Some say the worse fate is the one you see coming from a distance and can do nothing to alter it, rather than those that surprise you. The kinds of fate where you wonder, 'Did I put myself into this?' or 'What could have been done to change this?' and you end up coming to the same conclusion: Nothing. It was a kind of mental crisis that belied the uncaring universe, leaving the person to feel small.
Among those who disagreed with that picture was Dipper Pines.
To him, Fate was a joke. It was a made-up term coined by people too afraid to challenge powers stronger than them. There was always a space to move, to adjust the tracks of destiny. He believed if you could see, predict, and anticipate something, you could change it. This was science; the ability to detect the world and understand it.
Only, he wasn't looking into a chemistry book. He was looking into a page on spells in the second journal of Stanford Pines.
Almost a month had passed since Dipper made his promise to Wendy. He was no closer to getting the answer. The middle of July was a stark testament to his failure, and it drove him only harder.
Magical theory was now his next big test. Rather than looking for direct answers from counter-curses and restorative spells, which all told him that curing Wendy couldn't be done, he started to ponder the theory of magic- what it was. What is Magic?
Dipper found a few articles from his long-gone Great-Uncle Stanford on the matter interesting. Stanford had wrote, Magic is the manifestation of a type of energy I will hence refer to as 'Arcana' until I can properly assert it into the electromagnetic spectrum. Still trying to see if prisms, and viewmasters, can help.
Dipper found more notes on the matter regarding the creation of spells. While incantations are required to channel this strange energy into a highly organized form, the limits of what can be done are difficult to pinpoint. As it would seem, Arcana has a direct correlation between focus and concentration to effect and control of a spell. This makes Arcana and, naturally, magic, an indescribably dangerous and unstable source of power. This naturally inclines the sharp of mind and witty to be more in control of such forces. Which means I was right! The pen is mightier than the sword, Stan!
Despite the chuckle Dipper got from reading Ford's indignance, he still was running on fumes. It was all generalized theory still. That, however, wasn't enough to deter him from trying. A few of the nights when he was certain only he, and Yuki and Wendy, were up, he would creep into the storage room at the end of the hallway upstairs, and begin to practice spell-creation. There was, to his understanding, sort of a language of icons and glyphs that allowed spells to be written out. So far, it had been good progress. He had, after nights of failure, made his first solid glass cup and entirely pure water to go with it. He always felt exhausted afterwards, in the same manner he did after going for a run with Mabel.
They were baby steps in a long wait for curing a horrible curse. After all, if he could do one thing he was sure science labeled as impossible, what was to stop him from helping Wendy?
On top of the late nights, he was busy during the day. During this entire process, he was relentless training with Mabel and Arline. The two ladies were powerful and dedicated to their form. Mabel was becoming a thing of terror, in her own light. Her boundless energy coupled with her tactics of striking again and again until you were beaten made her a monster Dipper was almost certain could be entered into his own Journal. He sometimes wondered if there was something going on with his sister that let her be so endless.
Dipper, to his great pride, was certainly improving. Sure, he couldn't claim to warp fire, or whatever Mabel was trying to do, but his skill and ability grew. During the fight, he realized he could tactically and rapidly chose how to fight someone made him actually something fierce. Even someone like Arline, who was quick and could mid-attack change her attacks or defenses, could almost be read. The downside? It made him dead tired.
After a long night of trying to learn a counter-spell against darkness- something Dipper was certain could lead into the making of a cure for Wendy- his fighting on the next day was desperate and flawed. Swearing under his breath again and again. Dipper finally gave in for the day.
Dipper flopped onto the grass they often sparred in. Arline, who had worked up something of a sweat, walked over and looked down to him. "Dipper, what's up?" Arline asked as he just laid back and panted.
"I'm… just… tired," he gasped as he shook his head, his brown hair tangling with grass below him.
The martial artist looked to him and nodded. "Uh-huh. You can't fool me with that. You're beat," she said.
Mabel, sitting by the porch on the sofa, gladly ratted Dipper out. "Maybe you should stop sneaking out at night to do stuff and actually sleep?" Next to Mabel, Waddles oinked proudly. As Dipper glared daggers at his sister, Arline took a deep breath.
"That would do it," Arline scolded Dipper as her stood up and dusted himself off shakily, "You really need sleep, bud."
"I've got too much to do to sleep," Dipper growled.
"You're going to end up killing yourself if you don't rest," Arline said. Wanting to fight, bith verbally and physically, but being able to, Dipper shrugged. He didn't have the energy to defend his reasoning for doing what he did. When he said nothing, Arline reached down and helped the boy up. She then waved Mabel over. "Well, let's work on you then."
Mabel leapt up. "Alrighty! Fire-time with the Mabel- Queen of Punches!" Mabel declared as she jumped off the porch and marched on over. Arline had turned to place her gauntlets on, fastening them to her arms.
"Here we go again," Dipper mumbled as he sat next to Waddles and pondered more. He was certain that if he could explain the nature of a curse, down to its roots, he could discover how to disassemble one. He wanted to tell Wendy, give her hope. After the fiasco a week ago with the Djinn, Dipper wasn't feeling for it. He wouldn't give her false hope again.
Arline whipped her hands across one another, casting sparks and a small ball of fire spun in her palm.
"I never get tired of seeing that!" Mabel grinned.
"Me neither," Arline chuckled. "Ready?"
"As a Mabel can be without drinking a 'Ready-Potion'! Which, by the way, make you willing to do almost anything," Mabel added after she received a confused glance from her master.
From nearby the road, a voice called out, "Which sounds exactly like me. I should sue someone for making a vial of my blood."
Mabel and Arline turned as Dipper looked up. Mabel cheered, "Zander!"
Walking up the gravel road, wearing his usual get-up, Zander Maximillion approached. "Heyo!" the rock star laughed and waved as he marched over, still wearing his signature scarf and smile. "Whoa," he stalled as he saw Arline glare at him, holding her balls of fire in her hands, "Looks like I'm interrupting something intense."
