The Disparate One

Chapter 4 - Laboratory

"That's what they do when one does not follow the rules.", said Oxford as he closed the door after Ray walked out.

Ray didn't reply, he instead avoided eye contact with the man who has just placed his left hand on his right shoulder. Ray looked back behind him and saw two armed guards are standing just feet away from them. He glanced at their weapons and then to their gear. Both of them are wearing a helmet, in the middle of it is a logo if the SPOT facility, joined with a number three next to it.

"Where are we going?", Ray questioned.

"We're going to the lab.", Oxford answered as he nodded at the guards.

The two men walked for a minute and stopped in front of an elevator, they were also the first to enter it and the guards followed. Ray can hear the sounds of the elevator's mechanisms as they went down. The confined space was filled with silence, but Ray decided to talk.

"Am I really a teenager?", he questioned.

"Have you seen yourself in a mirror?", he replied with a question too.

"Yes, but sixteen is too young, don't you think?", Ray said.

Oxford didn't answer the question. He is too tired to answer questions at the moment due to the meeting that he has just attended a while ago, plus he hasn't slept for a day now that is because he was waiting for Ray to wake up after they have found him. A high tone was heard when the doors of the elevator opened.

Ray noticed that the architecture of the hallway has changed, he feels more comfortable, but at the same time curious. The sides of the corridor, where they're currently at, is made out of glass that looks like it is built to withstand heavy impacts. The floor is made out of white marble and the ceiling is almost the same as the other corridors, lights are placed systematically in the middle of the ceiling.

"This doesn't look like a laboratory.", Ray said when he caught something being held down on the floor with four guards. The people who also work there is not wearing a lab coat, gloves, and even safety goggles.

"It is for me.", said Oxford as he pulled out a card and moved it near a scanner that is placed near a glass door. It buzzed and the door clicked when it detected the card, he pushed the door open and held it for Ray who continues to follow him, the guards behind them didn't, they instead stood out in the hallway.

"Take a seat.", said Oxford as he approached a man who is wearing a blue polo, black pants, and white shoes.

Ray guessed that the man doesn't work here in the facility. He sat on the nearest chair that he could find. He placed both of his hands on his lap and watched the two men have a conversation in the distance. He then looked around the room. He noticed that they are the only three that are occupying the room. He counted ten glass cabinets that are placed in each corner of the room and five steel tables that are placed in the middle of the room. On the table are laboratory types of equipment like test tubes, lamps, microscope and more.

He found two objects that are placed on the table that is nearest to him. The first one is a glass box. Inside the glass box looks like a ball which is glowing bright and spinning slowly, there is nothing that keeps the ball in its place, it just stays in the middle of the cube. The second object is a white staff. Its appearance is simple yet looks powerful. The color matches the color of his iris.

"So he is your forty-eighth test subject?", Ray faced the two men who are now standing close to him, looking down at him.

"That is correct.", Oxford answered.

"Forty-eighth?", Ray questioned.

"It's his first day, try to be easy on him.", said Oxford to the man next to him while also handing him the red folder.

The man next to Oxford chuckled as he stared at Ray for a moment. Oxford walked closer to Ray and placed his right hand on his left shoulder, also looking down at him.

"Don't worry, Chap here, is just going to take more samples and pieces of information about your body.", said Oxford before he removing the hand. He walked away from him and took a seat near from one of the tables. He faced the two men do the procedure. Chap, the man wearing a blue polo, fetched himself a chair and placed it in front of Ray. He sat down and pulled out an empty syringe. Oxford caught Ray's eyes widened when Chap was about to grab his left arm. Ray refused by moving away from him and keeping both of his arms close to him.

"It's not going to hurt you.", said Oxford as he stared at Ray, then to Chap.

"How can you tell? We each have different bodies.", said Ray when he glanced at the man who spoke then back to Chap who stood up, walking closer to him.

"I'm gentle, trust me.", said Chap as he lowered the syringe.

Ray glanced once more at Oxford who was sitting just feet away from them. Oxford nodded when Ray, who is still standing, faced him. Ray looked back at Chap, slowly raising his left arm closer to the man in front of him. Chap placed his right hand on the arm, gently turned it upside-down, and moved the syringe closer until it penetrates the skin. Oxford continued to watch the view in front of him, he caught Ray flinched as Chap began to fill the syringe with the man's blood.

"You can take a seat now.", said Chap to Ray before pulling the syringe out and placing a cotton ball on the spot where the syringe was. Ray followed by returning back to the seat where he was while Chap stood in front of a table, which has a microscope, to begin his works.