Chapter Five
Larry hopped in the back seat of the cab beside Balki and slammed the door before glancing out of the rear window to see that Max and his two companions were quickly exiting the warehouse and climbing into their van.
"Take us to the Shady Tree Inn," Bianca told the driver, tossing him a twenty dollar bill.
"And step on it!" Larry hissed.
"You got it," the driver replied with a tip of his cap as he slammed on the gas, sending Larry, Balki and Bianca lurching forward. "Hang on to your cats," he told them.
"You look really familiar," Bianca told him, leaning forward in her seat. "Do I know you?"
"I do not think so. I am Meego from Marmazon four-point-oh," he told her. "Have you ever been there?"
"Wait; isn't that in Canada?" Larry marveled.
"Yes," Meego replied slowly, seeming somewhat shocked at Lary's response.
"You know? Now that I think of it, you look familiar to me, too," Balki chimed in. "Were you ever a contestant on The Price Is Right?"
"No, you look more like someone famous," Bianca argued. "You look exactly like–"
"Jimmy Dean?" Meego asked
"No."
"Bradley Cooper?"
"No," Bianca giggled.
"Buck Rogers?" Balki chimed in.
"No. Now you are just being catty," Meego replied with a grin.
"Catty; that's hilarious!" Balki laughed loudly. "Where do you come up with them?"
"Look, I'm sorry to break up this little game, but have you forgotten there are three angry men chasing us in a van who want to kill us?" Larry asked, annoyance written on his face. "Can't you go any faster?" he asked Meego.
"You are lucky this baby is equipped with rocket blasters," Meego replied as if people said that everyday. "I hope you all had a light dinner."
Suddenly, the car lurched forward and Larry audibly gasped as the world flew by in a hazy blur through the window. How fast were they going? Two hundred, three hundred miles an hour? "Are you crazy?" Larry yelled, trying to keep Balki from falling on top of him.
"Cousin, I don't think he was kidding when he said he had rocket bastards!" Balki cried. "We are going faster than a speeding bullet wound!"
Finally, after thirty more seconds, Larry had enough. "Stop! Stop this car!" he yelled, his voice frantic.
"Okay, okay. You want me to go faster and then you say you want me to stop. Make up your mind!" Meego retorted as he slowed the car down to a thankfully normal stop on the side of the road. "We're here, by the way."
"Uh, thanks," Bianca panted as Meego got out and opened her car door for her.
Larry would have laughed at the three of them as they got out, their entire bodies shaking like Jell-o. The only reason he didn't was because he was too worried about staying alive.
"Well, here we are; room two-twenty-two," Balki told them as he used the key to unlock the room. "At least we managed to lose Max and the guys, hoh?"
"Oh my Lord! Tell me this isn't our room," Larry cried out as soon as they walked inside.
As Balki set down his cat and looked around, he could see why his cousin was concerned. The room looked as if no one had been by to clean in in a while. The bedspreads were a tacky brown and grey design and the dark brown wallpaper was peeling badly. The two pictures on the wall above the beds were crooked and looked as if they had been painted by Picasso during a seizure. "Well," he said slowly, blowing dust off a book and coughing, "this is…nice."
"I can see now why they call this the Shady Tree Inn," Larry observed distastefully. "This place hold fond dust-bunny-filled memories for you, Bianca?"
"No. It was just the first name that popped into my head, okay? Sue me!" she barked.
"Are you calling the time machine to come and rescue us now?" Balki asked, seeing that she was playing with Max's phone again.
"I'm trying."
"Is something wrong?" Larry asked, sitting down beside her on the bed.
"Max has his phone password protected. I'm trying to break the code. It's seven letters long."
"A seven-letter word for using a phone. Talking? Calling? Dialing?" Balki guessed.
Bianca glanced up at him wearily. "No, no and no."
"What about your last name? If he's obsessed with you, maybe it's Pierson," Larry pointed out.
"Tried that," Bianca replied.
Balki listened as Bianca and Larry tried several more guesses before leaning down to give the cat some more catnip and a gentle rub on its head. It was then he noticed that the cat had a collar and tag. "Cupydon," he read slowly.
"Wait; what did you just say?" Bianca asked.
"The cat has a name on his collar. It says Cupydon. C-U-P-Y-D-O-N. I am saying it correctly, aren't I, Cousin?"
"Seven letters," Bianca mumbled as she typed it in. "Ha!" she cried out seconds later. "The password is his cat's name!"
"Now are you contacting R.O.B. to get us the heck outta here?" Larry pressed.
"Why, yes; yes I am," she giggled. "Thanks, Balki."
"Well, you're very welcome," Balki blushed, although he had no idea really what he had done.
Suddenly, the three of them looked up as a loud noise could be heard down the hall. It sounded like some sort of scuffle, but Balki saw that Bianca was beginning to shake.
"Balki, don't move and whatever you do, don't open the door," Larry warned, placing an arm around Bianca.
Seconds later, someone began pounding on the door fiercely. "We know you're in there, Bianca! You and your friends come out nice and easy and we won't have to break the door down!" Max's voice hollered on the other side.
Balki turned around and whispered. "They know we're in here and if we don't come out nice and easy, they are going to break down the door."
"We heard, Balki," Larry hissed before turning to Bianca. "Now would be a good time for your machine to get us outta here."
"Okay, you give us no choice, babe! On the count of three, we're breaking down the door…one…"
Suddenly, Balki turned just in time to see the machine appear in the room.
"Two…" Max called out as Larry, Bianca and Balki quickly shuffled inside the egg and closed the door.
"Go ahead, Max; do your worst!" Bianca cackled as she quickly typed in their destination and pressed the power button.
"Three!"