Chapter Four: Time Zone
– 2010 (Before Temporal Displacement)
(Narrative Note: This chapter is the first to acknowledge the "present day" sequences of the story after the unknown and 1977 time zones in the previous chapters.)
A dark blue 2009 Ford Explorer zoomed down S. Apopka Vineland
Rd. at breakneck speed, heading in the direction of Prestigious Villas, a
neighborhood of beautiful vacation homes in the Orlando , Florida
(Pop Culture Note: In Back to the Future, the DeLorean had to hit 88mph in order to travel through time. This is another elaborate reference from one of the films that inspired World of Disney.)
On the other hand, the Explorer’s
passengers – Sean’s sisters (Kimberly, Ciciley, and Meagan) and their friends
from their job at KMUP (Pepe the King Prawn, Rizzo the Rat, Bobo the Bear,
Clifford, and Bean Bunny) – were very worried about the incredible speed they
were going in. They knew it was an emergency, but he seemed to have been taking
it a bit too far.
(Biographical Note: "Kimberly Thomas," "Ciciley Thomas," and "Meagan Thomas" are based on/inspired by Kimberly Nicole, Ciciley Valdez-Moore, and Meagan Forney respectively. World of Disney was the second collaboration among Sean Livingston, Kim, and Meagan, following 2009's Junior Ghostbusters. It was the second for him and Ciciley after 2009's Disney, DC.)
Meagan, who was sitting in the front seat, begged to her
brother, “Sean! Dude! Wanna slow it down before we end up dead?!”
“Don’t say that! You don’t know for a fact she’s dead!”
The speed of the vehicle seemed to have increased along
with his frustration, alarming everyone even further.
“Meagan, do us all a favor and shut up!” Kimberly snapped, before she calmly put a hand on Sean’s
shoulder and said, “Hey, my brother. Just stay cool, alright? I’m sure Mama’s
okay.”
“Yeah, man.” Clifford affirmed with Kimberly’s statement.
“She wouldn’t have called if she weren’t
okay.”
Sean chuckled sarcastically (if not a little nervously).
“Do you guys know how rare it is when women suffer a heart attack and live?”
“Do you?” Ciciley inquired.
“No! That’s why I’m asking, so one of you can calm me
down!” Sean retorted. “You think that I want
to be this panicked on my vacation?!”
Before anyone in the Explorer could answer the rhetorical
question, Sean made a hard left into Bristol Park Drive, turning right into the
location of Prestigious Villas. They came upon Wittenwood Cove and found their
mother’s villa in the community of Windsor Hills Reserve. It was a gorgeous
home painted in a vanilla color with a bright red, tiled rooftop and a
lusciously green lawn and garden. The sight of it should have given a soothing
feel for anyone who stopped before it; but for Sean Thomas, his sisters, and
their friends, they were anything but somber. As soon as the Explorer pulled
into the driveway, everyone immediately clambered out of the vehicle and up to
the front door.
Knowing the front door would be locked, Sean did not
hesitate in kicking it in to allow him and the others to rush right in.
However, once they made their way into the lounge room, they were met with a
disquieting sight: their mother, Joan
Navarro Thomas, sitting down comfortably on the couch and watching Beauty and the Beast. She was not
lying lifelessly on the floor as they all imagined her to be, after being told
by the services at the Bay Lake Tower
Hotel that she suffered a “severe heart attack.” No woman in such a
condition would be sitting in her home with a collection of delicious snacks
(from M&M’s to Doritos chips) before her and watching a Disney flick. It
was confusing enough to cause the elderly redhead’s son and daughters, as well
as their friends, to stare in total disbelief.
(Biographical Note: Sean Livingston vacationed in Disney World in August 2009, staying at the Bay Lake Tower Hotel during his time there.)
As soon as she noticed their presence in her home, she
turned to them and smiled. “So wonderful to see you all made it here so
quickly. It truly shows just how much you care for your old mother.” She
reached forward and grabbed the glass bowl of M&M’s from the coffee table,
offering it to her visitors. “Care to join me? The movie’s just started.”
-------------------------------------
Only splashing cool water onto his face in the upstairs
guest bathroom could keep Sean from exploding in extreme anger right in front
of his mother. It was not the first time she pulled such a stunt while he, his
sisters, and their friends were vacationing in Florida; every time they did,
she would find some “emergency” (or lame excuse) to bring them out of their
good time. The first time it was cute, the second time was a little more
serious, the third was even amusing in some ways, the fourth was annoying, and
the fifth (and most recent) time nearly got her arrested. But that time – when
a vacation was desperately needed during their busiest time at KMUP – reached a
boiling point that had to be restrained, much like all the other times.
