By: Mickys411 and Lisa    Rated G

The Monkees had spent an entire morning practicing for an up-coming show and had decided to spend the afternoon doing their own things.
Peter was watching a western movie on TV that he wanted to see for a while, Micky was working with his chemistry kit, even though the guys told him not to use it, with Mike and Davy were getting groceries, and Peter engrossed in his movie, this gave Micky the perfect opportunity to use it.
Micky was in the middle of mixing some liquid into a beaker, when the door opened.
"Micky, are you using you're chemistry set again?" asked Mike.
"Didn't you learn your lesson from the last time?" asked Davy.
"It was an accident," said Micky, giving his friends one of his best smiles.
"Never mind, can you and Peter please give us a hand with the groceries."
"Sure, it's a commercial break," said Peter, and he and Micky went out to help Mike and Davy bring the bags in.
"You know Micky, you should really get rid of that thing because something will happen," said Davy.
"Yes, please get rid of that chemistry set," said Mike.
"Relax guys, I know what I'm doing," said Micky.
He then grabbed a 'glass' and began to drink out of it.
"Yuck, this was some bitter tasting soda," said Micky.
He looked to see that he took a drink out of one of his beakers instead of his glass of coke-a-cola.
Micky then gulped in worry.
"What's wrong Micky?" Peter asked, looking at his friend.
"I just drank something out of my beaker," Micky answered.
"I told you something was going to happen," said Davy.
"Never mind that now," said Mike.
The guys then helped Micky to the couch. Micky took a few deep breaths and some sweat trickled from his forehead, but a few moments later, he was fine.
"Well, no harm done," he said.
"That was close," said Mike.
"You can say that again," said Davy.
"That was close," said Peter.
Davy about to say something, but decided to skip it.
"Would you like some water, Micky?" Davy asked.
"Yes thank you, my throat is a little dry." Micky replied.
Davy got a glass of water from the sink and handed it to Micky. He took the glass and drank the water down.
"Ah, thanks Davy." Micky said...then crushed the glass with his hand.
"Ahh!" Micky said, jumping up and letting the broken glass fall on the floor.
"Are you okay, Micky?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, my hands aren't cut." Micky said, "But why did that glass break?"
"Must've had a weak spot in it." Mike said, looking disturbed.
"We better hurry and clean that mess, Babbit's coming!" Micky exclaimed.
"Micky, Babbitt's visiting his brother and sister in law." Davy said. "He said he'd be away all week."
Just then, there was a pounding on the door. "Open up, your rent is due!" Babbitt shouted.
Davy quickly pushed the broken glass under the couch while Mike went to open the door.
Babbitt marched into the pad, glaring as usual.
"Ohh...Mr. Babbitt, you said you'd be away all week." Mike said.
"I did, and then I remembered it was time to collect the rent." Babbitt replied curtly, "You do have it, don't you?"
Mike nodded and got the rent money from the chest of drawers. He handed it to the landlord who counted it out and wrote out a receipt. Without a word, Babbitt left the pad, slamming the door behind him.
But the Monkees were not worried about Mr. Babbitt...they were beginning to wonder about Micky.
"You know Micky, since you drank that stuff, you've been acting strange," said Davy.
"What to you mean?" asked Micky.
"Well, first that glass broke in your hand but you didn't cut yourself, then you got that feeling that Babbitt was coming and he did," said Mike.
"Yeah you have to admit it is kind of weird," said Peter.
"Now that you guys mention it, it is odd," said Micky.
"Micky, what was in that stuff you drank anyway?" asked Mike.
"To tell you the truth, I was so busy mixing stuff I lost count of what into it."
"Is there anyway you can remember?" Peter asked.
"Maybe I can check something out," said Micky.
He then not walked but zoomed as quickly as lightening to his lab.
"How did I get here so fast?" Micky asked.
"You zoomed," said Peter.
Micky then took his microscope out of his box and set it up on the table.
"Micky, what are you doing?" asked Davy.
"I'm going to check something out," Micky answered.
He then poked his finger, placed a drop of blood on a plate and placed it under the microscope.
After looking for a few moments, Micky then gave an answer.
"Whatever it was I drank, it must had a lot of compounds, causing me to develop a lot of iron in my blood," he said.
"I don't think it's iron Micky," said Mike.
"But stronger," Davy added.
"Seems like Micky has super powers like the comic book super heroes," said Peter.
"Peter that's silly," said Davy.
"No, I think Peter may be on to something," said Mike.
"I am?" asked Peter.
"Yes, maybe if we give Micky a few tests we can determine whether or not that stuff really did give him super powers."
"Sounds like a good plan to me," said Davy.
"Same here," said Micky.
"Ok, let's begin, said Mike, Micky, if you really do have super, see if you can lift up the couch, without our help and with one arm.
Micky then approached the couch, he took a good grip on the side with his right hand, and sure enough, he had no trouble lifting the couch up with one hand.
Davy, Peter and Mike just looked in shock.
"Let's try another test now," said Mike, trying to remain calm.
"Before you put the couch down Micky, I want to clean up that glass." Davy said.
Micky waited until Davy had scooped up all the broken glass and then set the couch down. He walked over to Mike.
"What do you want me to do now?" Micky asked, also starting to get scared.
"Can you fly up to the top of the stairs?" Mike asked.
"I don't know, let me try..." Micky said. "Up, up and away!"
Micky jumped up and soared to the top of the stairs. He then leaped off the stairs and flew around the room until he crashed into the curtains.
"You okay, Micky?" Peter asked.
"I'm fine, Peter." Micky laughed, grabbing the curtains and throwing them around his shoulders like a cape. "I think I'll call myself "Super Monkee!"
"Micky, we're glad that you have these new found powers, but do you think you could put the curtains back?" asked Mike.
"How come?" Micky asked.
"Well, I think we better keep your powers a secret."
"Yeah, plus you look silly wearing the curtains to you know," said Davy.
Micky then took the curtains, flew up to the window, and placed them back on.
Peter then threw something at him.
"What's with the duster Peter?" Micky asked.
"Since you're up there, you can clean behind the window shades," said Peter.
Just then, Micky picked up a sound in his ear.
"Help!" the voice called.
"Did you hear that?" Micky asked the guys.
"Hear what?" asked Davy.
"I didn't hear a thing," said Mike.
"Same here," said Peter.
"Someone just called for help," said Micky.
He landed back on the ground, the dashed out the door.
Micky raced to a small girl who was looking up a tall tree.
"Whiskers, please come down," the girl called out.
Micky knelt down to the child's height and asked," What's the matter?"
"My kitty Whiskers chased a chipmunk up a tree, now she stuck up there." The girl began to cry.
"Don't worry, I'll get your cat down," said Micky.
He then took a giant leap up and came back down a few seconds later holding a fluffy, white fur cat.
"Whiskers!" the girl cried happily.
"Here's your cat.," said Micky handing the cat to the girl.
"Thank you Mister, you were like Superman flying up the tree to get my kitty down.”
Just then, a man wearing a suit and hand, holding a camera approached Micky.
"Sir, I saw what you did and that was amazing,” said the man.
"Thank you sir, said Micky, By the way who are you?"
"I'm a reporter for the local newspaper and I'd like to do a story about you."
Micky thought for a minute, the guys told him to keep his powers a secret, but it was nice of the reporter to notice his new talents, so he decided to go along. The reporter took photos of Micky repeating the move he used to get the cat from the tree.

The next day, in a seedy part of town, a man was watching TV in his dilapidated apartment. The door opened and another much taller man clomped in, clutching a newspaper. The man watching tv looked over at the other man.
"I hope you didn't damage the paper box too much this time, Boris" He said.
Boris just grunted and handed the slightly shredded paper to him, then sat down on the dirty couch.
The first man began to flip through the pages, seeing if there was something he and Boris could make a fast buck from. On the last page, there was a man climbing a tree. The man was about to throw the paper away, when the caption caught his eye.
"Man shows super-powers to rescue kitten from tree." He read. "Micky Dolenz shows how he jumped up 20 feet to save kitten." The man looked up from his paper and gave Boris an evil smile.
"I remember that man. He stopped us from shafting Mrs. Witherspoon with that phony séance." He crumpled up the paper. "Now I think we'll use him to our advantage."

