IC-SWORD-The Lockbox(Zoe/Raquel/Katarina/Lara)

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
"No!" hissed Lara. "We need them to leave us alone."

"He's leaving," whispered Raquel. "Quick, Zoe, get us out of here."

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], if you want to resume trying to access the lock, it will take four more turns, including this one. There is no need to roll Mechanical Repair again, as you succeeded earlier and merely suspended your work.

[Tabs]

"Okay, Lara - I don't know what to do for the best."

"I'll give the lock another try...
"It's opening!"

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,It's not yet time for [b]Zoe[/b] to roll Locksmith, but I'll hold that roll for her for when it is time. It succeeds, even with the half skill penalty for darkness, so you will get that lock open, but it's going to take a few turns. It will be two more turns until you can reach the lock, and a third turn to actually pick it. I'll let you know what happens when the time comes.

[Tabs]

"This bitch of a door will open - I know it!"

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
It took Zoe a few minutes to pry open the panel enough to gain access to the lock with her cuffed hands, but she managed it. Once she felt around the locking mechanism, even in total darkness, it was a simple matter for her to trip it. Once the lock was disengaged, she easily slid the door open and was rewarded with a view of the outside and the chill evening air blowing in.

The light was fading fast now, the sky turning purple as the twilight deepened. The sun had set recently. Beyond the open door, some twenty yards or so distant, were some light woods stretching off into the distance. It looked similar to the view they had seen when the door was last opened, when Katarina had been taken out, but there were subtle differences. The van had, after all, been moved since then. The van was stopped on a dirt road. There also seemed to be another light source, coming from behind the van, but there was no way to make out what it was without looking around either the back or front of the van.

Lara eased herself out of the van, looking around. "I knew you could do it," she whispered. "Now we have to find those scumbags and kill them."

Raquel shook her head. "We can't, Lara," she hissed. "They have guns, and we don't. They'll just get us again. We need to get out of here. Zoe, can you hotwire van?"

OOC,All Spot Hidden rolls when looking more than 5 yards away (unless there's a light source shining on where you're looking) are at 1/3 skill due to the darkness, and visibility is limited. [b]Zoe[/b], if you want to try to hotwire the van, you'll need to first gain access to the steering column in the cab of the van. If you want to pick the lock on the passenger side door (right near the door you just opened), roll Locksmith. If you want to smash the window, roll Fist/Punch instead. If you "miss" in that case, it simply means you didn't do enough damage to break the window. These skill rolls are not penalized, as the darkness is no longer complete. Also, you can go ahead and roll Idea before you do anything else. If you succeed, you should wait for me to give you the results before you take any action. If you fail, you can go ahead and do whatever you like.

[Tabs]

"Thank God! We are out. Wait. Let me think a moment."

OOC,Idea 70%: result of roll is 39%

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
Zoe realized that the van was in darkness, so if she wanted to sneak a peek at what was on the other side of it there wasn't as much risk of being seen, but there was still a chance. The skinheads had to be around somewhere, and it would be best not to attract their attention. Making noise would be the most likely way that could happen, and breaking a window to get at the steering column would do that. Picking the lock would be silent. Of course, if she did manage to hotwire the van, there was no way to stop the engine from making noise, but at least at that point they could all get out of there quickly.

[Tabs]

"Be prepared to run for it. First, I'll take a peek round the van."

[OOC, I rolled dice whether I need to or not: Spot Hidden 41% and Listen 40% (1d100=41, 1d100=79)]

[Mr. Handy]

Outside the van-
Before Zoe even went anywhere, she noticed an unusual, tall rock formation in the distance, beyond the woods on this side of the van.

Zoe moved to the front of the van and cautiously peeked out over the hood. Some ten yards beyond the dirt road was a small, elevated ranger station. Lights were on inside, which was why she was able to see it and make out some details. She also noticed a green pickup truck parked near the stairs leading up to the station itself. Deadeye, Ghost, and Katarina were on the roof, and an unfamiliar man in a ranger uniform was walking around the elevated balcony. The station had windows all around at waist height, and she was able to see Mutt, Nitro, Doc, Sally, and a petite woman in a ranger's uniform through them, inside the station. The male ranger started down the stairs, a pistol in one hand and a flashlight in the other.

Then there was a sudden flurry of activity at the station. Ghost ran to the back of the roof, where he grabbed a rope that had been secured to an antenna that led down at an angle behind the station. He slid down it, disappearing from sight. Mutt and Nitro rushed outside. Mutt ran down the stairs and caught up with the ranger, his M-16 in his hands, while Nitro moved to the corner of the balcony with his M-16 at the ready. Doc picked up Sally and carried her up a ladder that led through a trapdoor to the roof. Zoe was unable to hear anything any of them were saying. The ranger and Mutt started running towards the van. Had someone seen her?

Raquel took off her handcuffs and left them in the van, then slid out and joined her friends. "What are you waiting for you?" she whispered to Zoe. "We have to get the van started!"

"How can we just leave Katarina?" asked Lara, leaning against the side of the van.

