Absolute Mayhem

By Ryan Viergutz

When two corporations go to war, chaos mage Tatsuro Calesani must navigate the minefield of alliances and betrayals. Nalacher Corp, led by the enigmatic Director, has put an ancient shapeshifting starship into service and has the government on its side. Nalacher's attack forces Lishera Corp, its greatest rival, to fight a war a full year ahead of schedule. Wounded and weakened, its VP, Narita Lakishu, reaches out to allies for retaliation.

Tatsuro and Lakishu find more enemies than allies, including a reckless mutant general, a king of an elvish mafia and an apocalyptic weapon long thought buried. In order for anyone to survive the conflict, Tatsuro must play all sides and defuse the tensions. He recruits the help of Renna Shar, a freelance biologist and stuntwoman, because her knowledge will pierce the secrets of the two companies, and her courage will help them to stand firm in the face of hate.

As the battle plans solidify and blood spills, the angry mercenary Gina Hawkins may acquiesce to a voice that calls her to destruction. The truth behind a psychic link Tatsuro shares with Lakishu and the fugitive revolutionary Aila Watami could be their last hope, if they can work together to understand what it means. Can Tatsuro stop the warfare before it takes hundreds of thousands of lives? Can he save anybody when his own mind unravels?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ryan Viergutz
• Release date: Dec 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781310741203

Ryan Viergutz

I'm a freelancer, writer, roleplayer and gamer. I don't want to live in the same place any longer than a year for a very long time and I am always yearning for adventure. The first two overlap often enough that they're almost the same thing, though they aren't by anyone's measure. Regardless of the state I'm in, I am always roleplaying and I allow myself to indulge in gaming, usually of a video game variety, sometimes. At any given time I will have a scifi or fantasy book in my hands or in my travel bag.

Book preview

Part 1: Cerebral Anastomosis

Chapter 1

A spilled cup of coffee, an argument with a cute librarian, an explosion in a car factory and a week of worried meditation had brought Tatsuro Calesani to a film production in Elusive Hark. He hung around the outskirts of the two streets they had cordoned off for the chase scene they conducted that day. While he had an interest in the film, he had more interest in the destruction that would soon envelop the location.

From his vantage point on the film's perimeter, in a crowd of goggle eyed fans and curious passersby, Tatsuro examined the streaks of light that showed him the future. Most of them glowed a solid red, hardening their consistency. A turning point in the city would happen here in the next half hour, give or take a few minutes, and he had to place himself at the center of the event.

Most chaos mages stood at a distance from the world or manipulated lives to suit their purposes and whims. Tatsuro wanted to change the world for the better, regardless of its impact on his own livelihood. He had the scars, broken bones and patches of twisted flesh to show for his efforts. He had sacrificed much to save lives. He hoped it would pay off in the end. While he could see others' futures, he couldn't see himself.

One particularly enthusiastic fan nudged his shoulder, so Tatsuro pushed his baseball cap further over his eyes and let him through. The fan, one of the crazier dressed people he had seen that day, raised the sign of the horns over his head and shouted the name of the lead actress of the film. The rings on his fingers glowed in the light from the sun. The humidity and the heat would contribute to the devastation, Tatsuro knew.

The actress, a cute brunette in leather that must have left her roasted in the heat, walked to the cameras while her stunt woman came up and got into the car that would soon explode. When she came into view, Tatsuro leaned forward against the ropes and lowered his sunglasses to watch her more carefully. He had met Renna Shar two months ago, during a mission that should have been smooth and simple.

He knew that by deliberately meeting her on a day filled with this much potential for change he would play the probabilities and take a massive risk. Tatsuro tried to challenge fate as much as he could. Green and red lines surrounded her while she strapped a helmet around her head, put on protective gear and sat in the driver's seat. She had no blue or black, signaling that she wouldn't take neutrality in the coming conflict and would survive to face it.

A crane lifted the car two hundred feet into the air. The red lines solidified further, the intensity of the sight turning Tatsuro's stomach. He glanced around into the audience and into the filming crew. He had minutes before the first of the multiple attacks would hit and he hadn't distinguished the source. Green lights speckled the fans. At least he would have help when the casualties came in.

