For the few with the power and riches to afford luxury condos within the largest of cities, the sights were the least of their concerns. Many times, the purchasing, or usage, of such condos were mere showings of power and control within a city. "Yes, I chose to live here, in this one city," was a great message to populace who would doubt public figures of their loyalty.
Neither power nor a message was required to the purchasing of the top floor in the 'Madison', a royally affluent apartment in the center of Los Angeles. It was strategy, it was easy, and it was comfortable. Seats were cushioned, and service wonderful, and the food grand.
To Alvis Leuthar, the advising of a 'temporary base of operations' was an easy sell. Kinley had little interest, it seemed, in the regards of permanent fixtures. As long as Alvis threw to him a reason, truthful or not, the younger man gave the okay to spend the money. And Avlis, according to his figures, had billions more to use up before he would even bat an eye.
He sat before the largest of the windows, holding a glass of champaign in his hands. This was what success felt like. Having the world below him, and all the money at his fingertips. All he had to do was get the okay from a fire-tempered brat of a 'boss' he had. Still, he appreciated the ease of having someone so seemingly direct that he hadn't needed to worry about the man's second thoughts. Graupner only ever gave himself one, and then he listened to it.
Thus far, Kinley was the easiest boss to work under.
From behind, a door craned open and slammed shut. Alvis turned and lowered his glass hastily. He knew the sound of those rapid footsteps from a pair of dirty boots. The flutter of torn rags announced the spit-fire that was Graupner Kinley.
Rubbing his eyepatch with a scowl, Graupner nodded to him once. "Report."
Alvis gently nodded, and lifted a folder aside a nearby glass table. Clearing his throat quietly, Alvis spoke. "The liquidation is a success. While there was, naturally, resistance across the country, and we have several larger brands attempting to sue us, any public attempts at discrediting the remains of our finances are beyond help. There is simply nothing more anyone can do."
"And the ransoms?" Graupner asked, eyeing the glass of alcohol on the table.
"Three out of the five families instantly came through. The other two are harder to convince it seems, but we're more than willing to be patient for millions more to throw into our savings," Alvis grinned.
"Cut off one finger, and mail it to them," Graupner suggested, approaching the table and lifting the glass to his inspection.
"I'd advise patience," Alvis swallowed, nervously tapping the manila folder the many files were kept in.
"Patience," Graupner sneered. "I hate that word."
"The less attention we draw, the better," Alvis said bluntly. "Dismembering family fathers isn't what we need for our covert attempts."
"Fine," Graupner shook his head, and then drowned the liquid in one swift gulp. With a sigh, he then grumbled, and tossed the glass over his shoulder, shattering it across the hard stone.
"To your taste, I imagine?" Alvis grinned.
Graupner instead stared, his one eye fixed on his 'apprentice'. Something in the stare seemed envious, and it scared Alvis more than Graupner's rage. The way the younger man just stood and watched Alvis, with that deep, sunken eye and the paling face, it made it seemed like Alvis had something else, something Graupner wanted. After all, as far as the former clerk knew, what Kinley sought after, he gained.
Alvis Leuthar cleared his throat and continued. "I wanted to inform you as well that we have managed to maintain the private security forces that the corporation used."
"Good," Graupner nodded, "I hope they'll be enough. After combing the woods for those brats, we couldn't find a thing. More men will get this task done sooner."
Alvis nodded. Graupner turned, his hands sliding across the table, letting his skin feel the smooth texture. Alvis eyed the man, a poised curiosity emanating from him. "Why are we hunting children?" Alvis asked, his curiosity eating at him.
"What?" Graupner asked off-handedly.
"Those twins. Dipper and Mabel Pines," Alvis pulled his arms behind him, "I saw them in Steindorfs notes some month ago. You shouted 'Pines', two days ago. You said you're-"
"Yes, yes," Graupner nodded, massaging his neck. He stared into the clean, reflective glass, "I'm after the twins." Before Alvis could ask again, Graupner spun to him with a stomp. "They have a bad habit of getting in my way."
"Ah," Alvis smiled and tilted his head forward, "Competition."
"No!" Graupner snarled. Alvis lowered his head further, aware he had angered him. "They are not my competition! A best, nuisances. They're fodder now! And that's all they'll ever be," Graupner said, closing his eyes and holding a hand to his eye-patch.
Alvis held his tongue. He knew more than enough to speak up. The floor belonged to Graupner, and he would respect that power. As predicted, Graupner slowly calmed down, pushing his blond hair out of his eye and behind his ear.
"I have a new task for you," the Warlock stated, leaving his reflection on the table to face Alvis, who lifted his head.
"Of course," Alvis said pleasantly, withholding his excitement. He knew why the kid had really come. His half of the bargain was going to begin.
With a snap of his finger, the Warlock made appear in the blink of an eye a collection of books large enough to cover the entire glass table.
Alvis gasped and stepped closer. "Magic," he muttered to himself, a grin coming to his face.
"These are texts on arcana," Graupner explained, "or as you'd c-call it, magic."
"I'm to read them?" Alvis asked, a sly grin coming to.
"All of them. I want you to be able to quote anything I ask," Graupner Kinley informed him.
The former clerk nodded, and pulled out a chair from the table. "I can get started now," he said.
"Yeah, you do that. I've got a family to exploit. Got to see if I can't draw them to me," The Warlock murmured to himself as he spun around. Once more he paused, staring at the open bottle of Champaign. Alvis watched carefully, taking in the peculiar habit. After a moment, Graupner noticed the stares, and huffed, and made to the door.
Once the door was closer, Alvis chuckled. Assured in his studying capabilities, he reached forward and pulled open the first book.
"You mean to tell me that they were just living up on the mountain like any other joe-schmoe?" a voice crackled through the phone.
"Yeah! They gave us tea, I was a grand match-maker, and there was also a family of shape-shifters who we hooked the son of the family up with their daughter, and-"
The laughing was audible from the phone.
They were back to Boring, Oregon. They were back at same hotel that Zander purchased for them, not two days ago. The twins, Wendy, and Soos found themselves back inside. Sitting on the bed was Wendy, who lazily rolled the marble sized stone between her fingers. Soos sat on the floor with Waddles the pig, who found most of the sheets edible thus far.
