SandsofTime

The Sands of Time

No I don't own the rights to either Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones. Don't bother suing me because I don't have much money. It would be nice if I did but I don't. Finally to those who are reading this fanfic, please enjoy.

Chapter 1

"Nazis, it had to be Nazis" Indiana Jones muttered as lowered his binoculars. He could see them off in the distance moving like ants along the desert valley, towards his location.

He knew that his search for the lost temple, Azanka, was going too smoothly and now the Nazis were yet again interfering in his expedition. Like the past instances where they were searching for ancient artifacts, the Nazis hoped that this find would allow the Hitler and his unholy army the advantage the needed in the war. Unlike the previous artifacts which were supposed to be an ultimate weapon or a means to make the German army invincible, this one, called the Obelisk of Nafets, was rumored to allow a person to travel through time itself.

Jones knew what they where after. 'Hell,' he thought, 'what else would the Nazis be doing in a godforsaken place like this out in the barren mountains of North Africa.' He had to reach the temple and retrieve the artifact before the Nazis got there. Fortunately for him, the Nazis only knew the general area in which the temple resided. Jones on the other had already pinpointed where it was due to an ancient tablet that he had come across during his travels. Those idiots where not able to steal his findings this time so they would not be able to beat him to the location. The question was, would he be able to hold on to the artifact so not let the Nazi get it.

Despite his head start and knowledge of the lost temple he knew that he did not have the luxury to take his time. Despite their lack of knowledge of the surrounding area, due to their persistence and greater numbers they would eventually find the Temple of Azanka and the obelisk therein.

Deciding that he should get going and try to get to the temple first, Jones walked back to his camel and rode away. He would of much preferred a horse to this camel but being best suited for the desert and since it was the only thing his friend Salla had on him, he would have to make due.

'Well,' he thought, 'at least I'm making good time.' Despite the rocky terrain and the fact that it was easy to get lost in this place, Indy was nearing the destination of his journey. He could tell he was close because of some carved statues he came across. One such statue, looking like an coiled viper, ready to strike at travelers passing by. Probably just meant to scare off unwanted visitors Jones figured. He didn't mind the stone ones, but it was the real ones that really scared him. He just hoped that he would not have to face any of 'em.

Just then he spotted it. It wasn't that obvious, partially hidden behind a boulder, a narrow cave dug into the rock face. The place didn't exactly have a sign above it saying that it was the Temple of Azanka but he decided it was probably it. Tying the camel to a lone tree, long dead and bleached by the desert winds, he proceeded to walk towards walk towards the opening. The dark, cool air of the cave gave him relief from the hot, dry desert but Jones couldn't relax now, knowing that this place was most likely filled with traps and a wrong move would mean disaster.

Seeing a torch hanging from the wall, he picked it up, lighting it to allow him to see what lay in store for him. A few hundred feet and five traps later he arrived at the main hall of the place. He was able to dodge the usual pit full of spikes and poison tip darts being launched from blowguns with ease thanks to years of experience. Now out of the passage but not out of danger, a vast open chamber welcomed him. Looking to his left noticed a small trough running along the wall, full of some type of oil. Lighting it with his torch, he was greeted by a serpent of fire running across the walls lighting various lamps sprouting from the wall.

The room now dimly lit could be seen. Surrounded by numerous pillars and sculptures of finely handcarved stone. They surrounded an open floor that probably held a multitude of worshipers but now it lay bare and empty. Beyond that, some steps lead up to a raised platform holding some more elegantly carved statues of ancient design reaching to the ceiling. Finally, in the middle of this elevated space lay an alter with the sought after Obelisk of Nefats. Standing roughly a foot in height and made of black onyx. It was covered with various gems and gold symbols of some sort while a layer of white ivory lined its corners. All this made the dark stone stand out even more as it seemed to draw in the light into the pitch-black void. The artifact was free of any observable imperfection, It was in perfect condition just like the rest of the room. 'Too bad,' Indy thought, 'I would of liked to take a closer look at this archeological find but time is of the essence. The Nazis would eventually find this place sooner or later and I can not afford to be around when they do. Still it would take them a while to find the place and since they did not know exactly where it is, I have a bit of leeway.'

Not seeing and hidden traps he proceed cautiously, across the hall, and up the steps….

