Part 17 of the Intridmensional AU!
This one starts right at the end of the last part, so I'd suggest reading the last few lines of part 16 before diving in here!
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“Would you believe I told ol’ Fordsie here to keep his idiot brother away from his project after what happened last time, yet here you are! HAH!”
“Ford…?” Stan asked, taking a step back.
“Sixer isn't home right now! Please leave a message after the beep! BEEEEEEPPPP!” Ford said before breaking out into laughter.
“Stanford… what in tarnation…” Fiddleford asked.
Stan grabbed Fiddleford's arm and took a step back.
“Didn't I just say he wasn't home?!” Ford said, tilting his head and smiling painfully wide.
“I don't think that's Ford…” Stan said, dragging Fiddleford back another step.
“DING DING! The idiot gets one point! I figured you'd be the one to catch on first, Fiddlesticks! How disappointing! You'd think you'd be better at recognizing the man you left your wife and kid for! Hilarious! How are they, by the way?! Or did you forget them?!”
“What- Stanford…” Fiddleford said, his voice barely a whisper.
“Fidds, something is seriously wrong, that is not my brother!” Stan said.
“‘Fidds?’ Damn, lesser twin, that's cold! Ruin your brother's life then steal his ex boyfriend, too?! Hah! No wonder he hates you!”
“What are you?!” Fiddleford asked, his voice shaking.
“Haven't figured it out, specs?! Hah! I thought you were supposed to be smart! What would Fordsy ever see in you?! You noticed his ‘sleepwalking’ and ‘weird behavior’, but even when I'm right in front of you you still can't put it together!”
“You're the one who came up with the portal idea.” Fiddleford said slowly, dread sitting heavy in his stomach, freezing him in place even as not-Stanford stepped closer to him.
“DING DING! Another winner! The name's Bill! It's a displeasure to finally meet you! You humans are so stupid! Once Fordsy finishes that portal your world will be mine! And another thing-”
Stan didn't wait to hear the rest. He grabbed a wrench from a nearby work table and swung, watching in horror as Ford crumpled to the ground.
“That was still Ford.” Fiddleford said, looking seconds away from passing out.
“What else was I supposed to do?! Let him keep sayin’ nonsense?! I mean-fuck! What the hell have you two been doing?! What is this portal you keep mentioning?!”
“It's a transuniversal metavortex.” Fiddleford said quietly. “A gateway into another dimension.”
“Why in the sci-fi hell would you want to build that?!” Stan asked.
“Because! He asked me to!” Fiddleford suddenly yelled, making Stan jump.
“I thought he forgot about me, Stanley.” Fiddleford said, quieter now. “I couldn't say no ta him after he called. I reckon lookin’ back now, I shoulda said no, but he was so excited-”
“Fidds!” Stan said, drawing Fiddleford from his quiet rambling. “Blaming yourself isn't going to do anything. All three of us have made some fucked up mistakes! Right now we need to find out what the hell that thing using my brother as a puppet is before he tries to turn on that sci-fi death triangle over there!”
“Triangle.” Fiddleford mumbled.
“Yes, a triangle. Glad you caught that part.” Stan deadpanned.
“I hafta dismantle the portal.” Fiddleford said, looking across the room at the machine. “Stan! We gotta stop this! We have to stop that demon!” Fiddleford grabbed Stan's arm and dragged him towards the portal.
“Missing leg, Fidds!” Stan said, trying to keep his balance on the dirt floor as Fiddleford pulled him.
“Right, sorry Stanley. I jus’ need yer help, There’s an emergency shut off. We can shut the whole thing down, but it takes two people!” Fiddleford said quickly, letting go of Stan's arm to rummage in his pockets for a set of keys. “Take this.” he said, pulling a key off the ring and handing it to Stan. “There's a spot in the control panel o’er there. I'll count ta three, then we both gotta turn the keys. Got it?”
“Fiddleford!” They heard Ford yell from behind them.
“Shit.” Stan swore, putting the key in his pocket and turning towards Ford. “Fuck you, you weird ass demon! Leave my brother and Fiddleford alone!”
“Demon?! Stanley, what are you talking about? What the hell happened?! The last thing I remember was you and Fiddleford fighting! Did he use the gun on me?!” Ford asked, panic rising in his voice.
“You happened, asshole! Don't play dumb with me, Bill!” Stan yelled back.
“Bill?! How do you know that name?” Ford asked, dumbfounded.