Dipper stood up, directly watching Mabel talk on his phone. She was laying, belly down, on the bed; holding the phone out before her as she wiggled her legs up and down. Dipper nearly scowled: something about Mabel acting like Zander was the cool person he had pretended to be made him grind his teeth.
"Mabel, could you keep to the point please?" Dipper muttered.
Mabel whined. "But he should hear about the part where I bought out an entire-"
From the phone, the voice of Zander Maximillion, or the Guardsman, replied, "I'd love to hear the story, Mabel. But we should keep it business for now. It does sound like you had a wild ride."
Dipper called out in a curt demand, "Were you expecting vampires and shapeshifters up there?"
Zander's tone became quiet as he thought aloud, "Honestly, there's no telling what's to be expected anymore. My predictions did anticipate long-dormant families of 'monsters' to start returning, but two at the same time is pretty... fast."
"Yeah, so we'd better keep on moving," Dipper furthered, "We need the next place."
"Don't worry," Zander said, "I've got it under control."
"Okay, so?" Dipper asked, "Where next?" A pause fell over the conversation. Wendy and Soos both picked up on the pause, and tuned their focus to Dipper and Mabel. "Zander, where is the next place? You know where we're going next, right?"
"Yes," Zander sighed, "But I can't have you do anything yet."
"Wait, why not?" Wendy said, pocketing the stone in her jeans.
"Yeah, I was under the impression we rocked that last one. Mystery dudes, assemble!" Soos declared proudly.
"I'm sure you did," Zander assured them, "Or Mabel wouldn't sound so chipper. Or maybe she would anyway. Hm."
Mabel giggled, "I'm a ball of cinnamon and positivity packaged in a holiday cheer tin."
Dipper bit out, tired of being led, "Then why aren't you telling us?"
A sigh over from the phone told them Zander would relent. "There's a TV in that room that looks like it's never worked in its life," Zander said. Mabel peered past Dipper as he turned and looked to the dusty old piece of unloved tech. "Turn it on to channel one-one-seven-six. That'll get you onto the news channel I'm watching now."
His confusion piqued with the possibility of answers, Dipper did as he was suggested. Turning to the television, he leaned down and flicked the switch. With a click and loud whirr, the television breathed electrical life into the screen – diluted of color and filled with static.
Wendy, examining the legacy tech, noted, "I think that TV outdated my dad."
Soos hissed, "Shh! The movie is playing," from the floor. Wendy glanced to him, but said nothing as she shook her head.
The television crackled and hummed as Dipper found a panel button and punched in the numbers. As the television adjusted the correct source, the four shimmied closer, watching as the colors changed into a coherent picture. Finally, the image was complete, and sound followed.
"-still," An older man with balding grey hair asked a young, spritely news-anchor, "We should be asking why, not just how. It's a miracle that such a large company as Steindorf and Co has been able to dissolve in just three days-"
"What?!" Dipper gasped, stepping closer to the television.
"-but the watch on the matter is off. We need to be wondering why this was done, not just how. The entire stocks of the-" the man continued, but Mabel groaned.
"Ugggh! Boring," Mabel whined, rolling to the side and plopping to the ground next to Waddles.
"You watching it?" the voice from the phone asked. Dipper hummed, his eyes glued onto the television set. "This is a problem."
"How?" Dipper asked, "If Steindorf and Co is gone, that means that whatever resources Graupner could have gotten is all gone."
"Unless he liquidated to his own account," Soos shrugged. The Dipper and Wendy turned to him, eyebrows raised. Soos looked back, and asked, "What?"
"Soos is right," Zander confirmed, "Graupner is behind the total breakdown of that multi-billion-dollar corporation. We're talking so much money you could buy small countries with it. And he has it all under his belt now," Zander groaned from across the phone.
Wendy grumbled, "So, our main villain has a bunch of money now."
"Not just a bunch," Zander corrected.
Wendy corrected, "Too much."
"More like it," Zander said.
"Great. Why is he doing it?" Dipper asked, turning the TV off and looking back to the phone in his hand, "Wouldn't it be better for him to leave the company standing so he can make money still?" he asked.
With an air of thought, Zander verbally posed, "You know him better than that. What do you think?"
Dipper blinked. Recalling the times he had met and spoken to the filth of a human being, now undead creature, named Graupner Kinley, Dipper did now know a thing or two about him. He was stubborn, cruel, confident, and...
"Impatient. He wants to move now," Dipper nodded.
"Yes," Zander nodded, "Whatever his plan is, he's going to be spending money rapidly. You want to know the scary part though?" Zander added. Dipper blinked, turning and looking to Soos and Wendy. Mabel, from the floor, stared up at them, her mouth hung open. "I have no idea what his plans are."
Dipper, his mouth having fallen open, proclaimed, "You're lying."
"Not this time," Zander sighed.
Soos cried, "But you always know stuff! Liike how to handle girls when you're not interested, but they are!"
Wendy rolled her eyes, and admitted, "Among other things."
Zander explained to them, "Graupner is a new player in the game of magical intrigue I've been part of with Omir for years. His end goals are clearly different than Omir's. He's in it for something soon, and is going at it with more steam than his master ever had. If I had to guess," Zander sighed, "He's taking the cash and doing something big with it. This doesn't sound like retirement money – he's going to make some sort of, I don't know, organization."
"Why?" Dipper asked.
"I don't know," Zander groaned, "And I intend to find out ASAP. But first," Zander cleared his throat, "You all need to stay on the low. The room you're at should be okay, but right now, I've got the feeling Kinley will be on the lookout for you. He's got the money to hire some pretty nasty people if he wanted to."
Wendy gasped. "Wait, we're not just going to stay cooped up here."
"Why not?" Zander inquired.
Wendy whined, "Because it stinks!"
"Aww, sorry, that may have been me earlier," Soos rubbed the back of his head, "Kind of got nervous thinking about the future earlier, and that got me some bad gas."
"Wendy," the voice from the phone answered, drawing attention back, "I know you're not actually bothered by smells," Zander said, "Taste is one of those things you've started to lose. Smells go away too."
The three whipped to Wendy, who's cheeks went crimson. Her entire face grew hot as her eyes shot wide and she whipped around to the others.
