The Segways followed the path curving around the World Showcase Lagoon and, a moment later, were gone.
Willa sprinted across the plaza and into the trees, making a mental note to ask Philby about the Segways. If crash-test dummies could get hold of a pair of the things, why couldn’t the Kingdom Keepers manage to as well?
“Did you see that?” she asked the other two as she reached them, deep into the trees.
“What?” Charlene asked.
“No,” said Jess.
“Ah…well…you probably wouldn’t believe it anyway. Let’s just say there are patrols out, and I’m not talking Disney Security.”
“Overtakers?” whispered Charlene.
“That would be yes,” Willa said. “On Segways, and moving fast.”
“That’s random,” Willa said.
“Is it safe?” Jess said, clearly frightened.
“It’s never safe for us,” Willa informed her. “The thing to remember is we’re nothing but projected light. I mean, that is, that’s what we are when we’re pure DHI, which is basically never.”
“Unless you’re Finn,” Charlene said. “And Maybeck once. And I’ve been practicing.”
“If we could make ourselves pure projection—what Finn calls ‘all-clear’—then there would be nothing to catch—like waving your finger through a flame, or one of those laser pointers.” Willa sounded like Philby but with a high voice. “But the minute you let fear into it, which is basically all the time, then you’re catchable.”
“So let’s get this over with,” Jess declared.
They worked their way through the planting around and behind Canada and past some bathrooms to a spot where Willa motioned for them to stop and squat down behind a merchandise kiosk. The Eiffel Tower, shimmering with lights, rose to their right. The night air made it look so impossibly close.
“This is the worst,” Willa whispered. “The only way over to France is across that bridge. Unless you feel like swimming?”
“No thanks,” gushed Jess.
“We’ll be totally exposed,” Charlene said. “Totally out in the open.”
“That’s right.”
“It turns at the island,” Willa said. The bridge was supported by what amounted to a large rock at the middle. “We might be able to hide there, but I doubt it. The trouble is, you can see that bridge from just about anywhere in the World Showcase. Even from across the lagoon.” She pointed to the two Segways moving past Japan: small, swift, silent shapes.
“Their backs are to us,” Charlene said. “We could go for it.”
“There are more,” said Jess in a chilling voice. She rubbed her forehead as if fighting a headache.
“You feeling okay?” Charlene asked, with evident concern.
“Pictures in my head,” Jess whispered. “It hasn’t been like this before. Same thing last time. It must be this place.”
“Or,” Willa said, “maybe becoming a DHI did something to you. Maybe we should have thought about that.”
“I think it has to do with getting older,” Jess said. “Every week it’s different now. Stronger.”
“We don’t want to lose you to some surprise attack.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Jess said. “How do we get over the bridge?”
Charlene answered. “We don’t.”
The two looked at her intently.
“We go under it,” she said.
* * *
At Spaceship Earth Finn and Amanda crossed to the west side of the plaza and then into a jungle planting, heading toward the entrance and the gift shop. They were both jumpy, alert for Overtakers.
“It’s so weird when it’s empty like this,” Amanda said softly.
“Yes, it is. Same with the other parks. I thought I’d get used to it, but I don’t. It freaks me out.”
“Totally.”
“There are Overtakers here. We saw them. Let’s not forget Gigabyte.”
“Oh, thanks. I really needed that image.” Amanda crossed her arms and looked afraid.
“If we have to run, head for the parking lots. The projectors only work in the park itself. We’ll turn invisible out there. Once we do, once we lose them, make your way back around and into these trees. On hands and knees if we have to. We’ll meet in the middle, so circle toward the center. Circle again if you don’t see me.”
“The really creepy part,” she said, “is that you say that all so calmly. Like I should expect to be chased. Like wandering around on my hands and knees in some Disney jungle, glowing and sparking like some kind of defective light, is normal.”