EARLIER ON THAT DAY:

Stanley woke up to discover an ice pack on his head, a worried blonde girl by his side, and an agitated brother pacing up and down. The owner of the Mystery Shack had been moved to his bedroom, and was currently resting on his mattress.

"You're awake!" That was the call from Pacifica, to Stanley as soon as he fluttered his eyes open. Stanford stopping his endless walking to look at his sibling, his hand on his chin. He'd obviously been deep in thought.

Stanley initially hoped that the news about his grandkids was all just a dream, and they were downstairs getting up to mischief as usual. But the aggravated look on Ford's face, not to mention the piece of paper which had caused him to faint in the first place, being held tightly by Pacifica, told him otherwise.

"How long was I out for..." Stanley enquired, putting his spectacles back on.

"About half an hour..." Ford informed him. "But never mind that now. Your friend here... Pacifica, was it... Has just filled me in on all the details. I can't believe those Smythe-Kensingtons think they can get away with this! We have all the evidence we need... The picture, the invitation, our testimony... All we have to do is place a little call to the police, and we can sort this out..."

"Actually, it's not as easy as that..." Pacifica poured cold water on that idea. " My parents have taught me all about international affairs... And Mexico is a completely different country to the USA. It won't be so easy to deport them from there... Especially when you're as rich as THIS family. They practically own the Mexican government... So don't expect too much help from the authorities over the border..."

"THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE!" Stanley's fist demolished his bedside table." Those kids were MY responsibility... They're going through God-Knows-What over there... And you expect ME to just wait and see if America has the right to INVESTIGATE?! We KNOW it's them... And I for one am not going to waste one more second talking it over, when we could be getting Dipper and Mabel back to where they belong. Come on, Ford. You and me are going to come up with a plan."

Stanley brushed past Pacifica as he got up, grabbed his brother and frogmarched him over to the vending machine. He was about to put in the secret number, when he realised the blonde heiress was still there, watching them. Turning around, he spoke to her in a tone as soft as he could muster, under the circumstances.

"Thank you, sweetie. I was wrong about you... You're not like your parents at all. You're a good friend to my niece and nephew... And as soon as we rescue them, I'm sure they'll tell you the same thing themselves. Go back to your mansion... We'll let you know as soon as we have any news." Stanley smiled at her.

Pacifica responded by folding her arms and getting into a huff. "Wait a minute... If you think I'm going to just stay here, while the pair of you go off to rescue Dipper and Mabel by yourselves, you've got another thing coming. You don't know what these people are capable of... I DO. I've been brought up alongside them all my life... I could be a great help. PLEASE let me aid you." She pleaded, her blue eyes shining.

Stanley rolled his pupils. He never was very good at resisting the opposite sex... Particularly young girls. That's why Mabel got her own way with him so often...

And man, didn't she exploit it.

But he had to stay strong in this case. "Listen, Pacifica... Me and my br... 'friend' are both very grateful you brought this to our attention, and we owe you a whole lot. But what me and Ford might be doing might be, for lack of a better word, VERY dangerous. You're young, you've got your whole life in front of you... And I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you. The best thing you can do for us is to stay here and be safe... Besides, if your parents ever found out what you just told us..." He added, as a warning.

That last statement made an expression of anxiety appear on Pacifica's face momentarily, and Stanley took this opportunity to push her towards the front door, before shoving her out and locking it. "I'm sorry darling..." He told her, as she continued to pound on the glass." But you'll understand this is all for the best one day. Come on, (whisper) brother... Let's go and scheme how to get our children back and kill some rich people... In PRIVATE."

Ford irked slightly at being called 'brother' after the frosty nature of their recent relationship, but nevertheless followed Stanley into the inner bowels of the shack.

When they reached the same floor as the Time Rift Machine used to be located on, Stanley bustled in and took a seat, wiping the sweat off his head. Ford, always more taciturn, stood a few steps away from his sibling, his arms crossed and his foot tapping on the floor.

"So Stanley..." He growled "What is this BRILLIANT idea you have to get over to Mexico, avoiding all the security, take back Dipper and Mabel, and return here all in one piece? I'm sure, in the amount of time since you found out this information, You've no doubt concocted a foolproof plan where NOTHING could possibly go wrong." Ford sarcastically remarked.

"I KNOW, I KNOW!" Stanley was deep in contemplation " I just said that really to get rid of her... I have no clue what I'm going to do. I mean... I have some contacts over there... Heck, even spent time in JAIL in Mexico... But something tells me none of that is going to help, with something of this magnitude..." He pointed at the invitation he'd taken from Pacifica, which also showed a picture of the mansion.

