Hard Wired Trilogy

by DeAnna Pearce

  Even Patrick took orders from Sue in the kitchen. “Yes, Ma’am,” he replied as he picked up the big metal tray full of ham and cheese sandwiches.

  “I’ll grab the carrots and fruit.” Ari collected the containers and set them on the counters.

  “Once it’s out, grab your plates and get started.” Sue motioned to the others.

  “Thanks, Sue.” Ari made up a plate and headed to the table.

  Sitting next to her, Patrick started in on his food. She bit a carrot stick and watched the others filter in. Tricky was the first to come into the dining room, her brother, Blur, at her side. She was obviously still worked up, and in a heated conversation. He was the level-headed one out of that pair. Or maybe due to Tricky’s temper, he was forced to be.

  Tricky’s anger drew color to her cheeks which just accented her beauty. Her long blonde hair and blue eyes were conventional, but her large eyes and thick brows took her looks to a unique level. Not that it ever mattered to her. Obsessed with work, her hair was wrapped in a messy bun on top of her head. It looked more like an inconvenience than an asset. She grabbed food and plopped down on the opposite side of the table.

  Blur, who was just as beautiful, sat down next to her. He pushed back his striking blond hair in obvious irritation but kept quiet as he started in on his lunch. While he was often more even-tempered than his sister, it made him serious and protective. Even with his warper skills, he was beyond fast with anything electronic. That’s why they called him Blur.

  Ari didn’t know their real names. Probably never would. No one knew her past Ari and that wasn’t even her full name. In the beginning, Ari thought that would make this team cold, but it didn’t.

  Sketchy made sure of that. As he stepped up in line, he kissed Sue over the table, a little longer than anyone wanted. Blur started making cat calls and Sue broke it off. Sketchy grinned proudly.

  He rarely stepped into a program anymore. His mind couldn’t take it. Memories, logic, and reality blurred often for him. His talents were used more on the outside.

  Soon normal conversation flowed easily between them. They usually didn’t eat lunch together. It was more of a come-and-go affair. Today though, it looked like most everyone turned out. Harini, who Ari first met in a program as Hailey, took the seat on the other side of her.

  “Heard you had a rough morning.” Harini glanced at Tricky down the table and looked sympathetic.

  “Worse for her.” Ari tried not to look at Tricky; she didn’t like sympathy. “She’s been on Maxim’s tail for a while.”

  “True, at least you didn’t come away empty handed.”

  “Right.” Ari picked up another carrot.

  Harini dug into her lunch as well. When Ari first met Harini in the VR, she was a pale skinny model type of girl. In reality, Harini came from an Indian heritage with rich brown hair and a full face that always looked happy. It was an easy friendship for Ari and one she appreciated.

  “Are you not hungry?” Harini motioned to Ari’s untouched sandwich.

  Ari didn’t want to explain the bundle of nerves and excitement in her stomach, so instead she picked up her sandwich and took a bite. Harini watched her for a bit, then got into a conversation with Sketchy over the dinner choices. Even Joe, the last warper on the team, appeared to give his input on what Sue considered pizza.

  If Harini was the friendly one, Joe was the mysterious one. His nickname among the team was Ghost, though no one called him that to his face. Even though he was young like the others, mid to late twenties at most, he had a serious nature. He came from the furthest away, somewhere near Asia minor, but he rarely spoke of it. He could move in and out of the programs undetected and retrieve information no one else could. So, Joe, obviously a fake name, was what everyone called him.

  After everyone was mostly done with lunch, Patrick finally asked for everyone’s attention.

  “Our next assignment,” he cleared his throat and gave everyone a chance to calm down, “will be to help Ari contact her family.”

  “What?” Tricky shot to her feet. “We’re not done with Maxim.”

  “Sit down.” Blur pulled on his sister’s arm. “Hear him out.”

  “Yes, please.” Patrick had on his pleasant business face, as Ari called it. His eyes were serious and commanding, while his mouth remained happy.

