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DC Comics Presents
The Origin of the Occulistby dan swanson
Unlike many other young American citizens in 1942, Biff Redondo had no desire to join the military and fight against the Axis. They were driven by love of freedom and love of country. Biff was driven by love of Biff. Rather than enlisting, he was drafted, and he did his best to fail the pre-induction examinations, limping into the induction center, failing on the vision test, and deliberately getting caught cheating on some of the written tests.
Unfortunately for him, his local draft board had access to information that pretty much put the lie to his efforts. He couldn't claim to be physically unfit, as his legendary high school athletic career had been chronicled endlessly in the local papers over the past 5 years. His scholastic record, though undistinguished, was adequate, which insured he remained eligible for athletic competition. His examiners gave him secret points for creativity when he claimed he had epilepsy and had always managed to keep it hidden, but they had heard that one before - so the military physician called Biff's family's doctor who had never heard word 1 about epilepsy. All Biff did was create himself a reputation as a malingerer, and the military checker-inners made sure to pass this information along to the NCOs at Biff's new home, Camp Bixby, near Hamlin, Ohio.
Biff tried hard to wash out of Basic Training, and became the most inept boot his instructional cadre had ever seen, but nobody was washing out in those days. Under enemy fire, the foul-ups had better remember their training! And in fact, most of them did. But Biff wanted to make sure he never came under enemy fire! He didn't want to commit a court-martial offence, because at the time, all courts-martial were followed with time in a military prison. He didn't want to go AWOL, either, because he didn't want to have to spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder for the MPs. But he decided if he didn't find a better way, AWOL it was, the last weekend before his unit shipped out!
He rapidly learned, however, that his bad attitude was hurting him more than it was hurting the Army. The Army knows how to force a square peg through a round hole - hit it with a hammer. If that doesn't work, use a bigger hammer! In Biff's case, the hammer that (sort of) finally worked consisted of constant KP, frequent extended duty assignments, everyday tongue-lashings from his superiors and occasional short rations. Within about 2 weeks, Biff was tired of these kinds of things, and he started to pay more attention. Not because he wanted to be a better soldier, but to make his life easier while he continued to search for a way out.
Biff really was a superb athlete, with an above-average IQ, and he could be quite good at just about anything he applied himself to, and he applied himself now, with impressive results. He went from the camp f**k-up to being a very good soldier in another 2 weeks or so. Of course, the training cadre was pleased to see that their methods had worked so well - turning this useless bum into a model soldier. Biff went from their 's**t list' to their 'short list'. This didn't gain him any more respect from his peers, who knew he would cut and run on them as soon as he got his chance. But who listens to a recruit? Finally, they heard that they were due to ship out, to the European front, in 2 weeks. Biff still didn't have a plan to get bounced from the Army before then.
When Biff 'straightened out', his trainers started to give him extra leave instead of extra demerits. His fellow recruits didn't want him around when they were off duty, so he found a bar on the far side of Hamlin where soldiers never went, and he spent most of his evening leaves drinking in that bar. It was a very rough place, but he figured his uniform would protect him, and he was usually right. At that time, even the worst bad guys were mostly patriots, and everyone treated a uniform with respect. For the first few weeks after he found this bar, Biff had rarely paid for his own drinks, and it seemed like everyone wanted to buy a drink and hear his story. But after a month or so, 'everyone' got tired of his pissing and moaning and bitching about the Army and the War, and he pretty much spent his evenings alone, in a booth not far from the bar. This became 'his' booth, and when he showed up, about 3 nights a week, whoever was sitting there would move to another table. Everyone on the far side of town, the bad side of town, the 'other side' of the elevated railroad tracks that ran through Hamlin, knew Biff's story and knew he was a coward, looking for some safe way out of the Army.
