Path of Destruction
Part One: Modern Irritations
The young explorer splashed her way through the underground stream searching for an exit to the underground caverns. She had been traveling for nearly four hours in the same direction and now she was beginning to think she had gone the wrong way.
The only light that the young lady had seen for quite some time was from the flares she had been carrying. Their light bounced off of the walls with brilliance, reflecting from the small trickles of water that ran downward illuminating the cavern twice as much as normal. The only things not lit up were the rocks underneath the stream which were constantly covered over by sediment that was kicked up by the explorer as she passed by.
This was indeed an unfortunate circumstance for the woman because of one large stone, which sat directly in her path. As she tramped forward her foot caught the side of the rock throwing her off balance.
She tumbled forward and splashed down face first into the cool water.
"Perfect," she cried out as she sat up and began to rub her ankle, "I won't get out of here at all if I break my ankle.
When she had satisfied herself that she hadn't done any major physical damage the young lady picked herself up and prepared to continue her trek.
As the explorer stared into the blackness far in front of her she noticed a small twinge of light ahead of her. She trotted forward hoping to see an exit out of the underground dungeon.
The light grew steadily stronger as she approached. Finally, the light of the flare cut through the darkness and settled on the source of the light. The lady now found herself standing in front of a large golden door. Above it was a small hole allowing one solitary ray of sunlight into the cavern. Off to the right a small box was carved into the wall with a hole in its center.
Quickly, the explorer reached into her backpack and producing a large golden key slipped it into the hole in the box. She was about to turn the key when she suddenly hesitated. The wall to her right seemed to have a rather strange feature to it. Unlike the others around it this wall had a flat opening in it nearly half way up.
"No," she said to herself as she examined the opening in the rock. Looking back at the keyhole she smiled slyly. "How clever," laughed the young lady as she crawled into the crevasse. When she was in as best as she could fit she stretched forward and turned the key.
The golden door gently swung to the side. A moment later the earth began to tremble. As the rumbling grew louder the explorer shifted backward, deeper into the crevasse. Her heart pounded with excitement, as the tremors grew stronger and stronger. When they had reached an apex a large gray boulder rolled through the opening where the golden door had been.
As it rolled past the young lady stretched out her hand and touched the large rock. Once again she had managed to avoid certain doom.
"That was almost a disaster," she told herself as she climbed out of the hole and gazed down the corridor into the darkness wondering how far the rock had traveled. "I just hope this is right direction."
Satisfied that there were no more boulders the young trekker turned her attention to the passage she had just opened. Directly in front of her was a steep sloping ramp that extended upward into darkness.
On her right was a tunnel that extended onward for a great distance. At the furthest end a small speck of light was visible.
Once again the lady set off through the cave towards the light. As she traveled forward she noticed that she was now stepping on solid ground. The small stream must have, at some point, moved off in another direction.
It was nearly two hours later when she finally reached the light. She squinted her eyes as approached the end of the cavern. The corridor curved sharply to the left blocking a large portion of the light however, the remainder was enough to hurt the young lady's eyes.
Stopping for the moment the woman reached into her backpack and produced a pair of sunglasses.
The round lenses gleamed bright from the light as the explorer slid the shades on her face.
With a sigh of relief the young lady stepped around the corner into the light. As she emerged from the cave a tall American man stood nearby holding a rifle.
"Well, well, well," laughed the man in a Texas accent, "If it ain't the world famous explorer, Miss Lara Croft."
The young woman drew forth from the shadows as if she were tiger on the prowl. Her dark brown hiking boots crunched the small rocks of the cave as she came into view. She had a slender figure yet muscles were clearly visible through her skin passing rapidly toward her hands and finally disappearing at the end of her wrists underneath two black open fingered gloves.
Lara's hair, which normally hung radiantly over her forehead, drooped limply over her face. Pieces of dirt and grime that had been picked up along the adventure hung loosely from several individual strands. In back the explorer's locks twisted into a braid that hung down past her light green tank top nearly to the brown khaki shorts that she wore.
Around the explorer's waist was a black gun belt. It was home to two 9-mm pistols. These were the young lady's favorite weapons. They were light enough to carry anywhere and still packed enough punch to get the job done.
"Hello Devon," Miss Croft responded in a sarcastic tone, "I didn't think I'd ever have the pleasure of your company again."
The Texan smiled wryly at the comment. "It'll take more than a herd of wolves to stop me."
The explorer chuckled silently to herself as she stepped into full view. "That's a pack of wolves," she corrected, "and my instructions were to give the artifact to Drake himself."
"Things change," retorted the American. Steadying his feet he pointed his rifle at the young lady.
