After a long walk, the Voyager crew reached Golden Gate Park and the famous Hippie Hill. Micky led the crew to a slightly secluded spot, stating that until he grew a beard, they had to be careful so that he wouldn’t be recognized. They all settled down and got comfortable for the night.
The next morning, Neelix woke the crew up early and then he, Ensign Kim, and Tom Paris left to get some breakfast for the group from the Diggers. They stayed in their secluded corner, surrounding Micky to try and prevent recognition. Over breakfast, they discussed the next step.
"We can’t stay here forever, especially if we’re to be at this Monterey in five days," Chakotay began.
"And there’s the matter of transportation. We can’t exactly walk a hundred miles," Paris added.
"And there’s also the matter of getting tickets -- it’s already sold out so we have to figure out how to sneak in, or else get in legally, somehow," Micky finished.
"Then let’s start thinking of some ideas, people," Janeway commanded.
Following the best suggestion the crew had come up with, to get themselves hired as roadies for a band headed to Monterey, the crew split in two and went off in search of some of the bigger SF area bands.
Janeway lead Paris, Kim, and the Holodoc west on Oak, past the Shire School, then they moved two blocks south when reaching Hippie Hill, to Haight and passed by Mouse Studios -- a poster gallery, the I-Thou Coffee Shop, and the Straight Theater. When reaching Clayton they decided to head back north to the panhandle to rendezvous with the other group.
Chakotay’s group, consisting of B’Elanna, Neelix, and Micky, passed by many more landmarks along the way. They’d gone south on Clayton to Haight and passed the cluster of shops between Clayton and Ashbury, the block that gave the area its name and reputation. They passed the Free Clinic, the Pall Mall Cocktail Lounge (home of the Love Burger), a poster gallery called the Print Mint, Mnasidika -- the first hip shop on Haight Street, and the Psychedelic Shop. They stopped to gaze in awe at the famous Haight-Ashbury street sign, then continued on to Haight & Central, passing the Drugstore Cafe and the Phoenix paraphernalia shop which was in the same building as the San Francisco Oracle. While they walked past, Micky quickly ducked behind Chakotay, hiding his face.
"Uh, oh, there’s Peter! He can’t see me, I’m supposed to be spending time with my mother & sisters," Micky mumbled into Chakotay’s back.
Neelix and B’Elanna quietly surrounded Micky, shielding him from Peter’s view until he’d disappeared into the Oracle office. Then Micky quickly led them around the corner.
"Sorry about that -- I forgot that Peter contributed money to the Oracle and it never occurred to me that he might be there today," Micky explained.
The group then moved a block south and began heading back west on Waller, until they reached Ashbury, and the Grateful Dead’s residence.
"Here’s 710 Ashbury, the Grateful Dead’s pad if I remember correctly."
When the groups met in the Panhandle for lunch, both were dejected. The Grateful Dead weren’t looking for roadies, and Janeway’s group had not even found any bands on their excursion. As they ate the group discussed their limited options and became even more depressed.
"At this rate, it will be December and we’ll still be taking these handouts and sleeping in the park!" B’Elanna spat.
Micky stood up and walked over to her. "B’Elanna, I know things seem dismal right now but my good buddy Peter always says ‘Don’t quit just before the miracle’ and I think he’s right. We still haven’t covered a lot of ground. I know for one that Big Brother are always looking for roadies and they live several blocks east of where we’ve already looked. Chin up, babe, we’ll get to Monterey yet."
"Don’t call me babe," B’Elanna seethed.
After they ate, Janeway’s group headed north, passing by the Blue Unicorn (the first coffee shop in the area) at Hayes & Ashbury, and canvassed the area around Ashbury, Clayton, and near the University of San Francisco.
Chakotay’s group continued their search on Page, heading for Big Brother’s pad at 1090 Page. Micky waited outside for fear of being noticed, as did B’Elanna and Neelix because of their distinctly alien features.
