Chapter 2-Will You Join?
"...Uhhh, what the heck is a C.L.U.B.?", Dipper asked in fear. The scientist pulled out his folder and began to read off of it.
"Mason Pines, also known as Dipper Pines", he read, "Age 13. Born August 31, 1999 in Piedmont, California. Family members and relative include Mab-"
"I'm sorry, it's kind of hard to focus on what you're saying when you have GUYS POINTING GUNS AT MY FACE!", Dipper yelled, pointing at the soldiers still aiming their rifles at him. Dexter sent them a silent glare as they quickly put their weapons down.
"Mr. Pines", the redhead began, "What do you know about the multiverse theory?"
Dipper tilted his head in confusion, "Um, excuse me?"
"You heard the question. What do you know how about the multiverse theory?"
"Um, isn't it about alternate worlds and dimensions? Whatever can happen-?"
"Will happen, yes", Dexter interrupted, "Well, I am going to come out and say it. It is true."
"I know that", Dipper replied.
"Now I understand that this is a lot to handle but-Wait, what?", Dexter stopped his speech and stared at the kid in confusion.
"I know about it's true", Dipper explained, "I've seen things from other worlds, know people from other-WAIT! Where is this going?! Who are you exactly?! What the heck even is C.L.U.B.?!"
Dexter looked over at the men next to him and sighed, "Years ago, long before you were even a conception, a group of men discovered the existence of a multiverse, an endless number of worlds outside of ours. They proceeded to study this theory, years and years of research in order to discover how to break the barriers of reality. Through their combined genius, they were able to create devices."
"Devices to get to other worlds?", Dipper asked.
Dexter nodded, "Using this technology, they were able to travel to other universes, explore the wonders of these alternate worlds. However, these new worlds had new threats. Our agency, C.L.U.B., was founded to prevent these threats from causing chaos throughout the multiverse."
"Okay, well", Dipper began, "What does this have to do with me? Why are you here?"
The scientist pulled out a sheet of paper and presented it to Dipper. Dipper skimmed over the paper, wondering what was going on. The paper showed a blurry photo of some odd, unfamiliar device. All Dipper could infer from the photo was that the object was spherical and some shade of blue and purple. It was encased in a glass tube-like chamber with what looked to be security locks and codes all over it.
"Um, I can't really make this out", Dipper said, "It's too blurry."
"Yeah, it is always blurry when photographed", Dexter muttered, more to himself than to Dipper, "This is Item #001, one of many dangerous inventions we...confiscated. This device was the original portal, created by the founders of my company. Nowadays, the portals we use are big enough to teleport a small jet or helicopter."
"What would something like this teleport?", Dipper wondered.
"...If I'm correct", Dexter groaned, "Big enough to fit an entire armada."
Dipper's eyes quickly widened, "Wha-Why are you showing me this?"
Dexter began to pace around, causing Dipper to worry more, "Two days ago, my agency witnessed a security breach, in which CERTAIN IDIOT SECURITY GUARDS failed to notice the MAN STEALING ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS OBJECTS IN THE COSMOS!"
That last part he shouted towards the soldiers standing guard behind them, many of them looking away awkwardly and one of them suddenly bursting into tears.
Dexter pinched his eyes and shook his heads, "Imbeciles. Anyways, during the breach, someone took this device and proceeded to escape with it."
"WHAT?!", Dipper yelled, "Well, who was he?! Where did he go?!"
"If we knew that, we would already have captured him", the scientist bragged, "We don't know if he's still in the world of C.L.U.B, we don't know if he's off-world, and even if he was off-world then we wouldn't know which one he went to!"
"Well, do you know anyone who's against your agency, any enemies?"
The redhead let out a bitter laugh, "If I had a dollar, for every man we pissed off.." He sighed before regaining his composure, "Trust me, that question wouldn't narrow anything down. Our top scientists and analysts (including yours truly) are spending day and night trying to find out where he went. Portals usually leave off a trace in space and time, but this portal is so dated...Look, if this..being has the device, if he's working for one of our enemies, then…"
The scientist imitated an explosion noise, chilling Dipper to the bone.
