Nate took a step forward, but realized there was no way out. Not without being shot. The bush rustled, voices came from the distance, steps echoed as more soldiers swarmed out of the woods, the barrels of their guns trained on Nate and Lara. Dozens of black holes promising trouble. They both froze.
"Put your hands behind your heads." The leader said coming forward. He moved slowly under the protection of his men, delight on his face. "Search him," he ordered a gunman with a nick of his head. The soldier did a quick job, his hands roamed down Nate's body, took his gun and the contents of his pockets.
"That's all he had on him." He threw the gun to the ground, handed a thin necklace to his boss he'd taken from Nate. A small, flat golden plate hung on the chain. The boss raised it to eye-level, let it swing a few times, then pocketed it. "You won't need this anymore."
The gunman turned back to Lara, but the boss stopped him. "She's mine."
He moved closer, running his dirty stare down her body. Lara held his gaze, didn't allow her emotions to show. He'd regret this.
Making use of her captivity, the man circled behind her, ran his hands down her sides, enjoying every moment of it.
"Nice ones," he said, removing her twin guns. "I'll keep them with me." He leaned in close, she smelled his breath, felt it on her ear. His hands glided lower, and Nate lost his patience. He jerked, but the machine gun pushed into his side made him change his mind and stay put.
"Relax, dude. You had your chance with the girl, you should have used it. Now it's my turn." The boss walked in front of Lara, lit a cigarette, and blew the smoke into Nate's face. "You can watch." Placing the cigarette between his lips, he continued the search with obvious joy on his face. The others eyed him with envy. Lara held her head high as the man stroked along her thighs, then he rose, his face only an inch from hers. Her lips curved into a smile because she knew he wouldn't have the skill to react fast enough. It was only a small move of her head, quick as the attack of a cobra, as her forehead hit the center of his face. She heard the nose break, heard his painful cry. And felt satisfaction seeing his blood ooze between the fingers he pressed onto his face.
"Goddammit," the man cried out, leaning forward. Blood dropped on the ground. At the snap of his fingers, a soldier stepped forward, and Lara only felt a blow at the back of her neck before everything went black before her eyes.
...
"Lara?... Lara!"
She heard the voice, somewhere from the distance as her mind cleared and the pain registered. It was her name he called. Her senses returning, she groaned at the stiffness of her limbs. As if all her muscles were on protest. Lara opened her eyes, blinked to clear her vision. As her surrounding slowly came into focus, the worried face of Nathan Drake looked back at her. That was happening more often than it should, she thought, recalling how the same view had welcome her after he'd saved her from drowning in that trap.
"Where the hell are we?" she groaned, realizing her hands were tied behind her back, to the chair she was sitting on. She pulled, tugged her arms, but the ropes were too tight.
"No point. I've already tried everything. They know how to tie a knot." Nate attempted to slide forward with his chair, closer to Lara. "I guess this is Johansson's camp, but no one's come in yet. I don't know what they're waiting for. You're okay?"
"Yeah, never better." She shook her head, ignored the pain the movement had caused. "What is this place?"
The room didn't have a real floor, grass grew in the corners. It made the impression of a cottage that was built in fifteen minutes. Two metal chairs stood in the middle, the ones they were sitting on. A bit further a camp table, she saw her backpack on it. It looked untouched.
"No idea. A camp in the middle of the jungle."
"Bloody mercenaries," Lara said, and suddenly her mind cleared. She remembered. The disk, the tree, the place she'd hidden it. The realization made her straighten. "I hope you remember which way we came."
Nate looked surprised, but didn't have time to answer as the shabby door opened and Johansson entered in the company of five armed men. The plastic smile on his face was anything but welcoming.
"Miss Croft. So glad to see you're round. After such a long time I finally meet you in person."
"Excuse me if I don't share your enthusiasm. I'm usually more polite with people who don't tie me to a chair." Anger boiled in her, but she stayed calm, didn't try to free herself. No point showing him her intentions. Johansson walked between the two of them, eying them with suspicion.
"Mr. Drake, you've caused me a lot of trouble lately. I don't like that."
"I do what I can." Nate kept her eyes on Lara, trying to read her face and find out what she planned.