Tatsuro watched the crane rise the last feet and saw some of the lines take a sharp jerk toward the sky. He put his sunglasses over his eyes again. The lines continued to come through. He had heard reports from some mages about problems with artificial colors causing interference but he had never experienced it. The red lines focused on windows, rooftops and the flying lanes of traffic. He knew where the culprits would strike.

Tatsuro fumbled through his shoulder bag and elbowed a path through the crowd. He could often move through a crowd without notice or struggle guided by the waves of chance. This time he didn't care. People grumbled and snarled at him. He waved his fake EHPD badge at the security guards and put his hands on his hips when they glowered at him.

I need to get through, Tatsuro said. I'm on an investigation for a possible terrorist attack.

The first guard, a tall and muscular man who could take a man of Tatsuro's build without too much hassle, stared at him. Yeah? I haven't heard any reports.

That's because it's out of the spotlight, Tatsuro said. We're trying to take a low profile. He nodded at the audience. You know how this whole crackdown on fear is going. It's not working. We don't want a scared population.

The guard narrowed his eyes. A second guard came nearer to them. The first guard took his mobile phone out of his pocket and dialed the number of his department. He didn't have to look at it to dial it.

I'll call this in and see what my superiors say, the guard said. We can't take any chances for this production. We're instructed to have very tight security.

You have had threats, Tatsuro said.

The guard held the phone to his ear. Tatsuro looked around, annoyed. He didn't have to fake his frustration with the situation. He had to get in before the terrorists struck. The lines had never lied to him before. Tatsuro gauged a rough path to the crane, Shar and the car and ran behind the perimeter fence.

The man shouted at him and fired a taser. Tatsuro sidestepped and raced behind an actress's trailer. He let some of the guards close in on him before he launched himself out of his hiding place and headed toward a camera. The cameraman, a dude with glasses and a mohawk, spotted him and tried to kick him away. Tatsuro lingered near him long enough for the guards to close in again. He headed into a group of extras and met the eyes of one whose lines glowed green.

You have to get away from here! Tatsuro said. There's going to be an explosion.

The extra, a man in a business suit, nodded and guided the other extras away from the location. The director emerged from his chair and shouted at Tatsuro that he was ruining the piece. Tatsuro turned to the director, splayed his hands wide and pointed at the sky.

Do you know about the Hazardous Zone, sir? Tatsuro said.

What does that have to do with - the director said.

Multiple explosions erupted in the air behind Tatsuro and interrupted the director's complaints. The director stared upward, his jaw working without any sound coming out of it. Tatsuro took a breath, spun around and watched the crane drop Shar's car onto the ground. The scene had been a bust, possibly a dire one for the company, but the crane operator had still taken care to do his part properly.

While Tatsuro admired Shar her courage as a stunt woman, he found he appreciated the operator too. Clouds of smoke and walls of fire poured out from the apartment buildings behind the perimeter and a traffic jam had blocked the fifth sky lane. Light purple lines pointed toward the street and proved that one of the cars had crashed. Tatsuro continued to watch the sky until the tall guard pulled his hands behind his back and cuffed him.

Tatsuro looked behind at the guard. Don't do that. I was right.

It's a felony to pass yourself off as a federal investigator, the guard said. Who the hell are you, really?

You haven't guessed? Tatsuro said.

Tatsuro turned his attention to the clouds of smoke and the car that had smashed into the set. Several assistants gathered around Shar and helped her out of the vehicle. Shar stepped out of it and shook her head. A young, twentysomething woman with mousy brown hair, a black leather vest over a white shirt, black shorts and straps for pistols and knives around her arms and legs, she looked for the film's director and latched her gaze right onto Tatsuro.

Tatsuro nodded to her. Miss Shar. You've changed.

Shar looked behind her, at the clouds of smoke that had partially dissipated, and back to Tatsuro. She had a round face, eyes darkened with black eyeshadow to match the actress and thin red lips. She looked ready to say something then shook her head and tried to speak a second time.

Why the hell are you here? Shar said. What did you do?

Tatsuro waited. The guard answered, like he had expected.

You know him? the guard said.

Shar hesitated. The wheels in her head whirled and the colors of the lines around her shifted into every imaginable configuration. I know him.

Is he a friend of yours? the guard said.

He's a chaos mage, Shar said. Let him go. She stepped up to Tatsuro and looked into his eyes. What are you doing here?

More red lines appeared all of a sudden. Tatsuro stared at her and wiggled his hands in the handcuffs.

