Chapter 4

Magnolia barely noticed the gun that was being held to her back. In the last 24 hours she had gone from heading to a relaxing vacation, to finding out that someone wanted to kill her, to finding out that the people who she thought she could trust were hired to kill her. It had been the literal definition of an emotional roller coaster. Now she was undoubtedly facing death again, and there was no one there that she could trust.

Glancing over her shoulder she peaked at the men she had previously trusted with her life. Despite the fact that they had tricked her, she couldn't help but feel that she had not been in danger while she had been with them. They had re-appeared just when Babyface's gang was about to kill her, and Micky had even risked his own life to distract them. Would a murderer do that? Mike had also spoken in length about their history, and that made it seem unlikely that he had any bad intentions.

But maybe their sacrifice and openness was all fake? What if they were creating stories and faking valiance to fool her into trusting them until they had the perfect opportunity to kill her? Sure they were being "captured" by Babyface, but were they really in alliance with him and only pretending to be scared for Micky and their lives.

A small sob from behind her focused her attention to Peter. Tears were streaming down his face, paired with the typical red eyes and runny nose that would be hard to fake. His face was so innocent and terrified, and every word she had heard him say before was heartfelt and compassionate. He had even been injured in the incident, which must be causing him pain the way the man behind him kept yanking on his arm.

Davy also seemed to be incapable of murder. While he had shown flashes of anger, it always came from a good place like worry for his friends. In fact, he had seemed more concerned with flirting with her earlier, which is an unusual trait of a criminal. Even now his face showed a mixture of fear, anger, and worry so intense it was hard to not believe.

Mike on the other hand looked stoic. He had been the one to fill Magnolia out on most of the missing information, and it was almost like he felt that she needed to know their history. Either he was incredibly good at making up stories, or they had been through a rough past. Sure it might make them seem more trustworthy, but if they really wanted her to be comfortable they wouldn't have made up such a dramatic story.

Feeling her eyes on him Mike glanced over, and for a moment she saw a glimmer of panic in his eyes. It quickly changed to a look of encouragement toward her before changing to thoughtfulness. She could practically see the gears turning as he tried to find a way out of their current predicament. Would someone who is trying to kill her work so hard at appearing hopeful?

"Move faster!" The goon covering Davy shoved him with his gun, causing his fists to ball up in anger.

"You do that again, I swear I'll…"

"Davy!" Mike's one word silenced the Monkee. It was clear that with these men any type of trouble would result in serious problems, so antagonising them could be dangerous.

The man snickered and jabbed Davy in the back again. "What are you going to do? Unless of course your mom won't let you!"

"Nothing." Davy whispered. This induced a round of laughter from everyone except Babyface who kept his ruthless glare.

"You hear that, Tony? If I touch him again, he'll do nothing!" More laughter followed, and Davy's eyes flashed before he suddenly swung out and punched the gangster in the eye. While his career in boxing had been short lived, he had actually gained a fair amount of knowledge in the sport, giving him the expertise enough to land a solid blow, throwing the man back. Within seconds a purple bruise began to form around his eye as he turned to glare at Davy.

"You'll be sorry for that, you little…"

"Who are you calling little?" Davy spat back. Now the the punch had been thrown there was no holding his temper back.

The gangster made a lunge for Davy, grabbing his head and slamming into the wall behind him. Ignoring Mike and Peter's yells behind him he raised his arm for a punch, but Babyface stopped him.

"Cool it, Mugsy! We can't kill him!"

"Why not, Babyface? I want to punch that impertinent grin off his face!"

"Because we'll be in big trouble if we do, that's why!"

So, Mr. Zero must be working directly with Babyface now! Mike observed I guess that means we don't have to worry about our lives, just Magnolia's!

"Just one little…?"

"No!"

"Fine. But can we at least knock him out?"

Babyface thought for a second before shrugging. "I guess so. Being harassed by these idiots wasn't in the agreement."

"But…" Peter opened is mouth to protest.

"Pete!" Mike hissed. Why did he have to be the only one with common sense?

