Darkness swept the land like an eagle over a mouse. The earth shook and roared with anger. The evil had been let loose again. What was this cruel world coming to? A young Khemer girl thought. Surly this would end soon and the world would be the same once again.
The Croft Manor was silent. The only noise to be heard was the soft pitter-patter of feet coming down the grand Marble staircase. The feet turned north at the bottom and were headed for the tech room.
The mansion's phone rang and Lara Croft answered.
"Croft."
"West"
"Alex!" She answered, "You're up late."
"And the same to you." He replied. It had only been one Spring ago when the two were in Siberia raping up a final quest on the artifact, The All Seeing Eye.
"Why have you called?" She asked puzzled.
"One of my employers called and offered us a quest to India." Alex replied.
"Us?" Lara said puzzled. "Why, us?"
"He wouldn't take just you or me. He said he needed us both on this one." Alex sighed.
"Who is he?" Lara asked.
"Dang, I knew you'd ask that."
"Oh, it's one of those secret employers, right?"
"Yea. You guessed it Lara."
"Sorry I don't employ for those kind of people, So bye then." Lara hung up the phone and waited for it to ring again. It didn't, How queer. Alex not was calling her back? Oh well. She thought. She trotted back up the stairs and into her father's old study. An hour went by as she sat there and just paged through expeditions she could go on. Peru, no, to dull, Antarctica, to boring and to cold. There was nothing for her to do. The phone on the paper littered desk that she was sitting at sat there silent. She picked it up and dialed Alex's number, after three rings the answering machine picked up.
"Sorry I can't come to the phone right now please leave a message after the beep, BBBEEEEEEPPPP."
"Alex, its Lara, tell me more about the expedition and mabey I'll go bye"
"Lara, Lara, yea, there?"
"Yes I'm still here."
"Good, the Employer's name is, oh do I have to tell you?"
"Alex." There was a slight warning to her voice.
"OK, Alex West."
"ALEX!" Lara yelled. "TELL ME WHO THE EMPLOYER IS OR I WILL GO OVER THERE MY SELF AND HURT YOU!"
"OK, KA Research and Development wants us to find an artifact."
"Yes, but who is the employer, there's always one man or one woman."
"Well, you might not be happy with me."
"Who is it?" There was a tad-bit of a warning in her voice.
"Slaona Pierrs"
"Mrs. Pierrs? What dose she want with us?" She asked.
"The thing is there's an artifact she wants us to find."
"Oh, I never knew she was interested in archeology Mr. West."
"Funny neither did I."
"Yes, but an expedition is an expedition, right Alex."
"Yea, What ever."
"So, what is this artifact. Something about Atlantis, Or Prayer wheels."
"Ok, are you done with the prayer wheels. It huts me to think about it."
"Alex, it always hurts when you think."
"Are you ever going to stop with the insults?"
"Never."
"Well, the artifact is called the Sunatra Stone."
"Well I'll see you in the morning if I'm going, Bye then." Lara hung up the phone. And began paging through her papers once again.
Alex was still listening to the dial tone. He listened for about ten seconds and then hung up. I hate pay phones he thought. He started walking down 21st street in the dim glow of the moon. He checked into a hotel and laid down on the bed and watched TV. He considered him self a wonderer. He didn't own a house or an apartment or a mansion like Lara did. He was in different places more than half the time and on expeditions with most of those blokes. He didn't get the good jobs like Lara did, unless he was working with her on an expedition of course. Dang, I don't know why she hates me so much. It's like she's still mad at me because of those stupid prayer wheels. He thought. But then, he got and idea.
"Well Hilly, there is only one thing to do, Only one expedition to go on…… with… Alex." Lara said disgusted.
"West? Alex West?" Hillary, Lara's butler and advisor asked.
"Yea, you know the one, that bloke." Bryce said not looking up from this newspaper. Bryce was Lara's technical man. If something was broken electronically, Bryce was there to fix it.
"Now Bryce I hate the man to, but do you have to be so harsh? Even though you're just telling the truth."
