Dot in!
Dot!
Dotting in
Dot
Technically I already dotted in, but here I am!
By the way, Mortimer looks like Walt Disney and Waluigi mixed together.
dot
How long have you searched for me while I slept below? All of your life I have filled your heart with laughter.
Now you shall repay me in screams.
When the years were ancient and the towns and villages were yet to be visions in the minds of strangers from across the sea, this place belonged to none but I. And as the moon passed and the stars drifted and the hills rose, I remained. None shall pass that do not belong to me and none shall go that leave nothing behind.
"SPRING BREAK! WOO HOO!" scream a gaggle of college-aged students as they try to jostle ahead in the queue. It's one of the busiest days of the year at Mouse Park. Locals and tourists alike have thronged to the Most Joyful Place in the World™ to unwind and relax in the gorgeous California sun. A heaving mass of humanity huddles in the shadow of a giant effigy depicting Elias Roy's most famous creation, Mr. Mouse himself, as if worshiping at his altar. Children and adults alike are decked out in their finest Mouse Park merch and sing songs from their favorite movies as they await the park's opening.
Finally, the gates open wide and the crowd eagerly rushes forward to be swallowed by their gaping maw. On the other side, magic and merriment await! Mousineers hand out maps to each guest as they enter, showing all of the attractions Mouse Park has to offer. There's Adventure Island, home to the Amazon River Ride; Exploration Territory, which features the Little Lightning Railroad and Pirate's Landing; Spooky Land, with the scary Nightmare Castle and the so-boring-it's-scary Hall of Presidential Assassins; Dreamworld, where the princesses dwell beside the iconic What a Wittle World and its insidious earworm of a theme song; and The Day After Tomorrow Land, with Galaxy Mountain as its claim to fame. And for the kids, there's Mr. Mouse's Toon House, where they can meet and greet the cuddly costumed cartoon characters.
Of course, there's even more to do and see at Mouse Park! These are just the tip of the iceberg--and speaking of, an awful lot of people are flocking to the Shaved Ice Stand on the edge of the lagoon on the boardwalk between Pirate's Landing and Mark Twain Island. Satisfied customers walk away with brightly colored cups filled with chunks of ice drizzled with thick, sugary syrup. The perfect treat to beat the heat!
Some of you are guests here at Mouse Park. Some of you are Mousineers who work here. The park has just opened. What would you like to do?
Mortimer Isney waits in line for an icy treat. With a blue suit and suitcase (backpack) he looks like he's there for a business meaning and, in a way, he is. As he moves up in line he looks up at the different attractions, each one competing for the most attention.
He smiles wickedly.
Soon there won't be a castle tower in the skyline anywhere in California! he thinks to himself. Mouse Park has always been prone to accidents and controversy and if Mortimer could drag up enough events in the past, find just enough health code violations AND get enough complaints form current and past workers, he would have Mouse Park shut down by the end of the year.
You see, Mortimer Isney is a lawyer who specializes and closing down amusement parks. He closed quite a few, big and small, but this... This was unheard of. But if he could close Mouse Park, why, he would go down in history. Maybe as the villian, but Mortimer "Killjoy" Isney didn't mind that at all.
As he moved to second in line he thought Let's start off small. Get a few basic complaints and go from there. Now if a was an exasperated underpaid worker in a hot smelly character costume where would I be?
He turns his head twords the sign pointing to Mr. Mouse Toon House as he moves to the front of the line.
Bingo.
His smile wideneds as he turn to the vendor and says "Lemon, thanks. Whadda I owe ya?"
A brightly-colored canopy provides shade to the throngs of park-goers waiting in line for the shaved ice. It takes Mortimer nearly thirty minutes to get to the front. During the wait, he can hear the other guests talking excitedly about how fantastic the new shaved ice is. Some people say they've only come to the park to get more of the yummy treat!
When it's finally Mortimer's turn, the vendor gives him a friendly grin. The man appears to be in his fifties with graying hair and smile lines around his dark brown eyes. His name tag identifies him as "Mr. N."
"Howdy, friend! That'll be two bucks, please." Mortimer's got a lot of bucks, so he's able to easily purchase the shaved ice. Mr. N fills a cup with ice and shakes up a bottle of viscous yellow liquid before squirting it all over. He hands the cup to the lawyer. "Nice day, ain't it? Hope you have a good one!"
