Arthur looked at the last file in the folder. It was a text document titled READ_ME_BEFORE_THEY_REBOOT.txt . He hovered his mouse over it, his hand trembling.

There was a total blackout in his life between 2:02 PM and 2:03 PM. No data existed for that minute. Not for him, and as he quickly searched the web, not for anyone else on the public grid.

Arthur checked his own digital history. He searched his emails, his cloud-synced photos, and his bank transactions from February 23, 2023.