The Fight
"Gunderson, release Boaz!"
In that moment, Kurtis Trent knew that nothing good would come from those words that echoed throughout the arena. He knew Eckhardt had tricked them, made Lara chose between him and the painting with the promise to let them go.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Lara, stepping toward him, bending down to help him up. I do 'not' need your help, he thought as he lifted a hand and stopped her from coming to his aide.
He made it to his feet only to stumble backwards into the arms of Lara. Kurtis gripped his shoulder; a searing pain running through it from the fall he had taken from the catwalk above as he stabilized himself and moved a few inches away from her. He refused to show any sign of weakness toward this woman.
A huge garage door lifted; the track it was on creaking loudly, in dire need of a good oiling. Behind it revealed the face of Boaz, her eyes glaring; face slightly colored from the toxic slime of the Pod that had consumed her life.
Lara had drawn her gun and was pointing it at the creature beyond the door. But Kurtis focused his attention on Eckhardt and drew his Boran X and pointed it in the direction of his archenemy with the hopes of putting a bullet through his skull, but Eckhardt had already moved away from the ledge and out of range.
"Not you Muller, you useless piece of dross; you failed me too!" Eckhardt's voice called from above. A faint grunt sounded and the plump botanist, Grant Muller, fell through the air, flailing his limbs toward the cold steel of the ground below.
With his gun drawn, he circled around Lara, only to notice that she had had the same reaction to Muller's fall. A slight smile emerged from his lips before he turned his attention to the no longer needed Cabal member in front of him. He shared a quick glance with Lara and she tipped her head in Muller's direction. No loss, Kurtis agreed with silence.
The botanist, being the coward that he was, ran from Kurtis' gun point, toward the garage door, only to be swept up in the massive jaws of the giant creature that emerged from behind the door. Apparently the giant Boaz bug wasn't in to having her old colleague for dinner and Muller's body was flung through the air and across the arena.
Kurtis had feasted his eyes upon the beast and noticed the look of shock on Lara's face. He couldn't go after Eckhardt and leave her to fight the creature alone. It took a brief second to realize that he couldn't fight Eckhardt alone.
"Come on, I'll give you a boost," he said, holstering his gun and kneeling on one knee, preparing to throw Lara into the air. He pushed her up and used his powers to make sure she landed on the catwalk safely.
"Kurtis, quick," Lara's voice called to him as Boaz moved closer, waddling from side to side on her long, spidery legs.
"Here, take these two," he said tossing her his two Periapt shards and placed the opposite hand over his stomach. This should give me the time I need. I can get rid of Boaz and then meet up with Lara and we can take down Eckhardt together, he thought.
"These are your specialty Kurtis," Lara said, a hint of worry in her voice.
He shook his head. "Don't worry about ugly here. Go on! You're wasting time!" He slowly turned around as Lara fled. He drew his gun and held it calmly at his side. "I can take of her."
As he finished turning around, he was met face to face with Boaz. She snarled, opened her jaws, and growled at Kurtis. Ever heard of a breath mint?, he thought.
The creature's body twisted and writhed in agony as it collapsed to the floor and then ceased to move.
Kurtis sighed heavily and held his gun to his side, glad that the battle was over. There had been a series of close calls when he didn't think he would make it; the green liquid that spewed from the four sacs on her sides had stung him like a thousand bees and every time she had lunged forward toward him, he was sure he'd be caught in her deadly jaws.
"That wasn't so…hard," he said and began to walk away, his free hand resting lightly over his stomach.
Just when he thought he was home free and was trying to figure out how he could to Lara, he heard a noise and turned around to see a human-fly emerge from the carcass of the giant bug. The fly-lady unfolded her colorful wings and shrieked, then flew up in the air and rapidly descended.
"Gimme a break," Kurtis breathed as he raised his gun and aimed it at Boaz's head. A few well placed shots and she fell to the floor.
Kurtis stood over her body, pointed to gun to her head as she snarled and then ceased breathing. He holstered his gun and walked away.
Now that that's done, he thought. A growl from behind sounded and before he could turn, a sharp pain was felt in his stomach. He looked down at gaped at one of Boaz's legs sticking through him. He grabbed it with his hand right before she yanked it out. Kurtis grabbed his Chirugai and sent it flying toward the barely living fly-lady. It sliced off her head in one clean cut and sent it rolling to the floor.
He gripped his stomach as he fell to his knees. Never turn your back on your enemy, a voice said in his head; a voice that wasn't his. But he shoved the voice in the back of his mind as he knelt on the ground, holding his bleeding stomach. Never turn your back on your enemy, the voice came again; a voice that suddenly became recognizable, the voice of his father while he was in Lux Veritatis training. He couldn't think of the past, he had to focus on what was happening at that very moment; he was dying. He fell to the ground and sighed in heavily and his eyes closed.
Kurtis, quick. That voice. He knew that voice. The voice of a woman whom he had grown accustomed to the last few days; the voice of his ally, partner in crime; the voice of his friend.
Lara, he thought as he lay there over the plate that had raised to cover the entrance to the Lux Veritatis vault. Lara. He kept repeating her name over and over in his head. These are you specialty Kurtis, her voice said in his head again.
Lara, he thought again. Where is she now? His thoughts went back to Lara; back to the day in the Louvre and the pay-back he had received in the airlock after he'd come out of the Sanitarium. He thought of Lara as he laid there, soaked by the puddle of his own blood.
Can't stay here. They could find me here. He struggled to his feet and fell back down. He grunted and tried again, this time shakily making it to his feet. His hand was red, covered in his own blood. Below him, a crimson pool was spread out at his feet. I've lost a lot of blood. He looked down at his stomach and removed his hand, revealing a baseball sized hole in his shirt; his skin was jagged and his insides exposed. Damn. I like this shirt. Cut it out Trent. You gotta get out of here. He stumbled toward the door Boaz emerged and stopped mid-step. Lara. She needs to find me. But I can't stay here. What if they come back? He looked down at his Chirugai and used what little strength he had and tossed it so it landed in the middle of the pool of blood. Hopefully she'll find it.
He stumbled down a cold, damp corridor and collapsed at the end of it. His breathing was getting harder; his wound was bleeding more heavily. He leaned against a near-by wall and pressed his hand harder against the gaping wound in his stomach. She'll be here soon. Lara will be here soon.
Kurtis? Kurtis?
A voice, but whom? He couldn't open his eyes, not yet. That voice. I know that voice.
Kurtis? Are you alright?
Lara, he thought. Lara. Unconsciously he had spoken her name.
Yes Kurtis, I'm here.
Dreaming, he told himself. You're dreaming. Life is slipping through your fingers. You're done Trent. You're done.
He saw a light; a bright light and he was approaching it. His hand was outstretched, reaching for the light. His eyes opened and looked into a familiar face. "Lara?" he breathed.
The woman before him smiled and sighed with relief. "Kurtis."
"You found me," he whispered.
"I couldn't leave you."
Alrighty...that's that. Reviews would be most appreciated; I'd like to know what everyone thinks. It's so hard to write in Kurtis' point of view; he's such a complicated character. :P -bm16