...But let's skip a bit ahead. To when Tex and Church REALLY met for the first time on Sidewinder.
It was another cold and windy day in the icy base of the sim troopers. Just like every other goddamn day on the goddamn planet.
Safe to say, Church was once again grouchy at the fact that he was on guard duty. Well, less on guard duty, and more so covering private Mickeys guard duty. Church outwardly huffed in annoyance.
"I knew I shouldn't have bet against that fucker." He grumbled. Really he shouldn't be betting at all. His luck is absolutely terrible.
Church continued to brood silently in the freezing cold, his brow deeply furrowed, and face all scrunched up behind his helmet visor.
"Don't these things come with heat insulation or some shit," He wondered aloud, "God it's cold...I fuckin hate this planet."
.
.
.
Once again, Church was not alone outside in the cold, and once again if he had looked just a little up he would see the amused black-armoured freelancer agent, perched on the edge of a small ice ridge overlooking the surrounding snow wastes.
Said freelancer in dark coloured armor was stealthily observing Church from afar, she felt the thinnest smile work onto her face. But immediately thinking about that dropped the playful mood in her behavior and attitude.
.
.
It's not a real 'face' idiot.
.
.
You are a machine, nothing more.
.
.
You are not human.
.
.
You are not alive.
.
.
Tex felt her face burn with feelings of...shame? Embarrassment? Anger? Hatred? Did it even matter? She was an AI, a machine, not a person.
Her body is just a highly advanced silicon on a special reactive suit, not skin or flesh. Her bones and skeleton are a complex and extremely intricate design of metal and joints, not bones and limbs.
She is of oil and wires, not blood and veins.
But her mind...it may be a download, a hard drive, a backed up file. But it held everything. Her memory, her emotion, her personality. She had a human mind...yet she struggled to convince herself that she was really human. Despite the feelings that boiled in her every day, she struggled to believe that she was even alive.
Maybe she thought it was better not to pursue that though. After what happened with Maine, Tex new as well as anyone that maybe the question regarding her 'sentience' would be one best left unexplored.
Yet here she was. On a snowy planet, pretty much stalking the dude she likes. Well not stalking, more like, responsibly observing someone who she would care to protect...ok yeah she was stalking Church.
"Damn, I am really just hopeless." She chuckled to herself, with a shaking of the head.
Looking back to the eternally winter landscape Tex was suddenly in a state of worry. Church was nowhere to be seen.
Tex drew her pistol from her side quickly and slid lower below cover as she surveyed the area Church was a little more. Hoping that the blue would pop back out from behind a rock or something.
What she didn't expect was for said blue to pop out from the rock behind HER. So when she turned to go and investigate closer she was met with a triumphant,
"GOTCHA!" from Church, and a rifle pointed squarely at her chest.
In return, Church was then met with the feeling of his rifle being kicked right out of his grasp and into the air, a firm fist connecting with his helmet and knocking it off, and the feeling of his legs suddenly being sweeped out from under him.
Then Church felt the very unpleasant feeling of hitting the ground HARD. Damn this guy could punch hard!
"Don't ever sneak up on me." Tex threatened Church as she pinned him to the ground with her forearm.
Church made a quick correction in his head, this lady could punch hard. While he made his inner corrections Tex continued to give what must have been the worst glare anyone has ever had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of. But Church just lay there stunned.
"You're a girl?" He asks, still a little starstruck from the punch.
"Yes cockbite," Tex rolled her eyes under the helmet, Church knew she did too, "any other brilliant observations?"
"...you're strong...that's kinda hot." Church joked (or at least he was mostly joking).
Tex, however, did not take as kindly to the playful tease and bopped him in the face with her fist.
"OWWWWWWW!" groaned Church as he clutched his nose in pain,
"Wow, you are SUCH a pussy." Tex halfheartedly laughed,
Church in response simply sat up (now that Tex had removed herself from on top of him) and glared daggers at her. Tex rolled her eyes at the blue's anger. Seeing everything was pretty much alright, she waltzed over to his helmet and picked it up, then holding it out to the soldier.
Church stared at her for a moment, then the helmet, then her. Then took the helmet and slid it back onto his head. With both of them standing in a tense and awkward silence, Tex reached up and clicked a tiny button near the ear on his helmet.
Immediately Church felt his body consumed by the euphoria of warmth.
"So THAT'S where the button was!" He exclaimed suddenly, making Tex laugh a little.
Laugh...there was something about it to both of them. Tex's laugh felt...more genuine, even for Church who had barely known her for a couple of minutes, he felt like somehow this side of her rarely ever showed. But Church being Church he almost immediately shooed these ideas out the door, thinking them as ridiculous.
Tex stopped laughing quickly and with that, turned and began to walk away.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Church called after her,
"Don't you worry about that." Tex responded, not even turning back to look at him.
"Will I see you again," Church asked before he could stop himself, luckily Tex didn't respond, "Well what's your name?"
"Tex!" Called back the freelancer after a moment of quiet thought. Under his helmet Church smiled.
"Cool! Mine is Church!" He enthusiastically replied,
"I know…" The whisper was so quiet Tex doubted she even said it.
Then Tex became once more transparent and disappeared into the snow.
Church turned and picked up his rifle, returning to his post. He wasn't sure how to feel right now. But he realized a part of him knew he'd be seeing Tex again. Another part of him could hardly wait.