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10 Minutes...
He couldn't get the big grin off his face as he waited in gleeful anticipation for the timer to count down to zero. This was it. The moment that he had been working for for around a decade. All the searching, all the studying, all the scheming... It had all been building up to this. His grand finale.
9 Minutes...
No longer would they make fun of him or disrespect him in any other way. With this machine and the journals on his side he would be unstoppable; A force to be reckoned with. Unlimited power and knowledge would finally be at his hand.
8 Minutes...
Long gone would be the days were he would have to suck up to the gullible populace and play the innocent child/teen act. Long gone would be the days where his parents and classmates would disrespect him. After today everyone would finally realize his true greatness.
7 Minutes...
He already knew what he would do with his newfound power. He would expand his empire past Gravity Falls. Gideonland would finally go global. He would become the richest, most powerful man in the world. Someone that they would write about in the history books.
6 Minutes...
He didn't care for the consequences. Those could be dealt with once he got his power. He had come too far for this to stop. Thievery, bribing... He had to jump through so many hurdles just to find this damn device and get it to work. He wasn't gonna stop now.
5 Minutes...
Besides, who was there to stop him? The government? He had already payed off some local politicians and thanks to his dad's connection to the Blind Eye Society and their special memory gun he was fairly certain that he could get any nosy agent off his back that might come snooping around in here.
4 Minutes...
The local police? Hah! Those two fools couldn't stop a jaywalker if their lives depended on it. Heck, they had been pretty much unwittingly working for him all this time. They were the ones who had made sure that he had kept his stolen property on which Gideonland was now build. They were the ones who had arrested all of his enemies for him. He only needed to play the poor, innocent victim and those two fools would come running immediately, ready to arrest anyone that had dared to “bully” him. Those guys weren't a threat.
3 Minutes...
The Pines family? Yeah, right. His old rival Stanford had tucked in his tail and left the town years ago, after it became apparent that he wouldn't get his property back. And his great-niece and -nephew likewise left Oregon years ago - after spending a few weeks in the local jail, thanks to the aforementioned incompetent policemen, who had fully believed his story that the twins had unlawfully attacked and hurt him.
2 Minutes...
There was no one left to oppose him. Today his long journey for power would finally reach it's end. Everything from that fated day he had found that mysterious journal buried near his schoolyard, to the finding and activation of this device would all come together.
1 Minute...
He still kept the grin on his face as the device kept gaining more power. A portal was opening up right in the middle. Reality itself seemed to morph, as gravity gradually disappeared. He held his breath. This was it.
5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
The world disappeared in a flash.
When he found his bearings again, he saw that the whole underground lab was in shambles. Every fixture and piece of furniture had been broken and thrown around. Even the portal device itself took some heavy damage and for a moment Gideon felt himself panic. Had he miscalculated something? Was the thing broken?
But then a shadow appeared right in the middle of the slowly disappearing blue portal and his earlier panic changed into confusion and intrigue. The teenager watched, mesmerized, as the shadow transformed into a hooded man, who stepped gracefully and wordlessly over all the rubble, drew out a weapon - and pointed it straight at Gideon.
And with that the initial panic had returned tenfold.
“Ah, don't shoot me!!”, cried the teen out in horror, as he frantically scrambled backwards, away from the threat, until his back hit the wall. His mind was racing, trying to think of something that he could use to protect himself. The memory gun perhaps? It was the only thing he had on him.
But before he could grab it, the stranger already lowered his own weapon and asked in a low and slightly confused voice: “A child?”
That remark got to Gideon, who instantly forgot all about his fear and jumped up to his feet, exclaiming indignantly: “Hey, I'll have you know I'm almost eighteen! Just because I'm a bit on the short side and my voice is a little higher doesn't mean you get to just disrespect me like that! Now who the hell even are you?!”
“I should ask you this. Who are you? How did you find this portal?”, commanded the stranger, who still seemed highly suspicious of him. But at least he didn't raise his weapon again, after apparently having decided that the white-haired teen posed no immediate threat.