  “I want you to still watch Maxim, but he’ll be on high alert for any other attack. We need to dig into the information we bought from him, but be careful. We don’t want any of it to create a trail for him to follow. Joe,” Patrick turned to the quietest member of the team. “Can you still help Tricky? I trust you to be discreet.”

  Joe nodded.

  Patrick turned back to the others. “Blur, I need you to run security on this detail. They will be waiting for us to contact any of Ari’s old associates. Find us a hole no one will notice. Harini and Ari, you two can help Blur and work on some identities for when we make contact.”

  “My pleasure.” Harini flashed Ari a smile. She knew how important this was for Ari.

  “Let’s meet later tonight to go over first impressions and hopefully have a plan in place by next week. I’ll be point,” Patrick said.

  “Of course,” Tricky mumbled as she kept her eyes on her plate.

  “What was that?” Patrick lifted a brow.

  Tricky huffed and lifted her gaze to meet his. “You’ve taken more chances on Ari than anyone else. It’s no surprise you’d take another risk by reaching out to her family.” She turned to Ari. “No offense, Ari. I like you on the team, but it’s the truth and it needs to be said.”

  “We’re a team. She has a right to know her family is safe,” Patrick said calmly.

  “We all took care of that ourselves,” Tricky said.

  “Don’t be bitter because you don’t have a family,” Harini pointed out.

  Tricky glared at her.

  “We all have family,” Patrick emphasized. “This is our family, and we help each other. If you need or want to say something more, talk to me after, Tricky.”

  “I said my piece.” Tricky dusted off the crumbs from her sandwich.

  Ari didn’t blame her. Searching for her family would be work for everyone. And while Tricky may be abrupt or short, Ari always knew where she stood. She was almost like her old trainer, Niomi in that respect. Maybe that’s why Ari felt comfortable around her.

  She turned to her teammates at the table. “Thank you guys for helping.”

  “Anytime sweetheart,” Sketchy winked at her. If anyone else on the team did that and it would be creepy, but with Sketchy’s aged face, heavy brows, and tilted hat, it was cute.

  “Thanks.” She smiled back.

  “If we’re all going to go bat-shit crazy, we might as well do it together.” And that was Sketchy.

  Ari never knew what was going to come out of his mouth.

  Patrick’s smile tightened. “With that happy thought, let’s get to work.”

  Chapter 4

  Everyone worked hard the following days. Any tension that Tricky brought up over that lunch dissipated as they focused on their jobs. It was one of the first things Ari noticed when she arrived, how well everyone worked together.

  Ari worried that she’d throw the dynamic off, but now looking back, she could see Patrick wouldn’t let her. He was a respected leader who provided a safe environment for the team.

  It had been a long time since Ari truly felt safe. And she trusted Patrick and the team because they were like her: nowhere to go, no one to trust, and no one who knew what it was like to be them.

  The days flew by as they searched for any word of Tessa, Marco, or her mother online. Sketchy repeatedly volunteered to go gaming in one of Tessa’s worlds, but no one trusted him not to get lost. So instead, they trolled gaming boards.

  By the time of their meeting on Wednesday, they all had a lot of information and ideas. They met in Patrick’s office, a small room filled with a round table and a large board in the front. He stood in front
of the screen. “I think the best place to start is Blur. How bad is the pressure on Ari’s family?”

  Blur’s blond hair stood in a high wave, as though he hadn’t washed it all week. His beat-up shirt and old sneakers made him look young, like some fifteen-year-old kid, not an expert in security. “There are several parties watching for any sign of them. One mention of their name flags a host of lures online. There are people crawling all over Tessa’s games. She went underground a few months ago, no longer playing. She keeps the games running for residual income but otherwise hasn’t made any public appearances. It’s going to be extremely hard to reach them online.”

  “Not what I hoped for, but not a surprise either.” Patrick turned to Ari. “What do you think?”

