"There is nothing about this I understand."
I turned away from Stan and started pacing towards my machine. "It's a trans-universal gateway, a punched hole through a weak spot in our dimension. I created it to unlock the mysteries of the universe. But it could just as easily be harnessed for terrible destruction." I came to a stop and reached into my coat pocket to put out my first research journal. I wasn't sure if my knucklehead of a brother would understand the levity of what I was telling him, but he was my final hope, the last person I could trust. "That's why I shut it down and hid my journals, which explain how to operate it." I walked back to Stan holding what was once my pride and joy, but now is my greatest shame. "There's only one journal left. And you are the only person I can trust to take it."
I put the journal into Stan's hands. "I have something to ask of you. You remember our plans to sail around the world on a boat?" I watched his eyes light up and his mouth form a smile and I felt I could trust him with the journal, especially since after all these years, he still had the same lifelong dream of constantly running away. "Take this book, get on a boat, and sail as far away as you can! To the edge of the Earth! Bury it where no one can find it!" I figured Bill could possess someone in town to find journals 2 and 3 in Gravity Falls, but no one could catch Stan once he was running. I turned away from Stan and took, what I hope, was the last look at my machine whole before I would start the process of dismantling it.
"That's it?! You finally want to see me after ten years, and it's to tell me to get as far away from you as possible!?" Stan said angrily.
I could feel all my frustration at Stan for the last ten years boil up as I turned around to face him. "Stanley, you don't understand what I'm up against! What I've been through!"
"No, no. You don't understand what I've been through! I've been to prison in three different countries! I once had to chew my way out of the trunk of a car! You think you've got problems? I've got a mullet, Stanford! Meanwhile, where have you been? Living it up in your fancy house in the woods! Selfishly hoarding your college money because you only care about yourself!"
While he was ranting a me, I felt a twinge of guilt that I had never checked in on Stan since he was kicked out of the house, but that last comment turned my guilt into rage. "I'm selfish? I'm selfish?! How can you say that after costing me my dream school?! I'm giving you a chance to do the first worthwhile thing in your life and you won't even listen!"
"Well listen to this: you want me to get rid of this book? Fine. I'll get rid of it right now!" I could feel time slow down as he held my life's purpose in one hand and a lighter in one hand and I knew what he was thinking of. I rushed towards him as he started to bring them together and tried to yank my journal out of his hands. "No! You don't understand!"
"You said you wanted me to have it, so I'll do what I want with it!" He pulled my journal out of my hands, flicked the lighter and held my journal over the flames.
I couldn't let this happen. I cried out "My research!" and tackled him to ground. He dropped the journal and lighter, and I got off Stan and ran back to my journal. On my way off Stan, he tripped me, got up, grabbed the journal, and began running to the exit. I got up and chased him to the door and yelled, "Stanley, give it back!" I grabbed him as turned back to look at me and we both went through the door to the control room. I slammed him into one of the panels and put my arm up to his neck. Stan looked at me and said, "You want it back? You're gonna have to try harder than that!" before pushing me off him and bringing both of us onto the floor. I held one end of the book while he held the other, both of us pulling desperately for control. I heard Stan yell at me "You left me behind, you jerk! It was supposed to be us forever, you ruined my life!"
"You ruined your own life!" I yelled back at him. I gave him a swift kick to stomach and felt him let go of my journal, but a second later I heard the sizzling of flesh and Stan scream out in agony. I looked and saw that I must have kicked him right into the side of the control panel that had the extremely hot rune. I immediately rushed to him and worriedly asked "Stanley! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you alr-" but before I could finish Stan punched me in the face. I staggered backwards, dropped my journal, and eventually tripped over something.
I stood up and watched as Stan walked towards me while holding his shoulder and told me "Some brother you turned out to be. You care more about your dumb mysteries then your family? Well then, YOU CAN HAVE 'EM." He pushed my fallen journal into hands, but instead of falling over I began rising up. I could hear Stan saying "Woah, woah, hey, what's going on? Hey, hey, Stanford" but I was panicking. In our skirmish we must have turned on the portal and now I was getting closer to the entrance of the portal. I desperately cried out "Stanley! Stanley, help me!" I didn't know what to do. I was weightless, being pulled in by the gravity of the portal I could distantly hear Stanley desperately ask me, "Oh no, what do I do?" I felt completely helpless. I wasn't ready to meet the horror that drove Fiddleford to insanity, but I could think of no way to get back on solid ground. I knew the portal would lead me to Bill, but this time I would be on his court. I knew he would find me, and I would be his key to getting back. Key? The Journal! As I was floating towards my probable demise, I remembered I was still holding on my journal. Bringing it with me would be no better than wrapping it and gifting it to Bill. I saw the portal had already got hold of me, so in desperation I threw my journal at Stanley and cried out my brother's name for what possibly be the last time. "Stanley! Stanley! Do something! STANLEY!" I took one last breath as I was submerged in the portal and saw everything go white.
