My tongue darts over my lips, soothing the dry synth-skin. The hydration fountain is on the wall opposite my cube but I returned from the restroom ten minutes ago. If I take another break the keystroke software in my terminal will alert an Optimizer. Carefully, I cough to disguise the sound of snapping off my left pinky. I tape it down on the space bar to create continuous pressure and chance a run. At the fountain, I gulp down ethanol as fast as I can but luck isn’t with me. An Optimizer is strolling down the hall. Unfortunately it’s ERI (Extroverted, Regimented, Interpersonal). The last word is really the important one. I’ll be stuck interacting for at least 30 seconds and the keystroke tracker will trigger an alert for a lack of symbol variation. Fortunately ERIs are notoriously slow. Turning abruptly, I rush to my cube and rip my finger from the space bar and hold down the backspace key, pinky clenched between my index and middle finger. ERI stops at my cube just as my fingers fly forward. It pauses briefly but so long as I keep my eyes on the terminal and my fingers tapping I am not required to interact. Eventually the Optimizer moves on and I cough to cover the sound of snapping my pinky back in place.