As we got to the part of campus that was of interest to us, it was decided that we'd split up in two smaller teams to circle the city block and meet at the other end to share any info regarding guards and possible entrances. So Tux, Kowalski, and I headed one way, biding farewell to the others, but not without taking one of UEC's nifty FRS radios with us. See, the Guards communicated using an accessible channel, and the radios enabled to listen in to the their conversations - a precious tool indeed.

We decided to walk as casually as possible, despite the FRS radio crackling on Tux's hip and our overall nervous state of mind. I mean, not only were we up against the Guards, but there was the genuine U of T security to be worried about! Campus security is by nature suspicious of students, whom they see as misguided kiddies. So even if we avoided the Forces of Evil (hehehe), some nosey regular security person could get suspicious, especially if we pulled flashlights out or decided to run away from an area where we spotted a Guard. Or if we found an entrance to the steam tunnels in the middle of campus and unceremoniously jumped into it.

Before long we had circled our half of the block and had noticed a couple of white T-shirts just inside the doors at two buildings. (For your information, Ninj had asked us to wear a white T-shirt with something dark on top. If you were an AA, you thus walked around in a dark garment; if you had been captured and had become a Guard, you took it off and patrolled in a white T-shirt.) We kept on walking; perhaps the others were just slow. As we turned a corner we bumped into our four allies - but wait, that's not flame0ut, that's DJ. Oops. Somebody got greedy… We decided to regroup outside and share our info, but as we schemed regarding the best way to enter, we happened on Avatar-X, who also was wearing his white T-shirt. Double-oops. Fortunately, Guards had no power over us if we were outside, so he merely informed us that he had been caught along with a few all-too eager people, which flame0ut and Nvr2loud were part of. The odds were rapidly swinging in the favor of the Forces of Evil! It was time for action, UE-style!

Having reconnoitered the whole block, and with the help of our map, we began cooking up a devious plan. The buildings on the outskirts were large and rather exposed, unlike the two smaller ones on the inside (the Engineering Annex and the House). So we scrambled and tried the later two's doors, windows, emergency staircases, delivery entrances - the works. DJ lunged inside an door leading to the Annex, only to come out of an emergency exit door at the top minutes later, wearing the patented evil white T-shirt. Wanderlust and Tux were sent in the House to find possible links to the other buildings. Meanwhile the four of us left outside (Asher, WiZDoM, Kowalski, and I) ventured to see if the doors we had formerly noticed were now unguarded.

At this point, glancing back at the House, I thought I saw Tux just step out the front door but immediately get back inside. I definitely did not see a white T-shirt, though, so I assumed he might be searching for us and told the others so. We raced back and boldly entered the House, which was jam-packed with students hanging out in lounges and such. We sent WiZDoM upstairs and Kowalski downstairs as Asher and I scouted the main floor. No signs of either Tux or Wanderlust. Damn. Kowalski came back from the basement empty-handed too. We waited for WiZDoM… And waited… After what seemed like too long - probably thirty seconds, but hey, we were nervous! - I peeked in the narrow U-shaped staircase WiZDoM had taken to the upper floor. In the mirror installed so people wouldn't bump into each other where the stairs turned, I saw a shape coming down the stairs, pointing its flashlight right at me. And what seemed like a flash of white. "Pull out!" I cried, and we ran for the door, scaring the front desk guard into following us as if we were terrorists who had just set up a bomb in his precious building. (Funnily enough, it turned out I'm just blind - it was WiZDoM coming down, and he was still on our side! But he thought we had seen a guard on our level, and so ran back up the stairs. He later got caught on his own. I'm so, so, so sorry!)

Beginning as a group of seven (eight if you count DJ who joined us at a later point), we were now a mere three: Asher, Kowalski, and yours truly. And it sure as hell did not help when we heard on the FRS radio that everyone in the game had been caught save for us. In roughly thirty minutes, our urban exploring skills had been put to complete shame by the Forces of Evil. We could not afford a frontal assault anymore. Sneakiness was the way to go - well, that and a little cheating. We thought that maybe there could be underground passages linking one of the game's buildings to other buildings that hadn't been included in the plan… And so began our lightning-quick, paranoid tour of the buildings surrounding our potential targets. We searched and searched to no avail, finding either locked doors or plain old dead ends. Paralyzed by uncertainty, we cooked up a dozen different plans, including one which had me scaling the side of the Fleming building to get to a narrow ledge twenty-five feet above that just might lead somewhere. That one was scrapped when we realized we could see from the ground that there were no windows or entrances. We lifted grates only to find locked entrances, circled the buildings two or three times, and with despair driving us to action, boldly entered the Fleming building, which contained the most difficult target of them all - the penthouse on the roof. If we died trying, we surmised, at least we'd do so with a little glory!

The ascent up the stairs was nerve-wracking. Every floor, Kowalski (who was on point) would gently open the door and peek in. The first floor, the one through which we had entered, was empty of Evil security. As was the second and the third. We reached the fourth (and last!) floor trembling with anticipation. Kowalski peered out of the doorway… Then jerked his head back, turned around, and began running down the stairs. Asher and I didn't wait for confirmation before sprinting away. Ominous footsteps from above followed us, so we split up - and still the footsteps thundered behind me… I had to slow down to take a corner, but before I could make it, a voice boomed the blood-curdling command: "Freeze!" I turned around to find an out of breath yet grinning Avatar-X.

I had just been caught by the admin.

Thus I became part of the Forces of Evil. Av was kind enough to show me the penthouse, our potential target, for which you can find a gallery on UER. I was then free to roam the building seeking helpless explorers. And wouldn't you know it, as I walked around on the third floor, I happened upon a young woman studying a map with her back to me… Sorry Asher.

For the few pictures we actually remembered to take, click here. Pictures #7 to #14.