Sophie

Theo stood at the till of the florists, two single red roses lying on the counter in front of him. Today was the two month anniversary of his first date with Sophie. He knew she was working late at the research lab in the Science Building and he wanted to surprise her there by giving her the flowers. As he waited, he chuckled to himself thinking back on the day he met her.

They received a call from William James to renovate his Victorian home on Chesawick Street. It had been in the James family for several years, but was in sore need of some maintenance and repair. Although he owned it, William and his wife didn’t reside in the house, using it instead as a rental property.

It had been a Saturday morning, later in the morning, close to noon, when Theo and his dad met with William to review what the old heritage house needed. Entering the house through the left door of the double set at the entryway, Theo looked up to see a young woman descending the wide stairs leading up to the second floor of the house. Standing 5’6”, she seemed lean, wearing her long brown hair up. There were glasses on her attractive face. She was modestly attired in a big shirt and multi-colored pajama pants, fluffy slippers on her feet.

“This is Sophie, she is one of the residents here,” introduced William seeing her. She held her hand up and waved slightly by way of greeting.

“This is Ted and his son Theo, they’re just here to see about the renovations,” William explained.

Ted nodded, but Theo couldn’t tear his eyes off her. Her vibrant blue eyes held him like a deer in the headlights of an onrushing car and when she flashed him her smile while tucking a loose strand of her hair behind an ear he was smitten. Turning, she hustled back up the stairs, Theo watched her go, thinking she’d been coming down the stairs when they had come in, he smiled.

“There are two other young ladies renting here,” William said, “Hannah and Grace, but I don’t know if they’re here or not. They’ve been told I was coming through here today and that we will probably get started on the work early next week.”

For the next hour, Ted and William walked around the house, but Theo couldn’t stop thinking about Sophie.

“That girl, Sophie, what does she do?” Theo asked hoping to get some information but trying to seem indifferent.

“Something to do with cancer research over at the university. Her and Grace both,” William answered. Theo stifled a chuckle, thinking about how she was dressed and how her outfit didn’t seem convey a sense of university cancer researcher.

“Oh,” Theo replied, mind swirling with questions, but Ted pulled William away to continue the inspection.

Come Monday, Ted had Theo set up a work area inside the foyer. He was down on one knee setting up the chop saw the next time he saw her. She was dressed conservatively in a knee length black skirt and white blouse, she wore very little makeup on her naturally pretty face. Now she looks like an egghead university type he thought.

“Good morning Sophie,” he said as she stepped off the stairs into the foyer.

She turned to look at him. Coming over to him, she stood over him, “Theo, right?” she asked, smile on her lovely face as she looked down on him.

He smiled, “Yeah.”

“Is that short for Theodore?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Theophilus,” he replied.

“Ooh,” she answered, a mock pained expression on her face.

He shrugged, “The damage is done. My dad,” he explained, spreading his hands. “I figured I’d shorten it to Theo on account I don’t think anyone’s been named Theophilus for like a thousand years.”

“Probably a wise choice,” she agreed, smiling sympathetically.

“William said you’re over at the university, is that where you’re headed?” he asked.

She nodded. “I’m studying genomics for Dr. Hans Brauer. We are trying to isolate and catalog genetic carcinogenic source code material as it relates to the formation of malignant cancerous growths. Dr. Brauer believes if we are successful, we can reduce or maybe even eliminate tumors reducing the frequency or necessity of subjecting patients to radiation and chemotherapy,” she answered.

He had no idea what she was talking about, but he didn’t care, he was enthralled just watching her talk. “Wow,” was all he said, beaming smile on his face.

“What about you?” she asked, pointing to the materials accumulating in the foyer.

“Apprentice carpenter, working for my dad,” he replied. “I apologize if this is too forward, and I don’t normally do this, but I would really love to take you out for lunch sometime,” he said.

She smiled, “I’m really very busy,” she replied politely.

“Lunch is innocent enough and if we took too long my dad would probably put me on notice,” he said, raising an eyebrow. Before she could respond, her roommate Hannah appeared at the top of the stairs. If Sophie represented the conservative end of the spectrum, Hannah was the antithesis. Long wavy blonde hair spilled down her back. At least this week blonde was her hair color of choice. Flawless face. She was wearing a tight pink t-shirt revealing breasts so perfect Theo thought for sure they had been augmented. She was also wearing white spandex running shorts and running shoes. As she came down the stairs, she moved with a natural heat that seemed to suck the air out his lungs.

“You must be the fix it guy,” she said with a big smile. “I’m Hannah,” she introduced, eyes the color of emeralds and sparkling with mischief.

“Theo,” he replied, finding his voice, but only just barely..

