The next few days were spent preparing to go retrieve the first Journal. While Melody and Robbie ran the Mystery Museum, Ford and the twins holed up in the lab, practicing with their weapons and making plans. Mostly, Ford had the twins practice accuracy with the stun guns — and the grappling hook. Mabel insisted Dipper work with the grappling hook too, since he'd had it during the rescue. He was fine with that — he liked the feeling of the grappling hook kicking against him as he fired — but he wished Mabel was more confident with it.

Well, at least she wasn't giving it to Dipper entirely.

Ford set up some targets for them to practice on across the lab. They weren't regular targets, like hunters would use for deer or elk. These targets were shaped like monsters, mythical creatures, and — to Mabel's horror — people.

"Well, we are going to be using these stun guns on people," Ford pointed out. "Plus, I made these targets back when Stan, Fidds, and I were monster hunting, and some of the creatures we came up against were humanoid."

Along with the stun guns, Ford and Dipper found some other gadgets to induce unconsciousness. One of them was a little patch that sent some type of anesthesia seeping down through the skin. "We used to use those when we were in too close of a range to use the stun guns. Rare, but very helpful if something nasty has you in its clutches. Careful, kids — don't accidentally put them on yourselves."

As soon as Ford said that, Mabel wanted to stay far away from the knockout patches. Dipper, however, liked the idea.

"There's a risk, Mabes, but you have to unwrap them before you can use them, so you'll be fine. If some Order member has you captive, you'll want one of these."

"What if I can't unwrap it?" Mabel asked. "What if I can't even get it out of my pocket?"

"Okay, sure," Dipper said. "But what if you can?"

So Mabel took some. She kept them at arm's length, but she took them. Dipper was more relieved than he wanted to admit. Anything that helped keep Mabel safe was a good thing.

Then one morning, just as the twins were about to follow Ford back to the lab, Robbie came bursting through the Employees Only door.

"I got it," he said. "I got the passcode."

"Excellent!" Ford said. "What is it?"

Robbie stepped into the living room, the door closing behind him. "Five two eight four nine one."

Ford ducked back into the kitchen and returned with a pen. Quickly, he scrawled the numbers on his hand.

"Woah," Dipper said, "Mom always gets mad at me for doing that. You can do things like that when you're an adult?"

"You can do all sorts of things when you're an adult," Ford replied. "Including infiltrate a cult for your Journal. Good work, Robbie."

"No problem, Mr. Pines. My parents now think I'm actually interested in their dumb group, but I can deal." Robbie frowned. "Um. . . when you go down there. . . and if they're down there. . . don't hurt them, okay?"

Ford put a hand on Robbie's shoulder. "Don't worry, we're not planning on hurting anyone."

"Yeah," Dipper said, "we have stun guns. They're pretty cool."

Robbie raised an eyebrow. "Do those have any side effects?"

"They were developed thirty years ago by my assistant, so I don't know much about their infrastructure. But I don't believe they do, no. But maybe try to keep your parents home tonight."

Robbie nodded. "Okay. I'll try. Hey, good luck, guys. I hope you find what you're looking for."

"Thanks, Robbie!" Dipper said. He didn't feel like that was enough to express how grateful he was, but it had to do.

"You're welcome," Robbie said. "Well, I better get out to work the cash register. Hey, Mr. Pines, if you're feeling generous after today, now might be a great time for a raise."

And with a wink, he went back out to the gift shop.

Dipper turned to Mabel with a grin. "What would we do without Robbie, huh?"

But Mabel didn't smile back. Her face was full of anxiety. "Mabes?" Dipper asked. "What's wrong?"

"We're going tonight," she said numbly.

"Yes," Ford said. "The password may change daily, and we can't take that chance. Are you going to be okay, Mabel?"

She shook her head to clear it. "Y-yeah, I think so. Well, no, but. . . I'll make it. I think."

Dipper gave her a hug. "You'll make it," he promised. "We'll all make it."

She hugged him back. Didn't say anything, just hugged him.

Dipper and Mabel separated after a while, and Ford started talking about when they should go. He said the best time would be about eleven, since the passcode would most likely change at midnight, if it was going to change at all. Dipper and Mabel agreed, though Mabel said they should probably try to get a nap in first so they weren't dead on their feet. "I probably won't be able to sleep, though," she muttered.

