Having some problems getting code to fit within the constraints of PICClite.

One area that is costing me quite a bit, I believe, is trying to access
singular bytes of a multibyte structure. For example:

say I have an int number
I want the upper 16 bits of this number

right now I'm doing it like this:
(char)(number/256)

Ugly, I know. Is it possible to access the upper byte using a union?
Is a sort of union structure already built in?  Something like number.hi?
Does PICCLite recognize what I'm doing with that statement and generate the
right, small code?

Perhaps using a pointer will do? Something like:
(char)(*(&number+1))?

Any other hints on how I might optimize code for PICC?

Thanks for any help. TTYL

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