Disclaimer: I don't own the heroes, the mythological characters that are
unknown to everyone else are obviously mine, and there are some people who
really exist today (to my current knowledge) and they belong to themselves.
This is for fun, so please don't sue me.
Note: This is my first Tomb Raider fic, but not my first fan fic. I have no problem with flames, and critiques are welcome. I apologize for any grammatical errors, or errors I have in characterization. I'm just trying to break in the word with this new story topic.
Ok, now you can begin reading the story.
Oracles
The orrery shuddered behind her as she watched with much amusement Powell trying to connect the two halves of the triangle.
"Not quite what you hoped for, Mr. Powell?" Powell's shoulders shook with anger as he spoke to Lara, stood, and threw the knife into Alex's chest. The man staggered and fell into the water. As another planet came around, Lara watched Alex become snagged and he screamed before he was dragged under. But Lara wasn't afraid. She knew what would happen. A part of her knew this was a dream. So she walked away. Alex flailed under the water then went still. Lara kept on walking, walked through Powell, through the floating triangle, through her father, and Alex was in front of her again. He smiled. She glared. As if admitting defeat, he bowed his head. Then his hand shot up, gripped her throat, crushing the air trying to get in to her empty lungs. His head lifted, and his mouth oozed with blood, as his eyes glowed a murderous rouge.
"Thank you for your ignorance." Her neck snapped.
Lara fell out of bed. Looking around frantically, she found herself to be in her bedroom, sunlight filtering through the windows. Her silk sheets lay in a heap about her tangled legs. 'Bugger.' She kicked the sheets away and rose to her feet. After a few moments of stretching, she moved down to the kitchen where Hillary was preparing eggs and French toast.
"Morning, Lady Croft. I trust you slept well."
"Good morning, Hillary." She considered mentioning her rude wake up call, and decided to stay silent. Bryce wouldn't let up for weeks. She inhaled the strong aroma of her fresh cup of coffee, and smiled. She took a sip and sat at the table to read the Times. Hillary placed a plate before her, covered with two eggs, two slices of his French toast, and a cup of fruit.
"Thank you, Hilly." She took a bite, and looked at the front page.
And nearly choked.
"What in the name of God…" There, under a large bold heading that screamed '10,000 dead: Plague or Curse?', was a terrifying picture of a massacre. Bodies were strewn in the streets, surrounded by police tape and people in full out gas protection uniforms. Lara's appetite sank as she continued reading the article.
'Last night, a green haze swept over the cities of Corinth, Patrai, Volvos, Larisa, Piraeus, Eutoea, and Athens, leaving 10, 000 civilians dead, and hundreds dying. No doctors can name the source of the sudden outbreak of bacteria, but it is an airborne threat that kills in hours. It was detected by satellite radar at 10:30 last night, slowly spreading from earth vents at Delphi. There was no warning or notification declaring this as terrorist related. Government officials believe that it is not a terrorist group, but a deadly outbreak of a new disease.
"It is a mixture of toxic gases and substances that were buried years ago during a routine military mission that went arry," Rome's General of War Bentilio Marcus stated firmly in a press conference early this morning. "The substance, a compound of lithium and phosperous, is not dangerous to humans who come in contact with it. However, we believe that polutents dumped into the atmosphere and the soil have formed a toxic reaction that has spread with amazing speed and killed without warning. Right now, the best scientists and biochemists from every country in the world are working nonstop to find a vaccine and a way to stop it before it kills again. Though there are no facts to support the conclusion, it is believed that if a vaccine does not appear, every country in the earth will be affected within three days.
Citizens of Greece and archeologists in the area believe differently, and argue that this is not an act of science, but a curse brought about when a recent expedition removed artifacts from Delphi that were believed to hold powers of the ancient Grecian gods. Tony Cruzan says, "Those artifacts were hidden below Delphi for thousands of years, and were never touched because of a curse that would wipe out the entire world." The artifacts taken consisted of mirrors, pottery, ancient scrolls, and a sword made out of pure gold, with ancient markings and a perfectly cut sunfire diamond in the shape of the sun.' Lara put the paper down slowly, her eyes transfixed on a point at the wall.
