Chapter Six
Second Chance

Doctor J had been debating whether or not placing this particular call was in the best interest of both parties. While Serena deserved to know who she was and her friends were, Doctor J was still concerned that those closest to her would cause more harm than good.

Respectively the person with whom he was trying to contact.

The call could go one of two ways. Either the person would ignore the phone call entirely, which wouldn't surprise him, or they would answer and be hostile towards him. In this case, this would be the appropriate response. The last time they had spoken to each other, it hadn't been on the best of terms. But Doctor J had been able to supply him with the necessary information needed to save Serena's life.

Doctor J spared a few moments before attempting to place the call to think over what he would say and how he would convince his first prodigy to go along with his idea. Taking a calming breath, he hit a few keys on his computer and waited.

Connecting… Connecting… Connecting…

"J." Deep blue eyes glared back at him from the screen. It was déjà vu all over again. It was only a few months since he had spoken to Heero, but the feelings then were the same Doctor J was feeling now. "Why are you contacting me?" Heero asked in a low and threatening tone.

"I have something of interest that you might like." At Doctor J's cryptic words, Heero's whole demeanor changed. His mask fell as his eyes grew wide.

"You have her?"

"Yes, but I must warn you, she's not the same-"

"I want to speak with her. Now." Heero cut Doctor J off before he could finish. Heero's face hardened, and his eyes grew dark once again.

"You need to listen first," Doctor J waited a moment for Heero to settle himself. "Serena has amnesia. She doesn't remember her life before she awoke from her coma. Her injuries have healed, and I'm pleased to say that overall she's fine, but I cannot unlock her memories. There's a possibility she may never regain them."

Heero sat quietly, seeming to regard the information Doctor J had given him before responding.

"Serena doesn't know who I am?"

"No, I've only told her that there was someone I wanted her to speak with from her past."

"Can I talk to her?" Heero asked.

"You cannot, for any reason, reveal that you've been in contact with her. Serena's in a fragile state and I don't want to see her relapse."

"Trowa will-"

"Trowa Barton will have to wait," Doctor J sternly said, cutting Heero off. "The last thing Serena needs is for him to come rushing to see her. Trowa would only be hurt in the long run because she doesn't remember him. Serena needs time, and if she doesn't remember anything, there is nothing more I can do to help her."

"I won't tell anyone then," Heero nodded his head.

"Then I will go get her."

Heero ran a hand through his already unruly hair. He had already gotten up from his desk to lock his office door. The last thing he needed was someone waltzing in and overhearing the conversation or seeing Serena.

His mind had already started supplying him with images of her. How she might look, and if there were any noticeable changes to her features. If there was any scarring on her face and body. But Doctor J would have warned him. With that thought, Heero tried to push the unwanted images out of his mind.

It only succeeded in filling his mind with what had happened to her. Doctor J hadn't given him any further details or explanation. Heero surmised that Serena had been badly injured after she blew up Kibou. Especially her head.

That fact alone unsettled him. Heero remembered when Trowa had lost his memories and how difficult that had been. But they were also in combat at the time. And being down one pilot was inadequate enough for them to win. They needed all five of them, and if someone was injured or not participating, their chances declined of ending the war.

Heero's thoughts of the past were interrupted when Serena sat down. Her cold blue eyes stared at him. Eyes that were lacking the little spark they once held.

"Why does he look like me?" Her head turned towards J. Her Japanese was flawless, but Heero wondered if she remembered how to speak English.

"Can you speak in English?"

"He doesn't speak Japanese?" Serena glanced at him before looking back to J.

"I do. I was just asking-"

"I can speak in English," Serena said, cutting him off. Her eyes tightened as she looked at him. "Why do we look alike?"

Heero glanced at J, who was standing directly behind her. Doctor J read the silent message, nodding his head. Heero turned his eyes back to Serena. His concerns grew the longer he looked into her eyes.

"You're my clone," Heero calmly said. Serena threw her head back, laughing. She mumbled something under her breath before regaining control of herself.

"Clone? That's got to be some kind of joke, right?"

"No, it's not," Heero said harshly. Serena stopped laughing, glaring at him. Heero bit down on his tongue. Now wasn't the time for them to start fighting. Heero had to remind himself that this was Serena's first time meeting him again. And because she no longer remembered him, Heero needed to make a good impression on her if he was going to win her trust.

