Simon's mind raced as he tried to piece together what he's learned. Somehow, his captors know him well enough to know his greatest fear. Granted, he has a few others that are up there but it is still terrifying that they know. Whoever these people are, they had to have spent a considerable amount of research, possibly even questioning those close to him, and most likely tracked him in order to obtain this information. Yet it still is unbelievable. He had to find out more. Simon collected himself, looked into the camera, and gave his answer.
"Bugs".
The quick jolt gave him an unusual sense of relief. After the last 20 seconds of hell, Simon was not going to question his captors' knowledge anymore. While he is not necessarily afraid of bugs, Simon occasionally got squeamish around them. Yet it took him 17 tries until he passed, as he was still rattled by his initial response. The next question appeared on the screen.
"What sports team are you a member of?"
"Cross Country"
This lie came easy enough. Simon's sister is on the cross country team, so he knows the sport through second-hand experience. Plus, he has the build and endurance from soccer to make it seem believable. After 9 responses, the monitor turned green.
"What is your GPA?"
"3.7"
It took him 24 tries to pass this question. Disgruntled, Simon pressed on.
"Where do you work?"
"RJ's Diner as a busboy"
A random diner name plus the countless stories he's been told about working at a restaurant by his friends make this choice a safe bet. 7 tries.
"Do you have a pet?"
"Yes, a cat named Twilight"
He is more of a dog person, but for some reason, cats seem to like him. 6 tries.
"What club are you a member of?"
"Chess club"
As good of a player as he is, Simon would rather join a club that provides some form of leadership and charity work. College applications are coming up, after all. 3 tries.
"What's your girlfriend's name?"
"Ashleigh"
First try.
From then on, Simon was consistently answering each question truthfully without ever having to repeat himself. With each question, he built upon the foundation of Jeremy Strauss, molding the persona into a caricature of himself that had nothing in common with his own life. Jeremy's dream job, favorite vacation spot, top three favorite movies, favorite food, etc. All of these "facts" came into fruition with each question the monitor asked. After about 20 more questions, lying had become second nature to Simon. Each answer came more and more quickly to him to the point where he was practically having a conversation with the screen. And then, the monitor turned black.
He looked around the room to see if anything else had changed. Nothing. He looked back at the screen and waited. Suddenly, the restraints on his ankles, wrists, and head popped open. Simon slowly stood up. He felt the same stiffness in his legs as one would after a long car ride or flight. He quickly scanned the room.
There was no door, no windows, nothing except a bed in the back-left corner of the room with white sheets and pillows and an air vent in the opposite corner. Simon walked around the room, inspecting the walls for the outline of a hidden door. Nothing. He tried to move the bed, but it was bolted to the ground. There was nothing he could use to reach the air vent and escape. Yet, for some reason, he was not worried. His captors went through the trouble of setting up this elaborate lie detector test to give him some practice in fabrication. While the information they have on him is certainly troubling, they would not have done all of this if there wasn't some sort of plan they had in mind. One which he had to be alive for.
And so, Simon wandered around his cell, thinking about what was going to happen next. After the first hour, he was getting antsy. He decided to pass the time by doing squats, push-ups, and tricep dips on the bed. Not too much to get tired, but just enough to stay active. After his brief workout, he lied in the bed, stared at the ceiling, and waited. His mind drifted from one thought to the next, trying to piece together the information he already has. As he was about to fall asleep, a sound came from across the room. Underneath the vent, a portion of the wall slowly rose to reveal a doorway. Simon sat up, waiting to see if someone would enter, but no one did.
Cautiously, he stood up and walked to the corner across from it. Standing underneath the security camera, he looked in the doorway. It seemed to be an empty hallway. He walked across the room and peered through. No one was in sight. All he could see were a couple of closed doors with numbers next to each one and another security camera. Simon slowly walked out into the hallway. He counted eight rooms total, including his own, that had what seemed to be a cell number next to each one. At the end of the hallway was a door, already opened. He made his way down the hallway and looked in. Waiting for him was a man sitting at a table with an empty seat across from his own.
"Hello Simon", the man said. "Why don't you have a seat. We have some important matters to discuss."