Meeting up once again with the Bugman warrior
Disclamer: I do not own Lara Croft or Kurtis Trent; they belong to their respectable owners. This is just for entertainment reading, and a concept story. A special thanks to gyikhu :)
Lara Croft found herself in a situation that she had never faced before...cherishment and love. Her whole body was full of a mixture of tenderness and romantic feelings. This attraction had grown for so long that it has blossomed throughout this journey. She knew that the person who was holding her tightly felt the same way. Lara recollected her memories of how she had got to this sweet moment in her life, and it only was a few days ago...
The disappearance of Kurtis Trent had taken an effect on Lara. For the duration that she has spent in Paris, she would stare out into a distance, wondering if she would randomly encounter the mysterious man, who reappears often when you least expect it. Lara would even walk along where she previously spotted his presence in previous adventures, this including passing by Café Metro, the now torn down Le Serpent Rouge or around the jetty. It was like taking a trip down memory lane, but Lara was missing an important piece, and she knew in her heart, it didn't feel right. Thereafter things started to change...
One day, Lara received a tip off that someone had seen a similar description of the person Lara was looking for. This particular figure was spotted by the exact same location to where Lara had first made proper contact with the shadow man. Has soon as Lara got the news, she headed straight for the Louvre galleries. Unlike the last time of having to break into the gallery, this time around she was able to enter as a guest, to view and observe the artwork and paintings. But she had a different intention, other than admiring the many artist's pieces of work and valuable objects that were placed in the gallery...
Lara entered the Louvre gallery, passing security through the entrance. Unbelievably it wasn't that busy, with only a few visitors wandering around the beautiful interior of the marvellous building architecture. Incidentally as Lara was searching around, unsuspiciously she remembered the layout of the insides, as much of it has remained the same as before. Lara walked up the first stairwell, keeping an eye out for the secretive ex legionnaire. Continuous memories kept on flooding back to Lara. She retained her memory of the archaeological dig, and using Werner Von Croy's notebook to help her solve that puzzle wheel, which was located up ahead. A few minutes later, Lara made her way to one of the gallery rooms, to where she had made her first encounter with the stranger. Lara began to casually look around the room, but saw no sign of anything but the expensive collection of art and objects and the guests whose attentions were fully on these items...
'Darn! No sign of him!' A disappointed Lara thought, and just as she turned around to head for the exit of the room, Lara sensed a presence right behind her. Before she was allowed to turn and found out who had stepped behind her person, she suddenly felt a cold gun metal barrel touching her neck...
"Shhh...Don't turn or say anything. We're being watched, but not by who you think we're being watched by" A recognisable voice spoke behind Lara. At the corner of her eye, she spotted the person who was scanning the gallery room, probably pursuing the same person Lara was. But Lara was not going to allow that hit man spoil this moment. Without hesitation, Lara did the most unexpected action, which took the person behind her off guard...
Swiftly, Lara turned and pushed the character behind her to the side wall out of sight. Conveniently a pillar was there, which hid the two of them out of the peoples' area of vision, including the person who was seeking them out. He was again completely taken off by surprise, when Lara brought her body close to his, and in the spur of the moment, she tilted her head to the side and pulled the shadowed warrior in for a kiss...
Very shortly after, they both embraced in a tight hug, not wanting to let go of each other. As soon as Lara felt that gun metal touching the back of neck, she knew it wasn't just a coincidence. It had to be him...
"I've missed you..." Lara whispered into his ear, as Kurtis Trent broke away, still in shock from the unexpected kiss and then looked deeply into Lara's hazel eyes...
"Wow you've taken my breath away...I've missed you too Lara, but I'm afraid our little engagement may have to be delayed, I'm on the run at the moment. You've probably already seen the mercenary after me" Kurtis told Lara, who herself was cheekily smiling from the small compliment from Kurtis. She then turned serious. Knowing that Kurtis was in some sort of danger now wasn't the time to get romantic with him...
"I knew it wasn't the cameras, and at the corner of my eye I spotted who was looking out for you, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?" Lara questioned Kurtis.
"I'll explain when we get outta here. Can you see the mercenary that you spotted earlier?" Kurtis hastily asked Lara.
Lara peeked out of her side, and scanned the gallery room, but the suspicious looking person whom she saw just seconds ago, was no longer present...
"Nope, I see no sign of him" answered Lara.
"Ah good, he must have gone into the other room, nows our chance to reach for the exit"...
Holding her hand, Kurtis rushed out with Lara to the stairs, down they went in a dash, not thinking about who they bump into on the way, nor caring what anyone thought. Finally the exit doorway was in sight! However they both stopped in their tracks, when out of the blue, two uncertain people had just come into the reception area.
"Blast! More of them!" A dismayed Kurtis cursed, not wanting to cause a scene in the middle of the art museum gallery.
"Quick, this way Kurtis!" Lara pointed out to the fire escape to the right side of the room, and just before the two pursuers were about to notice them, they headed towards the escape latch. Fresh outside air hit the two. They hastily walked further away from the gallery, until they thought that the area they were in was safe enough for not being caught.
