Gravity Rises (S3)

SP: Part Ten

After a few minutes of silence, Melody spoke up. "How are we supposed to reset the clocks? They're not going to move on their own, are they?" She glanced at the analog wall clock, which had its hands pointing to about one fifteen.

"I think only Cipher knows what time it is exactly," Lincoln said. "I can ask him tomorrow and get some of the clocks reset at the Order and the Northwest Manor, and hopefully the correct time will spread around town."

Melody frowned. "That's right," she said. "Mabel said you would only be here tonight. Why?"

Lincoln shrugged uncomfortably. "Cipher needs me," he said. "Either I leave tomorrow morning, or he takes over and leaves himself."

The room went quiet at this reminder that Lincoln only had so much time here. It wasn't fair, he thought, that the day he met his real family would be the day that was three hours shorter than all the rest. It wasn't fair that much of the time allotted to him by Cipher would be taken by the night.

It wasn't fair that Cipher could keep him away from his family.

Another minute of silence. "Well," said Melody, "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry for lunch." She glanced to the darkness outside the front window. "I guess I'll make dinner now, and we'll just hope that our biological clocks reset soon."

"I'll cook," Lincoln offered. "You should take care of Fiddleford."

Ford stared at him. "You. . . you still cook?" he asked.

The question brought a smile to Lee's face. "I knew I must have done it in my old life," he said, "or else how could I be so good at it?"

Ford laughed out loud at this. "You saved my life with food when you lived with me. I hadn't eaten so well in years."

"I'll show you what I was planning, if you want to use that." Melody looked relieved that someone else was doing the cooking for a change.

Lincoln wasn't sure if he would go with her plans, but he agreed anyway. With that, the meeting was disbanded. Lincoln and Melody went to the kitchen; Ford and Gideon went to the gift shop to grab something that Gideon had left behind the vending machine; Mabel and Dipper disappeared to their attic room.

Melody had just left the kitchen when Ford returned. He leaned in the entry arch as Lee searched the kitchen for supplies. "I'd help," Ford said, "but I'm afraid Melody knows my kitchen better than I do."

Lee looked up. "I'll be okay," he said.

The kitchen lapsed into silence. Lee found the ingredients and dishes while Ford watched. Every time Lee glanced at Ford, the man looked deep in thought. This arrangement — Lee cooking while Ford stood to the side — gave Lincoln a faint sense of déjà vu.

Ten minutes later, when Lincoln's pot had just begun to boil, Ford spoke up. "Cipher said he'd leave you alone tonight," he said.

Lee glanced up from the stove. "Yes." He wasn't sure where Ford was going with this.

"Well, he can't go back on his word. This may be our only chance."

"For what?"

"To activate the Cipher Wheel."

Lincoln paused. "Tonight?"

"All ten of us are in town boundaries. You said so yourself." Ford took a confident step forward. "We already have over half the Wheel in this house alone. We need to try."

Lee poured a box of pasta into the boiling pot and turned down the heat. "Will Fiddleford be able to join us? Isn't he still unconscious?"

"We can try to wake him up."