“Look!” Peter walks briskly towards a grand building in front of them. They have reached the end of the street, where they can see The Royal Society of Bio-Mechanical Augmentation. It is a gothic construction standing in the middle of a large park. The scent of freshly trimmed grass and roses lingers in the air as they stride. They see butterflies and bees whizzing around them. As they get closer to the entrance of the main building, there is gravel upon which they walk.
They enter through large wooden doors into an open-plan reception which is made of marble. There is a young man who is filing some papers behind the counter. The only sound that they can hear is the ragged breathing of Alfred who is tired from the long walk and their boots tapping on the marble floor.
“Hello, I am Alfred Burton accompanied by Peter Chambers. We are here for an appointment with Doctor Stephen Byron,” he says to the man behind the counter. He passes him the letter confirming his appointment.
“Follow me,” says the young man who escorts them towards a wall made of bronze where they get into an elevator and go to the twelfth floor. They enter a narrow corridor which has dim lights and no windows to make their way towards Doctor Byron’s office. They can hear screams, cries and groaning sounds echoing from different rooms as they pass them. There are frequent sounds of blades being sharpened. Peter thinks that there is some construction work happening. Alfred knows that someone is getting amputated. A young girl with half an open wrist walks past them with an assistant. She is sobbing as she holds onto a cloth which is dripping crimson blood onto the floor. It leaves a trail behind them. They enter a small passage where pickled body parts are kept in a jar on shelves. Peter gags looking at them.
“This way, please,” says the young man when they reach room number 1206. He knocks at the door and let’s Alfred and Peter into the room.
“Mister Burton,” says Doctor Byron as he stands up behind his desk and nods.
Alfred nods in response and gestures Peter to follow him, they take a seat. Doctor Byron stares at the boy then looks at Alfred. “Peter Chambers?” Doctor Byron stretches his hand and offers a handshake. Peter nods and shakes his hand. “Pleased to see you, now, would you please be so kind as to remove your shoes and step on this scale for me?” The doctor makes some notes and says, “Thank you.” He then looks at Alfred and says, “In the letter I received there is a request for a permanent Aluminium limb, which is for you?”