Author's Note: If anyone can help me with something, that would be great. I'm trying to buy Monkees CD's, but there's so many different versions, that I don't know what to buy to get the complete collection of songs. I know I have to buy the 3 missing links, but also not sure if I should buy the physical CD cause I like having the inserts when they have cool pics and/or song info or just buy the digital version of the CD on itunes. None of the stores around me has any CD's in stock…..
Chapter 21: Train Heist
Micky walked into the dining car with a yawn that nearly dislocated his jaw. He had gotten maybe a total of 4 hours of sleep during the night with everything happening, and now had finally given up on trying as everyone else was bustling about in the hallway making even more noise. When he reached the dining car, he saw Mike was already there with a very large cup of coffee and looking just as tired as Micky felt. When he saw Micky approach, he graciously poured Micky a cup as well and slid it across the table to where Micky sat.
"Ok, so his master plan to torture us is to deprive us of sleep," Micky said taking a big sip of the coffee and ignoring how hot it was.
"Careful, Mick," Mike said with a slight chuckle. "Don't burn your throat."
"I'll be fine," Micky answered. "I need caffeine. How long have you been sitting here?"
"Not long," Mike answered. "Only a few minutes. Did you see Davy and Peter yet?"
"No," Micky answered. "I think they're still sleeping."
"I think we should tell them, Micky," Mike said after taking a deep breath. "None of this is normal. Rats, fights, missing children…"
"Obnoxious old trolls," Micky threw in.
"Exactly," Mike said. "We need to talk to them and decide if we turn back when we get to Portland in a few hours, or continue on."
"What about the girls?" Micky asked.
"We talk to them, too," Mike answered. "Lay all our cards on the table and make a decision as a group from there." It took about an hour for the others to join them and they all ordered breakfast. Mike lowered his voice so they wouldn't be overheard once the waiter left to get their food. "We need to talk to you guys."
"Is this about last night?" Peter asked. "No way all that was normal."
"Exactly," Micky said. "Look, we didn't tell you this before because we weren't sure about it and we didn't want you guys to get upset because you were so excited for this trip, but…"
"It's a trap?" Davy finished.
"Probably," Mike said. Mike told them about Piper's dreams and everything they had done to try and find information about the Gentlemen, which is what lead to all the distractions. Then Mike posed the question to all of them: keep going, or turn back.
"I say we keep going and kick his sorry butt," Davy said. "Fight off whatever tries to throw at us, just to show him we can keep kicking his butt."
"I'm not sure that's the wisest way to look at things," Mike said. "We could go home and prove we can beat him even easier."
"True, but won't it be even more humiliating for us to kick his butt?" Davy asked.
"Not sure humiliating the Devil is the best idea," Michelle said.
"We've already done it several times," Micky said.
"Don't forget, there's still a chance that this whole town re-opening contest is real," Piper pointed out. "This could be a really good opportunity for you. For all we know, the Devil could just be using a normal contest as an opportunity to attack."
"Good point," Allison said.
"We could get 5 grand here," Davy said. "Just think about what we could do with that kind of money!"
"We've made it this far," Peter said sounding a little worried, but still pushing to keep going. "Why not see this the rest of the way through. We don't know what we'd be giving up if we went home and we have strength in numbers. Plus Piper."
"I'm not sure how comfortable I am throwing my girlfriend directly into the line of fire," Micky said.
"I didn't say that," Peter defended.
"It's ok, Micky," Piper said. "I volunteered for this. It's what I do, remember?"
"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Micky answered.
"Ok, any more thoughts before we vote?" Mike asked.
"I saw we keep going," Davy said. "See this through. Kick his butt; teach him a lesson."
"I agree with Davy," Peter said. "We could go home and he'll just try something else at home. Why not just enjoy the scenery in Idaho while we can."
"Peter has a point," Michelle agreed. "If he really wants to hurt you, he's going to do it whether you're at home or in Idaho. I'm for heading forward."
"Me too," Allison said.
"K, so that's four to keep going," Mike said. "And since there are only 3 of us left, we're already outnumbered."
"I hate to say it, but I agree with them, too, Mike," Micky said. "We could get an opportunity to stop him once and for all. We could get an opportunity to win 5 grand. We don't know unless we see it through, and we have the advantage of expecting an attack."
"I agree," Mike said. "So unless Piper has any objections, it's unanimous."
"I'll do whatever you guys want to do," she answered. "But I think Peter, Davy and Michelle all have good points."
"So it's unanimous," Mike said raising his hand to bang a gavel before realizing he didn't have one. "We keep going and kick some butt; show the Devil who's boss, so to speak. Maybe make him angry enough to give up this time."
"We need to spend the rest of the time figuring out who or what the Gentlemen are," Micky agreed. "Fight every distraction that comes our way."
"Ok, so how about Michelle, Allison and I work to keep all distractions from bothering you and you guys focus on research?" Davy suggested.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Mike said.
"We should also try and get some more sleep," Micky said with a yawn for emphasis. "I have a feeling that he wants us to be tired when we face whatever it is we face to make it harder to win."
"Right," Peter said with a yawn of his own. "So we take turns taking naps and reading."
