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 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-up59 for Marco (The Shawshank Redemption, Misery, Good Will Hunting, and Pulp Fiction). When it was time to stop for the day60, 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. Provided61 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 penetrate62 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 now63, 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 heart64.”
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 gist