"What was that?" Nicky said.

His fingers flew across the keyboard and the printer at the end of the row began spitting out paper. His eyes followed something on the screen as the camera moved in behind him, and then the screen went dark. Nicky stood up with a yelp.

"Cut," Mickey yelled. "Did you get all that this time?"

Bob held up his hand, thumbs up. "All good," He said.

Steve looked relieved, as he should. They had done the scene four times because of silly mistakes. Either the boom bumped into the desks and knocked something over or the computer malfunctioned. But this time they had it.

Arty D had infected the computers at the school by installing an override on the password system. When any of the Chips signed in, their programs went haywire, and Beverly's character, Emma, had already lost her homework assignments for the week. But like a good little geek, Emma had backed up her assignments on a flash drive.

The computer lab sequence had taken them two hours, and the union rules prevailed at this point. They would have to stop for lunch. Ted had watched the camera movements, trying to imagine how the special CG effects would add to the scene.

"It's like this," Barry had told him. "The signals from the various stations run through those cables along the wall to the server. To visualize Arty D's little sabotage they are going to make the signals move like a beam of light. Nicky will sign in and the signal will appear as a pulse of light traveling down the cable. The CG guys already have a mock up graphic of the mother board inside the computer and the pulse will travel across that and into the drive unit."

Barry smiled. "Confused ... I sure was when it was explained to me. So, once the computer recognizes Nicky's password we'll see a sizzle of light like a burning fuse go back the other way to shut down the boy's system."

"Oh, that's cool ... are we doing lunch?" Ted asked.

"Where's your better half?"

"Standing right behind you."

Barry jumped and Dennis laughed. "Someone feed me," He said.

By now they had every quick and halfway decent restaurant in Glendale mapped out. Martindale's served the greatest variety, and driven by curiosity Ted was slowly working his way through the entire menu.

Barry had not attended Betty's funeral so he was curious about the occasion and had been pestering Ted about the details all morning.

"Did you see the pictures of the flowers in the Times?" Ted asked.

"Yes ... that was so sweet," Barry replied.

"They estimated there were over a million flowers thrown and I believe it," Ted said. "Beautiful blossoms for a beautiful lady."

It had been only a short time since the funeral and Ted still felt the tug at his heartstrings whenever he thought of Betty. But she, more than anyone, would have wanted everyone to carry on with life. If Betty had been one of the founders in this glorious film industry, then it was up to Ted and all the rest to continue in that valiant tradition. Looking at it like that made the pain easier to manage.

The food came and they all dove in. Their lunch break was hardly a place for in-depth conversation on any subject, but at least they got to eat. The actors rarely left the location on the days of a shoot, but the caterer did a fine job of meeting their needs for nourishment even if the meals were fairly simple.

They had the cafeteria scene on the shooting schedule that afternoon, and then the kids would get the next two days off while Jim laid out some intense Arty D scenes. So many factors impacted the filming of the scenes, and the shooting schedule had to reflect all those details. At times Dennis felt completely overwhelmed, but if this was to be his future then he had better learn it.

Jim was at his best when he could immerse himself in character and stay there. So many articles had been written about the man, and a lot of them proclaimed that it was his ego which fed his passion for acting. Dennis felt that was a pretty uncomplicated way to analyze someone with such a complex job.

Not only did Jim act in films, he wasn't always the star. Producing took up a lot of his time and so when he was on camera Dennis thought it would increase the pressure, but that was not true. Jim welcomed the emotional release of becoming a character and the people around him knew it was better to capture that genius while they could.

The descent into madness portrayed by Arty D's character meant that Jim turned off everything else. His assistants knew better than to disturb that flow. The administrative needs of the company were put on hold for the day. Jim lurked from scene to scene, sometimes mumbling to himself, other times quietly laughing. He would eat lunch alone in his trailer and perhaps leave the remains of his meal piled in ceremonial heaps that defied understanding.

Ted was better able than most to appreciate the genius of Jim's performance. Following script meant he knew what Jim was going to say, and the man managed to stick fairly close to the planned wording, but not always. As a physical actor, Jim's body created facets of the story that could not exist on paper. And sometimes those antics led to extreme cases of ad-libbing which enthralled everyone on the set.

