“Copy.”
The two rovers spun in unison and motored off past Mexico, growing ever smaller.
“That was…bizarre,” Maybeck said.
“Overtakers.”
“Ah…Duh! For as smart as you are, sometimes you can say the dumbest things.”
“Test Track dummies.”
“But they can speak,” Maybeck said.
“I kind of noticed that. I suppose the term dummies is not quite fair. They’re probably some kind of hybrid Animatronic, to be more exact. Robots built from leftover equipment like the kind of stuff I saw in the maintenance shed that time with Finn.”
“You think Maleficent is building herself an army?” Maybeck said.
“Maybe Wayne found out about it. Maybe that’s what got him in trouble. Except that I was with him when he disappeared, and I didn’t see anything to do with any robots.”
“But if there’re Overtakers patrolling Epcot…” Maybeck said.
“There has to be a reason,” Philby completed. “Yes, that’s right.”
“The sword,” Maybeck said.
“Let’s go.”
* * *
With her incredible speed Charlene led the way, running from their hiding place in the shrubs to the junction of the bridge and the main path. Once there, she slipped over the low wall and skidded down on her bottom, grabbing onto one of the protruding rocks in the wall and keeping herself from plunging into the canal.
Next came Jess, so that Willa would be last. Jess bent over and ran hard, mimicking everything Charlene had done. She crawled over the wall and found Charlene’s outstretched hand awaiting her.
“Way to go!” Charlene said in a hoarse whisper. They waited. One minute. Two.
“What’s taking her so long?” Charlene said. She started back up the face of the bridge, but Jess stopped her.
“If she isn’t here,” Jess said, “there’s a reason.”
A moment later Willa vaulted the wall, and caught up to the two girls.
“The dummies stopped over by Norway. I couldn’t see what was going on, but because Philby and Maybeck are over there…”
“You think they’re okay?” Charlene asked.
“The dummies stayed there for a minute and then moved on. I assume they’re all right.”
“Okay, then,” Charlene said. “Have both of you done uneven parallel bars?”
“No,” said Jess. “But I played on the bar on the playground when I was little.”
“Could you hold yourself up?”
“Yes.”
“That’s all you need to do. Willa?”
“I’ll do okay,” Willa said.
“Hand over hand,” Charlene advised. “Keep your feet pressed against the bar so you’re hanging with your back to the water. We can’t be dangling our legs or they might see us.”
“Who goes first?” Jess asked. When neither girl answered, she said, “I will.”
She clambered over the rocks, surprising the other two with her agility and flexibility, and found her way to the cluster of metal pipes and plastic tubes connected to the underside of the bridge. She reached up, hooked her fingers around the biggest pipe, and pulled herself up, hanging from it like an opossum from a tree limb. She inched her way backward, wrenching her neck around so she could see.
“It’s not so bad,” she whispered to the others. After a minute or two she reached the rock island that supported the turn in the bridge. She let herself down, found the same pipe continuing on the next section, and reached the far side.
“You’re next,” Charlene told Willa as she waved to Jess and gave her a thumbs-up.
Willa said, “I’m not the most coordinated person, you know?”
“You’ll do fine. Don’t look down. Just keep moving. You might want to go feet first.”
“Okay.”
Willa inched around on the rocks tentatively and grabbed hold of the pipe. She tested it by hanging from it, then gripped it again and swung her legs up so that her legs faced the island, and looked once over her shoulder at Charlene, her expression desperate and filled with concern. Charlene offered her a bright expression and hoped for the best.
Willa worked herself out over the dark water, moving slowly, but with increasing confidence.
“Psst!” It was Jess from the opposite shore. She was pointing wildly up the canal away from the lake.
Charlene held her palm out like a traffic cop to stop Willa. Willa obeyed.
A small motorboat pulling a single barge was headed toward the lake. The barge had some gear on it—anchors or something. It was probably part of the support crew for the IllumiNations fireworks show. No matter: there was no way Willa could make it over to the island in time without being seen. If she remained perfectly still, the boat driver might not see her as he passed beneath her.