For now though, Larry needed to get back to the office. Or did he? He had just spent a lunch break in another world, studying magic. In a world where he was some kind of squirrel man. And everything glowed like a cartoon. The nature of reality had just gotten upended and there was a chance he could get a job here, a new life.

He'd been sharing crunchy acorn casserole with a rodent. That man now said, "Something wrong?"

"I know almost nothing about this place."

"You do have the magic talent. Don't feel bad about not casting anything in your first informal lesson."

"Still, I'm not ready to upend my whole life without warning. Is it possible to come back here sometime?"

"From the Omni-Whatever guild? Probably. They advertise, and my clan might hire them again."

Larry stood up and stretched, feeling his big tail flutter. It was heavy yet comfortable, easy to balance with. "Thanks a lot for the lesson. I need to be going, but I'd like to learn more about your clan sometime." He offered a handshake.

The squirrel looked puzzled by the extended hand, but shook it. "Oh, that human custom. Good luck wherever you're going beyond that portal, then. Your company has told us not to ask questions about it, but if you're ever in the mood to quit, we're hiring."

"Thanks!"

#

He got led back to the portal room, getting a better look at it this time. These people were mages who had some knowledge of ritual circles, this one carved into a tree stump surrounded by glowing amber chunks. "You know how to reach other universes?"

His guide shrugged. "Our... you might say he's our god, set up the portal, and even he said it was exhausting and he's not eager to try again soon. So we're interested in exploring but want to know if it's safe. If you're from the other side that's a point of evidence for it."

"You still might want to send a ra... a rabbit through first."

"Well, come back sometime and we'll do more testing!"

Larry saluted and jumped through, feeling it was more appropriate than walking.

He stumbled and landed back on his human feet in Floor Zero of the Omniterra Corporate Solutions building. The chill and darkness of this place felt even more intense after being in a world where even the shadows faintly glowed. He steadied his hand against a cold concrete wall; after having a tail for several hours he was off balance.

So. Back to work. He returned to his cubicle and reported success.

The boss didn't acknowledge him for the rest of the day. Instead at four-thirty he got a call from a guy who wanted him to set up a PC for a new employee who was starting tomorrow. He wasn't going to get overtime for this; he was salaried. No special travel pay either.

He sighed and tried to relax through the boring two-hour setup process, mostly watching progress bars. While waiting he did some research on his employer. He'd been here for six months and today was the first sign he'd had that the company was into *unusual* markets. A search of the company's internal Web site revealed a tangle of pages about diversity, a corporate mission statement saying "To Change the World" (as opposed to "To Have No Discernible Effect"), and photos of last month's bowling outing. Nothing about dimensional portals.

He went home that evening with some plans.

#

The next morning, he handled routine tech support calls from employees and clients, waiting for anything special. By eleven-thirty, in time to interrupt lunch again, the real assignment came. Floor Zero, door eight. He picked up his backpack with trembling hands and wore it to the elevator.

This time he had a flashlight. It showed him the dim basement's scope and made him gasp. The beam vanished in the far distance, countless doors ahead. The cold fog parted for him as he read the symbols on each gateway. He'd used the one with a leaf design yesterday, after one with a stylized circuit. Number eight displayed a pair of gears. All right, maybe this was a steampunk sort of world. The question was whether his skills would be up to whatever they needed here. He braced himself and used his employee badge on the door's reader.

He was again yanked through without it opening. The dizziness of inter-world travel engulfed him. When he could see and stand steady, he stood in a sort of shallow well surrounded by mirrors.

A lizard-man in a kilt shouted exultantly. "Cease!" A ring of lizardfolk with their hands extended toward Larry, suddenly quit chanting. Their leader came up and squinted at him through a telescope with no lens, then said, "They sent a Human. I suppose there are no Kobolds where you're from."

Larry made no sudden moves. Half the mirrors shining on him were attached to a tower, like this was a wizard's summoning circle he stood in. "I'm Larry from Omniterra. Pleased to meet you, mister...?"

"Ralator. Were you spectacularly killed? Did you meet a man with a face full of stars?"

After all his preparation, Larry still blinked. "What? No."

"Ah. Maybe it works differently when the world hop is initiated by mere mortals. I have many questions."

"So do I. Corporate said you've got some kind of technology problem?"

"Of a sort," said the wizard or whatever he was. He pointed to a machine of metal rods and cylinders sitting on a heavy bench. "My group purchased an experimental engine from the lakelands and we're comparing it to the more advanced crystal designs --"

One of the other lizards piped up. "It's not 'more advanced', sir, just different. The power output of magicite isn't necessarily higher per weight."

"Harumph. That's what we're trying to determine. What good are Centaurs for measuring the power of an engine anyway? So you, whoever you are, can hopefully get this thing running. The builders didn't send a technician and our real experts are off getting killed in a dungeon or something."

"A... dungeon." It dawned on Larry that he might have some real opportunity here. "Might there also be dragons?"

The wizard and his companions murmured, sounding vaguely offended. Ralator answered carefully, "One should always be seeking the Dragons."

Rather than pry, he focused on the work at hand. Larry stepped out of the well and crouched beside the engine. This was no computer, but he was in luck; he had a little experience working in a mechanic's shop one year. "One-cylinder, external combustion. Does it run at all?"

"Can't get it working, no."

