The song Matt was listening to paused abruptly in his ear. He checked the YouTube tab on his browser and saw a prompt.

Prompt saying Video Paused. Continue Watching? Button saying yes [https://i.imgur.com/sY9Yllp.png]

I need to get an extension to stop these interruptions. Manually clicking YES every few hours just breaks the flow of work.

Just as he was about to hit play again, Matt thought he heard his name being spoken through his headphones. With the music paused, the active noise cancellation hadn't completely blocked out the voices, only muffled them.

Matt sneakily disabled noise cancellation completely, feeling a little guilty for snooping in on a private conversation. Not too guilty though, the conversation was about him after all.

"Yeah, I remember Sam telling me about Matt. He had apparently joined the company fifteen years ago straight out of college, and had been a star performer in his first year. He even managed to get an expedited promotion. But after that first year, he did nothing of note. Now that I think about it, I suppose you're right. If the layoffs happen, he will be the first to go. "

Matt recognized the speaking voice as Carla, a recent hire on his team.

"You're telling me he got promoted to Senior Software Engineer about fourteen years ago and has been stuck in that position ever since? I can't even imagine working at the same level for so long. I must have been like ten when he was last promoted. Now I'm confused how he hasn't been fired already. "

The one who spoke now was Soumya, another new member of the team, likely hired right after completing her master's degree. Matt wasn't sure.

Carla spoke again.

"I've heard people say Sr SWE is a terminal position. Many never get promoted beyond that, and the company's okay with that. You can stay at that same level forever, and under normal circumstances, you won't be bothered. Of course, the current circumstances are far from normal, and things don't look too good for him. Had I been in his place, stagnant at the same level for so long, I'd have switched to a different company ages ago. "

Soumya replied.

"Well look at the bright side, him staying on our team for so long might just have saved our hides. If they have to fire someone from the team, it certainly will be him. The only people more at risk than us new hires are the coasters and the dead weight. I feel bad for him, but if someone has to go... better him than me. And who knows, maybe he'll find a great job appropriate for his caliber in another company, and it'll all work out in the end. "

Carla chuckled. "An SWE job in tech at his age and in these terrible market conditions, I doubt it. "

Soumya feigned outrage "Hey! Don't be an ageist!"

Then she joined Carla in her laughter, and together the duo walked off, oblivious to the pain they left behind.

What the two had said was nothing Matt didn't already know, but hearing how the two young girls spoke about him hit where it hurt. He couldn't blame them either. They were right.

When Matt first joined the company, he was an overachiever. He graduated top of his class, gave stellar interviews, and received handsome offers from some of the best software companies in the valley. He joined the most coveted one and then he killed it as a software engineer there, eventually getting awarded an expedited promotion to Senior SWE.

He remembered the disdain with which he looked at individuals he considered mediocre, be it his peers or seniors. He was obviously never quite as brazen about it as those two girls badmouthing him while standing no more than ten feet away, but he still didn't blame them.

Everything they had said was true. He had peaked early in his career, and his glory days were well and truly behind him. And now he was living on a paycheck that was handsome by most standards, but barely enough to afford housing, education, and other living expenses for a family in this expensive area of Mountain View.

Worse yet, what the girls knew was only the tip of the iceberg. They did not know about his failed relationships, his battle with depression, and everything else that came with being a miserable adult. On top of all that, he was a single parent, completely unsure of whether he was doing a good job raising his son.

He had little social life either. His team viewed him as a relic from the past, and he couldn't quite hang out with all the doe-eyed fresh campus graduates that were at least ten years younger than him. His peers had all either left the company or were now working as managers, too important to make time for him.

In the end, the girls had done him a huge favor. If it weren't for them, he likely wouldn't have heard the rumors of a layoff until after the hatchet had fallen on him.

Now he knew, and perhaps there was still time to do something about it. Matt opened his smartphone and messaged the one person who could help.

----------------------------------------

Matt walked into the cafeteria and saw Daniel sitting in a quiet corner. As Matt walked toward him, Daniel caught sight of him and gave a broad, genuine smile.

Matt sat across from him and got straight to the point. He had known Daniel since his college days, almost twenty years now, and could skip the formal pleasantries.

"I heard some rumors about layoffs. Are they true? "

Daniel replied.

"Those decisions happen at the VP level, so I'm not officially privy to that information. But I've heard those rumors too, and they are almost certainly true. "

Matt nodded and spoke.

