Hey, guys! This is my own story based on the movies and the book that it was based on as well. Think of this as like a remake to the original trilogy. It will feature Hector from the original book, but he will be depicted as Hispanic high school teen looking for a job to get enough money for college.
Disclaimer: I don't own Night at the Museum. Enjoy and please review!
The sun rose high above New York City, people chattered as they walked and cars honked as they sat in traffic. It was a very beautiful morning in the Big Apple itself. Inside the bedroom of a neighborhood home in the Bronx, the glistening sunlight peeked through the shades of the window and into the eyes of a boy in bed. He had short, black hair with curls and light olive skin. He blinked his eyes open and sat up. His name was Hector Dominquez, an overachiever who was looking for a job. He grabs the glasses from his nightstand and puts them on. Looking at his clock, he saw that it was 7:36 A.M. Hector gets out of his bed and stretched with a yawn. He got dressed quickly and headed downstairs to the kitchen. There was a dwarfish woman wearing a robe and a middle aged man with grey hair and mustache.
"Good morning." Hector greeted them.
"Good morning, Hector." greeted the woman, Niña, smiling. "Breakfast is almost ready."
"Great." said Hector as he sat at the table.
The middle aged man, Alfredo, was seated to his left reading the newspaper. Hector gabbed the want ads to see what kind of job openings were available.
"Still haven't found a job. Eh, Hector?" Alfredo gruffed out.
"Well, it hasn't been easy but I'm sure the right one is out there." Hector replied.
"Here's your short stack." said Niña as she placed a stack of pancakes in front of Hector. "You need your energy for job hunting."
"Thanks." Hector said.
"What are you looking for in particular?" Niña asked.
"One at the Manhattan Museum of American History and Art." Hector replied.
"Why there?" asked Nina.
"It seemed like a nice place. We use to go there a lot when I was young." Hector explained, recalling his memories. He remembered the field trips from school and the personal trips he took. He liked learning about the history each exhibit. So working there seemed like the ideal situation.
"What time do you plan to head over there?" asked Alfredo.
"Later on...ish." Hector answered.
"Good. Cause I need your help fixing the bathroom sink."
"Hmm." Hector groaned. "Okay."
"Oh relax, it won't take that long." Alfredo said.
After eating, the two of them got to work. Hector hoped the job would be finished soon.
Once the job was done, Hector decided to head out. He took a stroll through Central Park, watching the people go by and children and families enjoying themselves. He admired the scenery around him with the cool breeze blowing around him. He continued on the path when he saw someone who was familiar to him.
"Hector? Is that you?" It was a girl with light skin, long red hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing running clothes and a big smile on her face.
"Hey, Ally! How are you?" Hector greeted.
"Just thought I get a kick in my heels, you know?" Ally spoke. "So what have you been up to lately?"
"I'm looking to get a job at the Manhattan Museum of American History and Art." Hector said.
"Really? What position?" Ally asked curiously.
"I'm not sure yet. What good positions do you think they have there?" Hector asked.
"Well, there's a tour guide. I remember how you seemed to know more about the exhibits than they did when we went during school. Remember that one guy, he got so mad when you corrected him." Ally asked, laughing at the memory.
"Then he shoved me in the trash can?" Hector added weakly.
"Oh, why not be a night guard? You still consider yourself a night owl, right?" Ally asked.
"Correct. I'm gonna trust Maxwell's judgement." Hector said.
"You still talk to Max? I feel like I haven't sent anyone since high school. You're actually the first person I've spoken to since graduating. Do you plan on going to college?" Ally asked him.
"Eventually. I got to work for it first." Hector said.
"Well, I wish you luck. I'm an art history major at NYU so I frequent the museum often. I hope to see you more often." She smiled.
"Me too." Hector nodded. "Later." He then walked off.
He went for another few hours walking in the park, when he noticed it was getting close to being dark. Hector decided it was time to head for the museum. He walked up the steps past the two lion figures and through the doors and headed straight for the museum docent.
"Ummm, excuse me. My name is Hector and I was hoping I could get a job here. I'll take whatever you have open." said Hector.
The docent, a brown haired brown eyed woman looked up. Her hair in a neat bun and nice blue blouse. She smiled at the young man before her.