With that decided, they spent the rest of the day planning and practicing with the guns. So really, not much different from the other days, except now they knew when they'd be going down to the Order: tonight. They were going tonight.

Tonight, they'd retrieve the first Journal.

~~~~~

First obstacle: getting in.

Dipper, Mabel, and Ford left the Mystery Museum at about 10:45. They were laden with supplies: stun guns and knockout patches for each of them, the grappling hook in Mabel's trembling hand, and Stan's brass knuckles on Ford's hands. Ford had a handy-dandy holster for his stun gun, but there weren't any extras for the twins, so Mabel put her stun gun and knockout patches in her backpack, and Dipper held his stun gun in his hands, with the knockout patches in his pocket.

Their walk down the street towards the library was silent and subdued. Ford didn't want to alert anyone to their presence, so he and Mabel kept quiet. Dipper tried to keep quiet, too, but he wished he could say something to alleviate the tension.

Besides the cloud of anxiety that surrounded them, the trip was uneventful. A car passed by at one point, its headlights glaring, and Mabel grabbed on to Dipper's wrist, but it was just a random car. They made it to the library unscathed. Dipper went to go check for guards, as Gideon had when they'd rescued Mabel, but no one was out there. Must've been a one-time thing.

He waved Ford and Mabel back, and Ford moved to type in the passcode. As he typed it in, Dipper and Mabel held their breath. Would it work? Or had it already changed?

The door opened.

Dipper let out a silent sigh of relief, and Mabel shot him a glance. Probably not as silent as he thought, then. But there was nobody around, so they were probably fine.

The Pines started down the stairs.

Dipper kept his stun gun at the ready. He didn't know how many Order members were down here tonight, but he was pretty sure they'd run into at least one patrol. They didn't even entirely know where they were going.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and became enclosed in the rough stone halls of the underground complex. Dipper took a quick breath as its oppressive atmosphere settled on his shoulders. He let go of the stun gun with one hand, using it to search out Mabel's and grip it tightly. Last time he'd been down here, he'd been in a panic about her safety. But it was okay. She was here now. It'd all be okay.

Yeah, said the cynical part of his brain, now you're all in danger. But hey, you're in danger together!

Dipper shoved that voice to the back of his mind. They'd be fine.

As they reached the first intersection, Ford signaled for the twins to stay put before pulling out his own stun gun and going around the corner. Dipper heard two shots, two surprised yells, and two thumps as two bodies fell to the floor.

"Think anyone heard that?" Mabel whispered anxiously.

"I don't know," Dipper said. "The stun guns aren't very loud, but it's echoey down here."

"We have to assume it was audible," Ford said. He beckoned the twins forward. "Time is of the essence. Mabel, do you know which way we should go?"

Mabel's eyes widened. "Um. . . well, when we escaped last time, we came from that way." She pointed, looking to Dipper for confirmation. He nodded. "But that's the way to Pacifica's room, and that's the last place we want to be tonight. I don't know the way to the library from here."

"Can you remember a general direction?" Ford asked.

Mabel closed her eyes to think. After a moment, she opened them and pointed down another hall, the one furthest to the right. "That way. I think?"

"Good enough," Ford said. He frowned down at the unconscious Order members. "We need to keep moving, but if we can stow them somewhere out of the way, there will hopefully be more time before they realize they've been infiltrated. The more time before we're discovered, the better."

The left hall had a couple of doors embedded in the stone walls. Dipper ran to go check them, keeping his stun gun at his side. The first door was locked, but the second opened to a small room with nothing but a chair and a small bureau. Dipper poked his head out and nodded to Ford.

Ford took the first Order member by the shoulders, Mabel grabbing her feet. Together, they lifted the unconscious woman and moved toward the room. Dipper ran back out and grabbed the other Order member by his wrists and started dragging him after Mabel and Ford. A woman and a man. Dipper hoped these two weren't the Corduroys. They didn't bear resemblance to Robbie, though, so it was probably fine.

They're still people, though, Dipper thought as they closed the door on the two cultists.

He shook his head. They were people, yes, which was why the Pines weren't hurting them. But they were caught up in a terrible organization, one helping Bill Cipher. They deserved to be knocked unconscious if it meant working against Bill.

