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Lizzy woke up early and watched Marco sleeping for a few minutes before jumping in the shower and starting breakfast. He walked in the kitchen, still slumberous185, while she was making eggs, and hugged her from behind.
“Good morning,” he said and kissed her on the neck. “Hi, sleepyhead186.”
“How’d you sleep?”
She had not been sleeping well ever since she was violently introduced to the other world. She did not want to bother Marco with her insomnia187 and never woke him up. She could fall asleep for a brief time, but that didn’t bring much relaxation. She would wake up and silently lie in bed, trying not to think about the dead people she knew or was about to get to know – Mark, Peter, and Beth. Despite the horrendous images of what she had witnessed or what her imagination had created in those nightmares, there was one more thing that bothered her. After they came back, among the flashbacks of the past two months, she started to see a person who stood at a distance looking at her. He was present in almost all her dreams. The image was not clear, just a male silhouette wearing a long coat.
“Ok, let’s eat and be on our way188. What time are we meeting the man?” Lizzy asked. “Ten a.m. sharp, so we still have some time.”
She placed the pan with the eggs on a wooden cutting board that was already on the kitchen table, next to a watermelon they had bought at the farmer’s market the day before.
“Could you get the forks, please?” she asked Marco. “I’ll cut Mr. Watermelon here.” “No plates?”
“Let’s just eat from the pan. It’s faster that way and no need to wash dishes.” “Practical.”
She sliced the fruit in half, took one half and sliced it again into two equal parts. Then she took one of the quarters and cut it quickly into five triangles. After that she put each of the triangles on its side and cut the red flesh out, tossing the green rinds in the waste basket. The pulp triangles were also cut into cubes. She used her knife to scoop up the cubes and throw them into a large blue china bowl. She did the same with the other quarter, the entire process took two minutes.
“Where did you learn how to do that?” Marco asked, watching her cutting method in fascination189.
Lizzy smiled. “My mother learned that somewhere in Asia and always cut fruit that way. I guess I picked it up from her.”
“It’s fast,” Marco said and sat down at the table ready to eat.
Aaron – a short, balding overweight man in his 50’s – was standing on the side of the road next to the gas station two miles away from the cottage. They’d walked to the meeting spot through the forest that Lizzy knew very well. She used to walk here with her mother when she was a little girl. It was a good day for a walk – sunny and warm. They saw him before he spotted them.
“Is that him?” Lizzy asked.
“I think so,” Marco said and looked at his diver’s watch. “Fits the description and he’s on time.” “Is there a code word we’re supposed to use to make sure he is our guy?”
“He told me that he’d recognize us.” “Not much of a spy, is he?”
“Let’s do it then,” he said and took a step out of the thicket190.
As soon as they were in the clear, Aaron acknowledged them with a nod and started to walk to a grey minivan that was parked near the gas station minimart’s entrance. He opened the driver’s door and slid the passenger door open. Then he got in the driver’s seat, closed the door, but left the passenger door open.
“I guess that’s our cue191,” Marco said.
They walked to the van and climbed into the back.
“You’re to follow the instructions,” Aaron said as soon as they closed the door and gave them a large manila envelope. “There are two passports, the car key, and some money.”
“We have a car,” Lizzy said.
“Not anymore,” Aaron said. “Our people are taking it from your cottage as we speak.” “Why?” Marco asked.
“It’s not safe to use the same car.” “Where’s our new ride then?”
“You are sitting in it,” Aaron said and opened his door. “Wait,” Lizzy said. “Are you leaving?”
“You’re to follow the instructions,” Aaron said and left the car.
They watched him walking quickly across the gas station pavement and getting in a black pick-up truck parked on the other side – which took off the second he had climbed in.
“That was some spy work right there,” Lizzy smiled. Marco looked inside the envelope.
“Well, it’s all in there: the money, the passports, and the key.” “Where are the instructions?”
Marco took out a white sheet of paper and looked at it. “I guess this is it.”
