Day 7.- Reset
The aftermath of the IS has left Mosul in shambles. "It looks like a modern tomb," Lara says. "I'm getting deeper into the wolves' den." She has a hand on her back. It's Minerva Harris. She's seen dire things, like slave inhuman treatment, but a city destroyed by war, well, it's just too much. "This place makes me feel sick, Ms. Croft," Minerva says. "I hope you find what you are looking for fast." Of course, the Croft Estate and the Harris Estate have made anonymous donations for rebuilding the city, and have therefore made contacts to continue with the search of whatever Father Egwale thought he may have found.
The main event is visiting the ruins of Nineveh, on the outskirts of the city. Lara doesn't hope to find much in there, but she wants to follow a trace. A guide is hired for these. A man from the US military, one Colonel Reed. "If that isn't Lara Croft!" he greets. "Am I suddenly famous?" Lara asks giggling. "You killed an old mate of mine, Rourke," he answers, while Lara goes from giggling to deadpan. "It's a disgrace to our military that a veteran works as a mercenary. What are you after?" Lara smiles again. "Something akin to an inverted Tower of Babel," Lara says. "Kur, perhaps." Minerva and Reed look at each other. Lara seems a step ahead of the two.
The itinerary for them is clear. An offroad scouting of Nineveh and the aqueducts of Jerwan. "Orthodox monks believed that Leviathan was imprisoned by the Babylon empire, or perhaps the Sumerians," Lara narrates. "But you cannot imprison a water monster in clay… You need stronger foundations. A mountain seems more likely." Reed smiles while smoking some cigar. He's on the steering wheel of a Jeep riding two posh ladies through an eternal war zone. "This goddamn place has been blown up for fun from the very beginnings of time," he says. "I'll commend you if you find anything without keeping it dusting on your shelf."
For Reed and Minerva, it's just a relaxing day; whereas, for Ms. Croft, she's in full archaeologist mode. The possibility of finding Tiamat is perhaps the greatest achievement she could make. It'd be akin to finding the Garden of Eden. "Why these mountains and not Babylon proper?" Minerva asks. "Babylon and Nineveh are relatively modern cities, the older ones have been devoured by the sands of time," Lara says. "That's why you shouldn't build your foundations on clay. Most remains of cities before the Great Flood must have been destroyed by an overflow of the Tigris and the Euphrates."
Minerva makes the sign of the Cross and prays. "History may have started in the Garden of Eden," Lara says. "But there's a time before history itself. There have been accounts of hominids living on this very mountain range before our time. It's likely we may find interesting caves in here." Colonel Reed stops by an ancient monolith. "Are you looking for something like this, Ms. Croft?" he asks. "Let me take a look," she says. It's more like a column of a fallen temple than an actual monolith, to Lara's view.
"Nergal, King of the Underworld, who on Enki's command vanished Queen Ereshkigal, may the entrance to your domains never be found in these prosperous lands," she reads. "Well, it looks like we'll have to scout this region." Lara smiles and starts juggling things inside her backpack. "I don't know if this is what Father Egwale wanted to guard," Minerva says. Lara starts taking note of this. "Who is this Egwale?" Reed asks. "An orthodox monk," Minerva answers. "Ethiopian. Our estate bought him as a slave a long time ago, but we were never informed he was a priest. We merely thought he was a pagan, until he started reciting my ancestors the holy scriptures in creole."
"Croft," Reed interrupts. "Is it possible that your discovery may have been hidden by Catholic priests?" Lara turns back. "They don't necessarily need to be Catholics," she answers. "The Syriac Orthodox Church has a strong presence here." Reed decides not to light a new cigar. "Those monks…" Reed says while showing signs of regret. "They have been quite helpful. They have a nice monastery nearby. But I don't think we will make it today. We can go tomorrow. Are you free tomorrow?"