It's going to happen again. It's going to be bigger, Tatsuro said. Release me, please. I am here to save lives.

A second security guard put himself between Tatsuro and Shar. You still passed yourself off as a federal officer. We can't let you go.

Tatsuro shook his head and focused on these new red lines. The first attacks had covered these up, whether intentional or not, and by the burst of light they caused in his view, they would dwarf the attacks that had happened mere minutes ago in Centertown. He struggled to home in on them and barked out the directions.

They're in the parking lot, Tatsuro spluttered. By my count there are three. He spoke louder, hoping someone would hear him. You have to evacuate now! There's bombs!

The red lines zoomed into the parking lot like missiles. A handful of civilians had heard him, sunk to the ground and covered their heads with their hands. Two men, one large and the other thin, nudged their way through the crowd. Tatsuro flung himself to the pavement and turned his head toward the explosions. He wanted to turn away but he owed it to himself to witness the devastation that he hadn't stopped.

The three car bombs, two of them positioned in the parking lot and one further across the street, exploded and caused a series of blasts he could feel from inside the perimeter fence. Civilians shouted and screamed. Fire and smoke wafted up from the site and the screams didn't end. Tatsuro winced. If he'd tried harder, he might have rescued some of the people. He struggled to get up and felt Shar unlock his handcuffs.

Tatsuro slowly stood, aching from the concussive blast from the bombs, and lowered his sunglasses to look at Shar. She looked confused and scared. He gestured widely with his hands and shook his head.

I don't know. That's why I'm here, Tatsuro said. I need you to help me.

Shar brushed her hands through her hair. She looked around and when she looked down her whole body trembled. The blasts had hit both of the guards, who had gone unconscious when it struck them. What can I do to help you? You're a chaos mage. I'm just a girl. I quit my job with Metternich. She frowned in an effort to reclaim some of the arrogance he had remembered in her when they had met. What's going on?

Tatsuro covered one of her hands in both of his. Come with me. Let's find out why this happened.

Chapter 2

Shar took her hand from Tatsuro's, reached into a pocket of her vest and found a rubber band. She tied her hair behind her head into a pair of ponytails, closed her eyes and calmed her breathing. When she opened her eyes, she had the sharpness that he remembered from the other time he'd met her. Wounded people moaned in the distance. She frowned and looked at Tatsuro.

Tatsuro tightened his lips. How far do you trust me?

Shar raised her eyebrows. What do you mean?

By the tension in her shoulders, she wanted to be on the move as much as he did. He'd have to explain as fast as he could before the two men vanished from his sight. He started to speak and paused. On the edge of his hearing, sirens roared and more level heads shouted orders. The first responders had already arrived on the scene. Tatsuro sighed in relief.

You want to help them, Tatsuro said.

Shar nodded. What else should we do?

Tatsuro gestured at her to follow him and started to run from of the production set. Shar jogged beside him. She still looked confused but he couldn't do a lot about that yet. After he'd gone a decent distance Tatsuro took out a broken pocketwatch and studied it. Shar bent her head closer to his and frowned at the watch hands.

What's the point of that? Shar asked.

Though his chaos magic worked well enough by itself, Tatsuro had several dozen tools he used to enhance it. The gold pocketwatch had cracked glass, tarnished polish and showed the time two hours back. The date was a day ahead. Its hands looked the most bizarre to anyone who didn't understand though. Six of them had scarred or ragged edges and the other six looked new off the shelf.

Tatsuro smiled at Shar. What do you think it does?

Shar played with a button on her vest. I don't know much about chaos magic. I know you can see pieces of possibility. Can you look into time?

I can extend my sight when I use this, Tatsuro said. I spotted two men in the audience who watched me and slipped away. He closed the lid and took a keyring with a half dozen keys out of his pants pocket. Are you with me?

Shar smiled and sneered. It wasn't an attractive expression. I can drive your car for you?

Tatsuro lifted the handle of a pistol in his bag. Shar's eyes widened. For now. He dropped the pistol into his bag again. That's just the start. I don't believe in coincidences. What powerful company has its headquarters in Elusive Hark?

Shar gasped. It can't go that far.

It might, Tatsuro said. I drive a '70s white convertible with the doors and hood painted a really bright red. He pointed toward the parking lot. It's on 30th and Mondo. Do you know where that is?

