Black Winter

by Kristen Judd

She looked up with curiosity.

  "The place we are going, it's magical. It makes us invisible to everyone else and no one can get in to our magical place unless we let them."

  "Really? Like fairies?"

  "Even better. Fairies are created in places like this one. Would you like to see one?"

  "Yeah, yeah."

  He reached under his shirt and pulled out a small vial tied to a string around his neck. "Do you see this?"

  His daughter leaned closer. "I don't see any fairies."

  "Oh, they're there. They're just baby fairies right now. One day, they'll be released and grow into adult fairies." He stuffed the vial of blood back under his shirt. "So, do you think you want to come? It sounds pretty boring to me."

  "No! I want to go!"

  "Are you sure? We don't have to go if you don't want to."

  "I'm coming," she said defiantly.

  Adam smiled. "All right. It's decided. We're going."

  He stood and took her hand in his.

  Special Agent Riggs was standing near the white picket fence gate. He held it open as they passed through. The SS agent who had grabbed Adam’s bag took his daughter's and placed it in the back. Adam and his daughter got into the backseat with Special Agent Riggs in the middle SUV. The cars sped off moments later. Adam watched his house disappear and the other houses in the neighborhood. He wondered if he'd ever see them again.

  "Roads look clear, sir," the driver of their SUV said.

  "ETA?"

  "Twenty minutes."

  "Where are we going?" Adam asked.

  "We have a chopper waiting for us at Ocean City Municipal Airport to take us to our final destination."

  "And where is that exactly?" Adam asked, lowering his voice so his daughter couldn't hear. She was staring out the window, as the SUV turned right onto MD-528 S. They passed condos, beach homes, and resorts. Clusters of people walked the beach. Several fishing boats were casting their nets about half a mile out.

  "That's classified," Special Agent Riggs said.

  "Classified? What was all that about Top Secret/SCI clearance and having access to information?"

  "Knowing where we are going is not necessary for you to do your job. It's for your safety," Riggs said.

  "My safety? I thought coming with you was for safety? Now you're saying we may be in danger?"

  "Calm down, Doctor Richards."

  Abigail looked their way.

  "It's okay, sweetie. We're just talking about how to find the secret entrance to the fairy kingdom."

  She returned her attention to the beach.

  Riggs questioned him with his eyes.

  "Don't ask," Adam said.

  "When we arrive at our final destination, we'll have more information. But for now, there's nothing else I can tell you."

  Adam leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. It was pointless to argue. He knew how the Central Intelligence Agency worked. Tell you just enough to move, but not enough for comfort. The Intelligence Community was all the same. Adam had worked on several projects for the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Two months ago, the CDC and FDA had come to him for his professional opinion. At the time, Adam had thought it strange that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) would come to a microbiologist for advice, but now, nothing seemed impossible. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was a normal occurrence. Every few months, they'd sent Adam and his team at BioME a new strand of virus or disease for them to determine if it were contagious, and if so, develop a cure. Adam had been a part of the team that developed the vaccine for the H1N1 flu virus in 2009 when a relapse of the Spanish Flu of 1918 had struck America. It had swept up from Mexico and quickly spread, killing over 203,000 people worldwide.

  Adam opened his eyes again when the SUV came to a sudden halt. Riggs and the driver both got out of the SUV. When his door was opened, he stepped out onto the tarmac. They were in a private wing of the airport. A helicopter was already waiting for them.

  The driver grabbed Adam’s bag and his daughter's and carried them both as though they were loaves of bread. His shoulders and biceps bulged through his suit. He handed the bags to one of the crewman onboard, who then stored them in a back cubby. As Adam and his daughter approached, he lowered his head. His daughter squinted as the chopper's rotors increased, kicking up rainwater that had accumulated on the tarmac. Adam lifted his daughter onboard, then climbed up himself. Special Agent Riggs joined them.

