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

a one-sided conversation with her unresponsive husband, but despite her efforts, Ari wouldn’t play along. She was done pretending this was okay when it wasn’t. Instead, she fixated on the computer tied to his vitals and feeding tube. With coma patients, you could turn off the computer or whatever VR they were in, but their brains wouldn’t wake up. Subconsciously their minds stayed in the virtual world even without the plug. They didn’t want to wake up, not even to eat, drink or survive.

That one little box of wires and parts controlled their lives. She bit back the tears that burned her eyes. He didn’t deserve them anymore.

Trying to block out the memory of the trip, Ari pulled up a book on her old tablet and read for the rest of the trip. A mechanical voice pulled her back to reality and informed them of their upcoming stop. Standing, she pulled her old leather bag onto her shoulder. It was her dad’s or had been. The only reminder she had of him. Not sure why she even kept it anymore, she reached for the battered suitcase above her seat.

Reed appeared at her side and helped pull it down. “How are you feeling?”

Like an idiot, she wanted to say. Instead she kept her eyes down and mumbled, “Fine.”

“Don’t worry. School’s not that bad.”

Marco appeared between them. “Oh, my sis will do great. Once they strap her down for her VRs.”

Ari glared at her brother and stepped off the tram.

“It’s not like every class is in the VR.” Marco kept close behind her. “Unfortunately.”

“Whatever, Marco.” Ari kept moving with the flow of the other students. People had spoken about making all of the Academy’s classes purely VR, so the cost of schooling would be cheaper, but they found students suffered from too much VR use. VR comas were on the rise, malnutrition ran rampant, and muscular atrophy increasingly common. Ari grimaced at the thought of her future working with these wonderful machines.

Ari arrived at the gates and wasn’t sure what bothered her more: the armed guards waiting to let students into the Tech Academy, or the high electrified fence that wrapped around the school. Was it to keep people in, or out?

Students stood with their motorized luggage trailing behind as the line to enter the silver registration building crawled forward. The sun peered out through the clouds, warming them as they waited. The immaculate grounds sprawled in both directions with flawless engineered grass and bushes. Massive trees stood along the electric fence.

They finally entered the registration building, which entailed another line. This time though, they could watch the government news and alerts that ran on screens as the lines inched forward. Details on the current global conflicts played on the screens. The government referred to the various wars as the Continuing Struggle for Human Rights. Most people called it the Never-Ending War. One picture of a soldier stood out as he held an injured child in his arms. Large words appeared underneath him: “Our Democratic Union at Work.” The line moved forward. Up ahead, guards processed the incoming and returning students.

“You’re next, Ari.” Marco pushed her toward the armed guard standing in front of the scanner.

She couldn’t help but notice the weapons at his waist that stood out against his pale silver uniform. She placed her luggage on one scanner and walked through the other.

“Ariana Mendez?” The guard asked looking at his monitor.

“Yes.”

“This way please.” The barrel-chested guard motioned for Ari to step to the side. He pulled out a silver electronic wrist HUB.

“I already have one.” Granted the sleek design would outrun her old HUB, which was battered and slow, but her HUB had all her favorite books, shows, and old contacts. Her life lived on her wrist.

“Every new student is required to have a school issued HUB.” He waited expectantly and motioned to the desk, which held a pad to rest her arm on.

She released her old HUB, slid it into her pocket, and extended her hand out. He placed the new device on her wrist and it automatically sealed shut. It would take pliers and a blowtorch to pry it off.

He must have guessed her thought. “Don’t attempt to remove it. The school would be notified immediately.”

“Great,” she mumbled.

“Also, you have been requested to see Advisor Williams. You can request directions from your HUB.”

Unease tightened her stomach. “What for?”

“Because he asked.” The guard waved her along and turned his attention back to the line of students.

Ari turned to say bye to her brother, but he was already in deep conversation with a red-headed girl. Reed stood under the silver full-body scanner and was busy talking to a guard. She turned back around and walked through the doors, stepping into a world that could have been its own VR.

A variety of modern, polished buildings reached up to the heavens. Every building was different and unique. One mirrored its surroundings, almost disappearing as it traveled up to the sky. When her gaze finally returned earth bound, the grounds were no less stunning. Brightly colored shrubs and flowers were scattered around the greenery. On closer inspection, she realized they were manufactured. Genetic replicas that couldn’t help but be flawless. The picture-perfect landscape sent an uncomfortable chill down her back.

Activating her new wristwear, she followed its directions. Students brushed by her, talking to one another or some flying by on boards. She couldn’t help but stare at the variety of tech: projected on arms, hands, and glasses with display screens. Other people showed no sign of tech, not even contacts, as they talked with an invisible someone, probably using the new Push implant she’d read about—an implant that connected directly to your tech and was only steps away from a portable VR.

She was light-years behind these kids and that wasn’t even talking about virtuals. Granted, even if she could afford it, Ari detested the idea of an implant. Why would kids even want an implant here when the school and government monitored all