"You both shut up, or you'll be next!" In one quick movement Mugsy used the butt of his gun to knock Davy's head, causing Peter to wince and turn away. There was nothing Mike or he could do as Davy was gathered up, and tossed unceremoniously over Mugsy's shoulder like a sack of potatoes (a position he was surprisingly accustomed to.) Once again the two Monkees and Magnolia were shoved off into the dark alleyways.

A thud from upstairs jerked Micky awake. Despite his uncomfortable position tied to the back of a chair lying on floor, he figured he needed rest in order to escape. His heart thudded as he heard thumps from the ceiling. Had the others come to save him? Was Babyface about to return and finish the job he had started? Maybe he had changed his mind about following Mr. Zero's orders? Micky's mind raced with all the possibilities.

Footsteps gradually became clearer, as well as shuffling and scraping. The door suddenly slammed open revealing Babyface and his gang...along with the other three Monkees and Magnolia.

"Mike! Davy! Pet - ow!" Micky winced as he was kicked in the ribs. He glowered at the assailant, counting to 10 in his head to keep himself from getting in more trouble.

"Micky!" Peter cried, twisting out of Mugsy's grip and running to Micky, pulling his chair up and wrapping him in a hug. Davy and Mike hung back, Davy looking a bit dazed from the knock on his head.

"Don't worry, Pete! They can't kill us! They're working with Mr. Zero, and he wants us alive!" Micky informed him, shaking his head as if it would relieve the fuzziness.

"Yeah, we know." Mike sounded despondent, which Micky did not like on his voice. Ignoring Peter who was jubilant about the reunion with his friend he glanced at Mike in concern.

"Don't be so excited about it! Mr. Zero has plans for you!" Babyface grinned.

"Oh, yeah?" Davy interjected. "What are they?" While the question was genuine, his tone was taunting.

Babyface scowled. "As if I would tell you!"

"He doesn't know!" Mike scoffed. "Honestly, Babyface, that surprises me coming from you! I'd think you wouldn't want to involve yourself in something that you don't have complete control over!"

In a flash of anger Babyface struck Mike across the face, causing his friends to all tense, but wisely stay back. "Don't ever question my control. I do what I please, and you better feel lucky that I am working WITH Mr. Zero, because if I wasn't you'd all be dead!"

Noting the emphasis on the word 'with' Mike couldn't help but smile, despite the fact that his nose was possibly broken. Babyface's defensiveness just clued him off that he was extremely sensitive about the fact that he wasn't getting to call the shots. The fact the Babyface wanted them dead was clearly the truth, but he was so fearful of the actual devil that he hadn't done it yet, even though he could have multiple times.

Babyface's eyes narrowed as his recent attack seemed to have no effect on his prisoners disposition. In a flash of anger he forgot everything he swore to Mr. Zero when they first met. An enraged cry ripped from his throat as he grabbed Mike's neck, determined to choke the complacent smirk of his face.

Before Peter or Davy had a chance to rush over and free their friend a puff of smoke announced a new arrival.

"Put him down!"

Babyface froze, and tightened his grip for a second before releasing Mike. Gasping for air Mike quickly moved away, into the awaiting embrace of his friends. Magnolia did not include herself, although she was becoming more confident by the second that these men were trustworthy.

"I've warned you…" Mr. Zero felt no need to finish his threat as Babyface was clearly caught between obeying the powerful villain or maintaining his ruthless image in front of his biggest foes. Having little choice he forced himself to relax, but made no response.

Turning to the quartet, Mr. Zero's expression changed from stern anger to smugness.

"I presume you four have taken the time that I have graciously permitted you to rethink your decision?"

"Never in a million years!" Peter's boldness took the Monkees by surprise. The pent up emotion from walking in on Micky tied up and on the floor, watching Davy get knocked out, his own shoulder injury, and Mike getting mistreated by Babyface was causing him to ignore his fear. "We would rather die!"

"Well, that's a distinct possibility." Mr. Zero grinned to himself as the familiar line cause them to bristle.

"No! You said that you don't want us dead!" Peter pointed out, earning a nudge from Davy.

