Skip looks back towards the shattered brick work in the dimness then to where the light reveals the tunnels end and potential egress to somewhere above.
"Do we push on and see what's up the ladder?" asks the journalist, wondering whether he should yell back to the Magician at a time when there position could be given away to potentially hostile elements, the gleam off the automatic pistols making him slip into a memory of similar danger fraught circumstances half a world away. He makes a half hearted gesture towards the sound of Zoltok's words.
Idea Roll for Skip
If you were to guess you think it might come up somewhere near the tavern across the street, but you aren't really sure.
In your head you know that the tracks weren't made by dogs.
"It could, by all accounts, come out in that vile looking dive 'cross the street, by my calculations" adds Skip nervously, still contemplating the quandary of the tracks.
"something still don't make sense here, but I can't put my finger on it"
"It could, by all accounts, come out in that vile looking dive 'cross the street, by my calculations" adds Skip nervously, still contemplating the quandary of the tracks.
"something still don't make sense here, but I can't put my finger on it"
"This place does not the feel of the typical illicit activities that happen in this city. Gives me the creeps. But we push on and see what we can find. Hold out the light and give me a clear line of fire."
Skip complies noting the edge in Vincent's voice
Vincent peers through the darkness, hoping to see something familiar.
They wouldn't be able to understand you and Vincent talking in regular voices. You would pretty much have to shout for them to hear you.
As you reach the end of the tunnel, you find a dead end. You look up and you can clearly see that there is a shaft that leads up to a trap door built into the ceiling of the tunnel. A wooden ladder built into the wall leads up the shaft. Things are pretty quiet.
Skip listens intently and focuses the beam upwards, not wanting to get in the line of fire
Things are quiet. Looking up the shaft, you can see that at the top there is a wooden trap door cover. It is about 15' up to the door.
Zholtok wonders what they must be up to, he then remembers the crate of plays and his love of his new book, he looks to Ingo and winks "We can't let them have all the fun and adventure" He then decsends into the tunnel to try and catch up.
It only takes Zholtok a minute or two to catch up with the Skip and Vince. They are seem to almost frozen in suspended animation staring up the shaft. They seem to have been thinking out their next course of action for a long time.
"Are we worried about this shaft gentlemen? Zholtok starts to move forward and up to explore more.
"No of course not!" Vincent vehemently denies, "And I don't like your tone."
Vincent turns around to look at Zoltok with the two automatic pistols in hand.
"It's these." Skip interjects hoping to defuse some tension, shining the lamp on the strange tracks.
"Doesn't seem like run of the mill bootleggers. Maybe before we go up that ladder we should see where the other end of the tummel leads... I'll count the steps back and maybe we can figure out where this ladder" Skip shifts the torch beam back to the rungs "leads, we used to do it all the time over'n the trenches."
Zholtok looks at the tracks and understands the seriousness of the situation, he raises his hands in an "I'm sorry" gesture "Well Vince, you have perseuded me to adjust my tone, consider it adjusted." He smiles at Vince to ease the tension. In a hushed tone "Well maybe we go back and get the group and some better gear and see what is beyond this point together, I am a pretty good sneak if that type of skill will help". Looking again at Vince "Please lower those pistols, I am no threat or match to you, we both know that".
Mutters to himself in German: "Little boys playing in caves, and here I have nobody to hold the other end of the tape measure. "
What's the plan then?
Forward!
Does that mean you're climbing up the ladder vince?
Skip waffles back to his original stance about the ladder.
"Let's up then." he says directing the torch-beam back towards the ladder and following his chrome pistol-wielding companion in that direction.
"Hope these batteries hold out" he's heard to mutter as he once again produces his pad and pencil and scratches a few notes.
"Don't worry I got you covered!"
"Don't worry I got you covered!"
Skip climbs slowly up the ladder and strains to hear any indication of occupancy on the other side before attemting to push open the door.
Vincent aims for any target that may appear.
Zoltok at the bottom of the ladder offers morale support.
Things sound pretty quiet.
You push on the trap door and it feels like it will open. You gingerly ease open the door. You can't tell what it's opening into because it is dark.
Skip looks back at his companions a bit anxiously "I don't hear or see anything....yet" as he brings the torch to bear in the new surroundings.