On the night Biff's troop found out their departure date, a strange-looking man sat down at Biff's table, back to the bar, and slammed a full pint bottle of very good whiskey on the table. He pulled two shot glasses from one of his pockets, filled them both and pushed one over to Biff. Biff had been about to rudely tell the man to go away, but he never turned down a free drink. Hopefully, that pint would continue to provide free drinks until it was time to go back to camp.
Biff examined the man. Can't say he examined him closely - he was a little too drunk for that. Old coot, bald, thick glasses, protruding teeth, stained yellow and brown. Taller than Biff, but skinny as a fence rail. Wearing a stained white laboratory robe with stained clothes on underneath. Hadn't had a bath in a few weeks. High squeaky voice. The old man raised his shot glass in a toast, so Biff picked up his glass and joined him.
"To the Army!" he said, and tossed down his shot. "The HELL with the Army!" Biff yelled, and tossed his down, too. The old oddball's eyes lit up. "Sorry! I had to be sure you were the one I'm looking for! Sir, my name is Dr. Andreas Daytona. I've heard you are looking for a way out of the Army. I can help you!"
Biff was instantly on his guard - or as much on his guard as his earlier drinks allowed him to be. He had started to realize that this kind of talk could be considered treason, and treason could be more fatal that fighting the Nazis with a slingshot! "Quiet down, old man! What gives you such a stupid idea? How do I know you're not trying to get me in trouble? How could you help, anyway?"
"Ah, caution, surprising wisdom in one so young!" Biff missed the sarcasm in Dr. Daytona's voice. "Let me see if I can answer your questions. If you weren't desperate to get out of the army, you wouldn't talk about it with total strangers when you get drunk. Some of the people who visit this bar have found employment with me in the past, and they thought I might be able to help you achieve your goal."
"As to how I could help, you have obviously not been able to solve the quite straightforward problem of getting dismissed from the Army without being shot at and without going to prison. But to one of my intellect, the solution is obvious. Of course, there are few intellects in the world that compare with mine!"
Even Biff couldn't miss the condescension in Dr. Daytona's voice, and his temper flared. But he didn't let it show. Suppose Daytona could help him and Biff drove him away? "Yes, yes, Doc, you are the World's Greatest Intellect. It's obvious to everyone who lays eyes on you! Whatcha got in mind?"
"Fake an debilitating injury. You'll get a medical discharge. Wait, don't interrupt, I already know everything you could possibly have to say about this idea. I know, you are going to tell me you've already thought of it, and there's no way you could fake anything realistic enough to get past the doctors - and you don't want a real injury!"
"Dolt! Do you think I, Andreas Daytona, super-genius that I am, haven't considered every angle, every implication, every possibility, and allowed for them all?"
Actually, Biff had been going to tell the Doc what a great idea it was, and that he hadn't thought of it yet. But, when the Doc listed all those complications, Biff started thinking maybe it wasn't all that great an idea after all. But the Doc kept talking, standing up, waving his arms around, and his voice kept getting louder. Biff was starting to get worried that he might spill the whiskey bottle and was thinking about trying to calm him down. But the Doc kept talking, not letting Biff get a word in edgewise...
"Idiot! Of course I have! What you need is a temporary injury - an injury serious enough to get you discharged, and apparently permanent. But not serious enough to disable you, and one that leaves no outer marks - so that when it vanishes, nobody will know that you are no longer suffering from the injury! Of course, to your puny intellect, this is an insolvable problem, but before the majestic genius of Dr. Daytona, the unsolvable melts away like so many snowflakes!" He was on a roll, now! Biff almost wasn't insulted - he actually couldn't see an answer. What would fit all those criteria?
"I won't keep you in suspense. Lack of vision, blindness in one eye, is the obvious answer!"
"Hey, old man! Keep it down, you're bothering my customers!" Daytona had finally gotten so loud that, even in this noisy, noisome dive, the bartender could no longer ignore him.
