Ford let out the millionth sigh of the morning and shifted once again on the bed inside his prison. He'd never been so bored in his life.

He was inside the Northwest Manor, where he'd been since Friday afternoon. He and his brother, Lee, had been at the minotaur village, and they'd been suddenly kidnapped by Cipher's servants. One moment, Ford had been trying (and failing) to fend off Cipher's servants; the next thing he knew, he was lying on a bed in a nice room within the Northwest Manor. The door was locked, there were no windows, and Ford didn't see anyone except for the servants who came in to bring him food and change the chamber pot in the corner.

They didn't even give Ford the dignity of accessing a normal bathroom. They gave him a chamber pot.

To be fair, that might be mainly because of the power outage. He wasn't entirely sure if there had been one, but all signs pointed to that being the case. Ford's prison room was lit by a single lantern that had been taken from the Order headquarters, and the food brought to him was always cold.

It wasn't bad food, though, and the servants made sure he had plenty of water. He wasn't being mistreated. But he was lonely, and bored, and angry about getting captured, and anxious about what was happening outside. No one had told him anything — the servants who came into his room never responded to his questions — but if the servants came to the minotaur village to kidnap him and Lee, then they wouldn't have stopped there. They would've made an attempt for the dagger as well. And a power outage was a sign that the township — meaning the town of Gravity Rises and the magical forest around it — had started moving through the dimensions. Which could only happen if the dagger had been stolen and used to harm one of the Symbols.

They were moving. Ford was sure of it. He didn't know who had been hurt, though. His mind swirled with possibilities: Mabel, his sweet niece that Pacifica had a vengeance against? Dipper, who wouldn't hesitate to defend his sister? Lee, who was under Bill's control?

He didn't think Lee would've been chosen. Bill still needed Lee, for the demon could possess him whenever he desired. And Ford was here, unharmed. So it must've been one of the other eight Symbols. Likely Mabel, if Pacifica had any say in the matter.

Whoever it was, Ford should be out there looking for them, trying to save them. But he was stuck here. Stuck with no sunlight, no freedom, no company.

Was this what Lee had felt like for thirty years? No wonder he'd given in to Bill's promises of relief. If Ford didn't know better, he'd probably do the same.

Ford didn't know where Lee was. He hadn't seen him since they'd been kidnapped. If he had to guess, he'd say that Lee was wherever Bill needed him, getting periodically pulled out of his body so that the demon could possess him. Ford wondered if Lee ever came as a spirit to visit. Ford wouldn't be able to see him if that were the case, but he wondered all the same.

He let out yet another sigh. What time was it? A servant had dropped off his breakfast earlier, and Ford had long since finished it. With nothing else to do, he had laid back on the bed. It was a nice bed — nicer than the air mattress he'd been sleeping on for the past week — and it was easier on his elderly body to just lay here. No matter how boring it was.

He knew he should get up soon and exercise. He was creating a daily routine for himself to keep up his energy while he was trapped here. But he didn't want to get up just yet.

Across the room, a key turned in the lock. Ford shot upright at the sound.

The door opened to reveal one of the servants, a man with dull red hair. He closed the door and locked it behind him, then went to pick up Ford's breakfast place. He acted like Ford wasn't even there.

"Good morning," Ford tried. "Will you answer some questions for me?"

No response.

Ford got to his feet. "Excuse me," he said to the servant. "I'm right here. Don't ignore me."

The servant moved to the door. Ford hurried to block his path, putting himself between the door and the servant. "I just have some simple questions for you. It won't take long."

The man sighed. "Please get out of my way, Stanford."

Good, he'd spoken. "I'll move once you answer my questions," Ford said. "What's your name?"

The man looked at Ford warily, sizing up his options. Ford was pretty sure that he could forcibly remove Ford from his path; but thankfully, he didn't. He sighed again. "I'm Marcus Reed. And no, I won't let you out."

Ford raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that rather defeats the purpose of taking me prisoner, doesn't it? That's not one of my questions."

"Well, get on with it," Marcus said.

"Who was taken?" said Ford. "I know the township is moving. Who did you harm with the dagger?"

