Disclaimer: The Tomb Raider series and its characters are not mine; they're Eidos Interactive, Core Design and Crystal Dynamics'

Author's Note:This story is one of my ideas for the upcoming Tomb Raider: Underworld. It is quite short, and intended as a one-shot. Whether you like it or not, reviews are much appreciated.

An Encounter with Mr. Trent

SNAP!

Lara clutched at the rope tightly, looking down into the deep chasm below her. She had been lucky that her grapple worked in time as the stone wall crumbled beneath her feet.

She climbed up, and got a view of the temple that was ahead of her. It was magnificent, and huge. As she walked into its grand entrance, there was a sudden gunshot. Always a good adventurer, she had the instinct to dodge, and the bullet completely missed her. She got on her feet and saw a man at the entrance, holding the artifact that she was looking for.

"Haven't seen you for a long time, Miss Croft" the man said

"It's you!" Lara exclaimed, quite shocked to see this man. In fact, she almost fell in love with him during their short encounter in Prague not long before.

"Kurtis? What get you here? And the artifact?" she asked, quite puzzled.

"Sorry Lara, but I know you will be looking for this artifact. I just got an order to kill you" he said as he aimed at her with his Boran X gun.

BANG!

He missed her again, and Lara, now furiously infuriated asked him "Who asked you to kill me?!" as she took her guns.

Lara fired, but he took cover behind a large pillar and said

"Since you'd be dead anyway, I'll tell you. It's Amanda Evert!" he said, reloading his gun. He turned and noticed that Lara has disappeared.

He looked upwards, and saw Lara. He took his aim at her but it is too late. She kicked his gun away, leaving him empty-handed.

She smiled as she aimed her gun at his forehead.

"The artifact, Mr Trent"

His hand reached for his back pocket, but then swiftly took out the deadly weapon of his, the Chirugai blade and pressed it against her neck.

"I don't think so, Miss Croft" he said, and grinned just like what he did to her back in the Louvre during their escape from Gunderson's mercenaries.

"I am sorry, Kurtis but I have to" she said as she brought her knees up to his crotch in a swift movement.

"AAAAHHHH! BITCH!" He howled in pain as the blade clattered to the floor.

Obviously losing his temper, he tried to punch her, but she ducked, and kicked him squarely in the jaw. He fell onto the ground, unconscious.

She moved his body twice with her foot, and after convinced that she'd knocked him out, she searched his body and found the artifact.

Looking towards the temple doorway, she realized that he had activated some kind of spike traps there, and the pedestal that holds the artifact stood empty.

Looking down at Kurtis' unconscious body, she muttered a 'thank you' and slowly walked away from the place…

END