Bb-720p-hd-13-jan-2023-mkv -

On the monitor, the "child" was no longer in the crib. It was standing directly in front of the lens, its face filling the 720p frame. The matte grey eyes were glowing now, a soft, pulsing blue.

It was a fixed-angle shot of a nursery. It was impeccably clean, decorated in muted greys and whites. In the center of the frame stood a crib. Above it, a mobile of silver stars spun slowly, though there was no breeze. bb-720p-hd-13-jan-2023-mkv

"File received," the child said, its voice now perfectly mimicking Elias’s own. "Integration complete." The screen went black. The file vanished from the desktop. On the monitor, the "child" was no longer in the crib