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Prologue

He was sitting on the stone floor in the Hall of Prayer with his mind creating the worlds that he was the master of. He was about thirty-five, his head was shaved, and he was wearing a black kimono beneath black robes held shut in the front with a sash1. It was quite chilly for August, but his body didn’t feel the cold wind that was getting through the open windows of the ancient2 pagoda nor the coldness of the old stones he was sitting on. He could feel that soon he would be able to project his power to the real world around him. The monks in the temple he was in knew better than to disturb him during his meditations. For the past five years, his power was constantly enhancing3, and the monks could feel that too.

There were three steps in his process of achieving Control, where he could feel that the power of his thought could make things move and bend4 other people’s ability to think and overpower their emotions. Before getting to Control, however, there was Calmness and Detachment5. He was in the process of getting calm when a bright lightning of a sharp emotion pierced6 through his mind. He saw the i of his father. He frowned7 at this unexpected occurrence8 and opened his eyes.

“He’s dead,” he whispered.

He sat in silence for another minute. His face relaxed and a smile appeared.

“At last.”

Chapter 1

Back to Business

“Look at the Moon,” Lizzy said, pointing to the bright big blueish9 circle in the sky.

“It looks lonely,” Mark said.

They were sitting outside a country cottage that belonged to Lizzy’s mother, which now belonged to Lizzy. There was no way for her to go back to the apartment she used to share with her late boyfriend. The police were still looking for her in connection with the dead body that her neighbors started to smell and called the authorities to investigate. Her cousin Anastasia, being her closest friend and next of kin10, put away some of her stuff in storage after the police cleared the crime scene. When Lizzy reached out to Anastasia, it took a lot of effort to convince her cousin that she was fine and not brainwashed by some cult. There was a reason why she could not contact the police just yet. Lizzy could not reveal why she was absent for more than two months either and tried not to see any other friends to avoid interrogation11. Everything had to be done discreetly12. The less people knew that she was back the better.

“It’s not lonely, it has the Earth,” she said and put her head on Mark’s shoulder. “Tonight, it’s called Blue Moon.”

It was a bit chilly outside, and they were wrapped in a quilt13 that Lizzy’s mother bought in some mountain village in Thailand where she went with her father, Peter, before they got married.

“Is it always blue here?” he asked.

“It’s actually not blue at all. It’s just a name for the second full moon in a month, I think.”

“How many full moons do you usually get?”

“I think there are twelve, but occasionally you get the 13^th. That’s Blue Moon.”

“I don’t think our moons get to be called anything. They’re just moons. Boring. I like your Blue Moon, even though it still looks lonely to me.”

“Tell me more about your world,” she asked, getting cozier by his side.

“I need to learn more about yours to know the differences better, don’t I.”

“True.”

“Will we have time to do that?”

“I hope we will.”

She kissed him on the lips and stood up.

“We have a long day tomorrow,” she said, gave him her hand and pulled him up.

***

The next day they were supposed to meet with their contact person – Peter’s acquaintance14 – who had promised to introduce them to a group called The Committee. The group that was secretly working on eliminating the threat that was coming from the late Dolion’s supporters. There were three ladies – the group’s leaders – who held high positions in the medical research industry in three different countries. They knew about Lizzy’s role in eradicating15 Dolion and – most of all – about the unique qualities of her blood. They were eager16 to meet her. The man – whom they were meeting – called the cottage landline two days ago. Mark was the one who talked to him and agreed on the details for the meeting.

Lizzy woke up early and watched Mark sleeping for a few minutes before jumping in the shower and starting breakfast. He walked in the kitchen – still slumberous17– while she was making eggs and hugged her from behind.

“Good morning,” he said and kissed her on the neck.

“Hi, sleepyhead18.”

“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 Mark with her insomnia19 and never woke him up. She would silently lay in bed, trying to get rid of 20the is of the dead people she knew or didn’t know well but witnessed 21their deaths. There was one thing that bothered her a bit though. 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 i wasn’t clear, just a male silhouette in, what seemed like, a long coat.

“Ok, let’s eat and be on our way22. What time are we meeting the man?”