"Fool! You know the penalty for interrupting ME!!" He turned to face the bartender, and his hand flashed to his chest, more quickly than Biff would have believed possible, reached into his discolored jacket, and pulled out a small box with a big red button on it. Immediately, every noise in the room stopped. The bartender was suddenly white, a reaction Biff had heard of but never seen before. He looked like he was trying to swallow a ton of dry sand! He hadn't recognized Daytona with his back turned, but he sure as hell recognized him now. He crossed himself and prepared to die - or worse! But he could still beg for his life!
"Aw, jeez, Doc, look, I didn't know it was you, or I woun't have said nothing! You know that, Doc! It was just an honest mistake, and I promise - I promise on my honor and on my manhood, that it will never happen again!" He got down on his knees in from the Dayton, put his hands together and appeared to be praying to the old man. :"Doc, I got a wife and kids! Somebody has to take care of the! Oh, please, Doc!"
Daytona looked gratified with the bartender's apology and groveling. He very carefully set the box on the table, the large red button on the top side visible to every eye in the room - and every eye in the room was locked on the movement of Daytona's hands. Biff was watching a group of construction workers in a booth across the room, and they weren't even breathing - and didn't start breathing again until Daytona casually returned to his seat.
"Your instant silence has earned you all a reprieve - this time! Please return to your normal activities until I've finished my business here. However, no one is to leave until after I do!" The few patrons who were starting to edge out of their seats quickly sat down again. The noise in the bar returned to something like its normal level, but the character of the noise had changed. Biff heard men telling jokes, and other men laughing, but there was no humor in either the jokes or the laughter. The waitress shrieked as someone pinched her fanny, and she turned and slapped the guy, and those around laughed - but there was no playfulness in the pinch, and no anger in the slap. It was all playacting. Biff was suddenly terrified! What kind of hold did this crazy old coot hold over the people here, anyway? He was afraid to even ask.
But Daytona was looking at him, clearly expecting him to say something. Biff forced his mind back over the things that Daytona had been saying before the bartender interrupted. Something about blindness? "Doctor Daytona, what an absolutely incredible idea. An absolutely perfect escape from the Army. Blindness in one eye! Nobody will ever figure it out!" Biff was absolutely frozen with fear inside. He would rather fight all the Axis armies, naked and unarmed, than let this crazy man anywhere near his eyes! But, the thought of what it must have taken to teach these folks the absolute respect and fear they were showing for Daytona right now, scared him most of all! He had no idea what Daytona was talking about, but maybe he could act dumb and draw him out a little more. "Doc, it's a great plan, but I'm a little fuzzy on the details. Can you draw me a picture?"
Daytona reached for his inside jacket pocket again, and the crowd immediately quieted again. Biff started saying prayers, and somewhere nearby, as close as the next booth, he could hear water dripping to the floor. Daytona stopped moving, looked a little confused, and then started laughing! Once again, the noise level returned to something like normal. Even to Biff's untrained ear, it sounded even more strained than before. Biff was startled to realize he was no longer drunk in the least! The adrenaline fizzing in his blood had, temporarily at least, overcome the effects of the booze.
"Ah, an idiom. You don't want a real drawing, you want me to paint a picture with words. How absolutely charming, my dear boy!" Daytona reached over and patted Biff's hand. Biff was starting to feel even more nervous, now - the man's mood changed like lightning! A couple more of these unpleasant shocks, and Biff's bladder would probably let go too. Biff was a bully and he had never been known for his courage, and the only thing that kept him going now was the fear of what would happen if he made this guy mad.
"I have here" and the sound level dipped as his hand once again moved under the jacket. But he moved slowly this time, and with a big smile on his face, and the hand came out holding a small glass ink bottle. He continued "one of my greatest inventions. I call it 'Onpa'!" He paused, clearly expecting a response of some kind. His face started to darken as no one seemed to notice. Biff swallowed a lump the size of Lake Erie and started clapping his hands and cheering. The other patrons noticed, and they saw that Biff's applause seemed to be brightening Daytona's mood, and they joined in. Softly at first, but as they were able to release some of their hysterical fear, the applause and cheering increased in volume, and within a few seconds, the place was rocking with applause, whistles, cheers, and forced goodwill.