"You were cloned from my DNA. We look similar because you were made to resemble a sibling rather than an exact copy," Heero said after a moment.

"So, we're supposed to be like brother and sister?" Serena raised a brow. "You didn't mention that, Doctor J," she said, turning her head towards J. "Is all of this true?"

Heero picked up right away that Serena was referring to J as Doctor. That wasn't how either of them referred to him as.

"Yes, and this is why I wanted you to speak with Heero. I created you to-"

"Heero?" Serena cut him off. She swung her head around, leaning towards the screen. "Heero," she said again. Sounding out his name slowly.

"Do you remember anything?" Heero prompted. For a brief moment, he had hope that...

"No," Serena shook her head as she leaned back. "You're named after a dead politician. Ironically. Although I'm guessing that's not your real name either." Heero frowned at the mention of who he acquired his name from years ago.

"You know that information?" Doctor J questioned as a shocked expression flashed across J's face, making Heero question why this was so surprising to Doctor J. "We haven't talked about anything relating to Heero Yuy."

"He died in A.C. 175. He was assassinated by what officials believed to be an inside attempt to overthrow the peace. He was their Chief Representative, after all." Serena shrugged.

"Hm," J nodded his head. "I think that's enough for today."

"What? But I-" Serena started to protest.

"Serena, we can't rush things. You've met Heero. Let's see if this jogs anything over the next few days. Heero," Doctor J said as he looked at the screen. "Would you be willing to contact us in three days?"

"Yeah." Heero tightened his eyes. He watched Serena's face fall into a hopeless expression. There was more she wanted to say, whether to himself or J, but Heero doubted it was the latter of the two.

"Good," Doctor J said with a nod.

Serena, for her part, gave a soft smile and bowed her head slightly before she stood from the chair. Heero wanted to say goodbye to her, but he never got the chance as Serena left the room. Never looking back at the screen.

"Now that you've seen her, why don't we get down to some business?" J took control of the conversation. Heero leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What business?"

"Time is of the essence. I fear the window of opportunity is closing, every day that Serena doesn't regain her memory, the more likely she won't."

"Then what are you proposing?" Heero asked.

"There are two options, but both come with risks," Doctor J said.

"What kind of risks?" Heero narrowed his eyes. "I don't want any harm to come to her." The last thing Heero wanted was for Serena to relapse.

"Unfortunately, I can't promise anything. I can implant a new chip using all the data I have gathered. It would allow her to remember almost everything." J paused as a frown formed on his face. "The only issue with this is that Serena would have no recollection of meeting you and her time spent with you. There's also the chance that the chip could burn out, causing more brain damage than she already has. Serena went through two chips in one month. I believe her body is finally rejecting the microchip, as it no longer feels it can improve her overall."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Serena's brain is hardwired to the chip, but with what has happened last time, I think she's reworked herself to not need the microchip. A mind-over-matter situation, if you will."

"To her, the chip is useless, and she could do better without it?" Heero summed up.

"Yes, Serena has exceeded the limits of it. Even in her current state, her brain would recognize it causing everything to potentially backfire on us. But there is still the possibility that it could work."

"Hm." Heero nodded his head. "What's the second option then?"

"The second option is to use the ZERO system."

"I thought the chip was the ZERO system?" Heero stared at J. His brows furrowed slightly.

"It is. But what I'm talking about is having the ZERO system run through all of Serena's memories. Because the system stores one's memories, her system onboard Kibou did the same. While it's a safer alternative, there are still risks involved. Not to mention she'd be reliving everything she has ever experienced at once."

"You have the computer system from her Gundam?" Heero asked, nearing jumping out of his chair at the new information. "Why didn't you just have her use the system, to begin with?"

"Don't get too excited. Just because I have the computer system doesn't mean it'll work. I haven't tried to access it. In case it was a one-and-done deal. I don't want to lose that valuable information. There's also the fact that Serena's mind could become overwhelmed and shut down. Amnesia is tricky. Just because her brain looks fine and her wave patterns are regular doesn't mean there isn't damage. Basic functions will continue to work just as they always have, and while the brain is resilient, there's still no telling what will happen. There is a good possibility that Serena could slip into a coma and never come out of it."

Heero sat back in his chair. His arms crossed in front of his chest, lowering his head. After debating all the options, Heero knew what needed to be done. Both options were a risk, but there was only one that would have the best outcome if they attempted it.

