The Deadliest Cast Member - Disneyland Interactive Thriller Series - EPISODE FOUR (Jack Duncan) (SEASON ONE) (5 page)

Belle and the Beast appeared on a barge decorated with colored lights in the shape of a rose, with candles along the edge of the floating stage.
 

“This is my favorite part of the show,” Kate whispered to Jack with a big smile on her face.

Stan was happy to see Jack and Kate together. He kept a close eye on his watch. He leaned over to Kendall to get him ready for action, “Ok after this we need to escort them down to the River.”

As the theme song from
Beauty and the Beast
continued to play, Ariel and Prince Eric appeared on another barge, dancing to the music. Snow White and Prince Charming also appeared as “Some Day My Prince Will Come” resonated throughout New Orleans Square.

Kate admired the beauty of the royals dancing on their magic stages. She focused on Belle who was wearing her gorgeous yellow dress as she danced in step with the Beast.
 

“Ok guys,” Stan said anxiously to Jack and Kate, “follow me.”

Jack’s eyebrow raised as he looked at Kate. Kendall and Stan escorted them down the stairs and into New Orleans Square, which was darker than usual. Stan walked them towards the far right of the River past the
Mark Twain
loading dock where a few Cast Members stood waiting for them.
 

When they arrived, Jack figured out what was going on. He leaned into his dad and whispered softly so Kate wouldn’t hear. “Dad, please tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”

Stan ignored him and introduced Jack and Kate to the CM who was tasked with getting them to the proper location on the
Mark Twain
.
 

“Mr. Duncan, come with me.”

“Jack, what exactly are we doing?” Kate asked as the booming music from
Fantasmic!
continued to resound throughout the entire Land.

“I’m not sure Kate,” Jack said as he held her hand to guide her through the darkness.
 

The CM shuttled them on to the boat, and they saw the Disney characters on board preparing for the big finale. The CM led them upstairs to the top.
 

“Mr. Duncan, can I talk to you really quick?”

Jack moved closer to the CM as Kate waved to the nearby characters. She was clearly enjoying the backstage view of the show.

“Ok, so this is what we have setup for you,” the CM said to Jack, “during the finale as the boat moves center stage, you and Kate will be front and center here at the top.”

Jack’s suspicions were correct; his dad had orchestrated an event of epic proportions. Stan and Kendall stood behind them as if they were blocking Jack from making an exit. At this point, Jack had no choice, he had to go on with it. The CM gave Jack and Kate wireless mics and pinned them to their shirts.
 

On the Island, Mickey appeared again as large flames hovered on the surface of water that came from the fire breathing jaws of the 45-foot animatronic dragon, otherwise known as Maleficent, and to regular park goers, “Murphy” because of the dragon’s recurring mechanical blunders. Mickey began to exercise his powers for good as he attacked Maleficent in a dazzling animated segment projected on the water screens. The villain was dismantled with a final pyrotechnic explosion as the music climaxed.
 

The entire area was quiet, and black as thousands of people watched Tinkerbell dance across the magical water screens as she ushered in the main theme song for the finale. Large spinning sparklers lit up the
Mark Twain
as it began to move towards center stage. Kate squeezed Jack’s hand.

“Jaaaack?”

“Just hold tight, it will be over before you know it, and hopefully you will still want to talk to me after this.”

As the
Mark Twain
neared the center of the Rivers of America, the theme song escalated. An explosion erupted from the platform where Mickey, who now appeared as Steamboat Willie, was standing. The boat and the River were illuminated. Kate and Jack were below and in front of the platform that Steamboat Willie was on, near the front rail. A spotlight made them visible to the multitude of guests below.
 

Kate remained composed as she looked to her left to see the large sea of spectators. People from the audience began to notice Jack and Kate on the boat, and they started to point.
 

A large number of Disney characters uniformly danced around the boat carrying sashes that they whipped in unison as the final song rang out.
 

Jack looked to the left as the water screens emerged from the River. The crowd went crazy when they saw Jack and Kate projected on the water screens throughout the River. Camera flashes popped throughout the crowd and it looked like a sporting event as people tried to capture this once in a lifetime moment.
 

No matter how uncomfortable Jack was, he knew he needed to get this done. He knelt to one knee as the volume level of the crowd increased. The
Fantasmic!
theme song raced towards its climax.

Kate cried as she put her hand to her mouth, the dream she’d kept in her heart as a little girl was coming true.
 

“Kate, you are the love of my life, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Jack’s voice rang out across the River, and it echoed throughout the entire Land. Kate giggled as she looked Jack in the eyes and then out into the crowd.
 

Jack paused. “Will you marry me?”

The crowd came unglued.

The Mark Twain was center stage at this point. The image of Jack and Kate on the water screens was larger than life, the music was in full swing, and the crowd was going wild.
 

After a few seconds, the crowd fell silent, patiently awaiting Kate’s response. Large sparklers lit up the background as the characters still danced to the music.
 

Kate paused, and tried to talk, but she was crying. She lowered her hand from her mouth and said, “YES!”

The crowd exploded. New Orleans Square sounded like The Great Western Forum at a Lakers playoff game. The camera maintained its focus on Jack and Kate so everyone could see them even though the boat began to move out of sight. Kate hugged Jack and the crowd continued to cheer. The water screens remained extended as explosions ignited in the background and large walls of fire lit up the River.
 