***************

Press her foot closer to the floor, the jeep sped up, allowing the wind to rush past at an even greater rate. The flat ground of a long dry riverbed that ran through the mountains made a winding path for the jeep to travel on. It had been a long journey and Lara Croft was eager to get to the rumored temple before nightfall. So far, her latest expedition had been relatively uneventful and was a bit of a relief from her past few adventures. Still though, it was this rush of adrenaline that she had received from being in constant danger that made her feel alive. This one was almost boring.

Using some satellite photos of the surrounding area, as well as some information she gathered about the Temple of Azanka, Lara was able to make a rough guess of where the temple was located. Fortunately, she guessed right and within a few minutes she was at the entrance to the temple, or at least where it had been.

"Just great" Lara muttered as she surveyed the scene.

Where the entrance use to be, was now blocked with debris. The passageway, which was had collapsed, was probably due to the extreme age of the find. 'Being a couple thousand years old had taken its toll' she mused. The question now, however, was not how it happened but how she would get in. Then a though came to her 'Maybe there's a secret passage somewhere. Many ancient temple had been found to have back doors to allow the priest to enter and exit undetected, so why not this one?' It was a long shot and Lara knew it. Unfortunately, it was the only other possibility not involving a full-scale excavation. She would prefer, however, to work alone. It being a situation she was used to as well as the fact that she did not like other people slowing her down. As a result she set out to see if she could find another entrance.

About a half-hour later, Lara thought she had found it. At first it had glance, it had just seemed like one of the many boulders in the area. Upon closer observation she noticed that while it looked like it was imbedded in the surrounding rock, the stone seemed to finely cut and cool air was barely felt, flowing from along the edges. Testing out her theory, she gave the stone a light shove and the in return the stone slid back a bit. Continuing to push, the secret entrance opened before her, allowing her to feel the rush of damp, cold air coming out to from the hidden passage to greet the hot, dry air of the desert.

Before entering though, she went back to her backpack full of supplies she might need which included her two Colt pistols she kept in her holsters, strapped around her waist. They were more out of habit than anything else, and besides she had leaned a long time ago that anything could happen when she goes to raid a tomb. If have to she could should herself out of any situation she might get into but she probably wouldn't have to, this place seemed pretty harmless so far.

Now that she was ready she set off into the passage, hoping that it would lead her to the temple. Turning on a flashlight, she followed the passage a while until it finally opened up into a small room from which hissing could be heard. Lara moved her flashlight around from the pit full of snakes to the remains of a rickety old wooden bridge that at some time at would've crossed to the other side. Unfortunately for her, it no longer crossed the pit and now lay dangling into it. She was left with one solution to her problem, she would have to jump. Even though being quite a long distance off, it was not out of her reach. 'If I took a running jump, I could make this' Lara thought, just before she did precisely that. Even though her jump was a bit short, she was able grab a hold of the ledge on the other side. Dangling a few feet from the floor while poisonous snakes slithered across it, waiting for her fall, Lara pulled herself up, not even fazed from the tragedy that almost befell her.

Continuing along her route, she was confronted by a dead end. In front of her lay a flight of stair leading into the ceiling. Realizing that she was close to her goal, she looked for some sort of switch to open up another hidden panel. This time she did not have a hard time finding it, pulling the small lever attached to the wall, the ceiling slid open.

Walking up the stair, Lara entered a much larger room this time. Shining her flashlight around she spotted an empty trough running along the wall for some reason. As she shown the light around the room, Lara was not impressed. The place was not in that good a condition. All the walls, pillars, and statues were covered with small indentations and chipped masonry. Lastly, she spotted the Obolisk of Nefats which the temple was rumored to hold. She did not know exactly what importance it held, however she did hear one account of it having to with time travel but that was ridiculous. The piece was in somewhat good condition though and seemed to hide in the darkness despite the brilliant artwork adorning the black stone.

Walking over to it, Lara got a much closer look at it. The artifact practically drew her to it, captivating her attention. Glancing at altar that held it, she did not see any booby traps that she might set off. Deciding that it was safe, Lara went to pick it up. As she was holding it up to get a better look at it, all of a sudden her flashlight started to flicker, and all of her muscles tensed. Despite her efforts she could not let go of it and as her world faded into darkness she wondered what she had gotten herself into this time.