Hailey obviously noticed the change in code. “Thank you for your cooperation, but remember, next time, there will be no asking. Governments love to find and hang little warpers every now and again, just to make sure they are safe.”
Closing her eyes, Ari pulled out of the simulation. She wouldn’t forget.
Chapter 26
Gasping for air, Ari woke in Niomi’s lab and reached for the plug. Her sweaty hands struggled, and it took a minute longer to unplug. Before she sat up, Niomi loomed over her chair.
“It’s bad enough constantly waking up in different worlds. I don’t need you watching me,” Ari snapped. Heart racing, she averted her gaze, struggling to come up for an explanation of what happened.
“Your vitals were amped. What happened?”
“Your easy in and out mission wasn’t as simple as you thought.” Ari got out of the chair and headed over to get a drink. The cool water quenched her thirst and gave her a much needed minute to calm her shaky hands. Could she really believe Hailey? What would VisionTech do with the names? On the opposite side of the coin, Hailey almost turned her in. She wasn’t playing any more. They wanted Ari with them, or Hailey would soon turn into an enemy not an ally.
Standing with arms crossed over her chest, Niomi stood waiting for more information. Obviously, she wasn’t going to read it in the report. “Did you get the data?”
“No.” Ari traced a finger around her glass. It was a lot worse than that.
“What. Happened?”
“Someone found out that I wasn’t Rajit!”
“Someone? What? How?” She didn’t even wait for an answer but rushed to her computer. Fingers flew over the keyboard. “Keep talking. We need to let Security know.”
No longer under Niomi’s intense gaze, the lies poured easily from Ari’s mouth. “A co-worker noticed I wasn’t Rajit. They must have had some relationship or something.”
Niomi’s pounding fingers ceased and she turned to Ari. “What exactly happened? Word for word?” She hit another switch and a red light flashed from her screen. “I’ll record it, so you don’t ever have to write the report.”
Ari rubbed the back of her neck around her port, her clammy skin wet under her hand. “It was a pretty girl, woman actually. She approached as I was working on his computer. I didn’t see her behind me.”
“How long was she standing there?”
“I’m not sure. She was behind me.” Ari let the sarcasm highlight her words. How much should she tell her? And would telling Niomi the truth help Ari get the information she needed?
“Okay.” Niomi swallowed, obviously trying to get her own emotions in check. “What did she say?”
After weighing the consequences, she made her decision. “She told me to give her the list in my pocket.”
Niomi pulled back, her eyes darting around as she computed what Ari didn’t say.
“You told me I couldn’t leave the program with the list, so once security was approaching, I left,” Ari continued.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Niomi raised a hand. “Let’s go back. How did she know the list was in your pocket? It’s not like you use a computer so anyone can see you. Did you?”
“No.”
“She read the data on the chip you kept in your pocket? That could only mean…”
Ari waited, for once it was nice to not be the person in the dark.
“The woman was a warper…” Niomi turned back to the computer.
Ari assumed she would have to report that to Security as well, but Niomi’s fingers hung heavy over her keyboard. She turned back to Ari, “Did she hurt you or restrain you in any way?”
Ari swallowed. “No. She just wanted the data I stole. Told me that we had no right to spy on and hurt any of the candidates on the list.”
“And just like that, she let you go?” There was a hint of disbelief in her voice.
This part was the truth, though. “Yes. She was more interested in the data than me. Granted the security guards didn’t appear to have the same belief.”
“Hmmm…” She turned back to the computer. “Come have a seat. I want you to start again from the beginning. Losing the list was unfortunate but finding another warper working for the UN throws a whole other kink in this. Right before session breaks too.” She trailed off and took an incoming call.
Ari turned back to the water dispenser and filled up her glass again. Fear prickled along her spine and she wondered why she had to do her report in person. Could the computer tell she was lying? She had heard of that kind of software before. She stuck close to the truth and that would help her. Taking another drink, she mentally prepped herself. Maybe it was good that she had so much practice lying lately, because her gut told her these lies would be some of the most important lies she had ever told.
Her digital reports took the whole morning, leaving her back aching with every step. Maybe she’d take the company up on the massages they always offered her. After a nap… and a bite to eat.
She plopped down in the kitchen with a large variety of food, enough for probably a family of four. Guilt nibbled on her, thinking back to the days when her mom couldn’t afford to feed them this well. She resolved to talk to her mother this week. Whether through Tess or Niomi, she needed to see them. It had been too long.
Before she even made it through a third of her courses, her AI announced Vinh. Soon appearing in the doorway of the kitchen, his gaze traveled to the food in front of her. “Did Niomi make you skip breakfast and lunch all week, or something?”
Ari shrugged. “Starving and not sure what I felt like. Don’t worry, I eat leftovers.”
“I guess you’ll be set for the week then.” He plopped down and grabbed a nearby fry.
“You here to hang out or do you have to run some reports? You may have to do them in my sleep. After this morning, I’m not going to last long.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “What happened?”
Letting out a low moan, she dipped her fry in a nearby shake. “I’ve told this story a million times. Can’t you just read the report?”