Looking behind the tent, Mortimer can see a large chunk of gleaming ice in the middle of the lagoon. It's almost as if the tip of a literal iceberg is poking through from beneath the surface...
"Oh, I will!" Mortimer says with a wink.
He sees the ice in the lagoon and shrugs it off as movie magic. He then takes a taste of his treat.
Ahh... Yes! Both sweet and sour! And with a refreshing amount of ice! He'll have to get the recipe later!
As Mortimer meanders down the road leading to the Toon House zone he continues to eat his snow cone and goes over his plan as he lazily shifts his eyes over the crowds and buildings looking for any obvious building code violations to add to his (currently) very short list.
A burst of lemony flavor explodes across Mortimer's tongue. Sweet. Sweet! SWEET!!!
A rush of endorphins floods the lawyer's brain as his blood sugar level elevates exponentially. The shaved ice is among the best things he has ever tasted!
There are some who say that sugar can drive people insane...
Norfolk, VA has sunshine, of course; but nothing like this. Maybe it's the heat wafting off the tarmac, or just being reflected off the steel-and-chrome of Mouse Park, but Jen feels like she's shed half a pound just waiting in the queue. She pulls a bottle of water from her pack and flicks half a glance at the Shaved Ice stand, before shaking her head: she's low on cash as it is, she can't afford a couple bucks on just one cup of something.
She pulls her khaki ball-cap (with the black "USMC" stencil faded but still visible) lower on her head, blocking out the sun's glare as best she can. Her "Mouse Park" jacket has long since been removed, its sleeves tied round her waist. The rest of her clothing is a mix of stretchy, artificial, breathable fabrics sporting an assortment of athletics logos - not the consumer items, either, but the semi-pro stuff used by the serious athletes, from the white sneakers to the grey V-neck halter-top to the lime-green sports bra.
Finally Jen looks up from the map, giving up on the idea of getting her bearings - it's all too overwhelming. She focuses her gaze on her friend, whose blonde hair frames a glowing face and perfect freckles - a picture of beauty, youth and hope. "I give up, Lizzie," she shrugs helplessly. "I've never been here before - where d'you wanna go?"
Lizzie giggles, music to Jen's ears, and brushes a few errant strands of golden hair from her angelic visage. "Oh, there's so many great things to do here! You don't strike me as a 'princess person,' so we could probably skip Dreamworld. Galaxy Mountain and Nightmare Castle are both amazeballs, so those might be good places to start. Or we can check out Pirates' Landing. They shut it down last year to take out some of the pirates that were less than PC, and I haven't been on that ride since they reopened it."
Jen nods, mock-scowling at her friend. "Damn straight I'm not a princess. No time for that sissy s*** in the Marines!" Jen is planning to follow her dad and her granddad and be a battle medic for the US Marine Corps... provided she doesn't flunk her pre-med exams. Thank God for the athletics scholarship, it's the only way she got in.
She scowls, for real this time. "Damn, those end-of-semester exams were a b*tch! Thanks for helping me, I'd never've got through them without you... your help, I mean." She's cute AND brainy - why is life never unfair in my favour?!
Jen's aware of her cheeks starting to glow. "So, pirates? Hope they haven't toned 'em down too much, yeah?"
Damn, I'm even starting to SOUND like her - that West-coast thing where they make every sentence into a question? It's, like, rilly rilly annoying? Gonna have to work on that before I go home.
She takes her courage in both hands and links arms with Lizzie. It's fine. It's fine. Lots of people do this. Doesn't have to mean anything... "There. Don't wanna lose you in this crowd. Now lead on to these PC pirates!" It's hard to hear herself over the sound of her heart thumping rapidly.
Adjusting her Mouse Park coveralls, Helen Whittle grumbles to herself groggily while sifting through her toolkit in the Maintenance office.
"G*ddamn hex screwdriver never where I put... there it is." Slotting the last of her most essential tools into her belt, the heavyset woman moves to the office's computer and logs in, checking to see if there are any outstanding repairs or maintenance tasks that need to be addressed in the park.
Really hope What a Wittle World isn't on the fritz again, Helen thinks to herself. Those things give me the creeps.
