DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters created by Alexander Key and
owned by Walt Disney Pictures. This is fan fiction, and not endorsed by
Mr. Key, his estate, or Walt Disney. No copyright infringement is
intended, and no money is being made from this story. It is based on plot
elements used in both the book Escape to Witch Mountain as well as the
movie of the same name, although the book and the movie differ extensively.
Please direct all queries, comments, etc. to kevinpkhaynes@yahoo.com. It
is my sincere desire that you enjoy the story as the pure entertainment it
was intended to be.
LIFE ON WITCH MOUNTAIN
By Kevin Haynes
CHAPTER 5
As Tony emerged from the dark alley where the lifeboat left him, he was amazed at not only the size of New York City, but also the number of people still out and about at 3:00 in the morning. He tried to look nonchalant as he walked down the street carrying his duffle bag and carrying some canvases for painting under one arm, but he drew many stares. Since part of his assignment was to observe, he decided to start right then. He wanted to figure out why people were staring - he really needed to try to fit in if he were to be part of this area for the next three years.
Most of the people on the street were in bad shape. Some were sitting or lying on the ground. Their clothing was little more than rags. Others who were standing weren't dressed much better. He had watched enough TV and read enough to know about the homeless, gangs, muggers, and hookers. He realized, as he thought about that, that he really didn't fit into any of those categories in the way he looked or dressed, and those would be the people most likely to be out at this time of night.
He quickened his steps toward the place he would be spending his nights for the next few months. It was a rundown apartment building, but it was a reliable place to sleep at night, and also rest during the day if he needed to. It had been scouted out by another Homedweller who just finished his assignment. He had been in a different part of the city, but had found a location for Tony just before he left New York. The rent was fairly reasonable, and there were many people in the area. Tony wanted to meet them and get to know them, because once they felt comfortable with him, then he could find out almost anything about them. And that is what he needed to do - find out about his neighbors and see if any might be Homedwellers or know someone who was.
Just as he was nearing the door of the apartment building, someone grabbed his shoulder from behind. He turned around quickly, mad at himself for not having sensed it. A large man, dressed in secondhand clothes, stood there with a knife drawn. His eyes were wild and bloodshot, and he seemed determined and nervous at the same time. He simply said, "Give me your bag and your money."
Tony had only seconds to size the situation up. He could easily disarm this man and remain safe - that was no problem. What was a problem was doing it in a way that wouldn't blow his cover. He needed to be in this neighborhood for at least a few months, and his assignment to this city would last three years. He couldn't get a reputation as a weirdo or a freak yet.
It's amazing how quickly a mind can race through memories and details when one is faced with danger. It only takes one or two seconds, but it seems as though it lasted minutes. Tony remembered fighting Truck off with a bat and a ball glove at the orphanage; he remembered scaring Sheriff Purdy thoroughly with the flying broom with a jacket on it; and he remembered the bears that so frightened the people of the Sheriff's small town. What he needed was the right kind of frightening - something to make this guy back off, but make him think Tony had nothing to do with it. The biggest mistake he had made when he was young was using his other-worldly abilities so blatantly. That got him into more trouble than if he had been subtle.
The car! Parked just a few feet behind his attacker, on the street but slightly angled (since the person who parked it was not in the best condition to drive, probably), was an older car with a smashed passenger door. But it could start and move, and would serve Tony's purposes. Without warning, the car's engine started, and since it was missing its muffler, the sound was loud. Tony's attacker spun around to see what was going on, and as he did, the car's lights came on and put the attacker in a spotlight. Then the car's brights came on, and the spotlight got even brighter.
Tony was hoping this would be enough to make his attacker flee, but it wasn't. Whether the man was just numb to the unexpected, or whether the drugs he had been taking had dulled his normal responses Tony couldn't tell. So he went to Plan B. Suddenly the car shifted into drive and began to move . onto the curb . across the sidewalk . and straight toward the attacker. Now the man's instincts kicked in. He started running down the street, past Tony's apartment building, and was horrified to see the car pursuing him.
His terrified screams should have woken every person on that street. Tony only had the car pursue him until the man was out of sight, and then the car abruptly stopped, on the sidewalk, put itself into park, turned off its lights, and turned its engine off. Tony smiled as he entered his new home- whoever owned that car would wonder in the morning just how it got half-way down the street on the sidewalk! Well, perhaps they'll think better of driving home intoxicated next time, he thought.