Dipper, Mabel, and Ford jogged down the hall in the direction Mabel decided, trying to keep their footsteps as quiet as possible, but also trying to be fast. They slowed down at each intersection to give Mabel time to think before pointing where they should go. Dipper also tried to figure it out based on what he'd seen, but he'd only been between the entrance and Pacifica's room. So his memory would only be helpful for figuring out where not to go.

At their seventh-or-so intersection, Mabel looked up at Ford, distress evident on her face. "Grunkle Ford, I — I don't actually know where we're going. We could be headed in completely the wrong way."

Ford put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Mabel. If all else fails, we can go with the maze technique of always going right. Do you want to try that?"

"Um. . ." Mabel glanced to Dipper, who gave her a thumbs-up. "N-no, I think we can keep going. O-oh — we're looking for a staircase. The library is at the bottom of a staircase."

"Even deeper underground?" Dipper asked. How overdramatic could one place get?

"Y-yeah, I guess." She took a deep breath, then appraised their two options: forward or right. "Okay, I think forward."

Well, at least they had something to look for: a staircase. Dipper was glad there was some kind of sign to let them know they were close, because everything down here looked the same. Same walls, same ceilings, same lantern brackets. He was impressed that Mabel even had the confidence to make guesses about where to go down in this labyrinth.

They kept walking. Honestly, even though they were technically in a dangerous situation, Dipper was starting to get bored. It was like that time he and Mabel had to tour the high school and got hopelessly lost. Except this place wasn't all shiny linoleum floors and bright colors, it was all rough stone and ominous lighting. Dipper didn't actually know which was worse.

"Hey!"

Dipper jumped and spun around, fumbling with his stun gun. Ford was faster, though. He shot at one of the Order members — they were always in pairs, was that just a thing for them? — and took aim at the other. Dipper instinctively aimed at the same spot, and he shot the stun gun at the remaining Order member at the same time Ford did. The Order member fell to the ground as he got hit in the chest with two stunning shots.

Whoops.

Dipper sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Do you think we hurt him?"

"I don't think so," Ford said. "Maybe a headache when he wakes up. At any rate, there shouldn't be any lasting effects. Do you see a place to hide them?"

"N-no," Mabel said.

Dipper scanned the hall. "Not from here. I don't know if dragging them all the way to one would be worth it."

Ford pursed his lips. "Well, hopefully we're close to the library, then. Let's go."

They kept going, with Mabel taking longer and longer to make decisions about where they should head next. A few intersections later, Ford stopped suddenly.

"Grunkle Ford?" Mabel asked.

He shook his head. "Sorry. I just had an idea. Next time we find a patrol, don't knock either of them out. I want to try something."

Dipper wasn't sure what Ford was planning, but he hoped it would work. He just had to trust Ford's judgment.

Ford checked around the next few corners, gesturing for the twins to be quiet, apparently looking for more patrols. The first few times were fruitless, but after a while, the chance to test his plan came. Dipper and Mabel watched from a few feet away as Ford disappeared around the corner. There was a grunt, then a surprised yell. Dipper edged a little closer to overhear them.

Ford's quiet voice floated around the corner. "I'm sure you know what's pressing against your back. If you scream or try anything, I'll shoot. I hit your buddy there with a knockout patch, but there's much worse waiting for you. So don't say anything or try to harm me or my partners, and it'll all be fine. Kids, go ahead and come out."

Dipper stepped around the corner, and his heart sank. It was Tyler. Dipper had actually become friends with him over the times he saw him at the Mystery Museum, and finding out he was an Order member. . . well, Dipper had had more pressing things to worry about the night of Mabel's rescue. He'd mostly managed to put that out of his mind. But now, seeing the man again. . .

"Now listen closely," Ford said. "We're trying to find the library. I want you to lead us there. Not by talking, just by pointing. If you lead us in the wrong direction, I'll shoot, and then shoot anyone else in my way. Including Pacifica."

Tyler gulped. He met Dipper's eyes, and Dipper looked away, heart hammering in his chest. They were doing this for good reason. Tyler was doing bad things. For all Dipper knew, the man he'd gotten to know was a complete ruse.

