The camera clicked. Jacobson looked up from the monitor and eyed Lacrus taking pictures with his phone. The control room whirred with twizzling peaks of buzzes and hums. Two levels separated the men, each wearing lab coats, badges hanging at the lapels of collared shirts, pressed and stiff. “What do you think you’re doing?” Jacobson turned away from his monitor and moved in between Lacrus and the two way mirror. Separating Lacrus from the subject of his photography. “Well,” Lacrus started “if he is the son of God, I want proof I saw him.” he smiled. Jacobson did not return the favor and feeling the mood in the air Lacrus returned his phone to the pocket from where it came. “He’s no son of God.” Jacobson turned to face the two way mirror. A twelve year old child, small,, frail, sitting at a table in medical pajamas. Their green stark against the cold room he sat in. Table, chair, boy, room. “We’ve heard what he can do.” Lacrus took a few steps down from his level to stand next to Jacobson. The two men staring at the child. “It’s amazing really. “ “And we’ve also seen his charts, aptitude tests, intelligence tests, everything.” Jacobson moved to the chair next to the console, pulling it back before moving on with his thoughts. “Testing this, testing that. Now to a point of almost lunacy.” Leaning forward he pulled a book from a drawer, setting it down before seating himself. “Maybe, maybe not, maybe we crack a riddle.” Lacrus pulled a chair up next to Jacobson the two men looking at the boy. A camera behind them on the second level filming the interaction from their side. “What are we at now?” Jacobsen opened the book, skimming through the pages, “Was it Mark?” Lacrus flipped a few switches, “I”m going to start him slow today.” On the other side of the two way mirror in the room with the boy. A robotic hand gracefully glided downward towards the table. The boy did not move, and in this robotic hand, a piece of paper was gentled placed upon the table in front of him. Lacrus flipped the switch a green light on his end. “Two plus two.” “John, luke, what was it?” Jacobson still flipped the pages. Back and forth, annoyed at himself. “Point to the answer on the sheet provided please.” Lacrus, grabbed a pencil and flipped the switch down, red on his side. “No bookmark?” “Lost it. Damn where were we?” Jacobson continued to flipped through the pages. The boy on the other side of the mirror looked down at the paper, eyeing the different numbers and symbols. Letters, pictures of animals, digits one through ten. All covered the paper in front of the boy. “Ah Hell, where is it?” Jacobson flipped the switch from his side to green, a click. “Two plus two, please point.” Then flipped the switch again red. “Just do the water thing.” Lacrus stopped fiddling with the book and finally closed it, it’s leather cover against his palm. “Water thing?” Lacrus was at a loss, jacobson moved his hand to the console. Keeping his eye on the child he turned a knob, and flipped two switches. The monitor near Lacrus flipped screens and landed. Lacrus rolled over in his chair. “Wow, really? This one can’t be serious?” “I think they are.” Jacobson sighed, he turned to Lacrus. “Horse. He picked the picture of the horse.”
“Well, write it down. let’s do this one then. “ he rolled back over to the two way mirror and began moving switches. “Bring in the water I guess.” “What has science become?” Jacobson wrote down the boy’s answers on a log, the beginnings of his personal entry. “If he does this.” “Would be it be that crazy?” Lacrus answered. The robotic ceiling arm slowly lowered a glass of water onto the table, gently placing it in front of the boy. Jacobson flicked the switch green from his side. “Touch the water please.” The static speaker in the boys room spoke. A small click and it ended. Red from Jacobson’s side. The boy took his finger and quickly poked the surface of the water, as if dye dripping from his finger a cloud of red and purple swam downward in the glass. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Jacobson sighed and rubbed his forehead. Lacrus, chuckled, jotting a few notes of his own. Then he clicked a blue button, a hose came down from the ceiling in the boys room. Dipping itself into the glass, the liquid running up into the tiles of the ceiling. The hose retreated after it. Beeps, blizzes and clicks whirred inside of of Jacobson's and Lacrus’s room as Jacobson turned to a monitor on his left. Green words flipped across the screen. “It’s wine, one hundred percent red blend, plums, grapes, all in there. Even has a year.” “Jesus.” Lacrus laughed as ran his hands through his hair. The boy on the other room looked up at them. “That’s my brother.” The boy spoke and smiled at them. Jacobson and Lacrus looked at the switch on the console. Red. To each other.A smile of disbelief. Then to the monitors and switches. “Bring in the bred then!” Lacrus said as the two went to work.