Here Come The Downsides
- Dipper's POV -
"This month is the time to take the kidnapper down, along with Gideon!" Mabel announced, standing in the evening light from the living room's windows. She had her hands on her hips as she glanced at Soos, Wendy, and Me. "We'll be freeing the people from the mind control each day, hoping that we can convince them to stir away from Gideon's shows."
"Oh, we were supposed to tell them to not go to the show?" Soos asked.
"I know I didn't tell you before and I wish I did so it's fine, Soos. I just hope those freed folks didn't visit the show." Mabel said.
"What if we just free the important town folks and go down from there?" I suggested.
"... I'm not sure how they'll react to our methods into freeing the people. How do they act when you try to get their shirt pin, Soos?" She asked.
"... You were supposed to ask them?" He asked, widened his eyes.
"Okay. I'll assume they behaved as you were when you were under that effect." Mabel said to Wendy.
"And how ... was that?" Wendy asked.
"I asked for your pin and you just handed it over to me with a smile of excitement." She said.
Wendy shivered before shaking her head. "I don't like how Gideon turned us into puppets."
"Don't worry, Gideon won't have his fun anymore." Mabel said.
"Why are you kids talking about 'Gideon'? Did the kid do something to you?" I turned my head over to Grunkle Stan standing in the archway.
"We're saving the town folks from him and the kidnapper." Mabel answered.
"Saving?" He said, quite confused. "I don't think the town needs saving unless you're talking about how the customers have been trying to make me wear their shirt pins. They can sell that off in their own store!"
"That! That is exactly what I'm talking about!" My sister said.
"Oh? I just thought it was a new trend you kids made up." He said. "And I want no part of it."
"It's not a trend-"
"For years these people have been trying to convince others to be under the minds of possession. Those people were trying to get you to wear them so that Gideon can control you." I explained.
"Control me? Ha, I'd doubt that wrench and his ideas gonna stop me." He said, barking a laugh.
"You can help us since you attract the customers with their shirt pins." Mabel offered.
"No thanks, I'd rather not get into more trouble." He walked away from the archway.
"If you accept the offer, you'll be known all over the town and possibly get more money.~" Mabel called out with a honeyed tone.
"Deal." Grunkle Stan said, coming back to the archway. I should have known he'll agree to it if it had money in the offer. At least she didn't trick him. "What can I do?"
"You know how you make money disappear with that magic bag? Can you do that with the shirt pins?" Mabel asked.
Grunkle Stan blinked and looked suspicious before nodding. "Sure, Pumpkin, I can do that." I shook my head before looking back over to my sister.
"We cannot do anything now that it's getting dark." Wendy said.
"We can begin tomorrow. Get a lot of rest since we'll be all over the place." Mabel said.
"Good idea." I said, nodding.
"I'll make sure the shop is ready to be opened by tomorrow then." Grunkle Stan said before leaving the archway.
"Hmmm, since I have a different way of getting the shirt pins, why don't we have different ways of doing it? So that the kid wouldn't know how we're doing it!" Soos suggested.
"We could try that since I'm not sure Gideon knows each and every person." Mabel said.
"Alright, then I'll see what I can do to gather them all in one spot." Wendy said, getting up. "For now, I might as well go free my family."
"Okay! See you tomorrow, Wendy!" Mabel said, waving her goodbye.
"I should do the same to mines. I hope grandma is alright." Soos said, getting up and walking over to the archway. "You'll call us when you get upright?"
"When we are ready, yes." She said. Soos nodded and walked out of the living room and out of the shack. Mabel turned to me as we both stare at each other. "We're so close."
"Don't worry now, everything will be over when those two are stopped." I said, getting up.
"Yeah. I just hope that they don't try anything that gets us to stop." Mabel grumbled.
"I'm sure they attempted other ways to get us to stop. Such as kidnapping Pacifica." I said.
"They tried?" She asked.
"I'm only guessing since she was only released a month later." I said, shrugging. "They'll probably try and get under our skin if they try more ways. Though, we never give up in these times. Why should we stop?"
"Yeah! Nothing will stop us!" She said, raising her fist into the air. "Besides, it makes us madder and more determined to stop this case once and for all."
"I would watch the angry attitude. It can sometimes lead you somewhere you don't want to be at." I said, walking over to the archway.
"Yeah ... Well, I haven't yet!" She said.
"Just warning you." I said, heading over to the staircase and up it.