Steve and the other kids had the utmost respect for the acting ability of Jim Curry, but they were also a little scared of him when the cameras rolled.

"He demands every bit of my focus when we're in a scene together. He knows every word he's supposed to say and that gives him the opportunity to go off the page. Do you know what I mean?" Steve asked.

"I do since I'm supposed to write down anything he says outside the boundaries of the script," Ted said with a smile.

Steve grinned. "Yeah, then you understand. Role playing is part of the acting craft, but knowing how to react to some of the things Jim can do ... that's the scary part."

"You love it, don't you?"

"Absolutely."

The Chips were assembled at their usual lunch table. There were three cafeteria scenes in the film, only this one was going to be different. The table was set in the middle of the room which had been cleared of everything else. The green screen surrounded them on three sides which would allow the computer graphics lab to insert the required background.

The scene began with Nicky passing around the printouts from the lab that he had managed to capture right before his account was terminated.

"Do you see the code changes?" Nicky said. "This string appeared only seconds after I logged in. I hit the screen capture the moment I realized something was up, and then my account crashed. This is sabotage ... I've seen it before."

"There's a worm in the system and it's aimed at us," Emma said. "Okay, I didn't believe it when you said Doyle was out to get us. He doesn't have the skill to build anything like this, but perhaps he knows someone who can."

"Nicky, where did you see this? You said you've seen this before," Michael asked.

"Yeah, at my Dad's company, TechFirst. They have security breaches all the time from hackers looking to steal information or competitors who hope to trash their systems. But they have a whole team of security specialists and the strongest firewalls you could possibly imagine.

"I spend some of my Saturdays there in the library. Dad allows me a small piece of processing time for my homework ... "

"Damn, no wonder your programs are so incredibly beautiful," Michael said. "You get to model them on that mainframe?"

Nicky grinned. "Yeah, that's my secret. But I've seen printouts of code like this. It's aimed at the root structure of a security program. It captures the administrative role, inserts changes and then vanishes. I guarantee if we got into the school's servers we would find no trace of this worm, but it's there hidden in some utility program."

"So where does Doyle come in?" Emma asked.

"Perhaps I should just ask him," Nicky said.

"Cut," Mickey yelled.

Jim had been pacing back and forth against the far wall during that short scene. Ted saw Jim look up and smile when Mickey called the cut. Since Arthur Doyle was a prim and proper gentleman, Jim tugged at his vest and dusted off his suit jacket. The costumer had invested a good deal of time to give Doyle that image and Jim clung to it.

"Ready, Mr. Doyle?" Mickey asked. He was quite aware of Jim's immersion in the character and Jim gave him a nod.

"Places," One of the assistants called. Just a formality, everyone was already there.

"Speed ... marker," The soundman said, closing his slate.

"Rolling," Bob said. No need to yell, Mickey was right beside him.

"And ... action," Mickey yelled.

Doyle made his way down a line marked in tape on the floor. It was his turn as cafeteria lunch monitor; a job he felt was beneath his dignity. But the line led him right past the table where the Chips were assembled.

Nicky stood up and said very politely. "Professor Doyle, may I ask you a question?"

Doyle looked up. "If this is regarding the food they're serving today I have no responsibility for that. Otherwise, if you have a question of scientific interest I would be more than happy to indulge you with a response."

"Yes, a scientific inquiry," Nicky said.

Doyle smiled and gave the boy a nod. "You may ask away."

"Do scientists always take the credit for their discoveries?" Nicky asked. "For example, if a scientist produces a unique outcome during an experiment, would there be any reason he might not take the credit for the discovery?"

"What an odd question," Doyle said. "I would think perhaps your scientist would be concerned only if by taking credit he infringed upon a colleagues domain, or if the work was already a matter of published material and his experiment had just a nuance of difference."

Nicky nodded. "So, as a scientist, you would hesitate to take credit for something if you had read about a similar experiment and used those details in your own research. I imagine that would border on plagiarism, or at least be stealing the intellectual rights of someone else. I guess that would hold true if you knowingly used someone else's work to further your own goals."

