The four guys looked at the girls. There had been a long silence.
"Used what thing?" Mike asked as they came closer.
Karen and Chea didnt say anything. The Monkees had just overheard them talking about the time gadget, and how Karen wished she hadnt used it. What to tell them?
"Uhmm." Karen said.
"Well?" Mike crossed his arms.
"We have to tell them." Chea said.
"Do we?" Karen said.
"We have to." Chea said.
"Okay." Karen said. She brought the gadget out from behind her back. "This is a time transferance device." she started. "We are from the future."
"The future?" Mike asked.
"From the year 2000." Karen said. "And thats not all."
Chea nodded. "We are from and entirely different place." She continued. "Where we come from, you guys are a tv show to the rest of the world."
"A tv show?" Micky asked. "Is it good?"
"It only lasted two years." Karen said matter of factly. "But its so popular now they rerun it all over the world." She knew it was a slight lie but she did she it once in Canada, and that was definately a foreign place to her.
"Let us start at the beginning." Chea said.
"Good, then maybe we can understand." Mike said.
"You better sit down." Karen said.
The four guys sat down on the couch. Karen and Chea stood in front of the tv.
"We're roomates in our time. Anyway Chea has an uncle."
"He invents things, hes a scientist." Chea took over. "Anyway we went over to visit him one day to see his newest project." Karen held up the device.
"This is it." Karen said.
"He wasnt there. He left a note." Chea said. "My uncle and I are such fans of television and other mediums. Given the fact that my Uncles gears are starting to slip, he decided it was his desire to live out the rest of his years in tv." Chea said. "Not on tv, but actually in televsion!"
"That's where he went." Karen said. "He chose one, and we actually saw him there."
"What program?" Peter asked curiously. The guys looked at him. "Someone had to ask!"
"Bonanza." Chea said.
"Oh yeah, thats a good show." Davy nodded.
"I don't think I buy it." Mike said.
"Why doesnt that surprise me?" Karen asked.
"Is this really the truth here that shes's telling us?" Mike asked them. "I don't know about you guys, but I need a lot more than your word."
"Okay, Mike." Karen said. "Here." She turned on the tv. "Bonanza is coming on."
It was a tense few moments after the theme to the western played. Sure enough, a few minutes after the first commercial ended, there was Cheas Uncle Jessup. Still living among the people on the Ponderosa.
"Thats him." Chea said pointing out a man to the group. "My Uncle Jessup."
"Wow." Davy said.
"Its gotta be a trick." Mike said gruffly in Karen direction.
"Yeah, right. So we knew we were gonna get found out today so we arranged for a man who looks like someones Uncle and put him on tv at this exact time." Karen said with her voice dripping of sarcasm. "That's exactly what happened."
"Karen." Chea said with her voice full of worry. "Whats this scene?"
Karen turned from Mikes eyes and looked at the screen. "It looks a like a showdown, and your uncs a part of it."
"Oh no, this can't happen." Chea said. "He's gonna die."
"How can you tell?"
"He's a minor character, they use them up like Kleenex!" Chea said. "Give me that."
She started to punch in numbers on the keypad as the clock on the tv was about to strike noon.
"Oh no. If youre gonna go, I'm coming with you." Karen said as the familiar light they saw before they vanished the first time. She grabbed Cheas arm. In a bolt of light they disapeared.
"Where did they go?" Micky asked looking around.
"There." Peter said. He pointed at the screen. The guys all looked at the screen at the action taking place.
The girls appeared behind a building. They looked around, trying to acquaint themselves with the surroundings. Almost magically Chea and Karen had been outfitted with the clothing of the time period. Chea looked at the town clock. It just chimed noon.
"Oh my god we're too late!" She yelled. They ran toward the middle of the town. Where there had been at one time a crowd of people, only one man was left, and he was lying on the ground.
"Uncle Jessup!" Chea cried and ran tot he fallens man side. She propped his head up on her left. Amazingly he was still alive.
"Chea?" Jessup said. "Is that really you?"
"Yes, its me." Chea said.
"You found the other device?" He asked her.
"I did." Chea said. "We came to help you." She said as the tears brimmed in her eyes. "Karen can you help him?"
"He got shot in the stomach." Karen reported. "If it was any other time than this, I would be able to help but medicine hasnt advanced much here." Karen knew this, a simple bullet wound could be fixed in her own time but it was fatal here.
"Chea." Jessup said as he coughed up some blood.
"Yes?" Chea said.
"Here." Jessup pointed. "In my saddlebag there is the other device. I want you to have it. My horse is next to the saloon."
"Uncle, don't say that, you're gonna be all right." Chea said.
"Don't BS your uncle." Jessup said as firmly as he could in his condition. "I'm not gonna make it to next season." He said. "I want you to take it. It can't remain here. Think of the catastrophe that would happen if someone were to get their hands on it. I'm glad you found it, child. Farewell." He said and grew silent
Karen got up and went to the horse. She reluctantly reached into his saddlebag and removed the device.
