A Momentary Lapse Of Reason

Rumbling

Summary: Carlos has an extended interview on Cecil's radio station, the rumbling returns to Night Vale and Natalia frets over an important question.

Note: The cover for this chapter is this incredible fanart of Ellie and Natalia done by my friend Oswald. Check out   sirmimsypompingdon.deviantart.com for more of their awesome stuff!

Carlos sat on hold as he stood outside in the sweltering heat of the sun. Cecil's radio show had started and he had asked Carlos to be a guest. Carlos wasn't overly fond of Cecil talking about their private life on the radio but for once he supposed he could make an exception, as the radio host had promised him that he could talk about his scientific findings on the show.

Carlos had really begun to settle down in the Desert Otherworld and had begun to set up a temporary lab and working space so that he would have somewhere to record his findings whilst he was there. He missed his team terribly, however. Something about working in this new lab was unnerving, despite the fact that he had gotten used to his new situation. It was just not the same without Dr Green bustling around excitedly talking about her research with Dave. Or Natalia simultaneously catching and/or picking up all the things Ellie was dropping around the lab as well is doing her own physics research. Nor was it the same without Jeffries murmuring over his rock formations in the corner of the lab whilst Rochelle dissected something next to him on her own bench.

Carlos had almost lost himself in these nostalgic thoughts when he was sharply brought back to reality by the sound of his boyfriend's voice down the other end of the phone.

"Oh, listeners! Guess who we've got on the phone line now? I'll give you a hint: he saved Night Vale a few weeks ago by shutting out a great terror trying to invade us from another world!"

Carlos sighed. As usual, Cecil was doting over him in the way that only Cecil could. "It wasn't just me!" He said with a smile.

"Also, he's my boyfriend. And a scientist. And I miss him."

"I miss you, too." Carlos said softly down the phone.

"That's right! My boyfriend is a hero. Please welcome to our show, Carlos the Scientist." A hero? Oh dear.

"You're too much!" Carlos had to hold back a giggle at the mental image of himself in a spandex suit flying through the air with Cecil in his arms, cape flapping behind him.

"Listeners, Carlos had to stay behind in whatever strange desert Other World, which was very brave of him, even though he's now very far away from people that love him. Any luck getting back through to Night Vale?"

"Not yet. Oh! But, I've been exploring this strange rumbling noise here. It's the same rumbling noise we heard when that terrible light was coming into Night Vale." He explained, just in case Cecil's audience had missed his show during the absolute chaos of the revolution.

"Are you safe? Is everythi-" Carlos' attention was immediately shifted from Cecil's voice as a deafening rumbling sound came from the distance to his right.

"Actually, there it is again. When we shut the doors the rumbling and the unbearably bright light went away. This empty desert, with the mountain and the lighthouse and the large wandering army, all seemed so normal, you know? But last night the rumbling returned." He explained hastily, not caring to correct any inaccuracies in his speech.

"There it is again. I need to grab my instruments." He held the phone away from himself as he began to run towards the lighthouse. "I'll call you back!" He said before ending the call.
Carlos sprinted towards his temporary lab at the base of the mountain. Some of the members of the masked army were waiting for him, including Alicia. They called to Carlos urgently over the nearly deafening rumbling.