Arline, her jaw slightly tensed, stated, "Yeah-"
"No, no!" Mabel said for her master, who shot a look to Mabel of dissapointment. "Just practicing, you know, learning how to bend fire using nothing more than your will and your body as fire-resistant material."
Hah, sounds fun!" Zander grinned as he stepped over.
Arline stepped passed Mabel and up before him, cutting his advance short. "What'd you want, exactly?" she asked him, examining him closely.
"Nothing!" he assured her, his hands raised in surrender. "I was bored today. Had a few days off, and decided to see what you goofs were up to."
"I'm sure," Arline said quietly, and turned away from him, marching next to Dipper.
"Uh, yeah," Zander looked to Mabel, his smile faltering a little bit. Mabel also looked to Arline. The master martial artists dared a glance back at the master of metal as she stormed away. Zander leaned towards Mabel, and quietly asked, "Did I say something?"
"She's been training me really hard, but progress is a-" Mabel put both her thumbs down and blew a raspberry, "Maybe she's tired too." Behind Arline and Dipper, another tired figure stepped out, holding a new duffle bag. Yuki was carrying some materials around. "Speaking of tired," Mabel called, catching the attention of Yuki, "Hey buddy! Look who's visiting!" she waved to Yuki.
Yuki grinned at Zander, and offered him a small wave.
Dipper turned his head around and stared at Yuki. Bags had formed under his eyes. He looked sick again, but showed no other symptoms. "Yuki, you okay?" Dipper asked.
Yuki shrugged. "Just some bad dreams, nothing, uh, bad, I assure you," Yuki said to Dipper after a yawn.
Having too recently shared similar experiances, Dipper almost shot up. He twisted fully in his seat, and demanded, "Nothing involving a yellow triangle with one eye and a top hat, right!?" Yuki blinked and slowly shook his head. Dipper calmed. "Well... if you do, you tell us. Those aren't the dreams you keep to yourself," Dipper informed him.
"I will take that to heart, my friend," Yuki blinked and nodded with a faint smile.
"Yuki!" Coming outside as well, Grunkle Stan also emerged, "What're you doing?"
A new sense of informality having grown between them, Yuki calmly told Stan, "A small break. I need some air, that's all."
"Well, count the seconds: you can have five minutes. Not my fault you-" Stan glanced to his side and spotted Zander with Mabel. "Oh!" he darted out from the doorway, nearly running over Arline and Dipper, "Mister Maximillion!" he roared, and ran to him, attempting to vigorously shake his hand, "Glad you could stop by!"
"Thanks! I was bored today. Figure I could stop by and see what spicy things are happening in the coolest place on earth," Zander said.
Stan had a tear fall from his eye. "You don't mind if I write that down and put it on all my billboards, do you? And quote you on that?" Grunkle Stan asked.
"Course! Go for it. Just as long as you keep using my investment to keep that building nice and fresh," Zander patted Grunkle Stan's shoulder, pointing to his Manor with the other hand.
Grunkle Stan was half a second from responding when Soos literally butted his way in, nearly knock Stan aside and prone on the ground. "Wow, it's soo great to have you here again!" Soos told Zander as he now started vigorously shaking Zander's hand, "Maybe I can give you a tour? I'd be for free!"
"Soos!" Stan snapped.
"Oh right. Actually, uh, twenty bucks," Soos shrugged. Stan put a hand to his face and growled.
"Oh, uh, I actually don't carry standard dollar bills on me," Zander sheepishly admitted, holding out two fifty-dollar bills, "Mind if I just tip extra?"
"Of course not!" Stan leapt over, knocked Soos aside. He snatched the hundred dollars away. "When do you want that tour?"
Something pinged in Mabel's mind. She gasped loudly, catching the eye of those present. She saw Zander, Stan, and Soos. Mabel looked to the porch, where her brother, Arline, and Yuki watched. "Wait!" Mabel pushed her way in between the two, shoving them aside. As she did, she turned to Zander's jacket and began to pat it back down, "Ah, there, no wrinkles," she muttered. Only after finishing the wrinkles, she shouted, "We totally need to do one big family picture!"
"Ah, what?" Stan grumbled.
"Oh! Great idea!" Soos nodded as he picked himself up from the ground. He hollered to the Mystery Manor, "Wendy! Get out here! We're doing a big 'ol picture!"
"Can we not?" Stan grumbled, "I look hideous in my old age."
"Hey, don't worry, man," Zander nudged Stan, "As far as I'm concerned, you don't look a day over seventy."
"I'm sixty-eight," Stan said.
"C'mon Dipper!" Mabel rushed over and pulled Dipper to his feet. She then leapt up and pulled over Yuki as well, while lifting up Waddles. "You too!" she told Yuki, who stumbled off but kept his stability.
Yuki grinned. "Okay, okay," he said and walked over, "This is the first time I'll be in a human picture," he admitted.
Dipper gave chortled. "Probably the first of a ton. I mean, you'll live for, what, eight hundred years?" Dipper asked.
"I think it's more like seven hundred fifty earth years on average, but yes, a long time," Yuki sighed.
"What's going on?" Wendy called as she too strode out, her long hair instantly catching Dipper's attention.
"Group picture, dude!" Mabel cheered and rushed ahead, swaying Waddles back and forth in her arms.
"Oh, yeah!" Wendy smiled. "Cool, alright. Zander's here too?" she asked Dipper as Zander spoke to Stanley. He hadn't replied, and instead just sleepily stared at her. "Dipper?" she asked when Dipper looked at her a little too long.
"Sorry," Dipper said as he turned away. "Lost in thought."
Wendy grinned devilishly. "I wonder what about," she said, and walked past him with a knowing smirk. Dipper flushed a deep red, worried that was riddled with deeper intent. Heat in his cheeks, Dipper jumped the moment Arline passed him, standing up and striding over to the gathered group.
