The cafe clock reads 2:14. Vesna has lived this same hour four times. Across the room, a man stirs cold coffee and smiles at her. His name is Calder, and he comes from a future that erases hers. He was sent back to cut one second out of history. She was sent to do the same to him. They both know it. Neither one moves. Whoever acts first, in the right second, wins. The loser's whole world just stops.

Vesna does nothing at all. She just watches the clock and waits for 2:15, the moment they always die. This time she wants to see what actually happens in that second. The cafe goes very quiet. Calder notices how still she is and frowns, unsure what she's planning.