Uncle Gadget had gone to bed when Penny returned to the apartment block, and Penny wouldn't have wanted to tell her story to him, in any case. How far had she fallen, since joining up with Talon? Paralysing the city traffic... making enemies of teenage gangsters... and now, she was implicated in stealing a dangerous artificial intelligence that could change the nature of reality itself.

She entered the apartment and found two mugs of hot chocolate waiting on the dining table. Seated there, patiently waiting for her, was Brain.

For as long as she could remember, he had been there for her. She went and hugged him.

"Oh, Brain, I can't handle this anymore. Everyone thinks Talon and I did all these great things... and it's all lies, and disguises, and now...!"

She told him about the AI.

"I should go straight to Chief Quimby, but I'm INVOLVED! And I don't want to get Talon into trouble, Brain, in spite of what he's done. He's brilliant, if only he'd come back to our side. He just can't help himself. He's a Claw, through and through. Greed and power get him every time. If he gets control of this AI... I don't know what he might do. Brain, I don't want him to go to prison."

Brain made sympathetic noises. He could pretty much talk, though seldom did, these days. Only Penny knew.

"What shall we do, Brain?"

She heard Brain's response.

"Go to bed? Sounds good."

She drank the rest of her chocolate, and they called it a night.

Penny woke up next morning determined to do the right thing. She would see Talon today, and if he still refused to change his ways, she would break with him, go into HQ and tell them all she knew.

She got up, showered and dressed, absolutely SURE that was what she'd do...

Then she went into the living room to find Talon already seated at the breakfast table with Uncle Gadget. He had kept his promise about the croissants, anyway. Chocolate ones. They were already enjoying them. He had just finished some joke, and Uncle Gadget was laughing.

Penny looked at him, and all her resolve crumbled to dust. He was back in his Good Boy outfit and looked ridiculously sweet.

She noticed a gold chain around his neck. He was keeping the pendant safe. It was plain enough in design to pass for boys' jewellery.

"Penny, hi." Uncle Gadget smiled. "Your friend here was just telling me about the really cool juice bar he took you to, after the Save the Whale meeting last night."

Talon gave Penny a virtuous smile. Penny sat beside him, and tried to eat. Opposite her, Brain was looking doubtful.

After breakfast, Talon helped clear the table again. Then he reached beneath and produced a laptop from its bag.

"Is it OK if I use the Internet, Inspector Gadget? I want to see how our pro-whale petition is doing, then I'm signing up for a course in Professional Ethics."

"Of course, Talon. I've got some late spring-cleaning to do. Go-go-Gadget Vaccuuuum..."

Inspector Gadget gave a yell as a vacuum cleaner emerged from inside his shirt, dragging him out of the room and into his bedroom. Talon closed the living room door.

"That should keep him quiet for a while." He looked at Brain. "Can't you take yourself for a walk, or something?"

Brain growled. Talon shrugged.

"OK. Stay, and witness a scientific discovery. We're about to see what Ruby found out. C'mon, Penn."

He went and drew the curtains, switched lights on.

"We don't want to be observed."

He started up the laptop.

"I want proper, trad technology for this. Not plugging this into thin air."

Reluctantly, Penny sat beside him at the table. He removed the USB from around his neck and inserted it into the computer.

Penny felt very uneasy. She could see the screen, reflected in Talon's glittering eyes. He was obsessed. Nothing was going to come between him and his lust for power.

He was typing and clicking rapidly.

"All downloaded... across four folders... oh Ruby, you beauty. Password protected... huh! What's she think this is, an online supermarket? Soon have this open..."

He typed faster and faster. Then he fell back in his seat, with a yell of triumph.

"Got you!"

Suddenly, all the overhead lights went out. Then Penny and Talon and Brain found themselves bathed in a deep, red glow. A strong wind was blowing. Penny realised it was coming from the air vents. She went and fiddled with one of them. The apartment seemed to have taken on a life of its own...

She ran back to the table as a smirking face appeared on the screen. It was a boy a little older than herself and Talon, with blond curly hair and a face that was pure evil. He looked like a fallen angel.

At the sight of him, even Talon looked afraid.

"Zac..."

"Hey, Talon." Zac's voice was deep and very quiet, which made it all the scarier. He had the sound of someone who might just shout at any moment... if you made him. "How's it going? I heard you were after the AI... but obviously I wasn't just gonna let you steal it... so I've sent you this little surprise instead." There was a brief glimpse of Ruby, smiling in the background. There was an identical USB pendant hanging around her neck. Zac pointed to it. "Oh yeah, we've still got the AI. I didn't like what you did to Jac or Ruby... so I decided to teach you a little lesson."

Penny and Talon exchanged guilty looks. Brain growled.

"Ruby used the AI to bend reality and make a little simulation. We just took control of your girlfriend's apartment. And we turned it... into an escape room!"

Penny and Talon and Brain looked around, as the apartment grew darker. Talon went and flung aside the curtains. Virtual shutters closed over the windows, blocking out the world outside.

Inspector Gadget entered.

"If you kids want any more coffee..."

"Uncle Gadget, no!"

Penny saw all the doors of the room shrink and disappear. She ran and touched the walls, but they were solid plaster, painted in the same colours as the rest of the apartment. There was no way out.

The laptop screen took on a heading.

ESCAPE ROOM!

Zac's face was now in a window in a corner of the screen.

"Now, Talon, Penny...Robocop. There's three puzzles coming your way... can you find your way out? If not, there's a very big bomb in the basement of the block, timed to go off in... five minutes. And you might wanna think about the people in the other apartments. If you all wanna get out alive... start thinking!" His smirk grew bigger. "I'll be sticking around to oversee the result. By the way, Talon... keep your claws off of my sister."

He disappeared from the window.

In his place was a countdown.

5:00

4:59

4:58

4:57...