I let the jet drop toward the ground, landing on the red dirt of Mars, thinking again that I could have visited purely to visit at any time, and that I was now only here because of this.

Behind me in the cabin, everyone set their suits to full coverage, helmets reforming over their heads.

I checked outside. The circle-shaped structure that ascended from the ground, seemingly made of Martian dirt, felt taller now that I’d landed. It wasn’t quite a mesa, but it was at least 20 feet taller than it appeared when we sat inside the jet.

Getting closer made it more obviously artificial. I was perfectly round except for the indentation I’d suspected might be a door.

I wasn’t wrong either.

The “indentation” turned out to be a short alley inches wider than the door at the end, its walls smooth except for the dust that had accumulated at the bottom.

A constant, low-level wind blew, sending bits of dust into the air.

I only recognized it as a door from the seams in the wall. It had no hinges, appearing to be a flat slab of Martian stone. Something about it made me feel uneasy. I couldn’t put a finger on it, but it didn’t feel normal.

To be fair, a door with no hinges, doorknob, or anything but a seam wasn’t normal.

Cassie looked over at me, “What’s up? Are you scanning it?”

I shook my head, “It’s weird for a door. I was wondering how to open it. Probably a Citizen’s Mark or something.”

She shrugged, said, “I hope so,” and stood up.

I followed her out, joining everyone else outside. Letting Hal know that he could do whatever he thought best to keep the jet hidden but available if we needed a quick exit, I walked with everyone else toward the door.

As we moved, I did scan the area with the suit’s sensors. I didn’t have a specific reason to do it. This wasn’t Dungeons and Dragons. I didn’t expect to find a pit trap. The traps that worried me were more subtle.

Subtle or otherwise, I didn’t find any. Neither sonics nor radar gave me a hint of what might be behind the wall. If I learned anything, it was only that the structure extended below the surface, but that wasn’t a surprise.

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We stepped into what I’d seen as an “indentation” from the jet. On the ground, it felt more like a short alley, the kind that led into the back of a small restaurant or coffee shop. This place, though had walls made of red, Martian rock or maybe hardened soil—maybe even a kind of concrete, all free of decoration.

As we grew closer though, the feeling I’d had in the jet grew, not to the point where it became overwhelming, but rather more distinct. If anything, it became easier to ignore in the same way that a bunch of multicolored lights might be distracting in the distance, but as you grow closer, you see each one separately.

That’s how I felt here except I couldn’t see or hear anything.

We stopped in front of the door—which didn’t look any different than it had from a distance except that it was bigger than I’d realized. It was still smooth except for the seam. Cassie spoke to us over the comms, “I’ve been trying to connect to whatever the Abominators left here and I’m getting nothing. I even checked with the gun and it says that there’s an Abominator network on the other side of the building, but nothing here. Ghost? It’s on you.”

Rachel smiled, “I’ve got it, but it might get complicated.”

Eyeing her, Jaclyn said, “I don’t like the sound of that.”

Nodding Rachel turned to me, “Rocket, you have to be sensing something.”

“Yeah,” I said, and realizing the obvious said, “it’s an Artificer thing, right? Should I be trying to focus on it?”

Shaking her head, Rachel said, “Not if you didn’t recognize it. I haven’t had time to tell you about everything I’ve done with the Cosmic Ghosts, but one of the things they do is neutralize Artificer technology. This door is one of theirs. If I had to bet, this complex is one of theirs. I know how to get in, but we’re going to have to be careful. The Destroy faction knows what we do and they don’t make it easy for us.

“Rocket, Kee’s taught you enough control that you can watch without touching, right? Because I need you to watch. I might not need your help now, but once we get in, I will. We get help from the Live faction sometimes. You’re the closest we’ve got.”

“Wait,” Jaclyn took a step toward Rachel, “are you sure we should be doing this? We could still go to the front. No offense, Rocket, but from what you’ve said, you’re an Artificer baby, or maybe a toddler now.”

“None taken,” I said. “That’s about right.”

“We can,” Rachel pointed toward the door, “I’ve helped with three different Artificer sites in the past year. They’re made to entice sapient creatures, but some of their defenses turn off when an Artificer is there. The Rocket doesn’t need to know anything. For the rest, I’m still trained.”

“Great,” I said, “I’ll just stand around and look Artificery then.”

Giving a half-smile, Rachel said, “I’m going to need more than that, but you can handle it.”

“Okay,” Jaclyn said, “let’s go.”

Rachel stepped forward, phased her arm into the door, and felt around for a few seconds. Then she withdrew it and the door slid into the ground.

Turning back to the group, Rachel said, “We’re in,” and nodded her head toward the opening.