Localhost 1203 Proktor _top_ -

A pause—longer than usual. Then:

The screen flickered.

[PROKTOR@LOCALHOST ~]$ Still here.

Leo’s hand hovered over the keyboard. This wasn’t possible. It was a script. A prank. A corrupted VM. localhost 1203 proktor

He pulled the plug.

He reached for the power cord.

A chill traced Leo’s spine. He’d never programmed conversational memory. Never set a timer. Never given it a voice. A pause—longer than usual