Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Part Forty-Four: Into Another Bunker...
A cold wind had kicked up as Pacifica Pines stood outside of Greasy's Diner; the sky darkening with each passing minute as a storm looked to be approaching. It had been over ten minutes since her parents dropped her off and she began to doubt that Trey would show. Perhaps those fears in the back of her mind were justified. Maybe it was some sort of cruel joke that she wasn't in on. After all, he was a popular athlete and she was the sarcastic and unusual girl who mostly kept to herself. She felt a drop of rain land on her face and it was soon followed by several more. Pacifica walked over to the steps of the diner and sat down on them while burying her face in her hands. "I'm such a fucking idiot. Like he'd really be interested in me. I mean, yeah, he was nice and all at the party... And he did sorta open up about some personal stuff from what I can remember, but that doesn't mean he wants to date me. Maybe he realized what a weirdo I am. I should call Mom..." she said to herself before hearing a car pull up to the curb. The bright lights of the vehicle obscured who it was, but she moved over so that they could enter the restaurant. The rain had picked up and the young woman's clothes now clung to her like a second skin as she returned her hands to her face; tears and raindrops becoming indistinguishable from one another. "Pacifica! What are you doing out in the rain?" a familiar voice asked as she felt the rain suddenly stop. She looked up to see that Trey stood before her with an umbrella that now shielded her from the torrential downpour. "I-I don't know..." she replied before wiping her face. "You could have waited inside for me" he said while extending a hand to the brunette girl. "To be honest... I didn't think you were showing up. I... I'm used to being disappointed like that" she said in a shaky voice. "Let's get out of this rain and then we can talk about it..." Trey said.
The pair had been seated at a booth, but Pacifica thought it best to go to the restroom and try to dry off a bit. Trey wanted to explain why he had been late, but decided that it could wait until his date felt a bit more comfortable. She walked into the bathroom and made her way over to the paper towel dispenser, where she grabbed a few sheets and wiped her face. She looked into the mirror and realized that all the work she had put into her makeup would be for naught, as it had washed off in the deluge. After spending a few minutes contorting herself underneath the hand drying machine in an attempt to desiccate her clothing, she returned to the table. "Sorry that took so long" she apologized to her date, who had taken the liberty of ordering them a pair of sugar free colas. "No worries. I got us some Pitt Zero. Hope that's okay..." he replied. "So... You probably wanna know why I was sitting out in the rain crying, right?" Pacifica asked her crush. "Y-You were crying? Pacifica... I'm so sorry. Did you think I was standing you up or something?" he asked in a concerned voice as he reached across the sticky linoleum table and placed his hand over hers. "Like I said... It's happened before" she replied before taking a sip of her drink. "I should have called you. My Mom had to cover someone's lunch at work and it made her come home a little later than I had planned. I just figured that you'd be waiting inside or something" Trey explained. "Mistakes were made on both parts. Let's just agree to that and get some food. I'm pretty hungry..." the fifteen year old said.
The two had finished their meals and spent the next little bit chatting about a manga they both enjoyed. "Here's the check. Is there anything else I can get for you guys?" the waitress asked the teenagers. "Nah. I think we're good" Trey replied as he placed his card on top of it. "If you want, I can get some of it..." Pacifica said while opening her purse. "I was the one who asked you out on the date, so I figured I should be the one to pay..." the sandy haired boy reasoned. "Okay... So, I guess I'll pay for the next one then" Pacifica said before realizing what she had implied. "Are saying what I think you're saying?" Trey asked. "Well, aside from thinking I got stood up and getting soaked to the bone, I really had a good time tonight. So yeah, I'd like to go on another date with you" the fifteen year old girl replied. "I'd like that too. You're a very interesting girl, Pacifica Pines..." Trey said. "You're not that boring yourself, Trey Paulson..." his date shot back in a teasing tone. The two locked eyes and leaned across the table. Their lips met and a brief kiss was shared between the teenagers. A blush came over Pacifica's porcelain cheeks and her heart began to beat a little faster. She could see that Trey was responding in a similar fashion.