It was hard to tell exactly how big it was based on that image to scale, but a rough estimate would say that you could squeeze around a hundred Mystery Shacks in there.

Plus, what Pacifica had said about the way the law works in that part of the world was true. All you had to do was grease the palm of whoever was in charge, and you could get away with virtually anything.

Stanley was sure that the Smythe-Kensingtons had done more than their fair share of that over the years. So, if they were to retrieve their grandkids using the legal route it could take months... Possibly, even years.

And, Stanley wasn't willing to wait that long.

In the midst of his desperation, Stanley looked to his brother for hope. "Part of the reason I took us down here, Ford, was because I thought you might have some technologically advanced gadgets that could help us out. Maybe... An army of robots... Or... A nuclear missile..." Stanley paused for a minute." Actually no, better scratch that last one. We don't want to harm the twins..."

Ford sighed at his brother's idiocity. "You think?!" Before answering his question more directly. "No, I'm afraid I've got nothing that could handle something like this. Well, I mean there's... "He stammered a little. "But, no. I'm saving THAT until the end of the world. I couldn't possibly waste it..."

The inventor was interrupted by Stanley grasping him by his collar "WHAT, you mean to say... You have something that could help us rescue YOUR OWN GRANDCHILDREN... And you're unwilling to use it... Because of some crazy notion you have of an event that MAY OR MAY NOT HAPPEN?!" The fez wearer continued to choke his brother." THAT'S NONSENSE! I knew that being in isolation for the best part of thirty years might make a bit cold, but I NEVER thought you'd put your own deluded fantasies above the safety of FAMILY!"

"B...but" gasped Ford, trying to breathe. "They're NOT deluded, Stanley. If you'd only listen to my theories, and look at Bill's Wheel..."

"SCREW all that!" Stanley was starting to get angry. "I'm talking about the HERE AND NOW... And, right now... Dipper and Mabel NEED us. And, even if this armageddon crap is going to happen... Would it really be worth saving our miserable lives... If our grandkids... The NEXT GENERATION need I remind you... Aren't around to survive it? And besides..."

At this point, Stanley released his sibling's shirt, to stare down at the ground. "Their parents arrive tomorrow... And they're going to want to know I'm doing everything I can to ensure their safe return. What am I supposed to tell them... I have a device which MIGHT be capable of getting them back... But I'm not going to utilise it, because I'm saving it for ANOTHER occasion? Is THAT what you want me to tell them, Ford?"

Ford felt a pang of guilt at the back of his head. He knew his brother was guilt tripping him. How absolutely shameless.

And yet, it was working.

The genius inventor felt extremely remorseful for letting those poor kids go out on such a menial task, that he could have done himself... If he wasn't so obsessed with work. Like it or not, if it wasn't for him, they'd still be there in Gravity Falls, playing happily.

And he had felt like he'd belonged to a REAL family for the first time, since arriving back from limbo (although, he was loathe to admit it ). Even though he loved to study the mysteries of the world, he'd come to the conclusion that there was more to life then textbooks and diagrams.

So, letting his heart rule his head for once, he told his brother those words he'd been waiting to hear:

"Okay, let's do it."

TEN MINUTES LATER:

"WOOO Ford... I thought you might have something up your sleeve... But, this... This is something else..." Stanley was suitably impressed by what was in front of him.

And so he should be. For, the machine that was presented to him was a little more advanced than the ray gun or transdimensional splicer he'd been anticipating

Just a little.

It was a plane. A freaking plane. That his BROTHER had built... All by himself (With a little help from McGucket, but when Ford's assistant had gone mad and disowned his partner's experiments, he'd relinquished all claim to it).

And not just any aircraft... Oh, no. This one was designed to FIGHT. Bullets. Lasers. FIREBALLS. It was all there... With enough capacity to take on board a good few hundred people, too.

Ford had designed it all those years ago to help save him, his family and friends (Along with anyone else who could squeeze onto it) from the upcoming apocalypse. He'd equipped it with attack capabilities too... In case the legions of hungry zombies decided to take a piece out the survivors.

Stanley had to hand it to him... It was certainly more effective than an underground bunker.

And, to think he doubted his brother's commitment to the family...

Ready to eat humble pie, Stanley turned to Ford and sighed "Look, I'm sorry I questioned whether you cared or not. I was only trying to get you to see things from my perspective. I never thought I would find anything more important to me than profit... But those two little squirts have changed my life. I'd do ANYTHING to get them back..." He turned away, wiping off a few stray tears.