Lara stared angrily at the man. He stood firmly in front of her only a few feet away with his weapon trained directly on her. Seeing that she was trapped the explorer reached into her backpack and brought forth a large gem.
It was a perfectly round jewel except for one flat side on which was engraved an image of the Hindu god Shiva. From somewhere within a light blue glow seemed to emanate and surrounded the artifact.
"Are you pushing the buttons now?" asked Croft holding the gem out for Devon.
The man reached out and grabbed the stone. "If I was pushing the buttons," he said backing away, "you'd have been buried in a pit of lava by now."
The young lady smiled sarcastically. She stepped slowly forward forcing the Texan to back up. "Your shoes are untied," she quipped seriously, glancing down.
Ignorantly, the young man glanced down at his feet. Beside his left shoe sat a very large cobra. It was coiled tightly with only its head hovering above the ground. The snake's hood stood out behind the head warning of danger.
Devon gasped at the sight. Not wanting to excite the reptile in any way he slid his foot away from the venomous creature ever so slowly attempting to escape the serpent's wrath. It was then that the attack came, not from the snake but from the young lady only a few feet away.
In his interest to flee the cobra the large Texan lowered the rifle that had been so studiously trained on his captive. It was just the opening that the young lady needed. With the swiftness of an eagle Croft leapt furiously forward planting her shoulder into the man's stomach knocking him to the ground.
The force of the impact immediately dislodged the artifact from the man's hand. For a moment it soared through the air, gleaming brilliantly in the sun, and then fell solidly to earth. It hit the dirt with a soft thud and began to roll away from both of its potential owners. It would have soon rolled out of site if it had not quickly found the rear tire of the small motorcycle that Devon had rode in on.
One the jewel had come to a complete stop Croft jumped off her adversary in favor of pursuit.
She stretched out the length of her body for the prize but was stopped short by Devon who had caught hold of her leg.
Instantly Lara rolled onto her back and drew her pistols. "Let go," she ordered through clenched teeth.
The Texan looked around for his rifle only to find that it had flown almost as far as the artifact.
That being the case, he reluctantly released his grip on his captive. "You is the luckiest one dame I've ever seen."
The treasure hunter rose to her feet. Backing up to the motorcycle she stowed the gun in her left hand into its holster. Bending down, she picked up the gem and placed it into her backpack.
Then, moving around to the other side of the bike, the explorer redrew her second weapon once again and trained it on her adversary who was still on the ground.
Now that she was feeling somewhat more secure she gazed over the landscape around her. A steep incline stretched out over the cave entrance but leveled out beyond it. On the other side the hill became flat stretching out for some distance before abruptly ending in a steep drop.
The young lady mounted the vehicle beside her. Shooting one last glance at her enemy she secured her weapons and started the motorcycle. It roared viciously as she swung it around and began to traverse the hill before her.
As soon as her back was turned Devon sprang into action. The large man leapt to his feet and grabbed his rifle. Hastily he took aim at his escaping prisoner and squeezed off two shots. Both narrowly missed their target and splashed into the soft earth.
Nearly halfway to the top the motor bike finally gave in to the hill's whims. The rider turned sharply to the side to confuse her foe only to discover that the elevation of the incline was more than gravity would allow at such an angle. Thusly, both the motor cycle and rider would have tumbled down the slope at great speed if it were not for the magnificent reflexes of the controller. Just as the vehicle was about to fall flat on its side the driver thrust her foot to the ground and swung the motorbike in the opposite direction.
She was now looking down the hill at her enemy. He stood ready aiming his shotgun directly in at her. "Last chance Croft," he yelled triumphantly.
Just then the air grew still as if it were warning of an imminent storm. From the mountains directly ahead, came the sound of some sort of a mechanical engine. It whirled in closer and closer until the ground began to vibrate. Not long after a gleam of silver became visible. As it came closer the sun's glare withdraw revealing its true form, a small helicopter. It streaked across the landscape, made a U-turn, and hovered just off of the edge of the cliff.
Lara glanced down at the man below her. She had become completely oblivious to him. His attention was now diverted by the chopper. It was as if he were in a trance. After a moment his gun slipped out of his left hand and hung lifelessly in his right. The lady quickly pulled her foot up unrestraining the motorcycle and raced down the hill past the American. The sudden rush woke Devon violently from his daydream returning him fully to reality and immediately he let loose a futile spray of bullets in the direction of the fleeing treasure hunter.
As before it was to no avail. The escapee was half way down the mountain before the Texan fired his first shot. Coming down toward the cliff, the explorer lifted her feet onto the seat of the speeding vehicle. Her eyes narrowed allowing her to focus only on the task ahead.