Gideon likewise didn't draw his memory gun yet, but he did keep a safe distance from the other man, as he curtly explained: “I'm the owner of this property and this lab. This is my home you're standing in right now.” This was all the stranger needed to know. “Now who are you?”
Surprisingly the older man seemed to deflate somewhat at the teen's explanation, his shoulders hanging a bit low. He murmured something under his breath and after giving it a few seconds of consideration, he pulled away his hood and goggles and spoke slowly: “I'm the one who build this portal. The one you just irresponsibly activated.”
He spoke some more words after this, but Gideon wasn't listening anymore, his gaze fixed on the other man's face. Two tired, familiar blue eyes kept staring at the teen from behind a pair of cracked glasses; his moving mouth was surrounded by a very prominent chin.
“Stanford Pines?!”
The other stopped whatever he was saying just now and looked at the white-haired teen in bewilderment. “You... know my name?”
No, this couldn't be right. This couldn't be right at all! Stanford Pines left the town ages ago. He had given up. How could he now be standing here? Unless he had somehow tricked Gideon and this was part of some scheme to get back at him. Maybe this portal device right here was linked to some other portal device hidden in some other secret lab that Stanford Pines had been hiding in all this time.
But then, why have that portal at all? Why all the complicated and dangerous instructions for it? Why wait years for Gideon to activate it, instead of activating it himself? And what about the journals? Had Stanford written them all along? After all, journal number one had been hidden in this secret lab of his and number three had been in Dipper's possession. But then why bury the second one, where other people could find it? Why not keep them all? It just didn't make any sense!
...Come to think of it, what was that portal device even for? The journals had made it out to be some powerful gateway to unimaginable power and knowledge, but instead of doing that, it had just opened a short portal for one single man, before breaking down entirely.
It just didn't make any sense!
He was shaken out of his racing thoughts, when he felt a comforting hand on his left shoulder. Looking up, he could see Stanford kneeling before him, a somewhat concerned look on his face.
“Whoa, easy there! Take it slow. That's right, breath...”
Only now did Gideon realize that he was sitting on the ground, after having collapsed just seconds earlier, and was on the verge of hyperventilating. The teen shook his head as if in a stupor and he somehow felt like laughing and screaming at the same time. All this time... all this effort... all the risks... wasted.
Wasted on one of his rivals crazy schemes...
Sudden anger welled up in him at that realization and he quickly slapped Stanford's hand away, fixing the old man with a furious stare. “I don't need your pity, old man! What the hell are you even doing here?! What kind of crazy scheme have you been planning? Spit it out!”
When his rival didn't immediately answer and only regarded the teen with a confused and concerned stare, he kept going: “I already beat you! I already took your stupid business, so what are you still doing here?! Have you been playing tricks on me this whole time? Is this some sort of revenge plan to get back at me?!”
“I... don't quite know what you're getting at...”, confessed Stanford, who seemed more puzzled by the second. “I've never even met you before, so-”
“Oh, don't play dumb on me now! You do know me, Stanford Pines. You've been my biggest competition back then. Or are you already getting senile? You know, I had expected way better from a conman like you, but I guess in the end you are just a no-good phony. Why else would you turn tail and run back then?”
His old rival had been listening quietly to Gideon's outburst, trying to make sense of what the teenager was saying, but now his expression seemed to slowly change, as a lightbulb went off in his head. “Wait, are you... talking about Stanley?”
“Who?”, was all Gideon could answer, his anger momentarily forgotten.
“My twin brother.”
Stanford had a twin brother? Huh...
......Wait.
The teenager did a double-take at that, shooting the other an astonished look.
...In fact, now that he was looking at the guy - really looking at him - he could see minor differences between him and the Stanford from the past. This Stanford's hair was a bit darker, his chin had a slightly different shape, his face seemed smoother... even his voice had a different pitch and Gideon was surprised that he was only now noticing it.
“So... wait... you're saying... that there are two Stanford Pines'?!”
