LITMIR.BIZ

      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 patrons37 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 shamelessly38 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 taciturn39 all the way to the bakery and did not seem like he was going to turn into a chatterbox40 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 unfathomable41 reason he had never had.

      “How on earth 42have you never tried one?” Lizzy couldn’t give it a rest43 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 shop44,” 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 pose45.”

      “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 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

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