On cue, the door banged open. Charlene entered, struggling to balance a stack of small plastic plates, all holding food. Everyone hurried over to help her. Shortly thereafter, lips were smacking loudly.
“So,” Finn said to Philby, “you were saying?”
“The point is, the firewalls log any ‘events’—that is, attempts to breach them. There are subnet masks, ISP numbers, all sorts of data that can be traced and used to track down where the attack came from and who was behind it. If I’m Wanda, that’s what I’m looking for: the person behind the data bursts.”
“And if you’re the OTs?” Charlene asked.
“If I’m the OTs and I’m attacking firewalls,” Philby said, “then I’m either looking for a way in or a way out. A way in would give me access to other Disney data—”
“Like the location of where Disney might lock up certain other Overtakers,” Maybeck proposed.
“Like that, yes. Or, you remember how we used the changes in temperature inside pavilions to try to track Maleficent? That kind of record would tell them everything they want to know.”
“Energy use,” Willa said.
Philby smiled. He loved the way her mind worked. “Absolutely. Disney has to keep Maleficent cold. They’re not going to mistreat her, and she needs cold to survive. That would require more energy. That’s a number, something easy enough to uncover. Those kind of records could be hacked.”
“They’re going to bust Maleficent and Chernabog out,” Maybeck said, speculating. “It’s a jailbreak.”
Silence.
Philby began nodding. “Nicely done, Terry.”
“Could it be?” Charlene asked.
“It makes total sense,” Willa said. “They’re trying to gather enough data to locate where Maleficent and Chernabog are being held. At the same time, they know that’s going to attract our attention—Wayne, Philby, Wanda…someone. When that happens, they have a backup plan to lure Wayne out into the open and kidnap him. Maybe they want information from him, maybe they want to trade him for Maleficent and Chernabog, but it’s all directed at the same goal.”
“Freeing the boss,” Maybeck said.
“And with Wayne in hiding and Wanda out of the way—” Willa said.
“It’s up to us,” said Finn, prompting another heavy silence.
The church door pushed open. A girl and her parents entered. They were also on the Kim Possible quest. The Keepers scattered, pretending to be interested in the various displays.
The mother and father looked on as the girl read a plaque, looking for the same clue the boy had earlier. Her father complimented her as she identified the king in question.
“Check the A box,” he said.
“I know, Dad,” the girl complained, a little snotty. “Are you going to let me do it, or not?”
He stepped back and the girl worked the phone. Then she stopped and looked across the room, her curious eyes finally settling on Finn.
She tentatively crossed toward him, her father keeping an eye on her.
“I’ve played this game, like, six times,” she said, addressing Finn shyly, her parents now nearby. “But this is the coolest yet.” She handed Finn the Kim Possible phone. He accepted it reluctantly. She hung her head slightly, embarrassed. “I recognized all but those two,” she said, pointing to Amanda and Jess, “when we came in.” Her parents looked around, not having a clue who the kids were. “I didn’t want to bug you.”
“I…we…all of us appreciate that,” Finn said.
“Is this a friend of yours, dear?” the mother asked skeptically.
“Oh, Mom…come on! These are the Kingdom Keepers. You know…? This is, like, the most awesome Kim Possible ever!”
Philby said, “We’re not actually part of—OWW!” Finn had elbowed him.
The girl pointed to the phone in Finn’s hand. “Read it!”
Finn read the message on the phone’s small screen:
Hand your phone to the nearest Kingdom Keeper! Press “OK” to continue.
Finn reread the message twice. Wayne’s reach inside the Parks never failed to amaze him.
Maybeck came over and read the screen. “What if when you push OK it sends our location to our other friends?”
“I kinda need my phone back,” the girl said.
Finn pushed OK. The screen changed.
Go to the KP cart in Norway. Tell them you’re my friend.—W
Press “OK” to continue.
Finn pressed OK.
Hand the phone back to the guest.
Press “OK” to continue.
Finn pushed OK and returned the girl’s phone to her. Before leaving she asked everyone to sign her Epcot map. Bounding with excitement, she left with her parents.