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“Whoa whoa, what’s going on?” Stan’s voice is gently confused, with only a dash of panic. While Ford is about the opposite, free floating to the worst nightmare in the shape of his own portal.
The portal destined to destroy the world. The portal going to nowhere safe or good or anything he’d ever want to end up.
Ford can’t stop himself from panicking, yelling for Stan to help before it’s too late and throwing his journal away.
And Stan does make an attempt, thank god, he jumps and grabs him by the now empty hand.
But that only means he’s floating too, both brothers headed to a fate neither one is equipped to handle.
Not Ford, with his sleep deprivation and weakness from torture. Not Stan, who hasn’t ate or stopped driving since 20 hours ago at least by his own admission through his rage.
Ford screams for Stan to hold onto something as he feels himself slipping into the azure hole in their dimension, feeling the cold emptiness of space before he feels himself stop. Looking over, Stan has managed to hold onto something as Ford told him to, only his head and arm sticking through.
“What is this madness?!” Stan screams, prompting Ford to look behind himself to see the expanse of psychedelic colors and large seemingly random rocks, “I’m pullin’ you out!”
Before Ford can react, Stan is tugging on his arm. There’s nothing to do but try and swim his way back as fast as possible, helping Stan’s efforts along before the portal can close on them. Ford shudders to think of what could happen if one of them were stuck in the middle of the opening when it does.
“Do it quick! I don’t know how long the portal will hold since we fell in!” Ford warns, the uncharted territory of this part of the portal process terrifying to consider, “And I don’t know how much longer I can hold your hand!”
“Don’t let go, Ford!” Stan insists sharply, even as Ford feels his weakness starting to overcome his sense of returning to safety, “Don’t you dare let go!”
Ford grabs with his other hand, but he’s noticing something with the aperture of the portal that just gives him more panic.
It’s starting to close, the outer edges destabilizing with every moment they’re on the other side.
“Come on, hurry!” Ford cries, but Stan’s efforts aren’t working fast enough with the sucking power of the portal, “The portal’s starting to close!”
Stan sees it and puts in ten times more effort, which says a lot since he was already putting forty times in at least, and Ford finally escapes whatever gravity well was pulling him in enough to start moving backward.
But it’s not enough and Stan’s starting to slip from his little catch on the edge of the portal. And it’s steadily closing in on him, the image of Stan being chopped in half scaring Ford into the only solution he knows will work.
He just has to say a quick goodbye first.
“I’m sorry Stanley,” Ford says as gently as he can, “This is goodbye… forever.”
“What? No!” Stan screams but it’s too late.
Ford pushes him back through the portal, right as it closes.
The despair at what he needed to do to save Stan’s life strikes him right in the heart.
All he can do is cry.
Until he realizes how much danger he’s really in.
“Well well well, look who we have here!”
He’s doomed.
But at least Stan is safe.
That’s the only thing that matters to Ford right now as he swims for safety in the shape of the nearest asteroid.
I’m sorry, Stan.
I had to do that.