Chapter 2

Sam sat cross-legged on her bed with her computer in her lap. She occasionally took a glance over at Lara as she packed up the few belonging she had with her. When Lara caught her looking she quickly turn back to her computer. She was hurt and she wanted to make sure Lara knew it. Outside a storm had kicked up suddenly and rain was drumming against the window.

Lara had called Agent Johnson back, told him she would take the job and got his help arranging an early release from the hospital. She had tried to talk to Lara again about going with her but Lara wouldn't discuss it further. That was a problem because she had made herself a bit of a promise. When she awoke to Lara holding her… looking down at her. She swore she would never be separated from Lara again. Maybe it was an unrealistic promise, but she didn't care. She only felt safe with Lara and she feared what would happen if she left. Would she turn into a nervous wreck that jumped at every sound? Would she be able to sleep without hearing Himiko scream in her dreams? Sam didn't want to find out. Beside all that she felt Lara needed her too. She had taken a lot of the responsibility for what happened on her own shoulders and it was weighing her down. Lara was the strongest person Sam knew but she didn't believe Lara could keep going bearing all that weight… sooner or later it would break her. Sam wasn't going to let that happen. She would help Lara carry her burdens and in time she might even be able to help her lay some of it down.

Of course none of that mattered if Lara simply left her behind… so she had two options. Convince Lara to change her mind or follow her secretly. The mind-changing thing wasn't going very well so Sam had already started planning for option two. Lara had taken a shower and changed clothes and while she was in the bathroom Sam had hidden her cell phone in Lara's bag. After she left Sam planned on buying a new smart phone that would let her track her old one's GPS chip. Of course that was as long as Lara didn't find the phone smuggled in her things. That was the real reason she kept looking up to watch her pack. Sam was terrified Lara would somehow discover it… but she didn't. Sam felt Lara's eyes on her and looked up to meet them.

"I'm going now Sam…" Her voice cracked slightly. She just stood their awkwardly waiting for something. Sam set her laptop on her bed, walked over to Lara and wrapped her arms around her. After a brief moment she felt Lara's arms fold around her. God she loved this feeling… it met some primal need deep inside her. The feel had always been there and if anything had intensified since Yamatai.

"Sam?" Lara's voice broke her thoughts and she realized she'd been holding on too long. Sam pulled back and tried to cover.

"I'm still pissed at you, but… I'm going to miss you." Lara seemed to except that.

She smiled. "This isn't goodbye forever Sam… we'll see each other again."

"Damn right we will." Sam said and then thought sooner then you think.

"Take care of yourself." Lara took Sam's hand and squeezed it.

"You too…" Sam mustered a smile and squeezed Lara's hand back. Lara pulled her hand from her grasp and picked up her bags. She started to leave but she stopped and looked back at her.

"I will Sam… I promise." And then she was gone. Sam sank back down onto her bed trying to keep back the tears she felt building, but it was no use. They came unbidden and for a moment she let herself cry, but only for a moment.

"Come on Nishimura…" She told herself. "Stop blubbering and get your shit together." She had a lot of work to do and little time to do it.

Aside from some clinginess Sam took my departure much better then I thought she would. I actually felt awful about leaving the way I did, but I suppose there was no easy way to do it. As soon as I left the hospital I felt a void open in my gut. I was well acquainted with this particular feeling. Loneliness and I had become consistent bedfellows over the years… especially after I lost my parents. But, then I found a group of friends. People who accepted me regardless of who my parents were… They didn't care I was a Croft only that I was Lara. Most people will never know the burden of only being a surname… to have others see you through the tainted lens of heredity. That was why I loved my friends and why I missed them so much. Sam was one of the only people I had left and I was walking away from her. I consoled myself with the fact that I was protecting her… though to be honest it held a lot less comfort then I thought it would. Part of me hated the thought of being alone… another part knew it was something I would learn to live with.

A cab was waiting for me in the hospital pickup area. I told the driver to take me to the nearest Internet café. He looked at me through the rear view mirror for a moment. I wondered if he recognized me or if he was pondering the little white girl speaking Japanese with a British accent. I smiled at him politely and with a shake of his head he drove away from the hospital. Agent Smith was supposed to be emailing me some information and their best leads on where to start my investigation. I wanted to look over what they had but I wasn't sure I would use it. My plan was to reach out to one of Roth's old associates; a man named Robin Wanner. I only met him a couple of times but Roth told me if anything happened to him I was to contact Wanner. I didn't know if he could help me but it was worth looking him up regardless.

