The Disparate One

Ray’s white irides stared motionlessly at the square, blue LED eyes of the robot standing before him, looking down with a curious look. The two of them were silent, except for the whirring coils and tiny gears of the artificial body. At first, Ray thought Oxford had a guard with him in the penthouse, which could make sense since he worked for the facility. But, upon taking a closer look at the design of this one, it didn’t resemble anything like them.

The robot tilted his head a little, returning his gaze to the newcomer, something he didn’t expect after all these years. He let go of the doorknob and gave a questioning look. Waiting for either one of them to do something besides staring at each other.

Footsteps came from the end of the corridor, where the living room was.

“Oh… nearly forgot about him,” said Oxford, scratching the back of his head when he found his test subject looking at the robot.

Ray finally turned to his Guardian before taking a step back, freeing the robot from the awkward first interaction. Ray figured this was a simple robot that executes tasks given to him.

Probably one of the benefits, Ray thought, keeping his eyes on the robot.

“He’s my robot,” Oxford began when he walked up to them, Ray and the robot were now pointing their eyes at him.

Oxford waved at the robot calmly, then, in an instant, the robot extended his hand out for a shake. His pointy ears, erected with a curious greeting. The shape of his eyes changed to a friendly one as if Ray was talking to a human being. Ray knew it would be rude to leave the other hanging, so he threw his hand to the robot.

The robotic hand had some noticeable pressure to it when they shook. Ray fought the urge to retreat his hand immediately, thinking it would crush it into a slushie.

“His name is Ray, my 48th test subject,” Oxford introduced.

“Nice to meet you, Ray!” the robot said with glee.

Once they let go of each other, the robot calmly proceeded to the kitchen, leaving the two men standing in the corridor. Sounds of cooking pans and utensils echoed through the penthouse.

Ray calmly walked out of the short hall, standing in the living room where, across the long dining table, was the robot cracking some eggs with ease and whisking them smoothly. Oxford stood close, waiting for that particular question.

“D-does he have a name?” Ray gently leaned to Oxford while keeping their eyes on the robotic chef.

“He doesn’t have a name,” said Oxford, crossing his arms.

“Oh? I… really prefer for him to have a name,” whispered Ray, looking down and holding his hands together behind his back.

“Alright. But I’m not the one who’s going to choose,” replied Oxford who then whistled at the robot, signaling him to pay attention to his test subject. It did as ordered.

“Ray wanted you to have a name,” explained the adult.

The robot gave a doubtful look. Ray quickly regretted his idea because the eyes of Oxford and the robot caused pressure around him, squeezing him to think of a name as fast as possible while also not sounding funny or foolish. He stuttered at the first words.

“H-how about Callifer?”

“Horrible,” said the two in perfect harmony.

Ray admitted defeat, sighing and waving his hand like a white flag. The two chuckled in victory before going back to their businesses. Oxford announced he would be in his bedroom to change his clothes when he began loosening his tie. He was in the process of walking into his bedroom when he glanced at his phone, double-checking all the doors and windows, even vents, were locked.

Ray sat on one of the armchairs near the fireplace, watching the robot flip things in mid-air with an iron pan. He caught them all without breaking a sweat. It made Ray curious. He abandoned his comfy spot in the chair before moving to one of the kitchen stools. Its feet rubbed against the wooden floor, sending a screeching sound that annoyed the two. At least now the robot was fully aware that Ray was nearby.

“H-how long have you two known each other?” Ray asked, hoping this would be a good time to do an unplanned interview.

The robot looked at him before pulling out a knife that glistened from the sun. He began slicing onions and tomatoes into tiny bits, all while keeping his eyes on Ray.

“Ever since he started working,” said the robot.

So you’re 25 years old then, Ray figured with a frightening look when the blade was stabbed on the cutting board, showing a clear reflection of himself.

“S-so you two are close?”

The robot froze in the middle of dropping the sliced onions and tomatoes into the sizzling pan. He removed his gaze from Ray.

“I wish,” he said, suddenly resuming his cooking as if nothing happened.

Shit, Ray thought after seeing the reaction, he bit his lips and tapped his hands softly on the marble countertop. He shuffled his legs, placing his feet on the footrest when he felt the anklet, reminding him of what he was.

“You’re aware of the facility?” he asked simply while sliding his leg sleeve over the device.

The robot nodded noiselessly, his back faced Ray because he was preparing the plates as the meal cooled down. The robot could still recall his days in the facility, those memories were as fresh as the sashimi he made yesterday. After transferring everything from the pans to the plates, he grabbed a trolley nearby and finally said something.

“It’s been a while since someone asked me about that place.”

Ray blinked, turning himself as his eyes tracked onto the robot moving to the dining area.

“W-what do you mean?”

The robot glanced over his shoulder with silverware in his hands.

“I’ve been there long enough already, seeing this new world somehow made me want to live here forever. The last time I visited that place was... years ago, I don’t even remember when exactly. One thing’s for sure, I’m not looking forward to return,”

Ray slumped on his stool, resting his hands on his knees. He was sure something happened between him and the facility. Even Ray admitted, he somehow liked this world more.