Meanwhile at the pad, the Monkees also got the paper with Micky's story in it, and needless to say the guys were not too happy about it.
"Micky, you were supposed to keep your powers a secret," said Mike.
"Mike, what was I suppose to do, that little girl needed my help," Micky answered.
"Micky, it was very nice that you did something good," said Peter.
"But now everyone knows you have super powers," said Davy.
"Come on guys, I bet nobody read that story,” said Micky, “By the way Babbit's coming."
Seconds later, there was a knock at the door.
"Open the door now!" shouted a voice.
Mike opened the door and sure enough it was Babbitt.
"Good morning Mr. Babbitt," said Peter.
"Is there anything we can do for you?" asked Davy.
"Yes, I read the story about you," Babbitt said, pointing to Micky.
Micky gulped.
Mike gave a little laugh. "Yeah, um...Micky thought it would be a great way to get publicity for the group, right, Mick?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I just pretended to climb that tree real fast, Mr. Babbitt." Micky said quickly, "That photographer bought it! The camera angle makes it look different than what really happened." Micky began to laugh, and the other Monkees joined in.
"I thought so." Babbitt growled, shaking his head, "A long-haired weirdo like you having super-powers!" Babbitt began to laugh too, and continued to laugh all the way back to his house.
Davy shut the door with a big sigh of relief.
"That was close, Micky." He said, "Good thing he didn't believe the picture."
"Well, how can I get rid of these powers?" Micky asked.
"Can't you make up an antidote?" Peter asked.
"I don't even know what I put into my super-hero potion in the first place!" Micky exclaimed. "But...I do know baking soda is often used to nullify a lot of things."
"If you made an antidote with baking soda in it, you might make an antidote?" Mike asked this time.
"It's worth a try." Davy said, looking in the kitchen cupboards. "But we're all out."
"We're out of a lot of things, Davy." Micky said, "I'll go and get some at the store."
"No, I'll go." Davy said, "We can't risk you being recognized by people. I'll be back soon." He grabbed his jacket and left the pad. He didn’t know Elmer and Boris were watching him. Elmer was wearing a false mustache, and Boris was in the back seat.
"There's one of them now." Elmer said to Boris, "You know what to do?"
As usual, Boris just grunted.
Elmer hit the gas and soon was driving up by Davy.
"Excuse me, young man." Elmer said. "Can you help me?"
"Sure." Davy said coming to a stop, "Are you lost?"
"Sort of, I'm looking for Micky Dolenz." Elmer replied, "He's supposed to live nearby."
"No, sorry." Davy lied, "Never heard of the bloke."
"Are you sure?" Elmer persisted, "I have an offer he can't resist."
Despite not wanting to reveal Micky's identity, Davy's interest was peaked.
"What kind of offer?" Davy asked, coming closer to Elmer's car.
Suddenly, Boris reached out through the back window and pulled Davy inside. "Hey, let go!" Davy shouted, but Boris put a huge hand over his mouth.
Davy got a good look at the man who had grabbed him and his eyes went wide when he recognized Boris.
"My offer?" Elmer said, as he put the car in gear and sped away, "We will keep you alive as long as he does what I say!"

An hour later, Micky, Peter and Mike were frantically pacing the pad.
"Where's Davy?" Mike said, "It shouldn't have taken him this long to go to the store and back!"
"Can't you detect him, Micky?" Peter asked.
"No...wait!" Micky said suddenly, "Someone's coming now!"
Mike threw open the front door...to see Boris standing there.
"YAAAH!!" The three Monkees screamed.
Boris said nothing, just held out a piece of paper. Micky snatched it out of Boris' hand before the giant knew what happened. Boris then left the pad.
"To Micky Dolenz. We have your friend Davy." Micky said, reading the note, "Do not call the police or else! Come to the old planetarium alone or you will not see your friend alive again. Elmer."
"Poor Davy, what are we going to do?" sniffed Peter.
"You mean what I am going to do?' asked Micky.
"What do you mean?" asked Mike.
"I'm the one who made up that stupid formula that gave me super powers and now Davy's in trouble and it's all my fault. I gotta do this alone."
“Micky, you can’t!” said Peter.
"Yeah, it's too dangerous," said Mike.
"I don't care, I gotta save Davy," said Micky.
He walked out the door and flew off into the sky, with Peter and Mike watching him go.

Micky flew around for some time, before reaching the old planetarium.
"There it is," he said to himself.
Micky flew down and was able to get a peak through one of the broken windows.
He could see Davy tied to a chair, as well as Elmer and Boris. Elmer then approached Davy.
"Let's hope that friend of yours gets here soon, or you'll be in big trouble," said Elmer with an evil laugh.
Micky didn't like what was going on and with that, he dived through a broken window.
Davy was happy to see his friend.
"Micky! Boy am I glad to see you!" he said.
Micky then used his strength to break Davy free from the ropes he was tied with. He then looked up at Elmer.
"Ok Elmer, let my friend go, it's me you want," said Micky.
"I was going to, but I thought he might tell the police so maybe we should keep him here with you," said Elmer.
"Davy run!" Micky screamed.
Davy did just that, and although Boris chased after him, Davy was quicker and made it out the door.
Micky was relieved that Davy made it out, but was now scared for his own safety.
Boris then grabbed Micky and held him tightly. Micky tried to escape but Boris was much stronger.
"Now we can begin my plans, but first I'd like to run some tests on you," said Elmer laughing into Micky's face.
Micky did not like where this was going.

Davy ran as fast as he could down the lane away from the old planetarium. He looked back to see if either Boris or Elmer were coming after him. Seeing that no one was following, he slowed down to a jog until he reached an intersection.
Since the astronomers needed a place away from city lights, the planetarium was built out in the country. Thus, there was no place for Davy to make a phone call. While Davy caught his breath, he decided to what to do. He would head over to the new, modern planetarium a few miles away and see if he could find help there.
Suddenly, he heard a car roaring up toward him. Fearing it was Elmer and Boris, Davy jumped into a ditch on the side of the road. He poked his head up out of the ditch and was greatly relieved to see the Monkeemobile. Davy jumped out of the ditch and flagged down the car.
Mike and Peter jumped out of the Monkeemobile and gave Davy a big hug.
"Boy are we glad to see you!" Peter cried.
"Where's Micky?" Mike asked.
"He's still back there." Davy said, pointing to the planetarium, which could just barely be seen through the trees. "Elmer and Boris must've grabbed him after he freed me."
"Oh boy." Mike said, running his hand down his face, "Now what do we do?"
"Micky has super powers." Peter said, "Maybe he'll be able to free himself."
"But he may have limits on those powers, Peter." Mike said. "Or a weakness." "Like Superman does, his weakness is Kryptonite?" Peter asked.
Mike and Davy nodded.

Meanwhile, Elmer and Boris were testing Micky to see what kind of super powers he possessed. Since they knew Micky could fly, they had him lift heavy objects and use his super hearing to tell them what sounds he heard. Micky kept listening for any sounds of rescue, but he didn't hear or detect anyone.

Meanwhile back at the car, all the guys can do is worry about their friend.
"What are we going to do about Micky?" asked Peter.
"I don't know old buddy," said Mike.
"I just hope he's ok," said Davy.
"Same here."
"Me too," said Peter.
Just then a thought popped into his head.
"Hey wait a minute."
"What is it Peter?" asked Davy.
"You guys mentioned that it could be possible that Micky can have some kind of weakness?"
"Yeah," said Mike.
"I think I know what Micky weakness can be," said Peter.
"You do?" asked Davy.
"Yes."
"Well, then to the planetarium!" said Mike, pressing on the gas pedal with all his might.

Back at the hideout, Elmer and Boris were still testing Micky's powers.
"Come on you, pick up a sound, I don't have all day!" Elmer backed.
Although Micky could just fly or race away, he know he couldn't because he would be in serious trouble.
"I just have this feeling me friends will be here soon," Micky said.
"Ha! that's a laugh!" snapped Elmer.
Little did Micky know, Mike, Peter and Davy had pulled the car up to the planetarium.

"You guys know what to do?" Mike asked his band mates.
Davy and Peter nodded and the three of them went off in separate directions around the planetarium.

"Why are you testing my powers?" Micky asked Elmer. "I've shown you what I can do."
"I just want to make sure you're capable of doing what I want." Elmer replied.
"And what's that?" Micky asked.
"Oh nothing much...like robbing the Federal Reserve Bank of its gold." Elmer laughed.
"I can't do that!" Micky exclaimed.
"Why not?" Elmer said menacingly.
"Well...it's illegal." Micky stuttered.
Suddenly, Micky realized his friends were nearby. He tried to hide his worry, but Elmer caught his expression.
"What's the matter?" Elmer snapped, "Is someone here?"
"Hey Elmer!" Davy yelled from a catwalk above, "Elmer's glue! Come and get me!"
Elmer's face darkened. He HATED being called that! Boris began to go after Davy, but Elmer called him back.
"Watch Mr. Superhero, I'll take care of the kid." He ordered.
Boris nodded and grabbed Micky by the arms, pinning them to his side.

