by Jeff Dixon
After Helen pointed out some of the unique sights in the lobby of the attraction, the group moved into the theater. Marcus spoke of the conflicts that had to be overcome for a nation to survive. As he spoke with his back to the stage, the curtain rose and the spotlights hit the presidents. Marcus noticed one of his students lean and speak to another. He saw the next student widen his eyes in surprise. One of the female students screamed. The others stared or pointed. Helen had made her way to the stage and was now running across it, weaving in and out of presidents. In stunned disbelief, Marcus watched as she made her way to a man who was bound to a chair onstage. A very non-presidential Grayson Hawkes waited as she began to loosen the straps that held him in place. The students gawked in silence as he was released and stood to his feet.
Grayson Hawkes had taken an aggressive leadership in expanding Y.E.S., and both Helen and Marcus had met him in their final interviews. In his opinion, they were the best guides in the program and his personal favorites.
Helen whispered, “Are you alright, sir?”
“Fine.” Hawk handed her the remaining strap as he freed it from around his arm. He reached up and rubbed his cheek, which was now sensitive to the touch. He flexed his jaw to make sure everything was working correctly.
“Thanks for letting me loose.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Great.” Hawk gazed out on the still-silent students studying him. Stepping between Lincoln and Washington, he knelt at the edge of the stage and motioned for the students to come to the edge of the platform. “Hi, there,” he began. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Obviously, I’m not one of the presidents of the United States. As a matter of fact, I’m not the president of anything at all. My name is Grayson Hawkes—my friends call me Hawk—and I’m the chief creative architect of the Walt Disney Company. You’re probably wondering why I was tied to a chair on the stage in the middle of all the presidents.”
He smiled and glanced back to where he had been seated. “That’s a good question. As you have been studying about history today, you have been reliving the stories of the past and hopefully learning some lessons that might help you in the future. That’s the fun of history. When we learn it, we get the chance to look back, and because time has passed, we have the luxury of deciding whether someone made the right decision or did the right thing, because we know how things turned out. Someone said if we are not willing to learn from our past, we are destined to make the same mistakes in the future. That applies to all areas of your life.
“But what sometimes we forget about history is that the men and women who made decisions, like all of these presidents on the stage, not only had to know about history, but they had to make decisions in real time, in the middle of a crisis, and they didn’t have the luxury of knowing how it would turn out. So they faced moments of great importance by holding on to what they believed, what they had faith in, and what values made them the people they were. They had to draw from the experiences of the past, and then make a choice right then that would impact the future. Usually, the unexpected and the unplanned is what forced them to make a decision. History becomes vitally important because what you learn from it, how you grow from it, and what you discover about yourself, help prepare you for the unexpected. Today, seeing me sitting up there was unexpected. Maybe it will help you to remember what I just told you.
“History helps prepare you for right now and for the future. Especially when something surprising happens . . . like an unexpected visitor showing up with all the presidents.”
Hawk leaped off the stage and again glanced back to where he had been held captive. He glanced toward Helen, who stood there with her mouth slightly opened. He turned toward the students and began making his way through the group. Reaching out, he patted Marcus on the shoulder as he passed.
“Great job, Marcus.” He smiled again at the students. “Thanks for letting me interrupt you and surprise you. Bye.”
As he walked through the theater, it dawned on him that the lessons he had learned in the past once again were going to be very valuable. He was now facing an enemy that was going to try to use the unexpected to wrestle away control of Disney from him. Things were starting to happen that he did not have time to plan for. The decisions he would make would be the difference in protecting the kingdom or perhaps losing it forever. Grayson Hawkes stepped through the exit doors of the attraction as the excited voices of students saying good-bye and talking among themselves echoed down the hallway.
CHAPTER NINE
* * *
GRAYSON HAWKES SWUNG OPEN the door to his office in the Bay Lake Towers at exactly 3:48 p.m. Nancy Alport immediately pushed the Do Not Disturb button on her phone and stood up behind her desk as Hawk entered.
After leaving the Hall of Presidents, he had stopped by his apartment above the Fire Station in Town Square, changed his clothes, and then exited the Magic Kingdom and walked over to the office at the Contemporary Resort. His cheek felt a little swollen, but there was no serious damage. Apparently, his captors were more intent on getting his attention than on harming him. They had succeeded, and his brain was swamped with ideas of what to do next.
“Hi, Nancy,” Hawk said, as she handed him a stack of papers. “How has your day been?”
“Fine,” she replied, but she kept her grip on the paper. He noticed her glance toward the side of his face. “Yours?”
“Busy . . .” He turned his cheek away from her as she stared.
“Everything going OK today?” Nancy tilted her head to try to get another look at his jaw.
“Yep, all good.” He knew she was fishing for more, as he tugged on the papers, finally freeing them from her hands.
“Did you remember your three o’clock meeting with Total Access?”
“Are they here?”
