Points of View

Chapter One – The Only Offer

Chapter One – The Only Offer

Horace Mayberry was an impulsive English youth and somewhat introverted. He was the first person to be fitted with a very advanced version of what eventually was known to the public, in a much simpler model, as Nanotronic BioVision. He was born nearsighted and had begun to have serious eyesight problems a few weeks after his fourteenth birthday. Thereafter, his condition grew steadily worse, and he was taken on frustrating journeys of consulting one eye doctor after another to no avail. Unfortunately, after examining him, each of them expressed condolences. Then they stated something to the effect of: “I am sorry, young man, but there is nothing I can do for you.” Two of them even stated: “There would definitely be serious complications if we attempt to operate with any of the known surgical techniques. The risk is simply too great to justify the attempt.”

About six months after his seventeenth birthday, and now totally blind, he was referred to a semi-retired specialist surgeon named Professor Oscar Freeman. The professor still shared a small consultancy with another doctor in London’s Harley Street. After an extensive examination, Professor Freeman gave him something he had long since lost...hope. He told Horace there was a chance to correct the problem, but it would be necessary to wait for the completion of something new that was being developed. It was under his personal supervision in the research department of a small high-tech company based in North London. Curious and as anxious for a cure as he was, Horace wanted desperately to know all the details. Unfortunately, the specialist insisted it was much too early for him to release any detailed information about it. However, he did promise Horace that he would be in touch when the project was ready, as he would be looking for an eager volunteer patient.

That ended the interview and the surgeon’s friendly secretary assisted him into a taxi. Later, back home, he thought deeply about the offer and what it could mean to him, and how it would change his life. I will be able to see again, and go out and about and meet people…and read again too.

Things were so different before he lost his sight. He was an avid reader as a boy. The incredible adventures of the secret agents in spy stories had always fascinated him. He often wondered what it would be like to be a real life James Bond. The adventure, the excitement, the fascinating gadgets and all those gorgeous girl friends too! He hastily brushed away an unmanly tear. Even if he did manage to regain his sight, deep down he knew he was hardly the type. Even if he was able to see again, he knew he was not tall enough and definitely not muscular enough to cope with all the action.

He sat up in his room later that evening, relaxing in his comfortable bedside armchair, and thought about his future. If he had the operation and it was successful, what would he do with his life? He pondered over many of the different possibilities that occurred to him, until eventually becoming drowsy, he began to nod off...and dream.

Agent Mayberry sat back in his first class seat and sipped his cool lager and lime slowly. So far this mission was going well. He had just managed to book a seat on the Air Berlin Airbus A320 before the gate closed, and he found himself being escorted to it by an attractive air hostess. He was pleased to note that he had been given the seat opposite his quarry, the notorious double agent Ludmilla von Dusenberg. She had noticed him arriving late and then being seated, but thanks to his clever disguise as an Arab politician, she had not realized who he was. Catching her eye for a moment, he had bowed politely and then spread his arms in gesture of friendship. He would have gotten up again to do it, but the hostess was still fussing around him, busy buckling up his seatbelt.

However, Ludmilla had looked away hastily and thereafter ignored him. The flight to Rome from Abu Dhabi was going to be a boring one because in his haste at coping with the formalities of the airport, there had been no time to pick up a magazine or a book to read.

He thought about the next part of his mission. Somehow he had to get her alone, and that would not be easy. She always traveled with an efficient bodyguard and not always the same one.

Agent Mayberry took a small magnifying mirror out from inside his flowing robe. Holding it in the palm of his hand, he aimed it around the cabin in an attempt to examine the other passengers in view. There were not many of them in the first class section, and most of them appeared innocent enough to be ignored.

Concentrating carefully, he eventually settled on two likely candidates. The first, a bald giant of a man, was sitting in the seat behind her. The second was smaller and wiry looking, with a long scar down the right hand side of his face partly obscured by a dark grey beard. It collided with his brown sideburns and neat black beard. He had to be the one as the big man was too large.

Agent Mayberry undid his seat-belt and rose to his feet. He looked all around at the rest of the seats and was surprised to see them empty. He turned around to regard Ludmilla again, but he couldn’t see her because the big man was now standing up and shielding her from him. The little man had risen to his feet too and was now brandishing a small machine gun.

Agent Mayberry dived down below the top of his seat as the deadly weapon began to hiss and spray bullets in his direction...”

Somebody knocked over a rubbish bin in the road outside his bedroom window and Horace awoke suddenly, still in his armchair. He shook his head wryly, and then prepared himself for bed, wondering how he would handle that dream situation if it continued later. Fortunately it did not.

