When a storm destroyed local networks, Mira, impulsive and angry, began broadcasting from her apartment using a different satellite link she had previously utilized. Even though her signal was weak, it persisted. Speaking directly to her audience, she said that the blackout was intended to demonstrate who was in control and was not an accident. Under pressure, she advised the council not to engage in negotiations. She urged everyone to keep in mind their collective strength and how the engineers and technicians maintained the grid daily without fuss.

Her voice was powerful and steady, and it cut through Darius's desire to frighten others. Mira urged the technicians at the city's central control center to resume their job after they were first taken aback by the intricate intrusion. They began separating grid segments and manually shutting down automated devices. It was built on cooperation rather than secrecy, although it was slower and less sophisticated than Darius's code. The lights returned to several areas. In such places, people celebrated little victories against the impending horror. Darius frowned in his laboratory as unexpected elements appeared on his screen.

Manual overrides disrupted his well-thought-out process. He tried to regain control, but the system became more and more broken as technicians cut off his access points. His composition began to disintegrate into tones that didn't belong together. For the first time that evening, doubt crept into his triumph. He discovered that he had overestimated both the population and the city's infrastructure. Mira continued to broadcast as additional districts regained power, and her words conveyed a tale of resilience rather than terror.