It was a dark and damp night. It all began with us huddled under a bus stop as the rain came down. Sam handed some the damp papers, already populated with the signatures of all the professionals that were able to make it on time. Each of us signed our name, not knowing that we were signing away the possibility that part of us would be dry. Ian whispered secret assignments in our ear and warned us of white ninjas that were lurking around the city.

Ah, and so the long saga of soggy shoes and flimsy umbrellies unfolds! .... It all began with a motley crew on a drizzly evening, as I met SF0 pranksters Heather, Ed/Rabbit, George, and Audrey (plus A's boyfriend who left early on). I believe we gathered around the bus stop, introduced ourselves and walked a few blocks before coming to the realization that we were already soaked from the waist down. Thanks, weather gods!!

We walked down Market Street to the 5th/Mission Street garage, ran into some other SF0 groups and eventually found our way to the top parking level where we found an informant. He gave us a few clues ("Lexington Ave" was one, I can't remember the other)... then we observed the three photos that we were given at the start of our journey, and tried to figure out where other possible clues could be found. Someone spotted a plastic baggie of photos, brightly taped to the wall of a garage across the street (see attached photo). I think this was another "aha" moment for us, because we found ourselves hungry and very, very wet indeed.

So off to Mel's Diner we went for a brief respite. I ended up nursing a bleeding finger due to a ducky umbrella malfunction. We looked over our clues, and noticed that 1) the girl who appeared in all of the photos was the same person, 2) she was cute and we all wanted her number, 3) mmm, what else did we need to know? 4) oh yes, there were a few telling clues within the photos, such as Caltrain platform tracks and a hospital entrance.

With full bellies ready to move on, our next leg of the journey went southward across the channel. Inside a small park pavilion we were surprised by a nonsensical BAR EXAMINATION. Someone who looked rather suspiciously like an older Sam Lavigne administered the double-sided bar examination, which included two ketchup samples and a random question about furry, lemur-like critters called aye-ayes. Once I competed the exam, I was stamped and perhaps a wee bit drier.

My other group mates, also barred and stamped, were given a fresh map and additional photos. By this point we weren't sure if the other teams had already reached the destination point or, since we were royal slowpokes, we were being shooed out the door for other reasons :)

This newish territory was foreign to all of us, and we did some stumbling around random construction areas before happening upon a railroad crossing stationed by two forlorn SF0 agents. The agents warned us that masked ninjas were practically everywhere (the horror!!), and that people we could trust were to be found at the hospital. I told them that ours was probably the last group to arrive at that spot; they, soaked and without proper rain gear or umbrellas, looked much relieved.

After meeting these two peeps, our team searched the immediate area and found some photographic evidence lying in a clear plastic baggie amongst trash. We snagged a photo, and set off to find a point marked on the map given to us at the second checkpoint.

We went meandering again, looking around for a spot marked on this new map. Unfortunately, we realized that we didn't know where we were going and ended up being lost. Then someone pointed out that we should look at the map again, which also ended up "lost" for quite some time. Hurling accusations ensued as our team mates quickly pointed fingers at each other, wondering if someone might have tried to illegally dispose of "evidence" before reaching a qualifying agent.

Lo, the map ended up resurfacing, and as the time was nearing the game's end, we decided to cut to the end meeting point. We walked for a distance but couldn't find a through street to take us to the final spot, so I called Sam from my cell phone. He encouraged us to go around the various roadblocks and to look for a building with a red light.

And this is where my part of the story ends. Given the late hour I had to leave my group to jet across town to another engagement, but it was with much fondness that I bid my fellow teammates farewell as we parted ways in the rain.

Thanks SF0 for another fun game! And if you made it this far, you deserve a piece of cake :)