Her HUB vibrated with a new message from Reed. Unfortunately, it seemed as short and cold as he had been for the last week.
Can we talk this weekend?
Ari typed back. Sure. Saturday night?
Tessa and Ari were meeting with Dave on Friday night.
Sounds good. I’ll pick you up at 5pm.
She tapped her fingers on the table, excited for her date with Reed. He was worried about her, but she also knew he would come around. He sucked at holding a grudge. Otherwise he’d never have been friends with Marco.
She hurried to throw her stuff in her bag before rushing out the door. She’d made it to the elevator before she realized she’d left her drive for her VR hooked in the system. Swearing silently, she walked back to the library. Thankfully, it was right where she left it.
On the way to her VR class, Ari nervously picked at a nail. Dr. Coleman planned to give each student feedback about their project, so they could finish up any changes by the end of the week, which was the last day of classes as well as finals. Walking into the classroom, the snowy landscape outside stole Ari’s attention. Gray skies hung heavy, dropping snowflakes in perfected chaos. She didn’t believe anyone would ever be able to recreate that in the virtual world.
As students filed into the room, someone ran into her from behind, knocking her bag off her shoulder and spilling its contents to the floor. When she reached down to collect her stuff, she looked back up to find Wake chuckling with his buddies. Ari thought of a plethora of names to call him, but caught sight of Advisor Williams, watching everything and not making a single move. Stifling her anger, she finished gathering her bag and took her seat.
Dr. Coleman stood at the front of the class ready to begin. “Please come in and take a seat. We have a lot to do today so we need everyone to please go quickly into their programs.”
Ari pulled her long hair into a messy bun on top of her head and thought briefly about Tessa’s hair, shaved underneath for easier access to her port. It was tempting. Like her mother, though, Ari had long wavy hair that she wasn’t eager to part with.
She slid down in the seat, plugged in the drive that held her program, then inserted the cable in the back on her head.
Walking around the classroom, Mica stopped by Ari, “Good luck.”
Ari hoped she wouldn’t need it.
Before she could even open her eyes in the program, Ari knew something was wrong. Darkness surrounded her, a void that had no end. A blinding pain went through her mind as she struggled to see her program. The lush landscape highlighted with purples and blues that she’d spent hours creating was all gone. She couldn’t even see the code. Where had it all gone? Despite the intense pain, she tried to concentrate on the background and bring into focus the picture she had worked on for so many hours. She couldn’t lose everything, not when she had worked so hard all semester. Her efforts resulted in a stabbing sensation in the back of her eyes.
Ignoring the nails pounding into her temple, she focused on codes she’d spent hours typing and re-typing. She pulled some of it from memory and pushed it into the program. She hoped to have something there, light even, before Coleman showed up. Green grass and a basic light flickered on and off for a couple seconds before it all went black. Pain exploded in her mind, and she screamed out in agony.
Then it ended.
As Ari struggled to open her eyes against the blinding light, she found a worried Mica hovering over her. “You okay?”
“Not really.” She had a piercing headache. Her hand blocked out the florescent lights in the room as they seemed to only amplify the pain. It was only a few seconds before Ari recognized Dr. Coleman standing next to her. Ari struggled to sit up and Mica grabbed her arm to help. Advisor Williams stood several feet behind Coleman but kept his gaze locked on her.
“What happened in there, Ms. Mendez?” Dr. Coleman asked.
“My program ... it’s destroyed,” she said between pained gasps.
Mica turned to the computer. “It looks like the one you downloaded to our server is empty. Maybe a virus wiped it.”
“Really?” Coleman’s impatience at this delay was obvious. “Just what I needed. Shut down her computer.”
“Do you have your backup?” Mica asked.
Ari nodded. “In my bag.”
Dr. Coleman motioned for Mica to retrieve it, and she obliged. When she had it in hand, he told her to check it out on his protected computer and upload it to the network.
He then turned his attention back to Ari, pulling up a nearby chair. For a moment he actually appeared concerned, but maybe Ari was reading him wrong.
“What happened in there?”
She froze, unsure of where he was going but knowing he was asking more than his words said.
“It was dark. I was searching for my program and this pain took over.”
“Was there anything else? Any changes to the program?”
Ari remembered the code she tried to push into the program to no avail. He didn’t need to know that. “No, sir.”
“It could have been a virus or something else. I will run a diagnostic to see what I can find.”
Mica approached them, shaking her head slightly. “It’s empty. Totally wiped. I checked our school backup network and can’t seem to find anything stored there either.”
Ari’s mouth hung open as unintelligent gasps came from it. All of her projects, homework, and notes were on that drive. Her mind flew through the possibilities of what could have happened. She had been in the library last night, less than twenty-four hours ago.
Then Wake popped into her mind—annoying, evil, beady-eyed Wake.
“It was Wake.” The words came out as a whisper.
“What?” Dr. Coleman leaned forward.
She straightened in the chair and looked her professor in the eye. “It was Wake. He was in the library last night when I forgot my drive.”
“That is a serious accusation, Ms. Mendez.” His face tightened, questioning her.
