A/N: Um…Long time no see (ducks behind concrete wall as large blunt objects are hurled at her). Sorry for the immense delay, but my muse packed up and left town without notifying me or leaving a forwarding address. That and I just suck.

Disclaimer: If you ever want to hear God laugh, tell him you haveplans.

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Ch. 6 Dead Man Walking

Heero's head hurt. A lot. He was known for his seemingly inhuman tolerance for pain, but for reasons he wasn't quite able to grasp, the searing pain pulsing through his skull was all he could focus on. It had been two hours since the attack had ended and he had come into contact with the man with amber eyes who called him brother. Just a few moments after meeting the man he had been struck nearly blind with the pain that was currently assaulting him. It had ebbed at times, allowing him to catch his breath, but the moment he thought of those eyes, images would assault him from all sides and he would once again succumb to an aching head.

After the initial shock from the first attack began to fade, he had managed to function well enough to issue a few orders and escort Relena to a waiting ambulance. He had clenched his jaw to the point where his teeth nearly shattered in an effort to hide his immense discomfort on the ride to the hospital and through most of his examination (given at Relena's insistence). But now, in the empty examination room, Heero Yuy sat slumped over, cradling his head in his hands. He was frustrated to say the least, which was only adding to his discomfort. As the pain once again began to ebb, he looked up, taking a few deep breaths and looking into a small mirror that hung on the adjacent wall. For a moment he was relieved that he had been left alone. His face was a few shades paler than normal and he looked shaken. Or at least as shaken as the Perfect Soldier ever allowed himself to get. The truth of the matter was, he was feeling pretty…unsettled.

All right, let's run through things, he thought in an effort to find some reason in the chaos that had dominated his life the past few hours. I know him, of that I'm sure. He's my…brother. No, that's not right, I don't have any family. Then why is that the only way I can describe him? Heero felt the pain start to creep back, so he paused a moment to steady himself. He's not my brother; not by blood anyway. The term is more of an…endearment. He…

Heero paused as a few images flashed across his mind. He was varying ages, but always there was a familiar and a safe—safe?—feeling that was associated with the young man.

No, not 'the young man.' His name is Cale. Cale…Lowe. Oh my God.

Just as he was about to grasp that elusive connection, the pain flared back to life, causing him to once again slump in his seat and cradle his head. He felt like he was so close to an answer, but he wasn't even entirely sure what the question was. How long he stayed in that position grasping at straws he wasn't sure, but somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the sound of the door opening and closing. He nearly jumped when a cool, damp cloth was gently placed on the back of his neck. Slowly he looked up and met with a very concerned pair of blue eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Relena asked, hesitating only briefly before brushing her fingers against his temple. His only answer was a grunt.

A few more moments of silence passed and the pain subsided little by little. Heero was silently grateful for both the cool cloth and Relena's calming presence. After a while he began to feel better, his mind becoming a little less clouded. Sitting up straight in his chair, he took a deep breath and looked back at the Vice Foreign Minister.

"How did the press conference go?" he asked.

"As well as could be expected. I gave more reassurances than answers, though."

There was the slightest bit of hesitation at the end of her sentence that Heero immediately picked up on. Quietly examining her expression, he could see the questions that she almost seemed afraid to ask. Steeling himself against anymore pain that may come rushing back, he decided that he should…no needed… to at least try to answer.

"I know him," he started without preamble, catching her a little off guard. "His name is Cale. He…he's…" Heero found himself struggling to explain. He barely knew what was going on himself. "He was around when I was younger. We worked together…I think. Odin…" he paused again, then stood and took a few small steps across the room. "I have pictures of us when we were younger. Security photos. I don't really remember, but he was there." Heero let out an uncharacteristic grunt of frustration and clenched his fists.

"Heero," Relena said softly, "It's okay, you don't need to answer everything right now. Just--" A loud crash and a yell echoed down the hallway and Heero immediately went on guard. A few seconds later a quick knock sounded at the door before Duo opened it, looking a bit strained.

"Hey Heero, sorry to interrupt, but our, um…captive, is making a bit of a fuss." Another crash was heard, this time followed by a string of curses that sounded unmistakably like Wufei. "He's got a few injuries that Sally wants to treat," another crash, "but he won't let her near him." Duo paused for a moment, looking a bit unsure of how he wanted to proceed. "He, um, wants to see you first, I think. It's kind of hard to tell, he keeps switching between Standard and, well, whatever the heck he's speaking."