"Knowledge has no boundaries, young man," Doyle said. "If you learn something and apply it properly there should be no conditions which dissuade the use of that application. In your world of electronic knowledge there seems to be no propriety over who may use the knowledge of others. Programs pile upon programs to build other unique applications, and in many cases they become destructive when something is not tested properly.

"Software is available at every online street corner, and few have the sensibility or moral inhibitions to avoid using what belongs to others. Piracy run rampant will eventually offer the opportunity to kill that which you hold most dear. As Mr. Ambrose Bierce so aptly put it, we are all just worms-meat in the end. I would advise you and your colleagues to enjoy your electronic fantasy world while you may. Some day soon it may all come crashing down around your heads."

Doyle looked at each of the Chips with a slight nod of his head, and resumed his pacing across the cafeteria floor until he was out of camera range. Camera Three had never left the table and slowly panned the stunned faces of the kids.

"What did he just say?" Emma asked.

"Worms-meat, is that an allusion to the killer worm in the school computers?" Tucker asked.

"It's more than that," Nicky said. "This worm is just an experiment. I don't know what Doyle has done or where he got the knowledge, but he did it, he built the worm."

"What experiment?" Michael asked.

Nicky looked around the table. "This is just the beginning, guys, we're the guinea pigs. Don't you get it? He's looking for a way to attack the internet."

"You're joking," Emma said. "There's no way he can do that."

"It's too big, everything sensitive is behind a dozen firewalls," Tucker said.

"What do you think, Eddy ... you've been awful quiet," Nicky said.

"Just thinking," Eddy said. "You don't have to take down the net to make it crash, just disrupt it so badly that no one can use it. Imagine the chaos to personal users and business. The whole power grid is accessible online, and so is the government."

"I think Doyle has discovered something, someone else's work, and he's planning to use it." Nicky quickly stood up and gathered his lunch leftovers, stuffing the printouts in his notebook. "I'm leaving for the afternoon. I have to speak to my Dad. If anyone asks just tell them I have food poisoning. Considering what they serve here they ought to believe that."

"Nicky, who is going to believe all this?" Michael asked.

"I know some people at TechFirst, they'll convince my father. Once Doyle lets that worm loose on the net it will spread like wildfire, we have to stop him."

"Cut," Mickey yelled. "That looked good."

It had been a long scene and Ted noted that there was not one dropped line. Jim was good and everyone knew that a flawless performance by him was not that amazing. But the kids had done so well these past few weeks. And in that thought Ted had some pride in the way he had helped pick out the cast.

There were entrances and exits to shoot now, things without words. The flow of the film would depend on the way they spliced these cutouts together. People did not just pop from one scene to the next; they had to move into and out of the locations. Ted sighed, knowing he would watch the camera work and have little to do.

But tomorrow and Friday he would be off the set and spending time with Mark. They had to get back into the Redemption storyline. Fortunately, Dennis would move into the studio the next few days as they shot the scenes with Arty D. Ted almost wished he could be there because if there was a place for that special brand of Jim Curry off the wall acting it would be in these scenes of madness.

The young character actor chosen as the computer store clerk who faces Arthur Doyle as he evolves into his alter ego would be played by Simon Pierce. A veteran of films and television since the age of four, his face was familiar when Dennis first met him. Young child actors rarely made the transition into adult roles, but Simon would have been a standout in any case.

At twenty-three, Simon barely needed a makeover by the film crew since he was already the quintessential geek. The spiky black hair and big floppy ears did nothing to hide the bright smile on his face. Simon was happy to be in Jim's film, or anywhere for that matter.

"Simon?"

"Yup, that's me."

"Dennis King. I'm one of Jim's PA's."

Dennis had been on the lookout for the guy since seven o'clock when Barry said he would be on the morning schedule. This little white Honda Accord had captured Dennis' attention when it pulled into the studio lot and a tall lanky young man stepped out.

"You have dressing space in the blue trailer, let me show you where it is," Dennis said.

"Thanks." Simon looked around at the huge buildings that comprised Sony Studio Six, the sound stages Jim's company leased for use. "Wow, things sure have changed here."

"You've been here before?" Dennis asked as they walked across the parking lot.

"Long time ago we did a couple of films over there," Simon said, pointing at one of the other buildings in the complex. "Have you been with Jim Curry a long time?"