Elmer then began to chase after Davy.
"Come back here!" Elmer shouted.
Just as Elmer had caught up to Davy, Peter yelled out to him.
"Come and get me Elmer!" he called out.
Elmer forgot about Davy and began to get Peter.
"Come here you!" Elmer cried.
Elmer was now after Peter and then Mike called out to him.
"Hey Elmer, looking for me?" he yelled.
"You come here!" Yelled Elmer.
Elmer began to chase after Mike.
Just as he was about to catch up to Mike, Davy showed up.
Elmer then began to go after Davy again.
And shortly after Elmer began his hunt for Davy, Peter appeared again.
Pretty soon, Elmer was going after Davy, and Peter, then Mike again.
With all this running around going back and forth a different monkee, Elmer got dizzy and had to sit down on the catwalk.
The three Monkees met up with one another and shook hands, the first part of their plan was done. Now they had to help Micky.

Micky meanwhile was trying his best to fight off Boris.
Although he had his powers, Boris was bigger and stronger.
Micky then gripped onto Boris's arms and with all his might, he threw him off.
Boris flew across the room and crashed into a wall.
Micky then got himself up and said," That was close."
Just then he saw some familiar people coming towards him.
Micky was happy because he know who they were.
"Fellas, boy am I glad to see you!" he said.
"You ok?" asked Peter.
"Yes." Micky replied
"Micky, we think we know what can help you get out of this mess," said Mike. "You do?" asked Micky.
He looked a bit confused.
"Yes, you have super powers like Superman right?" asked Davy.
"Yeah." Micky answered.
"And like all super heroes, they all have weakness right?' asked Peter.
"Yeah."
Micky was still have a hard time understanding.
"Well, we think know what your weakness is," said Mike.
Micky then had a feeling what the guys had in mind.

Boris was slowly getting to his feet from being thrown against the wall. Micky looked over at the angry giant and then back at his friends.
"I'm not sure this is a good time to tell me my weakness." Micky said.
"But if you're normal again, Elmer and Boris won't want you anymore." Mike insisted.
"Well, what is it?" Micky asked.
Peter pulled a bottle out from behind his back. "Orange juice, Micky." He said, "You drink it all the time, you even put it on your cereal."
"Gimme that!" Micky exclaimed, but just then Boris charged the group and they had to scatter.
Boris went after Davy, but Micky flew into the air and pulled Davy up and away from the giant. Micky flew Davy up to a high catwalk.
"Stay here, I have to do this alone." Micky said.
"But Micky..." Davy started to say, but Micky flew away again.
Boris was now chasing Peter. Micky flew down and grabbed Peter away from him. Setting Peter down on another catwalk, he took the bottle of OJ from Peter's hand.
"I'll take that." Micky smiled.
"Not now, Micky." Peter said, "You need to defeat Boris first."
"Oh a little sip won't hurt." Micky said, ripping open the top. He ended up drinking most of the bottle.
"Help!" Mike cried as Boris closed in on him.
Micky jumped off the catwalk and tried to fly, but he just barely managed to land on the ground without getting hurt.
"Oh no. I'm losing my strength." Micky said to himself. Still, he ran over to Boris and tried to get him away from Mike.
Boris simply pushed Micky to the side.
"Run Mike!" Micky called out.
Boris picked Micky up and began to shake him. Elmer came running over.
"What's the matter, Dolenz?" He sneered, "Losing your powers?"
Micky kicked out and hit Boris in the chest. Boris dropped Micky, who just lay on the ground panting.
"If you don't have your strength anymore, perhaps we have no more use for you." Elmer said menacingly.
Micky gulped and wondered what Elmer meant by that.

"Boris, come here now!" Elmer snapped.
Boris rushed to Elmer.
"Looks like the kid is no good for us anymore."
Boris and Elmer then looked at Micky with evil grins.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Oh you'll see," said Elmer with a laugh.
"Help!” Micky cried out.
He looked around but couldn’t find his friends.
"Somebody help!"
Just then, everything began to scramble.
"Somebody help!" Micky mumbled in his sleep.
"Micky!" cried Davy, shaking his friend.
"Mick, wake up." said Mike.
Micky woke up, and looked around. He wasn't at the planetarium, but on the couch at the pad.
"What happened?" Micky asked.
"You were having a nightmare," said Peter.
"How did I get here?"
"You fainted," said Mike.
"I fainted?" Micky asked.
"Yes, after you found out you drank that stuff you mixed up," said Davy.
"No, I got superpowers."
"What are you talking about?"
"Then that must had been some dream I had."
"Tell us then what happened," said Peter.
Micky then told the guys about the dream he had that he had superpowers and that his weakness was OJ.
"Wow, that's was some dream you had Micky," said Peter.
"Yeah, it would had been cool though if I did had super powers," said Micky.
"Hey what about us?" asked Davy.
"Yeah, maybe we want to have powers as well," said Peter.
"Then you all would had been my sidekicks, Micky answered, The Mighty Midget, Wonder Wool cap and Torkman."
"And I think we had the perfect name for you Mick.” said Mike with an evil grin.
"Really, what is it?" asked Micky.
"Aqua Monkee."
"Why would you call me that?"
Before Micky can get answer, Peter, Mike and Davy picked him up and carried him outside.
Moments later Mike, Peter and Davy entered the pad laughing hysterically, followed by an unhappy Micky who was completely soaked. It turned out the guys took him to the beach and threw him into the water.
"Well Micky hope you learned you lesson about using your chemistry set." said Mike.
"I sure have," Micky answered.
"By the way, what was the stuff you mixed turned out to be anyway?" asked Micky.
Micky went to his kit and mixed the exact same stuff he mixed together earlier. After that, Micky took a sniff of the formula and began to laugh.
"What's so funny?" asked Peter.
"The stuff I mixed was actually the exact ingredients to root beer, no wonder it had a bitter taste to it," Micky answered with a laugh, causing his band mates to laugh with him.
And Micky did learn his lesson on using his chemistry set, for now anyway...

The End

By: Lisa, Mickys411 and DavidForever   Rated PG

The Monkeemobile raced its way down the hot, dusty highway. It had been a long drive from Malibu, but now the journey was almost at an end. Suddenly, a sign loomed up on the side of the road. It said, "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas".
The Monkees stopped the car and had their pictures taken in front of the sign and then continued onward.
It wasn't long afterwards that they reached Las Vegas Blvd South, more commonly known as 'The Strip'. The guys were in awe of all the big hotels and neon lights that seemed to go on for miles and miles. The Monkees didn't get many gigs here, but when they did they paid well.
Finally, Mike steered the car up the long curving driveway that led to the front door of Caesar's Palace. The manager of the Sands Hotel, where the Monkees had played last time, had told the Caesar's Palace manager about the guys so he decided to give them a try.
"What a nice place." Davy remarked.
"Yeah, we're really lucky to get this gig." Micky replied.
"My sister would've been thrilled to be here." Peter said, "She told me she's studying the Roman Empire right now for her high school history. They really believed in elegance."
"May I help you gentlemen?" The valet asked when Mike pulled up to the steps.
"Yes, we're the Monkees and we're supposed to play here tonight." Mike replied, "Where do we park?"
"Around the back there is a garage." The Valet said, "There will be a side entrance for performers."
Mike thanked the man and drove the Monkeemobile to where he was told.

After parking, the Monkees grabbed their stuff and headed through the door for the performers. Unlike the elegance of the front, this part of the hotel was more cramped and dark. Still, it was a lot better than what they've had before. A woman spoke to them through an open window in the wall.
"What are your names?" She asked, all business-like.
"We're the Monkees, ma'am." Micky said, "We're supposed to play in the Julian ballroom tonight."
"Okay, you boys got a room too." She said, then took a key from a hook in the wall. "Go down the hall to the elevator and up to the third floor. You're in room 321."
"Thank you, ma'am." Mike said, but the lady was already busy with something else.
Fingering the key, Mike led the way up to their room. Once inside, the guys discovered that their room faced the back and that they had a good view of the trash dumpsters.
"Obviously the guests are first and the performers are fourth." Davy said.
"At least we got a room with this deal." Peter said, sitting on the bed.
"And as usual, we need the money." Micky put in. "So we gotta deal with it."
"Let's get some rest before the gig tonight." Mike said.
Despite the uncomfortable room, the guys were soon napping.

