Chapter 6 AN: I was hoping to get this out last weekend, but work interfered -- it really did! Also, no Justin in this chapter. There is a reference to some characters back in Chapter 2. I know it's been awhile since I updated, so I don't know if anyone needs a primer about some other characters in the story. There is some child abuse in this. If it's not your cup of tea, don't read. There will be mention of it occasionally throughout the story. ------------------------------------------------- Brian could feel the device as it was fitted onto his face and as the ear piece clicked into the implant located behind his left ear. He was told that they looked basically liked a pair of large sunglasses, the inside of them being the screen he would be viewing like a TV screen. He thought about making a wise-crack about when he could convert to Gucci shades, but decided not just yet. Brian had a big suspicion that they were more like those geriatric sunglass he saw old people wear over their real eyeglasses. Go with the flow Brian. You don't know even know if you're going to see anything. As the hours wore on, Brian became increasingly impatient and disappointed. When he was first plugged into the system, he actually thought he was going to be plugged into Shadow. Willam had to burst that bubble for him, explaining that he would be hooked into a computer to test the feasibility of finally being hooked up to Shadow. "Herr Kinney, when I activate the system, you might feel slightly nauseous or dizzy. You might be seeing some light. If you just stay calm, all of this shall pass. Then you will see the test pattern. I am told it looks something like the old test pattern you would see on your televisions in the United States." Brian had thought he was mentally prepared to see anything, but what happened was so disconcerting. He could hear Willam flicking a few switches and suddenly there was a flash of light; not like a lightning flash of light, but something that seemed to come from inside his brain and it sent a tingling sensation down his spine. He let out an audible moan. "Just relax, Herr Kinney. It will pass." When Willam saw that Brian was starting to relax and did not seem to be in any pain, he continued on with the tests. Brian thought Willam was going to get on his last nerve. It was four hours of telling Willam where a small dot appeared, on which grid: left, right, up, or down. Jesus Christ, Brian thought, this must be the monotony of what the creators of "Pong" went through; only this was three times as boring. ------------------------------------------------- After a light lunch, Dr. Raab and Dr. Markus finally arrived. "Well, Mr. Kinney, Willam tells me that things have gone exceedingly well for you this morning. All of the tests have come back good, you are seeing with good visual acuity. I think we shall now bring in Shadow and see how things go. I must warn you, though, that you may see nothing initially. It may take a few days for the link-up to finally be finalized between you and Shadow. In fact, I just want to warn you that it may not happen at all. I only say this so that you won't be too disappointed if nothing should happen. I really do have all confidence that there will be a good outcome." Brian heard the door open and could hear Shadow panting. "Herr Kinney, Shadow is to your right side. Please put your hand down so you can feel him," Willam said. Brian reached out to Shadow and stroked his large head, his hand coming into contact with the link-up that had been surgically installed on the back of Shadow's head. He could hear Shadow's tale thumping against his chair as Shadow wagged his tail. "Herr Kinney, I am now going to link you and Shadow together. Linking now." Brian felt a sudden bolt of pain and saw another flash of light. He jerked his head, but the pain was gone before he could really think about it. "I don't see anything," Brian said. "Tell me what you do see, Herr Kinney." "I don't know. It's like a fuzzy mist. It's all grey." "This is good. We are connected," Willam said. "I don't think you heard me. There's nothing there!" "Remember to be patient, Herr Kinney. I will run some more diagnostics." Feeling even more impatient than in the morning session, Brian thought he was going to really lose his cool. "Willam, if you call me Herr Kinney again, I swear to God I will rip off your balls and shove them down your throat." "Then what shall I call you, Herr Kinney?" "Brian -- just Brian." Brian could hear Willam, Dr. Raab and Dr. Markus shuffling around the room, and then he heard Shadow softly grow. As Shadow moved, he saw something move in the mist. "Wait, I saw something!" "What did you see, Brian?" "I don't know exactly. Just a sense of movement; something big." "Let me adjust something." "There, a bright flash of light." "Where?" "Left eye. Now the right eye." "Ah, very good." "Were you shining something in my eyes, Willam?" "No, Herr -- Brian. I was shining a light, though, into Shadow's eyes." At this point Brian was really feeling crestfallen. "Are you telling me this is as good as it's going to get? Just seeing a mist and an occasional flash of light?" "But this is good, Mr. Kinney. It just takes time for your brain to adapt to everything that is happening. It could take days, weeks, or even the worst case scenario, which took three weeks," Brian could hear Dr. Raab say. "Well, just fine. What the hell do I do until then?" Melanie, who had been sitting quietly by, decided to fill Brian in on the procedure. "You will remain linked to Shadow 24 hours a day to allow your visual cortex to adjust to everything," Brian could hear Melanie say. "And you will get some more rest. Part of the reason you're having difficulty is because you're exhausted and you need to rest. You may feel like you've done nothing, Brian, but your brain is on overload right now." Dr. Raab and Dr. Markus led Brian to his room, helped him into bed, and then left him to rest. Brian looked out of his eyes into the mist that didn't seem to end. Brian reached down the patted Shadow's head, feeling his cold snout press into his hand. "Maybe you're as blind as I am, big boy. That would be so funny, wouldn't it?" ----------------------------------------------------- Brian woke suddenly, scared out of his mind. Something had happened, but he couldn't remember what. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was. He laid still and tried to get his bearings. Yes, he was still in the room. He could hear Shadow's deep breathing beside the bed. Brian could also hear electrical equipment running in the room, but couldn't decide what it was. Must be instrumentation to collect data about my progress, he thought. Everything sounded extremely loud to him at this moment. Brian tried to relax his body to get back to sleep. He started to do some deep breathing exercises he had been taught when he was first blinded and was actually listening to something a medical provider had told him. Before he knew it, his eyelids were falling and he was falling asleep again. The dream came suddenly. In fact, it was so sudden that he knew in his head that he was dreaming. This wasn't like one of the dreams he had when he was at home on the lake. Those dreams were always about seeing, and everything was crystal clear in them. In his dream he was in near darkness. Maybe he was in a closet or trapped somewhere. He didn't know. He could see through a doorway, or maybe it was gate. He couldn't decided. He saw bars, and beyond on the bars on the hard floor lay a boy. As if sensing Brian watching him, the boy looked up and stared right at him. The boy had bruises on his face, and his eyes were swollen. The boy tried to smile at him, but something was wrong with his mouth. Then he noticed that the lips were swollen, also. Then Brian realized that there was no sound in his dream; everything was silent. Brian could see the field of vision changing in his dream. It wasn't like a switch to a different scene, but more like a head turning. Then he saw the figure standing there, and it frightened him. The figure started to move toward him. The figure stood over him, but he couldn't make it out. It opened the door to the cell, went inside, and cradled the boy in its arms. The boy did not like this, it was obvious, and started to squirm. The figure then put the boy down and stood up again. Brian did not like this dream and was starting to toss and turn a bit in the bed. This figure he kept seeing, it was like Death. He saw Death standing over the boy and didn't like the feeling he was getting. Death reached down to the boy with something in its hand and hit the boy across the head. The boy did not move. The hand came down again and again, clubbing the boy. Brian awoke suddenly, panting and trying to get the image out of his head. He could not get the image of Death out of his head; it clung to him like cigarette smoke. He wanted to wash himself to get it off. Brian could hear the door open and a soft voice say. "It is all right. You were dreaming. Take this." Brian did as the nurse asked and took the sleeping pill. He could feel the glasses being lifted from his face as he lay down again on the bed. It seemed to only take seconds for sleep to claim him again -- this time peaceful