Chakotay then quickly walked out with the news, "Pack your things everyone! We start work day after tomorrow. No salary -- just room & board, and transportation to Monterey."
After another narrow escape from Peter (who passed by in his car while they walked up Oak to the Panhandle), they met up with the other group again to give them the good news. They were headed to Monterey!!
The next morning dawned bright and early, and after breakfast the visitors from the future sat down to decide how to disguise B’Elanna & Neelix and keep Micky from being recognized until he grew a beard.
"How about the Diggers’ store? Everything there is free," Micky suggested.
"Sounds good. Where is it? Chakotay, Paris & Kim can head there and gather some disguises," Janeway said.
"Um . . . it’s in the park, by Stanyan and Frederick -- the very edge of the park, south of Hippie Hill."
"On our way!" Paris chimed.
Several hours later, wearing hats & beaded headbands, and a scarf for B’Elanna, the three members of the group who needed disguises got their own food from the Diggers in the Panhandle for the first time since they’d found themselves in the past.
They spent the day walking around town and sightseeing, taking some time out to go into a music shop for a quick introduction to musical equipment from Micky, finishing the day with dinner from the Diggers and finding a quiet corner of the Panhandle near the corner of Baker & Oak, going to sleep early to get ready for their new job the next day.
They awoke bright and early the next morning, refreshed and ready for whatever challenge Q had in mind for them. Micky, who had by now grown a decent beard, led the way to 1090 Page. Janis Joplin opened the door to them herself, wincing from the pain of a hangover.
"Hi! We’re your new roadies!" Micky greeted her. They’d decided that, now that he’d grown his beard, Micky should act as something of a spokesperson, since he was most familiar with the conventions of the time. Janis led them inside and punched Chet Helms in the shoulder to wake him up. Obviously, there had been a drinking party there the night before, as members of the band and others were sprawled across floor and furniture, sound asleep.
"Hey Chet -- did ya hire new roadies?" Janis asked.
"Yeah . . . they here?" he asked sleepily.
"Right here," she replied.
"Well, tell them to come back at noon -- the band should be awake then and we’ll go over what they need to know."
"You heard him. How you cats could be up at this hour of the morning is beyond me."
Micky barely suppressed giggles as they quietly walked out, leaving Janis to crash back on the easy chair she’d been sprawled in before.
"Just what is so funny?" Paris demanded of Micky, who’d broken down into fits of giggles as soon as they were safely out of the house.
"Oh, it’s not you personally. I’m just thinking how funny it is that we’ve been keeping an early-rising schedule all this time when getting up before noon is practically sacrilege to the hip."
"Well, after spending an entire evening consuming illegal substances and alcoholic beverages, that is entirely understandable," the doctor commented.
"Well, let’s go get something to eat. We’ve got a few hours to kill."
At noon the Voyager group, which had split up, choosing different ways to spend their morning, met up again by the Big Brother house at 1090 Page. This time, Chet Helms opened the door himself.
"Hey. Sorry about earlier but, well, you know, I had a hangover and it was way too early for everyone. We keep late hours around here -- you guys are gonna have to stop getting up so early in the morning."
"Well, hey, man -- we’re just gettin’ into the scene. We’ll get the hang of it," Micky replied.
"Just dropped out from the straight world, huh? I dig you -- I had the same trouble when I first dropped out. Come on in, lemme introduce you to the band.
"This here is Dave Getz, he’s our drummer," Chet pointed to a guy still snoring in a corner of the floor, drumsticks in one hand, "over here, snoring up a storm, is our champion snorer and lead guitarist, Sam Andrew. Hey, Jim, get in here!" A handsome young man walked in, "This is James Gurley, our rhythm guitarist and he also does some vocals." The Voyager crew all shook hands with Jim. Then Chet led them into the practice room, "Pete! C’mere! Guys . . . and gals, this is Peter Albin, our bassist." Everyone shook hands again, then, Chet led them over to the corner of the room. "And this is our lovely lead singer, Miss Janis Lynn Joplin."