"Nope, I started off as a summer intern and haven't been able to find the exit door," Dennis said.

Simon smiled. "Yeah, it's like that with me too. I was real happy when my agent said Jim wanted me for this small role. This looks like some crazy stuff."

Dennis nodded as they reached the trailer door. He knocked and someone yelled "Just a minute." They waited, and finally a woman came to the door with a mop in hand.

"Sorry, they just told me this place needed housekeeping about an hour ago. Rush, rush ... sorry to keep you waiting," She said. She gave Simon a glance. "Hey, I know you ... Simon, you were on Sesame Street."

"I was, for a while at least," Simon said.

"Well you were great, my kids loved you. Now let me get out of your way, you have work to do."

"Thank you," Simon said as the woman floated away to the next trailer in the row. She gave him a wave and kept on moving. He grinned at Dennis.

"I always adore the older fans; they tend to speak their minds."

"Okay, I wasn't going to say anything, but I remember you from television when I was like five or six years old," Dennis said with a laugh.

Simon laughed too. "Those were the rich years of acting. I was everyone's little brother in those days, every director wanted that 'geeky kid.' So, do you suppose the floor is dry yet?"

Dennis had no set duties other than getting Simon settled in, but he didn't want to hang around and pester the talent. Simon insisted he stay, and then Laura knocked on the door and offered Dennis a handful of clothes on a hanger before she mounted the steps.

"Simon, this is Laura, the costume designer," Dennis said.

"I know Laura, we did Time Will Tell together ... um, that was about ten years ago," Simon said.

Laura smiled. "You were thirteen as I recall. Hello, Simon." And they hugged.

"You look as lovely as ever," Simon said. "How's business?"

Laura laughed. "With Jim Curry you never know from one day to the next, but I love it." She stood back and appraised the tall young man. "Goodness, Simon, you sure have been eating your Wheaties. I was shocked when Doris handed me your measurements."

"Growing boy," Simon replied. "What have you got for me?"

"Some good stuff," Laura said, and then she went on to display the clothes Simon would wear in the scene. There were four shirts, one for the beginning of the scene and one identical breakaway for Jim to mess up. The others were spares and might be needed.

Dennis decided to leave Simon with Laura to try on the clothes and told him the make-up department would be along at eight-thirty. He wandered over to the studio doors and stepped inside the cavernous space.

Studio Six, like most of the sound stages on the lot, was the size of a football field. Divided in sections with doors that could close off various parts of the space, it now held the three sets Jim needed for the Come Next Tuesday filming. Dennis had been over here a lot as Mark Coglin supervised the construction crews, it was all too familiar.

The Bits and Bytes computer store set was a frenzy of activity this morning. The gaffers were giving final tweaks to their lighting instruments and the props department was moving the merchandise around here and there. Mickey was standing in the middle of the store evaluating the set up, and Jillian was off to one side sitting at a table with a book in her hand.

The flash of a camera went off for several minutes as the prop girl in charge of continuity took dozens of digital photos. The placement of every item in the store had to be recorded since there was a small fight in the scene and things would get displaced. If they had to re-shoot any part of the scene someone had to know where everything belonged, and thus preserve the continuity of the image which would have to be perfectly restored.

This scene would be slotted into the film early on as Doyle came looking for the computer equipment he needed to set his plans in motion. In the story line, Simon's character as the clerk would be the first person to face the awful wrath of Arty D. The scene would take all morning to shoot because of the evolving lighting, special effects and costume changes dictated by the script.

Dennis walked over to the catering set up and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"See you're still drinking that vile brew," Jillian said as Dennis approached. "Sit, talk," She said.

"I require artificial stimulation to maintain my sense of duty this early," Dennis said, sipping the smooth coffee blend the caterer provided.

"I use a dildo for that," Jillian said.

"Damn, girl," Dennis laughed. He'd realized by now that she said outrageous things just to encourage him to smile. "What are you reading?"

She looked at the cover of the book. "Bradbury ... I'm going through another sci-fi phase. So how's your love life?"

"Ted is doing just fine. He has two days out of the studio to write, so it's just as well that I'm busy here."

"It's hard working with genius," Jillian said, looking across the set at Mickey waving his arms at someone up in the ceiling. "Perhaps it's just as well that I share Mickey's goals without having the same ambitions."

