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!"
No sooner had she said that, then an entire town just seemed to - there was no other way Carlos could describe it - materialise in front of them.
~
Carlos could see tall buildings and a radio tower off in the distance, presumably where the signal was coming from. And it had all just appeared right out of the blue. The scientists gaped at the vision in front of them as the radio perked up again.
".....*fizz*....city council announces the opening of a new dog park at the corner of Earl and Summerset near the Ralph's. They would like to remind everyone that dogs are not allowed in the dog park. People are not allowed in the dog park. It is possible you will see hooded figures in the dog park. Do not approach them. Do not approach the dog park.....*fizz*..."
"What on earth? Dogs are not allowed in the dog park?" Natalia laughed and turned it off. "That's absurd!"
"Let's just get to the lab, shall we?" Carlos started. "Unload the equipment and then get the other half to the monitoring sta- Ellie! Mind that man!"
Ellie swerved to avoid the man who had been standing in the middle of the road before stopping the van immediately. She moved so as if to see if he was alright, but before she could even open the door, he was right at Carlos' window. He was wearing what looked like a SWAT team outfit, black-tinted steampunk goggles and a metal helmet that read 'Sheriff's Secret Police'. Due to the size of the goggles, it was hard to distinguish his features other than the fact that he had a thick moustache. His badge read 'Officer Brody'.
"You the scientists?" The man growled.
"Yes." Carlos said. "We are."
"You're the leader?"
"Uh....." Carlos looked at Ellie slightly fearfully. "Yes..."
"Come with us. Everyone is at City Hall and expecting you. Here are your maps and orange ponchos." He thrust the items at Dr Parker, who looked slightly put out. Carlos began to get out of the van.
"Carlos-"
"Don't worry, Ellie, just go and get everything set up. You're in charge until I get back."
Ellie nodded nervously, before driving off in the direction that the new map had told them go.
"This way, sir."
Officer Brody indicated towards a large looking building that Carlos presumed to be City Hall.
~
After a few minutes of questioning the officer to no avail, Carlos was half-shoved up on a podium in front of a large group of people.
"Hello." Carlos said. He tried to put on his best professional speaking voice.
"I'm Dr Carlos Valdez. I'm here with my colleagues to investigate your town. You are by far the most scientifically interesting community in the whole US. We've already seen some strange occurrences, so we've come to figure out just what is going on around here."
He grinned sheepishly, hoping that that didn't make him sound like he was going to intrude their privacy. He scanned the crowd very quickly. There were mostly journalists, a disproportionate amount for the number of people he assumed would live in a town the size that Night Vale appeared to be. There were some strange men in black suits at the back, but Carlos paid them no heed. He just wanted to get back to the lab.
"Um, yeah. So we'll be around, but we'll try not to bother anyone unless necessary. Thanks." He half-ran off the podium. Oh, Carlos, you idiot. He thought. Way to make a first impression.
~
Officer Brody escorted Carlos back to his lab immediately after, brushing off questions fired at him by a woman that Brody later told him was actually the Mayor, Pamela Winchall.
When he reached the lab, Carlos observed Ellie and Perez loading equipment into the van under a large neon sign reading 'Big Rico's Pizza'.
"Dr Valdez, how was your meeting?" Perez said calmly.
"Carlos, please. And it went well enough." he said. "Told them why we were here and then came back. How's unpacking going?"
"We're all done, but....um. We're having problems with the radio. It won't turn off. You know the station we heard earlier?"
Carlos nodded.
"Well it turns out that it's the Community Radio station. It's been...reporting. About you. Apparently, the radio host likes you." Perez pulled an expression that was so close to a smile that Carlos instantly became suspicious.
"Likes me?" Carlos asked.
"Yeah." Ellie chipped in. "The radio host has a really amazing voice. It's like velvet. It's actually kinda hot. But he talked about you for ages! Your hair is 'perfect', according to him."
Carlos stood there dumbfounded for a moment, before clearing his throat.