Looking around you see that you are peering into a tiny room. It is long and very narrow. The wall on your right is made of vertical panels of wood and the wall on the left is brickwork. In fact, it is really more like a very narrow hallway. It extends out ahead of you about 30'. You can't really tell what is behind you. The hall seems to have a dead end, and there is no obvious exit that you can see. The floor is wooden planks as well, and there are a few small puddles of moisture on the ground. The ceiling is about 8' high and is also made of wood.
The hall is empty and quiet.
"Some kind of a hallway...but all clear says Skip to the others as opens the trapdoor fully, he then hoists himself up, holding the torch to both illuminate the rest of the room and assist the others in climbing up.
"Wait for me!" Vincent holsters his pistols and follows up.
Skip, you hoist yourself up and look around. Looking behind you, you see only a wall. Now that you are getting a better look, you see what might be wooden door built into the paneling of the wooden wall at the far end of the hallway. You kind of get the feeling that the wooden wall was maybe a false wall built in front of the brick wall to hide the trap door. The smell of stale beer, fish and clam chowder hangs lightly in the air.
The floor is creaky, and you find it difficult to walk on without it making noise.
Zholtok follow excitedly.....trying to be quiet
"I think this is the basement of the dive across the street" Skip hisses quietly. His brain reverts to the previous thought patterns, moving back away from the out of place tracks to the shine smugglers. "We should check the other end of the tunnel, I have no desire for contact with any of the bargoers...this is somewhat of a rough neigborhood"
Assuming you quietly leave...
You take some time to carefully scout out the other end of the tunnel. As you suspected, it opens under a pier at the edge of the Hudson River.
"Walter wasn't their another branch to this tunnel?"
There weren't any other branches to the tunnel.
With seemingly no prospect of some good ole contraband, Skip becomes downcast.
" Oh well, best let sleeping dogs lie. We should probably replace the bricks as well as possible, and maybe after we can get some refreshment across the street."
clank clank smash
Zholtok will assist Skip, then help Ingo with the decorating...
You do your best to patch up the wall, but it has sustained enough damage from the hammer, that there is no way you can do a proper job rebuilding it without new bricks and mortar.
What next?
"Who's coming? I'm hittin that dive across the street to see if I can get to the bottom of this, and maybe score a drink while I'm there" says Skip perking up a bit.
"Just don't go telling them we know about the tunnel!" he warns as an afterthought.
Without any trace of sarcasm: "Gentlemen, I have such measurements as are sufficient to cost the fabric we require. I will sketch my designs, and present them when I am satisfied that they meet our criteria. I will be going to the garment district to source fabric. I shall also make some enquiries at a haberdashery. If any of you know of a reputable plasterer, please indulge me by furnishing his details. You may find me at luncheon in the Wilson room of the Ambassador Hotel. I trust that you all find such stimulation at the tavern as you crave. I apologise that I attempted to burden you all with the onerous task of measuring this room, and am relieved that you escaped my request and had a good time crawling around down there. A brick weighting down the end of the tape measure proved sufficient help, and I was able to do the measuring alone. Had any of you helped me, I would not have discovered the merits of working with masonry, and would instead have finished far too soon to truly savour the experience of trudging up and down bent over nearly double like a burgher from a Durer etching. I will continue to take this task entirely on my own shoulders, so as not to interfere with your carousing, spelunking, and other necessary pursuits. Enjoy the tavern. Please try not to spend all the rent money I invested. I trust that Zoltok will not require any sleep again tonight, with the remarkable fortitude he exhibited last night, and hope the rest of you meet his exacting standards of debauch."
Ingo tips his hat to you all, snaps his briefcase shut, and walks up to Zoltok
whispering"Give me the object of your obsession. You can get it back when I see you have rested."
"Sawry about your unfawtunate woikin' relationship with the brick, Dawc." his thick New York accent seemingly coming out in contrast to Ingo's erudite manner of speech.
"I'll let you know tomawwrow if I can keep up with ol' Zoltok here."
He chuckles to himself as he limps past and out the threshold.
Having a hard time letting it go to Ingo, he realises he best listen to his old friend, he drops the book to Ingo and sadness hits heavy his heart. He takes a deep breath and still misses the book, he sulks in the corner for a while.
Is Vince still around?
Is Vince still around?
I'm just behind you, Skip. Two pistols pointed in the proper direction.