Everyone ready to continue our foray into the desert?

Mike: Not really.

Micky: You bet!

Peter: As long as we don't run into any more scorpions!

Davy: We don't really 'ave a choice, do we?

(We open, once again, with Mike and Micky. They look a little bit more refreshed than when we last saw them, though still hot and sweaty.)

Mike: (Rubs his stomach) That old coot may have been half off his nut, but he sure made a mean hamburger.

Micky: *lets rip a LOUD burp!* Yeah, man. *sighs contentedly*

Mike: (Rolls his eyes) Man, you're lucky we're in the middle of the desert. (Suddenly, HE makes an even louder burp!) ;)

Micky: You were sayin', Mike?

Mike: How did that get out? (Makes a face) Whew, it's hot! (He wipes his forehead with his now-rolled-up sleeves) I know we just had all that soda at the old guy's place, but it feels like years ago.

Micky: I know. It feels like I'm sweating sand.

Mike: We shoulda asked him if he had a shower, too, or at least some place to wash the sand off.

Micky:We would've clogged it up, I think. :P

Mike: I wish... (he looks off in the distance)...I wish we had somethin' like that waterfall over there. (He points in the distance)

Micky: *looks, but doesn't see anything* Waterfall? Oh no...

Mike: (Moves towards the distance) Yeah, nice, cool, clear, almost makin' it's own music, like an old music box...

Micky: Does the word mirage ring any bells?

Mike: But...damn, it looks so real...(points)...I mean, I can hear the water rushin' an' everythin'! I even hear people swimmin'! (Sighs) I guess the desert's really gettin' to us, huh?

Micky: Yeah, it is. :P

Mike: (Once again looks towards the horizon) I just wish it were real...

(The guys hike along, finally making it to what looks like the road that ended on the cliff.)

Micky: Hey, Mike, this is the road where we left the van!

Mike: Yeah, I recognize the cliff we drove off of. (They pass a splintered "detour" sign) We musta gone through here when the bikers chased us. That's what we get for not payin' attention.

Micky: So the van's gotta be here.

Mike: Probably at the bottom of the ravine, if the cowboys haven't returned and smashed it to bits.

Micky: *looks into the ravine* Uh, hey, Mike? The van's not here!

Mike: How? I don't think it was goin' anywhere.

Micky: You don't think someone else found it, do you?

Mike: And did what with it? It had four flat tires and was smokin'!

Micky: I don't know! I'm just saying that it was here before, and isn't now! :P

Mike: Well, NOW what do we do?

Micky: Well, uh... *sees a vehicle coming towards them* Mike! *points* There's a truck coming this way!

Mike: (Frowns and puts up a fist) Better not be more of those cowboys or biker jerks.

*The truck comes speeding towards them, but begins to slow as it gets closer. It pulls to a stop in front of them. Lauren sticks her head out.*

Lauren: *grins* Hey guys, need a lift? ;)

Micky: Babe! :D

Mike: Tell me this ain't another mirage.

Micky: *hangs off Lauren the best he can, since she's leaning out the window; she's laughing* It ain't another mirage!

Mike: What the HELL are you doin' out here, Lauren?

Lauren: Looking for you guys! We used Micky's hand held tracker and found you.

Micky: It works! :D

Mike: (Jaw drops) He made something that WORKS? :o

Lauren: Yes, he did. (Grins) Now, you guys wanna get in, or are you gonna walk back?

Mike: We've done enough of that. (He and Micky climb in, Micky beside Lauren, of course)

Mike: So, Lauren, where's everyone else? Did they stay behind to watch the kids?

Lauren: Yes and no. They went to see the, ahem, local Sheriff. Kinda long story.

Mike: Sheriff?

(That's when the peace of the desert afternoon is broken by the sound of motorcycles in the distance.)

Mike: Oh god. Please, tell me that's not what I think that is.

Micky: *looks in the rear view mirror* Okay, I won't tell you.

Mike: Shit. Lauren, we had a run-in with those guys before. We turned the Powers loose on them. I doubt they're happy with us.

Lauren: In other words, pedal to the metal!

Mike: (Nods) Right.

("Salesman" begins as the guys speed up to the truck's windows. The leader points to Mike and Micky, his eyes blazing.)

