A/N:Hi guys. Long time reader, first time writer. I've been writing this story for a while now and wasn't even sure I wanted to ever post it, but I think of the people like me who want to read something a little different and are foaming at the mouth for another prospective of the Tomb Raider 2013 Reboot story. So, I'm taking a leap of faith here. I wanted to shine the spotlight on the scavengers of Yamatai, the Solarii, a bit more than the game did because I don't think they were given enough depth. If they were given more dialogue, it could have added a whole new level of horror to the island. So, I'm here to help the poor guys out! But this story will be centered around a female OC and will start before the actual game, but eventually catch up to it. I just wanted to experiment with the island and its inhabitants for a bit first. And a special shoutout to The Hobbit Diet for beta-ing this for me. You have helped me so tremendously! Thank you!
Disclaimer:I do not own anything Tomb Raider. That is all Crystal Dynamics. I only own my OCs.
Warning:This is an M rated story. It contains blood, gore, adult language, intense violence, and rape. I wanted to make a story as realistic as possible. Read at your own risk.
Scarlett Glockner took in the sight of the grand ship, the RSV Commendation, through her aviator sunglasses, duffel strung over her torso, tote bag in-hand, and a small rolling suitcase behind her. The vessel had to be at least four to five stories tall, like a giant waiting for her to climb into its hand and take her away. Taking a deep breath, she walked up the ramp. This was it. This was where she was going to spend her summer. She was slightly anxious because she had never been on a boat—sorry, ship— for that long, but it also felt exciting. She had never been on a research trip before. The memories she would make while being on this vessel were sure to last a lifetime. Once on board, she dropped her tote, abandoned her luggage, and ran across the deck to the edge, gazing at the distant ocean. The water was so blue that the Crayola Company couldn't make a crayon this shade. And it went on for as far as her eyes could see.
"Scarlett, honey, can you help me?" She turned to see her father struggling to haul the rest of her luggage up the ramp.
"Oh, sorry," Scarlett rushed to help him. She slung one bag over her shoulder and took the handle of the rolling suitcase. Once they got everything on deck, she smiled cheekily, folded her hands together in a cutesy way, and said, "Thank you, daddy. And thanks for bringing me."
"You know your mom would take forever to tell you bye, heck, you'd probably never leave. And your sister…well, let's just say she'll be eating popcorn in your bed every night 'til you come back."
Scarlett rolled her eyes. Her little sister, Heidi, always abandoned her TV-less bedroom with a twin bed to enjoy Scarlett's queen-sized bed and TV whenever Scarlett was away for a semester of school. Scarlett had always thought of her sister as a spoiled brat because she was the baby of the family, who got anything and everything she ever wanted and received little punishment. Scarlett believed it was because her parents were getting older. They were older, so they were more tired and let Heidi get away with more. But all in all, she was a good kid. She never did anything serious, like run away or set the house on fire. Thinking about her mother, Scarlett frowned slightly. She always went quiet when Scarlett talked about this trip. Her parents paid for it, but Scarlett figured it was reluctantly.
"Does Mom hate me for wanting to do this?"
Her father's eyes diverted to the side. "She's just…worried."
"She doesn't think I can do it," Scarlett bowed her head.
"It's not you, it's everything else. She's just thinking of everything that could go wrong: the ship sinks, you get hurt, y'all get lost…And we won't be there to help you if something does happen."
"I know, but I want to do this. I think it'll be good in the long run. I want some experience out on the actual water instead of just learning everything from a textbook, y'know?"
"I know, but two months is a long time at sea." He had his hands in his pockets as he looked at the water. "Just be sure to use common sense, please. Oh, and take good care of this. I hope y'all don't have to use it, but you never know," he handed a gun case to her with a rifle inside it. Scarlett took it and slung it over her other shoulder.
"Don't worry," she grinned. "I'll take good care of it."
Her father stared at her, reminiscing. She used to be this little girl who wore pigtails in her hair and used to pretend that she was Ariel from The Little Mermaid. When she was a toddler, she would play with her toys that were marine animals in the bathtub, with the big, bad, mean shark always ramming into the poor innocent little fish and then she would giggle and make the shark swim round and round in the tub until the heroic dolphins would show up to save the day.