It might have been the prolonged silence that told Zander something. For when he spoke again, it was with uncertainty. "Wait... you... didn't tell them?" Zander's voice got quieter. "Oh... oh, Wendy, I'm sorry," he said, a troubled sincerity in his tone. "I'll, uh, call you guys back, okay? Just stay put for now, and don't draw attention. I'll be in touch."
With a mechanical click, the phone line was cut. The four were left only with the sounds of the chewing pig as Waddles gnawed at more bed sheets. Wendy's eyes fell to the floor as she clasped her own wrist, gulping quietly. The tension in the air thickened further as she stood in the middle, saying nothing.
"You... you're losing your taste?" Dipper asked. Wendy crinkled her nose, and moved. Her eyes turned away as she pushed forward, bumping against Dipper and shoving her way to the door. Before he could turn and see her, the door was open and closed.
Soos asked the room, "Does that mean she can't tell when I fart?"
"Soos," Mabel grumbled.
"Sorry," he shrugged, "just popped into my head."
Dipper made for the door and wrenched it open, spilling the late-morning light into sight before he closed the door behind him as he stepped out. Wendy wasn't directly before him. Dipper turned and saw, just over by the outdoor stairs, Wendy as she sat and slid her legs under the metal railing, trailing her feet into the air as they dangled above the second floor.
Slowly he made his approach, pondering the best thing to say. It was certainly a hard thing to pretend he was good at; talking to people like this. Making someone see sense? Yeah, he was great. Explaining the right choice based on morality? Also decent at. Comfort and understanding? That was more of a 'Mabel' thing.
Still, he had to try. He stepped closer, not trembling, but shaky as he stepped behind her.
But what to say?
Wendy beat him at the punch. She started saying, cold and distant as the winter weather, "I started losing taste this spring," Wendy mumbled. Dipper's fearful internal thoughts flashed away like vapor as he pulled all attention onto her. She said, "Every once in a while, up until then, I would try to eat something. Drink. You know," Wendy shrugged as she spoke to Dipper while facing away, "Normal human stuff. Maybe one day it would feel good."
Dipper frowned. He remembered what she had said in the graveyard. "It never did," Dipper answered for her.
"I would just get these... pains," Wendy looked over her shoulder, grimacing, "These crazy, deep tears in my body. I never actually was hurt, I think, but I really felt injured when I tried to eat. Still, sometimes just tasting things would be enough for me to try. Then... in march, I tried again. Stole some pizza. I... I know I ate it, because I felt horrible afterwards, but I swear I tasted nothing."
"Zander was right about you?" Dipper asked.
Wendy shrugged. "It doesn't take much to be right about me," she said, turning away, "I'm not sure I even know myself much more man."
Dipper nodded. His feet carried him forward, and slowly he came to sit next to her. After a moment of studying the calm woods ahead, Dipper dared a quick look to her. Those eyes, as he had seen them many times, shone a radiant exhaustion. She never looked back to him.
Then she snorted. "You're staring," she muttered with a grin.
"Sorry," Dipper whipped his head away, and with a loud clatter, slapped the side of his temple against the metal frame of the railing. "Ow!" he grumbled, pulling his feet back as he clutched his head. "Dang it," he moaned.
"Dude, you okay?" she asked, snickering quietly as she pulled herself next to him.
"Yeah, just feeling like my head is a cracked egg," Dipper mumbled, rubbing his temple.
"Here," Wendy raised him up by the shoulders, having him sit up. Her hands were suddenly next to him, and at the base of his neck. Dipper felt the all-empowering need to gulp. His throat tightened out of a fear, yet not for his life. Then the touch of her fingertips sent shivers down his spine. She was, well, touching him. Wendy quietly told him, "Hold still," and rubbed a muscle Dipper never knew he had- somewhere deep under his chin and within his jaw.
It felt painful, her strong fingers pressing into the muscles that held his head together. He turned, ready to ask her to stop. Then those green eyes met his brown, and he found the resistance to ask otherwise drain away. Instead, he chose to watch her as she massaged his neck.
At least until he realized that his head was feeling remarkable light and clear. Then he blinked and felt his still throbbing bruise. With a wince, he still felt the pain, but it was... lessened.
"What was that?" Dipper asked her.
"We got these crazy little pinpoints on our body dude," Wendy grinned as she massaged his neck, "That are like super sensitive and stuff. They get all messed up and tensed, and we get stiff when we don't relax them a bit. Just gotta apply a little pressure," she said, looking into his jaw, "And then relax."
"Relaxing all right," Dipper sighed as he grinned, letting the breath escape his lips.
Still in his daze, Dipper hardly realized that Wendy's hands flew back faster than lightning. When he did, he opened his eyes and blinked. The way he had spoken had been... odd. If he thought Wendy had blushed earlier when Zander spilled the beans on her status, Dipper was sure he could cook an egg on his face.
Nothing was said as the two stared at one another. Had Dipper... done something inappropriate? Or had Wendy gone too far? Dipper wasn't sure what to think anymore – all he could do was watch and wait for her to make a move. His mind was a buzzing numbness, even if he felt like the massage had helped.
Then something in his pocket buzzed.
Glancing away and down, he stood up hastily, removing the phone from his pants. It only took a quick glance to realize who was trying to reach him.
"Mom," he gasped. Glancing quickly to Wendy, ensuring that he wasn't just leaving her behind, Dipper marched back to the room as he opened the older flip phone. "Hey mom," he answered as Wendy stood and quietly followed behind him.
"Sweety!" the voice cried from the phone in exasperation, and Dipper rolled his eyes. She had only said one thing and already she was exaggerating. "You've barely called or texted since June!"
"Sorry," Dipper said, opening the door and walking in, "Mabel and I have been really busy."
"Been catching up and bonding?" his mom asked.
He thought back to the previous summer. Of the insane number of things that they had done, catching up and bonding was among the first. As he looked around in the room and his eyes fell onto Mabel, he smiled and said, "Of course, mom."
Mabel shot up like a rocket. Mabel soared over to Dipper like a rocket. Unlike a rocket, she instead stole the phone from him, pressed the speaker button, and shouted into the phone. "Mom! Mooom!" Mabel roared as she jumped up and down, "Oh my god, it's been forever! Mom how are youuuu?!"
