Jess tries to picture what that 'thank you' note would look like. Hope you're enjoying the accommodations, thanks for playing.

The thought gets more painful when he imagines the Artifex's voice dictating it.

"If we have to be chimpanzees, we might as well be the opportunistic kind," he agrees, running a hand down his face. It's been a trying day already, and it's not even over yet. When he drops his hand, his expression is set. "Losing's not an option. I might lack this radiation immunity and be from what you consider the past, but we Earthlings have some tricks up our sleeves when push comes to shove."

Fighting words, but then that's what Jess is: a fighter. It's abundantly clear not everyone is; he can see by watching that some are more rattled by these discoveries than others. Still, he can't fault them. For a ragtag group of this size, they're keeping it together as best as circumstances allow.

There haven't been any brawls or out-and-out arguments yet. Could be worse.