Aldous sat up in his bed. His alarm blared through a bedside speaker. His watch read 6:45-am. The empty bourbon glass stood next to the clock, the remaining ice had warmed to a lukewarm puddle. A hangover occupied the space his prefrontal cortex normally did.

He grabbed his glass and headed into the bathroom. A ghoul of a man stared back through his reflection. His eyes had sunk deep below his brow. Disheveled strands of hair grew from the top of his head like old withered corn stalks. His odor smelled like that of an old man. He was an old man, he decided. Aldous scowled and filled the cup with fresh water. The liquid chased sticky plaque from his throat and brought life to dehydrated cells. 

Had he dreamed? Shadows of memories bounced through his consciousness just out of reach. As he readied for work, Aldous considered yesterday’s paranoia. There was no evidence that the circumstantial phenomena had continued through the night. 

A pristine french press sat on the kitchen counter. He walked over and lifted the lid off of the apparatus, but paused. His mind felt unusually clear. Each thought and notion coursed its way through Aldous’ synapses free of any blockage. He returned the lid, instead he grabbed a banana from a fruit bowl. 

The cold leather steering wheel cover felt good in his hands. The vehicle started up to life. An advertisement for the magician Gregory the Great played through the radio. Aldous flipped the station through a Rolodex until a woman’s voice serenaded his ears. Music just might be humanity’s greatest expression, if not the most fleeting.

The sun shone through sparse clouds and illuminated green Douglas firs and pink cherry blossoms. A light dew covered thick blades of grass. Small mammals and aviary creatures pranced about front lawns and parks. A smile had found its way to Aldous’ face.

He pulled into the lab and parked his car. Excitement fueled his step. The treatment had worked! 

Dr. Glass was already waiting at his desk. She carried a manilla envelope identical to the one Aldous had brought home.

“Have you looked over Ivan’s file, yet?”

Aldous nodded and took off his coat, hanging it on the back of his chair. “It worked.”

“It more than worked,” she gawked. “We didn’t even see results this positive in mice!”

“We are going to have to replicate it.”

She nodded. “I have two more primates on the way.”

“Good, have there been any more developments?”

Dr. Glass flipped to the back of her document. “He has a slightly elevated body temperature and some behavioral abnormalities. But, it could just be the tranquilizer still in his system.”

“What kind of behavioral abnormalities?”

“Nothing major, just some antisocial behavior.”

“He could just be adjusting to his new environment,” Aldous dismissed.

She nodded. “You ready to get started?”

Aldous nodded. “Can I see him?”

“Of course, he’s your monkey.”

“Ape,” he corrected.

The chimps were unusually quiet. The other cages were directly behind Ivan’s. A separate corridor led to each of them individually. Ivan’s back was to them, his face pressed into the wall. His eyes were closed, lost in an animalistic daydream. He was hiding.

“Has he eaten?”

“No, he refused breakfast. Again, probably stress-related.”

Aldous walked over to the sink and started to lather his hands. “I’ve got a banana.” 

“By all means, he’d enjoy that more than the nutrition pellets.”

Finishing up his sanitary duties, Aldous snapped on a pair of latex gloves and a mask. Ivan's cage had a second chamber to allow entrance. He stepped inside and heard the gate click shut behind him. He stepped up to the wire fence.

“Ivan?”

Ivan’s shoulder twitched but otherwise, the ape remained still. Aldous tapped the banana on the barrier.

“Ivan, I have breakfast.” 

The chimpanzee lifted his head and sniffed the air. He arched his back and glanced over his shoulder.

“That’s good, Ivan. Come and get it.” He waved the piece of fruit, tempting the creature.

“Ooh, ooh?” He questioned. Using his palms, Ivan pivoted toward the front of the cage.

“That’s it, buddy. No one is trying to hurt you.”

