Hard Wired Trilogy

by DeAnna Pearce

He stopped and stared at her. “I don’t feel like a lecture from my little sister. Okay? So, if that’s what this is, then walk yourself home.”

  “Sorry. I’ll stop.” As Marco stared at her, Ari searched for something, anything she could say that wouldn’t push her brother away. “It’s Reed.”

  “What about Reed?”

  “I wanted to make sure you were okay with us going out together.”

  Finally, Marco started walking again, and Ari let out a heavy breath.

  “I was a little shocked at first,” Marco said. “But he’s Reed. He’s a great guy from our old neighborhood. Better than shacking up with one of these geeks.”

  “Thanks, Marco.” Ari had never asked for his blessing or permission, but it was nice to know he approved.

  “Don’t end up making out in our room, okay? I don’t think I can handle walking in on that.”

  “Don’t worry, my bed is fine,” Ari joked, prompting an appalled look from Marco.

  “Better watch it. I’m not past calling Mom.”

  “Yeah, that’ll be the day. You actually ratting me out.” Growing up it was always Marco getting into trouble and getting called into the principal’s office. Marco was always the wild one and Ari the scared one, according to the neighbors.

  They finally crossed through campus security and headed onto the pristine campus as the lights flickered on.

  Ari slowed as they approached her dorm. “You know you have to go back to school, right?”

  “We’re already at school.”

  “I mean really be at school.”

  His gaze lowered with a heaviness that made Ari realize that reality was slowly setting in for him.

  “I know,” he said with a pained expression that soon turned angry. “I have to graduate and get a job that I hate for the rest of my life to support my poor mom and crazy dad.”

  “Would you rather stay hooked and let your sister and mom take care of your withered body?” It hurt Ari to imagine Marco becoming like her father.

  “At least I’d be happy—blissfully happy—not in a career, doing a job I never wanted to do in the first place.” His eyes filled with tears. Tears Ari hadn’t seen since him cry since he’d broken his arm when he was ten.

  “Are you happy?” she asked. “You know you’re still in here, right? Hooked to a program and still feeling the guilt from it all.”

  Marco remained silent, unable to answer. His lips formed a strong crease as if he could hold everything in.

  “You have to leave here. Mom needs you. I need you.” The fear grew in her. She would change this whole virtual into a living inferno that even the devil would be impressed with, if she had to. Anything to get Marco back.

  He wouldn’t speak to her. He turned his back, and for a moment Ari thought she was going to lose him. She watched as his shoulders heaved with a burden Ari couldn’t see. Then he slowly disappeared before her eyes.

  Ari thought she would be happy that she’d been able to pull him out without using any of her warper abilities. Instead, a hollow ache grew in her stomach after seeing her brother so depressed and discontented with his own life. He was supposed to be fun and crazy Marco. She willed herself out of the VR and wondered what kind of Marco would be there when she returned.

  He didn’t have much to say when Ari went to his bedside. Reed tried to joke with him, but Marco ignored his attempts. Nurse Carey kept the atmosphere in the room positive as she buzzed around taking his vitals and ordering his meal.

  “Hey, why don’t I go grab some dinner, and we can eat here with you?” Ari offered.

  Reed stood. “I can get it.”

  “No,” Marco said firmly, avoiding their gazes.

  “It wouldn’t be much trouble. We can be back in a bit,” Ari said, a bit confused at Marco’s new attitude.

  Nurse Carey interrupted, “Why don’t we let our patient rest for a while? You two can come back in the morning.”

  Ari looked to Marco again to see if that was really what he wanted. He lowered his eyes, starting at his hand, the one with a needle attached.

  “We’ll check in with you later, bro,” said Reed. “You have your HUB in case you need us. Call, okay?”

  “Sure.” Marco kept his eyes lowered. Reed had to pull Ari’s arm to exit the room. She wanted to stay, to fix him somehow. She thought getting him out would be the hardest part, but now she wondered if that was true.

