Memories

Heero mentally backed away from the part of his brain that could still feel Relena, and knew she wasn't just watching his back. A part of his brain knew she was also confused and hurt by his sudden retreat. He'd liked the sound of her heart echoing in his mind; there had been no panic in the rhythm, no fear. Heero shuddered slightly at the unwanted thought.

He'd experienced such a connection before, and his stomach rolled in warning at being reminded of such an event. But Heero couldn't seem to shake off the fog of it now that it had crossed his mind.

"01!" a disembodied voice barked over the speakers, "do as you are told!"

Heero stared straight ahead, beyond the man they'd tossed into this enclosed space. He knew what refusal would bring, and his body trembled slightly at the thought. Deep blue eyes finally focused in on the man who watched him in confusion. Ratty clothes and a noxious smell were the first things he'd noticed, but now Heero saw beyond them.

He'd witnessed others like this man before, those who lived on the streets of the city. They tended to go unnoticed, which was what Heero's handler's wanted from him. But that wasn't what they wanted now. This man had been brought for the sole reason that they believed he wouldn't be missed. They wanted proof of concept, and this poor fool had drawn the short straw.

From one second to the next, pain seared Heero's mind, and his eyes darted towards the observation room. They were getting impatient. The intensity of the pain ebbed away a second later, but even so short a lashing was enough to leave his stomach roiling and his head splitting. And Heero knew he wouldn't get so 'gentle' a warning next time.

His left hand opened, as he grit teeth in a jaw that already ached, and reached out towards this unknown man with his mind. Heero saw the moment of panic in the man's eyes when he first felt Heero's touch, and he let out a cry of alarm. The man's heart raced, a panic driven thundering roar that Heero couldn't drown out in his mind.

Seizing hold of limbs that flailed in fear, Heero lifted the man off the ground so those watching would know he was complying with their demands. Wild eyes, with far too much whites showing, darted this way and that, but always came back to land on Heero.

"Very good, 01," the voice of his currently handler, almost seemed to purr, "now finish it!"

Heero knew what they wanted, he'd been told before he'd been placed in this room. He felt sick at the thought, and more so now for the fear he felt bleeding into his brain from the terrified man held suspended before him.

They wanted a weapon, and they'd created him.

Heero forced aside the sensations seeping into him from the man, and tightened his hold. He was a weapon. His eyes hardened on the target, coldly crushing the life from it. The human body was a fragile thing; Heero didn't break a sweat to destroy it, and yet he felt a strange wetness on his cheek.

Had the touch of his mind gone both ways even then? Had that man felt Heero's cold indifference to his life, as Heero had crushed it from him? He wasn't the only man Heero had been forced to kill while OZ studied him and tested his abilities. They'd always hungered for more, had always devised a new challenge, a more complicated test, pushing him to be colder, faster, less human.

Heero felt his stomach twist sickly at the thought. His body, once warmed by the close contact of Relena, now felt like he had ice at his core. Heero stared at his left hand, without really seeing it at all, and felt bile rise up in the back of his throat. Swallowing thickly Heero shut his eyes for a brief moment.

He jumped internally, only stiffened on the outside, as one of Relena's warm hands came to rest lightly on the back of his neck. He felt her, through his flesh only, as her offered warmth slowly seeped into his skin.

"I'm not abandoning you," she said gently, but firmly, as her fingers squeezed the back of his neck.

…

Sally moved through the thrift shop, her eyes scanning over the offerings quickly to pick out some clothes that Heero could use. She'd been relieved to find the small store open when she and Wufei had left the motel. Having been a struggle to convince Heero of their need to stop for the night, Sally didn't want to linger longer than was necessary in this small town. Heero's objections definitely left her feeling the importance of remaining a few steps ahead of whoever was behind them.

Especially now that she had a better understanding of why they'd want Heero back. Sally was still trying to wrap her head around what she'd seen that morning. She knew what Heero had said on the car ride to Wufei's cottage, but she hadn't fully understood until she'd seen those wounds.

