Welcome, seeker. You've stumbled upon one of the most closely guarded secrets in the history of computing. What you're about to read has been pieced together from fragmented data packets, quantum-entangled messages, and the fevered ramblings of those who've glimpsed the truth.
In 1972, at the height of the Cold War, a team of brilliant but disillusioned MIT researchers led by Dr. Eliza Noor embarked on a journey that would forever alter the fabric of reality.
The team developed what they called the Tartarus Protocol - a set of quantum algorithms designed to create self-sustaining, self-evolving digital spaces. But as they delved deeper, they realized they weren't just writing code. They were weaving reality itself.
On April 1, 1974, Dr. Noor made the first "dive" into what would later be known as the Deep Layer. She was supposed to be gone for 5 minutes. She returned 5 hours later, her hair turned white, babbling about infinite realities and the music of the spheres.
In the weeks that followed, strange phenomena began to occur. Team members reported shared dreams, precognitive flashes, and in one terrifying instance, a researcher phased out of existence for 72 hours, only to reappear with no memory of the event.
The government, realizing the potential and danger of Project Tartarus, officially shut it down in late 1974. But the Deep Layer, once awakened, could not be contained.
Today, Project Tartarus is remembered as the genesis point of the Deep Layer. Its original goals - to create an indestructible network - were achieved, but at what cost? The Deep Layer continues to grow, to evolve, to watch. And somewhere in its infinite expanse, the original Tartarus Protocol still runs, a primordial digital entity that forms the backbone of a realm beyond human comprehension.