The Deadliest Cast Member - Disneyland Interactive Thriller Series - EPISODE FOUR (Jack Duncan) (SEASON ONE) (6 page)

Stan followed with his hands in his pockets, nervous, hoping the tour was coming to an end so he could tell Walt about the Grusov threat.
 

Walt directed the attention of the sponsors over to the half-submerged military-gray submarines in the sparkling lagoon.
 

“This, gentlemen is the largest peacetime fleet of submarines in the world,” Walt said as he proudly gestured towards the real, working subs that cost $80,000 each to build.
 

“We named them after the submarines in the nuclear program; The George Washington, Seawolf, Ethan Allen, Patrick Henry, Nautilus, Triton, Skipjack, and Skate.”

The man from Frito-Lay raised his hand, “I like the real life mermaids you put in the lagoon, Walt.”

The small crowd chuckled, and Walt smiled.
 

“These beautiful girls actually swim in the lagoon, and they can be seen from inside the submarines. They also lounge about on the rocks during the day.”

“You always think of everything, Walt.”
 

The man from United Airlines spoke up, “Walt, speaking of submarines and the nuclear program, this thing with Khrushchev hasn’t given us the best publicity.”

Walt’s smile dissipated, and he briefly glanced at Stan.
 

“I know Roger, but we’re trying our best to make the situation right.” Walt smiled, put his hands together, and changed the subject. “Well, I think that will do it for today boys, have fun in the Park with your families, and I’ll see you soon. I’ve got something in the works that you’ll be extremely excited about—it’s called Club 33 and I’ll tell you more about it next time!”

Walt was a master at leaving people wanting more. He always talked about the next big thing.

“Walt,” Stan approached as he was shaking hands with a few of the remaining sponsors. “I need to talk to you.”

Walt picked up on the distressed look on Stan’s face. He smiled at the lingering men, put his arm on Stan’s shoulder, and headed the opposite direction towards Fantasyland and the
Matterhorn
.

“We have a problem,” Stan said in a low voice. “I just received a credible threat from Nikolai Grusov, and it’s quite disturbing.”

Walt inched closer to Stan.

“I figured out why he hates me so much. Apparently it goes back to my days with the CIA. I interrogated a young KGB agent in an attempt to prevent an imminent attack. It didn’t go well, and the young man died.” Stan gulped, tilted his head down slightly, and looked Walt in the eyes. “I found out today that he was Nikolai’s son.”

Walt squinted his eyes and nervously looked side to side.
 

“He’s held a grudge against me for all these years, he said he wants to destroy the Park to get his revenge—and there’s something else, Walt.”

Walt raised his eyebrow and opened his mouth to say ‘what’ but he stopped to allow Stan to continue to deliver the disturbing news.
 

“He knows about the tunnel, Walt.”

Walt’s face turned white, his mouth dropped, and he blinked rapidly.
 

“Stan, this is not good, no one can find out what is down there, especially not him, we need to do something—maybe we should move everything now?”

“I don’t think moving things is a good idea, there’s too much to transport, and Nikolai will know what we’re doing. Our staff is too large to hide this from, and there are too many people here on a daily basis.”

Walt paused and put his fingers on his chin, “Ok you’re right, but what should we do? How do we prevent an attack and protect what’s underground?”

“I have a plan Walt, it will boost our security significantly, and it will safeguard your secret projects.”

“I’m listening.”

“It’s complicated—and it will cost a lot of money—but I want to build a system using all available technology. This system will keep the Park safe from threats. It will be a fully integrated unlike anyone has ever seen, everything from state of the art facial recognition, to the ability to cross reference relevant government databases. I want to develop an undercover team that blends in with guests. They’ll walk the Parks undetected, and prevent threats before they happen. This team will need to be five times the size of our uniformed security personnel.”

“Ok, this will be a tough sell to Roy and the investors, but I agree. We need something like this to ensure the long term safety of our guests.”

“Also, we need to build a solid defense system around the underground tunnels. We need to seal them so no one can get in there but us. I can create an intricate locking mechanism and gateway that will prevent all unauthorized access to the tunnels.”

“Yes, that is extremely important, Stan.”

“We have a credible threat right now, I think if we explain the threat to them it will demonstrate the urgency of putting a system like this into place. Disneyland will become a bigger target as time goes on, and we need to implement a strong security system to ensure the safety of our guests.”

“Ok, I’ll get on it. We need to get this system in the works because I want people to feel like they are safe when they walk through those gates, I want them to forget their normal every day worries and fears.”

Walt turned and walked slowly with Stan to prevent anyone from overhearing them.
 

“I’ve made more progress with the gold plates I was telling you about,” Walt said.
 

“Oh?”

“Yes, I’m obsessed with them, I’ve been trying to crack the code every night, and I found something intriguing that has to do with Benjamin Franklin, and even further, back to the Liberty Matrix. I think the founders were outlining the elements for the perfect city, and one component was energy. The city would need to be energy independent. I think Franklin figured this out and somehow encoded the instructions that reveal how to develop a super-energy source.”

Walt stopped in front of the
Motorboat Cruise
attraction, and they could smell the exhaust from the engines in the air. He looked both ways to make sure no one was near, and moved closer to Stan.
 

“I think he outlined how to create a safe, nuclear, form of energy that is capable of powering large areas—similar to the size of what I have planned for EPCOT. But this source is far different from the nuclear energy that exists right now.”

Stan looked shocked, and his mouth dropped.
 