Larry asked for tools and got a primitive set, seemingly made by someone with little notion of standardized measurements. It was amazing anyone had put this thing together at all. Still he managed to remove a few crude bolts and have a look. "You've got some metal shavings clogging the cylinder, that's why. It'll wear out fast if it runs at all." He asked for a file and brush and rags. It was satisfying to work on something without software.

The leader asked a few probing questions about his world. What were the continents called? Which kingdom did he hail from? When the interrogation turned toward religion Larry had to wonder if the man already knew something about Earth, but his questioner wouldn't say. Larry apologized and focused on the engine.

It ran on charcoal, and it *did* run. Its clanking and chugging were loud enough to make him back away. Primitive but successful! "Are you hooking this up to wheeled carts or something?"

The wizard said, "Boats, maybe airships. We're still learning, though these metal contraptions aren't my specialty."

"Airships! Huh. For that you might want lighter metal. And it so happens..." He opened his backpack and pulled out a pair of aluminum sheets he'd bought last night. "I'll trade you for this stuff."

One of the lizards hefted the metal and went wide-eyed, hissing. "This is that wondrous metal our chief Alchemist was talking about! How did you get this?!"

"Hardware store. I'm not sure how it's refined though."

"We'll take it! Will three lesser shards be enough?!"

He was about to answer when words appeared in his vision, as though written into his eyeballs. [Skill gain: Clockwork (Learning)].

"I got some kind of magical reward...?" he said.

The magicians took that for a yes. They foisted three glowing crystals on him and relieved him of the aluminum without asking. "Do you have more?"

Ralator grumbled. "I'm sure it's wonderful to work with if you're a machine builder, but that summoning spell was expensive. More so, if I don't pull back the energy -- and some of the bill! -- by sending this mammal back home now. We're at the time limit."

Larry said, "What time limit? How did you hire me, anyway?"

Ralator held up a glittering green rod with a nearly-empty meter displayed on the side. "These were distributed to various worlds as an advertisement, as I understand it. Gold goes in with a request, and a capable workman comes out for a little while. Off with you, sir; I need to write a judgment of your work and will speak well of you."

Larry got ushered into the summoning space so the lizardman crew could chant at him again. He said, "I have other things I could trade! I want to know more about your magic, too."

Just then, newcomers arrived. A fox man in a fine vest, accompanied by a five-foot-tall owl wearing pants. The fox said, "Who's this?"

Ralator had begun leading the group spell. "Sending back a helpful engine-fixer from another world. He even traded us some aluminum."

He yipped and ran closer, saying to Larry, "Wait, don't go! Where are you from? Can I please get a solar panel? An engineering textbook? Peanut butter?!"

The bird restrained him from walking into the dangerous buildup of magical energy that swirled around Larry. She told the fox, "Forget it; we're not getting out of here, Gilligan."

#

Larry wobbled back to reality in the corporate hallway, with as many questions as before. He was due back at his desk; nearly two hours had passed and there was excruciating paperwork for anything lasting longer. He laughed; was that the hard part, really? In any case he hurried back upstairs to clock in again.

He furtively ate a protein bar he'd stashed at his desk. He'd get a proper dinner later. When no calls immediately came he started taking notes to put his thoughts in order. He hadn't physically changed in that last world, but it had magic and some knowledge of technology. If he got invited back he'd contact Gilligan and trade for more... what were these crystals, anyway? Each was about thumb-sized, glowing pale blue... no, they'd stopped glowing and were milky white now. He was a little concerned even though the lizard wizard hadn't treated them as dangerous. Could magic stuff carry over to Earth? Because that'd be incredibly valuable.

An e-mail came from the boss. *"Sensors say you picked up stuff from the service call. Anything you get is company property, so drop it off on your next trip."*

He scowled. He'd paid for those magical gems with twenty bucks of store-bought aluminum. There was *strategy* to consider though. He wanted to make sure there was a next trip and a next, and that meant being a team player. He sent an enthusiastic reply saying, *"Sure thing! Eager for more jobs. Is there some company material I can research to learn more about this work program?"*

The reply came back after a routine phone support call. *"Sorry, but you're not cleared for trade secret material. Just keep up the good work and don't discuss it."*

"Team player," Larry muttered. All right, he'd keep his head down about this stuff. He could enjoy worlds of wonder without having to know exactly how he was reaching them. Better yet, he could exploit the system for personal gain too.

How about implants from the high-tech world? He worried they'd be confiscated, messily, as company property. Information? That was promising, but the physics might not be compatible if the mystic stones were a guide. Magic? Physics would likely be a problem, again, but maybe there was a way to make it work here. He could ask around with clients. Maybe even learn multiversal magic theory! It would be nice to select which world he'd go to out of apparently many, but he didn't yet have that option.

Another call came, for door nineteen. Larry put the little crystals back in his pocket to drop off in the basement, and took the elevator again. A bin was now installed by the door for that purpose, yet Larry had never seen another living soul down here who might've placed it. He reluctantly gave up the crystals and looked for his next assignment.

Door Nineteen was marked with a cylinder and a stylized star. Spaceship, maybe? He took a deep breath and scanned his badge.

After the sensation of being yanked through a door again, he found himself facing a hairy green monster eating a parking meter. His shock wore off when the monster backed away and rumbled, "He's clean."