"And what are your personal ambitions?" Dennis asked.

"Home, family, a husband and kids ... eventually. I get what Mickey's doing but this isn't the life for me."

"What about school?"

"I finished high school last year and now I'm taking some online classes from a university in Chicago. Business stuff, guess I'll be at it for a while," Jillian said. "What about you? Ted told me something about UCLA."

"Yeah, I have to go talk to one of the deans over there once this film wraps up," Dennis said.

"You can do a lot of your academic requirements online. Why sit through boring lectures when you don't have to? A degree is just an accumulation of credits. But this," Jillian said with a sweep of her hand at the work going on around them. "This is the real thing and I know you can get credit for the work you're doing, just ask."

"Life skills, yeah, I read about that last year," Dennis said.

Barry appeared with a clipboard in hand and nodded at Jillian. "Dennis, how's Simon doing?"

"Makeup probably has him now, he'll be in directly."

"Jim got all dressed up and decided to take a walk as Arthur Doyle. I sent one of the security guys with him to trail along behind, at least he's got a radio," Barry said.

"I'm sure he's just getting into character. Let's just hope no one talks to him," Dennis said.

The studio door opened and Simon walked in, pausing to look around before he spotted Dennis. Barry smiled and made a notation on his clipboard. Dennis introduced Simon to Jillian and she gave him a nod. He still had the makeup towel around his neck to protect the front of his shirt.

"Can I look at the set?" Simon asked.

"Sure, I'll go with you," Barry said.

The walls of the set were moveable and could roll out of the way to accommodate the camera angles for the scene. Overall, the shop was just thirty feet square which made the contents loom large and fill the space. Piles of boxes on the floor, cables and accessories pegged to the wall, everything was there. This was the kind of space a single clerk could handle and so it would be an ideal target for Arty D to approach.

One of the prop crew saw Simon and smiled. "We have your personal electronics all set up, Mr. Pierce. I'll be sure to hand them over before the shoot starts."

Simon thanked the man and continued to gaze around the set. Mickey would hold a blocking rehearsal, but even Simon knew that Jim could be unpredictable if the mood was right. Being around actors who could improvise was nothing new. Simon had done quite a bit of ad-libbing himself, even as a small child.

Jim arrived in the studio and people walked around him, understanding that it wasn't their place to disturb the man in character. But Jim looked up and saw Simon.

"Simon, so good to see you again," Jim said.

It had been weeks since the casting took place, but Simon had not auditioned. His agent said a man named Barry Neil had called with the news that Jim Curry wanted him to play a part in a new film. The call wasn't that unusual since Simon had a look that casting directors often favored. But he had never been offered a part in a Curry production and that had been exciting.

"Hello," Simon said, shaking Jim's hand.

"So you ready for this?" Jim asked.

"I am, I have the lines down. I guess we're both waiting for the director to block," Simon said.

"About that ... I want us to play this scene large." Jim pointed at the set. "Think Batman and Robin ... oh, you probably never saw the television show."

"In fact I did," Simon said. "At least in reruns when I was little."

"Good. All that Bam and Kapow ... that's what this scene needs. I won't hit you but I'd like to see you react as if I did. Lots of large reactions, falling around, knocking things over ... a real mess up."

"Sounds like fun," Simon said.

"It will be," Jim said. "There's a reason behind my thinking. This is probably the first scary scene in the film and we'll have young ones in the audience. I don't want them terrified at the character I play. I think if we could actually solicit a laugh or two that would be great."

Simon nodded. "It will play out the end of the scene so much better."

"There you go, you understand." Jim looked at Simon's costume. "Is this the breakaway shirt?"

"No, Laura said to wear this one for the close-ups so no one will see the Velcro tabs. She'll change me just before we begin the struggle."

"Okay ... that will work," Jim said. "I have a change too."

"I like that suit ... a bit of the English gentleman," Simon said.

"Why, thank you," Jim said in a cultured British accent as he tugged at the vest.

Mickey walked over and appraised their costumes. "You look ready, shall we dance?" He asked.

Jim bowed to Simon and smiled as he held out his arms. They assumed a stance and waltzed across the studio to the set, eliciting applause from the crew. Dennis watched in amazement. The insanity had begun and it seemed that Simon was up for it.

