The Disparate One

Chapter 64 - Binary

Ray groaned as he was opening his eyes, he found himself sleeping on the floor. When he sat up whilst stretching his arm out, he noticed that the tile under him has the exact same markings and logo printed on it. It says 'Neuron' in its middle. He gazed around and soon realised that he was in the room where the unknown gigantic machine is located. It was spinning slowly counterclockwise when he looked up, after a few seconds, it came to a stop. The man stood up carefully, trying to search for someone. The only door in the room is still open, and light is flooding in. He removed his hat and checked for scars or something that he can't remember having it, he found none so he placed back his hat. He then checked the rest of his body, the same result. When he was about to leave the room, he found four folders resting on the floor, near the door. One is gray, one is red, one is green... , and the last one is black. Everything in those folders is spread out like it was thrown away with force. He scratched the back of his head for a few seconds, he can recall that he only brought two folders with him. He kneeled down on the ground and started to retrieve them. It took him a couple of minutes before he left the room, also closing the door shut and locked it. He was walking slowly back to the elevator, remembering the actions that he did. He was thinking that it was just a déjà vu, or worse, it might repeat. He still has a lot of questions unanswered, he took the risk and went inside the elevator, slid the card on the scanner and waited...

It didn't happen. He arrived on a floor which looked like a sleeping quarter for the employees. He was expecting to meet Core when he heard the elevator chime as it was opening the door. He stepped out of the elevator, still looking around, searching for someone nearby but found none just after a few minutes. He was walking, looking at each door on both sides, searching for his room. There are four digits printed on the front of the black folder, he guessed that it must be his room. When he found his room, he pulled out his keycard and tapped it on the scanner which is fixed near the door. Surprisingly the door buzzed and Ray placed his right hand on the surface, slowly pushing it open. The lights on the other side of the door turned on automatically since there are motions around the room. He was amazed by how spacious his room is. It is just like a decent house, it has a kitchen, two bedrooms, a luxurious bathroom, a living room, a dining room and for some reason there is human-sized vault near the living room. He walked into the room and gently closed the door behind him.

He decided to stroll around the area, getting to know the place. He first checked the kitchen, then the living room and so on, nothing caught his attention except when he opened the door to the first bedroom. He found his assistant, the droid, quietly and peacefully sleeping. Good thing the robot wasn't facing the door, because when Ray opened it, the light came rushing in, slightly making the entire bedroom visible for the man. He immediately closed the door gently when he heard the robot moaned.

He let out a quiet sigh when he walked into the second bedroom, which looked like the master bedroom. It has its own bathroom and very spacious. He plopped the folders on the right nightstand and while taking a seat on the edge of the bed, he stared at the door that he left open. The lights in the bedroom didn't switch on since again, it has advanced sensors. It can tell if the person needs the room to be lit or not. After a few minutes of Ray just sitting, he decided to lay down on the bed and placed both of his hands on the middle of his chest. He turned his head to his right when he noticed that the lights outside the bedroom dimmed. He can still see.

He was trying to get some sleep since he was feeling sleepy a while ago but for some reason, he couldn't. He sat back up again and looked for a clock but found none in his bedroom. Windows are absent, which is the last piece for a perfect home. Ray focused on the folders and remembered that there is a green folder. He wanted to know what does it contain, but he couldn't since he found them scattered on the floor. He reached out for it and placed it on his lap. The surface of this folder is unlike any other, it is somehow emitting green light. He flipped it and made the conclusion that the entire folder is slightly glowing. There is also nothing printed on the cover, so he opened it and scanned the papers, some belong to the black, red, and grey folders, but at least he can tell which one of them really came from the green folder, maybe because the color of the papers are green, same as the folder, glowing and reflective. Ray leaned his head slightly to his left when he found out that written on these green pages are binary numbers, not a single letter can be found. He gently rubbed his eyes after seeing the numbers and getting confused. It might be a secret document since it only contains numbers, so Ray decided to spend his time decoding it.

Ray finally finished two hours later. He spent half an hour in his bedroom and then decided to transfer to the living room and spent one and a half hour. Ray laid flat on the carpet, curious and confused since what he discovered is a message. After he laid down for a few minutes, he heard a door opened so he turned to the direction of the source and found out that his robot has just woke up.

"You alright?", questioned the droid.

"Yes... just work.", answered the man.

The robot continued on by going to the kitchen and pulled out a dozen eggs from the fridge. Whilst the robot was starting to cook, Ray stood up and moved on the sofa after gathering the pieces of paper that he used and slid them into the green folder. Ray glanced at the robot who was chopping spices in the kitchen.

"Do you know Fier?", Ray asked a question out of nowhere.

The droid paused for a few seconds and then answered, "Yes... May I ask how did you know him?"

Ray moved away from the couch with the green folder and went into his bedroom to place the folder on the nightstand, joining the other folders. He then went into the kitchen to answer the robot's question.

"He's my friend, are you his friend too?"

"He's my older brother.", replied the robot when he began to whisk the eggs with the spices.

"Do you know where he is right now?", questioned Ray when grabbed a plate and utensils.

"No. It's been a long time not seeing him... I can't even remember what he looks like.", answered the robot when he was pouring the eggs.

When Ray asked the droid if he would like to see his brother for the first time again, the robot stared at the man for a few seconds, almost burning the egg in the pan.

"Yes.", said the droid after he looked away from Ray who was just standing close to him.

Ray was about to say something when suddenly they got interrupted by a message from the high societies. A holographic announcement appeared everywhere in the area, requesting Ray to present himself in the dome. Ray turned around to his robot who was also staring back at him.

"You are needed. Do not worry, I will bring this to your office.", said the robot.