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

Her rooms were on the west end of the building, a small annex of sorts. An annex with high security clearance. The doors opened on command, a gush of air greeting her and cooling the sweat on her brow.

“Welcome, Ariana Mendez,” her AI said as she entered the building.

“Hey, Henry,” she answered her ever-present assistant. Having a computer track her every step didn’t sit right with her. She not only had her uniform, but the implant in the base of her neck, right below her VR port, tracking her physical location too. She understood the reason: she was expensive to obtain and worth a lot more. The threat of her being taken by another company or government was real, but it never felt natural.

Ari headed down the silent hall, past the empty communal kitchen, coffee shop, and theater area. It took a while to get used to the isolation, especially when she knew there were hundreds, probably thousands of people working on this island. These rooms, actually the whole wing, were reserved for warpers, but she was the only one. Niomi also had rooms nearby but usually kept to herself.

On entering her own suite, the lights flicked on, and her playlist blared through the halls. Mostly electro songs, they seemed to fit the sterile environment, but every now and then she’d listen to some old Latin tunes to remind her of home.

Walking into her bathroom, she stripped down and jumped into the shower cubicle. Warm water massaged her muscles, and she had to fight the urge not to linger. Today, Niomi had something new for her and Ari still couldn’t guess what it was.

With a command, Ari shut off the water and turned on the full body, floor-to-ceiling dryer. Like a silver doorway, it warmed her up and dried her off in no time. Once her hair was mostly dry, she dressed in a clean Fit Suit. Ari didn’t always wear these electronic suits, but Niomi preferred them for work, especially if she was going under, so they could monitor their vitals. Fingering the expensive material, she wondered how much these suits helped while in the VR.

If her father had one, would he have still gone into a coma? Probably. His VR coma was of his own making. Not wanting to face reality, his subconscious chose to never wake up. But they could maybe help her brother, Marco, who had the same tendencies.

Thinking of home, she wished she could call Reed, but he worked until five. Her boyfriend was the one thing she was able to bring with her. VisionTech gave Reed a job and opportunities that he couldn’t find back at home, opportunities that kept him just as busy as Ari. Pushing aside her distracting thoughts, she headed out to find Niomi.

The hall shone with its pristine white floors and large floor-to-ceiling windows leading out to a view of lush jungle life making the beauty feel alive. A colorful bird soared down into the dense foliage. Surreal.

Ari continued down the hall as a knock sounded from her suit. With her hands tangled in her hair she was unable to see who was calling. “Answer,” she said. “This is Ari. Who’s this?”

“Only your most brilliant friend that you will adore and worship forever.” Ari recognized his voice of her technical liaison.

“So, why are you so brilliant today?”

“I finished your personalized modification for your VR suit. You’ll be flying through your program.”

“Flying, huh? Pretty sure humans conquered that in the 1800s.”

“Not like this. Trust me, you’ll love it.”

A grin stretched wide on her face. Vinh’s job was to assist with her gear and anything else she needed. In the past months, he quickly grew into a friend. A quirky friend with no people skills, who loved to socialize.

“Is that part of what Niomi wanted to do today? Try out my gear?”

“Think so. Not sure. Aren’t you cutting it close to meet her? I don’t want to hear you complaining about Niomi busting your butt in training.”

Ari checked the time on the HUB built into the forearm of the suit and realized she was late. “Flip. I better go.” She rushed down the hall.

The annoying AI called out. “Remember your meeting with Niomi in room—”

“Yeah, yeah. Hold your horses, Henry.” Her artificial personal assistant’s name changed weekly, sometimes daily, depending on Ari’s mood. Henry was the name of Ari’s first pet, a pissy old cat. And it fit, today.

Ari hurried down the hall. If she was a minute late, Niomi would require her to run some serious mileage with her tomorrow. And Niomi could run for miles on end. As it was, Ari had never been so fit in her life and never wanted to be. It’s her luck to be stuck with a full-time trainer that thinks muscles outside a virtual are just as important as in.

“You have thirty seconds to—”

“Shut up, Henry.” She quieted her AI as she sprinted around the corner, her feet sliding on the floor.

Metal doors appeared, and Ari hurried to her usual training room, sliding to a stop. While the door read her chip and scanned her cornea for clearance, she tried to slow her breath. Then, she walked into an empty training room.

Once inside the room, her breath caught in her throat as she took in the bloody face before her.

Chapter 2

Two men fought on the screen in some type of office. The fight was shown from the point of view of a of man wearing a black suit of some kind. He was attacking another man dressed in long cream robes. The man in black obviously had the advantage as he pressed forward, striking repeated blows with his fists. Ari cringed as she watched blood drip off the robed man’s chin. His dark skin couldn’t hide the crimson color staining his face and dripping onto his beige robes.

She had seen violent movies and games, even played a few herself. But with this oversized screen, she didn’t hear a soundtrack in the background, only