She teased him. Wendy had teased him.
Dipper shook his head quickly, trying to remove the effects from him as quickly as he could. Stepping quietly with a small grin on his face, Dipper stepped next to his Grunkle as the order of picture began to be set up.
"Over here!" Mabel, who had been given a camera by Zander, moved the crowd over to the woods. There, just in the grass, they found their spot. "Wendy, totally sit by the tree stump there. Yeah," Mabel nodded as Wendy too her cue and sat down, "Perfect!" Mabel congratulated her.
"Just as I do best. Sitting down," Wendy grinned as she leaned back.
"Soos–" Mabel turned to Soos, who stood as between Wendy and Stan and Dipper. "Ahh... actually, just stay there."
"Righto," Soos grinned.
"We're going to be there," Mabel pointed to where Stan scratched his rear and Dipper glanced at Wendy with his smile. "Uh... master- oh! You could look awesome by that tree there!" Arline, passing by Zander with a scanning glance, nodded and leaned against her tree. "Hmm... Yuki... go between Soos and Dipper, okay?" Mabel asked. Yuki nodded, and quickly stepped over. "Okay. I'll just have Dipper take one with me, and then I'll take one with Dipper, and we can-"
Cars occasionally drove up the gravel road, announcing arriving guests. Distracting the group from the coming photo, the crunching scratches of pebbles heralded an approaching car. A shiny, black, imported car had come to a stop nearby them. It parked, and turned off. With dark windows, the eight paused and stared, unable to see the driver. Then, out from the driver door stepped an old man with dark skin and a bald head.
"Wait, that's-" Dipper gasped, pointing at the old man.
The driver gave the group a bright, warm smile. He stepped towards them, rubbing his hands together. "Please, I do not want to interrupt, " he said, his deep voice vibrating the air itself, "It looks like a wonderful picture," he grinned to Mabel.
"Yeah, almost done," Mabel smiled quickly back to him. "Okay, and Zander?" she called. Zander was staring at the newcomer in the suit. After a second, Mabel tried again with volume. "Zander?" Mabel called again, and Zander flinched, looking back to her, his smile gone and a vacant expression on his face, "Uh, just chill there and that'll be a great spot for you."
"Oh. Sure," Zander nodded.
"But you're not in it," the old man stepped up to Mabel, "I can take the picture. Go be with your family."
"Well, thanks!" Mabel told the old man. Mabel hopped back over to Dipper and Stan. The entire group stared at the old man with the too-expensive suit. His bow-tie was lined with thin gold and perfectly centered under his chin. Slowly Stan leant closer to the twins.
In a hardly muted whisper, Stan asked, "Who is this guy?"
"That's-" Dipper started quietly.
"Is everyone ready?" Omir Steindorf said with a smile, holding up the camera. "And... smile!" he called. Everyone grinned their best as the flash was taken.
"Yes!" Mabel bounded forward and snatched the camera from the old man, bending over to examine the picture. "Ah! It's perfect!"
"Glad it worked out, sweety," Stan said, patting Mabel as he stepped up to the elder man. "So, uh, who are you exactly?"
Dipper finally got to explain. "Grunkle Stan, this is Omir Steindorf," Dipper explained as he indicated to the old man. Stan frowned and looked up. With a slowly dawning realization who he was standing before, and the enormous power the man held behind him, Stan's eyes slowly began to expand and he gasped.
Mister Steindorf held out a hand, perhaps trying to ease the elder Pine. "It's alright, Mister Pines. You are Mister Pines, yes?" Omir extended his hand to Stanley, which was taken shakily. All Grunkle Stan could do was making horrible choking sounds as he gasped for words. Omir Steindorf turned and spotted Arline. "Ah, and you must be the lucky mother of the twins?" he said as he turned to Arline.
Her gaze darkened considerably. Dipper was a little surprised at Arline, but she forced a few small laughs. She said, "Haha, no. I'm only twenty-eight. My name is Arline."
"Oh. You're not related to these two?" Mister Steindorf asked as he examined her. "Hm. You have a high resemblance. Forgive an old man for assuming," he grinned sheepishly and turned. The moment he turned, Arline's smile dropped into a scowl and she looked away. Then, Omir noticed another rich person present. "Ah," Mister Steindorf said aloud, "I was wondering when I would run into you."
Zander Maximillion had turned around. At the call out, his head whipped instantly around, looking right at Omir. The twins saw something close to trepidation inside those emerald eyes.
Omir Steindorf reached over and extended his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Mister Maximillion."
Zander's fearful expression vanished like evaporating air. His smile returned in an instant, and he ignored the handshake and instantly hugged him. "Nah! No handshakes here! I'm more of a hugger anyway!" Zander said after releasing the man.
"Oh!" Omir declared, a little taken aback. Once the hug had ended, he adjusted his tie absentmindedly. "Not much of a handshaker, Mister Maximillion?" Steindorf asked.
Zander shook his head, still smiling, "Nah. Too formal for me."
Omir's own smile faltered. "A shame. I can tell everything about a man or woman just from the way they shake hands," Omir said proudly, "I would much rather like to know you."
"Hah, that's cool," Zander smiled toothily.
"So!" Stan whipped between the millionaire and billionaire, "Gentlemen! How about I provide you two the tour of your life here at the mystery Manor! Or – or better yet!" Stan stood before them, "A once-in-a-lifetime subscription to our own personal magazine 'Freaky Weekly!' It'll be your one-stop read for anything paranormal and spooky!"
Wendy, having remained perfectly content on her tree stump, asked, "We run a magazine?"
"We do now," Stan told her with a deadly glare, which then he turned back to the rich men and added, "And it can be yours for only a mere one-hundred grand a year!"
"Wow!" Zander beamed, "That sounds awesome!"
Despite Zander's excitement, Omir seemed less than thrilled with the idea. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Turning away, he faced the twins. "I'm here to speak with the twins. Might I have a moment with them?" he asked aloud.