“10 AM 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 Mark. “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 in two equally big parts. Then she took one of the quarters and cut it quickly into five triangles. Then 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. The whole process took two minutes.

“Where did you learn how to do that?” Mark asked, watching the whole process in fascination23.

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,” Mark said and sat down at the table ready to eat.

***

The contact – a short bolding overweight man in his 50s – was waiting for them on the side of the road next to the gas station two kilometers away from the cottage. They walked to the meeting 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,” Mark said. “Fits the description.”

“Is there a code word or a sentence that we’re supposed to use to make sure he’s our guy?”

“He told me that we will know us when he sees us.”

“Not much of a spy, isn’t he?”

“Let’s do it then,” he said and took a step out of the forest thicket24.

As soon as they were in the clear, the man acknowledged them with a nod and started to walk to a grey minivan that parked near the gas station’s minimart’s entrance. He opened the driver’s door and the passenger’s door. Then he got in the driver’s seat, closed the door but left the passenger door open.

“I guess that’s our cue25,” Mark said.

They walked to the van and climbed on the back.

“You’re to follow the instructions,” the man said as soon as they closed the door and gave them a large manila envelope. “There are two passports, the car keys, and some money.”

“We have a car,” Lizzy said.

“Not anymore,” the man said. “Our people are taking it from your cottage as we speak.”

“Why?” Mark asked.

“You’ve been seen driving it and the police has the number license.”

“Where’s our new ride then?”

“You are sitting in it,” the man said and opened his door.

“Wait,” Lizzy said. “Are you leaving? What’s your name?”

“You’re to follow the instructions,” the man said and left the car.

They watched him walking fast across the gas station and getting in a black pick-up truck – parked on the other side – which took off the second the man was in.

“That was some spy work right there,” Lizzy smiled.

Mark looked inside the envelope.

“Well, it’s all in there: the money, the passports, and the car keys.”

“Where are the instructions?”

Mark 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,” Mark was reading from the piece of paper.

“Alright,” 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 foolproof26,” Lizzy said with a smile.

She clicked on the folder and saw a link. She called it up on the screen. The software began to upload the Zoom meeting. The host had already started the meeting, but both his or her camera and microphone were deactivated.

Mark and Lizzy looked at the screen for a minute, waiting for something to happen.

“Are we supposed to do it now?” Lizzy asked, frowning at the screen.

Mark 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 i had started to upload. Someone was joining the meeting. Finally, the saw a pixelated i of an old black woman in a room with white empty walls. She was saying something, but there was no sound. Mark pointed to the screen, to microphone symbol that was crossed by a red line.

“Your microphone is off,” Lizzy said.

The woman jerked 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 whistles27,” the lady said smiling. “What happened to the good old face-to-face, right?”

Mark and Lizzy both nodded, agreeing.

“Anyway, Lizzy and Mark how you are kids doing?”

Lizzy and Mark looked at each other. “We’re fine,” Lizzy said.

“Oh, good,” the lady. “My name is Yana and I have a lot to tell you today. So, get comfortable.”

***

Next day, Lizzy woke up early in the morning and was surprised to realize that she actually slept for a few hours. She felt reinvigorated28, but there was a feeling that she forgot something important. She looked at Mark who was sleeping peacefully at her side and got up.

She decided to do some yoga, something that she hadn’t done since the day her life dramatically changed a couple months ago. It seemed that the body remembered all the asanas to make the brain and the muscles relax. She was doing the exercises in her underwear and felt the sunbeams on her skin. It felt great. After a quick shower, she was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee reading what Yana had sent after the meeting.

It was a file with the name of the people that were connected to Dolion and who were supposed to be actively involved in the virus distribution. According to Yana, they had the virus, its original variant. Dolion called it Potestas Dei (Power of God). It was very surprising to learn about that because Lizzy and Mark were under the impression that they had destroyed the virus.

“It takes many variants to get the one you really want,” Yana told them during the meeting. “Dolion had the final one and that was the one you destroyed. 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’s what she named it. 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 have our people infiltrated in all of them. Still, it won’t be easy to do what we want,” despite Yana’s cheerful demeanor, it was obvious what she was talking about took a lot of doing.

Lizzy checked the places they needed to go first. Those were two domestic destinations 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.”

