Holding Breaths

[Administrator] Callista Alexander, welcome to General Chicago (Now)

[Administrator] Kimberly Jenkins, welcome to General Chicago (Now)

[Administrator] Arcanum, welcome to General Chicago (Now)

[Callista Alexander] [[Mind 1 + Corr 1: Sensing minds, 1 succ effect, 1 succ duration, 1 succ range. Coincidental (3), +1 first time extended working, -1 resonance (Searching). Final diff 3.]]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 9 (Success x 1 at target 3)

[Callista Alexander] [[Woot! Same again, +1 for extending.]]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8 (Success x 1 at target 4)

[Callista Alexander] [[Oops, wrong base diff but doesn't change the successes so far. Diff actually 5. Third time's the charm, c'mon Kahseeno!]]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 1 (Failure at target 5) [WP]

[Kimberly Jenkins] [Arete:2, specialty focus (ritual prayer) -1, time -1, resonance -1, new rote +1, Dif:6-3+1=4, WP]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 2, 6 (Success x 2 at target 4) [WP]

[Kimberly Jenkins] [And again, Arete:2, specialty focus (ritual prayer) -1, time -1, resonance -1, new rote +1, Dif:6-3+1=4]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 5, 8 (Success x 2 at target 4)

[Callista Alexander] [[Extending again, +1 for the failure, -1 taking time. Diff still 5.]]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 8 (Success x 2 at target 5) [WP]

[Arcanum] Callista's tour of the plant ended hours ago and lord knows the atmosphere was probably... tense. After all: A Reporter coming around with their sights out on a report regarding the effects of coal burning power plants on the environment and snooping for answers on what is being done to mitigate these effect... It doesn't exactly make Callista warmly welcomed. But she's got the contacts in the right places and word from the Mayor's office is word from the Mayor's office. So the young journalist is treated politely, if... coolly.

Maps of schematics for the power plant are all well and good: But a personal walk through makes it even better. After all: They are neither of them engineers and neither of them have experience in this area. But ask a few good questions and it's amazing what you can find out. Like What are the failsafes in the event of a breakdown in the plant? and How probable is it that your filtration systems could be accidentally shut down?. Questions you might expect from something trying to get the dirt on just how well prepared the place is... questions just innocuous enough to hide the fact that Callista is looking for some indication of the weakest point in the plant.

She doesn't come away fully enlightened. But she is able to verify what part of the plant seems the most likely to have a crucial centre point that would suit Kimberly's need to not just shut down power to a large portion of the city: But also do so in a manner that attracts attention but doesn't endanger lives.

Ah, the wonder of the classical ethical quandary.

Now, much later that night where the power plant is operating on a grave yard shift, the two women prepare to re-enter, to make their way towards the centre of the third floor of a five story building...

[Kimberly Jenkins] [Arete:2, specialty focus (dagger) -1, time -1, diff:6-2=4, WP]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 4, 6 (Success x 3 at target 4) [WP]

[Kimberly Jenkins] [Arete:2, specialty focus (blindfold) -1, diff: 4-1=3]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 8, 8 (Success x 2 at target 3)

[Administrator] Charles Clarkson, welcome to General Chicago (Now)

[Administrator] Charles Clarkson has switched to Bronzeville (Southside) (Now)

[Callista Alexander] Callista had been dressed for business earlier in the day. Smart black trouser suit, a pair of knee-high boots, topped off with a decent weatherproof jacket for the periods of time that the camera wasn't rolling. A chat with her contact in the Mayor's office had secured a tour of the powerplant, all part of a new series of short documentary pieces covering climate change, air pollution, and the efforts to clean up the city. Although not exactly welcoming, the staff had at least been grudgingly forthcoming with some useful tidbits of information. A little further background reading gives a couple more possibilities. Coal dust is incredibly explosive. Compressed hydrogen is sometimes used for cooling generators. Failing that, just blowing a hole in the side of one of the furnaces should release enough energy for a fairly impressive explosion.

So, now, Callista's dressed for another occasion. Black, loose trousers, black woolen sweater, a new pair of walking boots. Nothing much that would stand out from the shadows. Tucked away in her back pocket is a pad and pen, and her dictaphone has been squirreled away in another pocket. Well, you never know. They might be useful.

Working her most complicated effect yet, Callista expands her senses to feel for minds in the area. Any extra warning that someone's approaching will be more than welcome.

