"General Luminara!" shouted a rather breathless voice from down the hall. "You must return to your room now!" Barris watched as her master smiled a little and let the door to the room slide closed, jamming a chair in a way that would keep it from sliding back. The voice now muffled continued its rant. "Your organs are still delicate! The bacta process could not be complete!" Her master swept her hand to the side.

"Imbeciles, all of those pompous healers. They haven't picked up a weapon in their entire lives," she muttered and strode over to Barris, placing a hand on the younger girls forehead. "Not like you Barris. You a much more competent than those fools." Obviously her master had been trapped in her room for a while and was not happy with her jailers. The woman's eyes flickered away from her own for a moment and she seemed to be talking to herself. "I'll have to thank Commander Cody for blocking the hall for me." Barris smiled inwardly.

"He is a good man, that Cody," she said with what she thought was exquisite hidden emotion. Luminara still managed to pick up on it and raised a single eyebrow at her Padawan. Barris felt herself blushing and cursed her blood for rising.

"Yes, a good commander. He and Gree are friendly," did Barris detect a hint of wistfulness in her master's eyes when she spoke of her commanding clone? It was Barris's turn to raise an eyebrow. The two women stared at each other, coming to a draw and cease fire. Luminara's easy smile faded when she took in the condition of her Padawan. "What is your status?" Barris winced internally and began the list that seemed to have a mind of its own, liking to grow longer and ever more depressing. She started with the lightest injuries and continued down the list of others. She saved the worst for last, watching as her master registered what was going to be said a moment before the utterance crossed her parched lips.

"Paralyzed, from the waist down. I'll heal, but in six to eight months and extensive bacta therapy," that was the part she had neglected to mention to Cody. He might have actually snapped the poor doctors neck if she had told him.

Her master was taking it better than Cody would have. Her eyes merely darken and her hands made choking motions in the air. Also, she let out a fine stream of curses that would have made Rex proud. Barris sighed and let her get it out, finding that she took her own injuries better than those around her. Finally two deep blue eyes met hers and a weak leer faded onto Luminara's face.

"Don't repeat those vulgar words Barris. I am at fault for even muttering them," Barris laughed to ease her Master's embarrassment. There was almost something… off about her. The way she was talking carefully, as if dancing with her words. Once in a while she would stumble over them, and her face would scrunch in concentration. Then she stuttered horribly and Barris knew.

"Brain trauma?" she squeaked as she looked at her master her slim hand extending and brushing the twin skin. Now it was her turn to, well, freak. Her master was suffering all because she didn't get there soon enough. She was going to have trouble speaking for the rest of her life because of her.

Luminara just nodded in grim determination.

"I should have gotten their sooner! I should have healed you, but I didn't know, couldn't sense…" she was barely making sense close to tears at the thought. She had failed her master. Again. She had failed Cody. She had failed herself. More importantly she was a failure as a Jedi.

"Barris stop," Luminara snapped and her thoughts came to a standstill. She always did as ordered. "Do not blame yourself. You cannot change the past," Barris nodded as if someone had wrapped hands around her chin and pulled it up and down. "Maybe in a week or two you can try your hand at healing me," at the thought Barris perked up at the idea. She could redeem herself by fixing her Master's stutter. Once she got out of the tank of course.

Cody growled as he stalked past the healers and doctors, stopping them in their tracks. All, even the Jedi, cowered against the wall, knowing enough not to mess with him. Especially not now, when his love, heart, life, was lying half dead on one of their cots and he felt like pulverizing something. His fingers twitched and it took all his will not to slam it into the wall above the pretty Jedi's head. She was looking at him like she wanted to help him somehow.

"Don't waste your time dear," he snarled and thumped his shoulder against the clone blocking his path and continued his rampage down the hall. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and frantically searched for something to break that wouldn't land him in the brig. He settled in the refresher, taking out the security cameras before shattering the mirror with a well-placed punch. It wasn't quite as satisfying as he'd hoped, but he no longer had the urge to refer to his commanding officers as degrading names for females or to slam his fist into someone's face.

Condemning his own face had done the job, his entire reflection turned into an ice mosaic and spider web cracks. With a sigh he ran his hands over his head. His hair was getting a little long. He needed to find someone to cut it back to its regulation military style. Cody looked down at the pieces of his armor they let him wear while he was injured; they were in horrible disrepair. Being coated in ash and stained by flames was not good for his paint job. Actually the only thing that wasn't dilapidated was his lower face, just a clean shaven as ever. That was one thing he would never let go, even in times of great stress or in the middle of a low profile recon mission, he always took the minute to stay clean and professional. It was something he would never let war change no matter how inconvenient.

He turned to go but was greeted by two clones in different clothing than he'd seen the rest of his brothers' wear in this place. The lose tunic and pants were white like patients, but they also wore gloves and had the badges of a certified medic. He knew immediately by their calm smiles and cloying voices what they were.

Mental Ward.

Panic raced through his blood for a moment. They were here to take him away, fearing him a danger to himself and others. Then the clear headedness that allowed him to be marked as a commanding clone from his early cadet years. Obviously it was a mistake. They thought he was an escapee and had been dispatched to take him back.

"Come with us brother, it is time for you to return home," he repressed the urge to smack those smiles right off their faces. That would not help his case. Instead he said in his most authoritative voice,

"There has been a miscalculation. I am Commander Cody of the 7th Sky Corps, and my injuries do not in tale mental incapacitation. You are able to confirm this with," he racked his name for the Jedi healer that had talked to him immediately after the accident. "Stass Allie." The two men looked at each other for a moment and seemed to communicate telepathically, though Cody knew it was impossible for non-Jedi. Especially clones.

