The beginning

      Control, how do I gain control.  The thoughts run rampant through my mind sensations, signals.  Signal to noise, what is this high pitched noise, piercing my conscience like bullet to the brain.  How do I bring this into resolution, the images so distinct and yet so distorted, focus must focus.  "AAAAUUUUURRRGGGHGHHH!!!!!"  Must focus, must sort all this out and find a thread a coherent thread.  "Shut it all down shut down the noise, kill the noise shut it off."  Find the switch they said, where are the switches.  There they are, shut down the sound, block touch, block taste, I'll miss those 2.

    Silence, just my own thoughts, now images, must focus on the images, there it is the thread.  They said for me to focus on the image on the wall.  I look intently into it focusing with all I have.  A large patch of brown, with fine lines funning through it.  Look at the shades, burnt sienna was the color from my crayon box I remember, there it is.  The names for them begin to filter through there is goldenrod, brown, a myriad of others.  I have never seen such variation there before, this change has definitely made a new way to look at my surroundings.

      OK, time to experiment pull back the focus slowly, the strands, still clear, begin to shrink in my sight, a patch of peach, where is the flesh color, oh yeah flesh really wasn't flesh.  Or at least the color I remember, anyone with a flesh color would have been taken to the nurse's office in school, looking for a rash or a fever.  The patches of color begin to take shape.  An eye, blue flecked with green, the black of the pupil, red vessels in the pale white of the eye.  The bridge of the nose comes into view small hairs, are there, too small to be seen normally, "Bet she'd be embarrassed to know they were there."  Now the thoughts come into focus, as the picture begins to take meaning. 
    "Are you there?" 
      Ouch, that was loud, how did those words come into my vision. Oh yeah I left that switch on, better turn it down a little. 
      "Yes, I am here give me a moment to get my bearings."  Wonder if they got the message.  Back to the picture the eyes, and hair.  Slowly, pull the focus back, concentrate on the whole of the picture.  There it is, her in that blue dress from the dance.  The satiny look to it, all the little details I missed before, a nervous but happy smile, the glow in her eyes.  Draw back the focus to the rest of the picture.  The GROUP, one of many in my life, but in reality the first and most memorable.  Just a bunch of college kids free for the first time and realizing how much fun it was to make the rules instead of obeying them.  A few songs come to mind, the staying out all night, and dozens of other memories, long buried but somehow newly fresh, with such vivid detail.
    Enough woolgathering, time to start coming back to reality, the memories will be there to explore when the lights go out.  Focus on what is real, reach out and learn to "feel" again.  Take the input and organize it, ok eyes just see a bunch of numbers.... 
      "Try to talk again, see if they hear you, you can hear them" What? Where did that voice come from?  Not sure hope this isn't a side effect, here goes nothing.
      "Ground Control to Major Tom, countdown commencing turn your engines on." I say, that was the code phrase wasn't it?  Yeah I'm sure of it let's see the reaction. 
      "Did you hear that noise?" Dave Asks
      "Yep, run it through the filters and see what we get"  Marie replies in a worried voice adding, "Hopefully there is something there"
      "We got something let me see what it is, here's the playback."
      "Ground Control to Major Tom, countdown commencing turn your engines on." A dull mechanical voice says.  Is that what I sound like?
      "It's the code phrase, he's there!" Marie says, relief flooding her voice.
      "Ok we got the translator calibrated.  Lets put it in real time and see what happens" Dave says, "Rick you there?"
      "I am here." Is my reply but a loud screech pierces my brain "OUCH!" even louder the squeal drives into my conscience.
        "We are getting feedback between the speakers and the microphone, put it back on time delay, OK, Rick that is a bug we didn't think about we are back on time delay, and running a system's check.  When we get that done we'll star adjusting your filters and get everything sync'ed up.  How you feeling?"
        "Sounds good to me, so what do you think the functionality will be?"
        "We shall see, right now still no guarantees, like when we planned this, I am just ecstatic we have some communication going.  As you know we have to be careful not to overload the circuits or your connection." 
        "Ok Dr. Frankenstien let's get this monster up and running, I'm ready and anxious to test my limits."
        "Cute I told you not to say that! but let's get going and take it easy know you are anxious and limited in the tank but we gotta do this by the numbers so we don't lose you or cause anmore damage than already done."