The computer indicates that the highest priority task is to repair the skeleton animatronic at the beginning of the Pirates Landing ride. It seems the motors have locked up again.
There's also a voucher for one free shaved ice provided to all Mousineers. Yum!
"Again?" Helen frowns and mumbles to herself. "I don't get why they still haven't upgraded the motors in that piece a'..." Whatever. Better not to make waves. Just keep your head down, collect your paycheck, and make sure the guests don't see anything they shouldn't.
Pocketing the shaved ice voucher for later, Helen heads toward Pirates Landing to meet with the Mousineer in charge of running the attraction.
Like most of the first shift staff, Henry arrived early, coffee in hand. He high-fived a number of other entertainers as he got into costume. This was one of the best gigs he'd ever had. He got paid to play AND got exercise. Of course, he was still getting used to the California weather. Heat without humidity was just so different from Memphis. A fella could get over-heated without even noticing it.
With his portable steel drum set, cleverly disguised as a garbage can, he set out with the rest of his posse. They'd do a couple of sets for the incoming crowd here and there, then break for a while before moving to a different section of the park. He had a voucher for a free shaved-ice he had planned to use on break.
As Henry and his crew prepare for their first performance, he notices a man in a business suit twitching slightly from a sugar overdose, an empty cup in his hands. He looks to be in a bit of shock--perhaps he could use some of help?
You push your way through the crowds thronging Prime Avenue, USA, as you head towards Pirates' Landing. With enough jostling, the sea of humanity parts enough for you to make progress. At length, you reach the outside of the ride, where a line of people slowly shuffles their way along a velvet-roped path. It seems despite the malfunction, management has decided to keep the attraction open.
You quickly spot the manager assigned to the ride today--Ethan Martin, a young man in his 20s. He is thin but has a round face, with straight brown hair and pale brown eyes. He crosses his arms and regards you sullenly. "There you are. Here to fix the skeleton? The guests are complaining that it's ruining the magic for them. You know how we feel about magic here at Mouse Park, right?"
***
Lizzie grins at you as you link arms with her. "Good idea! Stay by my side, okay?"
An old hat at moving through the crowd, Lizzie tugs you along through the path of least resistance. Soon, you reach the end of the line leading into Pirate's Landing. You can see a heavy-set woman in coveralls speaking to a short young man. Something about the woman seems familiar...
***
The sugary rush leaves you reeling, and you stumble against a trash can and hold it for balance. As your body starts to come down from its sugar high, there's still a pleasant buzz in your brain.
A crew of janitors has appeared in the street, blocking your path to Mr. Mouse's Toon House.
Helen gives Ethan a dead-eyed stare. "Uh huh. Totally. Magic. So uh, I assume we're shutting down the ride while I fix whatever's wrong? Wouldn't want any guests to see how the sausage is made, right?"
Ethan winces but shakes his head. "No can do. The park's nearly at capacity already. If we shut the ride down, these people will clog the streets and the morning parade won't be able to get going."
He hands Helen an eye-patch. "Here. Just put this on, and everybody will think you're part of the experience."
Blissfully lost in a reverie of being the Dread Pirate Jen, a buccaneer so fearsome that she once keel-hauled Davy Jones in person, Jen allows herself to be led through the crowd by her friend. How does she smell so good? I'm perspiring like crazy in this heat, and she's barely even glowing.
She keeps a close enough eye on her surroundings that she spots the familiar-looking woman. It's a couple of seconds before she can place her: "Hey! It's my crypto friend! You know, the one I was telling you about, who surfs the online currencies, or something." (Metaphor is not Jen's strong point)
Enthusiastic as ever, she waves at the old woman before realising that maybe it's not good etiquette to distract people while they're working. Especially when said people are obviously going about something intensely mechanical. "Never mind. We can catch up with her later. Come on, Lovely Lizzie! I wanna see the pirates!"
She suddenly realises what she's just said. "Uh, I mean, in my head I'm being, uh, Dread Pirate Jen, you know, just getting into character, and you're, uh, Lovely Lizzie, the fairest maiden of the Seven Seas, and uh, no wait that doesn't sound any better out loud..."
If I was in the Marines, I could be being shot at right now. One lucky bullet is all it would take
Helen looks at the eyepatch witheringly. "You have got to be kidding me."
