Chapter Six-
The story continues! Yeah! Thanks for the reviews you gundam fans! I luv this show- it's a great anime! I never thought of getting into the mecha series but it just looked too good to pass up!
Standards disclaimers apply!

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Dr J was there to meet them on the landing bay. He had a stretcher waiting for Heero also.
"He'll be fine." The dr assured them as his assistants took Heero into the lab. "Come and I'll show you to your rooms. I suspect you won't be leaving without him. Am I right?"
The nodded and followed the dr into the compound. "It's nothing that you're use to- but we're not really set up for comfort here. But this is a very secure area- no one would be dumb enough to attack."
"Thank you Dr J. Everything is fine- but where is Heero?" Relena asked.
"He's in the lab. They're running some tests- if it's what I think, they'll get him on the road to recovery soon."
"But how? The doctors at the hospital had no clue how to help him." Quatre asked.
"But they are worthless. And they also don't know how to modify their medicines to affect Heero's system."
"That's why all those sedatives had little to no effect on the guy." Duo said shrugging.
"Just how different is Heero?" Quatre asked again. "I mean on the discs he left Relena he said he was three when you first found him. How could you genetically alter him then?"
"It's a long story. But I feel it can wait till morning." The dr said as he ushered them to their rooms.

Relena sat on her bed- the rooms were by no means built for comfort. Still she couldn't sleep. So she decided to go for a walk and try to find Heero.
All the halls looked the same- long, dark and cold.
What kind of childhood could be found here? The more she thought of it the more she felt she understood Heero- but there were still so many holes in the picture.
She walked down another hallway- to her surprise a light was on in one room- She knocked on the door and entered to find Dr J sitting at a small table looking at pictures and files.
"Dr J? I…"
"Come in Ms. Relena." He said. His tone was no longer serious and professional like before- this was one that almost sounded sad and remorseful.
"I couldn't sleep," she said as she entered the small room.
She looked around- it was sparsely furnished- a cot near the wall by a barred window, a table, chair, and a shelf full of papers.
"I don't mean to intrude upon your room dr…" She said politely.
"Oh but you're not. This isn't my room either. Although I find myself here more often these days."
"I don't understand."
"This was Heero's room… when I first took him in… he was three, but that wasn't the first time we'd met."
Relena looked the room over- there were some similar looking cloths on the bed. The kind that Heero always wore. She looked at an object that sat at the head of the bed. Relena was amazed. It was a solitary stuffed bear. Its fur was now worn and thread bare due to time. She was drawn to the object. Closer she saw the stains on its once brown fabric.
"It's all he had left of his innocence- that bear. Before all the pain and trainings began… I didn't want to force him to kill. It was so against his nature; he was always a smiling and happy child."
Relena gently picked up the precious bear. It smelt like him. She pictured a happy baby with unruly brown hair and deep Prussian blue eyes- smiling and laughing… it was so different form the Heero she knew.
"What happened to him?" She asked quietly. Dr J sighed and motioned her to sit on the chair next to him.
"Heero is the sole survivor of the perfect soldier project. It started out with fifteen embryos originally. Heero's biological parents were in reality several; people; we took traits from numerous women and the same with several men and enhanced them with a superior DNA strand from a score of different things… I was just a secondary researcher at that time. I was in charge of recoding his progress after he was placed inside his mother to grow naturally."
"So- the woman wasn't his real mother?" Relena asked.
"She was in a way- some of her genetic code was entered into the mess-and she carried him for nine months… but after he was born she couldn't part with him. I didn't have the heart to take him away from her. The others died either during birth or shortly after due to complications with the combination of traits. But Heero, I don't know if I'd call him the lucky one. He seemed to have a strong will. After he was three months we, his mother and I took him home form the lab. He was on the outside a normal healthy boy- I know it's hard to believe, but we fell in love with each other and with him. We even named him… furthering our delusion of a happy family."
"Ryo- the name Ryo Strife. You gave him that name." Relena realized.
"Yes, but our happy family only lasted three years." He sighed. "I destroyed all the data about Heero's creation- how it was done- the combinations of sequences- he is the only record."
"And oz wants him so they can retain the code and create more perfect soldiers…" Relena gasped as things began to fall into place.
"They came one night and killed her and that's when there was no where else to hide. I went along with them in the hopes I could keep him safe and somewhat cared for."
Relena listened in silence as Dr. J told the story- how they beat the smiled off his little face- how they physically, and mentally tortured the child to become the perfect, unquestioning and unfeeling killing machine. How Dr. J sent Heero to live with Odin Lowe to finish his training and everything in between.
All the holed filed in- everything made sense. His emotionless shell, his actions and reactions, everything.
"I've failed them both- I let them kill him, but you… you Relena… you have brought him back. You've seen past the shell. I thank you for that." The dr said quietly. "He's going to need you more than ever when he finds out the truth."
""Don't worry. I'll never leave him. He means to much to me…"
"You've changed him- you've given him a glimpse of his own humanity. You've returned it to him."
"How is he doing right now?" She was almost afraid to ask.
"Well, why don't we go and see? Since we both aren't going to be getting any sleep." Relena nodded and followed the dr out of the room.
She still held on to the worn bear as they entered the lab. It was almost comforting to her to have a piece of his humanity in her hands, and she wanted to return it. To make him whole once again.
They entered the large laboratory. Towards the center of a mass of machines was a bed where Heero laid.
Relena walked up to his still frame. She had to admit he did look a little better. There was more color in his skin. The dr was looking over several charts for a time and then came over to the other side of Heero's bed.
"Do you know what is wrong with him?"
"Aside from the after effects of the zero system- I believe I know the main cause. It's oz's fail safe device."
"Fail safe device?"
"In case he ever rebelled or didn't complete a mission- there was a way to control him. It should still be working." The dr carefully rolled Heero on his back. "Here it is. It was implanted at the base of his neck. That way it would send currents into his nervous system." He pointed to a slight bump in the area.
"Can we take it out?" She asked as she ran her finger over the imbedded chip in his skin.
"I can try- I suppose with the zero systems effects it must have worn him down. I'm sure oz has been trying to weaken him as well." The dr looked up at the clock. "I'll do that in the morning- I think I will retire then- I suggest you do the same. Sleep will do you good."
"Thank you dr J, but I think I'll stay here." She said as he left the lab.
Relena pulled up a chair to the bed and found sleep while holding Heero's hand.