Johansson smiled. "I'm glad you still find the energy to crack a joke. But I have time, Mr. Drake. And some patience." He walked back to the table, took Lara's backpack, and poured its content onto the surface with one slow move. A cell phone clacked on the table, followed by a pocketknife, two hand grenades, a booklet and a few sheets of paper. As one grenade rolled to the edge, he dropped the backpack. Not caring about his guest, Johansson looked through the objects, his face showing lack of the patience he'd mentioned. He opened the diary, threw it carelessly back onto the table.
Nate looked at Lara, their eyes met, and her look told him to keep his mouth shut.
"Where is it?" Johansson asked.
"What are you talking about?" Cliché or not, she asked the question, forcing an innocent expression on her face.
"You're playing with the wrong person, Miss Croft. I don't know what you expect, but no one will come and save you. I have my men, you won't escape. Of course I know you're a smart woman, and tough as well, but this is the end of the road."
Lara considered his words, let him talk while she thought of escape plans. With their hands tied back, chances were small that they could unarm five men without being shot. So she had to keep playing the game until the odds got better.
Obviously Johansson knew about the golden disk and was looking for it, but he wasn't interested in the diary or its contents. Which told her, he'd found out about the disk from somewhere else. Or he knew exactly what was in the diary and wouldn't believe a word if she told him she had no idea what he was searching for. She needed time, needed a chance to break free. And to gain that time she was forced to play along.
"Tell me what you want and I might be able to help you."
Johansson snorted as he went to her. His figure loomed over her, his face calm but threatening. "I'll give you thirty minutes to change your mind. When I come back, you'll give me the disk. Don't make it complicated. If I have it in my hands, both of you can walk away unharmed."
"What if I say no?" She held his gaze as he put a finger under her chin and raised her face to look into her eyes.
"Let's not talk about unpleasant endings at the moment. You're smart, you know when you've lost." His eyes pierced into hers, then he let go of her and left the room without looking back. The mercenaries followed. After the door closed Lara and Nate were alone in the room again.
Nate fidgeted on the chair, could hardly wait to ask her.
"What the hell. Where's the disk?" he whispered.
"I hope you didn't believe I'm such a beginner," Lara smiled. "I hid it before the soldiers attacked us. And therefor it would be kind of important that you remember the way back."
"That's great. You could have told me earlier. What if they knocked me out, too?" Nate rolled his eyes. "Not a sure-fire plan."
"So you remember or not?" They didn't have time to argue or discuss what-ifs.
"I guess. But what good would that do us if we're held captive? If I move the chair, they'll hear us. It's creaking like the knees of an old football player."
"We'll have to figure out something." She pulled, tugged, stretched her wrists, but the ropes were too tight. It scratched her skin, cut into her flesh. When she heard the steps approaching, she froze. "That was a quick half an hour." The steps came closer, they were almost at the door. "Whatever happens, don't tell them anything. Genghis Khan is mine. Understood?"
His face showed disbelief, but he nodded. A crazy idea, Nate thought, as he didn't expect anything good from Johansson. That man was a silent neurotic.
The door opened and Johansson entered with his earlier companions. This time one more man had joined them, and Lara recognized the swollen nose he'd thank her for.
"Miss Croft. I hope you reached the right decision," Johansson said with a broad but cold smile.
"I think our time's not up yet. Your clock seems to tick a bit faster than usual."
"I thought you could decide fast. You're a smart woman after all." Keeping his eyes on her, he leaned his hips against the cheap table with her stuff on it. "Well?"
"Go to hell," Nate cut in.
"Couldn't have said it any better," Lara agreed with a smile.
Johansson drew in a deep breath, seemingly calm, let it out again. "I expected something like this from you. You know, there's one thing I never understood. Why do intelligent people always choose the hard way? The more painful way?" He looked at his nails as if having an uninteresting conversation about the current weather. "Olaf," he said, not looking up. The man with the swollen nose moved forward.
Olaf rubbed his hands together, approaching Lara with a growl. He scanned her, remembering their previous encounter. She saw it in his face that he remembered the pain, but he didn't make the mistake to touch his nose. The other soldiers remained silent, all of them seemed to fear him. He approached, his steps slow, taking his time to scare them. It worked, Nate thought as Olaf stopped in front of Lara. Nate was about to say something when Olaf swirled around, and punched him with full force into the stomach.
