The Enigmatic Alexander Chase

Chapter 24: The Second Floor

The air was thick with tension. Fifty men stood in tight formation, their guns trained on the elevator door. Ethan Bishop, seated in his command center, watched the CCTV feed with laser focus. The elevator began its slow ascent, each floor ticking by like a countdown to the inevitable confrontation.

“Steady,” Ethan whispered to himself, his heart pounding against his ribcage. His plan was simple: overwhelm the attacker with sheer numbers. No one could possibly take down fifty armed men. But as the elevator doors slid open, and the barrage of gunfire erupted, something felt off.

For fifteen deafening seconds, bullets tore into the empty elevator. Only then did the captain notice—there was no one inside.

“Cease fire!” the captain barked.

Ethan’s voice cracked through the comms, panic creeping in. “Where is he? I saw him enter the elevator!”

“I don’t know, Sir. He’s not in there. It’s empty.”

“That’s impossible. Are you sure you didn’t vaporize him?” Ethan spat, frustration