Daytona looked around him like a conductor who has just finished directing a particularly well-played Strauss waltz, stood up, and took bows to the 4 corners of the room. The applause, almost deafening loud to start with, doubled and redoubled in volume. Then the old man held up his had for silence, and silence he had!
"My friends, thank you ever so much for your acclaim. It is a humbling experience indeed to be acknowledged by such a learned and august body as this. While the accomplishment is, in the main, mine own, I must also insist that you acknowledge my partner, as he modestly sits before you." He pointed to Biff, motioned for him to rise, and the patrons started cheering again. Not as loudly as before, and it was clear to Biff, at least, that many of the patrons had had just about enough - regardless of the power of that little box. Something bad was just waiting to happen. Biff did perhaps the only courageous thing he had ever done in his life.
"Master Daytona, perhaps we two can walk a while, and discuss your triumph in privacy? The applause is deafening, and it may be that we can accomplish more in private?" Well, there may have been some self-interest in Biff's action - he was afraid that whatever Daytona did to the patrons in the bar would splash over and affect him as well. He wasn't a stupid guy, even if he wasn't a brave one...
Daytona appeared delighted with Biff's formal manner of speech. He stood and bowed again, this time in Biff's direction. "A marvelous idea, sir. Shall we take our leave?" Biff stood and the walked towards the door, passing close to the bartender.. Daytona stopped and without warning, slapped the man with unexpected force, driving him backwards against a table. As he fell to his knees, Daytona kicked him viciously in the stomach. "You!" he pointed at the trembling waitress. "We want the contents of the cash register! Now!" She scampered behind the bar, opened the register, and quickly emptied the contents into an empty pitcher. She handed the pitcher to Daytona, who gave it to Biff. "Hold this, lackey!" Of course, Biff complied, although being a lackey was one of the things he was trying to escape by getting out of the Army.
Daytona plunged his hand into the pitcher, came out with a handful of bills, and handed them to the waitress. "A round of drinks on me, please! Then he turned to the bar, and in a very menacing tone of voice. "Nobody leaves for half an hour - and my partner will be watching!" He vaguely indicated Biff, and Biff knew he would never be welcome in this town again! "And, I don't think you ought to let anyone sit at our table" and he pointed at the table where the box with the ominous button still sat, the button like a giant red eyeball, staring everywhere at once "until after midnight..." and on that note, he lead a very confused Biff, who was scared beyond anything he had ever imagined, out onto the street.
"Now, where were we?" Dr. Daytona asked.
Biff responded timidly "You had just showed me a bottle of something you called, hmm, let's see, something like pen pal or something... Said it was your greatest inventions."
"Not pen pal, you idiot! Onpa!" Biff kept thinking of a tuba going Oompah! Oompah! but he wisely kept his mouth shut. "But it's not really one of my greater inventions - it's just a potion I threw together in a few minutes last week. I made is specially for that guy who wants to get out of the Army so bad." Biff didn't say anything just then, so Daytona continued. "It stands for Optical Nerve Paralytic Agent. Neat nickname, huh? First letter of every word, get it?"
"That's very clever, Dr. Daytona. You were just going to tell me how it works."
"Ah, yes. Use a small eyedropper. 2 drops into one eye and you will be blind in that eye for 6 weeks. That should be adequate to see you through all of the medical proceedings the Army will foist upon you. But remember, once your vision returns, you must continue to pretend to blindness, at least until the war is over!"
"Once again, I respond to your questions before you can ask! Since blindness doesn't just happen, you must stage an accident - and accident that could plausibly have blinded you in one eye only."
Biff hadn't been thinking that, in fact. But now that Daytona had brought it up... "Say, Doc, that's a great idea! Any suggestions?"
