World of Disney - Chapter Eighteen (w/ Commentary Notes)

Chapter Eighteen: Time Zone – 2010

            Joie and Gina’s Dodge Charger parked right across the street from The Muppet Theater; the Walt Disney World transit bus was leaving at the time of their arrival with Joanie and the others no longer seen riding it. That could have only meant that the group was inside the theater. With the location discovered, Joie and Gina got out of the Charger and crossed the street to make their way to the theater, both appearing very anxious to discover whom their brother’s “friends” were. In the meantime, Gina seemed to have noticed something rather peculiar.

            “Hey, have you noticed that Sean hasn’t shown up here yet?”

            Joie’s focus was heavily on the theater entrance; she was too distracted to even notice what her sister pointed out. “He probably made his escape when he had the chance. We’ll find him later. Right now, we need to show these people what happens when you mess with family!”

            The two dark-haired young women slowly and cautiously entered the building, both taking a defensive stance on their way inside. So far, they were met with no resistance, which was to be expected since none of their “adversaries” knew of their presence. They passed through the foyer, which heavily resembled the inside of a movie theater and went into the empty auditorium. The outside of the theater certainly was not any sort of ruse to mislead them – the building actually was a theater.

 

(Authorial Note: It was tricky but fun for Livingston to depict areas of the theater that were not often explored on The Muppet Show, such as the lobby/foyer. Most of it he envisioned to be exactly like that of a movie theater, complete with a concession stand and ticket booth.)

            However, Joie and Gina were not there for the scenery and continued on with their mission, all the way into the backstage area. Once there, they started to hear voices close nearby. They hid themselves immediately behind a rail of clothes, which they could peek through without being noticed. Just that moment Pepe, Rizzo, Gonzo, and Fozzie appeared in the room with Buzz and Meagan, all guarding the dazed Beast upstairs to the dressing rooms.

            “What da heck are we gonna hold dis guy with? I mean he’s gotta wake up sometime, right?” Rizzo asked.

            “I guess the best we can do is just put him in the dressing room and lock the door, so he won’t be able to get out.” Fozzie said. “Bunsen did say it wouldn’t be too long before he got the machine running again and this guy will be out of our hair in no time. Get it? Out of our hair…in no time? Huh? Wocka, wocka!”

            “This is no time for levity, my hat-wearing bear friend.” Buzz stated. “We need to focus on keeping this creature at bay until the machine is fixed. I’ll keep watch of him inside the room.”

 

(Narrative Note: This chapter begins the connection back to the prologue with the various clues left in the aftermath of the "event" that has yet to occur in the story, starting with who or what was locked in the dressing room, which we now know from this scene to be the Beast.)

            Meagan was taken by surprise of Buzz’s offer. “Are you sure about that, dude? Look at the size of him. He’s a heck of a lot bigger than he is in the movie!”

            “Have no fear, youthful humanoid.” Buzz remarked. “I have faced deadlier creatures across the galaxy.”

            “No offense to ya, Buzz, but I’ve watched your cartoon show and I wouldn’t call half of those creatures ‘deadly’.”

            The space ranger appeared a little perplexed. “Cartoon…show?”

 

(Disney Note: The cartoon show Meagan makes reference to is Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, a 2D-animated spin-off that followed the fictional space adventures of the Buzz Lightyear character. The series ran from August 8, 2000 to January 13, 2001 on UPN - now known as The CW - and ABC as part of Disney's One Saturday Morning programming block. Prior to the televised airing of the show, a made-for-DVD movie had been released, again featuring the voice of Tim Allen as Buzz, before his Joe Somebody and Big Trouble co-star Patrick Warburton took his place.)

            Meagan stopped at the base of the staircase leading up to the landing, hopping a little as she told her friends, “You guys take care of things without me. I have seriously got to use the bathroom.”

            “Take your time! Wocka, wocka!” Fozzie jested.

            “Yeah, thanks, Fozzie. That one almost made me pee my pants.” Meagan replied in total sarcasm.

            As the others walked into the middle dressing room with Beast, Meagan started heading out of the room to search for the nearest restroom. When she passed by the clothing rail, she was suddenly stopped dead in her tracks at the moment Joie stepped out and instantly placed her in a headlock. Meagan could barely utter a syllable – more or less breathe – from the powerful hold Joie had on her. She desperately struggled as Joie brought her towards the exit while Gina kept watch for her friends to avoid detection.

(Authorial Note: Livingston planned for the moment Joie "kidnaps" Meagan to have more of a comical effect, which went as far as having Meagan "wet" herself, thus explaining why she is no longer in need of a bathroom in the scene later in this chapter. This idea was abandoned to avoid "gross comedy," keeping the story's K-rating, and also allow Meagan's World of Disney character to be "less comical," unlike her Disney Ghostbusters character.)

            After the three women disappeared from the backstage area, Pepe, Rizzo, Fozzie, and Gonzo walked out of the middle dressing room, leaving Buzz behind with Beast. Fozzie made sure to close and lock the door from the outside, still unsure about leaving Buzz alone with the ferocious monster. Being that he was on orders from the space ranger, he carried them out without complaint or regret. The quartet then headed back downstairs to the basement.