“Upstairs.” She pointed to the second story of the office. “In the conference room, meeting with Juliette.”
“Yikes.” He turned to head toward the stairs.
Bounding up the steps two at a time, he reached the second floor in moments. He rushed directly toward the conference room. The door was closed, and with a quick tap on it, he pushed inside. Seated around the table were two men and one woman. At the head of the table, with her back to the window and its magnificent view of the Magic Kingdom, was Juliette. All the attention in the room turned toward the door as Hawk walked in. Glancing at Juliette, he registered her this-better-be-good-or-I’m-gonna-kill-you stare.
“So sorry I’m late,” Hawk said convincingly. “I trust all is set up for this week?”
“Yes, it is.” Juliette slowly crossed her arms. “Let me make some introductions. This is Pete Brady. He is the executive producer for Total Access. This is Allie Crossman, the executive assistant to Kate Young. And this is Punky Zane, director of Total Access. I’d like for you all to meet Grayson Hawkes.”
“Great to meet all of you.” Hawk enthusiastically shook hands with each. “Sorry I was delayed. I look forward to spending time with all of you this week.”
Sliding into a chair, he nodded toward Juliette to keep the meeting going. He was actually hoping she was wrapping the meeting up. He genuinely felt bad that he was late. He had forgotten completely about the gathering, which had been set up for weeks. The events of the morning had derailed any plans he might originally have remembered for the day.
“Hawk.” Juliette directly addressed him, fixating on his cheek. “As you know, Total Access is producing a prime-time special about you, and the crew will begin work tomorrow.”
“Dr. Hawkes.” Pete Brady leaned forward. Placing his elbows on the table, he slowly intertwined his fingers. “You are aware that Total Access means just that? You have agreed to give us complete access to do a behind-the-scenes, in-depth look—at you, your life, and the world you work in. We are the top-rated prime-time news series in the country, and we look forward to having you on the show.”
“I look forward to it as well.” Hawk shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
“Of course. I don’t see any problem.”
“We will be here for a week to ten days, depending on how it all goes. On two of those days, we have blocks of time scheduled for you to actually do two sit-down interviews with Kate Young. Those interviews will be woven around other footage, informal interviews, and material we collect while we are here.”
“That is what I’ve been told.” Hawk looked toward Juliette, who nodded that all was as it should be.
“Dr. Hawkes?” Punky Zane’s rich voice reminded Hawk of a radio announcer. “We’re very good at what we do. That’s why we’re rated number one. But our desire here is not to do the standard fluff interview or documentary specials that others do. You’re agreeing to let us follow you with cameras, and for Kate Young to sit in on meetings and tag along with you through your normal agenda for the week. You don’t anticipate that being a problem, do you?”
“I think it’s important to restate something at this point,” Juliette said, before Hawk could answer. “We reserve the right under extreme circumstances to amend the agreement or limit the access as it involves company secrets and other issues expressed in the contract.”
“As per our agreement, if the circumstances are deemed extreme.” Zane nodded slightly.
“I don’t think there will be a problem,” Hawk reassured them. He hoped he sounded convincing. He rolled his shoulders to loosen them as he again shifted in his seat. The events of the morning were not only distracting him, but he felt a tidal wave of issues racing toward him. This was an extremely bad week for him to be dogged by a camera crew and a reporter.
“Kate will arrive tomorrow,” Allie Crossman said. “She is our award-winning host: six Emmy Awards, nominated eleven times, Journalist of the Year eight different times, and one of the most powerful and influential women in America. Even though she is not scheduled to be with you until the following day, she would like a chance to meet you once she arrives. Just a chance to stick her head in the door to say hi.”
“I’m sure we can work that into our schedule.” Hawk tried to sound reassuring and forced a smile, which causing a twinge of pain in his jaw.
Juliette noticed activity across the hall from the conference room at Hawk’s office. She could see Nancy escorting a handful of people into the room. There was another meeting getting ready to happen. Seeing that as her opportunity to wrap this one up, she cleared her throat.
“Pete, you know how to get in touch with my office. They will provide whatever help and people you need. I again emphasize our desire to be most helpful in giving you total access, yet to do that, you will comply with the security codes and standards we have already discussed and negotiated.” Juliette paused as she saw each person nod in agreement. “Then I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.” She motioned for everyone to get up, signaling the meeting was over.
After everyone was out of the conference room, Juliette stood in the doorway with Hawk.
“Well?” She waited for the explanation as to where he had been.
“It has been an unusual day . . . to say the least.”
“I can hardly wait to hear it.” She feigned frustration. Juliette trusted Hawk enough to know he would not have forgotten if there wasn’t a good
reason. “Hawk, you realize this special with Total Access is a big deal, right?”
“Sure.”
“Seriously, we have never given any media group this much access to you before, and Kate Young is tough. She hasn’t won all those awards because she does cotton-candy interviews. She is the real deal, an investigative journalist and reporter.
