Ok, kids, ready to go?

Mick: You bet!

Shelly: I'm ready! :)

Jordan: I'm always ready for music! :D

Austin: Me too! :D

Katie: (Sighs) I'm ready, too.

*We open at the house, more specifically, Mick's bedroom. The walls are covered with posters of popular bands and actresses. The bed is a total mess, with blankets half on the floor. The floor is covered with clothes...dirty or clean, who knows? There's shelving on one side of the room that holds a bookshelf stereo. Records and tapes fill most of the shelves. The kids are spread out over the room. The radio is on and tuned to a current music station. Mick is standing on his bed, playing air guitar to the music.*

Shelly: *shakes her head* Mick... :P

(Jordan sits quietly in the corner of the room, absently strumming a real guitar. Katie is sprawled in a chair, reading a Choose Your Own Adventure book. Austin and Shelly are playing Trivia Pursuit.)

Katie: (Looks up) Mick, you're gonna break the bed. (Goes back to her book)

Mick: No, I'm not! I do this all the time!

Shelly: Besides, Dad reinforced his bed a long time ago. ;)

*To prove his point, Mick drops himself on the bed, landing lying down. He props his head up on one arm.*

(Everyone laughs at that as the music comes to an end.)

Announcer: And that was Duran Duran with "A View To a Kill." There will be more of today's hits and yesterday's favorites after this message from our sponsors.

Mick: Man, I HATE commercials! *groans*

Katie: Me too. Why don't we put on something else?

Mick: Suggestions?

Austin: (Rolls and picks a card) Ok, Shel, name this 19th century novel set during the Napolionic Wars.

Shelly: "War and Peace." *grins* Come on, give me a tough one! ;)

Jordan: (Looks up; quietly) How about Mick tries to get Rio's show?

Katie: (Grins and puts down her book) Yeah!

Shelly: Yeah! Try it, Mick!

Austin: All RIGHT! He plays the best stuff, anyway. I mean, ALL of the DJs on the First National Radio stations are good, but he's the BEST! :D

Mick: *nods and rolls off the bed; heads for the stereo* You got it!

*As Mick lets go of the antenna, a voice comes over the airwaves.*

"Rio:" (A smooth, gentle voice with a slight twang) And for those of you who just hopped aboard the bandwagon, welcome to my place of freedom. Yes, you're on First National Radio, land of the free, home of the kind of music YOU want to hear.

Katie: I wonder who he is? His voice sounds a little familiar...

Mick: *nods* He does have a familiar-sounding voice.

"Rio": Yes indeedy, folks out there, there's no reason for you to go running to Trinity. You'll always have a home right here. This is the place to find great music you won't hear on the mainstream Trinity-owned stations. You'll never have to worry about the original Devils...and we're not talking hockey here...controlling what goes into your ears.

Jordan: He sounds so...noble, almost.

Katie: (Grins) I like him! I bet he's sexy. ;)

Austin: And he doesn't like Shelia any more than we do. :p

Shelly: Which is a definite plus.

Katie: What do you guys think he looks like? (Sighs and leans back) I'll bet he's rugged and dashing, like Indiana Jones or Michael Douglas in "Romancing the Stone." ;) :X

Jordan: (Blushes) He's probably just a normal guy who doesn't like Shelia and doesn't want her to hurt him.

Mick: Or he could be as ugly as sin. *shrugs; gets hit with a pillow by Shelly* ;) :P

Austin: All the girls are crazy about him! They think he's like Batman or something!

Shelly: Batman's okay, but I like that Greatest American Hero guy myself. ;) :x

Katie: Shel, you just like guys with fuzzy heads. ;)

Shelly: Maybe I do. ;)

Jordan: Maybe he is more like "The Greatest American Hero" than Batman, just someone normal who's doing something nice.

Mick: That's possible.

Katie: Jordan, he'd have to have money to set up the radio stations...and take them down when Shelia's robots raid them. :p

Austin: He's really weird. He won't give out his autograph or let anyone see him in person. Half of his shows are taped! He might not even BE a real person!

