toward the soundstage.
The kids had practiced their roles for such an event: Willa stood poised, ready to kill the overhead lights; Philby put both computers into sleep mode; Finn and Charlene shut down the stand-alone lights and all the cameras; Jess and Amanda disconnected the main cables from their suits, the umbilical cords that fed the computers. Everyone was intent on hiding.
All the kids scattered, having elected hiding places earlier.
Jess—in the green suits it was hard to tell the girls apart—had difficulty unclipping the large plug at the end of the master cable. Amanda made it off the all-green stage, but Jess was still struggling with the oversize connector. There was no way she could leave the stage so long as that huge cable was attached to her suit.
Finn, who’d hidden behind a wall of plywood panels on casters, watched helplessly, desperately wanting to run out and help her.
Jess lay flat down onto the stage. The green of her suit and the cable blended perfectly with the green of the backdrop and flooring—she all but disappeared.
The lights went dark, and Finn heard Willa scamper to find a place to hide.
Only seconds passed before the door swung open and the lights came on again.
“I don’t see what all the fuss is about,” one of the two night watchmen said. “Do you see anything?”
“The report was someone hearing something,” the other man said. “We might as well look around.”
Leaving the door open behind them, the two walked to the center of the soundstage. Only then did Finn, peering out, see that a light on one of the cameras was still glowing. His eyes darted between the camera and Jess, who remained flattened on the green deck, only a matter of yards from where the two men stood.
One of the guards lit up a cigarette.
“You can’t smoke in here,” his partner said.
“Correction: I can’t smoke out there . No one’s going to see me smoking in here, unless, I suppose, you’re going to turn me in?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“No problem.”
“Okay, then.”
The smoker remained where he was. The other guard grew restless and headed for the control room. Philby was somewhere in there.
“You know what they use this place for?” the smoker called out. “Those hologram kids.”
“DHIs,” the other called back.
“The kids, yeah. You gotta admit, they look freaking real.”
“I know.”
“They give me the weebies, to tell the truth. I mean, if you want guides, why not just hire real kids?”
“It’s Disney World, you moron. Don’t knock it: it’s a paycheck.” He entered the control room. Finn lost sight of him, concentrating instead on the smoker, who stood less than twenty feet from Jess, his back to her.
She seized the opportunity, crawling on her stomach across the green stage, the cable dragging behind her like a green snake.
The man took another drag off the cigarette and slowly turned in Jess’s direction as he exhaled. If he looked down, he’d be looking right at her.
Finn willed her not to move, not to so much as breathe .
The ash from the man’s cigarette broke loose and fell slowly to the floor. His head dropped, his eyes following it.
Finn couldn’t take it. He spotted a group of push pins stuck into the plywood. He withdrew one and threw it across the room. It clattered and rolled.
The smoker turned away from Jess with a start. Finn backed up, deeper into shadow.
“Hey!” the smoker called out.
The other man reappeared from within the control room. “What?”
“Something…I don’t know…over there.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. I’m just saying I heard something.”
“So?”
“So what?”
“So check it out, you doofus. And put out that cigarette before you burn the place down.”
Finn stepped forward and sneaked another look.
The smoker smudged out the burning cigarette against the sole of his shoe. As he did, Jess once again crawled toward the edge of the green stage behind him. She
The kids had practiced their roles for such an event: Willa stood poised, ready to kill the overhead lights; Philby put both computers into sleep mode; Finn and Charlene shut down the stand-alone lights and all the cameras; Jess and Amanda disconnected the main cables from their suits, the umbilical cords that fed the computers. Everyone was intent on hiding.
All the kids scattered, having elected hiding places earlier.
Jess—in the green suits it was hard to tell the girls apart—had difficulty unclipping the large plug at the end of the master cable. Amanda made it off the all-green stage, but Jess was still struggling with the oversize connector. There was no way she could leave the stage so long as that huge cable was attached to her suit.
Finn, who’d hidden behind a wall of plywood panels on casters, watched helplessly, desperately wanting to run out and help her.
Jess lay flat down onto the stage. The green of her suit and the cable blended perfectly with the green of the backdrop and flooring—she all but disappeared.
The lights went dark, and Finn heard Willa scamper to find a place to hide.
Only seconds passed before the door swung open and the lights came on again.
“I don’t see what all the fuss is about,” one of the two night watchmen said. “Do you see anything?”
“The report was someone hearing something,” the other man said. “We might as well look around.”
Leaving the door open behind them, the two walked to the center of the soundstage. Only then did Finn, peering out, see that a light on one of the cameras was still glowing. His eyes darted between the camera and Jess, who remained flattened on the green deck, only a matter of yards from where the two men stood.
One of the guards lit up a cigarette.
“You can’t smoke in here,” his partner said.
“Correction: I can’t smoke out there . No one’s going to see me smoking in here, unless, I suppose, you’re going to turn me in?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“No problem.”
“Okay, then.”
The smoker remained where he was. The other guard grew restless and headed for the control room. Philby was somewhere in there.
“You know what they use this place for?” the smoker called out. “Those hologram kids.”
“DHIs,” the other called back.
“The kids, yeah. You gotta admit, they look freaking real.”
“I know.”
“They give me the weebies, to tell the truth. I mean, if you want guides, why not just hire real kids?”
“It’s Disney World, you moron. Don’t knock it: it’s a paycheck.” He entered the control room. Finn lost sight of him, concentrating instead on the smoker, who stood less than twenty feet from Jess, his back to her.
She seized the opportunity, crawling on her stomach across the green stage, the cable dragging behind her like a green snake.
The man took another drag off the cigarette and slowly turned in Jess’s direction as he exhaled. If he looked down, he’d be looking right at her.
Finn willed her not to move, not to so much as breathe .
The ash from the man’s cigarette broke loose and fell slowly to the floor. His head dropped, his eyes following it.
Finn couldn’t take it. He spotted a group of push pins stuck into the plywood. He withdrew one and threw it across the room. It clattered and rolled.
The smoker turned away from Jess with a start. Finn backed up, deeper into shadow.
“Hey!” the smoker called out.
The other man reappeared from within the control room. “What?”
“Something…I don’t know…over there.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. I’m just saying I heard something.”
“So?”
“So what?”
“So check it out, you doofus. And put out that cigarette before you burn the place down.”
Finn stepped forward and sneaked another look.
The smoker smudged out the burning cigarette against the sole of his shoe. As he did, Jess once again crawled toward the edge of the green stage behind him. She
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