Then, the "Elias" on the screen slowly began to turn around. But as the face came into view, it wasn't Elias. It was a face made of static and raw code, eyes glowing with the pale blue light of a 2008-era monitor.

The person in the video leaned forward, their shoulders tensed. They were looking at a computer screen.

On the video feed, he watched himself reach for the mouse. He watched himself freeze.