Hard Wired Trilogy DeAnna Pearce (if you give a mouse a cookie read aloud txt) 📖

“I’m not saying I won’t help.” His smile lifted on one side.

“So, you’ll help?”

“I can’t contact your family without losing my job. It would put both them and you in danger.”

Disappointment pulled at her shoulders, then an idea came to her. “What about a friend at a different company?” Her ex-roommate and best friend Tessa should be easy enough to contact through her father. Maybe she could check in on Marco and Ari’s mom.

Vinh bit the inside of his lip. “Maybe. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll get the information later. You’ll owe me, you know.”

“Agreed. I’ll work on wrestling a fish for you on my next run,” she joked. She didn’t mind owing Vinh.

The next morning, Ari stood outside the wave, waiting for Reed. She took a few steps towards the shore. Did we say we’d meet at the beach and I forget? Double checking her HUB, she didn’t see a message. She called him, but it went straight to voice mail.

Before worry set in, she reminded herself he was at one of the safest places in the world. He probably just had a late night and slept in. After sending him a message, she set off on her usual path.

Surprisingly, the run went by quickly. Thoughts of not only Reed but of her family occupied her mind. By the time she returned, Niomi was at the gym warming up.

“I thought maybe we could skip sparring and weights today, since I still have so much to work on.” With a pile of twenty or so profiles to learn, Ari needed all the extra time she could get. Not being bruised or sore for a day would also be a side benefit.

Niomi shook her head. “No. We never skip your training. Trust me on this. The healthier you are out here, the better you’ll do in there. And soon you’ll be in VLEX more than you want. I can quiz you as we fight.”

“Oh joy.” Ari picked up a staff. She wasn’t too disappointed though. The less time inside the better in her book.

They went through their usual physical training session. Then Ari had time for a quick shower and snack before joining Niomi back in the VR. Once in a program, she spent her entire session as Kari in a room full of mirrors.

The odd feeling of being displaced slowly vanished as they worked for hours. Not that she’d ever get used to looking like another person, but it didn’t surprise her anymore to look down and see a petite pale arm with perfectly painted rose colored nails. By the time evening rolled around, the voice sounded almost natural.

Once out of the VR, they studied videos of Kari’s life. Not that Ari would ever be this person outside of VLEX, but she needed to know every personal detail possible. After watching her eat dinner with her parents, take in a stray cat, and even cry when that cat died, Kari morphed into a real person, someone Ari would probably enjoy meeting.

“What happens to Kari when I impersonate her in the VLEX?” Ari leaned back in the chair, her notes in the screen on the desk in front of her. “Is she told to take a vacation or something?”

“Not sure and it’s not our business to care. We focus on our job and doing it perfectly. The rest is up to others.”

Ari straighten up. “You’re really okay with not knowing?” Her trainer didn’t seem to be the type to take orders with such blind faith. But Ari had only known her for six months or so. Maybe she was wrong.

Niomi set down her screen marker. “When you’ve been in this business for ten years or so, you learn that you don’t want to know. We have enough work set out for us. To take on any more isn’t good.” She stared at the screen for a moment as if contemplating saying more but didn’t.

Words left unsaid floated in the air, leaving an uneasy sensation crawling along Ari’s arms. She wasn’t so easily appeased.

Niomi changed the subject, and they continued analyzing every minute detail of Kari’s life.

By the time Niomi called it quits, night had fallen. Soft blue lights illuminated the hallway. The moon hung high outside, shinning down on the night life on the island. Most of the animals slept, but a few nocturnal creatures moved through the trees and if lucky she’d glimpse a bat or long tail.

Her first week or so in the Wave, she found watching the evening wildlife disconcerting with its never-ending darkness. But now she enjoyed it on clear nights. Inside her room, she even programed her walls so she could continue seeing outside.

Too exhausted to even eat, she drank a high calorie shake so Niomi wouldn’t harass her. In bed, a call came through. Reed.

She accepted the video call. “Hey, stranger.”

His sweet smile and kind eyes filled the video. “I’m so sorry. I met with the art team until late into the night and by the time—”

“Stop.” Ari interrupted him. “I’m going to pass out any second and don’t want to waste it on apologies. I get it. Tell me how your day was instead.”

“Okay.” They settled into their usual conversation. Talking much longer than Ari thought she would last. She realized how much she missed him. Even though they weren’t that close physically, it was close enough.

The next few days passed in the same fashion. Reed’s busy schedule kept him from a lot of morning runs, which Ari hated but supported. Ari spent the day training with Niomi, memorizing more profiles, or skins as Niomi referred to them. Then she spent her evening chatting with Vinh or Reed. The three of them even met for dinner once. Ari cherished her time with both of them. They kept her grounded and reminded her of who she was as she spent the day learning to be someone else.

Chapter 6

Dusting on a fine layer of powder, Ari finished getting ready for