Destruction - The Oasis Project Book 2 (Complete)

Nineteen - Linkin

The night was fun. I didn't remember falling asleep on Emma's couch, but when I woke up it was dark and I was alone. I groaned and rubbed my tired eyes as I got up and headed back to my room, pausing as I heard a conversation in the hallway. "You can't be serious, she can't go out onto a mission already. She isn't ready." It was Doctor Connor.

"We need her skill."

"How do we even know what her skills are? It isn't like she is able to train with the others." Doctor Connor sounded flustered.

It was a woman's voice arguing with him through his phone, one that sounded familiar. "Why is that? She is a Two. If she has such a high ranking, she needs to be able to train."

"She wouldn't know when to stop! People get seriously hurt during those tests, Liana, Linkin could get injured and she wouldn't know."

"I don't care, Connor, just get it done. We need her in a month, so get her ready." I heard the loud beep, the phone call went dead. I tensed and stayed in Emma's doorway for a second as I caught my breath. They wanted to send me on a mission?

Instead of heading back to my room like I planned on, I turned back around and went back into Emma's room, silently closing the door. Rushing into her bedroom, I was surprised to see Mato in the bed with her. I cursed, my swearing was enough to wake Mato up. It started off as a groan. "What?" he asked slowly, yawning and sitting up, frowning as he saw me. "Something wrong?" he whispered, trying to keep his voice down as to not wake Emma who still slept soundly.

"I-I heard Doctor Connor talking about sending me on a mission." I didn't know why it shook me, but the idea of being trained, used, and shipped off made me almost feel sick to my stomach. Leaving this place made me uneasy, which confused me more.

Mato sat up a bit more, sighing as he eventually threw back the covers and got up. "Let's talk about this in the living room, Emma needs to sleep."

Together we walked into the living room, Mato glancing over his shoulder to watch Emma sleep for a moment, his lips pulling into a smile before he came with me. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize..."

"It's fine," Mato cut me off with a sigh, walking over to the couch and sitting down, curling up in a blanket since he was only in his boxers and a t-shirt. "So, you heard about the mission? You must be nervous; everyone's first time out is nerve-wracking. I remember my first mission for the government."

I frowned and looked down, shaking my head. "Government? Is that who did this all to us?"

Mato's brow furrowed, "You don't know?" I shook my head, "Man, where did they take you from that you don't even know?"

"The streets," I said, not realizing he was asking a rhetorical question.

He sighed. "The Oasis Project is a joint effort between the world's largest military powers, trying to find and perfect the perfect soldier. A biological military advancement. That's what we are. They send us on missions where it is too dangerous for normal people to go, where humans can't complete them."

"You say human like we aren't anymore?"

Mato shrugged, "Do you feel human anymore?"

I chewed my lip and glanced down, he made a good point. I didn't feel human, especially now that I was more used to responding to a number instead of my own name. "So I'm property now."

"We all are," he agreed with a sigh. "All I can say is practice, train, and keep your head up. I know Emma is going on a mission to help rescue Four from China. You'll probably be with her. She's good, calm, collected, and a good leader. Follow her, do what she says and you'll be fine."

His words didn't bring me much confidence or make me feel any better. I thought about it and chewed my lip. "Where can I train?" It seemed like Doctor Connor didn't want me practicing, so I would have to do it on my own.

Mato gave me directions to where the training grounds were. It was a large gym with a boxing ring, a full room, and many other things I didn't know how to operate. I pulled off the sweater Emma had given me though it was a workout shirt so I could breathe a bit easier and it felt freeing to not have the restrictive material.

I spent the better part of an hour working on the punching bag, forgetting how good it felt to hit something. I felt a lot of tension easing from my body, the void where my heart was easing slightly to not be so crushing now that I was alone.

"Well, well, well, you have some nerve coming in here." I tensed and instantly held my next punch, crossing my arms over my stomach to hide the skin my sports bra didn't cover from Nazem. "Thought you'd still be hiding."

I swallowed, my voice caught in my throat as I felt his eyes studying me. "Think you got enough tattoos?" He asked mockingly, walking over to the treadmill, setting a bag down. Still, I didn't have a comeback which seemed to irk him further. "You know it won't be long before someone challenges you and you lose everything, right? You'll be Ten and, well, that room is nothing more than a cot. Enjoy your privileges while you can, soon you'll be nothing. After I'm through with you, you'll wish you were still on Dell Island."

Glancing back to the punching bag, then to the glass wall which showed endless darkness, moonlight reflected by the snow, my mind was made up. I needed to ensure I was on that mission to prove to Doctor Connor I was worthy, to prove to the government that I was a good investment. Even if Nazem was all talk, I needed someone on my side in case things went sideways.