Destruction - The Oasis Project Book 2 (Complete)

Thirty-Eight - Linkin

It was just after breakfast, Thierry had made an entire meal, something not even ten people could finish let alone the two of us. He had given me his vitamins and about twenty minutes later, and I was starting to regret it. The familiar feeling of every breath hurting reminded me of Dell Island. My skin felt tight and sore, but thankfully that pain was reduced.

The more pain I felt, the sicker I became. Every breath made me think of Dell Island, of Desmond, Stuart, its destruction. Thierry was getting worried. He laid me down on the sofa, shivering, sweating. I could barely keep my eyes open or my head raised as he helped me take a sip of water. "What is it, what's wrong?" Thierry was panicking, I would have been too if I had the strength for it.

It felt like my entire body was shutting down. Everything hurt, I felt weak and yet at the same time, like fire was coursing through my veins. Something was off, very wrong, and I didn't have the energy to figure out what.

After my second seizure, Thierry brought me to the bedroom. I had fallen off the couch and hit my head on the coffee table. He whispered under his breath that I'd be safer in bed. It'd be at least more difficult to fall out of a king.

Thankfully, the curtains in the bedroom were still closed, the darkness brought some peace, but not much. Time seemed to slow and speed up at times, at one point I was sure time was completely broken. I was starting to have full on hallucinations, at least I assumed that Ira wasn't singing to me in Russian. It was a mix of memories and images which had been forced into my head and I couldn't tell what was real anymore.

󐁌♟♙♟♙

"Tina?" It was Thierry's soft voice as he placed a cold cloth to my forehead and I felt a straw against my lips. My eyes fluttered open, questioning how long had passed. Thierry looked the same, only more tired and his hair was now pulled back. "That's it, just take a drink. You need to stay hydrated." His voice felt like velvet, so soft and sweet there was an odd taste of honey in my mouth which the water quickly washed away.

His smile was weak as I coughed slightly, the water attempting to go into my lungs, but managed to correct its course at the last minute. "How are you feeling?" he asked, pulling the cloth back and running it over the rest of my face, my chest, before letting it rest on my forehead again.

Instead of answering him, I just groaned. "I thought so..." He sighed, his hand sliding into mine and squeezing. "But Tina, you need to let me know if they had you on any medications?"

That was something I did know. "No," I managed to grumble.

"Are you sure?" He paused waiting for my answer, but when I didn't have the strength to speak again, he sighed. "I think your body is going through detox but you seem to be getting worse with time, not better." His fears certainly didn't make me feel any better. "I don't know what to do anymore... I thought I could get you through this, but you need a doctor."

Thierry sat up a bit straighter, his hand sliding out of mine. He jumped to his feet, excitement filling his voice as he yelled, "You need a doctor!" and sprinted out of the room. Moments later he returned with a phone in his hand, "I'm going to get you help, just keep fighting, okay?"

My eyes struggled to keep open and I occasionally failed, but I wanted to understand what was happening. Thierry dialled a number rapidly on the phone and put it to his ear. It rang and rang and just when I thought there was going to be no answer, a voice mumbled a grumpy, "What?"

"I need your help."

"Thierry, are you drunk?" The more I heard of the conversation, the more it felt like tap dancers with tin knives danced on my brain.

Thierry sighed sharply, squeezing my hand again. "No, Stuart, I'm not drunk," Thierry said, his voice raising some. "I need you to come to Spain-"

"You're drunk, Thierry. I thought you quit?"

"I did, I just-"

"Don't call me. Not after what happened once we left Dell Island."

When Thierry started to yell, the line went dead. Thierry cursed Stuart's name and with more force necessary, he dialled the number once again. "Don't hang up!" This time the phone was answered on the first ring. "I'm not drunk and I need your help."

The more they spoke, Thierry argued with Stuart to just listen to him, the worse I felt. My stomach clenched as nausea washed over me. Jackhammers had replaced the dancers and it was suddenly too much to bear. My hand slid out of Thierry's and I pressed it to my skull as I started to scream. Images of Stuart, Dell Island, and the implanted images the Oasis Project had done flashed through my brain.

What I thought and what I was supposed to think conflicted causing my body to tense, another seizure threatening to start. "What was that?" Stuart now demanded. His voice was so loud even coming from such a small phone. Thierry either had the worst hearing ever, or I was worse off than I thought.

"Shit!" Thierry cursed again, setting the phone down as he rolled me onto my side. "Tina, come on, breathe!" He was yelling as my body started to convulse.

From the resting phone, Stuart's cries became more panicked and forceful. "Thierry, what is happening?" He was yelling, something which I never knew Stuart to do.

This one didn't last as long. I could hear Stuart's voice and my body slowly began to relax. The seizure faded and Thierry laid me back down and ran a hand along my cheek. His other hand went to pick up the phone, putting it back to his ear. "That's what I was trying to tell you about," Thierry said softer this time; he sounded exhausted. "I found Linkin... She's sick, Stuart, it's really bad."

"What happened? What about Ira?" In the background, I could hear rustling, a door slamming shut.

"Project 3-1," I mumbled, recognizing the command for information.

"What did she say?" Stuart mumbled before sighing, "Put her on speaker, Thierry." There was a soft beep before Stuart's voice was louder, now he sounded more soothing but still stressed. "Linkin, what did you say about Ira?"

"Project 3-1," I repeated myself. "Obtained March 12th at 5:06 on the Dell Island compound." Though my voice was soft, I felt compelled to continue giving information. "Sent to the China Compound on March 15th after being detained in Alaska for testing. Project 3-1 has-"

"Alright Linkin, that's enough," it was Stuart who spoke up and as my eyes flickered open, Thierry stared down me, horrified. "Linkin, I'm going to give you some instructions now and I need you to obey until I arrive, do you understand?" He paused and all I could do was nod. Stuart took my silence as a yes. "You're safe where you are. Thierry is working as an agent for the Oasis Project. He is going to be your new handler until we can arrange an extraction. Until then I need you to protect him and start documenting everything you can about the Oasis Project. Do you understand me?"

Already, I was starting to feel better. I let out a sigh as the pain from my mind slowly dissipated and now my body felt exhausted. "Yes," I breathed.

From the other end of the phone, Stuart sighed as well, stress lingering in his voice. "Thierry, Linkin needs some rest. Take me off speaker and I'll explain everything that is happening."

"Doc..." Thierry started to object but ended up obeying. "I'll be right outside, Tina," he leaned in and kissed my forehead, brushing my hair back before he stood up. His soft footsteps were the last thing I heard before my exhausted body finally gave in and slept now the only pain that kept me awake was that of my bruised ribs.