The heavy hum of the base door creaked open as Jay, Kahanna, and Reign returned from their mission. The trio, drenched in the weight of their latest operation, exchanged brief words as they entered. The last few hours had been grueling, but they had done their job. Yet, despite their victory, there was one presence waiting for them, standing by the door, looking as calm and composed as ever.
Leon.
His silhouette framed by the dim light of the hallway, he stood tall with an almost regal presence. His sharp, piercing gaze scanned the room, as if measuring the state of each individual entering the base. To anyone else, Leon was just another member of the team, another soldier in the field, but to those who knew him well—like Jay—there was something more. Leon was a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
"Good work," Leon's voice broke the silence, deep and smooth, carrying the weight of someone who had seen too much, too soon.
Jay barely nodded in acknowledgment, his thoughts elsewhere. Reign and Kahanna, however, gave Leon a silent salute before heading to the living quarters. They knew when it was time to stay out of the way, and now was one of those moments.
Leon's gaze lingered on Jay as he slowly approached him. They were two halves of a whole, teammates who trusted each other with their lives, but there was always an unspoken tension between them.
"Jay," Leon spoke again, his voice soft but commanding. "We need to talk."
Jay's brow furrowed. The tone of Leon's voice was serious, which was unusual. Usually, Leon was cool, collected, and detached, like a man who had no room for emotions. But tonight, there was something different.
"About what?" Jay asked, though he had an inkling of what this conversation might entail.
Leon motioned for Jay to follow him. They moved down the dim corridor, their footsteps echoing in the silence of the base. They entered a private room, one that had witnessed many clandestine conversations.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Leon turned to face Jay. His expression had softened, and there was a vulnerability in his eyes that Jay rarely saw.
"You've been curious about me, haven't you?" Leon asked, leaning against the table in front of him, his posture casual, yet his eyes betrayed the weight of his words.
Jay remained silent, unsure of where this was heading. He had always suspected there was more to Leon than what met the eye, but he had never pushed. After all, everyone had their secrets. However, Leon seemed ready to unveil his own.
"I wasn't always like this, you know," Leon said, his gaze distant, as if looking back on a time long past. "I come from a family with everything. Money, status, the best schools, the best everything. I was spoiled, pampered like a prince."
Jay was surprised by the admission. He had never heard Leon speak like this before. Leon had always appeared untouchable, beyond the mundane troubles that most people had.
"But the thing is, Jay, none of that was enough for my father. Nothing was ever good enough for him," Leon continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "He pushed me, forced me into everything. Sports, academics, social status. He wanted me to be perfect, and I tried. I worked hard at everything I did. I excelled."
Leon's eyes darkened as he spoke. "I was always a champion, always at the top. There wasn't a race I didn't win, a competition I didn't conquer. I was the best, and my parents were proud of me for it. I was their golden child, their perfect son. But all of that changed the moment I lost."
Jay's eyes narrowed. "You lost... what, a race?"
Leon nodded. "Yes. A race. A rookie came out of nowhere and beat me. It wasn't just that I lost; it was how my parents reacted. My father was furious. He told me I was a failure. That I had let him down. My mother... she looked at me like I was a disappointment. Like I had betrayed them."
Leon's voice trembled slightly as he spoke, a stark contrast to his usual calm demeanor. "I didn't understand it. I'd always been their golden boy, the one they showed off to their rich friends. But that one loss... it broke something inside me. And it wasn't the loss itself. It was the way they reacted. I wasn't good enough anymore."
Jay could feel the weight of Leon's words. For the first time, he could see the cracks in the armor that Leon had built around himself. He wasn't just the perfect soldier; he was someone who had been broken by the very people who were supposed to love him unconditionally.
Leon sighed, a deep, weary sound. "My father... he didn't take kindly to my failure. He hired a doctor, a specialist. Told me I would undergo a treatment. At first, I hesitated. I was against it, against anything that might be considered cheating. But I didn't have a choice. If I wanted to keep my place in the family, to make them proud again, I had to comply."
Jay's expression darkened as he began to understand. "You're talking about doping, aren't you?"
Leon shook his head. "Not exactly. It wasn't some simple performance enhancer or illegal substance. This... this was different. My father was obsessed with making me the best, no matter the cost. He had connections, resources, and he used them. He got me injected with something. Something that was supposed to improve my physical abilities. At first, it felt like nothing. But over time, I began to feel different. Stronger. Faster. More... capable."
Jay's mind raced. He had heard rumors of such things—experimental substances, secret enhancements—but he hadn't expected Leon to be involved in something so dark.
"But it came at a cost," Leon continued. "I was banned from every sport, every competition. They found out what I had done, and I was disqualified. My name was tarnished. I was banned from everything. But the effects... they didn't go away. The substance had done something to my body. Something that changed me forever."
Jay was quiet for a moment, absorbing everything Leon had just revealed. He could see the pain in Leon's eyes, the resentment, but also something else. Something deeper.
"You became... like this," Jay murmured, gesturing vaguely at Leon's toned, athletic frame, the near-superhuman speed, strength, and endurance that Leon possessed. "It gave you abilities. The abilities you have now."
Leon nodded. "It wasn't just physical. It changed my mind too. I became sharper, more focused. I could see things others couldn't. Hear things. I could calculate, anticipate, and react faster than anyone else. It was like I had been... remade."
Jay took a step closer, his gaze never leaving Leon's. "And now? What do you feel about all of this?"
Leon paused for a long moment, as if searching for the right words. "It's a curse, Jay. A gift, sure, but also a curse. My parents used me. They used my body, my potential, to fulfill their own desires. And now, I'm here. On this team. Fighting for something that isn't about them. Fighting for something I can finally control."
There was a long silence between them, the weight of Leon's confession hanging in the air. For the first time, Jay saw Leon not as the invincible soldier, but as a man who had been shaped by the cruelty of those he loved most. A man who had lost everything in the pursuit of perfection.
"That's why you fight the way you do," Jay said, breaking the silence. "Because you're not just fighting for the mission. You're fighting for yourself. For your own redemption."
Leon's lips curved into a faint smile, but there was little warmth in it. "Maybe. But I won't stop, Jay. Not until I've made my peace with everything. Until I've done what I have to do."
Jay gave a small nod, understanding more than he ever had before. "I get it. We all have our demons."
Leon stood up straight, his eyes locking with Jay's once more. "Just remember, Jay... you might not know everything about me. But don't ever doubt my commitment to this team. I'll protect it. No matter what."
Jay couldn't help but respect the man standing before him. The soldier who had been broken and rebuilt. The athlete who had been forced to run a race with no finish line. Leon might have been a product of his past, but his future was his to command.
And that, Jay realized, was Leon's true pride.