  Ari straightened in her seat. Even though she’d been working on skins to use, she had also been thinking a lot about this. “I think our best bet is through Tessa’s dad. He is still a public figure and could be easy to contact. Tessa always stayed in contact with him despite their differences. Or even Reed’s mom may know something. She’s still living in my hometown. It won’t be easy, but we could possibly reach her through her job though.”

  “Both of those people are being watched by some high-tech programs,” Blur said. “They will be notified if anyone new contacts them. Unless we have a clean person, and I mean squeaky clean, that isn’t a viable option.”

  “Then we contact them and wait for their suspicions to die down.” Ari couldn’t just give up.

  Blur’s frustration was evident in his voice. “This is the long game, Ari. Their interest won’t just die down.”

  Before she could counter, Patrick held a finger up, his brows pulled together in a thoughtful expression. They all quieted. “Joe, I know you’ve spent most of your time with Tricky and Maxim, but what’s your input?”

  “I agree with Blur,” he began, and Ari fell back in the sofa with a thud. He ignored her and continued. “There is no way to reach out electronically. The only way for contact is in person, with Tessa being the easiest target.”

  In person? Ari straightened, her hope rebounding. “I can do it!”

  “No,” Patrick said, almost at the same time. He didn’t even look at her. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “It’s the only way. I can do it.” Her heart raced at the possibility of seeing Tessa or her home again.

  Patrick searched the faces of the team. “There has to be another way.” Patrick always trusted Joe’s opinion, though. He may be quiet, but what he did have to say held a lot of weight.

  Blur scratched at the weak start of a beard. “Now that you say it, Joe, it makes sense. They are focusing a great deal of their energy online. They’d never expect Ari to actually show up herself.”

  “Harini?” Patrick’s worried expression turned to her for input.

  “It’s dangerous.” Harini pursed her lips for a second. “But isn’t everything? And if that is the only choice, then it’s Ari’s to make.”

  “She knows a lot,” Joe added. “If she gets caught, we’re all in danger. It’s not only her choice.”

  “I wouldn’t say anything,” Ari vowed. “I promise.”

  Blur laughed. “Your promise doesn’t mean anything. No offense. But they will extract data from you whether you submit or not. You think Sketchy is that way by his choice?”

  Ari clenched her fists in frustration, trying to think about her argument for a moment. If her mom and Marco were on the line, she’d never stop fighting for them. Ever. She turned to Patrick as she gathered her thoughts. “You promised you’d never force me to stay. I don’t want to leave, but if I have to, I will. I’ll give you time to relocate, before I contact them. That way you’ll be safe if I get caught.”

  No one said anything. Ari offered them a safe solution if they wanted it. It might not be the best one for her, but it was best for her family. She needed to make sure Marco and her mom were safe and taken care of. She hoped to stay longer here. She had learned a lot, felt she had a future here, but… well that didn’t matter anymore.

  “Can everyone please give me a moment alone with Ari?” Patrick asked the group.

  “Sure thing, boss.” Blur stood to leave.

  Harini squeezed Ari’s hand and wordlessly left with the others. Once everyone was gone, Patrick pulled a chair up in front of Ari.

  “I don’t want you to leave. It’s Blur’s job to worry about this stuff,” Patrick said.

  “I don’t want to leave either, but I have to know they are safe.”

  “I know.” His chocolate eyes bore into hers.

  Without looking, Ari could feel his knees mere inches from hers. Her face warmed that she even noticed that. She didn’t speak, not trusting her emotions. She didn’t want to leave these people, but she would if she must.

  “I’ll go with you.” He nodded as if confirming his decision. “We’ll keep everyone on high alert here and I’ll put an evacuation plan in place, just in case.”

  “I can’t ask you for that much.”

  “You didn’t ask.” He watched her closely but gave nothing away.

  “I can’t have you risk so much.”

  He looked away and exhaled. When he returned his gaze, his eyes were softer. “You can’t be surprised at my feelings for you. There’s a reason that I didn’t use a skin when we first met.”

  Her face burned and she looked down at her hands for a moment. “You know I have… Reed.”

