Hard Wired Trilogy

by DeAnna Pearce

  She blinked and turned back to the window. The code vanished as fast as it had appeared. Williams stood, surrounded by security, hollering at the nearby guards. Then in a brief moment, he turned to her. Not that he could see her as they lifted high above him, but somehow his hard gaze bore straight inside the plane with a threat of the future. He wouldn’t forget about her.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “Get that away from me.” Reed pushed away Dave’s hand, which held a very large needle. “Not unless you show me your degree.”

  “We already gave you a local, but it’s not enough. You don’t want to be awake for this.”

  “Trust me. I do.”

  Ari didn’t blame Reed. They weren’t quite safe yet. The plane was parked at Tessa’s father’s sky-rise. Tessa and Marco had headed inside to talk with her father, while Reed was treated on the plane. Ari’s wound had already been taken care of, her one pant leg torn to shreds. Reed’s shoulder looked worse, blood staining his arm and shirt. Dave had bandaged Reed’s shoulder, saying the bullet went straight through, but Reed would need to go to a doctor to make sure there was no other permanent damage.

  Sitting back against the chair, Dave ran a hand over his head. “I think you guys just aged me ten years. That was a close call.”

  “I know.” Ari kept a firm grip on Reed’s hand, not wanting to let him go for a moment. Looking at Reed though, guilt ate at her. None of this would have happened if not for her. Now she was expected to just drop him and leave. It didn’t sit well with her.

  Ari trusted Dave. They had out maneuvered the government drones and easily stayed off radar as they travelled to Tessa’s father’s corporate office. Dave had saved them, and Ari planned on letting Tessa’s dad and his attorneys deal with the authorities. But they weren’t in the clear yet. Marco and Tessa were meeting with her father and his attorneys, planning their next step.

  “Do you think Marco and Tessa will be okay?” she asked.

  Dave turned to Ari. “Tessa and Marco weren’t ever in custody, so with Tessa’s father’s connections they should be fine. We do keep tabs on family left behind.”

  But not Reed. Ari read into what Dave didn’t say. Williams knew Reed was with her. There was no going back for him.

  She glanced at Reed. She’d ruined his life and she worried he might not like the results. “Reed needs to come with us. It’s not safe for him here.” Ari was too chicken to watch Reed’s reaction, so she kept her gaze on Dave.

  “I know.” Dave’s eyes betrayed a touch of sympathy as he turned to Reed. “If you want to come with us, there is always a spot for data security support. You will be required to sign the same contract and be under the same restrictions.”

  Ari watched Reed’s face, pale and drawn, and his silence worried her.

  “Can you give us a minute?” she asked Dave.

  “We’re in private airspace, but it doesn’t mean we’re safe. You have two minutes, and then we’re taking off.” Dave stood and left the aircraft.

  A cut on Reed’s temple stood out, the clear bandage slowly sealing it. All because of her. And now his schooling and life there was over. How could he still care for her after everything she’d put him through?

  “You don’t have to come with me,” she offered. “Maybe they can hide you somewhere. Take your mom to safety. If you want to bargain for something else, I will. Just let me know how to make this right.” Her throat tightened with emotion. This goodbye had been coming for a while, but she’d never wanted to face it.

  The plane’s motor hummed as Reed reached for her. He traced down the side of her cheek. His touch sent a soft tingling sensation along her neck, and she blinked back tears.

  “I’m not going with you because my schooling and career are over or because I may end up in jail. It’s just not a good enough reason.” He lifted his gaze, blinking thick lashes. “I’m going with you because I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. I didn’t know it was love at first. I thought I was just being a big brother, caring for you, and making sure you were happy and safe. At some point it turned into something more, something amazing that I don’t want to end.”

  She let go of the breath she’d been holding. “So, you’re coming with me?”

  He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. “Just try to get rid of me.”

  Their moment of peace together didn’t last long. Marco and Tessa appeared alongside Dave to say their final goodbyes.