"Lara, what's up?" Bryce asked as he looked up for the first time from his latest book on military technology.
"They took the Cachexia Sword."
"The what?" Bryce's face mirrored his confusion. But Lara didn't answer for she had already run out of the kitchen and to the Pope's Study room, where thousands of archeological books sat in wait for her. Her fingers flew over the various titles, fluttering from shelf to shelf until she found it. From the third shelf she pulled out Greek Gods and Warriors. She flipped to the index, and scanned for the Cachexia Sword.
"Gotcha." Her fingers flew over to the indicated page, and before her was the painted picture of the sword, molded in gold, the hilt covered in intricately laid jewels, and a large orange diamond in the shape of the sun pressed into the center of the sword. There was a whistle behind her.
"Damn, that's one helluva sword. Quite stunning." Bryce tapped his fingers on the chair he leaned against. "What is it?"
She handed the book to Bryce, her focus forward but really on nothing, and she walked to the windows.
"Ok, then," Bryce said, and began skimming. "The Cachexia sword. A mystical artifact, full of wonder and power. Some say it was created by the same being that created Excalibur. It was used in 2300 BC by a warrior named Cabala. He was born with the power of the fight, and by 12 was leading men to battle. He fought bravely for Greece in the wars that divided the lands of Europe. In the final war of the Greeks and the Cretens, Cabala led them all to a last battle that would decide the fate of the Greeks. This battle took place at the temples at Delphi. The dawn before the fight, he swore enternal loyalty to Apollo, god of the sun, in return for a sign that would bear the powers of the greek gods, and ensure victory amongst Cabala and his warriors. He received the Cachexia sword. It was made of pure gold, threaded from the rays of the sun, and the hilt had a gem for each of the gods on Olympus, with a tiny bit of their power woven into each glittering jewel. And in the middle of the sword was a diamond shaped like the bright glowing sphere in the heavens, and burned yellow from the sun. This was Apollo's power, and the sword throbbed with heat that burned and glowed with light that blinded the enemy. After they won, Cabala was given land and named king of Greece at 18. By this time, he was dangerously handsome, and could kill without a doubt. But his heart was made of gold as brilliant as his magical sword. These traits appealed to the goddess of the moon, Artemis. Secretly, she would slip away at night to see him. One night, Cabala asked Artemis to make him immortal so she could become his wife, but Artemis didn't have that power. So he swore his heart and soul to her. Touched by his compassion, Artemis created a bow and set of arrows made of silver. In the middle of the bow, she placed a sapphire shaped like the moon. 'If ever Apollo's gift does wrong, this will return everything to a blissful state.' This gift became known as the Crescent Bow.
"Hermes, messenger of the gods, spotted her one time while taking a message to Hades, and immediately told Apollo. This angered her brother, for Cabala broke his loyalty to him. In a fit of anger and jealousy, Apollo sent a curse on Cabala, destroying the two things he swore to Artemis. The sun god's cure stole his soul and turned his heart of gold to black lead. The kingdom soon collapsed, and thousands died at the insanity their king suddenly portrayed when he turned into a soulless beast. Cabala's sword became a symbol of death, of destruction, and became as cursed as he. Artemis, who's special bow could reverse Cabala's curse, never knew that Apollo was the cause of Cabala's insanity, and turned her back to him in disgust. Heartbroken at his feral nature, the goddess through the bow and magical arrows to the sea, and let them sink beneath the waves. When finally Cabala was destroyed by a thunderbolt from Zeus, Apollo took his body and his soul and placed it at Delphi, trapping it under a stone with an inscription reiterating Cabala's oath of loyalty to the sun god. Upon this inscription, the Cachexia sword was pounded into the ground, piercing Cabala's lead heart to keep him there for eternity as punishment for his betrayal. For all those who try and remove the sword, an evil plague is said to be released from Cabala's rotting corpse. This plague will wash over the lands and destroy all it touches. Then, with the aid of a human sacrifice, Cabala will rise again to reclaim his place on the throne." Bryce made a little humming sound as he looked up from the colorful pictures. "Well, it's a lovely bedtime story."
