Vance walked through the blackout zone. Sirens echoed in the distance. The street lamps stood dead. The neon signs remained dark. He felt the cold morning wind against his face. The sun began to rise over the towering concrete structures of Veridian City. The dawn painted the sky in shades of bruised purple and dull orange. He needed a safe place to rest and process the data on the silver drive.He navigated the broken streets and found an old construction site. High chain link fences blocked the entrance, but he vaulted over the metal barrier with ease. The skeleton of a massive skyscraper reached into the clouds. He climbed the concrete stairs to the tenth floor. The vantage point gave him a clear view of the sprawling slums below. No one could sneak up on him here.He sat on a stack of wooden pallets. He pulled the silver data drive from his pocket. The metal felt cold against his warm skin. He needed a computer terminal to read the ledger. He would find one later. For now, his bod