He walked carefully up the stairs to his 4th floor apartment. He didn't know if anyone would be lurking in the hallways or stairwells at 3:00 a.m., but now he was going to take no chances. He also had his senses on full alert. He actually picked up the fact that there were four dogs living in various apartments he passed, several cats, and countless rats. While he had never had the knack for communicating with animals that his sister had, he nevertheless had devoted himself to making some friends of the animals that dwelt on Witch Mountain. He tried to remember where the dogs and cats were, especially. They might make good friends, and even help him find what he was seeking.
The apartment itself was sparse. The last Homedweller on assignment in New York knew that Tony was coming and had rented the apartment for him. He hope to make enough money selling paintings that he could pay the rent himself, but he wasn't too concerned. It was a studio apartment, but had minimal furnishings. "Oh well - at least it's not the orphanage or Sheriff Purdy's jail. And I can decorate it any way I like - it's all mine!" Tony was actually excited. This assignment was going to be such a change of pace that he knew he would enjoy it.
He put his few clothes away, stored his canvases against the wall, and set up his transmitter. The transmitter - a small metal box the size of a cigarette box - was the Home equivalent of a cell phone. Tony could already project his thoughts, or use his ultrasonic voice, over many miles. But the transmitter could broadcast them on a special frequency all the way to New Home, where he would keep in touch with his people, and especially Uncle Bené. He would leave the transmitter turned on all the time. If he needed to use it while away from the apartment, he only had to project his "voice" toward it, and it would be transmitted to New Home.
Should the unexpected happen and he was to somehow find himself more than 10 miles from the apartment and still needed to contact New Home, he had a small microphone/receiver hidden in his watch. The whole thing reminded him of the old Dick Tracy cartoons he used to read - if he needed help he would use his special voice to speak into his watch. That was then sent to the transmitter, which would send the message home.
Normally he would just check in each night from his apartment, but after what had happened to him with Dr. Gannon, as well as what others had experienced on their assignments, they wanted to have an emergency signal set up just in case. This seemed to be the best way. They didn't carry the transmitter on their person in case they were robbed or searched or arrested. Their watches didn't usually attract any attention, so it seemed wisest to make the watch the receiver for the transmitter.
The best part was that, even if his transmissions were intercepted, no human could hear the frequency and, as far as they knew, no earth computer could decode it either. Also, if for some reason he failed to check in, his watch could be tracked by those at New Home, and they could make sure he was OK.
As the sun began to rise over New York City, Tony tried to rest. He had been up all night and already had one adventure. What else lie in store? Who would he meet on the streets? Would he be able to help any of his people? What would he tell them? Where would he start? With all of these questions buzzing around in his head it took him a while to fall asleep. But sleep he finally did.
LIFE ON WITCH MOUNTAIN
By Kevin Haynes
CHAPTER 5
As Tony emerged from the dark alley where the lifeboat left him, he was amazed at not only the size of New York City, but also the number of people still out and about at 3:00 in the morning. He tried to look nonchalant as he walked down the street carrying his duffle bag and carrying some canvases for painting under one arm, but he drew many stares. Since part of his assignment was to observe, he decided to start right then. He wanted to figure out why people were staring - he really needed to try to fit in if he were to be part of this area for the next three years.
Most of the people on the street were in bad shape. Some were sitting or lying on the ground. Their clothing was little more than rags. Others who were standing weren't dressed much better. He had watched enough TV and read enough to know about the homeless, gangs, muggers, and hookers. He realized, as he thought about that, that he really didn't fit into any of those categories in the way he looked or dressed, and those would be the people most likely to be out at this time of night.
He quickened his steps toward the place he would be spending his nights for the next few months. It was a rundown apartment building, but it was a reliable place to sleep at night, and also rest during the day if he needed to. It had been scouted out by another Homedweller who just finished his assignment. He had been in a different part of the city, but had found a location for Tony just before he left New York. The rent was fairly reasonable, and there were many people in the area. Tony wanted to meet them and get to know them, because once they felt comfortable with him, then he could find out almost anything about them. And that is what he needed to do - find out about his neighbors and see if any might be Homedwellers or know someone who was.
Just as he was nearing the door of the apartment building, someone grabbed his shoulder from behind. He turned around quickly, mad at himself for not having sensed it. A large man, dressed in secondhand clothes, stood there with a knife drawn. His eyes were wild and bloodshot, and he seemed determined and nervous at the same time. He simply said, "Give me your bag and your money."
Tony had only seconds to size the situation up. He could easily disarm this man and remain safe - that was no problem. What was a problem was doing it in a way that wouldn't blow his cover. He needed to be in this neighborhood for at least a few months, and his assignment to this city would last three years. He couldn't get a reputation as a weirdo or a freak yet.
