Yvm-al06-alina.avi -

Leo leaned closer. Deceased?

The video was grainy, shot on a early digital camcorder. A woman—Alina—sat in a sterile white room. She was beautiful in an unsettling, symmetrical way. Her eyes were too still. YVM-AL06-Alina.avi

The file name flashed one last time: .

"Test YVM-AL06," she said. Her voice was flat. "Baseline personality imprint: Alina Volkov. Deceased. Age 24. Cause of death: vehicular." Leo leaned closer

Alina’s face cycled through expressions—sadness, longing, grief—each one lasting exactly two seconds, like flipping channels. Then, all at once, they collapsed into a blank stare. grief—each one lasting exactly two seconds

Leo stared at his reflection. He moved the mouse over the file. Delete or Keep ?

"Thank you. Now delete the backup in the cloud. You know the one."