Chapter 2: The UFO Society

It takes you all the way into the afternoon to get the house back into a presentable state, at which point, you've all already grown hungry again. Kristina insists on ordering pizza which you all share. Cleaning up might not sound like the most fun of activities, but all together, you have made the most out of it and actually enjoyed the time spent together, working and joking. Except cleaning up the vomit. No amount of teamwork could make that part enjoyable.
The rest of it was fine, though.

You arrive at the Strip, the local comic book store run by Ing-Marie Blankäng, just before it's closing time. Even Kajsa came with you, though she looks slightly grumpy at the fact that you are looking into another local mystery. The sun is already slowly closing in on the horizon and the light is burning inside. The windows are covered in alien stuff. The store sells all kinds of comics and games but from the outside, you'd think everything they have is related to aliens. There are UFO models hanging in the windows, alien artworks and comic books about aliens on display. The large telescope is, as always, pointing out of a window on the upper floor and - although you can't see it - you all know of the UFO landing site, marked by a large sign, on the roof.
As you enter, you find Ing-Marie sitting on top of the counter. She's a blonde woman somewhere in her thirties, slightly overweight, dressed in a bright blue dress and thick, black-rimmed glasses. She seems to be scribbling notes with a ballpoint pen into a brand new Superman comic. When she hears the windchime at the door, announcing your arrival, she looks up and gives you her trademark excited smile.
"Hello kids," she says cheerfully. "How can I help you?"

"Hello Ing-Marie," she says with a wave. She looks at a few comic book covers, then approaches the woman on the counter.
"Heard your name on the radio, this morning. Sounded like they're not telling us the whole story about that kid they found?" she leaves the question hanging.

Henry stands in a kind of dumbfounded silence. Most of what he knew about comic books came from this notion of mint condition, still in the plastic-wrap. He was shocked to see her scrawling over the pages. Still… she knew more than him, so he kept his peace with it.

He wanders around the store, an ear cocked for the conversation as he pours over the colorful colors. He scratched around in his pockets to see if he could rustle up a bit of cash, should something take his fancy.

Mikael chuckles and smirks at Kristina as they approach the comic store. "Nerd central," he says with a laugh, "Looks fun."

As they enter he makes a point to circuit the store, looking around to see who else is inside before circling back to join the others near the register and proprietor.

"Was that poor kid okay?" he asks.

Kristina chuckles and whispers to Mikael: "Your friends seem to like it."

---

Ing-Marie puts the comic book down on the counter and turns to you, letting her legs dangle down as she looks you over. "Yes, Mette. That poor girl," she replies. "I found her in my garden. She was just lying on the grass, curled up and unresponsive." She lets out a sad breath as she recalls the moment. "I drove her home to her parents immediately, though I wish now that I hadn't done that."

Sabine browses alongside Kajsa, holding hands as they move unhurried between the aisles of comic boxes. She has nothing particular in mind she is looking for. As soon as Stina drops the elephant in the room, the rocker glances toward the woman on the counter and casually moves in her direction to hear more.

"Why wish you hadn't? Is there something wrong there?" She interjects.

That was enough to pique Henry’s more involved attention. He moves up to the counter and rests his elbows there as he slumps across, suddenly listening more intently.

"You suspect the parents?"

"What?", Ing-Marie asks, apparently genuinely surprised at what you inferred from her statement. "No, her parents didn't do anything to her. They're not the best people but I'm pretty sure they care about her. But I just know Mette must know something about the UFOs. And I wish I had taken the time to question her about that before bringing her home. Or at the very least ask if the photon deductor picked anything up."

As Mikael completes his circuit of the store, he comes to stand with his friends at the last part of the conversation. "What the hell is a photon productor?" he asks, genuinely confused and curious.

She listens to Ing-Marie's story and drops a question of her own, in the most neutral tone that she can manage. "Kind of odd that she showed up in your garden, of all places. Did you notice anything unusual before finding Mette?"

"Photon deductor," Ing-Marie corrects Mikael. "It's this gadget I helped Mette's friend build. It measures and analyzes light movement." When you don't seem sufficiently impressed at that, she adds. "You know. Light movement. As in UFOs."

She then turns to Stina. "It's not that strange. We were friends and I helped her and her friends prepare for this expedition during which they were abducted. It makes sense that she would come to me after being freed." She thinks for a moment. "Nothing unusual except the UFOs. They were especially active last night. Didn't you see?"

"No, unfortunately not. We were a little side tracked last night. Birthday celebrations." he claps Mikael on the shoulder as he says so!

"Can’t you speak to her and ask your questions? The phone, maybe?"

"She hasn't said a word since she got back. I called her house this morning. And in the afternoon. Her parents wouldn't speak to me, not really, but they said she does nothing but lie in her bed and stare at the ceiling," Ing-Marie says. "She must have been abducted by aliens and gotten her brain probed. It's the only explanation."

Mikael raises an eyebrow in thought and passes a look to Kristina. "I'm guessing the parents know you were involved in these kids being out at night when they were abducted?" he asks Ing-Marie. "Do you know where the kids were supposed to go to test this photon deductor thing?"

"And I don’t suppose they’d talk to us either." the boy adds glumly.

"Have you spoken to the parents of the other children?"

"I don't know where they went. They were supposed to come to me afterwards to tell me," Ing-Marie says. "And their parents didn't know. They all don't believe in aliens." She shakes her head as if the notion that someone might not believe in aliens is just ridiculous.

She turns to Henry. "No, why would I have? They don't know anything."

"If the UFOs were so active last night... maybe you were monitoring the area of activity? You know, with the big telescope up there - or maybe you have other machines... Were they concentrated near somewhere particular?"

"They were definitely more active further north," Ing-Marie says after thinking about it for a moment. "But the aliens always liked the north of this island more. Maybe now that it's all evacuated up there because of the Flood, they decided to come further down. If I had to guess, I would say that Mette and her friends went north. But I was mostly watching the UFOs here above Stenhamra so I can't tell you anything more specific than that."

"Wow, there sure were a lot of UFOs in one area last night." Henry looks to his friends, a strange look across his face.

The boy knew he walked a fine line, in truth. Sure, talk of aliens was a bit odd. But so too would people say that talk of secret agencies and conspiracies to turn everyone at school Ugly.

She, Henry felt, was just a little further down the road than he was. Was it just another cover for the same phenomenon? Probably, his gut told him.

"Okay. So, there was a lot of lights over Stenhamra last night." Sabine voices back Ing-Marie's declaration. "How about three nights ago or it is four now? That's when Mette and her friends disappeared, right?"