At first, everything was ordinary. The file arrived in six seconds, a blink that tasted of luck. Mara scanned it through the office scanner—an odd, analog ritual—then set it before the F166 500 as if presenting an offering. She ran the installer. Lines of code unfurled on the screen like vines: checksums, certificates, green ticks. The installer asked permission to communicate with the firmware. The printer’s LED settled into steady life, as if listening.