[Soft Verse]

Maya left a message after six:
"I cannot take another fix."
I wrote "Go home, I've got the rest,"
Then moved her ticket to my desk.
Owen missed his daughter's play.
Nora worked through Saturday.
I told them all, "I'll make it right,"
Then opened four more tabs that night.

[Chorus]

I said I would protect the team,
Stand between the pressure and the people underneath.
So I carried every warning where nobody could see,
And called the hidden damage "protecting the team."

[Verse]

The room was dark except my screen.
A code review stopped at fifty-three.
I cancelled lunch to test the patch,
Rewrote the plan so dates would match.
When Leon asked if we were fine,
I said, "We're stretched, but still on time."
The Director praised my steady hand.
I thanked him like a loyal man.

[Pre-Chorus]

Every crisis I concealed
Made the impossible look real.

[Chorus]

I said I would protect the team,
Stand between the pressure and the people underneath.
So I buried every signal where nobody could see,
And called the hidden damage "protecting the team."

[Guitar Solo]

[Bridge]

Protection without truth
Is a room without a door.
A shield that hides the arrows from their aim
Cannot stop the next one coming just the same.

[Break]

The chat lights up.
"I'm sorry." "I can't focus."
"Please don't tell them." "I'm not coping."
No riff can cover it.
No status can erase it.

[Final Chorus]

I wanted to protect the team,
But protection cannot mean preserving the machine.
I will not turn their breaking points to numbers marked complete.
Name the load, refuse the lie, let the people finally speak.
No more silent sacrifice disguised as loyalty.

[Outro]

I close the extra task at two.
For once, I leave the merge untrue.
The four-note phrase hangs unresolved.
Nothing is solved.
