A/N: Sorry this took so long! That weird thing called "life" kept getting in the way and I think my muse may be on vacation. Getting this chapter to work out was like pulling teeth. I hate that. Hopefully the next one comes along a little more willingly! Until then, I hope this satisfies you...

Oh, and the guest that reviewed hit it right on the head! Good job and thank you! :)

Chapter 8

Colonel Une pinched the bridge of her nose. "Are you done, Agent Chang?"

"Hardly."

The colonel resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Agent Chang had spent the last 45 minutes telling her off for the poor quality of the medical equipment she'd sent with them on this assignment.

"And furthermore—"

"Agent Chang," Une interrupted. "I understand your frustration and I apologize. I figured this lead would turn out to be a dud and decided not to send newer equipment. Rest assured, it won't happen again. From now on all leads will be considered hot until proven cold."

Wufei nodded, satisfied for the moment.

'Finally' Une thought. Wufei was a very capable agent but could be difficult to appease when he really got going. "Agent Yuy, please report."

Colonel Une listened attentively as Heero reported on the findings at the chateau.

"The forensics team is collecting everything from the attic and will report the findings to us as soon as they can be sorted through."

Colonel Une nodded, but had a hard time keeping her expression neutral. This case was going to be worse than she'd anticipated. "Tell me about the girl Agent Chang was going on about."

Wufei scowled as Duo and Quatre explained how they found the girl. Wufei and Trowa then added what they observed about her and her condition.

"Dr. Po said she would meet with us after her examination of the girl," Wufei added.

"When did she tell you that?"

"When we handed the girl off to her, which was as soon as we got in."

Colonel Une looked at her watch. That was two hours ago. She frowned and hit the intercom to connect with her secretary. "Grace."

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Please get Dr. Po on the line."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The five agents and their commander sat in silence until the secretary spoke again. "I have been informed that Dr. Po is currently en route to see you, Colonel."

"Thank you, Grace. That will suffice. Please show her in as soon as she arrives."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Colonel Une looked at the five men before her as they continued to wait in silence. Not long ago they had been mere boys piloting the most sophisticated weapons the world could conjure. They had been on different sides of the same losing battle. In the end, they had come together to fight an even larger threat. They had changed over the years. They were no longer the scrawny waifs that had been underestimated so many times. Now they were strong, capable agents that were still underestimated by older, cockier agents. Those agents stupid enough to challenge them were quickly put in their place much to the entertainment of those who knew better. The former Gundam pilots were a team that Une would never even consider breaking up. Sure, she sent them out two or three at a time on occasion, but in general, the five of them worked together regularly.

As the silence lengthened, the Colonel continued her rumination. Heero Yuy, the so-called "perfect" soldier, was still very much a perfectionist. It was rare for a mission he was heading to fail. Still, he wasn't as perfect as he wanted everyone to believe. He was seeing Maxwell, in direct violation of the fraternization clause of the Preventer's contract. However, as long as they refrained from public displays of affection while on duty, she let it slide. They were too good to lose over something like that. True, there was the argument that a rift in their relationship would affect their performance, but Une suspected they'd rather die before allowing anything to jeopardize their missions.

About Maxwell…the man was like a ten-year-old stuck in a man's body at times. Any outside observer would think he was nothing more than comedic relief for the team. He made jokes at inappropriate times, thought whoopee cushions should come standard on office chairs, felt his middle fingers did not get nearly enough exercise and was a menace with explosives. The third floor bathroom was still in the process of being remodeled after an "experiment" to see how much C-4 was needed to remove a toilet seat. Une was still not amused. Still, she supposed he had matured…a little.

