Falling Slowly - An Alternative Outcome (an Adoption AU story)

Chapter 7: Turn Back the Clocks

For Dipper it was like a trip down memory lane, he knew every bit of the game and how to excel in many of them. When he and Mabel had been here fighting against Blendin, they gave it all they had and it paid off.

Now he wished she could be here with him. He needed her help, he needed her creative ideas and skills.

But Ford was good ally. As a man who had ventured through the unforgiving multiverse and had returned in one piece, he knew his way around. The two fought against their adversary in this match well, but Dos Hunthou was a hardened and relentless fighter.

His determination for victory was something that amazed even Ford. Having seen many criminals in his travels, he almost always expected them to have a weakness that he could exploit. He had done so several times in fact to escape multiple foes.

But this man's will power kept showing with each point he would take. It soon became clear to Ford as to why.

"I have to hand it to you old man, you and that kid have some real nerves of steel to still be fighting for this long," Dos said as he and Ford were entangled in a fight with laser swords.

"Well I have my reasoning's to get that orb, my adopted daughter died at my own hands recently and I want to her back whatever the sacrifice I have to make is," he said.

"I can sympathise with you there," Dos said as he pointed off towards the crowds. Ford looked over and saw him pointing to a little girl in the podium. She looked to be no younger then Mabel had been when she died.

"That girl right there, she's my daughter. I thought joining the Time Pirates gang would give me a chance to show the world who I am and help me leave a mark here. Then one day thanks to them, I was thrown into jail. The people who I had once saw as my friends betrayed me in a second and let me be taken," Dos said.

Even through they were interlocked in combat, Ford could feel for the man, he had lived his life aiming for glamour and to be one day known as one of the greatest scientists in history. But his ambitions lead him to be betrayed by the very people he once saw as friends. And it took it's toll on him.

"I lost everything," Dos went on, "my wife, my home, my job, my freedom, my daughter. She's had to live a majority of her life without her father. I'd give anything to change the past. So, when I heard I could do this and win a chance to get my freedom back, I had to take it, no matter what the risk was. I'd rather die knowing I tried to get her back then live 100 years without her."

Ford felt sympathy for this man, he like him, wanted to get his daughter back, his livelihood back, his everything back. And like him, he was the only thing standing between that.

The bell rang as the round concluded, Ford watched as Dos Hunthou's points went up by 5. He was 100 points ahead of him and Dipper.

He looked over to the boy, he was beaten, his clothes were burnt, had holes in them and were covered in his sweat, tears and even blood. He was hurt and broken. The sight hurt Ford more then it must have hurt Dipper, this was his battle to fight not his. Even when he told Dipper to hold off, sit back and let him handle this, Dipper would pick up a weapon needed for the upcoming event and say, "This is for Mabel, and I'm not backing down till we get her back,"

This was it, the final event, the deciding round, the game that would either lead to their victory or downfall, Time baby looked down at them, "There is only one final challenge for Globnar. The final deciding round. An ancient game, thousands of years old, chosen for its exemplification of pure strategy: The ancient art... of Laser Tag!"

"Laser tag, seriously," Ford says to himself.

"The one who touches the victory orb first will win," Time Baby bellowed.