The sound reverberated through the streets. It was as inevitable as an old man passing gas. The sound of children of all ages gnashing their teeth as the electricity that powered their individualized false realities went out.

The modest city had been the birthplace of televitality, and was therefore the first to experience what was optimistically known as "progressive population decline." With the ability to meet perfect friends, perfect mates and raise perfect children in through completely realistic virtual interface few people felt the impulse to have actual families.

Most people also worked artificially, their movements on the elestairs and keyportals generating enough energy to keep the false electrical impulses flowing into their brains. But outside, slowly, the wires had degraded.