Ridley Pearson - Power Play

When a good distance away, he dared to look back. Cruella and the Evil Queen had made no attempt to run after them.

If you run, you’d better keep running…

Instead, Cruella was heading to a…pay phone.

She reached it and brought the receiver to her ear. It was the last Finn saw of her, but it struck him as so out of place, so odd, despite the fact that Cruella used telephones in her movies. Not pay phones. Not in Downtown Disney.

He arrived at the bus stop out of breath just as a bus was about to pull away. The driver braked for him and opened the door, and as he climbed on, he saw all six of his friends clustered in the back by the door.

Maybeck, a head taller than anyone his age, caught Finn’s eye and nodded, clearly relieved to see he’d made it.

A telephone, Finn was thinking.

Philby contained his surprise when a pop-up window appeared on his lab computer. A bright-eyed sixteen-year-old with reddish hair and freckles, Philby was a geek in disguise. He looked perfectly normal, but his British upbringing and slight accent, along with having a brain like Einstein, set him apart from other kids.

Edgewater High’s computer lab security software blocked pop-ups, prevented cookies, and limited Web access while simultaneously recording keystrokes. It was like working in the offices of the CIA or the NSA.

The lab had five long countertops with chairs, and eight laptop stations each. Currently, thirty-one students all faced forward where their instructor, Mr. Chambers, was stationed to the left of a large, interactive whiteboard mounted to the wall behind him. The whiteboard could carry anything from a mirror of one of the computers, to a PowerPoint presentation, or video. The instructor monitored software that showed a real-time thumbnail of each computer screen active in the lab. Mr. Chambers could click on any one of these at any time, seeing exactly what a particular student was doing. Chats were forbidden, as were aimlessly browsing the Web, downloads, or entertainment.

The pop-up on Philby’s screen displayed an invitation to a video chat. Technically, because of the security software and firewall, a pop-up was impossible, which only made it all the more intriguing to him. Despite his computer expertise, Philby had never been able to hack the school’s firewall-but not for want of trying.

Making matters worse, Philby and his fellow students had all signed ethics contracts, making it their responsibility to report any breaches or misuse of the system. By not raising his hand the moment the pop-up appeared on his screen, Philby had already violated that contract. It didn’t escape him that Mr. Chambers could easily be watching his screen, could already know about the pop-up himself.

If caught in violation of the contract, Philby would be suspended from lab for a week, possibly expelled from the class for the semester. It called for diversionary tactics, nothing new to Philby and his friends, who had long since established a system to distract Mr. Chambers away from his monitoring software.

Philby caught the eye of Hugo Montcliff, a neighborhood friend with droopy eyes, greasy hair, and shirts that carried unidentifiable food stains. Hugo’s father was a hard-drinking former policeman who couldn’t hold a job. Hugo occasionally sneaked out at night because he couldn’t take the screaming between his parents. Some nights he’d show up at Philby’s house and sleep on the couch. Philby’s mom had come to think of him as a kind of adopted son, and Philby considered him the closest thing he’d ever have to a brother. Philby signaled Hugo by tapping the desk twice and then pointing to his screen. Hugo nodded.

Philby then turned his attention to Mr. Chambers, knowing Hugo would open a drawing program when he was supposed to be creating a PowerPoint. As Mr. Chambers reached for his computer mouse, suggesting he’d spotted Hugo’s divergence from the assignment and would therefore briefly only be monitoring Hugo’s activities, Philby made his move.

Already wearing a headset for the sake of his own PowerPoint assignment, Philby accepted the invitation to the online video chat.

The pop-up window grew in size and a fuzzy video image appeared.

Philby brought his fist to his mouth to muffle his own gasp. Although difficult to see clearly, the white hair and cool blue eyes revealed the identity of the caller: Wayne.

The Keepers had neither seen nor heard from Wayne in several months-not since his hospitalization following the Fantasmic! adventure. He was believed to be in hiding, keeping himself out of the hands of the Overtakers, who would use any means necessary-including torture-to obtain the top-secret location of their captured leaders, Maleficent and Chernabog, or possibly to obtain other secret information that the creator of the Kingdom Keepers possessed.

“Are you secure?” The old man’s voice was steady but troubled, even as heard over the static-ridden poor connection.

“Not exactly, but I’m okay for a couple minutes,” Philby whispered.

Wayne knew more about the behind-the-scenes operations at the Parks than any other Disney Imagineer. He had helped to create a new hologram technology, had recruited Finn, Philby, and the others to model for what would become hologram guides in the Parks-Daylight Hologram Imaging, or DHI. The new holograms were an instant success. Families could be toured through the Parks by a talking teenage guide who was nothing but light, yet looked and sounded absolutely real. Park attendance jumped. Tourists traveled from around the world to see the new Disney phenomenon.

But Wayne and his Imagineering colleagues had advanced the DHI technology so the five students who’d modeled for them could also “cross over” into the Parks as holograms when they went to sleep at night. Once in the Parks, the DHIs could spy for the Imagineers or battle the Overtakers for control of the Parks.

A call from Wayne could not be taken lightly.

Philby had so many questions he wanted to ask: How had Wayne managed to breach the school’s computer security? Why would he risk contacting Philby in this manner? When had Wayne gotten out of the hospital? Where was he now? Did his call have anything to do with Maleficent or Chernabog? But time was precious; he kept his mouth shut and listened.

“As you know, these are dangerous times,” Wayne said. “Dangerous times require risk taking. My daughter, Wanda, whom you’ve met, has been my eyes and ears of late. She has been extremely busy carrying on my work- our work. But something has happened. She has been jailed by the police.”

Philby wanted to cry out, but he held his tongue.

Wanda arrested?

“I need Finn to offer bail for her release. This will require an adult, and we know Mrs. Whitman to be…supportive…of our cause. Wanda knows things that you five must know. Must act upon. Quickly.”

The Evil Queen , Philby was thinking. Cruella De Vil . It’s happening again .

“Tonight the five of you must be in Norway’s Stave Church at eight pm. Not your DHIs, but your real selves. A picture is worth a thousand words.”

“I have so many questions.”

“Prepare for remote access to the server. You may need it,” Wayne said. Philby knew this was a call to battle.

Since Maleficent and Chernabog were imprisoned by Disney, Wayne’s concern suggested that the Over-takers had reorganized. But if Wayne was risking breaching the school’s computer security, it implied something else as well.

“You believe they’re monitoring our home computers,” Philby said, guessing.

“You see why I contacted you? You understand the bigger picture. Finn is the natural leader, but you, Philby, are the navigator. Steer Finn in the right direction and he will lead you well.”