Disclaimer: Well, la-dee-daso what if I don't own Gundam Wing, the G-boys, or some huge moneymaker of a Corporation. I can still have fun, can't I? And what could be more fun than a little Heero torture with a little touch of angst!

Author's Note: Since a lot of you missed my last posting, I feel the need to warn youDon't proceed until you've read the previous chapter. You missed some stuff that you may need for later chapters. (Plus Relena showed up in that one, and first impressions of the situation are always important!) As always, thank you, thank you, thank you for the great reviews. I cherish them all! Now on to the story!

She found herself struggling to voice a response, as the repercussions of Sally Po's words began to slowly process in her mind.

"What...What do you mean..may not...remember?" She stammered, the words catching in her suddenly dry throat.

The tears froze on her cheeks, and her stomach turned in dizzying circles, trying to figure out how any of this could have been possible.

"He attacked Sally earlier today." Noin stated, reluctantly.

"But why?" Relena demanded, the turmoil in her heart and soul crying out with each word that touched her lips. "Heero would never..."

"We don't think he had any idea of what he was doing." Sally reassured her.

Those helpless and frightening moments returned to her mind as she stared at the disbelief shining in Relena's tear-filled expression.

"There's no way of telling exactly what it is he's been through in the past five days, or how long he may have been drifting in that pod...." She continued, trying to find the reason that Relena was searching so desperately for. "There's really nothing more we can do so long as he's in this condition..."

Sally's words were drifting away somehow, unable to penetrate the shield of invulnerability that Relena was forcing up around herself. Her eyes turned back to the broken figure in the hospital bed, at the monitors and the IV's, at the number of bruises that covered the better portion of what she could see of his body.

Her words, spoken only in the silence of her own mind, came back to haunt her now, as her eyes came to rest on his face.

...Anything else, I can deal with...How can I even begin to deal with this?...

Her thoughts were quickly shattered as Heero's breathing turned suddenly erratic, the EEG displaying each escalating beat of his heart, as his body writhed in obvious pain.

"Heero! What's happening?!" Relena cried out, worriedly, her complexion blanching until she was nearly as pale as he was.

His body was shaking visibly, his head tossing from side to side, as though trying to escape the visions threatening his much needed rest.

Relena couldn't begin to imagine what those visions might be as she moved to brush the disheveled locks away from his face, stopped cold when his head jerked away from her touch as though she had slapped him.

Each labored breath that escaped his body stabbed at her soul like daggers, and the tears returned to her eyes as she watched the scene unravel.

The pain spilled over him in waves. Shocking in their force one minute, receding slightly the next, then inevitably returning with the passage of each shallow breath that he earned.

Words echoed in his subconscious, though he couldn't trace their exact source.

He couldn't see past the blinding light as his eyes were wrenched open, the voices blurring together in a swell of fear.

"We should see results within the next 16 hours. The residual effects should subside by then as well."

"The optic nerves will be highly susceptible, but too much exposure and there could be permanent damage."

He could feel thick, viscous fluid pooling over his retinas, and fought desperately to close his eyes, to wipe the burning substance from them, but to no avail. The hands held him firmly in place, struggling to prevent him from tearing free of the restraints as they repeated the procedure a second time.

He felt himself weaken against the strong hands forcing him down, holding him still as his world began to fade away.

The whisper of breath against his cheek was all he could feel as he committed the words that stung his ears to memory.

"By tomorrow, you'll remember nothing..."

An audible gasp escaped his lips as he twisted against the heavy straps, tearing fresh wounds in the already raw tissue of his wrists, in the struggle for release.

Thick beads of sweat broke on his forehead as he fought the images inside his mind, and within minutes, he had slumped back against the pillows, completely exhausted.

Relena could feel her heart break at the sight of him looking so vulnerable; feeling every ounce of the unguarded emotion that was displayed, far too openly, in his taut features.

His jaw was set like chiseled marble, his teeth clenched together, and his eyes were pinched shut so tightly that the lashes were wet with tears.

"It's okay now...You'll be all right..." She whispered, caressing his cheek with the back of her hand. She knew it was a futile and useless gesture, but a small smile came to her lips as she watched him visibly relax at the words. "You're safe now, Heero."

Almost twenty-four hours had passed since Heero had been found, and Sally was still flying blind.

Frequent alcohol baths and the fortunate one-time experience of having to ice him down, had been enough to keep Heero's temperature from increasing, but his periods of wakefulness were marked by definite pain, and spent in a nearly catatonic state.

The toxin still running its course through his bloodstream was making it increasingly difficult to treat his symptoms, the least of which was his memory loss.

Sally rubbed her hands across her face, attempting to wipe away her haggard appearance, before sparing a moment to check up on her patient.

Relena had fallen asleep in the cushioned chair beside Heero's bed, her knees drawn up against her chest, her arms draped over the top of them to serve as a pillow for her head.

Sally placed a blanket around the girl before stepping over to check Heero's vitals, and was surprised when his prussian blue eyes rolled over in her direction.

His eyes were glazed over from fever, but he seemed determined to keep them open, much to Sally's surprise.

"How are you feeling? I wasn't expecting you to wake up for awhile, yet." Sally whispered, searching his face for even the faintest sign of recognition. "Do you remember where...."

"How did I get here?..." He asked, quietly, his voice sounding raw and weak to her ears.

But she didn't care. All of her previous attempts to get him to speak had been completely unsuccessful, so the small question brought a definite smile to her face, as she stammered a shaky response.

"You were found in a small space pod near Colony G. You've been here ever since. What's the last thing you remember?"

His face took on a somewhat lost expression as he struggled to put the pieces back together, but the only image that came to mind was of a young woman, with cascades of honey-blonde hair and deep sapphire eyes.

"An angel..." He replied, weakly, before his eyes slipped shut, and the monotonous beeping of the machines lulled him back to unconsciousness.

I know, kind of a weird place to stop, but at least I didn't leave it where he stopped breathing or something. Not even I could be that cruel. So, all else aside, let me know what you think. I'll be working on the next one this weekend, hopefully. Until then, I'll be seeing ya!