Сергей Редькин – The Queen of the Two Moons (страница 7)
“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.
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
“Without getting too deep into the inflationary multiverse theories and trying to explain unresolvable metaphysical issues, I can only shrug and say
“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
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