March 16, 2024 — Sentinel HQ, Manila | 7:00 AM
The sky was still steel gray when Matthew Borja walked into the command deck of Sentinel's Transit Operations Hub. A fresh cup of black coffee in his hand steamed gently against the cold air-conditioning. He nodded toward the main dashboard—lit up in its usual riot of color and motion, showing tunnel progress across Quezon City, Pasig, Makati, and soon, the outlines of Cebu.
Angel was already there. She didn't need caffeine—her fuel came in the form of momentum and metrics. She stood in front of a rotating 3D model of the NAIA Connector loop, which now glowed green through three key access segments.
"We got drone confirmation on Villamor site clearance at 3:30 AM," she said without looking. "Construction crew rotation is on track. Japanese partners want a final site walkthrough next week before they ship the magnetic rail guides."
"Set it," Matthew replied, taking a sip. "Let them see what ambition looks like in motion."
