Gemotions

He stared at the email, the words blurring before his eyes. "Effective immediately…transfer…research and development." His knuckles went white as he gripped the mouse. The thought of leaving the familiar, the predictable, the quiet solitude of the library… It made his breath catch in his throat.

The hum of the server room, usually comforting, now seemed to mock him. His vision tunneled as he imagined the bustling labs, the jargon-filled conversations, the pressure to innovate. He felt a sudden, desperate urge to hide, to simply vanish into the dusty stacks.

"Ready to go, Michael?" A voice snapped him out of it. It was Sarah from HR. His voice was a bare whisper as he replied. "Yes," he rasped, his throat tight with a fear he couldn't name.