Daytona roared "Must I do ALL your thinking for you? I don't know why I ally myself with idiots!" His voice dropped somewhat, and he looked thoughtful. "Because, Dr. Daytona, they are all idiots!" He looked at Biff again and smiled. "And, you are better than most. At least you are smart enough to see the benefits of becoming my partner!"
Biff saw nothing of the kind! And he didn't know where that partner stuff had come from, either! He tried to steer the conversation back to the Onpa. "An accident it is, Doc! No problems! Umm, just one more question" he added timidly. "Are you sure this stuff will work?"
Now, Daytona's voice was like thunder. "OF COURSE IT WILL WORK! I INVENTED IT, DIDN'T I?" Then, in a more normal voice, he added "I have tested it, of course. On animals and finally on myself. My vision has returned to normal, no pains, and no complications. You have my personal guarantee, of course!" Biff shuddered inside. How much would such a guarantee be worth? Nothing? Less than nothing?
Daytona wasn't finished. "Yes indeed, I know it is safe. I tested it on myself, a couple of months back. For 6 weeks I was blind as a bat in my left eye, but my sight came back and my vision is again perfect. Here, let me show you!" He reached into an outside pocket and came out with a handful of the boxes with red buttons, which he then started to juggle. Horrified, Biff counted 5 of the deadly devices flying between Daytona's hands. He wanted to run, but he didn't dare move - if he distracted Daytona, he might drop one. What would happen then, Biff realized, he had no idea. But it was sure to be deadly dangerous.
Daytona saw the helpless fear in Biff's eyes, and he laughed. "Fool! Do you think I would carry around dangerous devices? These are merely empty boxes, carried for show. People are such sheep. I've found that the threat of force is perhaps more powerful than the application of force - perhaps because of the uncertainty involved. BAHH! Why am I wasting my observations on a brainless idiot like you? It is time to wrap up this tedious business, so I can retire to my home and have an intellectual conversation - with my mirror! Follow me." He turned to walk away, and the boxes fell to the ground and bounced about, totally forgotten by the now-raging Dr. Daytona. Biff sighed in relief when he wasn't instantly killed. But then he noticed something; one of the little cubes was starting to glow red and emit smoke.
He tried to speak, but could only croak. "UH!" At the weird noise, Daytona turned around Biff pointed at the glowing cube.
Daytona saw where he was pointing, and casually kicked that particular cube into a sewer drain in the curb, then turned and walked away again. He didn't seem to care that the brief contact between his work shoe and the cube and charred a large patch of leather near the toe of the shoe. "Then again" Biff thought, after a quick glance at Daytona's work shoes "both shoes are so covered with scars, burns, spills and crud, there is really no way to point to the latest scar - it just blended in!"
Biff hurried after him. A few seconds later there came a muffled 'whoomph' of an explosion, and a noxious vapor started spewing from the curb! Daytona muttered to himself. Biff just barely made out some words "...must have pulled that one from wrong bin..." Then Daytona broke out laughing. He laughed so hard he had to hold his stomach. He laughed so hard, Biff started laughing too. Wait, what was HE laughing at? Nothing that had happened to him tonight was the least bit funny. He must be a madman!
"No", he amended his thought. "Daytona is the madman, not me! I've got to get away from him somehow!"
"Doc, It's getting late and if I don't head back soon I'll end up AWOL." and he started edging away. Daytona was suddenly rational again.
"Here you are, my boy! Good Luck! Please look me up as soon as you get out!" Biff took the ink bottle, crossed his fingers, and promised to be back, same bar, same time, exactly 8 weeks hence. And then he fled!
Daytona watched him run away, shook his head, and then commented sadly to himself "Young people shouldn't be in such a hurry these days!". He turned and headed home.
The next day, Biff had trouble believing his memories of the night before. He would have suspected somebody had slipped peyote into his tequila, until he saw the ink bottle tucked away in the corner of this trunk. Suddenly, a surge of adrenaline cut through his hangover. Would this stuff actually work? Would he actually have the guts to use it? He had to make up his mind pretty soon, as his unit was going to be shipped overseas in only 2 weeks!