"Lara, I need to stay low for a bit, just so these guys lose my trail, can I stay with you for the night?" Kurtis asked Lara.
"Yeah sure, I'm staying at an apartment just a few streets from here. When we get there, you'd better tell me what's going on!" Lara reassured Kurtis.
"Deal, lead the way Lara!" Kurtis allowed Lara to take the lead, and being wary of their surroundings, making sure they weren't being followed or watched.
"So...What are you doing here in Paris Lara, have you come for the sight-seeing or something else?" Kurtis asked her, interested to hear what kind of answer he was about to get.
"Well...Ah, we're here" Lara cut her sentence short, as they got to the apartment block. They went through the reception, and with Lara giving a reassuring wave to the receptionist, the two headed for the elevator. Lara pressed on the button programmed to take them to the highest floor, and the door began to shut, with the motors of the elevator beginning to move the lift car upwards through the floors. There was a few moments silence between Lara and Kurtis, until she began to speak ever so softly and calmly...
"I'm renting the penthouse here for a few days. I just needed a sort of break you could say" Lara finally answered his earlier question.
"Fair enough Lara. But how come I saw you in Louvre? It was like you were looking for someone, instead of enjoying the collection in the gallery" pondered Kurtis.
"Because I heard you were in the area...So I thought I might see how you were, but I didn't know that you were being pursued or hunted down. To which you would now explain to me what's been going on in the next few minutes?" an assertive Lara demanded.
The elevator doors came into life and swung open with the accounted on the lift car speaker calling out "Dernier etage", meaning they have arrived on the top floor. They stepped out of the elevator into a small hallway, in which a magnificent door was straight in front. It had a security card slot, where Lara got out a card and swiped it through the slot. A green light shone, and shortly after a resounding unlock click happened, and with that they entered the penthouse...
Kurtis was initially taken aback with shock of what he had just stepped into. A large living area was much bigger than what was to be expected. It featured a large three piece sofa, with a huge LED T.V and matching furniture going with the theme of the room. A panoramic glass view had brought in much of the afternoon sun brightness into the space, and as Kurtis took another few steps forward, he looked behind him, and saw that there was an upstairs too, leading into separate rooms...
"How much space do you need Lara?" Kurtis sarcastically asked, with Lara giving a little smile at him.
"Oi cheeky, I thought why not go with the best" Lara bit her bottom lip.
"Fair enough" nodded Kurtis, still amazed by the sheer size of the place.
"Would you like something to drink?" Lara asked her guest.
"A beer please, Lara" ordered Kurtis.
"One beer coming up" Lara winked at Kurtis, whom returned the wink also.
Lara went over to the kitchen section of the spacious penthouse and pulled open the fridge door. There, she got out a cold beer, while she put the kettle on ready to make a cup of tea for herself.
"Now, you still owe me an explanation of what you're doing here and why those people were hunting you down" Lara returned back to the subject.
"...Okay Lara, I guess I should confess what I've been doing..." KNOCK KNOCK!
Out of the blue, Kurtis was interrupted by the loud knocking on her penthouse door. Quickly, Lara signalled Kurtis to head upstairs to hide from whoever it was. Both of them expected it to be the same people who were after him in the gallery. Once Kurtis got himself out of views' way, Lara took a deep breath, making up a good disguising expression, not looking like she was hiding anything and then opened the door...
Two tall standing gentlemen, in full out suits and ties had filled the small hallway with their presence. They wore dark sunglasses, hiding what their eyes are doing at that very moment, to which Lara had guessed they were studying her. This silence didn't carry on for long though, as one of the smartly dressed gentlemen began to address Lara in French...
"Bonjour Mademoiselle, pouvez-vous nous aider dans notre enquête?" asked the man. Lara fully understood what he had asked of her, which was if she could aid them in their investigation.
"Je suis anglaise" Lara replied, saying that she was English.
"Ah, my apologies, we've got used to talking in French for most of the day. We are looking out for someone, and we were wondering if you can help out in our investigation?"
"Yes Ma'am, have you seen this man around?" His partner brought out a snapshot picture of a recognisable man caught on camera in a black and white photo shot.
"Who is he?" Lara asked, pretending to not know the man. However, she knew immediately before the picture came out, that they were searching for Kurtis Trent.
"He is a dangerous and wanted man. We don't know what his real name is, so we refer to him by a codename. He is known to us as the Bugman!" The man cautioned.
"Why is he called that?" A confused Lara wondered, having never heard anyone being called that before.
"Because he is a parasite, who needs to be quarantined and eventually exterminated, he has caused many problems for our operations and organisation" explained the man, Lara noticed how much he had expressed his feelings on the matter with that sentence...
"Indeed, he is a thief and a crafty trouble maker, a threat that needs be dealt with quickly and professionally, so please Ma'am, have you seen this man?" The partner promptly asked Lara.
"No...I haven't" Lara lied, cleverly concealing any expressive tells a lie can give off.
"May we look inside, just in case?" inquired the bloke. Not wanting to act or look suspicious, Lara had to allow them to enter inside the penthouse. Perhaps through this way, she can gain some knowledge from them, without causing too much alert. In the back of her mind though, she was wishing that Kurtis had found a good hiding spot, where no one would ever think of looking. It was like a classic game of hide and seek, with Lara hoping that he was an expert at the game...