(Character Note: Although it is not explicitly stated in the story, Joanie is a major Sanford & Son fan and, in the style of the character Fred Sanford, faked a heart attack in order to obtain the attention of her children.)
“Mind if I have some of that?”
Looking up from the sink that he held his head over, he
saw his equally frustrated oldest sister, Kimberly, standing there. He obliged
to her request by cupping his hands beneath the stream of cold water flowing
from the faucet and hurling it directly into her face. She shut her eyes tight
while the water came in contact with her face, generating a small but effective
splash, and nodded in approval to her brother. They both snatched some towels
from off a nearby shelf to dry their faces with.
Slightly calmed, Sean asked his sister, “Why does she do
this every time? I mean she can’t be that
lonely here, can she?”
Kimberly shook her head. “I don’t know. Daddy’s passing
was only a couple of years ago. It takes a little longer for some people to
grieve.”
(Narrative Note: The subject of Tomas's death has been played around a bit. It is believed that he is still alive within one of the alternate timelines of the Muppet universe.)
“I understand that, but…we’re on vacation! Tracy
“Ah, Tracy Space Mountain
While the two siblings grieved over the loss of their fun
time, Pepe, Clifford, and Rizzo suddenly appeared in the doorway of the
bathroom with their hands over their eyes. Rizzo even inquired, “Is da close
clear?”
“Sí, we are not interested in seeing the ‘Full Monty’,
okay.” Pepe added.
Kimberly shook her head at the three. “We only came in
here to cool off, you sickos.” She hurled her towel at the head of Pepe, who
was caught by surprise when it hit his head.
Rizzo uncovered his eyes and sighed. “It’s hard ta
keepin’ things G-rated in real life when yer a Muppet, ya know.”
“Well, another second with our mother and it probably
wouldn’t have been so G-rated.” Sean grumbled. “What’s she doing now anyway?”
“Downstairs, watching the movie with Cici, Megs, Bobo,
and Bean.” Clifford informed.
Sean began walking out from the bathroom, shutting off
the light and passing the Muppets on his way out. “Well, c’mon. We’re not
staying here another minute. We’ve got a vacation to get back to.”
(Character Note: The decision to feature Muppet characters established in the 1980s and 1990s as "future Muppets" was to reflect the ones introduced from the 1977 half of the story. Some go as far as being physical reflection of characters, such as Fozzie and Bobo - both Muppets are bears.)
(Pop Culture Note: Clifford, Bobo, and Pepe are Muppets first introduced in Muppets Tonight, a continuation of The Muppet Show that aired from March 8, 1996 to February 8, 1998 on ABC and then The Disney Channel. It had the same format, only set in a television studio rather than a theater.)
Kimberly and the three Muppets followed him back
downstairs to the lounge room where Joan and the others were sitting, eating
snacks, and watching Beauty and the Beast.
They were currently on the scene in which Belle found out her father had been
taken captive by “The Beast” and went to the castle to find him. However, Joan
spent more time strolling down memory lane with her two youngest daughters than
watching the film. She even told Meagan upon Sean and Kim’s arrival in the room,
“You were just three months old when we first saw this. You cried so many times
during the ‘Gaston’ song that I had to take you out and wait until you calmed
down. We didn’t come back ‘til after
the ballroom scene.”
(Authorial Note: The Beauty and the Beast reference in this scene works as foreshadowing to the scene in Chapter Nine when Sean first meets the younger Joanie.)
Ciciley and Meagan looked as if they were trying their
best not to fall asleep between the movie and their mother’s reminiscing – the
M&M’s were their best way of keeping them awake. Bobo was already asleep
from eating so much of the snacks on the coffee table. The only one who seemed
intrigued by the stories Joan was telling was Bean, who found all of them cute
and entertaining. On the one she just finished telling, he chuckled and said,
“Really wish I could’ve been there to see that. I bet Meagan was the cutest
baby ever.”
“Yeah, let’s all do me a favor and never speak of it
again, cool?” Meagan said before stuffing a handful of M&M’s into her
mouth.
