Black Winter

by Kristen Judd

  Riggs came back, jolting Adam back to the present reality. A woman, dressed in a knee-high blue skirt, white button-down blouse, and a matching jacket walked behind him. Her dark hair hung past her shoulders and whipped behind her as she strolled with a confident gait. Her three-inch heels clicked as she walked. Adam found himself staring. She was stunning. As they drew near, her emerald eyes captivated Adam. They almost looked as though they were digitally enhanced. She caught him gawking and offered an assuring smile.

  She offered her hand to him before Riggs had a chance to properly introduce her.

  "My name is Doctor Rachel Mayweather. Special Agent Riggs has debriefed me. It's a pleasure to have you stay with us," she said.

  Adam took her slender hand in his. Her fingers were cold, but there was strength in her grip. Adam liked that.

  "Nice to meet you, Doctor."

  "Please, call me Rachel. These walls have a way of sucking the life out of you. Why not add some back into it?"

  She smiled, and Adam found himself smiling back, nodding his head in blind agreement.

  "And who might this sweet little girl be? Hmm?" Rachel squatted forward with her elbows on her thighs. She pursed her lips like a mother would at a child who was just learning how to say momma. Abigail clung to her father's leg but poked her head out.

  "Abigail," she said in a hesitant voice.

  "She's a bit shy around strangers," Adam offered. "It's okay, sweetie. You can say hi to Doctor—Ms. Rachel."

  With her father's encouragement, she took a step forward and shook Rachel's hand.

  "Nice to meet you," Abigail said.

  Rachel had the biggest smile on her face. "It's so nice to meet you. So... I heard a rumor that you were looking for fairies. Is that true?"

  Abigail's face lit up. "Yeah! Daddy told me we were going to a fairy kingdom, but he said we wouldn't see them until they could trust us. Have you seen any fairies?"

  Rachel glanced up at Adam and offered that same reassuring smile as if to say, "Good job, Dad." Adam wanted to smile in return but felt that nagging sense of regret and shame for having lied to his daughter. All three adults knew it was the right thing to do. If they had been in his shoes, they would have done the exact same thing. Children needn't be bothered with the burdens of their world. Let them keep their playful innocence for as long as they could. They had the rest of their adult lives to face it. Adam hoped they were alive to see the day.

  "As a matter of fact," Rachel continued, "I have. Would you like to see them?"

  Abigail squeaked with glee and jumped and clapped her hands. "Daddy, can I go? Can I?"

  Riggs nodded his head to Adam to indicate that it was okay.

  "Doctor Mayweather will take great care of your daughter while we attend to business," Riggs said.

  His daughter's face was crinkled into the saddest most pleading expression she could muster. He wouldn't have been able to resist even if they weren't facing the apocalypse.

  "Is that okay with you?" he asked Doctor Mayweather.

  "Of course, it is. Come on, sweetie. We'll leave your father and Special Agent Riggs to the boring adult stuff."

  Rachel winked and took Abigail's hand in hers. They both walked off down the hallway. When they were out of sight, Riggs broke the silence.

  "I assure you, your daughter is in good hands. Doctor Mayweather is our in-house shrink. She's very good at her job. She wrote the Psychological Wellness exams and training guides that all the agencies now use. All agents have to pass before they're allowed to enter or reenter the field.”

  Adam wondered what the test involved, considering Riggs didn't appear to be the most stable of individuals.

  Adam stared at the now-empty corridor where his daughter and the ravishingly beautiful Doctor Mayweather had gone for a few seconds longer.

  Riggs didn't wait for Adam and took off in the opposite direction through one of the other four corridors. For Riggs, action always took precedence over decision. You couldn't make someone want to follow, but you could force them to choose sooner than they're ready to. His tactic worked time and time again. Adam fell in step with the agent.

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  CHAPTER

  - FIVE -

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  "You still haven't told me why I'm here?" Adam said as he and Riggs walked silently through the winding corridor. It seemed to stretch forever. Adam knew it was just an optical illusion. The dim lights coupled with the contrast of the dark walls and seemingly fading tiles were the perfect concoction for disorientation. Maybe that was the point.

  Riggs finally relented. Adam must have passed muster, or they were just deep enough to where if Adam tried to run now, he'd get trapped in the whirling tunnel.

  "We've known about a terrorist attack for two years now. We weren't sure where or when it would happen, but there were reports that it would happen somewhere in the Midwest. Back in the early 2000s, the United States and her allies fought against the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and then ISIS. After we dismantled all three, a new, more advanced terrorist organization arose from the ashes. They called themselves Red Cell. They attacked through cyber networks, hacking into secure servers and stealing classified material. This material then found its way onto WikiLeaks."

  "I've heard of it."

  "Well, Red Cell took their motto ‘We open governments’ to a whole new level. Instead of publishing secret information, news, and classified media over the web from anonymous sources, they steal it and store it."

  "Why would they keep the information if releasing it could do more damage?" Adam asked.