Mr. Zero's smile widened. "No, I said I'd make your last days a living hell. The moment I get bored with this little game I can have every one of you killed. As I've said in the past, you have many enemies that want you dead, and each of them would be willing to perform the task themself."

Taking the Monkees silence and acknowledgement of his statement he turned to Babyface. "I need you to keep them down here. I am bringing in some old 'friends' of theirs, who have already informed them that they would meet again." Facing the Monkees he addressed them. "Ever since you last left his presence he has been working on a new experiment, and one of you will he his first guinea pig. Or perhaps something else…" With an evil laugh Mr. Zero disappeared again in a puff of smoke.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Micky wondered, coughing away the leftover fumes of Mr. Zero's dramatic exit.

"I think I know…" Mike sighed.

Babyface glared at the front door of the building, willing it to remain closed and not permit the entrance of these "friends" Mr. Zero had been talking about. Having left the Monkees and Magnolia downstairs he was waiting to see what Mr. Zero's next part of the plan was.

The building they were currently in was an old hotel that had gone bankrupt at least a decade prior. The owner was in trouble for other financial issues, and therefore he had deserted it, leaving behind everything. While each of the rooms was completely furnished and some of Mr. Zero's minions had done a hurried cleanup, the rooms still felt dingy and musty, an condition Babyface was accustomed too.

The state of the rooms was the least of Babyface's worries however. Rather, the fact that Mr. Zero had insisted on using a location that could hold an abundance of people was. When the agreement had first been made he had assumed that it was between Mr. Zero and himself, but it was becoming clearer that many more people were going to be involved. Babyface was not used to being kept in the dark, and to him it was a blow to his reputation. Especially as the Monkees were determined to ridicule him for his lack of control.

A knock on the door caused Babyface to jump before grudgingly opening it to reveal the visitors. And old man in a lab coat and glasses filled the doorway, followed by a much shorter man that stood with a hunch.

"Hello. I am Doctor Mendoza. I was told to expect a room to be ready for me and my valet." He spoke with an accent that Babyface suspected was greatly exaggerated.

Although he wanted to slam the door in their faces he stepped aside and let them in. Without a word he handed Dr. Mendoza the key to a room and sat back down in his chair, making in clear that he would be no more help.

"The service here is terrible! Is this how you would treat a great scientist!" Mendoza threw up his hands, almost hitting Groot in the face. With a glare Babyface regarded him.

"I don't work here; I'm staying here. There is no staff. Go find your own room."

Dr. Mendoza said something in another language, causing Babyface to tense. It was one thing letting other people in on the plan, but if they were going to insult him in an unknown language there was going to be issues.

"Oh, good! I'm so glad you two have been able to meet!" Mr. Zero appeared in the middle of the room, cutting off their view of each other. "Babyface, this is Dr. Mendoza, the creator of a concoction that we are about to test out. Dr. Mendoza, this is Babyface, the most vicious gangster in America."

Dr. Mendoza snorted. "Only in America, huh?"

"Oh, I'm sure you have some vicious killers from where you're from, but I do my crimes with purpose and not barbarously!"

"Master, don't forget about me? Groot?" The shorter man intervened.

Paying him no attention Mr. Zero continued. "As I informed you Dr. Mendoza, two more visitors are on their way, and they will supply the last ingredients that you need to complete your brew!"

"Wonderful, wonderful! I look forward to meeting them!"

The Monkees and Magnolia had been left downstairs with a guard at the door. The tiny window only served as a way to let light in, so keeping the prisoners tied up was not a concern. The Monkees took this to their advantage and had quickly untied Micky from the banged up chair and finally had a moment to assess the damage.