Silence followed his words. What kindness he had stored in his voice before had all but been used up with Stan's attempt to siphon more money. He seemed more like he had acted when they had last parted at the business convention. This was the man who made billions, after all.
Dipper, doing his best to remain calm and not step on proverbial toes, cautiously stated, "Uh, I'm sure you can tell us here? We're not really into keeping secrets from one another here."
"Yeah!" Mabel said as she grabbed Yuki's and Dipper's shoulder and pulled them together, "One, big, happy, lie-free family!" she declared as Yuki's face went a dark shade of crimson.
"Very well," Omir stepped closer to the twins and cleared his throat, "Then I will be direct and honest. I want your help in locating and capturing the fugitive Graupner Kinley."
"What?" Stan barked.
"The police in the region," Steindorf started aloud as he let Stan come closer, "Have been less than inadequate. At least in terms of their performing ability towards the task at hand. If you need to know the top five bouncy-castle sellers, they are perfectly up to the task," Omir Steindorf added with a darkly amused smirk. He continued, stating proudly, "I see a potential locked away under this town, one I am not willing to see thrown away. But this man – Kinley – has been a thorn in my side. In my financial efforts to put this town on the map, he has all but ruined my every attempt! All I need is a chance to lock him up and ship him elsewhere, with a competent system."
"You're... coming to us?" Mabel asked, her eyes growing wide with astonishment. She spun to her brother, "Dipper!" she cried, grabbing his arm, "That means we're important! Important people look to us for help! The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!" she roared and ran off, triumphantly hollering.
Dipper frowned at his sister's behavior, but spoke to the rich man. "Why us?" he asked. "There are other people in-"
Omir was quick to reply, despite being very amused at Mabel's excitement. "You and your sister, and with your friends," Omir quickly explained, "Are the only ones I've yet seen pose a threat to this man. He's clearly made attempts at you and your lives. When I say I've come for the experts in getting in this man's way, I expected nothing less than that. I want your expertise, your guidance."
His heart fluttered. Someone just told him he was… an expert. "Well, I mean..." Dipper tried acting humble, despite the deep excitement that flooded him. He had to say yes. There was a man of power and wealth, begging Dipper and his sister to help him root out their newest enemy. The amount of influence they could get if they played this smart was enough to be tempting. Dipper decided quickly, "We're in."
"Same," Wendy said, standing up from her log.
"Yeah dude," Soos agreed, "Going to put an end to this bad dude once and for all."
"No."
Omir Steindorf turned and put his hand up strongly to Wendy and Soos. Their readied efforts instantly left them as the dark eyes of Omir Steindorf commanded them to remain still.
He sternly explained, "This is a small operation. I merely want the twins and I to journey together. I can hardly say I know anyone else here, aside from Mister Maximillion," Omir admitted. Zander half-heartedly shrugged, and Omir furthered his decision, "and I won't risk this mission to anyone who may..." he looked to Yuki, and the Alien quickly looked away, "Endanger this chance."
"Then I'll come," Zander shrugged.
"Yeah, you do that," Stan shrugged, "At least someone who I semi-trust will be on this."
"Wait," Arline stepped up to Omir, staring up at the tall man, "I've trained Mabel. I'm her teacher. A training master of martial arts. She can vouch for me as a trustworthy person. Take me, not pretty boy here," she said, eying Zander.
Zander frowned, and looked to the ground. "Pretty boy?" he muttered.
Omir's lips thinned as he looked back to her. "It is not a matter of Miss Pines vouching for you," Omir coldly stated, "It is a matter of knowing your past. Ever since I saw their acts of valor in the business con in June, I've done my research on the Pines Family. I know a lot about what the twins have done for this town," Omir turned and smiled at the twins, and then he glanced at Stan with a less than impressed face, "And what kind of acts of fraudulence Mister Pines has committed."
As Arline snorted, despite herself, Stan grunted, "Okay, we're cancelling 'Freaky Weekly'."
Omir Steindorf turned back to Arline, less harsh and more apologetic. "I know nothing about you," The CEO stepped closer to Arline, who stood her ground. "For all I know, you could work with a competitor of mine. Or at least," he added as Arline wrinkled her knows in shock and disgust, "Have reason to attack me."
She let out a noise something between a gasp and a cough. "You're kidding, right!?" she snapped, her cheeks growing red.
Omir shrugged. "I'm not," he stated.
"She's trustworthy," Mabel coined in, "I mean, she's never said anything about the Stiendorf Company."
Arline looked away from Mabel for a moment. Afterwards, she rounded back on the billionaire. "You're going to let him," she pointed to Zander, who looked rapidly between Omir and her, "Come along, but not me? I'm the woman who chased off the spider from the Northwest Talent show fiasco, for crying out loud!"
"Only because I know of Zander Maximillion. I know of his past and his habits," Omir admitted, and Zander frowned and shuddered. "I can't risk bringing an unknown equation to this search. I'm sorry," Omir frowned and offered a hand on her shoulder. Arline took a step away. Omir nodded, saying, "I can clearly see you worry for them, the twins," he told her, and then stated, "But they will be fine. I can see their talent, and the hard work you instilled into them with training. All students must begin to take their owns steps, eventually. Consider this a chance for them to take a step on their own," Omir offered Arline.
Arline looked more furious than she had ever in her entire stay at Gravity Falls. Her eyes shook as she funneled that rage away, glaring down the taller man. Omir beheld Arline like an apologetic parent to a screaming toddler. Arline scowled. She marched right into Zander's face, and pointed a finger at him from inches away.
"You," she quietly told him with a darkness in her voice, "Do a good job, or else," she told him.
Zander nodded. He shuddered and replied, "I-I'll keep them safe as I can."
Arline stormed away from the group.
"Mister Steindorf," Dipper pleaded, "She's been the best help we could have asked for."