"I thought as much. When the layoffs happen, I'm pretty sure I'll be affected. You've been pestering me to join your team ever since you became a manager. Can you get an internal transfer done during the hiring freeze? And can you shield me from the layoffs afterward? "

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Daniel's reply was succinct. "Yes and yes"

Matt was bewildered by the straightforward answer. He anticipated something placating like "I can try", and he knew Daniel would genuinely try. But an outright and unconditional yes was the last thing he expected.

Matt voiced his doubts.

"Leadership and upper management are undoubtedly aware that the information about the layoffs has been leaked. Hell, they probably anticipated it and must have planned for it. A team transfer getting approved during a hiring freeze and right before layoffs will surely be flagged. Mark will take a look, he will notice the connection, and it'll be obvious what you are doing. You're my junior from university and I even gave you a referral all those years back. A blind person can see what's happening. And you say you'll protect me from the layoffs? All this sounds impossible! "

Daniel's smile was unwavering.

"Leave that to me. I do wish you had joined my team sooner. That'd have been a lot less hassle. I've told you many times that you are wasted in Josh's team. My team is full of young hires and they could use a tenured engineer like you. "

As he continued, Daniel's face turned serious.

"I won't insult your intelligence by lying to your face. Mark would certainly look into the unusual transfer and he'll immediately see the conflict of interest. But I have built a lot of goodwill with Mark and with many others. I'll call in some favors and get things done. "

Matt shook his head and got up from his chair when he realized what Daniel was saying.

"I can't ask you to do that. Coming to you was a mistake. You've worked hard to build a good team and a spotless reputation here. I'm sure you're due another promotion soon. I can't ask you to jeopardize all that."

Daniel smiled again and indicated for Matt to sit back down.

"My reputation isn't so fragile that it'll be damaged by one little team transfer. And that promotion is secured, it's not going away under any circumstances. I have not worked so hard over the past fifteen years to win some imaginary rat race. I have worked hard to get to a place where I can look out for those I care about. If I don't do that, all this was for nothing. And what's the use of my clout in this department if I never use it? If I was ever going to bend the rules, it'd be for this. "

Matt sat down, but Daniel noticed the lingering doubt on his face. He added.

"Leave the management to the manager, will you? You were never good at it honestly. I don't want to downplay what it's going to cost. But I promise you it won't cost me the promotion. Set up a discussion with Josh and create the team transfer request. He won't be happy about it, since he'll have to find a new scapegoat for the layoffs now. You'll have to deal with him yourself. I'll take care of the rest. I look forward to introducing you to the team. I'm sure you'll love working with them. "

Matt wasn't entirely convinced, but he let the topic go. Daniel was one year his junior and there was a protective streak in Mark that didn't care for the manager title he held. But he grudgingly accepted that they both were wise adults in their late thirties and that Daniel would know not to do anything that would cause him too much backlash.

So, they concluded that matter and switched to lighter topics, catching up on all that happened since they last spoke a few weeks ago.

Only once Matt had left did Daniel's expression turn troubled.

What he had promised Matt would be difficult to pull off, and he would have to find a way to do it with minimal damage. For a start, he'd schedule a conversation with Mark and voluntarily refuse his yearly bonus. That should clear up enough budget to prevent any layoffs on his team and make room for a transfer.

Of course, money was only part of the problem. Daniel got a headache as he thought about all the strings he'd have to pull.

But then as he recalled his college days, and the enigmatic senior who seemed to be on track to conquer the world, Daniel smiled. If he could light that spark back in Matt, his team would benefit from his efforts tenfold. And even if he couldn't, that just meant Daniel helped an old friend out. And that was fine too.

He hadn't lied about his reasons for working so hard.

----------------------------------------

"Everyone, meet Matt. Matt, meet everyone. " Daniel said the second part with a goofy grin as he ushered Matt into the meeting room.

"Hi, I'm Matt. It's nice to meet you all. I've transferred here from Josh's team and look forward to working with you. I have vast experience working in software development and hope to put that knowledge to use and contribute to this team as much as possible. "

Daniel's team all spoke in a chorus and welcomed Matt, and they began introducing themselves one by one.

"Hi Matt, I'm Helena. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm the tech lead for the team and have been part of it since its inception seven years ago. I look forward to having an industry veteran such as you on the team! I'm sure we'll all learn a lot from you. I personally haven't had anyone senior to mentor me since Jake left last year, and am super glad you joined us! "

"I hope to be of help, but you've got Daniel, I remember him being an even better coder than I. " Matt asked, genuinely confused.

