knew he only made the comment to get a rise out of Reed.

  “You aren’t going in with her,” Reed objected.

  “You have to stay out here to wipe the files, and someone should be in there with Ari to make sure no one else notices.”

  “Tessa is in there,” Reed pointed out.