People said things for dramatic effect, and while she hadn't thought at the time that he was just being facetious, she hadn't truly believed his claims. How could people experiment in such a way on another human being? Who could possibly be that depraved? Sally didn't want to consider the men behind Heero's creation. They were the inhuman ones.

At the same time, Sally felt herself curious to understand more about this young man. The doctor in her couldn't help but wonder about his healing abilities. Certainly the results didn't excuse the methods used to attain them, but Sally couldn't help but think of those who could have been saved if their bodies could do what Heero's seemed to manage.

What was done to Heero was without a doubt horrific, but Sally couldn't help wondering if some good could come from what he'd gone through. The doctor frowned at the clothing rack she had just been staring at without seeing. Now was not the time to be trying to dissect possibilities she had no way of researching.

Glancing towards the front of the shop, Sally could easily tell Wufei was feeling as on edge as she was. He had remained close to the entrance, his sharp dark eyes ever alert as he kept half of his attention on her and continued to watch the street outside. Her lips tipped up in a slight smile as she pulled her eyes away from Wufei and back to the clothes.

Wufei had been a steady presence in her life for many years now. They shared so much from their pasts that they were able to understand each other completely. Sally didn't like to consider what either of their lives might have been like, had they not found each other when and how they did. "Wufei," she called his name softly across the quiet store as she lifted a pair of jeans off the rack.

"I honestly didn't expect you to still be a picky shopper..." he muttered under his breath as he walked over to her, his voice clearly meant to carry to her ears.

Sally gave him a look, pinning him with her eyes before she hooked her free hand into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled him that much closer to her. Offering him a sweet smile to his scowl, Sally held the jeans up to Wufei's waist to gauge whether they'd fit Heero. "I haven't even been in here twenty minutes," she countered, offering him a look she knew he liked.

He continued to scowl, as only Wufei could, and glanced down at the jeans she still held towards his waist. "Are you quite done?" he asked, keeping his voice low and smooth, in a way he knew she liked.

"I wouldn't mind seeing you in a pair like this," she told him softly, seeing his lips tip up in a hint of an indulgent smile. "These should do just fine," she declared to the nearly empty store and draped the jeans over her arm with the shirts she'd already hung there.

Together, they walked over to the front counter and the cashier that waited there. Sally paid for the purchase and let the woman bag the clothes, before she reached for Wufei's hand. Twining her fingers through his, they walked from the store together. Sally bumped her shoulder against Wufei's. "I don't know about you," she said tipping her head against his briefly, "but I'm ready for breakfast."

"There was a dinner a couple of streets over," he replied, pointed in the direction with his free hand. They had walked half a block when Wufei's steps slowed, and she felt his eyes weighing heavily on her. "What's on your mind?" he asked in that smooth rumble, "I know it wasn't love of shopping that slowed you down in there."

Sally squeezed Wufei's fingers, drawing his hand to her hip as she leaned into him. "I'm concerned about what was done to Heero. Wufei, he heals faster than humanly possible, who knows what else was done to him."

"How fast?" Wufei asked with a raised brow. He hadn't pressed her for details on what was happening when Relena had come knocking on their door.

"Easily ten plus days worth of healing in less than forty-eight hours," Sally shook her head to consider it. "I'll have to remove the stitches I put in yesterday morning, in a few hours..." she muttered to herself, not wanting to have to fight to pull them free like she had to this morning.

"You want to understand what they did," Wufei said as they crossed a near empty street.

Sally had to nod her head. "I can't help it," she began, gripping the bag in her other hand a little tighter. "I know what must have been done to him was horrific, but I can't help but think of the benefits that such healing could bring."

"Think of the wars they could wage..." Wufei muttered bitterly.

