John's Perspective
I waited for a response on the open channel, but no one replied. The silence was deafening, and I couldn't tell if it was because we were all blinded or if no one was willing to speak about the horrors they might have seen. I tried to will my eyes to focus faster.
As my eyes slowly fully adjusted, I realized that what lay beyond the door was just a room. It didn't even look that alien. The walls were metallic like on a ship, but other then that nothing out of the ordinary. Just chairs, tables, and a statue. It was almost anticlimactic after all the tension and fear that had built up. I scanned the room, looking for any signs of danger or suspicious activity, but it all seemed benign.
Even the bright lights seemed to be bright simply from the contrast of the dark airlock.
On the open channel, I quickly ordered the security team into action. "Security team, 1 on exfil, rest on breach, give me ready for me to go in." My voice was firm channeling my inner sergeant, but my nerves were still on edge.
There was a brief moment of silence on the open channel before a chorus of "ready" came through the radio. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves, and stepped over the threshold.
As I stepped further into the metal room with its metal chairs, the sound of my boots echoed, bouncing off the walls. Not a single sound came through the radio from the crew.
I took a deep breath and began to scan the room, looking for anything that said threats or dangers. I needed something that was dangerous that I could point my gun at. The room was a square, roughly 100 feet by 100 feet, with off-set corners. The ceiling was about 35 feet high, and the walls were a metallic color, unbroken by any windows or doors.
I did see more of the same kind of plugs and conduits as in the airlock. And a few more screens, all blank.
As I walked towards one of the tables, I noticed that it was almost exactly like a normal office store table, just entirely made of metal. The chairs that surrounded it were also normal fold-out office chairs and also made of metal. For some reason, the familiarity didn't ease the sense of foreboding.
I turned to face the statue in the center of the room, trying to make sense of its strange appearance. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Standing easily over 10 feet tall, made our tallest human look like a child, even in our EV suits. It had four legs off a horizontal body and, four arms from 2 shoulders, and five eyes on what appeared to be a head without a mouth or nose. On its horizontal body, it had two metallic wings folded flat behind it, adding to its eerie presence.
All of the tables in the room were facing towards the statue as if it were the focal point of the space. This statue of metal was adorned with all sorts of weapons, including two swords, a dozen or so daggers, what looked like sci-fi pistols, and a strange-looking rifle with what looked like a 3-inch wide barrel.
If this was indeed our alien, I really wished I had brought a bigger gun.
I made a slow circle around the statue, taking in all the details. It was clear that whoever created this had a fascination with weapons. The swords looked ancient, while the gun and rifle were clearly advanced technology.
Suddenly, I heard a faint noise coming from behind me. I turned to look back at the door, where the security team was visible from the edges of the door. I couldn't see anything unusual, but the sound of my boots on the metal floor was loud in the otherwise silent room. I took a deep breath and readied myself for whatever might come next.
I took a few steps to the door again and turned to face the statue, keeping it in view as I announced over the radio, "Seems to be all clear. Security, 1 on exfil, 1 on breach, and 2 do a secondary sweep. The rest of you hang tight."
I watched as two more members of my team moved through the room, walking along each wall to check for any possible threats, cameras or hidden weapons. As they worked, I walked a few more steps away sideways, keeping an eye on the statue. Still had a creepy feeling about it.
The security duo finished their sweep of the walls and reported back to me, "All clear on the second sweep. Checking floor for traps and will report." I watched as they shuffled through the room, using a collapsible baton to feel around on the floor in front of them in arching sweeps. Seems like they were more paranoid than me. I just wanted them to check the walls for anything I missed.
After a few minutes, they reached back to the door and reported, "Seems all clear." Despite their assessment, I still felt uneasy about the situation.
I sighed, looked at the statue in one of its 5 eyes, and spoke into the radio, "Okay, Security, follow your assigned teams. I'll be a floater if anyone needs help. Keep your eyes and ears open, people, and don't stick your finger anywhere you wouldn't put your privates."