“Because he possessed ya! He told us his name, Stanford! How could ya trust a demon?! What happened to the idea for this darned portal bein’ ‘hard work’?!” Fiddleford yelled, finally joining in on the fight.
“He's not a demon! He's a higher being! A Muse!” Ford said. “I gave him permission to possess me as he saw fit, I just didn't expect him to do it now!”
“He possessed ya, Ford! That sure as heck sounds like a demon ta me!” Fiddleford responded.
“He- no- he…. he's my friend!” Ford said.
“You have got to be fucking with me!” Stan yelled. “Friends don't let you possess them and then shout insults at your actual friends!”
“Insults? He- he was joking. He loves joking, that's all.” Ford said frantically, taking a few wobbly steps towards Stan.
“Goddammit, Ford. You're too smart for this!” Stan said, turning away. “We're shutting this sci-fi nightmare down.”
“No!” Ford said, running down to meet them. “Stan, you can't!”
“I'm sorry, Ford.” Fiddleford said, making his way back to the machine on the other side of the lab.
Ford grabbed Stan's arm and yanked him backwards, miscalculating the amount of force he used and accidently throwing him against the control panel. Stan glared at him and lunged, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him backwards.
“Goddammit, Sixer! We're trying to help you!” He yelled.
“Help me? You have no idea what you're doing! You know nothing about Bill!” Ford said, sounding a bit unsure and pushing Stan back.
“Uh- fellas, careful ‘round that ‘quipment, there!” Fiddleford said, but the twins ignored him.
“I know enough! I know a con man when I hear one, Ford, and that demon is the ultimate con man!” Stan yelled, trying to walk away from Ford before he hurt him again, but Ford grabbed his arm and tried to drag him away from the control panel.
“How much of a con man can he be?! He was right, after all! I should have done better to keep you away from my project!” Ford snarled.
“Fuck you, Ford. If you want to believe that fucking monster over us, than fine, but we're shutting this down!” Stan said, pushing his brother as hard as he could, sending him falling backwards onto the lever in the middle of the room.
“No!” Fiddleford yelled, but it was too late. The portal crackled to life, filling the dark lab with an eerie blue glow.
“Oh shit.” Stan said, taking a step back.
“It works.” Ford said, smiling up at the light. “It works!”
“That ain't good, Stanford!” Fiddleford said, running over to try and drag Ford away. “We need ta shut it down!”
“We are not shutting it down!” Ford said, pushing Fiddleford away.
Ford tried to pull Stan away from the machine, but forgot, in all the commotion, about Stan's new peg leg. He grew up with Stan. He had seen him stand his ground against bullies twice his size. But that was back when he had two legs to stand on, so he was thrown off guard when Stan didn't stay standing. They both slid across the ground, over the yellow line where the portal could reach, and suddenly started to float.
“What the fuck?!” Stan exclaimed, flailing his arms and looking for anything to grab onto.
“Stanford! Stanley!” Fiddleford screamed, grabbing some spare cable from the ground and running towards them. “Grab on!”
“Tie it down!” Stan yelled, as he caught the cable and grabbed Ford's arm, holding on for dear life.
“I can't!” Fiddleford said as he started to slip.
The twins were much heftier than him and his shoes were not grippy enough to keep him down. He wrapped the cord around his wrist and reached behind him, trying to grab the lever to hold himself back, but his fingers just barely grazed it.
“Do something!” Stan yelled as Ford disappeared through the blue light. “Fiddleford!”
Stan melted into the blue after Ford as Fiddleford's feet lifted from the ground.
“Well, shit.” Fiddleford said, as he fell through the portal after them.
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This feels a bit like a cheesy movie scene. That's all I could think while I was writing it... but hey! We made it to the portal!
There is probably some serious plot issues with this scene, like was the portal even ready? Sure it was! It's January and they were going to test it in the next day or two, so... sure it was!
Would Bill leave Ford's mind if he was unconscious? Probably!?
Does Stan not hit very hard, because Fidds and Ford were both hit, and not out for very long?! Well, he was probably subconsiously holding back a bit- this is his brother and his new friend he met a whole day ago and would fight a literal god for.
Why does Stan immediately trust and want to protect Fidds?! He just be like that, okay? Fidds is someone important to his brother, therefore worth protecting.
Okay, I'll stop now.
I start a new job tomorrow, so the updates on this might slow down a bit... sorry. I need to survive in this failing economy.