Dipper crept down the basement stairs. He had to get a better look at the ghost portal. Danny hadn't explained much about the portal itself, and Dipper wanted to get a good sketch of it too.
Dipper entered the darkened lab and flicked on a dim light to see. He crept toward the deactivated portal, skirting around the table covered in sewing supplies. It appeared that Danny's dad had finished the jumpsuit he'd wanted to make for him. Dipper held it up. It looked like it might actually fit him fairly well, and he was impressed at the speed and accuracy with which Jack had made it. The jumpsuit was orange, more or less designed like Jack's, but with a black pine tree on the chest. Dipper shook his head and put the jumpsuit down.
He stepped up to the portal, wondering if he could turn it on. He plugged it in, but nothing happened except for a faint spark somewhere inside. There must be another step to activating it.
He peeked inside curiously. It was a short tunnel with electrical wires and circuitry coating the inside. Nothing exceptional, though admittedly he'd never seen anything like it before. He examined the settings panel just outside the entrance. He couldn't make sense of anything.
Dipper frowned. He thought that after his experience with Ford and the portal between dimensions, he might have had a better comprehension of Danny's ghost portal. He flicked through his journal, cursing himself for not writing more in-depth notes on Ford's portal.
Dipper opened to the page where he'd written about Phantom's origin. He started to sketch the ghost portal for reference, making small notes as he went.
The more he drew, the more he thought he understood the portal. It didn't seem that different from the one Ford had created, except that this one was made to enter the Ghost Zone instead of Bill's Nightmare Realm. And, amazingly, the ghost portal was built even better than Ford's. Maybe the Ghost Zone was easier to access, but this portal used much less power and carried much less risk.
Dipper finished the drawing of the portal. He wanted to draw the inside too, but he was wary of going in. He stared at the portal. He understood how Danny must have felt when he sat looking at it back then. All that mystery, that adventure, waiting just on the other side…
Dipper glanced back at the jumpsuit lying on the sewing table. He didn't want to let himself think about the idea he had. It was crazy, and stupid, and…. What if he…. He didn't let himself finish the thought. He closed his journal and turned his back on the portal. He'd gotten what he came down here for.
But if….
Dipper turned back. Was this what he'd been planning when he'd lied about where he was going? Did he really want to try?
He couldn't. It would be incredibly dangerous.
But what if it worked?
Slowly, Dipper put down his journal. He picked up the jumpsuit. Surely it wouldn't hurt if he just looked inside? He would put the suit on for safety. He would look inside and do nothing else.
Dipper pulled the zipper up. He looked down at the pine tree on his chest. It reminded him of all the crazy adventures he'd had in Gravity Falls. And then, he'd had to go back to Piedmont, and nothing had happened for a year. He'd never realized how incredibly mundane his normal life was until he had to go back to it.
He looked back up at the portal. Just a quick peek, he told himself, trying to ignore the idea that was tugging at his conscience.
Dipper entered the portal. It really wasn't that interesting on the inside, either. The only thing of note was the big green "on" button.
It was right there…
Right in front of him…
You can't, Dipper told himself.
But you could, another voice in his head said.
He realized that his hand was hovering an inch from the button. He took a deep breath.
And then there was nothing but pain.