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

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
Zoe was unable to find a weak spot where she could access the interior of the van's door. It was as tightly sealed as it had been when she had initially been abducted by the skinheads and locked in here. She had failed to get out then. If only she had managed it, then she would have been spared all of the trauma she had endured lately. With her mounting panic, she was unable to concentrate enough to make any headway.

"Please, you have to keep trying, Zoe!" begged Lara, her voice full of despair. "You're our only hope."

OOC,Ouch, those would have failed even if it hadn't been dark! [b]Zoe[/b], you may try again now.

[Tabs]

Broken finger?,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2280704/]Mechanical Repair 32% (1d100=98)[/url]

"Ouch!"

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
Zoe was unable to find any way to access the internal workings of the door. Whoever designed this mobile prison had done a very thorough job. She strained, feeling around for some sort of gap, but all she accomplished was to accidentally cause the handcuffs to tighten further and bite into her wrists, making these delicate operations even more difficult.

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], your effective Mechanical Repair skill is now halved, in addition to being halved from the darkness. This means that you're at one quarter skill, so you'll need a 16 or less to succeed. Go ahead and roll again.

[Tabs]

Half skill,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2281951/]16% (1d100=69)[/url]

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
Zoe was still unable to make any progress. The door might as well have been a wall, and it seemed completely flush with the rest of the van. Raquel began to sob softly.

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], you may try again, still with a 16% chance.

[Tabs]

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2287436/]16% (1d100=35)[/url]

"Bear up, Racquel. It seems we are gonna have to make a break for it when this damn door is opened. If we escape, everyone run in different directions - one of us will get away!"

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
"Run? Alone?" said Raquel softly with a shudder. "I...I can't..."

"Wait," said Lara. "What if we take the van? Zoe, if you can get the door open, I'm sure you can hotwire the van. Then we can all get out of here fast, and together. It's getting darker, so if there's nobody nearby they might not see us. If they do, we may have to run anyway, but I hope not."

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], you may try again now.

[Tabs]

If only the roll was not halved....,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2292913/]16% (1d100=31)[/url]

"It is just that I seriously doubt I can open the door.
"All of us making a mad rush to escape does seem pathetic; however, once we are below ground in a cell our chances are nil. Better to die trying to get away than an eternity of abuse."

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
"I know," said Raquel, "but I don't want to be alone, in the dark night. I just hope we can stay together."

"So do I," said Lara. "Don't give up. We must succeed. We can't let them have us again."

Zoe couldn't yet find a weak spot, but she was at least getting used to the tighter handcuffs now.

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], you no longer have the penalty for your earlier critical failure, only the penalty for the darkness. You can try again now, with a 32% chance.

[Tabs]

Lockpick,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2296585/]32% (1d100=60)[/url]

"...No. Keep calm, Zoe old girl!"

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
"You're not old, Zoe," said Raquel. "Me, I will be thirty in a couple years...if I live that long."

"Keep trying," said Lara. "You can do it!"

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], you may try another Mechanical Repair roll.

[Tabs]

Lockpick,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2300372/]32% (1d100=46)[/url]

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
Zoe thought maybe she was getting closer to finding a weakness in the van's structure, but in the dark she couldn't be sure.

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], you may try another roll. This roll is based on Mechanical Repair, not on Locksmith. You're just trying to get at the locking mechanism for now, which will take a few minutes even after you succeed. Once you've exposed the lock, then you'll need to make a Locksmith roll. Also, roll Listen (at full skill).

[Tabs]

Mr. Handy/OOC,[quote="Mr. Handy"][b]Zoe[/b], you may try another roll. This roll is based on Mechanical Repair, not on Locksmith. You're just trying to get at the locking mechanism for now, which will take a few minutes even after you succeed. Once you've exposed the lock, then you'll need to make a Locksmith roll.[/quote] You've gotta watch me: I tend to do things from memory and get stuff muddled. I just looked at Zoe's skills and Mechanical Repair is 65%; a few posts ago Zoe rolled 31% - for some unknown reason I thought 16% was required... Or is it half due to the cuffs and half again due to the darkness? [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2301471/]Listen 40% (1d100=58)[/url]

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,That's right, it was halved twice at that point. After that roll, the 1/2 skill penalty for the cuffs went away, so now it's only halved once, and you need 32%. Go ahead and make your roll.

[Tabs]

Mechanical Repair 32% (1d100=21)

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
Zoe finally found a weak spot, a seam between the door and the floor of the van, after she pried the edge of the carpeting loose. She started to work at it with her hands, hoping to gain access to the locking mechanism within the door.

"Quiet," hissed Raquel. "I hear someone coming."

"I hear nothing," whispered Lara.

A series of muffled gunshots began, which all of the women could hear.

OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], it will take you five turns to expose the lock. This includes the turn that just ended, and the current turn if you wish to continue. Let me know whether or not you keep working.

[Tabs]

"Gunshots? Perhaps our men are not welcome. Let's hope they get their pecker shot off.
"I'm quitting with the lock. We'll play docile like."

[Mr. Handy]

In the van-
"Okay," said Lara.

"I'm scared," said Raquel.

The van started moving again, slowly and for a short distance. It turned slightly to the left at first, and then it turned around, driving a short distance before coming to a stop again. Three more gunshots rang out, making a total of eight shots in all, before there was only silence.

[Tabs]

Zoe raps at the partition by the driver cabin: "Oi! You fellas, hurry up, we're hungry."