Grove 0: Cyberwolf Sky

High above Central City,
Above the neon,
The smoke,
The endless din.

Dennis Hotham sits upon the edge
Of a rooftop.
Seven storeys between him
And the concrete below.

Behind him,
An old air conditioner
Grinds and rattles,
Its rusted housing
Shivering beneath the rain.

Around him,
The rooftop shanty town sleeps.
Makeshift shelters
Built from corrugated metal,
Plastic sheeting,
Broken signs,
Old machine parts,
Anything that can keep
The rain from getting in.

A city above the city.
Far above the streets.
Far above the noise.

Dennis has come here
For the silence.

Fifteen years.
Fifteen years
Since his family disappeared.

Fifteen years of searching.
Fifteen years of sleeping badly,
Waking frightened,
And wondering
If today might finally be
The day he stopped looking.