"What?" Scarlett knitted her eyebrows together, unsettled by the fact that her father was staring at her. "Did I forget something?"
"No, it's nothing," he shook his head, laughing. "It's just…you're really growing up and…I'm proud of you." A big smile crept onto Scarlett's face and she hugged him. "I love you, darling. Be careful."
"Love you too, dad."
"And I love you, sir," another person joined the hug. Scarlett recognized that voice. It was her best friend, Zoey. Everyone let go and Scarlett's dad looked at the two girls.
"Don't go looking for trouble, now. Always stick together."
"We will, Mr. Hector, sir!" Zoey saluted him, while Scarlett rolled her eyes.
"He's not in the military, Zoey."
"Yeah, not anymore," she hissed behind her hand.
"I mean it," Hector warned, snapping them back into attention. "Always do what the instructor says and don't do anything that you're not supposed to. Don't get out of that cage, even for that perfect shot. I don't want to get a call two weeks from now saying that a shark tore you in half."
"I know, dad," Scarlett replied, slightly annoyed.
"We won't always be looking for sharks, Mr. Hector," Zoey reassured. "We'll stop on a few islands and check out the local wildlife. We'll take lots of pictures for you. Maybe we'll even catch a tuna and bring it home for dinner when we get back. And your wife can make her heavenly mac and cheese to go with it," she smiled dreamily and rubbed her hands together. That put a smile on all of their faces.
A man approached them, wearing jeans, a fishing shirt, brown boots, a baseball cap, and a pair of sunglasses. He was in his late forties with graying hair.
"Hi, Mr. Hector. I'm Channing and I'm head of this research expedition." The two men shook hands.
"Yes, I think I met you at one of the seminars. You said you have about twenty years of diving experience?"
"Yes, sir. Been diving ever since I was in high school," Channing smiled.
"What's the worst thing that's happened to you while you were in the water?"
"Dad! Please!" Scarlett complained.
Channing chuckled. "It's rare that anything serious happens. I mean, you have more chance of getting struck by lightning or dying from a bee sting than being attacked by a shark. The first time I went spearfishing with my dad in the Bahamas, he had a shark that grabbed his diving fin. But once it realized that it was biting into plastic, it immediately let go. And I once had a lemon shark mistake my hand for a piece of food. But I was wearing a chainmail suit and I only felt some pressure on it. Don't worry, Mr. Hector. Encounters like those are extremely rare, but we're well prepared for any type of emergency. We have first aid kits, antidotes, and a medic on stand-by incase something does happen. I'll do everything in my power to make sure that everyone's safe," he looked off to the side, hearing one crewman shout an order for the others to lift a huge crate.
"And Scarlett's brought the rifle you asked for, just in case," Hector spoke again and Scarlett held up the gun case for the instructor to see.
"Good," Channing turned back, making light reflect off of his sunglasses. "We should have at least some protection. I also brought my pistol. And some of the staff and technicians brought a few firearms. We don't want to get in a bind where we need them and don't have them."
"Yeah. And when are you scheduled to be back?"
"August 1st or 2nd," Scarlett and Channing answered together.
Channing laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "It really depends on the weather. I'll send you an email the day before. We'll come back a few weeks before the fall semester starts so that the students can write a report on the data they collect. It's part of the undergraduate research. We'll make sure they get back home with plenty of time to spare."
"Ugh, no! Don't mention school right now! We just got our freedom back!" Zoey complained dramatically, dragging her hands down her face and earning a chuckle from the adults.
"Well, I'd better get going before I don't leave at all," Hector pursed his lips. "Can I get one more hug, Scarlett?" Scarlett rolled her eyes, but hugged him again. "Have fun," he told her.
"I'll be back before you know it," she smiled.
He looked at her one last time and walked down the ramp. Scarlett had worn a brave face all the way here, but now, she felt a small, suffocating feeling, like she would never see him again. He wasn't going to be there for her. She was going to be thousands of miles away and he wouldn't be able to come get her if something happened.
Stop it, Scarlett. Stop it. You're going to be fine. Zoey's with you and there are plenty of people on board. You're not alone. You'll have fun.
This was the time to spread her wings, to be free from the prison of her daily routine of going to school, studying until she crashed, and waking up to do the same thing all over again the next day. It was going to be different. And fun.
