30 Worlds: Royal Megaforce, Episode XXIV: "Cats Can Dance, Part I"
CHAPTER TWO
That night, William and Sofia sat on a bus bound for Kokomo, Indiana—Danny's hometown. They wore isolation suits that allowed them to observe the events unfurling around them without actually being seen and altering history. It was raining hard over Hollywood as Danny, suitcase in hand and a dejected look on his face, stepped onto the bus.
As the bus began its journey, the bus driver, sandwich in hand, began to talk to Danny. "Did you hear about that disaster down at Mammoth Pictures?" the driver began. "Oh, boy. What were those animals thinking? I mean, what a bunch of noodleheads! No offense, you know. I'm not calling you a noodlehead. It's just...they don't belong in pictures."
William shot a look at Sofia as the bus driver continued: "They belong back on the farm. Look at them out there. Poor fools. They ain't got no future. But, what am I telling you for? You're heading home. You're not trying to be something you ain't. You're leaving this mess all behind."
William turned to look out the window and saw the dejected animal actors trying to eke out whatever kind of living they could. "You know your place. I mean, I know my place," the bus driver continued. "You don't see me..."
William had had enough of the bus driver's comments to Danny. He stood from his chair, a hand on the controls that would make the isolation suit he wore visible to Danny and the bus driver. Sofia put a suit-gloved hand on William's. "What are you doing?" Sofia said. "What about Master Yen Sid?"
"To hell with Master Yen Sid!" William said, shoving Sofia's hand off his own. "I'm not gonna sit here and see Danny being berated like this!"
But before William could press the decloak control, Danny saw a sign promoting the world premiere of Lil' Ark Angel. An expression crossed Danny's face that was unlike any expression that William had seen on a being's face before. "STOP THE BUS!" Danny yelled.
The bus driver slammed hard on the brakes, causing the bus to come to a stop. As it did, William's finger lightly touched the decloak control. Before William could be seen by Danny or the bus driver, William quickly fell to the bus floor and reactivated the cloak.
"Jeez! What do you wanna stop for? We just barely got started!" the bus driver said, picking the remnants of his sandwich from off the bus windshield. "Exactly," Danny said as he picked up his suitcase and made his way to the bus door.
Then before he stepped off the bus right in front of the sign, Danny added, "See you in the movies!" before tightening his bow tie and stepping off the bus. The bus driver shook his head. But, before he closed the door and went back on his way, William and Sofia got off the bus...still unseen.
William and Sofia watched as Danny saw a young penguin. "Pudge!" Danny called out. Peebo Pudgemeyer (or "Pudge," as he preferred to introduce himself) looked up. He saw Danny and ran to hug Danny.
"Pudge, I need your help," Danny said, gesturing to the sign. "I want to do that dancing thing for Mr. Mammoth the right way this time...at the premiere. Will you help me?" Pudge's response to Danny's question? An even tighter hug that tackled Danny to the ground. .
As Danny and Pudge walked off, William tapped a control on his communicator. "Nick, this is William. Are you in position?" William asked.
Over at Mammoth Pictures' publicity department, the other members of the away team—also in their own isolation suits—stood ready. "We are, Your Majesties," Nick said. "Danny and Peebo Pudgemeyer are on their way to your location," William said.
"We'll be careful," Nick said. "Stokes, out."
William and Sofia watched as Danny and Pudge crept past the sleeping security guard at the front gate of Mammoth Pictures. They then made their way to the publicity department. Danny saw a chest of drawers and found one drawer marked "Premiere."
Danny quickly ruffled through the folders until he found one with the title "Lil' Ark Angel" on it. Danny reached into the folder and pulled out a slip of paper marked "Premiere Invitation List for Lil' Ark Angel."
As Danny fed the list into a typewriter, Nick looked over and saw some of the names on the list. They read like a "who's who" of Hollywood stars of the time they were now in: Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo and the like.
Then, Nick watched as Danny began to type the names of some of the animal actors that he had wronged by falling for Darla Dimple's trap.
Then, after typing the name "Sawyer Dumas" on the list, Danny pulled the list out of the typewriter and put it back in the folder. Finally, pronouncing the operation complete, Danny closed the drawer and smiled at Pudge. "I love it when a plan comes together," Danny said.
After Danny and Pudge left the office, Nick deactivated his isolation suit's cloaking device. "King William, this is Stokes. Operation successful," he said.
"Well done, Nick," William said. "See you back on the Enterprise."
The next morning, William and the members of the away team walked up to the front gate of Mammoth Studios. "Name?" the guard said. "Carter Winston," William said. "We're from Adamle Temporary Workers, here to fill in at the publicity department."
The guard checked a clipboard and smiled. "Mind your step as you guys go in," the guard said as he opened the gate. "The lot's still in disarray after those bloody animals went on a rampage yesterday." "Thanks for the warning," William said.
The away team made their way to the publicity department office. "You're the guys from A.T.W.," he said. "I'm Robin Venturi, head of publicity here at Mammoth Pictures. We called you in to assist us in catching up on sending out the invitations for the world premiere of Lil' Ark Angel the day after tomorrow."
Venturi reached into the drawer and withdrew the invitation recipients' list. "All you have to do and prepare those blank invitations-" Venturi gestured to stacks on the desks near where the away team stood. "-with the names on this list and send them out."
William smiled as Venturi left the office. "Here we go," William said.
::TBC::