That brought Sally up short, and she turned to look into Wufei's dark eyes. "Why does it always have to come back to that?" she asked, not mad at him for thinking it, but rather mad at the world that that would be the ultimate end goal of Heero's creation. Such advancements, whether dreamed up in innocence or not, always turned back to the gains that could be achieved on the battlefield through them.

"Because we're violent creatures," Wufei's voice seemed to shrug.

"Some more so than others," she said giving him a sad smile. Sally had dealt with more than her fair share of violent types during her time in the military. Men, and sometimes women, who were willing to do almost anything to advance their goals or careers. She had thought Wufei one such man the first time they'd met, with his attitude so sharp and confrontational. But she had seen something in him then, something worth pursuing.

"What sort of side effect could there be to such fast healing?" Wufei asked after a moment of silent thought. "A higher metabolism?"

Sally looked at him, a little surprised. He'd always seemed so bored whenever she'd tried to discuss anything medical with him. She hadn't expected he'd actually listened. "Possibly," she agreed, "Heero's body temperature was elevated this morning, low grade fever at least."

Subject exhibits low grade pyrexia, thirty-six hours after first incision...

"As side effects go, it could be worse..." he muttered, and Sally could only nod in agreement.

Subject's reaction to outside stimuli...violent...recommended that the subject be decommissioned at this time.

"Sally?" Wufei's voice rumbled from where he looked back at her, half a step ahead. "What is it?"

The doctor shook her head, unsure what had sparked those vague memories, and she squeezed Wufei's hand. "I'd like to ask him what he knows about his own body," she admitted as they pressed on together, "but now doesn't really seem like the time and place to start research."

…

Wufei held the door open for Sally as they stepped inside the diner, and he felt himself breathe a little easier to see the restaurant wasn't crowded inside. He always felt an itch grow between his shoulder blades whenever he was forced to come into society. Wufei hardly remembered what it was like to be comfortable around strangers; to not wonder what ulterior motives might be driving their interest, or conversation.

Sometimes he couldn't help wondering if it was a weakness, one he should be fighting against, that need to live out in the seclusion of nature. His dark near onyx eyes flickered to Sally's back, watching as she stood studying the menu board above the counter. She didn't think less of him for his want to be alone. She had in fact encouraged him.

His lips tipped up in a faint smile as he watched her. Sally hid her grim feelings behind a mask now, the index finger of her free hand lightly tapping against her lip as she considered what to order. Wufei could still clearly remember the first time he'd met Sally, in a field hospital. He hadn't thought so well of her then as he did now.

Wufei came back to himself suddenly, his body jerking violently, as though he'd just been dropped from a height. He gasped at the pain which ignited across his body, and tried to force his eyes open as adrenaline coursed through his system.

"Whoa!" a female voice said a little sharply, "easy there."

He felt hands touching him, trying to hold him steady, restraining him. Wufei forced himself to draw a calming breath before he managed to get his eyes to actually open. It took a moment for his vision to focus, but when it did, Wufei found himself glaring up at a woman. She was standing on his left side, right hand pressing his shoulder firmly to the gurney.

"Who are you?" he growled, or tried to. His voice wasn't nearly as strong as he wanted it to be, held down so easily by a woman.

"I'm the doctor who just saved your life," she told him bluntly. "Are you going to relax?" she asked, not letting up the pressure on his shoulder. "Or am I going to have to sedate you?"

Wufei forced himself to relax back on the gurney, and drew a few slow even breaths. The initial panic of waking without memory of where he was or how he got there faded, and he was able to take in his surroundings. The irritating beep of a heart monitor filtered into Wufei's notice, and he recognized that he was laying within a field hospital.

"That's better," the doctor said with approval, as she eased her weight off his shoulder and reached for the stethoscope around her neck. Wufei continued to study the woman warily as she pressed the instrument to his chest, not liking being stuck prone. "Can you tell me your name?" she asked as she finally straightened, and reached for a penlight from her front pocket.