            Beaker was putting the final touches on the Magic Gateway chamber door, which he welded back into place while Bunsen reset the data onto the machine. Kimberly, Tracy, Clifford, Bean, and Bobo looked on with great interest at the very device that brought two Disney characters to life in a whole new way, as well as brought old friends and family from the past to the present. Joanie, Kermit, Ciciley, Scooter, and Robin assisted Bunsen and Beaker as much as they could on getting the Gateway back together again. Their progress was met with much succession, which was evident from the smile on Bunsen Honeydew’s lime green face.

            “Just ten more minutes and we shall be back to getting things in order again.” Bunsen stated.

            Joanie soon noticed Rizzo, Pepe, Gonzo, and Fozzie entering the basement and asked, “Has Sean gotten back yet?”

            “We didn’t see him come in.” Gonzo answered.

            A distraught look crept across Joanie’s face. “I don’t get it. He was right behind us when we left Disney World.”

            “It’s my fault, Joanie.” Robin uttered. “I should’ve double checked to be sure. The vehicles in this time look so identical…I just thought I was sure.”

            Ciciley gently stroked Robin’s back in comfort. “It’s no one’s fault, sweetie. I’m sure Sean is just…he’s only…Lord, what is he doing?”

            “I don’t know, but he’d better get here by the time we’re done getting the machine fixed.” Joanie said with a hint of frustration in her voice.

            As soon after she made her statement, an unusual buzzing noise suddenly emitted from the machine, forcing all of them to cover their ears. It was remarkably loud and quite irritating, but it did not last for very long. Once it had passed, they each uncovered their ears and looked around in confusion. “What de heck was dat, okay?” Pepe inquired.

            Before Bunsen could have given some type of answer, everything in the basement began to vibrate under them. It was as if the machine activated on its own without the authority of Bunsen. His finger was nowhere near the “Execute” button on the keyboard, which left him to wonder what went on more than the others did. To make matters worse, the buzzing sound that irritated them before had returned, causing everyone to lose concentration immediately.

            “WHAT IS IT NOW?!” Joanie yelled.

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            SLAM!

            Meagan’s body smacked hard against the brick wall of the building adjacent to the theater. She had little time to recover from the blow shortly before Joie grabbed her by the neck and lifted her three feet off the ground, her body hugging the very wall she was pinned against. Struggling, she gasped an inquiry to her attacker, “What…do you…want?!”

(Authorial Note: Livingston used this confrontational scene between Joie and Meagan as reference for their scenes together in Disney's Ghostbusters: The Dead End, which saw their characters being at odds with one another under similar circumstances.)

            “What I want is for you to tell me what you and your friends did to our brother!” Joie furiously exclaimed. “And you’re gonna tell me or else I’m gonna ring your scrawny little neck!”

            Gina, who stood by and observed the punishment, had seen enough. “Joie! Put her down! She can’t tell us where he is, if you’re robbing her of air.”

            After some hesitation, Joie let Meagan go, letting her body slump to the ground as she fought to get some air back into her lungs. This woman was quite the Amazon compared to her, and she dared not to let her wit get her out of this one. Lifting up one hand in protest, she weakly told Joie and Gina, “Listen, I’ll give you whatever you want – just please don’t kill me!”

            “We don’t want to kill anybody, kiddo.” Gina assured.

            “But we’ll give a beat-down if he have to.” Joie contradicted. “When you mess with our family, ya get hurt, sweetheart!”

(Character Note: The evident good cop/bad cop performance between Joie and Gina is a basic summary of the differences in their personalities.)

            Confusion quickly replaced fear on Meagan. “Family? What family are you talkin’ about?”

            The frustrated Joie suddenly reached out and grabbed Meagan by the collar, bringing her in closer to her face. “Let me lay it out plain and simple to you, little girl – we want our brother, Sean!”

            At that moment, complete surprise overtook Meagan on Joie’s words. “You’ve got to be kiddin’ me.”

            She soon realized that was the wrong answer when she watched in shock as Joie’s bright blue eyes switch to a deadly red color and the complexion of her face fade from peach to a ghostly white shade. Her lips – laced with red lipstick – morphed into black while her clear, white teeth changed to dark and yellow. In less than a second, the intimidating yet gorgeous young woman transformed into an intimidating and viciously grotesque monster.

(Authorial Note: Joie's monstrous appearance bears a strong resemblance to her Venusian-born character in The Dead End, minus the dark yellow teeth. Livingston was inspired by the "zombie modeling" Joie has done in creating this alternate look for her character.)

            “Does it look like I’m kidding?!” Her voice was deep and dark, a perfect match with her “new” face.

            Meagan could barely speak after witnessing the bizarre transformation. “Uh…nope?”

            VRUUMMM!!!

            Attention quickly shifted to the theater upon hearing the strange noise. Joie’s face returned to its normal form during the distraction, her blue eyes noticing weird activity happening over the building. It quaked to the point that clouds of plaster shot out and surrounded the entire area. Joie, Gina, and Meagan coughed; but they soon found themselves shielded their eyes, as the entire theater started to glow. The strange noise continued to reverberate through the air, as the glow over the building grew brighter and brighter.

