(We open with Junior Pinter, grinning. He stands in front of the curtain.)
Junior: Um, hi, folks! Welcome to... (the lights start) KLAC's 1972 Musical Spectacular, brought to you by Headquarters Records, your headquarters for great music!
Junior: And here's your first act, one of Headquarters' most popular acts...The Monkees!
(Junior hurries out of the way as the curtain opens and reveals the three Monkees and Lauren, in the white outfits from the "Circle Sky" sequence from "Head." In fact, the four launch into "Circle Sky" for our first video.)
(The background is a collection of 70s lights and black and white angles, going nicely with the group's outfits.)
*Sparkly confetti rains down on the group. Micky is beaming.*
(Mike makes a face. Peter sees the look on Mike's face...and pulls out a broom to sweep up the confetti!)
*Lauren turns a grin to Micky, appreciative of the confetti.*
(The lights make psychadelic swirls behind them. Peter's banjo and Mike's guitar briefly gain animated "mouths" and sing along!)
*We see a shot of all four... the instruments suddenly have neon-colored bars on them & they all wear neon headbands.*
(We briefly switch...not to even regular animated, but a very blocky, limited computer animation.)
*The next shot of Micky sees his drumsticks turn into licorice. His eyes widen, then he grins & takes a bite.*
(Mike makes a face when his guitar turns into a massive chocolate cake. He takes one look at Micky's face and moves AWAY from him...)
*Lauren's maracas turn into an ice cream cone. She licks it happily.*
(Peter happily licks his peach cobbler banjo.)
(The video ends with a burst of more multi-colored confetti...and Micky taking a "bite" out of Mike's guitar!)
Arthur: (He comes on next) And that was the Monkees, one of Headquarters' most popular acts! Let's give a big hand for them!
*Micky stands & bows behind the drums.*
(Mike and Peter bow together.)
*Lauren smiles & waves.*
Arthur: Good work, kids. You sure know how to make a sweet (snickers) entrance! ;)
Micky: *grins innocently* Nothing to it.
Mike: (Rolls his eyes) Thanks, Arthur. That was one of the songs from our new movie, "Head," which just opened at the Rivoli this week.
Peter: Go and see it! It's a real mind-blower.
Micky: *mutters* Ain't that the truth.
Arthur: (Raises an eyebrow) I'll take your word for it, son. (Turns to the audience; the curtain finally closes, and the boys abandon the instruments as the Four Martians come up, having traded their signature Martian outfits for their tuxes with the psychadelic ties and socks from "The Way To A Bard's Heart.")
John: Hey, guys. You're a hard act to follow
Chris: Are you kidding? We're gonna ROCK this house! ;)
Mike: We shall see, boy.
Micky: You guys'll be great!
John Libby: (Runs up to the group) Has anyone seen Steve? He was supposed to get us coffee, and no one's seen him in a half-hour!
Micky: A half an hour...? *thinks*
Mike: He was tryin' to ask Alex to do somethin', last I saw him.
John Libby: Well, if you see him, tell him we need him to get the props for the Looneyville skit? (He hurries off after Arnie the Lighting Technician)
Peter: (Frowns) Do you think something bad happened to Steve?
Micky: *nods* I think he might've. *makes a face*
Mike: (Nods) If he tried to interfere with Alex...
Micky: *sighs* Alex probably turned him into something.
Mike: Great. He coulda done ANYTHIN' to him!
Peter: We need to find an animal that doesn't belong here.
("Tear The Top Off My Head" begins as the three Monkees fan out and around the studio.)
(Mike watches the Four Martians do their number, but they say between verses that they haven't seen anything unusual.)
*Micky & Lauren dig through some wardrobe. Clothes fly everywhere. Micky pulls out what ends up being a fur stole. He makes a face... & the stole growls at him.*
(Peter talks to Junior Pinter, who hasn't seen anything out of the ordinary...but loves playing Peter's banjo!)
(John Libby runs around backstage, waving his arms and putting up sets and asking about Steve. Liza Martin just shakes her head.)
(Peter briefly joins Angelina Druddard for a short dance routine, but she hasn't seen Steve. She's been practicing all night.)
(Mike tries to ask the Angelletts, but they're so busy working on their routine, they don't hear him.)
*Lauren asked a couple people with the catering crew. Micky's busy eating.*
(Peter tries to ask a group of jugglers, but he gets dizzy watching them.)
(Mike takes Micky by the collar and drags him out of the kitchen. Don't eat the poor people out of house and station, Mick!)
*Micky argues that he didn't eat that much!*
(Peter goes into the audience. All he gets is a lot of "Shh!"s.)
(Mike joins him. They lean back and make jokes about the Martians' performance.)
(The four meet backstage as the song runs down.)
Mike: Man, he ain't ANYWHERE!
Peter: Has anyone seen Jenkins or the devils, either?
Micky: *shakes his head* Not since earlier.