  "Are they not coming?" Adam asked, seeing the other Secret Service members return to the SUVs and drive off.

  "Mission Essential Personnel only," Riggs said in a dry monotone. Adam didn't like the sound of that. At any moment, they could decide he was no longer mission essential, and he and his daughter would be back out on the street. He helped his daughter strap in and then strapped himself in. The chopper kicked off the ground three minutes later. Adam’s stomach spun in loops as the helicopter banked right and headed north. The sun was creeping its way over the thunderclouds to his right. He gripped the hand rests and tried to slow his breathing. He never enjoyed flying.

  His daughter, on the other hand, was loving every moment of it.

  "Daddy, look! I can see our house from here."

  Adam doubted she could see their house. "That's good, honey."

  "All of the houses look like ants. I can just snatch them all up." She pinched the window as though she were trying to pick up each of the homes with her fingers.

  "Your cooperation is much appreciated. You're doing your government a great service," Riggs said to Adam’s right.

  "I don't even know what that is," Adam said.

  The helicopter jolted. He clenched the seat.

  "Just turbulence," Riggs said. "It'll be a little bumpy at first until we put some distance between us and the storm, but it'll smooth out."

  "It better or you may not have a scientist by the time we get to wherever it is we are going."

  Riggs didn't fall for the probe. He indicated for Adam to put on the headpiece. The roar of the rotors and the engine immediately died out. He could actually hear his breathing again.

  "I know you're confused and a little annoyed. I would be, too, if I was suddenly taken from my home and flying to an undisclosed area, with a man I have never met, all while the entire Midwest is smoldering in fire and ash. But, I can see that your daughter means the world to you."

  Adam’s eyes moistened at the mention of his daughter. Adam never made a decision unless he had all of the facts. In science, you needed to know every variable to render a definitive result. Being on the helicopter went against everything he believed in and trusted.

  "If you want to keep her safe, you'll do what you're asked. You must place all morals aside and do what must be done. No government is perfect, but we must think big picture. The eruption of the super volcano was no accident. Someone made that happen. And in the weeks ahead, things are going to get much worse. People will panic. Looting will turn to murder, murder to mass genocide. Supplies will dry up, and when that happens, those unlucky enough to still be living will succumb to desperate means to survive.

  “Many people are going to die in the months ahead. Half of the United States will be blanketed in a nuclear winter as the gases and ash from the volcano block out the sun and decrease the temperature. Livestock and agriculture will die. If the initial blast or starvation hasn’t killed them, then the acid rain and poisonous air from the ash will. The hour is dark, but it's in the moments of great desperation and loss that we become something greater than ourselves. This is only a test. We will overcome this."

  Adam had worked with governments long enough to know they never had the people's best interests in mind. It all came down to power and money. If you had it, then you were useful. If not, expendable. Adam wondered which group he fell into. He wasn't naive enough to believe he and his daughter were being carted off to a private facility before the storm hit the East Coast because he was luck
y. He had something they wanted. He knew their tactics. They'd manipulate, bribe, and threaten. Not necessarily in that order. They would do whatever they had to in order to get him to comply with their wishes. In his case, they had used his love for his daughter to their benefit. Adam felt guilty that he was so easily manipulated and controlled but had Abigail not been an issue, would he have chosen differently? He'd like to say he would have come on his own choosing, that he had maintained control, but he knew the truth. The choice would have inevitably been the same. Survive.

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  CHAPTER

  - THREE -

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  The chopper suddenly rocked to the side four hours later, jolting Adam awake. He hadn't noticed he had fallen asleep. He sat up in his chair and cleared his eyes. Riggs had his head propped against the window, his eyes closed. Adam doubted he was asleep. The man seemed like a robot running on orders with no sign of cognitive thought.

  Abigail was balled up on her seat. The window behind her was fogged over from the contrast of warmth inside with the cold outside. A soft rain was falling. Most likely the cause of the bumps.