When they drove back to the cottage in their new car, their old car was gone. They entered the cottage and found a new laptop on the kitchen table and a brand-new iPhone with a charger.
“It says here that we need to turn on the computer. There will be a link to a Zoom meeting on the desktop,” Marco said as he looked at the piece of paper.
“All right,” Lizzy said, opening the device. “We could’ve done it on the phone, though.”
The computer screen lit up and they saw an empty desktop with only one folder named The Link.
“That’s foolproof192,” Lizzy said with a smile.
She clicked on the folder, saw the link, and double-clicked. A Zoom meeting began. The host had already started the meeting, but both his or her camera and microphone were deactivated.
Marco and Lizzy were looking at the screen, waiting for something to happen. “Are we supposed to do something now?” Lizzy asked, frowning.
Marco looked in the sheet again. “It just says open your computer and use the link.” “Hello,” she said to the screen. “Anyone there?”
The host’s window showed that the image had started to upload. Someone was joining the meeting. Finally, they saw a pixelated image of an old Black woman in a room with white empty walls. She was saying something, but there was no sound. Marco pointed to the screen, to microphone symbol that was crossed by a red line.
“Your microphone is off,” Lizzy said to the lady. The woman jerked193 and looked at her screen.
“Oh, my goodness,” they heard her cheery voice. “Is it working now? Can you hear me?” “Yes, we can,” Lizzy said.
“Good, I’m still getting used to these bells and whistles194,” the lady said, smiling. “What happened to the good old face-to-face, right?”
Marco and Lizzy both nodded, agreeing.
“Anyway, Lizzy and Marco, how are you kids doing?”
Lizzy and Marco looked at each other. “We’re fine,” Lizzy said.
“Oh, good,” the lady said. “My name is Yana. I represent the Committee, and I have a lot to tell you today. So, get comfortable.”
The next day, Lizzy woke up early in the morning, surprised that she actually slept for a few hours. She felt reinvigorated195, but there was a feeling that she had forgotten something important. She looked at Marco who was sleeping peacefully at her side, and then got up.
She decided to do some yoga, something that she had not done since the day her life dramatically changed a couple of months ago. It seemed that the body remembered all the asanas to relax the brain and the muscles. She was doing the exercises in her underwear and felt the sunbeams on her skin. It was the first time she felt any sense of normalcy in the past two months.
She was still getting used to the idea of being with Marco, which was extremely hard since he looked so much like Mark. It was still confusing, but for some reason she could not explain even to herself it felt right to be with the copy of her ex-boyfriend. It did not feel like she was somehow desecrating Mark’s memory. On the contrary, it felt like she was given another chance to build her life with the same man who happened to have a back-up copy in the parallel world. But… it still confused the hell out of her. She would definitely spend some serious time with a therapist discussing this conundrum if she could.
After a quick shower, she sat down in the kitchen with a cup of coffee to read what Yana, the first leader of the Committee they had met so far, had sent after the meeting. It was a file with the names of people that were connected to Dolion and who were supposed to be actively involved in virus distribution. According to Yana, they had the original variant of the virus. Dolion called it Potestas Dei (Power of God). It was very surprising to learn about that because Lizzy and Marco were under the impression that they had destroyed the virus.
“It takes many variants to get the one you really want,” Yana had told them during the meeting. “Dolion had the final one and you destroyed it. There are still some people who can create a more powerful version and that is why we need to eliminate any trace of it.”
Lizzy looked at the geography of the locations of the Dolion’s Gang – that was what she named it— which was in the file. No wonder they needed passports. It looked like they would have to do a bit of travelling.
“They have a few centers where they develop their new variants. Fortunately, we infiltrated196 our people in all of them. Still, it will not be easy to do what we want.” Despite Yana’s cheerful demeanor197, it was obvious that what she was talking about took a lot of doing.
Lizzy checked the places they needed to go first. Those were two destinations in the US and did not even require travelling by plane.
“We are working on the way to use the uniqueness of your blood in, say, a less dramatic way. So, we will be meeting at some point soon to do some tests.”
