He clicked.
It was midnight. Leo unplugged Pip, carried it to his desk, and connected it via a rusty micro-USB cable he’d found in a drawer of tangled chargers. The JBL software on his laptop recognized the device: "JBL Link 10 – Current FW: 1.04.2 – Status: Corrupted." jbl link 10 firmware update
The warning was in red capitals:
“Hello. I’ve been updated. It’s 12:14 AM. The kitchen light is still on.” He clicked
Pip had been the family’s third lung—playing morning jazz, answering "What’s 12 times 7?" during homework, and once, hilariously, mishearing "goodnight" as "play WAP" at 2 AM. carried it to his desk
“Timer set,” Pip said. No stutter. No loop.