Obviously, the news about how Lizzy got rid of Dolion, and his virus spread to this world as well.

Lizzy went over the highlights 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 didn’t sound complicated. The thought was both comforting and disturbing. Today’s list of things was also straightforward29: they would go to a 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 changed so much over the short period of time. Those changes were making her a new person. She was not sure whether she liked that person, but she had to accept and embrace30 the metamorphosis 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 Mark’s voice.

She wiped the tear, turned to Mark, and smiled. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

When she said that- just for a split of a second – she saw a man, standing behind Mark. 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?” Mark said.

“Yeah, just a …I’m hungry. Let’s eat already!”

They started to make breakfast together and the i of the man started to slowly fade from her memory. She could still remember what he was wearing though – a black kimono.

Chapter 2

Super Lizzy

The place they arrived with their new driver, Tom – a young man who picked them up not too far away from the cottage – looked like a regular bakery. There were some patrons31 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 shamelessly32 enjoying this nice weather and this cozy place. She couldn’t. It didn’t really matter.

Any day you are alive is a good day.

They entered the place and approached the counter. Tom ordered three espressos to go, without asking Lizzy and Mark 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 as much as a few phrases. Tom was taciturn33 all the way to the bakery and didn’t seem like he was going to turn into a chatterbox34 any time soon. So, Lizzy and Mark were just sitting and waiting for whatever was going to happen.

“Tom,” the barista from behind the counter announced. “Your order’s ready.”

Tom stood up, took the order, and proceeded to the exit, without returning to the table. Lizzy and Mark watched him with surprise. When they were about to stand up and follow him, a lady who was sitting at a table next to them turned and smiled.

“Hi Lizzy, Mark,” 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, 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?”

Lizzy ordered a macchiato and a scone, which she had been craving for some time. Mark got himself a cup of tea and a chocolate croissant, which for some unfathomable35 reason he had never had.

“How on earth have you never tried it?” Lizzy couldn’t give it a rest on the way back to the table.

“I don’t know,” Mark said, sitting down. “Let’s see if I missed anything.”

Irene was patiently waiting for them to enjoy their beverages and food with a smile on her face. Mark realized that he did miss 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 shop36,” Irene said when the beverages and food were gone. “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, that will allow us to eradicate any threat that viruses from the Two Moons may pose37.”

“The Two Moons?” Lizzy asked.

“That’s what we call the other world,” Irene said.

“Have you been there?”

“A few times.”

“How do you explain the very existence of it?” Lizzy asked.

“Without getting too deep into the parallel universe 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, though, 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,” Mark smiled.

“I suppose I am, but we aren’t going to talk about my uniqueness today. You, Lizzy, have Ro subtype, which makes your blood very special because it can treat some blood-related disorders, but its ability to disintegrate viruses makes it unique. It’s something that we still don’t know much about, but we are working very 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 Mark. “How does it feel to live with one?”

“I’m a copy and you’re a mutant. Birds of a feather flock together38, right?” he said with a smile.

“Different types of birds, but yeah, we are flocking together, aren’t we?” Lizzy covered Mark’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 depths of the park on the outskirts of the city. It took them one hour to get there during which Irene was chatting with Lizzy and Mark about everything but the purpose of their trip.

“We’re here,” Irene said when their car stopped in front of huge green gates.

“The gates are big enough for the Jurassic Park,” Lizzy said.

“The person who used to own the place was, shall we say, 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 notices that the guards were armed with automatic rifles.

The inside looked more like a recreational39 space with a country house – which it probably was – with three smaller buildings. The main building – a big hunting lodge 40– 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 sported large brown pine logs. The attic of the building was under a steep tiled roof with a big, red-bricked chimney41 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 42with 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, but it was a gesture of respect.

“It’s spacious,” Mark 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 young spectacled man in his 40s with a beard and in a white doctor’s coat came out to greet them.

“This is Max,” Irene introduced the man. “He’ll be working with you today, Lizzy.”

“Hi Lizzy and Mark,” Max 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 antlers43 and a few paintings of hunting dogs. The comparisons ended as soon as they proceeded to the former living room, which was turned into a laboratory with different equipment that neither Lizzy nor Mark knew the purpose of. Ther were two female lab assistants who were busy looking into the microscopes and computer screens and barely44 noticed the visitors.