"Will you come with us while we check for you?" Cody nodded. What he did not expect was the surprising act of agility from the nearest brother. He had only ever seen a Jedi move so fast. Before he could even raise his arm in self-defense there was a needle in his damaged arm and cool drug spreading through his blood stream. Everything went numb and he crashed to the floor, eyes fluttering closed and the last words he heard were,

"Blast he's heavy."

"Commander Cody…" a voice sang in the distance. He clawed his way upwards, shredding the flimsi that surrounded him. "Commander Cody…" it came again and he struggled harder towards the dim light. Finally with a gasp he sat up, pushing off the person who had been singing and wildly looking around. When he realized he wasn't in the middle of a battle he calmed down, lying back to the mat with a groan. His brain felt like it was dripping out his ear. "Yay! You're awake," said a voice that obviously belonged to a brother, even if the words didn't.

"Where am I," he moaned and sat up again, much slower.

"Why the medical ward silly!" said a brother with innocent blue eyes. He hadn't seen a set like that since one of his Captain's was killed during the Geonosian Mind Worm raid. The blue was a recessive gene of Jango's and every once in a while a fortunate brother got them.

Of course, Captain Luck hadn't actually been lucky.

Those were the unimportant thoughts in Cody's head. The ones that screamed and ran around in circles were at the front of his mind, and they were saying medical ward. He turned his head to the brother who spoke like a happy child and noticed how he rocked on his heels, back and forth in a way that had Cody shaking his head to snap him out of an oncoming trance.

"Medical Ward?" to his embarrassment his voice was a little higher pitched than normal. No brother ever came out of the medical ward. Never. It was the horror of late night medical tales around the fire after Skywalker had crashed them into a planet again. It was a place of whispered rumors and dead eyes and horror.

"Yep, yep, yep!" said the strangely joyful clone. "I'm glad you're here," he said with a smile before leaning in and whispering in his ear, "Scratch over there isn't very good company. He doesn't like anyone, especially himself." Originally Cody had repressed the urge to lean away. Now he sat stock still in rapt attention as his brother continued to explain things. His eyes found Scratch, who just lay on a cot in the corner and didn't move. His hands reached towards his throat, but before he got close blue restraints came into being and snapped his arms back to his sides. "Everyone else has been taken away, except the brothers in the cells," he pulled away again beginning the ridiculous rocking. "You don't want to go near them."

As if to confirm his statement an eerie wail echoed through the halls empty halls surrounding the center ward. It twisted and screamed, cackling like the Sith before dying to a mere whisper and then disappearing. It set Cody's teeth on edge and as he watch the hair on his exposed arm stood straight up. It wasn't human, that sound.

"What's your name trooper?"

"Quiz sir. I used to be quite the engineer." A fog enters his eyes and he stands. Pacing he tells his story, and it's sad. He sounds like a normal brother, for a while.

"I was a hard worker, always loyal to my brothers, always fighting for them. I suffered head trauma and was fine for almost two months after. Then, well, I started to develop personality disorders. Bursts of rage followed by bouts of happy ness. They told me I used to say the voices were screaming and I couldn't save them. By that point I was so bad I don't remember. They brought me here and the Jedi got to me. Tried to fix me, got relatively close too. They kept me from turning into a monster," then the fog was gone and his eyes were too bright. "Now I have a new friend!" he said and pulled Cody to his feet. The commander muffled the groan. He didn't want to disappoint the trooper by telling him he was probably leaving soon. Hopefully. The cell door nearest the ward rattled as if someone's body was thrown against it. Again it shook and a scream of rage and fury galloped from the cell. Cody winced. The soldier in him turned to Quiz and told him the truth.

"I'm sorry Quiz, I'm going to be leaving soon. There was a mistake. I'm not really a mental patient." His heart twisted at the look of sadness of the boy/trooper's face. His words were punctured with sadness but a weak smile found its way onto his face.

"Aw, that's okay. They all leave sooner or later anyway," he sighed and sat on the mat next to Cody's. "I'm glad I got to meet the great Commander Cody." Before Cody could reply a figure entered the ward. Immediately Cody recognized the dark skinned purple eyed Jedi. He sighed in relief. "General Allie," she made a tisking noise at him.

"Now Cody, what did you do to get tossed in here?" he shrugged rather sheepishly as she pushed him out the door. Quiz waved at him, and he waved back. His heart was higher than it had been in a while. He was getting out. As if his brother had sensed his thoughts the man in the nearest cell peered between the bars at the top of his door.

"So there letting you out hmm? Well don't be fooled," Cody stopped in his tracks and turned to the clone. General Allie looked a little panicked and tried to push him forward. Still his feet stayed rooted to the ground. "We live in prison brother, the Jedi are our wardens, and pain," he began to chuckle, "Pain is our hell." Cody let himself be shoved out of the Mental sector, but his brother's mad laughter vibrated in his soul.

Sorry this took so very long to come out. I had a medical case of writers block for this chapter. Actually, i feel i've almost dug myself into a hole here with this story. I have no idea where i am going to go with this, but as I write this little snippit I am getting inspiration! Finally! I've waited near two weeks for this little idea to come. I thank all my readers, but i give giant thanks to my reviewers. You guys are totally amazing and even in my darkest hour of writers block you keep me going! I'd also like to mention I'm seeing a few new faces on this ever growing list! It makes me so excited.

KatiaSwift!

Codywolf!

Aurora Lunar 0Love This0!

Jadedsnowtiger!

Blades252!

LostLyra!

reulte!

and

DoubleEO!

You all deserve internet dessert but I'm a horrid cook so I give them to you in spirit.

May the Force be with you all.