As for the events of the night? Well, that took a little thought before she agreed to come. Nobody will die. More good will come out of the distraction than harm, as the Sending is destroyed. Kimberley will be doing the bulk of the work - good thing, really, as Callista wouldn't know where to start building an explosive - so Callista's here as a lookout and extra pair of hands/legs/fists if needed.

[Kimberly Jenkins] Kim this time around wasn't loaded for bear. Infact, she was hardly packing at all, just a navy-blue workman's jump suit and a small sack containing the heart of the operation. All the big stuff got left at home tonight, and instead of firepower Kim put her faith in the Gods of Fate, a little pre-strike recon and a very good (at least to her), plan. Brown hair pulled back into a tight pony-tail, a little bit of make-up (girl's gotta look good) and her boots and that was it. A few other odds and ends incase things went poorly, but she was feeling confident about this. It was gonna be good.

And there the two woman stand out on the perimeter, gazing up at the massive coal-plant infront of them. The longer they stand, just looking, the more confident she gets. After a moment she fishes out a purple square of cloth, written on it in black sharpie are invokations and prayers in a language Calli probably doesn't know, but may recognize as Greek. Kim draws in a deep breath as she carefully folds the cloth over, and then secures it over her eyes. The world obscured from vision takes on a new black and white and slightly violet hue...

"Take my hand, and get ready."

For what, exactly, she doesn't say as her left hand reach out for Calli's. Her right goes for the ceremonial dagger neatly hidden in a pocket of her jumpsuit. Once physical contact is made (the feeling is almost electric as a curtain of blackness descends over the pair and with dagger clutched to heart, Kim intones the next bit of prayer.

Fate will cover them tonight, in the same way it covered the Achaeans in Troy, sans large horse. A disorienting moment later and Kim's sight is shared (in a slightly off-cetner way) and the world takes on those same black and white and slightly violet hues.

"Don't speak, they can't see us, but they can hear us."

And with that, Kim takes the first of many steps towards the inside of the plant.

[Kimberly Jenkins] [Paradoxical!]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 5, 9 (Failure at target 6)

[Kimberly Jenkins] [More Paradoxical!]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 4, 5, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)

[Arcanum] The first obstacle, of course, will be entering the actual parameters of the plant itself. Which means either getting over a classic barbed wire fence that stands about 10 feet high... or daring to move through the front gate and past the guards posted there, trusting in stealth and invisibility to ease their passage.

Just the first of many such decisions to come, no doubt.

[Kimberly Jenkins] [Soak]
Dice Rolled:[ 3 d10 ] 1, 4, 5 (Botch x 1 at target 6)

[Callista Alexander] Callista looks towards their first obstacle. Rather stupidly, she hadn't really thought to pack any kind of tools. Boltcutters would be really handy right now, but then again - they'd be noisy, and she doesn't really have anywhere to stash them. She doesn't really fancy trying to get over the barbed wire - it would be possible, but probably quite noisy. So wordlessly, she gestures towards the gate and gives Kim a questioning look.

Assuming they head that way, she'll keep an eye out for a decent rock to grab. Just in case Fate isn't in the best of moods, and they need a little something to divert the guard's attention the other way.

[Kimberly Jenkins] Fortune favors the bold. The corrollary is that bravery is always rewarded, but Kim isn't thinking about that right now. What is she thinking about are the three guards (two in the booth and a roamer) that are near the gate. She can considered the use of tools, but a lingering fear of getting caught them (not to mention their bulk, noise and other factors) had led her to the simple and dangerous plan.

So hand in hand, the pair stroll closer to the gate, though Kim does keep them in the shadows for as long as they can. Quick, and careful.

[Arcanum] "--so I told her, I said, 'Fuck, Janice, want me t'just hand my paycheck over? Who do I look like, George Fuckin' Jetson?'"
"Yeah, right, Mike! Probably asked her if she wanted anything else to go with the new sofa..."

The man outside the booth flips off the one who called out a contradictory volley, then digs his hands back into his pockets and goes back to surveying the view outside the gate. Night shifts are hard for their lack of shit to do. With a grimace and an adjustment in the vicinity of his crotch, he calls back into the shack.
"Jack, switch off, eh? Gonna do the perimeter."
"Ain't due for another 30mics, Mikey."

With a sound just gruff enough to barely escape petulance, Mike - the one outside - paces. Minutes go by... tenor fifteen. Before he leans into the booth again.
"C'mon, Jack, I'm dyin' here..."
With a muffled sound from the two older men within there's a jingling metalic sound: Keys tossed Mike's way. And off he goes, away from the booth and the gate, heading for a golf cart parked some yards away.