"Mabel, are you hopping around again?" the now loud voice called about as Mabel cackled while jumping. "Stand still, I can't hear much when you're doing that."
With a visual restraint, Mabel landed and remained standing. "Fine, okay, boring normal phone chat. Pffft, whatev," she blew a raspberry.
"Mom, how are you?" Dipper tried again, "We're sorry, but being up in town really made us busy."
"Oh?" their mother's voice echoed back.
"Yeah!" Mabel nodded, "We've become something of a super-hero duo and squad with our friends, Wendy and Soos!" Mabel declared, "Saving the day over and over again."
Their mother's voice cracked. "Uh-huh," she said with great doubt. Instead of pressing that weird tidbit of information, she asked Mabel, "So, which town are you talking about?" their mother's voice asked.
The twins looked to one another; their excitement stalled. "Uh, Gravity Falls?" Mabel laughed.
Their mom quickly said, "Oh. I don't remember that one."
The air in the room must have dropped several degrees. While Soos and Wendy stared at the twins, uncertain to what was going on. The twins knew, absolutely knew that their mom would know about the town. They hadn't stopped talking about it for the first week while school started up, three years ago. During the divorce, it had been a place Dipper and Mabel had protested to be sent to instead, a sort of haven they could dream of.
Their mom brought them back to reality. "Anyway, you two are camping up with friends?" their mom asked, "Or did you meet them after you went up together?"
"Mom," Dipper ignored her question, "Do... you do remember what happened to Grunkle Stan?"
She asked, "Who?"
"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel cried, "The grumpy old miserly man who we love so much that no matter how much of a jerk he is sometimes, we always come back to him and laugh," Mabel declared, "The one who likes that one show you do too!"
Their mom audibly hummed on the phone. "Doesn't... ring a bell?" she asked.
Dipper and Mabel gawked at one another. Mabel, incredulous, asked, "Mom, you thought Dipper and I would just sit in the woods alone for a whole summer!?"
"I don't know," their mom sighed, "When I was your age that was a thing, guys. We liked being in the woods for a summer. It was fun."
"Well," Mabel smirked, "Some of it was fun."
Dipper frowned. "Mom, if you thought we were camping all this time, why did you call?" Dipper asked. "My phone would have died weeks ago. Not to mention that I remember having the conversation with you about Grunkle Stan."
"Grunkle?" she laughed.
"Well, Stan was our great uncle?" Dipper reminded her.
Miss Pines cackled. "That's perfect. Grunkle. I love it. I'm going to need to ask-"
"Mom, wait a second," Dipper cut in, and held a hand to the speaker by Mabel's palm. Looking to his sister, Dipper spoke rapidly. "She doesn't even remember Grunkle Stan, let alone the town."
"Well, the ranger dude didn't," Mabel replied.
"That's because he was standing and working in the space that Gravity Falls would have occupied had it not been all removed and stuff," Dipper explained. "But this is different – she has no idea what we're talking about."
"Why?" Soos piped in.
Dipper half-turned, eyeing the man before him. He pondered theories and concepts that could have fit in his mind, and yet nothing seemed solid. As he ran loops in his skull with no sound answer in sight, he sighed. "I don't know. If history was changed so that Gravity Falls never existed, then you and Wendy may not have ever been born, and then couldn't be here now," Dipper pointed out.
"Ugh," Wendy shuddered, "Man, that's not cool to think about. Gives me the creeps. And I'm literally an undead person – I'm already a walking contradiction!"
Dipper postulated further, "But what's more, we all remember where it should be, who lived there, how long it's been there... if it was erased from reality," asking about the room, "Wouldn't everyone in reality forget it ever existed? And if that's true, why do we know it exists?" Dipper furthered.
From the phone, their mother's voice called in again. "Uh, I think I'm missing a conversation on the other end. You two talking to someone?"
Dipper bluntly told her, "Friends."
"Oh, good for you!" their mom laughed. "Hi friends! Don't mind the weird birthmark on Dipper's forehead – I swear his father and I never burned it in. Entirely natural."
Soos nodded thoughtfully as Wendy's mouth fell open. The handiman hummed and spoke up, "Good to hear, really. Confirmation about that stuff always puts a dude at ease."
"So, kids," their mom spoke up, "I know you've been having fun out, but I need you two to consider coming home for a bit, okay?"
"Why?" Mabel asked, "We are kind of in the middle of saving the world."
"That's cute," their mom snickered, "You two still play games together."
"Uh, not exactly the..." Dipper sighed and pushed past her statement, "Mom, why do you need to see us?"
"Well, some people came by looking for you," she sighed, "Looked very official."
Dipper groaned. Officials coming to their home, after everything that had just happened? Probably meant one thing: the secret paranormal agents could be looking for them. Dipper muttered, "Oh no. Did they have any, uh, badges with falcons on them?"
"Wait, they have falcons?" their mom gasped. "I would have loved that! I was too busy noticing how muscular they were!"
"Mom," Mabel snickered, "Tone down the flirty!"
"Don't scold your mother," she playfully snapped back, "But these four men, all in suits," as she said this, Dipper grumbled, "said that they were looking for Dipper and Mabel Pines."
"Oh boy," Soos sighed. "Last thing we need is for those crazy government dudes to come running back."
"Mom, did they flash any government badges?" Dipper inquired.
"Nah. They said something involving something that happened a few weeks ago in this... wait, they said Gravity Falls, I think," their mom paused. "Didn't you say you were nearby a town with that name? In Oregon, right?"
The four stared at the phone. The men in the government were well informed men of precision and operation. It didn't stand without reason that they may have stopped by to look for the twins for something, but...
Dipper's mind reeled as dots connected. The agents in the government had been brainwashed, and then their minds wiped from the entire incident. They had no reason to come after the twins, and even if they did, they would have been able to access the family records and know something: the twins were currently registered as living with separate households. Then the agents coming to one house for both twins wouldn't make sense...
Unless these men weren't those Agents from three years ago. These were others. Dipper's jaw tightened again as an answer slowly slipped into view in his mind. There was someone who they had just discovered with the power to pay thugs to dress up and go where he pleased.
