In the alleys and side streets of the Panopticon there was a shobogan youth. He had a mop of ash blond hair, a smirking mouth that was always chewing or smoking. His eyes had a lazy half lidded glance and he was always filthy. He rode around on a stolen hover board.
One day he chanced to meet two youths from the academy. They were only four years older then him but they seemed already adults, while he was half a child. They called themselves Theta and Kochesi. Theta was fair and smiling. Kochesi was dark with a dark goatee. They wore red robes.
The shobogan youth rode by them on his hover board smirking.
"Hooligan!" Theta shouted. He'd tripped and fallen over.
shobogan youth laughed and beckoned to Kochesi.
"He wants something, Thete," Kochesi said.
"Probably money," sighed Theta.
"I'd better see," said Kochesi.
Kochesi went over to the youth. They talked for a minute the youth said something and Kochesi shook his head.
"Well?" asked Theta.
"He wanted to know if I wanted to sleep with him for money." Kochesi made a disgusted face.
"What? But he's barely more then a child!" Said Theta.
"I said no." Kochesi replied.
But his eyes followed the boy as he rode away.
It was a week later when Lt. Iulius of the guards was investigating a suspicious sound heard in a alley. There was nasty, rotting smell coming from a trash receptacle. There he found the body of the shobogan youth. He'd been raped, tortured, killed and thrown away like some piece of trash.
An investigation was started.
A time lady coming home from her job late at night, recalled seeing the youth talking to a dark haired academy student, three days before. It was narrowed down to three suspects. One of them was Koschei.
He glared sullenly at Castilian Vitrent, when he was brought in for questioning.
"I told you, I don't know what your talking about." He said. "I was studying with my friend Theta all night. I don't have time to murder nasty little shobogan prostitutes."
They brought in his friend Theta Sigma who confirmed it.
Castilian Vitrent shook his head, he had a feeling about that Kochesi, but he had an alibi. Academy students had no access to time travel so... he had to release him.
When they got to their rooms in the academy. Theta grabbed Kochesi by the shoulders and pushed him against the wall.
"What's going on?!" Asked Koschei. "Finally expressing your love for me?"
"No! I'm mad! You made me lie for you!" said Theta.
"You know why," said Kochesi.
"Yes," sighed Theta. "You're father wants you study every moment of the night and day. What we're you really doing last night?"
"I was laying down in my room, in the dark, alone. The drums were really bad." said Kochesi.
Theta turned away releasing him. "Really?"
"Yes, you don't think I'd murder someone do you Thete?"
"No." Theta said sullenly.
A month later, Theta was awoken from a slumber by the sound of running water. He got up. Kochesi was in the bathroom they shared. He was covered in blood, there were scratches on his face.
"Are you okay?" Theta asked.
"Yes, I got drunk and had thought I could fight a wall of glass," Kochesi chuckled.
"Oh," Theta said. "You don't usually... drink?"
"The drums, Theta they were driving me mad, I thought if I drank enough they'd go away." said Kochesi with pain in his voice.
And went to washing the blood out of his robes.
Kochesi went back in the dark room a few minutes later.
"Did it work?" asked Theta.
"Did what work?" echoed Kochesi.
"Drinking to drive away the drums," said Theta.
"Err, no." said Kochesi.
It was a day later they found the body of another shobogan youth, murdered, body mulitated like the first one. Theta wondered, but it couldn't be his friend right.