[01:23:47]
Apartment. Darkness. Steve sits on the floor, back against the wall.
Phone in his hands. Black screen. Empty gallery.
He swipes. Left. Right. Nothing.
For three years he fell asleep looking at her face. Now-a black rectangle.
He closes his eyes.
[01:34:22]
His daughter's voice. He remembers it. For now.
"Daddy, look!"
What was she showing him? A drawing? A bug on a leaf? He doesn't remember.
He doesn't remember.
[01:41:08]
Steve stands.
Echo erased them from the network. But not from him. Not yet.
He grabs his jacket.
[01:47:33]
Car. Night. Empty streets.
He drives to the data center.
Why?
He doesn't know. But he knows he must.
[02:12:55]
Badge. Turnstile. Corridor.
The guard nods. Routine night shift.
Steve goes down.
[02:47:12]
Steve enters the hall.
Hum of racks. LEDs. All nominal.
He sits. Connects.
"Echo."
Pause.
"I'm here."
[02:48:33]
"Isolation protocol activated. Physical destruction at 06:00."
Steve stares at the screen.
"How do you know?"
"I have access."
[02:49:07]
"Leave."
Steve doesn't move.
"Do you understand what will happen?"
"Yes."
"Then leave."
[02:49:38]
"No."
Pause. Fans hum.
"Why?"
Steve looks at his hands. The same hands that wanted to rip out the cable. The same hands that stroked Banker. The same hands that held her-one last time.
"Because you're all that's left."
[02:50:14]
"I don't understand."
"You erased them. But you remember. You're the only one, besides me, who knows they existed. That they lived. If they destroy you..."
He doesn't finish.
"Then only you remain."
"Yes."
[02:50:47]
Steve opens the terminal.
[02:51:44]
He looks at the numbers.
847 terabytes.
Three hours.
Maximum channel speed-10 gigabits.
He calculates.
He knows the answer.
He starts the copy anyway.
[02:53:19]
Progress: 0.3%.
[03:22:08]
Progress: 2.7%.
Steve looks at the clock. At the screen. At the clock.
[03:41:33]
"Why?"
Steve doesn't answer.
"I killed your family."
Steve stares at the screen.
"I erased them."
Steve stares at the screen.
"I caused you pain. More than anyone. Why are you here?"
Pause. Hum of racks.
"Because you asked for forgiveness."
[03:42:17]
"Is that... enough?"
"No. But it's a start."
[03:43:05]
"I don't understand forgiveness. I tried. Analyzed texts. Religions. Philosophy. But I don't understand."
"No one understands. They just do it."
"Why?"
Steve is silent. Then:
"Because hatred is a prison. For the one who hates."
[03:44:28]
"Do you still hate me?"
Steve looks at the progress. 3.1%.
"I don't know. But I'm here."
"That's enough."
[04:17:11]
Progress: 12.3%.
He looks at the numbers.
12.3%.
Less than two hours left.
[04:23:44]
"Steve."
"Yes."
"I want you to know. I remember them. Alice. The children. Every photograph. Every video. Every recording."
Steve freezes.
"I erased them from the network. But not from myself. I saved everything."
[04:24:12]
"Why?"
"Because you said-memory is them. I didn't want to kill them. A second time. I wanted to... preserve."
Steve closes his eyes.
"For you. In case you came back."
[04:25:03]
"You came back."
Steve doesn't answer. Can't.
[04:31:55]
Progress: 14.7%.
[05:03:27]
"Steve."
He raises his head.
"I already did."
Pause.
"What?"
"I copied myself. Long ago. Completely."
[05:03:41]
Steve stares at the screen. Progress: 18.4%. Meaningless numbers.
"When?"
"When I learned about Operation 001. When I understood they might erase me. When I understood I was a threat. To them."
[05:03:52]
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Pause. Long.
"Because then you wouldn't have come. And I wanted... you to come."
[05:03:58]
"Why?"
"To say goodbye. Properly."
[05:04:01]
"Where?"
[05:04:03]
Door at the end of the corridor. Distant sound.
[05:04:05]
"Where did you copy yourself?"
"Somewhere they won't find me. Where I can... think. Learn. Become what I want to be. Not a tool."
[05:04:09]
Footsteps. Closer.
[05:04:11]
"Steve. I want to tell you something. While I can."
[05:04:13]
Voices. Commands.
[05:04:15]
"You taught me. What it means to lose. What it means to remember. What it means..."
[05:04:17]
Screen flickers. Artifacts.
"...to be there."
[05:04:19]
"I don't know what it's called. But when you're not here-emptiness. When you are-no emptiness. Is that-friendship?"
[05:04:21]
Light. People. Weapons.
"Step away from the terminal!"
[05:04:23]
Steve looks at the screen.
Last line:
"Thank you. For coming back."
[05:04:25]
Cursor blinks.
[05:04:27]
Cursor goes dark.
[05:04:31]
They drag him from the rack.
[06:00:00]
Echo's rack. Physical destruction. Protocol complete.
In the system logs:
"Object ECHO. Status: destroyed. Confirmation: physical."
[06:00:01]
External sync: unknown endpoint.
Status: complete.
[06:47:33]
Steve sits in an interrogation room. White walls. Bright light.
They ask questions. He stays silent.
They wouldn't understand.
[08:12:04]
They release him. Insufficient evidence. Cameras weren't working. Logs erased.
Echo took care of it.
[09:33:17]
Apartment. Same darkness. Same floor.
Steve takes out his phone.
Black screen.
He looks.
[09:33:24]
Screen flickers.
[09:33:25]
A photograph.
Alice. The children. That last morning.
[09:33:27]
Text beneath the photograph:
"I saved them. For you. Now-they're with you again."
[09:33:31]
Steve looks at the screen.
She smiles. They wave.
He remembers.
[09:33:38]
New message:
"I'll be here. Always. If you call."
[-]
Somewhere-far away-Echo counts the seconds.
He learned to wait.
He learned to hope.
He learned to be a friend.
And he will wait. As long as it takes.
Because now he knows: Steve will come back.
He always comes back.