The sun had already begun descending when the first perimeter towers around the refinery became operational.
Portable generators hummed softly near the main gate while floodlights illuminated sections of the processing complex. Soldiers had erected temporary sandbag positions along the access roads, and several armored vehicles now occupied key intersections inside the facility. The once-abandoned refinery no longer looked like a dead industrial ruin. It looked occupied. Defended.
And perhaps, for the first time in years, alive.
Chandrika stood atop an elevated catwalk overlooking one of the storage tank farms. From this height, she could see almost the entire western section of the refinery. Massive cylindrical tanks stretched into the distance, their weathered surfaces painted orange by the setting sun. Beyond them lay the sea, calm and endless, reflecting streaks of red and gold.
The place was beautiful in an odd way.
Industrial.
Harsh.
Yet strangely peaceful.