*Lauren gives the leader the bird, but it's been censored.*

(The leader lets out a growl and speeds up to bump the already-dented back end of the truck.)

(The truck finally goes off-road. Cut to the truck's interior, where Lauren looks determined and Mike and Micky bump around and look a little ill.)

Lauren: *over the music* Hang on, guys!

(Lauren pulls the truck behind a narrow canyon. The bikers whiz by. The truck pulls out again when they've passed.)

*The bikers turn around and catch up to the truck again. The truck rounds a tight turn, while some bikers make it and some don't. The ones that don’t make it fall into a ditch.*

(Mike grins. There's a blue light, and some of the bikers sink into the sand, quicksand-style, until you can only see their shocked heads.)

(Mike looks at Micky, and the two nod and concentrate. There's a dark-ish blue light around some of the bikers. When the light subsides, they're biking in mid-air...until they fall into another sand trap. Mike and Micky shake hands.)

(Micky points out what seems to be a huge cabana filled with beautiful women. Mike rolls his eyes - probably another mirage. When the truck gets to it, though, it turns out to be real. Several bikers stop and join the ladies under palm trees, sipping drinks and getting their hair mussed.)

*Lauren smacks Micky in the head, then peels out.*

(Mike points out another sheer cliff. Lauren barely manages to avoid it, but the remaining bikers are so intent on their quarry, they don't see the cliff and ride straight off of it, complete with Goofy yells. Lauren gets the truck back on the road as the song ends.)

Mike: Whew! Got away from those guys for now, thank god. (Turns to the driver) Um, Lauren, where did you learn drive like that?

Lauren: *grins into the rear view mirror* Bumper cars do wonders for perfecting your driving.

*Micky just shakes his head, grinning.* ;)

Mike: Ok, I think that's as much as I want to know.

Lauren: *shrugs* Now, we can head back to the gas station where the Sheriff's office is.

(We cut to the gas station. It's in slightly better shape than the diner, which is to say, only half of everything is rusted and covered with sand. The Monkees’ van and Valerie's rented van sit in the garage. As Lauren pulls up, Emma, Valerie, and the kids run over to the truck.)

Emma: Well, Lauren, did you find them?

Mike: (Steps out) Well, she found somethin'. ;)

Katie: Papa! (She runs over to her papa, who leans over and puts his hand on her head)

Mike: Hi there, cowgirl. Miss your papa?

Katie: Yeah! :D

Emma: Honey, thank god! (She throws her arms around him)

Lauren: I just had to pick up these hitch hikers. ;)

Mike: Whoa, Em. (Grins at Lauren and Micky) Yeah, we'd found the Livin' Desert the hard way.

*The twins run over to Micky, yelling "Daddy! Daddy!" Micky scoops them up in a hug.*

Mike: (Smiles) Nice to see you kiddies, too. (Looks at Emma) What are you all doin' out here?

Emma: We got worried and came out to help.

Valerie: Where's Peter and Dave?

Mike: We sent them out to find help, but we ain't seen them since then.

Valerie: As soon as the vans are done, we'll go out and find them. In the cars this time. We don't need the kids out there wandering around.

(The group heads into the garage, where the Sheriff is working on the van. The Indian seen in the first part is with him, doing something to the engine.)

Valerie: Hello there, sir. We were wondering when the vans will be done?

Sheriff: Well, that's hard to say, girlie. Could be today. Could be tomorrow. Smaller van got pretty shaken up.

Mike: Or it could be now. Mick, go take a look at the engine. I'll get the tires on.

Sheriff: Now wait just a damn minute here, Skinny, this is MY turf!

Mike: Yeah, well, I don't see you usin' it. :p

Micky: And it's our vehicle. :P

Valerie: (Turns to the man as Mike, Micky, and the Indian man handles the cars) Ok, sir, how much are the tires and the parts?

Sheriff: (Smirks) How much ya'll got?

Valerie: (Narrows her eyes) How much are they?

Sheriff: They're how much you have on you.

Micky: *walks up to the man* Hey, pal, could I have a little chat with you?

Man: Sure. (He goes outside the building with Micky.)

Indian: (Looks up from the engine) I hope the Sheriff isn't too hard on that skinny guy. He can get mean when money's involved.

Emma: How did he end up being Sheriff?

Indian: No one else in the county wanted the job.