"It's not a story, Bryce. It's a curse come back to kill us because some archeologists took the sword. Didn't you read the paper today?" He shook his head, and she quickly relayed the story.
"Oh, joy. What a way to start the day."
"Bryce, look up all the information you can get on the Crescent Bow."
"Isn't it just a myth?"
"Of course, just like the Cachexia sword." Bryce winced.
"Right. And how exactly is a bunch of arrows going to stop a spreading plague?"
"I don't know. Yet." She walked over to the phone, picked it up, and dialed a number. "Croft. I need another favor."
2 hours later
Bryce was typing wildly across the keyboard as Lara finished up her routine exercise with Simon… with blanks, at Bryce's command. When she came out, Simon looked relatively unharmed, much to his relief.
"Anything?" Lara asked as she wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Not yet. Most is just fictional information, stories and legends."
"Keep looking." Then she walked off for her shower. When she was drying her hair and fixing it into her trademark braid, she heard a sudden whoop from downstairs.
"It's about time." There was a soft chi-chi-chi-chi coming from outside. "And right on time. Perfect." Quickly she tied the end of her hair, reached for her backpack, and hurried down into the lobby. Hillary was looking outside and Bryce was ripping pages from the printer as the chopper outside landed.
"We have company," Hillary commented as Bryce ran over and thrust the papers in Lara's hand.
"Got everything! Some centuries after Christ, a group of nomadic Arabian sailors found a silver bow and arrows in Crete, each bearing the mark of a sapphire crescent moon. They took it back to their ruler, the Sultan Kashieja, and he had it buried with him in an underground palace in the country of Oman."
"You're a good man, Bryce." There was a loud gong from the door bell.
"I'll get it," Hillary said and immediately moved to answer the door. A tall black man in a navy uniform stepped in. He was built like an ox, with muscles clearly showing under his crisp white outfit.
"Lady Croft?"
"Yes?" Lara stepped up.
"Shugrave sent me. I'm Lieutenant Jackson Wells. I'll be your personal transport to where ever you need to go, for as long as you need me." Lara smiled brightly. Hillary moved to take the gentleman's hat. Bryce gaped.
"What interesting connections you have, Lara." She nodded.
"Hurry up and pack, Bryce. We'll leave in one hour."
"Aww, Lara, why can't I just stay here? We can use the comm link," he whined. Ever since the whole Illuminati business, when she made him go with her to Iceland, he made it a point not to attend her various expeditions anymore. She quirked her eyebrow, and glared.
"Bryce. Don't start. This is serious." He sighed and lifted his hands in defeat.
"All right, all right." He walked out the door to his trailer.
"Where will we be going, Lady Croft?"
"Set your plans for Omar. We're going to pay a visit to the Sultan. And call me Lara." She turned to Hillary, who stood quietly with a concerned look on his face. "Hilly, please get me a phone. I have to call to let them know I'm coming. Then I want you to pack, and get on the next flight back to Westshire. I want you to stay with your family until I come back."
"Of course." A shadow of a smile passed his lips as he turned to leave the room.
Warmth. Everything was warm. How odd. It's been cold for so long. What a sensational feeling. In the darkness of the earth, something growled. It moved slightly, nothing more than a twitch. But it smiled with delight. It moved again, making dust fly from it's mashing bones. It moved its decayed hand to the sword, and found it gone. Some took the sword. A deep rumbling laugh shook the ground, cracking the stone tablet holding the creature inside. The destruction of earth had begun.
