Destruction - The Oasis Project Book 2 (Complete)

Twenty-Five - Ira

Even though I was radiating heat from all the nerves I'd had in the recent few days, I rolled my sleeves down to my wrist, covering the angry red lines on my skin where I'd raked across my arms in anticipation of what was going to happen to me. My nails had been gnawed on messily and with me banned from all the training grounds, I had no other way to relieve my festering panic than to take it out on myself.

It had been four days since I was brought in front of the board of overseers - I counted the days down to each second as my life depended on it. My life did depend on it, on them. I hadn't been thrown into the solitary cell yet, but even despite Keshav's optimism, my hope was wearing thin. I saw Liana and Nita around at mealtimes, and they both looked away whenever I tried to make eye contact. Desmond had been a no-show. I didn't pay attention to where I shot him, but it was serious enough to leave him grounded at the infirmary for this long.

The hallway was lit brightly, and for a moment I entertained curling up on a couch in the common area and staring at the stark white walls until I fell asleep. Knowing my worries, Keshav had invited me and Nine for a movie night. It helped distract me a bit, and it was interesting to hear that Nine could never get an infection, but now that it was over, there was nothing to think about other than the punishment I would soon receive for fucking up my first mission. The thoughts piled up as I passed Desmond's door to mine.

I opened the door to my room to a quiet chatter, which stopped as soon as I let myself in. Two women filled up my couch, one freckled with copper hair, the other one fair but covered in tattoos. "Shit..." I whispered, a whirlwind of memories hitting me all at once. I held onto the wall for support, not realizing I'd used my wounded right arm until a delayed pain coursed through it.

"Ira!" Linkin called out, standing up immediately. I remembered she was thin before, but now she barely had any muscle. When she hugged me, I felt all of her protruding bones.

"What are you doing here?" Making contact with her skin wasn't numbing or painful anymore, but I noticed that she started to cling to me as if she was losing balance. It was a relief to see her alive, but there was more to her being here. Being here meant that she was also caught, and she was also an Oasis soldier in some capacity. My gut twisted as I gripped her shoulders. "Hey, are you alright?"

"She's not been feeling well," the redhead spoke up gently, not moving from the couch. Her hair was up in a messy bun, and she had a voice so calm that she could tell me the world was ending and I'd feel okay. To my surprise, she wore light colours. "I insisted that Linkin see a doctor as soon as we got here, but she was stubborn and wanted to see you first."

󠁌♟♙♟♙

"Who are you?" The Chinese doctor frowned at Linkin and her companion, Emma. Emma made me Linkin's crutch on the way to the infirmary, and although I had no problem supporting her weight, it was strange seeing as Emma and Linkin seemed like good friends. Right after remembering that Linkin's touch used to be awful and getting that memory debunked when Linkin touched me, Emma explained that she couldn't touch Linkin. I wasn't too keen on speaking to her.

"I'm Emma Neilson, One from Alaska," Emma told the doctor, sounding slightly foreign but mostly American, "and this is our Two... Linkin."

"Valentina Maione," the name sprung to mind without warning. I almost choked. Things were coming back, but too quickly. I wasn't prepared.

The doctor looked shocked as she sat Linkin down in a chair, stopping Linkin's head from lolling to the side with her hand. She looked over at Emma and me, still a little confused. "I will give her an examination. I will let you know soon, One." She looked at Emma and not me. "You have business?"

"Yes," Emma replied but didn't elaborate.

"Come back after you finish," the doctor said with her thick accent. Her gaze was enough to shoo us away.

"You're One?" Emma asked me as we headed back the way we came from. When I nodded, she seemed appalled. "But your room is barely a studio apartment! There's not even a kitchen!"

I squinted through one eye at her, not thrilled that we seemed to be heading back to the place she had just criticized. "What, was I supposed to expect a presidential suite? Room service, indoor pool, disco space, hanging gardens of Babylon?"

"Well-" She stopped to think, and I was glad for it. "Never mind."

"We aren't sharing a bed. I don't care what number you are," I said, almost amused to see Emma's face frozen in shock. I was glad to know that Linkin was alive, but something didn't feel right about Emma and I wished that she'd stop following me. "Linkin forgot to tell you I was territorial?" I wasn't, but Emma brought that out of me.

"She hasn't told me much about you," Emma said after regaining her composure. "The first I heard about you was a few hours ago."

"Oh?" I frowned. One more to add to the millions of things making me uneasy. I reminded myself that I hadn't talked about anyone, either, partly because I didn't want to muddle up those memories even more, and partly because I still trusted no one completely, not even Keshav or Wu. We stopped at my door, but Emma was still sticking to me as close as a curious dog. I glared at her. "You done with me?"

"Ira," Emma said in a placating tone. It dawned on me why everything felt wrong, and the moment a wave of calmness started to wash over me, I shivered. Emma tried to touch me but I snatched my arm away. "Ira, I'm here to talk to you about your last mission."

"You know what?" I tried to make my voice as level as hers. "I'm not a talker. Get the fuck out of my face."

And just when I thought I'd won my peace, she grabbed my bare hand and turned the doorknob with me.