Not a three-point turn. A slow, continuous pivot. The sedan spun on its own axis, tires squeaking like mice. As it turned, the other cars began to move. Not by magic—by hydraulics. The system was responding. Auto Place was re-placing.
By Friday, twenty cars.
AutoPlace v.1 registered the anomaly.
Leo took it. The sedan closed its trunk, backed out of Slot 13, and drove itself off the lot, disappearing into the dark street.
He launched the beta test on a Tuesday.
The sedan did not hold. It crept past the broken sign. The sensor rails lit up like a runway. The system, in its infinite logic, attempted a classification: Sedan. Four-door. No driver. Then: Threat? Malfunction? Ghost?