Truth

Part Three

***Tristan’s POV***

“His performance has caused attention to us to skyrocket!” Tyler exclaimed, but I wondered at his use of ‘his’, and brought this to light. We did not know anything of 2xAss. They could be anyone. They weren’t trust worthy. But I was curious. It would cause me whole lot of trouble one day, but it was a simple truth. “A transvestite killer?” Tyler asked jokingly in response to my questioning of their gender.

“No. A Poser.” Posers were frowned upon in society. Impersonating someone fraudulently was almost as bad as murdering someone.

“So, what do we do?” Qxizunt asked from her position perched upon Tyler’s knee. I despised the girl. I called her a girl because she was nothing more. She held no dignity for self to be a woman.

“Whatever we do, it’s not your call.” Tilly reminded her. Qxizunt had a habit of thinking of herself as part of the leaders of the Three Ts. She most certainly was not. She held no proper role within the group, bar being Tyler’s companion. The three of us silently contemplated, and I was the first to voice my thoughts. Actually, it was more of a statement of my planned actions, which they all knew none of them could deter me from.

“I’m going to try contact them.”

“It.” Tilly spat. She still harboured something against them. Perhaps it was wise to have at least one in the group in total distrust. They would help balance things out if we ever needed to make a judgement call.

I walked into the hazy, open plan diner/club thing which was Wheeler’s. It was a sleazy sort of place, but seemed like it could be a lot of fun, and possibly quite a cool place to hang out at. But I was on edge. I scanned through the crowds, searching for the face which I had memorised when the hood had fallen. I kept in mind, however, that anyone could be 2xAss. I passed a gorgeous blond who was lip locked and sucking face with an average looking middle aged man. I couldn’t help judgemental thoughts passing as I made my way over to the bar, seating myself and ordering a beer.

I scanned the crowds, noting the large amount of skate clad feet. In recent months, it had become quite popular, especially for more ‘scene’ sorts of people. But the real talent came when watching the high performers. Skating wasn’t simply for speed, it had become an art form, combining dance with speed and balance; often a mesmerising combination. And then there were the true talents. The skaters who performed whilst Buzzed.

Buzzing had replaced party drugs long ago, when it was realised that other than the possible mishaps which could occur, it had no true negative side effects. It stimulated certain areas of the brain, and produced a sense of euphoria in the user. It was extremely enjoyable, but could be distracting and detrimental to a person’s life. That was why it was banned. When it was first introduced, most were hesitant to use it. However, once word got out about the sensation it created and how virtually harmless it was, it became a huge success. But when productivity fell worldwide, the government had to do something, and sacrificed the economic benefits Buzzing had created to decrease the lack of productivity and the medical care bill which had slowly been coming to light to have been cause by Buzzing.

I could easily identify some of the Buzzers. They had blissful looks upon their faces as they went about. But others were harder. They would generally be skaters, who were often neutral faced and concentrated on their technique practice. And then there were always a few Buzzers who were impossible to spot.

I got my beer and took a gulp of it, before choking a bit in surprise. I forced myself to swallow the liquid, before catching the eye of the bartender. I didn’t even need to ask my question.

“Yeah bud. Home brewed alcohol. Makes a lot of dough. I can get you one without, but you’ll still have to pay for that one.” I politely declined and drank the amber liquid. Alcohol had been banned before Buzzing was even trialling. Most previously alcoholic drinks tasted extremely similar to their predecessors, but one could always identify the slight difference when encountering alcohol. I’d come across it many times before, as a young person exposed to the ‘wrong’ crowd would. But their slurred, half formed thoughts helped to inspire me enough to form the Three Ts.