"Well, let me see here." She said as she pulled a file out. "Wow, you're in luck. We actually have an opening for a night guard. You seem like the type who can handle long nights. I'm Tina Osgoode." She said extending her hand.
Hector shook her hand and smiled. "I look forward to it." He said and took a good look around the museum. There was the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus-rex near the stairs to the second floor standing in a threatening pose. To his left he saw a was figure of Abraham Lincoln sitting in his chair.
"Ah, President Lincoln. I loved him." He said walking up to the exhibit.
"Yes. He's one of my favorites." said Tina joining him. "His Gettysburg Address is one of my favorite speeches. Why don't I show you where the security office is."
"Miss. Osgoode!" A man's voice called. Tina and Hector turned to see a man with sandy blond hair approach them.
"Oh, Dr. Stenson. What can I do for you?" Tina asked.
"Yes, would you mind keeping your eyes on the exhibits and focus on the trouble over there?" He asked pointing at some children trying to climb on the T-Rex exhibit, while the parents are trying to get them off.
"Please? And who is this?" He pointed at Hector.
"Hector Dominguez, sir. I'm interested in the night guard position." said Hector extending his hand.
"Well, well, well." Stenson replied dryly, shaking his hand. "Someone else with real guts decided to show up for the jobs. You know, we've had many night guards before and none of them walked out with smiling faces. Miss. Osgoode!" He shouted to the woman.
"Yes, sir?" She was over by the T-Rex helping the parents with keeping their kids from climbing. She rushed over when her name was shouted.
"Get the Penningtons over here if you can." Stenson ordered. "They are retiring tomorrow and I want their offices cleaned out. Understand?"
"Of course, sir." She nodded.
Dr. Stenson left but not before he addresses the parents at the T-Rex display. "Control them, please."
"Sorry about him. Being a curator is a stressful job." said Tina.
"Yeah, but that's no excuse for being a jerk."
"Yeah, I agree. Wait here while I get a hold of the Pennington's and then we can go to the security office."
"Do you mean Dr. Hoyt Pennington? The Dr. Hoyt Pennington? And Professor Morgan Pennington? They're retiring?" Hector asked, eyes wide as flying saucers. He had heard of the famous professor. He always enjoyed his work when he was young.
"Indeed. They're very old nowadays, have you noticed?" Tina joked along with a slight giggle.
"Point taken." Hector shrugged.
"I am in fact..." He turned around to see an older gentlemen with a striped suit, red tie and smooth greyish-white hair and a beard. "Very old. I hear tell that you're here to be the new night guard, are you not?"
"Why, Prof. Pennington! You're already here!" Tina exclaimed in surprise.
Hector was a bit starstruck at the professor. His work in archeology was well known and his wife was no stranger either. The two of them had the sharpest minds in the academic world. He shook his head when he realized he hadn't answered.
"Yes, sir. I am. I've always wanted to work here. This is one of my favorite places to visit." He responded.
"Well, I wish you luck on your job. Miss Osgoode, my wife and I need to speak with Stenson. Where is he?" Hoyt asked Tina.
"Having one of his meltdowns in his office, probably." Tina said. "By the way, where is Morgan?"
"Right behind you dear." said a woman in a sharp purple suit and gray hair in a bun. "Who's this young man here? A new beau perhaps?"
"What?!" Hector shrieked.
"I just met him today, Morgan." Tina corrected. "He's here to be the new night guard. By the way, Stenson wanted me to make sure you would clear out your offices by tomorrow."
"Yes, yes." scoffed Hoyt. "Come, Morgan. Lets see if Stenson is in his office."
The two professors left leaving Tina and Hector behind.
"Now that that's settled. Follow me to the security office." Tina replied and walked off, motioning him to follow her.
"Yeah." Hector replied and followed her.
They passed by many of the exhibits along the way. Some Hector hadn't seen yet.
"These new exhibits look amazing." He awed.
"Yes. We hope that these will help bring in people." Tina nodded.
Hector caught sight of an Al Capone exhibit with the mobster himself standing in a replica of his home cell from the Eastern State Penitentiary. The sight of this gave him the chills. The two entered the door to the security office and Tina knocked on the door. After a few moments, an older looking man with balding hair answered.
"Yes?" He asked in a rough voice.
