The Perfect Match. Sergey Redkin

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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 disintegrate46 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 together47, 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 say48, 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 recreational49 space with a country house – which it probably was – with three smaller buildings. The main building, which appeared to be a big hunting lodge50, 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 sported51 large brown pine logs. The attic was under a steep tiled roof with a big, red-bricked chimney52 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 nobility 53with 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 antlers54 and a few paintings of hunting dogs. The comparison ended as soon as they proceeded to the former55 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 barely56 noticed the visitors.

      “This is our team and the place of business, so to speak57,” 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 passable58. 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

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