"Okay. Uh...." He tried to form a coherent sentence. "Okay. Um, anything else? Scientific, perhaps?"
Science was good. Science would distract him from stalker radio hosts.
"Yes, actually, Dr Va-Carlos." Perez brought over the map of Night Vale. Perez pointed to a housing area labelled 'Desert Creek'.
"There is a house there. The locals say it is strange. Sometimes it is there, sometimes it is not."
"How can it only be there sometimes?"
"I do not know. I thought it would be a good place to start our investigation of the town."
"Thank you, Edwardo. Where are Jeffries and Parker?"
"They are at the monitoring station. Something about seismological anomalies. They said to go and see you as soon as we have been to the house."
"Okay." Carlos ran his hands through his hair. "Let's go to the housing development, then I'll run to the station."
~
He climbed into the back of the van. He had felt bad for Perez being stuck in the back the whole trip there, so had let him go in the front. As they were halfway to the housing development, the radio station, which had been reporting on a plane materialising in the middle of a gymnasium - another thing that Carlos had mentally added to his ever-growing list of phenomena to investigate - the voice changed ever so slightly. It became less velvety and more....wistful.
"That new scientist we now know is named Carlos called a town meeting. He has a square jaw and teeth like a military cemetery. His hair is perfect, and we all hate and despair and love that perfect hair in equal measure..."
The sound of the radio host's voice was cut off by a loud giggle from Ellie. Carlos was blushing profusely. Military cemetery?!
"Who IS this guy?" Perez asked.
"I don't know. He hasn't given a name." Ellie said, smiling wryly. "Sshh...I'm trying to listen." She leaned across the dashboard and turned the volume up.
"...to buying more. Carlos told us that we are, by far, the most scientifically interesting community in the US, and he had come to study just what is going around here. He grinned, and everything about him was perfect, and I fell in love instantly. Govern-"
Carlos switched it off, his face scarlet. How could someone say those things on live radio? It was crazy. It was odd. Most importantly, it was utterly unprofessional.
"Awwww, Carlos has an admirer!" Ellie said teasingly. "That's so cute!"
"No, it's not." Carlos shot Ellie a rather cold look and she went back to driving, though the smirk was still plastered on her face.
When they reached the house, Ellie and Perez set up monitors and equipment. Carlos was on the phone to Jeffries and Parker as they set it up by the house that supposedly disappeared lots.
"Carlos, you need to see these readings, they are crazy. It's over 9 on the Richter Scale. Are you not feeling anything either?"
"No. Write everything down. I'll be there shortly."
He hung up as Perez ran over holding the equipment. "Dr Valdez, these readings...well, the house doesn't actually exist."
"Pardon?" Carlos said, and looked at the readings himself, before looking up at the house. "But it's right there in front of us! Are you sure it's not the equipment?"
"No, we checked. It definitely is not actually there."
Carlos was dumbfounded. "Keep looking into it, I'm needed over at the station."
"Will do."
"Excuse me?" Carlos spun round to face a young man wearing a t-shirt that said 'NVCR' and had a badge that didn't give a name, just saying 'Intern'.
"Can I help you?" Carlos said, brushing his hair out of his eyes. God, he needed a haircut.
"Yeah, I work at the radio station. They want to know if you've found anything."
Carlos sighed. He quickly explained what had been happening to the intern about the house and the supposed earthquakes before sending him away. He got back in the van, leaving Ellie and Perez to analyse the house more.
"See you later, Carlos!" Ellie said as the van faded into the distance.
"......so Perez, I totally dare you to knock on the door."
~
After Carlos had finished at the monitoring station, he went to the van to put the equipment away. He opened the van door in order to put away a seismograph when he heard the radio again.
"....put it plainly, there appears to be catastrophic earthquakes happening right here in Night Vale that absolutely no one can feel. Well, submit an insurance claim anyway, see what you can get, right?"
