Boarding Diary Novels & Stories

Monday Sebastian made good on his promise that her team would be well cared for while they were in his building. They had a small meeting room assigned to them as their hub, with all the computers, printers, and every technology they would need. He was there very early that morning to make sure his PA had set everything up. ‘Welcome to Navio, everybody. I hope you had a good night’s rest. I have prepared Identification Cards for each of you so you can come in and out of the building without checking in with security downstairs every time you want to go on a break.’

He pulled up logs, traces, cross-checks. A second line scrolled. ACCESS POINT: EAST WING — SUBLEVEL DOOR 3C AUTHORIZATION: E-H-042 STATUS: DOOR UNLOCKED — ACTIVE The room stopped breathing. Chairs scraped. People closed laptops at once and looked toward the monitors. The shift felt like a held breath that would not let out. Adrian came to the screen and read it as if the letters would reveal an argument. He did not show fear. He showed focus. “Pull the live feed,” he ordered.

Inside the lobby, people paused as we passed, some bowing their heads slightly, others offering polite smiles. A young assistant hurried over, tablet in hand. “Sir, your schedule for today,” she said, walking beside him. “You have a board meeting at ten, a product demo at noon, and a call with the European branch at three. Also, the R&D team requested your review on the security update.” Leonidas took the tablet with a nod. “Push the demo to tomorrow. I want the board meeting shortened to thirty minutes.” “Yes, sir,” she said, typing rapidly before peeling away.

"For the record." I looked at the ceiling. "He wants to survey the pavement to document the revival date," I said. "For the record," Adrian said. "Yes," Noah said. "Significant events should have a corresponding pavement observation." He paused. "It establishes the baseline conditions at the time of the significant event." He paused. "Then you can track what changes afterward." He picked up his pencil. He wrote the survey in his notebook. The approximate date. The conditions. The note about the shop revival.

Owen taps another command on the tablet in his hands. “The biometric system is ready.” I walk toward the main console. The technician turns slightly when I approach. “We’ve installed scanners on every entrance,” he explains. “Front door. Rear access. Security elevator.” “And the gates?” I ask. “Linked to the same system.” Meaning no one enters or exits without authorization. Exactly what I want. “Authorized users?” I ask. “Currently programmed for you and the security command team.” “Add Lydia.” The technician nods quickly. “Yes, sir.”

We were all standing under a hot sun. After a moment of silence, I added l, “Keep me updated on any delays in anything at all. I want this to run as smoothly as possible.” “Of course.” He nodded on understanding, “You'll certainly know what's happening before anybody else here.” I glanced by my shoulders, and Bonnie scribbled something on her notepad, then as if feeling my gaze on her, she looked up with a soft smile. “We also have a small issue,” She murmured, lowering her voice as the site manager walked away.

It was as if the water was washing away the tension in her mind. After what seemed to be like thirty minutes or more, she came out of the bathroom in a towel. She wore a pair of black shorts and a tank top, and moved to her study. As the door shut close, she opened the cover, revealing the large dashboard. On top of the board was written in capital letters. "TRAVIS RODRIGO". She drew a straight line across, and fixed a pin. "Not a cleaner, but a staff. Who?" As she deliberated on it, she wondered which of the employees was responsible for the act.

(James) Theo and Ezra are at the main table in the boardroom, going over overnight logs. That’s standard practice each morning. I’m usually here before this. They straighten when I approach… my authority subtle, automatic, ingrained. “Morning,” I say. Theo nods in greeting. Ezra lifts his chin in a quick hello. “Hi Boss.” I put my jacket on the back of my chair and open the central console. “Updates.” I scroll through the data. Or try to.

The first comment sounded harmless. Hallie was checking the board when the stores representative stopped beside her. “If we keep this version, we should move the confirmation line before next month’s rotation changes.” Hallie nodded. “That makes sense.” “And you can review it once we see where people keep missing the handoff.” Hallie looked at her. “Once you see where they keep missing it.” The woman paused. “Right.” Hallie returned to the board. Ten minutes later, someone else asked whether Hallie wanted the dispute notes stored differently “when this becomes permanent.”

Warden Redmond found her near the end of the corridor, materializing the way she always seemed to, sharp-eyed and unhurried, iron-gray hair scraped back tight enough to pull at the corners of her eyes. "Blackwood." Redmond's gaze moved over her, quick, assessing. "Maintenance flagged a request this morning. Camera repair, C block stairwell. Somebody's been documenting outages." Her eyes held Tex's a beat too long. "Wasn't me who flagged it." Tex kept her face still. "Didn't say it was." "Mm." Redmond's mouth curved, not quite a smile, something more knowing underneath it. "Keep documenting things, Officer. This place could use more of it." She moved on before Tex could decide what exactly ha