Kingdom Keepers VI (9781423179214) (12 page)

The driver's eyes filled with terror. “They killed a key flower?”

He sounded horrified.

“What?” Maybeck said.

The driver shook his head, refusing to answer.

* * *

Finn and Willa reboarded to the ship after Philby, but before the others. While Philby returned to his stateroom to review the ship's security video for Luowski and the stolen computer, Finn and Willa watched for their friends on the dock over the stern rail of Cabanas restaurant.

“Have you kissed her?” Willa asked.

“W…h…a…t…?”

“Amanda. Have you guys kissed?”

“We barely even talk anymore. Why are you asking me this?”

“Conversation breaks the tension. We all need conversation.”

“You need your head examined,” Finn said.

“It's a simple enough question. Have you kissed her?”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

“You
guess
!? Was it that bad? Seriously?”

“I didn't say it was bad.” Finn felt like jumping over the rail.

“You don't sound too impressed.”

“I've kissed her. Okay, Willa?”

“It was just okay?”

“Stop messing with me.” Finn peered over the edge at workers sitting on a plank suspended by ropes, washing the hull.

“I'm sure it was more than okay for Amanda. Same for Charlene.”

“What's Charlie got to do with this?”

“Are you that blind?”

“She likes Maybeck.”

“You got that right. She
likes
Maybeck.”

“Get your head in the game,” he said.

“There's one checkpoint, Finn. How difficult is it to watch one checkpoint?”

There was a moment of awkward silence.

“The silent treatment is killing Amanda,” Willa said. “You know that, don't you?”

“That's ridiculous. She's barely even spoken to me lately.”

“What's she supposed to say? ‘Hey, Finn, I'm crushing on you big-time, and the way you gawk at Storey and the way you treat me leaves me in tears and unable to sleep at night'? That?”

“Oh…come on!” Finn said.

Willa rolled her eyes at him. “Seriously? Get…
a…clue.”

The Disney Channel mini-blimp passed over
the ship for maybe the sixth time. Passengers waved
up at it.

“Do they have any idea,” Finn said, “that it's a drone? That it's way too small to carry even a pilot?”

“They probably think it's filming them,” Willa said, scoffing.

“Yeah, right. Boneheads.”

“You should say something,” Willa said. “To Amanda. And it should start with ‘I'm sorry.'”

“For what?”

“Take your pick. Hurting her feelings? Not speaking to her? Being a boy?”

“Good one.”

They stood there for a long while before Willa spoke again.

“What do you suppose it means if they get a computer on board?”

“That the OTs become impossible to stop. Or nearly impossible.”

“Because of 2.0.”

“Yes.”

“But if Amanda's ‘pushing' tires her out when she's crossed over, doesn't that mean Maleficent's powers would tire her DHI out, too?”

“No. Pushing tires Amanda anytime. Don't confuse that with Maleficent throwing spells. We need to accept that with Maleficent in 2.0, there's basically nothing we can do to stop her.”

Willa hesitated before speaking. “You don't suppose the Imagineers
want
the OTs getting hold of 2.0, do you? Like, what if they want to test how invincible or how vulnerable 2.0 makes you? It's not like we're going to attack each other, right? There's really no way to test that side of the upgrade without giving us a 2.0 opponent.”

“Do not say that stuff.”

“I'm just wondering.”

“Wayne would never do that. We're not guinea pigs.”

“Are you sure?”

A boy stepped up alongside Finn and leaned against the stern rail.

“There's a Cast Member making the rounds that I don't trust. He'll be here any minute.”

Finn looked over at the boy.

“Dill!”

Dillard looked older and more serious than normal. He also looked
thinner
. A
lot
thinner. Maybe he'd been wearing baggy clothes the last time he'd seen him, but the change was drastic.

“You should get going.”

“It
was
you at the Sail-Away.”

Dillard smiled at Willa. “Hi. We met before.” He offered his hand, and the two shook.

“Yes,” Willa said.