"I rarely get mad!" She said, following me.
"You sure?" I asked, raising a brow.
"I- ... Okay that time I got irritated and it... probably made me mad at some points and cause me to do bad deeds. Okay, I don't get mad rarely." She said, correcting herself. "But what can they come up with to make me mad?"
"I don't know. Probably people who you know the most." I said, walking over to the shared room. I grabbed the knob and opened the door, entering. I left the door open for my sister as she was behind me.
"They did that with Pacifica. They knew how we were close." Mabel said.
"Precisely." I nodded, walking over to my bed. I sat on it before grabbing my phone.
"Then they have nobody to take then." She said. "We're probably fine for now."
"Don't drop your guard down, who knows what they'll come up with." I said, glancing at the screen. I stared at a message from Kahlil, tilting my head. I clicked on it and view it, however, when I got to the conversation, the new message was gone. I blinked, confused as hell. Maybe ... he sent the message to the wrong person.
I begin to feel a bad feeling, gripping my phone tightly. I hope it's not that option. I flinched from the door opening, as my sister and I looked over to it. "Hey, Grunkle Ford!" Mabel said.
"Hey, I overheard Stanley talking about getting rich on ... some shirts pins. Did you happen to hear about it?" He asked. Jeez, Grunkle Stan really wants their money badly.
"... Well ... yes. I offered him a deal if he helps us save the town folks from possession. In return, he can get known and get a lot of money from folks." She explained.
"... Mabel." Grunkle Ford said, glaring at her.
"I don't find it a bad thing! Besides he doesn't mind the idea at all!" She said, glaring back at him.
He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "That's because he doesn't care about the dangers of it. Besides, saving the town? I thought you guys need to go to the warehouse and do what you need for the case."
"We did, however, our helpers went there when you grounded us to this shack." She said.
"... So there was no need?" He asked, confusion spreading across his face.
"Ungrounding us did some useful things in the past, besides, we didn't get hurt once from it." I said.
"And while we're too busy with the case, we're not always in the jungle." She said.
Grunkle Ford looked a bit suspicious before nodding. I narrowed my eyes, eyeing him before he got sight of my gaze. "Alright. Just weird hearing Stanley talking about getting rich on them..." He said.
Mabel giggled. "Weird way to put it."
"Indeed. Well, you guys take care then." He said before closing our door. I stared at the door before glancing over at my sister.
"... Why did he look wary of us?" She asked.
"Not wary, as if he found something in the jungle ... I'm not sure if we should confront him about it." I said.
"We should!" She said, getting ready to get up.
"Why? It isn't related to the case." I said. I watched her sit back down, slowly nodding.
"I... I just thought that there was something he found without our interest. But then again, he's probably intrigued by the jungle anyway. So no need to worry about that!" She said, falling back on her bed.
"He's always curious about the jungle." I mumbled, staring down at my phone. I breathe in and out, hoping this isn't what they decided to do.
I stood by the street pole in the next two days, watching my sister come over with a frown. I raised a brow, waiting for her report on the nearby folks. "Well... I kinda wish that today was so lucky as yesterday. But every time we go up and ask them for their shirt pins, they end up turning away. Did they somehow told the possessed folks to reject us?" She asked.
"Probably. We got lucky that we released a lot of folks from it yesterday. But knowing that we're getting watched, they probably did so." I answered. She frowned, even more, crossing her arms. "I hope the others are doing a good job than us." She turned and begin to walk forward on the sidewalk. I followed behind, scanning the surroundings around us in case anyone was watching us. We walked a couple blocks down before spotting a crowd in front of the huge park. My sister and I looked at each other with confused expressions before taking a step forward.
Once the crowd moved inside the park, we spotted Wendy leaning on the wall. "Wendy!" Mabel said, rushing over. "What's going on?"
"Hey, guys! Oh, this?" Wendy said, grinning. "Something that my family cooked up."
I halted and looked inside, staring at the stands where each one had a person working. "While you guys did your part, I came up with an idea to fool the possessed folks into thinking that their shirt pins were going to smell good when they tried it on." She whispered to us.
"Well, that's one way to get half of the town on our side." Mabel whispered.
"About that ... I believe the ... mind-controlling thing may have messed with their minds a bit. Some folks don't quite remember who they were while others do." Wendy whispered, frowning.
I widened my eyes, worry beginning to rise within me. "I hope it isn't ... permanent." I mumbled.