"Deal," Mike answered as the rest of them yawned. "It's almost 10 now, so we have about 3 hours before we get to Portland and switch trains. Then we have another 8 hours before we get to Spokane and drive the rest of the way to Hanson. So let's get to it." They all nodded their agreement and set to their tasks. The hallway had quieted down now, so Micky was the first to take a nap while Peter, Mike and Piper started flipping through books again. He hadn't even been asleep for half an hour when he was jerked awake with such a loud popping noise that he fell out of bed again.
"What in the world was that?" Micky asked rubbing his backside that was now sore after having fallen to the ground on it twice now.
"No idea," Mike said as another set of loud popping noises emanated from the hallway. They tried to ignore it, true to their word that they would ignore any further attempt at distractions, but they all jumped out the door when they heard screaming following a new set of popping noises. When they opened the door, they realized the hallway was filled with smoke. Covering their mouths so they didn't breath in any of the smoke, they ventured into the hallway. When they peered toward the end of the hallway, they realized that someone had set off a bunch of firecrackers. Through the smoke, they could barely make out that Davy was sitting on the ground holding his leg.
"Davy!" Mike, Peter and Micky shouted in unison as they saw this and ran down the hallway. Firecrackers were whizzing by his head, and they reached him just as one came within inches of his head. Micky and Mike grabbed Davy and carried him out of the hallway into the closest cabin which happened to be girls cabin while Peter slammed the door closed behind them to block out further firecrackers from coming in. Allison and Michelle immediately started pushing clothes up against the door to block out the smoke threatening to creep in under it.
"What the heck happened!?" Mike exclaimed as they set Davy down on the bed.
"Someone set off firecrackers," Davy said hoarsely.
"Or something," Micky pointed out.
"Yeah," Davy agreed as Peter grabbed some water from the sink and handed it to Davy while Micky looked at the spot on Davy's leg he'd been clutching so desperately. He forced Davy's hand out of the way and realized Davy had been hit by one of them; a rather nasty looking burn was spread across his leg. "I told the girls to hide in here while I tried to stop them, but one hit me."
"That looks pretty bad," Micky said. The room was really crowded making it hard to move, but he knew they had to clean Davy's wound before it became infected.
"Here," Piper said digging through her bag and pulling out a washcloth before Micky could even ask.
"Get that wet with warm water, Peter," Micky said as Peter took the washcloth from Piper. "Not cold water. Cold water will only shock it and make it worse."
"I think I also packed some first aid stuff in here, but they're also bound to have some on board," Piper added as Peter nodded and did as instructed.
"Then we should save what you have in case we need it later," Mike said. "As much as I want to help Davy, I'd rather wait a few minutes until we can get the stuff from the train instead of depleting our supply. Sorry, Davy."
"Don't be," Davy answered as Peter handed Micky the wet washcloth. "I was just about to say the same thing."
"Ok, Davy, this is gonna hurt," Micky said as he pressed the cloth against Davy's leg. Davy bit his lip to keep from crying out and Micky's stomach did a few flips as he heard the sharp intake of breath Davy couldn't avoid. About a minute later, they heard the popping finally die down and a bustle of people outside. Mike opened the door carefully and saw that a bunch of employees, including the manager, were now outside in the hallway cleaning up the mess.
"Is anyone hurt?" Mr. Larson asked.
"Davy got hit," Mike said. Mr. Larson peered in the room and saw Micky holding the cloth against Davy's leg.
"We have a first aid kit," Mr. Larson said. "I'm terribly sorry about this. While I get the first aid kit, you should go to the dining car. It's not conducive for you all to be breathing this smoke in." Mike and Micky helped carry Davy out to the dining car, as it hurt to put any pressure on his leg. When they got to the dining car, they saw a couple more injured people, but most only had minor burns or scrapes; Davy was hurt the worst.
"Just so you know, Mike," Davy said trying to look defiant through the pain as Micky put the washcloth back on his leg. "This doesn't change my mind. If anything it makes me more determined to kick his butt."
"You got it, Tiny," Mike said with a laugh. Within a few minutes, an employee had come over to the group with a first aid kid and applied burn cream and a bandage to Davy's leg. They couldn't do anything else until they reached Portland. When they got there, they quickly boarded the new train, Micky helping Davy along while Mike went to the station manager to get a refund for the room they gave up. They found their rooms on the new train, and Mike and Davy lay down to try and get some rest. Micky, Peter and Piper continued trying to look through books in another cabin, but weren't able to do much for very long. An hour after the train had started, they heard a commotion outside. They tried to ignore it, but when a man ripped open the door and pointed a gun in their faces, they jumped up.
"Everyone out," the man barked. Micky, Peter and Piper ran out of the room and followed another man to the dining car on this train. Seconds later, Mike and Michelle walked in carrying Davy between them and Allison behind them with a third armed man.
"What do you guys want?" Micky asked as Mike and the others sat with them.
"Shut up," one of the men barked.
"We got no issues shooting any of you who make a move or try and play hero," another one said.