The palace was located in the capital of Oman, Masqat. Here, when Wells landed the helicopter, she was meet by palace guards who escorted her to the conference room. Bryce, at her request, was taken to a room where he could set up his computers for when she went into the tomb. All around, the room was decorated in gold and jewels. Priceless paintings adorned the walls, and various artifacts were set in glass cabinets. In one cabinet, a particular object caught her eye, and she smiled at the memory. Shining brightly in the slanting sunlight of the afternoon sun, the dagger of Xian sat poised like the gold snake wrapped around it. Lara remembered hearing it auctioned off the day she took the Clock to her beloved friend and father figure, Mr. Wilson. Her smile faded as she remembered finding in the paper news of his murder. Then a door opened, and a warm voice called to her.
"Lady Croft, welcome to Oman!" Lara turned to see the polite Arabian Sultan Qaboos bin Said dressed in fashionable but hinting at casual clothes. He came over and kissed her left cheek then her right.
"Good afternoon, Sultan. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."
His smile faded. "I wish it could be under better circumstances." He gestured for her to have a seat, and she gladly accepted. "I noticed you looking at the dagger. I must confess, I'm a lover of Chinese artifacts, and quite impressed by your work."
"Thank you, I'm flattered you follow my expeditions."
Sultan Qaboos cleared his throat and his voice became grave as he focused on the crisis at hand. "So, you said I may be able to help stop this deadly disease?"
"Yes," Lara said as she leaned on the table and folded her hands. "There's a legendary bow and set of arrows made of silver that are rumored to have the ability to reverse the affects of the plague." Lara pulled out the small packet of papers Bryce had printed up for her earlier. "Apparently, a long time ago, the bow and arrows were brought here during the reign of Sultan Kashieja, and they were entombed with him when he was buried." Qaboos took the papers and flipped through them.
"Ye, I am aware his burial place is in the underground palace beneath our tallest mountain, Al Jabal al Akhdar."
Lara nodded. "Time is of the essence for all of us. You know the terrain better than I do. What is the fastest way to the mountain?"
"Transportation by vehicle will take more than a day with the rock terrain and desert valleys. My advice, take a helicopter and parachute down to the base of the mountain. Then, once you retrieve the artifacts, radio back here and the helicopter will return with a pickup crane to bring you back."
Lara nodded her approval with a smile. "Brilliant idea, your highness. I'm impressed with how quickly you developed that plan."
He laughed and stood. "It wasn't mine. A fellow raider came up with it not an hour ago. He actually looks forward to working with you." He walked over to the door leading to the balcony.
Lara smiled, but groaned inwardly. 'Ugh, I don't want to see Alex right now. The incorrigible bastard, not even a phone call since that dinner after Iceland.' She stood and turned to collect her papers.
"Hello, Lara."
'What the bloody hell?' Her back went ramrod straight, and she slowly turned, shock mirroring in her eyes. For a moment, she was speechless as he walked to her, his dusty blonde hair as unruly as ever. Blue eyes smirked at her, his accented facial features set in a cocky smile that was surrounded by a rough blonde goatee. Her eyebrow arched, and finally she smiled as her voice returned to her.
"Chase Carver, well I'll be damned." 'What is he doing here?'
"Hey Sexy. How've you been?" Standing before her, he extended his hand in a professional gesture, and she returned it. Then he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I've missed you." He gently kissed her cheek, and Lara felt momentarily embarrassed.
"Still stealing hearts as easily money, I see."
A wide smile creased his face. "Are you implying I've stolen yours?"
"My heart? When hell freezes over. My money? Religiously." Lara was deftly amused at his hurt expression.
"Still sore about that poker game, eh?" He scratched his head and his face grimaced in guilt.
"Oh, no, of course not, Chase. You only lost 500,000 pounds of my money."
"Come on, Honey! They spiked my drink, I'm positive!" he pleaded.
Lara rolled her eyes and brushed past him. "Didn't you give me that excuse when we went dinosaur hunting near Albuquerue? When you lost 325,000 pounds of my money on a game of blackjack?" She stepped outside and looked up to see the sun falling from its zenith.
Chase thought it best not to respond on that topic.
