Thank you, clubfoot bear, that you love strawberries as well and woke Zina up with your roar! And you reminded her that she is a hybridomorph! She has many super powers; she must help people!
Zina checked her phone. There were also a lot of missed calls there. And of them there were many from Denis. And one French number!
Zina was overwhelmed by a hot wave of anger at herself. She needs to make some calls! She needs to go urgently! Where to? It doesn't matter, just get out of here! She can't run away from herself! Life is beautiful and amazing!
Suddenly Zina felt the strongest hunger! She hadn’t eaten or drunk normally for so long! But her mind was also hungry. And her heart as well!
Chapter 4
Auntie Clemencia’s visit. Call from Russia
French anthropologist Jean-Paul was very excited. Today he will meet Maximilian – the rising black star of the fashion capital of Paris! Luca promised Jean-Paul to bring his new “best frenemy” over for dinner. There is no friendship in the modeling business.
For Luca, this new Max was stealing his royalties and the light of fame…
For Jean-Paul, today there will be a meeting not with a new fashion star, but with a living carrier of an alien gene!
At first glance, Max was strikingly similar to Hord, a black mutant driver and brother of another mutant, Ray, the leader of the rebels on the Island of Golden Zandolie. But that was just a magazine cover photo.
What could be Max in life? Most likely, he should to be very tall, about two meters, with a powerful build, scaly dreadlocks and almond-shaped, deep-set eyes, an oblong skull… The eyes of all black mutants were too dark to see properly the vertical pupil.
Only mutant Ray and Golden Zandolie himself had that intimidating reptile look – their eyes were huge, light orange!
There was a knock on the door – finally! Jean-Paul rushed to open it. But instead of the black giant Max, a petit woman of about forty stood on the doorstep. She, too, was black, with a whole shock of small dreadlocks. Smiling broadly, she introduced herself.
“I am Clemencia, mother of Maximilian. And you are the famous scientist who really wanted to meet my dear son. Nice to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you too! Please come in!”
Clemencia walked in quickly, never stopped smiling and turning her head in different directions, inspecting the scientist's dwelling. Confused Luca followed her into the apartment. Jean-Paul glanced at him inquiringly, but promptly switched his full attention to the woman, since she kept talking.
“Can I have some water? I know you have a lot of questions. And I came without an invitation. You expected to see my son. He's just beautiful, my boy. Everyone wants to see him! But I am conducting all his preliminary meetings and negotiations. My apologies. But if your offer is interesting for us, you will immediately meet my treasure, my Max!”
Jean-Paul and Luca exchanged glances. Jean-Paul gave water to the woman. Clemencia carefully examined the young men for a while and then decided to continue explaining.
“You were not warned? All my son's calls are answered by me. I make all appointments too. There are reasons for this. But believe me, this will not affect your business in any way! If, of course, you have something to offer!”
Suddenly Jean-Paul got angry. Luca was startled by the ferocious expression on his beloved “Quasimodo's” face. The scientist sat down right opposite the giant's mother and started to speak.
“We have no commercial proposals for your son, madam! But we believe that your son is a mutant and needs to be studied! What were the circumstances of his birth and how old is he really? I understand that he has no father!”
“Mister scientist, I am both father and mother for Max! And that doesn't mean you can threaten me! My son is unique, yes! The rest is not important! He is handsome, strong and intelligent almost like a god! Virgin Mary, forgive me, for all sins! But why did you call him a freak!?”
“I called him a mutant!”
“It’s the same!”
“Oh no! Mutations can be good! The mutants, we met on one Caribbean Island, were smarter and stronger than all people!”
“On one Caribbean Island…”
“Yes, madam, you are also from there, aren't you?”
“It doesn't matter where we are from, we are the same French, like everyone else!”
“Nobody argues with you, dear Clemencia! We will not harm Your wonderful son! Just answer a couple of questions, this is important for all of us! And for him too! This is a matter of life and death, trust me as a scientist!”
“You want to conduct deadly experiments on my son!”
“Oh, no! Don't worry! Quite opposite! We want to help you!”
Clemencia burst into tears suddenly. Luca brought her another glass of water.
Jean-Paul rushed to the woman, gently hugged her, looked into her eyes with his shining blue eyes and spoke softly.
“Forgive me, for God's sake, that I frightened you! But the matter is really important and urgent. Your son is only a couple of years old, although he looks ten times his age, right?”
Clemencia stopped crying in surprise and only nodded in the affirmative, unable to find words. Jean-Paul continued the interrogation.
“He was born much later than your very last contact with a man, and you could not understand how and where he came from? Consider it a gift from God, right?”
Clemencia nodded in response again, although tears flowed again. The scientist was pushing to the end.
“He doesn't have real dreadlocks like yours. Does he have scaly hairs and a mesmerizing look?… He is very smart and learned to read himself?… You moved to France, because nobody here knows you and there was no need to explain to anyone, why your son grew up so quickly?… And here you are still afraid, that your secret will be revealed, that your son will be considered a freak. And he is almost like a god! You probably “lost” the documents, refiled everything from scratch for him, right? And then such a success in Paris! But are you still scared anyway?”
Clemencia looked at Jean-Paul with wide eyes and continued to nod and cry. Jean-Paul took her hands in his and continued to speak.
“Listen carefully now. Your son is a mutant. His life span is very short. Let me study him, and I will definitely help extend his years…”
Clemencia fainted and slid to the floor. Jean-Paul held her up in time. Luca helped him carry the poor woman to the sofa. The scientist gave her a smell of ammonia and brought her to her senses.
“Clemencia, dear! Let's have dinner together! And you will tell us in detail how your wonderful son grew up!”
At this time, Jean-Paul's cell phone rang. An unfamiliar female voice spoke in English.
“Jean-Paul! This is Zina, a Russian programmer from the Island of Golden Zandolie. Remember me, huh? So, I am a hybridomorph. I have blue blood. We have to meet.”
This time was the scientist's turn to go into a stupor. He did not find what to answer and almost fainted too. Luca watched with concern as his beloved turned pale and trembled, and then slowly walked out onto the roof of the mansard, continuing to press the phone to his ear.
Clemencia had already recovered a little and stood up. Taking advantage of Jean-Paul's absence, she turned to Luca with a hasty tirade.
“To be honest, I'm not a mother, but Max's aunt. His mother died in childbirth, such a grief. But she swore to me that she did not know the boy's father. I thought she was crazy. It turns out that she did not lie and did not lose her mind. How ashamed I am now… We have been through so much… But I need to go, I