"What are we doing out here, anyway?" I shift in my seat, watching the forest drift past the window of Soos's pickup. The old, beat-up vehicle jerks and bounces with every bump in the road.

"Uh, I think Mr. Pines wanted us to advertise the Shack or something." Soos glances at the truck bed through the rearview mirror, then grins. "Had'ta make sure we had the signs, dude! That would'a been embarrassing!"

"Heh, yeah." I look up at him before quickly turning back to the window. He's... I dunno. It's like, somehow, he's way too excited about everything, but also the most relaxed guy I've ever seen, all at once. Plus, he's always going on about how great it is to work for Stan.

"What'd you say your name was, dude?" A bounce pulls the seatbelt tight.

"Dipper." I try to get a glimpse of where we're going, but it's still just trees around us.

He chuckles. "Oh, yeah. Like, how'd I forget that name, y'know? Hah!"

After a few minutes, he slows the truck to a stop. "Here we are, dude."

I jump to the ground. "Um... Soos? Why are we at a lake?" The truck is parked at the edge of a sandy beach that stretches back to the forest. The lake itself is mostly surrounded by cliffs, and there's a couple of docks near a small shack on the shore.

"Beats me, dude. Maybe lotsa tourists come here?" He strolls over to a bulletin board on the side of the building, pausing briefly before slapping a flyer on the side that reads, "EXPLORE THE FAMOUS MYSTERY SHACK IF YOU DAAAAARE..."

He steps back, admiring the work. "Wow. Mr. Pines sure knows what he's doing, huh?"

I'm standing on the shoreline, watching the waves slide up against my shoes. "Sure does," I call back absently. The lake seems to just keep going, a light fogbank obscuring the far edges.

"Well, I guess we're done here, dude!" He starts back to the truck. "We can head back, if you want-" He stops, turning around. "Oh, wait, dude! I just thought of something!"

"Huh?" I see him dart back to the trees, and his hat slips off. "Wait, Soos! Your hat!"

He skids to a stop, then bends down to grab it from the sand. "Thanks, Dipper!" Setting it back on his head, he grins again. "You gotta see this!"

I follow as he takes off, and soon we're both racing through the forest near the lake. Eventually, the beach vanishes completely- there's nothing between the trees and the water's edge. "Where are we going, man?" I yell.

"Not far now, dude!" He suddenly turns, bolting to the side, and I lose track of him for a second. Pushing branches aside, I find myself on a small bluff over an inlet in the lake's side.

A motorboat is sitting idly in the water, bobbing up and down with the waves. "Whaddya think?" He's beaming, looking over the boat proudly.

I brush a few leaves off my arm. "Well, uh-"

He jumps into the boat, catching himself on the railing. Waving his arms excitedly, he starts pointing to different places. "There's a few leaks in the hull, but that shouldn't be too hard to fix. It's kinda tough to fit in the cabin, though. The prow snapped in half last month, but the tape's holding pretty well."

Out of breath, he leans against the red wall of the small cabin. "This is yours?" I ask, carefully climbing in.

He nods quickly. "Yup! Got it a few weeks ago." His brow furrows. "Dunno what to call it, though."

I grip the railing and look out over the lake. "Can we take it out there?"

His eyes light up. "Whoa! Of course, dude! We can go right now, if you want!"

I grin. "Cool... dude." He tosses a life jacket at my head.

"Alright!" Stepping into the cabin, he shakes his head. "Cool dude... I like the sound of that." He looks over at me. "You're alright, bro."

[]

He's waiting for the message on the answering machine to finish, absently stroking his hair. "Good mornin', Sheriff," he drawls. "This is Lil' Gideon, and I jes' figured I might check up on ya. After all, your dear deputy seems to'ave gone missin', and it would be ever so reassuring if we heard back from you." He sneaks a look over to me, smirking. "Unless, o'course, you've been dragged off to oblivion by terrifyin' creatures of nightmare!"

With a chuckle, he snaps Durland's phone shut. "Oh, this has been such a week, hasn't it, Dipper Pines?" He seems to enjoy drawing out my last name, like he's trying to remind me of my family.

Before I can respond, Robbie walks into the living room. He's traded his stitched-heart hoodie for the darker sweatshirt from the night before. His eyes are clearer, more focused, and it makes his scowl somehow deeper. "Gimme that," he snaps, grabbing the phone from Gideon's hands.

He squeaks, irritated. "You don' really think Blubs'll call back, do you?"