“Try not to eat so many of those, sweetie,” Joan told her
daughter. “You remember what the dentist said about your cavities.”
Meagan bit her tongue and put on her best (and fakest)
smile when saying to her mother in a stiff tone, “Thanks for reminding me,
Mama.”
Approaching the group, Sean did not hold back in telling
his mother directly, “We’re leaving now, Mama. And we’re not coming back…ever again.” He knew it sounded a little
strict; but what she had done to them that day was unforgivable. The sixth time
it had happened and it was getting on everyone’s nerves.
But Joan did not seem to hear a word her son just told
her, as she giddily requested of him, “Sean, sit down. There’s something I want
to show you and everybody else.” She got up from the couch and went to her
collection of VHS tapes on the shelf next to her flat-screen television set,
scanning through each and every one of them.
Sean rolled his eyes in disgust, turning to Kim and
wondering what to do. She just shrugged and silently suggested they do as their
mother requested, gesturing to the available sitting areas in the room. Kim,
Clifford, Pepe, and Rizzo sat on the couch with Ciciley, Meagan, and Bean,
while Sean took position on a reclining chair across from the one that Bobo was
sitting (and sleeping) in. As he sat down, Sean glanced to his mother and saw
her take out an incredibly old videotape in an equally ancient plastic case.
Everyone took heavy notice in the fact that all she had in her entertainment
collection was VHS tapes.
“Mama, don’t you ever keep up with the times?” Ciciley
asked. “Don’t you have any Blu-rays or DVDs?”
“Yeah, you’re missing all of the new stuff that’s out.”
Meagan added.
A grin emerged from Joan’s aged face. “I feel like I’ve
already seen them all.” She went to her classic VHS player, ejected the Beauty and the Beast video, and inserted
the “new” video into the old-fashioned machine.
The video instantly began playing itself onto the
flat-screened television set. Translucent lines ran all across the screen,
showing the videotape’s true age and looking very odd on a television set that
promised an “HD quality” picture. After a few seconds of blackness, the words
“The Dharma Initiative – Unknown Orientation” filled the screen. It then faded
into the image of a bizarre, octagonal-shaped insignia with the “D” from Walt
Disney’s signature last name at the center of it.
(Pop Culture Note: In Lost, the Dharma Initiative created orientation films for the occupants of the various stations throughout the Island, most of them featuring Pierre Chang under various aliases.)
Confusion registered on the faces of everyone in the room
with the notable exception of Joan herself. For as long as they had known her,
everyone knew that Joan was the biggest Disney fanatic in the Thomas family.
Practically every day, she lived, ate, and breathe anything related to Disney
more than her late-husband or children did. And now, for the first time ever,
she was revealing something to her family and friends that was totally non-Disney.
“What the heck is this?” Kimberly asked her; but all she
received was a quick “shush” from her mother.
A middle-aged Asian man wearing a turtleneck sweater and
jacket then appeared on the screen, addressing the camera directly. “Hello. I
am Doctor Pierre Chang. What you are watching at this moment is a ‘For Your
Eyes Only’ orientation video for a secret project of the DHARMA Initiative.
Station Zero, or ‘Project Dee,’ is the examination station where tests will be
conducted for the discovery of trans-dimensional expedition.”
(Pop Culture Note: Dr. Pierre Chang, played by Francois Chau, appeared in Seasons Two through Six of Lost as either a host of the orientation videos or a physical character that interacted with the primary players of the show. This scene is his one and only appearance in the World of Disney series.)
The image then changed to two familiar figures, Dr.
Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker, standing by an old Apple computer in a room filled
with supercomputers and a strange door. “We have hired two of our best
scientists in handling the extensive research that could possibly take months
to uncover. Here, in the location that cannot be specified in this video, they
will analyze any data that comes through the computers housed in this room,
directly from the machine that has been codenamed ‘The Magic Gateway’. Heavy
caution has been taken in examining the form of matter contained beneath this location that can only be
described as an extreme equivalent to a black hole. Any miscalculation can lead
to an ‘event horizon’ effect that could very well result in….” The video
skipped in the end of Chang’s sentence, leaving the last half inaudible.
(Pop Culture Note: It was common in some of the DHARMA Orientation videos for a scene to be missed or audio to skip, often at the most important moments of the orientation.)
(Authorial Note: Dr. Chang's particular missing delivery was purposefully omitted from readers to save for the moment when they finally witness the "miscalculation" as it will occur in The Disney Access, the World of Disney story coming in 2015.)
