Dr. Weber had expected many things from first contact with parallel Earth researchers. He hadn't expected them to look so... ordinary.
The three visitors sat across from him in CERN's main conference room, wearing standard academic attire—wool blazers, modest jewelry, sensible shoes. Dr. Sarah Chen appeared to be in her forties with graying hair pulled back in a practical bun. Professor Michael Rodriguez wore thick-rimmed glasses and had the soft build of someone who spent more time with books than exercise equipment. Dr. Amanda Foster looked like she could have been teaching graduate physics at any university in Europe.
"Your dimensional breakthrough methodology is fascinating," Dr. Chen was saying, her accent carrying just the right hint of international academia. "In our reality, we achieved stable portal technology in 1987, but your approach using quantum entanglement as a dimensional anchor—brilliant."
