I recently began reading up on Quantum Theory (not by any means an expert) and was pretty blown away by what I was reading. An article in Science and Technology (this is the fact part) was discussing how virtual particles "are constantly popping in and out of existence" and reminded me of an Isaac Asimov book called "The Gods Themselves". In the book (this is the fiction part), a fictional scientist accidently discovers an "electron pump" which utilizes particles entering and leaving an alternative universe to generate cheap, efficient power.