"Not quite. There's only one. Me. ...Unless somehow, for some reason, my twin had introduced himself as me... which I guess wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility."
He had only mumbled that last sentence to himself, before turning his full attention back to Gideon: "What is my brother doing, anyway?"
And boy, was that an awkward question to answer.
"I understand from your outburst just now that you and him had apparently some kind of rivalry going on, but I'm still quite unsure on the details. Could you explain it again?"
"Well..." What was he supposed to even say? Sorry, but he left this town years ago, after I stole everything from him, including your portal? Speaking of which...
"Wait, what was that about you building that portal? And about irresponsibly activating it? What does it do?” He knew that he was evading Stanford's question on purpose now, not quite ready to answer it, but he was also really interested in the truth about the portal. He really wanted to know just what that machine was and what he had been wasting all these years of his life for. It was clear now that whatever this was for, it was not for granting ultimate power.
“Well, I suppose I could answer that question...”, the old man sighed, clearly reluctant to go into that topic, the same way Gideon had been reluctant to answer that previous question. “But before I do, could you please answer my question first?”
“Only after you answer mine!”
Stanford sighed again over the teen's rather childish answer and reluctantly sat down on a big piece of rubble. Gideon followed his lead and sat down a bit farther from the man, not quite trusting him.
“Very well...”, the old man began, looking kind of tired. He looked the teen over for a long moment, debating with himself, before he finally explained: “Like I said, I'm the one who build that portal... but it turned out to be more dangerous than I had anticipated. If fully activated, it had the potential to cause total global destruction, so I stopped my work on it and hid away all of my books that contained the blueprints and instructions, so-”
“Wait, you mean the journals?!”, interrupted the teen with wide eyes, as he immediately caught on. His mouth fell open when Stanford only nodded in response and it all clicked together in his head. The author! Stanford - this Stanford right here - was the author! Holy shit...
And then the rest of Stanford's words registered in his brain and Gideon could feel his heart sink: “Wait a second. You said total global destruction... This thing isn't dangerous anymore, is it?”
His gaze wandered over to the now broken, deactivated portal, examining it carefully. He had known about the gravity anomalies that that machine could cause; he had known about how it was a gateway to power and all; but he hadn't known about this fact. Should they be worried?
Stanford followed Gideon's gaze and he slowly shook his head. “No, I don't think so. There was one danger that had lurked beyond this portal, many years ago, threatening this world... but I personally took care of that threat.”
He fell quiet after that and Gideon could feel that there was way more to this story, than Stanford was telling him there; but before the teen could ask further, the old man looked back at him and spoke up: “Now that I told you that, are you willing to answer my question now?”
And, well, there wasn't a good excuse to deny him that request, now was there? Especially if he wanted to learn more information from the author. Gideon heavily doubted that Stanford would provide him with more answers about the portal, the journals or his life as the author, if the teen in return didn't answer his own questions. So he supposed he had to give an answer about what had happened to the first - the fake - Stanford.
But just because he had to give an answer, that didn't mean he couldn't bend the truth a little bit.
“Well, like I said, me and Stanford-... Stanley, sorry, we had been rivals. We both had our respective businesses, fighting over customers, promoting our stuff, all that. And over time, I just... became more successful then him, I guess. Made more money. So much so, that he had to admit defeat and willingly sell his own business over to me. I mean, a man's gotta eat, right? I guess he just really needed the money and that's why he sold this shack here. And after that, he moved out of the town. Haven't heard from him in years...”
Gideon hoped to god that the other man wasn't picking up on his slightly more nervous voice or any other signs the teen might be displaying, that showed that he was lying. But there was no way that he could tell Stanford the truth. Who knew how that man would react? Plus, that guy got a gun on him and Gideon would rather not be shot in revenge for his thievery.
“Is that so...?”, was all the old man answered in a slightly strained voice, his gaze drawn to the ground and his eyebrows furrowed. He seemed torn between hurt and anger and Gideon couldn't tell if it was directed towards him or towards that guy's twin brother - or if Stanford had even bought Gideon's lie in the first place.