Channing turned to the girls. "We'll be setting off in about an hour. You're sharing a cabin with Zoey, so she can show you the way there," he told Scarlett. "Dinner will be served later tonight in the lounge."
Scarlett nodded her head and slid the gun case off of her shoulder, "What should I do wi—"
There was a deafening clanging sound as something metal collided with metal, making all of them startled. They glanced over to see a large, toppled-over, empty crate on a dolly with several scuba tanks making an escape towards the open railing.
"Hey!" Channing ran towards the tanks and stopped them with his leg. He carefully picked one up and put it standing upright again before rounding on the crewmen. "Be careful with these! You screw around with them and we'll all be blown sky high!"
Zoey began backing away nervously. "Uhhh…let's go, Scarlett. We'll talk to him later."
"Y-yeah," Scarlett nodded her head stiffly, wanting to get as far from the situation as possible. The thought of them being so close to a potential bomb was pretty nerve-wracking.
"Gimme a bag," Zoey seized Scarlett's tote bag and began to lead the way. Scarlett looked at Channing as they left, watching him recover the oxygen tanks with the other deckhands. She and Zoey probably should've helped them, but Zoey seemed more than eager to lead the way to their cabin.
"Good grief, girl, what's in here?!" Zoey struggled to keep herself upright from under the weight of Scarlett's bag.
"Things. Quit being so dramatic. Besides, I'm sure you've brought twice as much as me."
Zoey stuck her tongue out and they went below deck. The hallway was extensive with several metal doors on each side of it, each leading to a small room. Their voices and footsteps echoed off the gray, metallic walls. A few more deckhands passed by them, carrying a stereo and a medium-sized television among other electronics.
"Aw, crap. We forgot the nine inch. One of you go back and get it from my room," one man carrying a speaker said. One of the three guys carrying the medium-sized box television left the other two, making them buckle under the weight.
The older man, who had his coveralls undone down to his waist inhaled sharply. "Okay, okay, I got this side! What about you?"
The other younger-looking man, who had dark, unruly hair and wore a backwards cap with the ship name on it, seemed to be struggling, for his arms were quaking. "Uh…uh, we might need a third guy," he grunted.
"Don't be a pansy, man. You've lifted heavier things."
"I'm carrying three-fourths of the weight here, though!"
They strained moving down the hallway and the younger one backed up to get a better grip on the TV, but not before he collided into Scarlett, knocking her into the wall rather roughly.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" he frantically apologized while almost letting the television crash to the floor.
"Don't you let go, dude!" the other man groaned through clenched teeth.
"It's okay," Scarlett shook her head dismissively and rubbed her arm. It was still throbbing. "I'm fine. It's no big deal. Just go. That thing's heavy," she repeatedly pointed down the hallway, urging them to be on their way.
Zoey turned around to see what was happening. "What's the TV for? You guys having a party or something?"
The older man with coveralls said, "Yeah. About once a week, we like to have a little get-together; watch some TV, play cards, drink beer."
"Is this just a guy thing or…" Zoey trailed off, raising an eyebrow to ask the question without saying it out loud. The two men looked at each other, not sure of what to say. Scarlett grabbed Zoey's arm.
"Zoey, let's go. You can't invite yourself to a party. That's rude. And we're holding them up. That TV's not getting any lighter." She turned to the men, "Sorry, you guys." She began to push Zoey forward. She couldn't believe that her friend was trying to get the two of them into a men's party.
"W-wait!" the young deckhand called out, making the two girls turn around. He couldn't possibly…"You can come. It'll be in the lounge." His partner shot him a confused look. "Yeah, you can invite some of your college friends too so we can all get to know each other a little better since we'll be on the same ship for the next two months. It'll be on Saturday at seven o'clock. You both twenty-one?"
Scarlett opened her mouth to bashfully answer "no", but Zoey jumped right in before she could get a word out.
"Yep. The big two-one! We both made it just this past month!"
"Well, happy belated birthday to you both! My name's Connor, by the way. I would shake you ladies' hands, but y'know…" he nodded to the TV with a smile.
"Not a problem. I'm Zoey," she grinned and gestured to Scarlett. "And this is my B.F.F. Scarlett."
