The Dead Code Countdown

The security scanner flashed red three times. I swiped a fourth―still red.

When the security guard walked toward me, I realized that my ten-year tenure at Linden Tech had expired at exactly noon today.

Through the glass wall, the twenty-five-year-old VP caught my eye. He gave a smug little smirk before turning back to his AI model.

He didn't know that what I signed on my severance agreement wasn't just my name.

It was a countdown.

1.

The layoff notice arrived at 9:32 AM.

When the Slack no