  "We wondered the same thing. Then we started seeing anomalies all over the world. First, stock for crude oil skyrocketed while the price remained relatively low for oil. Next came the sporadic citywide blackouts in parts of Europe and Southeast Asia. Greenhouse gases decreased all over China and the smog that covered most of their metropolitan cities subsided while they increased in Antarctica. Fisheries were booming with more product than they could handle. The worldwide sea level increased by two centimeters over the span of one year and the world population was booming at quadruple the rate."

  "How could a terrorist organization, or anyone for that matter, control the weather, the economy, and reproduction?"

  "We don't know, but however they are doing it, it's working. Then the super volcano in Yellowstone National Park erupted after being dormant for more than 70,000 years. When that happened, we knew none of these were by coincidence."

  "And you think Red Cell is responsible?" Adam asked.

  "I know so," Riggs said with such force that his voice echoed down the hallway. In a more controlled volume, he added, "The blast radius and force of the volcano was stronger than our calculations."

  "Maybe your calculations were wrong." Being a scientist himself, Adam knew that was always a possibility, although highly unlikely.

  "We weren't wrong; the volcano was. There was absolutely no indication or seismic activity that would say otherwise. This volcano should have been inactive for another 10,000 years."

  "How do you think they did it?" Adam said.

  "Explosives are our main assumption at this point. Based on the blast radius and influx in strength, we narrowed it down to five locations around the volcano where we believe Red Cell planted nuclear warheads to jumpstart the volcano and send it into meltdown."

  "Interesting theory," Adam said. "But that still doesn't explain why I'm here and what the plan is moving forward."

  The corridor wound to the right in a circular arch. A steel-plated door sat before them. Riggs stopped in front of it and turned to face Adam. His face was serious.

  "Pretend you're living in a world where the apocalypse is inevitable. It's no longer if it'll happen, but when. You receive information that gives you that date. It's one year from the time you received an anonymous message. But instead of destroying the whole world, you're given a ch
oice. You can allow the apocalypse to happen, destroying all living things along with you, your family, and anyone you love. Or, you stop it by choosing who lives and who dies. What would you choose? Your life and your family's over the rest of the world, or would you go down with the ship?"

  Riggs stood there expressionless, his eyes locked on Adam for an answer.

  "Are you serious? Who can answer such a question? We aren't gods. We can't just determine who lives and who dies. We don't have the right."

  "Even so, what would you do if such a choice was placed in your hands?"

  Adam’s mouth was open and his eyes wide. This was the most absurd question he had ever been asked during his thirty-plus years as a scientist. There was a line between morality and science that should never be crossed, but sometimes, it wasn't so black and white. When faced with the choice to sacrifice a few for many, the line becomes hazy. Terms like "for science" or "for the human race", but in the end, the line was still crossed no matter which way you tried to tie the shoe. Someone always died.

  "What's your answer?" Riggs pressed. "It's not that hard, Doctor Richards. Would you allow the whole world to perish if you could stop it? Would you sacrifice the lives of a few to save millions?"

  "I don't know," Adam said. "It's wrong."

  "It's no longer about right and wrong, black or white, good versus evil. There's only life or death. Which would you choose?"

  Adam struggled with the morality of the question and the sincere logic behind the necessary sacrifice. His scientific mind leaned toward survival. That's what science taught, but the other part of him...

  "You have three seconds to answer me before you and your daughter go back to Maryland to face the world alone."

  "You can't be serious?" Adam said.

  "One," Riggs said. "Two."

  "All right, all right. Of course, I'd try to save as many as I could. Who wouldn't? But that still doesn't justify killing for the sake of saving someone else."

  "Would you not kill a burglar who was about to rape and murder your wife or daughter?"

  "That's different," Adam challenged, his temper rising.

  "Is it? Murder is murder no matter how you try to justify it; isn't that how science would put it? In the end, someone is dead, and someone is alive."

  Adam felt like he was going to blow just like the volcano. What infuriated him the most was that Riggs was right. His logical and scientific mind couldn't refute that. In an attempt to survive and evolve, humans had developed societal cues and markers. We called them laws. And in order to make these laws work in our favor, we created justifications and qualifications for them. Such as, killing someone in self-defense was not murder because you were protecting yourself or someone else, but doing so by accident or premeditation was. This sort of gray area granted us unprecedented access to a whole new array of choices and outcomes. It gave us control over the chaos and unchallenged authority to govern the world.

  "I am not questioning your integrity, Doctor Richards. Anyone in that situation would choose life over death. We've been doing it for centuries; we just call them wars. But we are facing a real and imminent threat to our survival as a race. The volcano in Wyoming was only the beginning. It has started a ripple effect that I cannot see how it'll end. But I do know one thing; half of the United States will be in darkness. All livestock and agriculture will die. Those who stay will die. The only choice we have is to go to where the ash cloud doesn't touch. I don't think I have to tell you what having half our country wiped out would do to our food supply. As I said before, there are dark days ahead, and we must be ready. Can I count on you to do what must be done when the time comes? Will you sacrifice the few to save the many?"

  "I don't know."

  Riggs swiped his wrist on the scanner and walked through the open doors.