His voice firm again, Omir said "I stand by my decision. I don't know her. For all I know, she could have ulterior motives."
Dipper frowned. "That's not really her. I mean," he began to say, remembering how Arline had hidden some things from them in the past. He eyed the furious women, now yards away. She did seem really upset for Zander for some reason, which puzzled Dipper. Deciding to ask about that later, Dipper decided aloud, "Well, we might as well go."
"Yeah," Mabel said as she returned. She spied her Master sitting with Waddles, sadly patting his head by the porch. Looking to Dipper with a deep determination, Mabel declared, "We've got work to do."
Omir Steindorf smiled. "Excellent. Come along now, Mister Maximillion," Steindorf said.
Zander glanced at the twins with a shrug. Clearly, he was out of his comfort zone with the idea of suits being around him.
To say that Omir Steindorf's personal car was comfy was a horribly vast understatement. When Dipper said he was certain his own cars seats were made of leather, he understood how far off his guess had been after sitting inside Omirs ride. The interior of the car was sharp and organized, and smelled clean. Shining silver lines along the seats awed Mabel enough to play with them over and over. As the car neared the center of town, Mabel scared herself stiff when she accidentally tore off a section of the silver lining. Omir seemed not to hear, and despite Dipper's deathly glare, she ended up calming down and leaving the car like a normal person.
"Hm, here we go," Zander stepped out with the others, rubbing his hands together as he looked around. Standing at the same height as Steindorf, he turned to the twins, "So! Where to?"
"Yes," Omir also looked to them, "I'm certain you two have a lead the police in town did not."
"Well, I don't know about that," Dipper chuckled.
"No, no, don't support their failures," Omir shook his head, looking very much fed up with the officers of the law, "They really are just... the worst. You could have a guess and it'd be better than what they've been doing all Summer."
"Oh. Well," Dipper glanced around.
Where to go? There were many places Dipper knew could serve as an operational hide-out for someone while disguised as something entirely innocent. That being said, Dipper couldn't start making hunches. He needed something solid. There had to be one of the places still around that could serve as a hide out.
"Mabel," Dipper grinned as he quickly identified a location that the Warlock could have been using all this time, "Want to check out a book?"
"Ohhh, yes! Of course!" Mabel grinned and nodded.
"I don't follow," Zander said as he looked at the library while the twins marched ahead.
"They think the library could hold a key in solving this, or that the building itself could be a location Mister Kinley could be hiding at. I have my doubts," Omir Steindorf muttered, "It is rather... public."
"Aside from his attack on the convention center," Dipper said once the four crossed the street, "The warlock-"
"The warlock?" Omir interrupted.
"That's what he calls himself," Dipper shrugged. At the explination, Omir looked quite shaken, or upset. He looked ahead, towards the library with a tenseness. Dipper continued, "Anyway. Before his stunt at the convention, he never really got at people in person. He was always sending something our way. He likes playing in the shadows."
"I can tell," Omir stated.
"And what's worse," Mabel added as they made it to the front door, "There's maybe two of them."
Omir stalled. He looked at the twins with wide, stunned eyes. Zander also stopped, and stared at Omir. The billionaire asked, "Beg pardon?" he asked, his wrinkled face looking much more tired.
"We think that someone else has been helping the Warlock," Dipper stated as he held open the door.
Closing his eyes only for a moment, Omir Steindorf groaned and walked inside quickly. Mabel followed Zander inside. Omir cleared his throat, his voice strained. "So, you believe he has some sort of partner, or assistant? Tell me what you know," Omir said once they passed by the distracted Miss Isoar, the library with very thick glasses and raven black hair. "Everything," Omir asked as he quieted his voice.
"He's after something," Dipper admitted, "Something he's been willing to kill people for. Aside from that, he's-"
"A huge snot-faced Jerk," Mabel finished for Dipper.
Omir frowned. "Truly kill? I hadn't heard of any deaths yet."
"Yeah, we've really lucked out," Dipper told Omir, "but look at what he did to me," he said, and showed off his arm's scar. Omir's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. Dipper nodded, saying with pride, "Right? He's not a good person. Pretty sure he's willing to kill."
As Omir looked a little worried at the news, he straightened out his tie. Perhaps it was some sort of nervous twitch. "So, where do we look?" he asked the twins.
"Yeah," Zander stated as he looked around, "I mean... it's just a library."
"You'd think that," Dipper chuckled as he grinned devilishly. "Follow me. I'll show you guys a little secret Mabel and I uncovered a while back."
With a cackling Mabel behind him, Dipper lead the two older men to the one bookshelf in the back. 'New Releases' proudly told them of the various new books that had only just been added to the story. All, except one that Dipper and Mabel quickly noticed. Mabel smiled and lifted her fingers to 'Standard Dusting Procedures', and lifted it off the shelf. Instantly, the clock-work like clicking began.
"And... voilà!" Mabel said as she placed the book back where she got it from.
Zander gasped and stepped closer as the bookshelf. It sunk into the wall, and then descended into the ground. Omir Steindorf wore a shocked expression on his face as he and Zander stared into the open, barren, stone and dirt tunnel. The only change between the last time the twins had come and the present was the lack of functioning lights.
Omir was without words for a moment, though tried to speak, "...How did you-"
"We found where Montana Jeffreys had been staying," Mabel proudly informed them, grinning and wiggling her eyebrows, "And then had a dramatic chase scene out of the tunnels! Almost crushed under the weight of the earth, the usual. Fun times, really," Mabel shrugged as Dipper lead the way inside, holding his cellphone out as a light source.
"This would make an excellent location for a secret base," Dipper reasoned as he let the other step inside him with. The bookshelf finally slid back up behind them, and they were all enveloped by the darkness. Slowly down the four walked, their scratchy footsteps echoing loudly.
"Uh, I must insist we be careful!" Omir added with a worried step on gravel, "I cannot see as well as I used to."
