"In a weird way, the fire is bringing us all together better," Togusa agrees. "Just like with the giant sea monster, when we all have one thing to focus on, the people on the app have a lot more to bring to bear than someone might expect."

"What do you think we're going to find beyond this?" Togusa leans back and props himself on a hand. "If that layer diagram is right? We're pushing into another layer of both geography and reality."