For everyone else, it's just a normal summer morning in Bangkok, probably a little bit too hot by westerners' standards. At this time of day, it's a pretty good idea to find a nice local bar and drink some great whiskey while listening to oldie music and enjoying the sight of the city streets.
But not for Nate.
"Tell me again what the hell are we doing here, Sully?"
Nathan 'Nate' Drake spoke in annoyance towards his older companion, whose only attention seems to be directed to a bottle of scotch he is holding in his hand.
"Ah, c'mon, Nate. You need to lighten up a bit!" Victor Sullivan replied. "It's not like we're in a race against time to find an ancient lost city before some evil terrorist warlord hunted us down, aren't we?"
"Yeah, like you were there back when we found Shambhala, Sully. We both know you're too old for all that action." Nate said, then smacked his fist playfully on Sully's shoulder.
"And I know it, too, that's why I backed out back then. Last time I tagged along with you guys, you lost your shit after drinking from that fountain! Damn it, Nate, you should've know better." Sully grinned, before continue drinking his scotch.
"Hey, don't bring that up, please! It's...bad for my psychology." Nate spoke nervously, thinking back to the incident in Rub' al Khali desert. Up until now, he still can't get that thing out of his head.
"Besides, I'm retired! I should be at home with Elena, you know? She's gonna be so pissed when I get back."
"Oh boy, don't be so dramatic. She always listen to good ol' Victor goddamn Sullivan! I'll bust your ass out of this like always. You'll be fine!"
"Heh, keep dreaming, Sully. So ya' gonna tell me now what the hell are we doing here?"
Sully, who by this point already finished drinking his scotch, then grabbed something out of his shirt pocket.
A letter.
"We're here because someone needs our expertise, well, your expertise, anyway." He said, before placing the letter on the table "Ahem, how well is your Sanskrit again?"
"A little bit rusty, but should be enough. You still haven't answer my question!" Nate replied, before grabbing the letter to examine.
Dear Mr. Nathan Drake.
First of all, I must apologize for the sudden request, but I am in need of your assistance in this urgent matter. It has come to my attention that your reputation regarding the discovery of the fabled Atlantis of the Sands two years ago is legendary, not to mention the lost city of Shambhala that was long thought to be just a myth. Your exceptional skills will be a valuable asset in this endeavor into ancient history and, should it succeed, would be one of the greatest discoveries of all time.
"Wow, that bad, huh?" Nate scratched his chin. "Who does this guy think he is?"
"Well, as crazy as you, I think." Sully said.
...I understand that you are well-versed in ancient languages like Sanskrit, that is one of the reason I needed your help. As I was unable to contact you directly, I have informed your handler Mr. Victor Sullivan about this matter, as well as providing the future meeting location for your leisure. Meet me at a bar in Four Seasons hotel in Bangkok.
"What? So you're my handler now!?" Nate chuckled while looking at Sully, who also has an amusing expression on his face.
"Well, I'm practically your biggest sponsor, so why not?" Sully smiled.
...I am truly sorry that I am unable to meet you directly at the moment, but my other works demanded my presence, but not to worry, you will surely find me at the meeting location to continue discuss our business. As for now, I wished you good luck on your travels. We will meet soon.
"No sender name, huh? Why the secrecy?" Nate spoke "I hope we're not dealing with some crazy old lady in a nice suit with a bad history of child abuse, heh."
"Nothing we can't deal with, right? Goddamn it, Nate, even God Himself can't touch you while your luck's still running strong!"
"Well, if He has his ways, He'll finally do. After all, He gave me this so-called 'luck'." Nate sighed. For him, he was both the luckiest and the unluckiest man in the world, considering what he's been through.
"Wait, there's more." Sully pointed at the end of the letter. "Post script."
Nate looked at the letter again.
