"Be all that you can be," Remo sang lightly as he stepped along the clothesline-thick insulated cord.

He wasn't aware he had spoken in more than a whisper until he heard the surprised voice before him.

"Hey! Whoa, hey, what the crap?"

The voice came from the flat roof. When he looked, Remo saw a broad, puzzled face peering from the deep shadows just above the upper roof ledge. It turned quickly away, calling into the darkest shadows in a husky rasp.

"Gino, get over here. You gotta see this." Another face joined the first. This new face, presumably Gino's, grew as surprised as the first when it spied Remo standing on the impossibly thin wire out in the middle of nothing. The alley below lurked dark and menacing.

The cable swung gently in the breeze. Remo swung with it.

"You know dat guy, Ennio?" Gino asked his partner.

"What, do I look like I know him?" Ennio scoffed. He smacked Gino in the side of the head.

They turned their attention back to the man on the wire, Gino rubbing his smarting head.

Remo was of average height and build. His only unusual features, besides his obvious ability to root to a swaying cable in defiance of gravity, were his abnormally thick wrists. They were as thick around as coffee cans. Though it was cool, he wore a black cotton T-shirt and matching chinos. A pair of expensive Italian loafers were the only things between the wire and the soles of his feet.

"What are you doin' out there?" Ennio demanded.

Remo paused in midstep. "Just out for a quiet little walk." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced around. His dark features grew puzzled. "Hmm. Guess I must have taken a wrong turn in Albuquerque."

"Oh, a smart guy," Ennio mocked. "Hey, we got a smart guy standin' eight friggin' stories in the air."

"How you doin' that?" Gino pressed, ignoring Ennio.

"You boys ever hear of gravity?" Remo questioned.