Barclay's eyes snapped open as a rumbling reached him. The eight'o'clock across town had just rolled into the subway terminal. It was time to get up. He sat up in his small flat, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stretched. Mrs. Shapiro had used all the hot water again, so he prepared himself for an icy shower. He was right, of course, and his arms formed goosepimples and his shoulders gave a slight spasm from the cold. He washed himself quickly, cleaning the dried sweat and dirt from last night's late night ride.

He stepped out of the shower naked and grabbed some clothes. Jeans, a dark green shirt, and a black baseball cap. He pocketed his phone, wallet, and keys and stepped out the door, hurrying down the stairs. The city was calling him, guiding his feet. He cut across the street and took a shortcut through an alley, jumping just in time to catch the tail end of a garbage truck. He grabbed the large iron handle and nodded to the trashman on the other side. Five blocks later he hopped off, crossing the street as a crosswalk's light turned. He vaulted over a low concrete wall and cut through the park, weaving between a group of rollerbladers. The concrete beneath his feet fed him constant information. Up ahead on Jackson about five blocks east, there had been an accident. Traffic was backed up on the South Side because of a downed telephone pole in the street, but everything was already being fixed. He felt the electric impulses from the shops as owners opened for the day. He had his pick of places, but he decided on a coffeehouse just up the street. They had just installed a new coffee grinder and fresh ground was always the best.

Besides, his usual place was about to have a power outage thanks to some faulty wiring. He made a note to tell them about it. Er, scratch that. He felt bad for them. Their fusebox had just blown, taking out two other shops on either side. He stepped in the door and stood in line behind some cute blonde. He listened to what the city knew about her. Turns out she had been all over the place lately, her footsteps were many and familiar to the city. Barclay was getting better and better with his power every day.