Katie: Oh, he's real, all right. Anyone with a voice like that is real. :X

Mick: Is it just me, or is getting DEEP in here? :P ;)

*A pillow goes sailing past Mick's head.* ;)

Jordan: Deep? (Looks down) I didn't think your bed was THAT high!

Katie: (Sighs) Oh, Jordan...

"Rio": Ok, folks, here's a little blast from the past. Some of you may recall a little band from the early 70s, the Monkees. I've got a whole stack of some of their best stuff here, and I think we'll kick off with that pint-sized package of dynamite from Manchester, Davy Jones and "99 Pounds." ;)

Katie: (Gets up as the music begins) Oooh, old Monkees music! :D

Mick: *crows* Alright! :D

Jordan: He plays Monkees music a lot.

Austin: (Grins) He really DOES have taste. ;) :D

Katie: I've heard him play solo stuff by Uncle Davy and Uncle Micky on occasion. He's even played Daddy's solo songs.

Austin: (Gets up and starts gyrating) Hey, guys, let's get down! ;)

Jordan: (Pulls back in the soft armchair) No thanks. I'd rather work on my song.

Mick: Careful, Austin, you might throw something out! :P ;)

Austin: I won't! And anyway, at least I can do something like dancing! ;)

Shelly: Mick's just jealous because he can't dance. ;)

Jordan: (Shrugs) I can't, either.

Mick: *sticks his tongue out* Yeah! It isn't my fault I've got two left feet!

*Shelly gets up to dance and sticks her tongue out at Mick.* ;)

Jordan: I thought you had a left foot and a right foot?

Katie: (Sighs) Jordan! (Takes his arm) Come on, slowpoke! Dance with us! :D

*Mick takes the pillow from his bed and puts it over his head.* :P ;)

Jordan: Katie, I can't...

Katie: Aw, come on, this isn't a school function or anything. It's just us. We're not exactly Jennifer Beals either, you know.

Jordan: Katie...

Katie: It's not hard. You just have to move. (Katie starts moving to the music.) I learned these moves from Mama's exercise videos. ;)

(Jordan puts down his guitar and gingerly gets up and starts moving around with Katie. As the kids dance and Mick hides under his pillow, Davy appears in the doorway. He leans against the frame with a smile, watching the kids and listening to the familiar sounds.)

Davy: (As the music winds down) Hi, kids.

Mick: *pulls the pillow away* Hey, Davy! Get aload of these guys, would ya? ;) :P

Davy: I think they're all right. (Frowns) Is that a record?

Katie: No, it's the radio.

Austin: Rio's show is on! :D

Davy: "Rio?" I've heard the name before. Who is that?

Katie: He's a disc jockey for First National Radio, and he's their best! :D

Mick: All the girls SWOON over him! :P ;)

Davy: In which case, I envy him. ;)

*Shelly mushes the pillow over Mick's head.* ;)

Mick: Hey! :P

Davy: (Laughs) Looks like a few other things 'aven't changed. I gues 'e doesn't try to escape from the crib anymore. ;)

Mick: *pushes the pillow away as Shelly laughs* Yeah, yeah. :P

Katie: (Grins) No, now he blows things up in school and annoys his siblings. ;)

Mick: And I do it all for free! ;)

"Rio": (As the music ends) And that was the Monkees with "99 Pounds." Hope it got you all up and movin'.

Davy: Is that "Rio?"

Mick: Yup. *makes a lovey-dovey face, then makes a disgusted face* :P ;)

Davy: (Frowns) I've 'eard that voice before. I can't put my finger on it, but I know that man. Who is he?

Shelly: That's the thing. We DON'T know who he is.

Jordan: No one does. He tapes a lot of his shows and doesn't make personal appearances. All we know is the voice, and that he seems to be in charge of First National Radio.

Davy: What is First National Radio?

Jordan: It's a network of pirate radio stations that play music by artists Trinity Broadcasting doesn’t want people hearing.

Katie: No one knows much about them, either. Every time Shelia tries to raid them, she finds an empty room.