  The helicopter maneuvered over the tops of a thick canopy of trees. Adam tried to glean any familiar or recognizable structures, but the landscape was pure green for miles, towering mountains on either side. They were flying over a river valley, blocked on either side by giants. Just then he noticed Riggs looking out the window as well. Riggs pulled out his cell phone and typed a message. Adam couldn't see what he wrote. He assumed he was telling whoever was expecting their arrival that they were close. Adam’s thoughts took a more sinister path. Maybe Riggs was letting whomever it was know that they were the chopper heading into restricted territory and not to blast them out of the sky.

  Adam immediately became more nervous and stopped looking out the window. He focused on the adjacent seats in front of him. If a rocket was going to knock them out of the sky, he didn't want to see it coming. Or maybe he did. He just didn't want to have flown all this way only to die now. The chopper dipped and dove past the trees. Adam prayed there was a clearing, and they weren't plummeting headfirst into the river below. The helicopter leveled out just below the tree line and maintained its course. Adam found himself looking out the window again.

  The trees gradually turned to rolling hills, while the mountains continued to encroach on them with their magnitude. Snow covered the tops of the mountains. The landscape looked awfully familiar. The helicopter triggered his vertigo when it suddenly whipped sideways and landed on the ground. Abigail woke up the moment the chopper landed.

  "Are we there yet?" she asked.

  Adam looked to Riggs. The man nodded.

  "Yes, sweetie. We're here. Keep your seatbelt on until we're ready to get off," he said.

  She retracted her hands from the straps and sat back with a pouty face. Riggs stood up and opened a side compartment. He handed a heavy coat to Adam and a slightly smaller one for his daughter.

  "Put these on," he said. "Trust me, you'll thank me later."

  Riggs wrapped his own coat on and zipped it all the way up to his chin. He placed the hood over his head. He took out gloves from the compartment as well. Adam followed suit and then helped Abigail. Adam was zipping up her jacket when Riggs slid the door aside. The rush of cold air whipped in like a riptide. The cold sting buffeted Adam’s back as it attacked any exposed skin. He hurried to finish shielding Abigail with her jacket and pulled the hood over her head tight. He made sure her gloves were secure and then placed his own on his hands. His fingers were already red and going numb. He flexed his fingers to get warmth back into them. He jumped out of the helicopter then helped Abigail down. Their feet landed in soft, mushy grass. Riggs was waiting for them by the door. He grabbed their bags and handed them to Adam. Riggs then pulled out a separate bag from the same compartment, as well as a smaller duffel bag from beneath the floorboards. He slammed the door shut and hit his palm on the door two times. When they were outside the rotors' radius, the chopper lifted and headed back the way they had come.

  "This way. The house is just up the hill," Riggs said.

  The wind wasn't as violent now that the helicopter was gone, but the air was crisp and stung Adam's lungs as they walked. The jackets had a built-in facemask sewn into the fabric. Adam adjusted Abigail's over her nose and did the same to his. That helped. The river behind them filtered into a large lake that stretched for at least five miles to the other side. They were in some sort of valley gorge, barricaded by mountains all around. It was beautiful and overwhelming all at the same time.

  "Daddy, look at all the mountains." Abigail’s voice was muffed behind the mask.

  "Yes, sweetie. They're very pretty."

  "Where are we? I've never seen mountains like these before. They're bigger than the ones we've climbed in Catoctin Mountain Park."

  Adam always smiled when she tried to pronounce the state park. It sounded like she said cactus-seen.

  "We're in one of Quebec's valleys," Riggs answered.

  Quebec? Why are we in Canada?

  The house was about a mile from the shoreline. The trees were thicker and more feral here than by the clear, smooth water. The slope leveled off slightly and was easier going. Adam was gasping in the thinner air, his calves and thighs on fire. Abigail fared much better. She rushed ahead when the concrete box came into view.

  "Daddy, Daddy. Look! It's the fairy entrance."

