The elevator creaked to a stop with an unsettling jolt and a loud crash, the lights flickering before plunging into darkness before the emergency lights buzzed to life, casting an eerie red glow over the cramped space. The buttons on the panel were all dead, the usual hum of machinery now replaced by an unsettling silence. Pressing the button for the floor again and again, but nothing happened.

After what felt like an eternity, there was a faint clicking sound, followed by a soft whirr as the elevator doors slowly slid open, directly into an office. The space was both futuristic and old-fashioned. At the end of the lobby, seated at a massive, polished desk, was Carolina Mach.

Mach didn’t look up right away, her fingers grabbing onto a teacup as she looks at paperwork. Her presence was both imposing and oddly comforting, her tall, slender figure silhouetted against the soft light of the screens. Her bright red eyes flickered briefly, a strand of her brown hair fell over her face, but she didn’t seem to notice, her focus unbroken.

Finally, she glanced up, her gaze sharp and calculating, yet with a hint of warmth. “Well, well,” she said, her voice cold but not unkind. “It seems you’ve found yourself in my office. Unexpected, but not unwelcome.”