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There were a few things Evan was sure of.
One: WICKED wasn't to be trusted.
Two: Minho was in the facility and needed her help.
Three: Someone tampered with her memories.
That was about it. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Evanna to realise that there was so much more going on. More than the Chancellor and Janson let on. More than Minho being in the research wing, more than the hidden tunnels in the underground.
"Anything?" she asked as she hovered over Garek.
Sighing, he dropped the corner of the blueprint he was holding and shook his head. "It won't go any faster with you breathing down my neck."
Evan let herself fall on the nearest chair as she breathed out deeply. She shot him an apologetic look. "Sorry, I just feel like we barely made any progress these past few days."
"Because we haven't," Garek stated bluntly, eyes focused on the blueprints again. "Face it, Evan, we're stuck."
She frowned. It wasn't like him to give up. Ever since she left him to look up Minho in the database, Garek had been acting weird. Or at least weirder than usual. His demeanor was completely off. He was easily irritable and curt.
"You okay?" she tried asking casually. There was an edge to her tone that made her wince, sure it would give her away.
Garek only shrugged, eyes never leaving the blueprints. "Just tired of this."
Guilt settled in her stomach. Evan leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table. She stared at him until he finally lifted his gaze from the papers. She tried offering him a smile. She merely got a blank stare in return. She forced herself not to frown at him.
"I'm sorry I dragged you into this," she found herself saying. Evan never imagined having to say those words to Garek. Garek, who was always there and ready and enthusiastic about his plans. "It's not too late to back out, you know."
The words seemed to hit something in him. Garek blinked and shook his head, his messy hair falling in front of his eyes. A smile tugged at his mouth. Evanna mentally let out a relieved breath. This was more like the Garek she knew. She felt her body relax from a tension she didn't even know was there.
"No, no," he quickly said. "Sorry, I'm just tired and Janson's been riding my ass about training and work and a million other things."
Evan looked him up and down. "Why don't I take over for a little?"
