THE LAST SECOND

[A cracked military wristwatch rests in Rambro's palm. Its hands are frozen, though a faint ticking fills the room.]

Found an old watch the other day.

Hasn't worked in years, but I still remember the exact moment it stopped.

[Rambro studies the cracked glass.]

Knew a kid. Kept his girl's picture inside his helmet. Wound his watch every morning with nowhere to be.

Third day out, he stepped off the trail. Saw the wire, but couldn't reach him.

[He turns the watch over. A name is scratched into the casing.]

Out there, nobody got another chance. When a man fell, the jungle kept him.

Some prayed they'd see him again.

Faith could steady your hands when everything shook. Trouble was, it couldn't tell you where to put your foot.

[He sets the broken watch down.]

There's a lesson in that for you, Lux. You trusted that light to show you the way, but The Family got inside your head and made the darkness look like the right road.

They didn't take your faith away. They used it to lead you somewhere you'd never have gone alone — and that's harder to shake than simply losing your way.

You were certain you could see, but the next time that light shows you a path, will you follow without question? Or stop to wonder who's really guiding you?

[Rambro traces a finger across the watch's cracked glass.]

You've always known a different kind of second chance, Pixelshift. In your world, taking a wrong turn doesn't mean the end. You learn the pattern, press continue, and try again. Only last week, somebody dragged you into a world you never chose to enter.

They set a trap, changed the rules, and stayed hidden behind the controls.

You never even knew who was playing against you.

So when that screen flickers again, will you be thinking about your next move? Or looking over your shoulder, wondering whether someone's about to change the game again?

[He places his watch beside the broken one, revealing the ticking's source.]

Something you trusted turned against you, and now you're waiting for it to happen again.

I've seen soldiers make that mistake. They keep watching the trees where the last ambush came from, never noticing the fresh tracks forming beneath their boots.

By the time they realise the danger's moved, it's already standing beside them.

[The ticking continues through a brief silence.]

Me? I don't need to turn your light against you or change the rules of your world. I only need your attention elsewhere for one careless second.

By the time you realise you've made a mistake, I'll have already made my move.

[Rambro picks up the ticking watch and fastens it around his wrist.]

That kid lost his future in a second.

I couldn't give it back, but I learned what a second costs — and I won't waste mine.

[He faces the camera for the first time.]

You can each search for a light or look for a way back.

 I'll be waiting where your attention isn't.

And if you draw first blood...

[The ticking stops — silence.]