“I know, I know, I know . . .” He raised his eyebrows. “I am taking this seriously, I promise.”
“I will help all I can and hopefully keep the whole experience from being too crazy or keep it from getting out of control.” Juliette paused with a smile. “So, where have you been all day?”
“Come on into my office for this next meeting.” He guided her by the arm from one doorway to the next. “You will not believe the morning we have had around here.”
Juliette didn’t budge as Hawk tried to nudge her across the hall. He turned back toward her to see why she wasn’t moving. She tilted her head slightly and nodded toward the side of his face.
“Did you have an accident?”
“Oh, my face?” Hawk rubbed his cheek lightly. “Does it look bad?”
“Just a little puffy.” She had no intention of letting him off the hook. “Looks like you’ve been in a fight.”
“Really?” He rolled his eyes and once again tried to get her to follow him across the hall.
“Really.” She stood her ground.
Juliette felt queasy when Hawk turned back toward her. She had seen the intense stare he got when things were more serious than he wanted to admit. That was the look she saw on his face now. She looked from his eyes back to his cheek, which was slightly swollen, and then back to his eyes again. His expression relaxed when he noticed the concern on her face.
“It’s going to be OK. It’s just been a strange morning.”
“I don’t believe you.” She shook her head.
“Seriously?” He smiled and winced slightly. “It has been a very strange morning.”
“Oh, I believe it has been strange.” She decided she was going to have to wait to hear the rest when he was ready to tell her. “But just because you say it’s going to be OK doesn’t make me feel any less nervous.”
This time, when he guided her arm toward the office, she went. As she took the few steps across the hallway, she felt danger creeping in from the edges of her mind. She had worked with Hawk long enough to know that everything was not fine. If something was going to go wrong, it was bound to happen now. After all, she had invited the most powerful investigative journalist in the world to be their guest.
CHAPTER TEN
* * *
THE MEETING WAS HELD IN THE OFFICE of the Disney Chief Creative Architect. Prior to his inheriting that title and task, Grayson Hawkes had been a Disney junkie. A collector of various Disney items that ranged from books, DVDs, figurines and pins, to items from the theme parks themselves. Once he became the head of the company, he moved his entire collection into this new office and then added to it, acquiring more than he had ever dreamed possible. The executive office was nearly a museum with all of the Disney items arranged neatly in lighted display cabinets. The room featured a small desk, which Hawk rarely used, and a circle of six chairs for meetings like this one.
Each person in attendance had been invited by Reginald Cambridge as the day unfolded. The original problem, the event at the Pirates of the Caribbean, had been troublesome. Evacuating an attraction with guests on board was never taken lightly. Throughout the day there had been various meetings, security briefings, and evaluations. The discoveries of additional pirate audio-animatronic figures had let them know it was not an accident. Hawk’s experience in the Hall of Presidents, which no one else knew about yet, had cemented the fact there was a purposeful effort to disrupt the park operations.
Cambridge looked up as Juliette and Hawk entered from the conference room across the hallway. Already seated and waiting for Hawk to arrive was Bill, who had been in charge of the evacuation of the attraction earlier, Shep, Clint Wayman, and Chuck Conrad. Clint and Chuck were two of Reginald’s most trusted leads in security, and Hawk was sure they had been actively involved in the investigation. Quickly greeting everyone, Hawk offered Juliette a seat and then eased into the only remaining chair, which was his, behind the desk.
“Thanks for coming everyone,” he began. “It is safe to say it has been an interesting day. I can’t wait to hear what you have found.”
Reginald leaned forward in his chair. “Pirates of the Caribbean has been closed since the incident this morning. As B
ill explained to us, a variety of things happened, which included a body floating in the water, losing control of the ride-operating system—”
“Momentarily!” Bill interrupted, as his gaze darted between the others in the room. “And it wasn’t really a body . . . it was an audio-animatronic figure.”
Cambridge cleared his throat. “—momentarily losing control of the ride operating system and then involving a complete evac of the attraction itself.”
“You had to take people out of the boats along the waterway?” Juliette’s mouth slightly opened as she looked for verification. “And how did an audioanimatronic figure . . . ?”
“Yes, as I said,” Cambridge continued. Pausing, he closed his eyes and rubbed the center of his forehead with his fingertips. “The attraction was evacuated without incident.”
“You alright, Reginald?” Hawk asked.
“Fine, just a slight headache.” He twisted his neck and repositioned himself in his seat.
“Um . . . as we looked into this further,” Chuck Conrad spoke in a thick northeastern accent, “we concluded that all was done according to procedure and within acceptable protocols and guidelines.”
“Acceptable protocols and guidelines?” Bill wiped his palms along the arms of the chair. “What does that mean?”
“It means you did a good job.” Hawk gently smiled.
“Did we do anything for our guests?” Juliette looked toward Cambridge and then toward Hawk.