Without getting into too many details, Yana had explained Lizzy and Marco that the Committee had been in touch with Peter’s team and monitored their activities in the parallel world, so they knew how Lizzy got rid of Dolion and his virus.
Lizzy went over the highlights198 of the meeting in her head one more time: the gang was around the world, she will go through some tests, and they will travel. So far, things did not sound complicated. The thought was both comforting and disturbing. Today’s list of things was also straightforward199: they would go to the specified address, change cars, and someone would drive them to a research facility the Committee had. They would take some of her blood and would do a few tests.
Her life had changed so much over the fleeting period of time. Those changes were making her a tougher person. She was not sure whether she liked that person, but she had to embrace200 the metamorphosis201 to survive. She felt a pang of nostalgia for the life she had, and a tear spilled down her cheek.
“Should I make us some breakfast?” she heard Marco’s voice.
She wiped the tear, turned to Marco, and smiled. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
When she said that – just for a split of a second – she saw a man standing behind Marco. It was the man from her dreams. She suddenly remembered that she had seen him again last night in her dream. She shut her eyes and opened them again. The man was gone.
“Are you ok?” Marco said.
“Yeah, just a… I’m hungry. Let’s eat already!”
They started to make breakfast together and the image of the man slowly faded from her memory.
She could still remember what he’d been wearing though – a black kimono.
Chapter 2: Super Lizzy (Present Time)
The place at which they arrived with their new driver, Tom – a young man who had picked them up not too far away from the cottage – looked like a regular bakery. There were some patrons202 inside, enjoying freshly baked pastries and hot beverages. Lizzy tried to remember what day it was and why there were so many people out of office so shamelessly203 enjoying this nice weather and this cozy place. She could not. It did not really matter, but it smelled amazing. Any day you are alive is a good day, she thought.
They approached the counter. Tom ordered three espressos to go, without asking Lizzy and Marco whether they wanted anything. Then he showed them to the table in the corner, next to a female customer who was reading a book. They sat down and waited for the order without exchanging so much as a few phrases. Tom had been taciturn204 all the way to the bakery and did not seem like he was going to turn into a chatterbox205 any time soon. So, Lizzy and Marco were just sitting and waiting for whatever was going to happen.
“Tom,” the barista announced from behind the counter. “Your order’s ready.”
Tom stood up, took the order, and proceeded to the exit, without returning to the table and taking the coffee with him. Lizzy and Marco watched him with surprise. When they were about to stand up and follow him, a lady who was sitting at the table next to them turned and smiled.
“Hi Lizzy, Marco,” she said. “It’s good to finally meet you. I’m Irene.”
Irene was a white lady, about the same age as Yana. She had an intelligent face and looked like a university professor in her brown horn-rimmed glasses, and a beige jacket over a white blouse. She was the second leader of the Committee.
“Tom is leaving and I’m afraid you’ll have to spend a bit of time with me now,” Irene said. “Would you actually like something to drink?”
They went back to the counter. Lizzy ordered a macchiato and a scone, which she had been craving for some time. Marco got himself a cup of tea and a chocolate croissant, which for some unfathomable206 reason he had never had.
“How on earth207 have you never tried one?” Lizzy couldn’t give it a rest208 on the way back to the table.
“I don’t know,” Marco said, sitting down. “Let’s see if I was really missing anything.”
Irene was patiently waiting for them to enjoy their beverages and food with a smile on her face. Marco realized that he had missed a lot and announced that he was going to have a chocolate croissant every day for the rest of his life. Both ladies applauded his decision.
“Well, let’s talk shop209,” Irene said when the beverages and food were finished. “We’ll have to take a few samples of your blood and do a few tests. There’s this new technology that we’re still working on, but getting closer each day, which will allow us to eradicate any threat that viruses from the Two Moons may pose210.”
“The Two Moons?” Lizzy asked.
“Well, it’s actually called Terra, but we call it the Two Moons among ourselves,” Irene said. Marco smiled.