"Oh...oh my God", Dipper muttered. This kid has faced demons, monsters, and other weird creatures, but this wasn't some one-on-one silly battle like his usual adventures. Hell, even the Weirdmaggedon was at least contained in the town. This was an all-out war, the fate of the entire multiverse, everything at stake.
"So, what do you need me for?", Dipper asked, "Why are you telling me this?" Dipper felt his body shiver, slowly realizing why this man was here.
Dexter took off his glasses and rub them on his sleeve, "A few months ago, my...employer proposed a plan, an idea which quickly sparked throughout the organization." He picked up a small flower and proceeded to play with it in his hands, "Do you know why we didn't show up when you were fighting that Dream Demon?"
"B...Bill?", Dipper stuttered. They know about the Weirdmaggedon?
"We didn't fight him because by the time we got to your universe, you already destroyed him", the scientist answered, "You're not the only hero in the multiverse, Mr. Pines. In many of the worlds that my organization has come across, we have seen many great men and women like you rise up to the challenges brought onto them and win..or at least, survive long enough for the next challenge- THE POINT IS we need people like you, Mr. Pines."
"Me?", Dipper asked, "W-Wait, are you trying to...recruit me?"
Dexter turned to him, a clever grin on his face, "I know, I felt the same way when my boss showed up on my Earth. Yes, Mr. Pines, I'm bringing together a team of heroes from across the multiverse. A group determined to help solve issues that my organization could never solve. There are plenty of threats out there that need stopping and we need help more than ever."
He proceeded to kneel down in front of Dipper, looking the frightened boy right in the eyes, "So, what do you say, Pines?" He put his hand on Dipper's shoulder, playfully pushing him a little, "Do you want to join C.L.U.B. and save the multiverse?"
Dipper stood there, his eyes wide with concentration. Some secret agent was standing in front of him asking him to join an organization that goes dimension-hopping. This should be exactly what he wanted, adventure, heroism, all with a dash of mystery. So...why does this feel so...frightening.
At least the other adventures, outside of Cipher's party of Hell, usually didn't have such dangerous consequences such as this. Plus, how was he gonna explain this to everyone else?! Hey, guys! Sorry to ruin the summer but I just gonna ditch town and leave the world for a bit! Say hi to Stan for me!
"Um...I have a question", the boy struggled to say, "My sister, Mabel. She helped me all those adventures, so..can she come along too?"
Dexter's face darkened, his smile quickly fading away. He got up and regained his more serious look, "Mr. Pines, while I do understand your sister's...contributions, I can't bring her along."
"WHAT?! Why not?!", the kid screamed.
"Your sister is..How do I put this? Your sister is a bit...reckless...and foolish...and all-around, not really intelligent-You see where I'm going with this?", Dexter explained.
Dipper's mouth hung open, "DUDE! You've got it all wrong! Mabel is NOT reckless! She's helpful! We're like pieces of a puzzle or body parts! I can't just leave her behind!"
"Your sister was not authorized by my boss to join as a recruit for this task force!", Dexter yelled, "I can't allow her to join! Mr. Pines, consider what we're offering! The possibilities! The reward of saving others in need and doing something good for everyone! Are you seriously going to give all of that up for your setup...for your sister?!"
Dipper looked at the scientist in silent yet subtle anger. He had the chance to discover new worlds, meet other heroes like him, save the lives of everyone. But could he do it all without his twin? His literal other half? Plus, if there was some armada of death that was possibly coming for them, someone with knowledge on stuff like this was needed. But if this threat really was too big for him to deal with alone...
I'm sorry, Mabel.
Dipper confidently said, "I'll...I'll go."
"EXCELLENT!", Dexter cheered, clapping his hands together, "You have made the right choice, Mister Pines." He held his hand out for handshake. Dipper looked down in worry, wondering if he did the right thing. This is for the world, Dipper. For the worlds.
The kid reached out for a handshake when suddenly, he felt something prick his body.
He felt the darts faster than he could even see them be fired by the soldiers. Dexter screamed in both surprise and anger as Dipper struggled to keep his balance, the tranqs taking effect.