"Gaelic," Heero suddenly answered, catching both Relena and Duo by surprise. "He does that when he's upset or nervous. He hates needles…"

Heero's eyes widened as he made a connection, then hurried out of his exam room and down the hall, leaving two very confused people in his wake.

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Sally was, to say the least, exasperated and even a little afraid. She glanced to her left towards her sometimes partner, who was looking exceedingly irritated. Shifting her gaze back to the matter at hand, she felt a slight pang of amusement at the sight of her patient crouched atop the supply counter armed with a jar of Q-tips. If it weren't for the fact that he looked like a rabid tiger ready to pounce, and the destruction he had already caused, she would have laughed.

Taking a cautious step forward, she waited to see his reaction. He tensed and muttered something she didn't quite understand. She glanced back at Wufei and caught sight of the portable x-ray, a rather heavy piece of machinery that now lay in pieces after being flung at the wall with seemingly little effort by her patient. She went to move again, but halted as the young man uttered another foreign phrase, however, she didn't need to understand the language to recognize that his words were a warning. For a moment she wished she could read his expression better, but he had yet to remove his sunglasses, thus hiding his eyes and making his moves difficult to determine.

A tense moment passed where none of the occupants dared to move. When the door to the room was unceremoniously thrust open and banged against the wall, Sally jumped and let out a little yelp of surprise. She turned to see Heero enter with a look of absolute fury etched on his face. Striding across the room, the ex-pilot stopped just a few feet from the patient. Time stood still once again as the two squared off, and to Sally's surprise, the unruly patient slowly put down the jar and adjusted his position so he was no longer crouching, but sitting tensely on the counter, eye to eye with Heero.

"You," Heero finally spat, the word slicing through the air with a severity that made Sally wince. "You're dead."

The statement sounded half like a question and half like an accusation. Sally was surprised for the umpteenth time that day when she heard a deep chuckle escape the patient's throat.

"Really? No one told me. I feel pretty good for a dead man," he said, then a small smile tugged at his lips. "How are you feeling?"

Heero tensed and for a moment the doctor feared that he was going to attack the other man. To her relief, both remained relatively still, though Heero's demeanor was enough to raise several red flags in her mind and she prepared to call in back up if necessary.

"You're dead," Heero repeated. "I…I saw you die. I saw it…I think…" The normally stoic pilot began to falter and paused for a brief moment before regaining his composure. "Who are you?"

Sally's heart skipped as the man, who had previously been a threat akin to a wild beast, completely relaxed and slumped just slightly in what appeared to be defeat and a saddened expression settled on his face.

"What did they do to you?"

The question was quiet and full of what Sally could only describe as grief and…regret? Her day was getting stranger by the moment.

"Who are you?" Heero asked again, this time with less vehemence.

"An…old friend."

"That's not good enough."

"It's all that I can offer right now," the other man replied, stealing a glance at Sally, Wufei, and a very perplexed Duo and Relena, who stood stock still in the doorway.

Heero looked up, seeming to notice the others for the first time. Silence once again settled as no one could figure out what to say. The stranger shifted and winced just slightly at the movement, which brought Sally's attention back to her original duties. He had injuries that needed to be tended to.

"Um, Heero, he's got a few injuries I'd like to look at," she started, mentally berating herself for sounding so stupid, but to be honest, the good doctor was at a total loss. "He wanted to see you first, and now you're here, so could you maybe…" She trailed off again feeling like a total fool.

The stranger tensed again as she took a tentative step forward. Heero looked back at him and softened his expression just slightly. "She won't hurt you."

"You trust her?" Heero nodded. "All right."

With cautious and controlled movements, the patient slid off of the counter and moved to the exam table. Sally proceeded slowly towards him, as did Wufei. She stood for just a moment and looked him over, noticing how rapidly his demeanor had changed. Relaxing a little, she reached for a pair of sterile gloves.

"Okay, Mr., um…"

"Cale," the patient replied smoothly.

"Right, Mr. Cale."

"No titles. Just Cale."

"All right," she said, smiling a little. "That cut over your eye needs to be cleaned," she stated, taking on a more professional tone. "But I'll need you to take off your sunglasses."

"No."

Damn, just when I thought things were going well.

"You've caused enough trouble already, just take the things off," Wufei stated, sounding more than a little irritated.

Cale shook his head and looked back at Heero and Sally. "Not right now."

"Christ, just take them off," Wufei growled and reached for the glasses.

In a flash he found himself pinned against the opposite wall, his feet dangling a few inches off the ground and clawing at the hand that gripped his neck.

"Cale, put him down!" Heero commanded.

Wufei waited for what seemed an eternity before the grip on his neck was released and he slid to the ground. Coughing, he struggled to stand with the help of Sally and a nearby chair.