Mick: I'll tell you one thing, they play a mean game of hide and seek! ;)

Shelly: *groans* Mick... :P

(Davy chuckles.)

Davy: (Indicates the VCR under Micky's TV) What's that?

Jordan: That's what's left of Mick's VCR after he took it apart last week. ;)

*Mick grins.* :D

Katie: Hey, Mick, are you still grounded for that? ;)

Mick: *grin falls* Yes. Mom didn't appreciate it very much. :P

Davy: She wasn't crazy about Micky Senior takin' things apart, either. ;)

Mick: *shrugs* She SAID a tape got stuck and she wanted to get it out, so I offered...

Jordan: (Sighs) Shel, show him what he did to the VCR. :p

Shelly: *nods* Okay. *goes over to where the TV and pulls out the VCR...piece by piece* Here's the cover. *sets the piece on the bed* Here's the front panel. *puts it on the bed*

Mick: Okay, Shel, we GET the idea. :P

Shelly: The funny thing is, the tape is still stuck in it. ;) :P

Mick: OKAY, Shel. :P

Davy: (Laughs) Oh, dear. ;) :))

*Mick grumbles, folding his arms.* :P X-(

Katie: Is the Nintendo still in working order? Maybe we can show him "Super Mario Brothers." ;)

Shelly: Yes, it's still working...or at least it was when I played it last night.

Davy: Nintendo?

Shelly: Video games. Matter of fact, we've got an old Atari 2600 floating around here somewhere, too. ;)

Mick: Weeeeell...

Shelly: *frowns* Oh, Mick, no! :(

Mick: Sorry, Shel.

Shelly: MICK! I loved that thing! :((

Jordan: Oh, you DIDN'T take the Atari apart! :o

Austin: Aw, I wanted to play "Pac-Man!" :(

Mick: It needed to be cleaned!

Davy: What's a video game?

Shelly: *whacks Mick with a pillow; turns to Davy* A video game is a game that you play on a tv. You can be all sorts of characters, depending on what game you play...and this GOON took my favorite game system apart! How am I supposed to play "Frostbite" now?! :(( X-(

*Mick hides under the pillow.* :P

Katie: I'm NOT going to let you over our house. The last time you were there, you tried to take apart Mama's stereo AND was about to get your hands on OUR Atari! :p

Davy: (Nods at the stereo) That's an awful big radio, man.

Mick: *gulps* It isn't just a radio. It's got a turntable, cassette deck, and a CD player. CDs are still fairly new--it's a new stereo--so I don't have very many CDs yet.

Jordan: CDs are smaller than records! It's really cool! :D

Austin: They still get scratched. :p

Shelly: But you can jump to whatever song on the disc you want! :)

Davy: (Grins) They DID come up with somethin' smallah to play music on. My Mick will be thrilled. :D

Shelly: Well, Dad WAS thrilled. :(

"Rio": And that concludes today's show, kiddies. We'll see all of you out there next time, when we have another conversation and muse about the nature of the world and the cracks on the celing. So long, and may all of you be around for tomorrow.

Austin: Aw, Rio's show is over! :p

Announcer: And that was a taped program.

Davy: He WAS thrilled? Is he ok?

Mick: *makes a face, folding his arms* He WAS until he started working with Shelia and that idiot Alex. :P

Davy: How did they get him? :o

Mick: *growls* I'm not sure what happened. All we know is that Dad left to help out some guys do a carpentry job and he never got there. Next thing we knew, we spotted him helping out Shelia and Alex. *sighs* The only plus has been that he's never brought actually harm to any of us.

Davy: Thank god. What about everyone else? Where's Mike?

Katie: You saw Dad downstairs. He inherited money from Nana Bette when she died. A LOT of money. He used it to start Magnetic South Studio to make promotional clips for Headquarters Records' albums. The idea took off in a BIG way, and now there's at least two MSTV cable stations playing his videos for all of Headquarters' and Magnetic South’s artists. Aunt Valerie gave our parents shares in Headquarters, and he's bought other, smaller media businesses, too.