Biff skipped lunch that day, and headed for the barracks, claiming he needed sleep more than food. A new group of recruits had been delivered to the camp yesterday, and the training cadre was mostly occupied with the new recruits. The few remaining instructors for Biff's group had let discipline relax a little - after all, these guys were now almost fully-trained, the were shipping out in 3 or 4 days, and it was certain that they would be in combat in a little under a month. So his CO let him go. Biff quickly pulled the bottle out of his trunk. He had thought of nothing other than this bottle all day. He needed to test the Onpa to see if it worked, but there really wasn't any way to test it except on himself.
Biff pulled a hair from his head and dipped it into the bottle, then touched it to his tongue. It tingled for a few seconds, and then stopped. He waited a few minutes, and didn't notice any effects. "OK", he thought, "time to take a chance! You can't win if you don't play!" He was shaking so hard, he had to put the bottle down. Finally he got his hand under control, and once again he dipped the hair into the bottle, and this time touched it to his eye. His vision was instantly affected, although the spot that was affected was so small it was hard for him to actually figure out what he was noticing. Finally, he tried staring at a white paper, and he could see a very small black dot. It looked like the potion worked! It didn't hurt, and it had worn off by the time his mates returned from lunch. Well, he was going to have to take a risk sooner or later, or end up getting shot at, and this seemed like his best option. He immediately decided that he would have his accident as soon as possible. He was walking sentry duty tonight. Normally he thought of this as one of the dumbest duties the Army handed out. Who was going to attack an Army training base in the middle of Ohio? But tonight it would work out perfectly!
After dinner, the soldiers had some free time, and tonight, Biff put his to good use. He picked up some 'bait' from the trash behind the mess tent and set up a raccoon trap not far from the electrical power station. The 'coon wasn't essential, but he thought it would add a nice touch of believability to his plan. And then he hit the sack. For once in his short life in the Army, he was looking forward to his duties!
Biff's duty began at midnight. He took a set of heavy work gloves with him, as well as a glass eyedropper and his potion bottle. After things had been quiet for an hour, Biff headed for his 'coon trap. He was gratified to find a 'coon trapped the box he had set up, and when he actually reached under the box to grab the frightened animal, he was very grateful that he had on the gloves. He walked into the transformer station, and callously threw the poor animal against one of the transformers, and it was immediately electrocuted. Biff filled the eyedropper, set it down carefully, and quickly returned the gloves to one of the tool sheds, and hid the potion bottle under one of the barracks. He then headed back to the transformer station.
In his mind he carefully worked out his story. He heard something moving in the station, so he cautiously entered the station, alert for any intruder. But he was surprised when the raccoon leaped at him, and had stumbled backwards. He had kicked the 'coon away from himself, and it had hit a transformer, frying it. Meanwhile, he had fallen backwards, and his rifle went flying and struck another transformer. This produced an incredibly bright flash of light, and he had been fortunate enough to have his head turned partially away, so only his left eye was affected.
Once he had the story straight, he used the eyedropper to carefully dispense 2 drops into his left eye. He ripped the bulb from the eyedropper and threw it as far as he could, then dropped the eyedropper to the ground and crushed it with his boot, and then buried the glass powder in the gravel. His eye was starting to hurt, and his vision in that eye was fading. The pain was like someone was driving a railroad spike into his eye, and he fell to the ground, writhing in pain. He barely retained enough intelligence to throw his rifle at the transformer, and as he released it, he screamed at the top of his voice "G**d D**M you, Dayton!"
The rifle struck the transformer, and the barrel was instantly vaporized in a blinding electrical flash. Sparks like lightning flashed from the transformer, and one of them struck Biff, and he passed mercifully into unconsciousness. An instant later, the ammunition in his rifle cooked off, and exploded, and Biff's unconscious body was showered with shrapnel from the body of the gun.