  “You had a boyfriend when we met inside VLEX.” He referred to her time working inside the government-run program. She wore a different skin at the time, Kari, an identity of an assistant that VisionTech gave her. Ari had thought Patrick was Kari’s boyfriend. She didn’t know Patrick just assumed that role to learn as much as he could about Ari and her mission.

  “That wasn’t real,” Ari reminded him.

  “In this world, what’s real? Plugged in, online, or in person, the feeling is still real, and I know there was something between us.”

  She couldn’t deny it, but it wasn’t what he assumed. Playing a role, Ari became attached to Patrick. She wanted what was best for him. Not in a romantic sense, but out of a sense of guilt for taking over his girlfriend’s life.

  “There can’t be anything between us. I don’t want you to do this with some sort of expectation that there will be us in the future.”

  “I have no expectation. Only that I don’t want to lose you. You know you belong here with the rest of us. Let’s do this and get back here in one piece. Okay?”

  Ari wanted to do this but prayed that this wouldn’t complicate things for Patrick or the rest of the team. “Okay.”

  With all the working and talking about her family and her past, Ari shouldn’t have been surprised when Reed appeared in her dream again that night. He usually made a regular appearance one way or another.

  This time he appeared hurt, restrained by the men who took him off the boat. Reed’s normally tall stature looked dwarfed by the large guards holding him. He didn’t wear his hat like he did the night she last saw him on the boat. Instead, his dirty blond hair was short and ragged. Blood dripped from his temple and accompanied his busted lip. He didn’t fight the guards anymore but hung limp in their arms. He just stared at Ari. She couldn’t escape those accusing, deep hazel eyes.

  “How could you leave me, Ari?” Reed’s voice struck her as sharp as any knife. “Maybe you really did love Patrick all along, and I was just another causality of your life?”

  “No! Never. I love you.” Tears fell down her cheeks as she struggled to get to him. Somehow, with every step she made, another three feet were added to her path.

  “Tell me, how does everyone you supposedly love end up dead then?”

  Ari shot straight up in bed, gasping for breath. The sheets twisted at her ankles and her heart raced with the truth of the accusation. Could he be right? Could he and her family be dead?

  Focusing on her breath and her mantras, Ari slowed her breathing. She wouldn’t know until they left a
nd there wasn’t anything she could do about that in the middle of the night. With a quick check of the HUB on her wrist, she realized it was three in the morning. With her heart still racing, sleep wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

  That left working out. She changed quietly by the light of her HUB, and headed down to the gym. After cardio, she took up a stance in front of the dummies. Niomi had taught her a lot on the island, and Ari intended to keep up her skills. Kicking and striking out at the dummy, she worked until her arms gave out.

  Grabbing a towel, she headed towards the stairs in search of coffee. Joe was coming down, fighting gear and a towel over one shoulder. No wonder she never saw him work out if he did it at 4:30 in the morning. Everyone was heavily encouraged to exercise regularly to help their mental aptitude in the VR, and most did.

  “Do you work out this early every morning?” she asked.

  With a slight nod, he answered. “Enough of them.” And continued on his way.

  She was tempted to stay and watch, feign the need to stretch even though she already had. Joe was quite the enigma. But coffee was calling her name, and that was a jealous addiction that didn’t like to be ignored.

  Chapter 5

  At their morning meeting, Patrick told the others of the plan to help Ari find her family. They would start at Tessa’s father’s business under the guise of interviewing for a position. It would give them an in to gather information.

  “Just don’t make us relocate,” Tricky narrowed her gaze to Ari. “We don’t have time for that right now.”

  “We’ll take all necessary precautions,” Ari said.

  “May need to do more than you think if you’re going back to into your country.” Blur rubbed his straw-like hair. “Border security will be tight, and every camera will be looking for your face.”

  “It’ll take some prep work. I agree,” Patrick said. “But it’s nothing we haven’t done before. We won’t head out for another week. I’ll have to move some funds around.”