Davy: So, your parents all own Headquarters?

Jordan: (Shakes his head) My dad's share reverted to Mom when he died.

Austin: Mom still has the controlling interest.

Shelly: Mom has hers and Dad’s.

Katie: Uncle Davy...our Uncle Davy...sold his. He had some kind of falling out with Uncle Mike.

Mick: It wasn't pretty. :P

Davy: What do I...does your Davy do now?

Katie: (Grins) Breeds horse and races them. He bought Sunshine Stables when the owner passed away and it went on the block. ;)

Davy: I've wanted to breed horses since I was a little boy. :D

Valerie: (From downstairs) Kids, we've got to talk to you.

Daphne: On the double, David Jones!

Davy: I believe we're bein' paged. ;)

Mick: And it sounds serious.

(Mick turns off the radio, and the entire group troops downstairs. Emma, Lauren, Daphne, and Valerie sit in the living room, along with a small group of other people.)

Emma: Kids, we're going to raid Shelia's place tonight. We're going to try to rescue Uncle Davy...the older one...from "The Network" and get Aunt Daphne and Uncle Micky out.

Jordan: When are we going?

Valerie: Jordan, I don't want you coming along. I have nightmares about what Shelia did to your father, much less you. You'll stay here with Austin, the Looking Glasses, and the Rubix Cubes and try to find out more about what Shelia intends for Headquarters Records and Magnetic South Studio.

Jordan: Mom, you'd never sell Headquarters! It's our life! It's your life!

Valerie: I have no intention of giving Shelia the monopoly she wants...but I'm not sure about Mike's intentions.

Emma: (Narrows her eyes) His only intention is getting what he wants out of the deal, and the hell to everyone else. :p

Katie: Maaaammmaaa.... :p

Lauren: *nods* Unfortunately.

Emma: Katie, I know you're still close to him, but he's a ruthless businessman. He's bought at least thirty small, family-operated TV stations and replaced every single one with Magnetic South channels.

Katie: He didn't make people lose their jobs.

Emma: Only because it saved him money in the long run to keep the core staff on. :p

Valerie: I'm going to be at the dinner tonight. The rest of you will come in later. ;)

Katie: Does that mean...

Valerie: If necessary. ;)

Katie: (Grins at the twins) FOOD FIGHT! :D

*Mick crows.* :D

Shelly: Alright! :D

Lauren: Oh, dear. ;)

Musician 1: We're bringin' the music too, right?

Emma: (Nods) Everyone who can play, bring an instrument. They're gonna get a live performance from some top Headquarters talent. ;)

Valerie: And they don't even know we're planning a free concert. ;)

Lauren: That's the best kind. ;)

Valerie: Jordan, you can go back to the mansion with the others. It's better protected than the Montgomery House, and it has a better computer system. You DO remember the password, right?

Jordan: Of course. I committed it to memory and swallowed it, just like you told me.

Austin: He really ate it!

Jordan: Tasted fine with a little mustard. ;)

Mick: He's got good taste. ;)

Shelly: Eww. :P

Katie: Boys will eat ANYTHING. :p

Shelly: And Mick's walking proof of it. ;)

(The kids and their parents chuckle. ;) )

Davy: 'E's got the Dolenz stomach too? ;)

Lauren: That he does. ;)

Emma: Ok, ok. Let's get a move-on. We'll meet behind Shelia's headquarters in about two hours. Valerie will be at the dinner. The rest of us will get in, split up, and make our way to the banquet hall. Lauren, you, Davy, Daph, and the kids take the TransAm.

Lauren: Got it.

Emma: (Holds up the gavel) Ok, folks. This meeting is adjourned. (Bangs the gavel on the table...and the lamp that was ON the table breaks. ;) )

Emma: It was an ugly lamp anyway. ;)

Lauren: *snickers* Oh, brother. *composes* Davy, could I talk to you for a moment?