A few seconds later the bike launched its self from the cliff, leaving the safety solid ground behind it. At the same time, the daredevil leapt off of her transport in favor of another form. She flew through the air for a few moments ending up on the landing skids of the hovering helicopter. The explorer quickly turned and flung her legs upward to secure herself. The whirlybird then turned and soared out of view with Devon futilely in pursuit.
Immediately after it had left the American and the cliffs behind, the helicopter began to descend. It made its way to a field of tall grass. As it soured over the field, Lara released herself from the skids and dropped to the ground landing on her belly. The helicopter then continued forward and landed a few yards in front of her.
The ex - passenger peered through the tall grass at the chopper wondering whom she was going to have to deal with next. "At least I won't have to deal with Devon any more," she whispered to herself.
The satisfaction brought on by this statement was only temporary at best for the moment that she had concluded uttering it two of men in very dark business suits stepped out of the helicopter.
As soon as they had emerged from the flying machine they proceeded forward through the vegetation looking back and forth through the weeds. It was not a search in the traditional manner for the two men did not frantically run hither and thither calling out orders to one another. Instead, they walked casually through the grass talking as if they were simply on a business vacation.
The treasure seeker remained hidden watching the entire seen through the thick green blades around her. The helicopter was now silent. The pilot appeared to be the only soul aboard. The men, who were now half way between her and the flying machine, stopped and turned to each other to talk more seriously.
Sensing little danger from the men Lara slowly rose to her feet. "Thanks for the lift," she yelled fixing her weapons on the two men in front of her.
To her surprise the two gentlemen took very little notice of this remark except to acknowledge that it was said. "Ah, Miss Croft. There you are," replied one of the men in a very posh British accent, "We'll be with you in a moment." Without another word the man turned back to the conversation with his companion.
The tomb raider was perplexed. Who were these men and what did they need from her? She began to slink closer, her pistols trained on the strangers before her. "Excuse me," she said when she was a little closer, "I don't know who you are or what you want but I am not someone you should just ignore like
that."
"Quite right," replied the man who had spoken before, "I apologize. My name is Jonathan Brazen from MI6."
"And what about you," inquired the lady, still holding her pistols.
The second man smiled obtusely and extended his hand. "James Thorton, CIA."
"Forgive me for not shaking hands," answered the young lady staring down at the extended hand, "but I've had some bad dealings with Americans of late."
The CIA agent raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to make an apology on behalf of his countrymen but before he could utter a syllable he was interrupted by his British counterpart. "Our governments urgently need your help," he explained.
Croft slid her guns back into their holsters then crossed her arms in front of her. "It must have been urgent if you had to pick me up like that," She responded. "Why didn't you just land?"
"We couldn't take the chance with that maniac down there," Thorton chuckled, "Besides we thought you'd prefer it this way."
The young lady glared with great annoyance at the man. Realizing that his humor wasn't at all appreciated he briskly dropped the dense smile from his face. "We need to talk to you about the artifact that you have," he continued.
The renowned explorer dropped her hands to her hips and rested them on top of her pistols.
"What about it," she asked through clenched teeth.
"May we see?" asked the Englishman.
"Not if you want to continue breathing," she retorted.
"Well then," Brazen continued, "could you tell me if it looks like this?" Reaching into his coat pocket the gentleman produced a small parcel. Placing it into the palm of his hand he carefully unwrapped it revealing a large blue gem.
Lara quickly pulled off her backpack and removed the artifact. For several minutes she stared back and forth between it and the stone across from her. They were identical in every way except one. The engraved image on the agent's jewel was not of Shiva.
The explorer slid closer to the second artifact and carefully examined it. The engraving seemed to be some sort of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic but it was unlike anything she had ever seen. "Where did you find this?" the lady asked in astonishment.
"Cairo," answered the American agent, his dull witted smile returning. "We pulled it off some two - bit archaeologist named Jones. He was apparently-"
"We believe that these jewels hold special powers," interrupted the other man, "and when they are placed in some secret ceremonial place some sort of evil will be released."
The treasure hunter looked up at the man in front of her. His face was stern and unwavering. "I thought people in your position didn't believe in such things. Anyway I wouldn't worry too much. You've got one piece and this one is going into a very rich man's private collection."
"If that rich man is Drake," replied the CIA agent, "then there is something to worry about. He's the one that killed Jones."
"Quite right," continued the other. He looked deep into the artifact in his hand. Without an ounce of levity or remorse he tossed the jewel onto the ground, "and this is a fake."
