Running on Empty

The digital clock in the lower corner of Sylvie Adler’s laptop read 4:47 AM when the rows of numbers dissolved into gray smears.

She blinked hard, pressing the heels of her palms against her temples to force the burning out of her eyes. It did not help. The balance sheets, foreign exchange valuations, and market summaries on the screen remained a jumble of shapeless marks.

She had lost count of