  Tessa gave Ari a hug. “Life is going to be so boring at school now.”

  Ari laughed as she pulled away. “I’ll miss you, too. Thanks, Tessa.” Thanks, wasn’t enough for what Tessa had done for her, but it was all she had. Ari turned to her brother and hugged him.

  “This isn’t goodbye, little sis.” He held onto her just as tight. “I will see you again, even if I have to hunt you down.”

  “Promise?” Her eyes burned as she held back the tears.

  “Promise.”

  “Take care of yourself.” She stepped back, though her heart ached to do it.

  “You take care of my sister.” Marco slapped Reed on his good shoulder.

  Reed still winced in pain. “You know I will.”

  Dave approached. “We need to go now, before anyone knows we’re here.”

  Ari nodded. She couldn’t hold back the tears as she buckled into the aircraft. She watched Tessa and Marco until they shrunk into nothing. Wiping her eyes, she turned to the horizon.

  The sun set in a ball of gold as they headed to the ocean, the real ocean, a blue sheet of water traveling farther than she could see. Both Ari and Reed were on pain meds but refused to be put under. No, she needed to be awake. With Reed’s steady frame beside her, she didn’t want to miss a minute of the rest of her life.

  Turn the page to continue Ari’s adventure in the short story, GLITCHED REALITY

  Glitched Reality

  A Hardwired Short Story

  A Hardwired Short Story

  As soon as the alarm sounded inside the virtual reality program, Marco knew it was his fault. He’d been sloppy rushing into this VR and didn’t trust this joint. Now, his sister, Ari, may be at risk. At least she had the resources at her disposal to get out in one piece. He wasn’t so sure about his situation.

  Despite the alarm, the program carried on. A breeze had picked up, eddies of sand swirling around their feet. Marco always felt at peace overlooking this canyon. Or he would have, if not for the klaxon. He ignored it and focused on his sister. Panic filled Ari’s eyes. Seconds ago, she had looked good, happy even. This transition to a new job, in a new country, looked good on her. And now, Marco being… well, Marco, had done it again. His chest tightened. He didn’t know when he’d get to see Ari again.

  “Get out now! And cover your tracks.” A woman’s voice rang throughout the program. “Now!”

  “I’ll be fine. Just go.” Ari waited for him to leave, her long brown hair flying about with the wind.

  Looking at her one last time, he pulled out of the program and woke up in the piss-stained joint he should have never walked into. Quickly pulling out the cable from the base of his neck, he jumped out of the chair and spun around. Only a couple other strung out junkies were still plugged into their program. The desk at the front of the room was empty, the attendant missing. Granted, the tweaked-out attendant could be out for a smoke. Even though it was against regulations to leave people in the VR unattended, it happened in places like these. But what if it was something else?

  Marco brushed back his hair and tucked it behind an ear, a constant habit since he was too busy for a haircut. Turning in a slow circle, he surveyed the dank basement with a dozen dirty chairs for VR plugins. No one else was here except the two unconscious men. Marco had hit a lot of VR stores, but this by far was the worst. It was hard to find programs that could reach out of country and remain off grid and unseen by government officials. He either had to pay a ton or pray the dirty places didn’t give him some disease, and for convenience
’s sake he ended up here.

  Marco had learned to live in the shadows for several years now. Since the government regulations had increased, there was a huge market for off grid tech and programs. A market that kept Marco employed. But since his sister was wanted by the government for abandoning her contract, the pressure on him had been worse. His sister had fled the country, leaving Marco and his mom behind, at his request. After spending years creating connections for his business, he couldn’t give that up and beg for scraps from his sister in some foreign country.