Ivan pawed forward and snatched the banana from his hand. Aldous caught a flash of his dark irises, clear of the nerve damage. He clambered back to his corner and took cautious bites. It was gone in a matter of moments. Ivan glanced over his shoulder once more before burying his face into the corner. Aldous squinted his eyes at the ape. Something was wrong.

“Dr. Glass,” he said through the intercom. “Are his eyes open?”

“That’s a negative.”

“I’ll be right out.”

Aldous stripped off the gloves and exited the sterile room. 

A nervous glint sparkled in Dr. Glass’ eye. “What do you want to do?”

“I want to get in there, examine his eye.”

She shook her head. “It wouldn't be smart to drug him up this soon.”

“No,” Aldous refuted. “No drugs.”

Her eyes widened. “He could tear you apart!”

“He won’t. I’m going to need more fruit though and a ball, if we have one.” His voice oozed unwarranted confidence.

Dr. Glass furrowed her eyebrows. “Are you sure? This doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

Aldous sighed. “Stand by with a tranq gun just in case. We need to get a look at his eye and build a relationship with him. Might as well do them both at the same time.”

Dr. Glass repeatedly clicked her pen. “Alright, but if he eats your face, it’s on you.”

Aldous shot her a glare. “He won’t eat my face, that’s why I need the fruit.”

A lab assistant walked up and placed a bundle of grapes and a blue racquetball in Aldous’ upturned palms.

Dr. Glass lowered an eyebrow.“And the ball?”

Aldous shrugged. “He'll probably get bored.”

The latex gloves snapped against the sensitive skin around his wrist. Ivan rocked back and forth but otherwise gave no attention to Aldous. The inner cage door clicked open and Aldous entered the enclosure.

The ape’s demeanor tensed. His shoulders lifted around his ears. The bristle-like fur raised on his shackles. A warning whoop sounded from the corner.

“It’s okay, Ivan.” Aldous pulled the door closed behind him. “No one wants to hurt you.”

“Hooh ooh!” Ivan called.

Aldous plucked a grape from the vine and rolled it across the floor, leaving a trail of moisture behind it. The piece of fruit bounced off of his heel. Ivan turned and picked up the morsel. His nostrils flared as he sniffed it. His dark irises kept steady on Aldous’ still form. He popped the bite into his mouth and swallowed.

“Aren’t you magnificent!” Aldous remarked. 

Ivan turned half of a step, eyeballing Aldous from toe to head. His clear eyes carried the spark of enthusiasm. The chimp’s dark, thick muscles pressed up against the skin. You could see his sinewy back straps tense and undulate like a bodybuilder who posed in front of a mirror. “Ooh ahh?”

His call lacked the tense aggression he had previously. This was a question.

A second water trail joined the first as Aldous rolled another grape. Ivan ducked low and plucked it from the ground. He sat on his back feet and faced Aldous. His jaw moved up and down, grinding the fruit to a juicy pulp.

“You like that? How about this?” 

The racquetball bounced against the smooth concrete floor and rolled to his feet. It looked comical in the animal’s large hand. He brought the object to his snout and sniffed. Ivan’s tongue slipped in between his lips and grazed the rubber ball. His face contorted in disgust and he chucked the ball at Aldous. The scientist flinched as the ball soared by his head, bouncing like a bouncy ball against the floor. 

Ivan watched the projectile warily until it rolled and settled into the opposite corner.

“Doesn’t like balls, check.”

“What was that? I couldn’t make it out.” Dr. Glass boomed from the intercom. Ivan’s gaze darted to the disembodied voice.

“Just talking to myself,” Aldous responded. “Don’t speak through the intercom unless you have to. Ivan doesn’t like it.”

A glance through the barrier showed Dr. Glass holding up her thumb.

Aldous took a step closer and tossed another grape. Ivan bent and picked it up. He examined the item before hucking it against the wall. Grape juice splattered Aldous’ face.

“Easy Ivan!” he said in a calm tone.