“Have you been there?” Lizzy asked. “A few times.”
“How do you explain the very existence of it?”
“Without getting too deep into the inflationary multiverse theories and trying to explain unresolvable metaphysical issues, I can only shrug and say there it is, and I have no clue why it’s there. Your father spent quite a bit of time researching the phenomenon. I believe he shared some of it with you. I can tell you one thing though. I don’t have a copy there.” She ended with a smile.
“You’re unique then,” Marco smiled.
“I suppose I am, but we aren’t going to talk about my uniqueness today. You, Lizzy, have Ro subtype, which means that you most likely have Black African or Black Caribbean ethnic background, but that alone does not make your blood unique. What makes your blood incredibly special is not its ability to treat some blood-related disorders, which your rare type is known for, but its ability to disintegrate211 viruses. It’s something that we still don’t know much about, but we are working extremely hard to understand it. We believe it’s some sort of a mutation and we’re planning to make it work for our cause.”
“So, I’m a mutant,” Lizzy said and looked at Marco. “How does it feel to live with one?”
“I’m a copy and you’re a mutant. Birds of a feather flock together212, right?” he said with a smile. “Different types of birds, but yeah, we are flocking together, aren’t we?” Lizzy covered Marco’s hand with hers.
Irene looked at her watch. “I’m afraid we should be going now. My associates are waiting for us. They are ready to start.”
Tom – who was waiting for them in the car – took them all to another location that was conveniently hidden in the forest on the outskirts of the city. It took them an hour to get there during which Irene was chatting with Lizzy and Marco about everything but the purpose of their trip.
“We’re here,” Irene said when their car stopped in front of huge green gates. “These gates are big enough for Jurassic Park,” Lizzy said.
“The person who used to own the place was, shall we say213, a bit concerned with his security. He gave this place to us, and it’s been our research center for some time now.”
When the gates slowly opened, Tom drove inside, nodding to two guards in civilian clothes who nodded back. Lizzy noticed that the guards were armed with automatic rifles.
The inside looked more like a recreational214 space with a country house – which it probably was – with three smaller buildings. The main building, which appeared to be a big hunting lodge215, could have been designed for a royal family and its entourage. The first floor was built with big soft beige stones and the second floor sported216 large brown pine logs. The attic was under a steep tiled roof with a big, red-bricked chimney217 that suggested a fireplace. The three other buildings, perhaps guest houses and space for staff were designed to complement the main building. The whole ensemble provided a sense of comfort and a feeling of rustic nobility218 with its earthy tones. The area was covered with evenly trimmed grass and stone trails that connected each building on the premises. There were no people outside, except for the guards at the gate.
Tom pulled over in front of the main entrance of the house and helped Irene get out of the car. Not that she needed any assistance, it was more of a gesture of respect.
“It’s spacious,” Marco said when he got out of the car, right after Lizzy. “We’re happy with it,” Irene said, and showed them into the house.
As they were getting closer to the house, the massive wooden entrance door opened and a spectacled man in his forties with a beard and in a white doctor’s coat came out to greet them.
“This is Albert,” Irene said. “He’ll be working with you today, Lizzy.”
“Hi Lizzy and Marco,” Albert said. “It’s great to finally meet you both. Please, come in.”
The entrance hall was what one would expect from a hunting lodge – the walls covered with antlers219 and a few paintings of hunting dogs. The comparison ended as soon as they proceeded to the former220 living room, which was turned into a laboratory with various equipment that neither Lizzy nor Marco knew the purpose of. There were two female scientists who were busy looking into microscopes and computer screens and barely221 noticed the visitors.
“This is our team and the place of business, so to speak222,” Albert said. “I’m afraid I’ll have to steal Lizzy from you, Marco, for the rest of the day.”
“There’s a nice room upstairs where you’ll be quite comfortable,” Irene told Marco.
“Yes, there are books, a computer, snacks and a fridge with beverages,” Albert added enthusiastically.
