Please see the Chronicles of Buckaroo Banzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers for more Word Challenges.
Tommy and Liz caught up with World Watch One at a small, family-run truck stop just off I-90 near Rapid City, South Dakota. The tour bus was not the only bus there, several high school sports teams were on their way back from a regional tournament. A few big rigs and several cars and trucks testified to the stop's popularity.
Tommy was still glowering at Liz, "I'm gonna go check in with the boss, you wait here."
Liz was meek, "I'd like to check in with my own boss, if I may," she motioned to the pay phone next to the building. "If he's in this time-frame yet, of course."
"Whatever." He headed inside. The interior of the restaurant half of the stop was noisy and fragrant with home style cooking. Buckaroo and his Cavaliers were having a high old time, and waved their oft-errant little brother over to their table. Peggy got up to give him a hug, and whispered, "Sorry about the new car."
"I'll get over it," his growl took her aback, and she led him to a chair.
Buckaroo raised his glass to his friend, "Wassail to you, and to your mystery woman!" He looked around, "Where is she?"
"Checking in with her accomplices, probably." The polychromatically coiffed Cavalier jerked his thumb in her direction.
With a look and a nod, Buckaroo sent an intern out to watch her. "What happened to you?"
"She's a con artist, I know, but she's got to be kidding if she thinks we'll buy that she never heard of us!" Tommy reached out for and was given the flask of karakoumiss by Reno. After a deep swig, he handed it back and stood up, "I'm gonna go get her so you can see for yourself."
As the mercurial Cavalier stalked back the way he had entered, his friends shared glances and shrugged their shoulders at each other.
Liz was on the phone when he got out to her, waiting with much toe-tapping and finger-drumming. Tommy dismissed the intern and joined his charge in toe-tapping, glaring at her so hard he started to wonder if wrinkles would be next. "Boss?" The phrase was unexpected, and he jumped a little. "Where are you?" She was using the universal 'one of us is on a cell phone' voice, "Mongolia? How the heck did you end up in Mongolia?" She listened for a minute, then glanced at Tom, "Boss, I'm gonna be in New Jersey when you get back to the States. Has Long got you under control?" Another pause, " I mean has he got your situation under control, you know, visas and stuff? True, the phone is obviously working, so I'll see you when you get here. Oh, Boss? Have you ever heard of a Dr. Banzai? Uh-huh, uh-huh, yup, o-o-o-oh. Ok, I'll see what I can do. I dunno, I haven't met him yet. Alright. See ya, oh, and tell Tom to check on my parents? Thanks! Bye!"
The exchange over, she hung up, faced her host, threw out her arm, and declaimed, "Lead on MacDuff, and darned be he who first cries 'hold, enough!'"
Please see the next chapter.