Thanks for all the reviews. This is my first full length story. It's probably not realistic in some parts, but I hope you find it entertaining.

Close every door to me

Keep those I love from me

Children of Israel are never alone

Hogan awoke once more, this time unsure of his surroundings. He let his eyelids part a fraction to scan the room. When he was certain he was alone, he opened them fully to take a good look at where he was. Definitely a hospital room. It was sparsely decorated, with only his bed and a tiny bedside table as the furniture. The walls were a pale yellow and the one window was small with bars on it. The floor was tile. There was only one door. There was no clock.

Hogan tried to move his arms to stretch and realized something else. He was in restraints. Not just arms but legs too, keeping him immobile on the bed. An IV ran from his right hand. Following the tubing, he craned his head to see the bottle stand over his shoulder at the head of the bed.

Judging by the light from the window, it was either early morning or late afternoon since he didn't know which direction his window faced. He considered how long he'd been out and what they'd done to him. He didn't seem to hurt which was surprising, given the interrogation session he'd just been through. A little achy around his face but the rest of his body seemed much improved over when he awoke in the cell at Stalag 13. The thought of how much pain medication he could be on crossed his mind although his thoughts seemed clear and not fuzzy in any way. He resigned himself to waiting for someone to check on him, reminding himself not to panic over his loss of control of the situation and of his loss of free movement. He wondered what was going on back at camp – if the guys had been told what was happening, if they had been interrogated too, or if they had folded up the operation and escaped. Hopefully, they weren't planning any crazy rescue mission, even if they did know his location. He had enough to worry about without adding them to the list.

Before long, the door to his room opened and a tall, thin, blonde man in a white lab coat entered followed by Colonel Norbert who was carrying a briefcase.

"Guten tag! I see someone is finally awake. I am Herr Dr. Graf. How are you feeling?" the blonde man asked as he approached the bed and checked the Colonel's eyes with a pen light. Hogan didn't reply but instead studied the ceiling above him through the spots in his eyes and ground his teeth. He hated doctors and he wasn't in any mood to talk to this Kraut one.

"Not a very talkative one you have here Herr Oberst, but no matter. You are looking well. I don't think you'll need this any more," the doctor added as he took the IV out of Hogan's arm and applied a band-aid. "There! Now I'll just leave you two to get reacquainted." The doctor bustled about for a few moments before exiting the room.

"Colonel Hogan." Norbert approached the bed. "I suppose you have a few questions. I'll answer as many as I can."

Hogan looked at Norbert out of the corner of his eyes. This was an entirely different man than the one at Stalag 13. Oh he looked the same, but his whole attitude was 180 degrees from the man who interrogated him for hours on end. Not trusting Norbert for a minute, Hogan began testing the truth of the Oberst's statement.

"Where am I?"

"You are at a private hospital in Stuttgart. One that caters entirely to, shall we say 'State Affairs'?"

Hogan took that at face value. He had no way of proving it one way or the other – until he escaped. "What day is it?" he continued.

"It's Tuesday, July 27th – 19 days since I first arrived at Stalag 13 to question you." Norbert left his briefcase beside the bed and casually walked across the room to look out the window.

Nineteen days! Hogan thought as his jaw dropped in shock. No wonder I don't feel sore any more. They must have been keeping me sedated the whole time I've been here. The bile rose in this throat as he contemplated being at the Germans' mercy for 19 days without his knowledge. Medical experimentation on prisoners, while against the Geneva Convention, was not unheard of in the Third Reich.

Norbert turned and peered over his shoulder at the man in the bed. He could see him thinking, mulling over what he'd been told, and trying to control the terror at the thought of what could have been done to him during those missing 19 days.

"Who are you? Why am I here? What do you want from me?" Hogan fired the questions rapidly as the anger he was feeling started to creep into his voice while he watched the man across the room.

Norbert crossed to Hogan's bed. Working on the restraints, Norbert freed both of Hogan's hands but left his feet shackled. "Before you get any bright ideas, there are 3 guards with rifles and Lugers right outside the door. This is also a high security facility with an electrified fence, guard dogs, and security checkpoints. You won't get 10 feet down the hall." He paused, looking Hogan in the eye to make sure he understood that escape wasn't an option. "Now, have a look…"

Hogan took the mirror that Norbert had produced from the bedside table and looked at himself. No – not himself! The man staring back at him was blonde with short hair and a moustache. His nose a little thicker than Hogan's, his chin more prominent. His eyebrows were lighter in color and thinner, his cheekbones more pronounced. Hogan gasped as he realized he was looking at his own reflection – but not his own face!

"What have you done to me?" he whispered, as he brought his hand up to feel the changes to his appearance, not believing his own eyes.

"We needed to change you. As far as the world is concerned, you are no longer Colonel Robert E Hogan of the US Army Air Corps. That man was the Senior POW Officer of Luft Stalag 13. He was interrogated by the SS and removed from the camp to be relocated to a more secure installation. We would have spread the story that we executed you, but in case you actually survive this mission, we had to have a way for you to return to Stalag 13 to continue your work with the Underground. You were chosen for this assignment because your facial structure was the closest match that we could find in any of our current operatives. I'll be filling you in on your mission over the next couple of days. For tonight, all you need to know is your new name – Oberst Bernard von Richter of the Luftwaffe."

Hogan was overwhelmed. They had taken his entire identity – no, his whole life! – away from him. He slowly looked up to Norbert as one thing registered through everything he had been told: "Bernard?" he grimaced.

"Ironically, it means 'brave bear'," smiled Norbert. "Here's your current service record." Norbert reached for a folder from the briefcase and handed it to Hogan. "I suggest you get to know yourself and get some rest. You'll need it in the next few days. You have a lot to learn. I'll be back in the morning, Herr Oberst. Heil Hitler!"

And with that, Norbert saluted, turned on his heel and quickly left the hospital room, leaving a very uncertain Hogan to stare at the door as it closed, alone with his thoughts and the face in the mirror…