IN THE TIME WE HAVE, Chapter 10
Elsie was exhausted; two days of trudging through the wilderness without food, little water and even less sleep had thoroughly sapped her energy. The Trinity types were moving them along at a merciless pace: they'd brought sufficient food for themselves, of course, but had conveniently neglected to allow for the two young women. Elsie wondered how she and Lara would get back without the basic supplies in their packs – without substantial nourishment to replace burned calories it would be a near thing. They'd even confiscated Elsie's pocketknife.
They'd removed the American's bindings at least, allowing her to lead the way more or less unhindered, though they'd permitted no such relief for her companion. Lara, for her part, looked completely defeated. Elsie could see the brunette's eyes darting among her captors, constantly scanning for any sort of opening that might allow her to turn the tables on her adversaries, but the Trinity types weren't taking chances. Two goons accompanied the archaeologist at all times and took turns to regularly check the bindings tying her wrists together. If Belloq's claim about Lara having taken down so many of their operatives was true, Elsie supposed their paranoia was at least understandable – not that it mattered to the blonde, of course: the sight of Lara bound and helpless was thoroughly unsettling.
She consoled herself in the knowledge they'd soon be free, once they'd delivered their captors to the ancient tomb. Of course Lara wouldn't be happy with the loss of such a historic find, but she'd live to archaeologize another day. At least, so Elsie fervently hoped - her gut told her the Trinity leader had not been lying when he'd agreed to her terms. The realization that she'd gambled their lives based on nothing more that her instincts was unnerving.
She shook the disturbing thought from her mind – she'd selected door number two and there was no point now in wondering what prizes lay behind doors one and three.
A familiar sight came into view: the sharp bend in the river was the sign she'd been anticipating.
"We're close," she called back, a surge of energy allowing her to quicken her pace, the Trinity group following behind.
The hill finally loomed into view. Elsie slowed her pace as the bespectacled man brushed past her without a word, making a beeline for the massive stone that blocked the entrance.
"Impressive," said Belloq as he came up from behind. "Larger than I'd imagined…"
Elsie spun to face the Trinity leader. "That's it, then," she said. "I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. Now it's your turn."
"In time, Miss Trainor," replied the beret, wiping his brow with a rag. "We first have to ascertain whether this truly is the location you desc – "
"It's here!" blurted Elsie angrily. "Geezus, Belloq, ask your brainiac over there if you don't believe me! You saw the marker, think it referred to the local Starbucks?"
"Doctor…?"
The tweed-clad man was examining the inscriptions on the entrance stone. "A definite reference to the Stone of Kings," he said. "This has to be it."
"There!" said Elsie triumphantly. "Happy now?"
Belloq sighed. "Very well, Miss Trainor." He turned to the two goons behind who held Lara. "Remove Miss Croft's bindings, if you please."
The beret gazed about the woods as one of the thugs cut through the ropes holding Lara's wrists together. "There," he finally said, pointing to a fallen tree, slanted at an angle. "That'll do nicely, gentlemen."
Lara was rubbing her arms painfully when she was suddenly grasped by the two thugs and forcibly pushed toward.
Elsie spun on the Trinity leader. "What the hell?!" she exclaimed. "We had a deal!"
The man smiled at her. "And I fully intend to honour our agreement, Miss Trainor," he countered. "There's just a small matter to take care of first…"
A chill shot down Elsie's spine. The thugs were roughly shoving Lara toward the fallen tree, the purpose of which she knew couldn't be good.
"What's going on?" she barked angrily at the Trinity leader. "Tell me!"
"We're simply ensuring that Miss Croft will not present a future risk to our operations," said the man with disturbing calmness. "My superiors would not take kindly to my releasing such a serious threat without taking certain…precautions."
The thugs shoved Lara into the log, hard – the brunette almost wrapped around the fallen tree with the force of the impact.
"What are they doing? You agreed to let her go!"
Belloq clasped his hands behind his back as he observed the proceedings with mild interest. "And we will, Miss Trainor," returned the beret smoothly. "We're simply going to snap Miss Croft's spine."
