short fiction · 2026-10-15

The Electron Legion

Written in free time, from: Creative writing

In the inner membrane’s quiet citadel, NADH and FADH₂ hand over their sparks to Complex I and II, like soldiers passing torches down the line. Each complex pumps protons, building a gradient that hums like distant drums. Electrons march through cytochromes, releasing energy with each step, until oxygen waits at the end to accept them and form water. The proton motive force drives ATP synthase, turning the gradient’s pressure into the cell’s currency. Thus the electron legion fuels life, a disciplined march where every carrier plays its part, and the final reward is the quiet hiss of water forming at journey’s end.