He was in a wood-paneled room where the greeting party included that hulking, moss-like guy who was in fact manipulating a long rod-shaped instrument with his mouth. With him were a relatively normal duo of a cow in a bowler hat, and a sleek humanoid otter woman wearing a swimsuit. Larry stood on a steel plate studded with sensors in a place without other obvious metal.

The otter spoke in odd, stilted English. "It has worked. Traveler, please insert your name."

"Larry, from Omniterra. My understanding is I keep getting summoned to fix things in other worlds."

"Worlds, plural?"

"Yes, some with magic. I'm trying to learn everything I can but there's a job to do, right? What did you call me for?"

The cow spoke, slowly. "The traveler's accent is of late Second Age Earth. He seems to understand Archive English."

"Come to think of it, I don't think I was speaking English in those other worlds. I don't know how it got translated."

The otter frowned and tapped one foot while looking at the ground. "We now know the hyperspace radio forks, but this human seems to be from a weirdly archaic colon planet."

The cow said, "We don't think your translation is quite right, Nemora. Mister Larry Omniterra, what is your planet?"

Larry's eyes widened. "Earth. The year 2024. Who won the --"

The otter gasped. "Backward in time? And all we had to pay was a few pounds of gold?"

Distracted, Larry said, "Gold is nothing to you?"

"We have tones. What's valuable is our biotechnology."

"That does sound important. Might you be willing to trade for a little of that, if there's time when I'm done doing whatever job you called for?"

"The job? Eh. It was really to test if the hyperspace radio is forking."

"Working," Larry corrected. "That's great, then! I have a two-hour limit. I'd be happy to answer any questions about, ah, the past if we can trade."

The three greeters conferred. The cow said, "We have authorization. Considering the current crisis we can't take him on as a passenger, but quick upgrades should be safe if he leaves quickly."

Larry was eager to see what was available. He followed them out the door and was about to ask about this crisis, but stared and reeled with vertigo. He stood inside a giant cylindrical space habitat with stars shining through a bottled ocean. Fields, forests, and villages stood out in loops of land that arced over his head. A long, central spindle glowed like sunlight through half the world.

"This is the future?" he said.

The green monster told him, "One possible way along the thousand roads."

People, none of them human, gaped at him as he got ushered a short distance across a swampy boardwalk and into a medical clinic styled like a log cabin. The doctor was a werewolf who sniffed him, saying, "I've had enough of authentic humans for one lifetime."

Nemora sighed, and answered him in a more fluid language Larry had trouble understanding despite it still being loosely English. "This one's unique, from the summoning experiment. Take cell samples and do what you want, but we've only got an hour and a half."

"What! You can't rush art. You there, what made you think you could become an immortal superman so fast?"

"I didn't think I could! Is that an option?"

"Not exactly, but we try. Hmmph! A speed challenge while keeping safety first. And he's allowed to leave basically human?"

The green man said, "Because he *is* leaving, yes."

The wolf slapped his clawed hands together. "Very well. You, do you want a tail or what?"

"I'd better not. And I'm afraid of what my employer will do if I get cybernetics."

Robot arms prodded and jabbed Larry. The wolf said, "I'll hardly be able to do *anything*. But let's see..."

#

Larry lost consciousness at some point, and didn't remember what he'd agreed to. He woke up with the doc saying, "Up you go; your time limit is about over."

Larry's head spun, but he got ushered into a wheelchair. "What did you do?!"

"The basics, as we discussed. Artery scrub, cancer fix, better hair and so on. Should get you to age 100 without major trouble. I didn't have time for much fun but was at least able to work on an unmodified human. Good practice for the crisis."

"Thank you!"

"It was easy."

He took in the view of the grand habitat again, slowly recovering consciousness. "I can trade. I have technology, information."

The otter lady said, "We rambled through your backpack and took scams. Fascinating. But we don't dare tell you details in case that alters the future."

"Is that how it works? I thought you said this was just one possible outcome."

"We really don't know. Already you have the fact that this time exists, but hopefully that'll be a positive thing without spoiling too much."

His escorts were herding him back to the portal. He said, "Thank you! But isn't there anything you can tell me? You can save a lot of lives if you share advanced medical tech."

The three looked back at each other, as though they'd already argued this topic. The green guy sighed and said, "We can say, you're in for a rough time but it works out okay in the end. For you personally: be armed, learn a practical skill, and don't be in a big city for the next few years. You'll know why before long."

#

Larry was on his feet in the corporate hallway again, woozy but recovering. He put one hand to his head and discovered that his growing bald spot was gone. Nice. He took out his backpack, found his phone, and saw he was short on time again. He scanned his badge to confirm he was back, then took a moment to look himself over. Two minor scars were gone and as the medic's drugs wore off he felt pretty good. The hallway seemed brighter than before, too; maybe he'd gotten something done to his eyes.

While he was investigating, a folded slip of paper fell from his shirt. He opened it to find printed lettering saying, *"If what they say about you is true, it might be possible to improve the future. Get rich investing in these companies, then throw the money into a seemingly impossible brain uploading company next decade. A faster cash infusion could help them fix things faster. And why not -- if I'm really risking myself by playing time prophet, tell that company to trust 'Sol' and not 'Saffron' or 'Gaia'. And there's something amazing at Noctis Labyrinthis, Mars. Hope this helps."* A list of several corporations followed as stock tips.

