Author's Note: For those who are wondering why certain aspects to the chapters are being corrected or updated, such as these author's notes, I'm merely fixing some minor flaws that are just on my mind. While I'm doing minor updates or ANs for previous chapters, it won't distract me from writing future chapters. Anyway, here is chapter 2 of Project DHI. Let's jump from 1959 and go 60 years into the future to 2019.


Chapter 2: A kid name Finn

June 12, 2019

Whitman Residence, Orlando, Florida, USA

7:00 P.M.

A small girl rush to the window to see that her mother's van parking in the garage. She then called to her older brother upstairs.

"Finn! Finn mom's home!" She called out to her older brother but no response. Annoyed by his lack of communication while playing video games, the young girl made her way through the house, up the stairs, to the gaming room where Finn and his neighborhood friend Dillard have been playing all day. Before she could even touch the door, the boys suddenly burst into a loud howl that could be heard all throughout the house.

"Ray, tell the boys that the pizza is here!" called out Finn's mother from the first floor. Ray then open the door to the gaming room and rose her voice for her words to pass the boys' gaming headsets. "Finn, mom's home with the pizza! It's time for dinner!"

Her brother then turns to her and said "Okay Ray I hear you. Tell mom me and Dillard will be down there in just a minute." Ray then walks out of the room and close the door, not wanting to hear them burst into celebration again.

Finn turns his mic on, wanting to hear what his teammates online had to say about him and Dillard winning the stalemate in a match of capture the flag.

"Dude, who were the two guys that got the enemy flag at the last minute?" said one gamer. Then another responded "Some guys called 'sharkfinn' and 'doughboy007'."

"That would be us" said Finn and Dillard in sync.

Finn then look to his friend and gave his complements. "Nice job there doughboy, that was some moves you got on the quad bike."

"Well only the best can drive you across the battlefield, dodge rockets from a helicopter, jump over a broken bridge, splatter 5 enemies, AND win a nearly tied match all in one drive through."

The gaming party agreed with Dillard's actions as they saw it in game themselves. Dillard then offered his fist in midair towards Finn. "Who's the man sharkfinn?"

Finn rolled his eyes at his friend's pride, but he had to admit his friend's great skills in first person shooters. "Okay, you're the man doughboy."

Finn then fist bumped his friend, putting a permanent smile on his face. "That's right. I'm the man. Doughboy double o seven."

One of the players then said "Hey you two want to join up for another match?"

Finn replied "Sorry guys. Pizza just got here. It's time for me and doughboy to go eat and celebrate our victory."

"That's cool. Anyway good game everybody" said the player.

"Good game" said Finn

"Good game" said Dillard.

And with everyone saying good game, Finn exited out of the multiplayer lobby and turned off his gaming console. They then set their gaming headsets down and made their way downstairs to eat.


At the round dining table Dillard, Finn, and his sister Ray all enjoyed themselves to the takeout pizza while Finn's mother went out to go check the mail. From the dining room window they could see the rear iron fence of their small backyard which lead them to the neighborhood sidewalk that circled around a lake with cut green grass sounding it. With a purplish sky and a setting sun, the view from the dining room fit well with the kids having a great time.

Of the bunch was a 14-year-old boy named Finn, short for his mother's maiden named Finnegan. His full name was Lawrence Finnegan Whitman, but everyone has always called him Finn as Lawrence wasn't the great to announce. Being a slim kid, about 5' foot 4" inches, and having dark brown hair, Finn looked much like the average teenager. His best friend however, not so much. Dillard had similarities to Finn, having the same height and hair color, but the differing factor was an excessive amount of body mass. In other words Dillard was fat. There was a reason to why his gamer tag was title 'doughboy'. As for Finn's sister Ray, she was 9-years-old and shared more in common with their mother as oppose to their father. Finn at times felt sorry for Ray as she didn't live to see her father, whom passed away at the time she was born. Their father was serving as part of a special ops forces in the military and he was killed in action when Finn was 5, old enough to remember. They honored his memory during Memorial Day a few weeks ago and it was during that day that their mother talks about him. After his death it became stressful for their mother to be a single mother and so she had to quit her job. Finn's mother used to work at NASA as an engineer, but now she works for Lockheed Martin. For her to manage 2 kids, afford a house within a great neighborhood, and to be employed, Finn had to admire her for all her hard work.

