Arthur had ordered the equipment Auggie needed and had instructed Joan to set up an office for Auggie that was easily accessible and that matched the demands of his disability. Three weeks later the equipment had been delivered and installed and the new office waited for its new owner and the inauguration.
On his first day in Langley or more precisely on his first day as a blind man in Langley, Joan had welcomed him. She had been waiting by the entrance when Auggie arrived with a taxi. Auggie got out of the back of the car, unfolded his cane, tapped it on the ground to lock the parts firmly and made his way to the door. "Welcome back Auggie" he heard the voice of Joan and it took him by surprise. He had not expected that someone might be waiting for him outside the building "Hey Joan" Auggie turned towards the voice and smiled. "I thought it might be a good idea to welcome you right here. The DPD moved into a new building three days ago and I thought it would be easier for you if I took you there instead of having you search for the right wa.y" Joan said and Auggie replied "That is very kind of you. I appreciate that". And then he took Joan´s arm and let her lead the way. He was curious what his new office would be like, an office he would never see.
Auggie felt his way around his new office. Three steps from the desk to the printer, five steps from the glass desk to the door, four steps from the desk to the shelves on the wall behind him and five steps from the desk to the window on his right. Now he had a mental picture of his environment but he was still a bit insecure how he would manage daily tasks without sight. He had adapted as far as possible to his disability in the past 8 months but going to work again and having to function in a sighted world was something entirely different. Auggie felt for the desk drawer, folded his cane, put it into the top drawer and booted the computer. He took a seat, searched for the headphones with his right hand and seconds later he heard a voice announce that the computer was now ready. Auggie typed a few words on his keyboard and slid his fingers across the Braille line. The first thing he wanted to do was to create a new e-mail account.
3 months later
Auggie had quickly become acquainted with the new DPD building and he had been able to prove that he was still a skilled member of the CIA even without being able to see. His old and new colleagues appreciated him and treated him like anyone else. And that was exactly what he needed.
Auggie sat at his desk, typing a letter whilst listening to the computer voice that came through his headphones, when his phone rang. He slid the headphones down to his neck, felt for the receiver and picked it up "Anderson DPD" he said and heard Joan´s voice on the other end of the line "Hello Auggie, I would like you to come over to my office, I have a special task for you and I would appreciate it if you could come straight away." Auggie was curious. What might Joan want? He opened the drawer of his desk, fished his cane out, unfurled it and walked to Joan´s office. Two minutes later he knocked on the office door. "Come in" Joan called and the scent of a perfume told him that someone else was in the room, too. He knew Joan´s perfume and that other scent was completely new to him. Auggie swept his cane, finding his way to Joan´s desk and Joan introduced him "Auggie this is Annie Walker. She is one of our new operatives and I would appreciate it if you could show her around and explain to her what we expect from our agents." Annie rose from her seat and extended her hand. "Annie Walker, nice to meet you" she said. But then she realized that Auggie could not see her hand. Annie was blond, slim and had blue eyes. She was not very tall but in good shape because she went to the gym a lot and loved to go jogging. Auggie turned his head towards her voice and now he extended his right hand that had rested on top of his cane and said "My name is August Anderson, welcome to Langley Miss Walker" Annie reciprocated with a firm handshake and Auggie said "I would love to show you around now. Would you please follow me" And then he turned towards the door sweeping his cane in front of him and Annie followed right behind.