"You're welcome, Giles," Nera responded. Ulysses nodded in agreement.
"Thanks for putting us up. We'll get out of your hair before too long." Ulysses said.
"Not a problem," said Giles, followed by a sigh. "This whole situation is fucking bonkers. To be
honest, part of me keeps waiting for the TV crew to show up and be like, 'gotcha!' I think I might
actually prefer that to what's really happening, except for the part where we'd have to stop being
friends due to the worst practical joke ever." Giles's smile was wry. His gaze settled onto the table's
surface. "You're both welcome to stay with me for however long you're in town, but I have to go back
to work on Tuesday. There's really no way I can keep on with you once you leave, so please don't ask."
He paused again to look at them. "That said, if there's anything I can do from a distance to help once
you're on your way, say the word. Honestly, I don't expect I'll be leaving this continent until I know how
things have turned out for you two."
Ulysses and Nera nodded solemnly.
"We'll do our best," Ulysses said, "I am curious to see if O'Flannery has anything."
"I dunno, mate. I think Mr. Special Agent Yank might not have anything useful to offer you two.
I'm sure he gets a lot of discretion for investigative work, but I doubt he can call in favors from the
military within days. He'll probably have to go to meetings for months before anyone will actually take
him seriously."
"You're not wrong, Mr. Taylor," said Agent O'Flannery.
Giles nearly leapt out of his seat. "Crikey! Don't fucking sneak up on me like that, you weird
bastard!"
Jonathon O'Flannery wore blue jeans, a grey golf shirt, and a smug grin. He nodded to Ulysses
and Nera as he took the seat next to Giles. "I take it you want to make some kind of move?"
"Straight to business, huh?" Said Ulysses.
"I'm sure you understand how urgent this situation is, Mr. --