The front door opened as Finn's mother came to them, having nearly a pile of mail in her hands. Looking about the mail she found a letter that had the two logos on it. The first was the Disney logo, which got her attention, but the other logo was one in which she never seen before. It was a equilateral triangle with circles on it's 3 corners and a circle in the center of the triangle. The letter was from Disney Imagineering and was addressed to Finn.

"Finn, you got a letter from Disney."

Finn looked up to her, yet wasn't that excited. "It's probably another letter asking for park feedback or to ask young kids like me for volunteer work. I like Disney and all, but I'm just going to enjoy my summer vacation here."

His mother looked back at the letter "I don't know Finn, this time it's from Disney Imagineering. I'll read it to you, seeing that your hands are dirty." She opened the letter and then start to read it to them all.

"'Dear Lawrence Finnegan Whitman, congratulations. You have been one of the very few individuals to qualify for Disney's latest and most enduring Imagineering venture, Project DHI.'"

The three kids at the table raised their head in question as to what was just said.

"Project DHI? I've never heard of it" said Finn.

"Well I have" Dillard spoke in enthusiasm "and let me tell you now Finn you are the luckiest kid in the state to be qualified for Project DHI."

"What is DHI?" said Ray.

Finn's mother then asked the same question "Yes Dillard what is Project DHI?"

Dillard straighten his posture at the table and explain. "Well to put it in simple terms, it's a program that centers on holograms. You know those foreign videos from Japan where they have a hologram play out or perform, well Project DHI is like that."

Ray look to Dillard in awe of what he said. "Are you serious? A real hologram?"

Dillard look to her and said "Yeah. For real, it's some awesome stuff."

Finn then asked "How do you know all of this Dillard?"

Dillard looked to him and replied "I learned of it by reading some leaked online article saying that Disney was going to reveal some hologram technology at their D23 Expo, and it looks like they've chosen you to be the first to test this thing out."

Finn wasn't able to understand what was being talked about. Holograms? In Disney? He then asks his mother "Hey mom, does it say anything there about holograms or what Dillard just said."

"Yes." his mother replied. "It says here that 'Project DHI or Daylight Holographic Imagery is a new way of Disney entertainment soon to come to Disney attractions everywhere.'"

That sentence alone caught the full attention of all 3 of the kids at table as Finn's mother continued.

"'How DHI works is by using nanotechnology within the body and in order to function properly a healthy adolescent is need. While the technology is certified by medical professions to be safe to human subjects, its motion capture capability is only possible by using it on a certain age group. Based around the many surveys, you Lawrence Finnegan Whitman qualify to be a part of this enduring entertainment project.'"

Despite an entire paragraph saying DHI was safe, that first sentence of nanotechnology in the body really turned Finn off. "In the body? What kind of hologram tech is this?"

Finn turn to Dillard for some insight but replied "Don't look at me. I only read a leaked article."

"I don't know Dillard. I like this hologram thing and all, but…"

"WHAT?!" Finn's mother interrupted before he could finish.

"Mom what is it?"

She read the letter again, unable to believe what she was reading was true in text. "It says here that the Disney Company is willing to pay you 50,000$ if you fully participate in this project for the summer."

"WHAT!" All three of the kids said at once. But Finn's mother continued.

"'And you will be flown to Los Angeles to the D23 Expo along with other qualified applicants. Hotel and travel arrangement will be free of charge. In addition, you and close relatives or friends will have a premium Disney Parks VIP pass in which you will be allowed full access to the parks at any time for life. If you wish to accept this offer, please enter the code attached to this letter at the Disney Imagineering website. We hope you accept our offer and congratulate you for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Sincerely, Professor Wayne Kresky: Director of Disney Imagineering.'" Finn's mother then put down the letter, having finished the last sentence.

