[17:50]
I'd been glancing at the clock every few minutes for the past half an hour or so. Now it was time to go. I saved the last few minutes' changes, logged out of everything and packed the last of my gear back into my faithful backpack. With a last word to my colleagues, I Ctrl-Alt-Backspaced my workstation and turned to the door. Less than a minute later, I was breathing fresh air and basking in the blinding rays of the Western sun. A palmtop computer appeared, and I was back on IRC. I walked quickly West, knowing that if this were to succeed, I had just a few minutes to get into the building before six, but I didn't want to be hanging around before-hand if I didn't have to be.

[18:20]
All is peaceful, all is still. The world is silent, bar the creaking of iron sheeting, the monotonous thudding of wind driven circulation vents, and the gentle pur of an industrial motor that is an air conditioner somewhere below. In about an hour, the sun will be kissing the horizon, the fiery, deep orange ball turning to hues of magenta the now pale blue sky. It's still heaps too early for this. I spent a few minutes fiddling with my camera, making sure it wasn't going to let me down for the shoot.

[18:30]
A "clunk-clack whirrrr" from the lift motor room has broken the tranquility. It was called to ground, then sent to the top. I can hear a jangle of keys, and heavy boots tromping down the stairs. A door just banged in the distance. Tranquility has returned.

[19:20]
My vigil has been temporarily broken for a sip of orange-mango to quench my thirst, and to open a window to release some of the stale air building up in here. Why do I seem to have several dozen Redskins in my backpack when I don't even like them? ...Wait, that one was a nine volt battery. As the sun slowly slips lower and lower, I retrieved my gloves and secured my palmtop. Just a few more minutes.

[19:25]
With "The Final Countdown" going through my head, I threw the window wide open. One leg went out, then the other. A quick swing, and I was ascending the brick-work. Thirty seconds later, camera was on tripod and rolling. Tiny blip followed another as the shutter fired relentlessly. This is what I came for, my mission was now well underway.

[20:00]
The smiling ball of fire has now become a soft orange glow. Lengthening shadows are growing less and less distinct. I wish my camera could do long-exposure. The peaks of St Peters mark a brown jag in the northern horizon, and the cityscape to the South lights itself with a multicoloured fluorescence as the last shimmers of day cease to exist. A now blackened figure silhouetted against the final ray, I turned to the stairs, covered in dust.

[20:20]
After trudging down the countless stairs (I should know how many there are by now), I cleaned the cobwebs and black patches off myself as best I could. Dropping past the bridge on my way to the train station, only path-lights glistened off the almost ripple-less surface of the water metres below. A pale white glow from my palmtop computer reflected eerily off my face as I walked. Hitting the footpath once again, I paused to glance up at the bulk looming over me. That building had been so inviting for hours just minutes ago. Train wasn't leaving for another 30 minutes, and I was getting hungry. I went to the end of the platform, where I could see the sky. I sat there for a good few minutes, breathing deeply the sweet, night air.

[21:10]
The CBD slowly devolved itself into a sea of twinkling lights. The warm, friendly rumble of a large diesel engine underneath me combined with a jet of cool air on my face from an air-conditioning unit above to lull me almost to sleep. Ahead of us lay an envelope of darkness. I really wanted some chocolate right now. Delving into my trusty backpack, the closest match seemed to be condoms or CR2032s. Oh well. Head now on my backpack, I was slowly drifting away.