“Sorry,” she mumbled. Sitting was good.
Dr. Coleman resumed his lecture. Ari only caught phrases about sending homework to their class hard drive and what to focus on in today’s virtuals. Without warning, Mica appeared at her side to help her hook into her virtual.
“Mica, will you give me a happy virtual today?” Ari asked.
“Dr. Coleman assigns the virtuals, not me. Let’s get you hooked in.” Mica directed Ari’s head to the chair and inserted her data port.
The next time Ari opened her eyes, a gray bird—a pigeon maybe—stared at her, cocking its head from side-to-side as if curious.
“Caw,” Ari squawked at the bird.
The bird twitched and then flew off.
It took her a few moments to realize where she was. The damp air and smell of old fish and seaweed brought an unexpected smile to her face. She loved the ocean.
Her feet ran along on a wooden walkway. Dodging tourists, she weaved her way around small brightly painted restaurants and gift shops. She turned a corner and hit the railing. Gripping the cold bars, she watched the raw power of the ocean as it crashed onto the shore.
A loud breath escaped her lips. The beauty overwhelmed her, the immense nature of the water. Waves shattered with a force of a wild animal. Pushing and pulling, back and forth. She briefly glimpsed Professor Coleman, but the waves demanded her attention.
Dark over-sized rocks blocked the path down to the beach, creating a wall of sorts. She’d never been in the ocean before, and she wasn’t about to lose her chance. Lifting herself over the ledge, she climbed down. It probably wasn’t her smartest decision. It took longer than she wanted to maneuver herself amongst the dark craggy rocks. The wind off the sea chilled her to the bone and tugged at her hair. Determined to stand in the water, she had to touch the end of the world. A loose rock fell under the weight of her foot. She slipped and lost her footing. She caught herself on a sharp rock, cutting her hand.
She paused to regain her balance. A quick glance down showed her she still had what looked like ten feet to go. The blood on her hand made her head spin. This is not real. I’m almost there. Glancing down again, she wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her. The ground appeared closer. What was ten feet looked like one or two. She ignored the anomaly and jumped off. Her feet landed softly on the sand beneath. Could Garrett’s drugs affect my perception inside the virtual?
She dismissed any worries and headed to the sea. She kicked off her shoes in the sand and waded into the icy water until it reached her calves. Her toes squished deep in the sand as goosebumps covered her arms. Starring out into the great abyss, Ari hadn’t felt so alive, so at peace, since her father left. The crash of a nearby wave sprayed her, leaving drops of salt water clinging to her skin. She lifted her arm to taste the ocean.
A small voice crept in the back of her thoughts, distracting her. This isn’t real. You’re in a machine with cable coming out of your neck.
Lifting a hand to her face, she was surprised at the tears she found. Unsure whether to laugh or cry at the irony that she couldn’t quite enjoy the virtual even with a drug in her system, she decided it was okay to do both.
Squinting against the bright lights, she found herself back in the class room without remembering that she left the VR. For the first time, Ari experienced what others called ‘coming down’ after a VR. Her body sagged in the chair, void of any energy or desire to come back to reality. The sandwich sat heavy in her stomach.
Hands soon found her and unhooked the cable from her neck. Ari turned around to thank Mica but instead found the large hands of Dr. Coleman putting the cable back in its spot at the terminal. Anger etched the sharp lines in his face. Glancing around, she found the rest of the students still hooked into their chairs.
Ari lowered her gaze and focused on her hands. She rubbed her fingers together and marveled the numb feeling, like rubbing silly-putty. Focus, dammit. Dr. Coleman grabbed a nearby chair and sat across from her.
“Ms. Mendez.” Dr. Coleman waited until she lifted her gaze. His jaw clenched, his cold eyes held an undeniable anger.
His silence unnerved Ari. “Sorry, I didn’t understand the assignment.” Which was an understatement.
“You show up two days ago only to leave in hysterics, and today you come in high. Is this really the way you want to start out your career?”