---
Sarah's Perspective
As the military team leader was doing his checks, I found myself growing increasingly curious and bored. I couldn't resist the urge to sneak a peek over the shoulder of the military guys at the door. The room looked like any other ordinary room. There is nothing special or noteworthy about it, just a room with a statue in the middle. If not for the low gravity and environmental suits, this could be any secured boardroom of someone paranoid about security on Earth. The room had a very utilitarian feel to it, with the exception of the statue. The normality of the room felt strange to me.
As soon as we were given the all-clear by security, Mr. Torres and I exchanged glances and nods, and we strode shoulder-to-shoulder into the room. In my mind, I was reminding myself that this was just a negotiation. A talk, really, like every other one I've had in my career.
However, deep down, I knew this was different. We were no longer the big dogs in the room, and we had to be careful. The comforting, aggressive snarl of the military was silent, scared by the much bigger enemy than it had ever encountered.
I followed Mr. Torres to the middle of the room, taking in my surroundings as I walked. The room was eerily quiet, with only the sound of our boots clunking against the metal floor and hushed conversations breaking the silence. I placed my bag on the table next to the statue's front and looked around, trying to get a better sense of the room.
Mr. Torres struggled to position the diplomatic box on the same table, so I rushed to help him. As we worked together to get the box situated, he turned to me and said, "Thank you, Sarah. I appreciate your help."
"No problem, Mr. Torres. You know I'm always happy to lend a hand," I replied, giving him a smile.
As we finished setting up the box, we both looked around the room again, taking in our surroundings. "There's something strange about this place," I said, breaking the silence.
"I know what you mean," Mr. Torres replied, looking around the room. "It feels too...normal. Given everything that's happened, I expected something more...ominous."
Turning to me with a smile, Mr. Torres nodded thoughtfully and said. "This reminds me of the room we had a negotiation in with a military group. They wanted a peace talk after losing. I volunteered to walk into their base and have talks. Their room was buried who knows how many stories underground." Motioning to the statue, he added, "The only real difference was that the room was smaller, no statue and no environmental suites. Oh, and I wasn't blindfolded on the way in." he chuckled as I looked at him in horror.
Mr. Torres let out a sigh with a wistful expression on his face like he was remembering some great vacation. Turning a bit, he motioned to the statue and said, "If this big guy resembles our hosts in either size or shape, this room was definitely outfitted for humans."
I turned slowly, looking at the other crew members doing various checks and investigations, taking in the room once again. He continued as I thought about his words, "Centaurs can't use chairs, and if they are anywhere near that size, these tables and chairs aren't for them."
"The design is definitely human-esk. And I count a total of 35 chairs," I said, turning to Mr. Torres. "We had a total complement of 35. It's like the entire crew was expected."
Mr. Torres raised an eyebrow, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Interesting," he said, walking over to join me at the table. "Wonder where they are now. Their message didn't have a time for their appointment."
The third member of our diplomatic team finally braved coming closer to us. He looked nervously at Mr. Torres and asked, "What is the plan?"
Mr. Torres shrugged and answered, "Now we wait, sweat, and keep our wits about us. They might just be making us spend our energy to make us out of balance."
I walked away from the table and over to the statue, my curiosity getting the best of me. I searched on the ground and around the statue, hoping to find a plaque or something that could give me an idea of what it represented. The displays had English, so maybe there was some information available.
Unfortunately, my search proved fruitless. Frustrated, I looked around the room, hoping to find something else that could offer a clue. That was when I noticed Miles walking around with his tablet, taking pictures of the room. He seemed to have finished his first look around and now looked towards the middle of the room.
I noticed the head military guy trailing him, always keeping one eye on the statue for some reason.
I walked over to him, intrigued. "Find anything interesting?" I asked, gesturing towards his tablet.
He shook his head, "Not really. Just trying to get a good sense of the room's layout and any technology and whatnot." He paused and looked around before pointing to the statue. "Think that's the last thing I didn't document yet."
Pointing to the group of engineers at the far wall, he added, "They are working on the display to see if we can access it. But for now, no luck. There is some sort of electricity running through the walls. Still, we can't seem to get a clear read on wattage, voltage, amperage, or anything."