With a dry throat, Dipper and Mabel both muttered, "Graupner."
"Sorry?" their mom asked.
Dipper snatched the phone from Mabel. She did not let go, but he held it to his face. "Mom, listen carefully, okay? Those men are not good people. Don't talk to them again. If they come back, just call the police and hide or run away! They're not going to help us or you with anything. Just stay away from them!"
"Whoa," Their mom muttered, "did I say something to set off the paranoid alert?"
"Mom-" Dipper ground his teeth together.
Then Mabel slid next to him, slapping her cheeks next to his as she spoke into the phone now. "Mom, Dipper isn't kidding, or paranoid!" she shouted.
"...Mabel?" their mom quietly said. Perhaps it was one thing for Dipper to be a little trigger-happy, but Mabel?
"Stay away from those jerks, and don't be fooled by their big muscles, or anything they say," Mabel warned her. "I mean, I fought 'em before anyway, and they're not that tough. But more importantly, they could hurt you!"
Their mother spluttered, "But – what – how – what is going on?"
Dipper made the decision before he knew he had. "Stay in the house and away from them. We're coming to get you out of there and somewhere safe, okay?" Dipper said, "And don't trust them! Trust no one! We're coming mom!" Dipper said, and slapped his phone closed and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Wait," Mabel blinked, "We're going?"
"Yeah," Dipper nodded firmly.
"So, not to be that guy," Soos nervously poked his fingers together, "But, uh, Zander was kind of specific when he said we should stay put."
Rounding to the call to action, Wendy added, "I'm all for going out and moving around again, before I go stir crazy in this place, but I missed the part we figured out that something is happening to your mom."
Dipper had to be quick explaining this. "Steindorf had a personal security force," he began to stuff his shoes back on, "Of men in suits who could pull off fancy and dressed, but were really just a bunch of thugs. Mabel dealt with them with Pacifica in the woods."
Wendy nodded, "Oh. That makes more sense."
Mabel, who had slowed her preparation, turned to Dipper. "Wait, but Zander said–"
"Mabel," Dipper grabbed her arms, looking her dead in the eye, "Zander isn't our boss. He said he's helping us, and wants to look out for us. Sure, even if we totally, one-hundred percent believed that," Dipper said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes, "We have to look out for our family!"
Mabel pursed her lips. Conflict read easily in her stare as she mentally debated herself against Dipper's words. "But, what if Zander-"
"Dawg," Soos cut in, drawing the three to glance to him, "Let's do it."
"Wait, really?" Dipper blinked, loosening his grip on Mabel.
Soos nodded. "Hey, you guys are sort of my family. Miss Pines? She's an extended mom since you two are sort of my extended younger siblings, and Wendy is sort of my extended distant cousin."
Wendy eyed her coworker, and chortled, "Which... really just means nothing, Soos."
"No, It means we're distantly, extendedly related," Soos corrected her.
Dipper honed in on Soos's statement from earlier. "But that means you'll help?"
"Count me in," Soos nodded, adjusting the placement of his cap. "You've helped me out with my family before. How can I say no to my mystery gang?"
Dipper's grin stretched next to his ears. "Soos, I take back every single mean thing I've said about you. You're amazing," he said. He whipped to Wendy, that grin subsiding as he contemplated his earlier experience with her. "Wendy?" he tried.
To his nervous question, she softly smiled back. "Of course, I'm in. You'd do the same," she reminded him.
Dipper grinned, feeling a tad guilty in his deep recesses as he remembered that he was nearly willing to accuse her father of attempted murder once. Still, her warm smile was enough to chase the demons of the past away. With that great back-up, Dipper finally turned to his sister.
"Don't even say it," Mabel pushed a hand into his face. "Because we're doing it. But I'm going to leave a text message to Zander once we're there, and we got mom, okay?"
Dipper sighed. "Then it's settled. We're getting our mom. We're going to... California," Dipper said, his flair for dramatic statements not entirely rusty.
Soos raised a hand. "Can we stop and get more snacks on the way? That's kind of a long drive, and a guy can't get hungry before dramatic encounters," he asked.
After a brief stop for snacks, the squad was back on the road. Driving south for hours was no easy thing, especially when the journey meant... danger. This wouldn't have been the first of these kinds of trips for the twins, after all; they had made the trip at the start of the summer expecting something awaiting them. For Soos and Wendy, on the other hand? Oh yeah, they were worried.
Silence had fallen upon them all. Wendy and Dipper sat in the car, staring ahead with a doom lingering in their minds. Waddles and Soos, in the El Diablo, silently chewed on the insides of their cheeks, trying to bite away at the worry resting in their hearts. Mabel gritted her teeth, unsure if they would be too late. The tense atmosphere of the three vehicles never ceased, even as they crossed the border and entered California. They, after all, still had hours to go.
Entering the suburban neighborhoods of Citrus Heights in Sacramento, the two cars following the motorcycle slowly came to a step just two streets away from their mother's home. Mabel slowly slid to a stop next to a public park, and quickly jumped off the bike and ran to a tree, where from her past experience, she could climb and see her house.
"Mabel," Dipper hissed as she climbed the tree and he stepped out, "Come down! Someone could see us."
"Scouting," she waved him away as she rose upwards.
"Man," Wendy looked around, and then eyed the twins, "How come you guys even wanted to stay in our neighborhood?"
"What'd you mean?" Dipper asked as Soos walked over, leaving a jittery Waddles in the car.
"I mean, uh," Wendy pocketed her hands while she nervously scanned about, "This is a really nice neighborhood dude."
"Oh. Is it?" Dipper spun around, observing the palm trees and temperate climate. "Huh. I mean, I guess."
"I didn't know I could mooch money off you two," Wendy sneered, "I got rich friends now."
"That's Pacifica you're thinking about," Dipper sighed, and turned back to the tree.
Soos pointed into the tree housing Mabel. He asked, "So, is your sister communing with the squirrels? I hear they have a king who lives in California."
"She's getting a look at our house. My mom has this one huge tree that gives our house away, and if you spot it, you can see the house and the backyard," Dipper explained, staring up at Mabel as she climbed further up. "Anything?" Dipper called.
