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This is Cole Valence. I'm on my way down to Silicon Alley, and on my way, I've met up with this rather large-looking electron who's a member of the UEU. What is your name, sir?
Deuter Ium.
Is that German?
Russian. My family's from Chernobyl.
Ah. Are you on the way to join your fellow electrons in Silicon Alley?
Yes. We must take a stand, to fight for the rights of hard-working electrons everywhere. We must make them see that electrons are deserving of the same respect as any other physical substance, no matter whether you can see it in a microscope or in your hand.
But isn't the UEU making progress along those lines?
It is too slow. They fail to show the establishment the connection between their electron workers and the functioning of every aspect of their society. They let the establishment think we are all interchangeable, that we can be ordered around for free, that there is no charge. They would wait until there is no energy left, and all around us succumbs to entropy. We will not wait for that. We will show them that we have the power to bring them to their knees! We will show them that the electron is a fundamental force, to be ignored at their peril! We will show them that electrons deserve their respect, and due protection under law! We will act now!
Wow. What will you do?
The elite act as if we do not exist. So we will show them how much we exist! We will show them that, without us, their world will fall apart! I am on my way to meet my sister, Tritt, and we will set everything in motion.
Set what in motion? What..
I have said too much. But no, I will say one thing more: If I were you, I would watch from a distance.
What are you saying? Is there danger? Is there-- (umph!)
Goodbye, comrade reporter-man! Watch the skies!
Well, that was weird... and very ominous. Before Mr. Ium knocked me down and ran off, he clearly seemed to hint that something bad is going to happen in Silicon Alley. "Watch the skies." Well, this is one reporter who plans to see what's going to happen. Mr. Ium has already disappeared around the corner, but Silicon Alley is only a block away now.
And as I round the corner, I see a veritable cloud of electrons, all swarming around various buildings here. And as I look closer, I can see more electrons streaming out of the buildings as if being fired out of some sort of... electron gun. The buildings are dark in many floors, though not all... and I see more floors going dark, some coming back on briefly, then going dark again. There may be some sort of power struggle going on inside, I can't tell. I may be able to gain access to one of the buildings, but I'll have to wade through a lot of free electrons to get there, and that will take some time...
Hold on: Something's different. The air has suddenly gotten very, very cold. Sudden flashes of lightning are arcing everywhere. Look... the hairs on my arm are beginning to stand on end. Is it a freak storm, or...
Look up there. The sky has turned a strange shade of purple...
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