The video on his screen suddenly cut to a new scene. It showed a crowded city street, a news ticker running across the bottom of the frame: “Search for Local Architect Intensifies After Mystery Signal.” Above the text was his own face.
When he hit play, the screen stayed black for ten seconds. Then, a grainy, high-angle shot appeared. It was his own living room. The clock on the wall showed 7:15 AM—the exact time it was now. In the video, Elias saw himself sitting at his desk, staring at the computer screen with the same look of confusion he wore at that very moment.
The drone outside tapped twice against the glass—a metallic, demanding sound. Elias looked back at the video. His future self was gone, replaced by a single line of text in a font that looked like it had been carved into the screen: Run. They know you found it.
He froze. In the video, his digital self leaned closer to the monitor. Slowly, the "video-Elias" turned his head toward the camera. He didn't look scared; he looked expectant. He raised a hand and pointed toward the window behind the real Elias.