Trees rose in the darkness as Sam and Stan strode through the thick forest, looking for a place to camp for the night. The sun had not set yet, and a little light filtered down to them. They had been walking for the past two days with little time to rest. Eating was done quickly before moving on again.

"We have to find a good place to rest for a night ... or two; otherwise, Mrs Bassett isn't going to make it," Stan whispered, looking around.

"She is nothing like I remember her," Sam said, pointing toward an area that may be a good spot, "check it out ... I'll wait here."

"You'll have to explain that," Stan said, "I"ll have a look at the area."

Stan disappeared through the trees as Mrs Bassett, fatigued and subdued, joined Sam. Looking around, she sighed.

"Are we going to rest any time soon? It would be nice to sit and eat for a change," she said, looking around, "where did the man go?"

"We are looking into somewhere to rest for tonight," Sam said, vigilantly surveying the area, "he went off to look for a safe place."

"Don't you ever get tired?" Mrs Bassett asked with a look of wonder in her eyes.

"Yes, but there is a time and place for everything," Sam said.

"Needing sleep and eating are both accomplished at night," Mrs Bassett sighed, bending from the waist, her hands resting on the knees, "I feel like I've been walking forever."

"Hopefully, we will be able to find a place where you can rest and eat in one place," Sam said, seeing Stan appear to give the thumbs up, "in there."

Watching Mrs Bassett walk in front of her, Sam scanned the area before following, aware that danger ... or an ambush could appear at any moment. Following them into a small clearing, Sam looked around. A stream ran along the edge on one side, the rock face on the other, and the trees covered the area. It was perfect to rest in.

"We even have a small cave," Stan whispered, walking to a far corner near the river, moving a well-placed branch from the entrance.

"Big enough for three?" Sam asked.

"Big enough for three platoons," Stan said, indicating for Mrs Bassett to go inside.

The woman disappeared through the entrance, followed by Sam, and Stan stepped into the arched hole, pulling the branch across again.

"I brought some firewood in," Stan said, flicking on his flashlight, "we will be safe here for tonight."

"We're staying in here for tonight?" Mrs Bassett asked, looking around, "where do we sleep?"

"Next to the fire," Sam said, watching the woman's every move, "everything okay?"

"I guess," Mrs Bassett said, "just thought that we would be somewhere with running water by now."

"We have running water," Stan said, "right outside."

Sam chuckled, but Mrs Bassett simply stared at him unimpressed.

"Okay," Stan said with raised eyebrows, "just trying to lighten an already tense situation."

"I'm so tired I'm not sure what is funny and what isn't," Mrs Basset said, sinking to a protruding stone, "I think after some food and rest, I'll be in a better frame of mind."

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"Then let's get the fire started and food into our systems," Sam said, motioning instructions to Stan.

"Do you know what she means by all that hand waving?" Mrs Bassett asked.

"Sure do," Stan said, moving toward the area of the cave he left the firewood. Returning to the natural pit in the middle of the cave and stacking the wood, "we'll have you eating and resting in no time."

Mrs Bassett nodded silently, watching them work.

Sam frowned, watching someone who looked like the woman she had grown up with but was nothing like that woman from years before. Suspicions that this was not that woman grew. Cherry's mom could live off the land, but this person complained about the lack of amenities.

Who was she?

Instinct told Sam she was not the real Mrs Bassett, perhaps a plant from the Tenderhooks or one of those engineered robots they were known to use.

"Tell me about yourself, Mrs Bassett," Stan said, glancing at Sam before turning his attention to the woman.

"Not much to tell," Mrs Bassett said, "I grew up in a small town, left to attend college and landed my first job at a family company where I worked for years. Their father suddenly died, and a larger company bought them."

She lapsed into silence.

"When did you meet Mr Bassett?" Stan asked before blowing into the smouldering flames, helping them catch alight on the dried wood.

"Oh, that was so long ago," she gushed, blushing, "I was doing some research for the company, and I ran into him at the library. He was carrying his ancient books mumbling in a strange language ...or he could have been reading."

"What happened after that?" Stan prodded, taking a can of beans from Sam, briefly meeting her expressive gaze, "love at first sight?"

"I guess so," Mrs Bassett sighed, "we were inseparable after that."

"How long before you took him to the cabin?" Stan asked.

"A few months," Mrs Bassett said, smiling sweetly, "you sure have many questions."

"I'm a sucker for a good story," Stan said, grinning as he stirred the cast iron pot hanging over the fire, "dinner will be ready in a bit, and then you can sleep."

Mrs Basset stared at him strangely before nodding, "Thank you."

Cold air hummed from ventilation ducts mixing with the buzzing of subdued voices as physical and digital maps were searched. Two well-dressed men stood in the middle of the room, legs apart, arms folded. One stared at the large screen on the wall while the other looked around the room, sometimes turning in circles and other times watching the people working in the room.

"You have all these people, brother," the man watching the room said, "and you cannot find them."

"We had them," the other man said, "they were right there." He pointed at the map displayed on the wall, "It was a good idea to implant a tracker in her the last time she was tweaked."

"Do you think they will figure out she isn't the real Mrs Bassett?"

"If she has taken the medication designed to make her what she is, I doubt it," the man hissed, "we have genetic engineering so close to perfection."

"Yes, close but not perfect," the younger man said. "We need to find them before the imposter spills her guts to those agents who somehow got past everything we had to keep the Bassett doubles on the compound grounds."

"I know whose agents they are, and it will be my pleasure to terminate them myself," growled the older brother.

"Mr Tenderhook," a lanky young man called, coming toward them holding a clipboard.

"Yes," both brothers answered in unison, looking at him.

He faltered as he looked up, taking in the angry expressions, "There is an update ... of sorts ... being prepared for you in the ... ah ... conference room."

The brothers stalked past him toward the door labelled as such, leaving him to swallow hard, pull out a handkerchief and mop his brow and upper lip. Inhaling deeply before exhaling when the conference door swung shut.

"That was close," another worker whispered, "you should know never to interrupt their conversation."

"I didn't know they were in one," the lanky man sighed, "thankfully, I'll be off duty by the time they get out."

"You better hope you are," the coworker said, "you know what'll happen if they see you.

"Yeah, we all know what happens," the lanky man sighed, "let's get back to work before someone else gets fired and then disappears."

"Sure, did you cover every area?" the coworker said, looking at the clipboard.

"Most, there are two areas still to be checked," the lanky man said, "you take one area, I take the other?"

"You know it," the coworker smiled, "give me the details, and let's go to work."