The storm had subsided and Pacifica waited in front of the restaurant for her ride while she watched Trey climb into his mother's car. Mrs. Paulson had stuck her head out the window and offered her a ride, but she politely declined. She still couldn't believe how well the night had gone for the most part. Sure, she was still a little damp, but other than that it had been a perfect date. She'd even gotten to kiss Trey! She saw her mother's black sport utility pull up and she eagerly climbed into the front seat. "So, how'd it go?" Wendy asked her daughter. "I can't believe he's into me. He's amazing and I'm... Well, I'm me..." Pacifica said. "Yes. You certainly are you..." Wendy teased. "C'mon, you know what I mean. I'm kind of a dork and keep to myself for the most part. I don't even know how I got his attention, but I'm glad I did..." her daughter explained. "Paz, don't sell yourself short. I'm sure there's, like, a ton of reasons why he asked you out" her mother replied. "I guess so..." the brunette said as she looked out the window; a smile plastered on her face.
Wendy and Pacifica arrived home shortly after seven in the evening; the storm having cleared out and setting sun casting the world in an orange glow. "How'd it go?! You have to tell me everything! What was he wearing?! Why do you look like you fell in a pool?!" Mabel asked her twin as she eagerly grabbed her by the hand and led her upstairs. "So, I take it that everything went alright?' Dipper asked his wife. "Yeah. She's so tough on herself though. She asked me what anyone would see in her. How do you answer that?" the redhead asked from the kitchen as she poured herself a glass of water. "I'm not sure" he responded. Wendy returned to the living room and sat down on the sofa. "Remember those coordinates I found in my journal?" Dipper asked. "Yeah. What about them?" his thirty-six year old lover replied. "Wanna go on an adventure?" the brown haired man followed up. "I thought I made it clear that I was done with all that stuff for the summer..." Wendy said in an annoyed tone. "C'mon... It's in town and I'm fairly certain that Pacifica wouldn't lead us to anything dangerous" Dipper said as he tried to convince his soulmate to join him. "Fine. One last adventure for the summer... But I swear to God, if anything goes wrong..." Wendy relented. "It won't. If it even looks the least bit sketchy, we'll call it off. I promise. We've got too much to lose..." he reassured her while glancing at a family portrait that hung on the wall.
"Girls, your mother and I are heading out for a little bit! Avenge our deaths if we don't come back!" Dipper shouted up to the second floor; the remarks earning a punch to the shoulder from Wendy. "OW! What the fuck?!" he exclaimed while rubbing his now sore arm. "You know why I did that" the redhead said; the look from her emerald eyes saying more than words ever could. "Just kidding about that whole 'avenge our deaths' thing, girls! We'll be back in an hour! Two tops!" he clarified. "You know, for someone who's so smart, you can be a fucking dumbass sometimes..." Wendy said as she grabbed her coat from a hook on the wall. "Yeah, but you still love me..." Dipper teased. "Yeah... You may be a dumbass sometimes, but you're my dumbass..." the ginger woman said before pecking her lover on his cheek. She'd have to make a mental note to go a little easier on him in the coming days, as his birthday was fast approaching and she knew he'd be feeling a certain way as the thirty-first of the month arrived.
Wendy decided it would be best to take her sport utility, as the satellite image Dipper showed her seemed to be that of a dirt trail on the backside of the Northwest Estate. Pulling off of Route 618, a narrow paved road led into the woods. Northwest Manor could be seen atop the hill to the right as they made their way further onto the property and the paved roadway ended. The lifted vehicle bounced up and down on the uneven path as Dipper kept his eyes peeled for any indication what Pacifica might have been leading them towards. The twilight was fast turning into darkness of the night and Wendy turned on her aftermarket light bar to help guide the way. The duo was about to give up when a patch of asphalt was spotted in the distance. "Why is that there?" Dipper asked as he pointed towards an indentation in the hillside. Wendy guided her sport utility towards the opening. The bright lights revealed what seemed to be a large steel door built into the hill. "A bunker?" Dipper asked aloud. "Okay. That's kinda interesting. Let's go check it out..." Wendy said as she parked the vehicle and exited it. Her husband felt a bit of apprehension as they approached the large olive green painted metal door. He remembered the last time they had ventured to a subterranean structure. "Dude... Doesn't this remind you of the time we had to fight that shapeshifter?" Wendy asked. "A little too much for my liking..." he quickly replied. "I still have a nightmare or two a year about wrestling myself" the auburn haired woman remarked. "I'm so glad that I paid attention when you gave that sign earlier that day. If I hadn't and made the wrong choice, I don't know what I would have done. Probably tossed myself into the bottomless pit or something..." the thirty-three year old man said; tears beginning to fill his hazel eyes.