Glancing behind herself, Helen catches Jen's eye and gives her a grimacing wave. Of course. Someone I actually know, here to see my debut performance.
She sighs, and takes the eyepatch from Ethan, holding it the way one might hold a piece of toxic waste. "Whatever. If this is what the 'higher powers' want, it's what they'll get."
With that, Helen heads into the pirate cove in search of the faulty skeleton.
Seeing a guest in some manner of distress, Henry walks over to the fellow. "Pardon me, sir. Are you feeling okay? I noticed you look a little out of it. Hey, you know what always helps me? Some sweet tunes." He turns to the other "janitors" and says, "Hit it boys!"
The janitors suddenly break out into a carefully rehearsed performance. Several of them dance and caper about while the others reveal their cleaning accessories as carefully disguised musical instruments. A small crowd gathers around Mortimer as they laugh and cheer on Henry's troupe. Mortimer feels more like himself again.
Lizzie giggles as Jen gets flustered. "OMG, Jen, you are, like, so funny! I'm glad the spirit of Mouse Park has already taken hold of you."
She clears her throat as she gets into character, pretending to fan herself. "Oh my, Dread Pirate Jen! You've captured me, Lovely Lizzie, and taken me aboard your pirate ship! Whatever do you plan to do with a delicate flower such as myself?"
The queue for the line slowly shuffles along.
***
You use the service corridors and emerge into Pirates' Landing near the broken animatronic. You've bypassed the initial section of the ride that takes guests in their boats through a sweltering swamp. Here, hidden speakers emit the sound of gusting wind, while flashing lights simulate lightning. The alcove is decorated to resemble the deck of a storm-wracked ship, where a skeleton in a tricorne hat turns the ship's wheel back and forth.
At least it's supposed to. Right now, the skeleton appears locked into place, its motors grinding and squealing ominously.
From further along the ride's path, you hear a recorded voice repeating the same phrase every few seconds: "Dead men tell no tales! Dead men tell no tales! Dead men..."
"Aaaarrrr!" Forgetting her earlier embarrassment, Jen slips into her best pirate-talk and leers at her friend: "A fine looking wench like yerself will get good price with the slavers... Or maybe I be keepin' ye fer meself - whaddaya say to that, Missy?"
She tries to keep her tone playful, although her gaze is anxious. "Think ye could be happy with a pirate captain?"
"Only if said captain treats me right and spoils me as befits a lady of my station! I am no mere wench, and you would do well to remember that!" Lizzie replies with faux haughtiness.
"Arrr - I think that can be done, milady." Jen's not got the hang of curtseying, but she tries a bow, trusting in the modern marvels of elastic and Lycra to preserve her modesty in the top she's wearing. "And for my first act, allow me to speed us through this queue."
With a smirk, she puts one hand in the small of Lizzie's back, and propels them both forward through to the front of the line. "Make way! Cute college girl coming through!"
She read some time ago about the wonders of social programming and since then has often relied on it: she has found that if you act like you belong, and give orders in the right tone of voice, people tend to go along with it.
It's not a technique for the faint of heart, but that's not Jen's failing. In this case, it surely won't hurt that she's right: Lizzie really is achingly good-looking. Oh, hell: if only to yourself, just admit that you think she's beautiful and have done with it, OK?
When you use your knowledge of Mouse Park and understanding of routines and policy to get away with doing something wrong or against the rules in the park, roll +brave.
• On a 10+ you are left alone to do whatever it was they “thought” was against the rules, but was apparently not.
• On 7-9 they let you pass or look the other way with a warning not to do it again, and they close the loophole so you won’t be able to try taking advantage of it in the future.
• On a 6 or less you are caught, and the natural and terrible consequences take place.
Helen sighs disdainfully and puts on the eyepatch. Because if there's anything that makes my job easier to do, it's losing my depth perception and listening to constant creepy chanting. Honestly, whose idea was this?
Pulling out her tools, she takes a closer look at the skeleton, seeing if she can pinpoint and correct the problem.
When you want to fix something mechanical or electrical that is broken, roll +wise.
• On a 10+ you fix the thing.
• On a 7-9, you fix the thing but it will break again later, it takes a ridiculous amount of time to fix, or breaks an important tool while fixing.
