![\"\"](\"https:\/\/buber.net\/Basque\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/maite-and-kepa-v3b.png\")
\u201cBai,\u201d replied Marina. She paused a moment before letting out a large sigh. \u201cEven now, I exist in all of these bubbles, but my mind\u2026\u201d She took a deep breath. \u201cI feared that I might be fracturing, that I might lose touch with my different selves.\u201d She looked at Maite and Kepa. \u201cIt seems my psyche is starting to break.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kepa exchanged a nervous glance with Maite. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy mind co-exists in all of these different bubbles. I thought I could handle it, experiencing all of these realities all at once, but clearly, I cannot. I think some of my\u2026 selves, for lack of a better word, are splitting off from me.\u201d Marina paused again. \u201cWhat bubble did you just come back from?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a future version of Bilbao,\u201d replied Maite. \u201cDe Lancre was a high level government official. It was almost idyllic, except for his corrupting influence and the near omnipotent AI that controlled everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite felt a rumble in the back of her mind but Garuna said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marina nodded slightly. \u201cI vaguely remember that bubble. It\u2019s like when you wake up from a particularly vivid dream. You know you had a strong emotional response but you can\u2019t quite remember the details. That\u2019s usually how it is for me when a bubble pops. After a little while, I only have wisps left. But this one is even worse. I think my other self was growing even more independent from the rest of me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite shook her head. \u201cThere is so much I don\u2019t understand. If you can\u2019t remember the bubbles that pop, how do you know what de Lancre is doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marina frowned. \u201cI don\u2019t. I only have these vague impressions. I know he has done some horrible things, but I don\u2019t know the details.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen a bubble pops,\u201d began Kepa, \u201cwhat does that do to you? To have that other self simply disappear?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marina nodded faintly. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to explain. In some ways, I feel more whole, as my mind isn\u2019t stretched as thin. But, at the same time, I do lose a whole part of me, a whole set of experiences that my brain was part of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt seems like you could use an AI,\u201d muttered Maite, shaking her head in disbelief. \u201cOk, so if you are in all of these bubbles at once,\u201d she asked, \u201cthen why don\u2019t you tell us what is going on in each before we go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s complicated,\u201d replied Marina. \u201cFirst, I never know what zatia you will be chasing. That is almost random. It does depend on where you are, but there are so many out there, it is almost impossible to guess what bubble you might go to next. However, most importantly, I can\u2019t really pull information out of each bubble. I know what is going on in each of them in some abstract way, but even when I can see what is going on, I can\u2019t really pull it out. It\u2019s confined to the bubble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSort of like the event horizon of a black hole,\u201d mused Maite. \u201cInformation can never escape. It isn\u2019t quite the same thing, but it has things in common. Information flow is only one way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSounds more like Las Vegas to me,\u201d added Kepa. \u201cWhat happens in the bubble, stays in the bubble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maite gave Kepa a mock groan before turning to Marina. \u201cBut, what really matters is what is happening to you. You said your psyche is fracturing. What does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt means that I really don\u2019t know who all of the other Marinas you find are. I just know they aren\u2019t really me. You can\u2019t trust them all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n