"I think it would be best if everyone except me and Sally left," Heero said.

"If you think I'm leaving her alone with this--"

"Chang, that is not a request," Heero barked. "You may stand guard outside the door, but you are not to enter unless I call you."

Wufei was not entirely sure how to respond to Heero's command. They were equals as far as rank went and not once had one so strictly dictated the actions of the other. Anger swelled and he began to protest, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Wufei," Sally said, "I'll be all right. I think it's best to listen to Heero right now."

Frustrated and a little bewildered, Wufei nodded sharply before turning and ushering Relena and Duo away from the door before closing it. Sally let out a pent-up breath and turned back to her patient, who had gone back to the exam table.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, catching her off-guard. "He startled me."

"That's okay, he'll get over it." She smiled and he seemed to relax. "About the glasses--"

"If you can dim the lights I'll take them off."

Glancing at Heero, she saw him give a small shrug and nod. Reaching over, she flipped one of the light switches, shutting off half the lights in the room. Cale nodded his thanks and removed his sunglasses.

"Bright lights hurt my eyes. It's a long story."

"That's fine, I've worked in the dark before."

The corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile. Taking a deep breath, Sally cautiously reached up and touched the cut, getting a good look. He sat perfectly still, not even blinking as she prodded the wound.

"Well, it looks worse than it is. A butterfly bandage should do just fine," she said, breaking the silence.

He remained silent, watching her every move, a mix of curiosity and amusement in his unique amber eyes. When she had finished cleaning and dressing the cut she stood back and examined him. He was still covered with dirt and soot from the incident earlier that day and his long hair was coming loose from the tie at the nape of his neck. Thick stubble also shadowed his face, indicating that personal grooming had not been high on his list of things to do for the past few days. She could tell that every inch of his body was muscle, despite the fact that his build was no different than the average man. She couldn't help but think that if he cleaned up a little, he would be a rather attractive young man.

Sally was shaken from her thoughts when she notices him shift and wince once again. Returning to a more professional state of mind, she approached him once more.

"After that fall you took, I'm going to need to examine your neck and back to make sure you didn't break anything. For that I'll need you to remove your shirt."

"You first," he quipped, recoiling slightly.

"What?"

"Your shirt. I'll take off mine if you take off yours. It's only fair."

Sally wasn't sure if she should be offended or amused. "I won't be taking off my shirt."

"All right then," he grinned, "your pants."

"What?" she squeaked.

"Cale!" Heero reprimanded.

"Cale, please, I need to examine your back."

He recoiled once again, looking a little apprehensive. "I'm okay, really. My spine broke my fall."

Concern crept into Sally's mind. He was stalling, and was that apprehension she saw in his face? What was he trying to hide? Seeking help, she turned to Heero. The two men stared at one another for a moment, an intense, silent conversation passing between them. Finally, Cale relented and looked down, worrying at the hem of his shirt.

"Fine," he mumbled before pulling it over his head.

He had a few scars criss-crossing his torso, which was no surprise to her considering the battle scars she and the others carried from the war. His arms and hands also carried a few scars as well as the telltale identification tattoos that were the mark of prisoners from contract labor-camps. What unsettled her was his back. From shoulder blade to shoulder blade were three identical scars, each a half-inch wide. Upon closer inspection she could see that they had been made with surgical precision, the edges displaying the unique puckering that often accompanied burn scars. She swallowed, feeling sick at the cruelty that the scars implied. When she glanced at Heero, he looked surprised and a little shaken as well.

"A sharp, hot blade, so it cuts and cauterizes at the same time. More pain, less blood loss," Cale supplied, his voice sounding heavy and empty.

When he glanced back at her and she was caught up in the shame and pain that clouded his eyes. Next to her she saw Heero swallow, something akin to guilt taking over for a brief moment. Quietly, she finished her exam, determining that he had a few bruised ribs, but was okay for the most part.

"I need to take him to lock-up at headquarters," Heero said, his blank expression and monotone voice again settling into place. Cale simply nodded as he pulled his shirt back over his head, his somber and docile demeanor the complete opposite of what it had been an hour earlier. "I'll make sure you can rest before the questioning starts. You have," Heero paused, "a lot of explaining to do."

Sally simply stood and watched as the two walked out, numb and confused as she tried to comprehend all that had happened. Minutes passed before a single clear and rational thought crossed her mind: Who is he, Heero?

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A/N: This chapter didn't go quite the way I wanted it to and I'm not particularly thrilled with it. Let me know what you think