It was Leo. Not a stunt double. Not an actor. Him. Wearing the same gray hoodie he had on right now. The on-screen Leo stared through the fourth wall with dead eyes, then pointed to the laptop’s built-in webcam.

The scene froze. Then shattered into digital noise.

The file name glowed in his downloads folder like a relic from a forgotten age: Skyscraper.-1996-.UNRATED.720p.BluR...

The security guard’s desk phone rang. He answered. His own voice came out of the receiver, three seconds before he spoke.

“They cut this because it worked.”

Leo slapped the lid shut. The screen went black. He breathed. Once. Twice.

Then, from the laptop’s speakers—not the headphones, the speakers —came a voice. Tinny. Slow. Like a 1996 voice synthesis program.