  “I’ll get your dinner and be back in a minute, sweetie.” Nurse Carey followed Reed and Ari out of the room.

  Ari stopped her once they were out of the wellness center. “What’s wrong with him?”

  The woman took a deep breath and adjusted a curl in her hair. “Hon, why do you think people get hooked in the first place?”

  Ari tried not to resent being spoken to as a child. “Because they don’t want to live in the real world.”

  “Yes. And even if they come back, it doesn’t mean they want to be here anymore. It’s usually because of guilt that they return.”

  Ari flashed back to her conversation with Marco, knowing what the nurse said was true.

  Nurse Carey continued, “He’s depressed, which is a common symptom of what he has been through. He will need counseling and will probably be suspended for a period of time.”

  “Suspended? But he did nothing wrong.”

  “He abused the VR systems. And being here with an open VR facility for students like him isn’t good. Advisor Williams will inform your mother of the specifics and advise her if there is a chance of his re-admittance.”

  Ari took a step backwards, not wanting to believe what the nurse was saying. Marco was getting kicked out of school?

  Nurse Carey put a hand on her arm. “It’s like a lot of other addictions. They are not cured in a day.”

  Ari knew Nurse Carey was right. She’d watched her father for years as a little girl, but she couldn’t believe it was happening with Marco. She couldn’t watch another family member slowly deteriorate into a life that wasn’t even living.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The next morning, Marco was quiet over breakfast, finding his eggs more interesting than talking to either Ari or Reed. His friend started to give him a hard time, but Ari silenced him with a hand. Marco didn’t know what Ari almost risked, and he didn’t need to. Not then.

  Ari leaned down to hug him goodbye, a gesture he weakly returned. “Give a hug to Mom for me.”

  “Sure,” Marco mumbled. It killed Ari to watch her brother like this. The life he always had in him, the joking, the love, was gone. Was it even real?

  He barely looked Reed in the eyes as he patted his arm. “See you soon at Christmas break.”

  “Okay.”

  They left with Nurse Carey’s reassurances that this post-VR depression was normal, and he should be feeling better by Christmas.

  “Want to meet up for dinner?” Reed asked, once they exited the wellness center. “I have my study group at lunch again. Everyone’s stressed about end of term exams.” He was finishing his third year, and Ari knew how important his scores were. The tests determined where he would be placed for his internship, and eventually how much money he could make.

  “Sure, okay,” Ari said, distracted by worries of Marco.

  “I’ve got to go to class.” He grabbed Ari’s hand. “He’s going to be okay.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  Reed was silent for a moment before agreeing. “You’re right, but even if he’s not, we’ll deal with it.”

  Ari nodded. “I can’t be late to class.” Reed let go of her hand, and Ari hurried towards her dorm that held so much of what she hated: virtuals.

  No wonder we have lock-downs, she thought. This place might be worth blowing up.

  By the next week, Marco headed home, and Mom said he was doing well, whatever that meant. Ari focused on school, spending time with Reed whenever possible. Saturday night, Reed came over to watch a movie on Tessa’s over-sized screen. They cuddled up on Ari’s bed, while
Tessa sprawled out on hers. They passed around cartons of ice cream, trying to convince each other which one was the best.

  “Everyone knows chocolate is practically a food group by itself,” Ari argued.

  “If you’re like every other girl in world. Peanut butter and cherries? Now that’s a tasty variety,” Tessa replied.

  Tessa had been kinder since Ari told her that her brother had been sent home. Tessa had never brought it up again, even though Ari often heard the gossip around campus. She appreciated her roommate. Sometimes friends didn’t have to talk, they could just be.

  Reed set his spoon down and silently traced Ari’s arm, leaving it with a tingling sensation Ari loved. As they watched a fantasy movie with vampires tearing each other to shreds, Ari’s thoughts kept returning to Reed, his body wrapped around hers. Ari would love nothing more than to have his arms around her all night.