For a few seconds no one said anything. Gideon was unsure of what to say and Stanford was too busy with whatever internal conflict he was dealing with right now. But then the old man pulled himself together and looked up at the teen: “Can I take a look at it? My shack, I mean.”
Gideon didn't know what the old man had been expecting to see, upon his arrival from beyond that portal, but it was obviously not this, that much was for sure. He could tell by the way Stanford's face twisted into a deep frown, as he laid eyes on Gideonland.
“An amusement park?”, the old man had asked, quite incredulously, and the teen immediately felt the need to defend himself.
“Hey, amusement parks are good business! People love them! I mean, just look at all the customers outside, checking out my rides.”
Stanford immediately opened his mouth, ready to argue, and then closed it again, apparently deciding that it wasn't worth his energy. Instead he turned away from the window, no longer wanting to look at the attractions outside, and examined the inside of the living room.
“You changed quite a lot in my house.”, he remarked after several seconds of observation. He didn't sound happy about it.
“Well, technically it is my house now. I mean, I got the deed and everything. Do you wanna see my deed?”, retorted the teen, still eager to convince the author of his little lie. And besides, as far as every townsfolk in Gravity Falls was concerned, Gideon did obtain that deed fair and square.
The other man didn't answer right away, so Gideon decided to show it to him anyway, if only to convince him more. He loudly called out for his mother to bring him said document and Stanford had to raise his eyebrow at the way the teen was commanding her like that - especially when the woman finally entered the room, looking for all intents and purposes like a nervous wreck.
Gideon took the piece of paper from his mother and proudly showed it off, not noticing how the older man seemed to wilt a little at the sight. Nor did the teen notice his mother quietly tiptoe out of the room, eager to get away from her son.
Stanford did notice though. “Your mother seems a bit... stressed?”, he asked, tentative.
The teen just waved his concerns away: “Oh, it's fine. She just get's a little overworked sometimes, what with her doing so much for me and my father. But hey, that's what family's for, am I right? Always sticking together and helping one another.”
This time he did notice the other wilt. Oh and how he wilted! For a brief moment it actually looked like the old man was suffering from legitimate pain, which made Gideon pause. Showing much more tact than he had done before, the teenager asked tentatively: “Oh, touchy subject?”
“You could say that...” And then, after a brief pause: “Just thinking of my twin brother...”
Oh, yeah, right, his twin brother! Stanley... The guy that had pretended to be his own twin. Gideon also had some questions about that and he figured that now might be as good a time as any to ask them: “May I ask what happened? With him and you? Like, why was he living in your house, taking on your name?”
Stanford gave a long, suffering sigh, looking way more older and tired than he did just a minute before: “That's... a long story, actually...”
“Oh, don't worry, I have plenty of time.”
The old man actually gave a little chuckle at Gideon's exclamation, though it was a somewhat humorless one: “You're awfully curious and persistent with your questions.”
“Well, I think that's only natural, when you have a stranger suddenly come out from your portal - a portal, by the way, that didn't even function as advertised - and have him turn out to be a never before seen twin brother from one of your past rivals, as well as the author of the famous journals.”
“Yes, I guess that's fair...”, Stanford admitted with a shrug and then added: “I take it you have read them?” It was a statement, not a question.
“The journals? Oh, yes! I've had them in my possession for quite a while now. I actually found journal number two first, while I was still in elementary school. I must say, Stanford, you hid it pretty well, but I was quite clever in my youth. Still am, in fact. Your second book helped me so much during my childhood. Especially that mystic amulet of yours.” Gideon was kind of bragging now.
“That... explains quite a lot, actually.”, the author mumbled quietly under his breath, as he massaged his own forehead. He definitely sounded unhappy now. “You do know that amulet can corrupt your soul, if you use it too much, right?”
Again the white-haired teen tried to justify himself: “Well, I did read the warnings, but I figured it wouldn't be that bad. Besides, I only used that thing for my show! ...And to grant myself a few favors here and there...”