"Yes, yes, and yes." Bryce chuckled.
"Now I don't see what the problem is with you two." Hillary said
Lara and Bryce both looked up from what they were doing and looked at Hillary.
"What!?!" they said in unison.
"Just cooking breakfast, talking to the oatmeal I'm making." He said nervously.
Lara and Bryce laughed.
Lara wolfed down breakfast and ran up stairs. She had to get ready. Fast. He hit the doorway with her fist as she walked into her room. The doorbell rang. Alex? She thought.
Trotting down the grand staircase and to the door. She opened it to find Alex West standing there, a sheepish grin on his face. She looked past him to see a taxi slowly pulling away from the front gate in the courtyard. The sun was just beginning to rise in the east, slowly over the trees. She looked away and back to Alex who was still grinning. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so hard on Bryce. She thought. He is a bloke, showing up at my door at six in the morning and arriving in a taxi. She paused again and resumed thinking. What? Do I expect him to ride in on a white stallion. She stifled a laugh.
"Yes, what do you want this EARLY in the morning." She asked.
"Hear, I'm returning the prayer wheels and the finders fee I so called stole form you."
"Oh thanks, Bye then." She slammed the door in his face and ran back up stairs to pack for the up coming adventure. Ten minutes later the doorbell rang again.
"Hilly, would you get that, I'm busy." She yelled from her work.
"Yes Lady Croft." Seconds later he yelled, "Lara, its Mr. West!"
"Be right down!" She yelled quite irritated. She opened her bedroom door and nearly ran in to Alex. Hillary, you dog. You let him in the house?
"Alex."
"Are you ready?"
"Who said I was going?"
"You are going aren't you?"
"Mabey, I'll be ready in an hour. If I'm going."
With a heavy sigh Alex turned and left the room.
"Ah, that's better" She sighed.
She went to the end of the room and began shifting things around one of her luggage bags. Two hours latter she through her luggage bags over the grand stair rail and walked down stairs to fetch them.
"Hello Alex." She said as she passed him.
"ALEX! You're still here?" She asked very confused.
"Ya, ready?" He asked.
"Ya, I'll meat you at the headquarters for Shugrave's Pane that is coming in." She said.
Shungrave was true to his word once again. The pane flew in and picked Lara and Alex up.
The flight took 7 hours. When they finally landed Lara hoped out.
"Ah, I love adventure."
"Ya, just don't get your self killed Lara." Alex replied.
"Oh, shut up." She said
"Were supposed to meet Mrs. Pierre in, New Delhi." Alex said.
"Really? You go ahead and meet her, I'm going to the tomb."
"Lara, come on, don't do this. You could get fired."
"Well then, she can fire me." She said as she walked off.
"Ho no, here we go again." Alex stifled.
Looks like I'm not working with Alex or for Mrs. Pierrs any more. She thought.
"I'm here to meet Mrs. Pierrs." Alex said to a guard.
"Were expecting two visitors and those two are not you." The guard said.
"I am Alex West."
"Oh! Mr. West my sincerest apologys."
"My I see Mrs. Pierrs?" Alex said.
"Yes Mr. West but may I inquire on something?"
"Oh."
"Were is Lady Croft."
"Don't ask."
"This way please."
"On my own once more. The true feeling of being an adventuer" Lara thought. "hope Alex is doing fine on his own because no one uses me!!! I 'm invencebale, What ever....." Lara Croft walked down to where they had droped her Land Rover off and hoped in. "juging from expierinence....no artifact lay where it's suposed to, So I go some where different." She thought. Lara started the engin and drove off toward the setting sun. Purple and orange sky zoomed over her head as she zipped a crossed the Indian landscape. A sharp turn in to the jungle beside her did not bother her for she was used to driving through out extreme land blind. Jasmine and other flowers and plants flew bye as she raced her own spirit to where she thought this "Sunatra Stone" lay. She had practiced every stunt that said, "DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME" back at the mansion in London. This driving blind seemed like a piece of cake to her.