This was a facet of Simon that Dennis hadn't figured out, but it seems Jim knew his fellow actor's mindset quite well. Perhaps he should have known since Simon had done so many things that required improvisational thinking. He could only wish that Ted were here, he would love to watch what was about to happen.

Ted was eating kiwi and strawberries from a cup, a delicious combination that Mark had provided when he arrived at eight o'clock. Stacked on the worktable were three piles of paper and two computer workstations containing the sum total of everything they had on Redemption.

"I now know that this story was first written about eighty years ago," Mark said. "The author was a preacher from Oklahoma who had the original filled with angels and demons as personified by the characters."

"Oh no, that sounds awful," Ted laughed. "But someone changed all that, was it Jim and Hank?"

"No, this is where it gets interesting. The story was printed in pamphlet form by the preacher and distributed in prisons around the state. That's where the copy we have came from." Mark stopped there and smiled. "Want to guess who changed it?"

"Um, a prisoner on death row?"

"Bingo, pretty close to the truth. Walter W. Winslow is that author's name, or I should say the plagiarist who stole the preacher's work. He was in for life on murder and robbery charges so I imagine stealing someone's writing didn't mean a thing to him. But he wrote this out longhand and mailed it out to his sister who typed it up.

"When Walter died in '99, she tried to sell it to Warner and the studio turned her down. The typed story was tossed in a pile of rejects that Jim came across, and the rest is up to us."

"What about the sister? Aren't there some kind of publication rights involved?" Ted asked.

"Jim gave me this info so I imagine he did some checking, besides the only thing we've decided to keep is the concept. Our characters are different, the story is moved to the west coast, and it's all modernized. I doubt we need to worry."

Mark had seriously quick fingers on the keyboard and he called up the document which appeared on both screens. "This is where we left off our discussion. I've labeled that Part One since it seemed like a good break point."

"Okay, so now we move on into the relationship between Michael and Danny. What did you decide about the father who drinks?" Ted asked.

"He is the first character to seek redemption because of Danny," Mark said. "And this is where we begin to alter the plot ... "

Mickey was jumping up and down but Jim kept on with the scene. Bob was pulling on Mickey's shirt sleeve trying to get him to sit back down and watch what the camera was showing them. Bob knew Jim better than anyone and would not stop the cameras at this point. No matter how things transpired, he was determined to capture the images now and fight about it later.

Simon was lying on the counter with his head resting on the cash register. Great swaths of packing tape held him down and a pink fuzzy dinosaur was stuffed in his mouth to keep him quiet. Jim was gallivanting around the store selecting items off the walls and shelves, piling it all by the front door.

The scene had taken on a surreal quality since they were way beyond any blocking that Mickey had shown them earlier. Dennis could see that Mickey was agitated, but still, he seemed in awe of what was transpiring. Most of the crew held their positions ... some of them with their mouths open in amazement. Jim Curry was on a roll and no one planned to stop him.

The set had been trashed as Doyle subdued the store clerk. With each move Jim made he came closer to the evolution into Arty D. There had been one three minute cut to change Jim's proper coat and vest into something more slovenly, and Simon donned his breakaway shirt. Then they rolled again and it seemed like they might never stop.

Bob was no fool, he had four cameras rolling and within the confines of that small space Jim was the focal point of each unit. A good thing too since Mickey had given up on directing any of this. The scene ran on adrenaline and Jim seemed to have a great reserve of energy.

"I need two Ethernet cables, the good kind ... where are they?" Doyle asked.

"Uff umm der tder all," Simon mumbled through his gag.

"The other wall, thanks," Doyle said and moved across the set.

None of this was scripted. By now Simon was supposed to be screaming as Arty D set off all the electronics in the store. But the sound man was waiting and he knew Jim would get there eventually. Doyle picked up a stack of disks off the software shelf. He fanned them out like a deck of cards and held them up for Simon to see.

"Do I need any of this?" Doyle asked.

Simon nodded and shifted his head left with a quick motion. Doyle pointed at the first disk. "This one?" And Simon shook his head. Doyle tossed it across the room with a backhand flip. "This one?" And that one flew as well. Then Simon nodded at the third disk and Doyle slipped it in his pocket.

