“Great,” I said. “How? Do you have a password or cheat code or something?” Lee laughed. “Cheat code? Are you thinking the test Kee set up works like a video game? There are parts that might, I suppose, but no. This is real. I can tell you which parts of the control system you need to manipulate to get through the test.”

“You know what I showed you? If you can keep on doing it, from what they said, you can wipe yourself clean of a dominator’s commands. Also, I’ve got a device that can block Dominators’ commands—up to a point. If you’re facing more than ten or maybe five, I’d run away and throw rocks at them from a distance.” He began to laugh.

The scene froze, leaving Prentkos, Colette, and Magnus standing within the circle, caught in a moment where none of them were looking each other in the eye, a picture without much visual appeal. Spark asked, “Do you want to see more? There’s no more conversation except for Colette giving the command. Instead, they disappear, and I’m not allowed to show you where they reappear.”

“You can’t tell me unless you’re in my presence? Why? Because he told you not to tell?” The picture of Prentkos in my mind frowned. “I,” he said and paused. “I can’t say… It’s difficult. I know the Nine has me. His assistant—the blond woman who’s with him—she talked to me, and I can’t repeat anything she said.” “His assistant,” I said.

I reached out to the systems that surrounded me, trying to figure out what I could use. Though I couldn’t say that I was a massive X-Men fan, I remembered Cerebro from the comics. It was a device that allowed telepaths (or maybe just Xavier) to detect mutants. This wasn’t the same thing, but for Artificers. I knew this because I connected with it, specifically with its systems.

Using the model I’d made of the space, I followed the trail of whatever the CDPS was detecting in my head. It originated near three different spheres in a cluster. With a glance toward Spark, I flew toward the cluster, guessing that by the time I got down there I might be able to sense something. With my rockets firing, it didn’t take long to reach the spheres, all three glowing.

I’d expected the primary thing I sensed to be empty space or perhaps distant hints to chase, but that wasn’t what I found. This place pulsed with energy. The Core device kept these worlds alive. I didn’t know what was in them, but I could sense energy traveling to each one and a smaller amount of energy leaving each sphere.

“Wait,” I said, adjusting to that information, “what was he doing with them? Are you saying he brought them through to train them or to use them as guinea pigs to test the system?” I looked over the faces. There were at least ten or fifteen people. “Both,” she said. “You both can bring guests, but you’ve been taught what you are and trained to begin to use your abilities.

Meeting my eyes, she continued, “That’s not all. A new owner has the option of flushing everyone who’s entered in between owners from the system or selectively allowing specific entries.” “Oh,” I said, realizing as I said it what that meant. “So, if Magnus were to gain control, he could wipe everything that’s happened in the meantime, but he could also allow the specific entries that led to him controlling the system.”

Grandpa wore the late 50s and 60s version of the Rocket suit. Giles Hardwick wore the final version of his costume—red with a lightning bolt under an arch decorated with hieroglyphics. He’d always been fascinated with Egypt. Captain Commando’s blue costume with a US flag on it echoed Cassie’s, or more accurately, vice versa. Grandma wore a white jumpsuit, which seemed closer to skintight than I imagined for that era.

She shrugged. “My apologies. I have to follow the rules set out for me by the system I exist within. I think you’ll understand what that means and how to work within it.” “I get it,” I said, and I did. You’re a thinking being, but you’re also a program running on a kind of hardware, not so deeply integrated into it that you can reconfigure every piece of it at will.

The fall felt both endless and instantaneous. Darkness surrounded me, and it went on forever, except for the glowing opening to the room I’d left. As the opening and the portal on the other side grew larger, I saw myself in the Rocket suit flying out of nowhere toward the portal. We were close enough to collide as I fell into the space, and I wondered if I’d screw all of it up.

I don’t know how long I talked. He’d ask questions on human culture and sometimes small details about Lee or Kee’s actions or statements. When I did remember them, he’d nod slowly as if it meant something to him. I couldn’t be sure that was a good thing. He’d found the story of The Thing That Eats particularly interesting, both because I’d been able to tap into Lee’s power when creating a sword and because of Amy’s spear.