“Wayne sent you,” Finn said.

“Wanda. As your guardian angel.”

“Alone?” Finn asked. Storey had already told him about Kenny and Bart; now he was beginning to see a pattern to Wayne's bigger plan to protect his team of Keepers.

“Alone. Listen, the aft staircase is safe. Head over
to the starboard side of the restaurant. The guy's searching the port side.”

“Ah…”

“You can thank me later. I'll stall him,” Dillard said. He left, heading for the restaurant. A moment later they heard a crash. Someone's tray had spilled.

“We'd better get out of here,” Finn said.

S
HOOTING A
D
ISNEY
C
HANNEL
365 while on a moving ship containing three thousand passengers is a study in “controlled chaos.” In this case, the chaos was controlled by the film director, Andy Meyers. The handsome, dark-eyed man was joined by Jodi Bennett, the Disney Cruise Line executive, a kind-faced woman whose managerial and organizational skills rivaled those of an army general.

Andy won the attention of Charlene and Willa with “Hello.” This was the fourth Disney Channel 365 the Keepers had shot; Charlene and Willa both had barely disguised crushes on Andy.

Maybeck, forever a thorn in Andy's side, catered to the fans who gathered around, turning a deaf ear to
direction while offering autographs and smiling for photo ops. Finn reluctantly tried to help Andy keep the group under control, while Philby busied himself with studying the camera and lighting gear and interacting with the five-person film crew.

The location of the morning sun required them to shoot on Deck 12 aft, starboard side. A half-dozen
tripods connected by dozens of thick black cables
awaited the Keepers.

Andy barked out instructions to Finn, Willa, and Charlene, speaking loudly enough for Maybeck and Philby to hear him.

“The first scene we're going to shoot is where the five of you are talking excitedly about everything cool on the
Dream
.”

“Remember,” Jodi said, “not ‘the
Dream
,' but ‘the
Disney
Dream
.' Very important.”

Andy continued. “Near the end of the shot, Maleficent is going to make a cameo appearance behind you. You guys will freak out, she'll throw a spell—” He paused. “Then I think Charlene, you will catch Willa as she faints. Finn, you run toward Maleficent as she
hurries off screen.”

He stared at Finn's long face.

“What?” Andy asked. “We're going to turn Willa into a bouquet of flowers in post-production. Charlene ends up catching a bunch of flowers. It'll be good,
you'll see.”

“Maleficent?” Finn said.

“Oh, come on! The big evil fairy? You're talking to a guy who deals with special effects on a daily basis. You're going to try to sell me that the Imagineers have figured out how to allow your brain function to control a hologram while you're
asleep
? Uh-huh. Look, I'm in on the gag, Finn. Don't worry, it's safe with me.”

“But Maleficent,” Finn said, realizing Andy was a lost cause.

“I'm shooting an interstitial for the Channel. I've got a casting call for Maleficent, who is currently down in wardrobe and styling, and as much as I'd love to play along with the whole”—he drew air quotes—“‘Keepers thing,' we're burning daylight. 'Kay? So let's get in a couple run-throughs before the talent arrives.”

“The talent. Right,” Finn said. He'd lost Maybeck to the adoring crowds, and Philby to the lighting grip, but he addressed Willa and Charlene. “The Green Machine is scheduled for the next shot.”

“Green Machine?” the lighting man inquired, overhearing. “Those smoothie drinks? Blue Machine. Red Machine. They got a green one now?”

“Something like that,” Finn said as his eyes met Willa's.

Jodi overheard Finn, saw the troubled look in his eyes, and consulted her clipboard. “Andy…this character appearance…she wasn't in the final script.”

Andy looked up from his clipboard of notes. “Yeah, I know. But she's in the sides now, so we're shooting it.”

“I should have heard about this,” Jodi said, approaching him.

“Reach Storey Ming,” Finn whispered to Willa. “Have her check the break room, make sure we're getting the Cast Member character, not…our friend.”

“I'm on it.”