Carlos suppressed a laugh. Despite the strange man's weird obsession with him and his overgrown hair, he did seem to have a sense of humour. He looked up at the radio tower, which was only a few streets away from the station. He stood on his tiptoes to see over the next building. However, this made him lose his balance and drop some of the equipment he had in his arms. He picked them up one by one and put them back in the van, but as he picked up the Geiger counter it beeped. He spun around to see what it was picking up and he pointed it towards the radio station, where it began the faint beeping again.
Carlos decided it was about time he visited this radio station anyway, so he turned off the Geiger counter, putting it in his top lab coat pocket, before walking towards the station.
~
When he arrived, he was led upstairs by another person in an 'intern' t-shirt to the radio booth. The 'on air' sign was off and some music was playing.
The door opened and a man stepped out.
"Oh, Carlos, you came!"
The man in front of him was one of the strangest people that Carlos had ever beheld. He had violet eyes that were slightly obscured by a pair of geeky looking black glasses, with what appeared to be another small tattooed closed eye on his forehead. His hair was mainly a dirty blonde colour, but had highlights that were so platinum they were almost white. His smile was almost blinding, and Carlos considered asking him for his dentist's number. He was wearing a black waistcoat and trousers, with a white shirt and the most oddly coloured tie that he'd ever seen in his life. It was a kind of a bluish-purple that reminded Carlos of when his grandmother's cat had eaten some birthday cake and thrown up once. He was strange to say the least. But...also kind of cute at the same time.
"I'm Cecil! So good to meet you finally!" Finally? Carlos thought. He'd been in town one day!
He shook Carlos' hand enthusiastically and Carlos noted that he had strange purple tattoos running up his arm. Were those....tentacles? Ignore that, Carlos, his brain insisted. Science time.
Carlos got out the Geiger counter and switched it on. It went crazy. He stepped inside the booth as the beeping increased.
"What are you looking for, dear Carlos?"
Carlos kept moving forward, mostly ignoring him.
"Materials." He muttered. He had no idea why he said it, it's just that he didn't have much else to say.
Carlos moved the Geiger counter towards the microphone and it emitted such a quick series of beeps that Carlos almost fainted. He looked at the readings. He'd checked it was working alright before he'd come in. The readings it was showing.....everyone in this building should be dead, or at least be having massive amounts of organ failure.
"How...?"
"What's wrong?" Cecil inquired.
"You need to evacuate this building. Immediately." He could feel the beads of sweat on his forehead as he headed for the door.
"You won't stay for an interview?" Cecil sounded so hurt that Carlos almost stopped.
"No, just get everyone to clear out." He ran down the stairs and back to the van.
~
He got to the lab later and headed up the stairs to the two apartments above it where they were all staying.
"Hello?" A voice came from the corridor.
"Natalia?"
"Oh, Dr Valdez, hey! Dr Parker told us you went to the radio station. How'd it go? Did you meet the radio guy? Ellie told us all about what he's been saying."
"Uh, yeah. I did. His name is Cecil. But seriously, Natalia, the amount of gamma radiation that the place was giving off...everyone should be dead."
"Geez. We've been having some more weird readings here too. The sun didn't set at the right time. We checked everything, but it just didn't. We told that to another of those interns from the radio station. They seem to be everywhere. How was Cecil, though? Was he cute?"
"Wha-that's not important. The sun didn't set at the right time today?! That's important."
"I know it is but we're all tired, so Dr Green stopped us all for the day. You look beat, Carlos, you should get some rest too. And tell us all about your stalker tomorrow."
"It has been a long day. Which room is mine?"
"Last door on the right of the corridor. Sleep well."
"You too."
Now she'd mentioned sleep, Carlos suddenly felt a lot wearier. He trudged to his room and lobbed his suitcase off the bed. He'd unpack properly tomorrow. He smiled as he realised that Ellie had made his bed for him, so he just pulled off his shoes, lab coat and shirt before climbing into the bed. It was softer than he was used to, but it didn't matter much. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.