I nodded like I understood. "Well, I'll just go sit for a bit. Boss said we are waiting till we are done waiting."
After Miles nodded, he started walking towards the statue with his tablet in hand. I watched him for a moment before turning to the table where the diplomatic box and my bag were lying.
A thought occurred to me, and on impulse, I pulled out the recording equipment and placed the 360 camera on one end of the table. I pointed the wide-angle camera towards the statue. My main assignment was to record the details of the encounter for posterity and give advice as I was asked by Mr. Torres. The middle of the room seemed like the most logical place to have the conversation between humans and aliens. At least based on the table and chair arrangement.
As I fiddled with the settings, I felt a sense of unease and looked over my shoulder. The head military guy was lurking, his eyes glued to Miles. I couldn't help but laugh, recognizing that same look I had when watching my kids, anticipating they were about to do something mischievous or something that would get them in trouble.
I turned back to my equipment, trying to ignore the lingering feeling of someone watching me. The waiting game was never my strong suit, and the anticipation was starting to get to me. I set up the cameras, making sure everything was running, and set to motion as the trigger. Before we left Earth, Miles said these were customized to have an ungodly memory and battery.
I decided to take a seat and rest.
---
Miles' Perspective
Why does this seem to always happen to me? Was I cosmic relief for some cosmic entity?
I was standing by the door, minding my own business. I blinked, and a sudden flash of light engulfed me. I blinked furiously, confused, and suddenly found myself back in the dark, face-planted into the wall.
Thankfully, nothing was broken or damaged, but the whole experience was unnerving, unpleasant, and unnecessary. It was almost as if I had some sort of magnetism for the bizarre and inexplicable.
Shaking off the dizziness and disorientation, I pushed myself up and surveyed the room. It was now bathed in a bright light through the missing door.
The military guy barked into his radio and walked in. Three additional military guys pushed their way to the front, as if their presence alone would instill some sort of order, flanking the door.
After a while, I saw Sarah looking over the military guy's shoulder, her face a mix of curiosity and apprehension. I braved peeking over her shoulder, hoping to see something more exciting than an alien's airlock.
To my disappointment, it was more of the same. The strangeness came from the mundane nature rather than the otherworldly-ness.
I sighed, backed away from Sarah, and leaned against the wall, my eyes scanning the room once more before I pulled out my tablet. I swiped through the photos I had taken so far, adding more observations and expanding on the one-word notes I had jotted down earlier.
Time seemed to drag on as I waited for the all-clear signal on the radio. It felt like an eternity. I continued to fiddle with my tablet, trying to keep my mind occupied and my nerves calm. If I didn't, I knew my mind would create a million and one worst-case scenarios.
Finally, I heard the magical words over the radio: "All clear. You may proceed." My heart skipped a beat as I quickly saved my progress on the tablet, pushed off the wall, and followed Sarah into the room.
This time, I took a different approach than I did in the airlock. I walked along the left wall from the door, my tablet in hand, ready to snap photos and make detailed notes. The room was eerily quiet, save for the sound of my footsteps echoing off the walls and the occasional whispered chatter on the proximity channel of the radio.
As I moved deeper into the room, I noticed small details I had missed before. Strange symbols were etched into the metal walls, and I noticed that some of the ports seemed different, like they were designed for different connectors. I snapped photos of everything, made notes, and moved along the wall to where I expected to find a door.
I didn't find anything that looked like the airlock door. However, I noticed a cluster of small levers that looked like oversized light switches. My curiosity got the best of me, and I took a few photos with the tablet before putting it away and pulling out my basic electrical diagnostic tool,
I tried probing the levers with the needles, but the material didn't budge. Frustrated, I switched to the magnetic coil, hoping to pick up some electromagnetic signals that would give me some clue as to what was behind the wall. However, all I got was a spastic sputter on the tool's display, which told me there was electricity and absolutely nothing else. Not its location, voltage, wattage, amperage, or anything else.