"Why..why would you hit me with cookies and llamas that stoof", he deliriously mumbled before falling to the ground unconscious, the world turning black around him.
"YOU IDIOTS! HE WAS ABOUT TO JOIN US!", the scientist screamed in rage, ready to beat his men with their own guns.
One of the soldiers looked at awkwardly,"He was making an advance at-"
" 'He was making an advance'! GOD, IF I WANTED TO BE SURROUNDED BY BRAINDEAD MONKEYS, I'D MOVE BACK IN WITH MY PARENTS!" Dexter walked up to the kid, looking down at him with regret and anger. He turned to the men behind him,"Get him in the chopper. Set a course for the base. Oh, and try not to screw that up as well."
The soldiers proceeded to lift up Dipper and take him to the chopper. The pilot reached the vehicle and started it up, preparing it for takeoff. Dexter was quietly walking towards the chopper when he noticed the backpack lying on the grass. Curious, he walked over and picked it up, looking inside to see the present that Dipper prepared for his great uncles.
"Impossible", Dexter whispered to himself, shock covering his face. He lifted the backpack over his shoulder and walked over to the chopper, checking to see if anyone was watching.
No one saw them.
At least, that's what they thought.
Mabel stared through the window of her room, looking through it silently with fright, confusion, and shock. She just watched her brother be shot down and placed inside some helicopter which SOMEHOW was able to land behind the shack undetected.
That's when she started screaming, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
She then ran around the room crazily, continuing to scream like a maniac. After running around in circles for a good five seconds, she then ran for her suitcase and began packing everything that she could find into it, still screaming.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
She placed a few bags of chips, some books, and god knows how many sweaters, still screaming. She then ran for a piece of paper and a pen and began quietly narrating as she wrote down a note.
"Dear Soos and Wendy, Stuff got real. Feed Waddles. Luv, Mabel", she wrote. She then quietly placed a smiling heart on the note, her face smiling with cuteness.
She placed the note on her bed, and then began to scream again crazily, her arms waving in the air as she grabbed her bag and ran out of the house as quickly as possible, screaming all the way down the stairs.
She finally reached the backyard when she saw the helicopter beginning to take off, slowly rising into the air and positioning its course in the sky. She gasped, quickly struggling to grab something from out of her satchel. She finally found it.
"GRAPPLING HOOK, AWAY!", she screamed as she pulled out a three-pronged black grappling gun from her bag. The tool was a gift from Grunkle Stan which she kept throughout the year, hoping to show off her skills with it once she returned for the summer.
Aiming for the landing skids of the large vehicle, she pulled the trigger and watched as the small harpoon wrapped itself around the leg. She pulled back, holding on tightly to her bag, and let herself be pulled up by rope of the gun. She grabbed on to the bottom of the chopper and held on for dear life, trying not to fall off.
"Don't worry, Dipper! I'm coming for-WHOA, BOY!" The wind began to pick up as she was nearly blown off of the chopper. She held on as tightly as possible as the vehicle soared through the air.
The chopper drifted over the sky as Dexter prepared the helicopter to head back to their own universe.
"Start up the portal launcher", he ordered the pilot. The pilot flipped a few buttons as a small cannon-like weapon popped out from the front of the vehicle.
"Fire the portal", Dexter calmly demanded. A few buttons were pushed, causing the weapon to fire a small, metallic sphere in front of them. The dull gray object suddenly lit up in a purple aura, energy sparking from it.
Suddenly, the sphere exploded, but rather than it bursting into fire, a bluish-purple mist escaped from it. The mist began to swirl around, pulling in wind and whatever else was near it.
The chopper lurched as it was drawn into the small portal. It maintained balance and slowly drifted into the vortex. Mabel screamed as she began to tie herself onto the chopper using the rope from her gun.
She felt a rush of wind blow around her, causing her to struggle to hold on to the vehicle. Bright pink light shone everywhere, nearly blinding her from the intensity. She screamed, feeling fear and terror.
Meanwhile, Dexter and the others were sitting inside calmy, some of them even pulling out their phones and magazines out of boredom. The screaming from outside went unnoticed by the agents as the helicopter began to speed up through the portal.
