Sunday and Monday passed by slowly. Chris spent a lot of time with Jason and Ric, and invited Cole along, sometimes Sam came too. Sam in a sense became the third of Chris's close Woodridge friends even if before Friday he hardly ever talked to her. She was a nice person. There was the Monday night where family and close friends of Sharon went to view her body one final time before the burial Tuesday morning. As Monday went on late into the night, Jason and Ric spent the night with Chris to try to cheer him up before the big day. Valmont had rented an extra hotel room for Chris and his friends to hang out without himself and Alfred.
After then finished eating and after countless requests my Ric the four of them decided to tell a story before going to sleep, if they sleep at all. “How old were you two when the first Sharp show happened, you know 'creature from Rathnar Lagoon.'”
“Man that was what 1997?” Ric laughs, “Seven. I did not even see that show until years later. I heard that behind the scenes it was a mess.”
“Yeah it was.” Jason answers, “I own the special addition that includes the making of. I'm surprised you don't own it Ric. Anyway I had just turned eight, it happened on July 14th three day's after my birthday.”
Cole nods “I was eleven then, as you might know my father was part of the Sharp production from day one. Remember the second creature, the wild one that appeared during the last nights of the show? That was not suppose to happen.” Cole looks at Chris here, “Do you want to tell them the story Chris, after all you were the one behind it.
Chris Shakes his head, “Sure. Lets see if I can remember this, I mean I was eight at the time. The show happened at Rathnar Lake a town in Utah. Lake Rathnar was a natural salt lake that for years had been known for the sightings of a seaweed monster...”
July fourteenth 1997, Rathnar Lake Utah, the first Valmont Sharp show. After years of saving up money, planning out the details, and gathering all the right people to make the show happen Valmont was finally ready. Everything started coming together when Sharp found a few investors for the show, a location and hired an aging retired occult expert named Yosif Jocasta. The original Sharp team consisted of Valmont, his best friend Alfred Labrone, And Jocasta. They hired a small but talented special effects team to make it all happen.
Using the legends of the monster they recreated it using animatronics, creating a lifelike creature. They studied the area and the lake and found that Rathnar lake near it's edges had holes to smaller underground caves and salt water reserves. In their search they found an old abandoned cabin as well as diving gear from about thirty or forty years earlier. The gear was traced to a now dead thief. In their research of the legends of the monster of the lake they solved a bunch of unsolved crimes and discovered that the merman was actually three thieves who would scare the locals as monsters in order to steal from them with out any risk of getting caught. It was a mystery that was straight out of a Scooby Doo episode and proved the monster did not exist.
Still even though the truth about the monsters is common knowledge the legend still lived on. People believed the legend, and told it to their kids to keep them awake at night. Besides while two of the thieves were caught the third escaped into the lake and was never seen from again, some say the real Lake monster killed him for what he and his partners did.
Still the crimes were used as a backdrop for the show, the cabin was a perfect place to set up set up the base of operations. The special effects team create two monster suits but only one was used for much of the show, the second was basicly a back up suit just in case. On the third of the fourth shows that all changed.
Cole Labrone had finally reluctantly agreed to take Chris to the Cabin while the third show was going on. They used the back path though the forest because taking the quicker paths were out of the question, they were going directly under the lake. “We should not be doing this Chris. My father will not be happy, your father will not be happy about this ether.”
“Come on Cole.” Chris says following the faint markers Cole told him about earlier. “I just want a look at the back up lake man suit. Do you blame me? I won't even touch it.” However Chris had planned to do more then touch it, he wanted to try on the suit and be the lake man.
Cole shakes his head he knows Chris too much sure that's what he says but Cole knows Chris has more then just that planned. “Don't wander too far from the path there Chris. It is easy to get lost in these woods, and besides you never know when there is a steep decline, we are in a rocky country after all.”
If Chris was listening to Cole you could not tell, at least he was going in the correct direction. Cole speeds up to keep an eye on Chris and knows where he is going. Besides by now he can see the cabin which has been lit up with modern lighting thanks to the tech team who are using portable generators to turn the cabin into their base of operations for the show. When Cole reaches a clearing he spots Chris about ten feet away from him staring at the cabin in amazement. Even with the modern lights the place is still of an old design that Chris has not seen before, “It's so primitive, it's like the Flintstones.”
“Yeah the Flintstones mixed with silicon Valley.” Cole responds. Now Cole is not worried about being caught by the tech team, while two of them are in the cabin they will be monitoring the computer system for the whole show which is going on as we speak. Those two should have all their attention focused on the computer system and even then the back up suit is on the other side of the Cabin and and in a different room. Chances of them being caught are very slim. Chris heads to the front door but Cole stops him, “Don't go that way that will take you right past the command center. You are sure to be caught if you head that way. Lets go to the back door.” Chris nods and follows Cole to the back door.