Air run out of Nate with one quick hiss, and he hunched, only his tied hands holding him back from dropping to the ground. A wild attack of coughing broke out of him, he needed a moment to collect himself. Then he straightened and spat on the ground "That's all you got?"
Olaf's fist rose again, another blow hit Nate's stomach, making him cough and choke. Lara swallowed. Two blows weren't bad, she thought, Nate would survive. But God knew how far that asshole would go. Nate remained silent, his eyes holding determination as he looked at her.
Johansson held his hand up. He'd seen enough in his life to understand the signs.
"I think we're making a mistake here," he mused. "Don't you think, Olaf? Mr. Drake is too much of a tough guy to break in front of a woman. I appreciate that in a man. Having a spine. So let's see how tough he is if we change the situation."
Disgust swept over him as Nate understood Johansson's words. "What a pitiful man you are," he spat again.
"Now you still have the chance to stop this, Mr. Drake." His cheerful voice cut into Nate's nerves. "Just give me what I need."
Nate looked at Lara, but saw rigid refusal in her eyes. A cold order not to give in. So Nate gave in to her, turned his head away from Johansson as a sign of rejection. He squeezed his eyes shut, didn't want to see how Olaf moved over to Lara, but he couldn't resist. Not knowing would be worse.
Olaf took his time, grinned as he touched his aching nose. His grin widened, his eyes fixed on her. The same expression returned to his face that he'd had in the jungle when he'd searched Lara. The look of someone who liked to hurt. Who liked to use his superiority.
Despite the fact that Lara knew what was coming, the force of the blow took her breath away, found her unprepared. Everything blurred before her eyes. Her head swung to the side, a drop of blood appeared at the corner of her lips, the metallic taste of it spreading in her mouth. Nothing moved for a long second while pain pounded behind her closed eyelids. She heard Nate's outraged voice, his protest, but he couldn't do anything against the brutal attack.
To clear her head, she moved her jaw, licked the blood off her lips, but one drop rolled down her chin. Anger filled her gaze, even the grin of Olaf faded for a moment.
"You'll be sorry for this, Johansson," Nate shouted, his eyes asking if she was okay.
"One word from you and he'll stop." Johansson's voice rose, temper finding its way through. His fingers drummed on the table. "One word, Mr. Drake."
"Bastard," Nate shook his head, begging Lara to tell them where the disk was. It was crazy that she let them beat her up, and he couldn't do anything. One punch was only the beginning, this Olaf guy was just as crazy as Johansson. Crazy with a big C. He won't hurt me, he needs us, her eyes told him. Nate wasn't so sure of that. One of them was needed, but who was expendable?
Johansson stepped closer. "Look, Miss Croft. I've given you enough time. I'm a tolerant man, but my patience has limits. Give me the disk." His voice changed, lost all fake friendliness. Words so cold, so calculated. A short blade glinted in his hand after he pulled it out of his belt. Lara squirmed as he approached her. Now she wasn't so sure anymore that Johansson didn't want to hurt her. "Give me the disk." The cold metal touched her face, stroked it, but left no trace behind. Not yet. It only caressed, but the threat to cut was there in every move.
She pulled away, as much as she could, hid the fear in her eyes. Held her breath as the blade slid to her throat.
"Son of a bitch," Nate cried out, but two men held him back when he wanted to jump. They pushed him down, grabbed his face to force him to watch the show. Lara hissed as the blade scratched her skin and a trickle of blood ran down her face. "ENOUGH!" Nate yelled because he knew Lara was too proud and too stubborn to do so. "Lara doesn't know anything. I'll show you where the disk is if you release her."
Johansson swirled around. "Well, well, Mr. Drake."
"Let her go."
The blade came to his face now. "Don't you think you're not in the situation to bargain? You take me to the disk or I reorganize this pretty face of hers. You can choose where I should continue."
"Okay," Nate gave in. "Just leave her alone."
"Very well. It's a deal." Johansson put the knife back into his belt. "Very courteous. I didn't expect anything else from you." He waved his men off, and went to the door. "Prepare, we'll leave soon. And Miss Croft will accompany us on the way so you don't try anything stupid." The empty smile returned to his face, and he exited, leaving Lara and Nate alone again.
.