In a bright flash, they exited the vortex and began to fly over a forest. Mabel gasped for air as she held on tightly, untying the rope wrapped around her. She looked around in confusion.
The forest didn't look the same as the one in Gravity Falls. Where there once was a bright, sunny day, there was now a duller, more cloudy sky. Even the climate felt different. Mabel looked around, climbing up the chopper while still staying hidden.
That's when she saw the base.
She gasped as she looked up to see an enormous white building standing tall in front of her, the chopper flying towards it. It looked as though it could touch the skies itself, it was so tall. The top of the building was slightly curved, growing more spherical the higher up it was. The bottom of the building was also slightly spherical as a green garden surrounded it, all of it encircled by a large white gate. Smaller buildings were placed around the larger one, making the place look like a small city.
Mabel gazed in awe, "Whoa. This is incredible."
Suddenly, the wind picked up again as the helicopter began to descend downwards as fast as possible.
"Whoa. This is less incredible. AAAH!" The young girl nearly lost her grip as the chopper sped up. It soared over the large gates as it flew around the building before soaring towards a garden at the back. It descended downwards, preparing to land on a small pad on the ground. Mabel quickly climbed onto the back of the helicopter as it touched the ground, the sound of the engines shutting off signaling that it has reached its destination.
The launchpad began to slowly sink into the ground, the helicopter going down with it. It went down a long, straight chute slowly as Dexter was busy contacting his boss.
"Yes, I have the boy….He did, but there was some trouble.. Some of my men accidently fired tranquilizers at the boy..Yes...Well, how should I know?! I am not exactly fluent in bull-...You hired them, not me!...Okay..Yes, sir. Dexter out."
He hung up and ordered his men to pick up the boy as the helicopter finished its descent. It stopped in a dark circular room, aircraft of all kinds surrounding the launch pad that the chopper landed on.
"Take him to the room we've prepared for him. Number 212", he ordered, "We have work to do." Dipper's body was lazily dragged out of the helicopter and towards a large sliding door. The sound of metal gears filled the room as the doors slowly opened. The group of men slowly walked towards the door as Mabel fell from the chopper and fell on her back.
"What the-?", she looked around, wondering what was going on. Then, she saw the giant doors begin to close. She gasped, panting as she dashed for the entrance, trying to get there before it closed off. Midway, she stopped and aimed her gun right at the middle of the opening. It crashed into the wall and dragged her along, pulling her forward quickly.
She laughed with joy only for the doors to close with her right in between them. She struggled to squeeze herself out of the two sliding doors and quickly fell to the ground, the doors closing behind her. She landed in a white hallway, which seemed endless. She was looking around the place in fear when she slipped on something on the floor.
She looked at where she slipped and gasped, "Dipper's shirt!"
At her feet was a small shirt that she knew her brother had packed in his backpack. She picked up and looked over to see an entire line of clothing and other items which she knew belonged to Dipper. If she followed the trail, it could lead her to her brother
"Okay, Mabel. There's probably hundreds of them and two of you", she whispered to herself, "Grappling hook, it's time to get messy." She then charged down the hallway, gun in her hands as she followed the trail of items. As she ran down the halls screaming but only stopped when she found the men with her brother.
The redhead scientist and his crew entered a small elevator, pressing a button to go up as Mabel watched them from a corner. Once the metal doors of the elevator closed, she quickly ran out and pushed the button, ready to find Dipper.
She ran inside it only to gasp when she saw all the floors of this building. Unless her mind was playing games with her, there were about 90 floors in this place!
She sighed, "Nobody said this would be easy." She picked up her grappling gun, "Grappling hook, it is your decision to make."
After a moment of quiet, the grappling gun suddenly crashed straight into the button panel, sparks of electricity spraying everywhere as the elevator began to lift up, randomly opening and closing again and again.
"...That'll do, hook. That'll do", she smiled.
…
"...Uh…...Uh.."
"Hey. Wake up, child."
"Uh, Stan….Too early.."
"HEY! WAKE UP, BOY!"