Cole takes out his father's spare key to the cabin which he acquired before their walk and unlocks the door. Walking into the Cabin the appearance of the place is similar to the outside the interior is old, maybe forty or fifty years old, while there is newer modern technology all connected to four large sized portable generators. Cole was right the place was empty still the two of them walked quietly as they could hear two people talking and listening to music in the front of the house, the two tech men that are manning the command center. “Okay this way Chris.” Cole leads Chris to the storage room where the back up costume should be.
It was not there, “This makes no sense?” Cole says taking Chris by hand as he walks over to a note book, there is a schedule for the two suits. “Ah now I see.”
“What does it say?” Chris asks.
“The back up suit is in the launch port, they want to take it for a test dive after the show and already got it ready.” Cole puts the note pad down, “Come on then Chris we have to go. We can ask my father later if you can see the suit close up.”
Chris slips his hand out of Cole's grip, “No we came here to see the suit so that's what I will do.” Chris then walks over to the stairs heading to the basement of the cabin, where the launch site for the diving suits is and climbs down.
“Damn it Chris.” Cole says to himself saying something his father would punish him for if he heard. Cole then follows Chris down the stairs to the basement. The basement area if you could call it one is more like a natural cave that the cabin was built above with a small pool that connected to the Lake, it is what the thieves used to rob the town decades ago and it is what the Sharp team uses to stage their show. Cole sees Chris walking up to the diving suit designed in the shape of a half man half fish creature.
“Wow.” Chris says as he touches the rubber of the merman skin, “This looks so real.”
“That’s the point Chris.” Cole says as he walks over to Chris, “Now we really should get going. We are going to get caught.”
Chris ignoring Cole climbs up a step later and removes the helmet and sees that it is not a diving suit but a robot, “WOW.” He looks at Cole, “Did you know this?”
Cole figured the suit was just a back up for his father, who is playing the Merman monster right this sec
ond. He did not realize that the back up suit was completely animatronic. This was new to him, “No I did not.”
Chris jumps down, “And look at this” Chris moves over to a control panel, “What's this Cole? Automatic pilot?”
Cole looks over at the computer Chris is next two and reads the instructions to himself, 'Automated Merman computer system. 'Automer' fallows a set pattern causing chaos in set areas of the city. Used for day one and day four only.' Cole thought he knew everything about the show but here was something he did not know. “Chris now we should go.”
“No I have come to far to go back now.” Chris presses a green button marked 'launch' and lights around the robot merman light up. The Merman's eyes turn red and blink, it's face moves realisticly and growls. “Preparing Launch of auto-Merman, evacuate launch area.” a computer voice commands from the computer. Chris shocked takes a step back, “Oops.”
“Oops?” Cole glares at Chris. “Lets get out of here now.” He grabs Chris by the hand and heads to the stairs but is stopped by one of the tech guys.
“Stay right there you two.” The tech guy takes out a small phone and calls the head of security for the first Sharp Show, “Mr. Manin, the people who activated the automaton are Christian Sharp and Cole Labrone. We have already contacted Mr. Sharp and he has said he will work the Automaton into the show as it goes though the per-programmed route. Could you pick up the young Mr. Sharp and Labrone and take them to their quarters.” After talking to Mr. Manin for a few more minutes the man looks at Chris and Cole again, “You're in trouble you two. The program look three hours to set up and now I have to make an new programmed route for the automaton for the final show.”
“Sorry my fault.” But really Chris was not sorry he got to do something cool, something he would have done again if he could do it again.
Chris finishes his story, “Well yeah that was it. Okay you know the rest you have seen the show. That was how I changed it. Yeah I was a little trouble maker back then. How long were we punished for Cole?
“I was punished for about three months you got off lighter since you were only eight. Me I was older, more mature and I was responsible for you so my punishment was worse. Your mom kept saying you would drive her to drink.” Cole laughs and Chris joins in.
Ric loved hearing this story from the Sharp archives and he had been trying to get Chris to tell him tales like this for a long time with no luck. “Chris you cased trouble on your father's set caused at least one of the shows to happen in an unexpected way and you just now tell me? Why? Why?”
“I believe he never planned on telling us. Thing is none of us wanted to sleep tonight and Chris probably can't. The story was only a way to kill time.” logical Jason as always.
Ric nods and looks at the clock, “It's 2:00 AM wow that was a long story, I lost track of time. I could watch or listen to Sharp all day and night.”
“You really do eat and sleep Sharp like Chris said.” Cole yawns, “Really your not as unique as you think. I meet obsessive fans like you all the time. Now I don't know about the rest of you but I am tired, I want to get a little sleep before the funeral and Chris you really should sleep because you have more busy days ahead of you.”
“Yeah your right. I should at least try to get to sleep.” The four each get into their owns beds, turn off the light and then try to go to sleep.
Chapter Ten
Valmont Sharp: Monster Hunter Page 10