A Momentary Lapse Of Reason

The University of What It Is

Summary: Ellie and Natalia attempt to avoid the the university grant team, Carlos finds someone in need of help and the team have an unexpected reunion.

The sunrise was just beginning to scream as Dr Green first opened her eyes sleepily. She glanced over at the clock, which, from what her blurry vision could tell, had the hands dripping some kind of yellow fluid. Ugh, Ellie thought. I'll have to fix it again, which will involve putting on my glasses which will involve moving, something she felt not willing to explore at the present time.

She decided immediately that that was a problem for a few minutes time and snuggled back into her pillow. At least she thought it was a pillow. She raised her hand to her face lazily to rub her eyes.

Her vision began to clear and she realised that she had been sleeping not on a pillow, but on Natalia's chest, the top of the biochemist's head nuzzled into her girlfriend's neck. Which was in all fairness, Ellie mused, a rather comfy place to sleep.

"Mm..." Natalia murmured, shifting slightly and Ellie's head hit the mattress with a thump, her comfy resting place indignantly pulled away from her. Ellie scowled and poked Nat's ribs lightly.

"Naaaaat, wake up!"

"Huh?"

"It's morning. Wake up." Ellie fumbled for her phone and glasses, sliding the latter onto her nose clumsily. She unplugged and unlocked her phone, looking at the supposed time, as well as her messages. Then a message notification made her heart drop down to her stomach.

There was a text from the oddly nicknamed 'Uni Grant Team DO NOT ANSWER'. Ellie opened it.

'We are coming to the town today. We have not heard from you in a long time and we wish to speak with you if you aren't missing.'

Ellie visibly paled and turned to Natalia, whose face was half buried in her pillow.

"Wake up!" Ellie jumped on top of her surprised companion.

"Ow! What the hell, Ellie?!"

"We need to get up NOW."

"Okay, okay, geez. Is something wrong? Did the Faceless Old Woman set something on fire again?" The astrophysicist sat up sleepily, adjusting her tank top strap, which had drooped over her shoulder. Her hair was a mess, a slight smudge of makeup that hadn't quite been removed right around her eyes, and as far as Ellie was concerned, she had never been more beautiful.

"No, no," the biochemist waved her hand dismissively "the university grant team is coming to Night Vale, which means we need to hide. Dammit, I need to call Brent."

"I don't understand." Natalia said, running a hand through her frazzled hair. "What's so bad about the university grant team? Carlos is the one in communication with them, and he is always organised with anything to do with the team's effectiveness...mostly."

"Except it's not Carlos in charge of the money the university sends us...." Ellie admitted.

"What? Why not?"

"He tried to spend a big chunk of it in the first few weeks. It was understandable given the amount of horrific stuff there was those first months, but the university wasn't having it so they transferred control of money."

Natalia nodded at that. Carlos had been overwhelmed for most of the initial six months in Night Vale. The team had had to band together on several occasions to force him to leave the lab. It was probably a good job that the team had the funds in someone else's hands, or otherwise Carlos would have spent it on experiments and run the budget dry in four days.