Shar took the keys from him. Of course. You'll find me?

Tatsuro nodded. What we do after that varies on what I learn.

And what you tell me, Shar said. I'm going to want a much better explanation than this.

Tatsuro sighed and headed to the opposite side of the perimeter than Shar was. I wish I had one.

He checked his watch one final time before he raced out of the perimeter and headed toward the two men he'd seen in the crowd. Ahead of him on the skyline, fifteen miles and a massive security apparatus in his path, Lishera Corp's central skyscraper stuck out like a surgical needle glued to a glass slide. He could judge the distance to a fraction if he thought about it and could sense the exact location of its vice president.

Although he tried to escape its influence, he couldn't. Three and a half weeks in Narita Lakishu's presence had affected him too much. Most of the times he had met her hadn't ended in a catastrophe like his two meetings in Chicaygo but she'd never been pleased to see him. Regardless of what the two pursuers told him, he'd have to inquire about her side of this violence in Hark. If they made him suspicious of her involvement, he'd have to meet her immediately.

It didn't take his magic to lure the men to his location. He pretended to merge with the crowd and blend in with the people who gossiped about the bombs. He acted shocked and unnerved by the explosions and channeled in his real curiosity. When he left the crowd, took spare keys from his pocket and walked slower, as though to the last place he'd parked, he could feel the two spies on his back.

When he couldn't find his car, Tatsuro looked around, tapped his lips and frowned. He puffed a frustrated breath and backtracked his steps. He spotted the two men at the end of the street. He couldn't see them clearly yet but one stood a few steps behind his companion and had a longer coat. He probably held the gun for their confrontation. Tatsuro moved toward them, head tilted to the side and held his hands away from his own pockets.

The negotiator walked toward Tatsuro. His partner stayed behind and headed toward a cluster of trees to hide his presence from onlookers. He had wireframe glasses that might have had a recording device attached to their corners, wide green eyes, long blond hair a few inches past his shoulders and drab clothing in green, black and grey. When Tatsuro paired it with the cold expression on his face, he had no doubt this man had killed before.

What is this? Who are you? Tatsuro asked.

That's what we would like to ask you, the man said. I, and my companion behind me, know of your special skills, Tatsuro Calesani.

Tatsuro glanced at either side of the street and studied the lines that led from the houses on the north and the stores on the south. He could interfere with the armed man if he threw a rock and smashed a power line from the nearest house. The electric activity would cause too much trouble, though. He grinned when he saw the chance, though.

Sir, please keep your eyes on me, the negotiator said.

Tatsuro turned his head calmly toward the negotiator. He did know how chaos mages performed their work. How much more would he willingly reveal about himself? The more he said the more Tatsuro could predict his actions. Who are you?

The negotiator frowned. The expression fled as quickly as it had appeared. You do not need to know my name. Why are you in Elusive Hark at this time?

Tatsuro shrugged. There's all kinds of reasons for my presence. I bet you know most of them. I'm here to meet up with an old friend, do business with a bunch of contacts, hit a party or two, spread my influence in the city. He raised his hands and opened them. The city's huge. I'll be here for a while.

Why did the bombs go off? the negotiator said.

Tatsuro lifted a finger to his lips. Be careful. Don't you know what that kind of talk can do in a tense situation?

There is no one else around. The mobile phone the negotiator carried on his belt buzzed. My partner is getting impatient with us. I suggest you answer my questions or he will express his anger toward you.

What are you? Tatsuro said.

The negotiator raised a hand with three fingers clearly visible to the man behind him. You have three chances to answer my questions. Failure will lead to your death.

Tatsuro rolled his eyes. Why did you bother asking anything then? I'm a chaos mage. Do you think I believe in coincidence? Minutes after two separate bombing instances, gunmen attack me.

The negotiator's eyes widened and he glanced quickly behind at his partner. Tatsuro took the opportunity to escape and ran toward the house on his left. The gunman fired a pair of shots at him though both of them missed. If anyone had noticed Tatsuro didn't see them. He slipped to the back yard of the house, found the alley behind it and went through it.

While he hadn't recognized either of the two men, he had learned something from their short encounter. They knew who he was. The negotiator had asked a question about the bombings to throw him off. They had some part in them. Tatsuro had phrased his question about them to pry information from the man but that hadn't told him anything substantial.

