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.

Of all the creatures with power across the empty, black battlefield, I had the least to work with.

I asked Hal, "Is there some way to get me out of here? You may be prepared to fight a war, but I came straight from one."

On the edge of the fight, two Things That Eat broke away from their squad, turning in my direction.

I activated the rockets and shot upward, hoping one would arrive before the other. Preparing for that, I gathered energy, ready to create a sword when the first closed.

Energy came easier than I expected, either because it was readily available or maybe because I'd tapped into energy from grown-up, Artificer me.

Understanding how much I had to work with, I didn't wait for the creatures to get closer. I extended the blade far enough that it was less a blade than a beam.

It stabbed through one of the Things, burning all the skin around the incision black. I pushed the blade upward, cutting its chest and head in two. The halves began to burn, but the other one was still coming.

I swung sideways, cutting its head in half as it began to burn.

Feeling the power going out of me, I knew I wouldn't last long if I continued tapping whatever energy source it was. Reducing the blade to a normal size, I hoped I wouldn't attract too much attention.

It took less than a second to realize how optimistic that was.

While the whole battle didn't turn in my direction, it felt like it. Things turned toward me, joined by flat, fleshy blobs that flew at an alarming speed. Even one of the ten-armed giant things turned, the lines that ran down its armor, glowing green and pink, as it started to pick up speed.

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I told Hal, "If you can do anything, now would be a good time."

[Flash me the location from your comm.]

I knew what he meant—flash him my location in time, space, and alternate realities. We'd used the same technique to send people to and from alternate universes when fighting alternate universe dinosaur-descended invaders.

I sent the location, watching as the enemy forces closed and the ten-armed giant fired at me from a distance. The first beam passed to my right, a blazing red light. The giant paused to aim the devices on its other arms. This time, it made constant, precise adjustments. I had no doubt it would hit with one shot at minimum.

Unsure if I dared to move, I twisted sideways, but not far, flashing my location to Hal again.

[Your movement is inconvenient, but—]

Rainbow colors surrounded me, and the scenery changed—a lot.

No longer in space, I fell forward, stopping myself from falling to the floor only by luck.

Where was I?

Walls of red brick, colored like the sands of Mars, curved outward. The floor was made of the same material. Had I been sent to the Artificer base on an alternate Mars? No. As I absorbed more detail, I knew it couldn't be.

I stood in a room next to a long table that was tall enough, if you sat on a mat. Coincidentally, a pile of rolled-up mats rested next to the wall.

On the far end of the room stood a group of counters and shelves—no, cupboards. The nearest "counter" was made of metal and had a metal top with a circular grate—a stove, maybe.

This room must have been a combination kitchen and dining room. As I realized that, I noted the pictures on the walls. The creatures in the pictures appeared to be almost human except for a greenish tinge to their skin and two fleshy antennas that extended from their foreheads. The individuals were of different ages, genders (I assumed), and maybe generations? At least the clothing styles varied from picture to picture.

Noticing the faces in detail, I realized that I might know them. Well, I might know one of them or an alternate universe version of one of them. We'd fought, kidnapped, and saved the life of a supervillain called the Master Martian only a month or two ago.

We'd sent him home, but it wouldn't have been here, would it? If time passed at the same rate in that universe, 8000 years seemed an awfully long time to stay alive.

Long, thin tubes on the ceiling glowed orange, illuminating the room. I'd been walking around in the dark without noticing thanks to the suit's sensors.

A live, walking Martian stepped around the corner. A bald, old man with a wrinkled face, he wore green and white robes. Frowning, he asked, "Are you the Rocket? What are you doing here?"

I didn't have time to reply. The sensation of an Artificer contacting me filled my mind, followed by a deep voice that vibrated through my entire body, saying, "Got you!"

The room vanished.

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