Destruction - The Oasis Project Book 2 (Complete)

Fifty-One - Ira

"You're sure you don't want Yulian to hear this?" Stuart asked as he opened the door to Linkin's spacious office. He looked unsure about intruding on Linkin's space, even though Thierry had suggested this room when Stuart asked for a good place for a conference call. Stuart eyes the large desk with two computer screens and one chair, and then the couch that seemed to only exist for extravagance.

"I'll fill Yulian in later." I paused before saying, "Or we can. I don't think he will understand a word from Four, if this morning is anything to go by." An amused smile tugged at Stuart's lips as I walked in, and I had to stop marvelling at the large windows that lit up the office naturally. "What?"

"You're using her number. You're madder at her than I thought. It's fine."

I rolled my eyes but didn't argue with him. "She seems to have grown into her number and that's grown on me."

"You do realize that every time you call her by her real name, she dies a little inside? It reminds her of the earthquake that destroyed her entire community." Stuart sank into the light brown couch, looking relieved. He smiled when I took a seat next to him. "Hey, I know we've got work to do, but come here for a minute."

"Are you sure you want to listen to Four?" I laughed when I moved to sit on Stuart's lap and he wrapped his arms around me. Smiling, I gave him a peck on the lips.

"I would much rather spend the day with a Russian killer, which could be much worse but I don't care," Stuart replied, pulling me closer to kiss me back. I relished every contact between us; I'd never seen Stuart like this before. He broke away, buried his face in my neck and drew in a deep breath. It sent a rush of blood through me. "Ira, do I have to? I'm exhausted."

I giggled and made him look at me. "Yes, you do. But let me know if you want me to shut her up, and I'll gladly do it." Reluctantly, I moved off Stuart to an empty space on the couch, making him sigh. "You're welcome." I winked. I couldn't believe that I winked.

"Thanks for your moral support, Ira," Stuart grumbled as he fished out his phone and dialed a long string of numbers. "Too late to go back now."

The dial tone rang twice before it was cut off. "Yes?"

"3-5-8-14," Stuart said, putting the phone between us. "You got any solid plans yet?"

"Depends who's asking," Four said, slower than usual.

"I am," I told her. "I need to make an informed decision."

There was a crisp silence on the other end of the line, then a short laugh. "You have woken up, Ira." She said my name in a strange manner.

"What are you thinking so far?" I ignored her comment.

"Alaska," Four replied. "It's their smallest compound in terms of land and staffing. Six recruits remaining. If everyone goes, we should be able to help all of the subjects out."

"You're plotting a rescue?" I was stunned. I looked at Stuart with wide eyes and he shrugged.

"Were you plotting a massacre?" Four fired back, sounding genuinely intrigued. When I didn't respond, she added, "I guess I learnt a lot about you today. But no. We got the code, we got the crew, I'm going to try and get them all out."

"What about the..."

"Reprogramming, yes. It is also one of Robin's concerns, but we will handle it case by case." Four paused. "Assuming, of course, that you and the others are willing to take part."

"How would we-" I began, but leapt off the couch when the door suddenly opened.

"Stewie-" It was Linkin, her black hair dripping water onto her t-shirt. She gave Stuart and me a puzzled look.

"What was that?" Four said through the loudspeaker.

I swooped up the phone, turned Four off speaker, and went to the window to leave Linkin to talk to Stuart. "Sorry, too many people in the same house. How are we breaking into Alaska?"

"There's a Deviations team in Canada close enough to Alaska," Four said as I overheard snippets of Linkin asking about a fancy office for the mission, making me smile. "We'll meet there, I'll go over the Oasis security system with 2-2, we will train as necessary. You have another man with you, yes?"

"Thierry?" It had started raining outside.

"Can he be trusted?" Four asked. Behind me, Linkin was talking about something that Stuart never got for her.

"Yes," I said.

"You wouldn't even know how to use it," Stuart was saying, "and neither do I!"

"Is everything okay over there?" Four asked in my ear.

"Everything's fine. And I assumed that if Linkin is coming, so will Thierry. They're a couple."

"Oh." Four was quiet for a while as I watched raindrops slide down the window. Then, as quickly as she fell silent, she launched the plan at me - staging an emergency so most of the staff will be locked in one place, then we storm the black site. Half of us will focus on the rescuing - Four made it sound like I was definitely excluded from that team - and half of us will be destroying. There will be backup on standby with Linkin, so even in the worst case scenario, it wouldn't be the messy ending we got on Dell Island. Four seemed to know that it was my idea, so she made a point to drag it through the mud. "It's still early stages, but any questions?"

I looked over at Linkin, who seemed to have finished her conversation with Stuart. When I caught them looking at me, they tore their eyes away and shared a laugh. "Might as well ask, is there any way that Linkin can get a glamorous office?"

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"What was that about? Does Stuart owe you a Christmas present?" I asked Linkin as we walked downstairs, trying to sound as casual as I could.

She still looked wary of me from blaming her for Stuart's condition this morning. "It's nothing," she said, sounding a little on edge. She ran her fingers through her damp hair and stepped loudly on the stairs.

"You okay?" I attempted. "Sorry for what I said this morning..."

"No, I'm sorry-" She was interrupted by the sight of Yulian doing a handstand against the wall, his face bright red.

"Yulian!" I snapped, making him lose balance and almost falling on his head. Everyone laughed watching him trying not to fall in a heap.

Thierry walked over from the coffee machine and offered Yulian a hand. "Sorry, buddy, I did better." This earned him a swat on the arm.

"What have you been doing?" Stuart was frowning and shaking his head.

"We were bored while you were away doing important things," Thierry explained, "and Yulian was too nice to play pool without everyone else." He shrugged and took his hair out of a bun. "Did you know that this guy is not only crazy but also-" Linkin yelped as Yulian suddenly cartwheeled towards us. I rolled my eyes; he must really be bored. "...That," Thierry finished, leaving Yulian grinning. "So, Eagle, are we all going?"

"Why are you asking me?" I asked before understanding why. "You've already made up your minds?"

Linkin took Thierry's hand and gave it a squeeze. "We have to stop running sometime. Four helped design some of their systems, I think we can do it."

"Then let's do it," I said, already wondering what Canada would look like.