All colour drained from Elsie's already pale features.
"You soulless bastard!" she practically spat. "You might as well just kill her and be done with it!"
"But that would violate our agreement," countered the Trinity leader merrily as the thugs flipped Lara around and shoved her back-first against the log. "I am a man of my word, after all."
"She'll be paralyzed!"
The beret's eyebrows raised. "Of course."
There was a cry as one of the goons holding Lara went down in a heap – the archaeologist had kicked him hard in the crotch while dodging his partner's attempt at striking her with the butt end of his rifle.
"LARA, RUN!" screamed Elsie in desperation.
The brunette did a barrel roll away from the fallen tree, in the same motion grasping the fallen thug's rifle.
Elsie felt the metal barrel of Belloq's pistol press against her right temple just as Lara came out of her roll in a firing position, her rifle pointed at the Trinity leader.
"Let her go!" ordered the Englishwoman.
"By all means, take the shot," said the beret calmly. "Who knows, perhaps with a little luck I might not react in time to press the trigger. You might even miss your friend here."
Elsie felt another gun barrel poke her in the small of her back.
Four of the thugs had gathered behind Lara, each with their rifles trained on the archaeologist.
Lara's gaze shifted to the blonde's; Elsie could see the despair in the Englishwoman's eyes.
One of the goons smashed the butt end of his rifle into the side of Lara's face; the brunette crumpled to the ground.
Elsie turned on her captor. "FUCK YOU!"
Belloq holstered his pistol as the Trinity agents retrieved their rifle. Lara braced her hands against the ground and tried to push herself up, her shaking arms giving way as she collapsed face-first into the dirt. The thugs each grabbed an arm and began dragging Lara's limp form back to the fallen tree.
"I apologize if our accommodation doesn't meet with your satisfaction," said the Trinity leader genially.
"'Accommodation'?" snapped Elsie. "How do you expect me to even get her out of here, you royal prick?"
"You needn't worry about such things, Miss Trainor," said the beret with an ominous smile.
Oh, fuck…
"You…you're going to kill me," concluded Elsie in a hushed voice.
The Trinity leader shrugged. "I'm afraid you neglected to include yourself in the terms of your agreement."
Elsie's heart was racing dangerously - so this was to be the bookending chapter of her life. But she would not abandon her friend to her fate, not so long as she still drew breath.
"How long do you think she can possibly last out here," asked the American frantically, "If she can't even so much as raise a finger?"
"A few days at most, I'd expect," answered Belloq dispassionately.
"This is fucking murder!" shrieked the blonde.
The thugs were dragging Lara's listless body over the tree, one taking hold of her arms while another grasped her boots.
"Merely a technicality, Miss Trainor."
Elsie hurled herself in fury at the beret, her wild punch only prevented from connecting by the quick intervention of the thug behind her.
"You piece of shit!" spat the blonde, struggling to break free of the goon's hold. "Tell me you're a fucking lawyer!"
The man chuckled. "As it happens," he returned as the Trinity agents began to pull Lara backward against the fallen tree, "I do have some expertise in legal matters. Most perceptive."
Elsie rage quickly turned to panic; Lara's body was being bent back at an unnatural angle, her utter vulnerability sending shivers through the American – the brunette was gritting her teeth in agony.
The blonde ceased struggling against the thug's unrelenting hold.
"You need her!" she blurted, playing one last desperate card for Lara's sake. "You're not getting into that thing without her help, I can promise you!"
The man looked at her with mild disinterest. "And why not, Miss Trainor?"
"Ask the professor over there!"
Belloq continued to gaze at Elsie for agonizingly long seconds. Lara was being stretched out painfully, ribs visible through the thin cotton of her top. Elsie thought she would hear the gruesome sound of cracking vertebrae at any moment.
The thugs pulled harder, putting their entire weight into the involuntary backbend.
Lara screamed.
"ASK HIM!"
The beret finally raised a hand.
"Hold if you please, gentlemen," he said.