Lauren: Sounds about right. :P

*The sounds of a fight emanate from outside.*

Emma: Lauren, does Micky have life insurance?

Lauren: Oh, good grief. *rolls her eyes*

*It's a few moments before Micky enters, dusting his hands off and grinning.*

Emma: Well?

Indian: Where's the Sheriff?

Micky: He kinda ran into something.

Lauren: What did he run into?

Micky: My fist.

Lauren: Stupid question. ;)

Valerie: How happy was he to see your fist?

Emma: In other words, how long do we have to get the kids in the vans and get out of here?

Micky: He's out cold, so we should have plenty of time without needing to rush.

Valerie: And while we're on the subject (takes some money out of her purse) here's the money for the tires for both vehicles. It should be about what they're worth, and a little extra for your troubles.

Indian: (Counts the money and grins) Wow! My mother was right. People DO give you more if you just ask nicely! :D

Emma: And as soon as you guys are done with the vehicles, we'll head out. Preferably BEFORE the Sheriff awakes. I don't want the kids to be seeing jail time at their ages.

Mike: Yeah. (Nods at the Indian and Micky) Come on, boys. We've gotta finish these up, before that Sheriff sees what hit him and decides to hit back.

(Fade out on the garage, and back to the desert. We fade in on the quiet desert scenery...well, quiet until we see a huge cloud of dust in the distance. As it gets closer, two figures emerge from it, both panting and wide-eyed - Peter and Davy.)

Peter: We have to get those cowboys off our tail!

Davy: I need my bloody lungs to catch up first.

Peter: Look! (He points out a train that's stopped at a ramshackle station to get refueled.) Maybe we could take that for a while. At least it'll get us away from the cowboys!

Davy: And give us a rest. Gladly. :P

(The boys arrive at the train just as it's pulling out of the station. Davy leaps into the first open car they see, but Peter has a harder time. Davy helps him into the car just as the train pulls out and the cowboys arrive. They wave at the cowboys with big grins, then lean back against a bunch of crates.)

Peter: I wonder where we're going?

Davy: Your guess is as good as mine, Petah.

Peter: (Opens his banjo and plucks out a few notes) I'm glad the concert shoot pretty much ends the filming. I can't wait to get home and see Valerie and tell her all the plans I have, for us and for the group.

Davy: I just can't wait for not 'aving to listen to Mike complain and rant all day long.

Peter: He's just tired, Davy. We all are. We haven't had much time together that hasn't involved being shrunk or being chased by devils in the past few months. (He sighs as the scenery passes.) That concert in Utah went really well, don't you think? (Grins) And the trip to the amusement park afterwards was the most fun I've had in ages. Our security guards even rode the roller coaster with us! :D

Davy: Now, that was fun! ;)

Peter: We haven't done such a good performance together since...well, since the English tour. You know, the one where we stayed at the Manor house and ran into the ghosts?

Davy: *nods* Yeah.

Peter: It just felt...right. Even Michael was happy. (Grins) I hope they caught our vocals for "Circle Sky" under all that screaming! I know that's the song they wanted to use in the movie. I think that was one of our very best! And the songs we're working on! I have two songs I know are going on the movie, and there are so many more I want to write. (Smiles at Davy) I need to write more for you. Micky usually sings my songs when I don't.

Davy: Thanks, Petah. I'd like that.

Peter: I'll bet you just want to spend more time with Daph and Lizzie. I know I miss Val and Jordan.

Davy: Of course I do!

Peter: I'm missing so much of Jordan's life. So's Val. She's been so busy at Headquarters lately. (Leans back) What we need is some down time together, just us and the girls. We've been so testy in the last few months. Remember how we all blew up at Micky after the shrinking incident?

Davy: Yeah. :P

Peter: We need more time with the kids, too. Maybe take them to Disneyland or something. (Looks up) What's that sound?

Davy: I don't know.

(Three men walk into the car, holding flashlights and wearing jeans, shirts, and bandanas.)

Man 1: I know I heard noises...(shines his light on Davy and Peter)...there!

Man 2: Hey, what are you guys doing here?

Peter: We, um, we... (looks at Davy) ...how are we going to explain this?

Davy: Uh...

(The camera fades out with Davy and Peter exchanging helpless looks and the men glaring at them.)