Tony wondered what the reddish brown mist was, then recognized the color - copper!  No.  He couldn't be inside a wire.  After all, where would the light be coming from?

Electrons, of course.  What did he think was propelling him?

So why hadn't he been electrocuted?

Because he was pure energy himself - a spirit, or a fragment of spirit that was conveying information back to his mind.  After all, his body would scarcely fit inside a wire, would it?

He decided he must have fallen asleep at his desk and be dreaming - but if this was a dream, he might as well enjoy it.  He shot on through the wire, exulting in really getting into a circuit.

He barely had time to reflect that this was certainly a new view of electronics, before the electrons jerked to a halt and he found himself staring at a vast canyon.

A canyon?  Inside an engine?

Well, of course - from an electron's point of view, and Tony couldn't be much bigger than an electron right now.  No wonder the loose connection seemed like the Grand Canyon!  But how to bring it closer?  In frustation, he reached out toward the terminal from which the wire had come loose - and was amazed to see his arm, then see it stretching and stretching until his hand closed around the terminal.  He pulled and watched his arm shrink while the terminal came closer and closer.

Well, why not?  If he was pure energy himself, the arm was only a metaphor for his efforts anyway.

The terminal touched his wire, and the woman must have turned the ignition key again, for there was a burst of sparks that filled Tony's vision, then faded into darkness.

"Wake up, Tony!  It wasn't really a shock, you know.  Your mind just interpreted it that way from force of habit."

Tony blinked, looking up, and saw Father Vidicon leaning over him - and sure enough, he felt completely awake and not the slightest bit woozy.  He sat up.  "The mother!  What happened to her?"

"Oh, the car started, thanks to you," St. Vidicon said.  "She's on her way to drop the kids at school before she goes to work.  You don't know how much you've improved her spirits."

"Glad to hear it."  Tony rolled to his knees, then stood up with Father Vidicon's help.  "That roar down the tunnel..."

The roar came again.

"Still making noise," Father Vidicon said.  "I think it's hoping to intimidate me before it appears."