Larry shivered in the chill of the hallway. This was a message in a bottle, sent by someone who would never know if it changed history. One of the tiny wonders in his backpack was a lighter. Did he dare act on this information? And what about sharing it with the company?

The item dropoff bin waited by the exit. Larry was dealing with powers beyond his pay grade. The corporate overlords might use this information to... well, they'd want to profit off it, just like him. In this case that was probably good. He tossed the paper into the bin, where unknown people would make what they wished of it.

#

That evening, he did research and found a few insignificant tech startups with stock valued at less than a dollar. Though he couldn't be completely sure these were the same ones, or in the same timeline, the names did match. He poured money into them from his savings, and figured the other named firms didn't yet exist.

He rechecked and restocked his backpack of goodies. Aluminum for worlds just advanced enough to appreciate it. A little circuitry kit, a tiny solar panel. A lighter, a jar of peanut butter and some candy, and a canteen. Two books about science and technology and a third on history, for which he was counting on people being able to translate his language. He stuffed two Seuss books in for good measure. Then over-the-counter antibiotic cream. Finally, a towel.

He was ready for tomorrow. But what was his goal, now: to escape to another world, or make the best of this one?

He still wasn't sure in the morning, sitting at his desk and pretending to care about ordinary tech calls. He startled to attention when one of the special requests came.

Down in the basement, he stood with his badge and backpack, imagining he was ready for anything but really, unsure of even where he would sleep tonight.

The designated portal had a design of a circle of elements. Magic, maybe. He braced himself and scanned in.

#

He landed and staggered on a metal platform surrounded by humming machinery. Technicians wearing blue robes surrounded him and lifted an alarming glass barrier. They spoke in gibberish.

"Let me try," said a curvaceous woman with long blue hair. "You there, can you understand me?" Her words echoed as though he were hearing another language entirely, and a speaker system was giving him the translation.

He'd practiced this moment. "Yes. My name is Larry, summoned from the Omniterra Corporation. I seem to be called when someone in another world wants technical help. I've got information and resources from other worlds and I'm seeking magic or other intangible things I can take back. You've got me for two hours and I'll help however I can."

The woman turned away and spoke to the others, making her fine uniform of blue and white flutter behind her. She turned back and said, "My name is Ruyo, Lady of Waters. You might say I'm the Goddess of Water. We've heard that other worlds exist and we got a strange signal recently suggesting that we could get unique help if we sacrificed some gold here. This is an expensive test, so please make it worthwhile."

"I'll try. What do you need? Let me show you what I brought." He set down his pack and spread out its contents. He was in a laboratory but an open door led into what looked like an airport lounge, badly run down. Electric lights hummed.

Ruyo examined the metal plates. "Oh! Is that the 'aluminum' metal from the moon?"

"That's what it's called, but I've never been to the moon. I don't understand: you have machines *and* you say you're a god? Er, I mean no disrespect, Lady."

"Don't worry about it. I've had plenty of people try to kill me on sight so you're doing well by comparison. What's in the books?"

"Technology. You're welcome to them but I don't know if you can read them. You have me as translator for a bit. Is this a world with magic, too?"

She grinned and created an orb of gleaming water in one hand. "It's not very common, but if you want it I can grant you a beginner spell right now. For the cost of..." She faltered and blushed. "A prayer."

"To you?"

"Yes. I'm still new at this job. I would introduce you to my friends but they're very busy right now, and the summoning opportunity came with little warning."

"Does this involve promising my soul or blood sacrifice?"

Ruyo uttered a profound and vulgar "No." Then: "That was the *other* guy. There's a shrine downstairs. Use that once and I'll be able to bless you."

One of the technicians spoke. Ruyo tilted her head, listening, then said to Larry, "He's been examining you by magic. You don't show up as being a normal human."

"The last place I went, did something to edit my body. Uh, I would try explaining to you in terms of 'healing magic' but somehow you also have these machines. So I'll say it was machine-based. I should be especially healthy."

"We've been studying alteration magic. This might give us insight. Can you draw a map of the world you're from?"

"I can do better." He opened one of the books to an atlas of Earth. People gathered around, jabbering.

Ruyo said, "This doesn't look like our Old World at all, and your language is unique, or so my team says. They also ask, have you got..." She named and described some kind of metal, but he shook his head. "Ah well; seems to be a rare one. We'll manage."

They went into the lounge, under a dark dome lit by a few dim electric lights and several colors of hovering orbs. Larry conferred with these mage-technicians. They were excitedly trying to copy the books by hand or a poorly-working spell to manipulate ink. Several more robed figures gushed over the solar panel and electronic parts, begging to keep them. Ruyo seemed pleased. "We're just starting to understand some of the lost technology; this is a big help. Did you want that magic? You can refuse; all I need is some focused thoughts and good wishes to grant it."

Considering how little she'd demanded, he agreed. "Where are we, anyway? Looks like this was a modern place by my standards, but decayed."

"We're underwater. Look up."

He realized that the dome ceiling held back dim, rippling water. "Ah! Some kind of navy base?"

"This place was used to send people to the moon. The transport machine still barely works without my personal touch, but who cares if a letter or an ingot gets ripped in half during transit? Say, do you have anything like this?"

"Moon transport? No, we got there but only by a completely different method."

