Chapter 3 - Love on the Airwaves
Carlos has always been good at science - equations and numbers and carefully measured reactions where he can predict the results with precision and accuracy. Romance however is a hypothesis he would rather not test. The results in the past have always been inconclusive at best.
Carlos's first day in Night Vale was as much of a blur as the past month had been. Between packing and planning and staying at Andrea's and the very long drive down in his pickup, truck bed loaded with boxes of equipment and his personal belongings; sleep fell by the wayside entirely. It was only now as he leaned his head on the window in the passenger seat of Andrea's station wagon as they drove back to the lab after a late dinner at McDonald's that Carlos finally closed his eyes and drank in the fact that he was finally really here. All morning he and his newly assembled team of scientists had unloaded box upon box into the poorly-ventilated warehouse. He had negotiated the rent with the slightly scary Italian man who owned the pizza joint next door based on the belief that the laboratory would be fully furnished and ready for use. Apparently the concept translated loosely into there being five long metal tables, a few leaning wooden stools lining the walls, and nothing more. Thankfully the built-in apartment above had been better stocked, enough at least for his temporary purposes. After lunch he had called a press conference and given a short speech in an attempt to create some sort of rapport with the town. The townspeople in the audience had seemed strangely mistrustful and borderline catatonic. He had awkwardly wrapped up his brief address and been paraded through a line of people whose names he couldn't recall. At the time, he had tried to associate facts with faces to better cement them in his mind; Carlos tried to remember them again now that it had been a few hours, but he soon gave up with a yawn as they drove slowly through the quaint little darkening streets towards the lab.
Andrea had already programmed in the radio station they had found on their first visit in the event of any further strange announcements. As they drove, he listened to the same smooth baritone reporter ramble on about helicopters. It was soothing, and he was just beginning to drift off when he suddenly heard his name spoken in dulcet tones. He opened one eye curiously. Andrea spun the volume knob up a few bars. The voice paraphrased his press conference speech, making it sound much smoother and less awkward than it had really been. The announcer then began to describe Carlos in strange reverence before quite matter-of-factly stating:
"He grinned, and everything about him was perfect, and I fell in love instantly."
Both eyes shot open as Carlos sat up straight. He tried to match a name to the voice, suddenly aware he had heard it already today. Cecil - the name clicked into place. The last name was still a little unclear, but Carlos had taken note of the name Cecil and that voice. Carlos tried to think back to what he had even said to the man beyond 'Hello, it's nice to meet you.' Hardly a basis for love. Hardly a basis for anything. The thought occurred to him that maybe the man was being facetious, for some reason offended by his presence in the city. As he reached over and switched off the radio, he made a mental note to avoid Cecil either way. Andrea glanced at him, a mischievous smile on her face. She turned unexpectedly at the next corner.
"Where are we going?" Carlos asked hesitantly, already knowing the answer.
"To meet your new boyfriend," Andrea replied smugly. "What did I tell you before we left? What happens in Night Vale-"
"-stays in Night Vale," Carlos finished with a groan. "Andie, turn around. I'm not going to go to that radio station." He slumped in the passenger seat, crossing his arms dejectedly.
"Oh come on, just go meet the guy at least. Just go say hi. Just one little word." Andrea slowed as they reached the parking lot of the Night Vale Community Radio station. She had been in town a few days before Carlos had arrived and apparently knew enough side streets to already be taking short cuts.
"I already met him today at the press conference," Carlos muttered, sinking lower in his seat as they parked.
"Then you know what they say. Two conversations is grounds for a Facebook request," Andrea said in the same singsong voice she always teased him with. She reached into the back seat and retrieved a handheld Geiger counter. "Just pretend you're researching something." Carlos shook his head stubbornly.
"I'm not going into that station."
"Okay. I'll rock, paper, scissors you for it," Andrea suggested. "Loser has to go poke around the station." Carlos eyed her suspiciously, sizing up the competition before agreeing. He decided at the last second on scissors, assuming she would go for the eternally debatable paper. Instead she pulled rock. He sighed and slumped back into the seat. "You can't even contest that win - rock beats the crap out of scissors every time," she said with a sly giggle. Her smile faded as she watched him for a moment. "If you really want me to take you home, I will."
"A deal is a deal," Carlos sighed, still unmoving.
"Come on, live a little," she said, nudging his shoulder and tossing him the Geiger counter.
He wandered into the radio station, not exactly sure what to expect. Through the glassed-in entrance, there was a broad hallway lined on both sides with office doors. At the end of the hall he could see a bank of cubicles glowing with the ethereal light of computer screensavers. In either direction there were slightly narrower halls that turned sharp corners. The lights were dim, almost too dim for him to actually see anything, and the whole building felt eerily abandoned. He stood awkwardly in the doorway for several minutes trying to decide on a direction. Just as he was about to give up and return to the car, a face appeared at the end of the hallway to the left. It was a young woman, Carlos estimated in her early 20s, with bouncing blond curls and a bright, cheery grin.
"Can I help you?" she bubbled as she approached, clipboard in hand.
