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

It’s been over twenty-four hours as it is. I’m sorry but I have to go.”

“Please call me again—”

Ari clicked off the phone in the middle of Dave’s reply. For the first time she wished she could run away. Find a job and forget the responsibilities of her family, money, and everything else. That daydream didn’t last more than a second because she had to get to class. Advisor Williams would be keeping a close eye on her.

Ari made it through the rest of her classes, though she thought she would go mad. During class she searched through the electronic library archives about gifted programmers without typing in the name warper. She only found a few excerpts about warpers, even though they weren’t called that. One old text referred to a gifted student using cerebral programming. It didn’t tell her anything she didn’t already know. She was surprised to find they even called the practice ‘unsupported’ and ‘lacking enough empirical data to prove it productive’.

After class, Ari hurried to the wellness center. The wind cut straight to her core, and she wished she’d brought a heated coat. The clouds overhead made promises of snow and Ari felt homesick. On chilly days, she would eat popcorn and cuddle under a heated blanket with a book. Even Marco used to join in, acting out the characters in absurd dialects.

She missed Marco and hated herself for letting this happen. While she was off making out with Reed, Marco was hooked up to a machine wishing it was his real life. She found Reed outside the wellness center, holding a bag.

“Hi, I thought you might need something.” He offered her the small bag and a cup.

Ari knew she should eat, but she wanted to see her brother. “I don’t think I could stomach anything,”

“At least try the tea. Nurse Carey said she is finishing up some paperwork and will get us when she’s done.”

Ari took the cup. “Thanks. Is Advisor Williams here yet?”

“No. Should he be?”

“I hope not. I got enough of his pleasantries this morning.”

“I would think so.”

They sat in orange metal chairs outside the doorway of the wellness center. She drank the warm tea while Reed nervously picked at his jeans.

She could tell he wanted to talk. “What is it?”

“I don’t want you to go in there. I can do it for you. I spoke to Nurse Carey already.”

Ari didn’t want to fight. She was too exhausted. “You know I have to do it right?”

“You think you do.” His stubborn gaze bore into hers.

Yes, she would rather not do this, and before starting school, she would have taken Reed up on his offer. But she could do things Reed couldn’t, and despite the unknown consequences, she had to try.

Ari leaned into Reed and wrapped her arms around him, his familiar musky scent enveloping her. She leaned her head into his neck as she whispered, “You know I do.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Once inside the VR, the smell of alcohol and the soft drone of conversation greeted Ari. A mass of people littered the shiny VR bar. It was Reed’s idea, actually. When you plug in a comatose person, the virtual needed to be something that seemed plausible for the patient’s brain to accept. Otherwise, they rejected the scenario and continued in their own made-up world, unable to let others in.

Reed knew that Marco had been to this VR before. The dark bar glittered with tiny white lights hanging from the ceiling. When Ari looked closely, the binary code ran down each light. Eerie shadows scattered on the faces of the people in the bar. It took only a moment to realize the first fallacy, as Dr. Coleman called it. Every one of the programmed people was extremely attractive. All could pass for models, even those that dressed down a bit.

No offense to her brother’s looks, but he easily stood out in the crowd. He sat perched on a stool at the end of a long bar, looking a touch befuddled. Ari took a deep breath then headed towards him.

“A couple more of those,” Ari told the bartender motioning to the colored drinks that a couple of nearby girls were holding. “Even though you don’t look like you need it,” Ari said to Marco.

“I guess.” He shook his head slightly. “Hey, Ari. When did you get here?”

“A few minutes ago. I was held up at school.”

“School?”

“Of course. You go on vacation and already forget about it?” It surprised Ari at how easily the lies came pouring out of her mouth.

“I guess I’m more drunk than I thought.” Despite his statement, when his drink arrived he gulped most of it down.

“Yeah, do you want to head back to campus?” Ari asked kindly as she stifled her desire to hug him and drag him out by his ear.

“Hell, no. I should at least hit another VR before they shut down.” He scanned the crowd. His gaze lingered on a pair of girls.

“Hey, why don’t we do one together?”

Marco cocked an eyebrow.

“I thought it would be nice to hang out. We never spend time together anymore.” With the way Marco looked, Ari was sure going in a VR to talk was not what Marco had in mind.

“You gonna pay? Because I usually find some needy girl to pay for me.”

Ari couldn’t restrain herself and smacked him on the arm. “Don’t be a pig.”

“What? They want company. I’m low on cash. Nobody complains.”

Ari remembered the missing money from her account. “You’re the one who took my money.”

He rubbed an invisible spot on the table. “I planned on paying you back. I swear.” Lifting his eyes, they held guilt and regret.

Unable to muster the energy to be mad, Ari welcomed the drink from the bartender and took a sip. “Yes, yes you will.”

Ari pushed back the urge to hit him and focused at the job on hand. “If you walk me home, I’ll invite you to Tessa’s condo next weekend.”

“Really?” Marco’s brow creased as if doubtful at first, but