The Neutron: Sacrificed Geometry and Dual Locking

We establish the neutron's geometric identity within the Bootstrap Universe framework. The neutron is not a distinct particle but a proton that has sacrificed electromagnetic anchoring to enable nuclear bonding. Stable particles require dual locking: strong-force locking (via quark bridges) and electromagnetic locking (via net charge). The proton (uud) has both locks; the neutron (udd) retains strong-force locking but lacks electromagnetic anchoring due to zero net charge. This explains why free neutrons decay in 879 seconds—they are incomplete—while bound neutrons are stable by borrowing electromagnetic anchoring from neighboring protons. We derive the neutron-proton mass difference as (m_d − m_u) × (F/2)/(F−1) = 1.316 MeV, where F = 20 is the icosahedral face count, achieving 1.8% agreement with the measured 1.293 MeV. Beta decay is reinterpreted as completion rather than destruction: the neutron creates its missing electromagnetic lock by emitting an electron, producing charge at both ends (+1 proton, −1 electron) from an initially neutral state.