Then there was Trowa Barton. The man had infiltrated several Oz bases during his stint as a Gundam pilot. She had worked directly with him at the moon base. She mentally snorted. She'd personally assigned him to test the Mercurius and the Vayeate. He'd performed admirably, even if his end goal was to destroy her base. He had admitted to being tired of this lifestyle. In fact, had this last lead turned out to be false, they would be sitting here, filling out his exit paperwork. He had agreed to train new recruits in infiltration and interrogation and to be called in when he was needed, but he was ready to live a civilian life, well as much of one as a former terrorist could have. Une secretly felt bad that this case was going to keep him on for several months at least. She knew he was tired of fighting and just wanted to enjoy the peace he'd fought for.

Quatre Winner…there had been a surprise. She had never expected the sole heir to a multi-billion dollar corporation to fill out an application to become a field agent of all things. She'd figured, like everyone else, that he would simply go home and settle into running his late father's company. Not that she wasn't pleased he wanted to be an agent, she just hadn't expected it. In fact, she'd been trying to figure out how to coerce him into training new recruits when he sauntered in and handed her the application with a smile. She would have been an idiot to refuse. He was a shrewd tactical genius and she had seen his leadership skills firsthand. He was probably the most stubborn of the five, though he seemed like a naïve pushover at first. It was a misconception he often used to his favor.

And last, but not least, Wufei Chang. He was the first to join the Preventers and Une suspected he would be the last to leave. He was married to his job, learning new skills at every chance he got. He was probably the most well-rounded agent on the force. Though, she had to wonder if his interest in the medical field wasn't really so that he could spend more time with a very pretty blonde doctor. It was no secret the two were close, though how close was anyone's guess. Chang was a tightly closed book when he chose to be.

Colonel Une was pulled from her ruminations as the door opened and the very doctor she was just wondering about entered. Her expression was troubled and she looked tired, so Une decided to cut to the chase.

"What information do you have for us, Dr. Po?"

Sally took a deep breath to calm herself. "She's actually better off than I expected."

Five sets of eyebrows raised.

Sally ignored them and continued. "Given the obvious extent of the beatings she's been at the wrong side of, I expected broken bones, potential internal damage and proof of sexual assault."

"But you found?" Colonel Une prompted.

"Amazingly enough…none of that."

"Whoa…what!?" Duo spoke for all the pilots in the room, though he didn't know it.

"She has no broken bones and no serious internal bleeding, which I expected after seeing how bruised she is. Her rotator cuff has some minor tears that should heal with rest, so I've immobilized her right arm. The tendons in her knee weren't stretched too badly by being dislocated so I expect she should be able to walk on her own within a week. And she's…intact[1]. She wasn't raped. She's still a virgin."

"Are…are you sure about that?" Trowa asked. He'd seen what happened to the girls in that house.

"Positive. In fact, her back is the worst of her injuries. It was infected so we'll have to watch it closely. She's dangerously dehydrated and severely emaciated. I expect she was beaten and starved in order to make her cooperate. Was there anything that suggested how long she'd been there?"

"Not really," Quatre answered. "There was a room in the basement that looked like a prison cell, but nothing that would have said how long she was there."

"She might not have been kept in that room," Trowa said quietly. "There was a room upstairs…smaller than the others that had a single bed and a private bath. But the bathroom didn't have the basic amenities like soap and toilet paper and the bedroom had bloodstains on the carpet and there was another one on the wall in the hallway. Someone shoving her against the wall could very likely cause it."

"In any case, I'm hoping that she'll feel safe enough to talk to us when she wakes up," Quatre said. "When do you anticipate that?"

Sally didn't answer right away. "It's hard to tell. It might be a few days, it might be a week, and if she isn't as strong as we think she is…it might be never." Sally didn't like giving answers like that, but it was better to be honest up front before anyone got their hopes up. "Even though she doesn't have all the injuries we expected, she's still in really bad shape. She's been given six bags of a rehydrating solution and still hasn't eliminated, which means her body is retaining everything right now. There's a chance her kidneys will shut down, if they haven't already. I'm still hoping that it's just because of how dehydrated she is and that her body will start processing the fluids soon. If it doesn't happen in the next few hours, we're going to have to start her on dialysis, which might kill her anyway. She just isn't strong enough to withstand a lot right now. I've got her on a nutrient drip but I don't dare put in a feeding tube until her body starts functioning better. There are a lot of things that could go wrong at this stage, so I don't dare get anyone's hopes up."

