Instead of bright and sunny, she swirled the colors of a sunset all over the expanse above her head. Even with the drastic changes, the program felt empty to her, so she filled it with the people she had been living with for the last several months.
Kari appeared sitting by the fountain. Her beautiful hair waving around her shoulders. She didn’t speak but just trailed a finger through the night sky twirling in the fountain. Ari couldn’t muster the heart to fill her voice with fake words.
Guilt and ache grew steadily in her stomach. Ari might not have stolen her life, VisionTech did that, but she wasn’t returning it. Her self-loathing was interrupted by Vinh.
He spoke over the coms. “What’s going on in there Ari? Your blood pressure is spiking?”
“Nothing. Just playing with the scenery a bit.”
“Well cut it out.”
A moment is relative right? She took a deep breath, then pushed herself. Remembering Emil and his powers, she didn’t hold back. A huge building grew in the distance, like one from school. Then she played with it, changing color and design like a kid with clay. Then she turned back to Kari, all alone.
Ari created people, some profiles she had learned from Niomi and others from her memory: friends from school, her home, Jewels and other islanders. A pain began radiating from behind her eyes and somewhere in the distance Vinh yelled at her. She didn’t, no couldn’t, stop. The pain and regret burst from within, and she deserved the pain. Her brother appeared next to Kari, pushing a hair behind her ear. He would have loved Kari. Then, their mother next to him.
Finally, right in front of her, she created her father from her childhood memory. He wasn’t wide-eyed and crazy from the last time she saw him, but kind and happy. His dark eyes welcomed her, and she lifted his lips in a smile, the smile she had always wanted to see one more time.
Hot tears fell onto her cheeks. “Hey, Dad.”
He didn’t respond. He couldn’t unless she programmed him too. Then without warning, the world blackened around her. Vinh must be manually pulling her out of the program, and she didn’t even get to say goodbye.
The bright lights stabbed her eyes, even behind closed lids. “Turn off the lights.”
Vinh rushed around the room. Equipment clattered to the floor, mingled with swear words. A patch was pressed onto her arm with a sharp prick.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Vinh asked. “I only needed a couple tests, not a full-blown remodel. Niomi’s going to kill me.”
“Don’t tell her.” Ari answered, an arm strewn over her eyes blocking out the light Vinh still hadn’t turned off.
“She’ll be running in here any minute, I’m sure.” Vinh brushed back Ari’s hair. “Seriously, why were you doing that?”
“AI, light off.” She needed that light off before she could think. The darkness felt like a cool blanket. When she tried to open her eyes, the small lights of nearby equipment had an aura around them. Except the aura ran with code. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried not to dwell on the consequences of her actions in the program. “I’m trying to figure out what you guys aren’t telling me.”
He didn’t reply. Silence filled the dark room, only the thrum of the machines pumping medicine into her body.
Despite the throbbing pain, she couldn’t regret her decisions. She had found her answer. The headaches were a side effect of her powers, just how bad would they get was the question. It must be bad, or everyone wouldn’t be lying to her.
Niomi’s voiced boomed through Vinh’s intercom. “Don’t move. I’ll be there right away.”
“Great,” Ari moaned. While she didn’t regret her decision, didn’t mean she felt like dealing with Niomi while her head throbbed. The patch had turned the knives into small hammers at least.
Vinh let a loud breath go and something clicked nearby. “There are some things I can’t say. To anyone. If I do, I worry my contract will be the least of my problems. Do you understand?”
Ari tried to sit up, but the room spun around her.
“Don’t. Stay put until she comes.” He leaned her back down, and then spoke close to her ear. “Please don’t push things too much. Not for me, but for you as well.”
“You know how much I care for you, Vinh, but I can’t promise that.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Niomi stormed in, a bite in her voice. “What the hell happened? And why are we in the dark?”
Before she could tear into Vinh, Ari answered, “To lessen the pounding in my brain.”
“Vinh?”
“It wasn’t Vinh’s fault. AI, low light.” While a dim glow bathed the room, Ari sat up, pushing aside Vinh’s hand. She couldn’t deal with Niomi while laying down.
The tattoo on Niomi’s ear, pulsed rapidly with a blue light. “What did you do?”
“Nothing really. Just played around in the program, redecorated a bit and invited some friends over.”
“Must have been a hell of a party.”
“It was until Vinh pulled me out.”
She turned to Vinh. “What are her stats?”
Vinh handed her a screen. “Elevated, but slowly returning to normal.”
“Are you guys going to finally tell me the truth?” Ari looked back and forth between them.
Niomi kept her eyes on the screen for a moment before turning back to her. “Did we lie about something?”
Ari gripped the handles on the chair and pushed back the pain in her brain. “Lies of omission are still lies. Somehow this ability of mine creates the migraines. Do they eventually kill me?”
“Of course not.”
“But…” Ari knew there was more to this story.
Niomi pulled up a chair. “They are hard on your health, yes. Most brains aren’t wired to do what you do. The complexity and mental concentration required taxes your brain. Hence why we do everything we can to keep your heart and mind in the best shape possible.
