(Gasp!)

<Matt> WE'VE GOT HIM!

<Hacker> ER, REPEAT THE QUESTION!

WILL YOU RID MOTHERBOARD OF THE VIRUS?

AHEM, OF COURSE!

I WILL GLADLY CURE MOTHERBOARD'S VIRUS!

I WOULD BE MOST (Static) GRATEFUL.

<Digit> I DON'T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST HEARD!

<Hacker> ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN.

MOTHERBOARD'S VIRUS CODE IS PROTECTED BY A TRIANGLE LOCK!

BUT ONLY A TRIANGLE WITH JUST THE RIGHT THREE SIDES WILL UNLOCK THE CODE - AND HERE THEY ARE!

SIMPLY MAKE A TRIANGLE WITH THESE THREE RODS - SLIP THE TRIANGLE INTO THE DIGITIZING ACTIVATOR AND VOILA!

HER VIRUS WILL BE DELETED!

EXCUSE ME, BUT IS IT TRUE THAT A TRIANGLE CAN ALWAYS BE MADE FROM ANY THREE RODS?

ABSOLUTELY!

AFTER ALL, EVERY TRIANGLE HAS THREE SIDES, DOESN'T IT?

<Vander Rom> OF COURSE!

THREE SIDES, THREE ANGLES.

THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED A TRIANGLE.

<Hacker> AND IN THE INTEREST OF TELLING IT LIKE IT IS - THE SIDES OF A TRIANGLE CAN BE ANY LENGTH WHATSOEVER!

SO CURE MOTHERBOARD NOW!

<Audience> CURE MOTHERBOARD!

CURE MOTHERBOARD!

<Hacker> WOULD THAT I COULD - BUT TO DO SO WOULD GIVE ME SUCH AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE.

HOWEVER...

I'LL PLACE THE THREE RODS INTO THIS BOX.

AND I'LL LEAVE THE BOX WITH MR. VANDER ROM FOR SAFEKEEPING!

HERE YOU GO, VANDY!

AFTER THE ELECTION, HE CAN PERSONALLY OPEN THE BOX AND CURE MOTHERBOARD!

<Crowd> HURRAY!

BRAVO!

<Jackie> NOW WHAT?

THERE'S NO WAY TO PROVE HE'S LYING ABOUT THE FUTURE - BECAUSE THE FUTURE HASN'T HAPPENED YET!

<Inez> YOU'RE RIGHT, JAX.

WE'VE GOT TO FIND A STATEMENT WE CAN DISPROVE RIGHT NOW.

WELL, THE ONE THING HE'S SAID LATELY IS YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE A TRIANGLE OUT OF ANY THREE RODS, NO MATTER HOW BIG THEY ARE.

IS THAT TRUE?

LET'S TRY IT!

TO PROVE HE'S LYING, WE JUST NEED THREE STICKS THAT CAN'T MAKE A TRIANGLE.

BUT WE NEED MORE TIME.

IF THEY FINISH THE DEBATE BEFORE WE FIND OUR COUNTER EXAMPLE - WE'RE SUNK!

<Digit> NO PROBLEMO, EARTHLIES, I'LL STALL 'EM!

I HAVE A DEEP BELIEF (Static) IN A FREE AND OPEN CYBER-SOCIETY.

<Vander Rom> AND THAT WRAPS UP THE QUESTION AND ANSWER PART OF THE DEBATE.

NOW IT'S TIME FOR CLOSING STATEMENTS... THEN THE VOTE!

<Digit> EXCUSE ME!

I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS!

<Inez> OK, LET'S TAKE HACKER'S FIRST STATEMENT: THAT TRIANGLES CAN HAVE SIDES OF ANY LENGTH.

IS THAT TRUE?

ONE LONG SIDE AND TWO MEDIUM SIDES.

<Jackie> THREE MEDIUM SIDES.

<Matt> ONE SHORT SIDE AND TWO MEDIUM SIDES.

LOOKS TRUE TO ME, SPORTS FANS.

<Jackie> THERE'S GOTTA BE ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT THIS.

<Inez> WELL, WE JUST SHOWED THAT ONE SIDE OF A TRIANGLE CAN HAVE ANY LENGTH.

WHAT ABOUT TWO SIDES WITH DIFFERENT LENGTHS?

<Matt> LET'S TRY IT.

HERE ARE TWO SIDES OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS.

ONE LONG SIDE, ONE SHORT SIDE.

<Jackie> AND ONE MEDIUM SIDE MAKES IT A TRIANGLE.

IT LOOKS LIKE THIS CAN WORK EVERY TIME.

BUT WE STILL HAVEN'T PROVEN YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE A TRIANGLE OUT OF ANY THREE RODS.

WE HAVE TO KEEP TRYING!

<Matt> I HAVE AN IDEA!

