Manchester, England, September 2023

“I’m not going to do it, Maddy, they want us to play God!” he looked at her, his eyes scanned her face for some sign understanding.

“This is a huge deal, Malcolm. I don’t see how you have much of a choice. Go to the meeting and listen — really listen — to what they have to say. Offer your objections if you must. But isn’t this what all your hard work was for? I know you have concerns but…”

He ran his fingers through what remained of his salt-and-pepper hair, inhaled a deep breath and counted to four.

“Are you going to back me up here, Rachel?” he turned to his lab assistant, a mousy, brown-haired woman with her face buried in a microscope lens.

She pulled the headphones out of her ears. Pretending like she hadn’t been listening to the entire conversation, “What? With what, sorry?”

She didn’t want to get between Malcolm and their mutual boss. She would not commit career suicide today.

Exasperated, Malcolm threw his hands up in the air. “Fine, I’ll go. I will listen to what they have to say, and then politely decline. There are some things you don’t do Madeline.”

He used her whole name this time. She’d put him in an uncomfortable position.

“Malcolm, I understand your reservations, I do. But, this is an opportunity for you to get involved in something that could make a real difference. Isn’t that why we do what we do? And, the exposure — the funding for the lab — I don’t think I need to tell you how important that is.”

“I said I would go,” His usually subtle Scottish accent became more pronounced in his frustration.

“I will hear them out. And then…then I will tell them how unethical it is.” He wrung his hands together, pacing in place.

“I will explain that my work is theoretical and that we’ve done no human trials. You understand what they are asking for, don’t you?”

He paused, reflecting for a moment before he continued rambling.

“If they want what I think they want… well, without any real testing, we have no way of knowing for sure it will even work the way we expect. I mean, I’m almost certain it will, but we need to be completely sure with something like this. Permanent alterations to the human genome aren’t something you get a ‘do-over’ for. If you don’t get it right the first time, that’s it. Game over.”

He walked over to the large plate-glass windows. From his second-story lab, you could see the duck pond and walking path in the courtyard below. Frozen solid, there had been no ducks — or any other life for that matter — in over a year. The sky was gray and dull like it had been every day since the ‘incident’.

That’s what the United Nations called it, an incident. The launch and subsequent destruction of multiple nuclear weapons while still inside the stratosphere is a little more than an incident.

After he finished speaking Madeline nodded, confident she had made her point. Not wanting to push him any further, “Right then.” She nodded, “I’ll make all the necessary travel arrangements.”

Turning on one heel, she started towards the pressure sealed inner door of the laboratory. As she passed she offered a polite nod towards the woman at the microscope, “Miss Austin.”

She paused in the decontamination chamber and waited for the exit light to glow green. Then smoothing the front of her lab coat with her hands, she made her way out of the lab.

Malcolm paced back and forth by the window for a few moments, trying to work through all of the emotions in his head but was pulled from his thoughts by the hissing sound of the lab’s outer doors.

He turned in that direction, laughing to himself at the scene before him.

A tiny human stood at the door and, through the hood of a parka, pressed her rosy cheeks and a smooshed nose against the glass of the sliding door.

The muffled face started to say something when Rachel hit the button that opened the door automatically from the inside.

“Daddy!” The girl exclaimed, pulling off her hood and running to him with outstretched arms.

“Hey Munchkin!” he smiled at her as he grabbed her up and gave a squeeze. The stress of the past few minutes quickly melted away when he saw her smile.

Rachel — her headphones off now — smiled in their direction, “Hello Miss Lilly to what do we owe the pleasure?”

The little girl turned towards her, nose wrinkled “To what do we huh?”

With a wiggly, beckoning finger, Rachel responded, “Just get over here and give me a hug, squirt!”

At that, she gave Malcolm a peck on the cheek, shimmied out of his arms, and dashed over to Rachel’s waiting hug. The two had a girl’s moment while Malcolm sat there smiling.

“Helga, I trust she wasn’t a problem for you today?” Malcolm acknowledged the older woman standing over by the doorway.

“Not at all Doctor, she’s a joy. Precocious as ever, but then I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know,” she said with a sideways smile and an approving look at the little girl.

He nodded and smiled warmly at the older woman.

Helga was his housekeeper and, ever since his wife Jillian died, an invaluable member of their family. She took care of Lilly during the day while Malcolm was working, ensuring she was well cared for. He was very grateful to have her.

He motioned her over, trying to be subtle.