The explorer bent down and picked up the discarded replica. She held it in one hand and the authentic artifact in the other. The resemblance was astounding. For all that the young lady knew, it was as real as the one that she had just recovered. "How do you know it's a fake?" she finally asked.
"We don't," the American answered, "but Drake obviously did. Jones was trying to pass that one off for the real thing."
"Hmmm," Croft slipped the original jewel back into her pack and continued to examine the fake.
"Do they have the Egyptian stone then?"
Mr. Brazen nodded his head, "We believe so. The operation seems to have left Egypt entirely.
Unfortunately we seem to have lost track of them."
Lara slipped the phony stone into her backpack and began to walk toward the helicopter. "They're in Rome," she announced as she strolled past the suited gentlemen.
"How do you know that," Thorton called after her.
The lady stopped and turned to face the government agents. "I don't know the legend except that it involves three stones each representing a powerful god, one from India to represent the Hindu god Shiva, one from Egypt representing Osiris, and one from Rome representing Jupiter. The legend also mentions something about the end of the world so perhaps we should get going."
"Am I then to understand that you will help us Miss Croft?" The Englishman asked smiling for the first time.
Lara nodded her head decisively.
"Good," continued the agent, "then when you find the last stone-"
The young lady walked forward sternly until she was almost touching the nose of the Brit. Her brow drooped low over her eye. "Let's get one thing straight, shall we," she stated very sternly, "I am NOT working for you. I am doing this on my own behalf. Any assistance you offer will be appreciated but I don't need it, and when I recover the artifact I will make the decision about what is to be done with it."
Both men stared back at the lady for a moment wondering what to say next. Finally, after a few minutes they realized that they had very few options. They nodded to the woman and motioned toward the aircraft.
As the tomb raider moved away the American's smile grew twice as large as it had been a moment before. "Man, those English ladies are cute."
Lara Croft moved steadily toward the air transport. After such a trying day she could only think of one thing to say, "I hate Americans"
To be continued…
Part One: Modern Irritations
The young explorer splashed her way through the underground stream searching for an exit to the underground caverns. She had been traveling for nearly four hours in the same direction and now she was beginning to think she had gone the wrong way.
The only light that the young lady had seen for quite some time was from the flares she had been carrying. Their light bounced off of the walls with brilliance, reflecting from the small trickles of water that ran downward illuminating the cavern twice as much as normal. The only things not lit up were the rocks underneath the stream which were constantly covered over by sediment that was kicked up by the explorer as she passed by.
This was indeed an unfortunate circumstance for the woman because of one large stone, which sat directly in her path. As she tramped forward her foot caught the side of the rock throwing her off balance.
She tumbled forward and splashed down face first into the cool water.
"Perfect," she cried out as she sat up and began to rub her ankle, "I won't get out of here at all if I break my ankle.
When she had satisfied herself that she hadn't done any major physical damage the young lady picked herself up and prepared to continue her trek.
As the explorer stared into the blackness far in front of her she noticed a small twinge of light ahead of her. She trotted forward hoping to see an exit out of the underground dungeon.
The light grew steadily stronger as she approached. Finally, the light of the flare cut through the darkness and settled on the source of the light. The lady now found herself standing in front of a large golden door. Above it was a small hole allowing one solitary ray of sunlight into the cavern. Off to the right a small box was carved into the wall with a hole in its center.
Quickly, the explorer reached into her backpack and producing a large golden key slipped it into the hole in the box. She was about to turn the key when she suddenly hesitated. The wall to her right seemed to have a rather strange feature to it. Unlike the others around it this wall had a flat opening in it nearly half way up.
"No," she said to herself as she examined the opening in the rock. Looking back at the keyhole she smiled slyly. "How clever," laughed the young lady as she crawled into the crevasse. When she was in as best as she could fit she stretched forward and turned the key.
The golden door gently swung to the side. A moment later the earth began to tremble. As the rumbling grew louder the explorer shifted backward, deeper into the crevasse. Her heart pounded with excitement, as the tremors grew stronger and stronger. When they had reached an apex a large gray boulder rolled through the opening where the golden door had been.
As it rolled past the young lady stretched out her hand and touched the large rock. Once again she had managed to avoid certain doom.
"That was almost a disaster," she told herself as she climbed out of the hole and gazed down the corridor into the darkness wondering how far the rock had traveled. "I just hope this is right direction."
Satisfied that there were no more boulders the young trekker turned her attention to the passage she had just opened. Directly in front of her was a steep sloping ramp that extended upward into darkness.
On her right was a tunnel that extended onward for a great distance. At the furthest end a small speck of light was visible.
