Dark World

Chapter 12 - The Execution

Dipper hopped into the copilot seat behind Pacifica with some difficulty as the seat was higher up. Pacifica was already flicking toggle switches and pressing buttons seemingly at random as the helicopter rotors and twin Lycoming T35 turboshaft engines began to whine and startup. The sun was now well past its apex as it neared the horizon by the time they had everything ready. Pacifica and Dipper said a proper goodbye to her mother. Dipper filled the Stan's in on the plan before they made it back to the woods where the Bell AH-1 SuperCobra had currently landed.

Dipper watched as the evergreen pines around them rustled and the large volumes of air were pushed past them and the tall grass in the woodland clearing was pushed flat in a circle around the helicopter. As the craft left the ground and began to rise above the trees Dipper asked, "So um...when did you learn to pilot and attack helicopter?" Dipper could see her grin in the small mirror someone had mounted in the craft. "I was taught by the same person that flew the craft last." Dipper knew better than to ask. He sighed. "Where on earth did you find this dinosaur though?" he asked incredulously. "Trust a dinosaur to find one," Pacifica replied critically. Dipper waited in silence exercising discipline to not just blurt out, "What??" Eventually, Pacifica cast a glance at him in the mirror only to find him watching her. She looked back ahead and smirked. "The craft is your great uncle Stanley's. He's letting us 'borrow' it." Dipper sat up straiter. "How did he get it and more importantly how did he get it into Gravity Falls?!?"

Pacifica breathed in. "Stanley bought it from some friends. I believe he said something about Columbia." Dipper shook his head while Pacifica continued. "As to how he got it here he refused to tell me and frankly with your great uncle I'm not sure I want to know." Dipper chortled in amusement. "Fair enough." A new line of thought had hit Dipper. "Wait a second! Won't Boling AFB just threaten to shoot us down when we come in range?!? That is if were not shot down sooner. It's in Washington on the opposite coast."

Pacifica nodded. "I wondered how long it would take you to ask that. You really are sharp Pines." Dipper waited for the sarcasm till he realized she was complimenting him in genuine. Pacifica flicked a few toggles and buttons as she made a course adjustment. "You see that little glowing disk mounted up by the compass gimbal bellow the radar device. Dipper nodded spotting it quickly. Everything in the craft despite being well taken care of showed obvious signs of wear and aging. The disk however had a new, almost chrome-like polish with a few LED lights on the side and a display Dipper could not read from the co-pilot's seat. He nodded, "Yes, I see it." Pacifica continued to look forward as she spoke. "That device cloaks us from all radar and satellites even renders us difficult to see." Dipper sat up. "You want to elaborate on that last part?" Pacifica grinned. "It's an adaptive camouflage device. It's not flawless but it makes the aircraft extremely difficult to spot or hear." She sighed having already predicted his next question. "Where did you get such a device?" Pacifica twirled her blonde hair that escaped the confines of the pilot's helmet with her fingers absentmindedly. "The pilot from the other night." Dang, it thought Dipper silently to himself. He wouldn't get any more questions answered from that line of thought. His mind presented another valid question. Just how long would it take to get to Washington, DC? It was about 800 or 900 miles and they were traveling at around 165 mph based on the instrument panels. His mind did the math. Even at these high speeds that would still amount to almost a five-hour flight. He opened his mouth to ask his question.

Pacifica flicked various toggles and buttons before taking the controls with both hands. "Brace yourself." Dipper was about to ask what for, the previous question all but forgotten when the second question suddenly became entirely irrelevant.  Pacifica was diving for what appeared to be a large radioactive green-colored disk that had somehow appeared in the sky. Dipper's jaw clenched in fear as Pacifica flattened the craft out and took it nose-first at full speed into the foreign green disk. Dipper braced for impact but nothing happened. Instead, the sky seemed much darker as the sun was now beneath the horizon somehow. The terrain around them seemed entirely different. Pacifica took the craft over the high city wall keeping it far away from the drones to avoid any accidental collisions.