Mike took a breath and started off. He was nervous and his heart was beating fast. He wanted so much to succeed, and was afraid something would go wrong.

The first challenge was security. Mike lined up and passed through the metal detector. To his chagrin it sounded.

“What’cha got, sonny?” one of the uniformed security men asked.

Mike nervously dug a hand in his pocket. He came up with a short, stubby screwdriver. He was worried a coin wouldn’t work on the vent.

“So, you’re planning on doing a little screwing today, huh,” the man said with a chuckle.

Mike nodded. He was directed to come through the metal detector again without the screwdriver. There was no signal.

“Good luck,” the security guard said. He handed the tool back to Mike.

Relieved at not being asked any questions about where he was going, Mike took the elevator to the third floor. As he disembarked he could hear the noise and feel the vibration of the machinery. He walked down the hall as Curt had directed, heading straight for a men’s room. It was exactly where Curt had said it would be. Mike entered, according to plan.

Unfortunately, the last booth was occupied. Mike had to bide his time. He washed his hands for lack of anything else to do and waited. Finally the man came out. He eyed Mike briefly before washing his hands and exiting.

Mike went into the stall and closed and locked the door. The vent was just above his head. With the screwdriver he got the cover off without difficulty. Standing on the toilet he could look into the duct. It went straight in for about three feet and then angled off.

As instructed, Mike took out the smoke bomb. He lit a match and then touched it to the wick. It caught immediately. With a sideward flick of the wrist, he tossed the bomb into the vent. It ended up coming to rest at the point the duct angled off. Mike could see that it was already putting out smoke: a lot of smoke.

After replacing the vent, Mike left the stall and returned to the hallway. Back at the elevator he pushed the button and waited. It took only a moment to get down to the ground floor. Just as he was exiting the elevator, the building’s fire alarm sounded along with a recorded announcement played over and over: everyone should leave the building via the nearest stairway.

Enjoying a sense of accomplishment, Mike went out the main entrance along with a handful of other people. Those trying to enter were told they’d have to wait until the alarm was investigated.