The hatch leading into Wiretown’s underground electrical grid clanged shut behind Buzz Watts with a final, echoing *THOOM*. Down here, the hum of power was constant—like the heartbeat of the entire city pulsing through miles of cables, feeders, and ancient metal piping.

Buzz stood at the bottom of the ladder, spiral head glowing softly as he surveyed the long concrete tunnel stretching ahead. Strange shadows flickered along the walls, bending and distorting with each pulse of energy.

A faint tremor rolled through the floor grating beneath his EMT tubing feet. It wasn’t the tremor of failing equipment—it was controlled. Intentional.

Arc Flash was down here. And he wanted Buzz to know it.

Buzz steadied himself, lightning-bolt arms crackling with determination. “Ampie… I can feel you. I’m coming, buddy.”

He moved deeper into the grid. Pipes carried water, gas, steam—every utility Wiretown depended on—each one supposed to be safely bonded. Supposed to be. But Buzz immediately saw the problem.

Bonding jumpers hung loose. Clamps dangled from piping like broken jewelry. Unbonded metal hummed with stray voltage, creating tiny sparks that danced across the surfaces.

“The Bonding Bandit’s fingerprints are all over this,” Buzz muttered.

The air grew heavy, thick with heat and ozone, until a booming metallic voice echoed through the chamber.

“Well, look who followed the trail…”

From between two massive feeder conduits emerged the hulking figure of the Bonding Bandit. Rusted clamps jutted from his shoulders, unbonded straps wrapped around his arms, and his boots sparked with stray current.

“You shouldn’t have come alone, Buzz,” he growled. “This grid is my masterpiece now!”

Buzz raised his arms defensively. “NEC 250.104 demands bonding of metal piping. You’re destabilizing the grid and putting everyone at risk!”

The Bandit laughed, a metallic roar that shook dust from the ceiling. “Risk is the point!”

He raised one massive arm—and slammed it into the metal pipe running overhead. Sparks exploded, racing along the unbonded system. The tunnel lights strobed violently. Panels hummed like enraged beasts.

Buzz leaped into action. He lunged for the loose bonding strap, clamped his lightning-bolt hand around it, and tightened the connection with a thunderous crack of energy.

The stray voltage snapped back into place with a stabilizing *WHUMP*. The Bandit staggered backward, electricity rippling off him like waves.

“STOP THAT!” he bellowed. “You’re draining my power!”

Buzz tightened another strap—SZZZT—then another—KRACK! Each proper bond struck the Bandit like a punch. He stumbled, sparks sputtering weakly.

“You’re finished, Bandit! Proper bonding destroys everything you feed on!”

The Bandit collapsed to one knee—but before Buzz could reach Ampie’s fading energy signal deeper in the tunnel, the ground erupted in a blinding flash of molten light.

Arc Flash had arrived.

He materialized behind the Bandit, towering, monstrous, his form now a swirling storm of plasma and fiery arcs. The entire tunnel illuminated with violent, flickering light as Arc Flash stretched out his molten arms.

“Nicely done, Buzz…” he hissed. “You’ve tightened the grid, balanced the paths, and now—NOW—I can siphon everything without interference.”

He raised his hand. A glowing hologram rippled into existence—Ampie, trapped in a containment cell connected to a massive underground node. His glow was weaker than ever.

“Your little sidekick is powering up my final evolution,” Arc Flash continued. “And you, Buzz… must decide who lives.”

The pipes vibrated. The floor grated. Massive cables overhead strained as energy surged through them like rivers nearing flood stage.

Arc Flash bellowed, “Save Ampie… OR save Wiretown! You can’t do both!”

Buzz stepped forward, Codebook glowing bright white. His voice was steady. Calm. Powerful.

“I’m not choosing,” he said. “Because I will save them BOTH.”

The entire grid roared to life around him—flooding the chamber with danger, heat, and unstoppable energy. But Buzz didn’t flinch.

He struck a fighting stance, spiral head blazing brighter than ever.

The battle for the heart of Wiretown had begun.

To be continued… ⚡

Buzz’s Code Nugget

NEC 250.104 covers bonding of metal piping systems to prevent dangerous voltage differences. Proper bonding reduces stray voltage, stabilizes the system, and ensures safe fault clearing—exactly the opposite of what villains like the Bonding Bandit create.