Scarlett made a small wave with her hand. The older man cleared his throat to get Connor's attention.
"Oh, and this is Mike. Sorry, he's normally not this crabby." Mike snorted in reply and began to move forward, making Connor follow. "Fine, fine. We'll go!" He turned and called back to the girls. "It was nice to meet you. Look forward to seeing you around."
"Nice to meet you too! Thanks for inviting us! We'll be there!" Zoey waved back like a little school girl until the men disappeared up the stairs. Scarlett turned to Zoey with narrowed eyes.
"What was that? We're not twenty-one."
"Oh, c'mon. We only have a few more months," Zoey shot back. "Besides, did you see how cute Connor was? And I bet there are more like him around here."
"But that 'Mike' guy had to be, like, thirty-five."
"Doesn't mean that they're all that old! We need to find you a man, Scarlett. Ever since Justin, you've been a stick in the mud."
Scarlett's jaw dropped. "I have not! I'm just…not ready to meet somebody yet," she mumbled softly. After her old high school sweetheart broke up with her, her self-esteem plummeted. He had wanted things to end because they were going to different colleges that were far from each other. Scarlett had said she could handle a long distance relationship, but apparently he couldn't. He said "we should explore the possibilities out there". She knew what that meant: there were more fish in the sea and he didn't want to call it quits yet. But if something wasn't broke, why would he want something new? That was the question Scarlett always kept asking herself. Was she just not interesting enough for him? Did he think he could do better? The questions and paranoia began to eat away at her confidence until she didn't want to be around anyone anymore. Did everyone else think of her as Justin did? When she had asked that question to Zoey once, her friend told her she was being ridiculous and dragged her out of her mopey state little by little by taking her out to places, showering her with praise, and forcing her to do things that she'd rather not. Scarlett had improved the image she had of herself after a while, but she didn't know if she'd be prepared for another relationship. What if the same thing happened again?
"Well, it's been two years," Zoey complained. "It's time to move on. And being at sea is the perfect place to do that."
Scarlett hung her head and muttered, "Maybe…"
Zoey turned around after hearing her low tone and saw Scarlett's sagging face. "No 'maybes'! Only 'yes-es'!" she stuck her fist into the air. They stopped in front of a door marked "9". "Well, here's our room. I already brought my stuff in," Zoey pushed open the metal door. The room was cramped with plain-looking bunk beds, a wooden desk, and a closet. Zoey's luggage took up most of the floor space. There was one empty suitcase open with most of the clothes thrown onto a shelf in the closet and a knapsack with its contents sprawled all over the bed: books, magazines, notepads, pens, candy wrappers, a polaroid camera with already developed pictures beside it, a laptop with headphones, and one of those old-fashioned magnetic gyro wheel toys.
"Sorry…it's kinda messy. I've been waiting here a while," she sheepishly scratched her blonde head. "I got dropped off early this morning and have been waiting for you ever since."
Scarlett scoffed and dropped the bag from her shoulder. "Is there any room left for me?"
Zoey grinned mischievously and pointed her index finger upwards. "The top bunk."
Scarlett instantly narrowed her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so." She wheeled her large suitcase by the bottom bunk, gathered everything that was already laying there into her arms, and dumped it on the empty desk. Then she kicked her friend's bag off of the blue quilt and replaced it with her gun case.
"I know you did not just do that!" Zoey wagged her finger like she was fussing a child, but it was more humorous than anything. "Whoever got here first gets dibs on whatever bunk they want," she threw Scarlett's duffel bag up onto the higher mattress. Scarlett snorted.
"Says who?" she pulled her bag back down.
"Says…" she paused, trying to come up with an answer. Snapping her fingers, she said, "The laws of nature: the early bird gets the worm."
Scarlett came up with a better comeback. "But who's older by a few weeks, hmm? What does nature say about seniority?"
"But who's gonna be staying up later partying and come back to the room drunk at 4 a.m.? She's going to need a bed to crash in because she can't climb a ladder when she's in that state."
"Who's the more responsible one around here? And you'll just sleep on the floor if you come back drunk and wake me up," Scarlett dismissed jokingly with a wave of her hand. "Or on one of the shelves in the closet," she smirked. Zoey was mortified and put her hand to her chest in shock before scrambling to form another response in retaliation. She put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips together. Scarlett was quite amused.
