Flash 4 movie clip madness

[brand]

(Flash 4)
I have 8 movie clips and each has four frames inside. I want the user to choose before the main time line plays which frame all the movie clips will be at. Example: the user chooses frame "3" (third frame labeled 3 inside the movie clip) . When the user chooses this by a maintime line button, I want all eight movie clips to go to its own frame 3. Here is the hard part (for me) . The movie clips are being moved around eighty times during the movie by a simple key frame move on the main time line and the clips see their selves (on the next key frame) as a new instance and starts on frame 1 again.

How can I use these clips and have them be at frame 3 (the one the user chooses) and stay no matter how many times the clip is moved around, off the stage area and back by key frames.

The main problem (I think) is when a key frames removes the clip and then adds it back 20 key frames later. Can this be done without having an action frame running at almost every keyframe?

Thanks,
Brand

[mgb]

Make the user action = Set variable "/:var" = 3 and on the first frame of the mc put;
Go to and Play ( /:var)

[brand]

You Da Man! That just might work. I will try it.