A few hours later, the Monkees came downstairs and followed the signs to the Julian ballroom. Mike and Peter had to hold Micky's arms on either side of him to keep Micky from trying any of the slot machines or playing roulette. They took no chances on getting caught in a fraud scheme like before that almost landed them 20 years in jail.
After walking for what seemed like miles, the guys found the ballroom and slipped inside the closed doors. Workmen were all around putting up the finishing touches on the room. It was decorated with vases and statues of Roman gods. Long low tables were set up so people could recline while they ate. Yards of linen drapes hung from the ceiling and walls. Peter gave a low whistle.
"Just like a Roman feast." He said. Just then, a man wearing a dark business suit came over to them.
"Are you the Monkees?" He asked.
"Yes sir." Mike replied.
"Good. I'm Mr. Lepidos. Come this way, I'll show you where you'll be playing."
The manager led them over to the stage which had statues of Julius Caesar around it.
"How about this?" He asked proudly, "Never played on such a big stage before, have you?"
"No sir." Davy said this time, "You've really tried to make this place look Roman."
"Yes, all brand new stuff. I want people to think they're in ancient Rome while they're here." Mr. Lepidos replied. "Even the waiters and waitresses will have on Roman togas...and so will you."
"You want us to dress up too?" Micky asked.
"Yes, you have to look the part of Roman musicians." The manager said, then rubbed his hands together. "Go over to costuming next door and make sure you four are ready to play at 7 p.m. sharp, am I clear?"
"Yes, Mr. Lepidos." Peter said.
The manager walked away while the Monkee went to get their costumes.

The Monkees were about to find the dressing and when they entered they found 4 togas with short sleeved tops.
"So this is what we have to dress up in?" asked Davy, inspecting the toga.
"Looks that way," Mike answered.
"Well, we better get dressed," said Peter.
"Yeah, we don't want to keep the manager or the audience waiting," said Micky.
And with that, the Monkees got dressed in the togas then headed out of the dressing room to take the stage.
However, when they exited the dressing room, they looked around to see that they were longer at the hotel, but someplace else. Someplace that looked very unfamiliar to them...

They gazed around in amazement. They were in an open air amphitheater, surrounded by stone benches rising on all sides. They looked behind them and realized that the door to the dressing room had disappeared.
"What do we do now?" Micky asked.
"Run!" Peter suggested.
Davy agreed, "Good idea!"
"No, look," Mike pointed out, "There's a - - - what is that, a Roman over there?"
The man was walking toward them, dressed in a Roman robe somewhat like theirs.
"Let's ask him, maybe he'll know what's going on." Micky said.
The Monkees ran over to the other man. As they got closer, they could see that the man was staggering and his toga was dirty.
"Run! Run! They are coming!" The man cried out as the Monkees approached. He then collapsed.
"Who's coming?" Peter asked, as they tried to sit the man up.
But the man slumped into unconsciousness. Behind them, the Monkees could now hear shouting and screaming coming from the open gate.
"We gotta close the gate!" Davy shouted.
Peter stayed with the man while Davy, Mike and Micky slammed the amphitheater gate shut and barred it with a heavy timber. Just seconds later, the gate shook with heavy pounding.
"It sounds like a war out there!" Mike said.
"And it's gonna come in here if that gate doesn't hold." Micky replied.
"Open up! Open up!" Came shouts from the other side of the gate.
Whoever was on the other side of the gate began to throw rocks and shoot arrows over the gate at the five men inside the amphitheater. The Monkees moved the unconscious man further away from the gate and tried to hide behind a stone wall.
"What's going on?" Peter cried, "One minute we're in Caesar's Palace and the next we're in a Roman amphitheater!"
"And this bloke is dressed like a Roman too." Davy added.
Suddenly, they smelled smoke. The Monkees turned to see the wooden gate on fire! It would only be a matter of minutes before the gate was destroyed and whoever was out there would come charging in!
"We may not live to get an answer, Peter." Mike said, gulping.
Just then, a horn was heard blowing. The pounding and shouting went away from the gate and continued further away. Mike took a chance and climbed up the benches to the top of the amphitheater. From there, he could see a small city all around them. He could also see a mob of men with swords and spears charging toward a large group of Roman soldiers. The two groups clashed, but the battle didn't last long. The Roman soldiers beat back the man and forced them away. The men ran off, some carrying sacks, others carrying weapons and other goods. A tall regal-looking man on a horse ordered the soldiers to pursue the mob and ordered other soldiers to secure the city.
Mike climbed down the benches and told the other Monkees what had happened.
"Roman soldiers?" Micky asked.
"Yeah, they were certainly dressed like them." Mike affirmed. "And their leader looked like someone you'd see on a coin."
The man they had been watching began to stir. The Monkees helped him sit up.
"You're safe, sir." Peter told him, "Those bad men are gone."
"Thank you." The man said weakly, "They...came from the hills, looting...looking for treasure."
"Who are they?" Mike asked.
The man looked at Mike oddly then said, "They are Gallian rebels, of course. I thought they were farther north, I didn't think they would come to Lugdunum." He looked at the Monkees and smiled, "Thank you for rescuing me. My name is Horatius, the mayor of Lugdunum."
"You're welcome, your honor." Micky said, "Are you going to be alright?"
"I believe so." Horatius replied, "Let me see if I can stand."
The Monkees helped him to stand up. Just then, the wooden door disintegrated under the fire. A few seconds later, the Roman man Mike had seen riding a horse then came into the amphitheater. The man looked around, saw the Monkees and Horatius and nudged his horse over to them.
"Horatius, my old friend!" The man on the horse called out, "I am glad to see you safe!"
"Ah, Gaius Julius Caesar!" Horatius replied, walking over to him, "I am glad to see you too!"
The Monkees looked at each other in shock. The man on the horse was none other than the famous Julius Caesar!
"Who are these men?" Caesar asked Horatius.
"I do not know their names, but they saved my life when the rebels were chasing me." Horatius said, "I owe them a great debt."
"Then I owe them a debt too." Caesar replied, "What are your names, sirs?" He said to the Monkees.
Mike introduced his fellow band mates to the Roman. Caesar nodded thoughtfully.
"You all have either Greek or Jewish names." He said, "Are you from this area?"
"I'm from Britannia, sir." Davy replied, "My friends are from this area."
"Come, let's go back to Hortius' house." Caesar said, "There we can rest and I must plan our next move."
"Why, what has happened?" Horatius asked nervously.
"It seems those rebels made off with the salarium of the legions that area stationed in this area." Caesar replied, "If the troops are not paid, they may refuse to fight."
The Monkees and Caesar were lead by Horatius back to his home.
It's a good thing it was not that far of a walk for the guys, because the sun was beating down on them.
A short time later, the six made it to their location. Horatius' home was a good sized villa that was built for a small family, the perfect size for the six of them to fit into.
"Please make yourselves at home," said Horatius.
Luckily there were some chairs for everyone to sit down on. As the gentlemen sat around and had something to drink, the Monkees told who they were and how they ended up in this time period.
"That is some story," said Caesar.
"And now we don't know how we are going to get home," said Peter.
"And it looks like we're going to be here for awhile," said Micky.
"Well gentlemen as long as you're here, you are my guests and can stay here," said Horatius.
"Oh no, we don't want to be any trouble to you," said Mike.
"I mean it, after all you saved my life."
"Thank you Horatius, it's very kind of you," said Davy.
"Horatius, I'll need to use one of your spare rooms." Caesar said, "I must meet with my officers and make plans."
"Can we help somehow?" Peter asked, "I mean, we owe you one."
"I thank you for you kind offer." Caesar replied with a smile, "But I think this matter is best left to my soldiers."
"I'll have Helvius show you to your room, Caesar." Horatius said. He clapped his hands. "Helvius!"
Several seconds later, a man wearing a simple linen tunic came running into the room. He looked dirty and was out of breath.
"Yes, Domine?" He said, bowing slightly. He used the Latin word for Lord.
"Where were you and why are you so dirty?" Horatius demanded of his servant.
"I was out in the garden getting some vegetables and was running back when I tripped and fell in the dirt." Helvius replied.
"Very well." Hortius said with a sigh, "Show the general to the largest guest room."
"As you wish." Helvius replied. "This way, please." He said to Caesar.
Helvius led Caesar out of the room. Horatius turned to the Monkees.
"I imagine you four are tired." He said, "I'll show you to your room."
"Thank you, Horatius." Micky said.
Horatius led the Monkees down a hall and into another room. This room was a little small, but it had four long shelves carved into the walls where the guys could sleep. Horatius then brought them pillows and blankets.
"I hope you like this sleeping chamber." He said, "I'll tell Helvius to check up on you, but he seems to have disappeared again."
"He's probably doing something for Caesar." Davy said.
"That is probably true." Horatius replied. "It's going to be busy around here with the general and his staff coming and going."
"How long have you known Caesar?" Mike asked Horatius.
"Many years." Horatius replied, "Ever since I was a commander in his army. Never has Rome produced such a fine general." He shook his head, "He really cares for his troops. When I retired after twenty years, he gave me some land here in Gallia. I later became mayor. Now with Caesar here I feel much better and I'm sure he'll take care of this uprising." He walked over to the door. "I'll let you rest now."
The Monkees said goodbye to Horatius and went to lie down on their shelves. In the quiet of the room, the guys could hear faint talking coming from down the hall. They couldn't make out what was said, but could tell it was Caesar talking. It wasn't long afterwards that the guys fell asleep.

