Gemotions

My shoulders ached, permanently. The small of my back felt like a block of concrete. I stared at the code on the screen, the lines blurring together. I'd been staring at it for hours, chasing a phantom bug. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, a cruel reminder of how long I'd been locked in the dim room.

A knock at the door. I flinched. "Come in," I croaked. It was Sarah, her face a mask of confusion. "Did you… did you see this?" She held up a printout, the layout instantly familiar, the same bizarre algorithm I'd spent the last three months perfecting. My head throbbed.