“Helga, something has come up and I must go to Paris for a few days.” he tried to whisper, but the whine he heard from across the room told him he failed, miserably.

“Noooooooo Daddy… I don’t want you to go. Can I come?” she asked him imploringly with a pout.

“I’m afraid not, Daddy has to go alone. Besides, it’s just boring work stuff.”

Lilly started to whine a little more and then Rachel spoke up. “Hey, I have a wonderful idea! Why doesn’t she come to stay with me for a few days while you’re away? We can have a girl’s weekend!”

“Oh, Rachel, you don’t have to do that Helga can….” he started to say before she cut him off.

“Nonsense, It will be my absolute pleasure to host the elegant Lilly Reynolds for a few days” looking down at the now giggling girl.

“We can paint our nails, and stay up late watching films…” she bopped her playfully on the nose with a fingertip.

“Hmmm, what do you think, Lil? Think you can stand Rachel for a few days?” he said, winking at Rachel and mouthing “Thank you”.

“Oh yes, Daddy! I think it will be absolutely ‘Mahvelous Dahling .’ She turned to Rachel and blew her a kiss with an exaggerated ‘muah’ sound.

“All right then, I guess it’s settled. Helga can pop in if you need her, right Helga?”

“Of course Doctor.” She nodded at them both. “Anything at all. I’ll make sure to get a bag packed for her tomorrow. When will you be leaving?”

“The meeting is on Monday. I have to get my itinerary from Dr. Roth, but I’m sure she will have booked the flight for either tomorrow or early Sunday. I’ll ring you later this evening when I’m sure.”

“Of course, Dr. Reynolds,” she nodded.

Although Helga spent a great deal of time at their home, she maintained her own residence when she wasn’t working. She was always just a phone call away but enjoyed her own private living space.

Malcolm was glad for it. He just needed a little help during the day while he worked. Ever since the incident, schools had been closed. The temperatures dipped too low most days for it to be safe outside for any length of time, so people only ventured outside when it was necessary.

No one was sure how much longer the cold would last. Climate scientists didn’t have a precedent when it came to nuclear winters. The limited exchange between North Korea and Japan was two years ago, but the after-effects had been far more serious than anyone could have predicted. Temperatures worldwide had dipped to between twenty and thirty degrees below normal during the daytime and dropped even further at night when the sun went down. That meant winter in England, which normally hovered between -10 and 4 degrees Celsius, now saw temperatures between -24 and -50 degrees.

“Will there be anything else for today, then, Sir?” Helga asked.

“No, no. Thank you. I’ll ring you as soon as I know for sure when my flight departs.”

With that, Helga walked over to where Lilly and Rachel were planning their girls weekend and patted the younger girl on the head. “We shall see you soon enough, Missy.”

“Bye Helga,” she said with a wide smile and gave her a quick hug. “See you next week!” The little girl’s excitement was palpable.

Helga walked out of the lab past Dr. Roth as she walked in. The papers she was holding caught the breeze as they passed.

“Dr. Reynolds, your itinerary.” she could have sent her assistant with this information, why did she choose to hand-deliver it?

He looked over the schedule and flight times briefly. He looked up to call after Helga to tell her when he was scheduled to leave, but she had already turned the corner and the lab door was sliding shut with a hiss. In addition to being airtight, the room was also soundproof.

“Well, at least I don’t have to travel in the middle of the night,” he noted, grateful for that. He wanted to be well-rested for the meetings.

“Hello, Miss Lilly. How are you today, dear?” Dr. Roth asked, noticing the little girl.

“Goooood, I get to spend the week with Rachel, since you’re making my Daddy go to France,” she said with matter-of-factness.

“Is that so?” she smiled at the little girl. “Well, I hope you have a wonderful time.” She turned back to face Malcolm again, one eyebrow raised.

He smiled and shrugged at the director. “Kids.”

“A word, Malcolm?” Madeline asked, her tone dour.

“Of course, shall we take a walk?” he asked.

Rachel quickly spoke up, “No worries Mal…er…Doctor Reynolds, I’ll take Lilly to the cafeteria for a snack. Are you hungry dear?” she asked the little girl. “I think they have cookies!”

Lilly nodded with excitement as the two locked hands and headed towards the door.

“I’ll be back in a little bit, Daddy, don’t worry about me, ok?” She said, in a very reassuring tone.

Malcolm found this amusing. “Of course, sweetheart. You take good care of Rachel for me. I’ll find the two of you when I’m finished here, then we can go home.”