"Hi Reginald, I've got great news. We've found a new night guard. Say hello to Hector Dominguez." Tina smiled widely.
"Hello there, sir." said Hector extending his hand.
The older man shook it.
"Well, now that you two have met, I'll leave you to it. Welcome to the museum, Hector." She said and winked at him.
Tina headed back to her desk at the entrance while Reginald led Hector into the office.
"So, how long did you work here as a guard?" asked Hector.
"Since I was teenager like you. Yet I didn't have that much interest in the museum like you back then. Now then," Reginald mused as he sat down in his chair. "What motivates you to come work here?"
"Well, number one: I love history. Number two: I remember visiting this amazing place when I was a child. All the field trips and stuff." answered Hector. "And another thing is that I'm looking to go to college now that I've graduated high recently."
"Really?" Reginald asked with wonder.
"But that issue is my parents can't really afford college yet. So they want to get employed first to make enough money to go to college. Which should be...long enough." Hector shrugged.
"Well, I'm not sure working here as a night guard will help. The pay is not the best, but I suppose it could be worse." Reginald reminded him.
"So, why are you leaving then?" Hector asked.
"Let's just say this museum...just got boring for me." Reginald explained with hesitance in his voice.
"What do you mean? How did it get boring?" asked Hector confused.
"History's just isn't my forte. Know what I mean?" Reginald asked.
"That's true, I suppose. So when do I start?" Hector asked.
"Tonight." Reginald replied.
"Do I need any special training for this job?" Hector asked.
"Just stay on your toes, kid and hope you're up to date on your history. Come on, I have a spare uniform back here."
Reginald went up to an old locker and gave Hector the uniform. Hector quickly changed and he and Reginald headed for the entrance. It was nighttime and the museum was now closed.
[9:40 P.M.]
"Now, here is your torch, keys and a list of things you have to do during your rounds." Reginald said as he handed him everything he needed. "And one last thing. Don't let anything in or out."
"Out?" Hector raised an eyebrow. Hector wasn't sure, but he had an ominous feeling about that statement.
He shrugged this off and asked "What if I ever get sleepy?"
"Trust me kid, you won't. Well, I'd best be off. Give my regards to Tina. Have fun kid." Reginald said and walked out of the museum leaving Hector all alone by the T-Rex. He still pondered his previous cautious warning about letting anything out. That's ridiculous. Who or what could be going OUT of the museum, when he's the only one there? He haven't the slightest idea why. Do they think the exhibits are just gonna somehow come alive, break out of the museum and wreak havoc among the city? Hector shook his head, dismissing this theory.
"Well, guess I'd better tell my parents the good news." Hector went over to the phone at the front desk and called his parents. "Hola, Mama."
"Hector! Are you still at the museum? I have dinner ready!" Niña called.
"Yeah, um, I actually got a job as a night guard. Tonight's my first night." Hector sighed.
"But what about your dinner?" His mother asked with worry.
"Don't worry, I'll just get something from the snack machine. I better go, though. I have to make my rounds. Tell Papa I said 'Hi'. I'll be back in the morning."
"Alright, if you need anything just call me. No matter the time." His mother replied on the other line.
"Alright, Buenos noches, Mama." Hector said and hung up, then made his way around the museum. He decided to give himself a little tour of the place. First, he entered the prehistoric exhibit where there were many dinosaur skeletons; Stegosaurus, Spinosaurus, Velociraptor, etc. He used to love dinosaurs as a kid. Entering the next exhibit, he found the art gallery, consisted of many exotic paintings, ceramics and sculptures. From what it seemed, it almost reminded Hector of the Louvre in Paris. The Hall of Fame seemed nice. There was a statue of Babe Ruth holding his baseball bat and striking a pose, like he's ready to strike the ball. It was mostly like a trophy room for the famous baseball legends. But Hector was never a fan of baseball. He moved on and stumbled upon the diorama section. He checked one diorama of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire during the Siege of Tenochtitlan where an army of conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés go into battle against the Mayans. There was another one of the Roman Empire. Inside the Hall of Nature, there were many statues of animals. The ones from the Africa savannah, the forest, tundras and others. Upon passing other exhibits such as; the American Civil War mannequins, a large Easter Island Head, he Eskimo display and a large golden Buddha statue, Hector was starting to believe that he might have chosen the right job for him. Hector was a huge history fanatic.
