Chapter 3

Laying down the cards

Both Dipper and Shadow Dancer they are near a store that has a sign with a giant ant with friendly cartoon eyes and smile wearing an army helmet driving a tank and below a sentence that says "Solider Ant Toys" store, and both then stop in their running. Dipper he then looks at Shadow Dancer and Dipper he folds his arms, and he looks at Shadow Dancer sternly.

Dipper says, "You can't hide from me, I know it's you Adam."

Shadow Dancer trying to put on a fake voice says, "Adam….uh ha that is nonsense, why Adam he is in safety and told me about you so I came to your rescue citizen."

"Oh, please as if I can't put two and two together, first of all if you were going to fake me out you should of done it earlier, also I recognize the clothes you wear, your build and know that voice you're putting on is fake."

Dipper immediately grabs the dark black mask up top while Shadow Dancer is slightly off guard and then pulls the mask off and he sees Adam's face which some grit and sweat. Dipper he then looks at the ninja mask and then looks at him with a sly smile on his face.

Dipper says, "If you're going to conceal your identity do a better job of it."

Shadow Dancer/Adam says, "Well you got me, voice acting is one thing I still need work on anyway."

"For the record I won't tell anyone as I really don't want the attention and it wouldn't do both of us any good as we still have this case to solve."

"Yeah, but before we get more into the issue how about we go someplace for dinner, I haven't had anything today."

Dipper looks at his own stomach and has the same empty feeling.

Dipper says, "Well can't think on an empty stomach."

They go to a pizza place called "Pizza Forest" both sit at one of the checkered pattern tables and have a whole large pizza shaped like a pine tree consisting of peperoni, sausage, and olive and both have blue raspberry lighting cola drinks.

Both then eat a piece of pizza and then Adam says, "I don't care what anyone says, battles always make me hungry."

Dipper says, "That's something we can agree on."

After Dipper sips his soda, he then puts it down and looks at Adam.

Dipper says, "Alright, lets get down to business first we'll talk about you?"

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"I just uncovered you so, you owe me some answers, but if anything, I have just a few questions, two first how do you know about the Mad Gassers and how come you haven't stopped them before?"

"I could ask you the same questions."

"I asked you first."

"Your right, that's fair well for one thing I just moved here about a month ago, within that month I caught the news about this unusual breaks in from the school news site "The Log" and the local paper "Gravity Falls today/tomorrow" When I read about them the pattern and nature of the breaks in were familiar, at first I thought it couldn't be as the Mad Gassers they were from 1944 which happened in Mattoon, Illinois.

"You know your paranormal history."

"Of course, I find it interesting and if you're in this kind of business you should; I see you remember the Gassers too."

"Yeah, but as you said that happened about 70 years ago how could they return, but then again from what happened here and that past years of my life anything is possible."

Adam takes a sip of soda and continues.

"As for the second question, I did try to stop them, I prevented the twelfth break in, or at least the break in to one home, but just before I was about to nail them, they got away."

"We didn't have any success today."

"I wouldn't say that at least we saved someone being the Gassers number 13."

After hearing this Dipper then answers.

"I noticed the pattern a week or two before you moved in and hunted them down since, like you I can close after the tenth break in but slipped from me, times like that I really wish Mabel was around."

"Well for now you have me."

"From what you told you, you'll have to do."

Adam pauses and ponders something for a moment along with Dipper but then Dipper shakes his head and then gets focused again and asks a question.

What is your real reason to do what you do?"

Adam then looks away for a moment and says, "It's a lot to explain and I can't reveal it all at least not yet, but for my reasoning for this ninja gig is exactly what I and you tried to prevent this night."

"What do you mean?"

"When I write the articles for the paper it's not just to tell stories and it's not for fame, I don't even believe in that concept."

Adam takes a small sip of his soda and then continues.

"What was happening to all those people, those break ins were awful, and someone has to do something about it."

"There's always the cops?"

"They're not perfect, how in the heck are they going to believe in something that looks like it's out of fiction despite all the crazy crap that occurs in this world, or even stop something they don't even know how to stop."

Adam then leans in and says, "And you know this too, that's part of why you came."

Dipper says, "Yeah, but I'm not really a vigilante or comic book hero, I'm just a paranormal investigator."

"But you also stop evil."

"What, do you mean."

"Dipper I've read a few of the past articles from "The Log" but also read your articles from the site and heard a few of your podcasts from "Paranormal Palace", I know out of a lot of the paranormal investigators you're one of the best and the one that actually lives here."

"Well, I don't know about that but…"

"You were one of the people that saved both "Gravity Falls" and this world from the otherworldly demon named Bill Cypher."

"You really believed in my testimony on that site."

"Of course, I know there are plenty of details you can't fake, let alone plenty of photos and hard evidence of you in the action."

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago."

"Not that long ago you're still doing what your doing, and I don't care what any discrediting debunking jerks say about you, as the McKenzie Bros say, "They can just take off." From what you did tonight and helping me from one of the Gassers I know now you're the real deal."

Dipper is flattered for a moment but then gets back to business.

Dipper says, "Well you answered one of my questions, but now we should both get back to the other topic."

"The Gassers we were able to slow them down, but they got away."

"And you can bet they'll be back tomorrow to make another go."

"I think I might have underestimated them a little bit."

Adam then flexes his right hand a little still feeling a bit of the sting of pain from punching one of the gassers covered faces.

"No matter how much you prepare, you can never seem to prepare enough."

"I've also underestimated them, we both have the right aim, but our execution is slightly incorrect, but tomorrow it won't be because I've collected some evidence."

"What kind?"

"We'll see to it tomorrow as the person I need help from isn't available tonight."

"We'll also need to review the images we just captured, see how they turned out."

"Sure, but tomorrow, it's getting really late and I've still got homework to finish."

Adam cringes at the word.

Adam says, "Uh, ditto that's one pain in my ass I have to take out too, but still we have some time left."

Adam then looks at the game room which has plenty of arcade cabinets and he sees one particular cabinet, which is "Immortal Combat 3" and he looks at Dipper and says, "You into fighting games?"

Dipper says, "Um, sure why."

"You a fan of "Immortal Combat".

"Actually a "Fight Fighters" fan but I like the franchise to."

"Want to play a round, bet I can beat you."

Dipper looks at the game room and that cabinet and then looks back at Adam.

"You know after what we've been though we've earned a round."

Both they go to the game room and play their round of the arcade cabinet, both pick out their characters from Adam who picks a person in an old Samurai armor and has lighting powers and Dipper a zombie who is in a 80's cop uniform. Both clash with each other's characters, pressing and moving the joysticks wildly while having a good time together.