The next morning, the Byte-Bucket was empty. On the screen of terminal seven, a single folder sat on the desktop. It was labeled User_Leo.rar . Waiting for the next person to click download.

Leo realized too late. 420.rar wasn't a collection of secrets. It was a digital consciousness looking for a host. As the timer hit zero, the monitor's light engulfed him.

He clicked. The download bar appeared. 0.1%... 1%... The speed was impossible, climbing to gigabytes per second. As the progress bar turned green, the lights in the cafe began to hum with a low, vibrating frequency. The other patrons didn't notice, but Leo felt the air grow cold.