In 1999, the International Space Agency, formed by bringing together researchers from around the world after gaining independence from NASA, established its headquarters in the Hawaiian Islands. There, cosmic observations were conducted day and night.
The agency had about 100 staff members, a small number compared to NASA's nearly 20,000 employees.
Harold Jairoyd, a 46-year-old researcher born and raised in England, was staring at the screen displaying dark matter observation data when he almost spat out the coffee in his mouth.
Quickly placing his cup aside, he checked the observation date and time on the touchscreen terminal and verified that no anomalies had been recorded by NASA's dark matter measurement satellites orbiting Saturn. Once Harold confirmed that the data was valid, he summoned his colleagues, Tyler Horn and Janne Amid, through their communication terminals.
Though the facility wasn't very large, each researcher had their own laboratory, and for calling someone to the shared lab, they used portable communication devices.
By the 2500s, humanity was able to observe almost all regions of space, thanks in large part to the establishment of methods for tracking dark matter and dark energy.
The automatic doors of the shared lab slid open, and Tyler and Janne entered.
Tyler, a 42-year-old from the United States, was calm and composed, though his unflinching demeanor occasionally sparked clashes of opinion.
Janne, a Black Canadian woman with dreadlocks, was intensely dedicated to her research. Despite being a single mother, she worked independently, fully committing herself to her studies.
"I'm currently analyzing measurement data from a newly discovered galaxy," Tyler said, with a slightly sarcastic tone.
"I'm analyzing a newly discovered star system," Janne replied, her voice tinged with dissatisfaction.
"Look at this first. Complaints can come afterward," Harold said. He projected the data onto the wall-mounted screen in the shared lab. Graphs and numerical data appeared one after another. Tyler and Janne gradually furrowed their brows as they watched.
Janne quickly approached the terminal and checked the data on the touchscreen. With self-diagnostic programs running constantly, errors in the data were almost nonexistent.
"What about the 3K radiation?" Tyler asked, operating a different terminal. An anomaly was detected there as well.
"When we examine the dark matter concentration and the 3K radiation across the universe, we can't make a definitive conclusion yet, but it appears a hole has formed in space," Harold explained.
"That's impossible. I'll check the flow of dark energy," Janne said, turning to her terminal. Dark energy was the force driving the expansion of the universe. Because it existed, space continued to expand, forming new galaxies and superclusters. Observing dark matter concentrations and changes in the 3K radiation in a region already mapped was unprecedented in the history of space science.
As Janne examined dark energy density, she realized that it, too, flowed into the region of concentrated dark matter like a river, forming some enormous spatial structure.
"A hole in space? That's insane. A black hole, maybe, but an actual hole in the universe? There shouldn't even be walls, let alone holes," Tyler muttered, running his hand through his slicked-back black hair, looking troubled.
At that moment, a man with a mustache under his nose entered through the automatic door.
"What's going on here? Can anyone explain this?"
It was Koji Yoda, the Japanese supervisor of the researchers. He had the habit of rubbing his bulging belly when worried, and at that moment, he did exactly that.
"Reports of anomalies in space keep coming from multiple researchers. My office has been ringing nonstop," Koji said.
"We just checked the data ourselves. It appears a massive hole has appeared in space," Harold explained.
"What? A hole in space? That's absurd. Isn't it just a black hole manifesting?"
Harold shook his head. The situation was clearly different from any black hole.
Koji pressed his temples, looking troubled. "I'll contact NASA and other research institutions worldwide. Report anything unusual immediately."
After he left, the three researchers exchanged glances, then turned back to their terminals to understand the situation.
At that moment, space researchers worldwide began noticing anomalies. The holes Harold and his team discovered were not isolated; similar phenomena appeared across multiple regions of space, though humanity at the time could not yet understand their meaning.
The universe had expanded beyond observable layers. This wasn't a multiverse scenario—this was a single universe becoming multi-layered, with an unknown number of layers.
Tunnels leading to the next layers had appeared in space.
Harold and his colleagues' workload had just increased drastically.
—End of "Increased Workload"