  The hairs at the nape of his neck stood on end, signaling time to get moving. He headed towards the door and noticed a cig on the counter. Guess the attendant forgot his smoke for his break. With a touch, Marco could feel the light warmth on the electronic pipe from recent use. As he moved to the base of the stairs, his gut told him he was walking into a trap. With a quick glance around, he realized he didn’t have many options. Looking closer at the exit at the top of the stairs, he saw shadows dance behind the dirty glass in the door. It didn’t matter how bad his options were, he was not going through that door.

  He turned back into the room. They had to have another exit. Even a disreputable dive like this should have two exits in case of a fire. A fire… One way to block those at top of the stairs. His mind spun with ideas as he searched the room. There was a closet with cleaning supplies that were obviously never used, a large cabinet, and an old desk. Going to the cabinet, he noticed a sliver of light around the edge. He moved to one side of it and gave it a shove. It moved an inch. At nineteen, he considered himself fit for the most part. Running goods on the black market demanded that. But strong or not, he wasn’t going to move that cabinet by himself.

  Glancing at the two unconscious men still plugged in, Marco knew he wouldn’t get out of there without help. And help wasn’t always easy to get, especially from random addicts. Marco strode over to the remains of the attendant’s cig and picked it up. His plan was stupid, most of his were, but that’s why they worked. No one ever expected them.

  There was nothing flammable on the desk, so he hurried to the closet full of chemicals and rags. He broke open the electronic smoke. With a few minor adjustments it turned to a small lighter. Not enough to produce a flame, but a flicker. A nearby old rag had no problem catching fire. Marco tossed the rag deeper into the closet and shut the door, hoping his plan would not only help him escape but cover his tracks.

  He rushed back to the unconscious men and turned off their programs. They sluggishly woke, not happy about returning to reality. Marco really didn’t blame them.

  “Fire!” Marco shook one man by the shoulders. “The cops are outside trying to smoke us out.”

  “Then what’s the rush? Better to die by smoke while inside.” The older man slapped Marco’s hand aside.

  Stupid friggin’ addict, Marco thought.

  The other man stood up, apparently more motivated by death. His bloodshot eyes looked frantic as he pulled out his cable. “Where are they?”

  “Upstairs, but I found a way out. We just need to move this cabinet.” Marco motioned to the heavy piece of furniture.

  They pushed against the metal side with their shoulders, and the cabinet slowly scraped along the floor. It hid a broken window the owner never bothered replacing. Between the taped cardboard and shards of glass, the opening was just big enough for a person to squeeze in.

  Marco crawled through to a window well, a small concrete hole, maybe four by four feet, littered with leaves and other garbage. Above them, a metal grate blocked the way up to the alley. He hurried up the metal ladder as the other man followed behind. Marco reached the grate, but it wouldn’t open. There wasn’t a lock, but a metal slat that looked rusted over.

  With his head tilted at an awkward angle, Marco pounded the metal slat with his bare hand, grateful for his long sleeved hoodie that protected his arms from the rusty grate. “It’s stuck.”

  Smoke drifted into the window well, telling Marco they didn’t have long.

  “Here.” The man handed Marco a small metal pipe of some type.

  He slammed it into the metal slat, once, twice, swearing at the rusted piece of junk. Shouts rang out from the street. The smoke must have reached the main door. His pulse pounded with adrenaline.

  Finally, the slat gave way. Throwing the grate open, Marco pulled himself out. The alley was empty, but with the commotion from the street, it wouldn’t stay that way for long. He helped the other man out, and with a quick nod of acknowledgement, they took off in different directions.

  Marco sprinted down the alley. Spotting the emergency ladders that were only on the side of older buildings, he pulled himself up. He’d have better luck off the street. Sketchy Lou’s place wasn’t too far from here. If Marco could make it there, he could lose them. Climbing to the roof, he kept low and sprinted across.

  He wasn’t sure who was after him, and the list could be quite long. Dealing in the black market, Marco had made enemies over the years. Dealers and thugs who thought the deal didn’t lean in their favor. But hacking into a VR? That was something only top level companies or governments would do. A pissed off dealer may take a pipe to your knees but wouldn’t spend the money to hack an obscure VR.

