And Then Cones

1.

The date for Marcus Favisham was totally irrelevant. What he did know that with this discovery his life would be more than changed. He would be able to publish what he wanted and could demand a significant fee each time he spoke. Marcus was pleased.

He scrambled around on his desktop. "Where are my notes?" Now his mood had changed to a vexed state. He growled into midair with frustration. He was about to call his assistant but she was there, as always, hold his notes leaning on the door that was ajar.

"I told you that you should employ someone - even a kid from the local high, to do some filing for you!"

"What do I pay you for again?"

"To be an assistant. Here, I assisted, your notes!"

Sarah was an awkward woman. She was attractive in the unconventional sense - and didn't care about that. She was taller than most other women - and didn't care about that either. The list of what Sarah could be described as was long - and she didn't care about any of them. She was, in her own booming words, her own woman. That she was proud of. Her shame came from her underlying feelings for Marcus. Constantly she had to hold back the words she wanted to say to him. After all, he was engaged. Engaged in his work. He was so focused. He could see no further than the top of his brown-rimmed glasses.

"Ms Pike. I pay you to assist, this much is true. But isn't that doing some office work as well? Like, filing?" Marcus was jovial in tone.

"No! Local high. Hire a kid to do it. I have lab work to do. Ciao!"

With that Sarah returned to her task in hand. Dismissing Marcus was, to say the least, fun sometimes.

2.

All days began with coffee. The lab was an efficient one. Marcus Favisham took great pride in knowing the intricacies of any lab. His work in the sciences had piqued his interest at a very young age. He took an inordinate amount of pride in telling his father where each pin and scalpel would go. His father was never impressed. Having his son diagnosed with high-functioning autism was a relief to him. Marcus' father said when his son was born that he would be crazy. And to him the diagnosis was proof.

When Marcus found out that his father had stage 4 lung cancer he took it as the starting pistol to find a cure. When his father died Marcus then redoubled his efforts to make his laboratory so efficient that no one would ever say to him that the resulting event was his fault.

"Do we have a test subject yet, Sarah?" Marcus rarely called Sarah by her name. He would normally use the honorific of her choosing that week.

"Do we have something to test on a test subject, Marcus?"

"I think it's the eyes, Miss Pike."

"Eyes?" Sarah was genuinely surprised.

"Yes. I think we have been looking in the wrong place, Miss Pike." Marcus scratched his balding head. "The eyes. We need to get a new pair of eyes. Does the local paper run job listings, Miss Pike? I think I need to advertise an opening."

3.

Lucile Lovett wanted to live up to her name. She was kind. She was a caring girl. She was the girl who would go out of her way to help an elderly person in her community. As short as she was her personality made up for it. To her, she was ten feet tall.

When she read the advert seeking an assistant in a local laboratory she skipped with glee. Her dream would come true "Thank you, God" she said in a whispered tone.

She reached for her phone and quickly dialled the advertised number. For a second she felt quite odd - 'who uses phones to talk with?' she questioned herself.

After a few minutes of speaking with the kind lady on the other end of the line, Lucile was ready for her interview with gusto. Tomorrow at noon.

Lucile dressed accordingly. Even her mother looking through the last drop of whisky that morning complimented Lucile on how she looked pretty. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun - Lucile had seen so many assistants on TV with hair in buns.

Smiling, Lucile pressed the buzzer that made her jump because it was so loud. "Hello?" Lucile looked into the camera as she spoke.

A fainter buzz and click let her know that the door was unlocked and she could enter. A white corridor met her as the inner door opened on its own. A few paces and she was met with a third door and with a gentle push, it began to swiftly open. A tall dark-haired women met Lucile's gaze.

"Hello." The tall woman was now close and intimidating.

Lucile looked up and held out her hand for a handshake. The tall woman side-smiled and made a motion with her head that Lucile should follow. Lucile was nervous.

4.

"Name?" The bald man was rude.

"Lucile"

"I'll call you Lucy."

"My name is Lucile"

"Now, LUCY, I want you to look into this device and tell me what you see."

Lucile, though not happy complied. "What was THAT?"

'Ah, you saw it, Lucy?" The bald man was almost in a state of excitement. "Ms Pike. She saw it." He giggled while putting his hands up to his face. "She saw it. It's real!"

"Let's not get too excited. She's only one girl and how do we know she isn't a freak of nature? We need to do more testing." Sarah looked into the optics as well and couldn't see anything that she could say was new.

"Sceptic." Marcus looked at Lucile, then her bag. "Give me the bag. I want to see who you have as friends."

"W.T.F?" Lucile clutched her backpack closer to her chest. "No!"

"I need to know if there are others that see it, Lucy. That's all. Help me and I can mention you in reviews. You'll be almost famous."

"I want to go home." Lucile made a motion toward the door. It closed. A tear sprang from the corner of her eye. "I want to go home." Lucile was asleep before she hit the ground.

"I need her eyes." Marcus looked at the drug-induced stare. Alert yet asleep. "We will take them."

"She may need them back, Dr Favisham."

"Tuesday" Marcus looked at Sarah and she nodded in response.

5.

Blackness was all there was. Lucile could feel. She could smell and taste. She could hear. Yet not see. All there was, was blackness. Her voice quivered "Hello?"

There was a silence. She could hear strange sounds an odd beep and a whiz of some kind of buzz. Yet she could sense no one. She was alone. Her mind was screening at her to get out. But how could she? She was trapped. Then a hiss.

"Lucy! You're awake. Good, good news. We have three of your friends here. Let me take you to them and you can all converse with each other. Is that how high-schoolers do? Converse? Nevermind. Ms Pike, or is that Miss? Pike will assist you."

"Who's that?" Lucile recognised the voice. Gabby? I know that's you."

"Lu? W.T.F. is going on here?"

"Gab - we can get out. All I need is your eyes. We can escape!"

"What eyes? I'm blind. I can't see nothing!"

A pause of some magnitude fell upon those in the room.

"Who else is here? Gab, you, obviously me, who else?"

"No clue, Lu."

"Jason Stanford" The boy was somewhere across the room.

"Molly Springdale"

All three repeated her name, "MOLLY?'

Molly was speaking but her voice cramped and wavered, "My dad must be looking for me. He must. He will know I'm alive."

All three were startled by the voice of the bald man. 'Look-see, who-see? You will all be safe soon. All have your eyes back. All be back to new again. What are you worried about. Tuesday. You will be all back as normal as you can on Tuesday."

"Marcus. What is it that they see that we don't? You've taken their eyes, but for what?" The blinded children aimed a blank gaze in the direction of Sarah.

"Tuesday they will get their eyes back and we, Sarah, shall be famous!"

"Okay, I get that Marcus. But, again, what do they see that we don't? And how is it so important that you are not even scared of that fact? That fact that her dad is a cop!" Sarah pointed at Molly.

"Cones"

The children and Sarah were in unison "Cones?"

"They see colour, Sarah Pike. They. See. Colour."

Lucile sat up and strained to see with her ears, "What is colour?"