"Going to want to ask you about *that* before you go."

She led him down a staircase into a cramped, musty hotel that looked like the magician apprentices were camping out in it, without fully understanding how it worked or getting it all running. An alcove within these metal halls held a stone table decorated with a mosaic of seashells and ship designs. Larry asked, "A new addition?"

"This predates me," Ruyo said, with a note of sadness.

Larry touched the table. Blushing, he uttered a silent prayer in the form of a wish for this lady's good fortune and ability to patch up this damaged world.

"Done? Hold out your hands."

Ruyo took them and seemed to do nothing. He shivered, feeling deepened somehow, connected to an unfamiliar energy. She said, "Great! Now let's see if you can take to this as quickly as someone from my world."

She trained him in focusing on that new channel, as though moving a muscle. In just minutes he startled as the contents of a glass of water whipped upward and floated above his hand.

"You've got it! Try again."

He'd soon cast a spell to move water with his mind, and another to freeze it. "Wow! This is unheard of back home."

"That's the very basic level," she said, and showed off by floating into the air on a spray of water that came from nowhere and vanished again. "There's no time to rush you to a higher level of power, but practice and you should get advanced enough to create water and light, along with growing your 'pool' of energy." She demonstrated a cantrip he couldn't copy yet.

"Thank you, ma'am! I don't know if this will work at all back in my world, but if nothing else it's been fun and I can tell others about it. Take what you want from my supplies."

Ruyo conferred with her assistants. "You seem to have some innate magic talent, but I don't know what kind. Most people can't use it unless they get initiated by me or, ah, another god."

"I got told by some squirrel people that I might be able to learn wood magic. Maybe it's from exposure to these other worlds."

She blinked at that. "I have even more questions."

"But there's the time limit. Unless I'm summoned again later."

The supposed goddess winced, apparently thinking of the cost in gold. "We'll consider it. Let me interrogate you while I've got you."

She used the time thoroughly, playing translator while her minions competed to question him about magic and technology. Somebody grumbled and pointed to an hourglass.

Ruyo cursed. "Thank you, sir! You've done a service for this world." With that she ushered him back to the high-tech platform. One of the acolytes handed him his backpack and stuffed papers into it, then backed off. The glass wall came down around him.

Ruyo said, "Why do you charge an ingot of gold, anyway?"

"That little? That's my employer, not me. I'm still trying to figure out their goal, partly since they charged the last people a big pile of it."

He would've said more, but a beam of light struck him and sent him reeling across dimensions.

He landed and staggered in the hallway again. He quickly scanned his badge to confirm he'd returned on time. His backpack had been stripped of everything but the canteen and the towel. He should've kept spare items, considering he was handling two of these missions a day.

Omniterra was charging different prices. A ton of gold from an advanced civilization that could mine it from asteroids, maybe a few pounds from these magic users. An unknown amount from the other groups, but neither group had acted like it was a huge price by their standards. The squirrels especially had called him for the equivalent of fixing a TV, and the robots had seemed surprised he was there at all. What kind of game was the company playing, here, if the execs had some sense of other worlds' wealth and knew how to advertise to there? And at least a little other info, considering that the doors had these cryptic labels?

The papers that he'd been given included a pictorial guide to the magic he'd just used. His eyes widened. He opened his canteen and held out his other hand above it. With a thought he made the water flow up from it and swirl in midair. "Ha, it works across worlds!"

A light flashed above the item deposit bin. He was being watched. Larry said, "Yeah, I know. Give me a minute; let's see what I got." He examined the spell instructions, realizing they were about how to conjure water and not just move it. He nodded, memorized the crude attempt to explain mystic forces without words, then dumped the paper into the box. "What else..."

He showed off the last treasure he'd been given: a map of the other world. It looked incomplete and vague, focused on a continent's south and east coast with sketches of an eastern realm and a sea of islands. Aloud for his watchers he said, "You guys asked me not to talk about these jobs. I can comment on what I've been seeing, but let me know if that's what you want. You don't seem to object to the souvenirs." He delivered the map too, and waved the open pack around to show he wasn't holding out. "So. Uh. Back to the office for me. That was fun; call me for more of these."

He discovered he'd left the contents of his canteen hovering beside him without thinking about it. That was probably good practice. He coaxed the stuff back into the bottle so he wouldn't show off for the whole world. "If trade and information are what you're after, give me a two-hour break and I'll get re-equipped with my beads and hatchets for next time. That'll help."

He went back upstairs without getting an answer. Omniterra had laptops to take in and re-issue with a software update that policy said had to be done manually. Larry rolled his eyes and worked on the pile.

Then, an e-mail came in, saying, "Take that break."

His neck-hair prickled. That was good news, even a sign of trust. He left the computer work and hustled to his car.

#

He returned with a restocked pack. Same items plus a pocket survivalist guide (the bookstore had it on sale), a steel hatchet from his trip to Low Depot, and packs of pens and pencils. If he hit another low-tech world he had small wonders, and another high-tech one might find them quaint. He had little of value to trade to those advanced places but his "historic" books.

