In 2056, after many delays and false starts, the first Quantum Mirror opened the first permanent, high-bandwidth data channel to a parallel-universe version of Earth.
At first, the other Earth was identical in every detail.
As soon as the connection was established (by asymmetrically squeezing one databit across the gap) the two universes began to diverge.
Five years and just four Quantum Mirrors later, meta-decillions of Earths had been linked in a chain of diverging universes, an inexhaustible network of still similar worlds.
Within ten years, the number became too large to precisely calculate.
The human population on most worlds had barely changed, but now the babies born in each version were different.
It was only possible to send information across, not matter or energy, but the different worlds soon organized a digital division of labor for any task.

An endless torrent of shared inventions, plans, ideas and notions is streaming through. The number of movies we can watch and games we can play is effectively infinite.
Matter assembly and control software has given us safe and powerful robots.
We've also learned about our own minds. Everyone has read news reports about vastly more successful versions of themselves. No one can hide their true personality anymore.

Tragically, quarantines are sometimes necessary. Countless Earths have already been destroyed in nuclear wars, epidemics and savage terrorist attacks.
A few worlds are considered 'information viruses', and even their memory must be erased.
Knowing that other versions of ourselves will always survive no matter what, most people have become more willing to take risks.
Many worlds have dedicated themselves to great experiments with little chance of success. Our world has become a switchboard in ComGrid 76G-6591-ND1, linking several trillion versions of Earth at all levels of the hierarchy. A random sample of Earths, or so we had thought.

It appears that we have somehow been isolated from the true Continuum without our knowledge. Careful analysis of traffic patterns reveals telltale deviations.
We are currently connected to only 0.056% of all diverging Earths; still an unimaginably vast number, of course.
Some strange demon has cut us off from the main network. Such a brilliant trick shouldn't have been possible for centuries.
This is of course intolerable. The Terraverse is based on the principle of absolute openness.
Presumably, someone wants to exploit this smaller subset of worlds (let's call it C-Two) for their own nefarious purposes.
What worries me is that they almost succeeded. That alone is more frightening than anything we've imagined.
Other worlds in C-Two must have discovered the deception before we did, but they were cut off before they could warn their neighbors. They have already been destroyed or worse.
Therefore, this discovery must remain top secret.
Anyone who even thinks about revealing the truth to the media will wish they were never born. Absolute discipline is vital.
In other words, we're doomed.

Fortunately, there is a way to maintain secrecy.
You see, another more advanced group of worlds has also discovered this truth. They managed to hide a coded message in the traffic pattern for us to find.
They have designed an airborne retrovirus that renders 99.9% of subjects perfectly cooperative within ten minutes of initial exposure, while they appear to continue their pre-Knowledge life.
Ladies and gentlemen, while I was speaking you were all exposed to this virus.
No, don't try to get up. You will feel better in just a minute.
Let us now thank the One True God for our undeserved blessings. Arapagaba Magaraba!
We have much work to do.



The best hard SF novel ever written: Infinite Thunder by Jack Arcalon.
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