Her fingers traced down his bare stomach. He shivered as a moan escaped his lips. “You’re killing me, Ari.”
“Sorry.” Leaning back, she was only partially lying.
He gripped her hand searching her gaze. “You know I love you.”
“I know.” She could get lost in those eyes. They held the promise of her future, always next to him. “That keeps me going despite all this.” She motioned to the small ratty closet they were in.
“Things will settle down one day.” He pulled her next to him.
She rested her head on his shoulder. “I hope so. Until then, we’ll keep dreaming.”
“Yes, but it’s nice to dream, isn’t it?”
“With you, always.”
Even with the storm brewing outside, eventually Reed and Ari slept. The next day, true to his word, Manu brought breakfast. He said they outran the storm and should make it to the mainland by nightfall.
When Manu returned sometime later in the day, he had an armful of supplies. Flipping over a bucket, he laid a variety of items on the ground. “Jewels gave me very little notice of you two, and even less money.”
Reed straightened. “I have some—”
“Keep it. I can’t buy anything now, and you’ll have better luck on the mainland. Here, you’ll both need these.” He handed them translators.
Ari had seen them on the island for those that spoke different languages. She slipped the small ear pieces in her jeans. They would be needed.
“Where are we going exactly?” Not knowing where the island was, had kept Ari very much in the dark, and she could only hope she was headed in the right direction.
“We’re in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, heading towards the United Asian Association. We’ll take you up as far north as possible.”
Asian? Glancing at Reed’s worried expression, Ari realized they were both really far from home. How would they ever find their way back? And did they even want to? Now knowing the true nature of a warper, she couldn’t go back to a government that would force her into service until she had nothing left.
“Why north?” Reed asked as he picked up a heavy jacket. Neither he nor Ari were used to cold climates.
“With the fallout of the war, most people moved south.” Manu looked between them, with a lifted brow. “Do you not know what happened?”
“We’re not from here,” Ari said. “We only got the history and education our government saw fit.” It had taken Ari the first couple months to learn the truth of world history on the island.
He nodded. “Well, the land up north is bad. From the poison there is no farming, no grass, just desolation. Left for the poor and the beggars.”
“We aren’t going there.” Reed pushed back the gas mask.
“Okay,” Manu replied. “It’s just where most of the transients go.”
Reed and Ari had spent most of the morning discussing their options. Granted, ending up across an ocean from where they wanted to be presented a few more challenges. Ari agreed that hiding out in a wasteland didn’t sound like a plan.
Pulling something out from his pocket, Reed laid a simple gold ring with a decent stone in his palm. “We need connections for new identities. We can pay.”
Manu eyed the ring with an envy he couldn’t hide. “You better put that away. I wouldn’t be able to look Tamar in the face again if anything happened to you.”
Ari looked at Reed and wondered where the ring came from. They spoke of the future the other night. Did Reed plan more of it than he let on? A warm chill lifted the hair on her neck, but she tried to focus at the plan on hand.
Turning her attention to Manu, she put the ring out of her mind. “We need an island or city that won’t require identification. Then a chance to buy new names and faces for ourselves.”
Manu drug a hand through his dark wavy hair. “That’s going to be tricky, but I have a connection that can help. It’s dangerous, staying off-grid is the safest route.”
“We know.” Reed didn’t seem happy about that but didn’t want to live out their days in a wasteland.
Ari knew if she could get online, they would have more resources.
“I’ll come get you when we’re near the major Asian Islands,” Manu said. “They are a major trafficking port for black market items around the world. Be careful though. You’ll need weapons more than masks.”
“We appreciate your help.”
“Don’t thank me until you get off at the Land of Smiles.”
“Wait, what? The Land of Smiles?” Ari asked.
“Well, the real name is,” Manu said a long name that Ari couldn’t understand at all. “But it is a land of pleasure or sin however you consider it. It’s the land where you can even die smiling, they say.”
Ari’s mouth opened but couldn’t think of a response.
“Just don’t die,” Manu said as he left the room.
Once he left, Reed turned to Ari. “Do you think we’re doing the right thing?”
“I do.” Ari reached for his hand. “Between your skills with security and mine, we can get what’s needed to create ourselves new identities anywhere, and with them, the money and power to get our families back. We may not have much, but what we do have is worth a lot. We just need to find the right people.”
“That’s what worries me.” Reed reached an arm around Ari and held her tight, which was perfect because she had no plans of letting go.
Chapter 37
As the boat unloaded supplies in the morning, Ari and Reed left their room with Manu. He gave them directions to someone who could find them identities. They thanked him again and headed off. The storm had passed but not without obvious damage. Tree limbs and debris littered the shoreline, puddles and trash lining the landing.
As they ventured further into town, life looked undisturbed by the storm. Granted, living out here, most people were used to the violent behavior of mother nature. Only damp awnings and wet debris littering doorways showed the presence of a storm last night, along with a scattering of heavy clouds in the distance.