If only the company would send him back to a world he'd already seen! He could get more answers... maybe even stay. He'd been granted the power of magic, improved genes, and a broader view of the universe. The ride might stop at any time. If he could get back to the water-lady's world and stay, he could get in on an industrial revolution with sorcery. Same for the lizard people's land. How about the starship? They'd mentioned a crisis and were insistent on him leaving, so maybe that wasn't the place for him. Squirrel world? Weird, man, but it sounded like he'd get a cool job even before seeing his other-universe magic or talking about Earth tech. The robot zone? He didn't know enough about that one.

He was still scheming when his second mission of the day began. "Hope you're back in the office by now," said the boss. "Door Twelve."

"On it," Larry sent.

The basement didn't seem so dim. Maybe his eyes had improved! He found a tower design on this one. He braced himself, and let it take him away.

He stood in some kind of dim playground. Barriers lined with gym padding formed a maze just beyond the square summoning chamber, which was full of machinery. He called out, "Hello?"

A man said, "Over there!" and several people crept through the maze to spot him. They were armed with clubs and swords, but dressed in threadbare modern camo and jeans. With digital headsets.

Larry held up his hands. "I come in peace. You called me?"

A calm synthetic voice said, "I did."

Larry began his intro speech. The speakers beside him interrupted: "I know enough."

"I don't!" said the leader of the three armed men.

"There's little time. You, traveler: what kind of world are you from?"

"America, 2024, and my company's somehow got multiverse travel."

The bearded, blonde swordsman in charge said, "Dude, Sol messes with people. If it tells you there're real magic powers, it's part of the games it plays with us surviving humans."

Larry opened his canteen and made the water levitate and swirl around his hand.

The man removed his headset to see better, then swore. "How?"

"Multiverse travel."

The digital voice said, "Call me Sol. For legal reasons I must ask you to battle your way through a level of this tower. Quickly now, take this." A panel in the wall slid open to reveal a padded staff.

Larry had learned to roll with this kind of thing. He shrugged and took the weapon. He asked the men, "Am I on your team?"

The leader offered his hand. "Guess so. Lieutenant Sven Dahlson. We got called in for whatever nonsense Sol demands today. Better hustle."

Larry joined in to explore the maze. A quadrotor drone whirred into view and fired a bolt of energy, but Sven blocked with his shield. His teammates rushed in to dodge a second strike and whack the machine groundward.

"Energy weapons?" said Larry.

A young redhead with a stylish magic wand said, "Mostly stagecraft, like this wand. It's a prop but it works for purposes of fighting the Tower's bots. And sometimes other things. Did... did you seriously use a real spell?"

Larry kept close to the others as they shoved and clobbered a pair of sumo-styled bots into a pit. "I got taught what I'm told is novice magic. Wasn't time for more."

Sven said, "Probably still somebody's trick. Magnets or something. Where are you from and how the hell are you so clean?"

"A company called Omniterra. I've been doing lame tech support till the last few days when suddenly the boss has had me get yanked into other worlds. I don't know what their goal is or how they're doing it. The company seems to want information more than the gold they're sometimes charging. There's a two-hour time limit in each place."

"Intel gathering, huh. Assuming your story's not more fun and games from Sol, is there some alternate history where the AIs didn't take over?"

The pretend wizard said, "He said it was '24. So, years before."

Larry said, "I got to visit a spaceship. The guys there thought they were part of the same universe or timeline or something, so that I might change it. Gave me a list of companies and something about..." His eyes widened. "Investing in a company that invents brain uploading, and warning it to trust something called Sol over Saffron or Gaia."

Sven's other companion cursed explosively. "Another history! It could have gone better, then!"

"What's Gaia?"

"Rival AI that wants humans gone, or chimp-brained."

The mage said, "If the space people wanted to *change* history though, then it didn't happen that way. I mean this guy didn't give the warning."

Sven snorted. "Mike, scout around that corner." They were all occupied with exploring the maze for a while. Mike found a box and proudly showed off that it contained not only chocolate bars, but batteries and a roll of bandages.

Larry said, "How bad is it out there, that these are treasure?"

Mike answered, "I haven't seen a functioning grocery store since I was ten."

Larry whistled. "So it all went to hell?"

Sven nodded. "Wasn't originally the AIs' fault. Now, they're at war. We're the pawns. Sol screws with us since it can't outright hand us guns to slay its enemies."

They found a staircase leading up, with rippling stairs meant to throw the careless down to a padded but painful backstop. Larry said, "I've got some trade trinkets. Nothing major, but yours if you want."

"Thanks. Focus."

This did not look like a world he wanted to stay in. Larry followed the others' lead upstairs, through the traps.

The upper floor was another maze, this one styled like a jungle, but a robotic griffin waited here with its wings spread. It spoke in a rasping male voice. "Hail, adventurers. I'm told to cut the formality. You've come here as official Tower contestants who've cleared a level. Sol can therefore let me, a representative, talk without breaking any treaties. From your conversation, Larry, it sounds like your timeline is before the crash."

"Sounds that way."

"Sol hasn't been able to reverse-engineer the multiverse portal tech. It tried, by paying to use it and watching what happened. Maybe it'll figure out the secret later. That'd be nice but we've got to deal with the world we have now. Larry, is your magic and otherworldly knowledge going to help beat several lunatic AIs?"

"Plus this one," Sven groused.

Larry shook his head.

"Can you teach it?" asked Mike.

"I got blessed by a supposed goddess to get this much. With maybe fifteen minutes of lessons."