Mickey, who now appeared as Sorcerer Mickey, materialized at the top of Lafitte’s Tavern as he began to conduct laser beams while launching fireworks into the air. The fireworks finale ensued behind the water screens. Everyone could still see Jack and Kate’s image on the screens as they hugged at the top of the
Mark Twain
. Mickey reappeared center stage again as the music climaxed and he recited his final line, “Some imagination, huh?”

He disappeared with a flash and a bang as the search lights beamed throughout the area; the crowd continued to roar as they watched Jack and Kate on the screens. The orchestra hit the final note as the lights went black, but the screens remained. The CMs and guests in the audience let out the largest standing ovation for
Fantasmic!
in the short history of the show.
 

The screens went black.
 

Stan and Kendall hugged each other, and they both had tears in their eyes. Several CMs in the crowd who’d seen Jack mature from a scrawny little kid, to an American war hero over the years, cried and hugged each other. Michael Eisner wiped a tear from his eye, putting his arm around his wife as they watched from the balcony of Club 33.

Stan looked at Kendall and said, “Well, two out of three ain’t bad, Kendall.”
 

“Sir?”

“Jack wanted simple, romantic, and memorable—but I don’t do simple.”

Kendall let out a hearty laugh as they marveled at the standing ovation from the crowd below.
 

August 11, 2010

Pirate Wax Museum

Disneyland Park

Jack led Gaur through New Orleans Square, en route to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop with Kendall following close behind. Jack stopped abruptly before going through the back entrance of
Pirates of the Caribbean
.

“Look, I’m going to be upfront with you Bill, I don’t like you, I’ve
never
liked you—and I don’t trust you—even now. If you try to mislead me in anyway, I will come after you and I will find you, and you will regret it for the rest of your life. Are we clear?”

Gaur cowered as he leaned back to distance himself from Jack’s verbal assault.

“Jack—I’m not the enemy here. You have to come to that realization or we aren’t going to get anywhere. We’re running out of time.”

Jack continued towards the exit of
Pirates
as Gaur followed behind.
 

Jack whispered to Kendall, “Check on Tony, I want to know the minute he regains consciousness.”

“You got it.”
 

Jack marched Gaur through the empty
Pirates of the Caribbean
attraction towards the hatch leading to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop. “Why would my dad neglect to tell me about the tunnel system, for all these years, but then leave me clues to show me how to find it?”

“Not sure Jack. Your dad and Walt allegedly worked on a lot of top-secret projects together. Towards the end of Walt’s life, your dad was the only one he confided in.”

As they lowered into the Pirate Wax Museum, Gaur’s mouth dropped in utter disbelief, and he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“How could all of this be down here, for all these years, without anyone knowing about it?” Gaur asked.
 

“People did know about it—Nikolai knew about this place, and the tunnel.”

Jack walked Gaur to the large metal doors as Kendall followed behind.
 

“Nikolai is in here, along with the bomb,” Jack said pointing to the door. “If I can get in here, I can save the Park.”

Gaur ran his hand over the embossed symbols on the door, “What about this circle, Jack? It looks like it could be an unlocking mechanism?”

“We’ve tried everything and nothing will unlock the doors.”

Gaur looked to the left, and his eyes almost popped out of his head. “Is that the Blacksmith Shop?”

Jack was in no mood to give tours, “I have reason to believe that the tunnel network is extensive, so when we get through, we might not have a clear path to the bomb.”

Kendall put his mighty paw on Jack’s shoulder, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Jack acknowledged Kendall and backed away from the door.
 

Kendall kept his eye on Gaur, who was still examining the embossed markings, and whispered to Jack. “You have less than an hour before you meet with Nikolai, why not just meet with him and see what he wants. How is this guy going to solve this puzzle?”

“Jack,” Gaur called from the door, “it’s the circle, there is a key shaped like this that unlocks the door. The circle is the unlocking mechanism.”

Jack moved towards Gaur, “How do you know that?”

“I don’t know for sure, but Walt never used a circle in conjunction with his trademark D. I remember your dad using a similar unlocking mechanism in a project years ago.”

Kendall pressed his finger to his ear to listen to a transmission from the Team Six leader on the Island, “Jack,” Kendall relayed the message, “Team Six discovered a hatch on the Island that appears to lead underground. We need to go.”

Jack didn’t say a word and bolted towards the exit hatch.

1959

Submarine Lagoon

Disneyland Park

Walt Disney stopped in front of the brand new Submarine Lagoon and admired the mysterious depths of the legendary Seven Seas. Vivid colors were magnified by the crystal clear water. Hundreds of deep sea fish, sunken treasures, the fabled lost continent of Atlantis, the graveyard of lost ships, 60-foot sea serpents, and the North polar ice cap, all resided within this impressive lagoon.

A group of sponsors crowded Walt as they listened to the mastermind behind the most successful theme park in history describe his most recent creation. Representatives from Bank of America, Kodak, Carnation, Frito-Lay, Sunkist, Wurlitzer, C&H, United Airlines, and others were lucky enough to get a rare private tour from Walt himself. They could hear the excitement in Walt’s voice because Disneyland was his passion, and Walt loved to show it off.