The Grim Barbarity Of Optics And Designseveranc... [FHD]

He stopped before the painting. The canvas was dark, its edges bleeding into the shadows of the hallway. It showed O&D workers, their faces obscured by the glare of glowing ID cards that looked like handheld miniature suns. They were tearing through MDR, not with swords, but with drafting compasses and T-squares. "It’s just a mediation," a voice whispered behind him.

Irving jumped, turning to find a man from O&D—Burt—standing just out of the light. Burt didn't look like a marauder. He looked tired. The Grim Barbarity of Optics and DesignSeveranc...

In the windowless labyrinth of Lumon Industries, where the sun is a myth and fluorescent lights hum like a low-grade migraine, there exists a painting titled . It depicts a scene of savage corporate warfare: the "Optics and Design" (O&D) department allegedly butchering the "Macrodata Refinement" (MDR) staff with the same precision they use to frame portraits of the company's founder, Kier Eagan. He stopped before the painting

This is a short story inspired by that chilling piece of art. They were tearing through MDR, not with swords,