Babyface and his gang had been kind enough to quickly wrap Micky's wound in an effort to keep him from bleeding out. Mike had cleaned up what he could, but it was difficult without any water or bandages. They finally settled on a piece of torn shirt, wrapped tightly, to keep enough pressure on the wound and stop the little bleeding left. Micky had a few more bruises, but nothing that seemed particularly concerning. Peter's shoulder was covered with a large purple bruise, but he insisted that it barely hurt at all. Davy's head sported a hefty bump which he described as "the size of a cricket ball". The statement immediately brought on an argument where Micky insisted that it was only the size of a golf ball and that Davy was just so small that it looked larger. Mike jumped back in, telling them both to shut up, which brought attention to his raspy voice from Babyface's attack.

Magnolia sat back quietly watching the band members pull themselves together. She decided that for now she could assume they were trustworthy, since they were in the same predicament that she was in. They seemed like such an interesting group. Already they were teasing each other and making jokes about how Mike's new "sexy voice" would help them on their next song. It was obvious that they had been through a lot already, since being stuck in a mobster's basement didn't terrify them as much as it did her.

The room had fallen into silence as everyone thought about any possible escape. Micky had suggested a few outlandish ideas (dig a hole through the floor, blast the window in, make a flare out of Mike's shoes…) but the mood had gotten serious.

"Who do you think the friends Mr. Zero referred to are?" Asked Peter, now that he understood that "friends" was a sarcastic term.

"He said someone who wants to experiment with us, which could only mean Dr. Mendoza." Said Mike with a sigh. This thought scared him, as there would be nothing to do if one of the guys got harmed in the experiment. The fact that it was an experiment meant that there would be no known fix.

"Who is Dr. Mendoza?" Asked Magnolia, surprised to hear of yet another Monkee enemy.

"He is a scientist that asked us to come teach his Frankenstein's monster how to be a normal teenager." Micky offered. "It turned out to be a trick where he transferred our music skills into the monster and make him what Dr. Mendoza referred to as 'zee greatest rock und roll singer in zee world.' Not sure why he chose us, though. The Beatles would have been better… Anyway, we were able to go back to the lab and switch everything back. We got Dr. Mendoza arrested, and I'm sure he's not very happy about that…"

"Do you always get yourselves into messes like this?" Magnolia wondered out loud.

Mike nodded. "On a weekly basis!"

"Why? It doesn't sound like it's working well for you!"

With a laugh Micky shook his head. "It's not by choice. The bad guys either involve us, or the authorities force us to be involved!"

"Then why don't you let them know that all your enemies are after you?" Magnolia asked.

"And have them laugh in our face? Or better yet, impersonate them, or use us as bait, or fine us for being in the wrong place? No siree, Bob baby!" Mike and the Monkees had learned quickly that their quality of life was worthless to the authorities. Long-haired weirdos were expendable.

"Oh." Magnolia signed. She had no idea how the quartet had survived this long. The idea of her putting them in danger was beginning to weigh heavy on her. All five sat in silence, either trying to think of a way out, contemplating the harsh life that the Monkees lead, or wondering how quickly Mike would notice if his guitar strings were switched upside down.

As Magnolia opened her mouth to offer a suggestion the door suddenly swung open. Babyface and Mr. Zero appeared at the top of the stairs, and as they stepped down to the first step the Monkees' fears were revealed. Dr. Mendoza and Groot followed, bringing the next pair of visitors into view.

With a gasp Mike put together the two sets of villains and knew what was about to happen.

"Davy!" He whispered, standing protectively in front of the Englishman. Glaring at the new arrivals Mike seemed to be shooting imaginary daggers into them.

"Ah! I'm so glad you remember us!" The count exclaimed, shadowed closely by his niece, Lorelei.

At first Micky was confused by Mike's sudden protectiveness for Davy, but then he remembered.

"Who in the WORLD are you?" Mike asked in surprise. The young woman wearing white answered with a slight smile.

"I am the doctor's beautiful daughter!"

"Oh!" Micky glanced at Mike in confusion. "Well, what do you have to do with all this?" He motioned around to the surroundings.

"Nothing! I'm in the sequel!"

Her response had been confusing, only slightly clarified later when Micky returned to the closet after they had discovered what the doctor had done to their musical abilities.

"Your father stole our voices and gave them to that monster! Now what do you think of that?" Micky inquired.

