-Bill POV-
A-X-O-L-O-T-L that was the last thing I said before being imprisoned into this accursed state... I cannot move. My body stands motionless, frozen beneath unfeeling stone. Through the mossy stone there is no light to be seen.
I have been hovering in a blank mindscape ever since. I do not think this petrified state is my death. Even though all other physical senses are out, I can still hear the sounds of those birds and beasts living in their DREADFUL existence around me. Much time has passed, I am aware of that but why am I still here? I've escaped hell but to what punishment? I need to keep aware, not to lose myself into the deep abyss of my subconscious mind. For years I kept it away, the fears, the treason I have caused. It will one day get to me, Is that today? No. I will not let that happen here. I will never give into the dread or doubt of this reality's illusions.
"C'mon Sixer! You can do this later, We just got back." I heard a distant voice call. I had heard many voices in my stay here but only now did one stick out to me. The voice seemed familiar but it was not as I remembered it. "You know I can't just let it be, Stanly, Unless I see for myself that nothing has changed!" Called another voice in reply to the first. This voice, I know. But who was the source? "I'll be fine, You just go to the shack and meet with the others." said the second voice, seeming closer now. I heard a pair of stressed footsteps walk carefully to me as another more clumsily away. "How was I supposed to deal with you? Always seeming to get into havoc. This time you had overdone it, Bill. I couldn't keep you out of this." Was it talking to me? I tried to listen closely to the flesh creature's words. "I could not stay by you in your plans, Not once everyone else got involved." The voice sounded pained with indecisiveness. It seemed unsure if the choices it made were the ones it actually wanted.
-Ford POV-
Before I left with Stanly I had set cameras around Bill's statue so that I could monitor him while away. There had been some reckless travelers who came all this way following Bill's path. I'm not sure what they were thinking but many who passed him would shake his hand. The first I saw of this, My heart spiked with anxiety but now I believe from what I understand, Bill will not respond to it. I do not want to believe he is gone. I just had to get away from it all before something else happened. Mcgucket had suspicions of me for a while now and Stanley was sure to find out if I kept up insisting I stay in Gravity Falls. I did not inform my brother or anyone else about the cameras. They have to believe I am over this whole Bill thing or that there never was one. I would scroll through the footage each night once my brother was asleep.
Kneeling down by the statue I brush off the layers of moss at each side "I deciphered your final words. Are you going to return?" I sat down by the statue "You have missed a lot, Bill. Life is much more quiet now without you around but I still have my adventures. My idiotic brother and I just got back from our trip across the waters of the Arctic ocean... And yet my first instinct after docking was to come here and tell you about it..."
-Bill POV-
Ford? Was this him? He sounded younger. How was that possible? Was time reversed? Was this the past or was this a figment of my mind. I thought he hated me, I was tricking him. Would he have joined me in the destruction of gravity falls if things had been different? That's insane! I chuckled to myself in the mindscape. The amusement did not last long before turning to a frown. The man talked further about the adventures he had but he was keeping it short. Unlike me, he did not have forever. Why would he be telling me this? I must have missed something about him. If this is not a dream.
-Ford POV-
I stopped talking, not sure he even heard me. I may have just been talking to myself here, like some sort of lunatic.. How long has it been? I checked my watch. Shoot- It's been about two and a half hours since I first checked. I am surprised Stanly did not come back here and drag me away himself. I stood myself up and looked at the statue of Bill's petrified form "See you again, old friend." Turning towards the path I followed it away.
Approaching the shack I see Stan talking with Soos and Wendy. Stan was telling overly exaggerated tales of our journey. Windy was laughing and Soos seemed to be trying to decide if this was the real Stanford and if he should trust a word he said. Windy spoke up "C'mon Soos, Y'know strange things happen all the time! Of course this is Stan." Soos looked to Windy "But what if he's a brain sucking alien or something- What else would explain it?" My brother chuckled and growled at Soos to scare him, it worked. Soos hid behind Windy who did not fall for it. "Nice one, man." She remarked.
"Hey, Is my brother giving you grief?" I approached the small group, a smile stretched across my face. Once near enough Wendy gave me a pat on the shoulder "Hey, Welcome back, old-timer!" Soos shouted "They're both aliens!" I looked at Soos "As interesting as that would be, It's just us." Wendy backing up raised an eyebrow "So~ How'd this whole thing happen anyway?" She looked at me and Stanley with one main question in mind. I figured she meant our appearance. "I'll explain once we're all inside."
Windy walked into the shack first and sat at a stool by the counter, Inviting Stan and I to do the same. Soos kept a bit of a distance and stood at the opposite side. I then sighed "Guess I'll start. During our travels there was a storm. We had to camp out at a small fishing town. While there we ate some strange tuna fish which made the whole crew ill. The entire crew was blacking out and experiencing dizzy spells at first but then it turned to chronic vomiting and high fevers. It lasted for days with some weeks with others. Stanley and I had some of the worst of it. We were bedridden for a month and a half. Afterwards, I took four weeks to recover. He took six. Even once we were back on our feet there was still pain and vomiting for a while. It was not as bad on the younger crew. Once it was all over the whole crew had been, in appearance. Half the age they were when it started." Soos's suspicions lessened although he thought brain sucking aliens would have been cooler. "Whoa, That's gnarly. Does that mean your what- Late thirties or early to mid forties?" Stanley prided himself "Yup, back into the primes of life. Or well, Nearer to it."
Wendy leaned back a bit on her stool "Well, you're both still old farts." My brother chuckled a bit. "Well, we'll see about that when I beat you at some foosball or poker, kid." I sighed at my brother's shenanigans then left for the vending machine. Once there I put in the secret code and the door popped open. I walked into my old lab, closing the door behind me. Back to work for now. How and when will I ever finally unravel the secrets and mysteries of Bill and Gravity falls?... I put my back to a bare wall and allow myself to fall down to the floor. Being back has been overwhelming. How was Stanley so calm about all this!? Past memories and thoughts flood my mind. The next thing I knew, depictions of Bill were haunting my dreams.
I woke to Stanley shaking me by the shoulder "Ford, Ford!" I looked up to his face, He showed a bit of concern though it was no surprise. It's not the first time I've fainted like that recently. I held my head and stood myself up "Sorry about that. I felt fine before." I explained, Stan frowned and took a step back. "Let's go upstairs. We had a long trip. There is no reason to rush to your work." I hesitantly agreed with him "Sure thing but give me a moment to do one thing first."
I have been doing frequent checkups and tests on both me and my brother. At first when I saw the bloodwork after the incident I was questioning how any of the crew was still alive. I honestly thought any of us was going to kick the bucket at any moment. Drawing some of my blood I walk over and have it tested by a machine in my lab. The bloodwork came back with some irregularities, some minor, some less so. Example being a slightly heightened platelet count and lowered glucose levels. Not severe enough to be deadly if monitored. Over time after the event most irregularities caused by it have been slowly leveling themselves out but there were still notable side effects. I kept in contact with the others we traveled with to monitor their conditions as well. It seems the younger members are recovering the fastest but older ones like my brother and I are taking it a bit harder. I check the report carefully. Once done, I handed it to Stan then headed out of the lab and up the stairs. I assume can only Stan glanced over the paper then left it at my desk before following me up.