Davy: Sure, luv. (Follows Lauren into the kitchen as the others start to round up music equipment and head out)

Lauren: *motions to the stools around the center island in the kitchen* I need a favor, Davy. *takes up a stool*

Davy: What is it, luv?

Lauren: I need you to get information from Micky.

Davy: Information?

Lauren: *nods* Micky's been passing our Davy information about what Shelia and Alex are up to, and he relays it back to me. That’s how we've been able to stay one step ahead of them...but they now have our Davy.

Davy: (Takes a deep breath) So, you want me to relay information in his place.

Lauren: Exactly. *pauses* Davy, Micky isn't on their side. Well, he WAS, initially, but he isn't anymore. He's been doing a sort of double agent thing so that we could eventually bring Shelia and Alex's downfall.

Davy: (Eyes widen) The twins were telling me about that. How did all this start, all this business with Shelia and the music and the "Network" thingie that everyone talks about like it'll bite them or something?

Lauren: *shakes her head* I don't know everything, but it actually all started going downhill when Mick was turned to their side. Shortly after, Alex designed the computer system, known as "The Network." They used it to threaten people into, well, submission. They pretty much conquered the world through technology as opposed to war. They've even got an army of robots to round up anyone who disagrees with Shelia, in addition to her human slaves. Shelia has control over most of the music industry, and just anything dealing with music.

Davy: Oh, shit. That bitch... X(

Lauren: Yeah. :P X-(

Davy: Lauren...what REALLY happened to Petah? The kids told me he was dead, and that Mike's now a ruthless owner of a corporation.

Lauren: Peter's alive. His soul was corrupted. What was passed along is that he still loves Val deeply. It’s the only thing that’s kept him from being turned completely evil. We believe if we can get him to Val, she’ll be able to return him to normal. (Sighs) Mike is shrewd, to say the least. I haven't heard much out of him. He blames himself for what happened to Peter. For the most part, he's closed himself off from everyone. His appearance earlier was VERY rare.

Davy: What 'appened to 'im and Em? They were gettin' along fine in 1971. I mean, sure, they argued a lot, but they've always done that.

Lauren: I think it happened when Mike inherited the fortune from his mom, but I'm willing to bet that if you asked them, they'd both have different answers from that. It certainly didn't help when he went into hiding, either.

Davy: It must be 'ell on Katie. Even as a baby, she adored Mike.

Lauren: Kate loves them both very much. She get torn between the two and can't stand that they can't get along. *sighs* I sure can't say I blame her.

Davy: Me, eithah. (Frowns) How are you and your kids 'andlin' all this?

Lauren: The kids don't know about Micky's spy gig. *frowns* I miss him terribly. I'm worried that he's taking it too far. I know that what he's doing has helped us a great deal, but he's done plenty. I just want him to get out of there. The few times I've been able to ask him, he says that he HAS to do it. *pauses* He's hiding something and it's relatively big, but I can't figure it out. :( :P

Davy: And that's where I come in.

Lauren: Right.

Davy: I'm assuming I'm still gettin' along wit' Mick. ;)

Lauren: *small grin* As well as you two ever did. ;)

Davy: And we're still alive? ;)

Lauren: *chuckles* Yeah. ;)

Davy: I 'ave a request. I want to bring Daphne. It might keep us from bein' taken if there's someone to warn about danger and someone to get the info.

Lauren: You've got a point. Yes, bring her with you. You can tell her what I told you, too. Just don't say anything to the others. *slight grin* It's getting tougher to remember who knows what version of what's happened. ;)

Davy: (Chuckled) Got it, luv. One more quick thing. This may sound crazy, but...when did the computahs shrink? I saw somethin' like a cross between a typewritah and a TV screen in the kids' room. In 1971, computahs are these huge machines that compute amazin' math problems.

Lauren: *grins* That's technology for ya, Dave. *shrugs*

Davy: Anythin' else I need to know?

Lauren: *thinks* I think that's it.

Davy: All right. I'll talk to Daph and 'ead out to the kids and the amazin' Ursula-mobile. (Quietly) And you be careful, luv.

Lauren: *nods* Thank you, Davy. I will. You, too.