Not much later, the Monkees were woken by some bumping noises in the room next to their own.
"What's that?" Davy asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Sounds like someone's moving furniture." Mike replied, sitting up and bumping his head on the low ceiling above his bed.
The bumping continued and the Monkees decided to see what it was about. They went to the door of their room and stuck their heads out...to see Helvius coming out of the room next to theirs. Horatius' servant looked about furtively, and the guys pulled their heads back in so Helvius wouldn't see them. Helvius quietly closed the door and crept down the hall away from the Monkees.
"What's that all about?" Micky wondered.
"I don't know, but I think we should follow him." Mike said.
The others nodded and tried to leave the room, only to get wedged together. Finally Davy pulled himself loose and the others followed. They went down the hall and tried to see where Helvius had gone. Peter spotted him as he went outside. Going to a window, the Monkees watched Helvius go through the outside gate and into the street.
"Maybe he's going to market." Mike suggested as the Monkees went to the gate as well.
But Helvius went down the block, then cut between two houses. The Monkees followed, then saw Helvius leave the area and start walking up into the mountains.
"Where could he be going?" Micky wondered. "This looks suspicious."
"Gathering firewood?" Davy wondered.
"Well, let's follow and find out." Mike said.
With that, the Monkees followed Helvius into the mountains.

The Monkees followed Helvius for quite sometime.
Once in awhile though they would have to jump in a whenever Helvius would turn around to see if anyone was behind him.
The walk was beginning to get long and tiresome for the Monkees, but they wanted to know what Helvius was up to.
"How much longer do we have to go?" asked Davy.
"Hopefully, not much longer," Mike answered.
"That's what you said about five minutes ago," said Peter.
"How do you know?" asked Micky.
"I checked my watch."
Finally, the guys saw Helvius stop in from a large wooden plank
He knocked on the plank.
"What's the password?" asked a voice.
"The Hawk flies pass the rising sun," said Helvius.
"Enter," the voice said again.
Helvius then moved the plank which was really the cover to an opening in the mountain then quickly went inside.
The Monkees couldn't believe what they saw....

"It's a cave going right into the mountains!" Peter exclaimed.
"Keep your voice down, Peter." Mike said, "We're too close to the entrance."
"Clever hiding place." Davy remarked, "Can hardly see it."
"But why did Helvius go in there?" Peter asked, quieter this time.
"He's probably one of those rebels that attacked the city." Micky said, "He's probably telling his friends about Caesar."
"That's not nice." Peter replied.
"Let's go back and tell Caesar what we saw." Mike said, motioning for his friends to follow him.
The Monkees slowly began to climb down toward the town again. The ledge was narrow in places and the guys had to go single file.
Micky was the last in line, and as he passed by a narrow opening in the cliff side, it suddenly opened and strong arms grabbed him from behind! A hand was clamped over his mouth as he was pulled into the mountain. The opening quickly shut.
The ledge finally opened up and the guys could walk safely again.
"I'm glad that narrow ledge is behind us." Davy said, "I almost slipped a few times."
"Yeah, I hope we don't have any more of those, right Micky?" Peter asked.
There was no answer. Mike, Peter and Davy looked behind them to see Micky was gone!
"Micky where are you?" Mike called up the mountain.
Still no answer, but just then tough-looking men with swords began to walk down the ledge toward them!
"Run!" Mike shouted.
The three Monkees ran, with the sword-wielding rebels behind them!
The guys raced down the mountain as fast as they could, with the rebels still hot on their trail.
As they continued to run, Peter spoke up.
"What what about Micky?" he asked.
"Yeah, we have to go back and look for him," said Davy.
"We'll search as soon as we get away from the rebels," said Mike.
Luckily the guys lost the rebels shortly after the made it down the mountain, but they were not looking forward to telling Caesar the bad news.

Back at the rebel hideout inside the mountain, Helvius was questioning Micky.
"What were you and your friends doing up here?" He demanded, "You were following me, weren't you?"
"No! We were just...exploring, that's all!" Micky replied.
"Exploring for rebels, right?" Helvius insisted.
"No, that's not true." Micky said.
Just then, the rebels who had been chasing Mike, Peter and Davy came back inside.
"What happened? Did you get them?" Helvius asked.
"No they escaped, Helvius." A man replied.
"Idiot!" Helvius snapped, slapping the man across the face, "No doubt they will tell Caesar where we are!"
"Maybe Caesar won't believe them." A man remarked.
"Wait, why are you fighting anyway?" Micky asked.
"You must be a fool if you don't know how Rome taxes us, takes our crops and keeps us under its boot!" Helvius said in disgust. "I'm not Horatius' servant, I'm his slave! I was bought like a piece of property!"
"Oh...well, my history is a bit rusty." Micky said.
"What do we do now, Helvius?" Another man asked, "It won't be long before the Romans get here!"
"I intend to make a stand on this mountain and fight!" Helvius shouted, "There are several secret entrances to this former mine and we can use them for sneak attacks on the Roman dogs! Who is with me?"
"We are!" The men around Helvius shouted, holding up their swords and other weapons.
"What about him, Helvius?" A man asked, pointing at Micky.
Helvius turned to Micky and gave him an evil smile. "I think we'll use him as bait."

Mike, Peter and Davy made it down the mountain...and were promptly surrounded by Roman soldiers carrying sharp pikes. Caesar then rode up to the three Monkees. Next to him on horseback was another man, slightly younger with dark hair.
"I told you Caesar that these men were up to no good." He said.
"Wait Marc Antony, let's hear what they have to say first." Caesar replied. To the three Monkees he said, "Well, what were you three doing up there? And where's the fourth one?"
"We were following Helvius, Caesar." Mike replied, "He must be a rebel. We saw him disappear into a secret entrance into the mountain."
"We were coming down here to tell you, Caesar." Davy added, "When Micky was taken prisoner and the rebels began to chase us."
"I don't believe that." Antony snorted.
"But I do." Caesar said, "I noticed how dirty and exhausted Helvius was when he came into Horatius' house. It looked like he had been in a fight, not working in a garden."
"You believe us?" Peter asked.
"Yes, I had had Helvius watched and I knew he had left the house and went up into the mountains." Caesar replied. "When you four started to follow him, I had to be sure you men were not rebels as well. The story you told me earlier was a little hard to believe too.” He motioned to the soldiers and they put up their pikes. "Now you say Micky is a prisoner?"
"Yes, and we're worried about him." Mike replied.
Caesar looked at Marc Antony. "Get the cohorts ready for a march up the mountain."
"Yes, Caesar." Antony replied. He wheeled his horse away to carry out the order.
"Now, tell me everything you saw." Caesar told the three Monkees.

It wasn't long afterwards that the Roman soldiers began their climb up the mountain. Caesar sent out scouts to see if they could spot anything. A short while later, the scouts came back with their report.
"Hail, Caesar!" They shouted as they rode over to him.
"What did you see?" Caesar asked.
"We did not see anybody around for a long time." One scout replied.
"Then we saw something standing up on one of the ridges." The other scout said.
"What was it?" Caesar demanded.
"It was too far away to make out clearly," The first scout said, "But it looked like a man tied to a post."
Mike, Peter and Davy looked at each other in shock. That man could only be one person: Micky.