Dr. Roth waited for the door to seal behind them before speaking. And, even though she was quite certain no one could hear them through the insulated windows and doors, she kept her voice to little more than a whisper.

“Malcolm, I want you to be clear what you are walking into.”

“What are you talking about, Maddy? You said earlier it was just a meeting.” He looked at her with a troubled, questioning glance. “What are you getting me into here?”

“Well, to begin with, you are one of only seven other scientists to have been invited, and the only one in your field. It would appear there is a multidisciplinary team being assembled.”

“A team? A team for what…exactly?”

“There is some speculation that a very important announcement will be made by the UN Secretary-General on Monday. I have it on good authority that there have been some new…developments.”

He searched her face for answers, but she was stoic as usual.

“Could you be any more vague, Madeline?”

“Do you remember meeting Dr. Hanse Vanderhall last year at the UN Science Committee sessions in Vienna? He was the climatologist that reported on the effects of residual radiation on weather patterns.”

“Of course, most of his predictions have been spot on.”

“Exactly, and that’s what concerns me about this meeting. He is returning from the Kara-Tyurek meteorological station in northern Siberia where he and his team have been collecting data. I expect he will be presenting this data. And, if they have called together experts in nearly every field of science, It can’t be good news.”

She handed him the first piece of paper from the stack, her concerned eyes meeting his.

He looked at the page and knew immediately why. “They’ve issued me a top-secret security clearance.” He frowned at the paper.

She passed him the remaining sheets; a full schedule, and an airline ticket.

“You will be picked up by a car service when you arrive at Roissy. From there you will be taken directly to UN Headquarters in Geneva…”

“Wait…Geneva?! Why fly me into Paris just to drive an additional four hours?”

“I understand there will be a pre-meeting briefing en-route. That’s all the information I was given. I’m sorry Malcolm, I wish I knew more.”

“This doesn’t make any sense.” He wrinkled his nose in confusion and did his signature fingers-through-the-hair move.

“The Secretary-General is scheduled to make a televised announcement on Monday morning. I would imagine you will be meeting through the night before that announcement. If I were you, I’d go home and get as much rest as you can before you leave Sunday. It’s going to be a long few days.”

She stood up, brushing out the wrinkles on the front of her slacks and held out her hand to Malcolm.

“Good luck, Dr. Reynolds. And please, let me know what happens as soon as you are able.”

Two Years Earlier…

London, England, March 2021

The office was sterile and muted, the twin, gray, faux-leather chairs with their chrome metal frames sat in the center of the room facing a large white desk. A neutral-toned area rug and a few potted plants were the only other furnishings. The space evoked no feeling or emotion at all, likely the intention of it’s design. The outer walls of the corner office were glass from floor to ceiling looking out over the city a few stories below, and its inner walls a white-flecked gray marble.

“Mrs. Reynolds, Dr. Reynolds,” the man seated at the desk nodded to each of them in turn, his face as emotionless as the room in which they sat. “I’m afraid the news I have for you is not what you were hoping to hear today.” Dr. Xo Chen’s english was clear, though tinged with the accent of his native Mandarin.

Malcolm instinctively reached over and placed a hand on his wife’s hand, grasping it. She was trembling ever so slightly so he offered a comforting and gentle squeeze.

“Mrs. Reynolds, we performed a biopsy on the mass on your uterus. I’m afraid it is cancerous.” He looked at her, through his round wire-rimmed glasses, compassion evident in almond-shaped eyes. “Stage III, from our best assessment.”

Malcolm, squeezing Jillian’s hand a little tighter, “What are our options, Doctor?” His voice was calm and measured.

“We have a few options. As I mentioned, we are looking at a Stage III tumor right now. As you are both likely aware, that means from what we can see, there is currently no spread to the adjacent lymph nodes. But, we need to order a PET scan to be certain. As long as they are clear, we would start a few rounds of chemotherapy, try to shrink the tumor…”

“No!” Jillian spoke up forcefully. “No Chemo.”

The primary caregiver for her mother when she went through chemotherapy for breast cancer, she watched her waste away, blood coursing with chemicals that seemed to consume her from the inside out.

“I will not go through that.” She turned to look at Malcolm, her gaze firm.

Malcolm admired her strength. She was a pragmatic and well educated woman and knew full well the path that lay before her. She would not flinch and she would never give up. These qualities and more are why he fell in love with her in the first place. She was also quite possibly the smartest person he ever met. The work they were doing together was revolutionary -- and though she was still working towards her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology -- much of their current work was the result of her ideas.