"There's nothing we can do for her," said Raquel. "Doc and Sally will have to protect her."

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], roll Know to identify the formation. You may attempt to get into the cab of the van, or you may do something else,

[Tabs]

[OOC,Know 60% (1d100=68)]

"Screw the van! There is no time. Someone is coming." Zoe high-tails it for the woods.

[Mr. Handy]

Outside the van-
Lara and Raquel didn't hesitate. They bolted for the woods after Zoe, and all three of them soon reached the edge of the foliage.

In the woods-
Lara began to pull ahead of Zoe, desperate in her desire to escape. Raquel was lagging a little behind, but all three of them made it past the edge of the trees. They weren't that dense, but combined with the darkness they would hopefully serve to mask their flight.

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], roll Spot Hidden at 1/3 skill and Listen at full skill. Also, roll Navigate to try to figure out which direction you're heading, and roll Hide to see how well hidden you are as you flee. The base skill for Hide is 10%.

[Tabs]

[OOC, rolls: Spot Hidden 1/3 13%: 82%, Listen 40%: 47%, Navigate 40%: 80%, Hide 10%: 70%.]

"Phoo, phoo, phoo," Zoe puffs. "Lara, slow down; we can't keep up.
She will look round to gauge any pursuit.

[Mr. Handy]

In the woods-
If anyone was giving chase, Zoe could neither see nor hear any sign of it. She ran on blindly through the darkening woods, not sure where she was or where she was going, only wanting to get as far away as possible. Lara slowed down to allow Zoe to keep pace, and both of them had to slow down further so that Raquel could keep up.

Lara ran in a blind panic, paying no attention to what was going on behind her. She cared nothing for concealment, and she was lost too. Raquel couldn't see much in the dark either, and she couldn't hear any better than the others. The trees were too thin to hide her fleeing form from view, and she was also somewhat disoriented.

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], roll Luck.

[Tabs]

[OOC,Luck 55% (1d100=93)]

[Mr. Handy]

In the woods-
Zoe, Lara, and Raquel raced blindly through the woods. Ahead of them in the near distance a tall wooden fence came into view. It was about six feet high, with vertical wooden posts spaced every ten feet or so and some long beams of wood stretching horizontally between them. The fence continued to the left and the right as far as they could see, which admittedly wasn't far. Beyond the fence, a vast open field was visible. Any trees that had been on the other side of the fence had to have been cleared, as the woodland ended there.

"Now what?" asked Raquel, trying to catch her breath.

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], if you want to attempt to climb the fence, roll Climb. Note that [b]Lara[/b] and [b]Raquel[/b] would also need to succeed in order to get over it. Failure won't get you hurt, unless you fail critically. You may head left or right without rolling anything.

[Tabs]

"I am unsure.
"Let's follow the fence round to the right. Keep your ears and eyes peeled."

[OOC, How are we dressed and the weather, is it cold?]

[Mr. Handy]

In the woods-
Zoe, Lara, and Raquel turned right and followed the fence at a run. The ground was hard, and since they were barefoot the going was slower and more painful. The wind put an extra chill into their bones since they wore nothing but skimpy lingerie. It was only a little past sunset, and it would surely get colder still as the night wore on. After a minute, the women could see that the fence came to an end a short distance ahead, where a narrow dirt road stretched to the left and right.

The women didn't see or hear the truck until it was practically on top of them. The headlights bathed them in bright light all of a sudden, and they were caught in them. Blinking, their adjusting vision gradually made out Mutt behind the wheel of the skinheads' white pickup truck, and Ghost was in the shotgun seat. The truck was heading through the woods to the road.

[Tabs]

"Duck!"

[OOC, Depending on whether or not if they are spotted.]

"We'll follow the road back in to the woods and the building."

[Mr. Handy]

In the woods-
Lara let out a stifled gasp and threw herself flat on the ground, and Raquel followed suit. Zoe also ducked low. The pickup truck rolled past them on their right not ten yards away, and it looked like they hadn't been seen after all. Raquel was perfectly quiet. Lara was fairly silent too, but not perfectly, and Zoe was also not used to sneaking around.

"Did you hear that?" asked Ghost.

"Yeah," said Mutt, turning the truck around. "Let's take another look back there." The headlights again turned back in the women's direction.

"I can't see anything," said Ghost.

"Me neither," said Mutt as the truck drove past the women again. "Must've just been some dumb animal that got spooked by us and ran off." The truck continued past them, away from the road.

Lara exhaled with relief when the truck was out of sight, only just realizing that she'd been holding her breath. "They almost got us," she said.

"But they didn't," said Raquel, regaining her feet. "Let's get out of here before they come back again."

The three women reached the dirt road and turned right, which Zoe expected would put them on a course heading back towards the ranger station they had seen earlier. They couldn't see it or its lights from this far away, and it would be a little while before they made it that far. There were woods bordering the road on both sides.

OOC,The road is actually a dirt road, not paved. It's more of a track than a real road. It's actually narrower than the dirt road on which the van was parked.

[Tabs]

"Okay, let's go to the building, looking out for lights - once we see them, everyone be really cautious."