Disneyworld Vacation
Part Two, Chapter One
DISCLAIMER: After all this time, if you STILL think I have even half a chance of ever owning these characters... well...
Part Two
They had been hoping to get an early start that morning, but Roy's plan had taken longer than expected. So here it was, ten-thirty already. The cafeteria had been relatively quiet until Dick entered, finished eating, and heard what Roy had done to his legal guardian…
"Holy persecution! I can't believe you actually did that!"
Here we go again, Roy sighed to himself as Dick continued to yell at him. There was no need for Dick to be so upset, really. It wasn't like he had done anything so terrible to get Ollie out of the way. It was just a little cheese; it would wash out. Okay, so he might have a little trouble getting the cracker crumbs out of the carpet, but…
"…That was by far the worst stunt you've ever pulled, Roy! How you can do such rotten things to Mr. Queen is—"
"Blah, blah, blah, I can't HEAR you!" cried Wally, plugging his ears. "I can't hear you and your shrieking, blah, blah, blah…!"
"SHRIEKING?" Dick shrieked.
"Alright, that's enough!" ordered Roy. "Let's get on with it! Now where did you want me to go today? We haven't got a lot of time here."
Dick gave him an annoyed glare and slapped the Magic Kingdom brochure into Roy's chest. Roy took one look at it and groaned.
"The Magic Kingdom again? Can't I go somewhere else?"
"No," said Dick bluntly. "We'll be meeting you at the entrance to Disney-MGM Studios at two. Don't be late or I'll tell Mr. Queen what you did."
Roy grumbled but stormed out of the lobby and over to one of the bus stops that were located to the side of the hotel's main building. There were about five bus stops, each one going to a different theme park. Dick's arrived first. Roy's arrived last.
That figures, Roy grumbled as he climbed onboard. Luckily enough, he was the only guest at All-Star Sports who wanted to see the Magic Kingdom that morning. Too bad there were so many people from All-Star Movies and All-Star Music who were going.
-
Dick ran through the crowded streets of the Disney-MGM Studios, rushing past the guys in the Power Rangers costumes on the Streets of America, shoving anyone and everyone who got in between him and the Indiana Jones wannabe he was chasing. The man was tall, and a fast runner to boot.
At least he hadn't had any trouble finding the formerly-illusive Dr. Jones. All Dick had had to do was get past security, walk almost as far as Mickey's giant sorcerer hat, and there was their guy, standing right in front of the Keystone Clothiers store. The chase began not too long after that.
Dick was in excellent shape. Anyone would admit that. But the continuous running and pushing in the hot Florida sun would affect any mortal eventually and Dick was certainly no different.
Slowing to a walk, Dick watched reluctantly as the man vanished into the midday crowds. He wished he could keep running, but his legs were like limp French fries, and his mouth was drier than that burger he'd eaten yesterday. He could really use a drink.
Dick walked over to a nearby cart where a woman with a cap was selling ice cream and bottled drinks. So he pulled two dollars out of his pocket and bought a bottle of water.
As he sipped his drink, Dick passed by the 'Star Tours' building. Outside, there was a man in a Star Wars-esque costume, showing a group of eager kids how to use a light saber—a fake one, of course.
Dick smiled ruefully as he went past. He was beginning to wish that he had decided to investigate Epcot or the Magic Kingdom instead. Thanks to his strenuous training schedule, Dick never had much time to watch a lot of movies or television, so he really had no idea what was going on in this particular theme park.
If you wanted to be honest, he barely even watched Disney movies. After all, Dick had never really wanted to risk having Bruce walk in unexpectedly during the scene where Bambi's mother was shot. That would have been incredibly awkward for both parties, under the circumstances. And as much as he liked Dumbo, Dick never watched it very often because he knew he'd just end up picking all the mistakes out of it and ruining the movie for himself. Being half-raised in a circus could have distinct disadvantages sometimes.