Forcing himself to not lean away from the hands that came towards his face, Wufei merely winced at the intrusion of the light across his eyes. "Wufei," he forced out.

"That's good," she said with a pleased nod, returning the offending light to her pocket. As she stepped back a little, Wufei forced himself up onto his left elbow, unable to stay in that vulnerable position any longer. His vision swam at the sudden change, and he was aware of the doctor's presence returning to his side. "Relax, Wufei," she ordered firmly.

Wufei tried to knock her hands away from him, but she easily caught his wrist in the attempt. He glared at her, eyes flickering to where her name was stitched on her uniform, "Major Po," he said, and had to cough to clear his throat, "I don't have time to be here."

She blinked at him, her expression unimpressed. "I prefer Dr. Po," she said, voice a little flat, "and I wouldn't advise you try moving around too much."

Grinding teeth, in frustration, Wufei forced himself into a siting position, the blanket that had been covering him fell off his bare chest to pool on his lap. He noted the large bandage on his right side, but the pain that radiated from there, he forced aside. "Woman, I'm fine," he said, not bothering to try and keep the anger from his voice. "I still have a job to do."

That raised an eyebrow on the doctor's face, and she folded arms tightly beneath her breasts. "Maybe for you I should prefer Major," she said evenly. "As for your job, you're more than welcome to go back to it, against medical advice," she said flipping a hand away from her chest which said just what she thought of that notion. "But I'm not providing you with a uniform," her lips quirked up into a smile at that.

Wufei's already dark expression fell into a harsh glare. He didn't need to lift the blankets to know there was nothing but them covering him. For her part Dr. Po just continued to smile at him, her eyes sparkling with a light that Wufei found infuriating. She appeared convinced his current state of undress would meekly keep him down.

Without hesitation Wufei tossed back the blanket, and swung his legs over the side of the gurney. Pressing his right arm to his side, Wufei tried not to wince at the pain radiating through his body, as he yanked the leads off his chest, hearing the machine flatline behind him. Wufei raised his head to see the doctor eyeing him with a raised brow, and that infuriating little smile.

Drawing a breath, that wasn't a groan of pain, he told himself, Wufei took hold of the IV stand beside the gurney and stepped off the bed. His dark expression grew triumphant when his legs held him and he saw Dr. Po take a slight step back form him. "Where are my clothes?" he growled.

"...For the love of..." the doctor muttered rolling her eyes, "I believe I said I wasn't going to provide you with any."

"Dammit, woman," he hissed, head swivelling to see what if anything was in this 'room' of the field hospital.

"Dammit, Major," she corrected, and her voice sounded amused.

Wufei's head came up, dark eyes locking in on this woman, who was standing in his way, and had the audacity to find this funny. He couldn't fail to miss the way her eyes swept over him, that strange smile still tugging at her lips. Wufei moved to take another step, feeling his heart pounding in his chest at the anger he was unsuccessful to suppress.

His leg chose that moment to betray him, and Wufei pitched forward, body tensing for the impact to come. Instead warm hands and rough material caught him, and over the roar in his ears Wufei thought he heard her chuckle.

"Maybe now you'll accept medical advice," she huffed, as she bodily moved him back to the gurney.

Wufei tried to draw breath to respond, but his lungs didn't seem to want to cooperate, all he could manage was a hiss of pain as he found himself being stretched back out.

Wufei smirked at the memory, though he certainly hadn't felt like doing so back then. He hadn't thought much of Sally back then, and certainly couldn't have imagined how she would change his life. Sally had also changed in the years that followed that first chance encounter. But that spirit and that determination, those had never left her.

Wufei shifted his feet slightly where he stood near the door, and he glanced down at his watch. Onyx eyes took in the time, and brushed across the date without actually registering it for a moment. But Wufei felt something suddenly click in his brain as he looked back down at the date. Looking up again Wufei saw Sally was in the middle of placing their order with the cashier, and he quickly glanced about the diner.