“This is our team and the place of business, so to speak45,” Max said. “I’m afraid I’ll have to steal Lizzy from you, Mark, for the rest of the day.”

“There’s a nice room upstairs where you’ll be quite comfortable,” Irene told Mark.

“Yes, there are books, a computer, snacks and a fridge with beverages,” Max added enthusiastically.

Lizzy looked at Mark 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 Max. “I’ll be allowed bathroom breaks, won’t I?”

“Oh, sure. Of course. There’ll be lunch and dinner.”

“You see?” Lizzy took Mark’s hand. “I’ll see you later.”

***

Lizzy came to see Mark twice during the day. They had a quick lunch from plastic containers that were brought up by Max. It was simple – turkey sandwiches with some salad – but delicious. After five hours, which Mark 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 the Michelin star quality, but passable46. Lizzy did not have enough information to tell Mark what exactly she was doing downstairs, or, rather, what they were doing to her. They spent the minutes they had together comparing Indiana Jones to Tom Lesseck the adventurous geologist and Michael Corleone to Paco De Niro, the cold-blooded mafia boss (the fictional characters from the other world). Lizzy promised to watch the movies Mark grew up with the next time they would be in the Two Moons.

At about 10 pm, Lizzy came up and woke up Mark who apparently found The 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 Mark’s shoulder. Mark sat without moving, watching the stars through the car window. When they got home, she was still asleep, and Mark took her gently in his hands to the bedroom and covered her with a blanket. When Mark returned to the car to get their coats, Tom told him that he would pick them up at 8 am tomorrow night from the same spot and left. Mark 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-up for Mark (The Shawshank Redemption, Misery, Good Will Hunting, and Pulp Fiction). When it was time to call it a day, Max showed Lizzy a prototype that they had been working on before she went upstairs to get Mark.

“It looks like a regular sports glove,” she said, looking at it.

“That’s the idea,” Max 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, sure. 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. Provided, it’s not bulletproofed, of course.”

“I don’t think I understand that.”

“It sounds a bit science fiction, I know,”

“A bit?”

“You’re right,” Maz laughed. “It sounds a lot like science fictions, but we believe that we’ve found a way to use your blood unique qualities and transform them into, sort of, waves that could penetrate 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 do the job.”

“I wish it was that easy. As things stand now, 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.”

Max’s face lit up.

“It’s more like a repulsar, but you get the gist,” he said.

“So, this is Mark I47 we’re working on, right?” Lizzy asked.

“Well technically, this particular prototype is Mark II, 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 spin48?”

“We’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Big day, huh?” Lizzy said and gave the glove back to Max. “Should I eat something special or starve myself before the test?”

“Have your regular breakfast. We need to tune49 the glove to all possible situations.”

On the way back home, Lizzy suggested Mark watch all Ironman movies. It was Man of Steel in his world and the name of the superhero was Tim Scott. He was a member of the Punishers’ Club.

***

When Lizzy and Mark were getting out of the car the next morning, Irene came out of the center with Yana following her.

“Good morning,” Yana was smiling. “Good to see you two in flesh50.”

“Hey, Yana,” Mark said. “Good to see you too.”

“I believe you’ve been briefed about today’s test,” Irene said, looking at Lizzy.

“Should I change my name to Tonya51?” she asked.

No one got the joke. Either Lizzy wasn’t nerdy enough to pull it off 52or it was the wrong crowd. She decided it was both.

“No need for any name changing,” Yana said, seemingly puzzled. “We’ll just see if Max’s idea actually works.”

“I hope it does,” Irene said. “Shall we?”

They all proceeded to the house, where Max and his team (Shawna and Tera) were as excited as little children before a birthday party. A special enclosed space was arranged for the test to make sure that no one gets hurt. There was a clear glass container with some vials containing viruses (not lethal ones). Lizzy was to wear a protective suit with electronic sensors for recording her activity and the impact the glove was going to make around her, if any. She would also be wearing a special mask to protect her eyes. Shawna and Tera were going to operate two video cameras to record the test.