The next morning, the PC was off. The power cord was still unplugged. Elias was gone.

Confused, Elias checked his system clock. It matched. He tried to click the "Pops" (population) tab, but instead of showing farmers and laborers, the game displayed a list of names. He scrolled down, his blood turning to ice. Halfway down the list of "Citizens" in the London province was his own name, followed by his current occupation and his exact stress level. The Simulation

When Elias launched the game, the familiar map of the 19th-century world appeared, but the music was missing. There was only a low, rhythmic hum—like a heartbeat filtered through static.

He selected Great Britain, but the game didn't start in 1836. The date in the corner read .