Preparing for Death or Glory
The cottage in the Turkish hills where they prepared was dark and musty. Lara just sat in the corner polishing and cleaning her guns, she didn't want them jamming at the wrong moment. Any other day Lara would have taken pride in the prime condition of her dual pistols. Anger had blinded her over the past few weeks and it's effects were still visible. Kurtis sat in a chair looking out the window, he reached in his pocket for his carton of cigarettes but just shook his head and threw them out the window "Gotta knock them on the head" he thought to himself, he turned to Lara as she pulled apart and vigorously cleaned one of her pistols for the third time. "Lara" he called and was surprised when she looked up at him with tears welling in her eyes. Without saying anything further he got up and went over to her and tilted her chin so that he was looking her in the face, he tried to give a comforting smile and asked her "What's wrong", Lara averted her eyes and told him "I don't want to fail,not this close to the end, I'll only let Werner down". Each word brought more pain and he gave her a comforting hug. She shook in his arms as he leaned in for a kiss. The kiss was full of passion like their first, Lara blushed and everything was alright for a few seconds, Lara suddenly broke off and when Kurtis raised his eyebrow in question Lara just said "Not now later"but her spirits were now bolstered thanks to that kiss. Kurtis removed the Boran X from it's holster and started to copy Lara's example, "Damn I wish I had my Chirugai" he thought "still at least I'll get to collect it from Gunderson's dead body" he smirked at the inside joke as Lara just looked at him confused.
Lara left the room for a minute and Kurtis took this opportunity to change into a new set of clothes, he looked at the bandage over his chest in the mirror and winced at the memory of Boaz's surprise attack. He got changed into a Lux Veritatis modern uniform, black long-sleeved shirt with emblem, field camouflage cargo pants and thick steel-toed boots with hidden blades. Lara suddenly re-entered the room with a new outfit of her own. Lara thought to herself "I wear this outfit too much", she told herself, Lara wore a turquoise tank-top, khaki shorts, thick boots with a pair of woolen socks and her brown leather backpack she had since 1984. "Ever since we were reunited, you have never taken that backpack off" Kurtis commented. "I've had it since I was 16" she told him, "Besides it's still more stylish than what you're wearing" she joked, "I am hurt Lara Croft" Kurtis exclaimed feigning offence but smiling all the while. The two sat there for a minute laughing but given current events joy wouldn't last for long.
Suddenly a burst of gunfire came through the window and Lara and Kurtis ducked beneath a table guns drawn, "How did they find us?" Lara roared as another burst came through the broken window. Kurtis stood up and emptied the Boran X in the the direction of the Mag Vega bursts, he ducked just in time as a third burst came flying through where his head was, Lara crawled towards the doorway and kicked the door down. Another burst came at her but it was enough to distract the mercenaries long enough for Kurtis to get up and fire outside, this time he was met with success as on of the gunmen floundered backwards. Lara fired some more from where she was and hit one of them in the leg, the man roared with pain but still fired at her. "They don't give up easy do they?" Kurtis remarked and fired out again. The injured gunmen roared something at his comrade but was soon silenced with a bullet to the throat, he lay there gurgling for a minute before becoming still. The last gunman emptied his magazine at the cottage and started to move back, when he thought he had gotten into a safe zone he turned his back to run just as the Boran X bullet hit the space between his shoulder blades. "Quickly we have little time" Lara ordered as she dashed out of the cottage "I've come too far to lose him now" she thought as she headed the through the hills in the direction of Karel's stronghold. Kurtis paused a moment before following Lara outside, "This is it" he thought to himself "The end is nigh..."
