The Renegades - A Disney Novel

The Arrival

27 APRIL 2021, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, [CLASSIFIED]

All personnel, the evacuation order has been confirmed. I say again, the evac protocol has been confirmed. Proceed to your designated vehicles for all complex evacuation. This is not a drill. Emergency personnel, proceed to your designated vehicles for all complex evacuation.

"How bad is it?" I asked, exiting the helicopter.

"That's the problem, dad," Monty answered, meeting up with me and Carl. "We don't know. Dr. Pines read an energy surge from the Calamity Box four hours ago."

"But we didn't authorize Stanford to go to test phase."

"He wasn't testing it, Major," Monty replied. "He wasn't even in the room. Spontaneous event. Started glowing yellow and white and vibrating a little."

"It just turned itself on?" Carl interpreted.

"Where are the energy levels now?" I added.

"Climbing," Monty responded. "When Stan couldn't figure out how to shut it down, we ordered evac."

"How long to get everyone out?" I questioned.

"Everyone PLUS everything should be clear in the next half-hour."

"Do better," I commanded, as Monty split up from Carl and I.

"Sir, evacuation may be futile," Carl commented.

"We should tell them to go back to sleep?"

"Well, if we can't control this... thing's... energy, there may not be a minimum safe distance."

"Then I need you to make sure the Phase 2 prototypes are shipped out."

"Sir, is that really a priority right now?"

"Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on," I ordered. "Clear out the tech below. Every piece of Phase 2 on a truck and gone."

"Yes, sir." Carl confirmed, leading everyone upstairs while I continue down below. "Everyone, with me."

---

"Talk to me, Doctor," I asked.

"Major," Stanford acknowledged.

"Is there anything we know for certain about the relic we found in the mysterious house?"

"The Calamity Box is misbehaving," Stanford answered, poking a stick at it to show his findings, when the box reacted back with a bright, blue surge in it.

"Is that supposed to be funny?"

"No, it's not funny at all," Ford assured. "The Box is not only active, she's behaving.

"I assume you pulled the plug."

"I did, but she's an energy source. We turn off the power, she turns it back on. If she reaches peak level..."

"Don't worry," I interrupted. "We prepared for this, Doctor. Harnessing energy from space and reality. Heck, even infinity."

"But we don't have the harness. My calculations are far from complete. And she's throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation."

"That can be harmful. And where's your lil detective?"

"My nephew?" Ford pointed. "Looking and studying all of this up in his deck, as usual."

"Mason Pines, report," I ordered, while the intelligent boy roped down the balcony he was looking at like another fun playground.

"Son, I invited you and your Great Uncle here so you could keep a close eye on things and tell anything you may have on this, plus the reputation you built up in Oregon thanks to my friends Power and Trigger who told me about you and your family," I explained.