Biff was in the hospital for over a month. When he originally awakened, he was blind in both eyes from the flash, and his body was wrapped in bandages and salves to protect his burns. The sight in his right eye quickly returned, but the sight in his left eye did not. The accident had been so painful that the Army never even considered that it was faked, and Biff received a medical discharge. He actually attempted to contact Dr. Daytona on the agreed-upon date, but the bartender recognized him and warned him to beat it before something bad happened. Biff wanted to know more, but the only thing the bartender would tell him was that Daytona was dead, killed in an explosion 3 days after the night he had given Biff the potion. Biff was curious, so he got a hotel room for the night, and then next day went to the local library to find out more.
Very little had been known about Daytona until recently. He had apparently purchased a house in Hamlin about 15 years ago, and had been independently wealthy. He hired a groundskeeper and housekeeper, and they did all the maintenance work around the place, and he had a cook who did all the shopping as well. Daytona was known to be a scientist of some sort, but over those 15 years, he had interacted with virtually no one in Hamlin. The gardener cultivated high hedges around the property, and no one else every went inside the hedges. A curious neighborhood kid had snuck onto the grounds one night. He never told anyone what happened to him, but from the next day on, he wouldn't go near the house, or even use the street Daytona's house was on!
A couple of months ago, Daytona's behavior had changed. He had started coming out of his house, and interacting with the community. At first he seemed like a harmless, if eccentric old man, but as the days went by his behavior became increasingly erratic. He started carrying around the boxes with red switches on them, and brandishing them whenever he was upset. Somebody finally demanded proof that the boxes were anything other than props, and Daytona pulled out a box, pressed the button, and tossed it onto a beat up bridge. A few seconds later, there was an explosion and the bridge was destroyed. The police attempted to arrest him, but he managed to avoid jail by paying for reconstruction of the bridge - in cash! It had been an old bridge that was scheduled to be demolished shortly anyway, and in fact Daytona had somehow known that! A couple of other incidents, where one of the boxes was used to force a thug to dance the jig ceaselessly and extremely energetically, until the police arrived, and one that caused all of the kids in town under 13 years of age to head for the park in the center of town, ignoring or fighting anyone who tried to stop them, and then when they had gathered, all fall asleep and wake up with no memories of the event, had convinced the townsfolk to fear him and leave him alone.
But he had eventually gone too far. 3 days after 'the' day, Daytona had climbed onto the roof of his house and started shooting at people, seemingly at random. The police had quickly showed up and started shooting back. Somehow one or more of the police bullets had struck something flammable, and the old house started burning. Daytona stayed on the roof and kept shooting, and even shot at the firemen, so no one was able to stop the house from burning. Something in the house was highly explosive, because the house went up in a massive blast, wrecking many other houses in the neighborhood and hurting many police, firemen and spectators. The bodies of Daytona, the groundskeeper, housekeeper and cook were never found.
Biff returned home to Redcliff. As his vision failed to improve, Biff grew more and more depressed, and started drinking, and begging for jobs, as we have seen. And then one day, he woke up from a hangover and realized his patch was missing. He searched half the house before he realized he could see from his left eye! He was extremely ecstatic and almost made the mistake of running from the house and telling people. But he realized that if he did that, the Army would probably hear, and he would be drafted again.
Biff was looking out the front window of his house, thrilled to be able to see again. He noticed two cars moving down the street, and both of them went out of control as soon as he looked at them! They crashed, on opposite sides of the street, one of them on Biff's property. He quickly found his spare patch, put it on, and headed out to see what had happened. He found more than two wrecked cars - a couple of pedestrians were passed out on the sidewalk, and Biff's two coon hounds were sleeping as well.