P.S. One more thing I need to mention is that you will not be the only one I have asked for assistance. There is one more person that will accompany us in this adventure. I do not know about her much, but I have heard that she is one of the best in this field. I have already informed her of our proposition, and she is already travelling to our meeting location in Bangkok. With luck, you may meet her there while waiting for me to arrive.
"She?" Nate asked, surprised. "So there's some poor girl who got 'volunteered' into this mess too?"
"Well, if she's already here, she must be in this bar. See if you can find her." Sully remarked.
"But how am I supposed to know who she is? He didn't even mentioned her name in this letter!"
"Well, good luck with that. I'm off to find more real whiskey. This goddamn bar has nothing!" Sully slammed the empty bottle on the table, then walked out of the bar.
"W-wait! Ah, damn it..." Nate got up to follow Sully, but then decided against it.
Well, might as well looking for her now.
After some more glancing through the bar, someone caught Nate's attention.
She was sitting at the bar counter, drinking some glass of water - soda - maybe? She wore a grey tank-top, a pair of blue jeans. Has a brown pony-tail hair. Her face staring straight at a small notebook in her other hand, probably a journal, similar to the one he has. Judging from her appearance, she might be about eight or nine years younger than him.
Her overall body figure, which Nate can't help but notice, is quite muscular, while also slim. Some scars are also present on her arms.
Must've been a gymnast champ. Nate thought. And that build. Damn! She's like war veteran or something!
And with that, Nate walked toward the bar.
"More whiskey, please." He ordered the bartender, then took a quick glance at the young lady's journal.
There's a picture of an old temple, probably Cambodian in origin.
"Angkor Wat, isn't it?" He asked the lady. "Quite a beautiful ruins, don't you think?"
The young lady looked up from her journal, her face is a mixture of both surprise and impress.
"Yeah. My father is crazy about this kind of thing. He never shuts up about it." She replied with a small smile on her face.
British accent, and quite a noble one at that. Nate noticed Is she a royalty or something?
"You seemed to be quite immersed about it, too." Nate leaned against the bar, trying to look casual.
"You could say that." The young lady said. "I think the same could also be said to you, correct?"
"Well..." Nate chuckled. "It depends on the subject."
He then handed his arm toward her.
"Nathan Drake. Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine, sir. Lara Croft." The lady smiled again, then shook Nate's hand.
"So, what is your business in Bangkok, Mr. Drake?"
"Ah, well, there was this guy who sent me a letter, asking for my help about an ancient language. Sanskrit, I think. He says I might help him in what might be one of the greatest discoveries of mankind. Something like that."
"Really?" Lara's eyes widen up. "Then you must be my partner he mentioned in the letter!"
"Heh. I'm just your everyday amateur adventurer, nothing big, apart from running into some lost cities every now and then."
Lara opened up her mouth trying to say something, but then paused as she suddenly realized just who she is talking to.
"Oh my god, it's you! The Nathan Drake! I can't believe I didn't recognize you! You're the one who found Shambhala and the Atlantis of the Sands!" She squealed.
"Uh, yep, and El Dorado, too, but forget about that stuff, it's kinda complicated." Nate smiled childishly."
"Wow! This is a chance of a lifetime, to meet with the legendary Nathan Drake!" She said excitingly. "Is it true that you are a descendent of Sir Francis Drake?"
Uh oh. Nate thought. "Uh, I'd rather not...talk about that. It's somewhat private."
"Ah...I'm sorry." Lara's face saddened. "I didn't mean to upset you."
"No, it's fine! Really." Nate gave her a smile.
"I noticed that your surname is Croft. Are you, by any chance, a daughter of Lord Richard Croft?" He asked.
"Oh, uh, you guessed correct, actually." Lara replied. "Lord Richard is my father."
"You're kidding! The Richard Croft!? That famous explorer and historian!?"
"Uh...well, when you put it that way, you're not wrong." Lara smiled sheepishly.