She shook her head, not trusting her voice.
“You got nothing, huh?” He stood walking over to his desk. “I’ll mark down a demerit in your file and talk to your advisor.”
“No, it’s just ...” She froze, unsure of where to start.
He stopped and turned around. “It’s what?”
“I have a ... problem with virtuals.”
“I don’t think ‘problem’ begins to cover it.”
“I don’t like them.”
“Then leave.”
“What?”
“You heard me. Leave. Grab your bags and head out that door, because there are plenty of kids wanting to get accepted here and they actually like virtuals. Love them, to be honest.”
Leave, I could just leave. Standing there, every cell in her body ached to go back home, to the comfort of her room, her mom, her life. But that was why she was here, to make a better life for her family, for herself. Lifting her chin, she resolved to do better, be better, to remember why she came here.
“Your tests show you have a lot of potential, but so do a lot of people. You have two days to get over it. The first test is on Friday, and you will need at least a C to continue in the program, especially since you have failed your last two assignments. I don’t care about excuses.”
“Okay.” Ari grabbed her bag to leave. She wasn’t sure how she was going to do it, but she’d worry about that when she was sober. All she wanted was to bury herself somewhere.
“If you show up high to class again, you’re gone.”
“I understand.”
“And, Ariana,” Dr. Coleman added. “Did you mean to jump down off the rocks? Even if the pain is muted, it is there to keep you safe.”
“The jump wasn’t that far. It didn’t hurt.” A brief look of confusion crossed Dr. Coleman’s face, but Ari dismissed it, getting out of there as fast as she could.
Chapter Seven
Ari walked around the school grounds aimlessly. Her thoughts meandered, trying to see how she felt about Garrett’s actions. He drugged her and, on every account, that was wrong. On the other hand, she experienced a VR for the first time without the stress and panic that drove her to flee. Being tabbed every day at school was not an option though. Mr. Coleman’s threats made that clear. He didn’t have the patience for hand-holding or incompetence—his words at their first class.
Finally, thirst steered her towards a drink machine, and she grabbed a coffee to help sober her up. It probably had as much sugar as coffee, but it would help. She found a nearby bench, and as soon as she sat down her HUB vibrated. It was a message from Garrett.
How did it go?
Still deciding whether or not to kill you for drugging me.
WRU?
It took Ari, a moment to reply, unsure if she wanted to meet him. Finally, she opened her satellite location to Garrett.
See u there soon.
While on her HUB, she sent a message to her brother, but she knew better than to wait for a quick reply. As the high wore off, her thoughts finally calmed down, so she pulled up some assigned reading for class. She didn’t make it past chapter one before someone plopped down on the bench next to her. Garrett wore his silver work uniform. An odd smell radiated off him, a mix between smoke and sugar.
“That bad, huh?” He leaned over and nudged her with his shoulder.
She clicked off the device and looked up.
Garrett wore a wary expression, his shoulders tight as if preparing for an incoming punch. Ari decided that the glimmer of innocent mischief in his eyes was just that, innocent and meaning to be helpful.
“If you eve
r try anything like that again, I’ll hurt you. Bad.” Ari glowered at him. “That being said, it was my best trip through the virtuals.”
Ari proceeded to tell Garrett about the virtual and Dr. Coleman’s threat.
“Somehow I have to figure out how to do this sober in three days or I’m a goner.” She leaned her head back against the bench. The cloudy sky darkened.
Garrett leaned back as well, his arms barely touching her. “I can’t believe you’ve never been to the ocean.”
“Really?” Ari straightened up. “That’s what you got out of that story? I have bigger issues than my lack of traveling.”
“I’m serious.” His gaze remained sky bound. “I wish I could have seen that.”
“If I’m around long enough, maybe you can, but let’s see if I survive to next week.” She checked her HUB again; no message from Marco.
He pushed himself up. “That’s easy, I’ll help you.”
“No drugs. He’ll fail me.”
