The thing had accepted who he was. So it also knew the agency he supposedly worked for. Al figured the rest should be straightforward, and the simpler he kept it, the less chance of trouble.

“Routine fact-findin’ interviews on recent rural chupacabra sightings.”

It would jive with recent official reports, but he didn’t mention the specific incident in case someone had flagged it in the system. While his mouth spoke, his fingers texted the outside team (keeping the ‘link out of the drone’s field of vision): <<Border sec using old-tech drones on autopilot. Opportunity for you to step in if it doesn’t like my face.>>