"Morning, bonehead!" Tadashi called cheerfully, hitting Hiro in the head with a pillow.

Hiro groaned, pulling the blankets over his head just as Tadashi pulled them down. The younger Hamada peeled open his eyes and glared. Tadashi was smiling as he tugged Hiro off the bed and onto his feet. "Come on," he said. "Aunt Cass made breakfast."

Once Tadashi turned his back, Hiro stuck his tongue out at him. He contemplated going back to bed, but a glance at the clock told him that he would be reported. Rule 106: all citizens must be awake and active by 7 o'clock on work and school days, 8:30 on days of rest. The clock read 8:32, and Hiro felt like chucking it across the room. Instead, he stomped down the stairs and over to the table, sitting down next to his brother as Aunt Cass scooped a mound of scrambled eggs onto his plate, bidding him "good morning!" before sitting opposite of him.

A morning news show crackled over the radio they ate. "Break-ins at several government facilities were reported late last night," the reporter said in a disengaged voice. "Officials believe these to be the work of the radical group Antigravity and ask the public to remain calm. Any citizens who have information about this group are urged to report it."

The whole family turned to look at the radio at the mention of Antigravity. The government had only recently begun acknowledging its existence, despite rumors of it being spread through the public for years.

Aunt Cass shook her head. "I hope they catch them soon," she said. "I can hardly sleep at night knowing they're out there."

"Don't worry, Aunt Cass," Tadashi comforted. "They can't stay hidden forever."

Hiro was quiet, poking at what remained on his plate with his fork. He was thinking back to the girl in the alley last night. Was Trim in Antigravity? It was possible. She had probably stolen whatever was in that bag from the building she broke into. He wondered what it was.

Next to him, Tadashi was talking about how he and some of his classmates had been selected to work with Robert Callaghan on a project for the government. They hadn't decided what they were going to build, yet, but it was supposed to help take down Antigravity.

Aunt Cass squealed in excitement. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed, rocketing out of her seat to hug Tadashi. "Oh, I'm so proud of you!"

"Yeah, that's great, Tadashi," Hiro said distractedly. Had he really met a member of Antigravity last night? And walked away safely? Trim didn't seem like a terrorist, she just seemed a little... off; dangerous, but not too threatening. Was that what everyone in Antigravity was like? Was that what all the citizens were so afraid of?

"Shoot!" Aunt Cass cried, looking at the clock. "I need to open up the cafe. Hiro, honey, can you do the dishes for me?"

Hiro nodded, on autopilot. He gathered the plates off the table and brought them to the sink as Tadashi excused himself as well.

"Callaghan wanted to meet with us this morning," he explained. "I need to get moving, or I'll be late! Don't stay cooped up inside all day, okay Hiro?"

"Wasn't planning on it," Hiro replied, more to himself than to his brother, as Tadashi disappeared down the stairs.

-ยง-

The alleys that Hiro was so familiar with by night were foreign to him in the daylight. The graffiti that had yet to be cleared off the walls turned from indistinct shadows to bubbly letters and cross-eyed smiley faces. It was actually possible to see the trash that littered the ground. It was all so strange to Hiro, and he no longer felt so sure of himself. Why was he even doing this, anyway? Did he really expect Trim to be hanging around in the alleys, waiting for him?

"Back again so soon?"

Hiro jumped and spun around to see Trim smiling at him. Did she always do that?

She wasn't carrying a duffel bag this time, but had a backpack slung over her shoulder. In the light, Hiro could see that her hair faded from red to purple to blue, and she seemed to enjoy flipping it so that it caught the wind and flowed dramatically behind her.

"I, uh- I was just..." As he walked, Hiro had thought out what he was going to say to this girl. He was going to confront her about his suspicions, demand she explain what she had been doing last night, and turn her over to the authorities. Now that she was standing right in front of him, though, everything he planned to say sounded weak.

Trim's smile broadened. "You know bot fights only run at night, right?" she quipped.

"Sush!" Hiro immediately moved to throw his hands over her mouth. At night, you might be able to get away with whispering things like that in areas with less surveillance, but during the day you'd be arrested within five minutes, and Trim hadn't even bother to lower her voice!

"Hey!" she shouted, slapping his hands away. She instantly slipped into a very bad mood, glaring at Hiro furiously. He backed away, reminding himself that she was dangerous, before stopping and straightening his back. He came here to get answers, and he knew she wasn't going to give them if he acted like a wimp.

"I have questions for you," he said, sticking his chin up and hoping he sounded in control of the situation, "and you are going to answer them. But first, the Peace Officers are on their way, so we are going to move to someplace safer."

Trim let out a bark of laughter. "I can take those punks," she said, dropping her backpack and shaking out her arms. Hiro could see the head of a stuffed horse peeking out from the pack on the ground. What the hell? This anarchist carries stuffed animals around with her?

"No. We're going." Hiro stepped forward, grabbed her backpack, and stuffed it back into her arms. For a moment, she just stared at it, surprised. Hiro took that time to grab her arm and start pulling her out of the alley. She's walked about three steps before snapping back into herself.

"Don't go that way!" she said, stopping short. "There's no way we won't get nabbed if we go waltzing onto a surveyed street."

"Well, where do you suggest we go, then?" In the distance, Hiro could hear police sirens rapidly approaching. He was beginning to worry.

Trim grinned. "Come on," she said, her eyes gleaming mischievously. She grabbed Hiro's hand and pulled him over to a large puddle on the side of the alley. She placed her foot on it and left it there for a few moments before pulling it back. She moved her hands up to Hiro's shoulders, positioning him on the edge of the puddle. "After you," she said, and pushed him forward.

Hiro stepped forward instinctively, trying to keep his balance, but was surprised to find that his foot did not land with a splash in the middle of the puddle. Instead it slipped soundlessly through the surface. His sole went through first, then he was in up to his ankle, then his knee. There's no way this puddle is this deep, he thought, and let out a small shout as he found his whole body falling through the puddle. The world around him became dark and he tumbled down and down, eventually landing on a crash pad far below.

A few seconds later, Trim landed next to him. While Hiro had ended up sprawled on his front, she landed on her feet, obviously having done this before.

Hiro rolled over and stared up at the ground, the "puddle" they had fallen through. There it was, glittering like silver far above.

"I probably shouldn't have brought you down here," Trim said, walking over to him and helping him up. Around them, lights began to come on, dim at first but soon growing brighter. Hiro looked around, wondering where they were. "Anyway," Trim went on, "welcome to the Pipes!"