Day 24. The Bells of Midnight
It all starts with a chime, for it's 11 o'clock PM. Lara Croft stands atop a London roof, near the Thames. Behind her, the wharf stands in full glory, and she's wearing almost a catsuit. She must remain unnoticed, for in the roof lurk 'em mercenaries. Her presence in London - and menace to certain corporate interests have become quite apparent. A battle of elite women ensues.
But before that, Lara jumps from roof to roof, dealing with some interesting mercenaries. This battle continues at a derelict warehouse. It's simply a war of submachine guns and who shoots first and better. And the bigger mercenaries are a bit slower than this version of Lara Croft, who has shifted from a fierce survivor to an elite athlete. And now, she's at her peak - but for a minor move that shall be learned in five years' time.
Lara's path then advances from a series of scaffolds and roofs, to a crane's arm. God has provided a gentle night wind wise, which makes Lara feel lesser vertigo. And from the crane's end, she finds a possible way through the mercenaries via an industrial complex. "Back to the cisterns, eh?" she thinks. It's a big swim for Lara now, and avoiding the helixes of a big underwater fan. And so she does avoid being sliced like jam.
Lara's messing with the factory's water system calls the attention of some poor guards in the night shift who fall victim to Lara's all-in approach to getting an artifact akin to the Infada Stone. She's now way past the ability of feeling pity - and has become unrecognizable for her old acquaintances, like Jonah and Reyes. Oddly enough, the industrial complex is linked to a faulty sewer system leading to ancient parts of London flooded by poor city design. "Are these the foundations of a church?" she asks herself.
These are not the foundations of a church, but of a cathedral, where the mercenaries have set their base. Lara goes all gun blazing, while trying to find a way to the cathedral's rooftops. The bells of midnight resound, and the mercenaries' liaison stands by the big bell. Lara manages to get within lethal shooting distance after exchanging some shots. An old, experienced man stands below the bell. It makes sense for him to be the liaison.
The liaison who inherited the mercenary job to his father and grandfather, has to protect a "20 or 30 year old Ms. Sophia Leigh." Lara has been using the church bell as a means of torture for the old man's feeble ears. "Another never-aging old fart," Lara thinks. She continues to corner the old man, who wishes to win a retirement payment for the prize of hunting Croft. "Then you should mind…" Lara warns the distracted liaison. "...the bell." The man is knocked by the bell, and falls badly into the abyss. "Happy retirement!"