It's amazing how quickly a mind can race through memories and details when one is faced with danger. It only takes one or two seconds, but it seems as though it lasted minutes. Tony remembered fighting Truck off with a bat and a ball glove at the orphanage; he remembered scaring Sheriff Purdy thoroughly with the flying broom with a jacket on it; and he remembered the bears that so frightened the people of the Sheriff's small town. What he needed was the right kind of frightening - something to make this guy back off, but make him think Tony had nothing to do with it. The biggest mistake he had made when he was young was using his other-worldly abilities so blatantly. That got him into more trouble than if he had been subtle.
The car! Parked just a few feet behind his attacker, on the street but slightly angled (since the person who parked it was not in the best condition to drive, probably), was an older car with a smashed passenger door. But it could start and move, and would serve Tony's purposes. Without warning, the car's engine started, and since it was missing its muffler, the sound was loud. Tony's attacker spun around to see what was going on, and as he did, the car's lights came on and put the attacker in a spotlight. Then the car's brights came on, and the spotlight got even brighter.
Tony was hoping this would be enough to make his attacker flee, but it wasn't. Whether the man was just numb to the unexpected, or whether the drugs he had been taking had dulled his normal responses Tony couldn't tell. So he went to Plan B. Suddenly the car shifted into drive and began to move . onto the curb . across the sidewalk . and straight toward the attacker. Now the man's instincts kicked in. He started running down the street, past Tony's apartment building, and was horrified to see the car pursuing him.
His terrified screams should have woken every person on that street. Tony only had the car pursue him until the man was out of sight, and then the car abruptly stopped, on the sidewalk, put itself into park, turned off its lights, and turned its engine off. Tony smiled as he entered his new home- whoever owned that car would wonder in the morning just how it got half-way down the street on the sidewalk! Well, perhaps they'll think better of driving home intoxicated next time, he thought.
He walked carefully up the stairs to his 4th floor apartment. He didn't know if anyone would be lurking in the hallways or stairwells at 3:00 a.m., but now he was going to take no chances. He also had his senses on full alert. He actually picked up the fact that there were four dogs living in various apartments he passed, several cats, and countless rats. While he had never had the knack for communicating with animals that his sister had, he nevertheless had devoted himself to making some friends of the animals that dwelt on Witch Mountain. He tried to remember where the dogs and cats were, especially. They might make good friends, and even help him find what he was seeking.
The apartment itself was sparse. The last Homedweller on assignment in New York knew that Tony was coming and had rented the apartment for him. He hope to make enough money selling paintings that he could pay the rent himself, but he wasn't too concerned. It was a studio apartment, but had minimal furnishings. "Oh well - at least it's not the orphanage or Sheriff Purdy's jail. And I can decorate it any way I like - it's all mine!" Tony was actually excited. This assignment was going to be such a change of pace that he knew he would enjoy it.
He put his few clothes away, stored his canvases against the wall, and set up his transmitter. The transmitter - a small metal box the size of a cigarette box - was the Home equivalent of a cell phone. Tony could already project his thoughts, or use his ultrasonic voice, over many miles. But the transmitter could broadcast them on a special frequency all the way to New Home, where he would keep in touch with his people, and especially Uncle Bené. He would leave the transmitter turned on all the time. If he needed to use it while away from the apartment, he only had to project his "voice" toward it, and it would be transmitted to New Home.
Should the unexpected happen and he was to somehow find himself more than 10 miles from the apartment and still needed to contact New Home, he had a small microphone/receiver hidden in his watch. The whole thing reminded him of the old Dick Tracy cartoons he used to read - if he needed help he would use his special voice to speak into his watch. That was then sent to the transmitter, which would send the message home.
Normally he would just check in each night from his apartment, but after what had happened to him with Dr. Gannon, as well as what others had experienced on their assignments, they wanted to have an emergency signal set up just in case. This seemed to be the best way. They didn't carry the transmitter on their person in case they were robbed or searched or arrested. Their watches didn't usually attract any attention, so it seemed wisest to make the watch the receiver for the transmitter.
The best part was that, even if his transmissions were intercepted, no human could hear the frequency and, as far as they knew, no earth computer could decode it either. Also, if for some reason he failed to check in, his watch could be tracked by those at New Home, and they could make sure he was OK.
As the sun began to rise over New York City, Tony tried to rest. He had been up all night and already had one adventure. What else lie in store? Who would he meet on the streets? Would he be able to help any of his people? What would he tell them? Where would he start? With all of these questions buzzing around in his head it took him a while to fall asleep. But sleep he finally did.