Gravity Rises (S3)

CW: Part One

JANUARY 21, 2013

The living room of the Mystery Museum was dim, cold, and crowded. The electricity was running on generators at half-capacity, which meant low lights and little heat. It was certainly better than nothing, though. And the room was starting to warm up as more and more people entered, filling up the space.

Gideon Northwest glanced around. Currently in the room were Gideon, Geneva, the five Valentinos, and the three Corduroys. Andrew, Ford, and Fidds were in the basement, and Melody was gathering Pacifica, Mabel, and Dipper. Lincoln, the final Symbol, was a ghost somewhere in the Museum. Gideon didn't know where.

This was it. If Gideon could use his amulet to help Lincoln possess Gregory Corduroy, then the ten Symbols could finally form the Cipher Wheel. They could finally stop Bill.

If Lincoln successfully possessed Greg, that is. If the Cipher Wheel accepted a Symbol in someone else's body.

Those were some pretty big uncertainties. Gideon could feel the pressure mounting. Could he do this? Would his experience with exorcisms allow this possession to take place?

It was an unusual situation. Greg, who worked under Lincoln in the Order of the Crescent Eye, had agreed to let Lincoln possess him. In other words, he'd agreed to let Lincoln's spirit inhabit his body in place of his own. But humans couldn't just pop their spirits out of their bodies whenever they wanted; something had to force them out. Gideon might be able to force Greg's spirit out with his amulet, but. . . well, he'd only pulled spirits out of bodies or objects when they weren't supposed to be there. He didn't know if he could pull a spirit out of its own body.

"Gideon?" asked Greg, who was sitting on the couch. His wife, Janice, stood behind him, her hands on his shoulders. Robbie, their son, hovered nearby, looking uncharacteristically anxious.

"Yes?" Gideon replied.

"How will this. . ." Greg swallowed. "How will this work, exactly?"

"Yeah, is this going to be super creepy?" asked Robbie.

Gideon rolled his eyes at Robbie's question. "It shouldn't be," he said. "Greg will just sit on the couch, and I'll pull out his spirit and give Lincoln a chance to take over his body."

Everyone was silent.

"You obviously don't know the definition of 'creepy,'" Robbie said.

Another eye roll. "That's what's going to happen," Gideon said. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it."

"Yes, but — how will that work?" Greg asked.

"I'm not sure what you're asking," Gideon said.

"What'll it feel like? Is there something I need to do, or will your amulet do it all?"

"I don't know what it feels like," Gideon said. "You'd have to ask Lincoln about that. And no, I don't think there's anything you can do, except try to relax, I guess."

"'Try to relax,'" Robbie scoffed. "Sounds easy."

Gideon was about to retort, but another voice spoke before he could. "It'll feel uncomfortable," said the voice. Gideon turned to see Pacifica standing by the staircase. "That's what Lincoln says," she continued. "That it'll feel uncomfortable. Like. . . like. . ." She glanced to her left, probably at Lincoln's spirit, which she could see without magical assistance. "He doesn't know how to describe it," she finally said. "Just that it's really uncomfortable, especially the first time."

Greg shivered. "And. . . what if there are complications? What would those look like?"

"I don't think there will be complications," Gideon said. "Either I can pull you out or I can't. And Lincoln won't enter your body until you're completely out of it." He turned and looked at the same place Pacifica had, though he couldn't see Lincoln himself. "All right, Lincoln? Don't try to get into Greg's body while he's still in there."