Boring. They’d either stuck a virtual reality helmet or saved money and gone for an Escape Room style scenario. In a roundabout way this could be the response to my last performance review.

My thoughts remained a little bit fuzzy still.

What's wrong with my memories?

‘Hum. Hum. Hum. Shutting up now.’

Sitting back in the chair I recalled the last set of memories that I had before waking up fully dressed on the leather sofa. Virtual reality or physical Escape room, clues were clues and I’d just been informed about my bakery.

This meant that the person running this knew me, knew my life and work history. Huh. Tea. Yeah, I had asked a member of staff to bring me a tea before the cakes were prepared. Then…huh.

Confusing and hazy. I’d been dressed. Or I appeared dressed. My body and limbs felt real. The air tasted of old things. But to get to this place, to wake up here?

I was drinking a warm glass of delicious buckwheat tea then I…then I woke up here. Drugged tea. I don’t want to be part of an octopus game.

Forget this computer. It’s not a funny joke. I wanted to check out the bookshelves to if there was a hidden switch for a secret passage that was behind a book.

Clues, tools, and other items were often disguised as normal objects when in an Escape Room. Standing up from the office chair and leaving the flashing computer text behind me I walked over to one of the bookshelves.

‘Let’s take a gander at what types of texts we have on the shelf then. Any advice on which one to choose?’

I wasn’t expecting an answer but it was still worth a try. If this entire mess was being recorded to be shown at my company annual party then it was worth me speaking aloud just to show that I didn’t take the whole thing too seriously.

And now for a gander at the lovely selection on display today. No romance or comedy stuff please.

The book covers themselves were super old. As in faded-by-time antique style, you could always reproduce these though easily enough. Factory produced stage props.

Picking up a random book on the shelf the front cover had an image bubbles and the submarine with drill attachments. Cute.

The title text read ‘Mining and Oceanography: Do they Sync?’

‘Clever title, what’s the content like?’

Flicking through the pages of the book I began to read about how the study of the oceans enabled a better understanding of how to reduce the impact on the natural environment through preliminary mining techniques. In other words, how not to destroy a habitat even though you were engaged in breaking through the seafloor?

Pretty interesting stuff, I didn’t consider ocean mining as it hadn’t yet come up in my work. I was used to dry lands, not the wet stuff. The closest dealing with massive amounts of water was during monsoon season or the occasional torrential rains which caused mudslides.

Slope stability and blah blah. I’d never been a massive fan of fiction books preferring the information ones far more. Wait, did they know that from my Human Resources file?

Huh.

This is wrong.

I sat down on one of the stools and placed the book on the desk. Might as well read it a bit more, the sections on mining caught my interest, and it was a fairly new field of research for me.

After an hour or so, checking the time on the grandfather clock I decided to take a quick break from my makeshift self-study session.

*Ding*

What now?

‘I don’t want any nonsense about incidents. I don’t like the horror-type escape rooms, not now that I’m older at any rate. Don’t try and shock me again, or your bum is going to meet the end of my Chelsea boot.’

I put the Mining and Oceanography book back on the shelf to be tidy and organized and walked back over to the computer screen on the desk. I didn’t want to sit down again for a while, so I moved the office chair out of the way and leaned forward.

?Enter Response: Are you able to pick up my voice when I’m talking aloud?

->Yes. Visuals are also available. Repeat. This is not an Escape Room. Please remain calm. There was an incident in the bakery that you owned. The book improved your available skills usage.

->The System recognizes your efforts. You have gained skills in your understanding of Underwater Mining.

A game. They were running a video game style scenario in this Escape Room. Or at least a part of it, I’ve never been involved in Underwater Mining yet though. Given that my career was only around five years presently I’d have a good long time to explore that field though.

I hoped to be lucky enough one day to be alive for the birth of space mining, although the chances were that I’d be long dead by then before it became a reality on my planet. Read books and the system recognises you develop new skills. Was this an experimental training program created by Human Resources? I stared at the words on the screen before deciding my response.

?Enter Response: What system is that then?

I typed in a few words just to humour the person on the other end. The system could be a key clue to finding the exit to this Escape Room. Arrange the fictions in a particular order to unlock a key that then gives me a jewel that one of the bust plinths needs.

->The System recognizes your efforts in improving yourself through self-study. Real-life applications will be needed to activate your skills.

?Enter Response: This is nonsense. What is this system meant to be?

->Do you like your casual formal clothes? The System provided these for your Mind Palace Avatar.

My clothing was pretty smart; I did like my Chelsea boots.

?Enter Response: Thanks for the nice fashionable treads; I was wearing these in the bakery. I’m going to take a break and check out the bookshelves. Thanks for making this Escape Room an immersible experience. You’re very dedicated to your job. Great chat, bye for now!

I added the smiley faces as the person on the other side of the screen was doing a fantastic job of role-playing a mysterious system. My movements in here were monitored though, that little bell noise was proof of that.

This time I went to a different shelf. One title immediately grabbed my attention: How to dig your way out of trouble: An Intermediate Guide to Earthmover's in Risky Situations.

‘You want to show this off on your hidden cameras?’

I held the title up in front of me as if showing off a trophy.

I sat down on a stool where I was sitting previously and began to read. This one was quite different from the last, the first chapter was all about the dangers that you would face when directly or remotely controlling an earth mover.

I had faced a few of the examples myself and caused accidental damage by not following the necessary steps. The text gave me a clearer idea of what to do in certain general situations when operating heavy earthmovers.

Engrossed in reading, time passed again. I kept flipping pages and running my fingers across the words until my mind had been stuffed full of new data.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

*Ding*

Again? Reading produces a noise reaction. What’ll it say this time?

