Evolution - The Oasis Project Book 3

Thirty-One - Ira

I thought Bruce would leave after Stuart's welcome back dinner, but the later it got, the more he and Yulian became excited about even the tiniest of things. After my rather unpleasant exchange with Linkin, I needed their enthusiasm after stopping at two beers. Stuart was the busiest person in the crowd by far, and he kept having to apologize every time Four, Yulian, Thierry, or Alessia called him over. I smiled and let him be.

It was only when the alcohol ran dry that anyone remembered about Nita and Celestia in the shed. Stuart and Thierry, the only sober ones in the room, saw to them getting hydrated and fed, muttering to each other in hushed tones as they walked out the door. They returned with disdain on their faces and empty plates and cups.

After everything that had happened, nothing could come as a surprise to me anymore, but I wasn't expecting another rapid change. I was woken up by knocking in the middle of the night, which I first thought was from a dream. It was only when Yulian called out my name that I jumped up and opened the door.

"One of the cars just left," he said in Russian.

"What the..." Stuart muttered behind me. He turned the other way, away from the moonlight, and looked like he was going to fall back asleep. He reached for his glasses instead. "What's wrong, Yuli?"

It wasn't the first time I heard Yulian's exclusive nickname, but the silent hours of the early morning made me notice it. Yulian and I exchanged a failed look of getting the other person to repeat in English.

"Car—" we said at the same time, before giving up. Yulian, his golden-brown hair all over the place, stepped back and pointed to a light in the hallway. "Office."

That woke me up. The office door was wide open and warm light illuminated the wooden floor. I shook my head, sucking in a deep breath that only fuelled my growing anger. "She really did that."

Stuart was no longer confused when he saw the active monitor. There was a live video feed of a car going down a winding country road, and next to it was a frozen frame of Linkin's face. I took a step back, letting Yulian shield me from the screen.

"Hi, so, by the time you see this, I'm already on the way to Russia." Linkin's video started playing when Yulian clicked on it. She looked tired and tense as she spoke to the camera, sitting in her office. "Sorry, I know I did an Ira thing and you're all going to be annoyed for the next day or two, but the arguing wasn't getting anywhere productive and we can't keep wasting time. On the bright side, I am borrowing Nita so I'll hopefully have backup."

I flinched at my name, and looking to Stuart, I saw that he didn't appreciate revisiting the memory of me leaving him and Linkin in Mexico either. I put my hand apologetically on his back and he acknowledged it with a small smile.

On the monitor, Linkin tucked her hair behind her right ear. "Well, Four knows about the plan and we came up with a procedure for mapping the place, so ask her if you'd like. Don't worry about me; I'll make it back in one piece. This is goodbye for now. Yulian, I'm sorry if I woke you up."

"She and Thierry married... " Yulian said softly when the recorded video finished. "They adopted Fang."

My breath caught in my throat, but Stuart didn't seem as surprised. I couldn't believe that I was left out of the news, out of sharing their happiness because Linkin wanted to go to the place that still gave me nightmares. I sat down in Linkin's swivel chair and stared at the screen, my hand reaching for the headset that was next to the mouse.

"Ira, worry in the morning," Yulian said, rubbing my shoulders and eventually leaned down to wrap me in a hug. His soft hair smelled like the eucalyptus shampoo we were all using.

"He's right," Stuart added, stroking the top of my head.

I continued to stare at the wide monitor, not sure how different things would be in the morning except for the fact that Linkin and Nita would be on a plane by then. It would probably feel worse knowing that they were closer to Russia. I clenched my hand around the computer mouse, a million thoughts going through my head.

"Ira?" Yulian's hazel eyes were scanning me with uncertainty.

"You guys go back to bed," I said distantly. "I have a few words to say to Linkin."

Yulian frowned and looked to Stuart for assistance. They stared at each other for a long time before both of them let out a sigh they'd been holding in. "You're not alone, Ira, okay?" Yulian said softly in Russian and hugged me tight before letting me go. "We have bad memories, but we need to keep positive."

"I know." I squeezed his shoulder, my mood lifting a bit. I kissed Stuart goodnight and watched him follow Yulian out of the office, smiling when I saw him lay a reassuring hand on Yulian's shoulder before he closed the door. Yulian had never told me the details of what he endured after I escaped camp, but seeing the scars on him every day told me enough. I sighed, reminding myself that I was lucky to have missed Russia's reprogramming. Looking back at the screen, it didn't take me long to find the chat box that Bruce talked about.

Hey, this is Ira, I typed out my message and hit send. Guess I can't protect everyone all the time huh.

Linkin kept her eyes on the road. I wasn't sure if there was even a way to acknowledge me.

I rested my forehead in my palm and typed the rest with my left hand. I wanted to say congratulations, and I hope everything goes well with you and Nita. Be careful and alert and you'll be okay. Look forward to having you back.

The car continued to drive down the dirt road as before, silently and monotonously.