"That confession you made when you thought I was, like, hurt or worse really touched me. I'm sorry that I was so wrapped up in my own bullshit that I couldn't consider us being together" Wendy remarked as she looked for a way into the underground chamber. "You were right. I mean, I didn't even live in Gravity Falls at the time. It would have been unfair to you to be in a long distance relationship with a kid who was two years younger than you" Dipper reassured her. "In the end, it all worked out, so it's whatever..." the auburn haired woman said as she found a metal panel on the wall. Pulling it open, it revealed a small screen with a keyboard and a slot with what appeared to be a phone book in it. Another piece of paper was taped to the underside of the metal. "Red 40, Blue 6, Yellow 19? What the hell does that mean?" Wendy asked as she looked at the purple ink. "Wait a minute..." Dipper said as he walked over and removed the large book from its slot. Opening it up, his suspicions were confirmed. "Just as I thought. This seems to be a decommissioned intercontinental ballistic missile silo. Those colors and numbers coordinate to pages in these books that have codes to let us in" the brown haired man explained. "First of all... How the hell do you know that? Follow up to that question... A missile silo? In Gravity Falls?" Wendy asked with a bit of disbelief. "I've watched way too many Destroyinator movies. The west coast of the United States did have a weapons system to counter Soviet strikes back in the day. I wonder why this one appears to be right under Northwest Manor though. I mean, the mansion was here long before this was constructed and it doesn't make much sense from a strategic sense. Then again, when has anything in this town made sense?" her husband continued.
"So, what's the plan?" Wendy asked. "I'll read the codes and you enter them exactly as I say them, alright?" Dipper said. "Got it" she dutifully replied. "Sierra, Hotel, India, Echo, Lima, Delta, Eleven, Eight, Two, Zero, One, Two" he began with a calm tone. "Um... Question. How do you spell Sierra? Is it 'I' 'E' or 'E' 'I'?" his wife asked. It took a moment for Dipper to realize what she was asking. "What do you mean?" he responded. "What do you mean, what do I mean? It won't work if I misspell the words you told me, right?" she asked in a somewhat irritated voice. "I was using the NATO phonetic alphabet. You only have to use the first letter of the word. So, for Sierra, you only have to type 'S'..." he explained. "Then why not say 'S'? It seems like a lot of extra steps if you ask me..." Wendy argued. "It's supposed to clear up confusion on letters that sound alike. It's a military thing..." Dipper said. He proceeded to say the code again and this time Wendy typed it as he had explained. After entering the next two passwords, a few loud thuds were heard and the door began to open. "Whoa... That's kinda dope..." Wendy commented as the green door moved to reveal a long corridor. One by one, lights began to illuminate the way in. "Ready to go in?" Dipper asked his wife as he reached for her hand. "Not really... But let's do it anyway..." she replied as she felt his hand over hers.
Their footsteps echoed off the concrete as they traveled ever further into the hillside. "I think we could have driven the TerraX in here..." Wendy said to her husband. "Yeah, but what if it's a dead end? Do you wanna try and back out of here?" Dipper replied. "I guess you're right..." the emerald eyed woman relented. After a five minute journey, the couple arrived at a large chamber which housed a second door. Much to their collective relief, this one did not require passwords to open. Pulling a handle, the pair yanked with all their might to move the heavy hatch. The room on the other side was pitch black and the pulse of both Dipper and Wendy picked up as they wondered what could be lurking in the unknown. Taking a step forward, the lights began to turn on and revealed a truly stunning sight. "No fucking way" Wendy remarked with disbelief as the two took a look around the room. It appeared as though Pacifica Northwest had led the Pines to her private garage. By their best estimate, there had to have been over one hundred vehicles of every size and shape imaginable held in the bright white room. It looked less like a parking garage than an art gallery, as the walls were lined with paintings and photographs of famous automobiles from both the worlds of racing and the screen. "I'm pretty sure that every car in here is worth more than our house..." Wendy commented; her words echoing through the expansive room. "I know, right? I knew she collected cars as a hobby and all, but this is next level" Dipper agreed.