“Migraines, especially those that affect your vision, are an unfortunate side effect that we can only mute with drugs. Your missions require you to change shape inside the VLEX but we never want to push you with complex manipulations of the code. And for the most part, you haven’t had many problems.”
Ari thought back to the last time she was half-carried to her room. It happened when she pushed herself and fought back against Emil. Niomi was right about that, for the most part. Most of her problems with the VR were of her own making. Even the code she saw with Advisor Williams was after her battle with him in the VR.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before? Then I would know not to push things.”
Niomi flashed a glance at Vinh. “In retrospect, I should have. We don’t have many warpers around here. I worried that if you knew, you would hold back in training. There isn’t a training manual that comes with you. I studied all the information we have on warpers and do the best. Trust me, we want what’s best for you. VisionTech has invested a great deal with you and wants to keep you healthy and happy.”
“You have information on other warpers?” Being unique, Ari wanted to know as much as she could about herself and her ability. Hence why she reached out to Hailey and Emil in the first place.
“Yes. I can ask for access if you are interested?”
“I am.” She paused for a moment, then blurted, “What if I ever change my mind and decide I’m done being a warper?” Ari hated to ask but had to know.
“Again, it would be breach of contract. Which would cost you more than you have earned. Do you have anywhere to go? Really? Why would you even consider that?”
Niomi was right, but Ari wanted to hear it again. Hear what her options were for her and her family. She needed to hear it to help her understand, this was the best place for her, despite what her gut told her.
With a loud exhale, Niomi stood. “If we are done here, you should rest. Maybe a sleep aid will help you heal faster.”
“Sure.” She had a lot to think about, but with this headache it would have to wait.
; Vinh placed a hand under her elbow and helped her to stand. “I kept the patch in. I’d like to keep you on fluids and some supplements while you sleep.”
“Okay.” She zombie walked down to her room, anxious for oblivion.
Saturday, Ari stayed around her rooms. Niomi sent over the files she promised, and Ari dug in. They were far from thorough, mostly snippets of reports and accounts. When Virtual Reality exploded there was a rush for programs, and thus programmers. Usually programs took six months to write. Then there were rumors about people who could program in weeks, days even.
Most of the industry was baffled. These programmers soon fell off the screen, realizing they could make more money flying solo and selling them to companies for distributions. VisionTech purchased several of their programs from such entities—not that Ari could blame them. They could change or copy the code where needed, and it improved production to a couple months.
In an industry like this, Ari knew from school, months meant millions of dollars. If some program or game became hot, then other companies needed their product out as soon as possible. Hundreds of companies fell, while a handful grew and took over the industry.
None of the files Niomi provided showed any new information for Ari. It looked like they got most of their information from these ghosts, or people programming for themselves. Every now and again, a company would obtain a warper, but no one wanted to share information on such a valuable asset. Unfortunately, their drive for money had warpers turned into tools not humans.
VisionTech had a few warpers over the years, but only for a short time. One warper, an older male, thirty-five years old, worked for VisionTech for several years. A lot of the information was deleted from the file. Maybe to protect his identity or maybe to protect themselves. It didn’t say much about health issues though. Only that a healthy diet with regular cardiovascular exercise improved his ability and reduced headaches. No reason was listed for his departure.
Maybe he went solo as well? Ari could only guess. Before she could call Niomi to ask, Reed called her.
“Hey, stranger.” His voice echoed in her room.
“Reed.” Ari couldn’t help the excitement in her voice. She put the call on her big screen while she sat on the couch.
“When are they going to invent teleporting? So I can just jump through this screen to see you.”
“I don’t think I could ever trust my body floating through the air. It’s bad enough with my consciousness meandering the VR.”
“True. I just miss you.”
“Me too.” Her plan of creating distance from Reed to leave him on the island to pursue his dream appeared dumber by the minute. Not that she felt completely satisfied by Niomi’s explanation and the secrets they kept from her, but leaving Reed would be too hard. “Where are you at, by the way?”
“Outside your door.” His smile lifted on one side, melting Ari’s heart. “I got some food and wondered if I could convince you to go to a picnic at the beach.”
“You had me at food.” She stood, ready to head out. “Let me grab a swimsuit, and I’ll be out.”
After ending the call, she realized she may need to do more than find a swim suit. She cleaned her teeth, brushed her hair, and threw a sundress over her suit. It wasn’t every day she got to spend time with Reed.
After a kiss that was way too short for Ari’s preference, they headed down to the beach. He kept her up to date on his new transfer to the Art Department with Kimmy. Swallowing her jealousy of his relationship with Kimmy, she was happy for his joy. It was his dream job. Honestly, she wouldn’t even know what her dream job would be anymore. It definitely wouldn’t be pretending to be other people, though.
They finished dinner, and Reed turned the conversation back to Ari. “So, I know you are limited with what you can tell me, but how is your work going?”
“It’s definitely work.” Ari dug her fingers in the sand, not sure how much to say.
“And…” he prodded. “Vinh treating you okay?”
Deciding she didn’t want to dampen his happiness, she swallowed her worries. Especially because they weren’t concrete. Her migraines were of her own making. “He’s good. Just ran tests on a new suit he made me.”
“I bet his gear is killer.”