"So you came up with this idea to take a chopper to Al Jabal al Akhdar, right? It's a good plan. We should leave quickly." She looked at her watch before turning to leave for Bryce's room.
Note: This is my first Tomb Raider fic, but not my first fan fic. I have no problem with flames, and critiques are welcome. I apologize for any grammatical errors, or errors I have in characterization. I'm just trying to break in the word with this new story topic.
Ok, now you can begin reading the story.
Oracles
The orrery shuddered behind her as she watched with much amusement Powell trying to connect the two halves of the triangle.
"Not quite what you hoped for, Mr. Powell?" Powell's shoulders shook with anger as he spoke to Lara, stood, and threw the knife into Alex's chest. The man staggered and fell into the water. As another planet came around, Lara watched Alex become snagged and he screamed before he was dragged under. But Lara wasn't afraid. She knew what would happen. A part of her knew this was a dream. So she walked away. Alex flailed under the water then went still. Lara kept on walking, walked through Powell, through the floating triangle, through her father, and Alex was in front of her again. He smiled. She glared. As if admitting defeat, he bowed his head. Then his hand shot up, gripped her throat, crushing the air trying to get in to her empty lungs. His head lifted, and his mouth oozed with blood, as his eyes glowed a murderous rouge.
"Thank you for your ignorance." Her neck snapped.
Lara fell out of bed. Looking around frantically, she found herself to be in her bedroom, sunlight filtering through the windows. Her silk sheets lay in a heap about her tangled legs. 'Bugger.' She kicked the sheets away and rose to her feet. After a few moments of stretching, she moved down to the kitchen where Hillary was preparing eggs and French toast.
"Morning, Lady Croft. I trust you slept well."
"Good morning, Hillary." She considered mentioning her rude wake up call, and decided to stay silent. Bryce wouldn't let up for weeks. She inhaled the strong aroma of her fresh cup of coffee, and smiled. She took a sip and sat at the table to read the Times. Hillary placed a plate before her, covered with two eggs, two slices of his French toast, and a cup of fruit.
"Thank you, Hilly." She took a bite, and looked at the front page.
And nearly choked.
"What in the name of God…" There, under a large bold heading that screamed '10,000 dead: Plague or Curse?', was a terrifying picture of a massacre. Bodies were strewn in the streets, surrounded by police tape and people in full out gas protection uniforms. Lara's appetite sank as she continued reading the article.
'Last night, a green haze swept over the cities of Corinth, Patrai, Volvos, Larisa, Piraeus, Eutoea, and Athens, leaving 10, 000 civilians dead, and hundreds dying. No doctors can name the source of the sudden outbreak of bacteria, but it is an airborne threat that kills in hours. It was detected by satellite radar at 10:30 last night, slowly spreading from earth vents at Delphi. There was no warning or notification declaring this as terrorist related. Government officials believe that it is not a terrorist group, but a deadly outbreak of a new disease.
"It is a mixture of toxic gases and substances that were buried years ago during a routine military mission that went arry," Rome's General of War Bentilio Marcus stated firmly in a press conference early this morning. "The substance, a compound of lithium and phosperous, is not dangerous to humans who come in contact with it. However, we believe that polutents dumped into the atmosphere and the soil have formed a toxic reaction that has spread with amazing speed and killed without warning. Right now, the best scientists and biochemists from every country in the world are working nonstop to find a vaccine and a way to stop it before it kills again. Though there are no facts to support the conclusion, it is believed that if a vaccine does not appear, every country in the earth will be affected within three days.
Citizens of Greece and archeologists in the area believe differently, and argue that this is not an act of science, but a curse brought about when a recent expedition removed artifacts from Delphi that were believed to hold powers of the ancient Grecian gods. Tony Cruzan says, "Those artifacts were hidden below Delphi for thousands of years, and were never touched because of a curse that would wipe out the entire world." The artifacts taken consisted of mirrors, pottery, ancient scrolls, and a sword made out of pure gold, with ancient markings and a perfectly cut sunfire diamond in the shape of the sun.' Lara put the paper down slowly, her eyes transfixed on a point at the wall.