"What brings you to Tokyo?" The driver asked in Japanese. He was still glancing at me through the mirror now and then.

"The usual I suppose… seeing the sights… visiting friends." I tried to sound nonchalant looking out my window. Not exactly the truth but not wholly a lie either.

"I think I have seen you before…" the driver said. Since my face had been all over the news I suspected he probably had. I winced and waited for him to put it together. The pause dragged on while the windshield wipers beat back the rain. If he realized who I was he didn't say anything.

"Perhaps I've ridden in your cab before… this isn't my first time in Tokyo." I tried to deflect. This earned a thoughtful murmur from him.

"You have many friends here?" he asked next. I had ridden in a number of cabs over the years. I didn't own a car while I was attending university and spent many nights in the back of one with Sam half passed out on my shoulder. So, I was used to cabbie small talk and there was something a little off about this one. I looked to the front and caught him watching me through the mirror again.

"No… not many." I forced a smile feeling more uncomfortable by the second. My hand went reflexively to my hip but there was nothing there, no pistol and no climbing ax. I wished I had something… anything I could use to defend myself if I needed it. Then I realized how ridiculous I was being. Getting weirded out by a cab driver in the middle of Tokyo. Yes, it was irrational, but admitting that didn't make me feel better. We were mired in low moving traffic… likely due to the rain.

"Crazy weather, isn't it?" my driver said.

"What do you mean?"

"The forecast said it would be bright and sunny today and we get this." He gestured out the windshield. Now that he mentioned it I realized it was strange… This storm had blown in so suddenly and with no warning, like the storms on Yamatai though less violent. Also the anger and hatred that seemed to permeate the very clouds and the rain on Yamatai was not present here. If this storm made me feel anything it was a melancholy loneliness. Only I was already feeling that way so maybe it was me and not the storm.

We pulled up to the cyber café, which didn't look to busy inside. I paid the driver and got out with my one bag. I didn't have a whole lot of money on hand, hopefully it would be enough to rent a computer long enough to get done what I needed.

Once the cab had dropped Lara off at the curb it went two blocks and turned down an ally. The back entrance of a building opened, a young woman with albino hair and pale skin came out of the building and got into the cab.

"I did what you said." The driver told her.

"And… what did she say?" The woman asked.

"She is here visiting friends…" The driver shrugged. The woman drummed her fingers on her knee.

"That's all she said?"

"She didn't talk much." The driver shrugged again. The woman took a small fold of yen from her pocket and handed them to the driver.

"Thank you very much." The driver bowed his head. She didn't say anything else as she got out of the cab. She stood back watching the cab pull away. He may have believed Lara but she knew better. The now famous archeologist was up to something and there were too many coincidences for her liking. She had to know what Lara was doing and since coy didn't work she'd have to resort to something a little more base. She took out her phone and made a call.

"It's me…" She said switching to Russian.

"Are we green?" A deep male voice replied.

"Yes, you're good to go… remember I don't want her killed, just questioned."

"Force may be needed."

"You can use force just don't do anything… irreversible."

"I will call you back when it's done." With that she ended the call and slid the phone back in her pocket. She didn't like having to resort to this kind of thing but it couldn't be helped. She wouldn't let anyone get in her way and fuck up all her work… not even Lara Croft.

As I walked to the table with the computer I had rented I noticed I was drawing the eyes of several of the patrons in the Café. It was then I realized it had been happening since we got off that bloody island. The crew of the boat that rescued us, at the hospital, the cab driver and here… everywhere I went people had been staring at me. I had always tried to fly under the raider, to go unnoticed. I didn't like being the center of attention… that was Sam's department. It was one of the reasons we got a long so well she soaked up the attention and I snuck by in her shadow. But, something had changed… I wasn't that mousey little collage student anymore. Maybe it was like the ship captain said it was my scars and the look in my eyes. Whatever it was it made me uncomfortable. Aside from not liking the spot light, it would be difficult to sneak around asking questions if I were always drawing attention.