Glancing up from her script she smiled again. "Wait'll you see the sequel. The vampire turns Davy into a werewolf!"

This must be the sequel. Micky also rose to stand between Davy and the small crowd of people. Although Peter had not yet figured out what was going on, he could tell Davy was in trouble, so he also stood, pursing his lips into the most menacing look he could muster.

"Oh, Davy? Don't you miss me?" Lorelei moaned.

"Oh, sure, love! And I miss cleaning the stables after the horses!" Davy's response did not seem to bother Lorelei however.

"You will not be able stand in our way! The experiment must be performed!" Dr. Mendoza declared, getting impatient.

"Fine! Then you can turn me into a werewolf!" Peter retorted.

"Wait! How did you know?" The count looked confused.

Peter shrugged. "Call it a lucky guess." So he has figured it out! Micky smiled in pride for his friend.

"It does not matter! We want him!" Lorelli pointed dramatically at Davy, with at determined smirk.

"Over my dead body!" Declared Davy, drawing his fist back for a punch.

"No, Davy!" Cried Mike, grabbing the shorter boys wrist. "Keep your temper down!" He whispered in Davy's ear. Attacking the captors would just make the situation worse.

Babyface and his gang stepped forward to grab Davy, as he struggled against Mike's grip. The approaching men caused Mike to panic, and he quickly pulled Davy behind him, still struggling. Peter and Magnolia quickly followed suit and stood between the goons and Davy. Their efforts were useless, as the goons quickly shoved Peter to the floor, punched Mike in the face causing him to lose his grip and stumble, and tossed Magnolia aside and into Micky's waiting arms.

Davy was dragged, struggling, from the room, and the vampires, mobsters, and Dr. Mendoza quickly followed, closing the door with a slam. Mike ran to the door, and banged desperately, despite knowing that it wouldn't help. Giving up, he turned around and sat with his back against the door.

The situation just kept getting worse and worse. They had finally found Micky, and already Davy was gone. Mike felt helpless. No matter how hard he tried, the other band members kept getting in trouble. Mike was a failure, and it was getting exhausting continuously letting the guys down. He rested his head against the door and closed his eyes, trying to think of any possible ways of escape.

Davy was shoved violently into a separate room in the old house. As much as he felt terrified about being alone without Mike or the other guys to help him, his anger at the unjustified treatment they were all getting was beginning to cloud his vision. He attempted another punch, but Mugsy easily blocked it.

"Just stop trying." He growled. "You ain't getting away this time. "

The door slammed closed, leaving Davy, Dr. Mendoza, the vampires, and Groot alone in the room.

"Groot, tie him down." Dr. Mendoza ordered.

The small man hurriedly did as he was instructed, overcoming Davy's struggling and tying him securely to a chair.

"You can't...Leave me alone!" Davy yelled.

Ignoring Dr. Mendoza continued. "Do you have the concoction?" Dr. Mendoza said to the vampire, holding his hand out expectantly.

"I have it right here!" The Count handed a vial of purple liquid to the scientist and laughed gleefully. "I trust that it will be effective! I invented it myself."

"It had better." Dr. Mendoza stated flatly. "I am creating the world's first man created werewolf. It will bring many advancements!"

The Count hesitated. "...What kind of advancements?"

"Some great movie blockbusters."

"Oh."

Dr. Mendoza turned to Davy. "Now, don't worry. This should hurt quite a bit."

Laughing to himself he inserted the contents of the vial into a large syringe, and plunged the needle deep into Davy's arm. Davy yelped and struggled harder against the chair.

"You'll never get away with this!" He yelled, tears already springing into his eyes.

"I believe I already have." Responded Dr. Mendoza with a laugh. "Take him back."

Groot untied Davy, who started struggling again, but was quickly overcome with nausea, and collapsed against the assistant. Groot dragged Davy back to the basement, unceremoniously pushing him down the stairs and slamming the door with an evil grin.

The Monkees rushed over to their friend, who was starting to shake.

"Davy! What's wrong?" Cried Peter.

Instead of responding, Davy keeled over and started violently vomiting.