Micky quickly stepped up and kissed Janis’ hand, "A pleasure my lady."
Janis gave him a look that dripped venom and Paris not-so-subtly grabbed the back of Micky’s shirt and dragged him a step back, away from Janis.
"Well, let’s get started already!" Janis said.
Several hours later, Voyager crew felt comfortable with the set up of Big Brother’s instruments. While Sam left with Peter to get some booze, as the band had cleaned out the cabinets the night before, Janeway called a conference.
The crew met in the attic of the Big Brother house. Janeway stood in the middle of the room. Chakotay leaned on a doorjamb near her. The Holodoc stood in a corner, arms folded, while Paris and Kim perched on trunks. Neelix found a velvet-covered footstool (the velvet mostly bare), while Micky sat on the floor, one leg straight out and the other bent back -- a very uncomfortable-looking position, but one of his favorite. B’Elanna just paced, much like a caged tiger.
"Update. Does everyone feel ready to perform our assigned duties?" Janeway asked. Everyone murmured positive replies.
"So, we’re leaving tomorrow, by car. About how far would you say this Monterey is, and how long will it take us to get there Micky?" Chakotay quietly asked.
"Um, it’s only around a hundred miles. Driving, oh, about forty miles an hour average, it would take us about three hours. With this gang, I’d say it might take as long as five hours because I’m pretty sure there are some grass farms along the way -- but I’m not positive. I usually fly between Los Angeles and Monterey or San Francisco."
"Grass? What’s so special about grass that people would want to farm it?" B’Elanna spat.
"Not that kind of grass. Marijuana -- weed, pot, grass, dope, blow," Micky replied, turning on the charm while she was looking in his direction, trying to melt that cold, hard exterior -- and failing again.
"So, you’re saying that we could easily make the trip in three hours but this band might want to stop to get some drugs and that would cause a delay," Chakotay summarized. Micky nodded in reply.
"What’s our time of departure?" Kim asked.
"I asked Chet earlier. He figures he can get the band all conscious and in the van by noon or one PM. We’re responsible for getting all the instruments packed up by 11:30 AM, and I’m in charge of driving -- since I’ll be sober. Tom, I’d like it if you would be my navigator," Micky said.
"Sure thing!" Tom answered.
"Well, then, let’s get some sleep," Janeway ordered.
The Voyager crew got up with their time the next morning. They managed to, with the aid of solid teamwork, get all the instruments carefully packed into the trunk of Big Brother’s van by 11 AM. Micky and Neelix then headed into the kitchen and cooked a spectacular brunch, the smell of which woke all the band members and caused them to drift down to the kitchen. Once everyone was served and eating, Micky consulted with Paris over how to get to Monterey in the least amount of time, with the least amount of detours and passing by as few marijuana fields as possible.
Due to several hangovers, the sheer amount of people being crammed into the van, and the insistence of Dave Getz’s that plenty of beer be brought along, the group did not get on the road until nearly 2 P.M. Micky drove along Highway 101 towards Monterey.
About an hour later, Chet spotted a sign for a marijuana farm. He insisted that a stop was in order. So, Micky reluctantly pulled over and parked in the gravel drive. All the band members and "roadies" piled out and the Voyager crew held back as the band joined Chet in haggling with the farmer for a decent price on some pot. They didn’t get back on the highway for two hours.
When the van reached the outskirts of Monterey, it was after 7 P.M. Once they’d settled into their hotel, it was 8:30 P.M. and few restaurants were open. They finally settled on a short order place, getting greasy burgers and fries, before heading to a bar.
Past midnight, the Voyager crew supported five tipsy musicians and one very tipsy manager back to the hotel. The band slept soundly, while the Voyager crew held another meeting, to brainstorm about what they might need to do to make Q happy. Then they turned in themselves.
Last updated 12 JUL 98
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