Play@YSDC

On the road-
The bus passed through what was left of Sidney, which had become a blackened shell. Scattered fires still burned here and there, but they were able to pass through the ruins without incident.

"We're only a few miles away from the truck stop where we were stranded yesterday," said Stephanie. "Looks like Sidney was burned down. I remember it was on fire when we flew over it on our way eastward. Seems deserted now. I remember there was a man trapped on the roof of Cabela's. He fired a flare, but we couldn't do anything to help him. No room in the helicopter to pick anyone up. Erica did radio the location to the Air Force, but I doubt they managed to get him and anyone with him out. They'd have had their hands full."

"Probably wouldn't hurt to check and see if he made it," Donald suggested. "I mean, if it isn't out of the way and blocked by debris." He looked around to see if anyone was interested in the idea.

On the road-
"Maybe," said Principal Adler. "Cabela's would also have plenty of guns and ammo, so there's that too."

"Of course, we'd have to find it first," said Becky. "I've never been out to Sidney before, so I'm not sure where it would be. The maps we've got don't have that level of detail, and this bus don't have GPS."

"With the satellites down, GPS can't update," said Stephanie, "but the static maps as of the most recent update would be good enough. Of course, with the EMP device on, every GPS gadget within a mile or so is already fried.

OOC,[b]Donald[/b], please roll Navigate if you want to help try to find Cabela's. The base skill is 10%.

Navigation - Fail,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4240607/]Navigation (10%) (1d100=82)[/url]

Donald had nothing to add about the location of Cabela's, having never been there before. He shrugged, "Seems to me we should be able to hit nearly any Wal-Mart if we wanted to stock up on weapons and ammo. They should have some rifles and shotguns, right?"

Michiko was confused. This place seemed like many other she had seen since this all started. Only ruins.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4245050/

On the road-
"Walmart would have guns and ammo too, yeah," said Becky, "but they're more likely to have been cleaned out already if there are any survivors. Then again, Cabela's might have been too. Of course, only Cabela's had someone that we know was alive as of yesterday. And I know where to find it." She drove through the streets of Sidney until they pulled up in front of a tall building that, like so many around it, was just a blackened shell. The darkened lettering was still visible above the entrance.

"Looks like the fires gutted the place," said Principal Adler. "It's possible there's still someone up on the roof, as there'd be a fire door blocking access, but it may be dangerous to go inside. The building might not be stable any more."

Donald looked at the building and asked "Don't they tend to lock up weapons and ammo in weapons lockers? I think something like that might have survived the fire. Could be worth the risk of venturing in if only to check it out."

On the road-
"You may be right," said the principal. "That also increases the chances that they haven't been looted already, as they probably would have been at a Walmart. Any volunteers to go inside?"

Donald lifted his hand, "I'll go. Anyone want to go with me?"

On the road-
"I'll come with you," said Lucy Armstrong. The burly mechanic hefted her steel pipe and followed Donald out of the door of the bus after Becky opened it.

"So will I," said Jerry Law. "Just in case there's trouble in there." He drew his .45 automatic, slapping in a fresh magazine as he joined the others outside.

"Be careful," said the principal after them. "Try not to spend too much time in there. We only have a few hours of daylight left, and we want to get to the base by nightfall."

The three volunteers approached the front of Cabela's. The front doors were no more, but what had happened to them wasn't clear. The building's interior was visible through the opening, and it was a charred mess. The reception desk had survived the fire, as it was made of marble, but it was coated with ash and burned debris.

OOC,[b]Donald[/b], if you want to assess the building's structural damage, please roll Mechanical Repair.

ooc,Invisible Castle is unavailable. Please roll for me. 66%.

Donald first checks the floor to see if it looks strong enough to support their weight, and for any sign that there might be a sub-level that could house more goods. Then he checks the walls and ceiling to ascertain if there is a certain threat - or the safest path of travel. He says "Might be a small-ish safe under that reception desk. But chances are they'd keep safes in an 'employee only' area."

In Cabela's, on the ground floor-
Lucy checked behind and beneath the reception desk. "No safe," she reported.

Donald took a look around at the ruined building. It obviously hadn't collapsed yet, but he couldn't be sure it wouldn't fall on top of them if they disturbed it. He did locate a stairwell past the reception area that went up to higher floors and the roof as well as down to the basement.

OOC,I'm sorry, I had forgotten to enable the dice roller for the Chapter 7 subforum as well as the main forum. It's working now. [dice]0[/dice]

Lucy examined the walls and ceiling carefully. "The exterior walls won't give way," she said. "The interior walls aren't as strong, but they should hold up. It looks like the support columns holding up the building are intact. The real danger is the stability of the ceilings and the roof. Too much pressure on them could cause them to break."

OOC,[dice]1[/dice]

Donald nodded to Lucy. "Try to stick to the outside walls then. If the roof does come down, we should have a better chance of survival against the strong supports than in the middle of the rooms." He looked toward the stairs and said, "I don't like the idea... but I'm going to check downstairs. I suggest we work from the bottom up as a team."

He started to make his way gingerly toward the stairs going down.

In Cabela's, on the ground floor-
The stairwell was in the middle of the building, away from the interior walls, so the three of them made their way carefully there. "The stairwell's made of concrete," said Lucy. "That's a good sign. That means it should hold up, even if the place comes crashing down." The stairs led up to higher floors and down to the basement. Unfortuantely, it was very dark down there.

Donald looked around for a 2-foot piece of lumber and some rags in hopes of making a quick torch. He didn't expect it would last long, but at least they could get a quick check of the basement with some light source.

In Cabela's, on the ground floor-
It didn't take Donald long to put together a makeshift torch. He lit it and led the way downstairs.

In Cabela's, in the basement-
Donald, Lucy, and Jerry entered the basement. The extensive fire damage was evident even in the dim torchlight.

OOC,If you want to search the basement, please roll Spot HIdden. The base skill is 25%.

Donald warns the others, "Don't try to move anything without everyone taking a good look at it first. Pull the wrong support and the whole place could come down on us."

Hope I am doing this right,[dice]0[/dice] - spot hidden = 25%

In Cabela's, in the basement-
It took about five minutes searching through the fire-blackened, dark basement, but eventually Lucy found a row of large metal lockers behind some debris. "Looks pretty intact here," she said. She tried the doors, but they proved to be locked.

OOC,Yes, you're doing it right, but you're free to use Invisible Castle now that it's working again. [b]Donald[/b], please roll Locksmith if you want to try to open the lockers.

Donald pushed forward and said, "Excuse me, let me give that a shot." He fished out some pieces of metal he kept in his back pocket and stuck them into the lock. In a few moments, after some fiddling about blindly, the old man proved to be useful at something more than just repairing machinery and gardening. An audible click proved the door was now unlocked. Donald stepped back and smiled. "Would you like the honors?"