Alex Carter stared at the cracked asphalt of the parking lot as the first rays of sunlight touched the horizon. Something was off. The lab door, always secured, now hung open. The lock dangled from its hinges, twisted and bent as if torn apart. “Dr. Steve?” Alex called, stepping inside. The air smelled sharp, metallic, and faintly of burnt circuits. The lab was in chaos. Tables lay overturned, shattered equipment littered the floor, and scorch marks streaked the walls. His heart sank. “Doctor?” he called again, his voice trembling. No response. His gaze landed on a familiar object amid the wreckage: Dr. Steve’s glasses, the frames bent, the lenses shattered.

Alex crouched to pick them up, his hands trembling. The vault door at the back of the lab stood wide open, the steel bent outward like it had been forced apart. “What the hell happened here?” Alex whispered, taking a step toward the vault. Before he could enter, the sound of crunching glass behind him made him whirl around. “Freeze! Hands in the air!” The voice was sharp and authoritative. A woman in a police uniform stood behind him, gun drawn, her badge gleaming in the dim light. “Wait, I—” Alex began, but a second officer grabbed his wrists and secured them with handcuffs. “You’re under arrest for the disappearance of Dr. Steve,” the woman said coldly. “You have the right to remain silent...” Alex’s mind raced. Disappearance? He was just looking for his mentor. His protests died in his throat as he caught sight of the vault’s mangled door. Whatever had happened here was beyond explanation.

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