“Reading is overrated. I’d rather have the firsthand account.”
She watched him for a moment, his finger drumming on the table. Rarely even twitching, Vinh exuded an awkward energy with his eyes flashing away and back to Ari. Shaking off her paranoia, she pulled her hair band out and began re-braiding it. “Okay. Pass over the strawberry pie. I’ll need some stamina for this.”
After she retold her story, her stomach ached from all the food.
“What did this Hailey look like?” He kept the question light with a slight cock of his head.
She still found it unsettling. “Already told you. Pretty girl with brown eyes and hair. Unfortunately, pretty generic, nothing too unique. Why do you ask?”
He leaned back in the chair. “Just curious. It’s huge, you know. A warper that infiltrated the UN. Bigger than anything we’ve seen before.”
“I suppose, but isn’t that what we were doing, or trying to do, until I got caught?” Ari stood and began putting the food in the fridge.
“Did you remember any of the names on the list?”
Ari slammed the unit and turned to him. “I’ve answered these questions about twenty times for Niomi and whoever else she shows the recording to. You can access it if you want.”
He stood, lifting hands in the air. “Sorry. I’m just trying to wrap my brain around all of this.”
With an exhale, she tried to rein her temper in. “Don’t worry about it.”
He helped her with the food. The few moments of peaceful silence were short lived. “Have you ever seen another warper in there before? Maybe even a friendly one?”
The hair on the back of her neck prickled. This wasn’t her friend Vinh coming over to hang out and chat. His awkward behavior had a motivation, one that Niomi probably put him up to. Her chest ached at the betrayal. Her time on the island had been lonely, isolated. Vinh had been one of the few people she called a friend. She bit her lip as
her emotions flew from anger to hurt, not wanting to deal with him right now.
She turned to face him, knowing she didn’t answer his last question. He didn’t deserve it. Her eyes burned with the threat of tears. “I’m really tired right now. I’m going to head to bed. Maybe we can talk another time.”
He nodded, color flooding his cheeks as he glanced away. He reached forward to hug her, which wasn’t usual for Vinh. Clinging to her tight, he turned his mouth near her ear. “You’re messing in bigger things, more dangerous things, than both of us know. Be careful.”
Chapter 27
The next morning, she woke to the rain still splattering against her windows. She could always electronically change her view but never did. The glass wall was the only contact with the outside world she had. The constant fear of becoming like her father, of losing the touch she had with reality, never left her.
Rolling over, she looked at the large screen in front of her bed. A message from Niomi flashed. She told Ari to sleep in. Trips to the VLEX were canceled. Ari was to report in after a late breakfast for training and an appointment.
Appointment?
Vinh usually dealt with her health diagnostics and other concerns. What could this appointment be? Staring at her ceiling, which was currently programmed to match the night sky outside, she failed to go back to sleep. How could she? Obviously, there were repercussions from her encounter with Hailey, but it wasn’t her fault. Or at least they didn’t know that.
Finally, she got up with hours to go until she was supposed to report. The rain still pounded, getting harder by the minute. Between the storm and Niomi’s message, the walls felt more substantial, trapping her inside. Back home, anytime it rained they would run outside and play in the street. What happened to the old Ari?
Determined to get out and do something with her free time despite the weather, she headed outside and jumped in one of the cars. She pushed the ignition, and nothing happened. She tried a couple times before Niomi’s voice sounded through the speakers.
“There is a hurricane in the area, and you think it’s time for a joy ride. What happened to sleeping in? I heard teenagers tend to do that?”
“I couldn’t sleep. And the rain’s not that bad.” At that moment, thunder shook the small car.
“It’s not safe for you to be out. Where are you going? Reed’s?”
Ari didn’t think Reed would be available. Since he got into the Art Department, he’d been putting in more hours. She wasn’t sure where she was headed, but that didn’t sound good. “The community center to chat with some friends.”
“Friends?” Niomi’s voice raised in question. Unfortunately, her trainer had the ability to review all her correspondence and knew that friends was a stretch.
“Some of the islanders, maybe Vinh if he’s around. The only reason I don’t have many friends is because I’m stuck on this side of the island all by myself. I may start searching for dolphins or mermaids as friends soon if we don’t watch it.”
Niomi gave an audible sigh over the line.
“Come on. I’ll only be gone for a minute, I’m sure you have some goons, or tracking devices to keep an eye on me.”
“You know they are all security measures to keep you safe.”
“You know I can’t be kept in a glass bowl forever. I need a life and some sanity. Talking to mermaids isn’t considered sane.” Ari knew she’d fall for the sanity line.
VisionTech main concern was Ari’s mental and physical wellbeing. A tool can’t be useful if it doesn’t do its job. She wasn’t under the illusion she was anything more to the company than that.
“Okay,” Niomi caved. “I’ll have some security out in a bigger terrain vehicle to go with you in case the storm worsens. You have two hours and don’t be late for your appointment.”
“Deal.” Ari pushed the button again, but it still didn’t start. “What—”
“Give me a minute to get security. Once they are en route, I’ll release the lock on your car.”
