The file appeared on Elias’s desktop on a Tuesday, exactly at 2:54 AM. He hadn’t downloaded it. His firewall hadn't flagged it. It was just there—a dull, tan icon labeled Hagme2540.rar .
The video feed flickered. A line of text crawled across the bottom of the media player, replacing the timestamp: ARCHIVE COMPLETE. SUBJECT 2540 COLLECTED. Hagme2540.rar
In the video, Elias saw himself sitting at his desk, his back to the camera, illuminated by the pale blue glow of the monitor. He watched his own hand move the mouse. He watched himself lean closer to the screen. Then, he watched the door behind him creak open. The file appeared on Elias’s desktop on a