Suddenly, Stanley felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He turned around, to see his brother... Who also looked a little wet around the eyes." No need to apologise, Stanley. You're absolutely right... What's the point in spending half your life making things like this... If you can't use them to save the lives of those you care about the most? I'm still convinced the end of the world is coming, and to use this airplane when the time comes ... So let's think of this little expedition as a test flight. Come on , let's climb on board... I'll show you the..."

But before he could do so, Stanley finally gave into his emotions and enveloped his brother in an almighty embrace, which took Ford completely by surprise.

Yep, it was an older version of the 'Awkward Sibling Hug'.

Eventually, Ford settled into it, and lightly patted his brother on the back. They knew there was still a lot between them to overcome... But this was the first step to a full reconciliation.

And both of them couldn't be happier about that prospect.

Eventually, they separated, and Stanley looked at Ford through moist eyes. "Do you PROMISE that this thing will help us get own twins back?" The old man almost begged for a positive answer.

Ford grumbled about a machine he'd worked so long and hard on being referred to as a 'thing', but nevertheless answered his brother's question. "Well..." He scratched his chin. "I DID build it using the best materials the 80's had to offer... And it's maximum speed is around 1000 mph... So if we set off now... We MIGHT be able to make it for this evening. Do you know where to go?"

Stanley furrowed his brow, and studied the invitation."Well, it's got an address here... No clear directions... Perhaps we could look it up on the Internet... Not that the reception around here is too good..." He pondered.

They still used dial up connections in most houses, for Christ sake.

"No need for THAT!" Ford snatched the piece of paper off his sibling. "We can just program everything down here into the memory banks of the computer in the plane... And it'll show us the way! We won't even have to fly it ourselves... Everything is automated!" The inventor couldn't help but give out a prideful smile at that revelation, and his brother couldn't help but be even more impressed.

"Who'd have thought that having brains would be so useful?" Remarked Stanley, as he patted the nose of the plane. "You must be ashamed to be related to a knucklehead like me..."

"No, not at all. Who do you think protected this big brain of mine from the bullies when we were growing up?" Ford grinned at his brother, recieving one in kind from his sibling." Anyway... Time waits for no man, as they say. We'd better get going... I'll teach you what the buttons do when we get inside. NO TOUCHING ANYTHING WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! Is that clear?"

Stanley responded to his brother's impromptu lecture with a chastened look. "Crystal". he muttered.

"Good... Let's hit the skies then... Oh, and your helmet is on your seat. Put it on. Not that it's going to be much help if we crash..." Ford said, as he ascended the steps.

"Then, what's the point in wearing it in the first place?" Stanley wondered.

"I dunno... A placebo?" Ford shrugged his shoulders.

"Sometimes I wonder if you ARE as smart as you make out..." Stanley joined his brother, as the door closed behind them.

BACK TO THE PRESENT TIME

And so it happened, after their long journey across the ocean (and a few bouts of airsickness from Stanley along the way, yuck), that the intrepid duo of brothers sighted their target.

The mansion was as huge as they'd imagined. Right slap bang by the coast, with no other dwelling in sight for miles.

It was the perfect place to hide a couple of kids, safe from prying eyes. It was also exactly the type of habitation that Stanley would like to have when he retired.

It was a shame they were going to have to destroy it.

The two brothers had spotted the big party outside, and had kind of guessed the indoors were abandoned. And, meaning to show their strength, they decided to start firing on the building.

To keep casualities down to a minimum, of course. If a few nasty types got caught up in the crossfire, then that was their problem.

They shouldn't be working for such an evil regime, anyway. And Stan HATED rich people.

Whether it was jealousy, or spite... He was just sure that that world would be a better place if some of the 1% were culled.

Irrationality... What's that?

Before doing so, both brothers made absolutely sure that Dipper and Mabel were both secure ... By looking through the super high-tech scanners on the plane which could spot anything from miles away.

Even a fly wouldn't be able to escape this baby's attention.

First of all, Stanley spotted Dipper, wearing his best suit... Pinned under the legs of some dude who looked like the banker on the Monopoly game.

"They MUST be mistreating him" Stanley mused. "It's hard enough to get him to change his clothes every day... Let alone truss him up as if he's going to the opera. It seems like he's been wearing that T-shirt/Waistcoat/Pine Tree Cap combination for AGES... Maybe I should ask that Smythe guy what his secret is..."

All joking went out of the window, however... As soon as they saw Mabel.

Both Stans looked at each other in sheer horror. There was their precious little girl... No older than twelve... Attired in a outfit that would shame your average stripper. And, who was that lady holding onto her... Feeling her up and down?! There were other older women there, too... All manhandling the underage pre-teen females...

The worst part was the men. And young boys. Those disgusting, disgusting people. Sitting there... Leering at these LITTLE GIRLS in revealing swimsuits... Making gestures with their tongues... Pointing, shouting... It was truly horrendous.

