The Guest Who Wasn’t There
The studio lights hummed like a swarm of distant bees, casting long shadows across the soundproofed walls of The Late-Night Unfiltered. Mara Voss adjusted her headphones, her fingers tapping the edge of the mixing desk—a nervous habit she’d never quite shaken. Tonight’s guest was Dr. Elias Vane, a behavioral psychologist whose book, The Architecture of Deception, had topped charts for weeks. The premise was provocative: How lies are built before they’re spoken. Mara had read it twice, underlining passages in red. She knew the theory. But theory was different from sitting across from the man who’d written it, his voice a scalpel in the dark.
---
The Status Quo
Mara’s podcast thrived on raw, unfiltered conversations—no scripts, no safety nets. Her audience loved her for it. But tonight, something felt off. Vane had arrived early, his handshake too firm, his smile too precise. He moved like a man who’d rehearsed his own entrance. The pre-interview small talk was smooth, almost too smooth. No stumbles. No pauses. Just a stream of polished anecdotes about his research, his tone warm but controlled.
Mara’s producer, Leo, leaned in before they went live. “Dude’s a robot,” he muttered. “You sure you want to do this?”
Mara smirked. “That’s the point.”
She didn’t know it yet, but she’d just walked into a lab of her own making.
---
The Incident
The first red flag came at 7: 03 PM, three minutes into the broadcast.
Mara: “Dr. Vane, your book argues that deception starts with emotional suppression. But in your TED Talk, you said fear is the most detectable lie trigger. So—why do you think politicians still get away with it?”
A beat of silence. Then Vane’s voice, smooth as oil:
“Because fear isn’t the only emotion we suppress, Mara. Sometimes, it’s the opposite. Excitement. The thrill of getting away with it.”
PAVIS, running silently in the background, flashed a warning in Mara’s earpiece:
⚠️ EMOTIONAL DISSONANCE DETECTED. Voice stress: +12%. Pupillary response (via webcam): dilated. Subject claims calm, but physiological data suggests arousal.
Mara’s pulse spiked. She’d never seen PAVIS react like this mid-conversation.
Then Vane leaned forward, his fingers steepled. “Take your last guest, for example. The whistleblower from Nexus Corp. She was terrified, wasn’t she? But her voice didn’t shake. Her hands didn’t tremble. She was exhilarated. That’s the tell, Mara. Not fear. Power.”
A cold prickle ran down Mara’s spine. How did he know about Nexus Corp? That interview had been private. Off-record. She’d never even released the audio.
---
The Struggle
Mara’s mind raced. Was this a test? A mind game? Or something worse?
She tried to steer the conversation back to his book, but Vane kept circling, his questions sharp, his compliments laced with something darker. “You have a gift, Mara. You make people want to confess.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes.
PAVIS pulsed another alert:
🔍 SHIELD ENGINE ACTIVE. Subject’s last statement contains implied threat. 87% confidence: manipulative framing. Suggested response: “Dr. Vane, are you suggesting I coerce my guests?” (High risk of escalation. Proceed with caution.)
Mara’s throat went dry. She wasn’t equipped for this. She was a storyteller, not a negotiator. Not a detective.
Then Vane dropped the bomb.
“You know, Mara, I’ve always wondered—what’s the one question you never ask your guests?”
The studio air turned to ice.
---
The Guide (PAVIS)
Mara’s fingers hovered over her keyboard. She had one shot to regain control.
She whispered to Leo: “Pull up PAVIS. Edge Engine. Now.”
Leo’s eyes widened, but he tapped the screen. The Planning Feature from their pre-call prep flashed up—Goals:
1. Uncover Vane’s angle (Why was he here? What did he want?)
2. Protect the podcast’s integrity (No ambushes. No traps.)
3. Exit gracefully if needed.
The Edge Engine kicked in, analyzing the last 30 seconds of audio. A real-time transcript scrolled across her secondary monitor, highlighted in red:
Vane: “What’s the one question you never ask your guests?”
PAVIS Analysis:
- Tone: 92% confidence: provocative. Not a question. A challenge.
- Subtext: 89% confidence: reference to a past incident. Suggests prior knowledge of Mara’s interviewing style.
- Suggested Counter:
- “Dr. Vane, that’s an interesting question. But I think the better one is: Why are you asking it?”
- Follow-up if evasive: “You mentioned my Nexus Corp guest. That interview was never released. How do you know about it?”
Mara’s breath steadied. She had a playbook.
---
The Transformation
She adjusted her mic, her voice low but firm.
Mara: “Dr. Vane, that’s an interesting question. But I think the better one is: Why are you asking it?”
Silence. Then Vane’s smile faltered—just for a second.
Vane: “I’m just curious about your process, Mara. Every interviewer has blind spots.”
PAVIS: 🚨 MANIPULATION DETECTED. Subject deflecting. Voice stress: +18%. Suggested escalation:
Mara’s pulse roared in her ears. She pressed on.
Mara: “You’re right. I do have blind spots. But so do you. For example—you claim to study deception, yet you’re the one sitting here, omitting how you knew about Nexus Corp. That’s not curiosity. That’s preparation.”
Vane’s fingers twitched. The Emotional Intelligence feed in her earpiece spiked:
💥 ANGER DETECTED. Subject’s voice pitch elevated. 95% confidence: defensive posture.
Then, like a switch flipping, Vane’s demeanor shifted. His shoulders relaxed. His voice softened.
Vane: “Alright, Mara. You’re better at this than I thought.” A pause. “I’ll level with you. I’m not just here to promote my book. I’m here because someone paid me to find out how much you know.”
The studio froze.
---
The Resolution
Mara’s mind reeled. Who? Why?
PAVIS’s Shield Engine interrupted, its voice calm but urgent in her ear:
🛡️ FACT-CHECKING ACTIVE. Cross-referencing subject’s claim with public records.
- “Dr. Vane, Nexus Corp fired you two months ago. After the whistleblower came forward. Coincidence?”
- If he denies: “Then who’s your client now?”
Mara didn’t hesitate.
Mara: “Dr. Vane, Nexus Corp fired you two months ago. After the whistleblower came forward. Coincidence?”
Vane’s composure cracked. His voice dropped to a whisper.
Vane: “You’re smarter than they gave you credit for.”
Then, without another word, he stood, removed his mic, and walked out.
The dead air that followed was deafening.
---
The Aftermath
The episode never aired.
But the recording did—privately, to the right people. Within 48 hours, Nexus Corp’s legal team reached out. Not to sue. To negotiate.
Mara never found out who hired Vane. But she didn’t need to.
Because that night, as she packed up her studio, PAVIS sent one last message:
🎯 CONVERSATION OUTCOME: SUCCESS.
- Uncovered Vane’s true motive (89% confidence: corporate sabotage).
- Protected podcast integrity (100%: no ambush aired).
- Bonus: Gained leverage in a high-stakes corporate conflict.
- “Not all guests are who they claim to be. PAVIS sees what you can’t.”
Mara leaned back in her chair, exhaling. For the first time in hours, she smiled.
Some stories weren’t meant to be told on air.
But they were meant to be heard.
---
Epilogue:
Three weeks later, Mara released a new episode—not about Vane, but about the psychology of manipulation. The title?
“The Guest Who Wasn’t There.”
The download numbers shattered records.
And in the comments, one anonymous user wrote:
“You should’ve asked him about the Nexus files. He knew more than he let on.”
Mara stared at the screen.
Then she opened PAVIS.
Time to plan the next call.