Zander laughed, patting his shoulder. "Oh, I'm sure you're just as sharp as you used to be," Zander said like a joke.
"So," Dipper spoke aloud, "Last time we were here, we kind of caused a cave-in, so they'll be a part where we can't go any further, but we should definitely get to the mines before we run into the dirt and-"
As he turned to the right, Dipper slammed into a wall of stone and dirt. He gasped and rubbed his nose, holding it still as his face screamed in shock, less than pain. Mabel rushed to him, and the two of them stared ahead.
"Wait... but this wasn't here," Mabel turned and stared at the mine tracks that lead to them, but ended mere feet behind them, torn up from the ground.
"It's a wall," Omir pointed out.
"No! No!" Dipper shouted, and began to fuss with the dense underground wall before him. "This wasn't here before!"
"You mentioned a cave-in?" Omir suggested. Zander stepped past him, and began to examine the cart tracks along the ground.
"But... but if the cave-in had been this extensive," Dipper reasoned, "The town could have collapsed. Also," he pointed in accusation at the wall as he stepped back, "This isn't like a wall of dirt from a cave in! It's flat! If this came from falling earth, it would level up to the ceiling from all the loose gravel and rock!"
"Well, regardless," Omir said loudly, "We cannot go that way."
"Yeah," Zander stood up, dusting his hands on his jeans, "Just look at the tracks here," he pointed down. The thick metal tracks looked fairly destroyed, shredded and speckled with damage. "Torn up. Maybe recent, but you needed power tools for this. And it looks like this has been abandoned for a while."
Dipper growled and looked to Mabel. Her eyes sparkled in the light from his phone, but she said nothing. Their idea was a bust. Dipper was not done yet though, not by a long shot. There was still the unexplored left to go. With a growl, he stormed past Zander and guided the light towards the left. Unless the three behind him wanted perfect darkness, they had no choice but to follow.
He was frustrated. Dipper couldn't believe what he had seen. That right path had been opened, sure as day. There was nothing else he could imagine that could cause it to shore up like that, unless a spell caused the earth itself to shift so drastically that he couldn't tell it had changed. Even if there had been a spell of that power, Dipper was certain someone would have complained about earthquakes prior to this.
Moving silently in the darkness for a few minutes as he deliberated through his qualms, Dipper stopped. The hall before them widened into a large square room. It only took a shine of his cell phone to show boxes. What was more, as he realized with a gasp, the boxes were fresh.
"Check them," He pointed and rushed closer with Mabel. Zander was quick to join them as the scoured the various crates. The three, slowly joined by Omir, whose sharp eyes scanned the room with a harsh expression, opened the first box.
"Whoa," Zander gasped.
"Science-y stuff," Mabel exclaimed as she reached inside and lifted an empty beaker.
"Beakers?" Dipper asked as he lifted one out himself. "In bulk?" he asked, and tossed the glass far behind him, which shattered.
"Ohh! I wanna do that!" Mabel gasped, and started hurling out entire handfuls of glass ornaments.
Ignoring the crashing noise created by his sister, Dipper askd, "Why have this many glass beakers?", measuring in his mind the size of the box, "there's enough room in there for hundreds of these. Why?"
Zander mused aloud, "Sounds like whoever got them needed a lot of room to mess up," Zander guessed. He looked over his shoulder. "What's your opinion, Mister Steindorf?" Zander asked, as he and Dipper turned to the older man.
Omir was watching the pile of shredded glass grow by Mabel's count. "Nothing. I am not a scientist," he said.
Dipper nodded and looked to the right more. Several more crates presented themselves. There, atop one small crate, Dipper found a vial. He gasped; there was something inside it. Someone may have left a clue to the origins of this equipment. "Here," he waved over his frantic sister and the others. Mabel dropped her fun smashing time, and walked over.
"That looks familiar," Mabel said the instant Dipper lifted his phone light to the vial. A single but very thick fiber spiraled inside.
"What?" Dipper asked as Mabel took it from him, and sniffed. She gasped and pushed it away. "That... why did you do-"
"Werewolf hair," Mabel said, "I remember the smell more than anything else. Oh, well maybe except for the itches."
"In a vial," Dipper squinted his eyes and stared at the smallest sample of werewolf hair he had seen, "Why..."
"Well, it'd be a sample, right?" Zander suggested.
"For what is the real question," Dipper reminded him. "Why have all this equipment for-" Dipper's eye caught something under the crate. A stapled series of papers, dirty and muddy, but still intact. With a gasp, he reached down, and tore it out from under the crate. "Dang it," he growled. He had literally torn it out; lost nearly a fourth of the bottom of the papers.
"Evidence of the crime," Mabel mentioned as she scanned the paper. "Uh-oh."
"What?" Dipper asked, and he too looked to the paper. "Oh boy. That's a cryptogram," Dipper grumbled.
"A what?" Zander asked.
Dipper explained. "A secret message that has been written using numbers or other letters to represent something else," Dipper explained, staring at the pages. "All of them are coded. Not by numbers. Nor binary. I... It could be Caesar, but I doubt it. These numbers..." Dipper then looked to the far right of the corner, and saw series of numbers, seven to eight long.
"They look like bulk orders," Zander admitted.
"Huh?" Dipper and Mabel turned to him.
Zander smirked. "Yeah, bulk. You know, ordering in mass. It was useful when you want to save while spending a lot of money. See, you buy something in bulk so you get a ton of something and never pay for it again. They also tend to charge less for bulk orders. Like lightbulbs, or toilet paper," Zander said.
"Exactly," Omir stepped next to him, and bent past him to look at the sheet. His eyes scanned the dark letters and he shrugged. "I don't know what the rest is, but those do look like order numbers."
Mabel joined the men as they looked to the paper. "Someone bought a massive order of... vials?" Mabel asked, and then groaned, "Boring."
