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“Where?” Chloe whispered.
The little bot pointed its metal arm and dim lights began to glow around them.
They stood in a space just large enough to dock a small craft.
It was oddly outfitted with old-timey, Terran-looking furniture. Wooden bookcases, upholstered sofas, and overstuffed chairs circled the room. Paintings from different styles and periods hung on the walls. Various odds and ends sat on the tables, as well as a pitcher of water and two glasses. A fireplace in the corner suddenly roared to life with a crackling fire, making her jump a little.
As the lighting increased, she saw they weren’t alone. Taking up the entire middle of the room was a giant metal beast, its belly moving up and down as it slept, as if it were breathing.
It was the size of a small hover car, with paws as big as dinner plates. Foot-long claws protruded from each of the metal knuckles. A mane of fiberoptic cables, each ending in a metal barb, adorned its massive head.
As she studied it, the thing emitted a snuffling sound, like it was dreaming.
“In thirteen minutes, the alarm will go off,” the bot said, pointing at a circle of glass on the ceiling. “Then the cat will wake and anyone still in the room will be doomed.”
“How do we stop it?” Jubal asked calmly.
“You can’t stop it,” the bot said simply. “You must solve the clues to find a key to the room so you can escape.”
“It’s an Escape Room,” Chloe murmured as the pieces all clicked into place. “These are huge on Terra-58. Though we usually have at least an hour to get out.”
“So Terrans are good at escaping rooms?” Jubal asked dubiously. “Why would they lock each other up in the first place?”
“It’s supposed to be fun,” she told him. “There’s normally an actor in the room, not a murderous beast. Groups of people get locked in at once, and have to solve the clues together to get out.”
“That is not an actor,” Jubal said, pointing to the cat.
“So, the stakes are higher,” she said.
A tone rang out in the room.
“What was that?” she asked the bot.
“That will sound every five minutes to alert you as to how much time you have left,” it replied.
“But we didn’t start yet,” she told it.
“Of course you did,” it replied. “The timer begins when the door is locked.”
“Give us the first clue,” Jubal demanded, finally letting go of her hand.
Her palm felt cold and empty without his.
The bot pulled something from its chest panel and offered it up.
Chloe waited, her heart pounding, as Jubal unfurled the tiny piece of paper and read it out loud.
“What has a neck, but no head?” Jubal read. “Oh, that one’s easy. A guitar.”
But there was no guitar in the room, not even a picture of a guitar on the walls.
“Should we check the bookcase?” Jubal asked.
They would have to step over the sleeping cat’s tail to get to that side of the room.
“Wait,” Chloe said, pointing to what looked like champagne on a small table. “A bottle.”
“I like that attitude, love,” Jubal said with a wink. “But I don’t think now is the time for a drink.”