“You’re right. Today was only supposed to show you that you can do it.” Garrett leaned in close to Ari and pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen into her face. It felt intimate, even though he barely touched her.
Glancing up, Ari spotted Reed nearby, talking with a black phone in his ear. Once he noticed her, he faltered for a moment, his brow furrowing. She waved slightly.
“Hey, Reed.” Garrett leaned back next to Ari.
Reed regained his composure, gave a forced smile, and headed off, continuing his conversation with someone in his ear.
“Careful,” Ari said as Garrett accidentally knocked over the remains of her coffee. She wiped at it with a napkin. “What is this master plan of yours that doesn’t involve drugs?”
“We’ll go to the lab tonight to practice.”
“You have access to the lab at night?”
His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Yes, one of the perks of working there.”
“Is anyone else there?”
“Depends who I let in.” Back came Garrett’s mischievous smile. “Being a third-year manager has its advantages. Meet me out front at midnight.”
“What about my HUB? Wouldn’t the school realize I’m not sleeping or even in bed?” The electronic device strapped to her wrist kept constant tabs on Ari. She found the health alerts quite annoying and had to disable them, like she didn’t already know her heart rate and stress levels were through the roof.
“You have to break into your HUB and put it into a loop.” He reached for her wrist and pointed to a small crease in the edge of the screen. “You can pry the screen open from there and I’ll send you the schematics for the rest. You switch one wire. Use tweezers or pliers and change it back when you’re back in your room. It’s pretty simple. Everyone does it. Don’t worry.”
Don’t worry. Really? Anyone who knew Ari, knew that those two words were impossible for her, but she had to try. First week at school, and she was moving on from tabbing to sneaking out. The school security guards might get the chance to kick her out before Coleman did.
After saying goodbye, she headed back to her dorm, hoping to get through some homework. In the dorm room, Tessa wore her head phones, engrossed in her game, like the example of a perfect VR student. She probably had a waiting list for her game’s release.
Ari dropped her bag and fell on her bed. Tessa logged out of her computer and grabbed a soda from their fridge.
“Hey, roomy.” Tessa leaned back in her chair and kicked up her black boots that probably held more tech than Ari’s HUB. “I didn’t see you in the virtuals today when I awoke. Did you freak out again and I missed it?”
Ari gave a dry chuckle. Laughing was always better than crying. “No.”
Tessa didn’t bother holding back her belch. “Oh, well that’s good. Right?”
“Yeah, I guess. What are you working on?” Ari motioned to Tessa’s computer.
“A new planet in the Pultzer Galaxy was causing a few glitches.”
“A few glitches ... that sounds like me.”
Tessa laughed. “Don’t worry about it. This program is full of geeks hoping to be at the forefront of virtual programming. You’re an alien to them. The only decent girls they come into contact with are in virtuals, and most of those are just overly sexualized versions the guys dreamed up. There are only five girls in this program. Remember?”
Tessa took a drink. “And it’s all about pecking order here. The first week is spent finding out who has sold what and to whom, and you are a virgin.”
“Virgin?” Ari knew they weren’t talking about her sexual experience, though if they were, Tessa would be right. She didn’t even date a lot at her last school.
“A virgin to programming and going inside your first creation. Granted, the pervs here use that term in other ways.”
“Ewwww.” Ari shook her head in disgust.
Tessa laughed at her again, lifting her head back and putting a hand on her belly. Most people, especially rich people, would have taken care of that little extra fat with a few simple procedures. But Tessa was definitely not status quo. Ari liked that about her.
Tessa pushed back a few strands of hair escaping the knot on top of her head. “Sorry, I know the mental image is a little much. I hate using the open lab for that reason.”
“They don’t do that there, do they?”
“The techs monitor all the virtuals, but kids always try.”
“Nice,” she replied sarcastically. Ari grabbed her leather bag and pulled out her tablet to read.
Tessa stared at the electronic notebook. “Is that the Azio 7.1? Where did you get that?”
