“Me?” Marco asked.
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to make sound like you’re…”
“A copy? No problem!” Marco said. “It’s kind of growing on me96.”
“I mean, don’t these people already exist because it’s a parallel universe and all that and they.. have to exist because we exist here.” I was trying to form a coherent argument to understand it.
“He chooses specific couples – the copies of which are either dead in his world or have contracted the virus and about to die – when they are about to have babies on Earth and gets their biological samples,” Peter said. “Then he grows the copies of those children in his world. He controls the progress to make sure the babies grow fast, healthy and…”
“He makes sure we all work for him,” Marco ended the sentence sadly. “Hang on,” I said. “How does he get those samples in the first place97?”
“He has some powerful connections here,” Peter said. “You know, money does wonders in both worlds.”
That was a lot to process. I still had so many questions. It felt, however, as though we were in a hurry for some reason.
“So, what’s the plan now?” I asked. “I mean, why are we going to the other world?”
“You see, Lizzy.” Peter began. “Dolion has bigger plans than dominating98 his own world.” “What do you mean?” I asked, feeling that I wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Well, he wants to rule over our world as well,” Peter said. “What? Like Voldemort or something?”
I don’t think either of them understood the reference99, though.
I’ll tell them later.
“He will make it so we won’t even know what happened,” Peter said. “His plan is to infect us with a new virus he produced, control its spreading100 and slowly eliminate people who neither follow nor suit his plan.”
“Sounds like Hitler to me,” I said. “Can we get an antidote101 and create our own vaccine?” “Well, it looks like he has some strong supporters on this side who wouldn’t allow it.”
“I see,” I said with a heavy heart. “I guess, we’re on his list of “people that Dolion doesn’t want.”
“On the contrary102,” Peter said. “He needs you. In fact, you’re probably on his list of ‘people that Dolion wants to get his hands on ASAP103.’”
Oh, wow. This is getting better and better, isn’t it?
“What would he need me for?”
“Your blood can destroy the virus he created.”
“What?! You’ll have to run that one by me again104. How is that even possible?”
“Apparently, there are people on this side with a unique type of blood that can withstand105 the attack of the virus. You happen to be one of them. I’m not.”
“But how do you guys know that I am one of them?” I asked, looking at Peter and Marco. “Beth,” Marco said. “She was one of them and she had the same unique blood as you.” “Like the same blood type?” I was confused.
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“Unfortunately, there aren’t many of your kind,” Peter chimed in. “So Dolion looks for people like you and tries to make sure they follow him… or they disappear.” Peter stood up and added, “They usually disappear.”
To say that I was overwhelmed106 with all that information would be to say nothing at all. However, it felt like it was time to go, and I stood up as well.
“We’ll jump to the other side and destroy the virus,” Peter said simply.
P.S. I am finishing this while Peter and Marco are getting ready for the jump. Peter said that the jump changes you a bit. I’m not sure what’s going to happen on the other side, but I hope my blood can do the trick. I guess we’ll have to figure this one out as well.
Chapter 3: The Dolion Project (Present Time)
Dolion
My world is dying, and I’m the one who decided to step up107 and do something about it. As far as I’m concerned, the end justifies the means108.
Lizzy
The other world feels weird. Whenever I forget I’m in a different place, the two moons in the sky remind me that I am far away from home. I, on the other hand, feel like the same old me. No change.
Marco
Losing a loved one is never easy, but, unfortunately, it happens all the time. However, getting another opportunity with the exact replica of the person you lost is something that not many people have a chance to experience in their lifetime.
Peter
Seeing my daughter after all these years is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. Even though it was devastating to learn about my wife’s demise109, I can see her every day in my daughter’s eyes. That gives me energy to carry out110 what we set out to do.
Dolion
In my world, it’s not easy for anyone to do anything without me not knowing about it. When I got the intel111 of the portal’s security breach112 and those three appeared in my world, I knew they were up to something113.
Lizzy
Ever since I found out about my blood being unique, I’ve been having this strange feeling that my body doesn’t belong to me anymore. Like I am a vessel114 to hold something that isn’t mine. All I have to do is to be extra careful and be ready to give back what was entrusted115 to me.
Marco
The plan that was proposed by the scientists who work with Peter is simple. Use Lizzy’s blood to destroy the virus. The logistics of it… isn’t. We don’t know how much blood we need to create the destructing antidote. The thought that we will probably need all her blood leaves me in a state