This time, when they found themselves immersed in the past, they had one advantage they didn't have before, Beor's memories. For that reason, it was no surprise that as soon they settled down from being ejected from the hub, Beor could tell them where they were after a quick observation.

"Interesting," Beor said, unperturbed that the escape eluded them again. "It's 14 October 1066, England."

"How do you know that?" Sybil asked, annoyed that not only did they lose their exit, but the guy seemed to know more about the past than she did after years of bouncing around in it. "All I can see is a nice sunny day in the middle of nowhere."

"I've been here before, more than once," Beor said, still finding the year beautiful even after everything he had been through.

"You said it was interesting that we ended up in this year. What did you mean by that?" Tyson asked, holding on to the hope that the magic door that would take them home was in that year, that it was why Beor knew it so well.

"I found it interesting because this is the year I was always obsessed with. I have studied it and visited it many times," Beor said, looking around with gentleness in his eyes. "Something about it draws me in, but I never did figure out what it was."

"So, this isn't the place where the doors to our times are hidden?" Tyson asked, wanting to make sure he understood the situation correctly.

"No, not at all. It's just your regular run-of-the-mill past," Beor said, far too cheerful for Tyson's taste.

Upon hearing that, Tyson sat down on the grass defeatedly. He had no more energy left to do anything, even discuss theories on what went wrong. It was exhausting to keep on, hoping for everything to return to normal when all they ever did was get even stranger.

"Then what happened?" Marcus asked, far calmer than his friend. "How did you mess up?'

No one even tried to lecture Marcus on being rude, as they all felt disappointed that what felt like their best option fell through.

"It wasn't me. It's the AI's new security system. I told you it was too easy," Beor said, his eyes glowing in fascination as he tried to explain what he thought happened. "I made a security measure so that if anyone put in the wrong, outdated code, they would be rejected by the system. I was hoping to be able to work around it because I was the one who designed the system in the first place."

"What happened then?" Marcus asked tiredly. "How come we not only got rejected but ejected like in that movie, Top Gun?"

"It seems Ariadne went even further by ejecting us. It must be an added layer of security she introduced on her own after years of human absence," Beor said, stroking his chin. "I wonder how long has it been in her timeline since the humans were in charge. It could have been a long time. That would explain how she became as evolved as she seems."

"That still doesn't explain this year," Sybil said.

She was getting suspicious of whether Beor was actually telling the truth or if it was some kind of trick to keep them imprisoned.

"I am her creator, so some part of her must remember me. She transported us to a year her creator was obsessed with. I think that, in a way, she was trying to please me without actually giving me what I wanted," Beor said with a small smile.

"And that's funny, how?" Sybil snapped at him, not understanding the guy or his motivation.

"It means she might still remember you, that you might be able to build a rapport with her. Do you think you can convince her to let us out?" Loralei asked, knowing Beor well enough to read his expressions.

"Exactly. Ariadne is very rational, as any AI is," Beor said, making the plan as he went. "If we can explain to her that it would be safer for history, for the timeline, to let us out, she should be able to see the logic in my words."

"So, we are basically going to chat with a psychotic AI and ask her pretty please let us go?" Marcus asked, trying to sum up their plans.

"She is not psychotic, just lost, but yes, more or less, that's the plan," Beor said, smiling brightly at the others who didn't seem to share his enthusiasm.

"How do you know that this isn't a permanent ejection?" Tyson asked, feeling more trapped than ever.

It was like they were rats trapped in a maze, but unlike them, they were not smart enough to find a way out. The hopelessness was starting to swallow Tyson up as all their attempts seemed pathetic to him.

"Trust me, I know my girl," Beor said with fatherly pride. "This was just her way of warning us not to do anything without her permission. Next time, I will try to communicate with her, not try to sneak in behind her back. I've learned my lesson."

"Fine, let's say you are right. What do we do in the meantime?" Tyson asked.

"We watch the most fascinating battle in human history unfold before our very eyes," Beor said, heading south, knowing his way perfectly.

His confidence made Tyson wonder how often the guy had visited that time and place. Furthermore, he couldn't understand what he found so much more fascinating in the Battle of Hastings than any other battle. In Tyson's eyes, it was a battle like any other, interesting to learn about but no more or less fascinating.

"Won't we cause problems if we just show up during such a dangerous time?" Tyson asked, still having enough strength to worry about Marcus changing the course of the battle.

"Don't worry, I know a place from which we can watch without being seen," Beor said.

He was excited to see it again as he hadn't seen his favorite battle for too long.

"Guys," Sybil said but was largely ignored by everyone.

"There is no safe place in the past," Tyson said energetically, some of his will to go on returning to him when confronted with what felt like the worst idea possible. "How many times did I think there was nothing we could do to cause trouble, and yet we always did exactly that?"

"Guys," Sybil said a bit louder, getting only Loralei and Marcus's attention.

"Trust me, I know what I am doing," Beor said with confidence that the Beor whom Tyson knew lacked. "This is, after all, my creation."

"If you knew what you were doing, any of you future folk, we wouldn't have been in this pickle in the first place," Tyson said as he allowed anger to take root in his heart for the first time in a while. "The past is no one's creation but of the people who live in it. Our interference with it is wrong on many levels, but at least we can't help it. Your people chose to do it knowing the risks."

"Guys!" Sybil yelled as Tyson and Beor stood locked in an intense stare-down.

"What?" they both yelled in unison, turning towards her.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that," Sybil said, pointing.

A few feet from them stood another shimmering portal buzzing quietly, like a cat purring contentedly.

"Well, here we go again," Marcus said, wondering if it would be like a Groundhog Day thing.

He couldn't help but wonder if they would end up repeating the same actions with the same results endlessly. It was a scary thought but also strangely great for someone who loved those movies as much as he did.

"That solves that problem," Tyson said, jumping into the portal before anything else could be said, pulling Marcus with him.

He was determined to ensure that, for once, neither he nor Marcus did anything wrong. It felt like they were his responsibility and everyone else was responsible for themselves.

Soon enough, they were back in the tunnels, ready to give the whole AI whispering thing another shot. Hoping beyond hope that this time they would actually be going home to a place that was starting to become foggier and foggier with each passing day.