"Lara, what's up?" Bryce asked as he looked up for the first time from his latest book on military technology.
"They took the Cachexia Sword."
"The what?" Bryce's face mirrored his confusion. But Lara didn't answer for she had already run out of the kitchen and to the Pope's Study room, where thousands of archeological books sat in wait for her. Her fingers flew over the various titles, fluttering from shelf to shelf until she found it. From the third shelf she pulled out Greek Gods and Warriors. She flipped to the index, and scanned for the Cachexia Sword.
"Gotcha." Her fingers flew over to the indicated page, and before her was the painted picture of the sword, molded in gold, the hilt covered in intricately laid jewels, and a large orange diamond in the shape of the sun pressed into the center of the sword. There was a whistle behind her.
"Damn, that's one helluva sword. Quite stunning." Bryce tapped his fingers on the chair he leaned against. "What is it?"
She handed the book to Bryce, her focus forward but really on nothing, and she walked to the windows.
"Ok, then," Bryce said, and began skimming. "The Cachexia sword. A mystical artifact, full of wonder and power. Some say it was created by the same being that created Excalibur. It was used in 2300 BC by a warrior named Cabala. He was born with the power of the fight, and by 12 was leading men to battle. He fought bravely for Greece in the wars that divided the lands of Europe. In the final war of the Greeks and the Cretens, Cabala led them all to a last battle that would decide the fate of the Greeks. This battle took place at the temples at Delphi. The dawn before the fight, he swore enternal loyalty to Apollo, god of the sun, in return for a sign that would bear the powers of the greek gods, and ensure victory amongst Cabala and his warriors. He received the Cachexia sword. It was made of pure gold, threaded from the rays of the sun, and the hilt had a gem for each of the gods on Olympus, with a tiny bit of their power woven into each glittering jewel. And in the middle of the sword was a diamond shaped like the bright glowing sphere in the heavens, and burned yellow from the sun. This was Apollo's power, and the sword throbbed with heat that burned and glowed with light that blinded the enemy. After they won, Cabala was given land and named king of Greece at 18. By this time, he was dangerously handsome, and could kill without a doubt. But his heart was made of gold as brilliant as his magical sword. These traits appealed to the goddess of the moon, Artemis. Secretly, she would slip away at night to see him. One night, Cabala asked Artemis to make him immortal so she could become his wife, but Artemis didn't have that power. So he swore his heart and soul to her. Touched by his compassion, Artemis created a bow and set of arrows made of silver. In the middle of the bow, she placed a sapphire shaped like the moon. 'If ever Apollo's gift does wrong, this will return everything to a blissful state.' This gift became known as the Crescent Bow.
"Hermes, messenger of the gods, spotted her one time while taking a message to Hades, and immediately told Apollo. This angered her brother, for Cabala broke his loyalty to him. In a fit of anger and jealousy, Apollo sent a curse on Cabala, destroying the two things he swore to Artemis. The sun god's cure stole his soul and turned his heart of gold to black lead. The kingdom soon collapsed, and thousands died at the insanity their king suddenly portrayed when he turned into a soulless beast. Cabala's sword became a symbol of death, of destruction, and became as cursed as he. Artemis, who's special bow could reverse Cabala's curse, never knew that Apollo was the cause of Cabala's insanity, and turned her back to him in disgust. Heartbroken at his feral nature, the goddess through the bow and magical arrows to the sea, and let them sink beneath the waves. When finally Cabala was destroyed by a thunderbolt from Zeus, Apollo took his body and his soul and placed it at Delphi, trapping it under a stone with an inscription reiterating Cabala's oath of loyalty to the sun god. Upon this inscription, the Cachexia sword was pounded into the ground, piercing Cabala's lead heart to keep him there for eternity as punishment for his betrayal. For all those who try and remove the sword, an evil plague is said to be released from Cabala's rotting corpse. This plague will wash over the lands and destroy all it touches. Then, with the aid of a human sacrifice, Cabala will rise again to reclaim his place on the throne." Bryce made a little humming sound as he looked up from the colorful pictures. "Well, it's a lovely bedtime story."
