The Nemesis Syndrome

11. Eliza

The whole waking up in pain was getting old pretty quickly. Twice now; though this time it was not her injuries that were giving her grief, it was her head, pounding with enough force that it felt like her brain was trying to escape.

If this, she vowed to herself, happened a third time, she was going to kill someone.

Her hands clenched at her thoughts, and it was only then she realised she had been strapped down to whatever she was lying on.

Things just kept on getting better.

'Miss Rockwell?' A calm, almost soothing voice spoke from above her. It sounded friendly- but Eliza was smart enough to realise no one in this place understood that word. 'We know you are awake, it would be better for you to stop pretending.'

The temptation to ignore the voice was overwhelming. But her head hurt, her arms hurt, and everything that had happened up until made her think they didn't care how much she hurt as long as they got what they wanted.

So she opened her eyes and glanced around.

White. Still, the walls and the ceilings and even the binds around her arms and legs, they were white. But that was only in the back of her head as she realised something else- she was in a cage of glass, one that meant she could look across and see Leo, still asleep. Look up and see every white coated stranger that walked into the room.

'Miss Rockwell?' The voice said again.

'If you're going to talk to me, it's only polite to show your face.' Eliza snapped.

Seconds passed. Then a screen flickered on, covering one of the glass walls, and a stern faced woman gazed down at her.

'Better?' The woman asked, her voice still calm, as if they were friends talking over dinner, not...this.

'No?'

The woman smiled. 'Miss Rockwell. We can do compromise. It's just a bit of give and take from both sides. We talk face to face, and you help us.'

'Or you let me out of these binds and I'll help even more.'

'You are unpredictable, that would not be safe.'

'Unpredictable happens when you're kidnapped. If you're studying something, I would have thought that was the first thing you learnt. Or are you not good at your job?'

Eliza had always known she had a temper. It was something her father often laughed at, how she was sweet and quiet one minute and ready to burn down a building the next. But temper didn't describe her feelings at the moment. She had never been violent, had always shied away from proper fights and even arguments. But in this moment...this was her life and she was terrified, in pain and she just wanted to go home. She would have done anything for that.

Except cooperate with whatever this was.

The woman scowled. 'Miss Rockwell.'

'I would mimic you with that same tone but I don't know your name.'

'This is getting you no where.' A mans voice, off screen. 'You would be better trying with the boy.'

'Trying what?' Eliza said.

'No...' The smile was back on the woman's face, and Eliza went cold. That smile was calculated, awful. 'The boy doesn't care about her. Give them to him instead.'

'Give what? What are you doing?' The screen clicked off. 'Please.' But she was talking to herself.

But they were still watching from the stupid camera above her.

Eliza sighed, relaxing back into the bed and turning her head to face the wall. They could watch all they wanted, study them and take notes, but that didn't mean she would play along. She closed her eyes, evening out her breathing and pretended to be asleep.

Boring. That was what she was going to do. Be as boring as she could, prove to them that there was nothing to study.

Or at least, that had been her plan, until the door opened and people walked in- including the woman that had been talking to her. They didn't even glance at her before walking into Leo's glass cage. They started talking to him, the woman pulling a vial of something out.

'No.' She whispered, her eyes on him as the woman started speaking. Eliza could not hear what the woman was saying, only see her lips move. Soundproof. There was only ever one reason for soundproof...

She looked around frantically, looking for an escape, pulling at her binds. 'Come on.' She shouted. 'This isn't study, this is cruelty!'

But then they injected him. And Leo- Leo, the boy she should hate more than she did, the boy she should want to be in pain because of what he did to her- he started screaming. His face contorted into expressions of pure torture, and all the woman did stood above him was nod her head thoughtfully before leaving.

'What are you doing?' Eliza screamed at her, though she knew the woman would not hear her through the glass. 'You can't leave him like that! Stop it!'

The woman opened the door- and through it Eliza saw nothing yet more white empty corridors- before walking out.

'You can't do this!' Eliza roared. 'Please.'

But she was alone to watch her soulmate suffer- her nemesis suffer. Tears were leaking out of his eyes and though she could not hear it, she felt for him with every bone in her body. Because all she wanted to do was help him.

But this...this was her fault. Wasn't it? The woman had set this all up. Try it on the boy. They had known she wouldn't help them, so this was a threat. Compromise. Help them...or this.

Leo's eyes met hers in that second, and she knew she had to do something.

'Fine.' She shouted at the camera above her. 'You win. Stop whatever you are doing to Leo. Leave him alone. Don't hurt him. I'll...if you want to study, I'll cooperate. Compromise, right? Leave him alone and you get me.'

There was no reply.

'Please.' She whispered. She couldn't bare watching people in pain. Not when she was helpless.

But Leo? He wouldn't care for her. Not if she was the one screaming. He couldn't.

There still was no reply, but when she looked over at Leo, it was to see the vapour drift down to him.

When his body slumped down, she let out a sigh.

'Thank you.' She whispered.

A click, then a voice. The woman. But there was nothing soothing about it now. 'Don't thank us yet, Miss Rockwell.'