“Great...”, said Stanford, exasperated: “Just great... So I inadvertently corrupted an innocent child with my own work. A child that now lives in my own home, using my own experiments...”
The teen wanted to argue again and had already opened his mouth, but Stanford wasn't finished with his rant: “And my own brother is living god knows where, enjoying his life, after selling off my property. My property that he took from me, together with my name, just because of his own selfishness! Just like he always does!”
Gideon immediately closed his mouth. Okay, that outburst was unexpected. He decided to wait; to see if Stanford would elaborate more on that. When the old man didn't, the teen asked himself: “Uh... may I ask what you mean by 'Just like he always does'? Or is it a bad time to ask?”
The author sighed deeply, as he weighed his options. He still felt heavily conflicted about telling this strange teenager anything about his past. But on the other hand, where was the harm? The teen already knew about the portal and the journals and the amulet. He already knew Stanley. He now knew about Ford's existence as well. And as for Bill, that guy didn't pose a threat anymore. And really, when was the last time that Ford had an opportunity to speak with another human being? So he began talking...
If Gideon hadn't already come in contact with the supernatural via the journals and hadn't seen the portal device in action, he probably wouldn't believe Stanford's story at all. It was too outlandish. His back-story... His studies... His meeting with Bill Cipher... His construction of the portal... Him getting pushed into another dimension by his twin brother... His adventures in the multiverse and him defeating Bill once and for all... It all sounded crazy. But it explained so much.
“...and that's all of it.”, concluded Stanford with his story, while looking outside the window at the people frequenting the amusement park. There was a deep, melancholy look in his blue eyes. Gideon meanwhile was sitting on a couch and looking down at the floor, as he processed this story.
“So, as you can see, my brother has a clear history of disregarding me.” These words finally made the teen look up and look at the author, surprised. For a moment he didn't understand what Stanford was getting at, until the old man elaborated: “He ruined my college prospects and stole over thirty years of my life, by pushing me into that portal...... I guess it's no surprise that he would leave me for dead in that other dimension and just move away like that......”
He sounded so pained and disappointed when he said that and Gideon was overcome with a sudden and surprising flurry of conflicting emotions. One of those being guilt. He remembered the lie he had told Stanford, about Stanley just selling the shack to him and moving away, and it seemed that Stanford took that lie at face value. Which meant that the guy now thought that his own twin brother didn't care enough about him to attempt any kind of rescue or at the very least keep his old house...
And, shit, that wasn't true at all, wasn't it? After all, Gideon remembered too well the intense rivalry he had with Stanley. He remembered how hard Stanley fought for that deed, how he absolutely refused to give up that shack. He remembered the two journals that were in the Pines' possession and the almost completely repaired portal, indicating that Stanley had been working on getting his brother back in some way. And he also remembered how broken Stanley was, after the teen took his property by force.
He remembered how, one day before he moved out of Gravity Falls for good, Stanley had actually visited the shack and begged - literally begged - Gideon for a way - any way - to give him his property back. Gideon remembered laughing in the old man's face at the time, before slamming the door on him...
He didn't feel like laughing now.
“Well, I guess it doesn't matter anymore...”, Stanford sighed, closing his eyes. “This is technically your house now, so my past shouldn't really concern you. Though I do have to ask you to not use my old experiments. Some of them, like the portal, are highly dangerous and I would hate to have another person injured thanks to my own work.”
Gideon kept quiet, still reeling from his previous realization. He didn't know what to say.
“In fact, if it's okay with you, I would like to stay here for a few days and examine the portal, just to make sure that your use of it didn't produce any unwanted side-effects. Even though Bill Cipher is gone and can't invade earth anymore, that doesn't mean that using the portal carries no risks at all.” Ford was now looking at the teen, expecting an answer.
“I, uh...... Yeah. Sure...”, Gideon eventually mumbled, not being able to look the old man in the eyes.
“I assure you, this will only take a few days. Two weeks at most. Once I can confirm that everything is safe, I will leave you to your... business.”, Stanford said hesitantly, looking at Gideonland with some disdain. Then the old man mumbled, more to himself than to the teen: “I should probably start looking for a motel now...”
