Suddenly, the video cut to black. A single line of text scrolled across the screen in a command-line font: DECOMPRESSION COMPLETE. WE SEE YOU, ELIAS.

The lights in the basement didn't just flicker—they died. In the total darkness, the only thing Elias could see was the tiny, green "Power" LED on his router, blinking faster and faster, as if it were screaming.

In the center of the static, a shape began to resolve. It wasn't a meteor or a satellite. It was a series of geometric patterns, pulsing in a rhythm that matched the blinking light of his hard drive.