The Nemesis Syndrome

16. Leo

Leo was shoved into the room, hands constricting his movements but keeping him from falling on his face. Leo gritted his teeth, letting them strap him to the bed.

"Nice to know you think I need this," Leo snarked, tugging at the restraints and then letting them fall with a clatter.

"This is for your safety as much as ours, Mr Jenson."

He snorted, and yanked against the chains again. Like they cared for his safety.

"Injection 49," The woman stated as she picked up the needle. "Relax, or this might be a lot more painful."

Leo clenched his jaw and turned his head, letting his family's faces float into his mind. Rommy laughing as he ruffled her hair, his mother twisting and turning his hair into plaits, his father smiling proudly as Leo knocked him to his feet, winning the fight. The sun on his face as he walked the neighbourhood with his sister, curling up in front of the fire as Rommy sang softly, Leo doodling on a loose sheet of paper.

There was a pinch, and Leo thought that maybe there would be no pain - that what she said had been a scare tactic.

Then the fire started, sudden and violent and it raged through his body, licking at every inch of his flesh from the inside. A scream echoed in his ears, and he realised that it was him. Tears licked at his eyes, but they never fell.

He lost all sense of time as the pain went on, subsiding slightly before returning with a menace. A second scream filled his ears, and though his eyes were screwed shut, something inside of him twisted at the scream he knew. It was Eliza.

He forced the pain back and pushed his eyes open. Flames licked at his throat as he spoke, "What are you doing with her?"

She smiled, sick and twisted for there was no emotion in it. "We haven't done anything, Mr Jenson."

"What -" Pain flared again, "What do you mean?"

Sadness and fear settled, like a shadow behind the emotions he felt. What was happening?

"You know," She placed the needle back on the tray, "She tried to make a deal with us," she paused as Leo gasped in pain, his back arching before settling back, "her co-operation if we don't hurt you."

Leo's jaw clenched and he was sure he was going to end up breaking his teeth - that's why she spoke to him like that, why she looked at him like she'd rather he was dead.

"But you broke that," Leo replied, the pain slowly subsiding. It was more of a threat than a statement. A promise. He'd get back at them. They both would. They weren't going to stay in this place, nor let it survive.

The woman's confident smirk fell slightly and she scoffed, pressing a button before walking out the room. Leo heard her speak softly to someone outside the door, but he failed to pick up the words. He rattled the restraints to remind them he was still there.

A man walked in, the same man who had helped Eliza back. Leo felt anger surge but he kept it concealed, simply raising an eyebrow at the man before a thought hit him, "What's happening to Eliza?"

His lips tightened into a frown as he undid the restraints. Leo waited until both his legs and hands were free before he jumped the guy, grabbing his collar and throwing him into the nearest wall. "What did you do to her?"

The male pushed him back with surprising strength, causing Leo to stumble backwards. "Calm down, or we'll have to calm you down."

Leo chuckled slightly before lunging for him, punching the male's cheek and a dull pain shot through his knuckles. The man groaned as his head snapped to the side. He faced Leo once more, rolling his eyes.

Leo stepped back in surprise. His eyes darted to the door before landing on the man once more, who was reaching into his pocket. As he was preoccupied, Leo leapt for the door, managing to run out into the corridor before he felt a sharp pain in his neck and clouds fogged his vision before he slumped to the floor, unconscious.

_______________

A dull pain shot through his neck as he jerked awake, pulsating below the surface of his skin as he sat up.

"Leo?" The voice was meek and soft.

"I'm fine." Leo groaned as he slumped harshly against the wall, pain darting up his spine.

Eliza hissed and Leo froze, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just had a sudden pain in my back."

Leo frowned but brushed it off. He heard a slight clatter as she shuffled. "What is that?"

Silence.

"Eliza?"

She sighed as she shuffled, "I tried to run out of here. They chained me to the wall."

Leo's eyes began adjusting to the dark room and he saw her raise her shoulders with a shrug before dropping them. Leo chuckled slightly, "I - uh, tried to do the same."

There was a pause before Eliza began chuckling. Leo cracked a smile, glad that they were no longer at each others throats. Then, her chuckles turned into sobs and Leo immediately moved to his knees, shuffling to the edge of the force field. Sobs built in his own chest, threatening to burst as despair and utter hopelessness pulled at his stomach.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, keeping his voice low in case they were listening in, "Eliza, talk to me."

"We're - they - we're gonna die in here, Leo."

He sighed, crossing his legs, "We can't let that happen, Eliza."

"I know - I know." She breathed to slowly calm herself down.

The urge to cry was slowly lifting and Leo found it easier to breathe, "Eliza, what have they done to us." Anger burned slowly.

"I don't know, Leo, but I think whatever they've done, it's connecting both of us." She was breathing oddly, "So please, calm yourself down because I'm feeling all this anger that I don't really need."

"Shit," Leo concentrated on his breathing.

"It's not working," Eliza muttered after a few moments.

"Right." Leo replied curtly, knowing it as the anger talking. He focused on his sister, her voice as she sang, he laughter as she ran circles around him, darting out of his reach every time he went to grab her.

"Thank you," Eliza sighed, leaning against the wall. "What were you thinking about?"

"Erm..." Leo hesitated.

"I'm prying, sorry."

"No," Leo shook his head, sighing before answering, "I was thinking about Rommy, my, uh -"

"Sister." Eliza nodded, "I remember her. She was cute, you seemed very close."

"We were. We are."

A silence fell over the two, a comfortable one. If they weren't sitting in a cell and possibly being bred to die, Leo would have thought that maybe he could have let Eliza in, maybe he could have accepted her as his soulmate. But they weren't. They were in a cell, being injected with unknown substances that messed them both up, and this was no time for a relationship. It was the wrong time entirely to fall in love. But friends? Maybe not be so hostile to each other? Leo hoped that doing that wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Eliza." Leo said softly as he shuffled back, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Trying to keep me safe. All I've done is almost kill you and be rude."

"Yeah, well... it didn't work, did it?"

"No, but, still. Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah," the chains rattled as she waved her arms in a non-committal gesture, "I did it more for your sister than you, so don't get flattered."

The corners of his lips twitched upwards, "Alright," he paused before his mind drifted back to her previous statement. He kept his voice low, barely above a whisper, "Eliza, when you got out, what did you see? Did you see a way out?"