Chea looked into her uncles eyes. "He's gone." She said.
After a few minutes the town undertaker came and took uncle Jessup from the middle of the street. By then, however, Karen and Chea were gone. They reached the point they came in and punched in the code to come back to the pad. An instant later they reappeared in the same spot they were before they left.
Micky, Davy and Peter looked at them. Chea started to sob loudly, she give Chea the device and ran off.
Micky was instantly after her, without a word.
"Wheres Mike?" Karen asked after laying both devices on the table.
"He went outside right after this happened." Davy said looking at the tv.
"I'm going to talk to him." Karen said with determination.
"Okay, but you should know hes about to blow. And you know what he's like when hes mad." Peter said.
Karen nodded as she went out the door. "Right."
Chea sat on the end of the bunk bed. Micky came in the door.
"Oh no Mick, go away. I don't want you to see me like this." Chea said.
Micky came further into the room. "I'm so sorry."
"Thanks." Chea said. "I knew it might happen, though, I mean it was the old west he decided on." She sobbed. "Its not like he chose to be in Titanic or anything."
"Titanic?" Micky asked.
"The boat, it sank. There was a popular movie in the 1990's..." She paused for a minute. "I forgot where I was."
"Thats ok." Micky said.
"Thanks for coming up." She said.
"Your welcome." Micky said. "I wanna ask you something."
"Sure, shoot." Chea said. "Oh lame joke!" She sobbed.
"I get the feeling that in your time, there are thousands of shows you could have chosen from." Micky said. "So why walk into my world, when there are so many other choices?"
"Well..." Chea started. She shook her head. "Its silly."
"Go on," He encouraged. "Davy always wanted to be in I dream of jeannie. I'd love to hear your reason."
"Ok, but if I sound like a teeny bopper its your own fault." Chea joked. He smiled his famous smile. It made him look so beautiful right then, right when she needed it. "Cause I hoped to meet you and thought maybe you might fall in love with me." She quickly closed her eyes. She waited. She opened her eyes. "Oh." She said.
"You look so disapointed." Micky said. "Why?" He asked.
"Cause I expected you to bolt so fast you would leave tread marks on the floor." Chea said.
"Why would I?" He said touching her hair.
"Uh well I thought maybe if you didn't feel like I did, that it would like get weird." Chea said. Her tears started to come slower now. "But its not, is it?"
"Its not weird." Micky said, with a soothing tone to his voice. It was almost hypnotic. "Oh and by the way, I don't think you have to hope for me to fall for you. I already have."
Chea almost burst but as she was about to speak, he kissed her on the lips.
"Oh my god!" She thought. She was stunned for a second, then she started to kiss him back. She could feel all the unlocked passion setting loose in this one powerful isntant. He pulled her closer and she left her fingers play in his hair. Then all at once it was over. He pulled away from her.
"Was this what you expected?" He asked with a wry grin on his face.
"I will definately watch this when it reruns." She joked as they kissed again.
Mikes legs must have taken him pretty far away, Karen thought. They had only been gone for five minutes.
She finally caught up with him a few minutes later. He was sitting on a sand dune.
"I was wondering where you went." Karen said. She walked the whole way trying to figure out what to say to him and how he might react. She kept Davys advice in mind.
He turned and looked at her, his eyes boring into her.
"Why couldnt have you told us the truth from the get go?" He asked her.
"Oh well, let's see." Karen said. "If you were me would you rather have me say that I was from a different dimension space and time, or that I was a drifting traveler who just happened to lose all of her luggage." She said. "I think I know what I would say."
"I'm not kidding." Mike said.
"Neither am I." Karen said.
"That Chandler guy." Mike said. "Who was he?"
"He was from another tv show. Its called Friends." Karen said. "Phoebe came from there too. In fact the song that won you the money is the theme song."
"Catchy, but it gets annoying after a while." Mike said to himself.
"I know what you mean, it seemed like the local radio stations played it once every half an hour." Karen laughed.
Mike grew silent. "I'm sorry Mike. But I honestly hoped you never would find out. Honest to god. We never even thought we would be here this long." Karen said.
He looked at her.
"I think I need to be alone for a while." Mike said.
"Ok." Karen said. "I'll make dinner ok?"
"Ok." He said. Karen left his side and went in the direction of the house. As soon as she was out of earshot he looked at her.
"I need to figure out whether I love you or hate you right now." Mike said to himself.
After dinner Karen took Chea out on the deck. It was hard since she seemed to be stuck to Mickys side like industrial glue. If what she thinks is going on between those too, then what she was about to tell Chea was gonna make it all the more difficult.
"Chea." Karen said. "I been thinking things over."
"Me too." Chea said. "I think we can get jobs here and eventually get our own place. Course not too far from Micky."
"I don't think we're on the same wavelength." Karen said.
"What?" Chea said.
"I think its time for us to go back." Karen said.