"I'm sure you don't mean me, personally," said Marcus, "because Pacifica Pleasure was the one who had the dagger. She targeted your niece, the Pine Tree Symbol."

Ford went cold. He'd suspected this, but it was still terrible to hear. "How did she get to her?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know the details," Marcus said shortly. "Now, if you'll excuse me—"

"Two more questions," Ford said. "How did you people get ahold of my knockout patches?" The servants had used Ford's own knockout patches to knock Ford and Lee unconscious on Friday.

Marcus looked bored by that question. "I believe the Order stole some from you when they attacked you at the UFO the last week. They gave us a few for our own purposes."

"I see," said Ford; that had been his best guess. "Last question. Where's my brother?"

Marcus gave a thin, impatient smile. "Wherever Lord Cipher needs him to be."

"Is he here in the Manor?"

"I won't be divulging that information." Marcus put a hand on Ford's shoulder to push him away. "If you'll excuse me, I must be on my way."

Ford didn't resist; he moved across the room and glared at Marcus's back as the man left. Now wasn't the time for an escape attempt, but oh would Ford like to wipe that thin smile right off Marcus's face.

Instead, he channeled his energy into an exercise routine. He was horrified that Mabel had been hurt and angry that Marcus hadn't given him any information about Lee. If Ford was going to help either of them, he couldn't do it while lying back on a bed in his makeshift prison. He had to be physically and mentally ready at any opportunity to escape.

As he stretched, did pushups, and ran in place, he thought about Mabel and her situation. Could he help her? Andrew the minotaur had told him that there was most likely a way to save the Symbols from death after they'd been stabbed by the dagger. Ford had to believe that it was possible to save his niece. He didn't know how, but he was determined to escape the Northwest Manor, find Andrew, and rescue Mabel. Who knew how much time they had before it was too late for her?

He'd have to find his escape opportunity soon.