While Wendy had begun to take a stroll around the garage, her lover remained transfixed on one particular vehicle that he knew all too well. The 2018 Fjord Stallion GT convertible was just as he had remembered it. The custom white interior looked as pristine as the day it had been delivered from the dealership, but Dipper knew all too well that it was due to the work of a good detailer, as he recalled the times she had spilled food and drinks while driving. A white envelope on the dashboard caught his attention and he removed it from the vehicle. A simple message was written in purple ink; the handwriting unmistakable. 'Look in the trunk' was all it read. "Hey Wen! I found another note!" Dipper shouted towards his wife, who was checking out a bright red Adui 8R V10 sport coupe that was equipped with a Freedom Stroll wide body kit. "Be right there!" she replied before sprinting back towards him. "I knew out of all the wild cars in here that you'd be staring at this one..." the auburn haired woman said with a smirk. "How could I not? I remember all the time I spent in here with her..." Dipper replied. "Yeah, I bet a lot of it was in the back seat, wasn't it?" Wendy commented in a teasing manner. "So, anyway, it said to look in the trunk" he continued as he tried to move on from the situation. "You're adorable when you're flustered..." Wendy commented as she noted the blush on his cheeks.
Pushing the trunk release button, the couple walked to the rear of the vehicle to see what awaited them. Much to their surprise, it was a trio of large black duffel bags; another letter awaiting on top of the middle one. 'I'd apologize for being all mysterious with this, but I know that's your thing, so you're welcome. This will in all likelihood be the last time I communicate with you, but we'll meet again someday in the distant future. Open the first duffel bag and then read the second page' it read. He handed the sheets of paper to his wife and pulled the zipper down as instructed. Both Dipper and Wendy let out a gasp as they set eyes on the contents of the bag. "Holy shit..." Wendy said in shock. "What the hell?" Dipper commented as Wendy gave the letter back to her lover. 'Enclosed, you will find $2,500,000. Have Mabel and Pacifica come back with you. Let them pick out any car they want and I do mean any. Their first car is on Aunt Pacifica. The money should cover insurance, registration, maintenance and other assorted costs. Sell the remaining cars and put the money into a trust for the girls. My people will handle everything. I've included their contact information, so all you have to do is give them a call. They'll know what to do from there. The trust can be accessed on their 30th birthday or in case of a major medical emergency for any member of the family. DO NOT TELL THEM ABOUT THE TRUST UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES UNTIL THEY TURN 30. When you're ready, open the two remaining duffel bags and then continue to the next page.' the message read.
Dipper's hands shook as he held the letter. Wendy could not believe what her husband had just dictated to her. "Two and a half million dollars..." she said in disbelief while reaching into the black bag. "This place is like a garage from one of those racing video games. There's gotta be at least fifty million dollars' worth of cars in here" Dipper said as he looked around the room. "Easy. Probably more. I saw a few Pegassi and Grotti's in here that go for, like, five milli each. I hope one of them picks out that Adui though. It's so dope" Wendy replied. They each opened one of the remaining duffel bags. They contained racing suits, racing shoes, gloves, helmets and carbon fiber neck restraints. A look of confusion formed on their faces as Dipper began to read the third page of the letter. 'Let me explain. If my nieces are going to be driving these kinds of cars, they need proper training. I've included the contact information for FASTCAR champion Lyle Karson, who my family's mudflap company sponsored for a few seasons. He'll teach them everything they need to know and then some. After all, he was the one who taught me how to drive. Hope I didn't shock you guys too much with all this, but it's the least I could do. Take care. - Love Always, Pacifica Elise' the second to last page said. Dipper put the final piece of paper on top, as he expected it to just contain all the contact information Pacifica had left for them. One final sentence written in purple ink at the very bottom of the page caught his attention. After reading it, he passed it off to his wife. "You might want to read the last little bit..." he said to his lover. 'P.S. Wendy, you can have the Adui' it read. "HOW DID SHE KNOW?!" she exclaimed while dropping the letter. A hearty laugh from Dipper echoed throughout the garage. The two wrapped up and soon began their journey home on late August night in Gravity Falls, Oregon.
Author's Note: So, this chapter is one that I've been looking forward to writing for a little while now. I'm a car guy, so this was fun for me. What will the girls think when Wendy and Dipper bring them back to the garage? How many tickets will Wendy rack up in her new car? The second to last chapter is on the horizon for Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story, so stay tuned. Also, if you have any questions answered about the Shooting Star Falls universe answered, feel free to message me. -iKLOT
Playlist:
Bring Me The Horizon – DiE4u
Boys Like Girls - "Love Drunk"
Dylan Fraser - "Nightmare"
Bleachers - "Stop Making This Hurt"
The Marias - "Hush"
Imagine Dragons - "Wrecked"
CHVRCHES - "Good Girls"
Neck Deep - "Torn"
Paramore - "All We Know"