"Um. I'm just testing for…materials." Carlos stumbled, holding up the device in his hand. On-the-spot excuses weren't his strong point. Recognition dawned on her face.
"You're Carlos, you're that new scientist everybody's talking about!" She held out a hand. "I'm Meg. I'm kind of the station intern," she said with a proud little shrug as he shook her hand. "It's only my second day, but so far it's been the most exciting two days of my life!" Carlos tried to think of an appropriate response, but ended up just smiling. "Right, right," Meg the Intern shook her head quickly. "Have you tested the recording booth yet?"
"Not yet-" Carlos began, hoping to explain that he didn't really need to, but she spun around quickly.
"Great! It's right this way, just follow me." Carlos did as instructed, following her down a dark, shadowy hallway lined with utility closets and a break room. Several of the doors had large red x's painted across them, but Carlos didn't figure Meg would know why if it was only her second day. The hallway ended at a door that stood ajar. The small room beyond was filled with computer screens, metal shelves loaded with thick binders, and scraps of paper tacked to pinboards and littering the floor. One wall was almost entirely taken up by a large tinted window and another narrow door. Peeking through the window, he could just make out a desk covered in small glowing lights and a shadowy figure seated at it. "You can go on in," Meg nodded towards the door. Carlos shook his head vehemently. "Oh, don't worry, we just cut to the weather segment. It'll be a few minutes before we're live on air again," she reassured as she opened the door and practically shoved him through, closing it behind him. He stumbled awkwardly, regaining his balance. The figure at the desk glanced up from a messy stack of papers at the commotion. Recognition suddenly clicked in Carlos's mind as he again matched the name with the voice and now the owner's pale angular face. He remembered Cecil now, all spindly limbs and horn rimmed glasses and platinum blond hair so perfectly coifed it looked to be a single solid object. He also remembered that he had indeed said nothing but 'Hello, it's nice to meet you,' in their brief exchange. Cecil slipped off the studio headphones that he had been wearing, allowing them to hang comfortably around his neck before he ran a hand along the solid wave of his hair.
"Hello again!" the radio host offered with a smile. His voice was smooth and rich, and seemed to fill the air just as much off the radio as it did during the broadcast. Carlos again wasn't sure how to respond, so he just offered a nod and a tight-lipped smile. Cecil blinked and gazed back down at his papers, a twitchy smile flickering on and off across his face until he covered his mouth with his hand. Carlos realized with a sudden flush that he was staring. Chiding himself for his lack of manners, he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out the Geiger counter, running it along a wall. "Already doing science then?" Cecil asked as he leaned in his chair to watch. Carlos stuttered.
"I'm um. Yes. Testing. We're testing for materials." He was grateful to be facing the wall and not the strange radio announcer. It was rapidly becoming apparent that the man hadn't been facetious in his commentary on Carlos. Even worse, Cecil seemed to truly be twitterpated. Carlos shook his head and moved along to the next wall, the one directly behind the chair in which Cecil sat. He reached the device as far up as he could along the wall, which was an embarrassingly short distance, but nothing happened. Of course nothing would happen. This was a radio station not a nuclear weapons base. His mind was already formulating an excuse and a quick escape when suddenly the Geiger counter began to beep. He froze and tried to repeat the motion. Silence, then a single beep. Reaching back to the wall with an actual purpose this time, he began to feel along it slowly, waiting for another sound. He tried to shake the impression that Cecil was watching him, even though the man probably was. "You gave quite the speech today. It was so…" Cecil breathed deeply. "Inspiring," he exhaled. Carlos glanced back at Cecil, flashing another tight smile before resuming his work. He really wasn't trying to be rude, but something about being alone with Cecil was unsettling and made Carlos feel strangely exposed. He instinctively tugged at the collar of his lab coat before continuing his investigation. "I'm very glad you're here you know," Cecil said easily after a pause. Carlos swallowed as he slid the device along the baseboard. He tried to decide if he should mention that he had heard the first half of the broadcast or not. Eventually he concluded that pretending he hadn't heard Cecil's declaration of love was probably the better option.
"Oh?" he squeaked. The device refused to read again, so he tried the next wall, which had a small window to the outside built in. Carlos paused to look out at the barren desert that unfolded like a blank canvas as far as he could see. The moonlight streaming in seemed to be the only major source of light in the whole booth.
"Mhm. You know, just last week I said to myself, I said, 'Cecil, you know what Night Vale needs is a bit more science.' And then this morning I woke up and there you were moving all those fascinating boxes and machines into the lab next to Big Rico's." Carlos was admittedly only paying half of his attention to what Cecil was even saying. The man's voice was just so soothing, and the counter had begun beeping a little more frequently on this wall. He still couldn't seem to find a pattern in the frequency. The levels seemed irregular and…moving somehow. "You know," Cecil continued. "Lots of people around town are worried you're going to change everything." Carlos sighed and smacked the device against his palm. The readings were seemingly random.
"I'll try not to," he mumbled distractedly as he checked the settings on the reader.