Waiting was not easy, and over the following months, the vivid dreams he had were confused and less frequent. Eventually they ceased all together. Horace resigned himself to his condition. His globe-trotting parents had died when he was a child in a tragic car accident in Italy. He had then been adopted by an elderly aunt. She left her small cottage in the south of England to join the orphaned child in his parents’ comfortable apartment in a fashionable part of London. Thereafter she mostly ignored him, leaving his day to day needs to Mrs. Enright, the part-time housekeeper she had employed. Horace had more than enough after-tax income from several safe investments inherited from his father to cover their daily needs (and many of his wants). For this reason, he passed the time listening to educational tapes, the radio and learning Braille using one of the latest interactive talking-book machines. It made learning much easier and considerably faster. As Horace ran his fingers across and down the stiff pages, an encouraging voice told him what each group of little bumps represented. He had always been a fast learner and soon managed to master the basics of the language for the blind. Soon after that, he got the housekeeper to order a special telephone for him with Braille letters and numbers on the keys. With its use, he soon he discovered that all kinds of books printed in Braille were available. He ordered a couple of the latest spy stories, and soon after they were delivered, he settled down to enjoy a good read again.

It was just over six months later when the highly anticipated telephone call finally came. In response to Horace’s enthusiastic reply, the surgeon arranged for him to be collected by an ambulance the same afternoon and escorted to his private office on the company premises. He greeted Horace warmly and then led him over to a comfortable armchair beside his large desk.

Once they were both settled, he said, “I know you are anxious to have your sight returned as soon as possible, my boy. First, however, I must tell you about the procedure and what I hope you will be able to experience once you have adjusted to the results.”

Horace listened eagerly as the Professor continued. “The surgical part of this revolutionary new technique involves replacing your existing eyes with artificial ones. They will each have highly integrated electronic circuits built into them, but these are very much more advanced than those installed in an ordinary digital camera. Their output signals will be connected directly to the nerve endings behind your retina, and once each eye adjusts, your brain will do the rest. Now, do you have any questions so far?”

Horace was the inquisitive type, so he naturally had several. “What about the power supply, sir? Will I have to have a battery put in somewhere too?”

The specialist smiled. “No, you will not, I am happy to say. The circuits are minute and need very little power. The energy they require will be supplied constantly by microscopic solar cells built into the lower part of each eye. They will be recharging all the time you are awake, even when it is dark outside as long as there is an electric light switched on wherever you are. Next question!”

“What about repairs? What if any parts break down, or I have an accident and damage something important?”

“That is highly unlikely. I can assure you that the eyes will be very robust, though you will need to come in for a checkup twice a year. Naturally, nothing lasts forever. This is pioneering work, and therefore...well, to put it bluntly, we do not know what we do not know...yet. However, I can assure you that if anything does go wrong, if you have any kind of damage or malfunction in either of your new eyes, it will be possible to give you a replacement. Although it would be time consuming.”

Horace considered this information and then had one more question. “So how long will the whole operation take?”

The specialist paused for a few moments then replied quietly, “About two days for the actual surgery, with a rest day in between.” He paused again as Horace gave a gasp of surprise and then continued. “I must confess, it will be a lengthy operation involving many different steps at a time. It will be necessary to carefully check its progress after each step. You will need to have a general anaesthetic and something to prevent your eye muscles from moving during the whole operation. You will still need those afterwards to control your new eyes, of course.”

Seeing the apprehensive look on Horace’s face, he exclaimed, “But do not worry. When you awake, I expect you to be able to see right away in full color. I will need to carry out some extensive checks, of course, but after that, I will only need to give you some eye exercises to perform. Your eyes may ache a bit at first, so you must not overdo it for a week or so. It will be essential for you to stay with us here for a few days after the operation. There can be no television for you, for a while, but you will be able to read a little. My nurse will fix you up with some special dark glasses to protect your eyes at first. Now, are there any more questions?”

Horace had only one. “Yes sir, it all sounds great, but I’m not sure if I can afford it. Surely it will be very expensive?”

The specialist gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “You do not have to worry about that, my boy,” he exclaimed. “I have a grant to cover this project as well as several generous donations from our shareholders and another interested party. I can assure you that will not cost you a penny. Only a couple of weeks of your time...at the most,” he added hastily.

Horace was rather surprised at this generosity and somewhat suspicious, but he nodded and relaxed, feeling very grateful as he stuttered his thanks. “Okay then, Professor, er sir...when do we start?”

The specialist pressed a button on his desk communicator, and his secretary materialised, holding an appointment book. She soon confirmed that the planned date to commence the operation was on the Monday of the following week.

“Good!” exclaimed the Professor. Then to Horace he said, “You should be ready to come in this coming Sunday afternoon, if that is okay with you?”

Horace nodded in agreement, enthusiastically. “The sooner the better! I’ve really made up my mind now, and I’m really sure that it’s my only hope for the future."

The surgeon smiled. “Right! Then it’s all settled. My secretary will see you back to your transport now, and I am looking forward to seeing you later on Sunday evening. There will be a couple of documents for you to sign once you are all settled in You know, just the usual formalities every adult patient has to complete before they undergo an operation. But you need not worry that old aunt of yours. You are a couple of months over eighteen now.”

