By Dimmer
"So," said Perfect Tommy, "What the aitch ee double hockey sticks was your tent doing in the middle of the road?" All of the paperwork had been filled out, and they had eaten lunch, delivery Chinese. Tommy was twiddling his unused chopsticks through his fingers, while Liz was cleaning her used ones off, apparently saving them for later.
"Middle of the road? I remember setting my tent up in, um, where were we?" She leaned back in the bed, staring at the ceiling as if the past was being projected onto it. "Um, hmm, a tunnel, no, a catacomb, somewhere old, Rome, maybe?" She lay thinking for a moment, her eyes squinted shut, her head tilted toward one shoulder. "Rome. Nineteen forty-... two? Mmm, one. Nineteen forty-one."
Liz sat back up and faced Tommy, "I went to bed in a Roman catacomb, in 1941, not a Wyoming county highway in 2003."
Tommy stared at her in confusion. Was she crazy, plucked from time, or just scamming him?
As if she could read his thoughts, she answered his dumbfounded look with a laugh, "I'm crazy, right? I'm always waking up in strange places, in odd times, like Dr. Who, only without the TARDIS." She sighed and slouched back onto her elbows, "Just yell at me for being in your way, and forget me. I'll only bring you confusion and misery and adventure you could probably do without."
Her aspect turned sly, "Unless you are into adventure and danger and confusion, in which case my friends are bound to turn up looking for you, and be surprised to find me here," she rolled her eyes, "again."
A scam. She was scamming him, Perfect Tommy, the knight of the Lesser Boulevards, best looking of the Hong Kong Cavaliers. She thought she could get away with it? He quickly controlled the anger, before she could see it. Better to play along and find out what she wants, and keep her 'friends' from seeking another avenue to... whatever they wanted.
"Hmm," was what he said. "Adventure and danger? I might be able to handle a little danger, a bit of adventure." He put on his most winning smile, the one he used on a co-ed that was almost ready to give in, "What's say we break you out of this popsicle stand?" And back to the Institute, where I can keep an eye on you.
