The Disparate One

“You’re not joking, right?” Ray asked eagerly, glancing at the robot who was pouring bowls of noodles and his attention, “You’re going to leave us?”

Oxford shook his head No before taking a sip of orange juice. He explained to the two that he would only be gone for a couple of days, a short vacation, with some people. Ray figured Oxford would be hanging out with Chap and the others. Probably a good idea for someone who had been working for decades, non-stop.

“...plus, I’m not allowed to take my eyes off of you for a long time,” Oxford looked at Ray.

The robot stopped the trolley nearby, at the middle of the long table, still at an equal distance between the two. While serving their meals, Oxford felt his phone start to vibrate. He placed his hand over his pocket, stood up, excused himself, and went to his bedroom, locking the door.

He brought out his phone and answered the call. It was Chap. Oxford moved and leaned against his desk that was surrounded by three walls of windows. It was odd for Chap to call this early, usually, they would talk before nightfall. Once the two had established that they were the real ones, by stating their made-up password, Chap requested to be put in a hologram.

Chap’s digital body formed near the desk, he was holding a few papers. He wasn’t wearing his labcoat nor any equipment.

“I’m sending you all of the results now, I’ve examined every sample I obtained,” stated Chap, swiping on his tablet. Oxford’s tablet on the desk pinged.

Oxford tapped on his phone which resulted in the curtains being lowered, dimming the windows, making the hologram more vivid and less distorted. Oxford then grabbed his tablet and examined the documents, some were the same, though some were new, and some of them were extraordinary.

Chap inserted a virus into one of his lab rats. As expected, their DNA changed along with their behavior and appearance. He then inserted Ray’s blood along with the virus. The rat died instantly as expected. However, taking a closer look at the rat’s blood, he saw no trace of the virus anymore, just Ray’s, destroying the cells of its host. Like a parasite. Or a virus. A new one of its kind in history.

“...all of his samples also showed no match in our database,” said Chap, taking a seat behind his desk, “Even from the other two facilities and other organizations... Ray is basically… completely… foreign. An alien. A robotic one.”

Oxford sighed. Despite already knowing all those details, the fact that Ray looked and acted like a normal human being still prevented him from labeling what he really was, even though he was made out of microscopic robots. He also didn’t ignore the fact that Ray couldn’t remember anything about himself but managed to defeat the robot in combat and end a game of chess in stalemate!

Then he remembered something. He remembered the time when Ray told his interaction with Sion, the one with the staff. And the dreams as well. So many pieces, yet nothing made sense. He rubbed his temples when he sat on his bed, Chap remained silent, watching him.

“How is he by the way? You’ve forgotten to update us about him, you know that right?” Chap disturbed.

Oxford calmly looked at his colleague and told everything Ray did with the robot, their combat session, chess… and their recent bonding. Which he had been honestly craving years ago. He never knew a teen like Ray would bring joy back to his life and the robot. Teen. Oxford perked up.

“What if… Ray is made by an ancient civilization that left no trace for us to discover, except him?”

Chap rose a brow, seeing the sudden energy from his friend. Finally! Someone had gotten complete interest in this case. Though, it had been a long time since he saw those adrenaline from Oxford. Plus, the way Oxford said his idea made him sound like Chap who was a geek in sci-fi and mystery novels.

“Then why… would he end up here, out of all possible planets, galaxies?”

“It’s… It’s just a thought…” Oxford shrugged.

Their phone vibrated again. Both glanced at their devices. Sion was calling. Oxford glanced at Chap when he asked his opinion on pulling Sion into this conversation. Sion’s hologram appeared feet away from Chap.

Sion was also behind his desk. His head was on his hands when he showed his lifeless appearance as if his soul finally left himself and the facility. From his lethargic movements, unorganized hair, bloodshot eyes, the two could tell someone hadn’t gotten any sleep for days. Strange for Sion who loved sleeping.

“Wow… is it Halloween already?” Chap joked and quickly apologized afterward.