"Yeah, well…who's gonna make me? You?" Zoey dared, raising her eyebrow condescendingly and crossed her arms. "I've taken on my brother and he's twice your size," she belittled. Scarlett's eyes glanced towards the bed. She craned her neck forward to get in her friend's face and spoke in an evil, devious tone.
"Who's the one with the gun?"
Zoey stopped and narrowed her eyes. Checkmate. "Fine. You win."
Scarlett grinned smugly. "You'll like climbing up there. You'll feel like a monkey."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Zoey dismissed, retrieving and wheeling her own suitcase into the space between the wall and the beds. She stacked another duffel on top of that one and, finally, a decorative-looking tote on top. Scarlett pointed to it.
"What's in there?"
"Things," she replied in a sarcastic voice. Scarlett climbed across the bed to seize the bag. "Hey!" Zoey shouted and tried to stop her. Scarlett got her hands on it, but Zoey tackled her, making Scarlett's upper body fall off of the bed. She opened the tote and saw it was a makeup organizer with everything from eyeshadow to lip gloss.
"Why'd you bring your tackle box full of makeup?"
Zoey gave her a pouty look. "'Cause…'cause…"
"Were you planning on hooking up with a guy on this ship? Or…multiple guys?" Scarlett whispered the last part.
Zoey huffed dramatically and rolled her eyes. "Nooo…" she trailed off in a deep voice. Scarlett was not convinced and rolled her eyes as well, but said nothing. It wasn't her business to meddle in other people's lives. If Zoey wanted to be like that, she couldn't stop her. Besides, if she tried to give a lecture, it would make her friend want to rebel more.
"Wanna start unpacking?" Scarlett changed the subject to get them back on the same page. Zoey nodded.
"Sure. Put on some music too. I'm feeling…" she tapped her chin a few times, as if deep in thought, and then perked up, "…vintage!" Scarlett rolled her lower half off of the bed, took her iPod out from her bag, and plugged it into a portable speaker.
"What's it going to be today?" Scarlett smiled while scrolling through her song selections.
"I'm thinking…the Led."
Scarlett smugly commented, "Told you I'd get you to like them," and played the first Led Zeppelin song that came up.
"Yeah, whatever; 'Scarlett's right', 'Scarlett knows everything', 'Scarlett's got great taste in music'," Zoey mocked in a deep comical voice.
Scarlett felt the need to rub it in some more and grinned puckishly. "Aww, look, see? You're able to say it without me even telling you! Ow-!" Zoey had seized the pillow on the bed and struck her in vengeance.
"That's for being a smart-ass, missy!"
"Fine, fine. I'll stop!" she grabbed a neatly folded white pillowcase and waved it above her head to announce surrender. Zoey nodded curtly and they began to put their belongings in the appropriate places: clothes in closet, sheets on mattresses, paper, books, and writing utensils in desk, laptop charging on top of said desk, ship information and personal pictures pinned to the bulletin board, gun case under bed. Once they finished, Zoey collapsed as if she were defeated after a long, arduous battle.
"Ugh, finally done! I can't wait to get in the water. It'll feel so good." She turned on her side and propped herself up on one arm. "I hope we'll get to see something really cool, like a great white."
Scarlett laughed, "Woah, slow down there, Evel Knievel. You know how freaked out you would be if we saw one? Your heart would be pounding so hard, that it would be drawn to us like a fat kid on cake!" she exclaimed while stacking her folded clothes more properly in the closet.
"Hey, I wouldn't be the only one! I bet you'd probably pee yourself if we saw one." Zoey teased. Scarlett turned around.
"Not before you do," she laughed.
"Okay, okay, look," Zoey hurriedly rolled off of the bed and stood up before Scarlett could say anything else. "If either of us pisses ourselves, we'll give the other twenty dollars. Is that a good deal?" Zoey stuck out her hand confidently. Scarlett stared at it and cracked a smile. This was going to be an interesting trip. Definitely worth remembering. She clasped Zoey's hand.
"Deal. And whenever it happens, you MUST tell the other person, otherwise you're a crappy friend."
Zoey put all of her weight on one leg and leaned back, wearing a smirk. "Would I ever lie to you, best friend?"