I meant to post this a couple weeks ago when the episode actually aired, but what with finals and other academic-related stuff it wasn't ready to be posted until now. But here it is. Not sure if anyone else actually wants to read it, but even if you're not into Painkiller Jane, it's a pretty good fic, I think…although I'm kind of biased, so maybe you should read it for yourself before you make the call.

When I saw the episode "Piece of Mind" when it aired, I was kind of annoyed that after Riley lost his memory he kind of fell off the radar for the most part. So, in typical fashion, I wrote my own version of events, filling in the blanks as necessary. And this is the end result. A lot of it kind of refers to stuff that happened in the episode, so if you've never seen it you might have a little trouble following it. Sorry about that; I've tried to add as much relevant outside information without screwing up the narrative as possible. Enjoy.

Oh, by the way: I own nothing and am getting paid nothing…alright, now you can read it.

It's amazing how fast your world can change. One event, no matter how tiny, and suddenly things are entirely different. One action can turn your entire world upside down or erase it entirely. Riley learned that the hard way.

He wanted to check his lead out that night, felt it was important that he did. It didn't matter that Jane didn't want to go, or that there was a nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him it was a bad idea, that he should just go back to his computers and wait until people better suited to this kind of thing could take over. He had just made a breakthrough, and the accompanying rush from finding another piece of the puzzle was flowing in his veins. He was invincible.

So he went out to find the pharmacy, against his better judgment, partly to prove he could work in the field too and partly to take the sting out of Jane's rejection. It wasn't the nicest part of town, but then again, when it came to Neuros it rarely was. He followed the blinking light on the map he had downloaded, turning right and left as the map indicated. He was almost there when he noticed a couple of guys following him. Nothing strange, at least not in this part of town, but it was enough to make him a little uneasy, a feeling that only increased when he tried to evade them and a third guy ran into him.

He tried to escape. He was a skinny guy, and could usually wriggle out of whatever trouble he got himself into, but these guys were a lot bigger than he was, and much more determined to keep him there. He yelled for help, but, typical of this area of town, there was no one there to help. Not that they would if there was anyone here, he thought sullenly.

They pushed him roughly against a building, kicking at any and every exposed area. He groaned as he felt a rib crack, silently swearing at himself that he hadn't taken more advantage of the training room at the base. Then maybe he wouldn't feel so helpless.

Finally they stopped and were gone as quickly as they had appeared, leaving him on the ground bloody, battered, and out of breath. He slowly sat up, hissing when he jostled the cracked rib, and was startled to see a man's face when he looked up. It was a homeless guy, if the condition of his clothing was any indication, and he was muttering medical babble, most of which Riley didn't understand. The pieces clicked.

"You're the one with Dr. Rafferty's medical knowledge. The homeless guy. The one you told the paramedics how to treat." He only became more certain when the guy gave him a blank stare and continued muttering about the best way to treat Riley's injuries.

Riley pulled out his cell. If this was the Neuro they were looking for, he had to tell Andre as soon as possible; there was no knowing what the guy might do. He tapped a foot impatiently until Andre picked up. "Riley?" the man asked, curious as to why his communications tech was calling him this late.

"Yeah. I found the Neuro. Alley behind Seventh and Coulter."

"Alright. Riley. Now listen to me; don't move, don't do anything. We'll be there in fifteen."

"Oh, don't worry; I'm in too much pain to go anywhere anyway," he said wryly as the muscles in his side twinged. He hung up, and began to idly pace back and forth, waiting for the rest of the team to show up.

In one pass a man grabbed his wrist, stopping him briefly. He backed up instinctively, pulling away, but not before a strange feeling crept up his spine. Nothing he could exactly put a finger on, just…weird. Everything started to get hazy, unclear. He put a hand to his forehead, checking the damage, and winced when the movement jostled his rib.

The next thing he knew, everything was…gone. Name, address, place of business, reason he was in the bad part of town, what town it was, everything. His mind was a blank slate. He looked around, unable to recognize anything. He walked down the sidewalk, hoping to see something, anything, that was familiar. Unfortunately, the further away he got from where he had been standing, the more unfamiliar things looked. Alright, don't panic. There has to be a reason, right? Think, think, what's the last thing you remember? He drew a blank. Fuck, what's the matter with me? He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard voices talking relatively nearby.

"Hey."

"Yeah, nothing. Not a damn thing."

"Come on; I told him to stay put." The voice was annoyed.

"Hey, there he is!" A third voice, excited, relieved. He heard the people moving closer to where he was standing, calling a name. "Riley! Riley! Riley?"

He briefly looked towards the direction the voices were coming from, then, not knowing why, he took off down the street, running as fast as his cracked rib would let him. The voices got louder, but it only spurred him to move faster. What do they want? And who's Riley? He stumbled, but caught himself before he hit the ground and kept going, fueled by an overpowering need to get away.

Eventually he couldn't run any longer, and he stopped, panting. The people following him finally caught up and surrounded him, looking at him in a mixture of confusion and concern. He returned their looks, circling slowly, keeping an eye on all of them. There were four of them; an older man, a younger guy who looked like he should buy stock in steroids, and two chicks, both of which looked like they could take care of themselves in a fight. He fought every instinct in his body telling him to run. He had to try to stay calm. Maybe things weren't as bad as they looked, maybe they could help…Yeah, and I'm the Czar of Russia…He chuckled under his breath; for all he knew, he could be.

"Riley?" The question was asked softer this time, as if talking to a cornered animal. He looked at the woman in confusion. They acted like they knew him, but their faces were unfamiliar, like so many other things. The name registered nothing. He backed up slowly, ready to run the moment an opening presented itself.

"Riley, what's wrong?"

"Riley, talk to us buddy. What's going on?"

He looked from one face to another, terrified but trying to hide it. "What do you want from me?"

His question was ignored, as if it was irrelevant. "Riley. Where's the neuro?"

He looked at the man who had asked the question in confusion. He didn't know what was going on here or why these people seemed convinced that they knew him, but he was curious in spite of himself. "What's a neuro?"

The others looked at him, dumbfounded. Had he said something wrong?

Dun dun dunn…there's at least one more chapter, probably two. Let me know if you want them posted.