            After nearly a minute, the activity ceased and all became calm and quiet. The theater was still intact, no longer glowing. A perplexed Gina then asked no one in particular, “What just happened?”

            Joie immediately turned to Meagan and repeated the question to her in a more aggressive tone. “What happened?!”

            “The heck if I know! After meeting you two, I have no clue what is going on anymore!” Meagan responded.

            “Well, you’re goin’ in with us to find out.” Joie demanded before forcing Meagan back on her feet and into the theater.

            The three women went inside and were quickly greeted by Ciciley, who ran out of the basement and appeared very scared and confused. Meagan went to her and asked, “Cici! Sis, are you okay?”

            Ciciley gawked at Meagan and shook her head in bewilderment. “Cici? Who is Cici?” Her voice did not sound as it normally did. Instead, it was replaced by the voice of another. “My name is Jasmine…princess and daughter to the sultan of Agrabah.”

            Upon hearing this, Joie raised an eyebrow and muttered, “Say what?”

            Out of nowhere, insane laughter emerged from within the basement and into the backstage area, as Kimberly giddily appeared with a large green top hat upon her head. A label that read “10/6” was sticking out from it, making it an exact duplicate of the one worn by The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. “Oh, my! What on earth happened here?!” Not even her voice was the same, as she spoke with the voice of the very character she “represented.” “I bet it was that blasted March Hare! He redressed me in my sleep again, didn’t he?!”

(Authorial Note: The "mind swap" plot twist was inspired by Livingston's earlier work from his Disney's Access series, which included moments when the real-world character that took the place of the Disney one began acting like him or her. This was one of many plot developments Access borrowed from Quantum Leap.)

            Meagan felt as if her head was about to implode from the weirdness taking place in front of her. Panicked, she cried out, “BUNSEN!” Then she ran to the basement, hoping to find the Muppet scientist and the others there. However, once she took a few steps down the staircase, she started to feel extremely odd.

            Bunsen, seeing her enter the room, attempted to make an important warning. “No, Meagan! Don’t come down here! It’s…”

            “It’s what?! Come on, little man! Speak up! I haven’t got all day! Don’t waste my time! Do you know who I am? I’m Cruella De Vil!”

            The change occurred before Bunsen could have finished his warning. No longer was Meagan Thomas herself. She had completely taken the persona of the villainess from 101 Dalmatians.

            “Well, there she goes.” Clifford indicated.

            “Yes, it seems, I’m afraid.” Bunsen stated. “The metamorphosis seems to occur quickly…and in humans only.”

(Authorial Note: Livingston wanted to have the Muppets affected by the mind swap as well but realized how much that would have hindered the plot with Bunsen and Beaker, the only two capable of operating the machine, influenced also.)

            Inside the basement, Kermit, Fozzie, Clifford, Bean, and Beaker were tending to Tracy, who was lying unconscious on the floor. Robin, Gonzo, Pepe, Bobo, Scooter, and Rizzo searched around the room for Joanie, who had vanished without a trace following the bizarre occurrence. Robin searched more feverishly than Gonzo, Rizzo, Bobo, Scooter, and Pepe did, feeling very worried over Joanie’s disappearance.

            “Wh-Where is she? She was here a second ago! We have to find her! She’s gotta be here somewhere…anywhere!”

            Robin practically hopped all throughout the room in frantic motion. It took only quick action from Scooter to keep him still. “Robin, try to calm down. I’m sure she’s fine. We’ll find her.”

            “But now she and her mother are missing! How are we going to…?”

            The tiny frog stopped just as he and the others heard a loud creaking noise from the top of the staircase. Bunsen directly turned to the visitor and warned, “Please don’t come in! The machine is radiating high levels of energy that appears to be affecting humans! One more step and you’re liable to take on the persona of…well…a Disney character!”

            Unfortunately, the creaking continued as Joie and Gina entered the area. Of course, after standing in the room for longer than a few seconds, neither of the two women experienced any unusual effects. Shrugging her shoulders, Joie said, “Seems okay in here to me.”

            The Muppets were taken by surprise of the appearance of the two women, who were total strangers to them. Kermit inquired, “Who are you?”

            “We’re just two girls looking for our brother.” Gina replied. “Is that so much to ask?”

            “That and some better clothing, dah-ling.” Meagan/Cruella muttered.

            Glaring her way, Joie threateningly raised a fist and said, “Say one more word and I’ll make you wish you were never born!”

            “Do it and I promise you’ll be answering to my lawyers – all fifteen of them!” With that said, she went upstairs to the backstage area, joining the other two “characters” who were not exactly feeling like themselves.

            Bobo, noticing how immune Joie and Gina were to the radiation, questioned to Bunsen, “Hey, uh, if this energy is supposed to affect humans, then how come these two ladies aren’t acting like Disney characters?”

            “Isn’t it obvious?” Scooter said. “They’re not human.”

            The Muppets stared awkwardly at the two women, who – in turn – stared back to them in the same manner.

            Joie smirked. “You guys are the ones to talk.”

(UP NEXT: Someone becomes part of a world!)