The Disparate One

Chapter 43 - Fix

Ray is in his bedroom, laying down on his bed, trying to get some nap. They went back inside the cabin when the sun has dominated the entire balcony. Fier is also in his bedroom, sitting on his bed, reading a book that Oxford brought with him. The title of the book is called Life of Pi. Oxford left them alone and returned to his cabin to join his family. He found Zinnia fixing her hair and Azalea in her bedroom, unpacking some of her stuff and placing them on the bed by category. He walked up to his wife who just turned around to face him.

"Any news about her prom?", Oxford questioned when he gave a hug to the mother.

"No... not yet.", answered the lady with a glance to her husband.

Oxford nodded before moving away from her just to give her some space. He turned around and walked into Azalea's bedroom after knocking on the door. Azalea was sitting on the floor when Oxford knocked. The father sat on the bed gently, avoiding the objects placed on the bed. Oxford asked hr daughter about her prom, but Azalea only replied with a silent sigh.

"Have you tried your friends?", Oxford questioned.

"Yes.", answered the teenager.

"Maybe one can improvise.", Oxford suggested.

"How about Ray, can he improvise? He really looks too young to be at the age of 46.", said Azalea when she put her luggage away.

"He's really 46.", replied Oxford

"Impossible.", azalea commented.

Zinnia heard the two talking behind them and decided to join them after fixing her hair perfectly.

"Is he really... really 46?", questioned the mother.

"I'm certain he is 46.", answered the father quickly.

Azalea and zinnia looked at each other for a moment and then turned to the man in the room.

"Does he have a syndrome?", questioned the daughter.

"No.", replied Oxford with a weird look to his daughter.

"Well, if he really is, he still can improvise, especially with that height.", said Azalea.

"Do you have feelings for him?", Oxford suddenly questioned while staring at Azalea.

When Zinnia heard the question, both of her eyes widened and gently moved away from the room, leaving the two inside the room. She sat down on the sofa with a book in her right hand.

"No.", answered Azalea before she sat on the bed to reorganise the objects that she placed from her luggage.

"Tell me the truth Azalea.", demanded the father.

"How about we make a deal?", Azalea questioned, leaning closer to her dad.

Oxford started to have this feeling that if he agreed, Azalea will ask him if Ray is really 46 or not. He didn't answer, he only stared at the girl next to him, calmly.

"I'll tell you the truth and you'll tell me the truth about him.", she explained.

When they were talking, Fier, who was still in his bedroom, noticed that his right hand is glitching out, it became unresponsive. He stood up, keeping the book in left hand, walked out of the bedroom and went to Ray's bedroom. Ray was yawning when he heard a knock on the door, he sat up and found Fier standing in the doorway, looking at Ray and also showing him his unresponsive right hand. Ray gently scratched the back of his head when he told Fier to change back to his original appearance so that he can see the problem clearly. Fier moved in closer after he changed himself. Ray grabbed Fier's hand and took a good look at it before he got off of the bed, went to his luggage and pulled out a screwdriver set. Its case is made out of autonium. When scanned by an equipment like an x-ray, a metal detector and other more, it will intercept it or it will tell the equipment that what is inside is safe, like a toy, papers, or something else that will not get the security guard's attention.

Ray broke out a Philips screw and returned to the robot who was told to take a seat on the bed. Fier gave Ray his right hand calmly and started to watch the man slowly and carefully disassembled his robotic hand. Ray immediately found the cause of the problem when he lifted the first layer off. A wire which connects the hand to the motherboard has been damaged somehow. Ray moved his head closer and found that the cover of the cable has been torn off badly. He looked up at the robot who was waiting for him to talk.

"You have a damaged wire.", announced Ray, keeping the hand in his grip.

"How did it get damaged?", questioned Fier when he looked at his right hand.

"Don't ask me.", replied Ray when he went back to his luggage to grab a fresh duct tape.

"Duct tape will not fix this.", said Fier.

"Don't you believe in the saying that duct tape fixes everything?", Ray questioned when he gently and also carefully lifted the cable and started to rap it with the duct tape. "Besides, that's only temporary.", he added right after he cut the tape and slowly put the cable in its place before putting the first layer back.

"I see...", replied the robot when Ray finished doing his work to his right hand.

Ray placed the case and the duct tape back in his luggage, closed it, and sat back on the bed. He noticed that Fier was holding a book that looks very familiar to him, he tilted his head slightly just to read the title of the book.

"I didn't know you like to read books.", said Ray before he laid down on the bed, behind next to the robot.

"Oh... Oxford gave me this just in case that I got bored.", replied Fier when he turned his boy around to face the man who is looking up at him.

"You better change your appearance right now before we get caught.", Ray let out a suggestion whilst he was rubbing his eyes.