I log into the computer and a message popped up informing me I had 90 minutes remaining in my session. I would have liked more time but couldn't afford it. The only reason I had any cash at all was because Sam insisted I take some from her. I tried to refuse but in the end I was glad she won out over my stubbornness. The first thing I did was to log into my email and looked at the information Agent Smith sent me. As I suspected there wasn't much there. Mostly the files referenced businesses believed to be fronts for Trinity. One of which was a major technology firm that had their hands in just about everything from tablet computers to GPS satellites. If this information was correct then Trinity was a huge and very well funded organization. Getting to them would not be a simple task. It would be like trying to get to the center of an onion… peeling away layers and layers of deception. Luckily I was an archeologist and digging to find the truth is what I did best.

The only lead that seemed worth pursuing had to do with a bail bonds place in California that was suspected as being a front for hiring mercenaries for Trinity. The file suggested getting sign on as a gun for hire could be an appropriate starting point. I didn't like the idea but there was so little to go on. How could these intelligence agencies know so little about such a big organization? I opened a new draft and sent off a message to Roth's contact. All I had was an email address… Roth said it was because Wanner didn't trust cell phones. Though with all the news recently I wondered how much more secure emails were. I told Wanner who I was and a few details about recent events, enough to let him know that I needed help. After sending it I pulled up a web search engine and looked for a store where I might be able to find some equipment I would need.

After maybe 15 minutes my inbox chimed to alert me of a new email. It was from Wanner. It was extremely short.

Lara, I am currently in South Korea working on something of a personal nature, but I can be in Tokyo in approximately four hours. Go to the Regent Hotel and give my name at the front desk. They will give you a key to a suite… wait for me there.

-RW

That was it, go to a hotel and wait. I didn't particularly like the idea of pacing back and forth in strange hotel room for four hours. But, I would have done it for Roth and I promised I would trust Wanner too. With about 45 minutes left in my session I finished looking for provisions. There were three places within walking distance of the hotel. Clothing, outdoor sporting goods, and a gun shop… everything I thought I would need. I desperately wanted to spend the next few hours shopping and stocking up before going to meet with Wanner, but the he seemed to want me in that hotel room waiting. I'm not always the best at following directions but once again a little voice in the back of my head reminded me I was really doing this for Roth. I sighed, logged off the network and ended my session with 30 minutes to spare. I collected my change and headed for the hotel hopping Wanner would actually be able to help me.

The clerk behind the desk eyed my warily even after I told them Ronin Wanner had sent me. The clerk took my ID to photocopy and made me sign a form promising to pay ¥2,000 yen if I lost the key fob. Then she handed back my ID, the key and a couple slips of paper explaining the different amenities with their corresponding charges and fees. I thanked her and turned towards the elevators. I felt her eyes on me as I walked I and casually glanced behind me. The clerk was looking in my direction, but turned away as soon as she saw me gazing back. She seemed awfully tense and despite my appearance I found it hard to believe I was the one who had set her on edge. I was almost to the elevator bank when I heard a voice I recognized. Agent Smith… I dashed around the corner where elevators were and peaked out in the direction of the voice. Agent Smith and Agent Johnson were at the front desk talking to the clerk. If possible she looked even more uncomfortable now. Maybe they were the real reason why. When I was sure they weren't looking I left the alcove with the elevators and slipped into the lounge next to it. I sat in one of the high backed chairs facing away from them and picked up a complimentary magazine. I pretended to read an article about gene splicing and cloning while Smith and Johnson passed me on their way to the elevators. They were talking between themselves.

"How long are we going to let this go?" Johnson said. Smith pressed the call button.

"As long as we need to." The chime sounded and they stepped into the elevator. I put the magazine down and trotted over to the to see what floor they ended up on. The display over the door of the elevator they boarded stopped at 6. The elevator to my left opened and a couple holding hands walked out. I hopped into it and pressed for the 6th floor. I wanted to know more about my new employers, I wanted to know if their presence here was merely a coincidence or something more. So I decided to follow them. I realized I didn't have a plan once they reached their room and that I was actually trying to spy on a couple government men. These were two things I would never have done before Yamatai. But, everything was different now and after all Sam did call me a secret agent.