“Lauren, is that you?” Ben heard a familiar sounding voice greet him. They sounded nervous, happy and unsure at the same time.

Ben looked towards the door and couldn’t quite tell who it was. He didn’t know how much Lauren needed her glasses until he woke up from her coma. The man who greeted him had short hair, wore a suit with a tie and had a muscular build.

“Who are you?” Ben asked half asleep. He knew his ‘husband’ was meant to visit him but given his current situation it could’ve been anyone. Even if it was a version of him, the body standing there looked nothing like him.

“It’s me… it’s Benjamin.” Benjamin stepped into the room and shut the door. He expected Lauren not to recognise him given how much he had changed over the last year. He admitted he wouldn’t recognise himself. So the burning question on his mind wouldn’t be answered just yet. “I brought you flowers.”

Benjamin approached a dresser in the room and placed a bouquet of lilacs on the top. He then walked over to Lauren. She was slowly pulling herself up so she was sitting up to face him. Benjamin deflated seeing how much weight she had lost, she looked so frail. She was also giving him a glare that told him he was in trouble.

“Benjamin… really?” Ben snapped. “I’ve never gone by Benjamin. Who are you really?”

“Oh…” Benjamin realized he wasn’t speaking to his wife. He should’ve been devastated but instead he focused on the fact that Lauren would return as a Doll. In fact he was glad that she didn’t wake up in this frail body.

“Answer the question, who are you?” Ben was losing patience with the man in the room. He could see the similarities with how he looked but he was a lot more buff and dressed up in a style Ben would never wear.

“They told me this was a possibility.” Benjamin said coldly. He felt a disdain for this version of himself. Especially as this one was manipulated by Nicholas. He was too weak to protect himself and more importantly too weak to protect Lauren. “You’re not my Lauren. You shouldn’t even exist. Instead you’re just another sick and twisted product of Nicholas, like that Doll, Laura.”

“No… I’m not Lauren…” Ben felt her loss again as he admitted that. “She’s gone, erased by the company that hired her, just because she realized the truth of what they were doing.” Ben continued to glare at the man. His gaze made him uncomfortable at least.

“Lauren’s not gone,” Benjamin snapped. It wasn’t denial, he knew for a fact she was still around. He was glad that Raymond had the sense to give a body to the other mind on file. “And it was Nicholas that did this, not the company. They’ve been nothing but good to me… to us.”

“Who the fuck is Nicholas?” Ben demanded. The name rang a bell but he couldn’t place it. He was still annoyed that this man was dodging his original question but now was a good time to get answers.

“He’s the man that did this to Lauren,” Benjamin replied in anger. He wanted to hit something but there was nothing to hit so he just clenched his fists. “He kidnapped her, and brainwashed you through the Doll. He made you want to be Laura. The company discovered what he was doing, they restored my mind, but it was too late for Lauren’s.” Benjamin looked away as he tried to hold back tears. It wasn’t too late, she was safe, she was being rebuilt. “The twisted fuck had two brain scans. We thought your mind was Lauren’s but we knew he might’ve spoofed the scans… turns out we were right and here you are…”

The explanation Ben had received left him confused. Lauren was sent on a business trip. She disappeared after she realized she was sent to Japan so he’d have free access to the Doll. He also wasn’t manipulated into being Laura. What did get his attention though was they had a scan of Lauren’s mind.

“Wait, so Lauren’s mind is safe?” Ben was alert now. “Then wipe my mind and give her her body back.” There was no guarantee they’d do that or that he would still be around but he’d sacrifice himself for the chance Lauren could live again.

Benjamin looked down at the pretender with a sympathetic look. He might’ve had his mind altered but his love for Lauren was the same as his. “Unfortunately the process that wiped her mind and to upload you to it scarred her brain. The process wouldn’t work again. You couldn’t even pilot a Doll and recall what you did as it.”

“So she’s gone…” Ben felt the tears forming in his eyes again.

Benjamin felt uncomfortable watching Lauren’s body cry. He also didn’t understand why they were crying. Lauren would be fine, she’d be better than fine. She’d be indestructible. “Lauren’s not gone, the company is building her a new Doll, she should be finished in a year or two.” He assured Ben.

“That doesn’t mean anything…!” Ben snapped. “This is her body, and you just said she can’t return to it. Any other version would just be a copy, not the original Lauren. And even if it was, she hated being a Doll. Do you think she’d be happy living as one?”

“Doll technology has come a long way in a year. They’re making advancements everyday. It won’t be like DLS-9.” Benjamin looked down at the frail body in front of him. This wasn’t Lauren, she was still asleep, she was waiting for him. “Also don’t pretend you care. You wanted to be a real woman, now you’ve got your wish.”

Ben looked up at the man in his skin, he felt his rage boiling. “Get out!” He yelled pointing to the door.

“I was hoping when I got here I would be reunited with my wife,” Benjamin stared at the body lying before him. “I’m glad it wasn’t. You’re weak and frail, a shell of Lauren. It would’ve been horrible for her to wake up in that body. I envy the body she’s going to receive, it’s going to be near indestructible.” Benjamin looked down at his body and thought about the work he put into it. He wanted to be stronger after being kidnapped but he was still flesh and blood. He’d age while Lauren remained eternal. He loved her more than anything and would do anything to be with her forever.

As Benjamin left that frail body alone, he came to a decision, he would ask Raymond to have his mind uploaded into a Doll. As for his body, he didn’t care what happened to it, all he knew is he couldn’t have a third version of him running around. In fact even two was too much. The fake version of him in Lauren’s body would just create confusion as well.

“Hello nurse,” Benjamin walked up to the station. “My name is Benjamin Smith, Lauren Smith is my wife.” He explained to the older nurse. “I get that she’s been through a traumatic ordeal, but she was claiming she was me… is that normal?”

The nurse sighed she called the doctor so she and Benjamin could discuss his wife’s future.