"Sally, we know you'll do your best and that's all anyone can ask," Une told her kindly. "We'll just have to be patient and see what happens. In the meantime," the Colonel's demeanor turned businesslike, "I want her on round the clock supervision. I want one of you five to guard her at all times, no exceptions. That's why I recalled all of you from the field. I know I can trust you to get the job done."

Sally cleared her throat. "Colonel, I have a slight modification request."

"What is it?"

"Can they stand guard outside the girl's room at times? I know that she's unconscious right now, but I don't think she'd be comfortable knowing that there were men in her room while she was being examined or bathed. And if we want her to talk to us, she needs to be comfortable."

"Modification accepted. However, I would like for you to be absolutely positive that no one else will be allowed in that room that you wouldn't trust with your life. There are to be no chances taken with this girl. She is our only witness and we need her alive if at all possible. I have no doubts that whoever was holding her prisoner will do whatever he deems necessary to get her back as she is now a liability."

Sally nodded her agreement.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss? Then I will leave you gentlemen to design your own schedule for protecting the girl. I expect to be kept up to date on her condition and any developments in this case. Dismissed."

The five former pilots and Sally left Une's office.

"Who wants the first shift?" Heero asked, breaking the silence.

"I'll take it," Trowa said. "How long are the shifts going to be?"

"She needs watching at all times. Are ten hour shifts okay with everyone?"

The others nodded.

"Trowa, are you okay to take this shift? You didn't get much sleep last night and you didn't sleep in the van—"

"I'm fine, Quatre. And besides, she'll likely sleep the whole time and it's too soon for her captors to have found out where she is. It'll be an easy shift."

Duo frowned. "Damn. I shoulda volunteered, now that you put it like that."

Trowa smirked. "You snooze, you lose."

"Right. We'll figure out the next shift and relieve you later," Heero said, stopping the playful banter. "We probably shouldn't leave her unguarded any longer than absolutely necessary."

The group headed towards the parking garage and split off towards their vehicles.

"Trowa, if you'll wait at the nurse's station on the fifth floor, I'll take you to the girl," Sally said as they parted ways.

Trowa nodded and silently went to his car.

Wufei followed Sally to the second floor of the parking garage. He always parked up there and she had started doing the same, knowing she would always have an escort. It was generally less crowded up there and Wufei didn't like the idea of someone scratching his car. It was a vintage Koenigsegg One. It was silver with burgundy racing stripes and yellow accents. It went from zero to 250 in less than 20 seconds and was the closest to flying he could get while still being on the ground. He'd pushed the rebuilt engine up to 296 MPH on an open stretch in the Sanc Kingdom a few years back.

Sally stumbled on the stair ahead of him and Wufei frowned as he caught her. "When was the last time you slept?"

"I'm fine."

"That wasn't what I asked. When was the last time you slept?" Wufei asked again, turning her to face him.

Sally sighed. "Look, I was just finishing a double when you pulled up with the girl. I'm okay, really."

"You need to sleep."

"I will. As soon as I get Trowa settled, I'll go home, okay?"

Wufei didn't answer right away. "Will…would you stay with me tonight?"

Sally looked down. "I can't. It isn't that I don't want to," she added quickly. "I just…your apartment is too far away. I need to be close in case the girl gets worse and I get called in."

"I see." Wufei tried to hide his disappointment. After this mission, he didn't want to be alone in his apartment. He needed her. He would never openly admit that, but it was true just the same. He thought again about asking her to marry him, but a grungy stairwell was not exactly the setting he had in mind.

Instead, he escorted her to her car. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. "Why don't you stay with me instead?" Her blue eyes looked up into his dark ones. He had grown taller over the years since they'd met. Though she was older than he was, neither one minded and it was no one else's business.

