Destruction - The Oasis Project Book 2 (Complete)

Forty-Eight - Linkin

Slumping in my chair, I anxiously played with the edges of the paper. "Good morning Stewie, Ira." I said softly.

Stuart's reserved composure slipped away at his familiar nickname. He smiled and pulled away from Ira and over to me. "You're okay," he whispered, as he half-hugged-half-collapsed into me. I wrapped my arms tightly around him and closed my eyes. "You are okay, aren't you?"

I nodded slowly as Ira and Yulian seemed to argue in Russian softly behind us. I knew it was about me. "Getting there," I said with a weak smile and helped him into a chair. "I can't believe you did what you did, are you okay?" I asked nervously as I placed a hand to his cheek. He tensed like he expected pain, then looked at me confused. "A lot has happened since we last saw each other. I have better control now." I said softly. "Thank you for helping me, but don't ever do anything like that again. Do you hear me?"

Stuart was quick to nod and laughed. "I have no intentions on it, trust me." He glanced to Ira and smiled at her. "I'm just glad you're both okay."

My gaze followed his. "Are you alright?" I questioned instead of feeling thankful. I knew a bit of what she had been through, but not everything. Last I heard she tried to kill herself which sounded a lot like brainwashing to me.

"Been better," she paused then added in, "been worse," keeping some distance between us, but she seemed uncomfortable with how I was the one supporting Stuart now. "You did that, you know that, right?"

"Ira..." Stuart warned.

Shaking my head, I ran a hand along his back. "She's right, Stewie, I did. It's my fault you got hurt, that-that Emma died. I know I caused a lot of pain that I can't ever make up for. Doesn't mean I won't try."

Yulian tugged on Ira's sleeve and said something else in Russian which made Ira relax and roll her eyes. "Yulian's hungry," just like that, the tension in the room eased.

"I'll cook," I offered.

There was a chorus of protest. "No, no, I think that's a bad idea, Linkin. I'll cook," Stuart offered as he slowly stood.

Ira looked like she wanted to object to Stuart's suggestion as well, but nodded. "I'll help," she said instead.

I shifted around the island and sat on the other side, Yulian resting beside me and starting up a new page. She's mad at you, he wrote in Russian. It was something I already knew. I nodded and he continued to scribble down, But not because she is angry. She was scared. She missed you. That caught me a little off guard. She's also sorry about your boyfriend.

From what Yulian tattled on Ira about, evidently, she was just as lost as confused as we all were. Yulian and Ira had known more suffering from the Oasis Project than I could ever imagine. They had been trapped by them since they were children, taken from families which had long forgotten them and forced into this life. At least I was no one, a criminal when I was taken. I had many years of happy childhood memories, of a simple life which they didn't have. It was a miracle Ira wasn't more screwed up than she was.

I didn't blame her for pointing a gun at Thierry and if he did, I would talk some sense into him. After everything we had all been through, I couldn't blame her for her actions any more than she could hold me accountable for mine. I hoped at least.

Stuart and Ira spoke softly to each other as they cooked, only to be interrupted by Stuart's phone going off. "Robin," he answered.

Who's Robin? I wrote to Yulian.

Stuart. It's his middle name. The one he uses with the Deviations.

I had so many more questions, but it seemed like Stuart had learned his lesson from having his phone up so loud and I could only hear his end of the conversation. "Ya, they're all safe." Pause. "She's better," I frowned, I had a feeling I was being discussed more often than I knew. "I haven't gotten around to that yet, Four." Four? I cringed and ran my fingers through my hair, a flood of flashes clouded my vision at the familiar name.

My groan caused Stuart to glance over to me as I rested my head in my hands, "I'll call you back when it's done." He hung the phone up and came over to me. "You alright, Linkin?"

I nodded and kept my eyes shut. Instead of fighting, I just let it happen. Once the images and information passed, my headache faded. "Fine, just files from the Oasis Project," I mumbled.

"Files?" Stuart questioned.

"They evidently learned their lesson after Dell Island, no hard copies of the important stuff. Guess they thought they did a good enough job brainwashing me that they could trust the information into me. Can't hack a person." I laughed nervously as I looked up at him. "It's just lingering effects to what they did. I'm fine, Stuart, really."

He didn't seem to believe it, but nodded and went back to helping Ira cook. "What was that about?" Ira asked him as she flipped a pancake.

"Fo-Beiya," he used her real name, one which I hadn't heard before. "She wants us back to the base. We're getting ready to make our first big stand against the Oasis Project, and she wants us all to be there." I didn't like the sound of that.

"All of us?" Ira questioned, glancing over her shoulder.

Stuart nodded. "Each of you has a role to play. You're all very skilled and talented, unique. You all have vital information which can be used to finally stop them from hurting anyone else." He glanced to Ira. "Isn't that what you always wanted? What we tried to do with Dell Island?"

"Yes, but-"

"But now we have an army behind us. We aren't going to be fighting them alone."

"I'm not going to be fighting them at all," I spoke up, jumping into their slightly-private conversation. "You saw what a single word can do to me. How do we know I can be trusted?" I didn't give Stuart time to interject. "I think what you're doing is great, but I'm not going to be a part of it. You're all welcome to stay here as long as you want, just know when you go back, I'm not coming with you." I looked down and wrote another reply to Yulian. We were talking about favourite foods as Stuart and Ira went back to their whispers.