  Adam waved his hand, unable to speak. The building was no more than twenty-five hundred square feet with a watchtower as its second floor. Two armed guards were stationed there. Riggs waved to them and turned to face Adam, who had his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

  "It may seem a bit late to ask, but are you sure you're up for this?"

  Adam stood and took one last breath, his heart rate finally under control.

  "Do I have a choice?" he said, then quickly added, "Yes, I'm sure. Let's just get out of this cold."

  Abigail was running around the building, skipping and hopping, investigating every flower, plant, and rock. She came running back with a handful of nature.

  "Look, Daddy. I found one of their homes."

  Her smile radiated like the sun. He decided not to crush her hopes.

  "These aren't the fairies' homes. These are just disguises to protect them from being found. They're inside." He pointed to the building. "And all around us. They only reveal themselves when they feel safe."

  "But we won't hurt them," she said.

  "I know, sweetie. But we're new. They need to make sure that we aren't bad before they reveal themselves. Okay?"

  "Okay." She dropped the rocks and plant. Her shoulders sagged as she followed them to the front door. An intercom jutted out of the ground. Riggs swiped his badge over the scanner and leaned in. The machine scanned his eyes and beeped.

  "Welcome home, Special Agent Riggs. It's good to have you back. We've missed you."

  "You, too, Alexa."

  "Who are your friends?" she asked.

  "Doctor Adam Richards and his daughter, Abigail. They'll be staying with us."

  "Welcome, Doctor. It's a pleasure to meet you."

  Riggs nudged Adam.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Alexa."

  Adam looked to Riggs as if saying, "Good enough?"

  "Come in," Alexa said. The reinforced door slid open. Cylinder bolts jutted out of the one-foot thick metal frame. The hallway lights came on as they entered. The flooring was lighted with blue bulbs that lit up as they walked. The door squeezed shut behind them with a loud thud.

  "Alexa is our in-house AI. She ensures everything works properly."

  "What is this place?" Adam asked. His daughter held his hand next to him, but her attention was on the blue lights on the floor.

  "This is a CIA black house."

  Adam vaguely knew what a black house was. It had something t
o do with a place where operatives could go when things got too hot, or they needed to protect and hide a victim or source. Adam still wasn't sure why they were here.

  "Wasn't there something closer?" Adam asked, not seeing why they had to fly all the way to Canada.

  "The Dome is off grid. No one other than myself, the men protecting it, and now you, know of it. I'd like to keep it that way."

  The look on Riggs' face could kill. He wasn't playing games.

  "Understood," Adam said. "But I still don't understand why we're here. I thought you needed my help. How am I going to do that locked up in a concrete box thousands of miles away from civilization?"

  "The Dome is not what you think it is. What you see here is only the living quarters. There is a fully stocked kitchen with all self-sustaining appliances. Four bedrooms with their own bathrooms. A workout facility, an indoor pool, and two living rooms. Everything you see here runs off recycled air, water, and sunlight. If a nuke went off, we'd be able to survive in here indefinitely."

  Adam highly doubted that. Nothing could survive a nuclear strike.

  "What about sunlight and clean air? I see no windows or any ventilation to indicate there is airflow coming from outside."

  "That's because there isn't," Riggs said. "Alexa?"

  The living room dinged as the same female robotic voice spoke.

  "The Dome acts as a self-contained ecosystem. The idea originated in 2012 with NASA's Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) and the dual Water Recovery System (WRS) and Oxygen Generation System (OGS) components on the International Space Station (ISS). The WRS handled the water purification and filtration process with the help of the Microbial Check Valve (MCV). The MCV's iodinated-resin controlled microbe growth in the water free of an energy source. The system dispensed iodine into the water, which induces proper brain function and hormonal levels. This ensured the astronauts did not suffer abnormal cell development and growth while on the ISS."

  Alexa seemed to pass through the walls and resonate from under the floor panels as Adam and the others sat down on the couches.