In the light of day, the Land of Smiles sounded creepily close to its name. She imaged some haunted carnival and wasn’t far off. Flashing neon lights offered perverse activities for a variety of addictions, sins, and fetishes. And if you couldn’t find it here, VR bars lined the streets able to take you anywhere. Even though most of the city spoke an Asian dialect she couldn’t understand, the pictures did plenty of the talking.
“Are you okay?” she asked Reed.
It was obvious how uncomfortable he was from his stiff stance. “No, but neither are you. I’m just trying not to look at anything and pretend I’m not really here.” He motioned to a man standing at a booth, offering up services of a variety of women. “He deserves to get hit or worse.”
“Ugh. Most definitely.”
“Let’s just get our IDs and off this island as soon as possible.” Reed gripped Ari’s hand and pulled her close to him.
Her skin crawled with the dirt and sadness that lined the city. It didn’t matter what the drunken crowds on the street thought. Their alcohol-induced exuberance was deplorable.
They followed the directions through the streets that Manu had given them. Finally passing the swarm of VR dens and brothels, they found the address on a two story brick building. Vines crawled up the walls as the wet climate gave bravery to Mother Nature. A tall man stood at the door.
“We’re looking for Fetu,” Ari told the man.
Without even looking at them he pointed to the side of the building. “Take the stairs up.”
“Ummm, thanks.” Reed led the way around the side of the building into the alley.
They climbed the metal stairs that wound their way to a door. Once above the street, shouts emerged from within. Standing on a shaking metal balcony, they glanced at each other.
“Are we sure about this?” Reed asked, his hand posed to knock when there was no sign of a bell.
“We don’t have a lot of options, unless you
want to make a home here,” Ari pointed out. “I think I saw a for rent sign next to that den of women.”
“Don’t joke.” Reed knocked on the door, but no one could have heard with the racket inside. So instead of waiting, he opened the door, and they both slipped inside.
An irate woman screamed in a foreign language at a tall man who looked like he had his share of a rough life. He glanced at Reed and Ari briefly, and the woman’s pitch increased even more. The room looked like a small apartment but instead of a living room, a desk and a couple chairs had been set up a makeshift office of sorts.
After another minute of trying to talk her down, he finally grabbed her arm and led her to the door. Reed and Ari stepped to the side, and he gently pushed her out. Once shut, he locked it, turned and leaned against it, saying something Ari didn’t understand.
She pulled out the translators and placed a set in Reed’s hand. Even though they were old tech, they were a much needed tool. While they put in the translators, the man straightened and made his way to his desk.
He clicked a button near his ear, to probably activate his own translator. “I can see you two are not natives. What brings you here?”
Ari straightened. “We need new identities for travel. Are you Fetu?”
“I am.” He gave a short chuckle. “So, you want to start over with a fresh digital thumbprint. The dream of everyone here.” He motioned for them to sit. “It won’t be cheap.”
Reed took the chair next to Ari. “We know, and brought something you may be interested in.” He pulled out the ring.
Fetu leaned forward in his chair, obviously interested in it. “May I?”
Reed handed it over but didn’t take his eyes off it. The rock on top of the gold band was bigger than Ari had ever seen before, but that didn’t mean much growing up where they did.
“Where did you get it?” Fetu pulled out a magnifying glass.
Surprised, Ari wondered that as well. There were no stores of that type on the island that she saw. Her thoughts meandered to what could have been.
“A friend got it for me,” Reed answered then turned to Ari. “Niomi got it for me a few weeks ago. Sent for it from the mainland. At the time I just thought she was super supportive. Now, I just wonder if they wanted it to keep you there.”
“I don’t know.” Ari had thought back to her relationship with Niomi several times, wondering if VisionTech’s motives tainted all the good things that happened to her. “Maybe both.”
“The cut is from the Far North, the Russian mines.” Fetu set the ring on the desk in between them. “You know I can’t give you what you paid for it.”
“We need new lives and a ship to cross the ocean to Acadian.” They had already picked where they were headed.
Antoine and Kari’s vacation destination had the benefit of being a very liberal country with many tourists and was not too far north from their own home. They would have the best chance of getting in without much suspicion and contacting Tessa. She knew that with DNA scans, they could probably never go home again, but somewhere safe was all they needed.
Fetu leaned back, a tattooed hand running over his short beard. “Those are hard to come by and will take some time.”
“How long?” Ari knew VisionTech would be sure to look for them soon.
“A couple days at least.”
“We need them sooner. We can’t stay here long.”
Fetu’s gaze traveled between the two of them. “The best I can do is tomorrow morning.”
Ari and Reed glanced at each other, both probably wondering the same thing. Did they have that much time? Or did they have any other choice? Turning back to Fetu, Reed nodded agreement.
Ari turned back to the man. “Can you recommend a clean place to stay?”
“We do offer a lot, but that may be one of the more difficult amenities to find.”
She cringed. “The cleanest and cheapest possible.”
He gave them directions to a nearby place with rooms to rent. They closed their business deals, and Ari prayed this man would keep his word.
As they climbed down the stairwell, she voiced her concerns. “How do we know he’ll keep his part of the deal? I don’t even want to know how many cryptos you spent on that.”