"Oh, on the contrary, Carlos," the scientist froze when Cecil said his name. Something about the way the sounds rolled off his tongue as if they were complex, the way he carefully constructed all two syllables as if he was afraid of one of them getting lost along the way. "Everything is going to change. I can feel it." Carlos was still for a long moment before he shook off the comment and continued along the last long wall. It was the wall directly across from Cecil's desk, and now he could definitely feel eyes watching him carefully. The Geiger counter made no sound as he slid it gingerly against the wall. With a sigh, he took a step back. Suddenly the device began beeping shrilly. A tentative step forward silenced the device and confirmed his suspicions. Carlos shut his eyes tightly. The closer to Cecil's desk, the more the device bleated. He fought with himself for a moment. Curiosity eventually won out over discomfort, and he spun around.
"Can I scan your desk?" he blurted quickly. Cecil's smile brightened and he nodded enthusiastically. Carlos cautiously approached the metal desk, careful to touch neither the equipment nor the man sitting uncomfortably close. The detector began to chirp feverishly as he slid it along the smooth metal. He swallowed dryly with the realization and shot a nervous glance at Cecil. The man seemed completely unfazed as he sat motionless, the pale moonlight casting shadows across his luminous smile.
"You know, the weather segment is going to end any minute now. Would you mind staying for an impromptu interview? I'm sure if you said a few words, oh Night Vale would be just as enchanted with you as, well…" he trailed off unexpectedly, his strange-colored eyes suddenly glued to the half-empty coffee mug staining a perfect chestnut ring in his stack of papers. The chirping grew in intensity, the dial spinning faster as Carlos held the counter close to Cecil's microphone. He shook his head quickly, taking a frightened step back. Cecil's expression grew concerned, then apologetic. "I'm sorry, I just thought-"
"You need to leave immediately," Carlos interjected suddenly. This much radiation was unsafe - unheard of, even. He pressed himself against the wall, feeling his way to the door in the strange semi-darkness. "You need to evacuate the building as quickly as possible." Cecil shook his head with a puzzled smile.
"I'm in the middle of a broadcast, I can't just leave." Carlos just stared at him for a moment more before he finally found the doorknob.
"Evacuate as quickly as possible," he repeated, opening the door and slipping through it. He stumbled down the dark hallways, peeking in the few open doors to see if he could warn Meg the Intern on his way out. The halls were still strangely deserted, though a thick smoke seemed to be…oozing from the main hallway. As he hurried toward the glass doors, he did a quick check on his vitals. His pulse was racing, but it could have been the running or the entire encounter with Cecil. Too many variables for a conclusive result. He felt a little dizzy, but he had been able to find his way to the doors, so he wasn't disoriented or noticeably confused. There was no detectable nausea, no sudden exhaustion, no blood dripping from any orifices. As far as he could tell, he hadn't just absorbed the 27 gray of radiation his Geiger counter had indicated. He quickly threw open the station wagon door and slid inside, sinking into the passenger seat in a relative daze. Andrea asked several times before he finally heard the question.
"Carlos, are you alright?" He managed a slight nod. "What happened in there?" She was worried, he could tell by her pursed lips and furrowed brow. Her brown eyes suddenly widened. "He didn't try to hurt you or anything, did he?" She was unbuckling her seat belt, presumably prepared to retrieve the crow bar in the trunk as a weapon.
"No, god no," he finally sputtered once he caught his breath. "He's a little weird and slightly creepy, but I think he actually meant those things he said about me." He rubbed at his eyes beneath his glasses as she started the old car and backed out of the parking lot. "I was pretending to be busy in the studio, and the counter picked up a reading that was absolutely off the charts. It was coming from Cecil's mic. It doesn't make sense how anyone could sit near it and not be immediately affected." He shook his head and peeked up out of habit at the dark, starry sky.
"Were you affected?" Andrea asked, removing a hand from the wheel to turn Carlos to face her. She took her eyes momentarily off the road to methodically look him over - checking his pupil size, reaching for his wrist to count out his heart rate.
"Not that I can tell," he sighed. "I feel fine for now anyway."
"Set an alarm for two hours and check again. Sometimes symptoms take a while to surface," she advised. It wasn't like he needed advice when it came to radiation; he was a physicist after all. But unwarranted advice and frequent vital checks and strangely cold, observant reactions came with the territory of being a scientist and nearly all your friends also being scientists. "I know you may be dying, and I don't mean to be abrupt," she added. "But don't you think it's a little exciting that you've only been here one day and already you've found enough radiation to potentially wipe out a small village?" She sighed contentedly as the vehicle pulled to a stop in front of the lonely streetlamp that cast a dismal glow against the corrugated metal of his new home. "Things are going to change, Carlos. There's something in the air, can't you feel it?" Carlos eyed her curiously as he climbed out of the car. People seemed to be saying that to him a lot lately. As he fumbled with the unfamiliar keys in the eerie maroon glow of the streetlamp, all he felt was the strange unnerving sensation that he was being watched.
End Notes: I think Carlos's first visit to the station with the beeping device gets way too little attention. It was after all the first time we know that Cecil actually speaks to him, riiight? Anyway I'm probably going to take some time with the chapters from here on out. Thanks to those who have left reviews! Glad to hear you guys are enjoying the story so far! :)