Sion sighed disappointingly at Chap before shifting his gaze at Oxford who furrowed.

“Have you concluded what Ray is?” Sion murmured, his face sliding off from his hand. Oxford shook his head with slight shame.

“I need more sources,” said Oxford.

“Meanwhile, you decided to rush other test subjects before him.” Sion reminded.

“Well, that’s because they weren’t humans.”

“Ray isn’t a human.” Sion declared.

“Like I said-”

“Like I said, Ray is not a human!” Sion shouted and slammed his hand on his desk like a hammer, making the stacks of papers jump and shutting their mouths.

Chap remained silent. He fought the urge to bail from the conversation before it could get any worse, but the topic continued to magnetize him.

Oxford remained silent for seconds as well, waiting for Sion’s anger to pass. When he knew Sion had regained his composure, he spoke up.

“Ray told me. Tell me something that we don’t know.”

Sion darted his eyes at Oxford with a massive sigh while rubbing his rubbery face. He coughed excessively.

“Ray doesn’t have a match to everyone’s databases right?” Sion gazed at Chap. He nodded.

“Now let’s move Ray out of the picture for a moment. Who, in the entire history, doesn’t have any existing data?”

Chap blinked before shifting to his computer where he accessed the servers. He moved his cursor to the search bar, then filters. It was just now that Chap discovered there wasn’t a filter for “archives″. He didn’t know where this conversation was heading, but he remained hopeful.

“Micro.”, Sion stated, glancing at his own monitor that displayed nothing but the search bar where he typed the name and “no results” below it.

Chap went back to his computer and typed Micro on the search bar. Pressing enter, his eyes gradually returned to the two.

“No results...” said Chap.

Oxford wasn’t sure if he should believe Sion. He knew Micro, everyone in the history of the facility did. He was the founder. Unfortunately, he died along with other members of the management on their trip to Asia. Oxford figured Micro’s profile had been removed since… well… he was already dead. He didn’t know if he should be glad or not because Micro killed his predecessor. Micro’s figure remained in his mind even to this moment.

“So you’re saying… Ray is Micro?” Oxford crossed his arms.

“Possibly,” Sion corrected.

“Impossible, they had different builds and features,” Oxford said nonchalantly, keeping his nightmares at bay.

They may have but Sion claimed he searched for the profiles of the former members of the management and they showed up. All of them still existed, except for Micro.

“Wouldn’t it be a coincidence?” Sion yawned in between words. Chap supported Sion’s idea.

Oxford shook his head. He refused to believe in it. There were still too many holes to walk on it. Questions like why did Micro become a test subject, or why did Micro forget everything about himself after all these years? Was this his punishment for being so ruthless in the past? Was this voluntary or was there someone behind this?

“Micro and his colleagues went on a trip to Asia, right?” Sion took over, “Their plane disappeared somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Where did we find Ray?” Sion looked at Chap.

While the two talked, Oxford casually walked over to his desk, opening a drawer, pulling out Ray’s pills. He popped one into his mouth before standing near the window, peering through the thick curtains to the crowded streets.

When silence filled the room, Oxford looked at the glowing holograms reflecting on the window. He stood calmly with a straight face. Everything Sion said could all be a coincidence. Was this the prophecy speaking to him? That he would finally get what he wanted? Freedom? Revenge? In exchange for blood, betrayal, and Soothsayer himself?

Ray and the robot were chatting at the dining table, recalling their moments earlier. Ray really enjoyed the time they spent with one another, he even told the robot that he would always be available for other games, like chess, anything that didn’t involve any walls or pain. Except for martial arts.

Ray had to go to the bathroom when he accidentally drank his entire mango juice while they were talking. The robot went to his bedroom to get the board of chess, however, as he passed Oxford’s bedroom door, his right ear stood up. Another set of foreign voices, male ones.

At first, he thought Oxford was just having another typical meeting with his colleagues, though, at this hour of the day? A little bit early. Too early that is. It wasn’t suspicious until he heard one of them shout. He glanced around in the corridor before speeding to his bedroom, closing the door, locking it.

