Tomorrowland: Frank and Athena

Chapter 6 - Travels With a Jetpack in a Small World

In the span of five minutes, Frank Walker experienced one of the lowest emotional points of his life, and suddenly he was hitting the highest. His mouth hung open as he watched the utterly strange girl walk away. He still vividly felt the touch of her warm hand on his, as he looked down at the pin that she'd placed in his palm. It had a strange logo on it that resembled a "T" and also looked like the top of a building. It was a neat pin, but he wasn't sure what it was for.

All he knew was that a very pretty, very mysterious girl with amazing blue-gray eyes and a British accent had just told him that she was the future and that he was supposed to follow her. In his current state of mind, she could have asked him to walk into a wood chipper machine demonstration and he would have gladly complied.

Suddenly he shook himself, realizing that he was supposed to count to twenty and follow. How long has it been?? He thought in a panic. Maybe it's been about 10? I don't know!

Frank forced himself to calm down, and called it ten seconds. He counted off 11 to 20, then got up, slinging his jetpack over his shoulder and walked after her. Soon he spotted her up ahead following closely the group of adults. To his relief, she glanced back and smiled, reassuring him that he was on the right track – and reassuring him that what happened really did happen and he didn't just imagine it.

As he thought back on his encounter with the strange girl, he recalled that the man had called her Athena. He wasn't even sure how he remembered this; the whole thing was a blur.

They moved through the exhibits into another area of the fair that held a number of pavilions. Athena and the group entered a pavilion labeled "It's a Small World, Presented by Walt Disney," which looked like some sort of ride. Suddenly he remembered that Athena had given him a pin, so he pinned it to his shirt in case it was needed to get him in.

Entering the ride area, Frank saw small boats that floated along a water track, moving people into one tunnel, and then out another tunnel in a loop. It looked as though Athena's group was going to ride it, which seemed very strange to Frank. But Athena told him to follow them, so he wasn't about to start asking questions now.

He saw her enter a boat with the group. She glanced back at him, looking worried that he was so far back. This motivated him to push past the line of people, as though he were with someone. And anyway, technically he was. He kept his eye on Athena, but then the ride operator strangely held up the line, letting a few boats go empty after Athena's group.

He saw his chance. Frank hopped over the railing and ran over to some maintenance stairs that led down to the water track. He hopped over a rope across the stairs and moved down toward a maintenance walkway, where he could see Athena sitting in the back of the boat just as she entered the tunnel. She glanced back again and gave him a meaningful look.

Frank didn't need any more invitation than that. He ran down the walkway and hopped into the empty boat behind Athena's, careful not to have his jetpack clunk the boat too loudly. Fortunately, her group was preoccupied and looking forward.

Athena disappeared into the tunnel. Frank ducked low into the boat, trying not to get spotted as she'd warned him as he entered the tunnel as well. Small puppets danced and sang "It's a small world after all!" around him as he realized that Athena's boat was no longer in front of him; there was a gap where the boat should have been. He looked around frantically, wondering if there was something he was supposed to do.

A very narrow beam of red light shot out of the eye of some singing Italian doll that was holding a piece of wood and a tool. He saw the beam touch his pin and then seem to trace the pattern of the odd 'T' symbol. The light disappeared and Frank had just enough time to wonder, what the heck was tha..., when suddenly the water track dropped down at a steep angle. Frank let out a surprised yell as his boat flew down a ramp and splashed down onto a different track. He looked around wildly, just in time to see a trapdoor above and behind him flip back shut.