  Soon the movie faded, and Ari squinted against the bright lights that Tessa flipped on. “Ari, you are the only person I know that can fall asleep during a horror movie.”

  “I haven’t been sleeping great.”

  “Wait till finals come,” Tessa retorted.

  Ari moaned, and Reed pulled her tighter against him.

  “Let me get on my game before you two start.” Tessa grabbed a drink out of the mini-fridge and sat down in front of her large screen. Within seconds, she had her headset on and the screen full of different shots of her game in action.

  “I should probably let you go to sleep. I know we both have projects to work on for school,” Reed said reluctantly.

  “Not yet. That was a nap.” Ari held onto his arm, not ready to let him go. She’d dreamed of being with him for too long. It felt surreal some days, and she didn’t want it to end.

  His body relaxed underneath her.

  She won. “Just a little longer.” If she was a cat, she would be purring.

  He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then his hand traced down her neck, resting on her collarbone. “Are we going to catch the same tram home? I was hoping we could spend more time together over break.”

  “Sounds great. About break ...” Ari said and then hesitated. She didn’t know if she wanted to bring it up, but it wouldn’t get easier with time.

  “What? Have you not told your mom about us?”

  “That’s not it. My mom was actually excited about us.” Her mom had even said she couldn’t do much better, but there was no reason to give Reed a big head.

  He kissed the top of her head. “Good. My mom said it was about time.”

  “Really?” Ari turned back to face him, wondering how long Reed had thought of her romantically.

  Reed smiled at her, bigger than usual, which made Ari close the distance and meet his lips. She melted into his soft lips, lost in the taste of Reed with a touch of chocolate. Finally, she pushed back. Tessa was still in the room, despite being absorbed in her game.

  “You wanted to talk about break?” Reed held onto to her waist as Ari faced him. His hand touched her bare skin, sending a warm current throughout her body.

  “You’re very distracting.” Ari pushed his hands away.

  “Alright, alright.” Reed raised his hands in surrender as he leaned back against the metallic head board.

  “I want to go see my dad.”

  Reed’s brow creased, then the lines deepened. What a way to kill the mood. Not that she expected Reed to be pleased, but she’d hoped he would be understanding and willing to help.

  “You mean ...” He couldn’t say it.

  “Yes, I want to go into the VR with him. Maybe try to help him leave like I did for Marco.” What Ari didn’t say, what she was too scared to articulate, was that she was willing to use her skills as a warper to help convince her father to leave.

  Reed pushed himself up to a seated position and stared at Ari with disbelief.

  “Please try to understand.” Ari sat up as well and placed a hand on top of his, but Reed was cold and angry.

  “I think I understand all right. You’re going to give away your life for a man that has already thrown his away more than once.” Reed’s voice grew, no longer the hushed whispers.

  Ari turned to see if Tessa was still playing. Her hands were a little slower than usual on her keyboard, as if she was trying to ignore them.

  “He is my father, Reed. You, more than anybody, should realize that.”

  “Don’t talk to me about fathers.” Reed climbed off her bed. “Sometimes it’s better if they’re gone rather than having them around to screw up our lives.”

  “I was hoping you could help me.” Ari needed him to cover her tracks, but she didn’t even know if that was possible in a hospital.

  He ran a hand over his short hair. “Of course, I’ll help you, but I’m not sure if that will be enough or if I can keep you safe.”

  She wanted him to be okay with it, but she had to do it with or without him. “I have to.”

  “No, you don’t. Does your mom know? Because I’m pretty sure she would say no. It’s too dangerous.”

  “I need to do it while I can. You’re leaving at the end of the school year as it is.” Every day was more of a struggle for Ari to conceal her abilities. She planned to finish the school year with Reed. At the end of the year, he would move on to his career assignment, and she could take Dave’s position or something. It hurt to watch Reed’s pain.

  “Why do I have the feeling you’re checking out of this relationship early? You could wait until I graduate.” Reed picked up his bag and swung it over his shoulder.

  “I can’t.”

  He nodded, his jaw tightening. Then without another word, he turned and walked out.

