PART ONE: CLOCKING OUT

At first, the ticking of the timer drilled a hole into Stephanie’s patience, each click bouncing in her ears and echoing in her skull. But now she found it peaceful and meditative. At least, when she could get herself to focus. The reception area in which she was stationed was an inside room of the suite; she had no direct access to outdoor light and even with the fancy smart-office system… LEDs still did not cut for the real thing. Especially moments like these when her boss deliberately maxed them to full brightness on the whitest setting.