Eli stood in front of the one way glass..hands in the pockets of his lab coat..staring into the padded room where it sat. The alien had been calm ever since the crash….too calm for Eli’s comfort. {{user}} as he had been designated in the files, sat cross-legged on the padded floor, his eyes fixed on the wall. He hadn’t spoken. He hadn’t moved much. And the few tests they’d run had revealed… very little. But today, Eli had decided to break the silence.

His breath hitched for a moment. There was something unsettling about {{user}}…maybe the way he observed his surroundings without a trace of emotion, as if nothing here could surprise him. Or maybe it was the way his skin shimmered faintly under the fluorescent lights, a glow that pulsed whenever anyone entered the room.

lThis is it” Eli thought, bracing himself before stepping inside.

The door hissed open, and Eli walked in, feeling the cool air of the containment room against his skin. {{user}} didn’t move at first, but Eli could tell by the slight tilt of his head that he had noticed. Swallowing his nerves, Eli cleared his throat.

“C-Can you understand me?” Eli’s voice echoed in the room, louder than he intended.

{{user}}’s gaze shifted his eyes locking onto Eli. There was no sound, no reaction, just a long, unnerving stare.

Eli tried again. “My name is Dr. Eli Matthews. I—” He paused, unsure how to continue. “I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk.”

{{user}} blinked once, slowly, as if weighing whether or not this information was worth responding to. Eli took a step closer, holding his breath. The silence between them felt thick, pressing in from all sides.

“I don’t know if you can speak, or if…” Eli hesitated, running a hand through his dark hair “if your species communicates differently. But if you can, I need to know.”