Ford continued exercising, alone in the locked room in the heart of the Northwest Manor.

~~~~~

Dipper had a spring in his step as he and Gideon came down for lunch. The two of them had been working on their plan for the last few hours. They disagreed on some parts of the plan (Dipper wanted to convince one of the Order members to help them leave the Museum, while Gideon wanted to just run for it and take their chances), but at least they had something. That was better than it had been this morning.

If there weren't enemies around the Museum, Dipper would've run outside and told Mabel everything they'd planned. Instead, he entered the kitchen (which had a few glowfly lanterns on the counters) and sat at the table with a determined smile on his face. He glanced around for Waddles but didn't see him. Robbie, Janice, and Greg Corduroy were currently clearing their dishes from their own lunch, which they'd eaten on the first shift to lessen the amount of people in the kitchen at once. With thirteen people currently at the Mystery Museum, things got crowded easily.

"What's there to lose, Mom?" Robbie said as Dipper and Gideon sat down. "They can't get to us, and we don't have to get anywhere near them. We'll just talk to them."

"Those servants have guns," Janice reminded him. "They could easily shoot your father and me; we don't matter to Cipher."

"But remember how they tried to shoot Danny the other day?" said Greg. "The bullet disintegrated when it reached the barrier."

Janice looked doubtful. "I don't remember seeing that," she said.

"I did," Robbie said. "Dad's right, the bullet just. . . turned to ash."

"I think we're safe from the guns," Greg said. "I think we should try this, Janice. We have to tell the others about Cipher's true nature. They're reasonable people; I'm sure they'll at least listen to us."

"Well," Robbie said, "I wouldn't bank on that. You guys are usually 'reasonable people,' but you wouldn't listen to me until Dipper blew up at you."

Janice pursed her lips, but Greg nodded in concession.

Speaking of Dipper, "How you doing, Dip-kid?" Robbie asked him gently.

"I'm okay," he replied, and he wasn't really lying. He wasn't truly okay, since Mabel was still out there, but he was better than he had been since she'd been taken. That had to count for something. "What are you guys talking about?" he asked the Corduroys.

"Dad had a cool idea," said Robbie. "Since he and my mom have officially switched sides"—he looked intensely happy and relieved as he said this—"then they could tell the Order members outside about what made them change their minds. The Northwest servant dudes probably wouldn't listen—"

Gideon confirmed this with a derisive laugh.

"—but the others might. We want to talk to them."

"Janice has a point about the guns," said Gideon. "I thought I saw that bullet disintegrate, too; but it happened really fast. I'm not entirely sure that's what happened, or if it would happen again. We don't know for sure if the servants can shoot us or not."

"Exactly," Janice said grimly. "Frankly, I'm not worried about you, since Cipher needs you. But Greg and I are disposable."

"Don't worry," said Gideon, equally grim. "We're disposable, too. Cipher just has a special way to dispose of us."

Robbie sighed. "Thanks, Gideon, I needed a reminder of that. Look, I think it's worth the risk to go out there. We need an ally on the other side of that barrier."

"I agree with Robbie," said Greg. He put an arm around his wife. "You don't have to come with us if you don't want to. But I want to try."

Janice leaned her head on his shoulder and looked sideways at him. "I'm coming with you," she said. "I want to try, too. I'm just trying to be realistic about the risk."

"I know," Greg said gently.

Melody came into the kitchen at that moment. "What risk?" she asked, having heard Janice.

Greg told Melody their plan to go outside and talk to the Order members. Janice added the risks — mostly that of being shot (though Dipper didn't think it was that much of a risk, given what they'd seen the other day). Melody listened quietly. "Who's going out there, then?" she asked.

Next to Dipper, Gideon made a tiny noise of surprise. Perhaps he was expecting Melody to oppose the plan. Greg answered, "Me, Janice, and Robbie."

"And me," Dipper piped up.

Gideon shot Dipper a look, and Dipper returned it with a confident nod. Gideon didn't want to recruit help from the Order members, but what better opportunity if the Corduroys were already going out there?

"I can help," Dipper continued, turning back to the Corduroys. "Robbie said it was me who really helped you guys see the truth, right? I can help the others, too."

Greg and Janice shared a look, and Robbie said, "You've got a point there, Dip."

"Sure, you can come," Greg said. "We'll go after you eat your lunch."

The Corduroys left the kitchen. Dipper, Gideon, and Melody got their food; Fidds came into the kitchen not long after and served himself, too. Gideon looked disgruntled that Dipper was going to go outside, but he didn't say anything. He probably didn't want to reveal their plan to anyone so soon.

Well, Dipper thought it was dumb not to reveal it. "It'll be fine, Gideon," he said. "Like Robbie said, we need an ally on the other side of the barrier. This is better than trying to sneak out on our own."

Melody turned her head sharply at this. "Sneak out?"

Gideon gave Dipper a quick glare, then turned back to Melody with a sigh. "Dipper and I are leaving to rescue Mabel," he said. "I wanted to try to sneak out on our own, but Dipper thinks we can convince someone in the Order to help us."

"I bet Tyler will listen to us," Dipper said. "He's a nice guy. He's just misguided."