• On a 6 or less, you don’t fix it and either you’ve broken the machine beyond repair, or you broke something important you own while trying to fix it.
When Mortimer stumbled against the can, he knew he had made a mistake. The Isney family had always had heart problems, and it doesn't skip a generation. Usually Mortimer watched its blood-sugar levels but... It was a very good snow cone...
At first, Mortimer grins when the janitor walks up to him. Janitors were always the best to get complaints from. But his glee is soon replaced by miled confusion when the group of "janitors" began to play songs.
They're... good enough... I suppose...
As a small crowd gathers, Mortimer looks up at the man who had approached him.
Well... I guess I'll start with this one.
"Thank ya, but I'm fine, really! Justa dizzy spell! But I must say, it's mighty kind of ya to help me out. And uh... That's a nice little display you and your friends got there! You all part of a experimental group?"
That's how "Killjoy" worked. Put on one's most charming smile and get your chosen victim talking about themselves, all the while start walking and lead them to a nice little place to chat.
Works every time.
"Experimental? Naw, we're one of the attractions! Just part of the magical experience at Mouse Park, where even the janitors may not be who they appear to be."
Hmm, that sounds creepy when you say it like that. Oh well. Henry shrugs off his possible faux pas with a smile. "Are you sure you don't need medical attention? Or perhaps just getting out of the sun?"
Henry's a chatty fellow and will gladly talk about their musical group. They might even take requests.
"No, no! If I just walk around a bit I'ma sure it'll all clear up." Mortimer says, his grin widening to a almost unsettling size.
"Music is nice, but I find a nice walk can solve most problems. Would ya care to give me a little tour, Mr.... I'ma sorry, but I don't think I cought your name!"
With a little luck and a little skill, I'll have him be a whistleblower yet!
"Henry's the name. And sure, we're about to go on break. I can show you a few attractions."
Mystified by Jen's bold strides (or perhaps by Lizzie's good looks), the queue parts to allow them to pass. A few people complain and look to the Mousineers who are supposed to keep the line in order, but they react too slowly to stop the two girls' progress. It's a neat trick, but one unlikely to work a second time.
Jen and Lizzie quickly find themselves boarding a boat as they prepare to experience Pirates' Landing. "Wow! That was amazing, Jen!" Lizzie says. "No SwiftCard needed!"
A pair of men sit down in the boat behind the two girls, one of whom seems familiar to Jen...
***
As Henry's crew takes five, he leads Mortimer to the nearest ride--Pirates' Landing! Flashing the attendants his Mousineers ID badge, Henry is able to skip the line and get on the waiting boat with his newfound lawyer pal. The two sit down behind a pair of college girls, one of whom seems familiar to Mortimer...
***
Examining the animatronic skeleton, Helen can see that some of its motors have shorted out, and its joints are in need of lubrication. It should be a relatively straightforward fix, though it will take several minutes.
As she gets to work, several boats full of guests pass by. Some of them point at the maintenance woman and giggle, while others snap pictures with their smartphones.
Helen smiles awkwardly at the passing guests. Don't mind me, folks, just an ordinary pirate in coveralls disassembling a skeleton with a wrench. Oh, well. At least they seem to be having a good time.
Focusing back on the skeleton, Helen gets to work fixing the damage.
Jen and Lizzie quickly find themselves boarding a boat as they prepare to experience Pirates' Landing. "Wow! That was amazing, Jen!" Lizzie says. "No SwiftCard needed!"
Jen grins. "My dad told me about working with some Brit soldiers in Afghanistan - he said their motto is Who dares, wins. Thought I'd put it into practice." She snuggles up closer, taking Lizzie's encouragement to heart.
It takes her a moment or two to register the other people in the boat. "Oh - Mr Isney!" Surprised, she's momentarily at a loss for what to say. "Uh, how are you doing?"
"Well, look-ey who's famous," Henry says with a smile.
"Ah! Miss Liang! Well don't fortune work in strange ways?"
Mortimer slid into his seat and set his suitcase on his lap, when the girl in front of him said his name. The girl was Jen Liang, a college student who did odds and ends for him once and awhile. She was... tolerable...
