by Dan Swanson
From the classified files of Operation Liberty, potential agent summary compiled by A. Munro from FBI and police interviews, circa 1942-1943:
Name: The Oculist
Real Name: Biff Redondo
Known Relatives: unnamed father and mother
Occupation: U.S. Army recruit (formerly); professional criminal (currently)
Base of Operations: Redcliff, Ohio
Group Affiliation: None
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 185 lbs.
Hair: Red
Eyes: Blue (right eye); white (left eye)History:
Biff Redondo was a self-described hotshot high school athlete before he was drafted into the U.S. Army in early 1942. Being something of a coward, he looked for some way out of the army short of dishonorable discharge. An old man named Dr. Andreas Daytona (see attached file), apparently a scientist with criminal intent, gave Redondo a potion that would temporarily blind him, after which the U.S. Army would give him a medical discharge. This plan worked, and Redondo was discharged.
During the accident Redondo 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 Redondo a super-power — the power to induce unconsciousness in anyone in his field of sight. (See section below for more details.)
The vision in Redondo’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 began to give 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 afterward, Redondo discovered his power and experimented with it. He soon decided to take advantage of this power, and, under the new masked identity of the Oculist (ie. an eye doctor or ophthalmologist), he formed a small criminal gang. They successfully hijacked a number of gasoline tank trucks, selling the gasoline on the black market.
Redondo’s behavior started to become more erratic, and one night he abandoned the gang’s normal tactics, sending his associates to capture or kill one Lily DeLuna (see attached police interview), while he hijacked the target truck that evening himself. Miss DeLuna captured Redondo’s associates, who ratted him out to the police. Redondo himself was captured by Miss DeLuna, Rich Spooner (a onetime associate of Redondo during childhood), and two Redcliff sheriff’s deputies, and then turned over to the FBI. Redondo was tried for treason, found guilty, and sent to prison, where he remains as of the date of this report.
Dr. Andreas 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 reputed scientist 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 effect on the residents of Hamlin, Ohio.
Powers and Abilities:
Redondo’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 yards, and his power seems to work fine 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 Redondo’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 Redondo’s victims? No one has had the time to find out the answers to these questions yet.
Redondo’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 eyepatch. 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 Redondo was given by the scientist Dr. Andreas Daytona to cause temporarily blindness also has the longterm effect of inducing madness on the user, although the extent and duration of the madness effect is unknown.
It is also not known if Redondo’s powers are permanent or temporary, or if he has any other powers than the ability to induce unconsciousness.
The End