Parallel Lives, Theo of Thebes

Part 3, A Friend in the Present

Theo awoke with a jerk. "Come on, Linus! We have to wake up! We're almost there! I want to see..." Noticing his surroundings, Theo cut himself off. All conditioning which he had cast off in that place seemed to rush back into him. 

The spirit inside him which had seemed to come to the surface in that strange land was, for a brief moment, an ember, and then gone. He couldn't feel it anymore, though he had memory of it. A group of people stood before Theo. A suited man stood behind a man in a white coat, who was addressing the nearby nurses. 

Through the flicks of his fingers, Theo could tell he was writing something. "I am Doctor Rakkiel. You have returned from the first session, that is good. I have a few questions regarding your experience, but we expect to have you back for another session soon."

Theo had wanted to resist. To say "Where's Linus? What have you done with him?" but it was becoming obvious to him, in his flooding awareness, that there had been no Linus at all. He was surely part of some freakish test for hallucinogens or the like. 

All the excitement, the feeling of liberty, that he was his own man, it had been a lie. He was an owned man. He hadn't gone anywhere. He had been rolling about on the floor of a Medicus like a dog. "Theo!" the doctor barked. "Pay attention! What did you see? Where were you? Who was there?"

"They called it Attica." Theo responded. The words came from him automatically. He was not able to resist another order. It was strange he had resisted one at all. "I met an old travelling merchant named Linus there. We spoke on the road for a while before opting to rest for the night. We were on our way to Athens." The doctor nodded, and whispered something to the man behind. They nodded.

"You are discharged for now, Theo." the doctor spoke. "Be on your way out, and return tomorrow. We will continue the sessions then."

With the command, Theo stood himself up, and felt the aches in his joints, no doubt a side effect of whatever he'd been injected with. 

He left the Medicus and began to make his way home. The sky had gone dark, and Theo was thankful for it. Under the reflection of the moon, his skin had appeared pale, and he felt a languidity wash over him. As he stepped through the streets, he thought back on what he had experienced. The joy he felt in Attica. It had slipped away from him.

 He hadn't been himself then, he knew, but he had liked it. As time passed on his journey, his ability to recount the vision faltered more and more. As each particular faded, he had only his sense of wonder and freedom left to him. He became worried. "What if I forget those too? I can't think of another time when I was made to feel as I did.

It feels like... it felt like... the difference between being alive and living. Panic began to take him over. He couldn't remember much, but he knew he must remember what he could. He moved to grab his omniTab, then hesitated.

 He knew then it was not words alone that would be able to spur him into remembrance. He had to capture the spirit of the thing. The brash, impulsive glory he had briefly known. Feeling what little of the ghost remained capture him for one final moment, he bit hard into the pad of his thumb. The digit began to bleed, and he breathed a sigh of relief. It would surely scar, and this would surely remind him.

He awoke the next day on his bed, aching and exhausted. The sheets had been strewn about haphazardly, and Theo noticed he was still fully dressed. "I must've been completely out of sorts after that dosage. This place is more a mess than usual."

 He trudged his way to the bathroom, brushing his teeth thoroughly. They too were an asset to him, as many of society's folk neglected their teeth and sought a quick fix that could be bought, and he was often a test subject for some new dental paste or treatment. It was easy work when he could get it, and never left him in this kind of state the next day.

His head was pounding. He moved to the sink, tilting his head down to the tap, and splashing water upon his face in an effort to relieve himself somewhat. As he straightened to dry himself in the mirror, someone seemed to look back at him. 

Theo fell backwards onto the floor, scurrying up against the wall in a panic. He checked behind him, but no one was there. He was breathing heavily from the fright, but tried to calm himself, listening carefully for anyone who may be around. 

After a few minutes, he was satisfied he was alone, and stood to glance in the mirror once more. Looking back at him was his own reflection, and he let out a sigh of relief. "Must be from the drug yesterday."

He headed out into the main room of the apartment. Part kitchen, part living room. A real jack of all trades. Checking the cupboards, he let out a groan of dissatisfaction at their emptiness and moved to check the windowslit. 

Lifting the slit to peek outside, he saw the predawn hours were still in play. Now there was good news. It would be a comfortable trip today. He locked the door behind him and headed down the apartment halls, stopping at the 5th door. He rapped a knock on it. First twice. Then once. Then twice. 

The door creaked open, but it was still on a latch. "Hey Toby, up for breakfast?" Theo asked, tilting his head to gaze through the crack in the door. The door closed, some rustling was heard, and then it swung open. "Sure thing Theo, let me just get a thing or two together. Come on in."

Theo followed Toby inside and took a seat on a stool by the kitchen counter, while Toby finished getting dressed. "How's business going?" Theo asked. "Not too ba-aaad" Toby replied, stretching his last word out as he fought to get the better of a pant leg. 

"I've got a client coming in with a real piece of work this week. I mean seriously, this car's just one step from a horse and carriage you know? Anyone crazy enough to own something like that is gonna pay well, so it should keep me afloat for a while after I patch it up."

"Why do they bother?" Theo questioned. "From what you've told me, the things are slow as sin, and spend as much time coughing out fumes as actually moving."

"You know the answer to that, Theo. Pres-tiiiige. When you've that kind of money, and we both know they do, there's little else left for you but to show off your esoteric antiques to your esoteric peers. Just one of the perks of getting ahead."

"I suppose you're right." Theo admitted, "But I don't know anyone who has managed to get ahead. It makes me wonder if it's even possible anymore."

"I'm gonna get ahead." Toby countered, with a firm resolve that Theo couldn't help but admire. "I'm gonna raise enough cash to get out of this place. Just you wait."

"When you say it, Toby, I can almost believe it." Theo replied with a coy smile. He drew himself in closer to the man and their lips touched. Their fingers locked, and Theo pulled him toward the bedroom. "Breakfast can wait."

After some time, the two returned to the kitchen to prepare the food. Theo cracked some eggs into a bowl, mixing them briskly. Soon satisfied with his work, he poured the mixture into a pan and turned on the stove. He took some cheddar from the fridge, and grated it over the pan as it cooked. Presently, the meal was ready.

"My specialty is prepared." Theo announced, giving an exaggerated bow. "Omelette du fromage."

"I think it's au fromage." Toby responded, smiling wryly. 

"But I'll accept it anyway. Thank you."

Theo winked as he sliced the omelette down the middle, tossing one half from the pan to a nearby plate, and sliding it over to Toby. He studied the remaining half, glanced at the dirty plates in the sink, sighed and skewered what was left on the pan with his fork, before swallowing it whole.

Toby winced at the sight. "I'll never get used to seeing that, you know?"
"Well you wouldn't have to see it at all if you washed the dishes every now and then." Theo added, with a playful level of scorn.

"You have me there. I yield, I yield." Toby laughed. Theo checked his omniTab and realised that there was little of the prelight hours remaining. "I know we've tarried quite a bit already, but if we intend to spend the day outside of this building, we'll need to go now."
"Lead the way, Theo."