  "Before you walk through these doors, you must be sure. Because once you commit, there is no going back."

  Riggs turned and went deeper into the room beyond, leaving Adam to stew in the choice he had to make. Adam stood on the precipice, not knowing what he should do. Riggs’ vagueness left him unsure and confused. His thoughts shifted from right and wrong to what he would do to save his little girl. The answer came immediately: anything. He'd sacrifice his own life to save hers. But would he kill someone else to do so? What about a hundred, a thousand, a million? The answer became more muddled the further you went.

  He glanced back in his daughter’s direction. He wondered what she was doing. Is she happy? Is she smiling? Is she safe? He knew the answer to the last question. Yes. He snatched that assurance and buried it deep in his heart. He made his choice. The lives of a few for the lives of the many. He entered the doors.

  The doors closed behind him the moment he crossed the threshold. The temperature seemed to drop as if he had just damned himself.

  Riggs was up ahead, talking with someone in a white coat. The other man walked away, and Riggs turned to face Adam as he approached.

  "You made the right choice, Doctor. Welcome to Red Cell."

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  CHAPTER

  - SIX -

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  Adam's heart froze.

  "You're the terrorist group?" Adam gasped. He felt like he was going to be sick, as if the whole world were spinning. He couldn't breathe. He started gagging and coughing.

  Riggs came to his aid.

  "Don't touch me!" Adam spit the last bit of yellow mucus from his lips and wiped them on his sleeve.

  "You lied to me," he said, fire in his eyes. Adam wanted to pummel the man's face in the ground.

  "I never lied to you," Riggs said. "Everything I have told you has been the truth."

  "You had me believe I was fighting terrorism to save lives. And now you tell me I'm a part of the very group I was swearing to destroy?"

  "We're not the enemy," Riggs said. "Everything we do is for the good of all mankind. We do not serve only the interests of the United States of America, but all people. Red Cell was created out of desperation and as our last chance for the human race. Every world leader signed the joint agreement with the understanding that they could never utter a word about the secret organization, and that if it came down to it, they would die before giving it up."

  Adam was fuming. The sickness in his stomach had subsided, but his body was shaking with rage and guilt. He had placed his daughter in the hands of the most powerful terrorist group in the world.

  Adam had to do something, or he was going to explode. He lashed out at Special Agent Riggs with uncoordinated punches that met only air. Riggs dodged and blocked Adam's attempts to land a blow, but he never retaliated. Adam roared as he swung again, missing again. He lunged at Riggs headfirst and wrapped his arms around the man's waist. Riggs held Adam close, so he couldn't gain leverage with a solid strike. Adam's arms flailed like a hapless chicken until his movements slowed and his breathing came in gasps. Riggs released him as his body tumbled to the tile. Adam lay there panting and sobbing.

  Riggs kneeled close. "We are not the enemy. You have not sold your soul to the devil. When I told you what we do is for the good of all mankind, I meant it. As a father, we sometimes have to make tough decisions for the good of our children, even when they don't understand. We allow them to hate us because we must. This is no different. The people are children. They need to be taken care of. It is our responsibility to protect them and guide them, to ensure they survive, even if it means they must hate us."

  Adam crawled to his hands and knees and looked through sweat and tears. He had snot dripping from his nose, and his hair hung in front of his cheeks.

  "When this is all over, I'm going to kill you," Adam said through clenched teeth

  Riggs smiled and offered his hand to Adam. He yanked Adam to his feet.

  "I wouldn't have it any other way," Riggs said. "I'll introduce you to the team you'll be working with."

  And just li
ke that, it was over. Riggs had allowed Adam to release his pent-up stress and emotion. He had allowed him to attack him without retaliating because he knew Adam needed it. As Adam followed Riggs, his anger gradually subsided and was replaced with a newfound appreciation, if not respect for the man. Riggs was not the enemy. If Adam was honest with himself, the truth of why he was so angry was due to the lack of control in all of this. In the lab, he controlled everything. In his life, he controlled when he woke up, when he got dressed, when and how he made his coffee, everything. Even his work and daughter's schedules were controlled and scheduled to the last minute. He was used to being in control. And here, he was anything but. It was not a feeling he was used to, nor wanted to get accustomed to.

  Fortunately, the doors had segued from the cramped hallway to a massive room. Adam immediately recognized the equipment, apparatuses, and layout. It was a lab. As he followed Riggs, they passed several working stations where two to five scientists were busy working on something. One might be peering through a microscope, while another had their arms in the rubber gloves of the glove box, working on something within an enclosed and safe environment. Adam found himself looking over their shoulders as he walked by, trying to get a glimpse of what they were working on.

  Whatever it was, it must be something important for them to be here. Adam began to get excited, the fear and anxiety slowly slipping away. Maybe that's why he was here. He was a specialist in his field, the best even, if he were being honest. Riggs veered to the right to an empty station, similar to the other workstations. Each station was enclosed behind thick, see-through walls and gained access through a single glass door. Each person had to go through a decontamination chamber before entering or leaving the workstation.