Chapter 4: The UFO Society, Again

Ing-Marie looks curiously at your conversation as she doesn't quite seem to understand what you're talking about. Then she decides to answer the question addressed to her. "Yes, I have the coordinates of where they went to take their readings. And, apparently, a UFO actually set down in front of them. At least, that's how I interpret this." She jumps off the counter and briefly searches for something behind it, then she puts a map of the Mälaren onto the counter between you and her. She points to a spot up north, a beach across the bay from and in sight of the Clover Facility, explaining Mette's hint towards it.
Some of you also realize that the beach isn't that far from the Bunker where you found the Machine Fetus last year, but it's doubtful that that's anything but a coincidence.

"Can we borrow this map, Ing-Marie?" she asks.

Then wins her own hesitation, and pours it all out. "And... have you noticed any details changing around you, at all? We are all experiencing strange changes. Things and.. people, who were always part of our lives. Either changing their life course or... well, not being there at all. Not as if they disappeared, but as if they never existed. It's like we were living a slightly different version of our lives... and it's really fricking scary. Did you notice anything like that around you, Ing-Marie? "

"Of course, take it. If you think it will help your search," she says.

Ing-Marie looks at you with a surprisingly serious expression. Most adults would probably think you're insane, but as someone who has been called crazy many times herself for her UFO obsession, she's less quick to write you off.
"I can't say I noticed anything like that. It seems like my life stayed pretty much how it always was," she says. "I do remember some kid coming in yesterday evening, complaining that they painted the library building red instead of it's usual yellow. But as far as I know, it's always been red. I thought he must have mixed it up with something else, but maybe that's related?" She shrugs.

None of you remember the library ever having been anything but red.

"Yeah, you didn’t notice that you picked up one comic book, and then set down another when you were done?

F… for example." he says, sheepishly, not looking to be drawn on the specifies, lest he freak the woman out.

Ing-Marie chuckles. "I'm pretty sure I would notice something like that," she says. Then she thinks. "Unless it was one of those Liefeld comics that Mette loves for some reason. They're all very generic."

"Yeah! Yeah! I’m sure you would have. Good thing then! We’re all where we are supposed to be." Henry meanders off while the others finish off the conversation.

She has no idea…

"Kids," Mikael says quietly and steps outside, "Maybe that's it." He pulls out his phone again and dials Kristina's dad's phone number.

After a few rings, Kristina's father picks up. "Eklund?", he says. Mikael hears noises of a crowd in the background.

"I guess our next move is to the old Clover facility?" Sabine asks no one in particular. She is eager to get started and put an end to this madness before it catches up to them.

"Yeah, hi, it's Mikael," Mikael says, "Is Kristina there?"

"Yeah, Mikael, just a second, " her dad says.

A moment later, Kristina gets on the phone. "Kristina! Where are you? Do you remember what we were doing yesterday?"

Henry goes to answer Sabine’s question, but he can’t help but listen to one side of the conversation happening with Mikael and Kristina.

How many other relationships had changed?…

"Ye… yeah, I guess that’s where we need to head. Should we be ready for a fight this time?"

"Its always a possibility with our running into odd situations like this, Henry." Sabine says with a nod. "There's usually a fight somewhere in it all."

"I'm ready," she says in a determined tone. "Let's look into this... Hoping there IS something that we can do about it..."

"I, uh, yeah," Mikael responds, a sickness leveling in his gut. "I just miss you, is all. Find me as soon as you get home, ok?" They say their short goodbyes and Mikael lets the phone drop with his hand to his waist. He sighs and looks at the others.

"Yeah, the Clover facility. I wouldnt mind stopping real quick to get some proper food for those girls. And-" he pulls a wad of money from his pocket, "-I asked my non-convict doppelganger father for a bunch of money. Let's shop for supplies? We go in preoared, and end this once and for all."

"Well, whatever you do, be careful," Ing-Marie says. "I would suggest you call the police but they don't seem to be much help in this case. They're looking for Mette's friends but I think they still believe they just ran away." She shakes her head. "They haven't even connected the disappearance of the Petterson kid to that of Mette's friends yet."

"But you have?" Henry asks, a little too quickly.

"Why? What’s the connection?"

Henry was none-too-popular at school, and wasn’t overly familiar with the jock, except for knowing that he existed.

"He went for a trip on his bike and never returned yesterday," Ing-Marie says. "I heard it on the police radio." She nods to the back of the store, where, apparently, she keeps a police radio. "The police think it's unrelated, that he maybe crashed. But another teenager going missing, so close to Mette's friends disappearing? Can't be a coincidence."

Mikael starts to panic again, "Eric?" He takes up his phone again and dial's Eric's number. Please, please please..., he thinks over and over again as the phone rings.

"No, not Eric," Ing-Marie says as Mikael listens to the line trying to connect. But it seems like nobody is picking up at the Petterson house. "His little brother, Axel."