Jones

Ton lives the simple life. In his simple home. Doing simple things. Until he realizes how simple is life is.

“The birds sure are peaceful, aren’t they?” Ton said. Silence.

“Yeah. I love times like these when I can just relax in my rocking chair and talk to you Ted,” Ton said. Silence.

“You know Ted, I got this nice wooden porch twenty somewhat years ago. It’s been through the most hellish weather, but it survived all these years,” Ted said. Silence. A beeping noise came from nowhere, and Ton put his hands over his ears.

“Ted! There it is again! That noise! Happens every time I describe the scenery around me,” Ton yelled over the beeping noise. From outside of Ton’s perspective, there was absolute silence. If a man walked by and saw Ton, the man would think that Ton was just covering his ears for nothing.

The beeping noise stopped, and Ton immediately forgot about it. After uncovering his ears, he looked around and noticed a windmill in the distance.

“See over there?” That’s my good ol’ trusty windmill. You see, it works lik- Dang nabbit, that beeping noise!” Ton exclaimed. 

“Why do I forget about it when it goes away?” Ton asked. He thought he was asking Ted, the man sitting in the rocking chair next to him, but no one was there. Ton wasn’t even in the middle of a country, more or less sitting on a porch. The rocking chairs are real. Ton sat in on while an empty rocking chair sat right next to him. The “environment” around him was nothing but a tall, white, hollow cylinder.

From up in the booth, Ted Jones, Hobs Jenkins to the rest of the world, looked down at Ton with a sad look. Ted released the big red button on the panel that he was pushing down, almost shaking. He could see Ton removing his hands from his ears, and revert back to normal like a snap of the fingers. Ton then looked back to the empty rocking chair next to him and started talking to no one. Ted cut off the feed, he just couldn’t take it anymore.

Ted got a voice recorder out, and spoke into it, “The date is July 14, 2021. Patient name is Ton Jones. Observation today includes Ton Jo- Patient Number 1019 still seeing an environment around him… Like always. Patient sees country land and talks about owning a porch, even though he never had a porch… Nor even seen one. Patient then talks about windmills with a voice that suggests he knows how to work it. I beeped him for that, and he responded normally; covering his ears in attempt to drown out the noise. Talked about birds today as well, beeped him for that too. Patient is still talking to his “brother” Ted Jones who he thinks is still there. Conclusions states that…” 

Ted let go of the recording button. He didn’t have a conclusion. Results were the same as the day before, and the day before that. The only change was that he kept saying three things that aren’t there instead of two. But sooner or later it will be four, and that will mean all this work is for nothing.

Although it’s partly Ted’s fault. Ted, instead of beeping Ton every time he mentions things that aren’t there, let’s one slip from here to there. He feels terrible about lying on the Log, but who checks those anyways?

Ted pushed the recording button once again and said, “Conclusion states that Patient’s behavior is same as of July 7th. No change.”

Ted put down the recorder when he was done, and rubbed his face with his hands. The smooth texture of his hands going down on his face soothed him slightly, he was so done with watching over his brother like this. He came here to help Ton, but instead was torturing him slowly. This is not at all what he planned to do.

Ted looked down at the Patient, his brother, in the hollow white cylinder and the one lone rocking chair. Grief and loss took over Ted as he saw Ton talk to the rocking chair on his right mindlessly. If it wasn’t for that cursed accident…

Tears welled up in Ted’s eyes as he thought about that accident that changed his brother forever, at least he hoped it wasn’t that long.

“Fascinating. Isn’t it?” A voice appeared from behind Ted. Ted jumped around in surprise to see his boss and CEO of the company: Dr. Hank. No one knew his last name, he would never reveal. Ted quickly wiped his small tears away, already the tears were in the middle of his cheek, but it didn’t matter. Dr. Hank was staring at Ton with a certain look that loan sharks have when they’re close to getting what they want.

“How the human mind can just completely ignore its surroundings, and make something better of it.” Dr. Hank said, crossing to the panel and eyeing Ton. Ted started to perspire on his temple a little bit. Does Dr. Hank know? No, he couldn’t have. A big CEO of this kind of company doesn’t have time for small fry like Ted Jones.

“Mr. Jenkens, understand that this Patient is very important to me. I need him to be recovered so I can speak with him in private matters. He has some important information that I need to know asap, and with him not recovering very well, that can’t happen.” Dr. Hank explained to Ted.

“Yes sir,” Ted simply said. He wanted to get out of there right then and there.

“Good,” Dr. Hank said, his back showing towards Ted as he looked down at Ton, almost glaring. Ted silently gathered his things from a chair by a set of monitors, thinking this was getting more awkward than creepy, and started heading for the door when Dr. Hank raised his hand in a “Stop” motion. Ted saw it and stopped dead in his tracks.

“It’s also fascinating how the human mind can be easily affected by other people of… significant value. Isn’t that right Mr. Jones?” Dr. Hank asked.

Ted had beads of sweat going down his temple, and that sentence made them all freeze in their tracks. He suddenly had a nervous stomach ache killing him making him want to double over. Chills ran down his spine making him slightly cold, and he even shivered a little. His throat closed up as he tried to speak. His muscles wouldn't move, Ted Jones was caught in his huge lie, and was rooted at the spot in his own guilt. The term “fight or flight” came to mind, but he could do neither. He chose the third secret option: “Stay”.