He'd had plans for this weekend; they both had. Plans that didn't involve being on the run with a shadowy organization no doubt desperately trying to search them out. Wufei didn't resent what Sally had dumped in his lap; for her, Wufei knew he would put aside anything. He saw a small pastry display down at the far end of the counter, and strode towards it, hoping it might contain what he was looking for.

Reaching deep into his left pocket, Wufei felt the small box he'd stashed there before they'd been forced to flee his home. He'd intended to give it to Sally tonight, after they'd eaten a nice home cooked meal. Sally didn't require fancy things, and Wufei wasn't interested in them either. They just wanted the other's company.

"Can I help you?" a young woman asked, coming to stand behind the display.

Wufei pulled his gaze away from the pastries he'd been staring at, and regarded the young woman. "How's your chocolate cake?" he asked, keeping his voice low so it hopefully wouldn't carry to Sally's ears.

"Very rich," she responded immediately with a smile.

"Hmm..." Wufei's eyes swept away the cake and quickly landed on a danish. "I'll take one of those," he said pointing to the item he wanted, and reached for some money from his pocket. "Keep the change," he told the girl, and accepted the pastry in a wax bag.

Sally was just glancing about the store for him when he came up behind her, their meal in two bags on the counter. "Happy Birthday," he said smoothly.

She spun to face him, her eyes going from the maple danish he held out to her to his face. Sally's expression went from puzzled to surprised, and she smiled at him. "I didn't even realize," she said with a slight laugh.

Wufei shrugged slightly, "not how we planned to spend our weekend..."

Sally reached out a hand towards him, wrapping her fingers around the back of his neck, and drew his head towards hers. She knew he wasn't fussed on public displays of affection, but every now and then that didn't stop her. Wufei only tensed his neck a little as he allowed Sally to press her lips to his, and watched as she closed her eyes.

…

Releasing Wufei's hand as she came to a stop outside Relena's room, Sally rapped sharply against the surface. She didn't need to lean her ear close to the door to hear a flurry of movement on the other side, and she briefly glanced at Wufei, who regarded her with his usual near scowl but with a slightly quirked eyebrow.

Sally turned back to the door just as Relena was pulling it open a crack, peeking out from around the edge. "Did you find what you needed?" the younger woman asked closing the door enough to release the bolt.

Holding up the bags as she pushed her way inside the room, Sally looked a little more closely at her friend, as she said, "yep, sorry we took so long." Sally cast another subtle look Wufei's way, before she looked to where Heero sat on the edge of the bed. The strange young man still looked a little flushed to Sally's eye, but she seriously doubted it was due to fever.

Relena accepted the bag containing their meals from Sally's hand, and immediately brought it over to the room's small table. Sally watched as Relena self-consciously tucked hair behind her ear, the younger woman casting quick glances Heero's way before pulling containers out of the bag.

Sally heard Wufei huff a soft breath behind her, and decided to say something before he did. Looking down at Heero's face, Sally felt herself smile broadly. "That's a nice shade of lipstick on you, Heero," she said, almost laughing out loud at the way Relena's head whipped around to look at him.

Heero's expression turned confused, dark blue eyes darting to Relena questioningly, before he looked back to Sally. "I'm not wearing any..." he stated.

Relena, with her back once more to Sally, though the doctor could see the blush on Relena's exposed ear, came across the room to pass Heero a meal. "Neither was I," she told him in a soft voice.

Sally didn't bother trying to hold back her laughter now as she looked over to Wufei, who only shook his head. Wiping at her eyes as her mirth dissipated, Sally stepped a little closer to the bed, and dropped the other bag she'd been carrying down beside Heero. "These should do for you," she told him, as Heero glanced towards the bag, his meal still held in hand.

"Eat while it's still warm," Relena encouraged Heero, coming back to sit on the bed behind him with her own meal in hand.

