Peter opened his eyes. The sound of the cryogenic chamber door opening must've woken him. He yawned. Had it been thirty years already? The last thing he remembered was… He couldn't remember. Memories of home lingered.

 

Peter had never married or had children. He'd joined the space program out of college and never looked back. When a team was being assembled to explore a faraway planet, he'd applied right away.

 

E-Duo, as they had dubbed it, seemed like an exact copy of the planet he knew well. They put together a small team of three people. Once arriving on the planet, Peter and his team would gather as much information and minerals as they could before returning home.

 

A sixty-year round trip, not counting the time they'd spend on the planet. Would the world he knew before even look the same?

 

* * *

 

Peter put a hand on either side of the chamber and pulled himself out. The chamber stood vertically, but his limbs felt stiff and filled with the static of sleep. He looked to the chambers of his co-pilots. Both were empty. They must have already woken.

 

His sense of balance felt off and his perspectives seemed wrong. He dragged a hand over his face and felt a sparse beard. Hopefully, his beard would return to its former thickness in time.

 

Peter meandered through the ship. He'd taken a tour of the ship L-1 (short for Larris-One or, as Alicia quipped, "Lone", since she would be the only female onboard) before the start of the expedition.

 

The routes he'd learned during the tour escaped him now. His co-pilots James Baxter, and Alicia Miller, didn't take the tour as seriously as he did. Both claimed they'd have plenty of time to explore after waking up, since the ship would be their home during their time on the planet, which very well could take years. All either of them had cared about was if the steak substitute really tasted like steak.

 

The ship's temperature seemed rather warm. Peter wore a light suit made from material similar to a windbreaker jacket. The suit, which had been white when he first put it on, looked beige. He did not, however, have on socks. Those he'd need to find in his room. Where was his room?

 

* * *

 

Another hallway, another wrong direction. Peter tried to locate something that looked familiar, but nothing did. It felt as if his mind was missing memories.

 

He stood in front of the door with his last name on it. Kelper.

 

"Finally," he muttered.

 

He tried to recall the code to open it. His birthday, perhaps? What was his birthday?

 

June. July. August. His birthday was in August. The tenth? No. The eleventh. What year? 2045.

 

8–1–1–4–5.

 

The door slid open.

 

"Who's there?" said a groggy voice.

 

Peter stepped into the dark room. The voice had to belong to James.

 

"What are you doing in my room, James?" he asked.

 

"It worked."

 

"The code to get in? Of course, it worked. Did you forget the code to your room?"

 

"I can't believe it actually worked."

 

"We'll catch up in due time. First, I need socks. Second, I need a meal. I hope we have steak on this ship, or at least some sort of paste that tastes like it. Wait, why am I craving steak?"

 

"This is remarkable."

 

"This ship is quite amazing," said Peter. "How do we turn the lights on?"

 

"L-1, light in room two."

 

With that command, the lights turned on.

 

Peter's eyes grew wide. Standing before him, he saw…

 

"You're me," said Peter. "How is this possible?"

 

He took a step back and almost tripped over the lip of the doorframe.

 

"Take a seat, Peter," said the imposter. The man standing before him looked just like him, but older, as if aged a decade. "Let's first get your socks. There isn't steak, but we have pork paste."

 

"I'm a vegetarian," said Peter. "I don't eat… At least, I don't think I eat meat."

 

The imposter opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of socks.

 

"Here. Take these."

 

Peter put on the socks.

 

"Now, follow me."

 

* * *

 

Peter sat on a stool at the counter, watching the imposter eat from a green tube.

 

"How's the pork?" asked the imposter.

 

"I've had better," replied Peter.

 

"You're funny. I'm glad to see that transferred over."

 

"Transferred over?"

 

The imposter pulled a small circular case from his front pocket. It looked familiar.

 

"It's a mirror," he said. "It belonged to Alicia. Open it. Slowly."

 

He opened the mirror.

 

"This can't be right," said Peter. He stared at his reflection, into the eyes of James Baxter. "This can't be right. This isn't right. I'm Peter Kelper." He dropped the mirror and looked at the imposter. "What have you done to me?"

 

"I can explain. Please, stay seated."

 

Peter's heart pounded in his chest.

 

"I'm Peter Kelper," said the imposter. "The 'real' Peter Kelper."

 

"You're lying!"

 

"It's been forty years since we left Earth. My chamber opened ten years ago. It was then that I found out the others didn't make it. I was alone. Over the past ten years, I've worked tirelessly. Using AI, I made an exact copy of my consciousness, of my memories. Alicia, her chamber malfunctioned, her body had already degraded. James' body, however, was still intact. His life support system must have failed not long before I woke up. You're me, but it seems you're also James. He always said the first thing he was going to eat would be a steak."

 

"You're lying. None of this is real. If it's been ten years, then where is Earth Duo? Where are we?"

 

"The ship's navigation failed during the cryogenic phase of our mission. We’re lost.”

 

"How are you so calm?"

 

"I'm not alone anymore."