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

for one more visit. Down a couple blocks was Emil’s office, where she’d met him before. This may be her last visit inside here for a while, she had to know the truth.

Standing in front of the coffee shop, she wondered how to get in. Hailey had entered a code. Focusing intently on the characters within the code, she couldn’t see anything beyond the coffee shop. Beneath it was nothing. A blank sheet of some sort. Ideas of yelling came to her mind, but she quickly dismissed them. She didn’t need any unwanted attention right now.

When she was about to give up, Hailey opened the door. “Did you want coffee or to see my gorgeous face?” She ushered Ari inside.

The two girls stood inside the long black and white corridor, empty except for them. Ari couldn’t help but wonder why, and at what cost, Hailey remained here. “I want to talk to Emil.”

The smile vanished from Hailey’s face. “He doesn’t keep regular office hours.”

“I don’t care. I have about five minutes until I’m off the radar for a bit. Tell me how to contact him on the outside or let me talk to him now.”

She bit her lip and glanced down the hall. “Give me one minute.” She disappeared in one of the many doors.

Shivering, Ari rubbed her arms. She’d never felt cold inside the VR before, unless in a snowscape. She could only wonder about the coding to make a place like this. Invisible to the others in the program yet connected in so many ways. As she started to stare at the coding surrounding her, Hailey reappeared.

“This way.” Hailey led the way down the hall and opened a door for Ari, remaining outside. “Here you go.”

Inside, a simple room held two chairs, Emil in one. “Have a seat. I assume this isn’t a social call.”

“No, it isn’t.” Ari sat in the other seat, perched on the edge. “I need to know if warping will kill me. Do I have a shelf life?”

A hint of amusement glinted in his eyes. “You read your file?”

“This isn’t funny. I want to know the truth. And if so, why is your team still here?”

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “This will kill you, Ari. Companies will try to use up your shelf life for their profit. Because even a couple years of your talent is worth more than most other people’s whole lives.”

She slumped back his words echoing in her mind. This will kill you. He gave her a minute to absorb the truth. Part of her wished shelf life was code for something else. One year or ten years did it really matter? Niomi, who worked so hard to keep her healthy, was just fattening her up for the slaughter.

“Is that where the headaches come from? The hallucinations?” Ari knew they were connected but never dreamed of the extent of the damage. No wonder Niomi was mad from before.

“Yes. This ability takes a toll on our mind. Our brains slowly deteriorate until we don’t know what is real or not.”

“Then why do you do it? Can’t you make enough money to retire for the rest of your life?”

“We think our lives are for more than just making money.” He cocked a brow as if daring her to challenge that statement.

Ari didn’t reply.

“Our team helps to shape humanity, when humanity delves into things they shouldn’t. So many people spend their lives doing nothing of real importance. With this gift, we can topple governments, free a whole generation from slavery, the options are limitless.”

A small knock sounded on the door, and Hailey stuck her head in. “They are pushing at our wall.”

Emil turned to Ari. “I’m sorry, but I’m needed elsewhere. Can you see yourself out?”

“Wait, is there a way to find you on the outside?”

“I told you. Meet us in the game Gaia. And the next time I see you remember to bring your file.”

Before she could say anything else, Ari found herself outside the coffee shop, staring at the door. That’s one way of seeing people out. Walking down the street, a strange numbness traveled through her body as she processed what he said. So many people do nothing of real importance. It struck her as true. How often do we run around putting work, money or overall busyness as the priority in life? She had this gift that while costly, could do a lot. Hailey worked on the UN inside of VLEX. Changes that affect the world, while Ari was slowly killing herself so that the VisionTech could make more cryptos this year.

Chapter 32

Pulling out of VLEX, Ari’s mind spun in different directions while her body waded through reality. Pull out the plug. Turn off the connection.

“What happened?” Niomi asked, snapping Ari awake.

“What?”

“How did things go with Antoine?”

“Good.”

“You ended things with him?” Her gaze bore into Ari. They had worked closely together for some time and Niomi could read her too easily.

“He won’t be a problem anymore.” Ari tried to stick as close to the truth as possible to keep her suit calm.

“Good.” Niomi turned back to her screen.

Ari stepped up to her desk. “Niomi?”

“Yeah.” Her eyes stayed forward.

“I want to quit.”

Niomi’s hands froze over the keyboard, and then she turned. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Ari lied. “Well, maybe everything. I’m tired of living other people’s lives. I want out of my contract.”

“It’s not as easy as that. You signed a contract for five years. If you back out now, you don’t have the money to pay back all the money they invested in you. You don’t have enough money to get off the island.”

“What about my salary? I’ve kept some.”

“That would be taken away from you. It’s not yours if you quit.” Niomi brushed a hand through her short hair. “Look. I know they are asking a lot from you.”

Yes, they are. My whole life. Ari kept her mouth shut.

“But put in your time, and you’ll have enough money to retire after this. Trust me, if you want to