The Disparate One

Chapter 6

Ray was behind Oxford when they traveled back to the elevator, leaving Ony still astonished in his cubicle. Ray and Oxford didn't exchange any words for their entire trip. The silence between them bothered Ray to the point he wanted to ask if he broke any rules regarding tampering those documents. He pressed himself deeper into the corner, not making a single sound. Oxford had his tablet in his other hand while he stared at his phone, he was typing something.

Requesting.

The chime of the elevator barely changed the atmosphere between the two bodies. Oxford led the way through the halls which looked identical to the first one, where he picked up Ray. However, the only difference was the rooms. Upon entering first, Ray was instructed to sit down in the middle of the concrete room. One side of which had a wide, one-way window. In the four corners of the ceiling were CCTVs, directly aimed at the table set where Ray was. On his right, was another recording camera, slightly larger than any typical video camera. Its red light was blinking.

Oxford left him alone in this room, he explained he had to get something nearby. He assured he would return shorter than he expected.

Ray sat straight, arms resting on the cold table. His fingers interlocked with one another as he waited in silence.

He tried not to look at any of the cameras, it made him uneasy.

Raising his eyes towards the door, he saw the scanner next to it, displaying the word "lock'' with a red background. Did Oxford leave him? Why would he? What would happen to him if he did? Could this be the place where the guards brought the girl earlier?

His lips quivered and his fingers began tap dancing on the shiny surface.

Seconds later, the scanner beeped, replacing the word ''lock'' with ''unlocked'' with a green background. The door slid open with a hum, revealing Oxford who smoothly pushed a stainless steel trolley into Ray's sight. It had cabinets with locks on either side. He set it on the opposite side of the table for the recording camera to have a clear view.

The door closed behind Oxford before taking a seat on the other side of the table.

"This will be your last task for the day," stated Oxford after clearing his throat. He straightened his suit before pulling out a strange-looking key which he used to open the first cabinet.

Ray's eyes followed Oxford's hands which pulled out a wooden case from the cabinet and rested it in the middle of the table. The simple craftsmanship of this case was as perfect as it could get. The dark wood reflected Ray's face. He then looked at Oxford's eyes which were coincidentally staring back at him. Without saying a word, Oxford magically put on a pair of white gloves.

Where did he get that? Ray thought.

Oxford lifted the top half of the wooden case, presenting an odd device that was, by the looks of it, absolutely well kept. Some parts of it were still shiny as if they were made just now. Ray wanted to examine it further, but he feared that his bare hands would cover it with his fingerprints, which could be the last trace of his existence.

"I'm just going to ask the same simple question for this entire session," Oxford paused, waiting for Ray's response which happened to be a gentle nod, "Do you know what this is called?"

Ray gulped, leaning towards the case, his head slightly at the top of the opening. He seated himself back before stating his answer, "A telegram?"

Oxford remained calm when he huffed seconds after his answer. He didn't say anything afterward when he closed the case and placed it back in its cabinet. He opened the one next to it and brought it to the table. It was drastically smaller. It had a tiny screen fixed on it, below it were buttons. From Ray's first glance, he could tell this was still a device. Oxford kept his mouth shut apparently, but his stares did question Ray.