"How soon can you have everything ready?" Heero asked after a few moments. Doctor J smiled almost wickedly before answering him.

A few days later, without any contact from Doctor J, Heero started to worry. It had been hard enough passing Trowa in the hallway, knowing how the other man had been feeling for months. Trowa was lost, agonizing over whether or not Serena was alive. But there wasn't anything Heero could do to ease the other man's distress.

Trowa had been beating himself up since Serena had left them in the hangar of the Ischyrós. At the time, it had been the best decision any of them could have made. If Heero had been in Serena's shoes, he would've done the same thing, mainly because he had done the same thing in the past.

But their outcomes were drastically different.

While they both had succeeded in their respective missions, Serena had paid a much higher price. She was lucky to be alive, but Serena was now facing a world she didn't know how to navigate. Ironically, it was something Heero thought of after he had spoken to her, that she was living in the same state of mind Trowa once had.

If anyone could understand her the best in this situation, it would be Trowa. But Heero couldn't ask him for help. If there was a chance Serena could return to them, Heero had to keep her a secret. Even if she didn't return to Earth, Heero at least knew she was alive. If Heero could let the people closest to her know, maybe it would help those suffering the most come to terms with her disappearance.

Heero felt some weight, mostly guilt he had been carrying lifted when he saw her on the other end of the screen. But even with the feeling of just knowing she was alive, it only brought a new fear.

Her amnesia.

Heero had been working on a report when an incoming call came in. His heart stopped for a few seconds as he read the number. Swiftly, Heero got up from his desk to lock his door before returning to his chair. He had barely gotten back into his seat before he connected the call. Serena's hardened eyes were the first thing to greet him.

"Serena," Heero said. His tone was neutral, even if he was relieved to see her again.

"Are you busy?" Serena's tone sounded off to him. Her face told him she wasn't in the mood to talk, but her tone of voice betrayed her.

"No, I'm not busy."

Serena relaxed her shoulders, and the hardened expression fell from her face, only to be replaced by one of various emotions.

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," Heero said back. "Is everything all right?" Something bothered Heero about her appearance. Serena looked uneasy about something.

"I'm not sure," she said as she shook her head. Warning bells sounded in Heero's head.

"Are you in trouble?" He questioned her.

"I'm not in danger," Serena sighed as she turned her head away. After a moment, she faced the screen again. Serena's eyes held a mix of anger and sadness. Heero took a moment to examine the background behind her. The absence of Doctor J made him question if that was why Serena looked uneasy about being on a call with him.

"Does J know you're speaking to me?" Heero asked.

"No, but I'm sure he'll find out later when he checks his logs. I didn't bother to hide this call from him." Serena shrugged. Heero thought over her words for a moment before nodding his head. Serena appeared not to care about Doctor J discovering they had a one-on-one video call.

"All right, what do you mean by your earlier statement?"

"These," Serena picked up a folder, holding it up for him to see. "Don't tell me anything. There are pieces of information missing from these files, and I want to know what those missing pieces are. You," she said, pointing a finger, "weren't in any of these flies, so what else isn't Doctor J telling me?"

"What do the files say?" Heero knew if Serena was willing to talk, he needed to do everything he could to supply her with the information she was seeking.

"They're about the life of someone who spent their days living in isolation," Serena spat.

"Are they mainly training logs?" Heero asked.

"Yes… how do you know that?"

"J trained me. Before he created you." Heero hated using the word, but it wasn't entirely inaccurate. He watched as Serena processed the information.

"So you know how Doctor J operates," she stated rather than asked. Heero nodded his head. "Either way, it still doesn't help me understand what's missing from my files."

"I can try and help fill in the gaps."

"How much do you know about me?"

"Enough to answer your questions," Heero said.

"How do you know me?"

"We met in September of last year."

"Wait," Serena said, lifting a brow at him. "You haven't known me that long then?"

"Technically, no, but I know more about you than anyone else," Heero said.

"Is that because Doctor J trained you?"

"Yes and no," Heero frowned, unsure how much information he should tell her. "You told me a lot about yourself while you were on Earth." It wasn't a complete lie. Serena had willingly given him information about herself. He had just been too blind to see it in the beginning.

"Why was I on Earth?" Serena asked. Heero sat quietly, thinking over how he would answer her.