I didn’t want to return the non-fiction text this time and let if fall onto the floor before standing up, stretched my arms, and went straight to the computer screen.

->The System recognizes your efforts. Please return the selected learning materials to the pre-designated position.

?Enter Response: No. The book has a new home now on the floor, you can see how it wants to start a family and a few more friends with join it shortly. ;;;;;

‘Just joking!’

I spoke aloud for the recording. We’d laugh about this later. My co-workers and I. Right after they had all reported to Human Resources for a prank gone bad.

->Please return the selected material to the designated position on the shelf. The ability to follow orders is a necessity for workers.

?Enter Response: FINE. I'M NOT AN EMPLOYEE HERE!

I walked back over to the dumped text picked it up, and returned it to the same spot that I picked it up from. All tidied away and nice and organised. Just the same way that my office would be or my bakery if the staff were willing to listen to me.

Being a boss was harder work than I had imagined and now I was being told what to do as though I was the employee and I’d just been given a task to fulfil. No, not an employee, less than that. This felt akin to one of those control situations where if you follow the rules, you get another clue, or you’re being trained to react to certain stimuli.

Why am I doing this?

There was a famous scientist who did the same with cats and watermelons shaped into the form of fruit mice, but I could have been wrong. Either way, it was external stimuli designed to elicit a specific reaction. I was the cat, time to find my mouse-shaped fruit then.

Going back to the computer, I took a seat on the office chair this time and started typing.

->Please return the book to the designated position on the shelf.

?Enter Response: The book has been returned to its original position.

*Ding*

->The System recognizes your efforts. You have gained skills in your understanding of Earth Mover Danger Situations. Real-life applications will be needed to activate your skills.

I’m learning skills through reading books, not sure about the stuff about applying it to real life but this must be part of the game. I had a rough measure of how long I had been in this room so far. No feelings of hunger or thirst, or even needing to use the bathroom had affected me yet so it was inconsequential for now.

The feeling of progressing was far more interesting, I wanted to win in this system, work out it worked and use it to my advantage. An hour or so, or even minutes. Desires for food and drink could be suppressed but after a point the body needed energy.

Firstly, I wanted more answers from the person on the other end of the computer screen. As long as they weren’t a complete psychopath or a sociopath with a fetish for trapping people.

‘I hope you’re prepared to join in the fun.

Making myself comfortable in preparation to sit in the chair for longer I began to type. My fingers felt sufficiently warmed out now and ready to do battle as the temporary keyboard warrior that I needed to be.

Yeah, you can try and make me scared with words and I’ll try and work out your little game. I needed out of this Escape Room and back into the world. There was a little something called consent and I knew that I hadn’t given it freely.

I let my fingers begin to play across the keyboard, eyes focusing on the screen attentive to the new information that responded.

->

?Enter Response: Hi, what’s your name

-> Psychological Profile measured. The Campos Response program was initiated following a previous personality development failure.

?Enter Response: …I asked for your name.

->I am Campos System. Thank you for upgrading two of your skills.

?Enter Response: Your name is Campos? What’s your job then?

->My purpose is to facilitate your work as a Miner into a set task. This Mind Palace has been created with specific loci that will help you build up additional skills in mining. Please check the bookshelves, paintings, and busts for further materials that have been provided.

?Enter Response: What does mining have to do with me being an escape room?

->This is not an Escape Room. Please remain calm. There was an incident in the bakery that you owned. Do not panic or overreact. You have an open mind and have enjoyed many diverse types of stories. Are you aware of Samsara? Or reincarnation? Even the concept of transmigration can apply to your case.

?Enter Response: You’ve lost me. I quit the Escape Room; can I leave now? I’d like to go back home and eat some dinner.

->Please check the bookshelves, paintings, and busts for further materials that have been provided.

?Enter Response: That wasn’t an answer to my question. I said I quit this Escape Room, you win, I lose. Open the secret door. Please.

->Please check the bookshelves, paintings, and busts for further materials that have been provided.

Gah. Stupid rules.

I stood up from the office chair and left the screen alone.

Sometimes, when I lost my temper, I would be tempted to smash and break something. Note that in this case, it was going to help me.

Every part of an Escape Room was designed and usually part of the puzzle.

If asking to quit wasn’t an option, then I would have to play along with the rules of this so-called system for a while.

Nikita, I bet the name of the person on the other side was called Nikita. That was a good name for someone who wasn’t being helpful.

‘Hey Nikita, you’re a jerk! I’m going to check out the paintings for clues. Time how fast I can solve your puzzles.’

Walking over to a painting on the wall it showed a tall woman dressed in an old-style formal dress. She wasn’t familiar to me, in her late thirties at a guess. Beneath the portrait, the title just showed the words ‘Mine for Life.’

‘That was a complete waste of time then.’

That wasn’t a very funny title either for a painting. She certainly wasn’t mine for life. A fierce but handsome sort of woman. Besides which, I never got married. No time with my busy work schedule. My love life had been put on hold for a decent chunk of time.

‘Still wasting my time here. Old paintings, old everything aside from a computer which does not suit this setting. You need a new designer. Feel free to pass the message on. I’d appreciate a response as your current customer.’

A few more paintings where on the walls of portraits of other distinguished individuals, both male and female and one which I wasn’t quite sure of but I didn’t want to come across more corny jokes.

I need to escape. To leave. Police. I need to call the police.

No. I wanted a faster path then reading attempts at names. I had my life to get back to after all. I was going to give the slightly out of place computer and keyboard a miss.

Video games of any type had never been my thing after all. I stopped and took small steps before deciding to focus on the bookshelves and ignoring the rest. It was a strategy at least.

I need...I….I need to examine the room. I will examine the room.