The chimp squared its shoulders and lifted his lip in a growl.

“Calm down! No one’s trying to hurt you.”

Ivan snorted and bared his teeth. A loud thump echoed across the concrete as he brought his fist down on the ground.

“I would get out, doctor.” Dr. Glass telecommed in. “While you still have the chance.”

Aldous nodded an affirmative and backed up, shuffling his feet just inches at a time. Ivan matched his pace. The primate’s knuckles cracked as he put his weight on them. Aldous could see his veins flare through the fur on his forearms. 

“Ooh ahh! Ooh ahh! Ahh! Ahh!” the chimp cried.

The door swung open and Aldous barreled through. He slammed his back up against the door, sealing it shut. He had just enough time to turn around before Ivan's body bounced off of the barrier. A pulsating thrum echoed from the reverberation.

“Jesus Christ,” Aldous muttered.

“You alright?” came through the speaker.

“I’m okay.”

Aldous stripped his gloves and walked into the main lab. Dr. Glass was pacing, her face was flushed.

“That was stupid.”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Aldous defended.

“You’re lucky you’re not injured.”

“Science is often dangerous.”

“Only if you don’t take the proper precautions!”

Aldous sighed. “I'm sorry, you’re right. I got carried away. It’s just too good to be true! This project has gone so smoothly. I just needed to see that it worked with my own two eyes.”

A spark of understanding twinkled in her eye “I know. But, we have the data. It checks out. We did the work and now we’ve got our result. We need to replicate it obviously, but the hard work is done.”

Aldous leaned over and knocked a faux-wood desktop. “Don’t jinx it. I’m tired of math.”

The two test chimps arrived right after lunch. Both had damaged optical nerves, though different eyes. Dr. Glass read their vitals from a monitor as Aldous inserted the chemical pellets. There were an adolescent male and an adult female. Their diversity from Ivan made the two ideal candidates to test the reliability of the treatment.

Aldous sat at his computer and was filling out paperwork when Dr. Glass nudged his shoulder with an elbow. She extended a hand containing a low-fat latte. “Here, figured you could use it.”

Aldous’ eyes smiled behind thick lenses. “Thank you.”

“You almost finished for the day?”

He took a sip from the steaming brew. “I'm just finishing up these forms. You’ll have the lab to yourself in ten.”

She waved her hand and leaned up against his desk. “Are you doing anything tomorrow evening?”

The question took him off guard. “What's tomorrow, Thursday?”

A grin spread across her lips. “No, Friday. You need a calendar.”

“I’ve got five, just don’t use them. I'm pretty sure I’m free, why?” Aldous was positive he was free.

Dr. Glass slipped her hand into her purse and retrieved two rectangular stubs, passing one to Aldous. “I was given tickets to this thing and with Ivan’s success, I thought you might appreciate a little celebration.”

A young blonde man’s face stared up from the cardstock. Gregory the Great, admit one was printed across the top third of the ticket. “A psychic?”

A little blush flushed her cheeks. “I know, it’s stupid. I didn’t pay for them, I swear. You don’t have to go but I thought it would be fun, seeing as how we are scientists. It would throw us into a whole new environment.”

“No, I’ll go. I'm not ready to believe in psychics, but it does sound like a good time.”

Dr. Glass beamed. “Awesome. I'll leave you to your work.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow, doctor.”

“Call me Julie.”

“Alright, thank you, Julie.”

“Any time Aldous.” Julie turned and walked out of the lab, her short converse sneakers squeaked on the tile floor. 

Aldous flicked the piece of cardboard and slipped it into his wallet. He had heard the ad on the radio this morning. Could it have been another synchronicity?

“Bah, humbug,” he muttered to himself. “Nothing more than a lack of sleep and caffeine-fueled paranoia.”

He typed out the last few words and processed the document. He savored the light vanilla and rich, dark tones of the coffee. A smile found its way to his face and put a pep in his step.