"You were here helping us as a liaison for Preventer."

"Preventer?" Serena's brow lifted again. "Care to elaborate?"

"Preventer is an organization formed by ESUN to prevent conflicts from escalating. The organization's goal is to maintain the peace we currently live in."

"You work Preventers, and I assisted in helping you with what?"

"Yes, I do, and you were assisting us on something we were working on at the time, but it's not important at the moment."

"Seems like my life was more exciting then than it is now," Serena lamed as she rolled her eyes. Heero couldn't help himself as he chuckled. "Aren't you a nice guy?"

"Sorry," Heero said. "I didn't mean to laugh at you."

"It's fine," Serena said with a wave of her hand. Then, slowly her eyes tightened. Almost as if she was concentrating on something. "You never laughed at me like that before." Heero felt his eyes widen. In some deep memory that was locked away, Serena found something.

"No, not in the beginning," Heero said. "Then things changed between us."

After a moment, Serena shook her head before a frown formed on her face.

"I know you. I can feel it." Heero realized that Serena was going solely based on her feelings and not some memory that was trying to resurface. Heero frowned when their eyes met. Serena had been putting up a front for his sake, and now he could see the sadness in her eyes. "Will I ever remember?"

"Serena," he said softly. "You'll remember, it's just going to take some time."

"I'm lost and confused," Serena admitted. Her eyes turned downcast. "I don't know who I am or where I belong." She had spoken those exact words only months ago. "It's not here, but if not here, where?"

"It's okay," Heero tried to reassure her. "What if I tell you about myself? Will that help?"

"I don't see how it could hurt. I don't know anything about you… or myself," Serena frowned again after she rolled her eyes.

Heero sighed to himself. Not only did he feel useless being so far away, but in some way, he felt downright stupid for having to tell someone about himself. It was evident that Serena was hurting. And it only proved to him that she needed someone she could trust. Maybe this was why J had wanted them to speak to each other, but Heero didn't know if he should give Doctor J the benefit of the doubt on that one. All Heero knew was that Serena had gone from being a threat to something he wasn't sure he could admit.

To him, Serena had just as much of a right to live as he did. It had taken Heero some time to fully realize the mistakes that he had made when they first met. While Heero didn't regret showing Serena that he was the one in charge. But his mistake was not listening to her. Not seeing things through her eyes and that she had only wanted to help. This time, however, Heero wasn't planning on making the same mistake again.

Heero was given a second chance, and he wasn't going to waste it.

They had spent the next hour talking about everything and anything Heero could think of. He had kept his information about himself to the bare basics. Heero gave Serena a brief rundown of his time with J and his role in the wars. She had commented slightly on it, but Serena hadn't known anything about the Gundams. Only that they, like other MS's, can operate using the ZERO system. Her limited knowledge about the suits made Heero wonder what J wasn't telling her.

Serena once knew the Gundams like the back of her hand. She was the one who held the blueprints to her own suit.

Serena only knew basic information from what she read from public records and what little J had on file. Heero had laughed after she had informed him. Earned him a nasty glare from her. Heero quickly recovered, explaining that any information that was made public wasn't the complete truth. He promised to tell her more, at a later date, before changing the topic. He knew he couldn't keep her on the line for hours. Someone would come looking for either of them at some point.

"So Trowa was pilot zero-three?" Serena asked with an odd expression.

"Yes, he piloted the Gundam Heavyarms," Heero said as he observed Serena, looking for any signs she was remembering something. It became clear to him that the topic of the Gundams and the other pilots was at the forefront of Serena's mind.

"That name…" Serena trailed off, turning her head away from the screen. "That's not his real name," Serena stated matter-of-factly. "He took it, just like you took yours."

Heero could only stare at Serena. He hadn't mentioned anything about how Trowa acquired his name. Shaking her head, Serena smiled at him.

"Trowa Barton was the son of Dekim Barton. He was assassinated before Operation Meteor was able to take place. A no-name pilot stepped in to take his place," her smile widened. "The Trowa Barton, you know, is an imposter. But he's a good imposter."

"How do you know that?" Heero had only mentioned the name of the operation. But didn't go into detail about it. He was starting to wonder if he should've said more.

"I don't," Serena shrugged. "But I know it's true. Just like I know you, but I can't remember you. But I know I can trust you, as crazy as that sounds."