Wufei raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay with that?"

"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't. Why don't you run over to your apartment and get what you need and I'll meet you at my place."

Wufei nodded. It wouldn't be the first night they'd spent together, but it was the first time he'd been invited to stay at her home. His apartment had always seemed the logical choice as it was larger and his neighbor wasn't the base gossip. Sally had a reputation to maintain after all and letting Wufei stay in her apartment was sure to turn heads.

Once she was safely inside her vehicle he turned to his own, loving the purr of the engine. There were times he wished he could just start driving and never stop, but something always stopped him. He could never really pin down what it was, but usually it just didn't seem sensible at all. There were more important things to do than run away. So he generally went for a very long drive whenever the mood struck him. Tonight, however, he was tired and just wanted to sleep.

He quickly gathered what he would need in an overnight bag and returned to Sally's apartment. He rang her buzzer and waited. There was no response. He should have known. He hadn't noticed her car in the parking area. He tried to call her but she didn't answer. He frowned as he pushed away the worry that something had happened to her. He got back into his car and headed for the hospital.

Upon arrival, he approached the nurse's stand and asked where she was. He was directed to the fifth floor. The fifth floor was generally quiet but tonight there was a bit of a to-do. Wufei cursed and headed towards the sound of a familiar scream. Inside the room, Trowa was trying to hold the girl down as she screamed and fought against his touch. Sally was trying her best to get a needle into her arm. Wufei pushed his way beside Sally and grabbed the girl's arm, forcing it to be still. Sally quickly plunged the needle in and within seconds the girl went limp.

"Thank you, Wufei. She's having night terrors," Sally explained.

"Why did you not subdue her before it got to this point?" Wufei wanted to know.

"She seemed to be responding to Trowa. He was trying to talk her out and she calmed down for a while and as I was about to leave she just started screaming and thrashing about. She gave one orderly a black eye and she broke the nose of another."

Wufei nodded. He hadn't wanted to drug the girl either but sometimes it had to be done.

"I think I'm going to give her another IV so we can just push a button when she has one of these episodes."

Wufei and Trowa stood out of the way and watched as Sally gave orders and got a second IV hooked up to the girl. This one was different from the IV that was delivering fluids and nutrients to the girl. It was designed to distribute medication as needed and could be adjusted without ever touching the girl.

"Okay…I think that should do—Oh! Hannah, please get this cleaned up and Janice, bring me a catheter please." Sally turned to the two men. "Would you wait outside?"

Trowa shrugged and headed out with Wufei behind him. The two men waited for only a few minutes before Sally opened the door and the nurses vacated the room.

"Is everything okay?" Wufei asked.

"Yes. She finally eliminated some of that excess liquid which means her kidneys haven't shut down and she's rehydrating. I'm so glad we won't have to do dialysis." Sally stopped talking and covered her mouth as she yawned. "Oh…excuse me."

"You need to sleep. Come on, I'm taking you home," Wufei said, reaching for Sally's arm. He wasn't about to let her ruin her health just because she was too stubborn to take a break when she needed to.

Sally rolled her eyes. "Trowa, she should be okay for the night but if you have any problems, please page me."

Trowa nodded and went into the room.

Wufei led Sally out to their cars. "I would rather you didn't drive, Sally."

"Wufei, it's only a few blocks and I'm okay. I won't fall asleep at the wheel."

Wufei pursed his lips. "Fine. But I'm following you to make sure."

Sally was too tired to argue. Instead, she got into her car and led the way to her apartment.

[1] Okay, so for those of you that haven't attended an anatomy class, a girl has a thin membrane in her vagina called a hymen. This is usually broken the first time she experiences intercourse and so Sally decided the girl hadn't been raped because her hymen was still intact. (However, it is possible for it to wear down as women age so it might not be intact even if the woman is still a virgin.)