In one of the bedrooms, Oxford was standing silently in front of the tall mirror, looking at his aging body. Getting tired of living the same life since he opened his eyes inside that facility. But this, this was extraordinarily new. He didn’t know if he should be grateful for the management to assign Ray to his team. If they didn’t, then who knows what and where Oxford would be doing today. Sleeping in his office, waiting for death to come to visit him.

He brought himself out of his deep, growing thoughts with a gentle shake. He slid on a shirt and some shorts. His figure reflected on the hanging picture frames, some of them was an image of him with his team, some were an image of him with his friends, some were an image of him and his predecessor, and only one was an image of him with his family.

He reappeared in the dining area where the two were talking about the facility. Ray was already seated, stomach grumbling. The robot and Oxford exchanged glances before taking their seats. Oxford sat on the other end, opposite of Ray.

Ray studied their faces, having one thing in common, sadness. The aura that was once as bright as the sun was now dark as the ocean floor. The two ate their lunch undisturbed. The robot stood nearby like a butler.

As the robot retrieved their plates, Oxford stood up straight and announced that he would be in his bedroom for the rest of the day, in case they decided to look for him. He added that he would be resuming giving Ray some tasks starting tomorrow morning. He didn’t specify what kind of tasks. He departed to his bedroom, leaving the two staring at each other.

Ray was still on his seat when they heard the door shut. His hands were interlocked underneath the table.

The robot had no trouble stacking the plates in his hand before grabbing their empty glasses with his other. He walked back to the kitchen without dropping a single piece. A whole minute later, Ray’s chair rubbed across the floor. He went to his bedroom noiselessly.

The robot shook his head in disapproval and murmured something when he began scrubbing the plates. After wiping the table and drying the plates and putting them back into the cabinets, he walked to Ray’s bedroom where he found the teen flat on the bed. He crossed his arms when he leaned on the doorway.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

Ray jumped and shot a glance at him. He stumbled on his words.

“...I-I guess?” he answered, grinning.

The robot raised an ear together with a brow. Ray sighed when he covered his face, rubbing it.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Ray began, now sitting up.

The robot moved to the chair near the desk, his leg at top of another, arms still crossed. He squinted at Ray, recalling their recent interactions that led him to apologize. Was it because he asked if he and Oxford were close?

“It’s alright… don’t worry about it,” said the robot with a hint of a smile, but something still bothered the other. Ray still had his head down. The robot tilted his head and furrowed.

Again, he recalled everything that had happened beyond this room, searching for something unnatural. His conversation with Ray had already been solved. Except for Oxford’s sudden shift of mood. Even though they had been living together for years, he didn’t know that much about Oxford.

There were occurrences where he was not allowed to leave his bedroom when Oxford’s friends paid a visit. It was really strange. Add the fact that he had to lock the door as well and not make a single noise. He tried asking him about it once, Oxford only said, “Facility’s policy.”

Now that Oxford was in his mind, he figured he knew what was disturbing Ray.

“What did you two do before you got here?” the robot asked with an assertive tone.

Ray finally made eye contact.

“I asked Oxford about something while we were in the park, I-I didn’t know it would affect him…” murmured Ray.

The robot kept his mouth shut, thinking the test subject had more to say.

“I asked him if he had a family, parents specifically,” Ray twiddled his fingers.

The robot’s ears dropped. Out of all possible questions to ask, Ray came up with this. One of the questions that Oxford kept dodging. One of the questions that made Oxford frown.

The robot told Ray about one of the times when he asked the same question to Oxford. As expected, he didn’t answer. Instead, he announced he would be going out for a while, which sparked curiosity. Hours later, he found out where he went.

Oxford banged on the front door with a bottle of beer gurgling in his hand. He was absolutely tipsy, nearly falling on his feet many times, same went for speaking. Thankfully his consciousness was still present, though, it was close to losing its grip.

The scent of alcohol easily conquered the penthouse. It was also the first time he saw Oxford shed tears. He didn’t know why, but he was suddenly crying whilst assisting him to his bedroom.

The next day was awkwardly silent. He was mopping the floor when Oxford walked out of his room, already wearing his black suit. They didn’t exchange a word nor a glance.

From that moment on, the robot knew he would only receive distress from Oxford from asking that question. He did his best to avoid certain questions and topics about Oxford’s life and it worked perfectly well! It had been months since the last time he saw Oxford miserable.

“...until you asked,” said the robot with an unfavorable look.

“I-I didn’t know! I’m sorry…” Ray repeated, now wanting himself to sink deeper into the bed, to disappear with the shame and guilt weighing him down.

The robot sighed when he got up, moved towards Ray, and patted his shoulder softly. He looked down at him with a somewhat serious look.

“Take my advice, keep your mouth shut when you think of a question about Oxford’s life,” the robot smiled a little again.