Free The Return: Disney Lands by Ridley Pearson Page A

hear Philby—of all people,Philby!—defend him! He marveled at the turnaround. For years the two had been rivals, both eager to
lead the Kingdom Keepers. Now, they were speaking, thinking, as one.
    “That sounds so strange coming from you,” Willa said, verbalizing what Finn was thinking.
    “So where are you going with this?” Maybeck asked.
    “More tests are needed.” From attorney to doctor in less than a minute.Classic Professor Philby. “More help.”
    “Oh, man. Here we go,” Maybeck moaned.
    “What kind of tests?” Willa asked.
    “There’s an easy way, and a hard way,” Philby said.
    “There’s a surprise,” Maybeck said. “For once, just once, can we try the easy way?”
    “Not without Joe’s help,” Philby said, checking his watch. He tapped his phone and initiated a video call. The name
Joe Garlington
appeared across his screen.
    As the phone started to ring, Philby said, “Let me do the talking.”

T HE M ISSION : S PACE PAVILION was virtuallyempty. With nearly the entire guest population distracted by the greatest nighttime outdoor entertainment show in the United States, the four Keepers
entered and were met by a Cast Member, who’d been sent by Joe.
    “Sorry for all the cloak-and-dagger,” the young woman said, addressing Philby. “But as Joe may have explained, given the rushed nature of your request, this was the only
locationin which we could show you the video in complete privacy.”
    “We understand.”
    She led the way down the ride’s empty exit line.
    “As it happens, our simulators accommodate four. They have video and sound. The video you requested will be uploaded directly from Disney Studios. Only you four will see it. Once we close
you in, you’ll have complete privacy.”
    “So we don’t actually haveto take the ride?” Maybeck asked hopefully.
    “I’m afraid you do. The videos run when the attraction is moving. There just isn’t time to change that synchronization. You will be the only ones riding the attraction. The
other simulators will all be empty. The line is light at the moment. It shouldn’t be a problem.”
    They reached a large, circular room rimmed with a dozen simulators. At thesight, Maybeck went green, and instinctively put a hand to his stomach.
    “I get sick on this ride,” he muttered.
    “Yes, well, you’re not alone there,” the young woman said, smiling.
    “Philby?”
    “Get in.”
    The attraction was designed to simulate blasting off in a rocket, slingshotting around the moon, and encountering a meteor field. Because of this, the sound track included
messagesfrom Ground Control to the spacecraft, and the simulator pod moved in a high-speed circular motion while also banking left and right. Normally, the screen would have shown flight images,
including deep space, the moon, and Mars. The jerking, rocking movement of the pod typically coordinated with the story in the video.
    But for the Keepers, the view was of Finn, alone, in night vision greenand black, traveling around in circles on King Arthur Carrousel. It was the security video Philby had requested from Joe.
The Keepers watched as Finn moved from horse to horse. The attraction came to a stop. Finn got off. The tape jumped ahead; Finn climbed onto Jingles.
    The video was shot at a distance by a stationary camera well hidden from park guests. The carousel looked tiny; Finn wasa little over an inch tall.
    Over the sound track that accompanied the roller-coaster movements of the simulator pod—all four kids were glad they’d eaten dinner several hours earlier—Finn shouted,
“This…is…so…weird!”
    “Think how we feel!” Maybeck called back.
    With Finn’s hologram on Jingles, there was a brief technical problem with the tape. It looked as if a hair or piece of linthad attached itself right to Finn’s horse.
    And then…
    Finn disappeared.
    Philby noted the passage of time and did some math—counting fifteen minutes and thirty-four seconds—edited from the