"Should we go out there and take a look?" one of the men asked Caesar.
"I don't know, it could be a trap," Caesar answered.
"But that could be Micky up there." said Peter.
"There's only one way to find out.” said Mike, We gotta go up there and see for ourselves."
"But like Caesar said, it could be a trap," said Davy.
"We have to check, Micky could be in danger."
The guys told Caesar that they were going out there themselves to see if they could save their friend.

"Very well." Caesar replied, "I will not be responsible for your lives."
"We understand." Davy said as he and the other two began to climb toward Micky.
As they got closer, the three Monkees could see it was their friend.
"Micky!" Peter exclaimed, "Don't worry, we'll save you!"
But Micky frantically began to shake his head. He had a gag in his mouth and couldn't speak.
"Wait, Peter." Mike said, "I think Micky trying to tell us something."
"We just walked into a trap, right Micky?" Davy asked.
Micky nodded and then looked over at the ground near them. It was then that the three men could see ropes stretched out across the ground. They were attached to bows and arrows hidden in the rocks aimed right at them. If they had gone any further, all of them, including Micky, would've been skewered.
"What do we do?" Peter asked.
"You go back down to Caesar and tell him it's clear to come up." Helvius said, stepping out from an opening in the rock, "Or else your friend dies."
"We can't do that!" Mike exclaimed.
Helvius took out his sword and walked over to the ropes holding the bows and arrows. "Be it on your heads."
Suddenly there was a great commotion coming from inside the mountain! A man came out to Helvius.
"Helvius, the Romans are inside our hideout!" He shouted.
"So you men were decoys for Caesar, eh?" Helvius snarled at the Monkees.
"We didn't know what he was going to do!" Davy said.
Helvius advanced on the Monkees, but only got a few steps when Caesar and his men rushed through the opening and grabbed Helvius and the other man.
"Don't come any closer!" Mike shouted, "This area is rigged with arrows!"
Caesar ordered his men to take Helvius and the other man away, then turned to the Monkees.
"Are you gentlemen injured?" He asked.
"No, but if we don't take care of these booby traps, we're done for." Davy said.
Caesar carefully examined the traps and with his sword cut the ropes where they connected to the bows.
"There, you can walk freely now," Caesar said, "now go and untie your friend."
Mike, Peter and Davy quickly did so and took off Micky's gag.
"Thanks, guys." Micky said.
"Thank Caesar." Peter replied, "He took care of those traps, and Helvius too."
"How did you find the secret entrances?" Micky asked Caesar.
"Simple." Caesar smiled, "I simply ordered my men to strike the rocks to see if they sounded hollow. Where there was a hollow sound, there was an entrance. While Helvius and his men were watching you, we went inside the mountain and surprised them. I apologize for using you four as decoys, it was the only way to distract them."
"It's alright, Caesar." Mike said, "At least everything's fine now."
"Did you get the legion's salarium back?" Davy asked.
"Yes, it was still in its sacks." Caesar said, "Let us go back to Horatius' house. It has been a long day." Caesar said.
The Monkees agreed and followed the Roman back to Lugdunum.

The next day, the Monkees and Horatius watched as Marc Antony prepared to pay the legions. Several sacks were brought out into Horatius' courtyard and Antony opened one of them. A man next to Antony called out a soldier's name. The soldier came over and the man held out a small sack.
To the Monkees' surprise, Antony scooped out a small amount of white crystals and poured it into the man's sack! He did this again many more times until each man had a share of the crystals.
"Horatius?" Peter asked, "What is Marc Antony giving them? I thought they were being paid."
"They are." Horatius replied, "Each man is getting their share of salt."
"Salt?" Davy replied, "What good is salt?"
"Do they not use salt in Britannia?" Horatius asked, "It is very valuable in keeping food from spoiling. It can also be used to buy things."
Before the Monkees could ask anything else, Caesar walked over to them.
"Horatius, I thank you for your hospitality but I must be heading back to Rome now." He said.
"I am sorry to hear that, Caesar." Horatius said, "I wish you could stay longer."
"I wish I could too, but I've just received word from Rome that there has been trouble on our Eastern borders." Caesar replied, "Plus the senators in Rome are demanding that I take care of business there." He shook his head.
"I'll make sure your horse is fed and watered." Horatius said, "When will you be leaving?"
"As soon as Antony pays the legions." Caesar said, then looked at the Monkees. "Now what will you four be doing?"
"Well...could we go to Rome with you?" Micky asked, "We've heard it's a very nice place."
"It is indeed. In fact, since you men were helpful to me, I'll let you stay in my house there." Caesar replied.
"Thank you, Caesar." The Monkees said.

It wasn't much later that it was time to go. Caesar and Hortius said their goodbyes and Caesar mounted his horse. The Monkees said goodbye to Horatius and thanked him for letting them stay at his house.
"Thank you for all you've done." Horatius said, "You are always welcome in Lugdunum."
"Thank you, Horatius." Mike said, as the guys got on their horses and began to follow Caesar's troops out of the city.
Not far from the city's gates, the troops came upon tall poles erected alongside of the road.
"What are those things?" Davy asked.
As they got closer, the Monkees could see the poles were really crosses and that there were men nailed upon them! The Monkees looked on in absolute horror as they saw Helvius and his men hanging there. Peter began to retch.
"What's the matter?" Marc Antony said, coming up along side of them, "Don't you know we crucify rebellious slaves?"
The Monkees didn't answer him. They nudged their horses and got away from the awful scene as fast as they could

As the Monkees trotted away from the awful scene on their horse, neither one of them could believe what they just saw.
"Was that just terrible what they did to those people?" said Peter.
"Well Peter, it's their punishment for what they did," Mike answered.
"Couldn't they just say they're sorry?"
"That's not how they did things back then," said Davy.
"Yeah, nobody believed in the saying forgive and forget," said Micky.
"So what's going to happen to Helvius?" asked Peter.
"I don't know," Davy answered.
"Should we ask Caesar and Marc Anthony?" Micky asked.
"It's worth a try," Mike answered.
The guys however decided to wait till later to speak to the two men.

Later that evening when camp was made, the guys walked over to Caesar's tent, but Marc Antony stopped them.
"Caesar is a busy man." Antony said with a smirk, "What do you want with him?"
"Well, we wanted to talk to either you or Caesar about those men who were nailed to those crosses." Mike said.
"What about them?" Antony wanted to know.
"Are they going to be left there to die?" Peter asked.
"Of course!" Antony laughed, "Their bodies will serve as a warning to anyone else who tries to rebel against Rome."
"Don't you think it's a bit harsh?" Davy insisted.
"No, they're just slaves anyway." Antony replied. "Who cares about them?" He started to walk back into Caesar's tent.
"Until it happens to be your life." Micky said.
Antony spun and confronted Micky. "I would watch your tongue if I were you. I'm not completely convinced you and your friends were not in league with those rebels. If it were up to me, you four would've been crucified too. Now stay out of my way." With that, Antony marched back into Caesar's tent.
"I think we better do as he says, guys." Mike said, herding his friends away.

