Across the world, lights flickered and died.
Orbiting 350 miles up, the crew of the space shuttle Lincoln saw the cities of Earth plunged into total
darkness. Communication with Houston ceased.
All electrical supply lines had been disrupted by the massive energies the Stone King had brought
into play. Every generator, every junction box, every circuit burned itself out.
Television broadcasts ceased immediately. The screens that fed civilization its news went dead. The
comforting, friendly celebrity faces vanished, to be replaced in a billion homes by blank screens.
Every computer in the world crashed. The Internet went down. All radio transmission ceased.
The disaster movies had suddenly become real.
Tonight, every last one of you will die.
On its own, the Stone King's sinister voice had been frightening enough. Coupled with the total loss of
electricity, there was a sudden realization that the prophecy of doom was starting to come true.