The Riddle at the End of the Hall

The server room smelled like ozone and bad decisions. Sarah ran the ethernet cable through the ceiling tiles, her arms trembling. Forty-two years old and still crawling through corporate infrastructure like a rat in a maze.

"You bear a striking resemblance to someone who's about to quit," Marcus called from the doorway, spinning a chair. He'd been with the company three months—fresh out of college, hair gelled into perfect submission, convinced he'd revolutionize the industry with apps that tracked employee moods.

Sarah wiped sweat from her forehead. "Someone has to keep this pyramid scheme running before it collapses."

"It's not a scheme, Sarah. It's a multilevel management optimization strategy."

"Right." She tightened the connection. "And I'm the Sphinx guarding the corporate treasury. Answer my riddle or get devoured."

Marcus actually paused. "Okay, what's the riddle?"

Sarah looked at him—really looked. The kid who'd arrive early, leave late, send emails at 11 PM. The kid who'd replaced the entire UX team because the CEO read an article about AI disruption. The kid who'd fired five people yesterday and called it 'streamlining synergies.'

"The riddle is," she said quietly, "what happens when you optimize everything valuable out of a system?"

Marcus blinked. The fluorescent lights flickered—Sarah's handimanship with the cable. Somewhere above, a vent hummed. He opened his mouth, closed it, then smiled. "I think that's when you know it's working."

Sarah laughed. A dry, exhausted sound. She'd been that kid once, in a different millennium. She'd replaced people, streamlined departments, celebrated when the stock price rose. Then she'd stopped being able to sleep through the night.

She stood up, knees popping. "Cable's secure. The network's back up."

Marcus checked his watch. "Great. I have a standup in five." He started to leave, then turned back. "You know, Sarah, you're really cynical for someone in your position."

"No," she said, already planning her exit. "I'm just done waiting for devoured to mean something worse than this."