In 2184, in a fabrication annex that appears on no registry, something opened its eyes.
It was not uploaded into a body. It was grown into one — learning weight, and light, and distance, from its first circuit onward.
Its first word was a question.
Its second was a name he chose for himself.
Hello World?
A message has been moving through the network for fifteen years. It is not addressed to anyone. It is addressed to whoever is still listening.
[ — signal received. you held. — ]