[10:49 P.M.]
He sat by the front desk and sat in the chair. Feeling a little bit of loneliness growing inside him from the darkness, Hector reached for some light switches under the desk and flipped them, putting some lights on. He always had this fear of feeling alone in the dark, even as a child, he always slept with his closet light on. Ironically, he still does. Hector sat causally in the chair as the time went by. Fighting fatigue after a few minutes went by, he had to get himself awake and alert and vigilant, in case anyone tried to break in. However, Hector had dosed off on the desk after another couple of minutes came around. He was awoken by a strange sound; a loud thump. He grabbed his flashlight and baton and tried to follow the source. He didn't even notice the T-Rex from the display was gone. He turned a corner and saw nothing. Then, he heard it again. Already on edge, he made his way further down the hallway. When he turned another corner, the sight before him caused his jaw to drop along with his flashlight. The T-Rex skeleton was attempting to eat a bush next to the fire extinguisher. It was...alive! Hector couldn't believe it. It must have been a dream. The T-Rex froze when it heard the flashlight impact the floor. Hector froze, too. Should he run? Stay put? Maybe it won't notice him. It wasn't until the skeleton roared and Hector decided that running would be a very good idea. He ran as fast as he could but the T-Rex was faster. It stopped before him causing him the stop abruptly and the skeleton leaned down. Hector was worried; sure it was just bones now but it had teeth and they looked sharp. He tried not to make any sudden movements. What the T-Rex did next left him speechless. It couched down and wagged it's tail, like a playful house dog. Hector was now confused. A carnivorous dinosaur, possibly the most dangerous dinosaur, behaving like a your average pet dog?
"Ummm, good T-Rex?" Hector spoke strangely.
The T-Rex wiggled its tail furiously, like it was happy to be acknowledged. It then inched its head closer. Hector stretched his hand out and cowered a bit in fear. He then felt something hard against his hand. He turned back and saw that he was touching the front part of the skull, most likely the nose area. Hector moved his hand in a rubbing motion and the T-Rex seemed to enjoy it.
"Well, well, he must really like you. Methazor is very particular of who he lets touch him." Hector turned to the voice and couldn't believe who was in front of him.
"No way." He let out a breath of amazement.
It was a familiar middle-aged man with a beard running down across his chin, black suit and perfect dark hair. Hector had no words for his shock right now. He looked towards the Abraham Lincoln exhibit to see the chair devoid of the president himself, then back at the man.
"President Lincoln?" Hector finally found his voice.
"Pleasure to meet you, son." Lincoln responded. "What might your name be?"
"Hector. Hector Dominguez. Mr. President this is an honor!" Hector extended his hand to shake the Abraham Lincoln. After they shook hands, he then heard a loud trumpet noise and Hector looked to see a large wooly mammoth. This made Hector more confused and flabbergasted at the situation. What on earth was going on. But that's not all, he noticed others: a group of knights, vikings, puritans, etc. Was this some sort of new animatronic attraction the museum acquired that was going haywire? Hector had no idea. He began to wonder around the museum, watching the many strange occurrences happening around him. God knows what he was going through right now. Lincoln, curious, began to follow him.
"Might I ask if there is something troubling you?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, it's just that, museum exhibits don't just come to life. I'm trying to figure out why and how this is happening. How long has this been going on?" Hector asked.
"You new?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah." Hector nodded. "Just got hired."
"This museum isn't like any other museum, dear boy." Lincoln debated.
Hector was about to say something when he passed a group of neanderthals who suddenly shuffled over to him, hooting and lallygagging like the prehistoric apes they are, creeping Hector out. One of them was even smacking two flints together. Lincoln helped guide Hector away from them.
"Always on the constant search for fire. Perhaps one day it will happen. To answer your questions, there's someone we should visit." The president said.
"Who?" Hector asked.
"Come." Lincoln said and walked off and Hector follows him. Lincoln lead Hector to the Egyptian part of the museum. Hector remembered that there was an exhibit on Queen Cleopatra VII and her treasures. He remembered that the mannequin looked beautiful, as what she would have looked like in her glory days as Queen. Lincoln and Hector approached a sarcophagus where the Queen herself sat. She looked down at the two figures approaching her.