“Oh, gracious,” Ari murmured, hoping her trainer didn’t hear it.
It took ten minutes before she could start the car, but Ari didn’t mind too much. The trip to the community center was rough and she was glad she had backup. As much as she enjoyed the storm, she didn’t want to be lost in the jungle during it.
The community center was quiet this morning. As she headed over to grab a drink, she noticed Tamar talking at the vacant gambling tables with his sister.
He leaned back and laughed, his eyes jovial. His sister turned away from him, acting annoyed but struggling to not smile. Ari missed that sibling rivalry with her own brother, even missed how he would frustrate her.
As she approached, Tamar finally noticed her. “There’s our desert girl. Surprised you made it out in this, you might have drowned.”
“Desert girl?”
“Yeah, Jewels told us how enchanted you are with all this green. You must be from the desert.”
“She’s right. But it doesn’t mean I don’t know how to swim.”
He appraised her, looking her up and down like an analyst. “Not bad for a desert rat, but do you know how to surf?”
“No.” Reed tried to teach her, but it wasn’t her favorite. Flipping upside down with water up her nose wasn’t her idea of fun.
“Don’t let him give you crap. Not all of us run away to surf instead of working.”
Ari chuckled and asked Oliana, “Tamar ditches to surf?”
“Since he was three.”
“Three? Impressive.”
A smile lit up his face as he took a seat nearby and kicked off his shoes.
Oliana turned a disappointed look at Ari. “Haven’t you learned not to complement him yet?”
“Sorry. I’ll restrain myself in the future.” Ari fell into a nearby plush chair as well. “So, Oliana, what do you do for fun? Are you a surfer?”
“No.” She shook her head dismissively. “I’d rather dance.”
“That was pretty impressive.” Ari remembered the islanders at the party with their rhythm dancing.
Keeping her smile to a minimum, Ari could still see the pride in her eyes. Going back to work, Oliana stood on a stool that raised her up to the large gaming screens. These screens showed inside the VR where people competed and gambled. It surprised Ari that the islanders, who worked with the gaming and electronics so closely, seemed to shun it at the same time. Maybe they didn’t?
“Do you guys ever play in the games?” Ari asked.
Oliana turned, the scathing look on her face spoke plenty. “No,” she said, before returning to her cleaning the screens.
“Sorry… I didn’t mean…” Ari turned to Tamar for help.
He reclined in the chair, obviously not as bothered as his sister. “Don’t worry. VRs are a sensitive subject among our people.”
“Not that I blame them, but why?” Ari asked.
He shrugged. “The usual stuff. Many of the islanders became addicted. The elders banned them. There is still a battle as each generation grows.”
“Can’t say I blame the elders.” Visions of her father trapped in a VR coma flooded her mind. Struggling to keep composure, she stuffed that back into its neat little box in her mind. There was nothing she could do about that now.
“You too?” He leaned forward. “You have loved ones that are lost as well?”
“Yeah.” She must not have hidden it as well as she thought.
“Then why are you here?”
“Money. Safety. I could ask you the same thing.”
With a small tilt to his smile he replied. “Sometimes the only way to survive the devil is dance with him.”
“Huh?” Ari leaned back in the chair.
“Idiot.” His sister mumbled under her breath and he smiled.
“So, you’ve never gone in?”
He cocked an eye.
“You don’t have to lie on my account. I know you do occasionally.” Oliana finished cleaning the screens and hit the button to l
ower the stand.
“Many islanders try them now and again, but for the majority of the time, I try to steer clear.”
“I wish I could.” And normally, Ari did, but right now she wanted to get inside to check on her family. She didn’t feel like she could trust Vinh to relay messages to Tessa and was sick of going through ten channels to get a hold of her family. But what about other channels?
Tamar stood and got a drink for his sister. With a steaming cup of coffee in her hand, she took a seat next to Ari. “What are you up to?” Oliana asked, snapping Ari out of her thoughts.
“What do you mean?”
“I can tell your wheels are turning. What’s going on?” Oliana sipped her drink.
Glancing around, Ari leaned forward a bit. “Do you have a way to contact people off the island?”
“Why would we need that?” Oliana had a tension to her words.
When Ari turned to her brother, he shook his head. Obviously, it wasn’t something they could talk about here.
“You should come dancing again.” Oliana gently sipped her coffee. “You really are horrible. Practice may help.”
Ari’s gaze flashed in between the two siblings trying to read what they didn’t say. “Sure, I’d love that.”
Oliana set down her drink and stood, signaling the end to the conversation. “Good. We’ll let you know when.”
As Ari headed back into the stormy weather to her unknown appointment, an inkling of hope stirred. Could the islanders help her talk to Marco and her mother? Maybe, maybe not. But it’d be better than sitting in an empty room like a grounded little girl.
Chapter 28
Making it back through the rain with her guards close behind, Ari had time to grab lunch before hurrying down to her appointment. She wore her normal clothes, jeans and a shirt, to the appointment. She didn’t want to give Niomi anymore of an advantage with her smart suit by letting Niomi know just how nervous she was.
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