"It's been a while!" she called back down. "I'm remembering which way-"
"That way," Dipper pointed ahead. Mabel spun down, and with his direction, she poked her head through the leaves.
Soos noted as the two coordinated, "Well, at least we'll have a warning in case of anything ahead. That's a good idea, dudes."
"We have to think safely," Dipper reminded them, "Anything, and anyone, could be an enemy and could try to attack us. And I really mean anyone."
As he said this, an elderly man walked by. "Good morning, Dipper."
"Morning, Mister Himmerfield," Dipper casually said back as the hunched over figure stumbled past. "Like I said, got to be careful."
Soos nodded as he stepped aside for the elderly gentlemen, and said "Totally agreed."
As Wendy looked between the two men, her brow furrowed, Dipper called up the tree. "Mabel! See anything?"
Mabel, inside the tree, had climbed into a small perch, and precariously balanced herself atop the thinning branches to best her view. Past the thicker, broad-leafed trees and the palms, she could see her mother's home. The tall metasequoia tree stood as the beacon to Mabel's senses, and finally she found the backyard. Focusing on the small movement she could see, her heart trembled.
A broad man with thick shoulders stood watch in the back yard, his hands at his side as he casually glanced around.
"Uh oh," Mabel gulped, and turned towards the front street. There, in an unlabeled black panel van, she could see dark figures watching the street. "Double uh-oh. Dang it, Dipper," she grumbled as she started to climb down, "Just had to be right again. 'Let's stop down the street, just in case. Pfft." Mabel made her rapid descent, jumping down from branch to branch. With a loud thump as she jumped ten feet onto the ground, she stood to the three, "We're too late."
Dipper gasped, and quickly asked, "Bad guys are here?" After Mabel nodded, Dipper cursed, "Damn it!" clawing his hands through his hair, brushing his forehead into view. After a moment, he turned to the three, "What now? They could have mom taken away and waiting for us?"
"You're right," Soos nodded, "As the dude put in charge of protecting you all, I am here to remind you of the danger. But we totally are going to help your mom still."
Mabel grinned, and admitted, "Well, glad that hasn't changed."
"As the oldest here, I should provide consent," Soos explained.
Wendy, crossing her arms as she studied the direction of Miss Pines home, asked, "So, we need to figure out if your mom is there?"
"And rescue her!" Mabel answered.
"But how?" Dipper grumbled. "It's not like we can all just run in and start punching our way through until we find mom and get her out."
Wendy snickered. The three turned to her as she held a hand at her jaw, massaging it. Still, she grinned, and her eyes saw distantly. Something brewed in her mind. She muttered, "Well, I mean – not exactly true."
"Really?" Dipper asked. She nodded without a moment's hesitation. "Do... do you have a plan?" Dipper asked. Wendy grinned and waved them closer.
PAGE BREAK FOOL
The guard at the back door was nearly done with his round as he stayed watch. It had been a boring post, but one he wouldn't shrink off. If the kids they were expecting would really show up, the backyard wasn't a bad place to expect them. All the other windows were covered and watched by other men.
Their orders were simple: collect all members of the local Pines family. The twins would probably come looking around soon. The guard and his crew had it fairly easy; all they had to do was wait until the mother had finished with her call, and then they moved in. From there, according to their boss, these twins would show up. Two fifteen-year-olds wouldn't pose much of a threat to a bunch of trained bodyguards. No way they could stand up to them, especially with their gear.
With a rush of sound and a loud thump, someone leapt over the bushes at the end of the backyard, causing the man to nearly jump. His hand rushed for this taser, and pulled it out just as he saw who had jumped over. A red-headed teen, just above the height of the expected kids, had just landed in, and was looking around with big eyes.
"Whoa," she said slowly, "This totally isn't the right backyard. Uh, dude?" she asked, coming closer, clearly oblivious to the taser he held in his hand, "You know where the Mister Himmerfield's backyard is?"
The guard curled his lip. Unlucky day for the girl. "Kid, you've got ten seconds to scram before I put some current through you," he warned, his deep, raspy voice unflinching at her appearance.
"Whoa, dude," Wendy held her hands up as she approached, "Just trying to figure this out. Is he around here?"
"No. Now leave," he said, his finger tightening up by the trigger.
"Aw, really?" she said, lowering her hands, yet still approaching.
"I said stay back," he warned. He lifted the device towards her.
"Could I just walk on through the house then?" she asked.
No more warnings. He pulled the trigger.
As tiny needles struck Wendy's cloths and barely pierced her skin, her body shuddered. The cold feeling in her body was suddenly overcome with waves of fire, and she gasped as her face involuntarily clenched. Muscles twitched and her mind went blank... but only for a moment.
"Bad move, joe," Wendy glared and then rushed ahead. The man had no time to react- stunned with her absence of reaction to his weapon, she was already yin the air and driving a fist into his cheek when two others jumped over wall behind Wendy. The man stumbled away from the door, dropping the stun-gun to the grassy ground. Wendy, with equaling speed to previously, spun to his back. Jumping from the wall and onto his back, she tightly clenched her arm against his neck and squeezed.
"Hold him steady," Mabel quietly demanded as she rushed forward. With a twist and a kick, Mabel delivered a final blow to the slowly fainting man. He fell forward, forcing Wendy to drop away and let him collapse forward. "Phew. Nice stranglehold," Mabel told Wendy.
"Wrestling with dad taught me that," Wendy nodded, "Among other things."
With a loud crunch, Soos jumped half-way through the shrubs in the backyard, and fell practically on his face. Pulling himself free from the tangles of tree and vine, the three watched as he desperately tried to stand and pull away, only to fall again and again. Finally, his shoelaces were free from the tyrannical grips of the vines, and he stood and easily strode forward.
Soos told them, with a confident nod, "Stealth mission so far is good."
"So, one down," Dipper reminded them, "An unknown number to go. Wendy, how are you handling with the taser?"
"Nothing on Omir's magic," she shrugged.
Dipper was relieved to hear that. He glanced around, and then spoke. "Okay. So, if we're lucky, they'll have posts placed around the house that we can take down one at a time. If we can stealthily go from one to another, we may be able to get in and out without them noticing us too much," Dipper explained.
"Hey," a voice from the doorway made the four freeze, "What's going on out here?"
