A Momentary Lapse Of Reason

Pilot

Summary: The scientists arrive in town. Science happens.

Carlos kept having the strangest feeling that they were being watched. Which was impossible, since they were hopelessly lost in the middle of a desert. The van was hot and stuffy, and most of them were sitting on or surrounded by equipment. The only one in cheerful spirits was Dr Green, who was driving, but then she was never upset by anything. Carlos turned around to look at his team, who were looking at a road map and arguing.

The one holding the map was Dr Edwardo Perez, a 30-something physicist with a bald head and often grumpy demeanour. He was fiddling with his collar as he talked, which made Carlos snort slightly. Who tries to wear a turtleneck in the middle of the desert? He always wore one to work, Carlos noted. Maybe he just didn't fancy a change. Perez had volunteered for the program first, and was a gifted physicist, so despite his character, Carlos was glad to have him on his team.

Sat next to Perez was Dr Brent Jeffries from the Geology department. Jeffries was a stout middle aged man, with a pot belly and a jolly personality. His thick ginger beard seemed to bounce when he laughed. He was a great man and a great geologist, and although Carlos had never worked with him before, he'd come highly recommended by the university.
Sat in the corner surrounded by seismological equipment looking rather tired was chemist Dr Jermaine Parker. Carlos was wary of the scientist. He had tagged along with Jeffries, as they were great friends, but he too was unknown to Carlos. His dreadlocks had been pulled back into a loose ponytail and he had bags under his eyes, presumably from lack of sleep. He was a decent enough fellow, but Carlos didn't feel the dedication towards the cause from him that the other scientists on his team had.

"For goodness sake, give me the map!" Another voice demanded. A hand with silver rings decorating it suddenly reached forward and took the map from Perez. Carlos smirked slightly as she began pointing out to the men that they were, for starters, holding the map upside down. He'd taken a chance with intern Natalia Johnson on this expedition. She'd just turned up at his office at the university 3 days before they left with a packed suitcase, a smile and a full résumé. She was the youngest member of Carlos' team, and the only one without a doctorate. She was 20 years old, with ebony hair that was cropped in a pixie cut, with blue streaks running through it, which contrasted a lot with her fair pale skin. She had an elfish look to her, which was almost spoilt by the amount of tattoos she had. She was also the only member of Carlos' team that wasn't wearing a lab coat, only a cropped black vest top that showed off a rather intricate set of tattooed roses on her collar bones. She was two years off completing her Masters in Astrophysics, and she was exceptionally bright and up for a challenge, which was most likely why Carlos accepted her on the trip.

Last but not least was Dr Eleanor Green. Ellie was Carlos' closest friend, and he was thanking whatever deities out there that she'd been mad enough to accompany him on this trip. Ellie's speciality was biochemistry, and she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She was like a ray of sunshine in Carlos' life, particularly the last few months with all the Derek drama. Her curly blonde hair reflected the hot desert sunlight that was hitting the van, and was bringing out her freckles. She turned to Carlos with a grin, her azure blue eyes sparkling.

"I think we're nearly there, despite what Perez keeps saying. We saw the sign only 10 miles back, so we can't be going too wrong. We're still on Route 40, right?"

"Uh....." Jeffries said. "We honestly don't know."

Suddenly the radio station, which had been playing some awful country music that Ellie liked changed. It began to fizz and snippets of voice could be heard.

"....*fizz*.... Community....sun is hot......beautiful..........lights....pretend to sleep.....*fizz*....Night Vale."

"Night Vale? Did it just say Night Vale?" Ellie said excitedly. "It must be a local channel. We're close!"