No one comes out of the booth immediately...

[Callista Alexander] [[Dex+Stealth]]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 1, 1, 8, 10 (Failure at target 6)

[Kimberly Jenkins]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 3, 4, 5, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6) [WP]

[Arcanum] [[FATE ROLL!!!]]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 10

[Arcanum] Guard 1: [[Per+Alert. +2 diff (inside the booth still/distracted)]]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 3, 3, 7, 7 (Botch x 1 at target 8)

[Arcanum] There is movement in the booth...
One of the seated guards rises, shifting his paunch a little as he does.
Does Callista's breath catch?
Does Kim's?

...instead of stepping out, he moves to the window that faces in the opposite direction, where he thinks he heard something.

Giving them just enough time to finish crossing the gate, onto the grounds themselves. From here it's the trek of a parking lot to the powerplant itself and from there a question, again, of tactics: Brave the power sliding doors that lead the way in through the front of the building? Or attempt to enter through one of three doors, one at each flank and one at the back where there is also a cargo bay. Alternatively there are windows.

[Callista Alexander] There's a moment of tension, as Callista stumbles on an unseen rock. She stays upright, and in contact with Kim, but there's still the noise. The skittering sound as the rock rolls away. Callista freezes, looking towards the hut, breath held. Hoping that neither of the guards heard.

An eternity of moments pass, but nobody emerges from the hut. Fate blinks, gives them a chance to continue with their mission.

Crossing the car park, there's the question of route. There's a public entrance at the front. Possibly locked, but more-than-likely guarded. The other doors around the edges of the building are less likely to be guarded, but Callista had noticed an abundance of card/code locks in the powerplant.

Pulling Kim to a halt against a wall. Keeping in contact with the other woman, she pulls out her notepad and lays it on her thigh. She scribbles a note and holds it up so that Kim can see:

Front door probably guarded. Other doors codelocked. Left one closest to target. Can you open?

She passes the pad and pen to Kim.

[Kimberly Jenkins] Eyes widen as her hand tightens around Calli's, and stays that way for a long moment. At least until they're well past the guard shack. Kim just nods in reply, tugging her way.

On their way to the leftside of the building, and only then does her grip loosen. She wants to laugh, but she doesn't. Instead she just lets the Intensity build inside of her, the connection between her and All of Things build. She's breathing quicker. As they close on the door, she carefully puts the dagger between her teeth, and reaches into another pocket of the jumpsuit. It comes out with a bit of ash, carefully pinched between two fingers.

The tension builds as she carefully and slowly sprinkles the ash over the keypad as her lips move in silent prayer. Perhaps it clings to the oils of the fingers used to press out the code. Perhaps it interfers in someway with the mechanism, or more accurately, it is a symbol of the entropic fate of everything. Everything breaks down. Everything turns to dust. Even numbers, patterns and especially, codes.

Satisfied with the foci, Kim then very quickly, and very intently stabs the keypad with a gloved finger, confident in her ability to tap into the Tamas of the world.

[Entropy:2, -1 time, -1 practiced rote, WP]
Dice Rolled:[ 2 d10 ] 4, 6 (Success x 3 at target 4) [WP]

[Arcanum] There's a still moment. The cusp moment. Between the favour and scorn of fortunes whims:
Red light pulsing ever faintly.
Then: Shift [seen to them not as a change of colour but a beat between one light source and another] to Green
The sound of shifting metal locking mechanisms the slight push: The door ready to be turned open.

[fortune smiles on them and, somewhere, someone else just suddenly felt their night go sour... push and pull.]

Opening the door, Callista begins to feel a sense of broadening to her Sensory Rote. Daring to push herself beyond the most simple performance of her Art, she is well rewarded: She can sense the presence of Sentience, of the complex human mind beyond organics and into the realm of thoughts varied layers.

There's someone in the hallway just up ahead: Moving away though.
All else is clear. Enter that hallway and turn to the left will leads them to the main stairwell on the left side which will lead them up to the third floor.

[Callista Alexander] Callista can do nothing beyond stand and watch as Kim works her Will against the keypad. It's beyond anything she's able to affect - hell, she can't affect anything beyond herself with her will. Yet, at least. The Universe permitting, there will be time for that in the future. So she simply keeps an eye, an ear, and a sense of Mind open for anyone approaching.

There's a click, and the door opens slightly as the lock releases. Callista slowly pulls the door open as Kim packs her dagger away, staying alert for anything. Anyone.

