Chapter 13: The World is Vaster Than Expected

Narrator's POV.

"Who is Bill, or rather, what is he? And how did Gideon manage to get his hands on a journal?" Dipper's voice broke the tension in the air.

Dipper was currently feeling uneasy. The more Stan explained the truth about Gravity Falls and himself, the more questions he had. It was like a vicious cycle.

It was also a problem that Terri was experiencing. She had come for a good salary, but she was discovering priceless secrets for which her former mentor might kill.

Despite this, Terri was torn. On one hand, Terri wanted to flee and forget these revelations that went against everything she believed in.

On the other hand, she told herself that she had to stay and face this truth, in order to help humanity, as she had always wished when she worked in her former mentor's laboratory.

"According to my research, Gideon obtained Ford's journal the same way you did, Dipper: by pure chance. And as for Bill..."

Stan seemed to think for a moment before taking a deep breath. Anyone could see that he had made a decision after a little mental deliberation.

"Bill Cipher is a cosmic entity from another dimension, according to Ford's notes," Stan began to explain.

'I can't hide the threat Bill poses, otherwise they'll be vulnerable later,' thought Stan, who had already decided to use the machine in Ford's office to encrypt the minds of those present.

Stan had considered this option for himself, but he had given it up for several reasons.

One of Stan's concerns was his ignorance of certain aspects of this machine, as well as the potential spiritual consequences.

Stan was interested in magic and planned to soon transfer his consciousness into another body using an abnormal object from the Mystery Shack.

He knew it would be too dangerous to encrypt his mind without having enough information about the full effects of such a machine, especially because of his future plans.

These doubts had come to him when remembering the machine's reactions on Ford.

"My brother wanted to make a deal with Bill. His goal was simple: to unravel the mysteries of Gravity Falls, and much more... But the price to pay was too high."

"So, to prevent anyone from using the portal here and to prevent Bill from achieving his goal, Ford deactivated his dimensional portal and hid the three journals."

"My goal is simple, I intend to use this portal soon to find my brother, who's stuck in another dimension. I can't say more for now, otherwise you'd be in danger."

Stan wasn't lying, the less a person knows about cosmic entities, the better protected they are.

He also didn't want to explain the detail about Ford's imprisonment in another dimension.

"Okay, I'll help you, boss," said Terri, the first to react after Stan's explanations.

She had a resolute expression as she extended her hand to Stan for a handshake.

"You won't regret it. And what about you guys?" asked Stan, turning his attention to the kids and his other employees.

"I've always been on your side and I always will be, haha," said Soos, readjusting his hat, trying to look serious.

"Of course we're with you, Mr. Pines," added Wendy, giving him a thumbs up.

"If the threat is that significant, shouldn't we warn the competent authorities?" asked Dipper, trying to express his point of view, but Arlecchino interrupted him.

"Your words demonstrate your ignorance of the complexity of this world. Our current government is fragmented and run by individuals who possess advanced technologies and supernatural knowledge." Arlecchino's words took everyone by surprise.

"What do you mean, Arlecchino?" Stan knew he would have a bit of trouble dealing with the FBI and other secret services because of his knowledge related to Amphibia, but Arlecchino's words seemed to indicate something more serious.

"I have discovered, through my continuous analysis of the Internet, groups that have knowledge of the supernatural, as well as other supernatural groups that control the shadow worlds." Arlecchino then projected images of creatures unknown to Stan, but he recognized some.

"The Illuminati and Cognito..." Stan muttered, but his words were audible enough to be heard by the others.

"You know them?" asked Terri, in a confused tone.

"Some, like the lizard men, but not all." Stan knew that the Gravity Falls universe was vast, but he didn't think he would be dealing with "Inside Job".

'I just have to hope that Reagan's father or the AI meant to replace the president isn't in office, otherwise they could have somehow detected Arlecchino.'

Stan now had a new source of concern.

"Shit, alright, I'm with you, but I know you clearly haven't told everything, like for example how the author of the journals ended up stuck in another dimension." Dipper didn't wait for Stan's answer and headed for the exit.

"Oh, I forgot, take this, I think you'll need it." He handed journal number 3 to Arlecchino before leaving.

"Uncle Stan, I think Dipper took all these secrets badly," said Mabel, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

It had taken Dipper a long time to fully trust Ford and he had turned against the old Stan because of some strange stories about him.

Logically, Dipper couldn't react calmly to all these revelations at once.

....

Stan's POV

"You should rest, Terri. It's your first day, and things are... a bit difficult."

I was currently with Arlecchino and Giffany, processing information about Cognito and Reagan Ridley.

For now, Reagan hasn't taken control of Cognito yet.

Unfortunately, there's not just good news. Arlecchino has detected an artificial consciousness similar to his currently in Washington.

It seems that Reagan has already created an AI, and according to the information, it has indeed developed its own personality, like Arlecchino. Except it doesn't have a "stop button" to shut it down.

"Rest? With all these revelations?" Terri smiled at me friendly before changing into a white coat.

"We have a portal to activate, and your brother has been waiting for too long."

Surprisingly, her words made me smile again despite all the workload that awaited me.

"Yes, you're right, Terri..." I moved away from her after saying this, and headed to another room. I entered an access code before entering.

Inside, there was a huge capsule containing a young Stan Pines, with gray hair.

Next to the capsule, there were furry gloves emitting electric waves.

"Arlecchino, how far along is the assimilation with the titan's blood?"

[ The artificial heart has been able to completely assimilate and store the titan's blood. ]

[ Your clone is no longer human, but something between an enhanced human, a machine, and a titan. ]

I listened to these words carefully while putting on the gloves created from the supernatural carpet from Ford's room.

This carpet has the abnormal ability to exchange bodies between individuals. I used a piece of it to create a pair of gloves capable of making these exchanges.

The clone in this capsule is supposed to have a vegetative consciousness, despite its extraordinary IQ and impressive bodily functions.

*Bing* The capsule filled with nutrient fluid emptied slowly, and the 20-year-old Stan Pines opened his eyes gently.

"You're going to have to sleep." I pricked myself with a syringe capable of putting an elephant to sleep and started rubbing the two gloves together.

*Zip* There was a shock wave when I touched the vegetative clone.

"Did it work?"