Ari wasn’t sure what was worse, her mother’s heart-wrenching expression or Marco’s silent anger. She tried to not let the darkness drag her down and focused on the breakfast discussion to catch up on everything that happened.
Soon everyone was cleaning up breakfast and heading off for the morning meeting. In hopes of catching her mom in the kitchen, Ari went to grab another cup of coffee. Sue was loading the dishwasher, but her mother was nowhere in sight.
Sue must have noticed her expression. “Looking for your mom? I told her to go back to bed. She’s struggling since the news.”
“She told you?”
“About your dad? Yes.” Sue wiped her hands on her apron and turned around, leaning on the counter. “We’ve grown close, since she’s arrived. She assumed he had passed, but assuming and knowing is different.”
“Yeah.” Ari grabbed that extra cup of coffee and headed down to the meeting.
In the room, she nabbed a seat next Harini and sipped at the hot, bitter liquid. She appeared to be the last one, and Patrick cleared his throat to signal everyone to be quiet. He clicked a switch to turn on a projector.
“It took some careful hacking on Joe’s part, but we’ve finally got a good look at the program that they used.” Patrick clicked a button and code appeared on the screen.
Ari’s ability to read code had improved drastically over the past year. Characters and symbols stood out as the others blended into actions without extra thought. Similar to any language, it told stories or instructions. There, right at the end, was something she had never seen before. That row of characters looked foreign, but how? If it was original, then how would the systems register it.
“Tell the mundane here what I’m looking at?” Marco leaned back in his chair, several spaces down from Ari.
Patrick circled the new section.
“How can that be?” Tricky stared at the screen and mirrored Ari’s own thoughts.
Joe leaned forward, elbows on the large table. “It has to be in the hardware.”
“But it happened on our end,” Ari pointed out. “How could they mess with our machines?”
“Through the basic processing system,” Patrick said. “There are only two main companies that make VR machines. The smaller companies may or may not be affected as well. We’ll need to take apart our machines and see what we’re dealing with.”
“Do we have anyone capable of doing that?”
“Not an expert, no.” Patrick clicked the button and a list of companies involved in the manufacturing of VR machines and software filled the screen.
“Sketchy and I can see what we’re dealing with,” Blur said, sitting by his sister.
“And if necessary, we can hire someone. There are enough black market techies that it shouldn’t be difficult,” Patrick said.
“I probably have a lead or two on that,” Joe rubbed the back of his hair, which looked recently washed.
“In the meantime, you’re telling me we can’t plug in?” Tricky asked.
Patrick focused on Tricky, frustration evident on his face. “That is exactly what I’m telling you.”
“It’s not like these guys are everywhere. Any hint of trouble and we can run.”
“Wait,” Ari cut off Patrick’s rebuttal. “Why can’t we use this to our advantage?”
There was silence for a moment and Ari realized what she was saying. She wanted to use this program on other people. They had stolen, manipulated, and lied to help their cause and safety, but Ari just suggested they go to the next level and hurt people. Hurt people in the real, where they might not recover.
“What do you mean?” Joe asked.
“We are warpers, why don’t we use this tool to see exactly what these people are up too. Maxim and the board aren’t using this to save orphans and puppies. The world needs to know this is out there too. How many people never wake up from their trip and get written off as another VR coma? Everyone deserves to know that the VR is no longer safe for anyone.”
“You think that will matter?” Joe, sitting across the table from her, steadied his gaze.
“Maybe not to everyone, but to some,” Ari said.
“Let’s sit on this for a bit. We don’t know enough about the program yet.” Patrick clicked off the screen. “While Sketchy, Blur and I check out the machines, everyone else take it easy. Get your exercising in and relax a bit. We all need to be mentally and physically ready to go. We’ll meet up soon.”
Marco was the first out of the room without even a glance for his sister. He needed time. She tried to focus on what she could control.
“Joe,” she called him before he left.
“Yes?”
“I saw you fighting back in the stairwell.”
He nodded and waited for her to continue.
“Do you think you could teach me?”
Narrowing his gaze, he answered, “You sure?”
“I’m positive. I was practically useless back there, and I don’t ever want to be a victim ever again.”
“Okay. I’ll change. Meet me down there in five.” He left the room, leaving Harini and Ari.
“You really want to learn to fight in the real?” Harini asked. They all fought in the virtuals, but not many knew how to in real life.
“My old trainer taught me some. It’s nice to feel… well, not weak, empowered even. After what I’ve gone through in the last year, I never know when I’ll need it.”
“Maybe I’ll come watch and do some cardio.”
“Great. An audience while Joe kicks my butt.”
Harini smiled. “Every good butt-kicking needs an audience with appropriate mocking.”
Ari stood to leave, bringing her coffee with her to finish on the way. She may need it.
After a quick change into flexible pants and a loose tank top, she hurried downstairs, a mix of excitement and nerves. She always had worked out, especially when she learned about the connection of her mental and physical health, but she hadn’t grappled for a while. Joe stood on the mat, stretching out his arms. After she was warmed up, he began with some basic techniques. Similar to what Niomi had taught her, but he moved with a speed and a grace that Niomi could never match.