After finishing with the water, Dick crushed the bottle in one hand and threw it into the nearby recycling bin. By this time, Dick had passed by the Great Movie Ride. In front of the building, the sidewalk was covered with signatures that celebrities had drawn into the formerly-wet concrete. Dick didn't really recognize many of the names, except for perhaps Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
I really should have gone to Epcot, he mused again. Well, the show about Walt Disney looked interesting, but that was about all that appealed to the Gotham teen here at the Studios. Too bad he didn't have time to stop inside and see it.
Dick wandered aimlessly for a while, his sharp blue eyes scanning everything for any sign of their stalker. The closest he came to finding Dr. Jones was by gazing up at a large sign that said 'Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular'. Right next to it was a couple of small carts selling merchandise, such as the classic hats and toy snakes and things.
Well, now would be a good time to investigate, anyway. Find out if their own Jones worked anywhere around here.
The boy nonchalantly perused through the hats, occasionally looking up to see if the man was anywhere nearby.
He wasn't.
Dick glowered to nobody in particular. He was beginning to get a little annoyed.
Finally, after about ten minutes of trying on hats that didn't fit him, Dick spotted another Indiana Jones hat. But this one already had an owner.
A familiar one at that, and not just because of his headgear.
But what was it about that man…?
"Hey!" Dick cried out. He could have kicked himself as soon as he said it. The man turned to look at him, although his face was still covered in shadow, then made a mad dash around the corner and out of sight.
"Hey!" the boy squealed again. Forgetting his former fatigue, Dick dropped the hat and ran after Dr. Jones. He rounded the corner just in time to see the man leap over a small wooden gate with the words 'employees only' on it. Undeterred by this minor detail, Dick followed his suspect…
…and bumped into a man in a red sash and black robe with a matching mask, the kind they used to wear in Egypt.
"Sorry, kid, no one's allowed backstage but the employees," said the man, not unkindly.
"Backstage?" Dick queried weakly.
"Sure! Backstage for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!" he explained. "You can buy a ticket over there. The show starts in—"
Dick, losing his patience, struck the man in the head, knocking him down and out instantly. He hated to do it to the poor guy—he had been so considerate in telling Dick to scram—but if he was going to find Dr. Jones, he'd need unlimited access backstage.
And the only way to do that was to become one of the performers.
It took Dick only a minute or so to throw the robe over his regular clothes and hide the poor actor in the bushes in nothing but his underwear. The shoes didn't fit him, but he had been wearing a pair of dark high-heeled boots anyway. 'High-heeled' to make him look taller, since he had yet to undergo any major growth spurts, and it was pretty lucky he had worn them. If he hadn't, the robe would be dragging on the ground for sure. It was pretty baggy on his slender frame as it was.
I wonder how our friend Jones managed to get back here without being caught, Dick wondered. Wait a minute. He's got the hat! They probably think he's Indy! Holy blatancy—how obvious can it get?
But that was when Dick saw something else—
Dr. Jones without his hat.
He only caught a glimpse of thick black hair before a headdress identical to Dick's was pulled over the man's head.
Well, now they knew his hair color. And Dick still had the eerie feeling that he had met the man before. But he still had no idea who!
Maybe it was...?
No. Couldn't be. Impossible.
Dick kept to the shadows, keeping an eye on Dr. Jones. That was no easy task, considering there were about three or four other guys dressed in matching costumes. But Dr. Jones was the tallest, so it wasn't as hard as it may have been.
All of a sudden, a series of deafening explosions broke the still air, immediately followed by several other noises and the sound of something heavy rolling along. Dick jumped noticeably, but nobody else seemed to care. Not long afterwards, they heard thunderous applause, and Dick realized that he had just been hearing part of the stunt show from onstage.
…Um… I knew that…
A woman's voice over a microphone came next, and Dick thought he had heard her ask for volunteers from the audience. He was still keeping a close eye on Dr. Jones, so he wasn't sure that was really what she'd said. But he didn't care. All Dick was worried about at the moment was capturing his stalker.
