Prologue, Book One, Chapter 1, All Respects to Heaven, I Like It Here Summary

The people of New York City become hushed when they see a man standing at the top of one of the World Trade Centers. Although everyone seems to be coming to their windows in their offices, stopping in the street or looking on from the ferries to watch him, no one quite knows who the person is or what their intentions are. When sirens start sounding, the watchers begin to wonder even more what is about to happen. What's the person doing up there?

The tension is both broken and exposed when someone yells "Do it, asshole!" because the watchers begin to laugh and because the sentiment is shared amongst them all. Finally, they see the person bend over and then...