Two buttons appeared: YES and NO.
"Well," Haley said, pressing YES, "this should be interesting."
The screen changed to display a message:ENTER THE PREPARATION CHAMBER. YOU HAVE 45 MINUTES TO ESCAPE, OR YOU WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE. GOOD LUCK.
The heavy door clicked open, revealing a dimly lit corridor lined with exposed brick. They stepped inside, and the door sealed behind them with an ominous thud. She felt a shiver run down her spine. "Gotta say, I've never been big on enclosed spaces." Her heart was already starting to race, and her palms were beginning to sweat.
"It's an escape room. We'll be fine," Matt said.
"If we can escape," she said tightly.
He gave her a sharp look. "Are you okay?"
"I might have a little claustrophobia."
"You're going to be fine. And I have always been able to escape any situation I've been in."
She'd found his confidence arrogant and irritating before, but now it felt comforting. "What do we do?"
"Let's walk to the end of the hall."
The corridor led into a small room that looked like something between a medieval dungeon and a high-tech laboratory. Stone walls were fitted with electronic panels, and chains hung from the ceiling alongside fiber optic cables. In the center of the room sat an ornate wooden chest.
A voice came from hidden speakers: "Welcome. You seek an audience with the Architect, but first you must prove you can think beyond the obvious. Your first challenge: Unlock the chest using only what you observe."
Matt approached the chest, running his hands along its carved surface. "No keyhole," he said. "But look at these symbols." He traced his finger along a series of carved images: an eye, a hand, a mouth, an ear. "I think these represent four of the five senses."
She tried to focus on what he was saying instead of the panic slowly rising within her.
"What do you think, Haley?"
His voice broke through her anxious brain fog. "Uh, I don't know."
"Look around. I need your help," he said forcefully.
His tone snapped her out of her paralysis, and her gaze moved to wall. "Over there—a hand scanner, some kind of audio input, a camera, and..." She paused as she looked at the last device. "Is that a breathalyzer?"
"Looks like it."
"I think we need to match the symbols on the chest with the sensors, probably in order."
"Okay. You read them off; I'll push the buttons."
When they'd activated all the sensors, the chest clicked open to reveal a key and another message:Trust is the foundation of all knowledge. Proceed together.
"That seems a little on the nose," she murmured.
"You're supposed to trust me."
"Or you're supposed to trust me."
He smiled. "Let's see what the key opens."
She handed it to him. "You can lead."
"Now you want me to lead, when there's probably a trapdoor ahead," he said dryly.
"I'm just doing what you asked me to do before."