"It's not a story, Bryce. It's a curse come back to kill us because some archeologists took the sword. Didn't you read the paper today?" He shook his head, and she quickly relayed the story.
"Oh, joy. What a way to start the day."
"Bryce, look up all the information you can get on the Crescent Bow."
"Isn't it just a myth?"
"Of course, just like the Cachexia sword." Bryce winced.
"Right. And how exactly is a bunch of arrows going to stop a spreading plague?"
"I don't know. Yet." She walked over to the phone, picked it up, and dialed a number. "Croft. I need another favor."
2 hours later
Bryce was typing wildly across the keyboard as Lara finished up her routine exercise with Simon… with blanks, at Bryce's command. When she came out, Simon looked relatively unharmed, much to his relief.
"Anything?" Lara asked as she wiped the sweat from her brow.
"Not yet. Most is just fictional information, stories and legends."
"Keep looking." Then she walked off for her shower. When she was drying her hair and fixing it into her trademark braid, she heard a sudden whoop from downstairs.
"It's about time." There was a soft chi-chi-chi-chi coming from outside. "And right on time. Perfect." Quickly she tied the end of her hair, reached for her backpack, and hurried down into the lobby. Hillary was looking outside and Bryce was ripping pages from the printer as the chopper outside landed.
"We have company," Hillary commented as Bryce ran over and thrust the papers in Lara's hand.
"Got everything! Some centuries after Christ, a group of nomadic Arabian sailors found a silver bow and arrows in Crete, each bearing the mark of a sapphire crescent moon. They took it back to their ruler, the Sultan Kashieja, and he had it buried with him in an underground palace in the country of Oman."
"You're a good man, Bryce." There was a loud gong from the door bell.
"I'll get it," Hillary said and immediately moved to answer the door. A tall black man in a navy uniform stepped in. He was built like an ox, with muscles clearly showing under his crisp white outfit.
"Lady Croft?"
"Yes?" Lara stepped up.
"Shugrave sent me. I'm Lieutenant Jackson Wells. I'll be your personal transport to where ever you need to go, for as long as you need me." Lara smiled brightly. Hillary moved to take the gentleman's hat. Bryce gaped.
"What interesting connections you have, Lara." She nodded.
"Hurry up and pack, Bryce. We'll leave in one hour."
"Aww, Lara, why can't I just stay here? We can use the comm link," he whined. Ever since the whole Illuminati business, when she made him go with her to Iceland, he made it a point not to attend her various expeditions anymore. She quirked her eyebrow, and glared.
"Bryce. Don't start. This is serious." He sighed and lifted his hands in defeat.
"All right, all right." He walked out the door to his trailer.
"Where will we be going, Lady Croft?"
"Set your plans for Omar. We're going to pay a visit to the Sultan. And call me Lara." She turned to Hillary, who stood quietly with a concerned look on his face. "Hilly, please get me a phone. I have to call to let them know I'm coming. Then I want you to pack, and get on the next flight back to Westshire. I want you to stay with your family until I come back."
"Of course." A shadow of a smile passed his lips as he turned to leave the room.
Warmth. Everything was warm. How odd. It's been cold for so long. What a sensational feeling. In the darkness of the earth, something growled. It moved slightly, nothing more than a twitch. But it smiled with delight. It moved again, making dust fly from it's mashing bones. It moved its decayed hand to the sword, and found it gone. Some took the sword. A deep rumbling laugh shook the ground, cracking the stone tablet holding the creature inside. The destruction of earth had begun.