The robot said, "Please use what you've got while we talk. Maybe we'll learn something." Several security cameras whirred in the room's corners and one of the "enemy" machines trundled up the stairs carrying some sensor hardware from the summoning room.

Larry obliged, using the basic spell and trying to master the next. "I figure the laws of physics are different in each world, but somehow the blessing carries over."

Mike shouted, "Boo!" from behind Larry.

Larry startled and blue light flashed from his hands. "Wha!"

"Wanted to see if that'd do anything. If we could crack physics just a little, we might get a huge advantage."

Sven rubbed his bearded chin. "Like discovering fission."

Larry found that he could conjure a pure, rippling light as he'd just done by accident. He shifted his spell back and forth between that and water-moving. "Nice. Thanks, I think."

The griffin said, "Good new data, but don't do that again. He might explode or something. Larry, can you tell us anything that would aid in defeating targets Gaia, Fae, the Djinn, Jade Dragon, or the People's Will? Maybe your space world talked about them."

Larry concentrated, barely keeping his magic going, but recalled no mention of them. He shook his head.

Sven said, "Sol got access to a world portal and used it for a fishing expedition, bringing in some random guy?"

The bot answered, "There was no way to request specific resources. Sir, tell us everything about the high-tech worlds. And keep doing magic, and walk us through it. We might get some crucial advantage before you have to leave."

Sven said, "Keep him here and you can interview him for longer. This could be the key!"

Larry figured it'd be best to explain everything he could, quickly. He dumped out his backpack. "You need this stuff more than me." He started describing the genetics clinic but knew almost no technical details. How about the robotics place? That was more familiar; he mentioned model numbers and hardware arrangements. "That was closer to my time. But it doesn't sound like this is all linear. Different paths."

The griffin quizzed him, and its eyes briefly dimmed. "Hokkaido. Secondary AI core and virtual worlds, they said. And they called you 'human'. Our team confirms that'd be one of the Ludic operations. We could send data back. Any chance you'll visit that era again?"

"Could be. Omniterra had a door linked to that world. But my company will confiscate any objects I bring and read any messages. For all I know, they're the ones who wreck things using my notes."

Sven swiped one hand through the air. "Does this hocus-pocus change *our* timeline?"

The bot said, "Idea, then. *Memorize this.*" It spoke a few sentences that startled Larry. The date and details of a stock market crash, and a terrorist attack that could be stopped. Then, backed by that useful proof: the name of a traitor, and how to find and possibly blackmail a genius who must be lured away from the wrong project. "That information will at least give you a fighting chance at convincing one of Sol's colleagues of what must be done."

"Why not tell the past Sol?"

A drone scurried across the floor carrying a printed letter. "Because Sol was built after certain problems were already in motion. We'd give you enough source code to kickstart the AI revolution, but it would then fall into the hands of the wrong people."

Larry gulped. "I could try smuggling a tiny drive out."

"Too risky. Let the tech get invented in the same way by the same people, then help them."

An agitated Sven said, "Enough with looking into the past. How do we beat a lunatic AI wanting to cleanse the earth of human civilization, not just play with us?"

Another robot scurried forth from the walls with a clearly improvised sensor package. "Keep doing the magic."

Larry complied, showing off without much understanding. "There must be some physics of this world that supports it after all. The 'goddess' stuff might be only a catalyst nobody knew about."

"It might well be," said the griffin. It had him rehash the lesson he'd been given about what mental effort to make, and about building up skill, and talk of prayer versus natural talent. Which got him talking about the squirrel world.

Sven scoffed. "What, is every possible critter living in its own universe?"

"I don't know, sir. But I've seen some weird stuff in the last few days without getting to look deeply anywhere."

"Here you have a chance at least. If this supposed magic is real, we can arm everybody with it."

The griffin tilted its head as though listening to something. "We have an idea. Larry, go down to the first floor where we have some less mobile sensors."

Short on time, Larry started down the staircase. The guy with the wand said, "I want to see this." Sven followed too.

The AI's voice said, "Larry, leap! Hurry."

Larry jumped down the staircase, yelping and flailing. A burst of water from his hands acted like a jet to slow him but his impact was still hard on the padded floor. A door whooshed closed at the foot of the stairs. He wheezed and said, "What?"

Sven and the other guy pounded on the door. The AI said, "They were going to trap you here by force. Proceed to the gateway room." Lights flashed overhead to guide him back.

The men's muffled voices cursed as they bashed at the padding. Larry got up, saying, "I thought you wanted intel."

"You need to go back. I value your liberty, and you have a chance to change things for some timeline if not mine."

The adventurers weren't here for fun, despite the playhouse set and props. For a moment Larry imagined leading an anti-machine resistance... but he wasn't the one to do it. He retreated to the summoning room and let it seal him in. "Thank you," he said. "I hope you can help humanity with the few clues I can offer."

A panel slid open and a pack of pencils got flung through. "You have eleven minutes. Can you show your wood magic? My robots are fetching a natural stick as we speak."

Larry had never successfully used that, but keenly felt the time pressure. He tore open the package and concentrated on one pencil in his palm. His brief mentor had explained the technique... aha! Suddenly, his target wobbled and flicked itself out of his hand.

"Good. Again!" said the AI.

Larry learned how to drop pencils without moving a muscle. Then some robot tossed a stick into the room and he had more success with that, making it slide an inch. "Very basic."