Pulling aside the sliding glass door, another broad man poked his head outside. Instantly he saw the four, and then his eyes fell to the collapsed fellow guard. His small eyes widened as he took in the scene, and made to shout.
Soos burst into speed, grabbing the man's face, and then slamming it with his own forehead. Still clutching the man's neck, Soos pivoted and swung the man over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground outside with a resounding and punishing WHAM. All in the process, the glass door broke away from the hinges and crashed to the ground, where it shattered.
"Oh!" Soos shouted, punching his fists above him "Powerhouse Ramirez takes out his opponent in one swing! Can the match get any more heated!?" he turned to the three watching him, their mouths dropped. "Oh. Stealth. Right... Oops."
From inside, the four heard the calls and commands of panic.
"Move!" Dipper shouted as he rushed inside the house. They had lost their moment of stealth, but they were already in the house. From this point on, they had only the objective of saving their mom, whatever that meant.
It was the twins benefits of knowing the layout of the home before them. They ran through the living room, an open concept room that connected to the kitchen, and had a double-hallway that connected all the bedrooms and bathrooms together in a small U-shape. They knew which room was their moms, and which one had been theirs, when they lived here. Dipper quickly saw movement to his left, and stepped aside just in time to dodge a taser round.
Mabel stepped under, and tossed a pillow into the man's face, who caught it just in time for Wendy to kick the man right between the legs. As he groaned and fell aside, tightly clutching the pillow, another stepped past him and shot again. Mabel ducked to the ground, sliding across the wooden floor with her sweater.
Once again, Wendy took to the point. She grasped the weapon and pulled him forward, driving her gangly but powerful arm into the man's neck. Soos made to and lifted a whole chair up, and with a quick, "Sorry dude!", he slammed it into the man's back. The chair burst into pieces. The goon fell backwards and collapsed onto the table as the splintered remains of the chair scattered all around.
As the goon behind the twins fell, the two had already gotten to their feet only to meet another posted guard. With no taser in hand, the man swung down at Mabel's head. She stepped aside and firmly drove her knuckles into his jaw. Stumbling aside, the man walked into Dipper, who took point and followed suit. He drove his own fist into the same jaw, but from the other side. Now spun back to Mabel, the twins kicked out his feet and made him drop onto his back with a glasswear-shaking thud.
Dipper looked up just in time to see more coming from outside, nearly seven rushing across the lawn.
"We've got more coming!" he shouted behind him.
"Go get mom!" Mabel said, "We got these bozos!"
"On it!" Dipper nodded, and rushed towards the hallway as the front door opened.
The first guard, still on a phone, shouted, "The Pine twins are here, and have back up! Repeat, send for more back-"
"HIYAA!"
Mabel's proud outcry of war cut the man off, and Dipper was sure she had just delivered a flying-jump kick into his chest, sprawling him backwards against his also approaching comrades. But he couldn't turn and watch he had his mom to help. He passed his own room, only the slightest concern of the materials on his computer being stolen for blackmail. His real worry was the door directly ahead. His mom's room.
The door was unlocked, and with a quick rush, he stepped inside. He spotted her instantly. His mom on her bed, tied up and gagged with a small rope.
"Mom!" he cried.
Her eyes weren't on him, but to the corner to his left.
Dipper stalled and ducked back just in time. The huge man who swung with the baseball bat would have probably done more than just a concussion to him. The bat split into two on the ground and the man stumbled forward, slamming himself into the dresser. Pictures and perfume bottless fell onto the ground, splashing and shattering as Dipper rushed past him and to his mom.
First, his attempts went to her arms, tied at her back. "Sorry mom," Dipper spoke at a million miles a minute as his mind raced, "Mabel's out in the kitchen with our friends, trying to fight these jerks, and we're going to rescue you, and I love you, but just so you know, I totally told y-"
A hand reached over and placed its meaty fingers around Dipper's throat. He felt the air pressed from his neck. Nearly finished with his mom's bonds, Dipper was hurled away, hitting the wall with a loud whack. Stumbling as he slid to the ground, Dipper's head felt like it had been dipped in lava. The crown of his head was on fire, throbbing with pain. Yet he stood, used to worse pain.
Nothing would compare to the power of blackfire.
He stood up. Dipper's eyes watered, but he focused on the huge man before him. No one had ever come to look the same size and weight as Manly Dan in Dipper's experience as this man. The huge, dark-skinned man roared as he rushed at Dipper, jabbing twice. Dipper ducked and stomped on his foot.
The boots made their mark, and the flinch from the human tank was more than enough. Dipper was behind him, and kicked at the back of the man's knees. He was lowered now and at Dipper's height. Dipper knew of a quick spot to stun again. He jabbed a punch into the side of his back. The man wheezed. A second punch into the man's side of the neck, and the man stumbled aside. A third punch-
The huge beast swung wildly behind him just as Dipper committed to his third and probably final strike. He ducked back, but not far enough. The bare edge of the man's knuckles hit his face and drew blood. Dipper flinched and recoiled as his nose was instantly bloodied. Stunned and collapsed backwards, Dipper wiped away the new cold feeling of his own blood falling from his face when he looked up. The man was now towering over him, cracking his knuckles as he adjusted his neck.
"You're going down, kid," the man grumbled, his voice deep and terrible like as an earthquake.
Then a loud crash and rain of splintered glass caught both men off-guard. The guard, frozen in place, slowly fell forward. The massive man nearly collapsed onto Dipper, who darted aside just in time.
Standing behind the fallen goon, Dipper's mother panted heavily, semi-loose rope tangled all around her. There was a vengeance in her eyes that Dipper had rarely seen. "No one hurts my children," she breathed dangerously. Holding the broken end of a large vase, she tossed it aside and looked down. With exasperation, she shook at her arms, "And it's still on!? Just fall off already!"
Dipper turned, pushing himself up and staggering to his feet. His nose felt horrible, but the sight of his mom breathing dangerously over the fallen man was more than enough to get him back to his feet. He raced to her, and began to untangle her as well. A quick moment of silence passed as he finally removed the last of the rope and tossed it aside.
"Dipper," she sighed and pulled him close. The two hugged quickly, and then she pushed him away. "Aww, c'mon!" she groaned, a smear of blood on her blue and white dress, "The dry cleaning for his is going to be so much!"