He asked Charlene to get Maybeck away from his fans.

“Philby!”

Philby joined Finn. “I know my lines. I'm good,” he said.

Finn told him about the addition of Maleficent to the scene. “We need to think fast.”

“We've got nothing!” Philby said. “We're totally exposed out here.”

Indeed, with the passengers held back from the film shoot, it left the small film crew and the five Keepers isolated in an empty area of open deck with nothing but some tripods, lights, and cameras to hide behind.

Charlene returned with Maybeck.

“Guys,” Maybeck said, “if she throws a fireball, we're toast. As in, crispy. She misses us? She's going to hit
them
.” He indicated the dozens of fans and their parents, held back by crew members.

“We're aware of the situation,” Finn said.

“Storey's heading to the break room.” Willa wore her concern openly.

“Okay everyone!” Andy called out above the sound of the wind from the moving ship. “Places! Let's do a run-through ahead of the talent!”

“The ‘talent,'” Willa whispered. “Now, that's just precious.”

* * *

Storey Ming reached the bulletin board in the I-95 crew corridor and read the day's itinerary. Her plum-colored painted nail traced across the matrix of boxes, stopping at the column labeled “Character Calls.”

Chip and Dale (BR3M, A, 8:00am)…Belle (BR 3F,
MM, 9am)…Maleficent (BR11A, D12aft, 8am)
.
Break
Room 11A, Deck 12 aft, 8am

This appearance accorded with the video shoot now under way. Confirmation of a Cast Member playing the Maleficent character lowered Storey's anxiety—it seemed less likely this was a sneak attack by the OTs.

She texted Willa:

on way to break room. M appearance confirmed.


In the break room, she swiped her ID card over the reader, pushed the lever, and banged her face on the door. It hadn't opened. Storey swiped her ID a second time. The small light on the card reader:
red
.

She knocked loudly. The door had to be privacy-locked from the inside. No answer. She knocked again. And again.

A DHI could lock the door from the inside and then step
through
it, leaving the room sealed along with whoever was inside, like the Cast Member Maleficent, Storey thought.

DANGER!


Her fingers hovered over the Wave Phone's keypad. How far did she dare to go?

Malef possible DHI


* * *

“Code red from Storey,” Willa whispered to Philby, being sure to keep her lips still. She didn't want Andy screaming at her.

The five Keepers were lined up against the starboard rail, a pale trace of sun skimming off the waves. It was too tranquil a setting for the suggestion of any kind of danger.

“The shot is this,” Andy said. “First, Finn's line about how every day is a beautiful day on the
Dream—
”

“The
Disney
Dream
!” Jodi called out.

“The
Disney
Dream
,” Andy repeated. “Okay. Charlene, you come back with ‘magical'; then Maybeck's line; Philby checks his watch—we're going to use some CGI there to make it glow or something—and then Willa, you spin your head around to see Maleficent. Finn, you give the line about running for it. Philby hoists the
Return
”—a film crew member handed Philby the prop—an automobile remote—“and then hold positions. In post we're going to fade you out like holograms. Got it?”

“This is just a walk-through?” Finn said.

“A run-through. Yeah.”

“No Maleficent yet,” Willa clarified.

“You're trembling, I suppose?” Andy was an incredibly nice guy. He just didn't get it.

“Yes, as a matter of fact,” Willa said. She held her hand out; her fingers shook.

“You're safe with me!” Andy cracked himself up. His crew laughed with him.

The Keepers practiced their lines and moves four times, with small adjustments made by Andy after each new pass.

“If she's back there by the time you turn around…”
Finn said privately to Willa.

“Yes. It'll be too late.”

“Can Storey Ming get up here?”

“And do what? She thinks Maleficent may have crossed over.”

Finn looked dumbstruck. “This is not good.”

“Okay, everyone! This time's for real!” Andy shouted.

The makeup artist, Nichole, rushed into frame, touching up hair and patting noses with white sponges.

“You guys are sweating like you just ran a marathon,” she said.

