Urban Baseline

I hauled myself up the final rungs of the fire escape ladder and stepped onto the tar-and-gravel rooftop. Morning traffic was already roaring down below, bouncing echoes through the concrete canyons. At the corner parapet, an abandoned cast-iron flagpole base sat bolted deep into the sandstone cornice. I walked straight to it and checked the plate. Right in the center was an oxidized circular recess that matched the tarnished city token from last night. I slotted the metal coin into the groove and tapped it firm with the heel of my boot until it locked flush. With the crest anchored in place, its relief points straight down the central avenue grid, giving me an immovable baseline across Metropolis.