And there it is. A mind. Inwardly impressed at what she's feeling further along the corridor, she holds back from opening the door wider and walking through just yet. Supressing an inappropriate smile, she mouths someone ahead to Kim as she waits for a few moments.

The mind is moving away, getting fainter and harder to sense with her limited range. Kim's work means that they're harder to spot, but there's still that pesky problem of being heard.

Guessing that the guard is far enough from earshot to give them a decent chance of staying undetected, she pulls the door open wider and leads Kim inside and towards the stairs up to their target.

[Kimberly Jenkins] Kim lets the dagger drop from her teeth to her hand and smiles gleefully as the door opens, and she follows Calli inside. Sneak, sneak, sneak.

[Arcanum] The corridor remains empty here, with the whirring sound of mechanics constantly at work behind double doors. The whole of the building hums constantly: It is akin to entering a man-made beehive in some respects, barring the fact that at this late hour the buzzing worker bees as few and far between. Which means that out here the chances of behind heard reduce significantly...

...the stairwell is another matter.

Callista doesn't feel any nearby sense of other human thought, so for the moment the way is clear. Unfortunately they have two flights to climb and the stairwell is encased in thick walls of reinforced concrete and the stairs themselves are corrugated metal: Not exactly quiet to tread upon. It's possible they'll make it up to the 3rd floor without another soul entering the stairwell. It's possible someone else will and if that happens, well....

Slow and steady wins the race?
Slow and steady and quiet?
Or brave a fast push up the flights to get out of there as quickly as possible?

[Arcanum] [[FATE ROLL!]]
Dice Rolled:[ 1 d10 ] 3

[Arcanum] This is the warning they get: Callista can sense when someone comes right up to the 3rd floor doorway. She has a beat to warn Kim, before the door opens and the stairwell is briefly filled with the din of the main building. Then the heavy metal door shuts and the stairwell is once more cavernous and echoing. Amplifying. A man is making his way down: He'll be passing by Kim and Callista in several strides.

[Kimberly Jenkins] Step, by step. Things had gone almost perfectly so far (and while that was cause for concern itself), Kim wasn't about to push it. Hand in hand, careful step, by careful step. With each comes it's own little breath, it's own little moment of sound. Her heart is pounding and she's starting to feel a little tired, nevermind the paradox induced headache from earlier. But there is no doubt, there is no fear.

Oh shit!

[Dex+Stealth, WP]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 1, 4, 6, 10 (Failure at target 8) [WP]

[Callista Alexander] [[Dex+Stealth]]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 (Failure at target 8) [WP]

[Arcanum] [[Perception+Alert. Diff 6.]]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 6, 7, 8, 10 (Success x 4 at target 6)

[Arcanum] The man: Middle aged, his hair thinning, his face sweaty, a grease towel tucked into the utility belt slung over his dark blue coveralls, stops three steps from where Callista and Kim are pressed up against a wall.

Shit, shit, shit.

The mans face contorts slightly: Perplexed. Blinking as he looks downward the perplexed expression only deepens and he half-turns looking over his shoulder.

"--Someone there?"

[Callista Alexander] Callista's holding her breath, trying to keep as quite as she can. But it's not enough, and it's too long. She needs to breath, as her lungs scream out.

The man stops. Someone there? So close! Almost close enough to reach out and touch. So close to spotting them, blowing the whole plan.

The rock!

Quietly as she can, Callista slips the rock from her pocket and drops it down the edge of the stairwell. Hopefully banging from below will be enough distraction to move him on his way.

[Arcanum] The human mind - especially a Sleeper mind - wants to be distracted. It wants to find some means to explain away those rare insights that something is amiss. Certainly the sound of something falling in the stairwell is easier for him to focus on that that feeling that someone was nearby. Eerie. The whole thing is eerie. He's no paid to deal with eerie, dammit!

With a grunt he moves, briskly moving past them, now oblivious to their presence: Or if any part of him remains aware it is soundly ignored.

A close call, but they make it.

The rest of the trek up is uneventful and they make it to the 3rd floor without incident. And finding the main distribution room isn't difficult from there. With patience and careful motions they finally make it to their destination:

But the question is now where best to place the bomb.

[Kimberly Jenkins]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 1, 1, 2, 8 (Failure at target 8)

[Administrator] Kimberly Jenkins has left General Chicago

[Administrator] Arcanum has left General Chicago



(([21:27] ShyGravel: D'oh! Alas. RL: It strikes again.
[21:28] ShyGravel: Well, *chuckles* We shall proclaim them victorious if somewhat nerve rattled for the close calls here and there.))