Gravity Falls: Rewritten!

Chapter 25: Operation: Don't Get Caught By the Government

[author's note]: thank you for waiting patiently! i lo—

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Inside the basement, darkness prevailed, with electricity strained through decade-old engines attempting to power the gateway to interdimensional worlds. The sole illumination in the space emanated from the pulsing glow of the large portal and the faint light of green fluids gradually filling glass tanks. Stan took off his fez, unintentionally smearing toxic waste on his forehead. "Whew. Can't be too careful with this stuff."

"And that's why you have me on the job," Y/n remarked, standing by the control panel. The tanks were filled to its capacity, and the red lights flashed as a buzzer went off. The screen on top of them appeared a green text that said, 'Event Initialized', and an eighteen-hour countdown began.

Stan stood before the first journal, his hands skimming through warnings. He read them in such an aloof way. "Blah, blah blah. 'Extreme usage could result in minor gravity anomalies–' Can it, Poindexter!" he said as he slammed the book shut. "We've come this far. We ain't givin' up now!"

He opened up a hatch, revealing a red button to which he pushed it down. The portal began to spin, and the cylinders began to emit blue light. The two watched as the swirling continued. "Yes, this is it!" Stan urged, overlooking his floating hat. Y/n's daisy necklace was also levitating, and she had a sense of déjà vu.

"ꟻɘɒɿ ɟ⑁ɘ dɘɒƨɟ wiɟ⑁ ᒑuƨɟ onɘ ɘγɘ"

She recoiled from the memory, repeatedly shaking her head. Stan noticed, and he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Kid, you okay?" She was terribly silent. His tone suddenly increased in a panic. "Why are you bleeding?!"

Y/n blinked herself awake and only felt warm liquid dripping down her nose. "Oh," she uttered, barely a whisper. She brought a hand to her face and rubbed the blood off sporadically. "I'm sorry."

"Are you okay?" he asked again, it was the first time she was this vulnerable in front of him. He realized that it wasn't a good feeling to see her hurt. "What happened?"

"I think it was the effects of the portal," she quickly explained before waving a dismissive hand. "Just go on, it doesn't hurt."

"It's gonna be a bumpy ride, but it'll all be worth it," the older man reassured. He handed her a watch identical to his and they simultaneously wore it on their wrists, pressing a button to the side of the device to sync their watches to the countdown. 3... 2... 1... 0...

"18 more hours," she noted. 18 more hours until they find out Ford's exact coordinates. 18 more hours until he goes through the portal and comes home. 18 more hours until everyone else finds out about their secrets. 18 more hours until everything changes.

***

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"Are you sure you're okay?" Stan asked in a serious tone, right before they parted ways in the hall.

Nodding, she said, "I'm fine," before yawning. It was nearing 5am, such a usual time for the two when working on the portal. Although there was nothing else to modify as the contraption was already up and running, it was still crucial to keep an eye on the generators just in case something might malfunction.

And even when Y/n laid on her bed, she found herself staring up at her dusty ceiling, contemplating her actions. The rest of the morning consisted of her deepest thoughts, her hopes and dreams— if she still even had any.