The goons charged with crippling the brunette looked up in surprise, but thankfully relaxed their grip; Lara's form was allowed to crumple limply to the ground.
"Doctor, report if you please," said the beret.
The bespectacled man drew up from his inspection of the stone and made his way to the Trinity leader. "It's definitely something significant," he announced. "The portal stone makes reference to the Stone of Kings, along with a requirement for – "
"Yes, yes," interjected Belloq with a glint of impatience. "Can we get inside? A simple yes or no, please."
The bookish man looked back to the stone and shrugged. "As of right now, no," he replied. "There's a fresh gouge in the ground indicating the rock was moved recently, but don't ask me how those two managed it. We'd need either heavy equipment or dig it out by hand."
The beret looked irritated.
"I need a third option, doctor."
"There isn't one," said the man in the tweed jacket. He nodded in Lara's direction. "Not short term, anyway, unless…"
He indicated Lara's limp form by the tree.
"She knew how to disarm the traps inside too," said Elsie, hoping her nervousness wouldn't betray her duplicity. "At least in the first chamber…"
The bookish man looked at her. "First chamber?"
"We gave up after the first," said the blonde. "There were too many traps, it was getting dangerous…"
"But how did you move the stone?"
"I don't know," said Elsie anxiously. "That was Lara's doing…she said something…it was in a weird language…"
Belloq looked to his lieutenant.
"It might require a verbal component," said the bespectacled man. "I saw something similar in Sri Lanka, but your guess is as good as mine, really. One thing's for sure, those two couldn't have moved it on their own."
The beret tapped his foot on the ground repeatedly.
"Very well," he finally said. He turned to Elsie. "Revive your companion, if you please, Miss Trainor."
"Can I have water, at least?" asked the American. "She hasn't had anything to drink all day…"
The Trinity leader nodded to the thug restraining her. The brute release his grip and handed Elsie his canteen.
Elsie ran over and crouched before her fallen companion. She caressed Lara's unbruised cheek, taking care not to move her – she had no way of knowing if Belloq's thugs had managed to inflict their desired spinal trauma.
"Lara?"
The archaeologist's eyes fluttered slightly.
"Hey," said Elsie in as soothing a voice as she could manage in her terrified state. "Come on, girl, talk to me…"
Lara's eyes finally popped open for a moment before squeezing shut again, the Englishwoman clasping her hands to her skull – at least she could move, noted Elsie with profound relief.
"Unh...bloody hell," lamented the Englishwoman painfully.
"Here," said Elsie, putting the canteen to the brunette's lips. "This'll help…"
Lara took a swallow and coughed up most of the ingested water.
Shit…
"Miss Trainor – " called the beret from near the entrance stone.
"Give me a fucking minute!" barked Elsie. Turning her attention back to her friend, she stoked Lara's hair. "Can you move?"
Lara took a few deep breaths and nodded.
Elsie helped the brunette prop herself up against the fallen tree; the archaeologist immediately winced and bit her lip.
"Those bastards," cursed the blonde.
"I'm…okay…" gasped Lara.
"Yeah, and I'm Dame Edna."
Lara shook her head dismissively. "What's happened?"
"I convinced them they need you," said Elsie in a low voice so as not to be overheard by the thugs standing nearby. "Told them the tomb was festooned with traps…I didn't know what else to do, Lara, I just – "
"Shhh," said Lara, wiping a tear trailing down Elsie's cheek. "You bought us time…if we can get in there…"
Elsie leaned in close. "Lara," she whispered, "We...we're as good as dead…both of us…"
"I know," echoed the brunette. "There's no cutting deals with these people, Elsie."
"I'm sorry – "
"Shhh."
"Miss Trainor…"
Lara took a deep breath. "Be ready," she whispered.
Elsie nodded anxiously.
The Englishwoman pushed herself to her feet, the blonde cringing at the obvious pain the movement was causing her friend – it took the brunette a few moments to straighten up completely.
"Welcome back, Miss Croft," said the beret with mock civility. "So nice of you to join us."