Victor was rolled up in his bed dreaming of a world only he knew when the alarm clock screamed. His hand instinctively Swung towards the clock and turned it off. His eyes fluttered before gaining consciousness of the world he's in. He sat up. Face? Not so different than a regular guy waking up for a 9 to 5. He was neither young nor old. He looked outside his window, at the sun.
"8:30-8:35", he whispered before looking at the clock, it read 8:32.
With a smirk, he got up. After getting fresh, he walked into the hall, the room of clocks. Suited up, took a note and pen, and started off his walking routine.
He stepped in a measured rhythm walking down the same market street.
"Gu'day Victor!!" , Greeted the shopkeeper. With a smile Victor walked past him.
Victor saw Christo, gave him some change and walks back home. On his way back, he saw a man proposing to a woman. He went home, into his room, opened up his calculation book, and started with his math again.
The couple: ∆R=0.32– self insecure
He arrived at an answer. Victor laughed, then murmured to himself "What a pity, he'd probably cheat on her" , he continued laughing. Then he took a nap on the desk drooling over his own calculations. Minutes flew and he woke up with a jerk when his telephone rang. He took up the phone.
"Is this Dr.Rhys?", a voice asked. A soft spoken voice of girl who must be in her 20s
"Yes" , Victor answer.
"I want to meet you, come to the Spike, floor forty-seven", she said
"Yeah, but who are y–", the girl hung up the phone not waiting for Victor to finish his sentence.
"Tchh.. arrogant", Victor said to himself
With a sigh, Victor put his suit on walked out, reached a train station and got in a train. He noticed various people inside, minding their own business.
Victor adjusted the collar of his jacket and leaned slightly against the metal pole as the train moved forward. He looked at the girl with glitter on her cheeks watching a dance video, a man reading a newspaper upside down, and a child licking the metal pole no one ever cleans. He ran numbers in his mind like gears clicking into place:
Glitter girl: ∆R = 0.12 – infatuation addict, low memory retention
Upside-down paper guy: ∆R = 0.27 – anxiety denial pattern, probably lost his job
Pole kid: ∆R = 0.01 – too early, but probably a mimic of his unsanitary environment
Victor smirked. "The world of meat pretending to have minds," he whispered and pity them on how low their Rhys Constant were.
The train halted reaching the City Central. Victor stepped out, and walked through a main street. The Spike was already visible, a glass tower piercing through the clouds. It reflected the world around it. It was some place, you can't go unless invited. Victor doesn't remember going into this tower, but has a weird feel as if he had been there.
He walked through the lobby. The receptionist was just staring at her monitor, unaware of the surrounding. He ignored him and walked into the elevator. Victor pressed 47 and adjusted his cuffs.
Ding.
A long hallway with one only room open. Victor walked towards it and in, he saw the girl behind the voice. A pale but pretty face, eyes round, excited, long black hair. She stood by the window.
Victor tapped his fingers in air, calculated the girl's Rhys Constant.
∆R = 0.89
"Her calculations are interesting than I expected", he thought.
With a smirk, the girl said "You are more predictable than I expected".
Victor eyes widened in shock, just for an instant before returning back to normal.
"Carla Smith.." , the girl introduced herself, "...neuropsychologist"
Victor stared at her for a long moment, "How did you come to know me?"
"Your records, Mr.Rhys", Carla says, "your court records. I needed some help from..... An expert like you", she said with a odd pause
"Help?", asks Victor, his eyebrows raised.
Carla smirks, "it's about #077", she throws a bundle of files on the desk, files containing photographs of a man. "Severe trauma. Dissociative disorder, recurring hallucinations, non-standard memory formation. He creates belief structures that contradict reality, but they follow patterns. Structures. Schizophreniac and merciless psychotic killer"
Victor looks through the files containing various details and pictures of #077, a bald guy with skin as white as a corpse, one of his eye pupil is completely white being blind on one side. Misarranged teeth. His looks were undoubtedly EVIL.
After going through some of his files and cases, "This isn't schizophrenia", Victor murmurs.
"That's right", says Carla, "I know it isn't, he's much different from any person I met in my 20 years of life"
"So you're jus 20?", Victor questioned
Carla blushed, "that– that's out of the topic now. Lis–"
"You're just a kid, it's best for you not to get involved in such risky stuff. And how the hell can you call yourself a neuropsychologist while you're still studying it", Victor warned with an intimidating tone
"W– Well, I'm just not convocated yet, but still– I'm studying neuropsychology", Carla says, her words stammering.
"You don't know how the depth of this situati–",
"He sees numbers, Mr.Rhys", interrupts Carla. Victor frozen in shock as he heard it.
"What do you mean– numbers?", Victor whispered, still wearing the shock on his face
Carla chuckles, "He speaks in Numbers and Patterns. He calculated something in every human, which is similar to– your Rhys constant", she says
Victor takes another step back "H–how do you know about my ca–calculations?", he asked. His eyes clearly widened in surprise.
"I may have not graduated, but still.. I'm a neuropsychologist, Mr.Rhys", says Carla in a deep voice, "I've been studying your records for a while now"
After going through #077's files for some while, Victor looked up at her. "Tell me something," he said. "Why me?"
She tilted her head. "Because you're the only one I've found who's trying to solve humanity, not survive it."
Victor smirked, the corners of his mouth twitching with ego.
"#077, is someone who must be solved not diagnosed", she said
As Victor continued reading the same papers again and again, he can't help but feel a strange familiarity with #077, it almost feels like he knew #077 in person.
"You said he sees numbers in humans right?", asked Victor in a menacing tone , his eyes looking up at Carla.
Carla nods.
"Then, what are you?", he asked. His voice lowered.
Carla's eye widened subtly "what a–am I?"
"What was the number he assigned to you?", asked Victor
With a bit of hesitation and insecurity, "0.11", Carla revealed.
"How did you come to know my calculations?", asked Victor.
"I told you– I told you already, I read your court records....", explained Carla.
"No you didn't", Victor said, his voice almost in a low threatening tone, "never did I mention about Rhys Constant in my court records", Victor stood up taking slow steps towards Carla, towering her.
"B–but...", Carla tried to defend, She took a subtle step back, her fists clenching of fear
"Now tell me, how did you know it", he asked, "why did you choose me out of all".
Carla closed her eyes, "He called you by your name".
Victor stopped, his eyes dilated. Struck by her words.
Carla opened her eyes and stared Victor straight in his eyes ,"#077 called you, Victor Rhys, by your name"