Tomb Raider

Valley of the Ancients: Part 1

**************** Cusco **************

Here she was in South American, the city of Cusco to be exact...

This city was not a small place by any means. With its multitude of people, animals, and other living things, the municipality ranked within the top ten most populated areas in the country of Peru.

Looking out across the rooftops from her hotel room it seemed hard to imagine that this place, at one time, had been the capital of the ancient Inca Empire.

Anyway, even with the markets, restaurants, tourist shops and everything else, there were still plenty of historical places to visit, as well as other venues of interest, but more to the point, Lara hadn't come here for pleasure, relaxation, or sight-seeing. No, her trip to Peru was more in line with a commitment. She'd come here to complete an assignment.

Lara Croft (treasure hunter and gatherer of historical artifacts and knowledge), had been enlisted to travel to these parts. She had been funded by a group of individuals, a select group...a secret group. They had sent a representative to present to her a request, a plea, and if necessary to beg. That person was someone that she knew...his name was Byron, Byron Platt.

Byron had told Lara that the group he spoke for had come to be the retainer of a map, a treasure map. He described that they had come to possess an ancient document which revealed the location of the "ciudad sagrada de oro"...(Sacred City of Gold, or El Dorado).

Now of course in the chronicles of treasure hunting, El Dorado was one of the most famously recognized hidden places of all time. Never found, never revealed, it had been said that the undiscovered city was only a myth, a legend, a fable. Lives had been lost searching for it, and people had gone mad trudging through the jungle. However, one thing was for certain, the idea of discovering a place so rich, so incredible, so astounding, never fell short of some peoples' interest.

Anyway, Lara knew Byron. She knew that he was an amateur archaeologist, had been for years. They had begun a correspondence some time ago (over the internet). They had even met up a couple of times in different parts of the world. She also knew, without letting on, that he was a big fan of hers, almost embarrassingly so.

Anyway, she listened to his story and although she viewed it with humor, at first (she was skeptical), she really didn't brush it off completely.

(How many times had she heard stories like this before? How many wild goose-chases had she been a party to in her younger years? More than she cared to count. Still, she had been willing to listen to him and reach her own conclusion. She accepted the endeavor)

Lara retained her commitment even though something later she found out, through separate means (she had an inside ringer, an informant), that there wasn't just one group involved, one sole organization interested in this venture; it was a conglomerate of several. Various groups had joined together. Nonetheless she had agreed to take on the assignment. She allowed her services to be garnered.

Now, in agreeing to this undertaking, she wasn't doing it for monetary gain. It was more for sport...adventure, a sense of service to humanity. Any earnings she may acquire from this operation would be donated to charity or any other number of worthy causes. Lara didn't need to profit. Her family wealth was more than she could spend in ten lifetimes.

Anyway, although her name was well known around some social structures, it was still mostly unknown to many a group outside the circle of serious archaeology. And that's how she liked it. Lara enjoyed her private life. She dodged the spotlight as must as possible, preferring to socialize mostly at public gatherings and group events which sponsored of some kind of humanitarian effort. Still, here she was in Cusco, Peru.

*********** Getting Started-Day 1 **********

Lara had been instructed by Byron that she was to meet up with an individual who would lead her in finding the path to the lost riches of Paititi. Her contact was named Amelia, Amelia Sanchez, and Lara would be able to recognize this person by a red colored "A" upon their jacket.

The treasure hunter/archaeologist was looking out of her hotel window now, waiting for this person. She was equipped and ready to go. She thought that she might garner a glimpse of whoever her contact may be before they made it to her hotel.

Looking skyward she could see that the morning was sunny and bright. It might turn out to be a nice day, even if her contact never made an appearance, which did happen sometimes.

Anyway looking out of the window down at the street she noticed a person waiting to cross on the opposite side. This individual was wearing a dingy colored yellow jacket, and even from her position in the window Lara could see that there was an crimson "A" on it. Still, there was something confusing. The individual was male, it was a guy. Lara had been of the mindset that "Amelia" suggested that her contact would be female. Not that she was being judgmental or anything (by now the Tomb-Raider, as she was often referred to, prided herself on rarely being surprised. She tried to plan for every outcome. In her chosen field it worked in her favor to always be ready). Still, she turned away from the window and waited for the knock on her door. It wasn't long in coming. She opened it...

"BYRON...?"

For the second time, in less than a minute, the seasoned archaeologist had been startled.

"...What are you doing here?"

"Hello Lara," Byron Platt spoke. He stood just outside in the hallway.

(Byron was around the age of twenty-seven at this time while Lara was around thirty)

"You didn't think that I was going to let you begin this adventure without me, did you?" He smiled.

Lara hesitated for a moment. She waited before giving him an answer.

"Well," she said, "I didn't know what was in store for me today. However to be honest, I certainly wasn't expecting to see you. You hadn't spoken of joining this little expedition before."

END PART 1