The memo was succinct, terrifying, and laminated. It lived on every desk.

At 9:01 AM, Mina entered the elevator. Three other women stood in identical boxes. Each wore the 2x2. Each had tied the crimson noose.

Aethelgard & Sloan , a high-frequency trading firm on Wall Street.

For the first time in three years, no one was watching the numbers. No one was watching the women.

At 3:47 PM, a circuit breaker tripped. Screens went dark. The floor went silent.

But for five minutes, they had been human. And the 2x2 template had no box for that.

At 3:52 PM, the screens rebooted. The numbers returned.

Mina stood up. She reached up. She pulled the knot of the foulard loose. The silk slithered off her neck like a dead snake.