He leaned over to Horace, and the two shook hands. Horace stood up from the armchair, and the secretary led him out of the office to the patiently waiting ambulance driver who helped him into the vehicle.

Horace spent the next few days trying to relax, which he found to be a daunting task. More than once he tried to explain things to his aunt. He told her that he would be away in a hospital for some treatment, for perhaps a couple of weeks. She just smiled at him and nodded, absently. The housekeeper lady assisted him with his packing, so when Sunday came and the doorbell rang in the late afternoon, he was anxiously ready and waiting. It was the secretary who greeted him at the door and guided him into the waiting vehicle.

After the long ride in the ambulance, she escorted him onto the company premises again, but this time into a different room. She led him around it, identifying its single hospital-type bed for him. She then indicated carefully the various complicated looking machines and accessories situated around it that he must avoid when walking about. After the tour and all the safety precautions, the secretary finally sat him down on a chair near the bed and said, “Goodnight, and sleep well!”

As soon as she had left, a nurse came into the room with a tray of supper for him. She returned later to help him change into his operating gown...the drafty kind with no back. After that, she escorted him into the adjoining bathroom where she helped him locate everything he would need and then waited outside. When he returned and insisted on feeling his way by himself, however, he did stumble over a chair… but managed to climb into the bed unaided.

About half an hour later, the Professor arrived and welcomed Horace warmly with a wave of some folded documents. “This will not take long,” he insisted, as he sat down and then began to drone through them.

He had almost finished reading the first page when Horace interrupted him wearily. “Please sir, never mind all that stuff. I’m really not going to back out now. I do so badly want to be able to see again and have a more exciting life. Just guide me to where I must sign on the dotted line, and then I think I’ll be ready to get to sleep.”

The Professor smiled sympathetically and the signing procedures were soon completed. Horace sank back down in the bed and was fast asleep soon after his head touched the soft pillow. He began to dream.

“Agent Mayberry wiped the sweat from his brow with his free hand and took a deep breath. The jungle was less dense now so progress through it should be much easier. Grasping his machete firmly, he began moving forward again. Suddenly one of the vines ahead of him began waving from side to side as something sinister slid down around it. With one deft swipe he decapitated the deadly snake before it could attack him. He allowed himself a grim smile and carried on. Eventually, the jungle gave way to a small, open clearing. He paused behind a convenient bush and peered over at it cautiously. As expected from his briefing, he could see that the clearing contained several small huts. Inside one of them must be the girl he had come to rescue, probably tied up with a guard beside her. The rest of the kidnappers would be in the other huts idling their time and hopefully off-guard. They were waiting for news of the half a million dollars ransome money they had demanded and been promised.

The intrepid agent patted the bulky canvas hold-all, which hung over his left shoulder. The fake banknotes it contained were foolproof and would make this mission an easy one. The tiny electronic device hidden in the bag’s lining would begin to give out a location signal. He would activate it once he and the girl were safely away. The signal would enable the waiting helicopters to come in and obliterate the bandits and their huts. Then later, one of them would land to collect him and the girl and fly them away to safety.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the opening in the nearest hut. He was smoking a big cigar and dressed in a ragged uniform with an old-fashioned three-cornered hat on his head. It had to be the leader of the kidnappers. Agent Mayberry sheathed his machete and then moved out from his cover to confront the bandit. To his relief, the man spoke English with a perfect accent.

“So, you’re here at last with the money?” He sneered, drawing a gun. “Show it to me; I want to count it.”

“Not so fast! I want to see the girl first, to be sure she is unharmed.”

The bandit leader spat out his cigar and then crushed it out on the ground. He pulled a revolver out from a pocket, aimed it carefully, and then snarled, “You poor fool, you are in no position to make terms. I can shoot you now and take the money. Then later I can make a demand for another half million.”

Agent Mayberry smiled triumphantly and then retorted, “Think again you filthy swine. You have thirty minutes to release the girl and then allow me to leave safely with her. If I do not give the agreed signal by then, the helicopters will soon be here to blast you all to pieces.”

The bandit laughed. “You and the girl too, I presume?”

The brave agent nodded and spoke quietly, “It is the price we are prepared to pay in this job.”

The villain gave him a contemptuous sneer and considered the stalemate. He took out another cigar, began to chew on it, and then came to a decision.

“Okay then my friend, you win. I will show you the girl.”

He growled a command, and a scantily dressed pretty girl appeared in the tent opening with another kidnapper holding firmly on to her arm. The leader was about to speak again when he was interrupted by the soft thudding sound of an approaching helicopter. In alarm, Agent Mayberry glanced down at his watch. It was too early, and he hadn’t yet activated the signal device in the hold-all? Then he remembered patting it before he left the cover of the jungle.”