Second Self

Chapter 14

"The most dangerous of all falsehoods is a slightly distorted truth."

G. C. Lichtenberg (1742-1799)

It shouldn't have bothered me to be thrown out of court, considering I'd been forced to be there, but it was better than the alternative of being trapped in my cell with nothing to do except imagine what was happening in my absence.

The only thing besides meals that broke up my days were conversations with Ministry agents. They felt a lot more like interrogations, but I decided it was best to keep a positive outlook. My boredom became so intense that I started to recount the plotlines of my favourite shows, along with as much of the dialogue as I could remember. At one point, I caught myself worrying about whether my shows were recording back home, and heard Ron Weasley's voice in my head saying, "You really need to get your priorities straight."

Eventually, the clang on my door that I'd been waiting for came. "Gemini is here to escort you to court," the guard said through the slats.

"I'm ready," I shouted, not caring that I'd been wearing the same prison uniform for at least a week.

The metal door vibrated as it opened. Gemini held a bag of clothes that presumably would solve the smelly uniform problem. The outfit was the same as the last one he'd brought, maybe because Gem had realized that being different in a world of relative conformity might make you look subversive. It might have occurred to him that the last thing I needed was to be seen wearing proof of my non-conformity in court.

Our escorts for the day travelled on motorcycles alongside us, giving us a little privacy to speak, yet we stayed quiet as groves of trees laden with purples passed by our windows. Shadows cast by the trees across the road were nothing compared to the dark shapes looming over my thoughts. "What have I missed?" I finally asked.

"Blue hasn't had much to say lately, considering all the talking he did the first few days. He doesn't need to bother. The seeds of doubt been planted and have grown as big as those," he nudged his chin at the fruit trees as we passed them. "Protests outside the court get worse every day, Citizen Spectators inside the court have become increasingly bold in their displays of dissent, and picketers are at the gates of Penitent headquarters.

"I feel like we're standing still while they're burying us alive. I am going to be forced to testify, which will make everything worse. I already know what happened when you had the upgraded chip, and your technology tried to interpret my body language and facial expressions. I'm surprised you haven't suggested an impromptu acting lesson," I said.

"This time, the technology will be able to read your emotions because you're on this side of the membrane. Besides," Gem sighed, "I can't just tell you to pick a mask off the shelf this time. The only thing I can suggest is not to overthink it. That dog trying to smile expression you do when you're trying too hard is unsettling at best. Court technology might be your best friend in this situation."

A dense crowd gathered around the spot where the vehicle came to a stop. Gem put his arm around my shoulder and held his head high as he escorted me past the bulging line barely held back by the barricades and into the building. We settled in the same seats we'd previously occupied before they removed me for losing my temper. Although as dull as ever, the opening procedures were still a welcome delay of the inevitable.

Red didn't waste time calling for me to testify. I approached the witness podium, sat stiffly on the edge of the chair and focused my eyes on Red. "Growing up, you could see someone nobody else could. Tell us what that was like," she said.

"I'm pretty sure Gemini save my life on more than one occasion, but I don't love him for being my hero. I love him because he's my oldest and dearest friend."