"Not just vials, here," Dipper waved them over, having abandoned the sheet to Mabel, "This crate is spare parts." Indeed, a large crate was disorganized and filled with cogs, springs, wires, all metal ingredients to a larger piece. Examining the box, Dipper saw a logo- Sc&Co.
"Steindorf and Co?" Dipper gasped. The three walked over to Dipper, and Dipper turned to the CEO. "Your company sells this kind of stuff?" Dipper gasped.
Omir shook his head. "We're multi-billion dollar enterprise. We sell high-quality... everything. We've made a great bounce in the past ten years with–" Steindorf paused, his eyes widening. He closed them, and groaned, "Oh god."
"What?!" Dipper demanded.
Omir grimly stated, "Construction equipment. It made a boon for our economy – America is ever growing, fixing itself, and-"
"Dipper," Mabel grabbed his shoulder suddenly, "We know a place that could have taken all this stuff!" she said with shock. Dipper could only stare at her. "Dude! His old hide-out! By the-"
"Junk yard," they finished together.
"Wait," Zander gasped and shook his head, "You mean he had an old hide out, all this time, and you never bothered to-"
"Of course, we did!" Dipper defended, "Right after we dealt with him, we went back to see if he ever came for his stuff. After he bugged us with a Tulpa-"
"A what?!" Omir gasped.
"-we checked his hide-out, and everything was taken away. We thought at the time he..."
Dipper and Mabel exchanged a look. While the Warlock had been intelligent and cunning enough to make alliances with various monsters and hatch schemes worth running from and to, Graupner Kinley was... short-sighted. He could have moved back in after they stopped checking in on his hide out.
Dipper declared, "We need to go check there right away!"
The four turned, and as fast as they could guided only by the light from a flashlight, the four began to re-take their steps back into the library. Omir was the last to exit, gasping as he had struggled to keep up with the three. Zander would encourage him to keep pace, reminding him of his youth, which Omir continuously scowled back at him.
Miss Isoar had only a moment to scold them for running in the library before they exited the building and made for the car. She only barely registered Dipper and Mabel a moment afterwards, as she instantly recognized Zander and Omir – two immaculate royalties. She called after them, "Library is accepting generous donations!"
Omir, having left with the other three, declared as he climbed into the driver seat of his car, "Let's get this man behind bars ASAP."
"In a rush, Mister Steindorf?" Mabel asked with a grin.
Dipper scoffed. "I'm eager to get the Warlock behind bars too."
Omir did explain. "I was supposed to go back to headquarters today. I'm technically lying to my board of directors," he grinned to the others.
"Shameful!" Zander smiled. "Man, I thought all suits were stuff and rule-driven."
Omir gave the musician a scorned smirk. "And here I thought all musicians were air-headed fools," Omir returned, and Zander laughed. "I wanted to be out of town before the end of the night. But you two work quickly!" Omir told the twins as he pulled out into the street. "Now, lead me to this junkyard," he told them.
Dipper was more than happy to point him into the right direction. Again and again they turned down the streets of Gravity Falls, moving towards the prized location. Slowly the buildings grew shorter and more residential. Then they passed by the dull suburbs, and entered an outskirt of town. Mister Steindorf gave a discouraged groan as they arrived at the junkyard. They parked before the rusted and worn-down fences. To Dipper's and Mabel's amusement, the local old cook was wandering the front.
Spotting the approaching twins, McGucket hopped on one foot. "Well call me a wang-doodle with a proper sportin' funnel!" Old Man McGucket said as the four stepped outside. "Welcome! Are you four interested in my scrap metal?"
Giving Mabel a moment to chuckle, Dipper answered with a wave of his hand, "Sorry Fiddleford, on mystery business today."
"Aww tarnation," McGucket whined. "Well, if you all plan on coming by, I'll be here, practicing my jig of loneliness." He then continued to do a small dance, slow and somber.
"This way," Mabel waved the two over towards a large shed that stood outside the fenced off junk-yard. There, sitting at the corner of the unassuming shed was a small banana peel. "Observe gentlemen," Mabel said, and kneeled down, and lifted the peel, revealing it to be a plastic contraption. A small red button awaited, and Mabel pressed down on it. Silently but hastily, the wall before them sunk down into the earth. The two newcomers stood watching, Zander with his mouth agape.
"Someone had a heck of a budget, wouldn't you say?" Zander said, eying Omir. The old man glanced back at him, but said nothing.
"Inside," Dipper waved them to follow.
Unlike the darkness of the mines from before, the way down was lit from lights imbedded into the ceiling. While not impressive, the industrious flood of yellow light was more than enough. Dipper never considered removing his cell phone for the purpose of lighting. Even as the daylight behind them grew distant, they could see perfectly fine in the spiraling descend large enough for a truck to move between the walls.
Dipper and Mabel entered the chamber they had once before. The dug-out room was nearly five hundred feet wide in all directions, showing of the pipes above them, running under the roads of the town. It was a crossroads of many subterranean infrastructure of Gravity Falls, turned into a private sanctum.
Dipper laid eyes on it first: the sacrificial slab.
Despite their mission, Dipper found himself drawn to it. There, Dipper could see himself tied to surface and being sliced down the arm like a lamb to the slaughter.
"My word, this place is impressive," Omir gasped as he stepped forward.
"And this is where we kicked him off," Mabel said, pointing to a large, open tube near the corner of the room, nearby the edge of the dirt. Just off the edge, a large, but shallow lake of several hundred feet of run-off water from leaking pipes gently rippled in their presence.
"Where? In that?" Zander asked, looking to the tube.
"Yup! He fell right in. Cut up Dipper, nearly killed Soos," she said with a shake of his head, "We were fed up with his gullet."
Omir rubbed the top of his head, frowning with something akin to sorrow. "I can see why you keep saying he's not a good person," Omir quietly admitted. He turned to the twins, his eyes sparkling in the dim light, "I'm truly sorry for what you and your brother have had to endure. He's… not been a kind person to you, has he?"
"No," Dipper firmly said, staring at the slab, "Not at all."
