Run: 2026-02-22-01KJ3A0DD2H1RYYMKRG9H6Q5R9

Mara did not want to be there. She had promised herself she would not go back, but there she was, standing in the lobby of the building she had left three years before. It was not meant to feel that way. "You are late," said the receptionist, a young man who did not look up from his screen. He was typing something, and he continued typing. "She is waiting in the conference room. You should hurry; she is not in a good mood." Mara could not discern if this was intended as a warning or a casual remark. She was uncertain if it mattered. She had made her choice, and there was no point in questioning it now. The hallway remained unchanged. The grey carpet, the harsh lighting, and the faint aroma of coffee that had sat too long were all the same. Mara would not have been surprised to discover her old nameplate still on the door, but it was absent. Someone else's name now marked the space. "I did not think you would actually come," said Priya, rising from her chair the moment Mara entered. She was not smiling. "We have a problem, and you are the only one who can assist." "I am not certain that is accurate," Mara stated. "I have not been involved in the project for years. I would not know where to begin." "You might be surprised," Priya replied. "The codebase is unchanged. They have not modified the core modules. You would recognise it immediately." Mara did not respond immediately. She had already decided she would not let herself get drawn back in. But she had not anticipated Priya's personal request. It was unfair; it is much more challenging to refuse when someone asks you directly. "I will consider it," she replied. This was not an agreement, and they both understood that it was not a refusal either.