The accidents weren't serious - the national speed limit was only 30 MPH, after all, and both cars had been moving at well below that. on the poorly-paved street. The police arrived and summoned ambulances. About an hour later, all 4 sleeping people awoke, in perfect health. It was a mystery what had put them to sleep - a mystery that the public didn't find out the solution for until over a year later when The Oculist was captured and revealed to be Biff. On the other hand, Biff at first didn't connect his returned sight to his newfound power, but he eventually worked it out. He did some discreet testing to determine the limits of his power, creating some more mysterious sleeping victims, and decided that this power could help him get rich. He formulated for himself the tenant he was to live by for the rest of his life:
"With great power comes great opportunity!" And we've already seen how Biff decided to take advantage of his access to great opportunity.
The Oculist Bio
Real Name: Biff Redondo Known Relatives: unnamed father and mother Occupation: Formerly, High School student, Army recruit. Currently: Professional criminal Base of Operations: Redcliff, Ohio Group Affiliation: Formerly, US Army, his own black-market gang, currently: none Associates: Formerly, Dr. Andreas Daytona, criminal scientist Height: 5'11" Weight: 185 lbs Hair: Red Eyes: Right: blue, left: totally white
History:
Biff was a hotshot high school athlete, and he was drafted into the Army in early 1942. He is something of a coward, so he looked for some way out of the Army short of dishonorable discharge. An old man, apparently a criminal scientists, gave Biff a potion that would temporarily blind him, after which the Army would give him a medical discharge. This plan worked, and Biff was discharged.
During the accident Biff staged to give a plausible reason for his sudden blindness, he was struck by a violent electrical discharge, and also witnessed the blinding (!) flash that accompanied the discharge. The combination of the blindness potion, the ultra-bright light and the massive electrical shock gave Biff a super-power - the power to induce unconsciousness in anyone in his field of sight. See below for more details.
The vision in Biff's right eye quickly returned to normal, while he remained blind in the left eye. He was indeed discharged from the Army and returned home. His blindness depressed him, and he pretty much gave up on life, sinking further and further into an alcohol-induced stupor. Until one day, when he realized he could see from both eyes again!
Soon afterwards, Biff discovered his power and experimented with it. He soon decided to take advantage of this power, and he formed a small criminal gang. They successfully hijacked a number of gasoline tank trucks, selling the gasoline on the black market.
Biff's behavior started to become more erratic, and one night he abandoned the gang's normal tactics. He send his associates to capture or kill Lily DeLuna, while he hijacked the target truck that evening himself. Lily captured Biff's associates, who ratted him out to the police. He was captured by Lily, Rich Spooner, a new friend of Lily's who had one time been Biff's sidekick, and two Redcliff Sheriff's deputies, and then turned over to the FBI. Biff was tried for treason, found guilty and sent to prison, but nothing further is known of his story as of this time.
Dr. Daytona seemingly perished in the violent explosion of his own house, during a gun battle with police. The explosion was so violent it indicated that the Dr. was perhaps using his house as a development laboratory for an unknown number of deadly projects. It isn't known if the smoke and fallout from the explosion will have any affect on the residents of Hamlin, Ohio.
Powers:
Biff's left eye produces an invisible energy field (that's the current theory, anyway) that renders all animal life in his field of vision unconscious. The range is about 150 years, and his power seems to work OK whether he can see the victims or not. It has also operated through the sides of a truck.
The duration of the induced unconsciousness varies with the size of the creature affected. An adult human of average size will be unconscious for about an hour, and a cat will be unconscious for over two hours.
The limits of Biff's power are unknown. How long can he continue to produce the energy field? Is there a maximum number of people it will affect? Is the effect dangerous to the long-term health of Biff's victims? No one has had the time to find out the answers to these questions yet.
Biff's own body blocks the effects of this energy field (if that's what it is) and he has trained himself to keep his left eye closed as long as he is wearing his eye patch. If he were to open his eye while wearing the patch, his power would pass through the patch unaffected.
There is some evidence that the potion Biff was given by the scientists Dr. Daytona to cause temporarily blindness also has the long-term effect of inducing madness on the user, although the extent and duration of the madness effect is unknown.
It is also not known if Biff's powers are permanent or temporary, or if he has any other powers than the ability to induce unconsciousness.
The End
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