She turned to Sophie, “I’m going for a run, be back in an hour.” Taking a couple of steps toward the door, she looked back over her shoulder to see if he was watching her leave, “Nice to meet you Theo,” she said, playful tone in her voice.

Sophie laughed. He shook his head, suddenly embarrassed. “Sorry,” he said, abashed.

“Don’t worry, she has that effect on most men,” she explained. “Grace and I call her Hurricane Hannah. She comes ashore with a storm surge that can wash away all of your defenses and when she passes by, she leaves destruction in her wake,” she said.

He chuckled. “That’s funny. What do they call you?” he asked.

She paused a moment. “I don’t think they have a nickname for me, at least they don’t use one to my face.”

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and fairly short dark haired woman appeared. “Grace,” Sophie called, “This is Theo,” she introduced.

Grace was maybe an inch over five feet, slender. She possessed very dark hair, pinned back, framing an oval face. Her light grey eyes appeared large, almost doll like. Small cupid bow mouth. She appeared lean dressed in a nice top and slacks.

“Hi,” she said, coming over to stand near Sophie. “We’re you proposing, down on your knees like that? It’s okay if you were, she could use a little male attention in her life,” she said teasingly.

He stood up, smiled and nodded. At 6’4”, he was a fair bit taller than both women, more so Grace than Sophie.

“The Hurricane made him drool,” Sophie said, making a motion near her mouth with her hand.

Grace laughed, “Is that why you were down there?” He flushed crimson and shook his head.

“I did ask Sophie to let me take her to lunch, but she resistant to my rustic charm,” he said, a manufactured look of hurt on his face.

Grace turned to Sophie, “You should!” she encouraged.

Sophie pshawed. “C’mon, we’re going to be late,” she said to Grace.

Grace winked at him as the women left.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, he learned her morning routine, how she liked her coffee, her morning muffin of choice. Each day he would buy them and leave them outside her door. He would also leave a single flower, nothing exotic, just something he would find on his way to work.

Grace was his greatest ally, advocating his virtues and pestering Sophie on how she needed to get out. Hannah on the other hand, was much more implicit. “If it weren’t for Jared, I’d fuck him,” she said, eyeing him up and down.

Work on the renovation was coming to an end. Theo procrastinated as much as he thought he could get away with before his dad would get pissed, but there was little else to do.

Sophie returned home in the early afternoon on his last day to find Theo was sitting on the front steps leading up the house, hands on his knees, chin in his hands. She smiled. “Hey Theo, what are you doing outside?” she asked, coming stand before him.

“Hi Sophie, today is my last day. I know I have pestered you over the last little while, it’s only because I think I’m head over heels about you. Will you go out with me?” He held up his hand before she could respond. “If you say no this time, I will understand and never bother you again. I’ll probably drift through life a broken and desolate man. But if you say yes…” he left the rest unsaid, eyebrow arched and grin on his face.

 She let out a sigh, meeting his eyes. “If you promise to stop leaving weeds and blueberry muffins at my door, I will go out with you, one time, in the interest of not letting you wander aimlessly through life,” she said, grin on her face, amused by his determination.

He closed his eyes and lowered his head forward. “I understand,” he said, voice low, as if he had not heard her response

A puzzled look came over her face. “I said I would go out with you,” she repeated.

“Once again?”

“What?” she asked. “I’d go out with you?”

He grinned.

“Oh you!” she said, slapping him on the shoulder, an exasperated roll of her cerulean eyes.

He beamed.

The next several weeks saw their relationship blossom. He learned Sophie had grown up with her younger sister Brigitte in a single parent home with their mother Eleanor. She had been studious her whole life, almost to the point of being sheltered and had always wanted a career in science. He playfully called her his mad scientist. He, in turn, shared his history, parents still together, also a younger sister still living at home. Grades were good enough to get into college, but he took up carpentry because of his dad.

The only hitch they had to work through in that time was when an inebriated Hannah hit on him after breaking up with her boyfriend Jared. He resisted her seduction, but Sophie seemed to think there was mutual attraction. Surprisingly, Sophie and Hannah seemed to reconcile much quicker than he and Sophie, which he didn’t understand, especially since nothing really happened.

Here and Now

The cashier at the florist arrived, pulling Theo back to the present. The aging lady with a warm smile, rang in his flowers. He tapped his card against the machine and it recorded the transaction.

“Thank you,” he said, tucking his card back into his wallet before gathering up the flowers. She smiled and nodded.

Theo had laid out his plan carefully. He made previous arrangements with Warren the night security guy at Sophie’s building so he could sneak in and surprise her. Just after seven o’clock, Warren met him at the side entrance to the four story building and gave him instructions on where to find Sophie. Following the path laid out by the security guard, he found her on the third floor exactly where Warren said she would be, hovered over a microscope on a counter. Slipping in quietly, he tiptoed right up behind her. “Surprise!” he said loudly. “Happy two month anniversary!” He pulled the four roses out from behind his back and presented them to her.