Dick glanced up. He noticed that Dr. Jones was standing near the wing of a small airplane that was obviously meant to imitate the one from a very explosive scene in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Dick grinned. He could easily climb up onto the wing and jump their man!
Slowly, stealthily, the Boy Wonder slunk over to the plane, using various crates and props for coverage. He consistently kept an eye on Dr. Jones, not wanting to lose him before he managed to catch him.
Dick was within inches of the plane. The wheel was within his reach, just waiting for him to clamber up so that he could reach the wing. Almost there…
"Alright, places, everyone! Get ready for the next scene! Places!" a man hollered. Dick whirled at the voice, and by the time he turned back around, Dr. Jones was gone!
The boy slapped his bare forehead, frustrated. Would he never catch this guy?
"Hey, c'mon, we're on!"
"Wha—?"
Dick suddenly found himself being physically pushed towards stage right. All the other men in black robes were there too, obviously waiting for a cue. The boy mentally groaned. He couldn't act! He had to get out of here!
But it was too late. A couple of people dressed as Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood rushed past and ran on stage, glancing behind them at various intervals, checking to see how close the men in black were. There were already several extras onstage in Egyptian clothes, pretending to be frightened as the men in black—and Dick—ran after Indy and Marion.
Dick prayed for a miracle. Dr. Jones was right next to him and he couldn't do anything about it! Of all the rotten luck.
Dr. Jones suddenly bolted after the man playing Indy. Dick eagerly followed him up the rickety-looking wooden ladder, up three small flights of a cutaway building where Indy and the stalker were exchanging fake blows. Dick made a mental note of how adept the man was at fighting, even if it was just play-acting.
Suddenly, Indy pulled out a (hopefully!) phony gun and shot Dr. Jones with it. Jones fell off the edge of the building and into a mattress just below them. Dick cursed as Jones fell and landed safely on the mattress. He cursed again as the man ran offstage. If only he had—
THWACK!
Dick felt a sharp pain in the small of his back and suddenly found himself falling towards the earth at frightening speed…
…heading straight for the roof of a smaller building!
Me: Oopsies, looks like Dick goofed a bit!
Dick: Hey, I thought you said you wouldn't be here today because of your CD!
Me (bragging): It arrived early and I finished it in about six hours. Easy peasy!
Dick (unconvinced): You cheated, didn't you?
Me (defensive): ...Only for the hard parts! Who's gonna know how to figure out that stupid bomb puzzle, anyway? It made no sense! It was hard.
Dick: Was not.
Me: Were you there?
Dick: Yes. I was hiding from you in your subconscious.
Me: SO WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP ME WITH THE BOMB PUZZLE!
Dick: Why should I?
Me: (growls menacingly like the hound of the Baskervilles) Do. The. Replies. Now.
Reviewer Replies
Zarz-Due to the menacing-looking pit bull that Panamint is keeping trained on me, I can't tell you who the stalker is. But thanks for reviewing! And the reason we haven't told Mr. Queen is because Roy wants to 'prove himself'. Mobbing him with reporters isn't the way to do it, though...
Yourperfectdisaster-TAP is practically addicted to those computer games. For obvious reasons, I think they're a little boring... but fun for the masses, I suppose. Thanks for the review!
caltha-Um... yes... well... lots of thanks from Panamint! And she says that you can beg if you want... she's just not gonna tell.
Sunago-Hi! Glad you like this little tale. And hey, at least the Netherlands made it farther than the United States. We completely blew it! And as for the aliens... here's the update! Please don't invade us! ;-)
CrazyInsomaniac-Ooh, even better than "The Sidekick Strike"? Cool! Too bad we never find out what Roy's been doing to poor Mr. Queen...
Omalthe2-Compliments are great! Thanks, and here's an update for you!