The Disparate One

Chapter 8 - Quitting

Oxford woke up from his sleep as the sun sets in the distance. He yawned while glancing at the digital clock on the wall. He stood up slowly and walked towards the bathroom to take a shower. While the man was taking a shower, the robot started to make dinner for his friend, Oxford. He decided to make a braised leeks with mozzarella and a fried egg, which is Oxford's favorite.

Soon Oxford walked out of his bedroom wearing a black suit since it is their required uniform. He was fixing his tie while the robot was preparing the table for him. Placing the plate, silverware and the food, Oxford sat down and adjusted close to the table, he glanced at the robot and gave him and as a thank you for the robot.

"The phone rang twice today.", said the robot as he stood straight near the man.

"Did you answer it?", Oxford questioned.

"No.", said the robot as he moved both of his hands behind his back.

The entire penthouse was filled with silence for a very long time even after Oxford have finished eating. He went back in to his bedroom to fix his hair and to grabbed his suitcase that he forgot to bring yesterday. He placed the suitcase on the sofa as he grabbed his phone on the charging port, making sure that it is fully charged.

"How does it feel to be like you?", the robot who just finished washing the dishes asked a question all of sudden.

"What do you mean?", Oxford replied as he double checks.

"How does it feel like to be a human?", said the robot as he dried his hands with a paper towel.

"Fragile.", Oxford answered clearly before he closed the door and locked it from the outside with a key card.

He waited at the front foyer of the building for his vehicle since he noticed that it is starting to rain. He stood straight near the revolving glass door with the suitcase in his right hand and his phone on the other. He kept glancing at his wristwatch as he continued to wait for the vehicle. When ten minutes have passed, he was about to sit down in the lounge but was stopped by someone calling his name. He looked around and saw his driver waving at him near the revolving door.

"How's the traffic?", Oxford asked when they walked out of the building and immediately greeted by gusts of wind rain.

"Not good as always.", said the driver as he opened the door of the vehicle for Oxford and closed it after he got in.

The robot that was left alone in his penthouse peaked his head out of the window again and saw his black car driving away. He pulled his head back inside the penthouse with droplets of water hitting the wooden floor. He heard something beeped in the distance, he looked around but not moving away from his current position. A small cylindrical robot appeared in the distance, it was moving so the robot kept his eyes on it. The cylindrical robot stopped just a foot away from him. He moved away just by a meter away from the unknown robot. The cylindrical robot then started to move again and somehow it cleaned the droplets of water on the wooden floor, it returned somewhere in the kitchen after.

"Welcome back, sir.", the lady from yesterday greeted Oxford at the entrance of the station which where the hyperloop usually ends.

"Nice to see you too.", said Oxford before he got in the pod that is just about to leave.

The pod left the station in just a few seconds without disruption. The pods aren't just any ordinary small enclosed metal pods, it is ten times bigger than a city bus and it can carry two hundred passengers which is its maximum capacity. Inside the pod contains a small restaurant with a bar, small sleeping quarters, a lounge, and restrooms. These pods are just the precursor, they will be replaced by their newly developed second generation pods, which are twice the size of their predecessor and has more modern and ergonomic design from both outside and inside.

"How's your new test subject going?", asked one man who is with him in the pod.

"Today is his second day, so..."

"I see... You're used to it right?", the man said before he chuckled.

"Of course...", whispered Oxford as he looked out at the window, seeing the robots scouring the floor of the Mariana trench.

"How's your space colonization project?", Oxford began to have a conversation with the man next to him, drinking wine.

"So far so good...", said the man, then suddenly he leaned closer to Oxford. "We found something strange...", he whispered.

"What do you mean? Space is always strange.", said Oxford with an eyebrow raised.

"We found a gas giant that can sustain life.", whispered the man and smiled right after while moving away from him. "We weren't expecting that.", he added.

"How did you know that it can?", Oxford questioned.

"Duh, we sent an animal.", the man replied before he called the bartender to refill his glass.

"I see... maybe now is the good time for science to quit.", Oxford nagged.

"It already did.", said the man.

Oxford continued to have a conversation with the man until the pod arrived at the Section A-3. He waved at the man before they separated. He stepped into an elevator and walked out when it stopped at the selected floor. Before he could continue his work with Ray, he first went to his office just to grab a folder and when he was about to leave, he noticed something on his desk. There are two objects on the desk, the red folder and on it is another small glass memory card but this time it is labeled with an unknown handwriting on it. He first thought that those two are the results of Chap's work, he was almost correct when he picked them up. The red folder has Ray's picture on it, but the small glass memory card made him think if it is from Chap or someone else. The door to his office is always locked and automatically locks, it can only be opened by a key card. Oxford has been given three key cards only. The first one is hidden somewhere in the penthouse, the second one is what he always carries, and he gave the third one to Chap, since he trusts him, plus he is his best friend. In order to be fair, Chap also gave Oxford a key card to Chap's office and laboratory.