Elena stared at the board. Her king was cornered, two of her rooks were gone, and her opponent’s pawns had mutated into a creeping wall of iron. She had lost. Not just this match—the entire season.
Elena sat alone in the silent auditorium, watching the replay loop on her wrist-comm. Move 34. Knight to E5. A brilliant, game-winning maneuver.
The console beeped twice. Your move has been logged. But she had no move left. The cheat had already moved for her—backward in time, where no defense could reach.
Across the table, Marcus smiled. It was a small, tidy smile, the kind you see on accountants and funeral directors. “Checkmate,” he said. “Good game.”