She was awoken by a gentle nudge from Quatre.
"I thought I'd find you here." He smiled handing her a cup of coffee. "Did you get much sleep?"
"No, not really."
"Well, the dr is going to do something to Heero and I thought maybe some breakfast or some fresh air would do you good."
"Yeah, I could use a breather." She agreed and went out into some sort of yard outside.
While she was gone dr J worked on removing the chip from Heero's neck.

After what seemed like hours, Dr. J successfully removed the device from Heero. Outside the lab, everyone was waiting.
"How did it go Doc?" Duo asked.
"Is he ok? Did you get it out?" Relena spoke quickly. The dr only smiled and opened his hand showing everyone the painful looking device that was removed from Heero. It fit easily into the palm of his hand- only a tiny chip like device. But it was enough- it gave Heero freedom from oz's control.
"He will probably wake in the next hour… I'm not sure if he'll remember much from the last few months- but he'll be fine.. He's been though worse."
"Can we see him?" Relena questioned.
"Yes, my dear. He's all yours." The doctor smiled for the first time in a long while seeing the love she held for Heero. Relena and the rest of the pilots entered the room to find Heero still asleep.
"Well he's looking better." Quatre said.
"Yeah I agree." Trowa commented.
"So now that he's out of that danger- what about oz? They'll be coming for him. You realize that." Zechs said coldly. "None of us are safe around him."
"Will you shut up?" Relena practically screamed at her brother. Her voice seemed to jar the slumbering soldier. Heero began to mumble something as he rolled over.
"SH!" Duo snickered. "You'll wake the baby."
"I heard that Duo. And shut it now." Came a familiar voice. All eyes went to the still form on the bed. Heero, who was laying on his stomach, eyes still closed began to stretch.
He groaned as his eyes opened slowly. The first thing he saw was the angel with the beautiful light hair.
"Heero!" Relena smiled as turned back to him and caressed his cheek. She was even more surprised to have him nuzzle up to her palm. He looked up at her with those blue eyes- they seemed to have changed. He was more relaxed and he almost looked happy.
"How you feeling buddy?" Duo said as everyone came closer to Heero as he rolled on his back and tried to sit up. A sharp pain surged in his back and he fell down on the bed.
"Take it easy." Quatre said seeing the pain in Heero's face.
"Yes, you shouldn't be moving around after all that happened to you." Trowa spoke.
"I feel like crap." Heero mumbled as he rubbed his eyes with his hands.