Power Play

grotesque bald head and curved beak into her face, driving her back. She leaped to her left, and the second vulture blocked her there as well. She fled back into the swarm of spiders. Some had reached her knees. As fast as she could brush them off, they gained on her.

“STOP IT!”

“What kind of uniform, dear?” the Queen said in a perfectly calm voice.

“Military, I think. Those things on his shoulders.” She jumped and hopped and swatted at the spiders.

The Queen waved the spiders down and off her. They formed the doughnut again, with Willa at the center.

“That’s better, my little ugly duckling,” the Queen said. “More details, and I’ll keep them off you.”

Willa collected herself and looked up, intent to meet eyes with the Queen. But what she saw just beyond the Queen nearly stopped her heart: Finn. Her friend Finn, not the Queen’s copy of him. He wore all black and was carrying the shimmering blue line that said he’d crossed over. Finn, who’d come to rescue her.

The Evil Queen caught Willa’s eye movement and, without looking behind her, made a sweeping, surprisingly graceful motion toward Finn, her lips moving, but making no sound. Whatever she had expected to happen to him did not. The blue line around Finn’s DHI shimmered, though only slightly-he was only part hologram. He rushed Willa, lowered his shoulder, and hit her like a football tackle, throwing her onto his shoulder. He took off at a run.

Spiders raced up his back, Willa brushing them off furiously. She looked down: the stream of spiders had stretched into long black line like a…

Snake.

Gigabyte, the twenty-foot python, was a matter of yards behind Finn. The vultures flew on either side of him.

Back at Gigabyte’s tail, the remaining spiders turned into rattlesnakes.

“Finn…” Willa gasped, laying atop his shoulder. “Snakes.”

The rattlesnakes moved faster than the giant python.

“Finn?” she said.

He could feel himself slowing down-the more frightened she became, the heavier she was to carry.

“Don’t…look!” he said. He followed the path past Innoventions West and aimed for the fountain plaza, now in sight. Maybeck’s timing was going to have to be perfect, or between the snakes and vultures they would lose their chance to Return.

The fountain was now only a matter of twenty yards away. A figure appeared on the far side, toward the lake: Maybeck, running at a full sprint, two CTDs on foot chasing him.

* * *

Maybeck counted down in his head: thirty-nine…thirty-eight…thirty-seven…

He had a pair of robots on his tail, pursuing his DHI at lightning speed. One of them had gotten close enough to fire some kind of Taser, but because of his DHI state, its electrodes and wires had passed right through him.

Up ahead he saw Whitman carrying Willa on his shoulder, and some kind of broken shadow slithering behind him. Behind the shadow came the Evil Queen and Cruella. If this had been Philby’s plan, he was out of his skull. They’d walked right into a nest of Overtakers.

“Uncool!” he shouted as he skidded to a stop, seeing the snakes-not shadows but snakes!-braiding themselves around the feet of Finn’s DHI.

“Do NOT look down!” Maybeck added.

Finn looked down. His blue hologram line faded and the tangle of snakes locked around his partially mortal ankles, and Finn fell, dumping Willa, whom Maybeck caught in his arms.

Maybeck had lost count. Eighteen? Twelve? Whitman had told him he had to keep count.

Oops…

Finn rose to his elbows, but surrounded by hissing rattlesnakes, he froze.

“Welcome, boys,” said the Evil Queen, finally catching up.

Maybeck helped Willa keep her balance as he put her down. It was a clever move-it put her within an arm’s length of Finn. If she dared to reach across the snakes, they could hold hands.

* * *

Philby stared out his window. It was not a serial killer; it was Hugo Montcliff, and more important, he had Elvis in his arms. Elvis, an inside cat, had disappeared earlier that afternoon and Philby’s mom had been distraught. Hugo would be a family hero for years to come.

Philby threw open the window. “You found him! My mother’s going to saint you.”

“He was wandering around the Evans’ house.”

“Need the couch tonight?” Philby knew Hugo couldn’t suffer his parents screaming fights all night.

“You mind?”

“Climb on in,” Philby said, making a gesture like a hotel doorman. Hugo passed him Elvis and followed through the window.

Philby felt a shiver, but blamed it on the night air.

“Sorry, I’ve got to be rude,” Philby said, shutting and locking the window, “but I’m jamming.” He pointed to his desk. “It’s late, so be as quiet as you can. Wouldn’t want to wake up my mom. Towel’s in the closet. I’ll catch you in the morning.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t stay.” Hugo’s voice had dropped an octave. He spoke softly, sounding hurt.

Philby, who was now a step closer to his desk, looked back at his friend, feeling sorry for him. “No, I didn’t mean that. I’ll be done in a couple minutes.”

“Is that Epcot?” Hugo said, stepping closer.

“That’s amazing you could recognize it,” Philby said. His screen was nothing but some lights, the shimmering water of the lake, and…the little ants had moved to the fountain plaza.

That has to be Finn and Maybeck. But there were way too many ants on the screen-if it was Finn, he and Maybeck weren’t alone.

“Can I play?” Hugo asked.

“Ah…it’s not exactly a game, and, ah…You know, if you don’t mind, I’m a little busy right now.”

“Oh, but I do mind,” Hugo said. “Don’t touch that keyboard.”

Philby spun around. With Hugo having been outside in the dark, he hadn’t gotten a good look at him, especially given that he’d been holding Elvis. The cat had won Philby’s attention-by design, Philby thought. Because Hugo’s eyes were a vivid green.

Hugo had brown eyes.

Philby couldn’t believe it! Hugo? Of all people! After all Philby’s family had given to the boy! He felt overcome with anger and disbelief.

He saw his terry cloth bathrobe and belt lying on his bed. The belt would work to tie Hugo up.

Philby charged.

Hugo knocked him out of the way and onto the bed. Where had that kind of strength come from? Philby did a somersault and sprang from his haunches, launching himself at the boy.

To his right, a burst of color erupted across his computer screen.

The signal.

* * *

The lake burst into flames, flooding the night sky and illuminating every pavilion in a wash of golden light. It reflected off the face of the Evil Queen. It danced in Cruella’s eyes.

Finn hopped to his knees and stood, leaning to reach across the tangle of rattlesnakes and touch Willa’s outstretched hand.

It was not only the water burning. A dozen towering torches surrounding the lake had also burst into flames.