'Sure he is he's been like a shadow, ever since I've known him' Lara confidently thought to herself.
"Yes, come in, may I ask you some questions though?" Lara bravely inquired.
"Of course ma'am, as long as you can help us with our investigation?"
Lara nodded with agreement, keeping her fingers crossed behind her back as she walked behind them into her large lounge. The two gentlemen separated, one staying beside Lara, while the other began scurrying around, making sure that every corner of the area was not missed.
"So who are you guys, and why exactly must this man be caught?"
"I'm afraid that information is classified, but we can give you this calling card, here"
Lara examined the small calling card which was styled like a business card. The only information given was the name of the person who was stood next to Lara, and his phone number.
"...So, Neil, how long does this thorough search last?" Lara wondered, unsure what reaction she was about to get.
"Not long now" answered Neil, he signalled his partner to check upstairs for any sign of the wanted Bugman.
"Right i just need to do a simple check with you, how long have you've been in Paris for and for how long have you rented this penthouse?"
"I've been in Paris for a couple of weeks, and rented this penthouse for as long as I've been here, I'm here for a little holiday, you know, seeing the sights of France"
"Okay Ma'am, Paul, what's your status for upstairs?"
"Clear Sir" The response came from above.
"Alright, let's leave this lady in peace. We're sorry to have bothered you like this Ma'am, but if you do see that man we've shown you, please call us
At that they began heading for the door, until Neil turned around to face Lara once again.
"Oh yes, a word of warning to you as well, not to sound threatening, but if we catch you with this Bugman, we won't take it too lightly and have to assume that you too are also a threat. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I understand"
"Right, we'll see our way out, thanks very much for your cooperation in our search"
In a professional manner, they left the penthouse and headed their way down the floors using the elevator. As soon as they left the building, with Lara ensuring that the coast was clear, she let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew! I wasn't expecting that! Now you really do owe me an explanation of what's going on, you're on their most wanted list!"
"Alright Lara, you do fully deserve an explanation, but I need to ask you, for what I'm about to tell you may bring you into the fold, are you sure you want to be involved? 'Cause those guys who had just given us that visit, are professionals, one slip up, and for sure they would be one step ahead of you" Kurtis warned.
Lara looked over at Kurtis, fully understanding what she was about to listen to and with her trusting him, she nodded confidently.
"Okay Lara, a few weeks ago I stumbled across an article in the newspaper that a clean-up organisation was to salvage any remains from the Strahov fortress and labs. Instead of throwing away any research conducted, they were planning on using it to further their understanding of the Nephilim race."
"But the Sleeper is already destroyed, how are they planning to advance any further on any type of research on the Nephilim?"
"Ah-Ha, that's what I wondered, but I found out from one of my sources, that they took samples of that ghastly Photo Nephilim and the remains of the Pod and that fly... whom had cut straight into me" Kurtis recalled, feeling his stomach, remembering that intense pain he felt shortly after defeating that monstrous bug...
Lara came over to his side and comforted him, knowing that he was still a bit traumatized by the severe piercing. Kurtis felt more at ease with Lara by his side, knowing that if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't have been able to survive the treacherous Cabal. Kurtis then carried on with his clarification...
"So after I found out this relevant piece of information, I decided to snoop on what their real intentions are...and once I had infiltrated and found out what they plan to, i just had to destroy and take what wasn't theirs. This was when I got caught on one of their very well hidden cameras which I didn't know was there at the time."
"I see... So what were you doing in Louvre?"
"Well, since the Nephilim example cannot be fully destroyed, I had chosen to hide it in the archaeological dig, to where Brother Obscura lies in the Hall of Seasons. That way, it would be difficult in getting access to the remaining Nephilim leftovers. The only person I know who has thwarted and escaped from Brother Obscura's lair, is you Lara." An impressed Kurtis explained. Lara gave another smile at his compliment, and carried on firing unanswered questions at him...
"So did you manage to get there before I bumped into you?"
"...No, when I tried to get to the area in the gallery, it was barricaded and I couldn't get through, and this was when I got caught by those people from that organisation, and had to go hiding in the gallery somewhere...and that is when I saw you there..."
"And so where do you plan on concealing the Nephilim sample now?
"I don't know, I haven't got that far yet in planning, but I don't want to think about it for now..."
By this time night had already fallen in the beautiful city of Paris, and taken by surprise by how time had gone so quick that day, Lara and Kurtis were still sitting there keeping each other company, telling what the other has done since defeating the sleeper. This was until Lara took Kurtis right out of his comfort zone. Some music started playing and both Lara and Kurtis started waltz dancing together, only concentrating on each other and the steps in her open penthouse. To them, it was a magical night...
The morning sun rose, with rays of sunshine seeping into Lara's bedroom. Lara got lightly awoken from this, and she did her morning stretch with a big yawn...
"Kurtis?" Lara called out, but there was no response back. 'Where on earth could he be?' she wondered, by the time she looked around the whole penthouse from him, she knew he was gone...
To Be Continued...