  Ari stared at the door as it shut, shocked at how fast things had turned sour. Maybe she hadn’t made the right choice, but she wasn’t sure what she could have said to make it any easier.

  Tessa continued playing her game, commenting between keystrokes. “Boys suck.”

  The following week was quiet for Ari. She found herself constantly checking for a message and even stalked Reed’s social network for any updates he cared to post—which were none. She started to message him several times, wanting to explain but there was nothing left to explain. He knew her better than anyone else. He knew she had to do it. He just didn’t want to accept it.

  So, she threw herself into her midterm project virtual which all her teachers would be grading. It would be the first virtual the students were required to create, and each teacher had different criteria they expected, from the storyboard, to art design, to complex code and procedure. Tessa helped a lot as she was at the top of the class, though she didn’t always agree.

  “I could name a couple guys that are a lot better than me,” Tessa said before taking another bite of their pizza covered in ham and pineapple—another one of Ari’s new favorites.

  “Maybe in complex coding, but you have moxie no one else has.”

  Tessa pulled back slightly, acting surprised. “Moxie?”

  “Something my grandfather used to say about someone with gumption, spark.” Ari bit into another piece of pizza.

  “Huh, moxie,” Tessa said the word again, her latest lip ring giving her a slight lisp. She turned back to Ari. “So, where’s your moxie?”

  Ari stared at her for a second, confused.

  “Reed.” Tessa’s eyes narrowed at her. “Come on. You’ve been moping around all week after that fight. What’s the deal?”

  Ari picked off a pineapple. She struggled to talk about her home life or anything personal. Tessa had no problem sharing, including her dad’s sex life, which often turned Ari a couple of shades redder.

  “It’s my dad.” Ari proceeded to tell Tessa the whole story. “Reed doesn’t want me to see him on Christmas Break. He thinks it’s too dangerous.” She left out using her abilities to help her father.

  Tessa set down her slice of pizza and stood. “Let’s go to the bathroom.”

  “What?” Ari knew Tessa was not the type of girl to go
to the bathroom in groups.

  “Come on.”

  Ari followed her into their small private bathroom. White tile and silver fixtures gleamed. Tessa waved a hand in front of a sensor and turned on the shower.

  Once the water was pounding against the tiles, she turned to face Ari. “I get why you have to go see your dad. I do. But I don’t see why you feel like going into the government program is your only choice.”

  “Because once they know, there will be no other options.”

  Tessa gave a short laugh. “You have to stop acting like some poor little girl. You have skills people would kill for, literally. And you’re bright and smart enough to figure another way out of this.”

  Ari bristled at the remark. How could Tessa so smoothly compliment and insult her at the same time?

  “I say we start with that agent that contacted you. Dave, right?” Tessa grinned and the ring on her lip curled her lip, making her look bit mischievous and frightening at the same time.

  The next day Tessa scheduled an appointment with Dave for the following Friday after school. She wasn’t as worried about what was on her call log as she often spoke to agents or people in the industry. Thankfully, Tessa was going with Ari. Between Tessa’s father’s business and her own gaming experience, she had expertise Ari desperately needed.

  Ari focused on her project while she waited for the meeting. She’d been inspired by a picture she’d once glimpsed online and decided to recreate a fantasy world based on it. She was in way over her head but loved the challenge.

  Ari worked in the VR library on Wednesday night. They had systems where she could visualize a 3D version of her program while working on the code on a nearby screen. It made work easier, even if she had to do it in the lab instead of her dorm room in her pajamas. The lab was empty, except for the lab techs and Wake, the jerk from class, who sat at the next station. Ari had no problem ignoring him. She focused on her program, needing to pull at least an A from Dr. Coleman on the project.

  Thinking about a troublesome spot, she stared off in the distance for a moment. Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed Wake’s gaze, but turned her attention back to the images in front of her. Ari tried to block him out. He might be great at programming, but his features reminded Ari of a chubby rodent.