Embers & Ice

Chapter Forty-One

Dr. Albert Rosenthal was a gentle man. He had lived through some unspeakable horrors during his childhood, and after the war he decided to dedicate his life to becoming a scientist of the mind and the body, a biologist and a doctor. In his lifetime he studied hard, moved from the very bottom to the top of his classes and was even offered a job in one of the most prestigious hospitals in England.

But Dr. Rosenthal wanted more. He believed he was destined for greater things, for more challenges, and that was when he met Winston Wolfe.

They studied the same course for a number of years, and became close friends, both with a dream to explore human genetics. Dr. Rosenthal often thought Dr. Wolfe was a little too eccentric – he would join many groups and socialize with a lot of the professors, whilst Albert stayed in his dorm to study and could often be found in the library. They were like chalk and cheese, and still they became good friends.

Then one day, Winston came to him with an idea, a dream to move to America and start a revolutionary company that studied human genetics. At the time, Albert was considering a profession in a similar area, and though he was not very adventurous, Winston’s enthusiasm had him hooked. He followed the doctor all the way to Seattle, and that was when it all began.

Dr. Rosenthal remembered the first few years. It was messy, and he saw another side to Winston that had never come out. A manic side. He saw his friend go to great and dangerous lengths to get what he wanted. He often sent Albert to locations around the world to find people with special genetic gifts. Albert went only to get away from Winston’s craziness.

He should have seen the signs earlier, should have backed away before it became impossible. But the more humans he found with special gifts, the more he wanted to learn, and working for Winston was just a sacrifice he had to make.

It wasn’t until thirty or so years ago that Winston started to mistreat the subjects. It was done behind his back, but of course, Albert knew. He always knew what was going on. Call it a special gift of his own. He pretended to be blind to it, and that was his biggest mistake. When his back was turned, it was easier to ignore it, and that was how it remained. 

Until Joshua arrived. Albert saw in that man a love stronger than anything he’d ever come across. It was a tortured love, a desperation to keep young Hunter safe, a disappointment in his failure and a grief for Hunter’s mother whom he cared about so deeply. Albert knew this would be his chance to turn things around. To change. To start doing good. And so he helped Joshua escape.

Fortunately, Winston never suspected him. They were still friends, much to Albert’s reluctance, but he could not leave the institution or more horrors would unfold and Winston would fall off the deep end. The institution needed someone who was not completely crazy to run things behind the scenes. Albert continued doing good; finding people with gifts, enhancing their powers, encouraging them. Will was one of his proudest experiments, and though the child grew up in a terrible place, he would have died at the hands of his father. Now, he had a chance to live. 

But enough was enough. Winston never informed him of these demonstrations, and putting them through such unspeakable torture simply to gain attention from other scientists – most of which were not at all horrified – was the last straw. Something needed to be done.

“Hello Albert,” said Dr. Wolfe as he knocked on his office door only hours after Hunter’s demonstration. He was so shaken up that the doctor frowned at is appearance. “Is something wrong?”

“I cannot believe what this has come to Winston,” he grumbled. Normally, he could keep his anger better controlled, but suddenly Dr. Rosenthal was seeing his long-time friend in a different light. “Do you realize what a terrible man you’ve become? What evil lies in your heart?”

“I don’t understand, I thought this was our dream Albert.” The doctor shook his head and sighed, tidying his papers. “I was afraid this day would come, when we would reach a crossroads and each go our separate ways.”

“Oh we’ve been on separate paths for a very long time, Winston. And you can no longer use the excuse ‘for science’. Science has ethics, and what you are doing is no better than the experiments performed on the Jews.”

At that, Dr. Wolfe leapt to his feet and slammed his fists down on the desk, his eyes so menacing that they nearly burned holes in to Albert’s. But he was not afraid of the doctor. He stood his ground, mirroring his hard, fiery gaze, ready for what he knew was coming.

“How dare you be so hypocritical, Albert,” he growled in that low, slippery tone. “If I recall, you have been by my side from the very day this company existed. So why, now, are you suddenly pretending to be so moral? So righteous?”

“I have always been there for you,” he replied, equally fierce but not nearly as cruel. “I left the country when you requested, I protected your secrets and your identity. But this has gone too far. I cannot let you treat them any less than what they are; people. Children. Don’t even get me started on those poor people you’ve imprisoned in the Death Caves.”

“And what are you going to do about it, Albert? Help them escape, like you helped Joshua Harrison escape all those years ago?”

For a moment, Albert was stunned, and that was not something that happened often. He had no idea Dr. Wolfe knew about that.

“Yes, I know about your little midnight getaway. You do realize what the punishment might have been if you were caught, don’t you?” the doctor sneered at him. “And shooting Jack Hollaway in the back with a shotgun certainly did not help our operations.”

“He was going to kill you,” said Dr. Rosenthal.

“He wouldn’t have killed me, he doesn’t know how to kill. He’s a child.”

“It doesn’t matter, some powers outweigh a person’s humanity. Especially someone as weak as Jack.”

“That’s not the POINT!” Dr. Wolfe roared and he slammed his hand down on the desk again. He raised his bony white fingers, wrinkly just like his own, and pointed it at Dr. Rosenthal’s face. “I kept my mouth shut for you. I went against my every rule, I protected you. I gave up everything. And now here you are, acting like you’re the better person. It makes me sick.”

Dr. Rosenthal felt his heart sink in sadness. It was true that things could have gone a completely different way, but the demonstrations were under his control. And he was too drunk on power to notice.

“You need to stop this, Winston. Please, for the sake of this institution and our dream, stop this. I don’t want to see you go down the path of destruction.”

Dr. Wolfe turned his back on him and his shoulders sunk in a tired sigh. “It may already be too late for that, old friend.” In his tone, there was a hint of a smile, a smile of old memories and a lifelong journey together. “But I will not back down until my dream is fulfilled. And you are either with me, or against me.”

Dr. Rosenthal’s heart broke. This was the moment he had been dreading. He had faith in his friend, and now that faith was shattered.

“I’m sorry it has to end like this,” he said softly and walked to the door.

As he left the office, he was sure he heard his friend mutter a broken, “I’m sorry too, Albert,” before he turned away.