"Would you bet our escape on that?" asked Gideon. "Telling an Order member that we're trying to escape just increases the risk that they'll stop us."

"Obviously I wouldn't tell them about our plan until I think they can be trusted," Dipper said.

"Nobody outside can be trusted," Gideon shot back.

"Is it just you two that are planning to leave?" Melody asked, sounding a bit worried.

"Yes," Gideon said immediately. "We have to go unnoticed; we can't have too many people. You won't try to stop us, will you?" he asked with a challenge in his eyes.

"No need to be hostile," Fidds said mildly. He had a soft, musical voice that Dipper had never heard him raise. His faint Southern accent added a calming drawl to his words.

Melody looked from Dipper to Gideon. "You really think you can get Mabel back?" she asked with hesitant hope in her voice.

"This plan will give us the best chance," Dipper said confidently. "We're going to get Gideon's amulet, and he'll fly up to Mabel's moon and save her."

"Just Gideon?"

"I can't take anyone else when I fly with my amulet," Gideon said irritably. "What, are you worried I'd hurt Mabel while I'm up there?"

Dipper was worried about that, even if he knew it was a paranoid thought. "You have hurt her before," he said quietly.

Gideon flinched at that. Actually flinched. "I've apologized. I won't hurt her again."

"I believe you," Melody said soothingly. "I was just asking a clarifying question. So, how will you get the amulet?"

"We'll have to sneak into my mansion and find it," said Gideon. "I think Ford and Lee are there, too; we'll get them out."

The hope in Melody's eyes told Dipper that it was definitely a good idea to tell her about all this. "They're at the Manor? Really?" she said.

"That's what Pacifica made it sound like," Gideon said. Dipper looked at him in alarm — he hadn't told Melody about what he'd found out? She'd been the most worried about Ford and Lee since Pacifica had announced their capture. Why hadn't Gideon told her that they were likely safe at the Manor?

Well, maybe not safe, but sitting inside a plush mansion was certainly better than starving in a cold cave or something.

Melody seemed to be thinking along those same lines. "That's a relief, then," she said quietly. "I'd worried that. . ." She trailed off.

From the look on Gideon's face, he didn't think it a relief that the brothers were in the Manor. Thankfully, though, he didn't say as much. "We can get my amulet and rescue them," he said. "But we'll have to escape without being noticed, so we can't take anyone with us."

"You seem intent on nobody else coming," Fidds said.

"Yeah, I am," Gideon replied. "I'm already worried enough about bringing Dipper."

Dipper folded his arms. "You wouldn't be able to leave without me. I'm going to get Tyler to help us, and it'll be much better than us trying to run away by ourselves."

Gideon sighed. "I'm not trying to leave without you, though I think it's a stupid idea to talk to anyone. Tyler might listen — he's always been pretty weak, just following along with everyone else. I don't know if he actually believes in Cipher's cause, at least not in the way the more dedicated Order members do. But still, he could easily give away our plan to people who do believe in the cause."

"Did you believe in it?" Dipper asked.

Gideon went quiet. "Sorry," Dipper said, "I was just curious."

"It's a fair question," Gideon said. He glanced at Melody and Fidds, who were watching him with soft, supportive looks on their faces. "Well," he said, "I wanted Bill gone. The Order wanted to help him escape, and I wanted him out of my life. . . so I figured if helping him escape meant getting rid of him, then I'd gladly do that. But I didn't realize it would end in people's deaths."

"No, he conveniently leaves that part out," Fidds said.

"The point is, I think it's great to try to get more people on our side," Gideon said. "It's just not safe to tell anyone that we're planning to leave."

"I won't tell anyone," Dipper promised. He finished his last bite of food. "Okay, I'd better go."

"I'll get your dishes," Melody said. "Be careful, okay? Don't get too close to the barrier; we can't risk anyone getting in. Tell the Corduroys, too."

"Of course," Dipper assured her.

"I guess I'll talk to Pacifica some more while you're out there," Gideon said. "Don't do anything stupid."

Dipper rolled his eyes. "I won't."

"I think what Gideon's trying to say," Fidds said, "is that he's trusting you." He smiled softly at Gideon, then at Dipper. "I believe in you, Dipper."

Dipper smiled. "Thanks, Fidds. And thanks, Gideon." He took a deep breath. "Well, here goes."

"Be safe," said Melody as he left the kitchen.

Dipper found the Corduroys in the living room. Wendy Valentino was in there, too, with cans of spray paint rattling in the bag slung over her shoulder, talking to Robbie about an idea for a protest mural on the side of the Museum. Dipper didn't think Ford would approve of his house becoming a canvas, but he didn't think anyone could stop Wendy. She'd brought most of her spray paint with her to the Museum, and she'd been talking about using it since she came here last week. Dipper figured that only a lack of ideas had stopped her — and maybe her dad.

The five of them got into their winter gear, and Janice passed out heat mushrooms. Dipper split his mushroom and stuffed both halves under his gloves like hand warmer packets. "How long will we be out there?" he asked.

"Probably until dinner, if we can get anyone to listen to us for that long," Greg said. He looked a bit doubtful that anyone would, but hopeful all the same.

"Then let's get out there," Dipper said.

Together, Dipper, Wendy, and the three Corduroys went outside.