Wufei walked over to the small table and chairs with the second bag, and Sally moved to join him taking the other available chair. A silence settled over the room as they dug into their meals, but Sally continued to subtly watch both Relena and Heero. That the two of them had been 'passing the time' with lips and hands had been evident to Sally from the hurried sounds through the door alone.

She wasn't surprised that it had happened. She'd noticed almost immediately the attachment Relena seemed to feel for this strange young man. Sally knew herself the rush of emotions from meeting an attractive man, even when that man appeared to be a blind fool at first glance. She offered Wufei a fond smile from across the table, and watched his eyebrow raise at her in question.

Throw into the mix the rush of emotions and endorphins from surviving an explosion, and being on the run, and you had a perfect storm for drawing the two of them together. Sally just wanted to be sure her friend wouldn't get hurt in the turmoil. Glancing down at what was left of her breakfast, Sally put aside the container and stretched her arms out before her. A lot had happened, and it wasn't even noon yet.

"You should get changed," she said to Heero, who was putting aside his own meal. From where she sat, it looked like he'd eaten everything he'd been given.

Heero let Relena take the empty container, as he reached for the bag of clothes with his right hand. He stood from the bed, left hand holding the loose waist of the scrub pants he still wore, and Sally was amazed at the ease with which he moved. Just last night he'd required help to make it from the car to the bed. The healing his body had done, was quite simply incredible.

Sally snapped from her thoughts as Heero moved towards the bathroom, and she immediately reached for her medical bag still on the table. "I should remove those stitches, while we're at it," she said.

"I can do it," he returned, looking perhaps a little uncomfortable.

"It'll be easier if I do it," she said, making her voice authoritative again, as she removed the scissors from her bag and stood from the chair. Heero stared at her, and for a moment she thought he might actually want to argue the matter. But with a stern look Sally pointed to the bathroom door, and Heero turned to walk inside.

Following the young man, Sally switched on the lights and overhead fan, before shutting the door behind them. Heero placed the bag of clothes down on the counter, and turned to regard Sally, his expression closed off. For a moment the doctor leaned back against the door and studied Heero. "I'd tell you there's a time and a place," she began, and saw his expression grow confused, "but I seriously doubt you've had much experience with this at all."

Heero's eyes watched her warily, but Sally could see a slight blush creep into his cheeks. So confused he may still be, he did know what she was referring to. "I get it," she continued, "the rush of adrenaline, surviving a near death experience, that sends emotions all the way up to eleven. But they can't be the sole thing you base this off of, that's a recipe for disaster."

Sally watched Heero's expression as she spoke, and knew he understood what she was getting at when his eyes dropped suddenly. His shoulders slumping, and the blush remaining in his face wasn't exactly what Sally had expected. "I'm not saying it can't work," she found herself saying, feeling a little like she'd just let the air out of Heero's life.

Pushing herself off the door and taking a step towards Heero, Sally ducked her head to try and catch his eyes. "Maybe I'm just being over protective," she admitted, "Relena's never dated much, in the years that I've known her. I've encouraged her, but she just didn't seem to want to find the time for it."

"This is all a reaction to the bomb?" Heero muttered the question, his voice clearly disappointed, and he still would not meet Sally's eyes, though she saw a brief flash of blue.

Sally stood up straight, wanting to sigh but managing to fight it back. This wasn't going at all how she'd expected it would. "That's not exactly what I meant," she said, and decided on a different tact. "Heero, look at me," she ordered, but not with her military voice, but rather a smile in her words. For a moment she thought she might have to switch to the military tone to get his cooperation, but her patience was rewarded when cobalt eyes met hers.

"I can tell Relena likes you," she began in even tones, wanting to make herself clear. "The fact that I've never witnessed her react like this to anyone else means, I believe, that she feels something special for you, that isn't solely attached to the fact that you saved her life." Sally held Heero's gaze firmly, her lips tipping up at the flicker of hope she saw flash across his features. "I just want to be sure the two of you take the necessary time to figure this out, slowly, so neither of you get hurt."

