Calvin Evans runs at dawn with Six-Thirty, passing a newsstand warning of city budget crises and heading through affluent streets toward the police station. Calvin jokes about a future Nobel and a better home. Near the station, he nearly slips on moss, then continues past rows of patrol cars.

Meanwhile, the police department reels from repeated budget cuts under the Do More with Less! initiative. To protect jobs, officers have deferred all vehicle maintenance, leaving the patrol cars prone to backfires and leaks.

As Calvin and Six-Thirty approach the lot, sharp explosions crack the predawn air. Startled, Calvin and Six-Thirty bolt in opposite directions, the new leash pulled taut between them. Calvin’s foot lands in a slick of motor oil; he falls hard. A patrol car suddenly bears down, snaps the leash, and bumps over Calvin’s body.

Officers rush out. One orders, “Jimmy, call an ambulance,” while Calvin, bleeding and broken, whispers “Six-Thirty?” A kneeling patrolman mishears it as the time and tries to reassure him. Calvin’s breathing stops. From ten feet away, an injured Six-Thirty watches as Calvin is loaded beneath a sheet, then turns to bring the devastating news to Elizabeth.