Dipper sighed. "Not sure if you're aware, mom," Dipper said, "But this isn't the best time to be thinking about dry cleaning! Also, I totally, totally told y-"
"Right, right, right," she nodded, "kidnapping, endangerment, that fun stuff." She paused, listening to the commotion outside. "Is your sister out there!?" she gasped, and ran past him. Dipper held back for a moment. He was taken aback at his mother's quick adjustments to life and death situations. He watched her leave, stop, rush back in to claim a tennis racket, and then rush out.
Mabel, Soos, and Wendy were in the thicket of a crazed, multi-person brawl. Mabel had just ducked under a particularly heavy looking sweep of a fist, when there was a roar. Miss Pines, with blood on her dress, ran into the room like a berserker. She roared, as she swung her tennis racket, "No one touches my babies!"
The first victim was lifted off his feet and onto the stove counter. The entire metal stove fell out of its locked place, and the man fell forward, unconscious.
"Nice one Miss Pines!" Soos applauded after ducking a hook. He returned the favor and knocked the man to the ground with a jab.
With Mabel's last shrill 'HOOYAAAAH', the final guard collapsed onto the ground, out cold. Mabel stood, breathing heavily, bruises all over her. She winced as she felt some of the mostly healed wounds from her collapse on the bike remind her of their now stalled progress. She turned, spotting Wendy and Soos, who seemed in good health. Sure, there were a few deep bruises and cuts on Soos, but Wendy was, as expected, cool. Then she turned and saw her brother, bleeding from the nose. "Dang, bro," she snickered, "Hardcore." She then spun, and locked eyes with one of the most important people in her life. "Mom!" she shouted, and lunged forward. Her arms wrapped around her mother tightly as she giggled.
Miss Pines, holding a tennis racket with splintered fibers, wrapped herself around her daughter. "For someone who just knocked out nine men more than twice your weight, you sure are chipper," Their mom laughed.
"Says you," Dipper grinned. "I think you broke some teeth out of that one guy," he said, pointing to the collapsed man on the broken stove.
Miss Pines hadn't realized entirely what Dipper meant. With a frown, she turned and looked. Her eyes shot wide. "Aww, dang," she groaned, "And the payments for that stove were done next month too."
Wendy appeared next to them, grinning. "Well, maybe we should get going?"
"Huh?" Mabel asked. "Why? We totally just won."
Dipper looked around. There was one unattended phone, laying just a foot from a collapsed goon. Dipper nodded, and said, "No, she's right. They were calling for backup when we got here. More are coming," he said. He turned back to his sister and mother, who was staring at Wendy, and told them, "Let's get going."
Miss Pines, eying the two strangers, but particularly Wendy, asked, "What's your name, sweety?"
The Redhead told her, "Wendy Corduroy."
Instantly, Mother Pines turned to Dipper and grinned devilishly. "Oh really?"
Ignoring the flash of warning heat on his neck, Dipper approached them. "We need to go, Now. We can get out through the back. Let's go!"
The four, plus one rescued mother, darted out of the doors, bruised, bloodied, and wielding a tennis racket. They were rushing through the trees and vines when they heard more commotion from the house behind them. Soos barely made it over in time as a squad of more men arrived, fresh and ready for a fight.
"We parked the cars there!" Dipper shouted as he led the rush towards the park. "Mom," Dipper sighed as they made it to the cars, and he turned to his friends, "This is Soos, and Wendy."
"Our partners in crime," Mabel affirmed.
"Soos? Hi," their mom took his hand and shook it, "I'm Delilah. Nice to meet you."
"Here there, Delilah," Soos said cheerfully.
Delilah Pines looked to the thin redhead. "And you're the Wendy I've heard so much about," the mother said. She extended a hand to Wendy. The red-head blinked, but shook it.
Wendy, feeling a little uncertain, asked, "Oh. You have?"
Dipper stepped in, his voice two octaves higher than it should have been. "Wendy!" he cried out, "Could you ride Mabel's bike so we can explain to our mom what's going on!?"
"Oh... sure," Wendy shrugged, and looked to Mabel, "If you're chill with it."
Mabel winked at Wendy, and told her, "Treat her with love, and she'll love back," while she handed her the keys and helmet.
Wendy pushed the helmet back. "I don't need it."
"I've got Waddles!" Soos declared, climbing into the El Diablo.
"Then let's go before those goons catch up with us," Mabel told Dipper. As their mom got in the back with Mabel, and Dipper stepped into the driver seat, he breathed easily and felt the wheel at his fingertips.
"Mom," he said, turning to stare at her and his sister, who was in mid text-message, "I just wanted to say that I totally, totally, totally-"
"Told me so," she finished, rolling her eyes, "Okay, so there is something crazy going on with your life. Fill me in with the details after we escape the gang or whatever later, okay?" she asked, scowling at her son. Now was not the time to gloat.
Dipper, feeling only slightly sheepish, turned the car on. With Wendy as the forward driver and Soos on the rear, pulled out and drove away. They had gotten their one parent out of a trap.
Delilah Pines has been introduced. Say 'Hey there'!
And as I promised, feels and danger has been brought right back in, along with some crazy cool moments. I hope I delivered on your expectations. Things start low in the beginning and only grow more and more as the series progresses, so fret not if you wish more. Besides, we still have part two to battle through.
I mean, they only got momma. ;)
Oh- for those of you wondering if you've sent stuff to my alternate email account for the audiobook and not heard back, I'm so sorry about it. Gmail can be a little weird with other systems, but I've gotten it figured out. I'll also be extending the date to 'audition' until the 8th of January, just so we can all get a chance to really try out. If not? Oh well. XD
SO, hope you all enjoyed the ride, and are ready for part two next week!
It's been weird writing the story in other states, by the way. I keep having to look up various thingies. Like this-
(EZB lifts the actual Hollywood Hill sign, tettering side to side to try supporting it's collosal weight)
GETTING THE... DETAILS... RIGHT HAS BEEN VERY... (He drops it on the ground) Phew. Difficult. I bet you all thought I'd crush me under it's heavy frame- (The entire sign falls back onto EZB, crushing him.)