Disclaimer: I do not own The Monkees.
Ages:
Peter - 24
Mike - 23
Micky -21
Davy - 19
Prologue:
Cavern walls quaked with the rage of his anger as he stormed around the chamber. He couldn't seem to sit still, even though it'd happened nearly a month ago, he was too wired from this latest encounter. How dare those long haired weirdos, those humans, defy him. He flicked his wrist and his wine glass refilled it's self for what was probably the tenth time in less minutes. With all his powers he'd give them all up just for the ability to get drunk, the glass refilled again.
Zero finally sat down, still fuming. He had to think of a way to get back at them. That was twice now. First they dared challenge Tork's contract, then to add insult to injury, they hadn't even had the decency to fear him when he'd come back to threaten them with retaliation, they'd just laughed in his face and simple walked away. His temper had almost caused him to finish them off right there and have it over and done with but somehow he'd managed to stop himself. That would have been far too quick, they needed to suffer first. He'd show them, he just had to think about what would make each of them suffer the most, the thing that if taken away would truly break them.
Slowly an idea began to form and he grinned wickedly, finally he would have his revenge. Turning his head he checked the time and date, looking at the antique grandfather clock with a raven perched on top that sat in the corner. Just after 1:00am on October 9th, perfect time to start. He snapped his fingers and the first stage of his plan began.
October 10, 1968
"Oh come on fellas that was awful." Mike let his guitar hang from it's strap as he stopped playing to look at his bandmates. They'd been practicing all day and they were still having major problems. "Peter, you're getting the notes all wrong and that's the eight time you've tripped Davy. And for goodness sake Micky, will ya quiet down a bit, I think the drums are a little loud, and try to stay on time."
"Well you don't sound so good yourself." Micky retorted as their leader let out yet another round of coughs. That was the third time in an hour and he was getting worried he might be coming down with something.
"I got a tickle in my throat." Mike shot back defensively. He was not getting sick. He was not getting sick. He was not getting sick. No matter how many times he repeated the mantra the feelings he'd been having all day persisted. First it had been a just a tickle, that was slowly becoming full blown fits, now his throat was starting to get sore and his guitar seemed to be heavier then it usually was.
"If you're sick Michael you should go rest."
Mike looked at Peter ready to protest but the older boy had a rare stern look on his face and he knew it was pointless to argue when Peter used his right as the oldest to get him to take care of himself. He sighed taking off his guitar and set it down before going over and sitting on the couch.
The others looked at each other, now they were sure he was sick. Peter might sometimes be able to get him to do things but he usually put up a bit of a fight first. They put down their own instruments and went to join him as he turned on the tv.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Peter wanted to make sure, he knew Mike didn't like to show any kind of weakness and was probably hiding at least a couple more symptoms from them.
"Yeah, just might be gettin' a cold or something, no big deal." Mike shrugged as his attention shifted from the tv to the blond boy then back to the tv.
"Well it is to us. We care about you." Peter said. Mike had to learn that his own needs were just as important as theirs, but he knew that's not how Mike saw things.
"And I appreciate it but I'm fine." Mike said ending the conversation.
Silence fell as they finished the movie and when a new one came on no one seemed like moving so they ended up watching that as well. Half way through Davy got up heading for the kitchen.
"You okay over there?" Mike asked. He'd been watching him look around occasionally opening cupboards or drawers for the last few minutes, he seemed to be looking for something. "You lose something?"
"Yeah, where are the tea bags, and the kettle? I wanted to put on a pot." Davy stood in the middle of the kitchen not sure why he couldn't seem to find them.
"The tea bags are in the jar on the counter and the kettle's in the cupboard under the sink." Mike said, he continued watching as Davy nodded still looking puzzled as he got the items out. "You feeling okay?"
"I- I'm not sure." Davy walked back over to them and sat down again now that the kettle was heating up on the stove.
"What's up?" Micky asked worriedly, with two down they wouldn't be able to do much in the way of gigs or other work.
