The Fed jumped, not used to being pointed out in a group of Hunters. He swallowed hard, and Archer was one of those skinny types with the pronounced Adam’s apple, so his discomfort was extra obvious. “Yeah?”

“Sorry about blowing your cover.” Several of the Hunters laughed at that, since the guys with black suits and earpieces were obviously MCB. It didn’t matter what country you were from, every Hunter knew about the MCB, if not personally, then at least by reputation. “Care to tell our honored guests about how me and Franks blasted the Dread Overlord?”

Archer was like a deer in the headlights. I knew from experience that he was pretty decent at lying to the press, but this wasn’t a bunch of ignorant dupes to be led around by the nose. These folks made their livings killing things that weren’t supposed to exist. “I…uh, can neither confirm nor deny…” He looked around nervously at all the waiting Hunters. “There’s an official MCB press release concerning the events in New Zealand…and…Shoot…That’s all I can say.”

“Thank you, Agent.” Just having the official type corroborate that something had happened was even better, because now their imaginations would fill in the blanks. It gave my story a certain air of legitimacy. “It was really neat. Giant alien death tree and crazy cultists. You guys would’ve loved it.” Archer realized too late that since he hadn’t simply shot me down, he had sort of verified my story to the others, which I’m positive hadn’t been his assignment. The young agent tried to be discreet as he fled the crowd, probably worried that his superiors were going to chew him a new one.

“It’s real enough,” an Englishman told Lindemann. “The New Zealand government has a mutual assistance treaty with the BSS.” His tone suggested that their feelings about their British Supernatural Service were equivalent to our opinion of the MCB. “Their Select Group were carrying on about one of our contracts at the time, but they left in a hurry to help damage control. Word from a chap on the inside was that they had to hide a big one.”

“I’ve seen the aftermath of this Arbmunep beasty,” the leader of the Australians said. “The whole area’s been cordoned off by military research. There’s a new building on the spot. Looks rather like a very unnecessarily big silo, and they won’t say what’s inside.”

Lindemann adjusted his sport coat. “So it seems that something extraordinary did occur in New Zealand.” The admission seemed to pain him. “I stand corrected, Mr. Pitt. You have my apologies.”