“No need for nerves,” Andy said, playing the coach. “You've done this dozens of times.”

If you only knew,
Finn thought.

Philby caught Finn's attention and pointed to two tripods supporting light panels. His hand signal told Finn to take the panel to the left. But take it where? How? Finn wondered.

“The blind leading the
blind
, eh, Andy?” Philby called out to the director while looking at Finn. He was trying to communicate something. Finn shook his head; Philby pantomimed the motion of twisting something. “On the back,” he mouthed, hoping Finn could read his lips.

“Stand by!” Andy said. “Roll cameras.”

The two cameramen called back, “Speed!”

“Action!”

That word jogged Finn's thought: Philby hadn't been clowning around with the lighting crew; he'd been figuring out how to operate their equipment.

Light panels. Turn knob. Blind leading the blind.

Finn understood.

“Action,” Andy called out. Finn faced the camera.

“Hey, guys! Every day's a
Disney
Dream
, every meal a banquet when you're cruising with the Disney Cruise Line!”

“A
Disney
Dream
?” Charlene said on cue. “It's
Disney
Magic.”

“Or,” said Maybeck, “a
Disney
Fantasy
. From the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, you've never cruised like this.”

“It's time,” Philby said, checking his watch, “to
welcome you aboard!”

That cued Maleficent to enter the shot. Willa turned simultaneously.

“Oh, no!” she said, reciting the memorized script. “Look who's here!”

The five Keepers looked back at once.

Maleficent stood at the rail, her black and purple robes swirling in the wind, her green index finger pointing skyward into a stunningly blue, serene sky.

Finn spotted at once what was missing. Maleficent had no handler. All Cast Members playing
Disney characters were accompanied by a fellow Cast Member guide whenever appearing in public. The fact that Maleficent lacked a handler suggested she was not a Cast Member playing her character. She was the real thing. Or a 2.0 hologram of the real thing.

Willa and Finn took off for the lighting panel
nearest the railing. Maybeck and Charlene dove for the tripod closest to them.

Willa aimed the panel higher while Finn found and twisted two knobs on the back. Light burst from the panel, like a car switching to high beams. Maybeck and Charlene did the same. Maleficent cried out, trying to shield her eyes.

As much as Philby had annoyed Finn lately, the idea of blinding Maleficent was a stroke of genius. Even holograms had to see.

“What the—?” Andy managed to say as the Keepers ran toward him. Charlene hooked Andy's arm and dragged him with her. Each of the Keepers snagged other members of the film crew.

It sounded like a jet had broken the sound barrier somewhere up in the clear blue sky. Maybeck looked up and over his shoulder.

He hollered, “Hit the—”

An explosion rocked the deck as a bolt of lightning struck. Sparks flew from the film crew's gear.

Maybeck shoved the cameraman aside to safety, crossed through the smoke, and threw a football block on Charlene and Andy just as a second spike of lightning struck.

Maybeck screamed and lay flat. Gray smoke swirled.

Passengers in the ship's swimming pools cried out. Parents grabbed their children and ran for cover.

As he was knocked off his feet by the concussion of the lightning strike, Finn looked in the direction of Maleficent. She was gone.

Returned,
he thought.

His head thumped against the deck, and his eyes found a piece of the staircase that led to the AquaDuck—the world's first enclosed waterslide on a cruise ship. He saw bare feet running up the stairs
.
He stared at the steps for a good long time, finally making the connection to the illustration in the journal.

Something nagged at him: stairs? steps? bare feet? He couldn't place it.

He also spotted something else, something more sinister: a black crow on the rail of the upper deck from which the fireworks were launched. Diablo, Maleficent's sidekick.

The crow lifted its beak and cawed shrilly.

What happened next made Finn's blood run cold. He'd seen such scenes in movies: the boy and girl high on a skyscraper roof, the bad guys coming after them and then, from out of nowhere, helicopters surface from below, rising high, searchlights aimed at the bad guys.