Offer him to live here! Give him his house back! Tell him about his brother!, his conscience seemed to scream at the teen, much to his own surprise. It was rare that his conscience spoke to him and even rarer that he actually listened to what it had to say.
For a moment, the teen actually considered telling Stanford the truth... but then he looked at the old man and saw the futuristic-looking gun holstered on his body. He gulped.
“...Is something the matter?”, Stanford asked, only now noticing the teenager's obvious discomfort. Gideon nervously shook his head. He couldn't tell him... He just couldn't...
But his conscience was awfully persistent for a change. It kept nagging at him throughout the next week. Stanford had been staying at the shack the whole time, slowly dismantling the portal and fixing any remaining issues. There was a tiny interdimensional rift, that had been created through the machine's usage, but Stanford had assured the teen that he could easily fix it.
It was now day eight after Stanford's return to earth and he was almost done with his work on the portal. Come tomorrow, he would move out of the shack and check himself into a nearby motel, where he would be staying until he found a better place to live. Gideon's parents had already provided Stanford with enough money to last him a couple of weeks.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Gleeful seemed to be fond of the old man; happy to have a nice guest for once, who wasn't as rude and demanding as their own son. They also never inquired too much into Stanford's past, instead accepting Gideon's explanation that Stanford was just a relative of Stan, who had been living outside the US for a long time and was just temporarily staying at their house. Though a big part of why they just accepted Gideon's lackluster explanation was that he had warned them to not bother the old man with any questions - and both parents were too afraid of their own son to disobey.
But aside from that, the problem with his conscience still remained. Gideon had stayed down in the lab that whole evening, silently watching Stanford as he worked on the last remains of the portal. Officially the teen had been staying down here, because he was bored and had nothing better to do. In reality he had been driven down here by his nagging guilt and because this was the last evening that the scientist was staying in this shack.
Almost an hour passed, in which Stanford carefully broke down the last parts of the portal, before the teenager finally decided to speak up. He awkwardly coughed into his own hand, to get the old man's attention. “Say, Stanford...”, he began, unsure. “Aren't you ever wondering about your brother? How he's doing right now?”
That question certainly got Stanford's attention. The scientist looked at him with a raised eyebrow, before continuing his work. “Sure, I have. The same way I wonder what happened to my parents during my absence. Or whether my favorite bubblegum ever made a return. Why are you asking?”
“Oh, no particular reason. Just thought you might be curious. Maybe even wanna find out what happened to him...”
Stanford's face became dark for a moment: “He didn't bother to stay around and take care of my old research and possessions. I don't see why I should bother searching for him.”
The teenager cringed internally. Yikes. He quickly tried a different approach: “I mean, well, yeah, but... He is your family. Possibly the last living member of your family. You're really okay with never seeing him again?” Even as he said it, he suddenly remembered Mabel and Dipper, Stanley's great-niece and -nephew... which automatically made them Stanford's niece and nephew as well. He briefly wondered how they were doing now, Mabel especially, and if he should tell Stanford about them.
The scientist hesitated with his answer - a bit too long, in fact - before he just reaffirmed his previous statement, turned his back on Gideon and focused fully on his work, regarding this conversation as over. Though the teen obviously wasn't done, still feeling the need to say something. Several long seconds passed......
“He didn't sell it.”
Once again Stanford paused his work, to look at the teenager. There was surprise written on his face. He had not been expecting this statement and wasn't even sure what that statement meant. Gideon likewise seemed surprised. He hadn't planned to just blurt out the truth like that...
“What do you mean?”, asked the old man, still confused.
He could still steer that conversation around... He could still tell another lie, to cover up his slip-up... He could still save his own skin...
Instead he did none of that.
“Your shack... Your brother didn't sell it.”
The words came out faint and quiet, as if he didn't really want the older man to hear them. The teen could feel his face pale and his pulse speed up, half-expecting Stanford to just draw his gun and shoot him on the spot for his lie. But Stanford didn't do that. Instead he just looked at Gideon with wide eyes, shock written all over his face, before he slowly squinted, sceptical.
