ALEXANDER CROSS aka: CROSS

[jacemachine]

Opening the door, you catch the aroma of cigarette smoke wafting from the pilot house on your left. There is a wall directly opposite the door you are at, and the door opens into a hallway (sorry about the clunky verbage)-- to your right the hall continues out of sight.

You can hear the soft sounds of a person shifting in a seat from the pilot house.

[j0lt]

Slowly easing the door open enough to fit through, Cross silently prays that the hinges are properly greased and won't betray his presence.

[spoiler]Move Silently to open & close the door = 21[/spoiler]

Cross lets out his breath in relief as he re-secures the door without so much as a creak.  Drawing his weapon again, he slowly advances towards the pilot house.

[jacemachine]

He easily sees a man dressed in a white uniform shirt sitting in the pilot house chair. The man is looking through a magazine. He shifts in his seat, but continues.

He is smoking a cigarette. Judging from the amount of smoke it isn't his first of the evening.

[j0lt]

Cross steadied his nerves and began to move along the rear of the pilot house.  He kept his body as low as possible to avoid casting a reflection on the windows surrounding the front and sides of the room.  The darkness outside and light in the cabin gave them a mirror-like quality that could easily alert the smoking man to Cross's presence.  Cross knew he'd have to pass within a foot or two of the man, but hopefully his cigarette and magazine would keep him occupied enough to not notice the assassin's stealthy passage through the room.  It was a big risk, but one with few viable alternatives.

[spoiler]Move Silently (take 10) = 18[/spoiler]

[jacemachine]

With the evening outside, the pilot house was a quiet place. Even so Cross managed to slip within feet of the magazine reader.

Cross watched the man in the chair for a reaction, it was then when he realized that the well-lit pilot house room was reflected in mirror image in the glass of the windows. He could clearly see himself over the man's shoulder in the reflection. In fact, all the man would need to do is glance at the window himself and he would spot Cross...

But no reaction from the man. Engrossed in an article, he turned the page.

[j0lt]

Continuing his slow but steady movement across the room, Cross passed by the man and reached for the door.  Every nerve in his body was screaming for him to get out of there, and the adrenaline rush from so much tension made him nearly burst out laughing, but he finally reached the door.  Trying not to change his momentum, Cross slowly started to open the door.

[spoiler]Move Silently = 28 (natural 20)[/spoiler]

Slipping through and bringing the door closed behind him, Cross took one last look at the man in the pilot house to make sure he hadn't been noticed before shutting the door and continuing on his way.

[jacemachine]

You are presented with a 5'-wide 8'-long hallway. The door you came through is behind you. There is a door to your right and to your left.

What does Cross do next?

[j0lt]

Cross turned right and quietly opens the door which lead to the main central stairway.  He stood at the door, listening for any sounds of movement on the deck below.

[spoiler]Listen = 2 (damnit, should'a taken 10)[/spoiler]

[jacemachine]

Listening down the spiral stairs, Cross hears the sound of a radio played on somewhat low volume. There is a Greek broadcast of a soccer/football game on.

[j0lt]

Cross kept one hand on the railing as he descended the spiral staircase to the Main Deck.  Visualizing the deckplans in his mind's eye, he knew that he would have to advance towards the bow from here, and that there weren't many lines of sight.  The only thing that remained to be seen was whether his target was where Cross expected him to be, or not.

Advancing to the corner, across from the outside door, Cross checked to make sure the hallway wasn't occupied, and listened for further signs of movement.

[spoiler]Listen = 3 (fucking hell, next time I'm taking 10!)[/spoiler]

[jacemachine]

Cross hears nothing beyond the sound of the radio broadcast of the sports event. He doesn't notice anything in his field of vision.

[j0lt]

Cross advanced down the rest of the stairs, crossed to the starboard side of the stairwell and turned left.  He advanced up the hallway towards the Master Bedroom door.

[spoiler]Move Silently (take 10) = 18
Listen (take 10) = 10[/spoiler]