“Yeah. They work hard to take care of me.”
He reached over and grabbed her hand. “I’m glad. You deserve it.”
Sitting on the beach with Reed, Ari’s concerns melted away. Maybe Emil was just pushing her buttons for his own agenda. Why risk it all to get her own file? She ignored the voice saying her information shouldn’t be secret and enjoyed her time on the beach. Which was much easier when she leaned over and kissed Reed.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ari spent Saturday and Sunday blissed out with Reed, which helped her forget about the files of warpers for her to finish searching. By the time she made it to work Monday before dawn, she still had a smile on her face just remembering Reed’s soft touch and warm smell. Unfortunately, Niomi didn’t look as happy. Was she still mad about Friday and Ari’s stunt in the VR?
“Have a seat.” Niomi pulled up one of the tall stools at her desk.
“If this is about Friday, trust me, I won’t do it again. I like seeing straight.” Ari pulled up a metal stool.
“It’s not. I need you to be honest with me for a moment.”
“Okay.” Ari couldn’t fathom what she was talking about.
“How are you feeling? Your data looks good, but I need to hear it from you.”
“I’m fine. No headache this morning, and I didn’t even have coffee. What’s going on?”
Niomi shifted. “They have a new mission for you. It’s slow enough for Kari to take a day off, so they won’t miss her.”
“You’ll have to be more specific.”
“I will. First, though, I wanted to make sure you felt well because this assignment will be more difficult and will require you to use your powers. I don’t want to push you if you’re not at a hundred percent, but this is important. It could mean millions of cryptos and set the industry back a decade.”
Ari appreciated Niomi’s concern, but she did feel great. And curiosity tugged at her. “I’m fine. Really.”
“Alright. Let’s get to work.” Niomi turned to her computer and pulled up a profile. This wasn’t one of the priority ones Ari memorized, but it was in the pile so she recognized his face.
“Rajit Patel, but his friends call him Raj.” The man’s long face held a sober look. His Indian heritage left him with dark skin, black hair, and intelligent eyes.
“I vaguely remember him, but not enough to really impersonate him.”
“It’s a short assignment. You won’t be in contact with many people.” Niomi went through his daily schedule and assignments. “His VLEX connection won’t work when he first goes to plug in for work. That buys us thirty minutes. You’ll have to hack his system and find the committee nominations for next session. Copy it to a drive then send it out to us from Kari’s office.”
“Why Kari’s?” Ari could manipulate enough of the systems to send it from anywhere.
“They have security measures that we don’t even know of. We can’t chance alerting the authorities. The repercussions would be catastrophic if it was linked back to VisionTech.”
“Where’s this at?”
Niomi pulled up a map of the VLEX. “The UN building.”
Hailey worked in there. After the last meeting, Ari worried about Hailey recognizing her. “I’m going to steal the list from the busiest building there and hope no one Raj knows sees me?”
“He’s not the friendliest guy and keeps to himself. Don’t talk to anyone, maybe a nod of acknowledgment when necessary. Just make the copy and get out of there. It’ll be the easiest mission you’ve done.”
It may sound simple, but it didn’t mean easy. “Okay. Let me skim the file, and I can go under.”
“You have three minutes.”
“Great,” Ari mumbled under
her breath. She didn’t gather much information in three minutes, and she soon found herself standing outside the UN building in a different skin.
No matter how many times she did this, arriving in a different world, in a different body caused her stomach to flip. Looking down, her long dark hands adjusted the navy tie. She dressed this body in a simple dark suit that she found in his file.
Before she could get used to her surroundings, a woman brushed by next to her. “Morning, Rajit. Something wrong?”
Ari turned to the woman. “No, just about to head in.”
The woman tilted her head to the side, her mouth pinching.
Mentally kicking herself, Ari bit down on her huge smile. Remember, smiling isn’t his thing. I can pull off grouchy.
Without another word, the woman finally turned and entered the building, Rajit right behind her. The large cream colored building had ancient inspired architecture, engraved columns rising up around them. She didn’t spend time looking around, though, just followed behind the woman.
It helped to follow someone in, to copy the little things Ari didn’t have time to learn, like standing for a moment on the scanner for clearance, then climbing into the large crowded glass elevator.
Ari clicked on the tenth floor and then faced forward, purposefully avoiding eye contact with anyone. She prayed that Rajit was as big of a recluse as Niomi said he was. They slowly rose, stopping to let others on and off.
On the eighth floor, Ari’s stomach dropped as Hailey stepped on board. What were the odds? After a quick glance, Ari continued staring forward. Since she was in a different body, maybe Hailey wouldn’t recognize her in Rajit’s skin. In her bubbly, happy voice, Hailey chatted with another woman in the elevator.
The elevator pinged, announcing its stop on the tenth floor, and Ari quickly stepped into the hall, shoving those long clammy hands into her pockets. She breathed a sigh of relief as she continued down the simple beige hall, only decorated with computerized paintings on the wall. No one questioned her as she made her way through the building. Following Niomi’s directions, Ari continued to the end of the hall which opened to a cluster of cubes, and on the left she found a cubicle with the name Patel on the short wall divider.
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