“He didn't? Then how did you acquire it?”
Gideon sighed, resigning himself to his fate, as he closed his eyes and quietly admitted: “I stole it from him.”
Again he waited for the gunshot, but it never came. When he finally gathered enough courage to open his eyes, he could see that Stanford had begun pacing around the room, overwhelmed and clearly agitated.
“I-... I just-... I can't believe it! My own property, stolen by a teenager?! All my possessions! My research! ...Falling in the hands of a thief!! ...And then what?! What about Stanley? What did he do about it? Where did he go?! ...How did you even do that!?!”
The scientist had stopped his pacing and was now glaring at the teen, a myriad of expressions flashing across his old face: Anger, stress, worry and so many more. Gideon gulped, as he himself was dealing with his own set of emotions, fear being the most prominent of them. He rose his hands in defense.
“O-okay, calm down, I can explain... if you can promise not to shoot me after it.”
The scientist nodded tensely and so Gideon explained...
All in all, Stanford took the truth better than he expected. Okay, yeah, the old man had been sitting down on the floor and silently holding his head for several minutes now and before that, he had been sufficiently agonizing over his missing twin brother and cussing out Gideon... but so far he had stuck to his promise and not shot at the teen, which Gideon considered a win at this point.
“Uh, Stanford...?”, he eventually started, when Stanford's silence became too uncomfortable for him. The old man didn't react, still holding his head. “You, uh... You alright over there?”
The scientist let out a snort and spoke, incredulously: “How could I be, after everything you just admitted? After you selfishly took everything from me and my brother?! After you just exposed yourself as some thieving... lying... brat!”
That last word actually caused Gideon to flinch a little bit. Yeah, he probably deserved that...
Stanford forced himself to calm down, to not start another tirade of curses, and instead he just asked: “So you really don't know about my brother's whereabouts?”
“No. I haven't heard from him, since... well, since I took the shack.” And that was already so many years ago, so who even knew where Stanley went? …Or if he was even still alive, for that matter? “I guess you could ask his-... your great-niece and -nephew, but I also don't know where they live. Sorry...”
A long and suffering sigh escaped Stanford's lips, as he slowly got up to his feet. He looked tired. And older, like he had just aged several years. “I need to find them... somehow...”, was all the man said, even though he had no clue on where to start.
“I, uh... I could help... if you want...”, the teen offered meekly: “I'm pretty familiar with the internet. Your niece and nephew might have a social media page somewhere...”
“I don't know what that means, but if it helps, then please do it. As for yo-... my house-” Gideon froze at the emphasis. “I'll let you and your family live in there for now and manage your business. I'll go search for my own family. But once I find them, I expect to get my house back. Don't worry, I'll give you all enough time to find a new place to live. I'm not gonna throw your family out on the street. I respect your parents too much for that - and really, you should treat them better; they're good people, after all.”
Stanford's authoritative voice and hard stare left no place for an argument. It was clear that the teen had no other choice, than to comply with his request. He silently and hesitantly nodded.
And with that the scientist immediately left his lab, to gather some stuff he might need for his search. Gideon stayed down in the lab, looked at the remains of the portal and sighed. This was not how he imagined his search for ultimate power to go at all. He didn't imagine the portal to be a bust, or to meet his old rival's identical twin, or to ever feel guilty about his actions, or to help the Pines, or to lose his property...
He didn't know how to feel about all of that. Or why he had even confessed in the first place. He had just wanted to silence his conscience; he hadn't wanted to lose his home, his Gideonland...
He stuck his hands in his pockets and felt the memory gun hidden in there. For a moment an idea popped into his head. He could still keep his property and evade the consequences of his actions... He just needed to blast Stanford with that thing...
But already his conscience spoke up again, warning him not to do it... and Gideon was thoroughly tired of being lectured by it at this point.
He left the memory gun in his pocket, never using it.