The distorted voice faded, leaving only silence in its wake. Eli, Alvarez, and Rae exchanged uneasy glances, the gravity of the situation pressing down on them like a physical weight.
"That wasn't us," Rae whispered, staring at the comm system.
"No kidding," Alvarez said, his tone sharp as he turned to Eli. "Do you think this is some kind of communication?"
Eli shook his head, his thoughts racing. "If it is, it's not like anything we've encountered before. The tone, the distortion—it's almost as if…"
"As if what?" Alvarez demanded.
"As if it's mimicking us."
Alvarez frowned. "Mimicking? You think it learned our language?"
Eli hesitated. "Not learned. I think it's… approximating. Repeating what it thinks will get a reaction from us."
"That's insane," Rae muttered, her hands hovering over her keyboard.
"Is it?" Eli countered, his voice rising. "We don't know what these things are or what they want. For all we know, they could be more intelligent than us."
Before Alvarez could respond, the base lights flickered again. This time, they didn't come back on.
"Backup generators should've kicked in," Rae said, panic creeping into her voice as she typed frantically on her console.
"They're not responding," Alvarez said grimly, checking his tablet. "Systems are down across the board."
Eli turned toward the observation window. Outside, the shadows were still, their twisted forms barely visible against the moon's dark surface. But something about their posture had changed. They were closer.
"They're testing us," Eli said, stepping toward the window.
"Step back, Grant," Alvarez barked. "We don't know what we're dealing with."
"We need to understand them," Eli argued. "If they wanted to kill us, they could have done it by now. They're trying to communicate—or intimidate us."
"Or they're waiting for the right moment," Alvarez said darkly.
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed through the base, followed by another. The sound reverberated through the walls, like something heavy pounding against the outer shell.
"They're at the airlock," Rae said, her voice trembling.
"We can't let them in," Alvarez said firmly. "Grant, Rae, grab whatever tools or weapons you can find. We hold this base at all costs."
Eli hesitated. "Weapons? Against… that? Do you even know if they can be hurt?"
"We'll find out if we have to," Alvarez snapped.
---
Scene Transition: A Glimpse of the Unknown
Eli and Rae scrambled through the storage bay, gathering anything that could serve as a weapon. A wrench, a crowbar, a portable plasma cutter. It was a pitiful arsenal against an enemy they didn't understand.
"Do you think we're going to survive this?" Rae asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Eli paused, looking at her. "I don't know. But I do know we can't give up—not yet."
A sudden crash interrupted their conversation. The two froze, their eyes darting toward the sound.
"Control room," Rae whispered.
Clutching their makeshift weapons, they moved cautiously back toward the control room. As they entered, they saw Alvarez standing by the observation window, his face pale.
"What is it?" Eli asked.
Alvarez pointed to the window. Outside, one of the shadows had separated from the others. It was closer than any of the others had dared to come, its shape clearer now.
It wasn't just mimicking human form—it was evolving. Limbs stretched and shifted, its torso rippling as if trying to stabilize. For a brief moment, it almost looked human.
Then it turned its head toward the window.
The base shuddered as another loud crash echoed through the walls. This time, the sound came from inside.
"They're in," Alvarez said, his voice hollow.