"I'm starting to think it is." Wendy said quietly to me. "The only way they could get their memories back if they stood in the places where they've been before."
"Will that work?" Mabel asked quietly.
"... I don't know. It's just a theory. I tried calling the medical professionals over with it though ... they seem like they're also possessed." She said quietly.
"... Well crap." Mabel said quietly. Gideon really messed with these people's minds. Especially the important ones. "What do we do now?" My sister asked.
"Until we can get the medical professionals out of it, I've decided to tell them to go home and try to at least remember themselves from there. I'm glad most of them agreed." Wendy said quietly, letting a sigh of relief.
"This is... scary." Mabel mumbled.
"Even if we get the medical professionals out of the effects of the possession, there is a chance they will forget too." I said quietly.
"Yeah, I know that. I'm just praying that chance doesn't happen." Wendy said quietly.
"What about the police?" Mabel asked in a whisper.
"I haven't seen them yet. I don't think they ever move from the police station but I can't be right about that." Wendy answered quietly.
"... This'll be harder than I thought." Mabel mumbled.
"You were thinking about getting the police first before doing the warehouse?" I asked in a whisper.
"Yes. If they haven't moved from the station. They're probably waiting on orders from Gideon." She said quietly, saying his name in a whisper. "And if that's the case, then we might have to go with Plan B."
"We could lure them out, though ... I'm not so sure if I want to be breaking laws anytime soon." I said quietly.
"I'll think of something." Wendy said quietly.
"Okay. So, I guess we can try-" She stopped talking when the sound of a car stopped in front of the park entrance. I looked over, spotting more cars behind it. I widened my eyes, realizing them to be police cars. "... Are they ... here to ... stop us...?" Mabel asked me in a whisper.
"Let's act casual first." Wendy whispered, placing a hand on my sister's shoulder. She nodded to the red-haired before turning towards the people who were getting out. I narrowed my eyes when I spotted the white-haired kid. Oh god. We've been caught, haven't we? Wendy pushed us behind her as she stood in front, waiting for them patiently. I begin to feel anxious before feeling my sister's hand on my shoulder. "It'll be okay. You know how to fool this jerk." She whispered to me.
I nodded, calming myself down. "Alright. Let's see what he has to say."
"Wow. This place is wonderful! I wonder why you set this up, Wendy." Gideon said, walking over to us. "Oh, I see. You wanted to help us?"
"Yes. I wanted to make sure the items were nice and clean. Along with smelling nice." Wendy answered.
"Ah... Have they been breaking them? Gideon asked, gesturing to us.
"Yes. Me and the others caught them." Wendy lied, acting unlike herself. Oh, now I see what she is doing. I appeared to look frightened, playing along with this plan. My sister did the same as she stood close to me.
"Good, good. Step aside." Gideon said. Wendy obeyed as she stood on the sidelines. "Policemen, check the place." He ordered.
"Yes, sir." The two policemen said before walking into the park, acting like robots. My sister grabbed onto my left arm as I looked at her. She did fake the frightening behavior, though I feel like it's ... real. I glared at Gideon as he approaches us. He halted and simply smile.
"You guys. Do you realize that I'm more powerful than you are?" He asked.
"... We know that, but even the most powerful people have weak points." Mabel said.
"Not me. I don't have any flaws." He said. "Don't you forget that, sweetheart." I gripped my hands tightly, watching his gaze flicker to my reaction.
"Don't worry, Mason. Oh, wait... Should I call you "Dipper" now? Since you're quite known by that name." He said, grinning sinisterly.
"Strangers and idiots like you are off the list." Mabel said, defending me. Exactly.
"Dear, I am no idiot to you. You see how I plan this all? Would an idiot such as myself plan this?" He asked. I noticed in the corner of my eyes, Wendy moving quietly from the scene.
"Regardless of that, you're still an idiot." Mabel grumbled.
He sighed. "What about you, do you think the same way as your sister?"
"I will admit it, it is quite a clever plan you did." I said.
"Anything else?" He asked.
"Well, I would say this. She is right about you being an idiot with flaws. You cannot be flawless without someone outsmarting you." I answered.
"You wanna bet?" He smiled, unfazed by my response. Is he trying to pull us into a game of sorts? After learning what you did to Kahlil, I don't think I will.
"No." I said.
