Echoes Beyond

The lab always smelled of metal and ozone. Lucy, dressed in a white lab coat with her hair tied back, sat behind the main console, eyes fixed on the screen. Graphs pulsed up and down like an uneven heartbeat.

Lucy: “Daniel, do you see this? This pattern doesn’t match any human brain signal.”
Daniel stood up from his desk and walked quickly toward her. His eyes locked on the display.
Daniel: “It’s… it’s like a repeating code. But the amplitude isn’t stable. It’s as if someone… or something… is trying to talk to us.”

A deep, calm voice echoed from the far end of the hall.
Harris: “Turn it off.”
Lucy turned, confused. “But Doctor, this data—”
Harris (firmly): “I said turn it off. Now.”

For a few seconds, only the soft hum of the machines filled the air. Harris approached slowly, his gaze cold.
Harris: “Some things are better left undiscovered… especially when they’re not from this world.”

Lucy and Daniel exchanged a glance. They had no idea that this signal would change their lives forever.