It was the only explanation. Wake had been out for her since day one. “It’s the truth.”
“Okay then.” Dr. Coleman stood, smoothing out the wrinkles in his pants. “I’ll send a report to your advisor and the ethics board and see what happens. In the meantime, I would start on your project.”
“What? That took hours to complete. There’s no way it will be good enough in time.”
“It will be quicker the second time. Better get started.” He strode off, obviously not willing to discuss it further.
Ari bit the inside of her lip. Her emotions coiled tight inside of her—any leak and she wouldn’t be able to stop the flow. Ditching her last class and praying she wouldn’t get another demerit for it, she spent the afternoon in the library re-creating her program with triple backups. She didn’t finish as much as she wanted before she received a message, or more like a command, telling her she had a meeting with Advisor Williams at 3:30pm.
Not willing to waste any time, she hurried to his office. As much as she hated meeting with that man, she had a tiny hope that he’d found her original program. She wanted to squeeze it out of Wake’s little throat.
“Ms. Mendez,” Advisor Williams greeted her, seated behind his large antiqued desk. “Take a seat.”
She lowered herself into the leather chair and placed her bag on her lap. The familiarity of this office officially bothered her.
“I’ve been reviewing your complaint and the incident in your class today.”
“Did you find my program?”
Williams shook his head. “There was no evidence of the accusations you made against your fellow student.”
Ari’s mouth opened, but she had nothing to say. She closed it and lowered her head, struggling to keep her gut-wrenching disappointment tucked away until she was alone and could afford a meltdown.
Advisor Williams ignored her silent pain. “We searched Wake’s system, and nothing was to be found. The accusation will stay on his record in case this happens again.
But reviewing your hacked drive, I discovered something else.”
Her eyes flashed up, as her self-pitying turned into fear.
He glanced to the screen on his computer. “You never finished your VR evaluation before coming to our program. How is that?”
“I have, I mean, I’ve a great fear of VRs ever since I was ten.”
“Due to the business with your father, no doubt. No wonder about your brother. With your exceptional scores on all of your written tests, your phobia may have done you a favor. Yet, this unfinished virtual needs to be completed as soon as possible. I’ll schedule it for tomorrow.” He turned to his computer.
“No,” Ari blurted out before she could stop herself. She couldn’t think of a reason why she couldn’t take the test, but there was a problem. She was a warper. Maybe could just not use her power? But the government tests went way beyond normal, and no one was exactly sure how they worked.
Advisor Williams peered over his sharp nose. “Excuse me?”
“Sorry, I just meant that I have to finish my project first. All my work for finals is wiped, and I have to finish, or I will fail. If I’m kicked out, I won’t need the eval anyway.”
He paused a moment. “You can complete the evaluation on Monday.”
She released a shaky breath. “Okay.”
“It is procedure mostly. But looking over the recording of your time in Dr. Coleman’s class, I think it would benefit everyone to make sure you are in the right assignment.”
“The right assignment? You mean they can change my assignment.”
“Not usually, but it is a possibility. We all have to serve our government where needed.” For the first time, Advisor Williams smiled. And the freak smile unnerved Ari more than his usually grim expression. “Please schedule the exam with my assistant. Good day.”
Without another look, Ari was excused. After scheduling the test, she left the building. The sidewalks were already cleared from the previous snowfall, piled up on the lawns with icy perfection. Light snowflakes continued to drift down. She felt like one of those swirling flakes; despite her best intentions she had no clue where she would land.
Ari could almost relate to Marco and his desire to escape from the reality of others wanting to make choices for you. Maybe the control of a virtual world could give something that the real world couldn’t. Choice.
Continuing towards the student center in a bit of a daze, it took her a moment before she realized someone was calling to her. Garrett was wrapped up in a green down jacket and a blue striped beanie.
“Oh, hi.” She turned to face him, huddling down deeper into her own jacket.
“So, you’ll still acknowledge me on campus? How very gracious of you.” He gave a mock bow. His movements were theatrical, but his face remained sober.
“Sorry, I’ve had a lot on my mind.” Ari’s blue scarf escaped the confines of her jacket, one side flying in the wind and heading to freedom. She reached up to tuck it back in and her bag slid down her arm. She dropped the bag on the sidewalk and ripped off the stupid scarf, balling it into a wad. Her frustration from class, the jerk Wake, Advisor Williams, and everything else boiled inside of her. She wanted to scream into the wind but, instead, threw her scarf on the ground.
Garrett hesitantly bent down to pick it up. “Want me to carry that?”
Ari’s breath came out in gasps, forming into clouds of mist in front of her. She needed to pull it together. If she lost it ... well, she couldn’t think like that. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, embarrassed about her mini-meltdown. She picked up her bag and reached out to take the scarf. “Thanks, but I got it.”
“Things can’t be that bad for an up-and-coming star like yourself.” He gave her a kind smile.
“Thanks.” Her hair continued flying about her face, and she was forced to pull it back into a tight bun.