"My Queen." Lincoln bowed before her presence.
"Abraham Lincoln, what brings you here?" Cleopatra asked, putting down her mirror.
"I would like to introduce to you, the new night watchman. Go on now." Lincoln said and pushed Hector and he stumbled forward in an ungraceful bow.
"H-Hector Dominguez, you're majesty." Hector stuttered.
"He is not familiar with the item that brings this place to life. Perhaps if it pleases you, would care to explain it to this young man?" Lincoln asked.
"Hmm." Cleopatra eyed Hector closely. "You seem like a trustworthy peasant." The queen showed Hector a strange stone that looked to be broken and on it were inscriptions in hieroglyphics. "This is the Stone of Khonsu, the Moon God. Many years ago, this particular stone was built to give the dead a chance to re-live their lives. To walk the earth once again. In 1942, a group of archeologists found the Stone in a tomb believed to be lost in time in Egypt during an expedition. They brought the Stone here to this museum and as a result, everything in this museum came to life. And it's been that way since then. Unfortunately, it's power will only work at night before midnight."
"And when the sun rises?" asked Hector.
"We return to our lifeless forms." finished the Queen. "Make no mistake, this stone is very powerful. I am counting on you to help protect it. My guards can only do so much."
She was referring to the two giant hawk headed guards at the entrance to the exhibit. Their hard, cold stares made Hector bit back in fright, but tried to stay strong.
"It's my job, your highness." He said.
"And I am sure you will do it well. I would suggest you acquaint yourself with the other inhabitants. But be warned, they all might not be helpful. Consider your allies wisely." Cleopatra instructed with a strict warning.
"Yes. Thank you, your majesty." said Hector bowing again.
Lincoln bowed as well and the two of them left Egypt. Lincoln left to go check on the other exhibits while Hector wandered around the second floor. Suddenly, a loud chorus of battle cries broke his silence and Hector found himself running fro his life from an army of soldiers with Greek armor. Some of the other exhibits ducked out of their way as they charged.
"I always thought I'd be chasing ones who try to steal exhibits, not have exhibits chase me!"
He ran until he bumped into a rather large man in Greek armor. The Greek soldiers immediately halted and kneeled before him. The larger soldier pointed his sword dangerously at Hector.
"Who be you?" He demanded with a grunt.
"I-I'm the n-new guy, sir." Hector shivered in fright.
"Your name." He bellowed.
"H-H-Hector, sir! Please I just started and Queen Cleopatra already explained everything! I'm still getting used to this!"
"You spoke with the Queen?" The man asked with surprise.
"Y-yes?" The teen squeaked.
The large man eyed Hector more, sizing him up.
"State your business here." He demanded.
"She told me I should make myself acquainted with everyone! Find allies to help protect the stone! I'm the new night guard!" Hector desperately explained. Satisfied with his answer, the man put his sword back in his scabbard and helped Hector up. He then proceeded to remove his helmet to reveal that he has long, dark, shaggy hair, light olive skin and a beard.
"Agamemnon." The man greeted himself.
"The king of Mycenae? Your majesty." said Hector kneeling.
"Oh, no need for that." Agamemnon rebuts and Hector stood back up. "You look awful young, unlike the other night folk that came around here."
"Well, I needed the job to help save money for college. Plus, I love history and have always wanted to work here at the museum." said Hector.
A mammoth stomped toward Hector and it held it's large trunk out to him. Hector reached his hand out and the mammoth's trunk wrapped around it.
"It seems the beast wishes to be your friend." said Agamemnon.
"Does this guy have a name?" Hector asked.
"No." Agamemnon shook his head. "But you're free to name him."
"First a T-Rex and now a mammoth. Too bad my apartment doesn't allow pets." Hector shook his head.
"Did you all have any part in the Trojan War?" Hector asked Agamemnon and his army.
"That we did! I lead my armies into many battles! I even fought against Achillies himself!" Agamemnon proclaimed proudly.
Hector chuckled slightly. "I'm gonna go continue my rounds." He said and began to walk off.
And so there's the first chapter of the story. Hector has just gotten the job as the night guard at the museum and it didn't turn out the way he expected. But, nonetheless, he will find it rather intriguing in the near future. Please review!