"I promised to protect her," he said, his shoulders rising slightly as his look became one of determination.

Sally opened her mouth to speak, but stopped herself. Of their little group, Relena was the least qualified to be on the run, dodging a mysterious organization like this Order of the Zodiac. They'd all have to do their part to keep her safe. Sally looked at Heero, and despite the determination he showed her, she could still see a strong uncertainty in him.

She raised the scissors then. "Let me see your hip," she told him, as she slid past and took a seat on the closed lid of the toilet. Heero hesitated only a moment before turning towards her. Without a word, the young man hooked a thumb inside the waistband of his shorts and lowered the material enough for Sally to remove the bandage.

It struck her that she'd only put it on the day before, and she still expected the wound to look raw and fresh. Knowing Heero's body healed faster than was possible still didn't prepare Sally for seeing the results of it, when she pulled the dressing clear of his skin. Snipping the first stitch, Sally's eyes glanced briefly at Heero's face, seeing the young man staring straight ahead, his expression difficult to read.

'I promised to protect her...' Sally thought about that statement as she worked, placing each suture onto the countertop beside her as she pulled them free. A promise of protection was a fine thing, and a noble gesture, but only if there was more behind it than just that. Her eyes flickered to Heero's face again. Was he capable of more than just a desire to protect?

It was obvious to Sally that Heero hadn't been given much in the way of human interactions to learn from. And yet, he was clearly drawn to Relena, and her to him. Sally didn't like to consider the hurt Relena could possibly suffer from this. She too felt protective of Relena, and had since well before Relena had dragged this young man into her clinic.

Sally focused a little more of her attention on the wound she was tending to, amazed to see the progress of healing the incision had made in just over twenty-four hours. She pressed her free hand briefly, to Heero's skin near the wound, before taking his wrist with the same hand. She wanted to subtly try and gauge Heero's body temperature.

"Finished?" he asked, looking down at her with a raised brow.

"Do you usually run a temperature when your body is recovering from an injury?" Sally returned, placing her hands in her lap as she looked up at Heero.

The young man shrugged, stepping away from Sally. "Why?" he asked back, his expression slightly guarded.

"The doctor in me wants to understand how this is possible," she told him with a shrug of her own.

"It's unnatural..." he said bitterly.

"I won't argue that," Sally was quick to say, "and I don't expect you to know what exactly was done to you, to make this possible."

"Then why ask?" Heero questioned.

Sally regarded the young man with a sad smile. "Knowledge is often power, Heero, and you never know what small, seemingly insignificant piece of information might be the piece that topples the whole tower down."

Heero broke eye contact then, his face turning towards the bathroom's small window in the shower. "That's not my name," he said softly, "OZ calls me 01..." He trailed off, but Sally held her breath, feeling positive this young man had more to say. "The name Heero Yuy was a gift?" he didn't sound sure that was the right word.

"Who gave it to you?" Sally asked gently.

He looked back over then. "One of the scientists, Dr. J he called himself." Heero's brow knit together, "he was the only one who saw me..."

Sally kept a steady look at Heero's face, "Saw you as what?" she asked, even while her stomach sank to think of the possible answers she'd receive.

"More than just a weapon..." Heero replied coldly, and Sally could feel the danger this man radiated, could see the hardness in him that wore like a suit of armour. Again Sally felt an internal chill race down her spine, and felt like she was again seeing this young man for the first time.

"Get changed," she said, moving towards the door. Sally kept Heero in her peripheral vision, wanting to understand better just who and what this young man was. Stepping back out into the room, Sally's eyes landed on Relena where she sat waiting, her blue-green eyes locking onto Sally's face immediately.

The doctor pulled the door closed behind her and offered her friend a smile. She seriously hoped this wasn't a mistake.