Church's Crusade #10: A New Man. Again.

"A mirror?" said Church in confusion, "What are you talking about?" However he got up and walked towards the sink in the corner of the room, to look into the piece of reflective silver glass over the basin. What he saw would have stopped his heart…if he still had a heart.

Gray-blue eyes stared back at him from out of an unmarked, pale skinned face, topped by untidy black hair. He looked at his hands and saw that they were the same as he remembered, down to the scar on his left palm that he had got while drinking on his sixteenth. He then looked at his feet, counting ten toes. It was all there, he thought. He shook his waist experimentally. Yes, it was definitely all there.

He looked at his face again. All exactly as he remembered it. Just not as it should be.

He turned to the other two, looking first at Paul, then at Anna. The words caught in his throat, "How did you do this?"

"We used the technicians on the ship here", said Anna, "They helped repair the damage and make some improvements. Then we covered your body in synth-flesh." Church thought for a moment of the artificial pieces of tissue that could be bonded to wounds and would eventually fuse with the body, before asking the next question, "How did you know what I looked like?"

Anna looked at him for a moment, then reached into her pocket and pulled out several photographs. They showed various scenes: people at the beach, a group of friends at a party, two couples kissing in the back of a car. The one that drew Church's new eyes the most however was one that showed just two people. One he would have seen if he had looked in the mirror. He was wearing a black tuxedo and bow tie, with a white rose on the front. The other was a girl, no older than eighteen, with red hair in a black dress. They were looking at the camera and smiling. The boy looked as though he could not believe his luck to be standing with the girl, who looked as though she did not smile often, but looked all the better for it. Church reached out, taking the picture and turning it over to read the writing on the back:

"A wonderful night Len, lets never forget it.

-Ali"

In much smaller writing below it was written the words:

"P.S. Borrowed $30 from your wallet."

Church looked up at Anna. "Where did you get these?" he asked her.

Anna took a deep breath before replying, "We found them in the side of your helmet." She waited to see how he would react before continuing, "It didn't look like they had been touched in a long time, but it was the only thing we had to work with. We know you look a little younger than- sir what's wrong?"

Church was sobbing as he continued to look at the photo in his hand. He noted dumbly that he could actually feel tears running down his cheeks. He didn't react when Anna came closer and put her arm around him. She asked again, "What's wrong?"

Church looked at her, "This is the last picture we took together. I'd forgotten I had it."

Anna turned her head and looked at Paul. He looked back and shrugged.

Church looked at the other pictures, and then sighed. He didn't like it but this brought home the fact well and truly. She was gone. He had lost her forever…

For the next few days Church sat in bed and didn't say another word. There was always one of the squad sitting by his bed, trying to get him to speak. However, after the third day they gave up and just sat in silence. The fourth day came and went. On the fifth day, a few minutes after Anna had come to relieve Rourke, she heard a voice speak, "So what does it do?" She didn't recognise it at first. Then it registered that it must be Church.

"What?" she asked.

"What does it do? My body. You said when I…woke up that the technicians had made a few improvements. What are they?"

Anna smiled to herself. He was talking. It may not be much but it was a start. She looked up and met his eyes. "Well, let's start with your skin…"

The characters Church, Caboose, Tucker, Simmons, Sarge, Grif, Sister, Donut and Doc are owned by Rooster Teeth Productions.