Night Vale Unsolved

42

Carlos thanked Dana for her time and lead a discouraged Shane and Ryan back onto the street. Neither man had spoken a word since that conversation.
"Maybe we can get ice cream!" Carlos offered, trying to cheer his new friends up.
It didn't work.
After a few more tries, mostly involving food, Carlos had to give in.
"All right. Why don't you two head back to your hotel room and...try to figure out what to do? There's still hope!"
"Yeah," Was all Ryan had to say in response. After some hasty goodbyes, he and Shane turned to go, Carlos watching after them worriedly.

Shane and Ryan kept their silence on their walk back. They were each so immersed in their own trains of thought - which had by now gone off the rails - that they didn't notice the stares and whispers that followed them.
Angry whispers.
And by the time they reached the hotel, looks and words weren't the only thing they had brought with them.

Carlos, meanwhile, made his way to the lab. There was still work to be done. Lots of it, really. He'd never gotten the chance to finish that equation.
By noon, he had, though it had cost him much of his morning. Between that and a miniature explosion caused by a chemist, Carlos was more than ready for his lunch break. Stepping out of the lab, he briefly considered going back to Big Rico's for the new pizza which, of course, he had never actually gotten to try yet.
He decided firmly against it, though, as he didn't want to get stuck in time waiting in that line.
"Time line," He chuckled to himself.
Finally, he decided on a salad from the Ralph's. He picked one up for Cecil as well, and decided to use his feet hour to see if Cecil had remembered his own lunch break.

Cecil had, in fact, remembered his own lunch break. When Carlos showed up with a salad, he accepted it gratefully. The two of them sat on the floor of the studio to eat. Carlos told Cecil about how he almost went back for pizza.
Cecil suddenly remembered.
"Did you happen to see Alex in line?" He asked.
"Alex?"
"Yeah, the new intern. I decided we needed a story on the new pizza, because it's been a while since Big Rico's has come out with a new flavor - and no one does a slice like Big Rico's."
"No one," Agreed Carlos.
"And anyway, I haven't seen Alex since."
"Huh." Carlos shoveled the last of his salad onto his fork. "I'm sure you'll hear something soon. I mean, how fatal can a pizza line get?"
Cecil frowned. "Why would it get fatal?"
"That's...my point." Carlos cocked his head. Cecil didn't seem to see how it was connected, and Carlos decided against explaining. It wasn't that Cecil didn't care about the interns. No, he just...didn't pay as much attention sometimes.

As the two cleaned up from lunch, Carlos relayed what had happened at City Hall.
"And don't say it," He warned.
"Say what?"
"That it's for the best. I know you think that Night Vale's secrets should stay secret, but this is different."
Cecil opened his mouth to say something, and Carlos held up a finger. "Don't."
Cecil considered, and closed his mouth. He supposed he had been a little harsh before. Maybe Night Vale had been built on secrets - behind the literal sense, though either way it was still true - but maybe sharing them wouldn't be so bad. After a, that what Carlos tried to do, as a scientist, right? And Cecil didn't think he was wrong.
"All right." He finally said. Carlos shot him a confused look.
"All right what?"
"If they can't get their footage back, then I think I have an idea."