Heero was taken aback for a moment. Serena had openly admitted that she trusted him. Like she always had, even before they met.

"It's not crazy," Heero said. Serena smiled at him, but Heero knew the smile on her face was betraying her true feelings.

"Will I ever remember?" Sadness has returned to her eyes. The hopelessness Serena felt at being trapped within her mind and body.

"I don't know," Heero answered honestly. "There's a possibility you may not regain your memories, but there is one last option-"

"What?" Serena cut him off.

"It's a huge risk, and even if we try it, it may not work."

"What is this last option?" Serena's face hardened.

"The ZERO system." Heero wasn't sure if he would regret telling her the truth.

"How can using the ZERO system help? It wasn't designed for something like this."

"It could jog your memory by running through old data from all the years of using the system. But if your body and mind aren't ready to handle it, it'll only end up doing more harm than good. It's a huge risk, Serena-"

"Convince him."

"What?"

"Convince Doctor J," Serena said. "You're telling me that I've used the ZERO system before, and the system has information about my life. Then why are we sitting around doing nothing when we could've done this months before?"

"It's not that simple," Heero shook his head. "There's risk involved if we try this."

"There are risks involved regardless of what we do." Serena sighed. "Heero, I can't live like this." Her eyes pleaded with him. "This isn't me. I need to know who I am."

Heero sat silently, weighing the options J had given him and Serena's words. She was right. There were risks involved with both options, regardless of what they did. While he had told Doctor J that they would move forward with the plan they had come up with, Heero still worried about Serena's well-being. Either their plan would work, and Serena would be back to her old self. Or it would backfire on them, resulting in her never remembering who she was, or worse, Serena falling back into a coma and never waking up.

No matter what, it was a gamble either way. But would the reward outweigh the risk? Serena could spend the rest of her life living as she was now. Maybe there was a chance her memories would return to her, but what kind of life would that be? Deep down, Heero knew Serena would be miserable. The spark in her eyes would never be the same if Serena continued to live in the state she was in now. It wasn't right, nor was it fair to Serena. She had the right to know who she was, her friends were, and where she belonged.

"I'll be there in one week," Heero said with conviction after a few minutes.

"One week?"

"One week," Heero nodded his head. A smile appeared on her face that said what Serena was feeling at that moment. Hope.

A/N

Happy Chapter Six!

I want to ramble, but at the same time, I don't. Hmm, we'll see what happens.

We all know that Heero was involved in all of this. I think it's been made very clear by now. Though I do wonder if Doctor J offered Heero tea and biscuits when he arrived on L1? I mean... isn't that the proper thing to do? Guess we'll find out next chapter if J did or not.

Oh my, I just realized that everyone who's reading this part of the story for the first time doesn't know! Heero's POV has entered the flashback. Lmao. Woot! This should be fun, wonder what's going to happen? Hehe. Serena doesn't have a ton to say from her POV right now. She doesn't know who the hell she is and she's just training and digging up information that isn't even close to being accurate. At least when it comes to some things. But it's interesting to learn that Doctor J hasn't fully told/shown Serena the truth about some things. She knows what the ZERO system... but when it comes to the Gundams... not so much. Why would J pick and choose what Serena reads and sees? If he wants to help her so badly, don't you think he would've just thrown her entire file at her and said "have fun!"? Or is there something else going on that Doctor J isn't sharing with anyone?

Just some food for thought.

I don't think I really hint at what's going to happen in the next chapter. We know Heero will be leaving for L1 one, but he needs a whole ass week before he does leave. Hopefully, this time, when Heero returns to Earth, he doesn't end up in the dog house. Don't forget, Heero can't tell ANYONE about Serena and probably the fact that he's going to run off to L1 to see her. Oh, wait... we kind of know. Hehe. But we haven't seen the aftermath once Heero and Relena are alone... wonder how that conversation is going to go? Okay, let's not focus on that just yet. We're in the middle of a flashback about what the hell happened during these missing months! Not to mention we're going to learn some new things. Maybe those things will play a role in how the rest of the story moves going forward.

Until next week, with chapter seven, Destination: L1 (I know... so ominous, lol.) Have a great rest of your week!
-MM

(My editing software still hates me and I still laugh every time I write out my notes. It yells at me that I don't know English... but you know what? Words are hard. And English words are even harder! I want to add the only language I know is English... lol)