Gravity Rises (S2)

HW: Part Eight

Mabel and Melody spent the morning in the basement, doing — wait for it — more cleaning and maintenance. Mabel wasn't sure if it was even possible to clean this entire thing. Then again, she could see a definite difference between the parts they'd cleaned and the parts that were still caked in rust, so at least she could tell she was accomplishing something.

Melody seemed content to work in silence, which was honestly relieving. Mabel had no idea what to say. Sometimes Melody would make a comment about whatever she was working on, but otherwise the two didn't carry on a conversation.

With a sigh, Melody leaned back to observe her handiwork. She'd been scrubbing the rust off one of the gauges, and she cleaned an entire machine in the time it took Mabel to wipe down one section of a pipe. "Okay, it looks like that's as good as it's going to get. Let's go grab some lunch, shall we?"

Oh, good. Mabel had been getting hungry. But she hadn't wanted to say anything; that would've sounded like complaining.

She followed Melody into the elevator, and it rumbled upwards. Melody put an arm around Mabel. "We're doing good work, Mabes. I know it's boring, but it'll make Stanley's rescue possible."

"Will the portal be ready to open?" Mabel asked. "O-once the boys get back with the fuel?"

"I think so," Melody said. "Especially if we can get more done today."

They made it up to the kitchen, where Melody started pulling out the sandwich ingredients for the second time that day. Mabel sat at the table, her chin in her hands, thinking. Throughout the day, she'd been imagining Dipper and Ford's mission — both good things and bad. She'd imagined Dipper running happily through a forest full of supernatural creatures, throwing snowballs at the minotaurs, talking and laughing with Ford. Those thoughts made her happy. But she also imagined the Order leaping out of the trees and taking them captive, the minotaurs imprisoning them — even the unfriendly fairies attacking them.

There was a quiet thunk as Melody put a plate down in front of Mabel. "Watcha thinking about?" she asked.

Mabel took a bite of her ham-and-cheese sandwich, partly out of hunger and partly to stall for time. She swallowed and said, "Dipper. I just. . . I hope he's safe."

"Me too," Melody said.

A comfortable quiet fell on them as they ate their lunch. Mabel ate quickly at first, but then slowed down to savor the meal — and to, once again, stall. She knew the work was helping get Stan back, but. . . well, she didn't want to do it. So she passive-aggressively took longer than necessary to eat.

When Melody stood up to rinse her plate, Mabel still had a good portion of her sandwich left. It was nice being up here, where she could look out the window and see the pine trees and the sunlight sparkling on the snow. Down in the basement, the only things to see were metal and rust.

Finally, Mabel couldn't stall any longer, and she finished her sandwich and took her plate to the sink. "Okay," she said with a sigh, "let's get back to the portal."

"Well, it sounds awful when you put it like that!" Melody said. But she had a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "It's almost like work isn't the most fun thing in the world."

"Who would've guessed?" Mabel replied with equal sarcasm.

Melody chuckled, and the two headed out of the kitchen toward the Employees Only door. "I don't really like it down there either," Melody confessed. "So dark and dreary. But it's where—"

A loud smash rang through the house.

Mabel screamed in surprise. Both she and Melody froze, staring at each other. The sound had come through the Employees Only door. "The Order," Melody whispered in horror.