"I'm not really sure about that either, I just feel... off, and I'm a little sore but I don't remember doing anything all that strenuous lately. Although to be honest my memories been a bit off too. I could have sworn the tea bags were in the cupboard next to the fridge."
"Not since last year when we had that mouse up there. Remember it got into the tea and that's when you got that jar to put it in?" Peter asked.
"No I don't." Davy frowned leaning back as he tried to recall the memory, it must be there somewhere, but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't bring it forth.
"Don't worry Davy, sometimes thoughts just get a little fuzzy when you're sick." Peter tried assuring him.
"Maybe there's something going around and you both picked it up?" Micky suggested.
"You might want to make that the three of us, I think I might be coming down with something too." Peter admitted. He hadn't wanted to but since the others were owning to theirs he figured he might as well too.
"You too?" Micky asked.
"Yeah, my ears have been hurting a little and so has my jaw. There's a weird ringing in my ears too and it kinda hurts to turn my head."
"Sounds like an ear infection." Mike said. "You should lay with your head to the side to see if you can drain them."
"Okay Mike." Peter shifted in his seat a few times wrestling with which side to lay on first before he finally choose the one that allowed him to face his friends, leaning to his right.
"How are you feeling?" Mike asked turning to Micky, he was now the only one yet to complain about any symptoms.
"I feel fine." Micky didn't turn his head away from the tv.
"You sure?" Mike narrowed his eyes at him trying to see if he was lying.
"Yeah, well... I mean - Okay maybe I'm a little more tired then usual... And I feel kinda achy too, but I'm sure it's nothing..." Micky trailed off as he turned his head and met his eyes. He didn't blame Mike for the look he got back, he wouldn't have believed him either.
"So all four of us are sick?" Peter asked. That had never happened before, the most they'd had was three at a time.
"Yep, looks like it." Mike sat back with a sigh, he didn't know how that could have happened. "I think today and tomorrow are just gonna be lazy days of rest. We still gotta gig next week though so we can't afford too many sick days. Hopefully we'll all feel better after a little rest."
So that's what they did, they sat around watching tv trying not to worry too much about what could have caused them all to get sick at the same time. It wasn't even ten o'clock when they all decided unanimously to go to bed, normally they'd stay up til at least midnight but none of them could seem to keep from yawning. They used to use both bedrooms but the downstairs had been changed into a hobby/science lab for whatever any of them were working on at the time. This idea came about after Micky had left some stuff out from one of his experiments and Peter had tripped over it, spraining his ankle.
"Hey this way Tiny." Mike said as Davy started heading for the downstairs room.
"Wh-?" Davy looked confused for a second but shrugged and followed after them when he saw the others were all going upstairs.
"Let's just get some sleep guys, maybe we've been working too hard or something and it's starting ta get ta us." Mike ushered them up the stairs and into the bedroom.
They each got into their pajamas, Micky helping Davy find his when he couldn't seem to locate them. Finally they were all laying down and despite the worry that ran through each of them they were asleep within minutes.
Peter turned over hissing as his ear scrapped across his pillow. "Ow!" He sat up, not wanting to put any more pressure on them.
"You okay Peter?" Mike asked, his voice sounded rough like he'd strained it from yelling.
"My ears really hurt." Peter said also finding that it hurt to talk as the action moved his jaw which then traveled up to his ears.
"Sorry to hear that. I guess a good nights sleep didn't really help ya after all." Mike looked apologetic.
"Doesn't seem to have helped you either." Davy said sitting up.
"You sound like you have a frog in your throat." Micky put forth as he too sat up, he wanted to sleep some more but his head was hurting and it wouldn't let him.
"How are you guys feelin'?" Mike looked at Micky first waiting for a answer.
"Headache, still achy, and I don't know, just feeling kind of run down I guess." Micky pulled his blankets tighter around him. Was he the only one that thought it was a little chilly?
"What about yo...?" Mike trailed off looking closely at Davy. A thought entered his mind but he immediately dismissed it. Still the longer he studied him the harder it was to deny. "Um, Davy, can you stand up for me?" Mike got out of bed and walked over to Davy as the younger boy complied but not without shooting him a confused look.