"Thought you would say that." He said, pulling out a necklace from his pockets. While he was looking down at it, I quickly looked at the spot that Wendy was in. She was gone, probably into the park. Go stop the possessed police. I glanced back at him once he was beginning to look up at us. As he was about to say something, a shriek was heard from the park, making us turn out heads over. "What is that?" Gideon asked, putting the necklace up. I turned to my sister who gripped my arm tightly. I watched the white-haired kid turned and walk over to the entrance to look in. "Hey!"
"We should run, now." My sister whispered. I watched him disappear into the park before nodding to her. We took off, getting away as far as we can.
I slammed the door shut as I panted. We entered from the other entrance of the Mystery Shack. I turned around and followed my sister who was walking over to the hallway. She halted at the wall as she let out a sigh of relief. "Oh my god. I didn't think we could run that far." She said.
"Me either." I said, still catching my breath.
"I hope Wendy will be okay." Mabel said. "Whatever she did ... I hope those policemen are freed."
"I hope so too." I mumbled. I sighed before turning around and heading upstairs.
"I'll go check on Grunkle Stan." Mabel said.
"Alright." I said before climbing up the stairs and walking over to the shared room. I grabbed the knob and opened it. I closed the door and walked over to my bed, sitting on it. I grabbed my phone before lying down on my bed, posing myself on my left side. I stared at my phone, eyeing the time. 4:50 PM. I turned it off and place it down. I squeeze my hands tightly, irritation twisting on my face.
Jeez, he just walks in and acts like he owns the place. Then again, he thinks he owns the whole town under his fingers. He won't anymore. I sighed and rolled over, staring at the wall. I closed my eyes and rested there. I fell into the dreams of my sleep, seeing everything change so fast. I heard a beeping noise, turning behind me. I stared at the light that was flickering. I walked forward and over it. As soon as I did, the light faded. I halted before seeing the world disappear. And soon I saw darkness.
I opened my eyes slowly, hearing a phone go off nearby. I sighed tiredly and sat up. I turned and over to my phone, which was the one making that sound. It was nighttime as my light was turned off. My sister wasn't in the room, leading me to believe she was still downstairs. I grabbed my phone and turned it over to the screen. I smiled a bit when Kahlil was calling. I wonder what he wants. I answered it and place it near my ear.
My stomach dropped when I heard the voice to be different. My eyes widened as horror appeared on my face.
"Ah, you finally picked up." Gideon said. W-what...? W-what is going on...?
"You seem quiet. Hehehe, I think I know what it is. You realized this isn't your boyfriend, haven't you?" He asked. I slowly glanced down at the sheets, my heart was racing against my chest as I couldn't speak. I wanted to say what I wanted to say in my head, but ... nothing is coming out.
"Anyway, let's discuss what happened ... Now that I see that Wendy isn't under my control." He said, sounding angry. "That little damn operation of yours is over. However, it cost me two of my puppets."
I felt my breathing become a bit faster, making me realize I was losing some of my senses. Calm down, calm down. He just told you that Wendy did her job. Relax. Please relax. I told myself, I breathe in and out quietly, feeling my body return slightly to normal. "You may have thought you got this on your hands, but you don't. You don't know what I am capable of doing. And I think you know what happens next."
I sat quietly as my limbs trembled. What are you going to say? "I can give you one last chance to give up on this 'case' you keep trying to solve. To be honest, even if you solve it, who would believe you?" He said, beginning to laugh on the other side.
"Get to the point." I hissed.
"Okay, fine. Can't even allow me to have my victory. If you turn away and allow me to have my fun with the town, maybe then ... I can set Kahlil free. I mean, I'm sure you know that I captured him, right? Why wouldn't I be talking to you with his phone?" He said. I froze, thoughts begin to bomb my mind, causing me to stress slightly. I... I... I don't know ... I don't know ... What to do ...
"I'll give you next Friday- actually let me make you suffer even more. I'll give you this Sunday to make up your mind. Turn yourself in and give up. Along with your sister." He said. "Though, if you don't do what I say, I might allow the 'kidnapper' to do horrible things to him again. Maybe I might do so as well."
I hear him laugh on the other side, causing my blood to boil. "See you soon, Dipper!" The phone hung up as I dropped it. I gripped the sheets of my bed as my face twisted with anger. I breathe before looking up at the walls of my room. I glanced down at my bed as I heard my breathing rapidly increase.
I... I have no idea ... what to do ...
End of Chapter 63