Stanley couldn't take it anymore.

"DIE, DIE!" The old man ran over to the controls, and pressed the button marked fireball, and aimed it at the large building.

He pressed it again.

And again.

And again.

And, despite Ford's misgivings about the overuse of violence...

After what the genius inventor had just seen...

He really couldn't quarrel with his brother's reaction.

So, while his sibling got busy with blowing up the mansion into smithereens...

Ford continued to observe the panic below him on the scanner.

As you'd expect, it was complete pandemonium.

Men and boys running in one direction...

Women and girls retreating the other...

It was pure chaos.

Some guests even tried to get into their cars and helicopters to escape.

"NOT ON MY WATCH!" Stanley laughed.

He took his attention away from the half-demolished mansion for a minute...

And exploded a few vehicles, too.

Luckily, most of the people were still unharmed.

Mostly, it was just property damage.

You know... Just like in the old TV show, the A-Team.

(Which had just started, just before Ford had disappeared)

It was a sight for sore eyes, alright.

Just like a movie set for a disaster film.

Ford was satisfied with it all.

Everything was going according to plan...

Soon, they would stop their wanton destruction...

And, hover above the ruins below them...

Issuing their demands using the on board loudspeaker.

If Dipper and Mabel weren't returned to them...

Then, it wouldn't just be the Smythe-Kensington's worldly goods that would be destroyed.

And, against such advanced weaponry...

What choice did they have... But to relent?

However... It was in the midst of his self congratulation...

While he was still looking at the bedlam beneath him...

That Ford noticed something very odd indeed.

Dipper, and Mabel...

They were side by side...

Still being held by the people who were keeping them captive before.

Under closer examination...

Ford realised that these were the people who's pictures were on the invitation...

Charles and Mavis Smythe-Kensington.

The dastardly duo who'd perpetrated the kidnapping of their grandchildren in the first place.

And the strange thing was...

Despite their mansion being almost completed wrecked...

Their party ruined...

Their guests running for dear life...

And some of their servants being as dead as doorknobs...

They didn't seem perturbed in the slightest.

In fact, they were looking straight up at him, arrogant grins present on their evil faces.

Ford, confused by their mood, decided to try and see why.

...

"OH NO!"

The inventor couldn't help but gasp in shock at what he saw before him.

Even Stanley, as caught up in his orgy of destruction as he was, couldn't help but glance over at his brother's exclamation.

"What's the matter, Ford?" Stanley was about to blow up an insignificant kennel next to the smoking remains of the mansion.

Ford slowly turned his head away from the scanner, but his words were loud and harsh "STANLEY, we have to stop firing... NOW!"

The fez wearer scoffed at his brother's suggestion. "And why would I do something like that? I've nearly burnt this place to the ground." His finger was delicately poised on the trigger.

"BECAUSE... THEY HAVE DIPPER AND MABEL..." Ford gasped. "AND... SYRINGES!"

"Huh...?" This was enough to get Stanley's attention. He left his seat, to look through the scanner, and got the same view his brother did.

Yep, it was those jerks from the leaflet... And they were holding the kids in a vice-like grip in one hand... And in the other, each Smythe-Kensington had a needle at their hostage's throat. It would take less than a second for both Dipper and Mabel to be injected with a possibly fatal substance...

Time that they didn't have.

Ford and Stanley looked at each other in panic. Yes, that awful pair were monsters. Yes, they deserved to die. And yes, the two brothers wanted their kids back... More than anything in the world.

But, at the moment...

The snobs had the upper hand.

What should they do?

Call their bluff, and hope that the needles were just filled with a harmless liquid?

Not worth the risk.

Try and kill their captors, before they had the chance to act?

Not enough time...

Beat a hasty retreat, and try to come back later when the Smythe-Kensingtons had their guard down?

Possibly the best option... But, what if Dipper And Mabel are moved elsewhere in the meantime... Somewhere else, that Ford and Stanley aren't aware of?

Decisions, decisions...

In fact, it was during this period of deliberation...

When the brothers were distracted...

That a missile hit their plane...

And, another...

And, another.

You see,

Although Mexico might be a comparably poor relation to it's neighbour in the south...

It still has it's own Army, Navy...

And Air Force.

And it doesn't take too kindly to hostile airplanes intruding into it's air space...

To blow up it's own citizens.

Especially wealthy ones.

As soon as they were made aware of lots of explosions off the coast...

The government scrambled together a battalion of warplanes from a nearby base to counter attack...

And it was those jets which had just blown Ford's vehicle out of the sky.

BOOM!

SPLASH!