He snatched the hi-tech stethoscope from one of the drawers, walked over to one of his picture frames, the one that had a hospital, and pressed the round end on the concrete wall behind it. He used the photo as a marker on which specific part of the wall for him to clearly hear what Oxford and his colleagues were talking about, even though there was a hall between their rooms.

He adjusted the tiny dial on the round end, like a radio searching for the right frequency. He kept his eyes on his bedroom door as he listened to their conversation. His eyes slightly widened when they got to the part about Ray being Micro. He squinted, he didn’t remember anything about Micro. How come they did?

He usually only did this sneaky stuff when he was in the mood. He had done this many times and yet, fortunately, Oxford didn’t know a single thing about them being spied on.

“Should I update the others?” asked Chap who now had the concerned look.

Oxford returned a look at the holograms, clicking his tongue and tapping his foot on the carpet.

“No. Let’s keep it only between us three for now,” said Oxford.

With that, Chap nodded and ended the call. His hologram vanished into thin air. Oxford returned to the window, glancing on the city horizon. Despite the sun blasting through the dim window, he could still see a glowing figure’s reflection. He looked and found Sion now standing, thumbs rubbing each other.

“Oxford?”

“I’ll keep an eye on myself, Sion. Don’t worry,” assured Oxford, now sitting on the edge of his bed, “You should keep an eye at yourself as well,” he added.

“I just have a feeling that-”

“I will not let anything happen this time, Sion. Trust me. I’ve been really careful these days.”

“Oxford.”, Sion stood straight.

“Sion.”

“Don’t tell anyone about this,” Sion returned to his desk where he revealed the golden staff. It shimmered under the luminescent light.

The robot pressed the round metal end deeper into the wall when the voices somehow died out. He checked the device if it was still working when Ray knocked on the door. Quickly, he took the stethoscope off and placed it back into the drawer, which he closed silently. Then, he shuffled to the closet, snagging the box above the hangers.

Ray was about to turn the knob when the door swung, presenting the glowing eyes of the robot, “Everything fine?”

“Yeah,” the robot bobbed his head up and down before bringing themselves back to the dining room.

While preparing the game and Ray sipping the soup, the robot, out of curiosity, asked Ray’s favorite meal. He knew what Ray’s favorite drink was already. Apparently, for Ray, he had no favorite meal, for now at least.

Ray was twisting the noodles when the robot finished building the game. This time the robot wanted to be the white. He moved one of his pawns by one block.

“Hey, just curious. If you were a human, what would be your favorite?” asked Ray when he made his move on the game. There was a moment of silence.

“Probably sushi,” the robot slid his bishop.

“Sushi? Huh. I never expected you to choose that,” replied Ray, he then asked for Oxford’s.

“Burger.”, a third voice joined.

Ray darted his gaze at Oxford who walked out of the corridor and joined them on the table. His noodles were slightly cold. He gave a curious look at their game in the middle of the table. He never thought his gift would see the light of day, or he would see it again. A feeling of shame grew within him.

The two explained that this was way better than destroying the penthouse. Later in the game, the robot went quiet. The two thought that the robot had gone mute. Oxford and Ray kept eating their noodles, however, Oxford remained observant of each of their moves and attacks. Their match ended in a stalemate again. Oxford couldn’t believe how the two ended up only having their kings dance around the board.

Oxford was somewhat impressed by the two’s strategies. He wanted to participate, but he had to do something back in his bedroom. He left them without any explanation. Ray keened to spend more time with the robot, spending the rest of the day with him. After cleaning the game, the robot went back to his bedroom alone, passing Oxford’s bedroom. He wanted to listen, but he guessed taking a rain check wouldn’t hurt.

As they were walking towards the library, Ray stopped when he had a glimpse of the laboratory. He asked about it. Who would need such a thing and why?

