The "Watch bob-E61B" isn't a known product or a common pop-culture reference, which makes it the perfect centerpiece for a piece of .

"Sequence initiated," the watch responded. The steel grew searingly hot against his wrist. "It has been an honor, Elias." There was a sound like a heavy door slamming in a vacuum.

The watch didn't tick; it hummed—a low, rhythmic vibration that Elias felt against his radius bone. On the brushed steel casing, the designation was etched in a utilitarian font that suggested it had been built in a lab, not a boutique.

He saw it glinting beneath a pile of calcified newspapers. As he reached out, the watch’s hum turned into a frantic chirp.