Detecting Falsehood

???72622??

I keep forgetting that you disappeared.

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The next few days are quite uneventful, nothing much really happening apart from two trips to the bathroom every day and meals passed through the hatch in the bottom of the door twice a day. I slowly learn to become numb, as every individual I come across in this time is a stranger. 21 seems to have vanished, and I am worried, but there's nothing I can do.

I can't even get out of this room the majority of the time. What use am I to her right now?

Selfish as it may be, part of me wishes that she would be able to pass through any of the issues she's facing quickly, just so that I'm not alone anymore. Yes, I do see other people, but it's not the same when nobody wants to speak to you and you're rushed around like some sort of expensive commodity.

There's an atmosphere of fear tainting the air, like a bad smell, the tiniest hint of something negative being picked up by a sense that isn't really any of the conventional ones or anything to do with my lie detecting abilities. It's more like a very human knowledge of when others are troubled or scared. That kind of thing.

You can just tell when something isn't right, even if you don't know what's wrong.

Eventually, though, I manage to get the attention of someone, and ask what the hell is going on here. Their reply shocks me into silence for a moment.

"The boss is stressing because the company are insisting that you shouldn't be kept in your cell, as the small size of it is 'traumatising'. They claim that you technically aren't unharmed, due to this, so they're considering backing out of their part of the deal. This is something that would really damage the gang, so he's taking a lot of time to figure out how to fix it."

The minion sighs, biting her lip. "I shouldn't be telling you this, but I guess it's only fair. Just don't say that you know, and everything will be okay. There's a lot of pressures on us at the moment. I guess it's just a case of choosing which one to focus on."

There's a moment of silence, and then she goes pale. "I have to go, but here's your food for today. It was nice to know you, whoever you really are, and I'm sorry that you got dragged into all of this. It's not your fault, honest. You're gonna be fine."
"Thank you," I say quietly, watching worriedly as she rushes away, a panicked expression on her face.

It doesn't take a genius to work out that someone said something in an earpiece that scared the shit out of her, most likely because she forgot about the microphone in the room. However, she was taking a bigger risk that others might originally assume. She was telling me the truth. My stupid genetic ability makes sure I'm certain of that.

I'm on my own for a few hours after that, and during that time of isolation I'm left to just think about what I've been told. It would take an idiot not to realise that this is bad news for the gang, but it's also bad news for me. Whatever happens because of this deal, I am going to be the one to suffer. If anything goes wrong, I will be the human sacrifice.

When I think about it like that, it's kinda scary.

Then things change completely.

I'm awoken one morning by the arrival of a minion, who immediately binds my wrists together and shoves a blindfold over my eyes roughly, grabbing my right arm and physically dragging me out of the room.

My whole body tenses up out of pure fear, and for a while I genuinely believe that this is it. The end of my life, blind and restrained, sent to me by a company who didn't know I existed until this deal had to be put in place for whatever reason. At the hand of someone who has no idea what I've suffered through. No idea what has happened to me in the past.