“You look like you could use a break,” Garrett tucked a strand of hair she’d missed behind her ear. “I’d suggest a trip to the beach or something, but you have a boyfriend for that?”
His hand lingered a bit too long near her face as his eyes darted to someone behind her. Suddenly his expression turned haughty and patronizing, making Ari’s stomach sink. She brushed his arm away roughly and turned around to find Reed.
Reed’s eyes narrowed. “Keep your hands to yourself, Garrett.”
Garrett stepped back. “Just helping.”
“Help somewhere else.”
“Don’t worry, she’s all yours. Have fun,” Garrett scoffed and turned to leave.
Reed shoved his hands in his pockets, his body tight and angry.
Ari stepped towards him. “Nothing happened. He grabbed my scarf for me and was screwing around to make you mad.”
“You didn’t seem to object too much.”
His comment put her on the defensive. “He caught me off guard. It was nothing.”
“I know. Still doesn’t mean I have to like him.”
Ari leaned into him, hoping to lighten the mood. “I’ve seen some of the girls you’ve dated. They weren’t all winners.”
His body softened, and he wrapped an arm around her. “That is why I am no longer with them.”
“Good.”
He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. Even with the cold whipping around her, a little kiss from Reed could warm her heart. She stood on her tiptoes to prolong the kiss for one more moment.
“I hate to stop.” Reed pulled back, rubbing her arms. “But it’s really cold, and you may need all ten fingers to finish the term.”
A rock pummeled to the bottom of her stomach as he reminded her of all the work she needed to make up.
He must have noticed. “What’s wrong?”
It was a long story, one she didn’t really have time to go into. If she was going to survive the next few days, she would need some sustenance. “Let’s grab something to drink and I’ll catch you up.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The night went by in a blur of homework. Despite constant temptation, Ari coded her program the painstakingly slow method. The next morning her HUB flashed a reminder of the meeting scheduled with Dave after classes. She should cancel. She didn’t have the time to meet with him but talking it over with Reed the previous night had reminded her how important it was. Reed had agreed to come along for moral support.
“What is it?” Tessa asked from across their room.
Ari must have been staring off into space for a while.
“Just thinking about the meeting with Dave.” She didn’t think it hurt to say his name aloud.
Tessa ruffled her purple hair and put on her bracelet and rings. “I’ll meet you at security after classes.”
Ari started to tell Tessa she didn’t have to, but her friend quieted her with a look. “I’ve worked on contracts since I could code. I’ll be there.”
Classes went by slowly, and she worked in the library through lunch. When Ari arrived at security, she was happy to see Reed and Tessa waiting for her. Tessa wore a bright blue shirt and tall buckled boots. Reed looked good as always in his dark jeans and a gray shirt.
“Hey.” He reached for Ari’s hand. A soothing touch that tethered her in place and helped her fight the chaotic emotions warring inside.
They passed through security and then continued on the path to a restaurant in town. The falling sun peeked out through the heavy clouds, giving a fabulous display in the sky, much better than the slushy mush on the streets that the snow left behind.
Outside the café, Tessa warned Ari, “Don’t forget what you’re worth. Ask for the world.”
“I’m not quite sure what to ask for. Or if they can even help me.” She had so many questions, she wasn’t sure where to start.
“Nothing is too high, remember that,” Tessa replied.
The sleek and modern café contained a variety of beautiful paintings projected on their computerized walls. The pieces looked expensive. Ari suddenly felt self-conscious in her faded jeans and self
-designed shoes. Guess I’m ordering water. Reed squeezed her hand as if he sensed her discomfort.
A tall, sleek girl with platinum hair showed them to their seats. Their table was one big screen with menus and more. Not hungry, Ari folded her arms to keep her hands still.
“Relax, Ari. It’s really not that big of a deal. If this company doesn’t work out, there will be others.” Tessa flipped through the menu.
Ari started to disagree, when a man approached. Ari recognized Dave from the gaming store. He had tanned skin, probably Hispanic like she was. She wondered if whoever sent him did that on purpose.
“Hello, Ari.” He reached out to shake her hand and then reached out to Reed. “You must be Reed.”
Hesitantly, Reed returned the hand shake.
“How did you know?” She shouldn’t have been surprised in this digital age, but she still found that he knew her boyfriend’s name disturbing.
“We research our candidates thoroughly. I know a lot, just like I know this must be your roommate—”
“Tessa.” She cut him off. “Her roommate, best friend, and representation.”
“Yes, I’m familiar with your father.”
If Dave really had known Tessa, he wouldn’t have brought up her father. She ran a hand through her purple bangs but didn’t reply.
“Okay then. We better order something.” Dave pulled up the menu on the table. “Please, it’s on me.”
Tessa entered her order.
“No, thanks,” Reed said.
Ari wasn’t interested in food either. She wanted information.
“Oh, please,” Tessa huffed. “I’ll order for the both of you.”
“Thanks,” Dave commented. “If nothing else, we need to keep up appearances.”
Once orders were entered, he turned to Ari. “You’re probably wondering what VisionTech can do for you?”
Hard Wired Trilogy Page 21