"They say not a single ancient ruins of a long lost civilization can escape him. He's one of my inspirations, actually." Nate said. "You should be proud of your father, Lara...and yourself, of course!"
Lara just laughed uncomfortably in response.
"Rumor has it that he also wrote a note about a lost Japanese kingdom of Yamatai. Now that's a discovery worth exploring!"
Suddenly, Lara's face seem to have darkened. Her body suddenly tensed up. Her eyes widen.
Ah, damn it, Nate, what have you done!?
"Uh, I'm sorry if I brought up something bad. I didn't mean to."
"N-no...it's alright! I'm just...I'm just..." Lara spoke, but her voice seem panicked.
"Hey, hey. I'm sorry." Nate put his hand on her shoulder, trying to reassure her.
It took a while before Lara managed to calm down. She took a deep breath before finally continue.
"I'm so sorry for earlier, it's just...I had a...not really pleasant experience when I'm searching for Yamatai a couple of years ago."
"So you've found it, then." Nate guessed. "But you ended up getting more than you bargained for."
"You could say that. It's one hell of an adventure. One I wished I never have to go through again." Lara replied.
Nate could only look at the clearly-distressed Lara. He knows that face. The face of a shell-shocked individual, one who've gone through a personal hell and back, both physically and mentally.
This lady has clearly gone through almost the very same thing he did, if not worse, and she's just a teenager! Just having a fresh beginning to make her mark in the world! And yet she have to go through all of this...
"Look, if it could make you feel better, you can share your stories with me. I might, uh...I might not look like it, but I can give you some good advices, you know?"
Lara looked straight into Nate's eyes. Conflicting thoughts in her head.
Can I trust him? Lara thought. No, the real question is that can I really go through all of this again?
If it's the price I must pay for working in this kind of thing...
Lara took a deep breath again, before beginning to tell her story.
"So it was about two years ago. Me and my friend Sam - Samantha - were just fresh out of college. We're leading an expedition to find the lost kingdom of Yamatai in the Dragon's Triangle. Back then, I was so excited. My very first expedition! I'm off to find my own adventure...
...but instead, adventure found me."
"...And while the whole city is collapsing around us, that old geezer Sully still managed to throw off this gem. 'Three goddamn bullets!? How the hell did you do this with three bullets!' Goddamn it, if I wasn't running for my dear life, I would've laughed myself to death then and there!"
And then Nate laughed hysterically, as well as Lara, who managed to lighten up somewhat after listening to Nate's tales.
"And then that freakin' Talbot still tried to kill me and Sully. Gotta admire his tenacity, though. The whole damn city is collapsing at his feet and yet his first priority is to avenge that old hag Marlowe. Got a bullet in the gut for his trouble."
And then they both laughed again for a big while, before finally calmed down.
"I admire your wife, Mr. Drake. From the sound of it, Mrs. Elena is a pretty strong woman. I can't believe that she was once a journalist! Looks like my friend Sam could learn a lot from her."
"Yeah, she's the best thing that ever happened in my life." Nate grinned.
"Those are quite some adventures you got there, Mr. Drake." Lara complimented. "And Mr. Sullivan, too. It sounds like you two went through quite a lot together."
"Yeah, no kidding." Nate said. "He's been taking care of me for God-knows-how-long. I won't admit it in his face, but he's like a father to me."
"You're very lucky, Mr. Drake." Lara said. "I once knew someone like that, too."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Lara's face saddened again. "His name was Roth."
"Oh." Nate's smile faded. He decided not to pursue the topic further.
"Can I ask you one question, Mr. Drake?" Lara asked.
"Well, you did just ask whether you could ask a question, so yeah." Nate joked, trying to lighten up the mood. Lara just giggled a bit, then went back to her serious face again.
"Have you ever regretted living your life like this?"
For once, Nate stayed quiet.
"Finding lost civilizations, going on deadly adventures, saving the world from incomprehensible powers." Lara continued. "It's not really a healthy way to live, right?"