Lara released the air she'd held without noticing it. One deep breath that revealed to Nate how scared she was. She wanted to be angry with him for giving in, but she knew he had no other choice. Probably she would have done the same. Johansson wouldn't have stopped after this small scratch that burnt her skin. To chase away the humiliation, she wished to swipe off the blood from her face, but her hands were still tied.
"I'm sorry," Nate said.
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you into such a situation." Annoying as it was, she knew he was right. But the disk wasn't lost yet. Getting off these chairs and walking in the forest wasn't such a bad option after all. Plenty of chance to escape. "Now we've won some time. Think."
Seeing how their brains worked the same way, Nate's lips curved into a smile. Since the moment Johansson had left the room, Nate was pondering how to turn the situation to their advantage and run away from this madman. And keep the disk of course. When their eyes met and the same determination sparkled in them, Lara returned his smile although neither of them felt like celebrating.
"What's your plan?" she asked.
"I'm not so far yet. We'll see what comes along on the way. But when the possibility comes, do what I do. Without questioning me."
"You're very sure of yourself. I like that."
"You know, there's always a way out. A very wise man said that not so long ago," Nate laughed.
"I'm so happy that my guests have a good time," Johansson said as he stepped inside again. The blade glinted in his hand, but this time he only cut the rope on Lara's wrist. She pulled away, rubbing her sore skin. "Not so fast," Johansson warned her when she moved towards Nate. "You don't seriously think that I'll let you stroll around freely in the wild?" Having no other choice, Lara and Nate extended their hands, expecting to be tied up again, but to their biggest surprise Johansson clicked only one pair of handcuffs on their wrists, one end each. "Easier for me if you two stay together."
"That's bloody fantastic," Lara said, looking at their hands. One cuff was on her right hand, the other one on Nate's left hand.
"And now move. I don't think I need to show you the way."
Lara couldn't believe Johansson found those comments funny, but she didn't have time to contemplate as the man shoved Nate forward and he pulled Lara with him, too.
...
The small team fought its way through the thick undergrowth, the mercenaries sweating and cursing. Nate and Lara led the way, moving carefully as it wasn't easy to get forward with hands tied together. Two men followed, Lara felt their stares on her. Johansson fell back with the rest of the group. He didn't want to go to close now that they weren't tied to chairs, Lara thought. Probably right so. The scratch on her face still hurt.
It was hot, smothering actually. The air humid and heavy. The picture of the small lake came back to her mind, and she would have sold her soul for a gulp of water. Lara dared a side-glance at Nate. He looked just as worried as she felt. With every step, they were getting closer to the spot where they'd been captured, and no chance of escape had come up yet.
Low noise cut into the sounds of the jungle. Wings flailed as birds flew away, and the rough humming of a helicopter grew louder. Confusion spread, the mercenaries scanned the sky. And while they did that, Nate pulled on the chain to get Lara's attention. A fraction of a second was enough for them to understand each other. By the time the two gunmen looked back, they were gone.
They ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Through the bush, through the woods, jumping over roots and trunks. Leaves and twigs scratched theirs arms held up for protection. The rustling of the vegetation behind them was growing louder with every second. The gunmen chasing them were much faster without being tied up. Lara looked back, saw the glint of sunlight on one of the guns. Heard the voices, felt her anxiety rising.
"What the hell?"
Lara heard Nate's voice, realized that he'd skidded to a halt, but she didn't have time to react. The momentum brought her forward, and her feet stopped right at the edge of the cliff. If Nate hadn't pulled her back by the chain, she would have fallen. Her arms flailing, she fought to regain her balance, but the abyss seemed to pull her in. The cuff cut into her wrist as Nate tugged.
"God, what is this?" she managed, panting. The wide, yellowish mass of a slow river rolled below them, deep down at the base of vertical rocks. "What now?"
They had seconds to decide.
"We need to jump," Nate said, watching the river flow by. It was deep. Far too deep.
"Are you crazy? We'll be crushed."
"This or Johansson. You can choose."
The voices came closer, the men were only seconds away. It was crazy, but there was no other option. If they turned around, they ran straight into the arms of Johansson. Lara took a step back, and looked at him.
"What are we waiting for then?" She didn't sound convinced, but he heard her determination.
The first bullets whizzed past their heads, when they took a running jump and pushed away from the cliff. The gunmen couldn't believe their eyes as they watched the two flail and kick in the air. An impossible jump.