“Then I won’t tell you.” Reed stepped on the stairs and reached for her hand. “Don’t worry I had the money even after sending some back to my mom.”
“What if he takes off?”
“Then he takes off. I trust Manu and hopefully Fetu will play out too.” He started down the street. “But we don’t have many options, and we’re doing the best with what we have. Nothing else we can do at this point.”
“You’re right.” Ari leaned into him, grateful for him at her side. “By the way, that ring… way too big for me.”
“Really?” he glanced down at her. “Niomi said something about three months’ salary, and they paid me well on the island.”
“In retrospect, I’m glad you did since it was the best way to get money off the island. But for the future, I’ll take an old washer if it means I get to be with you forever.”
He chuckled. “I’ll remember that. Scratch ring, find old tech for a ring.”
He wrapped an arm around her as they walked and squeezed. “Let’s go find somewhere to rest.”
She wrapped an arm around his waist. “With luck we may actually have a bed tonight.”
Before he could answer, something sharp poked through her jacket, a breath away from cutting her. A rough voice spoke behind them. “Want to pay me for your girlfriend’s kidney before or after I remove it?”
Chapter 38
Reed started to turn around and something slammed into the base of his skull. As he fell, Ari started to tumble with him. Without thinking, the countless hours of training with Niomi kicked in.
Grasping for the hand behind her, she spun out of its reach while twisting the man’s grip. He pulled back, and instead of fighting against him, she let go, using the momentum to strike out at his throat. Obscenities flew through the night, obviously these two young attackers were not expecting someone to fight back.
Ari tried to focus on the man in front of her, ignoring the struggle with Reed nearby. The faster she eliminated this threat, the faster she could help Reed. She wished for a staff or, hell, even a stick or pipe would help. Instead, this guy, probably not much older than her, with dark greasy hair, held a knife while she had nothing. Well not nothing, she did have a bag.
He stepped towards her, and in a flash, she tossed the bag at him, rushing in right after it. While he fumbled with the bag, she struck repeatedly at his face with her palm and elbow. A sharp crack told her she did some damage.
Pushing back, her attacker held his nose, which now gushed with blood. With a final curse, he turned and ran. Reed and the other guy were locked together in an awkward embrace while they each struggled to get hits in.
Searching the ground, Ari found a piece of twisted metal. Hard to grip, but not impossible. It cut into her hand, but she ignored the bite of the metal and slammed it into the back of the other thug’s head. He crumpled into a heap and almost took Reed down as well. She caught Reed’s arm and helped him regain his balance.
Reed glanced her way; his battered eye was quickly swelling. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.” She looked down the empty alleyway. Guess his friend didn’t stick around for backup. “We better get out of here before the authorities come.”
“If there are authorities here.” He wiped at some blood at the corner of his mouth. “Damn, that guy could hit.”
“Sorry. You okay?”
He shrugged then winced. “I’ll survive, but I have a feeling neither one of us will be fine unless we get off this garbage pit of an island.”
Next to their hotel, they found a store with food and supplies.
“Why don’t you go to the room to rest while I get something to clean you up,” Ari offered.
“No. I’m not leaving you alone anywhere on this
island. I’ll be fine.” His eye looked horrible, but at least it wasn’t swollen shut.
“If you say so.”
They walked in to the store, which smelled heavily of bleach. Tall metal rows of supplies and food filled the store. They roamed up and down the aisles which resembled more a pawn shop with scattered items than proper store. They found a first-aid kit, then continued down the row.
“What do you think of that?” Reed pointed to an old computer. “They can’t be asking much for it and if I can get it to work, we can connect with Tessa.”
They left in such a hurry that they hadn’t had time to grab any of their electronics, though Ari wouldn’t have trusted VisionTech’s stuff anyway.
“Check it out. It may be worth it. I’ll try to find something edible.” Ari headed to the next row, while Reed dusted off the computer.
It was slim pickings for healthy recognizable food, but she grabbed a couple of items. Her hand stung from where the broken pipe cut her. She’d need to glue that up so she didn’t catch some crazy disease on this island.
On the shelf over, some hair dye caught her eye. She had always loved her long brown hair, especially when her mother would play with it and braid it for her. But she’d be willing to part with it, if it meant she could see her mother again. She grabbed the box and some scissors and went back to Reed.
Reed had the computer in his hands. “Let’s see if we can afford it now.”
The man sat behind a clear barrier and spoke through a microphone. “That’ll be 100 cryptos.”
“You have to be kidding me,” Reed said. “You couldn’t do anything with this old junk.”
“Then why do you want it?”
“I said you couldn’t, not that I couldn’t. I’ll give you 50 for everything.”
“90,” he countered.
“75. We’re doing you a favor.”
“Deal.” During this whole encounter, the man behind the desk appeared completely bored, not even a reaction to Reed’s swollen eye. Reed paid the man in island coins. A nearby computer converted Reed’s coins to the correct currency, and they left for the hotel.
Hard Wired Trilogy Page 49