Movieland

Chapter 12

Frankie disappeared until I realized that my eyes were shut. He squeezed my shoulder. "Do me a favor? Promise we'll stick together. I've got one of those feelings."

The booth trembled. The floor quaked. The electricity intensified like fire over the booth.

"You had a feeling when Mr. Stowe asked us all to tune our magnets at the same time. It's called chemistry."

"Max."

The electricity turned from static to a solid hum like tractor beams.

I grabbed his shoulder with my still throbbing cast hand. "I've got you."

The hum went sonic. My stomach dropped. My eyes were closed again. I couldn't help it. Frankie whoaaad and my stomach churned. I peeked through one eye. I'd been on roller coasters. This was a galactic Mario Kart Star Course come to life.

"Dude, they actually did it," Frankie said. "Look."

Silver tubes gleaned from liquid metal twisted and turned on all sides as we sped towards an unknown destination. Ropes of blue and orange surged over the tubes as images flashed on them. It was a holographic highway with a laser photo background. Our school had brought the 1980s fad back to life my freshmen year. It turns out Mrs. X shared similar feelings towards the backdrop of crisscrossed glowing neon lights.

The blocks of holographics playing on the tubes were more than movie clips. They were real. There was a depth to them that 3D movies only dreamt of.

"Forrest!" I squealed.

Frankie spun to see but Forrest had sped away. His disappointment lasted two seconds. "Slimer! And the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man!" He shook me. "The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! This is insane."

I marveled at Nakatomi Plaza and Anton Chigurh. The way the images moved looked familiar. I tried but couldn't place it.

"Holy shit! Was that Godzilla?" I yelled. It was all so real. So... not computer generated.

Frankie's voice quaked. "I know CGI. This isn't just a simulation."

We each took a deep breath.

The liquid metal tubes wipe cut left to right. They were replaced by a hazy city skyline. We descended past skyscrapers and down onto a barren alleyway. The booth hovered over the ground before dropping the last inch.

"Any guesses?" I asked.

Frankie eyeballed the sky glare and down the alley where cars and foot traffic passed. "There were guys on the roof of that building when we passed. I couldn't tell what they were wearing. Let's check out the street view."

The air smelled like trash steeped in lukewarm rainwater. Closer to the street exhaust fumes took over, with a whiff of a bakery within the block. I also smelled crime, which was a greased wheel lined with piles of cash. "How real does food taste in here, you think?"

Frankie hurried onward. "Like Mom's apple pie, I bet."

He held out an arm to stop us at an intersection. A man stood with his back to us. He hunched over with a blue duffel bag in one hand and a white clown mask in the other. Music started in the background. A shrieking violin and a throbbing bass.

"You hear that?" I said, rubbing my ear. The music persisted. The soundtrack was included, evidently.

"You see him?" Frankie said, pointing with a nod.

My heart lurched. "We've gotta follow that jeep."

"What jeep?"

Businessmen and women hustled by. Joggers twisted through foot traffic. Street traffic was light. A dull gray jeep pulled up. The man put the mask on before climbing in.