Caesar's troops headed East for a few days, then went South-East until they came to a river.
"Ah, the Rubicon River!" Caesar exclaimed, "Once we cross that, we'll be back in civilization."
Caesar and Marc Antony led the way across the river. Now everyone was in Roman territory. Stone roads appeared which made the journey to Rome much quicker. Around them here were grand villas with vineyards up on the hillsides.
A few more days of traveling and Caesar called for a halt at the top of a hill. Before them lay the largest and most powerful city in the world: Rome.
"Wow, what a big place." Peter said in awe.
"The biggest and most powerful city on Earth." Antony said proudly.
Caesar just spared a glance at Rome, then gave orders for his troops to go back to their barracks. Roman soldiers on duty were not allowed within the city walls. After a long time, Caesar led what was left of his command down to the city. Before entering the city however, he stopped at a villa not far from the walls. Caesar jumped from his horse and ran over to the villa. He was met by a woman wearing a long white gown and holding a young boy in her arms.
"Is that Caesar's wife?" Mike asked Antony.
"No, that is his lover the Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra and their son Caesarian." Antony replied, a jealous look on his face as he watched his commander kiss Cleopatra and their son.
"She doesn't look like Elizabeth Taylor." Peter said.
"What?" Antony asked.
"Oh, Peter was just thinking about a lady he knew from long ago." Micky said quickly.
"Yes, it's too bad she can't live in Rome." Antony said, "But as Cleopatra is an Egyptian God she cannot enter, as only Roman gods are allowed here...and I don't think Caesar's wife would like it either." He snickered.
Caesar came back and got on his horse. "Let's be off, I'm sure Calpurnia is waiting."
The group rode over to the walls and was greeted by another man wearing a toga.
"Hail, Caesar!" The man cried, "How was your trip to Gallia?"
"It went well, Brutus." Caesar said, "Too bad your mother didn't let you join us."
Antony and the other soldiers laughed to themselves as they rode into the city. Brutus' Mother was Servilia, one of Caesar’s former lovers. She was a formidable and controlling woman who kept her son under her thumb. However, Brutus was showing signs of becoming his own man. Still, Brutus’ face grew red in anger as he followed them inside.
Caesar led the way over to his house, located in a rich district of Rome called the Palatine Hill. On the way there, Brutus told Caesar about the various things happening in the city. Antony said goodbye to Caesar and went off to his own house. Getting off his horse, Caesar knocked on the door and was admitted by a servant. The Monkees and the Caesar's other companions dismounted from their horses and followed Caesar inside.
Inside the gate there was an open courtyard with trees and a fountain in the middle. Expensive marble stones were on the floor.
"Calpurnia, I'm home!" Caesar called out.
A few seconds later, a woman came out of one of the doors. She had her hair tied up in an elaborate twist behind her head and was wearing a blue gown. She gave her husband a big smile as she ran over to him.
"Casear, it is so good to see you again!" She cried, giving him a kiss. "How was your tour of Gallia?"
"It was going well, until I was ready to leave. Then there was a rebellion of Gallian troublemakers, slaves, malcontents and such." Caesar replied, "They attacked the city of Lugdunum where my old friend Horatius is mayor. These four men..." He continued, pointing to the Monkees, "Saved Horatius' life and helped me put down the rebellion." Caesar gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek. "That's why I invited them home. Show them to a guest room to sleep in while I go wash."
"Of course, Caesar." Calpurnia said, then turned to the Monkees, "Come with me."
The Monkees followed Calpurnia inside the house and down another hallway to a room with four beds.
"I hope this will be good for you." She said. "I'll send some servants over to bring you bed linens."
"It will, and thank you." Mike said.
Calpurnia nodded and walked away. The Monkees settled down on their beds. Peter seemed disturbed as he looked out the window.
"What's wrong, Peter?" Micky asked.
"Do any of the people we've met since we arrived here mean anything to you?" He asked.
"Yeah, well...everyone knows the story of Antony and Cleopatra." Davy said.
"But how did they get together?" Peter asked him.
"Caesar died." Davy replied after a long pause.
"Brutus sounds familiar too." Micky added, "I think I remember him in a Shakespeare play."
"Maybe nothing happens to Caesar yet. We might be in the wrong year or something." Mike said, "C'mon, let's rest up and maybe explore a little."
Just then, a servant brought them some fresh sheets. The Monkees then lay down and went to sleep.
After a short nap, the guys left their room and went over to what they thought was the main area of the house. When they got to the foyer, they saw a long line of men waiting to enter another room off to the side. The men were of all shapes and sizes, some carrying scrolls and boxes, others just simply waiting in line. Calpurnia walked over to them.
"Who are those men?" Peter asked.
"They are mostly clients of my husband's." Calpurnia replied, "They owe him favors or are here to make requests."
"Caesar sure has a lot of clients." Micky remarked.
"When you are Dictator for Life, I suppose everyone wants to see you." Calpurnia said with a frown. She sighed then looked at the Monkees.
"Since Caesar is busy, perhaps you can tell me some of what happened while he was away."
"We'll be glad to tell you." Davy said.
Calpurnia led them over to another room where they reclined on couches. A servant brought them drinks and then the Monkees told Caesar's wife where they came from, what had happened in Lugdunum and their trip back to Rome.
"That's an interesting story. Before he came here I suppose he went to see her first, correct?" Calpurnia asked.
"See who, madam?" Mike asked, trying to play innocent.
"His Egyptian lover Cleopatra, that's who." Calpurnia snapped, "Her and their son."
"Yes, he did." Mike said, looking down at the floor.
"Being Dictator of Rome and the Pater Familias of this house means he can do what he wants." Calpurnia said bitterly. "I am sorry," She said after a pause, "I should not burden you with my troubles. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"If it's alright with you, can we go explore the city?" Peter asked.
"That's fine, Caesar won't know you're gone." Calpurnia said, "But be back soon. We will be having the evening meal in a little while."
"We'll be back soon, ma'am." Mike said, "Thank you for your hospitality.'
The Monkees bowed to Calpurnia and left to explore Rome. They walked down Palatine Hill and saw the Forum and the temples erected to the many Gods the Romans worshipped.
"Wow, I wish I had a camera." Micky said in awe.
"Look at the birds." Davy whispered as he pointed at several young women in matching gowns going into a temple.
"I wouldn't go there if I were you, Davy." Peter said, stopping his friend from following them.
"Why not?" Davy asked.
"That might be the temple of the Vestal Virgins." Peter replied, "My sister told me that they take a strict vow of chastity. If they break it, both the girl and the guy are buried alive."
Davy cleared his throat and said, "Let's go this way." He turned and walked in the opposite direction.
The other three Monkees laughed to themselves and followed Davy to another part of town.
After going a short way, Mike stopped the group and pointed down the street. "Hey, isn't that Brutus?" He asked.
"Yeah, that is." Micky replied, "He sure looks nervous about something."
"Let's follow him." Peter said.
So the Monkees followed Brutus as he walked along the street. He finally stopped at another house, and after looking around knocked on the door and went inside. Brutus wasn't inside long and soon he was quickly walking down the street again.
"He sure is in a hurry." Mike said, as he and his friends followed Brutus.
Brutus then stopped to talk to another man about the same age as him. After several seconds, they parted and Brutus walked into a marketplace where the guys lost him.
"We better get back, Calpurnia said it was time to eat soon." Micky said.
"Yeah, I'm hungry too." Davy said.
The others agreed and went back to Caesar's house, still wondering what Brutus was up to.

Back at Caesar's house, a servant let them back inside and informed them it was time to eat. They were led to another room, this one with a long table with low couches which the Monkees reclined. Calpurnia was already there and after a few minutes Caesar showed up, followed by one of his secretaries.
Without a word to anyone at the table, Caesar began to eat and give orders to his secretary at the same time.
"Caesar please, can you take a break and eat with us?" Calpurnia asked.
"Very well." Caesar replied, and dismissed the secretary with a wave of his hand. "There is so much to catch up with. The senate is always in an uproar about something and now I find out the Parthians are causing trouble on our Eastern borders."
"You need to delegate some of your responsibility." Calpurnia replied. "Not only are you Dictator, but also Pontifex Maximus, head of the state religion."
"Rome needs me to rule, Calpurnia." Caesar replied, "There would be civil war without me." He got up from his couch. "I must make plans to get to Parthia. Tomorrow is the Ides of March. I want to leave before the end of the month to take advantage of the weather." He then left the room, with Calpurnia looking sadly at her food. Mike whispered to Peter.
"The Ides of March. That's sound familiar."

Later that night, a line of thunderstorms passed over Rome, bringing with them heavy rains, wind and thunder. The Monkees were in their beds when Peter got up and screamed, "Ahhhh!"
The noise woke the other three Monkees up and they went over to Peter's bed.
"What's wrong, Peter?" Davy asked, "It's just thunder."
"It's not that." Peter said in a rush, "I just remembered what my sister told me about the Ides of March in Roman history."
"Well, what is it so we can go back to sleep." Mike said with a yawn.
"Caesar was murdered on that day." Peter said quietly, "After him, Rome started to be ruled by real bad guys like Nero and Caligula."
"Maybe Caesar was murdered in a different year." Micky said. "Not this year we're in now."
There was a huge thunderclap and Peter jumped into Mike's arms.
"Maybe we should tell Caesar." Davy suggested, "We'll say Peter had a dream."
"Yeah, I doubt anyone's gonna be sleeping with this going on." Mike said, putting Peter down.
The four guys left their room and walked over to the front courtyard. There they saw Caesar standing under a doorway, looking out at the pouring rain. He turned to look at them as they approached.
"I see you could not sleep either." Caesar said.
"No, it's pretty bad out there tonight." Davy replied.
"Neither Heaven or Earth are at peace tonight." Caesar said, looking out at the rain once again, "Three times has Calpurnia called out in her sleep crying, 'Help, they murder Caesar!'"
"Then maybe you should stay home tomorrow, Caesar." Mike said carefully.
Caesar chuckled and said, "I do not listen to the dreams of women or men. I am descended from the Goddess Venus, and I will make my own destiny." He turned and started to walk back into the house, "Let us all go back to our rooms," Caesar said, "This storm will pass and tomorrow I will continue on with my work."
The Monkees followed their host back into the house and went back to their room. They sat on the floor and wondered what to do.
"Well, Caesar isn't going to listen to Peter or anyone, that's for sure." Davy said.
"Yeah, we'll have to think of another way." Mike said.
"I have an idea." Micky said with a smile and told his friend what he planned to do...