Now that he was closer and they were standing side by side he couldn't tell himself it was impossible, even if it should be.
"Davy! You're shorter!" Micky hopped out of bed as Peter did the same.
"You're younger too!" Peter added as all three stood in front of their now much smaller friend, he couldn't have been even five foot.
"Wha-?" Davy looked down at himself, his clothes did seem a little baggy, and since when were his friends that much taller then him. "How...?"
A loud cackling filled the air, it was a sound that made their blood run cold.
"Zero." Mike looked around him glaring into the shadows as if the evil being was hiding among them.
They waited a while but the demon never appeared and all was silent once again.
"What are we gonna do Mike? We can't fight the devil. Why would Zero wanna make Davy younger anyway?" Peter's eyes never stopped roaming the room, he was scared, they had beaten him once but could they do it again?
"I don't know." Mike didn't think that Zero would just stop at making Davy younger, there had to be more to it then that. "You think he did something to the rest of us too? Maybe that's why we're all sick at the same time."
"But none of us has changed like Davy." Micky said. "Wouldn't we be changing too?"
"Well, I don't know." Mike studied Davy for a minute. "He only looks a couple years younger, maybe it's just not noticeable in us yet, we are older after all."
"I don't know Mike, I don't feel younger, and none of us has been forgetting things either." Peter pointed out.
"You got a point there Shotgun. Maybe he did different things to us." Mike shrugged, their guess was as good as his.
"Then why's he sick too that doesn't make sense."
"None of this make sense Mick!" Mike pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Okay, I admit it, I don't have all the answers. What about you guys, you got anything? Peter, Micky, Davy? Davy? Davy!"
Davy looked up with a start, he'd been looking around the room with a puzzled expression as his friends talked around him. "Where are we?"
"We're in the pad." Mike was getting scared now, forgetting where the tea was or even what room to sleep in was one thing, forgetting the pad altogether meant a more serious problem. What if he forgot them?
"The pad?" Davy looked around him at the unfamiliar surroundings. "And are we living here?"
"For a couple years now." Peter said.
"Ooh!" Davy was alarmed by this, how could he have lived here for years if he didn't even recognize anything.
"Okay, let's just all go downstairs, maybe get some breakfast before we discuss battling the devil." Mike suggested as he led the way down the stairs.
Davy stopped when they got to the landing taking in the strange apartment he now found himself in. Hadn't they been in a motel?
"You okay? Peter asked seeing the uneasy look on Davy face as he turned his head every which way.
"Um, yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Davy swallowed his fear as he slowly followed them down the stairs. At this rate he figured he'd be lucky to remember his own name in few days.
A few minutes later they were all sitting at the table, four bowls of cereal in front of them but none of them seemed to have much of an appetite.
Mike's throat hurt every time he swallowed and soon he was forced to put his spoon down unable to continue. Peter, sitting next to him did the same as his jaw aggravated his ears on each bite. Micky just sat watching his Kellogg's Corn Flakes fall from his spoon and back into the orange juice they sat in, repeating the process over and over again. Davy was too busy looking around to eat, despite being told he lived there he still didn't recognize anything.
"Okay maybe breakfast wasn't too hot an idea. How about we-
"You should stop talking now Mike." Peter said interrupting him.
Mike looked at him startled.
"You're voice sounds really bad, you need to rest it for a while." Peter added.
"Oh come on it's not all tha- that bad." Mike's voice cracked as he spoke betraying him.
"Michael, stop talking."
"But-"
"Be quiet!" Peter didn't leave room for arguing as Mike finally stopped talking.
Micky snickered at the look on Mike's face but dried up when the older boy turned his head and met his eyes with a silent glare.
After their failed breakfast they decided that today would be another tv day, none of them feeling particularly up to much else. They gathered together some blankets and pillows and spent the whole day lazying about the living room trying not to think of what might be in store for them. They could figure things out when they felt better.