“So naturally, you can understand my anger when I found out that you are indeed brothers with Ton Jones, Patient 1019. And because you’re brothers with him, that can only mean that you have sabotaged all of my research on this poor man. Just to get him out. Which, you have sabotaged the research successfully. I don’t know where you came from, but here; we have cameras everywhere.” By this time, Dr. Hank turned around and was facing Ted with an angry look. Dr. Hank pointed up to a secret camera Ted never saw before.

“All of this work on 1019, all for nothing because you had to ‘save’ him. How were you going to do that anyway, huh?”

Ted tried to speak, but his throat was still closed off.

“That’s what I thought. You do realize that every single testing chamber in this damn facility has a camera in it? Because they do. I can hear and see everything you do. And you, Ted Jones, have been sabotaging 1019’s research by not beeping him when it’s needed. Because of that, he’s getting worse. And I don’t have the slightest clue on how that would help you… save him? I don’t even know what you’re doing to this b*****d.” Dr. Hank gave the frightened man an evil, dark look as Ted stayed as still as possible.

“I know I’m right because you’re just standing there doing nothing. You’re just putting yourself into this mess.”

Ted couldn’t move, but his thoughts were running like a freight train. If only he could get to his gun in the drawer next to Dr. Hank…

Dr. Hank sighed, and then took out a key. He turned around, inserted the key into the drawer that Ted was eyeballing, and unlocked it. He slid it out, and took out the smooth black pistol hiding in it. Ted silently cursed himself as Dr. Hank pocketed the pistol.

“Shame. You were actually pretty good… Alright boys. Hold him.” Dr. Hank commanded.

Confusion tore through Ted at this command, but his curiosity was soon fixed when big strong hands grabbed Ted by the arms and held him in placed. Ted got paralyzed by shock of the sudden force and grip on his arms. The hands were so tight, he could feel his hands getting tingly with the circulation of blood being cut off. After the realization of what was happening, Ted got out of the paralyzed funk and tried to squirm, but the grip was so tight, he couldn’t even manage that.

Dr. Hank came close to Ted and brought out a syringe with blue cloudy liquid in the vial.

“Oh, don’t worry it doesn't hurt,” Dr. Hank reassured. He inserted the needle into Ted’s straining arm, and the liquid went into Ted’s system. Immediately, everything got hazy and blurry. Everything Ted saw was multiplied by two, and the world was spinning fast enough to make him puke. Waves of pain crashed into Ted, making him scream out. The man behind him dropped him and he landed on the floor on his hands and knees. He looked up and saw a blurry double picture of someone’s face close to his. The background was still spinning and spinning for what seemed like forever. Time slowed down as the effect kept going. Objects and noises seem to collide with each other in Ted’s minds. Computer’s whirring sounded like birds chirping in the morning, and the voice talking to Ted didn't sound like Dr. Hank. It sounded like a whiny dog.

“It doesn’t hurt… for me,” Dr. Hank said, his voice ringing through Ted’s ears. That simple sentence kept repeating and repeating itself over and over again as Ted lost consciousness. Darkness.

Ted woke up groggy and weak. His vision was still foggy, but that didn’t matter. Everywhere he looked anyways there would be white walls. White, curved walls leading up to a plain ceiling. Ted sensed his ability of touch coming back to life, and felt the ground. Cold as metal.

Ted suddenly got up, but then fell back down. It’s like his legs were asleep. 

“My legs don’t work like they used to before,” Ted mumbled, thinking out loud. His voice sounded low and barely audible.

He then decided to use his arms as he crawled his way to what he thinks the wall was, and put his hand on it. Cold as metal.

Panic surging through him, Ted turned 180 degrees around and crawled straight until he hit another wall. Cold as metal.

“How do you like your chamber?” A voice boomed. Ted covered his ears from the sudden explosion of noise. His hearing was obviously back.

“Did I startle you? So sorry.” The voice apologized without emotion. Ted looked up and assumed he was glaring at the booth the voice was coming from. The more time passed, the more Ted’s sense of recognition came back, the more that voice sounded familiar.

“I’m sorry Ted Jones. But you’re going to stay in here until you rot. This is your grave. This is your tomb. This is your final destination. But hey, not all things are bad. There is a silver lining to this.” The voice explained.

Ted recognized that voice now. Dr. Hank.

“Oh yeah? WHAT IS THAT?” Ted vehemently tried to yell. It came out like a croak, but the emotion was all there.

“The fact that 1019 will be recovered! I will get the information from him, then toss him into this same cell. Hopefully by that time you’ll be a corpse already past the Gone. We’ll have shots in your head just in case… but it shouldn’t be long. You only have so much air in that cylinder. Use it well.” Dr. Hank mindlessly said. Ted was going to burst on him, but shut his mouth. Rather preserve the air then mindlessly use it.

“That’s a good boy. Now I’m going to leave now, and by the time I come back, you’ll be dead, and I’ll have my servant bring Ton Jones into here and toss him in here as well.” Ted could hear Dr. Hank’s footsteps as he left the booth.

“Wait.” Croaked Ted. The footsteps stopped.

“Why does H&H even need to do this?” Ted asked. “What’s the point?”

A minute passed full of suspense and silence as Dr. Hank pondered on that question.

“Because. We do everything to survive.”

And with that, Dr. Hank briskly walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Sealing Ted’s fate.