"Dipper, what's up?" Zander asked, as Dipper had not moved from his position, glaring at the stone slab continuously.
"It was here. This is where we really met him. Really met him," Dipper said darkly, his arm wincing as he felt the whispers of a pain long since gone. "He tied me to this slab and cut me, and drained my blood for a spell."
"A spell?" Omir asked, from the distance as he patrolled around, looking at the pipes.
"Yeah. It failed or something," Dipper shrugged, and turned back to the slab. He frowned. What had it meant to do? He recalled the words used by Graupner that day, burned into his mind forever. "It was... a spell for detection," Dipper said. His arm flexed involuntarily again, and he turned away. It pained him to stay nearby there. Mabel remained there though, letting her hand linger on where she had helped Dipper free, and fight the Warlock for the first time.
"Mabel," Zander said quietly as Dipper walked away, "There," he pointed. Mabel turned and saw it too. A long dried and stained crimson blotch.
"Yeah," she nodded and shuddered. "He really cut into Dipper."
"What's blood used in a detection spell anyway?" Zander asked Mabel.
"I don't know. Now that I think about it..." Mabel started.
Eager for her answer, Zander gently coaxed her, "What?"
Dipper had left their presence. He saw the trio of pipes he had woken up tied to. Something was left there, right at face level. It was a small piece of paper. He reached out and pulled it to him. It had writing on it, and he gasped.
Behind him, Mabel was talking to Zander. "Well, the spell was supposed to detect something," Mabel said aloud, "Dipper!" she called before Dipper started reading, and he nearly dropped the note. "What went wrong with the spell again?"
"Uh... he said something about power?" Dipper tried. Then he snapped his finger and nodded. "Warlock said there was too much interference! From 'other power signatures'... wait," Dipper walked closer his eyes shining with realization, "Mabel, that sounds familiar."
Mabel squinted at her brother. "What? How?" she asked.
He walked closer, piecing together the connected clues. "We uncovered a massive source of energy that was in town, remember? He said that something massive in town was causing his spell to be unable to detect something. We found a ton of things like that."
Mabel stared at Dipper, she wasn't connection the two together as quickly. Not at least for a few moments. Then she blinked. "Yuki. The animus! Robo-people!" she gasped.
"Come again?" Zander asked.
"We'll explain later," Dipper quickly said, holding the note tightly in his hand as he approached Mabel, "That means that whatever the Warlock is looking for, has been looking at things with the power level comparable to the animus. Yuki never said specifically, but if took nearly frying half the town's electric grid to just turn one on, I can imagine that hundreds of them would be… big scale power."
Mabel shuddered and scratched her scalp. "Don't remind me. I still occasionally dream in Urlin, trying to talk Tambry down from the ledge."
"In what?" Zander gasped.
Mabel quickly explained, "Alien language. Yuki speaks it."
Omir squinted. "Aliens?" he asked quietly.
Dipper wasn't ready to be more side-tracked. "Which means... Mabel," Dipper got closer to his sister, his voice now only a whisper, "What else do we know that is in town that is important that could be seen as powerful as animus?"
Her eyes widened. In those sparkling eyes, Dipper saw the memories they shared. The day the town lifted off its foundations, the day everything changed. Mabel, with quiet urgency, whispered, "The Portal."
"And-"Dipper gasped as his eyes widened, but Mabel was on top now.
"What dream demon recently demanded we leave town!?" she shouted.
"What, what?" Zander gasped.
"What is it?!" Omir called from the wall.
Dipper took a step closer to Omir, making sure all could hear him. "We figured it out; what the Warlock is really here for! It's about the portal," Dipper said in aghast, "He's been here... for the portal. All about the portal," Dipper shook his head.
"Which means he doesn't know where it is still," Mabel told him with her hands to his shoulder, "or he'd have tried getting into the Manor already."
Omir looked thoroughly confused. "Portal?" he asked, "What are you all talking about?"
"Dipper, what... what's that?" Zander repeated, pointing to Dipper's hand.
"Oh right," Dipper sighed and looked down, "It's something I found on a pipe. Give me a second." He lifted it up and unfolded it. It was a typed and printed note. He began to read it. "To the twins, who I know are the only others who know about this place, I want to say an official farewell if you're reading this underground. You- wait," Dipper looked up to Mabel and Zander, "What else could a note that starts with 'I want to say goodbye' mean?"
Dipper spun behind him to the entrance. No string had been broken, but as he had feared, something small was letting off a tiny red repeating light. Flashing and flashing as Dipper stared at it, he had barely a chance to see a wire connected to it, and lead off into the wall, where several covered stick-like objects lay. He knew what those were, for sure: Dynamite. His skin stung as dread became his very being. They had walked into a room covered with explosives.
He had only a single moment it had taken him to take it all in. He whipped around, and saw his sister, who watched him with those big, worried eyes. "Mabel-" he managed to say.
No one had a chance to reply. In a blast so loud the air itself rippled like water, everyone in the underground room was thrown off their feat as a dozen hidden sticks of dynamite exploded at once. Dipper flew into the air. Gravity was gone, and his alignment in the world flew away with it. He felt his skin prickling and stinging as his head spun.
At some point he had hit the ground, even though he could feel nothing. He wasn't moving anymore. Breathing? Sure. Moving limbs? No. There was smoke, and he felt heat nearby. What was going on? Where had he gone to?
There was only thing he knew: he had been beaten in the moment.
The Warlock had beaten them to the punch.
Stay tuned for next Monday. Sorry guys, more weekend shenanigans. After next week, I'll be back on the Saturday posting schedule until something else happens. Also sorry for taking a BILLION years to reply to reviews. Internet has been terrible for my computer recently, and I'm crossing my fingers it works enough for this to be uploaded.
This is it, by the way guys. The end stretch has begun. As the name implies, we're here, running into the shadows. From here until the end, Season two enters the darkness.
No turning back.
-EZB