Doyle then grabbed some plastic shopping bags and began stuffing them with his booty. When he was done there were some small boxes and two bags by the door. Doyle held his arms aloft and cackled.

"Done ... that's all I need ... except ... " Doyle said, and then he turned to Simon who began to struggle with his bonds.

"Prese ... dnt urt ee ... prese."

Doyle's shoulders seemed to hunch and his arms shot straight out, fingers splayed. A deep guttural scream issued from his throat and Simon screamed with him, eyes wide open and filled with fear. Jim's hunched figure reached below the counter and pulled out several boxes of electronic devices ... phones, pagers and the like ... these he began to pour over Simon's prone body.

Simon seemed on the verge of hysteria as Doyle turned back to the camera and revealed the squinty eyed, slack jawed image of Arty D. His arms pumped the air in meaningless gestures, and the effects men behind the walls began to throw their switches.

A slow surge of ringing and buzzing sounds filled the air, and Simon began to scream in earnest. Arty D. laughed and bowed to Simon before hoisting his packages and opening the door.

"Cut," Mickey yelled, and everyone gave a sigh of relief.

The props crew rushed onto the set and lifted the Velcro strips that held down Simon's bonds so he could sit up. He looked around and spit out the dinosaur.

"Can I have some water, please," Simon said. "Ater, prese." And that set the crew off in hysterics.

Jim walked back around the walls and over to Simon, helping the young man to his feet. They clutched hands and then Jim gave Simon a hug. Dennis had brought a bottle of water on the set and he heard the words Jim whispered in Simon's ear.

"I love what you did and I'm going to star you in a film. Trust me, it's going to happen."

Simon blushed at the sudden attention and his face lit up with a smile that would probably be there all day. He accepted the bottle from Dennis and downed half of it. Dennis patted him on the shoulder and then looked at Jim who smiled.

"Did you watch?" Jim asked.

"Every second. I think you gave Mickey a heart attack," Dennis replied.

"Good, might wake him up," Jim laughed. "Damn, I have got to see it."

Bob was ready for that and had already prompted the starting point for the playback. Jim crowded the monitor and laid an arm across Mickey's shoulder.

"You are certifiable," Mickey said. "I never ... well I guess I have now."

Jim cracked up laughing and Mickey joined in. Dennis was glad to see that. Mickey had just been baptized as a Jim Curry director. They both studied the playback as seen by the primary camera even though there would be three other views to look at during editing.

Dennis peeked over shoulders as others crowded around the monitor and he decided this could wait for a clear view later on. He turned to look around the studio and saw Jillian sitting at the same table reading. The girl had paid no attention to what had just happened, and Dennis thought that immeasurably sad.

Mickey followed up by shooting the cutaway with Doyle's character changes. Simon had already done the opening shots where he stared at Doyle through the store window. Dennis had enjoyed the image Simon presented as the bored clerk who declared Doyle to be a weirdo, although Mickey had done three takes of that part of the scene.

Simon had gone around shaking hands after they were done with his part of the schedule. He was free to go, but would face call backs if the edit revealed they needed something else. Dennis stood patiently until Simon came to him.

"Thank you ... a sincere thank you for all your help this morning," Simon said.

Dennis smiled. "You're quite welcome ... and I guess we'll be seeing more of you in the future."

Simon looked puzzled until it occurred to him that Dennis had overheard Jim's comment. "Yes, I'm looking forward to working with you again."

"Simon, you deserve everything he said. It takes courage to match Jim blow for blow in a scene like that, the audience will love it."

Simon nodded. "If it doesn't end up on the cutting room floor. You never know about things like that."

"I doubt that will happen, it was just too good," Dennis said. "I'll look forward to your return."

Simon left the studio and Dennis watched him go. Having Jim consider him for future work would give Simon quite an emotional boost. Not that the guy wasn't busy, he was lined up for some voice over work and several animated films. The geeky kid of the past had evolved into a fine actor, so perhaps ... perhaps one day Dennis would be the one to direct him in a film.


On to Chapter Fourteen

Back to Chapter Twelve

Chapter Index

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Exit Hollywood is © 2010 by Chris James.
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