"Listen up, ladies and gentlemen," said a new man entering the dining car in a pin stripe suit and fedora. "You are all now our hostages. No one moves, or my friends here will not hesitate to shoot you. You hear me? You even so much as flinch, and they'll kill you."
"Hostages?" Mike asked.
"Yes, now shut up," the man said. "If everyone does what we tell them to, no one gets hurt and you all get to get off this train safe and sound in Spokane. It's that simple."
"More distractions?" Micky whispered.
"Undoubtedly," Mike answered.
"What do we do?" Peter asked.
"There's not really anything we can do," Mike answered. "Unless you think you can do something, Piper?"
"I don't think we should try," she answered. "There are too many people here who could get caught in a cross-fire. The Devil doesn't want to kill you, so this should just be a distraction. We do what they tell us, and we'll be fine."
"Yeah, but we won't get any research done," Davy argued.
"I think we need to be more concerned about all the innocent bystanders in here," Mike answered. "We still have the car ride to Hanson. I know it'll be uncomfortable and everything, but it's all we got. We let him win this battle, but that doesn't mean he'll win the war."
"Well said, Mike," Peter said with a smile.
"Hush up over there!" one of the gunmen barked. The next 7 hours were fairly uneventful; gunmen just sat in each corner of the dining car standing guard. Nobody moved for fear of getting shot at. They did allow people to play card games or checkers to pass the time, but that was about it. They allowed food to be delivered around 6 pm so people could get some dinner. All in all, up until they were about an hour outside of Spokane, nothing happened. But when the man who appeared to be the leader of the operation came back into the dining car, he ordered Micky to stand up and follow him.
"You there, fuzzy hair, come with me," he barked.
"What?" Micky asked. "Why me? Where?"
"Because I said so," he sneered. "We'll be rolling in the train station soon, and I need a shield."
"You can't do that!" Peter argued.
"Shut up, blondie," the man yelled. "Unless you want a bullet in your brain."
"It's ok, Pete," Micky said getting up and walking over to the leader. "I'll be ok."
"Just shut up and walk, fuzzy," the leader sneered. Micky followed one gunman up to the front of the train while the leader walked behind him. When they got to the front of the train, one of the gunmen pushed him into a chair and tied him to it.
"I thought you said I was going to be a shield?" Micky asked. "It's gonna be kinda hard to use me as a shield when I'm tied to a chair."
"Shut up," the leader barked. He snapped his fingers a few times and was handed a phone receiver by the man who'd tied Micky to the chair. "Alright, I've got one of the hostages, just so you know I ain't foolin' around. We arrive at the station in one hour and I want the money in a suitcase ready when we arrive. We'll send out the hostage to pick it up and once I'm satisfied the money's all there, we'll let the hostages go." He hung up rather quickly and looked rather pleased with himself.
"So you're gonna have me go get you the money and bring it back?" Micky asked.
"You're a clever one, aren't you?" one of the goons laughed. It reminded Micky somewhat of the idiotic laugh most goons they dealt with had.
"Well, what then?" Micky asked.
"If I get all my money, you all get to go free," the leader answered as if the question had been a stupid one.
"No, what I meant is, what happens after that?" Micky said. "You can't just walk outta the train station once you let us all go."
"I don't plan to," the leader sneered. "I'm gonna take this train and head for Canada."
"Oh, ok then," Micky said. "That's a good idea. If you can handle the cold and open wilderness up there. I'm sure they'll never catch you, cause if they did, they'd just send you right back down here."
"Shut up," the leader barked. "You kids are all annoying. And you don't know a damn thing." For the next hour, Micky stayed fairly quiet. He got bored and started humming, but stopped as soon as the leader shot him a scathing look. They finally pulled into the train station and the men untied Micky.
"Ok, so I just go get the briefcase now?" Micky asked.
"Yes, and I'll have my gun trained on your head, so you make one false move and I kill you," the leader said with a sick smile.
"Got it," Micky said. "I'll just…I'll just be right back then." Micky walked out onto the train platform that had been cleared of people except for federal agents and police officers. They all immediately trained guns on him and Micky threw up his hands to tell them he was unarmed.
"Are you one of the hostages?" a man holding a suitcase asked.
"Yeah, and I'm betting you're the man who's gonna give me the money to give those crooks," Micky answered.
"It's all there," the man said putting the suitcase on the ground and sliding it to Micky, obviously not wanting to get close in case Micky wasn't a hostage.
"Thanks buddy," Micky said. He knew where the gang was headed and figured he should probably tell the cops and agents so they could get a head start and cut the crooks off, but he wasn't sure if the gang could hear what he was saying, so he decided to speak in code. "Say, Canada's a nice place to visit. It's not too far from here, is it?" For good measure, he winked at the agent who'd slid him the briefcase.
"No, it isn't'," The man replied. Micky breathed a small sigh of relief thinking the message had indeed been passed on and turned with the suitcase to go back to the train where the gang was waiting for him. He handed the suitcase to the leader, who promptly threw it open to start counting money.
"Ok, so we can go now, right?" Micky asked.
"You talk too much," the leader said. Micky felt something solid make contact with his head and he passed out on the floor in a crumpled heap.