For a moment in time no one moved or said a word. Neither Finn, Dillard, Ray, nor Finn's mother couldn't come to grips with the offer being granted to them. 50,000 dollars, a lifetime pass to go to the Disney Parks for free, and to be part of a hologram program; it all sounded too good to be true. All remained silent, until Dillard looked to Finn.

"Finn, go get your computer."

Finn turned at Dillard, still in a sense of disbelief. Dillard then rose his voice louder "Finn! Go get your computer NOW! Those positions are being filled up as we speak. Sign up before the positions are filled!"

Snapping out of his daze and understood what Dillard meant. Finn scrambled out from his seat and made a quick dash to get his laptop from his bedroom upstairs. Upon finding his laptop, Finn then made his way to the downstairs living room next to the dining table and kitchen. He then opened his computer and made his way through the net to the Disney Imagineering site. There a special tab was labeled 'Project DHI' and so he clicks on it. After going through link after link, Finn finally found where to enter his application code to be a participant in the project.

"Mom, give me the letter with the code."

As quickly as she could, Finn's mother passed the letter to him and he entered in the 50-digit code. After checking for typos, Finn pressed the enter button. All four of them stared in anticipation at the laptop screen as the code verified itself. Then a new page popped up saying:

'Congratulations Lawrence Finnegan Whitman, you are now a committed applicant of Disney's Project DHI. In the days to come please wait for further instructions by mail or email. These instructions will cover terms for applicants, travel arrangements for the 2019 D23 Expo, and legal contracts to the extent of what information applicants can or cannot share with the general public. Premium VIP passes to Disney Parks will be given to applicants after the D23 Expo and the offer of 50,000$ will only be given until the project is released to the public at the beginning of 2020. We at Disney thank you for your participation in bringing happiness to the world by innovation.'

Upon seeing that he was now part of something big, Finn couldn't help but to explode in excitement.

"WHOA!"

His mother patted him on the shoulder and said "I don't know how it happened Finn, but you are one very lucky kid."

Finn smiled at his mother's comment. However, that didn't sit well with Ray. "Hey, I hope you share that 50,000$ with me."

Dillard said to her "Sorry Ray, Finn doesn't have to share his cash with anyone." Finn for a moment believed him, before he kept on talking and patted him on the back "If he's going to share 50,000$ with anyone, it's going to be his best friend."

Finn then looked at him with an are-you-serious type of look. "Or I'll let you get a pass to go to Disney anytime you want. You do after all get to brag all the time online when we play."

"Oh come on Finn, that isn't cool."

Finn then made a smirk to Dillard. "However I could change my mind, if you do one thing for me."

"What? What do you want me to do?"

Finn lifted his fist in posture for a fist bump. Dillard knew exactly what that meant. Finn then said "Who is the man."

Dillard rolled his eyes and replied "You're the man."

The two friends then made a fist bump and Finn savor the moment. "That's right. I'm the man. A man name Finn."

"Your only 14 dude, you're still a kid." Dillard responded to Finn's delusional pride.

Finn then corrected himself. "Okay then, I'm the kid. A kid name Finn."


A.N: Like I said in the previous chapter, the Kingdom Keepers shouldn't have started with Finn as a DHI, having no explanation to how he got the hologram technology. Here I wanted Finn to portray the everyday American teenager, hanging out with friends, playing video games, and just having a fun time over the summer. Yes, there are a few clichés here and there, but throughout the series Finn just lacked that connection in portraying a normal kid of his age. As for Dillard, while he's a complete throw away character in the series and in most KK fan fictions, I want his character to be more and actually be Finn's best friend. That is something I hope to accomplish in future chapters and stories. As for Finn's family, well when it came to who would survive for the reboot, I choose Finn's sister over his father. Finn's father never makes any significant impact to any kind of KK story and nobody has tried to flesh out Finn's younger sister, who has only been mention once in the entire book series. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, next time it will be Finn meeting the others.