Mike: I'm almost afraid to ask who ELSE will go missing tonight!
Peter: (Nods) Guys, I'm scared.
Lauren: We've got to figure out the story with the cameras.
Micky: *cracks his knuckles* I just need a chance to actually look inside one.
Mike: (Looks at his watch) I think they just went to a station break.
Peter: Perfect! Everyone will be buys backstage! We don't play again for a while!
Micky: *grins* Excellent.
(They all follow Micky to the cameras.)
Mike: Ok, Mick, get crackin'. We only have a few minutes, and who knows when the devils will show up?
Micky: *pulls out his trusty screwdriver* Gladly. *starts in on one of the cameras*
(The others surround him, keeping an eye out...but they don't see Alex and Sheila come up from the other side.)
Sheila: We really need to...(frowns)...what's all the commotion around the cameras?
Alex: *frowns* Well, I can see an afro from here.
Sheila: Hey! Get away from there!
Lauren: *eyes widen* Uh oh, fellas, here come the devils again!
Mike: Mick, I hate to say it, but I think we'd better break it up. We'll go back later.
Micky: *shakes his screwdriver at the oncoming devils* Why I oughta...!
Peter: Micky, don't! They might turn you into something, too!
Mike: And we don't need you makin' holes in the studio walls.
Lauren: *grabs one of Micky's arms* Don't, Mick.
*Micky just makes a face & "holsters" his screwdriver, clearly unhappy & still glaring in Alex's direction.*
(The Monkees scurry away as Sheila and Alex job up to them.)
Sheila: Damn it!
Alex: *his fists clench* I'm getting really tired of this.
Sheila: Alex, check on the camera. Make sure they didn't ruin anything inside.
Alex: *nods* Right. *goes around to where Micky was previously & pokes around a bit*
Sheila: We really have to do something about them. Something permenant, or at least break them up a bit.
Alex: Atleast. Hmm...
Alex: *smirks* Any suggestions?
Sheila: Why not return to an old idea? Take one of them with us. Lure them. We could always use more help. ;)
Alex: *evil grin* I like it.
Sheila: You know that where one goes, the others go.
Alex: Of course.
Sheila: We'll lure them, and other souls with that camera.
Alex: Oh, the fun we could have...!
Sheila: Oh, the WONDERFUL fun... (Sigh; her eyes get moist)
Artie: (Goes to the cameras) Hey, could you two move? We're on the air in two seconds! :p
Sheila: Rude man! (As they move) If he wasn't the lighting technician...
Alex: *makes a face* We'd be having some fun with him.
Sheila: Come on. If we can't get to the camera, the Guardians can't, either. We'll bide our time.
Alex: *sighs* We'll have to.
(Cut over to the office where Davy, Daphne, and Howard are being kept. Howard gnaws on the bars of his cage, which is set on the desk. Davy and Daphne struggle in their bonds. Davy shakes his gag off.)
Davy: Daph! You ok, luv?
Daphne: *mutters into her gag as she tries shaking it off; it finally slides off* Yeah, better now that I got that darn gag off.
Davy: We've got to get outta 'ere, luv, and warn the others! Jenkins has gone stark mad, he has!
Daphne: I know! If we could just get loose...
Davy: (struggles with the ropes on his wrist) Almost got it...
Daphne: I'm working on mine, too...
Davy: (He finally manages to shake his bonds loose) Think I got it!
Daphne: Thank goodness!
Davy: (Unties his ankles, then goes to do Daphne) Are you ok, luv?
Daphne: *nods* I'm fine, if a little sore from the rope. *makes a bit of a face*
Davy: (Goes to the cage) I wonder why they put this little fella up 'ere? Must be some kind of lab animal.
Daphne: *shrugs* I don't know. He's kinda cute, though. *smiles*
Davy: If you dig rats, that is. (Frowns as the rat gnaws as hard as he can on the bars) I think the poor fellow wants out!
Daphne: He's in a cage. I'd want out, too.
Davy: I wonder if... (He concentrates. There's a light around the cage. When it subsides, Howard Needleman sits on the desk, not looking terribly happy)
Howard: (Looks at himself; pats his lab coat) I'm human again! Thank goodness!
Daphne: Well... that wasn't surprising.
Howard: What wasn't?
Davy: That they'd turned you into an animal. The Devils do that to us all the time.
Howard: They wouldn't have done it at all if the CAPTAIN hadn't said I wasn't needed anymore! They didn't want me to tell everyone what's really going on with those cameras!
Daphne: What IS going on with them?
Howard: Mr. Alex was trying to rig the cameras to steal people's souls and put the people in his TV sets, but they just took the people, not the souls!
Daphne: Oh, dear...!
Davy: So THAT'S what's going on with those cameras!
Howard: I don't know why they want souls, but that's what they were going to use the cameras for.
Davy: We have to get to that special!
Daphne: And fast!
Davy: I'll do it. (He concentrates; there's a blue light, and all three disappear)