The Nemesis Syndrome

28. Leo

Leo hurried around his kitchen, grabbing drinks and food before shoving them in his backpack. He never thought he would say this, but he actually missed education. He missed having the normal life, getting annoyed by Rommy and laughing when she did something to cheer him up.

Leo stepped into the training room, a sad smile gracing his lips as he remembered everything his father had told him. His father was never the kindest man, and Leo wasn't that close with him, but he was grateful for all the training he had been given.

He had no idea how to get to the facility, let alone know where it was, but he knew where to start.

The Pit.

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Leo shuffled on his feet. He had been standing here for just over an hour, waiting for someone to come, for someone to open the blasted door into the compound.

There had been guards walking around, securing the perimeter, yes, but it had been easy enough to wiggle under one of the trucks and make it into the actual area, but the truck stopped, and he didn't make it into the building. So he got away, hid in a corner away from cameras that kept him just out of the guard's sights.

Finally, a guard came through, pressing his hand to the wall and sliding the door open.

Leo let the guard pass through before darting through the door. This wasn't the door he had been through before, and so he was in a place unknown to him.

Leo glanced around quickly, slipping between some large containers. He was in. Now, he had to get to the control room, that's where everything would be. Leo peeked around the corner, eyes darting to the cameras on the walls. He had been lucky to just get out of the camera's sight, but he wouldn't be so lucky every time.

Leo slipped the backpack off him silently as he crouched, slowly unzipping it and pulling out his knuckle duster and slipping it on his fingers. It had been so long that the weight of the metal against his flesh offered some sadistic comfort, some remnants of his old life.

The door opened, and a guard strolled in. He glanced around the room, and Leo froze, hoping the guard's eyes had just slipped past him. Instead, the guard walked closer, eyes locked on a space above Leo.

In one swift motion, Leo jumped up and pulled the guard down, crossing his arm across the guard's neck and placing his other hand against his mouth. The guard's muffled cries were drowned, causing a heavy pit to drag Leo's stomach down. He wasn't killing him, Leo told himself, just need him unconscious. Leo tightened his grip, pulling his own head back to avoid the man grabbing onto him.

"I'm sorry," Leo muttered as the guard stopped struggling before slumping against him.

Leo grunted as the man's weight dragged him down.

Quickly, Leo grabbed the guard's pass and stripped him of his jacket and weapons. Leo was grateful that he had decided to change clothes - he didn't want to strip the man entirely, it was invasive and weird.

Leo slipped on the guard's boots, before standing, they were big, but it would have to work. He stood up, feeling more confident in his plan as he opened the container with his father's knife. There were several backpacks and uniforms in the large container and Leo rolled his eyes. He could have just grabbed a uniform from there. Begrudgingly, Leo shoved the guard into the wooden box unceremoniously, throwing the container shut before he stepped out with fake confidence, swiping his card on the door inside and almost sighing in relief when it opened.

Leo strode through the corridor, keeping his head down, but posture as strict as the others and ears open to the chatter around him. He saw a female guard pull out a small luminous blue screen, swipe her card against it and tap on it a couple times before turning it in her hands. White lines appeared on the screen, parallel to each other but turning this way and that, meeting at crossroads and separating. A map.

Great, now he just needed to steal one.

Why not that one? He shrugged mentally.

Leo squared his shoulder and raised his head high as the woman tapped on the screen once more before tucking it in her back pocket. He strode past her, knocking her shoulder.

"Watch where you're going!" She muttered angrily.

"I'm sorry," Leo stopped, flashing her a sheepish smile, "that was my fault entirely."

"It's fine," She grumbled, "Just, watch it next time."

Leo nodded, giving her another smile before walking off. He turned the corner with a grin, flipping the small screen between his hands.

He pushed open a door, peeking in to see if it was empty before slipping in, shutting it behind him.

He pulled out the key card, swiped it over the screen.

Welcome, Mr Stuart.

The words faded from the screen before showing akin to a home page. Leo frowned as he navigated through it, eyes finally resting on a small pinpoint on a crossroads.

He pressed onto it, biting the insides of his cheek as it loaded.

The map loaded, showing bathrooms, rooms, labelling every lab, every office or kitchen or community room.

Leo zoomed out; the control panel was labelled clearly, but something else sparked his attention.

There was a sector B labelled, and a Sector A and C. To the east of the building, but red words also hung under the labels:

Not authorised.

They had been here this whole time. And now he knew where Eliza was.