Jo

Jo watched the rear of the truck stop from her hiding spot. She had carefully made her way around and found a small hole amidst the piles of junk. The bay doors once used by the truckers to bring their rigs inside lay directly across from her. Her target was obviously confident his reinforcement was enough protection since she had been lying here for over a half hour and the guards had only passed once. Her eyes studied the building as she waited for them to pass again. She could easily take them out but that would alert everyone inside, a risk she wasn't ready to take just yet.

Roy had said there was no basement, which meant the cooling units were on the roof. It also meant there was an access door which most likely led to the utility room. She realized she had made a mistake by not asking him to draw a layout but it was too late to do anything about that. She continued studying the building, her gaze now on the roofline.

After the guards had passed a second time, she quickly pulled herself out of the hole and darted across the pavement. In one hand she held a large hunk of twisted metal tied to her thin but incredibly strong filament rope. Hugging the wall, she moved several feet from the bay doors, backed up, and threw the metal bar as hard and as high as she could. The bar hit the roof with a thud and she ran back to the wall, waiting to see if anyone came to investigate. When nobody appeared, she took a step forward and pulled until the rope jerked in her hand. Pulling harder, she grunted softly in satisfaction, pulled on her gloves, and began climbing.

The climb should have been an easy one. Her physical condition, however, left a lot to be desired, and by the time she reached the top, her shoulders ached, the muscles in her upper arms and thighs burned, and sweat covered her body, plastering her hair to her head. Panting, she pulled herself over and rolled on her back. Taking in deep gulps of air, she remained still until her heart rate slowed. Rolling back, she pulled her rope up, untied it, and carefully coiled it before tucking it in her boot. She didn't think she would need it but leaving it behind was unthinkable. She had no idea if she would ever find anything like it again and it had proved to be almost invaluable in the past.

Removing her gloves, she shoved them in the back of her pants. She had left her axe behind and felt almost naked without it. Unfortunately, it was too big to go unnoticed and she had no doubt her target would steal it the minute he saw it.

She wasn't without other weapons, though. A myriad of blades and sharp pointed objects akin to huge needles were tucked away in various places. Creeping across the roof, she made sure the weapons in her sleeves would slide out easily. Satisfied, she stood and placed her hand on the door handle.

"Well, if that doesn't absolutely suck," she muttered when she discovered the door was locked. Sighing, she pulled a pair of oddly shaped pins from her hair and set about picking the lock. When she heard the click, she placed the pins back in her hair and eased the door open slowly.

A distant murmur of voices drifted up the metal stairway. The place was dark, the only illumination coming from the open door. Jo memorized what she could, then stepped inside and closed the door softly behind her. Closing her eyes, she tiptoed down the steps, keeping as close to one side as she could. Years of use would have worn the centers down and she was worried she might slip or worse, the metal might creak.

Reaching the bottom, she opened her eyes and let them adjust. A dim light filtered in, telling her the men had found an alternate source of illumination, probably lanterns of some sort. Part of her hoped they weren't using gasoline for that as well, although it might make things easier if they were.

Once she was sure she could see well enough to avoid any obstacles, she moved forward, using the old machinery as cover. Reaching the doorway, she risked a glance outside. Retreating, she slid her blades down again and stepped into the hall.