Gravity Rises (S1)

NW: Part Eight

Dipper was a ninja.

That thought helped him as he crept through the undergrowth beside Robbie — or, heh, the Robconscious. Best pun he'd ever made.

Ninja. Right. He was a ninja, and ninjas were silent. Bill would never see them coming.

"There he is," the Robconscious breathed.

Dipper stopped, peering around a tree trunk. A few feet away, studying a tree trunk and its memories, was Bill. The yellow glow of the demon threw an eerie light around him.

"You're positive you don't know anything?" Dipper whispered back, trying very hard to be quiet.

The Robconscious shushed him gently, then shook his head. "Nothing."

"This memory bank is ridiculous," Bill said. His sudden, loud voice startled Dipper after all the quiet. He was just talking to himself, right? He hadn't heard them?

Bill didn't have anything else to say; he simply drifted from one memory to the next.

Dipper and the Robconscious watched in silence for a while. Dipper tried with all his might not to squirm. It was admittedly easier in this dream body thingy, but not that much easier.

Minutes later, or maybe hours, Dipper heard the sound of something hitting something else, followed by a muffled curse. He whirled around, but the Robconscious pushed him down. After a moment of his head in the dirt, Dipper realized Bill might be looking in their direction, and the Robconscious was right to push Dipper out of the way. Didn't make the dirt in his mouth taste any better, though.

The Robconscious let Dipper back up. "What is she doing?" he hissed, looking back at the direction of the sound. Dipper took the opportunity to glance at Bill. The demon was still studying memories, looking none the wiser.

Suddenly, the Robconscious vanished.

Dipper jumped away, colliding with a tree branch that rammed into his back. "Ow!" he exclaimed. Then he covered his mouth.

"Dipper?" Wendy stepped around a tree. "Where's Robbie?"

"I dunno — he just — shh!"

But it was too late.

"Oh, there you are," came Bill's voice. "I was wondering when you'd catch up with me."

Dipper flattened himself against the tree behind him and tried to pull Wendy with him, but she snatched her arm away with a glare.

Bill floated around the bend. "Hi there, Shooting Star!" he said to Dipper. Why was he calling him that?

"Hey, you dumb triangle, didn't anyone ever teach you to mind your own business?" Dipper shot back. It wasn't the best comeback, but maybe it'd be effective.

"Nope!" Bill replied. "Never. Hey, wanna know something funny?" He didn't wait for Dipper or Wendy to respond. "Turns out that Robbie doesn't even know the information I need! Now, to tell you the truth, I already knew that. But you know what? I still came. Because even though my little trip into Robbie's mind was futile for Miss Pleasure's desires, it's not completely useless."

The trees around them lit on fire.

Dipper started, colliding with Wendy as he shied back from the fire. She frantically grabbed his arm. Maybe the gravity of their situation was finally getting through her head.

"So," Bill said with a wide eye and a twisted glee in his voice. As he spoke, he grew larger and larger until his yellow glow was near blinding. "Who wants to have some fun?"