His presence startled her, making her jump and shriek. “How did you get in here?” she asked voice high, eyes looking back in the direction he had come.

“Warren let me in. I told him I wanted to surprise my amazingly gorgeous brilliant girlfriend with some flowers on our anniversary and romantic that he is, he let me in,” he replied. “But you might have to sleep with him.”

She laughed and shook her head. “That’s sweet,” she said, taking the roses and wrapping her arms around him for a brief hug. “But you’re not supposed to be here. Dr. Brauer is somewhere in the complex with Clayton. I could get into a whole lot of trouble if they catch you in here,” she explained, tone low.

“Can you get away for a bite?” he asked, looking back to the door.

She shook her head. “Clayton is calibrating the device and Dr. Brauer wants to upload a new algorithm.”

He grinned, pulling a package of two chocolate cupcakes from his pocket. “I thought you might try and weasel out of it.”

“You’re impossible,” she said, rolling her eyes in feigned exasperation.

“Ooh, is that it?” he asked looking through the wide window and pointing toward the large mechanical looking device built over a stainless steel examination table. There were all sorts of leads and terminals, wires crossing over and plugging back into itself. It reminded him of some torture device in a spy movie the way it was constructed.

“Yep, that’s it alright. That’s our prototype. It’s a combination of-,” she started, but he cut her off.

“Use normal people words, remember I’m just a hammer swinger,” he said.

“It’s designed a lot like an ultrasound, the principles are similar. It’s supposed to use high frequency sound waves targeted at specific cancerous cells. If modulated correctly, it will destabilize the tumor and cause it to collapse in on itself without harming any of the healthy tissue surrounding it,” she explained.

“And that’s good, right?” he asked.

“Yes, that’s very good,” she answered. The phone on her desk rang. Walking over, she picked it up. “Sophie. Yes Dr. Brauer, I’ll do it right away.” Theo followed her over and started to say something but she captured his lips between her thumb and forefinger and held them fast. “Yes. I understand.” Hanging up the phone, “You!” she scolded. “I have to go to the control room for a few minutes, you wait right here, you do not touch anything. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” he replied, snapping his right hand to his brow in a mock salute.

She growled playfully. He gave her his best innocent expression. “I’m not buying it,” she said as she exited the room into a door opposite the one he had entered.

Idle Hands

A couple of minutes passed, he surveyed the room. He noticed a small red light next to the handle on the door leading into the room where the device was situated. Flopping in the chair by her desk, he laid his head on the surface. More minutes passed. He let out a long breath, noticing for the first time Sophie’s security card lying on the desk. He looked at the red light on the door, then the card, then back to the red light. Looking at the door Sophie had left through, he looked back to the red light on the door. Picking the card up, he walked over to the door. Tapping the card against the door lock, it flashed green, the door opened.

Stepping through the door, he walked over to the machine. “You don’t expect me to talk, do you Goldfinger?” he said in his best impersonation of Sean Connery, circling the unit, cranking a couple of the dials.

The machine started to hum. “That can’t be good,” he mumbled, taking a step back.

Two men walked into the other room, entering from the door Sophie had left. Engaged in conversation, they didn’t seem to notice him until they came into the secure area.

“What is going on in here?” demanded a man in a thick German accent. In his early fifties, he was tall and fit, black hair going silver parted on the side and slicked back. Sophie had said Dr. Brauer was German, so he guessed this was probably him.

Theo raised his hands, “I was just looking, I’m here with Sophie,” he explained.

“This is a secure area, you cannot be in here!” the man barked.

“I’ll leave,” Theo said, trying to calm the agitated man.

“Doctor, the GCR,” said the other man, alarm in his tone, pointing at the machine behind Theo.

“What have you done?” yelled the German man, rushing toward the device. Theo stepped back.

The device began to emit a shrill noise, building in intensity to the point of almost being painful. Theo covered his ears in an effort to shield himself from the high pitched whine. A red flashing light on the wall lit up. Suddenly there was a flash of sparks and a pulse, a wave of distortion visible to the eye erupted from the machine, passing through all three men before dissipating into the air. The shrill noise stopped.

As the wave passed through Theo, he felt his stomach revolt. Dropping to his hands and knees, he vomited.

There was a final sharp crackle and hiss from the machine, the power in the room flickered, and the machine grew silent, thin trails of smoke crawling up off it.

Wiping his mouth, Theo looked toward the man he thought was Dr. Brauer. Like Theo, he was doubled over, throwing up. Another cramp tore through Theo’s abdomen causing him to fall onto his side as his body was wracked by spasm.