Sweat poured off her skin as they speed up the exercises. Harini stayed on the elliptical machine watching them, and even Tricky stopped in to see what was going on. The two of them offered encouragements and criticism where needed; of course, Harini was the cheerleader while Tricky rode her butt.
Marco appeared briefly in the basement, but once he saw Ari on the mat, he turned back around mumbling something about going outside.
The hour sped by and ended with Ari in a sweaty pool on the mat, sitting with her arms on her bent knees. “Thanks, Joe.” Ari had to get it in now, because tomorrow she may be too sore for gratitude.
“I’m going to get some reading in before lunch,” Harini said as she headed upstairs. “See ya.”
Tricky had already left by then, so it was just Joe and Ari in the basement.
He grabbed a towel and dabbed at his temples. “You need to make it right with your brother.”
Ari pulled back slightly. It wasn’t like Joe to get involved in anyone’s personal life. He was always silent when it came to things like that, taking it all in, but never participating.
“I apologized.” She stood up, uncomfortable having the conversation with her on the ground.
“Apologizing is not the same as making it right. I was with him when you left. Both times. And I have the feeling it happened before. You don’t run out on people you care about, or when you return things are not ever the same.”
For the first time, it sunk in a bit. Ari had always worried about herself and what was happening to her. Even when she went back for her mom and Marco, it was for her own peace of mind. Marco’s world was just as scrambled as hers, no fault of his own. Even when their dad fell into his VR coma, only Ari got to go back in to see him one final time. To her credit, she did apologize, but that wasn’t enough.
Problem was, she didn’t know how to make it right.
“I’ll talk to him.”
“Sooner than later. We need our team to be cohesive. We can’t afford to be any less than our best.” He threw the towel in the nearby hamper and left.
Despite her desire to sink into the mat and never get up, Ari followed Joe out of the basement, in search of Marco.
Chapter 28
Ari found her brother on the back porch smoking. “Patrick says exercise and you start smoking?” She glared at the cigarette.
“It was a bit too crowded down there.” Grumpy didn’t look well on Marco. His normally jovial eyes narrowed and creased his forehead.
She kicked at a stray rock and it skittered across the grass. Never tiring of all the green that surrounded her, she took a deep breath. Somehow, even though they were at a higher elevation than home and the oxygen was thinner, she found it easier to breathe here. Not as suffocating as the dust and cactus back home.
She needed that extra breath to not jump into their normal bickering. Looking at things from his perspective, she needed to find compassion. This was her brother that she loved. She didn’t have so much family that she could risk losing any of them.
She took the seat next to him on the large wooden swing. He didn’t acknowledge her, just took another drag. They sat in silence, letting the small noises of nature surround them. He exhaled a large plume of smoke into the dense trees.
After trying to gather her thoughts, Ari broke the silence. “I need to apologize.”
He didn’t say anything.
“Marco, I’m sorry for dragging you here. Sorry for not thinking through how my decisions affect you.”
“Thing is, that doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t change the fact we’re in a foreign country with people we barely know. It doesn’t change the fact that Reed is back home working in the factory, and it doesn’t change the fact that Dad is dead.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Emotions tried to claw their way up her throat. She reached over and grabbed his e-cig and took a drag. Coughing, she remembered way too late that she hated smoking. Yet right now, she welcomed the discomfort that kept scarier emotions at bay.
“Patrick says exercise and you start smoking?”
“Yep.” She took one more drag and handed it back. “How can I make this right?”
A bitter laugh escaped him. “Not sure you can. I can’t get back my life, my dad, or even my friend.”
“Reed isn’t dead. It would be more difficult to contact him, but have you met Joe and Blur? With them, anything is possible. But if you do,” Ari swallowed the knot in her throat, “Just don’t tell me about it.”
“How did things end with you two? I have a hard time believing he wanted to stay. Despite what I said earlier, he has been watching you for some time. The only thing that held him back was me, I think.”
She willed herself not to cry, not to open that box filled with old memories and regret. “I hurt him and his mom a lot. They finally got things in order and didn’t need me messing things up.”
He cocked his head to look at her, confusion creasing his forehead. “Did you even talk to him?”
“I had a long talk with his mom and spoke briefly with him for a moment.”
He started to say something, but she placed a hand on his arm. “Please, Marco, just drop it. It’s for the best.” Her voice betrayed her as it tightened with despair. “I already said my goodbyes, and I need to focus on our work here.”
His pinched mouth softened. “Okay, I won’t say anything else.”
“Thanks.” Her hand fell away, and she turned back to the forest. “Are you happy here, Marco? I know you always liked your independence. We can talk to Patrick, find you a job somewhere. I don’t want you to feel trapped in this life, even if you can’t go back to your old one.”
