It wasn't a spreadsheet or a blueprint. It was a single, high-definition video file—no audio. It showed a seed being planted in a glass box, then accelerating through a week of growth in mere seconds. But as the plant bloomed, it didn’t sprout leaves. It sprouted crystalline structures that pulsed with a faint, rhythmic violet light.

As the video looped, Leo noticed a reflection in the glass box on his screen. It wasn't the scientist filming; it was a reflection of the very diner he was sitting in, dated three days from now. In the video, the diner was empty, the windows were shattered, and that same violet light was creeping across the floor toward his booth.

Leo sat in the back of a neon-lit 24-hour diner, the "Download Complete" bar glowing green on his cracked laptop screen. He shouldn’t have opened it here, but the curiosity was a physical itch. He clicked.