“From the tech store.”
“I didn’t think they had anything past a 6.5 here for students. I might have to grab one. I don’t like teachers accessing my custom one, especially with my gaming contacts on it. How did you get one?”
“A friend,” Ari replied not sure how to quantify her relationship with Garrett. Friend felt safe.
Ari didn’t know why she asked her next question. Maybe it was the easy grin on Tessa’s face, or maybe pure desperation. “Tessa, would you ever be willing to tutor me?”
Tessa narrowed her eyes, lined with heavy black eyeliner and mascara. “Do I look like a tutor?” She shook out her colored hair, edgy techy clothes, and a dark green shirt that read: “My other body has wings and claws.”
Ari motioned to her own dark hair, that unlike most people, she constantly wore down to hide her port, her homemade clothes, and shoes that had glued back together more than once, making her stand out amid her classmates. “Do I look like a virtual programmer?”
Chapter Eight
Ari set an alarm for her meeting with Garrett and then pulled up some reading on her tablet. She stayed awake until Tessa dropped off and then got to work on her HUB. After reading the instructions, it took her about thirty minutes to get it set. Granted, wiping her nervous sweaty hands every couple of minutes didn’t help.
By the time she finished rewiring her HUB, her alarm went off. Her stomach churned with nervous energy. She pulled on a dark hooded jacket. Once she stepped outside her dorm, the crisp night sky set Ari on edge. The idea of sneaking into school property sent fear, and a bit of excitement, coursing through her veins like caffeine. The last time she’d snuck out her brother had urged her to do it.
When she’d began her eighth year of training, the other kids at school had often harassed her for her fear of VR. Ari had already missed out on birthday parties and games, but some bullies never let up. Marco fought them for a while, but he thought Ari needed to get her own revenge.
Trying to help, Marco had hacked social parties and retrieved pictures of kids in compromising situations. Having printed the pictures in poster size, Ari and Marco posted them all over the school campus. The administrators probably knew who had done it, but Ari never heard about it. Apparently, they thought some people needed to be held responsible for their actions. Hopefully, tonight would be as successful.
Ari contin
ued out into the night. The dim security lights gave an eerie feeling to the silent campus. She walked in the shadows alongside the path to the student lab, the silver buildings turning into menacing mountains, looming over her like robotic monsters with so much power silently sleeping.
A slight tune traveled down the darkened path. She wrapped her arms around herself, fighting against the chill. Garrett’s dark figure leaned against a tree, whistling his melody.
“Hi,” she said, grateful to see him.
Dressed in dark colors, he casually pushed himself off the tree. Even his hair was black as night.
“You changed your hair.” No wonder Ari hadn’t seen him near the tree.
“Yeah, I thought it fit in with the whole sneaking around thing. This will be fun.”
“If you think hanging around a phobic girl who may burst into hysterics any minute sounds like fun.” As much as Ari wanted to agree with him and to enjoy the night, in the back of her mind remained a nagging reminder of what lay ahead.
He gently picked up a piece of her hair and twirled it around his fingers. Her stomach fluttered at his closeness. She wondered if he was trying to distract her on purpose.
The simple gray tech building stood behind the student union, where Ari first met Garrett. He used an electronic card to unlock the door, and the gray glass door slid open in a silent rush of air.
“Won’t someone realize we came? You know cameras, data records or something?” Ari searched the empty room while crossing the threshold.
“Cameras are never looked at unless there is an unlawful entrance.” Garrett waved the key. He spoke at a normal tone, but the empty building amplified his voice, reverberating in the dark metal cavern. “I will hack into the virtual records to alter the time of use. It’s easier than deleting and that way your teacher can see that you have been practicing.”
“Can they see everything we do inside?”
“No, it would take way too much data to record every student’s usage. When it’s open, they have monitors, sort of like Dr. Coleman sets up in class. Tonight, it’s just us.” Garrett inserted his card and entered an electronic code.
Hard Wired Trilogy Page 6