Cold Man Anderson is an beloved night load dispatcher, known for being so good at his job the lights practically never go out while he's at work. But tonight, with a gigantic thunderstorm rolling in, he's distracted. His only son fell in with a bad crowd, and now the police are looking to arrest him for an armed robbery and subsequent murder. Anderson's wife lied to the police about their son's whereabouts and is hiding him in their home. As lightning strikes across the city, Anderson struggles to keep the power grid functioning with the worries on his mind. An important senator is giving a speech in Grid 3 where Anderson lives, and his boss has already called once to warn Anderson that if the lights go out during the politician's speech, there will be hell to pay - someone might be fired. Nonetheless, a terrible thought begins to grow in Anderson's mind. If he turns the power off in Grid 3, his son might have time to make a run for it. He might escape rather than facing the electric chair. Just as Anderson considers the possibility, lightning strikes Grid 3, knocking the power out for the entire area. His wife calls to say that their son is making a run for it, but on the other line, Anderson's boss is warning him about the politician's speech. Anderson recalls how he once feared he'd never have a boy at all, terrified because he wanted nothing in the world more than a son. With the cold expression that earned him his nickname, he hangs up on his wife and brings power back to Grid 3.