He thought on that for a moment, his finger tapping against his leg. “Yes, I’m still angry about what we left behind. Not so much at you, but just at life, you know. This is the hand we’re dealt, but it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it. But we’re safe right now, we have money and resources we never had before. So maybe I’m not happy but I’m as close as I’m going to be. I want to stay with you and Mom. We’ll see how this next mission plays out. Things may be changing, not just for us, but for everyone.”
“They can destroy people through the cables. I never thought it would happen.” She rubbed a cold spot on her arm as the fear of the repercussions of such power crept into her mind.
He huffed. “I’m honestly surprised it didn’t happen sooner, but maybe that was the plan. Get everyone hooked, then control them how you want.”
“Can you even imagine a life without it?”
“I haven’t been plugged in for a while, so I think I can.” He finally slipped his e-cig back into his pocket. “Were you serious about weaponizing the program for our benefit? It doesn’t seem like you.”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure, but we have to do something. What they do in VLEX? It isn’t right. People have lost their humanity long ago, everyone is just another part of the program. Lives are created and destroyed at the whim of those in charge.”
“It may just up the stakes, making everything more dangerous.”
“That’s probably why Patrick didn’t want to do it. Plus, it would be hard to hurt people when you’re not even sure who they are on the other end. But if push comes to shove…”
“Maybe Tricky is rubbing off on you?”
“Is that a bad thing?” Ari admired Tricky’s strength and determination.
“Look how that ended up for her. She’s lucky to be back among the living and she’s now mentally closer to Sketchy than her twin now.” Marco stood to leave but stayed watching the trees. “So, now that Reed is gone, you going to end up with Patrick?”
“It’s not like that.” There was an obvious attraction with Patrick, but it had no bearing on her decision to leave Reed.
“I see how he looks at you. The others have even mentioned it.” He didn’t look at her, but she heard the disgust in his voice.
“We’re both committed to the mission and the team, that’s all.”
“And here I thought you were smart.” He started to walk away.
Ari got up, catching his arm. “Marco, I don’t want to fight with you.”
His face softened. “Don’t worry. We’re good. I’m just dealing with my own stuff.”
“You want to talk?”
“Nope, but thanks for the offer.” He rubbed the top of her hair. “Just stay safe in there, okay.”
“Always.” She watched him walk away. Things weren’t perfect between them, but it never was. It wasn’t supposed to be. They were family, they loved each other, and that’s all that mattered.
The rest of her day was spent reading and helping her mom in the kitchen. It had been years since they cooked together. They made tamales, from Ari’s abuela’s recipe. It was a long task but in the steady rhythm of work, they found contentment. The silence was lit with sorrow for the loss of her dad, but they were together. That’s what mattered.
Everyone showed up for the evening meal, and Ari felt a little guilty for her day off. Obviously, Patrick, Sketchy, and Blur had been hard at the machines all day. It wasn’t anything Ari could help with. While she could fix a simple bot or most of the electronics—since she had to out of necessity—VR machines were a whole different level. One that Ari avoided as much as she could.
The progress was slow and finding an expert they could trust was proving to be just as hard. Most turned them down, and the only possibility was a thousand miles away. This wasn’t something that could be done over the cables.
Dinner was good, laughter and conversation flowed throughout the room and the spicy smell of the food highlighted the evening. Ari realized this was enough, surrounded by family and friends. But would it last?
Between them all, they were fugitives from at least ten different countries and that only because the other coun
tries didn’t know about them. They were fighting powers stronger than all of them combined. Their power was only in the VR and the board had just taken that away too.
Patrick must have noticed her forlorn thoughts. He stood to clear his plate and stopped by Ari to pick her up. Leaning over her shoulder, he spoke quietly. “Are you okay?”
It shook her out of her melancholy. No use in worrying about tomorrow. “Just lost in my thoughts. I’m good.”
“Come by my office tonight if you could. I’d like to discuss something with you.” He walked off with dishes in hand.
A heavy feeling sank to the bottom of her stomach. What would he want to talk about? Was Marco right? Did Patrick still hold feelings for her? He couldn’t really think she’d be ready for a relationship so soon after leaving Reed back there.
She sipped her water and pushed away the thoughts. Getting stuck in her head didn’t help things. Instead, she turned her attention to Sketchy and Sue.
Sketchy scratched his head and then put his cap back on top. “After my buddy messed with my translator, he snuck it back in my bag. So, while I was trying to sell my old car, they thought I meant my wife. If I had known when they asked how much my wife cost, I would have never said, cheap, cheap. I would have said, free, free.”
Sue whacked him on the arm, while the table roared in laughter. Sketchy acted like he had been mortally wounded. Ari couldn’t help but join in.
“You should have seen Marco as a boy,” Ari’s mother said as she came back in from the kitchen. “Every time I turned around, he was in trouble again. If I didn’t get a call from the teacher every week, I had to make sure he attended classes.”
“I can see that.” Tricky gave Marco a sly smile.
“You should have seen the day everyone was supposed to have a special lecture from the government, via VR. Marco switched out the programs—” Ari couldn’t help the laughter bubbling up from the memory.
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