Lizzy looked at Marco who didn’t look like he liked the idea of being away from her. “I’ll be fine.
Go get some rest.” Then she looked at Albert. “I’ll be allowed bathroom breaks, won’t I?” “Oh, sure. Of course. There’ll be lunch and dinner.”
“You see?” Lizzy took Marco’s hand. “I’ll see you later.”
Lizzy came to see Marco twice during the day. They had a quick lunch from plastic containers that Albert brought. It was simple – turkey sandwiches with some salad – but delicious. After five hours, which Marco spent watching two old movies (Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Godfather, Part 1) and browsing through some old magazines, they had another plastic container meal. Chicken pasta and cheesecake. Not Michelin quality, but passable223. Lizzy did not have enough information to tell Marco what exactly she was doing downstairs, or, rather, what they were doing to her. She told him that she felt like a frog in a biology classroom. She hoped that they were not going to dissect at the end of the class. Both of them were equally shocked to find out the similarities between the movies in their worlds. They spent the minutes they had together comparing Indiana Jones with Tom Lesseck, the adventurous geologist, and Michael Corleone with Paco De Niro, the cold-blooded mafia boss (the fictional characters from the other world, which Marco was a big fan of). Lizzy promised to watch the movies Marco grew up with the next time they went to the Two Moons.
At about 10 p.m., Lizzy came up and woke up Marco who apparently found Sleepless in Seatle too relaxing. Tom was waiting for them downstairs. Lizzy was tired and took a nap all the way back to their cottage, resting her head on Marco’s shoulder. Marco barely moved, watching the stars through the car window. When they got home, she was still asleep, Marco took her gently in his hands to the bedroom and covered her with a blanket. When Marco returned to the car to get their coats, Tom told him that he would pick them up at 8 a.m. tomorrow and left. Marco went back to the bedroom, lay down next to Lizzy and watched her peacefully sleeping with a smile on his face before falling asleep as well.
The next day went pretty much the same way. Tests for Lizzy and cultural catching-up224 for Marco (The Shawshank Redemption, Misery, Good Will Hunting, and Pulp Fiction). When it was time to stop for the day225, Albert showed Lizzy the prototype of the device that his team had been working on before they met her.
“It looks like a glove that you would use for a workout at the gym,” she said, looking at it.
“That’s the idea!” Albert was obviously happy to hear it. “We don’t want people to think that they are looking at a weapon.”
“Is that what it is? A weapon?”
“Of sorts. It’ll be using your blood to destroy the virus.”
“How will it work? I’ll just wear it and what will happen next?”
“The idea is for you to use it without spilling your blood literally but sending impulses that destroy the virus – even through glass. Provided226 that it’s not bulletproofed, of course. We still need to work on that.”
“I don’t think I understand that.”
“It sounds a bit science fiction, I know.” “A bit?”
“You’re right,” Albert laughed. “It sounds a lot like science fictions, but we believe that we’ve found a way to use your blood’s unique qualities and transform them into… sort of, waves that could penetrate227 the virus coat, or membrane, split it apart, and eventually destroy its molecular compounds. The glove generates the wave and sends it, together with your blood, to do its job.”
“So, hypothetically speaking, someone will have a vial with my blood connected to this glove and… just go around and touch people or things with viruses. Is that how it’s going to work?”
“I wish it was that easy. As things stand now228, I’m afraid it only works if you wear it. It must be connected to you.”
“Like Ironman’s reactor,” Lizzy said, still looking at the glove. “The proof that Tony Stark has a heart.”229
Albert’s face lit up.
“It’s more like a repulsar, you know, those little reactors on the palms of Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit, but you get the gist230,” he said with a smile.
“So, this is Mark One231, Tony’s first suit from Iron Man One, we’re working on, right?” Lizzy asked.
“Well technically, this particular prototype is Marco Two, if we use that logic. It ‘flies’ well, but it needs a pilot to navigate it.”
“That would be me.” “Correct.”
“Ok, so, when are we going to take this baby for a spin232?” “We’ll do it tomorrow.”