Author's note: Thanks for the review.

She stands there for a moment as if she's never been here before and has no idea just any of this is. As if it hasn't all been hammered into her over the course of months.

It's only been a few days since her mind was last intruded upon in such a manner but somehow it still seems as if it's been forever, part of some old nightmare. Desperately, she looks around, seeking anything that she might be able to use to prove to herself that this is exactly that: an illusion and one which she will be able to break away from with just a little effort. She looks behind her nervously. Sure enough, the man is standing there. It takes her a couple of seconds of fear to recall just what she needs to do to should she wish to banish the illusion.

She closes her left eye, looking solely through her right and the ghost is chased away in the space of a second. It lets her breathe more easily, the most terrifying aspect of the intrusion being removed as she's reminded that, physically at least, she's still alone.

She'd woken up strapped to her bed in a cell. The restraints were looser and now could only be found around her wrists. They prevent her from leaving her bed, so all she could really do was lie there. That was okay for a short while because her head was foggy and she couldn't bring herself around enough to even contemplate anything more than just lying there uselessly. She was still strapped up to a machine which continued to monitor her vitals. At least they didn't want her to die. That was something she supposed.

It was just as she was beginning to pull herself together enough to be able to wonder what had caused her to be here in such a situation that eventually a female doctor came in. The prisoner was treated to an exam and a series of questions as well as a blood test. Too weak to argue or protest, for once Tanusha Kyrano was compliant. The questions were simple: how is she feeling? Dizziness? Nausea? Headaches?

No explanations were given before she's left alone once more.

She was treated to several more visits that day. Come evening, she was encouraged to get up forced into some cuffs behind her back and escorted to a toilet so that she could relieve herself. Kayo was brought some food and water and allowed to stroll around her cell for a little while. Her legs weren't quite up to the challenge. So she ended up just slumping down, exhausted.

It took a little while for the memories to come back. The left side of her face was numb. She couldn't see anything and the one time that she managed to reach for it before one of the agents escorting her had batted away her hand, she'd encountered only bandages. They took her eye. She knew that much. It caused her stomach to turn, she felt sick. For the first time in her life, it was true desperation which took hold of her. Kayo lay on her bed, unable to do anything other than stare up at the ceiling. All that it was possible to do was wallow in the knowledge of just what it was that she'd lost and had been torn from her seemingly as a simple act of vindictive cruelty. What would happen if she screamed? Not from terror but rage. There was but one thing on her mind: she would kill the man who had done this to her next time that she saw him.

The next two days followed a similar pattern.

She'll go mad, she told herself, on the third day. She'd been allowed up once more, her hands still bound behind her back so that she couldn't reach for the bandages. So all she could do was sit in the corner of the padded room, resting her head against the wall. It could be an interrogation technique, wait until she gives into despair and then take advantage to try and get information. If that was the case, then her beloved uncle had made a severe miscalculation. All of this had only fueled the rage within her.

Then the door opened.

She was greeted by Havoc and Fuse. The sister wore a smirk which promised nothing good. Fuse was a little more solemn, his attention focused on the left side of her face.

"The boss wants to see you." Havoc informed her.

"Good..."

For once, Kayo didn't protest. She walked herself (despite the heavy escort) along without complaint, allowing the siblings to show her the way. They went through a few corridors, attracting the odd stare whenever they crossed one of the Hood's henchmen. She ignored them, allowing anger to build up within her. She would have to be patient. One chance was all that she would get. She wasn't naive enough to think that she'd actually be able to do a lot of damage, not with Fuse and Havoc nearby but that didn't matter, all she wanted to do was hurt the man.

Finally, she was lead into a large room. It was dark, more of a board room than an office. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't seen the light of day in what must have been getting on for a week. The door shut behind them. A chair spun around and she found herself faced with her uncle. If she couldn't even manage to contain a growl as she faced him, he only presented her with a smile.

"Well now Tanusha, I hope you've been able to recover some of that strength of yours."

"You took my eye." Was all that she could manage to articulate.

"Would you like to see? It might ease some of your concerns."

She wasn't given any choice in the matter. Whilst Fuse's hands held her shoulders in place, Havoc made short work of removing the bandages from her face. Kayo winced only briefly as light flooded in.

Then it hit her: she could still see.

Her vision was altered but only so much as she was no longer able only to look out of one eye. For a few moments, she didn't even dare to move afraid that it might somehow cause her to go back to her previous state. She must have missed something. After a few moments, it was to her uncle that she turned searching for some form of explanation and only too aware that he was the only one who would give it to her. The man didn't speak. Instead, he reached for something on the table next to him and brought it over to her.

The Hood presented her with a mirror, standing only a few feet away. She paid him no attention however, focusing instead only on her reflection.

She had two eyes. Sure, the skin around her left was somewhat swollen and marked by some ugly bruises but had she taken a particularly nasty blow there that had given her black eye, she doubted that it would have been much worse. Gingerly, she raised her hand towards it. For a few seconds, it felt damp but cold, unnatural. There was something else wrong…

"Impressive, isn't it? Don't worry, in a couple of weeks, that bruising will be gone and not even your dear "brothers" will be able to tell the difference."

"What did you do? What the hell did you do to me?!"

She stands there for a few moments, rocking back and forth on her heels waiting. There's a silence now. He must know that the cost is clear. She knows it and that means that her beloved uncle must do as well. So why is he being so silent all of a sudden? She opens her left eye once more but finds that the man has vanished. That doesn't necessarily mean anything. She's not naive enough to assume that it means she's been left in peace.

"What do you want?" Kayo's careful to keep her voice down to little more than a whisper.

"Just to remind you to be careful. Don't assume that if the Tracys discover our little secret, you'll be able to get off of the hook."

"I know that!"

"Then why, my dear, are you being so careless?"

"Careless?! You put me through hell and now you want me to act as if nothing happened?!"

"Of course not, that would be suspicious. What I want is for you to stop playing with that eye of yours and to stop moping quite as much. They won't let you near a computer again, much less any of the Thunderbirds if you keep this up."

Kayo lets out a sigh, exhaustion taking hold once more. She allows herself to slum down with her back to the wall. She sits there uselessly, her arms and legs heavy. She wants to sleep, to escape this living nightmare through the world of dreams or better yet absence. The young woman waits patiently. The buzzing continues in the back of her head, letting her know that her uncle isn't quite done with her just yet.

"Just remember our deal. You do want your freedom, don't you?"

"Of course..."

"Then, I suggest you start putting some effort into "getting better"." There's a brief pause. "You've had a few days Tanusha, now I think it's time that we get to work."