Mission Orion: The Travel through Time

Chapter 27 | The First Causality

I looked at Leo, bewildered. His eyes showed no signs of recognition. "Leo, it's me, Rithvik." I said, walking towards him. "Stop right there!" A guard yelled, pointing the gun at me. I stopped dead in my track. "I don't recognise you." Leo replied, gripping his gun tightly. A chill ran through my spine. Reneesh walked and stood there beside me. Leo was still looking at us, showing no emotion. "What did you do to him? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" Reneesh yelled, as he lunged forward and caught Schrotanic by the collar, ignoring the warnings by the guards. "Get this scumbag off me." Schrotanic instructed the guards, who held Reneesh by the arms and threw him across the floor.

"Leo, you don't recognise me?" I asked, attempting to put my hand on his shoulder. "It's me, Rithvik." I continued. "No, I DON'T RECOGNISE YOU!" he yelled, raising his gun and pointing it right to my face. I backed down, putting my hands in the air. "This is so wrong." Souvik muttered.

"Load the commands." Schrotanic spoke over his earpiece. "What commands? Schrotanic whatever you are doing, stop it. We will do whatever you want us to do. Just stop whatever you are doing with Leo." I said, looking at Schrotanic. "Ah! You'll get to know about the commands soon enough. And no, Rithvik. We will not stop what we are doing. It is a very crucial part of our experiment." He replied, grinning. Suddenly, Leo collapsed onto the ground. "What the hell are you idiots doing? Get him to stand up and walk." Schrotanic yelled over his earpiece. Whoever was on the other end... seemed to be able to control Leo. I was out of words. My mind couldn't wrap my head around this new development. This was something I hadn't imagined even in my wildest dreams. Leo seemed to have gained consciousness again and lifted himself up slowly. He looked at me, right in the eyes. There was something different about him now. That craziness in his eyes, it was gone. "Awaiting orders." Leo said, his voice as if he was in a trance. "Kill these scumbags." Schrotanic replied, smiling at us. "WHAT?" Anna screamed. Souvik started to run but was stopped by a guard who dragged him towards the rest of us. "Do it, now." Schrotanic said, his hand still pointing towards us.

Leo took two steps forward and raised his gun and pointed it at me. "Leo, please.. don't do this. We are your friends, your family. We saved you from your ship. Orion Three. We are here for you, Leo. These people are messing with your head. You have to come back to your senses. You have to fight it back." I said, trying to break Leo out of the trance they put him into. "Shoot them, now. That's an order. And you don't disobey orders, do you, Leo?" Schrotanic repeated. "Listen to me. They're messing with you, man." I repeated. "I know." Leo said, suddenly turning his back on me and fired the gun at the guards. Schrotanic started running towards the door and Leo followed him. "There is a malfunction. Subject one has gone rogue. Reset him, NOW! I need backup." Schrotanic screamed into his earpiece. Unfortunately, Schrotanic was able to rush out of the door before Leo could grab hold of him.

"Leo, are you alright?" I asked him, putting my arm around his shoulder. "No. I'm not alright. They've put a chip in my head. It hurts. It hurts a lot. They are using me to kill you guys. Please, you have to help me." Leo started blabbering. His hand suddenly flinched and he dropped the gun. "We'll find a way to get that out of your head." I said, trying to pacify him. "No boss, you don't get it. If anyone tries to remove it, it will send a chemical through my blood which would choke me and kill me in the most painful way. I do not want to go through that process." He continued. "We will find a way, Leo. Don't lose hope." I replied. "You don't get it, do you? It's just a matter of minutes before they gain control again over my body and use me to kill you. There's only one way out of this, boss." He said. "And what's that?" I asked, a chill running through my spine again. His eyes twitched as he spoke the next two words.

"Kill me."

"What? C'mon Leo. Don't be stupid. We will find a way to get whatever they planted inside your head out." I told him. He grabbed the gun from the floor and handed it over to me.

"That's the only way out, boss. Please."

"I can't do that, Leo. You are being just stupid right now. Think straight."

"If you've ever been my friend, do it. I can't go through all the pain before. It's happening. They are trying to retake the control. I'm fighting hard to keep my mind sane. Please, boss."

I looked over at the rest of the crew. "Man, what you're doing. I could have never done it my life. I'm proud to have known you, Leo. It's the right thing to do, Rithvik." Reneesh said.

"Leo, I'll miss you man. Miss you a lot." Souvik replied.

"I've not known you much Leo. But what you're doing here, that's damn noble. As Reneesh said, I could never have done this." Konrad said.

"I don't have words to say, Leo." Anna said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

I looked down at Leo. That idiot had the same smile on his face. Never backed out from a challenge. Never batted an eye.

"C'mon, boss. It's time." Leo said, looking around the room and looking each and everyone in the eye.

"I'm glad to have known you guys. It's been an honour serving you captain. All the best. Don't forget me soon, boss. Keep me in your memory. Just don't blame yourself for my death. You didn't kill me. You just saved me the pain."

"The honour was mine, Leo. The honour was ours. We will remember you in each step. And we will win this war for you. You are a goddamn hero, man. A goddamn hero." I replied, with tears rolling down my cheeks.

I grabbed the gun and put it on his forehead. He looked at me, and I looked back at him.

Leo's body flinched and when I looked into his eyes again, there was nothing but the madness that was there before.

"Rest in peace, man." I said, as I pulled the trigger. His body went slack and he collapsed onto the ground.

I knelt down on the ground beside Leo's body, held my head down and I wept. I wept for the first time on this mission. All the panic, all the pain I had stored inside me since the beginning couldn't be contained inside anymore. The storm could no longer be tethered. Tears were streaming down my cheeks like a flood.  Reneesh stood beside me, sobbing silently. This was our first causality.

Just then, Schrotanic entered the room with ten guards and they pointed their guns at us. I shot a look at Schrotanic and rage filled my brain. I couldn't think of anything else anymore. There was nothing in my brain except rage. A rage which could not be contained. I stood up with all the strength I could gather and grabbed the gun lying next to me and pointed it at Schrotanic. "YOU DESERVE TO DIE. ALL OF YOU DESERVE TO DIE! I WILL KILL EACH AND EVERY LAST OF YOU!" I screamed, tears flooding down my face. But before I could act, blood splattered from the head of a guard standing next to Schrotanic and he collapsed onto the ground.

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