"AAAHHH!", Dipper screamed. He woke up to see that he was in some small room. It looked like some sort of bedroom as he was laying on a comfy mattress with blue blankets. The room wasn't very bright, as the shades were drawn on the window, making the room gleam silver and blue. There wasn't much there except for a small metal desk and a bed on the other side of the room, where his kidnapper now sat on.
"What the-WHERE AM I?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!", the kid shouted, full of rage.
"Calm down, now", Dexter ordered, "I am not in the mood for childish shouting. You are at the homebase of my agency on Earth #2016"
"D-DID YOU KIDNAP ME?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!", Dipper yelled, full of rage. He thought that this guy would at least be understanding or mature. But here he was now, in some dark room in some random alternate world.
"Look, I didn't kidnap you. That was just some stupid mistake by my men who I'm sure are really IN FOR A VERY GOOD FIRING!" That last part, he shouted at the corner of the ceiling, confusing Dipper.
"So, this is C.L.U.B., huh?", Dipper got up, "Why is everything so dark and blue?"
"Actually, it's bright silver, but if we opened a window, your eyes would burst into flames."
Dipper gulped in fear as Dexter walked over to the child's backpack, which was placed behind him. From the bag , Dipper saw him take out something.
"HEY, PUT THAT DOWN RIGHT NOW! THAT DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU!", the young boy shouted, about to run up and fight the man when the scientist suddenly pulled out a pistol.
"..Or take a look. Take as long as you want with it", Dipper squeaked in fear.
It was red, gleaming in the light, with scraps of paper sticking out from the pages. It looked about as big as a small diary, with numerous pages inside.
And on the cover was a gleaming golden, six-fingered hand with the number 4 on it.
….
*DING!*
The elevator doors slid open as Mabel ran out, trying to look for clues as to where her brother went. She looked down and saw one of Dipper's old socks, which must've fallen out of his backpack.
"WOO-HOO!", Mabel yelled, "Dipper! Dipper, where are you?!"
She ran in the direction that the sock was pointing to, dashing through the hall and stopped upon seeing something right in front of a small door.
"Dipper's BABBA CD!", Mabel gasped before snickering, "He actually brought that? FOCUS!"
She looked at the door that the CD was under, only to see it needed a security code.
"Okay, Grappling Hook. Your infinite wisdom is needed once more", she pointed her weapon at the door, ready to see if it would work.
The hook bounced off of the door and nearly hit Mabel, who quickly ducked as it bounced off the wall behind her and grappled onto the air vent above the door.
She looked up and smiled, "Eh, that works too."
…..
"So you are telling me that you were continuing Ford Pines's legacy by writing a new journal?" The scientist was flipping through the pages, interested in the very detailed drawings and research shown in the book.
Dipper merely shrugged, "I...I just felt bored throughout the school year, y'know?"
"Boredom? This was out of mere boredom?!", Dexter asked in shock.
"I guess, well, back at home, we don't have much to do. I don't even have a lot of friends over there. When I was home, I didn't feel like I was at home."
"You missed that satanic lumberjack-infested town?", Dexter realized.
"Yeah, I mean, Gravity Falls honestly felt more like a home to me. I felt more...happy there. Adventure, mystery, all that junk. It was...amazing."
"This book is proof of your knowledge, Mister Pines. Your incredible genius. I know you miss your family but I hope you understand your great importance to this task force."
Dipper sighed. He was happy, excited even, to be able to join in on something so spectacular, so incredible. He just hoped his family would understand his decision.
He sighed, "I just wish Mabel were here."
Suddenly, the cover of the air vent on the ceiling above fell right between the two, a certain sweater-wearing girl falling right after, screaming all the way down. She crashed onto the floor, moaning as she got up.
"Uhh..*GASP!* DIPPER!", she cheered, jumping onto her brother in delight, causing the chair to nearly fall over.
"MABEL?!", Dipper shouted in utter shock, "HOW DID..WHERE DID..Did my wish work?...HOW DID YOU EVEN GET HERE?!"
"Wow, I come to save you and that's the thanks I get. You know, I could just leave you with the four-eyed clown over there."