Dr. Chang returned back to the screen with a look of
seriousness that never seemed to have left his face. “This is the one project
of the DHARMA Initiative that matters most in the discovery of new, innovative
ways to prepare members for the…” Again the video skipped and left an absence
in middle of his sentence. “…an event that will undoubtedly be the greatest
experience of our future history. On behalf of the DeGroots, Alvar Hanso, and
all of us at the DHARMA Initiative, thank you, Namaste, and…good luck.” The
video concluded with corporate text for a business known as “The Hanso
Foundation” and the copyrighted year of 1977 before fading to black.
(Narrative Note: The missing footage in the close of the orientation refers to the DHARMA Initiative's hope of discovering alternate universes, which fits in with their study of time travel.)
The room grew very quiet after the viewing of the video.
Joan saw how her children and their friends were trapped in a perplexed state
of mind for at least a few minutes before Sean finally asked her, “What was the
purpose of that?”
Joan seemed very hesitant for a moment, coiling a lock of
her red hair with one finger and biting her lower lip. She eventually came out
and asked, “I’ve never told you all what happened to my mother – your
grandmother – haven’t I?”
(Authorial Note: Joan's very Ariel-like gesture in her moment of hesitation is direct foreshadowing to what happens to her younger self in Chapter Nineteen of this story.)
(Authorial Note: Joan's very Ariel-like gesture in her moment of hesitation is direct foreshadowing to what happens to her younger self in Chapter Nineteen of this story.)
Kim thought back to her childhood when the subject of her
grandmother, Diana Navarro, came up rarely in conversation. “You’ve always told
us that she died when you were just 22 years old…natural causes, I think you
said.”
Joan nodded. “I lied.” This inspired more confusion
amongst the group. “I haven’t known whether she’s been alive or dead in the
past 33 years of my life.”
“How could you not
be sure if our grandmother is alive or dead?” Sean inquired.
“Because she’s been missing since 1977.” Joan answered,
just as she ejected the videotape from the player, placed it back into its
case, and tried to hand it over to Sean. “Believe it or not, I have strong
feelings that this is the key to
finding her. The first time I watched it, the part about the ‘event horizon’
totally went over my head – I’m not a quantum physicist in any sense of the
word. Had I known at the time what he meant, I would have asked Bunsen and
Beaker to send me back in…try to find my mother and bring her back home. It was
too late then…but it’s not now.”
(Authorial Note: Joan's "quantum physicist" comment is a reference to Lost characters Pierre Chang and Daniel Faraday, both of whom studied in physics.)
(Authorial Note: Joan's "quantum physicist" comment is a reference to Lost characters Pierre Chang and Daniel Faraday, both of whom studied in physics.)
Sean gazed at her with a wide-eyed look registered on his
face and then towards the video she was offering to him. Looking back at her,
he said as calmly as he could, “Mama…I mean this with all the love in my
heart…but you seriously need
professional help.” He then got up from the reclining chair and headed for the
door gesturing for his siblings and friends to follow. They did not hesitate in
doing so, sharing his exact thoughts on what Joan was telling them. Bobo, who
had been asleep during the unusual moment, was awakened from his slumber as
soon as Clifford nudged him on the shoulder.
Joan remained where she was, appearing very defeated
after hearing what her son said to her. She watched them all exit her home,
passing through the busted door, and head back to the Explorer. But Joan was
not willing to give up so easily. Just as Sean was about to walk out, she ran
to him and blocked his path, shoving the videotape right up against his chest.
“Alright, fine. I might
be in need of help. Maybe I’m just a crazy old woman who feels lonely all the
time and wants to spend time with her own flesh and blood.” Tears began to form
in her eyes, and her voice clearly began to break upon her last words. “But,
please…just…just stop by the old theater and find Bunsen’s machine, will ya? I
just want to know where my mother
is.”
Sean could see the genuine distraught in her eyes; this
was not another ploy to keep them anchored there. Whatever was going on was
much bigger than trying to anchor him and his sisters into another summer at
her vacation home. Glancing at the video she was shoving against his chest, he
wondered what true usage that it would have given to him if he had taken it. He
didn’t wish to displease her any more than she already was, so he took the
video and left her without giving any consent on her request.
(UP NEXT: Buzz Lightyear - Out-of-Space Ranger!)
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