September 9, 2025 — MOA Complex, Command Center
The command center buzzed with quiet efficiency. Large screens displayed maps of Metro Manila and surrounding provinces, overlayed with blinking icons and color-coded zones—green for reclaimed sectors, yellow for unstable, red for compromised. One by one, those red zones were shrinking.
Thomas stood near the central operations table, arms crossed, eyes fixed on a cluster of blinking markers along the southern corridor—Taguig, Parañaque, Las Piñas. What had once been ghost towns were now gradually returning to life.
He didn't stand alone.
Rebecca sat at one of the terminals, flipping through paper manifests with a stylus tucked behind her ear. Next to her, Lieutenant Garcia coordinated with Overwatch field units via headset, nodding occasionally and relaying updates.
"Convoy Seven has reached Fort Sucat. Offloading the last batch of Zone C survivors now," Garcia reported.
Thomas turned slightly. "Any issues?"