"Okay. Now point us to the library."

Tyler pointed.

Dipper and Mabel walked a foot or so behind Ford and Tyler. Mabel's face was drawn and pale. She tapped Dipper's shoulder. "Um. . . Ford didn't actually bring a real gun, right?" she whispered in his ear.

Dipper looked nervously at Tyler. If he heard them talking and realized he wasn't in danger of dying. . . but Mabel needed reassuring. Dipper hung back a little to lessen the chance of being overheard. "No," he whispered back. "He's bluffing."

Mabel sighed in relief, and the twins caught up to the grim procession.

There was still a good chance that Tyler was leading them to their doom. Dipper wasn't sure how smart it was trusting him with directions, even if he thought he was in danger of dying. But Ford called over his shoulder, "Mabel, if it feels like he's taking us the wrong way, tell me, all right?"

Mabel nodded. They walked for a while, and Mabel didn't say anything, so either Tyler was leading them the right way or Mabel's memories were unreliable.

Wait. If they ran into another Order patrol, and Dipper and Mabel shot them with the stun guns. . . wouldn't Tyler call Ford's bluff?

Evidently, Ford was thinking along the same lines. "How many patrols are out tonight?" he asked Tyler in a low voice.

Tyler didn't answer.

Ford jabbed the gun into Tyler's back. "How many patrols?"

"Y-you—" Tyler swallowed. "You said I couldn't talk."

Dipper's heart beat a tattoo against his ribcage. Tyler was scared. He wasn't evil, he was. . . he was scared. How could they be threatening physical harm to someone so afraid?

He's doing bad things, even if he doesn't know he's doing bad things. Dipper had to remember that. But it still felt. . . brutal.

"You may speak to answer my questions," Ford said, "but only if you do so at this same volume. How many patrols are out tonight?"

"I-I-I don't know. I just sh-showed up. I saw maybe, I-I don't know, twenty other people? Thirty?"

Ford nodded pensively. "Are we close?"

"I th-think so."

Mabel's hand found Dipper's, and she squeezed it. He could tell she liked this as much as he did.

The Pines and their captive walked in tense silence for a few more minutes. Then, just as Dipper thought the tension would crush him, the stairs appeared. He — and Mabel — breathed out a sigh of relief.

Ford walked Tyler down the stairs, the twins following. Dipper didn't much like the idea of an underground library in an underground lair, but if the Journal was down there, it'd be worth it. He steeled himself and descended the stone steps.

The library was tiny. Dipper still got the usual sense of vertigo he got in libraries — all that knowledge, sequestered away in books he'd never have the attention span to read — but it was made better by the small amount of books. He kept his stun gun ready in case there were Order members waiting to ambush them inside, but the library was empty.

When all four of them were inside, Ford let go of the stun gun with one hand and pulled a knockout patch out of his pocket. He peeled the wrapper off — somehow without letting go of the stun gun — and held it up to Tyler's neck. "Much appreciated," he said, and he pressed it onto the Order member's skin.

Tyler dropped.

Ford caught him before he hit the ground and lowered him down onto the stone. "These stun guns do more harm the closer you are to the target. Shooting him when the muzzle was touching him could've killed him, which is why Fidds invented these knockout patches. I'm glad this guy did as I said, though. That could've ended badly." He put his hands on his hips and turned to Mabel. "So, where's my Journal?"

Mabel pointed.

Dipper and Ford followed her finger to a glass display case in the center of the room. "Oh," Ford said. The Journal was standing upright, its golden six-fingered hand glinting in the dim firelight. The bold "1" on the cover sent a shiver up Dipper's spine. This was really it. They had really found the first Journal.

"It. . . it's really here," Ford whispered. Dipper glanced up at his uncle to see him staring at the Journal in awe.

"How do we get it out of there, though?" Mabel asked.

Ford blinked, looking down at her. "Well, you shoot the glass with your grappling hook, of course."

Mabel's eyes widened, and she held the grappling hook to her chest. "W-won't that hurt the Journal?"

"No," Ford said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "The glass will absorb enough of the force that the hook shouldn't even touch the book."

Mabel looked doubtful, but she aimed the grappling hook at the display case. Her hand trembled a bit.

"You can do this, Mabel," Ford said. "It'll be fine."

Mabel took a determined breath. Then she pulled the trigger.

Three sounds happened in quick succession: the gun firing, the glass shattering —

