Impressing

By Monday morning, the pressure had shifted from heavy to crushing. Every department was operating like clockwork, but the sense of urgency had dialed up. The U.S. Special Forces team was expected to arrive the next day. The ten Titan Mk-I units needed to be perfect.

Matthew arrived at the hangar earlier than usual. He skipped breakfast, coffee in hand, and headed straight to the production floor. The hum of tools, the sound of welding arcs, and the occasional beeping of equipment filled the space. To an outsider, it might look chaotic. To Matthew, it was progress.

Angel was already on-site. She stood near a group of admin staff, running through a checklist on her tablet, giving quick, quiet instructions to one of the facility supervisors. She looked up when she spotted him.

"Three armor panels failed quality control this morning," she said without greeting. "We're pulling them from Unit 04. Backup replacements are already en route from storage."