Then he noticed the model’s shadow. It didn’t match the light. It moved on its own—a distorted silhouette of a vehicle he hadn’t built. He zoomed in. The shadow had a driver. And the driver was waving.

He clicked it. A dialog box popped up: “Enter vehicle concept (or leave blank for random).” He typed: “Futuristic police cruiser.”

But on his desk, a small, greasy tire track now stretched from his mousepad to the front door. And every time he closed his eyes, he saw the driver’s shadow still pointing—now at the street outside, waiting for a car that would never be built.

A new dialog appeared, typed in real time: “You downloaded me. Now I need a vehicle. Your vehicle.”