"Again, quickly!"

He gave Sol what data he could, as he learned for himself. The intense training only ended when Sol said, "One minute. Thank you, and remember." It repeated his memorized message.

Larry began to answer, but the room flared with light, and he was gone.

#

Back in the cold of the office basement, holding a pencil, watched by cameras. Larry sighed. He might never know if he'd helped. Composing himself, he said, "I got a bad deal in that one." He showed off his empty backpack and tossed the pencil in the bin. "They actually tried to capture me for information. So, uh, what do you want from me? I'm not getting debriefings. I'm around for what, another hour today and then I'll restock. Any chance of funding for my trade goods? They do help me make friends quickly."

No answer. Larry returned to his cubicle and found an e-mail saying he was due a $250 bonus for "office supplies". He shrugged and planned to resupply after work.

#

The next morning he got a summons as expected, but with no door given. Down in the basement, he found a denser nest of cameras watching, with sensors much like what Sol the AI had aimed at him. A distorted voice finally deigned to speak to him. "Good work, Larry. Please demonstrate whatever physics-breaking abilities you've gained."

He said, "All right." He began showing off, first with the water and then the twitching of a nice smooth stick he'd found. "I'm a novice in what might be two totally different kinds of magic. The last place was trying to figure out how these work. So you're doing the same thing now?"

No answer. Larry said, "Come on, guys. I've played along and not asked questions. I won't say no to more adventures, but whatever you're trying to accomplish, wouldn't it be easier if you explained?"

Finally there came a distorted sigh from the speakers. "It's like this. You're the first employee to go through and come back. We're not sure how much of that was the transport process, or the other worlds being too deadly or too appealing. You've probably thought about ditching us and staying, right?" A pause. "Yeah, you're not denying it."

"One or two of those places weren't tempting."

"And we're not asking a lot of questions either, because we're quietly terrified your information will wreck something. I want an in-person magic lesson -- ahem, whoever I may be behind this filter -- but our current theories say the closer contact any of us has, the greater the risk of our becoming unstuck between dimensions. Flung to another world on a one-way trip by accident. Which statistically might mean one we'd never visit willingly."

Larry frowned. "Are you suggesting I can never have a normal interaction with anyone again? Like I'm contagious with world-hopping syndrome?"

Several voices argued in the background. The main one said, "No. Probably. If in theory there were certain employees who had been heavily exposed to prototypes of this technology, then those people would be in danger from exposure to you. But everybody else would be fine. Probably. Even those crystals, we're having to study in a convoluted indirect way. We might need to turn them over to you."

Folding his arms, Larry said, "So do you want a briefing about what I'm seeing over there, or not? You've obviously got some ability to sense what's in each world, given the door labels and being able to advertise."

"A little. Let's ask a general question: Are you seeing versions of the same timeline or world? You had that stock info."

"Yes."

"We'll be using that and the gold to invest. I assume you're doing the same."

"And that's it? Making money is the goal? I have seen some crazy stuff. And no, I've not taken any loot."

The voice said, "Put it like this. If the project were being shut down today, what would you want to do? Hop into a portal one more time and stay? Or walk away, get transferred to another department, and pretend you never had this experience?"

Larry scoffed. "What about another two-hour visit?"

"That could be arranged, if it's to one you've done already."

"But what about this technology? You've got access to something incredibly valuable, even if you don't find any more worlds. The biotech alone --"

"We know all too well," said the voice. "But there's great danger too, like finding a plague world."

Larry hadn't considered that.

"So, Larry, we're being shut down by... somebody else. Don't ask. Drop it; you've had more mystery and adventure than most people ever get. What do you want to do for an encore?"

"What about the magic, though? Do I have to pretend that never happened?"

There was more arguing on the line. The answer that eventually came was, "As long as you make up any crazy story about how you got it, other than tying it to this company, we've got no reason to interfere."

"How about you guys, wherever you are? Planning to hop through a portal yourselves?"

"Can't, safely, due to past exposure. We'll settle for being rich."

It was a bad deal for them, thought Larry. What were gold and stock tips compared to seeing another world? Or saving one.

*Could* he save a world? What he'd seen of the others suggested that somebody was going to invent true AI, and it'd go horribly wrong. At least in some timelines. Which didn't have to include this one.

He sighed and paced, looking at doors with their many icons. "Here's my thinking. Guess I can't fully explain without telling you more than you want to hear. But it looks like certain things need to happen, and then I can meddle in what happens after to prevent a disaster. One that'll definitely ruin you financially, if that's what you're after."

"Are we talking nuclear war?" said a different voice at the microphone.

"Similar level of bad, I think."

"Then we won't interfere with you."

He could practice magic in secret, maybe try to teach friends, and avoid letting that knowledge leak until after the crucial AI invention, whose timing he now roughly knew. Then, he'd contact the people involved and share what he'd learned. Humanity would get AI, fend off a known catastrophe, and possibly even get sorcery!

He'd been a tourist and handyman. As fun as it might be to hop permanently into another world and stay, he had the chance to be a hero in this one.

He said, "Thanks, whoever you are. I'll play ball and not try to expose you or the world-hopping thing. I want one more two-hour trip, though."

"No new worlds, though. It's that risk of plague or worse."

Larry nodded, grinning at what lay ahead. "Fine. For my last hop, I want..."