Helena made a face at that.

"What, him? Daniel is no help at all and hasn't written a single line of code since he was promoted to manager five years ago. It's as if he never liked coding to begin with, and was just pretending and waiting till the time he could stop writing software himself, and instead get paid to get others to do it for him. "

Daniel made a hurt face at that.

"Hey! Being a manager is a lot more than that!"

The whole room burst into laughter.

Matt smiled. He already liked the team atmosphere. After a pause, the introductions continued.

"Hi Matt, I'm Ivan. Pleased to meet you. I've been part of the team for about two and a half years. I lead the ACE project in the team. Like everyone else, I'm glad to have someone so tenured on the team, we would surely learn a lot from you. "

"Hi Matt, I'm Alex. I'm pleased to meet you. I lead the DREAM project in the team. I've been part of the team for about four years. I'm not sure if Daniel mentioned it to you already, but you've been assigned to the same project. I look forward to working closely with you. Despite its name, it has been a total nightmare so far, and I'd in fact be thrilled if you could take it off my plate entirely! "

Charlie nodded seriously at that last statement, remembering all the all-nighters he had to pull off on that project. Everyone looked at his crestfallen expression, and they all burst into a laugh again.

Then, the introductions continued.

"Hi Matt, I'm Charlie. Pleased to meet you. I joined the team a year back, right out of college, and as you must have gathered by now, have been working closely with Alex on the DREAM project. Though toiling would be a better word. I know everyone said the same thing, but I truly am the one who is the happiest to have you on the team!"

The team chuckled good-naturedly at that.

Wow, these guys sure laugh a lot, Matt thought, as he too chuckled lightly. He tried but failed to recall the last time he had laughed with his former team.

"Hi Matt, I'm Rahul. Pleased to meet you. I just joined the team about half a year back, and work closely with Ivan on the ARC project. I too am excited to have someone so tenured on the team, though I already get to learn a lot from the incredible people here!"

Matt smiled at that, but it was a forced smile. Rahul had not made a good first impression on Matt.

Flattery may as well get you everywhere, but I hate suck-ups.

The introductions continued.

"Hi Matt, I'm Maya. I'm pleased to meet you. I joined the team last year, right out of college, and I too work with Ivan and Rahul on the ARC project. I'm glad to have you on the team! As Rahul said, I too already get to learn a lot from everyone!

Another suck-up? Matt wondered.

But then as he looked at Maya, Rahul, and all the other faces lit up with genuine smiles, he let go of that line of thought. Maybe Daniel truly had built a team of kind and competent people. It'd be unfair to think so cynically about every word they said.

Matt liked the atmosphere of the team and decided to be a part of it.

"Daniel, when you pitched your team to me, I remember all this talk about the team's milestones and accolades and achievements. What I don't recall is any mention of this DREAM project that everyone keeps calling a nightmare. Nor was there any talk of me being a part of it. "

For a second, the room was quiet. Had the joke not landed?

Then Matt realized everyone was looking at Daniel.

Oh, they don't know me well enough to determine whether I'm being serious or not. They are waiting for his reaction.

Daniel did know Matt. His expression turned exaggeratedly disappointed as he spoke the words

"Et tu, Brute?"

That was the confirmation everyone needed, and then they burst out laughing in a cacophony louder than all the previous ones combined.

Alex, who was sitting next to Matt, even went so far as to reassuringly pat Matt on the back and say the words.

"You'll fit right in"

Laughing at Daniel's expense seems like a common team-bonding activity, and Matt's joke had been a hit. Judging by Daniel's smile, it was all happening with his full cooperation.

As Matt lounged back in his chair and laughed with his new team, he felt some weight off his chest. Daniel had delivered on his promise to get Matt transferred into his team. And Matt did not doubt Daniel's ability to protect not just him but the entire from the approaching round of layoffs.

Not only that, the team was genuinely excited to have him. Matt didn't remember the last time he had felt like he was wanted in the room. Now, he felt that way. He would make sure to ease Charlie and Alex's burden with that DREAM project. In fact, he would find all possible ways to contribute to the team. He owed Daniel that.

He looked around and saw the young faces around him. The conversation had gone off the rails and they were pestering Ivan to tell some story he tells everyone. Matt wasn't paying complete attention, but he thought he heard something about it being an oscar worthy script.

Whatever it was, he'll hear it soon, but at that moment Matt had just one thought.

I could get used to this.