the images before him.
"It’s like ..." he grasped for the correct words to describe what he was seeing, "it’s incredibly clear and sharp, but I can tell ... it, it’s ... I guess it’s sort of like I’m looking at computer generated images , like in the movies. I mean, everything’s three-D, and the color and resolution are fantastic ... but it’s still not ... quite ... real." He squinted, then crossed his eyes. Now that the picture had cleared, he found he couldn’t force it out of focus even when he tried.
"Interesting," Alan mumbled, absently running his fingers through his thinning hair. "I’d never thought about that. When we tested them, we were looking at digital images on a computer monitor. If it bothers you—"
"It’s fine," Steve interrupted. He gazed at every object in the room, examining his surroundings to the smallest detail. He was already growing accustomed to the difference. In fact, everything he looked at now leaped out at him with a clear definition far superior to his old eyesight, and he’d always had 20/20 vision. "Can I get up?"
"Certainly." Alan nodded at the med-tech, who lowered the safety bars on the side of the bed. Mindful this time of the IV still attached to his left hand, Steve swung his legs around and stood. He stretched, arching his back, then bending at the waist until his face rested against his legs.
"Wow," the tech commented. "You’re pretty limber."
Steve grinned as he straightened, unaware of how intently he stared into the man’s face. "I assume there’s a mirror in the bathroom?"
The tech nodded.
Pulling the IV stand with him, Steve moved around the corner, stepped close to his reflection, and inspected his new eyes. Funny, but he never asked what they would look like. He discovered they were a striking steel-blue, with pure whites without a hint of bloodshot. To his mild surprise, he liked the blue better than his former hazel.
"Steve," Alan called, "we need to run a few tests."
"Be there in a second," Steve said, still marveling at the company’s work, not to mention the surgeons’, who left no scars he could see.
By the time he returned, Alan had dismissed the technician.
I guess his security rating only goes so far , he thought. Better get used to that kind of thing, Davison, if you’re going to follow up on this cloak-and-dagger stuff.
"What do I do?" he asked.
"Sit on the bed." Steve sat, and Alan again placed the eye-band device against the bridge of his nose. Steve felt that light, ticklish feeling return, and he assumed correctly that contact had been established. Alan adjusted a dial, then said, "Now, I want you to think ‘thermal.’ Don’t just think the word , really concentrate on the concept. Push the idea of ‘heat’ in your mind."
Steve did as he was told, his brow furrowing as he struggled to master this first step. He pictured how he’d always seen thermal vision in the movies — "Predator" in particular leaped to his mind. Heat traces, glowing in the dark ... After a few seconds, the eye-band beeped , and Alan pulled it away.
"Now keep your eyes on me," Alan said as he walked over to the door, then grinned and added, "no pun intended." Steve smirked at that and allowed a slight groan to escape his throat, which made Alan grin even bigger. He flipped the light switch, then stepped over and drew heavy drapes across the windows, plunging the room into darkness.
"You can still see me?"
"Somewhat. My eyes adjusted immediately, but I really can’t see you that much better than I would have before."
"For the moment," Alan said. "Think ‘thermal’ again. Don’t just say it in your head, push it, like before. Thermal ."
Steve focused.
Thermal ... thermal ...
At first, nothing happened ... then, suddenly, his vision sort of pulsed , and he could clearly see the different heat sources in the room — Alan shone like a bonfire.
"Oh,
"It’s like ..." he grasped for the correct words to describe what he was seeing, "it’s incredibly clear and sharp, but I can tell ... it, it’s ... I guess it’s sort of like I’m looking at computer generated images , like in the movies. I mean, everything’s three-D, and the color and resolution are fantastic ... but it’s still not ... quite ... real." He squinted, then crossed his eyes. Now that the picture had cleared, he found he couldn’t force it out of focus even when he tried.
"Interesting," Alan mumbled, absently running his fingers through his thinning hair. "I’d never thought about that. When we tested them, we were looking at digital images on a computer monitor. If it bothers you—"
"It’s fine," Steve interrupted. He gazed at every object in the room, examining his surroundings to the smallest detail. He was already growing accustomed to the difference. In fact, everything he looked at now leaped out at him with a clear definition far superior to his old eyesight, and he’d always had 20/20 vision. "Can I get up?"
"Certainly." Alan nodded at the med-tech, who lowered the safety bars on the side of the bed. Mindful this time of the IV still attached to his left hand, Steve swung his legs around and stood. He stretched, arching his back, then bending at the waist until his face rested against his legs.
"Wow," the tech commented. "You’re pretty limber."
Steve grinned as he straightened, unaware of how intently he stared into the man’s face. "I assume there’s a mirror in the bathroom?"
The tech nodded.
Pulling the IV stand with him, Steve moved around the corner, stepped close to his reflection, and inspected his new eyes. Funny, but he never asked what they would look like. He discovered they were a striking steel-blue, with pure whites without a hint of bloodshot. To his mild surprise, he liked the blue better than his former hazel.
"Steve," Alan called, "we need to run a few tests."
"Be there in a second," Steve said, still marveling at the company’s work, not to mention the surgeons’, who left no scars he could see.
By the time he returned, Alan had dismissed the technician.
I guess his security rating only goes so far , he thought. Better get used to that kind of thing, Davison, if you’re going to follow up on this cloak-and-dagger stuff.
"What do I do?" he asked.
"Sit on the bed." Steve sat, and Alan again placed the eye-band device against the bridge of his nose. Steve felt that light, ticklish feeling return, and he assumed correctly that contact had been established. Alan adjusted a dial, then said, "Now, I want you to think ‘thermal.’ Don’t just think the word , really concentrate on the concept. Push the idea of ‘heat’ in your mind."
Steve did as he was told, his brow furrowing as he struggled to master this first step. He pictured how he’d always seen thermal vision in the movies — "Predator" in particular leaped to his mind. Heat traces, glowing in the dark ... After a few seconds, the eye-band beeped , and Alan pulled it away.
"Now keep your eyes on me," Alan said as he walked over to the door, then grinned and added, "no pun intended." Steve smirked at that and allowed a slight groan to escape his throat, which made Alan grin even bigger. He flipped the light switch, then stepped over and drew heavy drapes across the windows, plunging the room into darkness.
"You can still see me?"
"Somewhat. My eyes adjusted immediately, but I really can’t see you that much better than I would have before."
"For the moment," Alan said. "Think ‘thermal’ again. Don’t just say it in your head, push it, like before. Thermal ."
Steve focused.
Thermal ... thermal ...
At first, nothing happened ... then, suddenly, his vision sort of pulsed , and he could clearly see the different heat sources in the room — Alan shone like a bonfire.
"Oh,
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