The next morning, Kaela awakens. Her first thought is of Kragon out there waiting on her, but then she thought of the exam. She was startled by someone standing over her cot, "Good morning!" It's a woman with neck-length black hair. "I'm Dana, sorry I missed you yesterday, but I always try to greet new Ponus. Did Marcela take good care of you?" Kaela nods. This was the leader she had heard about. She was the one who had single-handedly killed a Dowath attacking her by impaling it; she had escaped the infamous Lizard Hunter, the first person, Ponu or Scavenger, to do so. She had survived a fight in the Scavenger Arena. She was the mastermind of whatever alliance they had with the Dowath and whatever plans the Ponu had for her people, the scavengers. Still looking at her now, she did not seem like a warrior, but an awkward, almost disappointing woman. Something about her, her hands were clasped too tightly, or her eyes darted away slightly when you looked her in the eye.

  "I've heard of you," Kaela says, then wonders if she should have said that. "Yes, I can imagine," Dana says, "we can discuss all that stuff later, my so-called escapades, for now, get all the rest you need. I understand you'll be seeing the doctor later. She's good, only concerned with your well-being, so no need to worry about anything...you're safe now. Well, about as safe as anyone in this world can be".

  "I heard screaming last night, ...the woman" Kaela says, careful with what she asks about.

  "Oh, her. She will be ok, .....she just can't be here. We have to test newcomers to make sure there are no infiltrators....or potential infiltrators".

  Was that the test, Kaela thought, the small flashlight-like device, but how did it work? What were they testing?

  Kaela noticed a bag on the floor near Dana's feet. It was filled with books. Dana noticed. "Oh, these are just books we salvaged. I am taking them to our new Library. It's not completed yet, but soon," She says longingly. Kaela asked what types of books they were, as she was mostly familiar with Kragon's salvaged science books. "They are mostly fiction. Here's one of my favorites," she pulls out "A Princess of Mars". Then she pulls out another book. Kaela reads the writing on the front of the book, Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel. Dana says, "I've just started this one, but I think it's going to be just as good as the last one".

  After Dana left, Kaela prepared herself to meet the doctor. She had to be certain she would have no further slip-ups. The more wrong answers she gives, the more likely they will see that something is not right, something more than just a possible concussion.

  She went to the communal dining area to get something to eat first. On the way there, she passed by the small workshop of the genius Lana. Lana wasn't there, but Kaela noticed a section of the workshop area blocked off with a thin, almost curtain material. Checking that no one was around, Kaela moved closer, her curiosity getting the best of her. She noticed a pink glow as she neared, and something that made a sudden motion. Just as she was about to take a look behind the curtain, a familiar voice sang out, "Good morning!" It was Marcela, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Kaela was clearly caught off guard and stunned. "Oh, I see you're curious about that; most recent arrivals are. It's just something special but super cool that my Lana is working on. It's secret for now, but trust me, when you see it, it'll change everything". Kaela smiles and just says how she can't wait. Then she proceeds to breakfast, still surprised the Ponu woman snuck up on her, a scavenger, so easily.

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  After breakfast, she went to see Doris, the doctor. She examined Kaela but said she seemed healthy. "I am not sure I understand it," the doctor admitted. "I was concerned when you said you were from Vault 90, I mean, going by the numbering system, that would have to be halfway to another state". The word itself didn't mean as much to Kaela, but she caught the meaning, that Vault 90 was far away. "I thought you for sure had some type of concussion. I understand you have been traumatized, but regardless, you're home now, you're safe, no bad Dowath, no Scavengers, just your sisters and our friendly Dowath here. We'll introduce them more to you when you've had a chance to relax.

  Kaela had so many questions she wanted to ask...

  Why are there so few Men Ponu? Why do they get sick and die? Why are none here in the cave?

  Why are there no Ponu children? You all seem to be around 20s, 30s, occasionally 40s, but none younger.

  Where do you come from? Why did you try to kill our people years ago?

  What happened to the woman hauled off yesterday, what test did she fail?

  She realized she needed to start doing what she was sent to do, spy, and she would start with her "twin" Francesca.

  She spent the rest of the day with Francesca. She was a sweet young woman, hard to believe as the enemy.

  She had to be careful what she asked Francesca; she didn't want to ask something that revealed she was an outsider. She took a chance and asked what she thought about Geeryo. Francesca looked around before speaking and lowered her voice for her response, "Don't tell the others, especially the leaders like Dana, Lana, Brandi, they all seem to hate Geeryo. I think without Geeryo we wouldn't be alive, so we owe our very existence to them." Kaela responds, "Yes, me too". To that, Francesca smiles, their bond seeming to her to be strengthening.

  Later, they see Marcela and her wife, the genius Lana, and they all eat together.

  Amidst the laughter, Kaela keeps quiet mostly. Near the end of dinner, she asks Lana, "So you built a lot of this?" For a moment, pride shines on Lana's face before she says, "I had lots of help."

  Kaela asks, "What did you mean yesterday about that movie being a documentary, something about a time machine?"

  Lana says, "Oh, I said that? It was just a bad joke. I mean, this whole place feels like a movie, doesn't it?

  You've got 8-foot-tall bat creatures, good and bad variety, post-apocalyptic wasteland tribes, lizard men, I mean, seriously, lizard men!?!" Marcela says, "Let's not forget the Machiavellian presence that caused all this, Geeryo."

  Lana has a smirk as she turns towards Marcela, "Machiavellian, really? To be called that, I suspect one of your plans has to at least come close to working. The only thing Geeryo did was make the world into a movie." Lana continues..."I am just trying to figure out what genre we're in: Horror, sci-fi, or survival." Marcela chimes in, "Maybe Romance". She and Lana smile. "Ok," Francesca says, "I think dinner time is over for these two lovebirds," and with that, Kaela and Francesca leave.

  Francesca convinces Kaela to get her hair cut short so they can look even more like twins in the "salon". Kaela figures it's practical, so she goes along with it.

  She spends the evening bonding more and more with Francesca. She asks her about her earliest memory. Francesca talks about being a child and playing with her sister. This stuns Kaela, who had, up until now, suspected the Ponu women were created as adults, since they had never seen Ponu children or Ponus outside a specific age range.

  Kaela was careful not to say too much about her own history. She had already fumbled with her answer to what Vault she came from. She knew that anything she asked of Francesca could be asked of her in return. So she had to be careful not only with the questions but with her answer when the question was turned on her.

  That night, as Kaela finally went to sleep on her cot, a few cots over, Francesca was staring at her "twin". Now, with the haircuts, the two women looked virtually identical. Francesca's look, however, was one of caution and concern. Soon Francesca went to sleep also as the activity in the cave city died down.