The Disparate One

Chapter 24

Droplets of water splattered on the sink as Ray stared at himself in the mirror. He blinked and continued to rinse his face with freezing water, hoping this was just a dream or some sort. Probably a test that Oxford and his colleagues made up. Maybe somehow they got Cal on board with this. Maybe the entire management and everyone in the facility as well.

Ray cleared his throat and fixed his appearance. He didn't even know if he should call his subject "Oxford". But there were more serious questions to think about. Like, how did he get here? And why him?

Ray reached out for the door handle when he froze. He glanced back at the mirror. Suddenly, he thought of an idea. It could make sense. No wonder Oxford was so desperate to know about it in the first place. It could also bring light to why Sion did it in the first place as well. Could it really be?

Could the management really be playing with the two of them?

Ray walked out of the bathroom and remained standing when he looked over to his test subject. There was really something wrong with seeing themselves swapping roles. For a few seconds, he observed him.

He caught him squinting and his hands instinctively moving, but both were cuffed to the bed, as expected. Next to the bed was a set of folded clothes. Strangely, they were simple ones. Bright colors. Paired with rubber shoes. His test subject continued to squint until it finally dawned on him. And it somehow made him shiver. Headaches. Would he also have dreams? If he would... then it could mean... Ray was in them?

Ray shook his worrying mind when he focused on what was in front of him. He apologized and did the same steps Oxford did to him. He set his hands free. Asked if he was experiencing some headaches. And told him to put on his clothes.

"Your name is Oxford, and you can call me Ray," stated Ray before leaving the room with him following.

They strolled through the empty corridors, passing rows of metal doors. Ray was at the front, guiding Oxford. He continued to make glances over his shoulder, seeing how curious and scared the older man was. He honestly didn't know what to feel after this. Should he feel angry for wiping Oxford's memories or should he feel happy for seeing him still alive?

They stepped into the elevator and let the doors close in front of them. Ray didn't speak. He stood there in silence, drowning in his deepening thoughts. He rubbed his eyes in frustration before looking straight where he found Oxford's reflection. Before he could further think of these, he wanted to verify something. With that, he finally spoke up.

"Laboratory Section."

They casually walked through the deserted labs. Particular ending in Chap's laboratory. He told Oxford to take a seat as he searched for a syringe he could use. He grabbed one and froze for a moment. He was recalling Chap's footsteps when he extracted samples from him. He wouldn't certainly do the same exact thing. He was still traumatized by it.

Slowly, he turned around and gazed over the numerous pieces of equipment scattered around the lab. He gulped. He walked back to Oxford who calmly willingly gave a syringe-full of his blood. Ray felt in his hands how warm it was. He stared at it as he thought of his next steps.

Half an hour later, Ray sighed in relief when he found the right equipment that he was searching for. He literally did trial and error. He apparently had forgotten the particular machine that could identify which liquid was which.

"Scan," said Ray calmly to the device when he placed the entire syringe into it.

The device automatically closed the lid as it examined the contents. It was correct for identifying that it was blood. A few more options appeared afterward. One of which caught Ray's attention, "scan for matches".