The palace was located in the capital of Oman, Masqat. Here, when Wells landed the helicopter, she was meet by palace guards who escorted her to the conference room. Bryce, at her request, was taken to a room where he could set up his computers for when she went into the tomb. All around, the room was decorated in gold and jewels. Priceless paintings adorned the walls, and various artifacts were set in glass cabinets. In one cabinet, a particular object caught her eye, and she smiled at the memory. Shining brightly in the slanting sunlight of the afternoon sun, the dagger of Xian sat poised like the gold snake wrapped around it. Lara remembered hearing it auctioned off the day she took the Clock to her beloved friend and father figure, Mr. Wilson. Her smile faded as she remembered finding in the paper news of his murder. Then a door opened, and a warm voice called to her.
"Lady Croft, welcome to Oman!" Lara turned to see the polite Arabian Sultan Qaboos bin Said dressed in fashionable but hinting at casual clothes. He came over and kissed her left cheek then her right.
"Good afternoon, Sultan. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice."
His smile faded. "I wish it could be under better circumstances." He gestured for her to have a seat, and she gladly accepted. "I noticed you looking at the dagger. I must confess, I'm a lover of Chinese artifacts, and quite impressed by your work."
"Thank you, I'm flattered you follow my expeditions."
Sultan Qaboos cleared his throat and his voice became grave as he focused on the crisis at hand. "So, you said I may be able to help stop this deadly disease?"
"Yes," Lara said as she leaned on the table and folded her hands. "There's a legendary bow and set of arrows made of silver that are rumored to have the ability to reverse the affects of the plague." Lara pulled out the small packet of papers Bryce had printed up for her earlier. "Apparently, a long time ago, the bow and arrows were brought here during the reign of Sultan Kashieja, and they were entombed with him when he was buried." Qaboos took the papers and flipped through them.
"Ye, I am aware his burial place is in the underground palace beneath our tallest mountain, Al Jabal al Akhdar."
Lara nodded. "Time is of the essence for all of us. You know the terrain better than I do. What is the fastest way to the mountain?"
"Transportation by vehicle will take more than a day with the rock terrain and desert valleys. My advice, take a helicopter and parachute down to the base of the mountain. Then, once you retrieve the artifacts, radio back here and the helicopter will return with a pickup crane to bring you back."
Lara nodded her approval with a smile. "Brilliant idea, your highness. I'm impressed with how quickly you developed that plan."
He laughed and stood. "It wasn't mine. A fellow raider came up with it not an hour ago. He actually looks forward to working with you." He walked over to the door leading to the balcony.
Lara smiled, but groaned inwardly. 'Ugh, I don't want to see Alex right now. The incorrigible bastard, not even a phone call since that dinner after Iceland.' She stood and turned to collect her papers.
"Hello, Lara."
'What the bloody hell?' Her back went ramrod straight, and she slowly turned, shock mirroring in her eyes. For a moment, she was speechless as he walked to her, his dusty blonde hair as unruly as ever. Blue eyes smirked at her, his accented facial features set in a cocky smile that was surrounded by a rough blonde goatee. Her eyebrow arched, and finally she smiled as her voice returned to her.
"Chase Carver, well I'll be damned." 'What is he doing here?'
"Hey Sexy. How've you been?" Standing before her, he extended his hand in a professional gesture, and she returned it. Then he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I've missed you." He gently kissed her cheek, and Lara felt momentarily embarrassed.
"Still stealing hearts as easily money, I see."
A wide smile creased his face. "Are you implying I've stolen yours?"
"My heart? When hell freezes over. My money? Religiously." Lara was deftly amused at his hurt expression.
"Still sore about that poker game, eh?" He scratched his head and his face grimaced in guilt.
"Oh, no, of course not, Chase. You only lost 500,000 pounds of my money."
"Come on, Honey! They spiked my drink, I'm positive!" he pleaded.
Lara rolled her eyes and brushed past him. "Didn't you give me that excuse when we went dinosaur hunting near Albuquerue? When you lost 325,000 pounds of my money on a game of blackjack?" She stepped outside and looked up to see the sun falling from its zenith.
Chase thought it best not to respond on that topic.
"So you came up with this idea to take a chopper to Al Jabal al Akhdar, right? It's a good plan. We should leave quickly." She looked at her watch before turning to leave for Bryce's room.