The next morning the skies had cleared and Caesar left his house with a few of his servants. He was on his way to the Forum, to handle the backlog of cases that had accumulated over the weeks he had been gone. Once that was done, he could make plans to take care of the Parthians.
When Caesar was a few blocks away, he was joined by another man going the same way.
"Greetings, Caesar." The man said.
"Hello, Casca." Caesar said, not breaking his stride, "Going to the Forum too?" Caesar already knew the answer since Casca was a Senator with many years of experience. The two men had often quarreled over some point of law, but managed to stay civil with each other.
"Yes I am." Casca replied, "I have something to show you once we get there."
"Another petition?" Caesar asked wearily.
"Yes, and I think you'll find this one interesting." Casca replied.
"Caesar!" A voice called out to him from the side of the road. "Caesar! Beware the Ides of March!"
Caesar and Casca stopped and looked over to where the voice was coming from. Sitting on the side of the road was an old man wrapped in a dirty linen cloth. He pointed a finger at Caesar.
"Take care on this day!" The old man croaked, starting to get up.
"Why should the great Caesar listen to an old man like you?" Casca said contemptuously. He then pushed the old man down to the ground and continued with Caesar to the Forum.
After Caesar and Casca had left, Mike, Peter and Davy came out of hiding and went over to the old man.
"Micky, are you okay?" Mike asked.
"Yeah, I am." Micky said with a sigh, "I was hoping to stop Caesar, but that other guy stopped me."
"I recognized that man." Peter said, "He was talking with Brutus yesterday."
"Then we better get over to that Forum." Davy stated.
The other three Monkees helped Micky stand up and then they began to run toward the Forum. Micky peeled off his disguise as he ran. As they got closer to the Forum however, there were a great number of people on the streets, making it difficult to make quick progress.

Inside the Forum, Caesar called the Senate to order. He was sitting up on a raised dais behind a desk. On the desk was a great stack of scrolls, waiting for his review and signature.
"As you can see, learned men of Rome." Caesar said, indicating the scrolls, "There is a lot of work to be done today. After this, I will begin making plans to attend to the Parthians who have been causing trouble on our Eastern borders."
"You just got back!" A senator shouted from his bench. "Rome needs you here!"
"And you are out of order, Cassius." Caesar said coldly, "I will go where I feel it is necessary for me to go. The generals who are out there now do not seem able to handle the situation, so I will make sure the Parthians stay on their own land for good."
Casca stood up. "Caesar, may I give you something?" He asked.
Caesar beckoned with his hand. Casca looked over at the senate and then walked over to Caesar's dais.
The Monkees then came into the Forum. They were directed into the public viewing area just behind the curved Senate benches.
"There's Caesar." Peter said quickly.
"Shhh!" Several other spectators told him.
Casca walked over to the dais and stood at the bottom of the Dais.
"I have something for you." Casca said. He reached into his toga...and pulled out a scroll. The Monkees breathed a sigh of relief. Casca handed the scroll to a man named Cimber, who was standing next to Caesar
"What is this petition for, Casca?" Caesar asked, taking the scroll from Cimber.
"It is a petition asking you to give up your dictator status, Caesar." Casca replied, "And let us elect who is to be Proconsul again."
Caesar didn't answer Casca, but simply unrolled the scroll and began to read it. Cimber and Casca exchanged looks, and Cimber grabbed Caesar's toga and pulled it down, ripping it.
"What are you doing, Cimber?" Caesar demanded.
Just then, Casca pulled a knife out of his toga and slashed at Caesar's neck. But Caesar was too quick and he grabbed Casca's arm.
"What are you doing, Villain?" Caesar snarled.
As this was going on, several other senators, including Brutus, were running toward the Dais. The Monkees could see that they all had knives in their hands.
"Caesar, watch out!" The Monkees shouted.
But it was too late. Brutus and the other men with him attacked Caesar. The table was knocked over, sending the scrolls flying. Caesar tried to get away, but he tripped and fell, and his assassins fell upon him.
The senators not involved in the plot and the spectators screamed and ran out of the Forum as fast as they could. The Monkees jumped over the low wall separating the spectator area and tried to get over to Caesar, but were blocked by several knife-wielding men.
As fast as the assassination started it was over. Caesar lay on the Forum floor in a pool of his own blood, his toga covering his head.
Brutus looked shocked as he spoke to Casca.
"What have we done?" He demanded.
"We've saved the Republic, that's what!" Casca said with a smile.
But Casca seemed to be the only one with that opinion. The senators then fled the Forum, leaving the shocked and sickened Monkees alone with Caesar's body.
Peter began to cry as the Monkees walked over to Caesar's body. The Roman did not move or make a sound.
"Caesar, can you hear me?" Mike asked.
There was no answer. Mike pulled aside the toga covering Caesar's head, then quickly put it back in place. He looked at his friends and shook his head. Caesar was dead. A later autopsy would reveal Caesar had been stabbed 23 times, but only one of the wounds to his chest was the fatal blow.
Suddenly the Forum was filled with noise once again as Marc Antony and several soldiers ran inside. He had heard of the assassination plot at the last second and had run over to the Forum, but was too late. Antony looked at the horrible scene and saw the Monkees standing over Caesar's body. He instantly thought the Monkees had done Caesar in.
"I knew you four were no good!" He shouted angrily at them, "You should've been crucified with the others back in Lugdunum! Now you've killed the best thing that had ever happened to Rome!"
"It wasn't us!" Micky shouted back, "It was Brutus and the other senators!"
But Antony wasn't listening. "Seize them!" He told the soldiers, "I want them taken alive so I can personally crucify them myself!"
The Monkees turned and ran toward the back of the Forum, the soldiers right behind them. They came to a back door, but found it locked. The soldiers grabbed the Monkees and threw them to the ground. There was a fight as the Monkees flailed their arms, trying to fight off the soldiers who were bending over them.
"Hey, calm down, take it easy!" Voices told them, "We're trying to help you."
The Monkees opened their eyes to find not Roman soldiers but paramedics bending over them! They stopped fighting and slowly sat up.
"What happened?" Mike asked. He and the other Monkees found themselves sitting on the floor of ballroom where they were about to perform.
"Yeah, we had just come out of our dressing room and then we found ourselves in an ancient Roman times." Davy said.
"What happened is that one of the statues of Julius Caesar toppled from its base just as you four were walking past and it fell on you." A paramedic answered him. "You four were knocked unconscious. Luckily that statue wasn't made of real stone or we'd be taking you fellows to the morgue right now."
"So it was all a dream." Micky said, "We really weren't accused of murdering Caesar."
The paramedics looked at each other.
"I think you boys need to go to the hospital for a checkup." Another paramedic said, "Sounds like you're all a little confused."
"No, we're okay." Peter said. He tried to get up, but got dizzy and fell back down.
Without a word, the paramedics loaded the guys onto stretchers and took them out to an ambulance. The manager, Mr. Lapidos, walked out with them.
"I'm so sorry this happened, gentlemen." He said, wringing his hands, "I hope you won't do anything hasty, it was an accident."
"Will you pay our hospital bill?" Mike asked.
"Will you upgrade our room?" Micky asked too.
"Yes and yes." Mr. Lapidos replied, "And I'll pay you four double your salary for your performances."
"It's a deal." Mike said as the ambulance doors closed.

The guys were taken to the UNLV Medical Center and checked over. Peter had a concussion and had to stay overnight, while the other three Monkees were released. The Caesar's Palace manager was true to his word. The guys' medical bills were paid and their room was upgraded to a suite overlooking the strip. When the Monkees played at the ballroom a few nights later, it was a huge success and they got rave reviews from the guests.
At the end of their engagement, flush with cash, the Monkees left Las Vegas for Malibu. Mike stopped the car as they came to a large statue of Julius Caesar.
"Hail, Caesar." The Monkees said and then continued down the strip toward home.

THE END