The Nemesis Syndrome

12. Leo

When Leo woke, his head pounded and his body tingled. He had hoped that this was all a bad dream; that he would wake up in his room, Rommy knocking obnoxiously on the door before bounding into his room when he welcomed her in. He had hoped that once Rommy was done jumping on his bed, hitting both his legs and chest with her feet, he would be able to go down and smell the breakfast that his parents made. That his father would be reading, as he always did, and his mother eating her breakfast, Leo's and Rommy's food already laid out for them.

But when he woke, it wasn't to the pounding of the door, it wasn't to the smell of breakfast, or to his sister's insistent chatter. It was to the smell of white floors and the soft whirring of the camera as it focused on him.

"Ugh -" Leo groaned, shifting uncomfortably. The straps across his chest and legs had been removed, but those restraining his wrists and ankles remained.

"Good morning, Mr Jensen." The doctor said, a hint of amusement in her tone.

What's so good about it?, Leo wanted to snark, but he swallowed it and instead asked, "What did you put into me?"

"Just a drug we've been working on, it seems to have had no effect on you."

"Other than the excruciating pain it put me in." Leo spat.

There was a soft chuckle, "I apologise about that, it's an unfortunate side effect of the drug."

Leo scoffed, head tilting to look at the camera as a thought entered his mind, "You hide behind the camera. You think I don't know who's behind it. I want to speak to the man, the one we saw in the room."

There was a click, signalling she had left. Leo smirked inwardly, he was going to get under their skin - make them regret capturing himself and Eliza. Leo rotated his shoulders, trying to relieve some of the pain. He wasn't stupid, he knew they were still watching him, waiting for him to do something, watching for something to happen, to see the drug work. But other than the tingle, which was nothing more than a dull, though admittedly, uncomfortable feeling, Leo didn't feel any different.

Leo shifted once again, eyes darting to the other room, and he froze when there were no familiar green eyes glaring at him.

"What did you do with her?" Leo tried to sound disinterested.

A click. "Your soulmate is perfectly fine, Mr Jensen," A male's voice now - the same one from the room they were captured in. "She'll be brought back in soon."

Leo stiffened before taking on the same indifferent tone as he did with Eliza, "Where did you take her? Kill her? Or try to, I presume?"

A chuckle, "Not at all, Mr Jenson. Miss Rockwell was simply being... cleaned."

Leo's jaw clenched and his eyes darted from the camera and settled on his knees, "What exactly does that mean?"

"Do not worry, she was placed into a container. We have respect for our patients."

Respect. The word rolled off his tongue like it meant something. Respect for who? Certainly not Leo or Eliza. They weren't patients - they were prisoners! Lab rats for them to poke and prod at. Was the man deluding himself into thinking he was being kind?

Leo was about to retort, but his mouth screwed shut as movement on his right caught his attention. A burly, stern-faced man wheeled a bed into the glass room, the body on top unmoving. Leo's breath got caught in his throat, and he forced himself to look away. "I can see the level of respect you have." He spat.

Leo's eyes travelled back to Eliza's body, "What are you doing to her?" he asked, clenching his fist as the female doctor who injected him walked into the room. His eyes connected with that of the doctor's, who stared at him blankly before glancing up at the camera in Eliza's room, her lips moved, but Leo couldn't hear anything. She took out the case, removing the vial from it.

"No!" Leo tugged at his restraints violently, "No, no!" He knew how much that hurt, and he didn't want her to go through that, not her, not anyone. "Stop!"

The white coat injected it into Eliza's arm, and for a moment, Leo thought that maybe she wouldn't have to experience the pain. But then her back arched and her hands wrapped around the bar on the bed.

"It didn't work on me! What makes you think it'll work on her!" Leo roared, his heart hurting as he saw her eyes snap open and her mouth contorted into a scream. None of her screams reached his ears, and selfishly, Leo was grateful. The white coat nodded thoughtfully and made another comment to the camera before she walked out, the burly man leaving with her.

"Stop!" Leo yelled, watching as Eliza's head snapped side to side as if she was trying to shake off the pain. "You've injected her, it's going to work, so numb her pain!"

"Why do you care?" The voice wasn't hostile, but it sounded intrigued.

"I've been in that pain! Do you know what that feels like? Numb her pain, knock her out, anything!" Leo growled, the binds rattling against the metal bar as he pulled on them and kicked his legs, "You are torturing her! If you want her to die, then kill her! Don't mindlessly play your pathetic games!"

"You think these are games, Mr Jenson?" He asked calmly.

"Stop it!"

"You are an intriguing person, Mr Leo Jenson."

"Stop torturing her!"

A moment passed, then, "Very well."

Leo expected to see green vapour float down from the ceiling, but a small hiss began in his own room, green vapour accompanying it. He glanced to his right, and the vapour was being to dispersed into the other room.

"No - what are you doing?" Leo tugged at the restraints. Dread hung in his stomach, twisting at his insides.

There was a click, and Leo was alone. The restraints rattled against the bed, and he kicked out his legs... If he could just kick hard enough, maybe he could break those on his ankles.

There was a snap and then a clatter, and he was able to move one of his legs. The green vapour was a few inches away from his face and he turned it to the right - Eliza's room was completely engulfed.

He kicked out, taking very little breaths as he grunted. He used his other leg, kicking at the buckle to break it. Once, twice and then another clatter.

His eyes were getting heavy, "No... I need to... I have to.... no..."

_________________

Leo groaned as pain flared up his legs. He was pretty sure he would develop an immunity to the vapour soon. "You know, you would think they'd get a better method," Leo spoke aloud to himself as he sat up.

There was a small snort, and Leo glanced around the room he was in. He was no longer in the glass cell, but something more akin to an actual cell. There were no windows, the only light being a single pathetic, dimly lit bulb that was fixed into the ceiling. In the corner of the room, was a shadow, huddled into the corner. "Who are you?" Leo asked tentatively.

"Who do you think?"

Leo sighed, shoulders dropping. "Eliza."

"Yeah," She sighed, seeming as defeated as he was.

"Are you okay?" He shuffled over to her.

"No - don't -"

Leo froze, "Why? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

A scoff. "There's a field separating us, it'll burn you if you touch it... why do you care, anyway?"

"I don't, that pain you went through was exactly what I went through - I may not care for you, but I know that hurt," Leo said softly, moving back so he was opposite her and he slumped against the cold wall.

"Yeah, I'm okay." She muttered quietly.

Leo let out a breath and groaned inwardly when there was a soft whir.

"They're still watching us."