He would have to encounter them again but it would be on his terms the next time. Going by their temperament, it would involve more of a chase, a gunfight and explosions too. Tatsuro kept a closer eye on his back than he had while he headed to the last location of his car and followed the lines to Shar. She had driven a few streets away, close enough that he spotted her fairly quickly.

She spotted him a few seconds after he found her. She had drummed her fingers on the wheel, anxious for his return. Tatsuro walked over calmly and dropped himself into the passenger's door. Shar started the car and returned to the road without waiting for him. Tatsuro smiled and leaned forward in the seat.

So? Shar said.

They're involved, Tatsuro said.

Shar sighed with exasperation. Of course. They would have to be. She glared at him. How do you know that?

I could tell you that... but I imagine you have bigger questions for me, Tatsuro said.

Shar nodded sharply. What's going on? Why did you drag me into it?

Tatsuro took a breath. Do you know how chaos magic works, Shar?

No. Enlighten me, Shar said.

Tatsuro chuckled at her particular phrasing and took a ball of yarn from his bag. It tangled around and he left half of it inside the bag. I see hundreds of possible futures every day. On most days I see them like this. He stretched a handful of strands a few inches across. If I study them for about a week, I can see them this far. He stretched them a foot apart and then to the ceiling. The right action can affect thousands of lives. Some chaos mages try for millions.

Shar nodded behind them to the open road. You saw this happen. How long did you search?

I studied the lines for a week, Tatsuro said. One day, after I'd met Lakishu for the third time, I saw something huge on the edge of my vision. He slammed the yarn into a ball and stretched its strands out in pieces. When they were done they looked like a pincushion. The event had so many spokes push out I couldn't follow all of them. I had to investigate in person.

Shar nodded slowly. She danced her fingers on the steering wheel and looked closer at him. The midday light showed that she had freckles he hadn't seen before. I remember Lakishu. In my former line of work, I couldn't help but know her name. Lishera has some of the most ambitious biotech programs in the world. She kept her eyes on Tatsuro. How involved do you think she is?

She'll have a role, Tatsuro said. I'll be surprised if she won't investigate the scene in person as soon as she can fly there. Did she oversee the bombings? Did someone target her? I have no idea. He waved his hands to ward her off. The lines sometimes tell me who I'm seeing but when I'm looking from a distance they blur together. I don't know where she comes into it.

You do know where I do, though, Shar said. Where are we going, by the way?

Tatsuro glanced at the yarn in his fingers and lap and the fates flying beyond the windshield. Like his broken GPS, the yarn helped to concentrate his energies and give him a clearer view. Since he had the time to prepare he had brought along about a dozen foci. The effect on his optical nerves felt like that if he had worn a pair of glasses. It exhausted him in a similar way.

Take a right at exit 71 and a left at the intersection following it. You'll have to switch two lanes higher after that. Tatsuro smiled at her. I noticed you're a stunt woman.

Shar reached into her vest's pocket and took out a pair of sunglasses for herself. She smiled back at him and moved into a faster lane. Don't you know it. When I wasn't working in biology, I was leaping off office buildings, skydiving, wandering around in abandoned sanitariums... it was a step from all of that to doing stunts for films.

Tatsuro felt the twin pressures of Narita Lakishu and Aila Watami, a dreamwalker as unpredictable as a chaos mage. Lakishu, a few miles away from him, felt shocked and excited. Watami, more than a hundred miles away, felt successful and worried. Besides them, Tatsuro could see and feel the lines of a chaos mage who impinged on his own field of fate. Going by the news reports he had read, the EHPD's new mage had caught onto his scent.

That meant he had to act quickly to escape the mixture of fates. Tatsuro took his two pistols from his bag, moved around and attached their holsters to his belt. Shar glanced at him and raised her eyebrows. A moment later she swerved into the exit and Tatsuro slammed back against his seat. He rubbed his head and watched the traffic. He noticed two more hubs of possibility from his earlier adventures, a red ball of anger connected to a man and silver streaks connected to an elf. He'd have to pursue them later. They would stay around by the looks of it.

You think Lishera's going to get involved. You need someone who's used to big risks and physical action who was in Hark when whatever it would be happened, Shar said. I see why you need me.

Tatsuro stared at him slightly boggled. You already thought it through? He shook his head and returned his gaze to the traffic. I guess you're exactly who I needed to help me.