Davy: Right, luv. (They both head out)

*We fade out on the kitchen and fade into the dark of night. Actually, it's just outside Shelia's complex. Micky practically has his nose stuck into a box on the side of the building, tinkering around.*

Micky: *grumbles* Damn thing... *pulls his hand away* Oww! *shakes his hand out* Man... *pauses, hearing something* Hello? *peeks into some bushes right next to the building* Yoo hoo?

(Two heads pop out behind Micky.)

Davy: Boo! ;) (He and Daphne bend over Micky, fingers stretched out ;) )

Micky: Yaaahh! *jumps and lands IN the bushes* Don't DO that! *blinks* Waitaminute...how...what... *shakes his head* Oh, man, maybe I got zapped worse that I thought! :P ;)

Davy: Mick, it's me.

Daphne: It's us. ;)

Davy: From the past.

Micky: The past? How? *gets out of the bushes, but not without a little trouble* Wait, don't tell me. Urse had something to do with it.

Davy: (He and Daphne help Micky out of the bushes) Urse was partially to do with it, yes, but it was mostly your children. ;)

Micky: *grins* The twins, huh? :D ;)

Daphne: Apparently, your Davy sent the twins to get help. They ended up getting it from March 1971. ;)

Micky: Wow. Pretty damn good coordinates. So, what's going on? Why're you here?

Davy: We're here to take your Davy's place.

Daphne: Lauren sent us to get information from you.

Micky: *eyes widen slightly* Ohhh...

Davy: (Raises his eyebrows) You're a double agent? You? ;)

Micky: *shrugs* Well, yeah. *shifts uneasily* I kinda fell into it unwillingly. :P

Daphne: Torture?

Davy: 'As Alex been practicin' 'is favorite sport on you? :p

Micky: *frowns; shakes his head* No. I'd really rather not say. :P

Davy: Given what 'e's done to you in our time, that's understandable. :p

Micky: *sighs* This is just something I have to do. *pauses* I assume you know about the dinner tonight?

Davy: (Nods) Yeah. The othahs...are comin'. ;)

Daphne: In fact, they're probably all over the place by now. ;)

Micky: You're kidding. (Grins) Hey, I've got an idea!

Davy: Oh, god. This don't involve blowin' things up, does it? ;) :p

Micky: No, no! Obviously, both Shelia and Alex will be there and are expecting me to be there. I'm sure you've got some planned diversion for the dinner. I'll slip out during the diversion and get Davy free from the "Network."

Davy: (Nods) From what I've gathahed, they're gonna give a free concert of Headquarters music. ;)

Micky: *nods* Then I should have enough time to free him. Once I get him out, though, we won't have long to get away before they find out he's gone. They’ll know I got him out. :P

Davy: (Nods) We'll round up the others.

Daphne: Is there anything else you want us to know, Mick?

Micky: Just that I'm sorry this whole thing's gotten this far. *pauses; jerks a thumb at the box* I gotta finish with that before the dinner.

Daphne: What ARE you doing with that?

Micky: This is gonna keep the alarm system of the "Network" quiet for a few minutes after getting Dave out. I was just setting the time delay in case I got the chance to free him. *slight grin* Good thing I came out here now.

Davy: Yeah.

Daphne: (Looks around) We'd better get inside. Is there a way to do that without being noticed?

Micky: *points towards the back of the building* Go around the corner, there's a door there. I...fixed...the security camera on it a while ago. ;)

Davy: Which means we'd bettah be extra careful. ;)

(Daphne elbows him. :p)

Micky: Hey... :P

Daphne: Are you going to come with us?

Micky: I can't. I'm gonna finish up here, then get ready. I'm gonna be on their side, but I'll slip out once the party really begins.

Davy: All right, man. (Puts a hand on Micky's shoulder) Be careful.

Micky: Thanks...man. *small grin* You, too, both of you.

Davy: Thanks.

Daphne: (As they head off) Good luck!

*Micky waves after them and turns back to the box. He sighs, shaking his head.*