Dexter looked at Mabel with his jaw wide-open as his eyes wide with confusion and surprise.
"How? How? How? How? How? How? How?", he repeated, sounding like his brain just exploded.
After Mabel untied her brother, she quickly pointed her grappling hook at Dexter.
"Okay, eraser-head guy, you're gonna get back in that chopper and take us home right now!", she yelled.
"I'm sorry, could you wait a second. I think my brain needs a moment", Dexter casually responded, still in shock. After a moment of deep-breathing, he sighed, "Alright. Much better. Anyways, HOW IN THE HELL DID YOU GET HERE?! THIS ENTIRE AGENCY IS FULL OF TRAPS AND DEFENSES!"
"Dude, I literally just hopped onto your helicopter", Mabel responded.
"YOU-?! YOU-?!", Dexter stammered in confusion before simply screaming at the ceiling.
"Um, if you're done breaking down, could you give us a ride home?", Mabel asked casually.
"Wait, Mabel, this is perfect! Now, he has to let you join C.L.U.B.!", Dipper realized.
"Club? Oh my gosh, is this that stupid Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons club you keep whining about at school?", Mabel whined.
"THIS IS NOT SOME SILLY BOARD-GAME CLUB!", Dexter yelled, "THIS IS A SECRET AGENCY DETERMINED TO SAVE THE MULTIVERSE!"
"...That entire sentence proves my point more", Mabel simply stated.
Dipper pulled Mabel to the side,"Mabel, this is Dexter. He's part of a group trying to protect the multiverse AND he's trying to recruit me into a group of heroes from OTHER worlds, Mabel!"
"Wait, are you saying you left in the chopper without me...by choice?", Mabel whimpered.
Dipper quickly realized what he just said, "No! No! NO! I'm trying to get him to let you into the group! We can go on all those adventures that we dreamed of back home!"
"But what about Soos and Wendy and Gravity Falls?", Mabel said.
"We can go back right after this one mission. It's super important, dude, and we need to help out!", Dipper explained.
"Uh, you mean YOU need to help out. Not 'we'. Just you", Dexter interrupted, "SHE is not a part of this! I mean look at her! She's wearing a sweater! IN SUMMER! WHO DOES THAT?!"
"HEY! I was able to jump onto your helicopter and get into your stupid base without you knowing I was here!", Mabel declared confidently, angered by his sweater comments.
"That is not persuading me. That is giving me reason to call the security guards", Dexter calmly stated.
"BUT she did manage to get in here undetected", Dipper interrupted, "Soooo, that shows how skilled she is at this, right?" He was hoping that the redhead could be persuaded. He couldn't do this without his sister. The look on Dexter however, looked more angry than actually persuaded.
The conversation however had to wait. Apparently, the wall had something to say.
Out of nowhere, a large indentation appeared in the wall in the form of a man. The sound of alarms and screaming were heard throughout the building. The entire base shook as they could hear something from the lower floor.
Something roaring.
Dexter quickly ran outside of the room and looked over to see one of the guards on the ground in pain, a large indentation in the wall in front of him. Red lights flared throughout the halls as the twins covered their ears to block out the sounds of the alarms.
Dexter grabbed the man and shook him around, "WHAT DID YOU DO NOW, YOU IDIOTS!"
"They...they're here. The target…" That was all the man could utter as he dropped to the floor unconscious. Dexter groaned as he began to recognize who this man was and what his assignment was.
"Son of a...I can't believe this", he muttered to himself as he got up and moved towards the elevator, Dipper and Mabel following him.
"HEY! WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING?!", Dipper shouted, "DID THE ENEMY SHOW UP?!"
"No, worse", Dexter groaned, "Your newest teammates did."
So, the story continues!
I liked the idea that Dipper would try to continue Ford's research and create a new book. It felt like he would be bored by his home in California and would find Gravity Falls to be more like home to him.
I also like to think Dexter's opinions of Mabel are biased, given his experience with sisters.
In case you're wondering, don't worry. More characters from other cartoons will show up next chapter.
Hope you liked it! Please review!