After thinking about it for a few seconds, I realized that I shouldn't touch anything in the room without being explicitly invited or at least understanding in great detail what it would do. So I decided to move on, making a mental note to come back to the levers later once I had more information.
I looked around the room again and saw that the military guy was again close to me, again angled to be able to see both me and the statue. It was starting to make me uncomfortable, and I wondered what he was looking for. Did he suspect me of something? Was he just curious?
I let out a sigh and decided not to say anything. Instead, I focused on finishing the second half of the room, trying to ignore the military guy's presence as best as I could.
As I moved through the second half of the room, I couldn't help but notice the similarities to the first half. It was as if the room had been mirrored, with the outlets, fittings, and conduits appearing on the opposite side. The symmetry was almost perfect, except for a few minor differences that caught my attention. I wondered if these discrepancies were intentional or just a result of time and wear and repair.
Once I finished examining the objects in the room, I looked around again and saw that the military guy had moved with me, still keeping his gaze on both me and the statue.
With a sigh, my gaze fell on the statue in the middle of the room, and I noticed that Sarah and her boss were sitting at a table next to the statue's presumed front. I walked past the military guy, feeling his gaze follow me as I moved toward the center of the room.
I passed Sarah's table and stopped in front of the statue. I deliberately looked around for the military guy's presence. Yep, he moved closer to the table where Sarah and Mr. Torres were sitting. He was now standing slightly back from them, his eyes still on me.
With my heart beating a little faster for no real reason, I started a new page on the tablet and began taking detailed photos of the statue. I walked around it, carefully photographing every inch of its surface, from the intricate symbols etched into the metal to the strange printed circuits. I had a portable microscope in the rocket. I am going to need to bring it when I come back.
If I come back.
As I circled the statue, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. There was something about the statue that made me feel like I was being watched. But I pushed the feeling aside and continued with my task, determined to capture every detail.
Even at my height, I had to hold the tablet at full extension to get photographs of the "back" of the statue. It was more strange symbols and markings etched into the metal. I zoomed in and noticed that there seemed to be material differences on the transitions between the back and the wings.
I finished my circle around the statue and stood in front of it, taking a moment to admire its intricate design. This would be perfectly at home in the best sci-fi shows of any era. Though all the details would make it hard to do the CGI on it. As I was admiring the details my gaze shifted towards the swords on either side of the statue, I noticed that they were not symmetrically hanging.
My curiosity piqued, I took a closer look, moving from side to side, and sure enough, the handles of the swords were slightly off. I quickly snapped a photo of the swords and drew a line on it using the editing feature of the tablet. As I suspected, there was a clear difference between the two sides.
I frowned, wondering if the asymmetry was intentional or simply a mistake. Could it be a clue or just a coincidence? There was no way a culture or people that traveled stars in things the size of a moon and just "Made a Mistake."
I walked up closer to one of the sides and looked at the sword. The hilt sword and the sheath seemed to not be a monolith. Whoever the artist was made, both separate and then put them together. I walked to the other side of the statue and saw that the sword was sticking a different amount out of the sheath.
I walked over to the first side and leaned in closer to the hilt. It seemed to be shaped to patch the "hand" of the alien perfectly.
I took a deep breath and reached for the hilt of the sword with my gloved hand. As I wrapped my fingers around the cold metal, I realized that it didn't fit correctly for my five-fingered human configuration. Not to mention, the size was impossible to grip comfortably for any kind of combat.
I tried to pull the sword or move it around to see if the artist had welded the sword in place or not. At first, it didn't budge. I gripped harder and shoved with all my mass and strength. As soon as the sword budged the smallest perceptible distance, the statue's arm moved in a flash, the statue's hand covering my hand easily.
My heart raced as I froze, staring in shock at the statue's hand covering mine. It was impossible. It was a statue, motionless and silent. Statues don't move. Was it an animatronics? A robot? A hallucination? Its upper body and neck craned slowly around and towards me, its five eyes making them level with my own. I couldn't move. I could barely breathe. I just stared into those eyes that seemed to be alive now.
Then, in perfect English, with a voice deep and resonant but somehow gentle, "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't do that."