  Maybe the hack was on his sister’s end? But she was in the middle of some ocean on a little island. If that was the case, who were the people outside the door? Were they that elite they could track his physical location so fast?

  He jumped the short distance to the other roof. In this part of town, they barely had four feet between each building, squeezing as much money as they could from the real estate. It was only another block or so until he reached his destination.

  He may not know who was after him, but that really didn’t matter. He’d have to relocate either way. Erase his tracks and get a new ID. Not only for him, but for his mother too.

  It was one thing for him to deal in the shadowy world of the black market, but his mother was another story. She didn’t really understand his job and what she did know she didn’t like. More than once she warned him about becoming like his father, a VR addict who gave everything he had to stay in the programs, even his sanity.

  Take that junkie in the basement, willing to die in VR. No doubt he wouldn’t be thanking the authorities for his rescue. That kind of mindless need made Marco sick, a brutal reminder of his father’s addiction, and they last thing Marcos intended to become was his father’s son.

  Finding the rooftop door to Sketchy Lou’s building unlocked, Marco slipped inside, putting his worries aside. He needed to stay alert and make sure no one was tailing him. Using the elevator, he went down several floors. A woman soon joined him but paid him no attention. When he got off on the second floor, she remained behind.

  He slipped back to the nearby staircase and went up two more floors. Sketchy Lou’s door was at the end of the hall. With nobody in sight, Marco knocked a rhythm on the door. The theme song to the game where they first met some five years ago. It wasn’t something he had to do, but it put Lou at ease. There was a reason Lou had Sketchy as a nickname.

  Marco waved at the discreet camera set into the numbers at the side of the door. Lou had to be home; he was always home. Movement sounded through the door. Several seconds later, it opened to a dark space. Slipping inside, Marco blinked several times for his eyes to adjust to the low light. The door clicked shut behind him.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? You got trouble chasing you?” Lou locked the door then retreated to the screens on a nearby desk.

  “Trouble?”

  “You’re breathing like a junkie who just got his crypto.”

  Marco realized he was panting and focused on slowing his breath. He was safe, at least for the moment. “Just thirsty.” Walking over to the kitchen, he grabbed a cup and the nearby machine filled it up with iced tea.

  “So, who are you running from?” Lou didn’t bother looking up from his screen. The soft glow from the screens that surrounded him was the
only source of light in the small studio apartment. It gave Lou’s dark skin an eerie look, aged almost. Lou must be in his forties, maybe fifties. His chubby face made it hard to tell and Marco never had a reason to ask. He did know Lou had something happen to him, something bad enough that gave him a paranoia of others and made him worry the possible miniature people that hide in the wires and watch their every movement online. But that fear also fueled skills that made him the best in the business.

  “Is it that bad you can’t tell me, or you don’t know?” Lou turned in his chair to look at Marco.

  Marco took several gulps of the iced tea. “I’m not sure who’s chasing me.”

  “Are you sure they are tracking you?”

  “They hacked into a pretty damn secure VR.” Not that it was secure on his end, but it should have been monitored on his sister’s side. He had picked that shop at random, so how could they have found him there? It must have been someone looking for his sister then. That didn’t make it any safer for him though. His sister was worth a lot. It went beyond financial worth. Ari’s ability was quite a weapon to many governments and corporations.

  Lou scratched at the rugged start of a beard. “So, you need a new digital fingerprint?”

  Marco pulled up a nearby chair. “Probably. I think I need to head out of town for a while.”

  “Really?” The disbelief was evident in his voice. “You’ve been talking about taking your mom out of here for a while. I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  “I know, but I got connections here.”

  Lou’s smile cocked, looking eerie in the darkness. “Right, connections. Always need to run one more job to afford to leave, then somehow the cryptos are spent before you pack a bag.” He spun his chair back to the computer.