“Oh. Sometimes I use it to make glow sticks and whatnot. Sometimes Oxford uses it too, but for whatever reasons, and unlike me, he always had the doors locked. There are even times when a colleague of his borrowed the lab,” explained the robot. Ray figured that “colleague” was Chap.

Getting to the library, the two took part in their own ways to search for something to read. Ray spun the glass globe in the middle of the round table, admired the odd portraits, and ran his fingers across the rows of different fictions. This place reminded him of the P.G.P. section.

He slid one out randomly and walked back to the open area. The robot was already seated on the leather armchair, feet resting on a footrest. Ray took the seat opposite the robot, copying his position. His eyes halted at the title of the book which the robot was reading. Life.

Ray straightened his back, his fingers tapped softly on the leather cover of the book. It was slightly opened. He cleared his throat, which magnetized the robot’s eyes.

“You know... I just remembered that I have clothes to double-check,” Ray said, closing the book and placing it on the small table. He leaned closer to the robot.

“Wanna help me try some on?” he grinned.

The robot raised a brow and an ear, giving Ray a “are you kidding me” look. They just got to the library and now Ray wanted to travel to the opposite side of the place. What was this teen even thinking of?

“I can let you wear some as well. It does look like we have the same overall size after all.”

Suddenly, the robot threw everything he thought about Ray and jumped onto the wagon of excitement. They transferred to Ray’s bedroom and in just a matter of minutes, the two were already wearing different sets of clothing while standing in front of the tall, 180-degree mirror. They walked around, picturing they were in a fashion show. They threw compliments at each other. Luckily, no matter what set and style they put on, both looked ravishing.

Ray was putting on another set of suits when he watched the robot posing in front of the mirror with a massive glee. He could even hear him humming as he did quick roleplays, changing accents and tone of voice, heck, count the facial expressions.

Ray was so focused on the robot’s sudden shift in behavior and mood to the point where he didn’t feel the question thrown at him.

“Come again?”

The robot rolled his eyes then turned around.

“I asked, ‘why are you wearing a general uniform in the first place? Have they found the reason yet?’” the robot repeated, taking off the silver tie.

Ray thought about it for the first time, glancing at his neatly, folded uniform on the bench. Unfortunately, he didn’t know… and probably neither do Oxford and his colleagues. He shrugged it off to prevent their moment from being interrupted. He finished tying his shoelaces and exchanged places with the robot.

After their makeshift fashion show, Ray ended up wearing a set of simple clothing, a white t-shirt, and shorts. He felt lighter and liberated from the same clothes he wore for days. When everything was back into their own hangers, Ray, who was still in the closet, called the robot back.

The robot stood at the bedroom door with a curious look. He watched Ray grab an armful of clothes and suits, together with shoes. Ray walked over to the robot and without saying, he gestured to him to basket his arms around. The robot had his eyes wide open when Ray slid the clothes to him.

“What’s this?” the robot admired the vibrant colors.

“They’re yours,” stated Ray, taking a step back with a small smile.

The robot didn’t say anything as he solidified in his place. His eyes blinked at Ray, feeling the weight of the clothes and the weight of Ray’s value. Without saying a word, he pulled Ray to a tight hug, carefully not crushing his ribs.

Oxford walked out of his bedroom and to the kitchen where he found himself something to drink. He heard voices faintly echoing from the hall to their bedrooms. Grabbing a bottle of water and closing the fridge, he walked back to the corridor. At the end of the corridor were two shadows, he could easily tell which of them belonged to the robot. The pointy ears.

He stopped in his tracks, watching the silhouettes move, merging into one. He squinted when he heard the robot’s voice again.

“Thank you, Ray,” said the robot with a light, brittle tone, “I’ll remember this moment and take care of these at all costs.”

Oxford toed his way back to his bedroom. He pressed his back against the door after locking it. He stared at the open space, freshly remembering what he witnessed. He inhaled deeply and sharply sighed as he moved to his desk where he consumed another pill. He shook his head, flicking the odd moment away before resuming reading Sion’s discovery.

Sion claimed that the gold staff had the same material as Ray’s microbots.