Silence. The server cooled down.

The login page loaded.

For ten minutes, the progress bar moved like molasses. 40%... 60%... 85%... Arjun allowed himself a smile.

Lena read it twice. She looked at his haggard face, the coffee stain on his white shirt.

He set the reminder for 90 days from now.

Lena’s voice echoed in his head from the Friday afternoon security meeting: “Arjun, if we get breached through an unpatched AD tool, the CISO will have our heads. Upgrade it this weekend or I’m pulling the plug.”