I could hear nothing. I could see nothing. Even the Artificer connection, the in-between space Artificers and Ghosts used to communicate across interstellar distances, was quiet. I sensed only motion, and that it was downward. It may have lasted only moments, but it felt longer. I checked my suit’s CDPS (Cross-Dimensional Positioning System) stats and found nothing. Zeros showed in every box where it didn’t instead say, “Error!”

Melisende’s expression changed, her smile widening. “Nick, I didn’t expect to see this version of you ever again. I know you told me I would, but with alternate universes, it’s not that simple.” It was still Melisende’s voice, but the accent had changed. Amy’s held a hint of the Florida woman whose blood she’d used to learn English. “Amy? This is so weird.

Darkness surrounded me, and I felt myself drop. I knew the feeling from my lessons with Kee and from just a second ago—I was changing universes again. Except that I then received another communication, this one from Hal. A rainbow glow surrounded me again, yanking me somewhere new as the connection with maybe-Govan ended with him saying, “What is this?”

The presence of Artificers pervaded everything. Though the Ghosts might have confused my senses, I doubted it. The Ghosts remained unnoticed unless they wanted to be. Artificers, except for Lee, Kee, and other members of the Live faction, had no reason to learn stealth. Too powerful to be threatened by most beings, they emanated power without hesitation. I sensed them on both sides, even from within the Rocket suits.

Okay. I knew when I was and where I was. Next problem? Getting to Mars or Earth and getting back home. I might make it to Mars, but given that something had smashed a space station and burned enough of the planet that I could see the damage from space. Artificers or one of their creatures would be able to do that.

I didn’t reply. I had other problems to deal with. When someone teaches you the purely theoretical baby steps of a skill, whatever that skill is, they try to make the first time you have to do it for real as easy as they can. I felt sure that Kee wouldn’t have dropped me into a time gate with no guidance as my first experience doing it alone.

The darkness felt cold even through the Rocket suit. If it reminded me of anything I’d experienced before, it reminded me of traveling through “near space,” the slower layer of jump space that you could still access closer to a planet. Since learning more about it, I’d suspected that Jody and Rachel had unknowingly manipulated it while using their powers. Except at this point, Rachel manipulated it knowingly.

I spoke over the comm system’s general channel, “Magnus is powering his people up. If I had to guess, he’s powering up everybody he can. Expect people with powers to become more powerful. Don’t be surprised if they develop new ones or if unpowered people start changing…” I stopped, and Amy added more, “Magnus is trying to escape into the portal.

Jody’s eyes fired off bolts before I had time to warn Dayton. Several shots hit, the red bolts striking his torso. Though I didn’t see a hole in Dayton’s suit, something must have made it through because he yelped. In that moment, Rook punched him, throwing Dayton backward. He did roll and come up on two feet, but something about the hesitancy in his movement told me that he was hurt.

With the Rocket suit’s speed and the short distance, I might as well have teleported. If he were anything like the Xiniti I’d fought, he would have still been able to avoid me anyway, but instead, he stumbled sideways, still faster than a scooter, but not faster than I flew. I punched him and he hit the ground, turning and pointing his arms at me as if to fire his weapons.

While Dayton’s strength, speed, and reflexes blew away a normal person’s, Jody was in another league. Dr. Nation’s system for triggering improvements and latent powers had worked for Dayton. I’d seen figures ranging from 30-50% when Dr. Nation showed me the results. For that matter, Dayton’s mimic ability had become more flexible over time. Instead of mimicking movements exactly, he could adjust them for his own build and strengths without thinking.

“Bait,” Dayton said. Despite their camouflage, my HUD filled in their outlines. Dayton had grabbed Sean’s shoulder. “Remember this is the Nine. He might not want to, but he’ll turn on us the second they tell him to.” Sean looked down, the head of his outline staring ahead—into metal shelving, but then over at Dayton, “We’re not going to be able to save him, are we?”