LOOK, IF ONE SIDE IS REALLY LONG AND THE OTHER TWO SIDES ARE REALLY SHORT, THERE'S NO WAY THEY CAN ALL MEET!

<Jackie> MATT, YOU DID IT!

THREE STICKS, THREE SIDES, BUT NO WAY THE ENDS CAN MEET!

ONE REALLY LONG STICK AND TWO REALLY SHORT ONES CAN'T MAKE A TRIANGLE - NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY!

THAT PROVES THAT WHAT HACKER SAID IS FALSE!

WE'VE GOT OUR COUNTER EXAMPLE!

I'LL BET ANYTHING, THAT THE THREE RODS HACKER PUT IN THAT BOX WON'T FORM A TRIANGLE EITHER!

WE'VE GOT TO GET VANDER ROM TO OPEN IT!

C'MON!

<Digit> OKAY, THIS ONE'S FOR HACKER.

NOW WHAT SHOULD THE PUNISHMENT BE FOR THOSE CYBER-CITIZENS WHO KNOWINGLY CALL PODDLEVILLE, POODLEVILLE?

WHOOPSIE!

DIGIT!

<Hacker> JUST AS I THOUGHT!

THAT CYBERTURKEY IS MOTHERBOARD'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER!

MOTHERBOARD WILL STOP AT NOTHING TO BEAT ME!

<Matt> WAIT!

WHAT HACKER SAID ABOUT TRIANGLES ISN'T TRUE!

AND WE CAN PROVE IT!

THIS JUST IN!

KIDS CLAIM PROOF THAT HACKER LIED TODAY!

<Hacker> PAY NO ATTENTION TO THESE CONNIVING KIDDIES.

THEY'RE MOTHERBOARD'S LITTLE HELPERS!

OH YEAH?

<Inez> HACKER TOLD US THE TRIANGLE LOCK WOULD CURE MOTHERBOARD.

RIGHT, MR. VANDER ROM?

THAT IS CORRECT.

<Hacker> AND SO IT WILL!

JUST AS I PROMISED!

ANY FOOL KNOWS A TRIANGLE HAS THREE SIDES!

<Jackie> BUT YOU ALSO SAID YOU CAN ALWAYS MAKE A TRIANGLE OUT OF ANY THREE RODS.

<Hacker> IT'S TRUE!

<Jackie> REALLY?

WELL, CHECK THIS OUT!

<Matt> ONE, TWO, THREE RODS OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS.

NO MATTER HOW I ARRANGE THEM, THEY DO NOT AND WILL NOT MAKE A TRIANGLE!

<Crowd> (Gasp!)

<Jackie> AND NEITHER WILL THE THREE RODS IN THAT BOX!

THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO SETTLE THIS!

I'LL OPEN THE BOX!

<Hacker> NO!

I MEAN... FINE!

<Matt> JUST AS WE SUSPECTED - ONE LONG AND TWO SHORTS.

AS YOU CAN SEE, NO MATTER HOW I ARRANGE THEM - THEY DON'T MAKE A TRIANGLE!

<Hacker> LET ME SEE THAT!

<Digit> A TRIANGLE HAS TO HAVE THREE ANGLES AND THREE SIDES THAT MEET END TO END, HACKY-BABY.

THERE MUST BE SOME MISTAKE!

<Matt> AUDIENCE, IS HACKER'S STATEMENT ABOUT TRIANGLES TRUE OR FALSE?

<Audience> FALSE!

<Jackie> WHAT HACKER SAID ABOUT ALWAYS TELLING THE TRUTH?

TRUE OR FALSE?

<Audience> FALSE!

<Inez> AND WHAT ABOUT ALWAYS DOING GOOD?

DOES ANYBODY THINK WE CAN TRUST HIM?

<Audience> NO!

<Buzz> LET'S GO, BOSS!

<Delete> TIME TO GO BYE-BYE.

<Hacker> MARK MY WORDS, I'LL BE THE NEXT POTENTATE OF CYBERSPACE!

ME!

THE DASTARDLY ONE!

THE CHINLY ONE!

THE CAPED-- GREAT JOB, CYBERMATES (Static) YOU PROVED YOUR POINT AND YOU PROVED IT WELL!

LET THE ELECTION BEGIN!

(Crying) I WAS SO CLOSE!

CYBERSPACE WAS MINE!

MINE!

MINE!

<Vander Rom> AND THERE YOU HAVE IT.

THE ELECTION IS OVER!

IT'S MOTHERBOARD IN A LANDSLIDE.

IN FACT, HACKER RECEIVED ONLY TWO VOTES!

COUNT 'EM - TWO!

THIS IS SAM VANDER ROM TELLING IT LIKE IT IS - WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, HACKER!

ONLY...TWO...VOTES?

WHO VOTED FOR MOTHERBOARD?