"No." He slides the phone into his pocket. "He's probably gone too. But both of their phones are wired to the town's emergency line. If Blubs doesn't answer his, the call goes right to this one."

"Uh huh." Gideon frowns. "So, if some poor soul does call... 'nstead of an upstandin' officer of the law, they'll get... you."

Robbie ignores him. "Kid, you think there's a pattern to this, right? Something that me, my dad, and Blubs have in common?"

It hasn't taken me long to figure it out. I nod slowly.

"Well?"

I take a deep breath. "I think... this time, they weren't giving us a clue. They were mad."

Gideon scoffs, but Robbie's just watching me, not blinking. "Gideon's idea- about the countdown- I think it was right. For some reason, this is focusing on me and him. Maybe the journals, I don't know."

I can see it starting to dawn on him. It isn't easy to keep going. "The point is, they don't want us to tell anybody."

For a second, there's silence. Gideon grins wickedly, turning to face him. "Oh, that is priceless."

Robbie's gone pale, and he's stammering. "But- no, I- It's not my fault! I didn't know they-"

"You told them, isn't that right?" Gideon shakes his head. "Tut tut, fearless leader. You got your own father kidnapped. Tell me- how does that feel?"

He's just standing there, wide-eyed, staring at the ground. "My, aren't we the band of heroes," Gideon says cheerfully.

"Just shut up." I clench my hands into fists. "Stop it."

"Or what, Dipper? You'll hit me again?" He leans closer. "Cause I'm sure that'll bring your precious family back."

I lunge forward, but Robbie's hand shoves me back down. He glares at us both. "Look. Idiots. I'm sick of playing ref here. Enough."

"Oh, o'course, I'll be sure to listen to you," Gideon spits. "Maybe if we keep lettin' you lead, we'll see the whole TOWN disappear!"

When Robbie turns to him, yelling something else, the triangle on his back catches my eye.

Why didn't I think of this sooner? "Guys," I say quickly. "Hold on."

Sliding the journal out of my vest, I flip it open and start scanning the pages. They've stopped arguing, and Robbie has his arms crossed. "What're you looking for, kid?"

"Anything about that triangle." Drawings and sketches of monsters, scribbled notes, diagrams- but it's not here. Frustrated, I turn to the end and start searching backwards.

Gideon scoffs. "Prob'ly doesn't mean anythin'."

I make my way to the front of the book, before finally closing it. "Yeah. Maybe."

Robbie cranes his neck to get a better look at the symbol. "What about yours?" he asks absently.

I look up. "What?"

"Yours." He points to Gideon, who seems to freeze up. "You have the other book, right?"

"Y-yeah," he stutters. "Already checked, though. Nothin' in there about magic kidnappin' triangles."

I'm not completely sure, but I think I'm getting better at knowing when he's lying. "Still, couldn't hurt to look," I say casually. "It's in your suitcase, right?"

"No!" He tenses, eyes darting fearfully between us. "I told you, there's nothin' there!"

A shrill beeping sounds from Robbie's direction. He grabs the phone from his pocket, holding it to his ear. "Hello?" His expression doesn't change while he listens.

"Where." He says it like a statement. "Alright."

I glance back over to Gideon, who's smoothing his hair like nothing happened. Robbie pockets the phone, sighing. "Two more people."

He pulls the hood of the sweatshirt lower as he moves to the door. "You're still leavin'?" Gideon blurts. "Even now, you think you can-"

Robbie cuts him off. "I'm done sitting around and arguing. Let's go." I quietly make my way across the room.

Gideon bristles. "Fine. But I'm stayin'."

He scowls, but doesn't look back. "Whatever." Placing a hand on the wall, he steps over the threshold of his front door and vanishes.

...

It takes me a few seconds to wrap my mind around it. He's gone.

Just before I fall to my knees in shock, I hear his voice. "Well? Coming?"

"W-wha..." Gideon blubbers. Staring at the open doorway, I hesitantly step forward.

"What's wrong?" There it is again. Right where he was. Then, a sharp intake of breath. "What the-"

He appears again, now only wearing a T-shirt. He stares down at his empty hands.

Then I realize it. Not empty.

He heaves his arms forward in a throwing motion, and the triangle sweatshirt is suddenly at my feet, just inside the house, completely visible.

None of us move. I can't take my eyes off the piece of clothing, and the partially-obscured triangle peeking up.

"Merciful heavens," Gideon says quietly. "I don't believe it."

For once, I agree with him.