Parallel Lives, Theo of Thebes

Part 4, An Unusual Encounter

Theo led his friend outside the apartment building and on to the main street. Picking a place for breakfast was no longer required, and he remembered a karaoke place that wasn't too far from the Medicus. He'd wanted to give the place a try anyway, and its proximity to the work he'd need to do later just made it seem more ideal. The two made their way there, careful to remain close together.

This time of day may be better for you in the sense of lowered environmental hazard, but darkness brought trouble with it, and the fact the dark hours were the busy ones nowadays made this time doubly profitable for the unscrupulous. 

The two rounded one last corner, and Theo breathed a sigh of relief. They had passed without incident. It was a likely outcome, but still he counted his fortune. There was some neon signage above the door to the venue. All it showed was a wired microphone, as the rest of the sign had evidently been broken. Theo moved closer to get an angle on it, trying to discern what the sign had once said.

He could see unlit grey tubes that had once spelled something out in the same neon, though they were obviously now broken. "OPEN MIC NIGHT". 

What even was that? He shrugged. It hardly seemed relevant anyway since the sign had clearly been broken for decades at least, but he was satisfied to have slaked his curiosity at least. A man wearing a dark jacket moved up to Theo and spoke a single word. 

The man regarded how Theo was staring up at the sign and then stared at him, cross-armed, seemingly expectantly. Theo pulled himself away from the sign and was shocked when he turned, that a stranger would be standing so close to him, staring that way. Theo stared back wordlessly. His instinct was to avoid the mans' gaze, but he found he could not.

After a few moments, Toby pulled him away, speaking in a low voice to Theo, with a serious and rasping tone. "What are you doing, man? 

What are you waiting for? He's clearly mad, let's move!" Toby ran towards the venue, holding Theo's hand, and Theo followed along with the momentum, though he wasn't altogether sure of the hurry. He glanced back to take a look at the man in the jacket, but he was gone. 

Where he had stood, only the morning darkness remained. The pair headed inside and played a few pop songs together, but the mood had turned sour and they stopped shortly after.

"I'm not feeling up to task Theo, I'm going to head back home before daybreak. Will you be ok here?" Toby spoke with a voice that betrayed the stress he was feeling. Theo picked up on this, and his shoulders sagged. 

He shook his head, replying "No worries, Toby. I'll be fine. I know that business has thrown you off. Let's put it aside for now."
Toby nodded appreciatively, and made his way out of the building.

Theo spent the next few minutes just browsing on his omniTab, sitting in the karaoke booth. The pair had booked it out for a few more hours, so he felt he may as well make use of it before heading to work, even if he wasn't there to sing anymore. 

He scrolled through some videos, letting out the odd chuckle, as his finger did its mindless work. Before he knew it, much time had passed, and he was due at the Medicus shortly.

As he made his way to leave, he heard a strange sound coming from the room across the hall. The venue was empty besides the room he had occupied, and one locked room down the hall. The noise was coming from behind the locked door, a discordant ring that Theo could feel pulse through his chest, muffled though it was. 

He edged closer to the door. He found himself determined to do so, as the sound was unlike any which he had ever heard. The songs he had been singing were all neoPop.

All shared a key, a beat, a tempo. Each song, though different, was familiar. As if they had been the same man seen in a different shirt. 

Though the cover was different, the substance was the same. But there was something different about the sound he could hear coming from this door. It didn't evoke a pleasant feeling in him, but it did manage to worm its way inside. 

He felt a resonance of emotion with it which he couldn't vocalise. He didn't know how to describe how it made him feel, except through the song. Maybe that was the point?

He sat with his back against the wall, next to the locked door, listening for some time more, before the music eventually came to a close. 

He sat there, fascinated, transfixed by what he had heard, when the door swung open and hit him in the side. Theo stood, nursing his shoulder with one hand as the man in the jacket emerged from the doorway, and moved past Theo. 

He was followed by three others. A woman with a short, blue bob haircut and a burn mark from her neck leading up to her ear. A man with a needle of hair standing vertically, though he was bald outside of that. 

Another woman, at least it appeared so from the sway of her hips, whose face was completely covered with a woollen balaclava, though her hair popped out the top, like some kind of pineapple. 

Three of the band glanced at Theo as they walked by, but the man in the jacket who was leading the group turned around to shake his head to them, which signalled them onward, and they regarded Theo no more.

Theo's palms started to sweat, he looked at them in discomfort, feeling uneasy at the situation, when he noticed the scar along his thumb. Theo rubbed a finger across it, vague, half-forgotten memories flooding into his mind. 

He remembered a man on a road, and a conversation. He rushed out in front of the group, and stretched his arms out to the side, barring their movement forward, as he mustered up the courage to speak.

"Hey. What was that noise? I'm Theo." he spoke, his eyes meeting the man in the jacket. The jacketed man cocked his head, regarding Theo, before giving a simple reply. "Music. We'll see you tomorrow, Theo."

Theo stammered, confused by the response. "Where will you see me? What's your name? Who are you all?" but there was no response. 

The band made their way out to the streets, and then they were gone. Theo leaned forwards, hands pressed on his thighs, and let out a loud sigh which spoke of both his relief, and exasperation. 

The situation was awkward, and he was glad it was over, but it had been exciting. He never thought he would do something like that with someone outside of the building. To simply approach them and intrude upon them. 

But something about this group made him think it was the right thing to do. After all, had they not approached him first in a similar way? He felt a little frustrated that he didn't receive the answers he wanted, but was pleased he had been replied to at all. 

What would happen tomorrow? Would they explain the sounds? Who they were? He wondered at these mysteries, as he made his way once more to the Medicus.