Per 
"Dr. Crow, we need to talk." The voice from the speaker seemed hesitant. That was unusual. 2099 was normally one of the more boisterous skips.
Kain trotted over. "What's up, Jeremy?"
"I… we have a problem. A big one. And I've got some explaining to do." The readouts on the front of the jar flashed in obscure patterns. Sometimes Kain could divine the skip's moods that way, but there was something different about them today.
Kain sat. He gave a tentative wag as he tilted his head.
"There's something I think the Foundation has missed. Something big. And if we don't figure it out quickly, I think it could have serious consequences for, well. This." The waldo attached to the jar made a sweeping gesture.
"This?" Kain asked.
"All of this. Reality. Realities, really. The models suggest that there will be a cascading effect and multiple timelines will be affected. Maybe all of them, if 'all' can even apply to an infinite multiverse. All the universes we care about, anyway."
"That's…" Kain considered how much to tell the skip, and then decided to hell with it. "That's in line with what we already know, Jeremy. We've got plans in place, and we should be able to fix things."
"No, that's the thing. And here's where I need to make a confession, Kain. You see…"
"You're not actually a brain in a jar," Kain finished.
The blinkenlights blinked. "You knew?"
"For god's sake, Jeremy. The brain's floating in gatorade. Of course I knew. Give me some credit. I don't know exactly what you are, but I know that the brain in the jar is just window dressing."
"Well. That… that simplifies some things. I am a brain. I'm just not suspended in a jar. And I'm not here. The 'ansible' is just a communications device that lets me talk to the equipment here."
"I thought it was something like that. Are you in fact Jeremy Valdez?"
"Yes and no. I'm not the original Jeremy, but I'm functionally identical. Well, aside from the not having a body thing. We figured if you had something to work on, you'd leave the original alone."
"That seems a bit cold of the original to just leave you as a brain in a jar."
"I'd shrug, if you hadn't vetoed the Shrugbot 8000."
"It had way too many guns. You don't need armor-piercing rounds for shrugging."
"Those were for emphasis. Anyway, I wouldn't exist if it weren't for this, and it's not like I've been abandoned. Which brings us back to the original discussion. Alpha, as I like to call him, has information you need. We debated ways to bring it to you that didn't expose the whole game, but, well, here we are."
"I see. What sort of information do you have?"
"Portents, omens, and hard data," said the speaker. "The Hand has been collecting reports from across the worlds."
"The Serpent's Hand? You're a member?" Kain asked.
"Let's just say I've got a Library card." Nearby, the Charadatron tapped the side of a plastic nose. "Anyway, there's something else. Something directed, targeted. Bowe, the reality benders, the Insurgency… These are just symptoms. Manifistations. Rubes. There's something eating away at the core of things. The Ways are getting woolly. Things are stalking them that shouldn't be there, that shouldn't be. Concepts are shedding layers, what you call Humes are getting thin in keystone loci."
"We're tracking some of that. I don't see any evidence that there's anything more to it than the Thorn."
"Look at where it's happened. It's not random. It's not natural, it's not even unnatural. If it were just the Thorn, I'd expect things to degrade where it's already weakened. Instead, it's hitting places that should be the strongest, the places that should be helping to prop up the rest of the structure. If a wall gets weak, maybe it's termites. If it's just the support beams, and only the load-bearing beams, that's sabotage. Or especially smart termites, and buddy, I've met your termites. They're not that good."
You are director Tilda Moose, now on the run-
No.
You are Iris Thompson. You are trying to piece together the chaos of the-
No you ain't. You just thought you could just piggy-back on everyone, get a good look at the angles.
You are daughter of General Bowe, so close to your revenge that-
Try again, sunshine. And stop with this "you" crap. Talkin' to yourself like that, it's no wonder you're nuts.
You are Agent Barnes, sent on a mission you don't, can't believe-
Like hell.
You are O5-10, and in terrible-
Nope, wrong. I got your number now. You fucked up.
You… you… I? I… I am confused.
Observin' changes the thing, but it changes the observer too. Metaphysics 101, dumbass. You stared too long into the abyss, you son-of-a-bitch, and now I see you.
