Snippet #2636667

The place was a dump. Every window was covered up with plywood to keep the homeless out. Not that it helped any. The door was solid and locked. While someone very powerful could bend that solid door over her knee, Lily opted instead to reach the rooftop.

“I’ll see if I can get it open from the inside,” Lily said as she scanned every boarded-up window.

Unburdened, Lily managed to soar exactly the amount of height needed for her bare feet to lightly grip the edge of the parapet and pull herself over. From there, she crouched low, slipped her sandals back on and moved to investigate a potential rooftop entrance. All that was there was a rooftop access. Even the ventilation shafts were crumpled beyond use. Keeping a low profile, she examined the industrial-strength single handle and protective plate that marked the only indication that she was standing at a door.

She wondered what would give out first if she gave the door a small tug. Would the handle give out first, and be clearly visible from the outside, or would the locking mechanism itself give out, and be hidden by the protective plate? Lily also checked the three sets of hinges, all of which were the kind that were difficult to take off, as the bottoms had caps to prevent people from getting it open. At least, they would be difficult for someone to open with a screwdriver. Lily, on the other hand, firmly grasped both ends of one of the hinges and tugged with some effort. The two ends popped off like a cork from a champagne bottle.

Lily repeated this step with the other two hinges, and carefully lifted the door out of the way. She then unlocked the door itself and placed it back into position… She then realised that she needed a second set of limbs to hold the door in place while she got the pins back in. She huffed in annoyance, and leaned the door slightly against the doorframe. Hopefully it wouldn’t look suspicious at a distance.

She moved quickly to the parapet to signal for help.