"Er, Mr. James, meet Miss Liang. Miss Liang, meet Mr. James." turning to Henry, Mortimer says "This is Jenny Liang, one of my part time employees. He says all this with a forced smile. He brings his hand to his face and slicks back his hair. A sign that he is quite annoyed.
S***. What now Isney? Wait. This could still go in my favor... Just butter them both up, get em talking, then bring up work conditions! Yes, that will work!
"Miss Liang! How ya taking care? May I say, you look lovely today? Oh, and who's your lovely friend here?"
Mortimer is paying no attention to his surroundings so he doesn't notice the eye patched mechanic, or the well detailed ride. His entire attention is focused on his efforts to turn these people into puppets.
Jen tends to take people at face value, so she's blithely unaware of Mort's connivings. Still, it is odd meeting him here, of all places. She gives him a friendly smile and starts chattering away unselfconsciously.
"Oh, just relaxing here for Spring Break after the heaviest semester ever! God, those exams... anyway, this is my BFF Lizzie, who's helping me survive my studies and who brought me here to celebrate the end of another term. Lizzie, this is Mr Isney; he's - he was - my boss when I took that part-time job."
She briefly pulls off her ball-cap and runs her fingers through her hair to try to untangle it (it doesn't like the heat), before jamming it swiftly back on her head to shield her from the sun's glare. She flashes a smile at the other man. "Hey, Mr James. Good to meet you. Are you here on vacation too?"
"Nice to meet y'all as well," Henry says, offering his hand. "Actually, I work here. I'm one of the entertainers. It's a little bit like being on vacation every day," he laughs.
"Nice to meet both of you," Lizzie says politely.
The Mousineers lower the safety bars onto your laps, making sure they are tight so that you cannot escape or accidentally hurt yourself. Then the boat lurches from the boarding station and into the dark tunnel ahead.
It winds its way through a faux swamp as eerie music fills the air. Ahead you can see a woman in an eyepatch tightening a skeleton's arm with a wrench--hey, isn't that Helen?
***
You finally manage to tighten the last bolt on the skeleton's arm. It lurches back into motion, spinning the ship's wheel back and forth like it's done for the past sixty years. You look up from your completed work to see a boat with a few familiar people in it. Henry waves at you.
"Thank ye, maintenance wench," the skeleton says.
Wait a minute...
***
As the boat gets near Helen, the skeleton's head spins around 180 degrees to glare at Helen. Fiery lights burn in the skull's empty eye sockets. "Dead men tell no tales!" it cackles. Its head whirls back around and it hauls on the ship's wheel, tearing it free of its mount. It raises it high as it prepares to smash it on Helen's head!
What do you do?
"What the ****?!" Jen was raised by and around Marines, so her language can be salty when she forgets herself.
Her system floods with adrenaline at the sight of what's happening; without consciously thinking about it, she takes a second to breathe in deeply and then she pushes on the restraining bar, forcing it out the way so she can tackle the skeleton before it completes its attack.
The restraining bar is no match for her, and Jen pulls herself free, running toward the skeleton with a warning cry: "Hey! LOOK OUT!!!!" She slams into the skeleton, aiming to throw off its aim.
"Jen!" Lizzie shouts in surprise as her companion suddenly leaps from the boat. Jen slams into the skeleton, knocking it off-balance. It slams the ship's wheel down into the floor a few feet from Helen instead of on her head. The missed attack gives Helen a chance to react...
“The hell?!” Helen’s jaw drops at the skeleton’s uncharacteristically violent behavior and at Jen’s deft interception. Panicking, she thrashes wildly at the animatronic with her wrench.
Helen bashes the skeleton on the head with her wrench. The metal twists from the impact and sparks fly, but it appears that the attack has only inconvenienced the animatronic. "Dead women tell no tales, too!" it snarls.
Meanwhile, the boat holding Lizzie, Mortimer, Henry, and a few other guests is beginning to drift past the melee and into the dark tunnel ahead...
Helen backs away from the skeleton in horror (hopefully out of range of its strikes). Grabbing her walkie-talkie, she pings Ethan. “We’ve got, uh, a real situation right now! Get security down here, and do not let anyone else on the ride!”
As the car begins to move away, Henry comes out of his shocked state. "Stay in the car!" he orders the other two as he slides out under the bar and hops out of the car. "Helen, over here!" he calls out.