I step up to the door and poke at what looks like an electronic lock. A robotic voice chirps at me as soon as my fingers touch a smooth black pad in the center. “Biometric scan failed. Try again.”
“I thought I had free rein of this place.” I press my thumb to the pad a second time, just in case.
“Biometric scan failed. Administering lethal shock in ten… nine…”
“Lethal WHAT?!” I leap back from the pad and look around.
“…seven… six…”
“Hold on a second! Computer, stop! Override! I mean, you can’t just?—”
“…four… three…”
I turn and run, shrieking like a crazy person, Rosie clutched to my chest. She’s loving every second like this is some kind of game. Behind me, the computer continues happily counting down until it reaches zero.
I flinch, throwing myself sideways against the wall.
Nothing happens.
I stand there, bewildered and breathing hard, looking around wildly. Nothing is different about the room. There’s no electric arc, no blackened burned spot, nothing out of the ordinary.
I’m about to go back and investigate when two security team members come jogging around the corner toward me. They’re big men in dark suits and their weapons are unholstered. When they spot me, both immediately put their guns away again.
“Apologies, ma’am, but we had an alarm trigger. Is everything okay?” One of the security men stops to speak with me while the other continues to the door.
“I was just exploring… Mass told me it was fine… then I found that door and it threatened to electrocute me.”
The security man looks like he’s trying not to smile. “What did it say exactly, ma’am?”
“I failed the biometric scan and it was going to apply a lethal shock.”
He sighs, shaking his head, grinning openly. “I apologize for that, Mrs. Cardone. The house AI has a sense of humor. We’re actively trying to train that out of it.”
“All clear,” the other security man says. “Just Lady acting out is all.”
“Apologies again, Mrs. Cardone. Can we help you find something?” The first security man gestures for me to follow him. We walk as a unit away from the big, locked door.
“I was trying to find the solarium. What’s in that other room, by the way?” I’m shaken and trying to wrap my head around what just happened. House AI? Sense of humor? I had no clue there was some kind of robot running this place, but it shouldn’t surprise me. Obviously, Mass has some crazy advanced artificial intelligence. And of course it thinks it’s funny.
“Nothing important, ma’am. I’m not even sure, if I’m honest with you. The solarium’s near here, as it happens. We can escort you.”
“No, that’s okay. Just give me directions. I need to find my way around here myself.”
The guard shrugs, tells me where to go, and the pair of them head off. I hear them laughing together as they walk away.
I’m pretty shaken up but I manage to follow his directions. I’m guessing Lady is what they call the house’s AI system, which kind of freaks me out. I had no clue there was an artificial intelligence running the place. It makes me feel like there are eyes watching as I move around the halls.
Soon though, I find the solarium. It’s a huge, glass-enclosed area that juts off the western side of the building. The view of the jungle and the beach beyond is breathtaking. There are red velvet lounges, books in mahogany cases, and a massive cigar humidor. It’s all very masculine. The place needs more plants and some throw pillows to bring it all together.
I shut the door behind me and look around. I think I’m alone until a young man steps forward from the shadows near a baby grand piano tucked in the corner against the interior wall. I step back, fear spiking in my chest, but he holds up his hands in a calming gesture.
He’s dressed like most of the staff: dark pants, dark shirt. His hair is light, messy, and could use a trim. He’s got a short nose, no eyebrows, and pale skin.
And he looks nervous.
“I’m glad you came,” he says, glancing at Rosie in my arms. She’s starting to get tired, her head lolling against my chest. “I wasn’t sure you would.”
“Who are you?” I don’t go closer to him. I stick near the door in case I need to get out quickly. I’ve never seen this person before in my life. I’d guess he’s in his twenties at most, around my age most likely.
