It's December, and the Chronicle staff receive a letter from Sam. She is expecting to visit Herbertville while her father is attending a meeting there. Sam provides Lynne, Chris, and Alex with a selection of poems that satirize famous styles of Carl Sandberg and others. But before long, a power surge rips through Otto and Theta, disabling them into reading and typing, ""Come with speed/Your help we need."" It's an urgent message from Dr. Couplet, who briefly informs Lynne and Chris that the Trialviron galaxy is about to explode.
