wilstone

A couple of years ago I bought a cheap (to buy) 1997 SL600. I stored indoors since and it remains there. Today for the first time I decided to see what I had. With a fresh battery and MBII diagnostic tool in hand I went to check and see what I had. Once the battery was in I turned the key (not all the way to the cranking position) and lights came on all Exterior, dash, interior. OK lets see if it cranks. Yes it does it cranks but no start.
I hooked up my diagnostic tool the main screen lit up but when I pressed diagnostics nothing happened. Checked to see that the plug was secure in the OBD2 port but still no change.
Decided to open the hood and was foiled again. One of the latches was floppy and didn't do anything. The second latch worked as expected but with only one latch working the hood could not be opened.
So here are my questions:
How do I get this hood open?
Why would my diagnostic tool not connect with the cars computer?
I would like to know what could be the cause of the no start condition. But I can't check engine functions without opening the hood.
HELP!
Thanks