Robert notes that they are five or six blocks from The Thieves Way, and that the streets are laid out in a grid oriented to the northeast. The cross street they are coming up on has rails laid in the center, leading northeast, and that pattern repeats for every other street, so that each building is served by a rail line.

As they approach the pool of light from the lamp mounted at the building's corner, Lucinda hisses and steps close to the wall. Two blocks over, about two hundred feet away, a pair of men step into the light at their corner and look around.

Brent moves along with the two women with his eyes wary for the inevitable danger.  When Lucinda hisses a warning he instinctively steps back and out of the light to stand against the wall as well.

The two men linger for a moment, and then they step back out of sight.

When the men step back Robert whispers to the two women.  "They look almost like guards.  Let's move around a block and come up from behind them.  We'll be spotted immediately if we proceed along this way."

To their left lies another row of the nearly identical warehouses in this section of the District, which front a trio of towering Martian buildings to their southwest. To their right lie several rows of warehouse buildings, separated by wide alleys.

"Let's head down the alleys.  They should be deserted."

Louis points to the right. "Down this street, and then left to the alley." She shifts her rifle to her left shoulder and holds it at the ready. "Go, and be careful."

Robert draws his pistol as he expects some danger as they enter the alley.

The trio moves northeast down the broad street between buildings Robert knows to be fifty feet wide by a hundred feet long. Their soles tap lightly on the cobblestones, and they step lightly across the iron rails set in the center of the street.

The alley here, as they all do in this part of the District, run northwest and southeast. Robert steps around the corner to the northwest, and, in that instant, he perceives a dark shape, and the flash of something metallic. He jerks back, and the flat WHAP! of a bullet passes a bare inch in front of his face, while the booming report of a heavy revolver sounds from two warehouses over to the northwest.

"Bloody hell!" Robert cursed as the bullet came within inches of making Louis a widow and his unborn child without a father.  "Pistol," he calls out, "the second warehouse off to the northwest."  He looks about for a way to flank whoever fired.

The building they are next to has several freight doors and two person-sized doors, Robert notes.

Robert makes sure everyone else is ok and then goes to try the two man doors.

The second door he tries is unlocked.

Robert waves the others forward and eases the door open to look around.

The door leads into an unoccupied office containing two closed secretaries and an open window and counter. The inner office door is closed. It's too dark to see anything further.

Robert listens for a moment and moves quickly across the building to where he can flank the likely source of gunfire.

It's very dark in the building.

(Roll 2d6 for Robert to not run into or fall over anything.)

OOC:


18:47, Today: Robert rolled 3 using 2d6.  Bump in the Night.

Robert's experience aboard darkened ships at sea serves him well. He makes his way over to a small office on the other side of the warehouse, where there is a window into the street than parallels the one they entered the building from.

Behind him, he hears Louis mutter something unladylike as she encounters something solid.

Robert glanced back at Louis to make sure she was ok before he headed over to the window.  He glanced out cautiously to see exactly where the door opened and if any of the ambushers were nearby.

Robert sees two men ahead and to his right, peering around the corner of the building across the street. One of them holds a pistol that gleams in the gaslights.

OOC: Are the two within easy pistol shot?

Robert estimates that they are about twenty yards away.

Robert turns and waves Louis up. "Quiet," he whispered.  "We have the drop on them.  I want to see if we can get them to surrender without a shootout.  Cover me from the window and I'll go out with gun drawn through the door.  We may have to shoot anyway so don't hesitate."

Louis nods and lifts her rifle. "I'm ready."