He reached out to touch the screen. The glass felt warm, almost like skin. "Elias?" a voice called.
Elias ignored him. The bar hit 98%. The hard drive groaned. With a final, sharp click , the download finished.
Elias spun around. An old man with a face like a dried date and eyes that seemed to hold the dust of a thousand sandstorms was leaning over the partition. He wore a tattered suit that had seen better decades.







