The window opened without a splash screen. There was no "Start" button. Instead, a grainy, AI-upscaled version of a familiar search bar sat in the middle of a pixelated rabbit hole. "Search for a way out," the prompt read.
Arthur, a digital historian, clicked download. He expected a weird promotional game from the early 2010s—perhaps a reskinned platformer meant to boost search engine metrics. But when the progress bar hit 100%, his cooling fans didn’t spin down. They screamed. Download Bing in Wonderland Build 10431605
"You’re early for the update," the Hatter’s voice—a flat, text-to-speech drone—vibrated through Arthur’s headset. "Build 10431605 isn't for users. It’s for the data that refuses to be deleted." The window opened without a splash screen