Nate still stayed quiet.
"In the end, is it all worth it?"
Nate stayed quiet, almost for a whole minute, before he finally answers.
"There must be a beginning of any great matter..." He began. "But the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory."
"A quote from Sir Francis, correct?"
"Yeah."
Nate paused, his eyes staring into Lara's eyes. He saw a lot of things in them. Pain, fear, despair, but also determination, courage, and hope.
This girl has a bright future ahead of her. He thought.
"I never asked for my life to be put on the line. I never asked for a bunch of trigger-happy mercenaries wanting to shoot my limbs off. I never wanted to do anything more than going from one place to another, following hidden clues left in historical items, solving clever puzzles that almost blew my mind. But then, even with all the obstacles, all the odds that's been throw at me, I still wanted to continue on, no matter what I must sacrifice, not for fame, money, or even saving the world from evil powers. In the end, I did what I did because it's what I do, to see it through to the end, no matter how it will end. That is the true glory."
Lara listened to Nate's explains as if she was under a spell. Nathan Drake is, to her, more than an adventurer. He taught her that real adventures are not as pretty as some video games. There is a grim reality, one that will unleash everything to bring out her deepest fears, one that will try to steal her life every moment she make even the tiniest mistakes, one that will stop at nothing to prevent her from reaching her goal, but she will not stop, she will not give up, she won't let anything get in her way.
Because this is what she do, she is a, no, the tomb raider.
"You have greatness in you, Lara Croft." Nate continued. "Believe in yourself. Keep exploring the world. Always be the best in what you do. After all, sig parvis magna, right?"
"Greatness from small beginnings." Lara finished, a wide, beautiful smile on her face.
That's so corny, Sully would've laughed to death. Nate funnily thought, then seeing Sully finally returned from outside.
Speak of the devil.
"I see you've finally found your new partner, eh, kid? Victor Sullivan, nice to meet you. Call me Sully." Sully introduced, before pulling Lara's left hand over and kissed it, causing Lara to blush a little.
"Whoa, there, hold it off, big guy. She's young enough to be your daughter." Nate pulled Sully away from her, and causing them all to laugh so loud that everyone in the bar turned to look at them.
"A pleasure Mr. Sullivan, my name is Lara Croft." Lara spoke.
"So, I assumed this kid here didn't pull any of his charms on you, my lady?" Sully asked.
"Quite the opposite, Mr. Sullivan." Lara replied. "...not literally, of course. He has been telling me about his past adventures." She quickly added after seeing Sully looking suspiciously at Nate.
"W-well, gotta share the tales once in a while, right? After all, I did learn from the best." Nate gestured at Sully, who's just shaking his head playfully.
"Nah, nah, I'm the second best." Sully grinned. "The best is right over there."
He pointed at the door entrance, where someone walked in.
Nate's first thoughts; This guy is ancient!
The man who walked in is old, and boy, is he old.
But still...he has that...strange aura coming out of him.
He's just your normal looking old guy. The only thing that tell him apart from others is that weird-looking hat he wore on his head.
A fedora.
"A pleasure to meet you both, Mr. Drake and Miss Croft. I'm Professor Henry Jones."
Author's note: Well, my first take on a video game crossover (and a movie). Not really bad if I do say so myself. :)
Still, something here and there that could be fixed, but yeah, I wrote this for the hell of it. Just finished playing the Uncharted trilogy, and damn, what a trilogy! ^_^ I fell in love with the games right after finishing the first act of Uncharted 2, and well, who doesn't? LOL Seeing that Uncharted plot reminded me of a certain classic game that dealt with exploring old ruins and solving puzzles for ancient artifacts of doom, I can't help but making this crossover, and I enjoyed myself doing so.
I might work on a sequel, or let someone else continue it. I planned this to be a standalone story with a cliffhanger (weird, huh?) and that's about it.
So, how do you guys think? Read and review!