“I can’t figure this out on my own though, I need a few specialists in this area who can help me solve it. Do you have contact with any of your previous colleagues who can help me with something like this? I need someone we can trust. If this information—this code—gets in the wrong hands it could be devastating. But with the right scientific minds, we could change the world.”

“Sure, Walt, I know a few people who would be perfect for this.”

“Ok let's do it.” Pausing, he added, “And don’t worry, I’ll get Roy and the investors to spring for this new security system.”

“Oh and another thing—”

Stan listened intently.

“Do you remember that short I did in 1953 called Ben and Me?”

“Yes, the mouse who inspired Benjamin Franklin and helped with the Declaration of Independence.”

“Exactly, well, the fascinating thing is that I did some research on Robert Lawson, the inspiration for Ben and Me, and wouldn’t you know it, he had a connection with the Lafittes. Jean, according to his memoirs and his great grandson, had an obsession with the Declaration of Independence and the founders, particularly Benjamin Franklin. I think Lafitte obtained the plates through his relationship with Andrew Jackson. Jean studied them relentlessly and tried to decrypt the message before he ditched them in the ocean and because of this, I strongly believe there is a connection between the plates and Franklin—and it has to do with harnessing power so it can be used to benefit mankind. This type of energy could power entire cities, make us self-reliant, and it could be used to drive technology beyond anything anyone has ever seen.”

Stan was flabbergasted at how Walt, with all of his daily responsibilities at the studio, Disneyland, and the company in general, could have time to focus on something of this magnitude. It was a testament to how effective Walt Disney was—he always looked to the future, and he tried to make things better for upcoming generations.
 

“Oh, and one more thing.”

Stan listened even though he still hadn’t caught up with Walt’s mind-boggling concepts.
 

“If something happens to me, I need you to find the brightest technological mind on the planet to continue this research. I believe that by the 1980s, an innovator will appear on the scene and revolutionize technology. Over the next few decades, he will become one of the wealthiest men on the planet, and will have the power to innovate beyond all human comprehension. I need you to make him part of the team and continue my quest for the perfect city.”

Walt pulled a wrinkled piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, showing it to Stan.
 

“These plates aren’t just a road map for an energy solution. They have the answer to something the founders might have used to form our country.”
 

The sketch was hand drawn by Walt in his famous red oil pencil. It looked like a telescope of some kind.
 

“The forefathers of our country, the ones who came over on the Mayflower, lived in the early 1600s. The Declaration wasn’t signed until 1776, and the Constitution was ratified about 11 years later. The founders somehow accessed the knowledge of the forefathers to form the most prosperous country on the planet. How was that information preserved during those times, when they had so many hardships, and limited technology? I believe they used something similar to this to do it.”

Walt pointed to his drawing of the object that looked similar to a telescope.
 

“A telescope?” Stan was confused.
 

“No, I’m not sure exactly what it is, but it was probably invented by Franklin—I think it was a—“ Walt paused, “something like a—“ Walt hesitated again.
 

“Like what, Walt?” It wasn’t normal for Walt to hesitate.
 

“I think it was a gateway or a…
portal
of some kind.”

Stan’s eyes widened. He thought that maybe Walt had gone too far—that he’d been spending too many late nights on this project.
 

“I know it sounds weird and impossible, and maybe it is—but I’m going to get to the bottom of this and figure it out.”

August 11, 2010

Tom Sawyer Island

Disneyland Park

Jack and Kendall jumped into the black rubber SEAL issued boat that was docked next to the wooden
Tom Sawyer Island
raft. Bill Gaur followed close behind, but Jack stopped him as he tried to board.
 

“We’ve got this from here Bill.”

Kendall started the stealth motor, and they accelerated across the water to the Island, which was dark except for the thin rays of lights poking through the trees from the search teams.
 

“Jack, we’re going to see the same exact door here, and have the same problem with it.” Kendall said.
 

Jack continued to glare at the Island. “I’m trying something different this time, I don’t need a key.” Jack pressed his earpiece, “Max, are you on the Island?”

“Yes, sir, I’m here and I’m preparing what you requested.”

“Okay, patch me into the Fantasmic lead, I need to talk to him.”

“Jack,” Kendall looked surprised, “what’s going on?”

Jack glanced at his friend and then back to the front of the Island where the SEALs were. “I’m not messing around anymore Kendall, I’m going to blow these doors off their hinges.”

“Jack? Lets think this through for a minute.”

“Kendall, we don’t have time to think things through, we need to get inside this tunnel. It’s our only chance.”

“But Jack, how are you going to detonate something without everyone seeing it? The Team has already tried to blast the first set of doors you found. I thought you decided to wait for the meeting with Nikolai?”

“Do you really believe Nikolai, Kendall? We can’t just sit around and put our lives in his hand. He’s going to detonate that bomb no matter what I do. This is his final mission, his last chance for revenge. We need to act now, we need to be on offense—you should know that more than anyone.”

“I know Jack, I but I also know that
you
want revenge more than anyone, and it’s clouding your judgment.”

“I NEED TO SAVE MY KIDS, KENDALL.” Jack roared.

The boat stopped in front of the Island.

Kendall backed down. Jack realized he overreacted and shifted his attention back to the Island.
 

“I’m sorry Kendall, but you just have to trust me on this.”

Jack and Kendall ran for the 15-foot basement at the front of the Island where Maleficent was stored. The SEALs were already down there with Max. A rectangle piece of concrete was standing on end at the bottom of the basement revealing stairs leading down into the darkness. As they climbed down the hatch, Kendall’s eyes enlarged when he saw the massive explosive Max was mounting to the door.