I just wish you had more of a clue about what you're doing, Shar said.

Tatsuro tensed, ready to spring when he found the two spies in the midst of traffic. If he was lucky, they'd be at a stop. If he wasn't, they'd be moving to a higher sky lane. That's why I am going to jump out of this car and find those spies again.

You're going to jump out? Shar said. Are you crazy?

Tatsuro smiled. No, I'm just a chaos mage. He clutched the top of the window and stared back at her. Shar looked between him, the neon lights and the steel fences that demarcated the lanes of sky traffic in most of the Damaged States's cities. You're my backup. If I get in too much trouble, find a path and get me.

Shar nodded sharply. I can do that. You might have seconds to spare, though.

I hope that's all I'd need, Tatsuro said. Get ready. They're almost here.

Chapter 3

Lanes of traffic and lines of chance blended together in Tatsuro's eyes. Among the hundreds of cars flying by beneath him and the air pressure that kicked against his chest, he had to rely on his own instincts to find the spies. None of them outweighed the others. Here in the center of traffic any spies worth their salt would try to slip through the cracks unnoticed. Most people would drive like mad in the afternoon to get back home after a long work day.

Tatsuro gasped and held on for dear life when Shar took another sharp curve and descended to a lower level of the airspace. He ducked down and shot a look at her. Shar shook her head, eyes glued to the road, and swerved again. He was ready for it this time and bent into the movement. He scanned the road behind them with his chaos sight and heard sirens seconds after. The police approached and the civilians gave them room. In Hark, they didn't mess around.

He didn't have a visual on the spies yet and the police gave him no choice. They didn't want Shar: they wanted the weirdo hanging from the side like a madman.

Keep an eye on me, too! Tatsuro said.

Shar looked at him, her eyes expressionless behind her shades, and nodded to him. I will.

Tatsuro looked beneath his feet at the lanes of traffic, watched for a truck or a semi to come into range. When a line converged with a semi, he released his grip on the window. He experienced a moment of panic, a healthy and familiar feeling, and shouted as the terror of the empty space overtook him. Regardless of the powers one held, people should not leap from heights without tethers.

He slammed the trailer of the semi, the shock rolling through his feet, and rolled to reduce the pressure. He had placed the pouches and bags on his belt and shoulder harness with enough care that they didn't rub wrong in the movement. In a situation like this, he couldn't afford the slightest mistake. Walking along the surface of the truck in a crouch, he watched for the spies. They had still eluded him.

Shar in his own car sped past, moving so fast he could hardly catch a glimpse of it. He had to hope she had the skills to retrieve him when it got too tough and heavy for him to manage. From this angle, twenty feet down, he could see the police with more clarity. They had three vehicles in pursuit of him and he didn't feel the impinging pressure of the other mage. Though he wondered what had drawn the other mage away, it gave him some time.

He looked up and down at the closest lanes. Both of them led outside of the city, where his instincts said the spies would go. The lanes beneath him had jammed, so the spies wouldn't be there. With the knowledge that a car would drive in the right way, and its driver would think it was a demented happenstance in his drugged mind, Tatsuro stepped from the truck and landed on the roof of the car.

The driver punched the roof and yelled, How did you do that?

Tatsuro walked across the hood and waved to the man behind him. It takes practice.

The next driver wiggled his car as much he could in the traffic jam to boot Tatsuro off of it. Most of the drivers of the next half dozen cars he stepped on did that and the last one actually held a pistol out at Tatsuro when he put his feet on the hood. Tatsuro jumped on it and made the car bounce. The man's hand wavered and he swore.

After he'd stomped on more than two dozen cars and had a big, angry man wrap his wrist around his ankle to throw him into traffic, Tatsuro spotted the spies. They had almost reached the exit to the Doombrag suburbs. He couldn't find Shar anywhere. He drew his zipline gun and aimed its grapple two cars behind theirs. He had to be careful around these men. Thinking through his next moves, Tatsuro fired at the sports car he had targeted.

He grasped it with both hands. The cable retracted while he swung it. At the last second, Tatsuro realised he could have selected a better, more mild driver. The sports car veered to a faster lane at the wrong time and left him swinging wildly. Tatsuro scraped his back against one of the neon lights and watched one of the police cars drive two lanes under him. His