And an alarm going off.

Mabel looked to Ford in panic as a klaxon siren blared through the air. "That's our cue to get out of here!" the Author said. He ran to the display case, brushed the broken glass aside with the stun gun, and snatched the Journal up into his arms. "Come on, kids."

"But we're so far from the entrance!" Mabel shouted over the alarm. "We'll never make it!"

Ford bit his lip. "If dozens of Order members are on their way here, we probably won't be able to shoot them all. But we have to get out, have to hide. . ."

A thought appeared in Dipper's mind. He tried to shove it away — it would only work for one of them — but he couldn't think of any better options. And they had to think fast. "I. . ." He hesitated, and Ford and Mabel both looked at him. "I can take the Journal. I can hide."

"Where?" Ford asked.

"On the top of a bookshelf." He pointed to the one nearest to the door. "People rarely look up when they're looking for someone. I learned that from a movie once. I can hide up there, and I'll be right above them."

"This isn't the movies, son," Ford said.

"I-it works, though," Mabel said. "I've used it to hide from bullies before." She swallowed, held out her grappling hook. "Here. To get up there."

Dipper took it. He had to hand his stun gun back to Mabel, though, because he didn't have enough hands for two guns plus the Journal. "But. . . what about you guys?" Dipper asked as Ford handed him the Journal.

"No time to think about us," Ford said. "They'll be here any second, go!"

Dipper knew his great uncle was right. So even though he hated to just abandon them, he took aim at the bookshelf and fired the grappling hook. The hook caught hold on the top lip of the bookshelf, and, with the Journal held close to his chest, Dipper jumped. The grappling hook retracted, pulling him up through the air. For a second, he felt like he was flying — until he hit the bookshelf. He grabbed onto it with his fingers and scrambled up to the top.

He lay on top of the Journal, with the grappling hook by his side. Ford said something to Mabel, but Dipper couldn't hear it over the blaring alarm. Mabel nodded, and she and Ford turned to run up the stairs.

They didn't even make it onto the first step before a small army Order members came pouring into the library.

Ford immediately started firing the stun gun. He took two or three Order members down, too — but there were too many. They swarmed him, wrenching it out of his grip. Mabel fired Dipper's stun gun and managed to hit one attacker, but then they were upon her too.

It took all the willpower Dipper had to sit still and be silent. He wanted more than anything to jump down and save Mabel and Ford — but how? He had no stun gun. He hadn't been smart enough to bring a backpack like Mabel. All he had was the grappling hook and the Journal, neither of which would be effective against the Order members, unless he wanted to use the grappling hook to maim and possibly kill someone. Which he didn't. He knew that they had a better chance of making it out of here safely if he stayed out of the way.

That didn't make it any easier.

The Order members held Ford and Mabel immobile, wrenching their hands behind their backs. At first, Ford fought, swinging his fists with the brass knuckles and making contact with a few unfortunate Order members. Their sheer numbers overwhelmed him, though, and they tackled him to the ground and ripped the brass knuckles off his fingers.

"Don't touch those!" he roared. At least, that's what Dipper thought he said. Ford was yelling, but Dipper was so close to the klaxon that he couldn't be sure.

The Order members grabbed ahold of Ford, ignoring his demand. One of them slipped the brass knuckles into her pocket, and the stun guns also disappeared into the robes of other Order members. The one holding Mabel snatched her backpack roughly from her back, putting it on his own shoulder. Dipper's grip tightened on the Journal.

One of the Order members shouted something Dipper couldn't make out, and a few of them fanned out to look for the Journal. They combed the library for a few minutes. Not once, however, did they look up. Eventually they reconvened, talking inaudibly. Then one shouted, loud enough to be heard, "Move out!"

Dipper watched in horror as Ford and Mabel were marched from the library. Why? Why had he suggested this? Why had he let them be taken? He had to save them, had to go after them!

He wrestled the impulse down. No. He had to wait until the right moment. And it was not now. He had to save them, yes, but he also had to keep the Journal safe. This would all be for nothing if they didn't leave with the Journal. As he waited in agony atop the bookshelf, the alarm rang painfully in his ears.

Suddenly, the alarm turned off.

And Dipper was left in a horrific silence.