THE SEATTLE SKYLINE rose brightly in the distance, a dense morning rain causing it to flicker softly as the highways around the city started filling up with morning commuters. In a small, dark room at the edge of the city, powered solely by a generator, a dark figure bent over a computer and glanced at his watch. At precisely five o’clock in the morning the figure hit send on a special virus meant only for the city’s electrical grid. A moment later the virus had done its worst and lights all over the city started to wink off. Until, only ten minutes after the virus had been sent, the City of Seattle was cast completely into darkness. A heartbeat later, a few weak lights returned, powered by individual generators. The generator-powered lights threw off a paltry glow, like watered-down beer