Once again the lady set off through the cave towards the light. As she traveled forward she noticed that she was now stepping on solid ground. The small stream must have, at some point, moved off in another direction.
It was nearly two hours later when she finally reached the light. She squinted her eyes as approached the end of the cavern. The corridor curved sharply to the left blocking a large portion of the light however, the remainder was enough to hurt the young lady's eyes.
Stopping for the moment the woman reached into her backpack and produced a pair of sunglasses.
The round lenses gleamed bright from the light as the explorer slid the shades on her face.
With a sigh of relief the young lady stepped around the corner into the light. As she emerged from the cave a tall American man stood nearby holding a rifle.
"Well, well, well," laughed the man in a Texas accent, "If it ain't the world famous explorer, Miss Lara Croft."
The young woman drew forth from the shadows as if she were tiger on the prowl. Her dark brown hiking boots crunched the small rocks of the cave as she came into view. She had a slender figure yet muscles were clearly visible through her skin passing rapidly toward her hands and finally disappearing at the end of her wrists underneath two black open fingered gloves.
Lara's hair, which normally hung radiantly over her forehead, drooped limply over her face. Pieces of dirt and grime that had been picked up along the adventure hung loosely from several individual strands. In back the explorer's locks twisted into a braid that hung down past her light green tank top nearly to the brown khaki shorts that she wore.
Around the explorer's waist was a black gun belt. It was home to two 9-mm pistols. These were the young lady's favorite weapons. They were light enough to carry anywhere and still packed enough punch to get the job done.
"Hello Devon," Miss Croft responded in a sarcastic tone, "I didn't think I'd ever have the pleasure of your company again."
The Texan smiled wryly at the comment. "It'll take more than a herd of wolves to stop me."
The explorer chuckled silently to herself as she stepped into full view. "That's a pack of wolves," she corrected, "and my instructions were to give the artifact to Drake himself."
"Things change," retorted the American. Steadying his feet he pointed his rifle at the young lady.
Lara stared angrily at the man. He stood firmly in front of her only a few feet away with his weapon trained directly on her. Seeing that she was trapped the explorer reached into her backpack and brought forth a large gem.
It was a perfectly round jewel except for one flat side on which was engraved an image of the Hindu god Shiva. From somewhere within a light blue glow seemed to emanate and surrounded the artifact.
"Are you pushing the buttons now?" asked Croft holding the gem out for Devon.
The man reached out and grabbed the stone. "If I was pushing the buttons," he said backing away, "you'd have been buried in a pit of lava by now."
The young lady smiled sarcastically. She stepped slowly forward forcing the Texan to back up. "Your shoes are untied," she quipped seriously, glancing down.
Ignorantly, the young man glanced down at his feet. Beside his left shoe sat a very large cobra. It was coiled tightly with only its head hovering above the ground. The snake's hood stood out behind the head warning of danger.
Devon gasped at the sight. Not wanting to excite the reptile in any way he slid his foot away from the venomous creature ever so slowly attempting to escape the serpent's wrath. It was then that the attack came, not from the snake but from the young lady only a few feet away.
In his interest to flee the cobra the large Texan lowered the rifle that had been so studiously trained on his captive. It was just the opening that the young lady needed. With the swiftness of an eagle Croft leapt furiously forward planting her shoulder into the man's stomach knocking him to the ground.
The force of the impact immediately dislodged the artifact from the man's hand. For a moment it soared through the air, gleaming brilliantly in the sun, and then fell solidly to earth. It hit the dirt with a soft thud and began to roll away from both of its potential owners. It would have soon rolled out of site if it had not quickly found the rear tire of the small motorcycle that Devon had rode in on.
One the jewel had come to a complete stop Croft jumped off her adversary in favor of pursuit.
She stretched out the length of her body for the prize but was stopped short by Devon who had caught hold of her leg.
Instantly Lara rolled onto her back and drew her pistols. "Let go," she ordered through clenched teeth.
The Texan looked around for his rifle only to find that it had flown almost as far as the artifact.
That being the case, he reluctantly released his grip on his captive. "You is the luckiest one dame I've ever seen."
The treasure hunter rose to her feet. Backing up to the motorcycle she stowed the gun in her left hand into its holster. Bending down, she picked up the gem and placed it into her backpack.
Then, moving around to the other side of the bike, the explorer redrew her second weapon once again and trained it on her adversary who was still on the ground.
Now that she was feeling somewhat more secure she gazed over the landscape around her. A steep incline stretched out over the cave entrance but leveled out beyond it. On the other side the hill became flat stretching out for some distance before abruptly ending in a steep drop.
The young lady mounted the vehicle beside her. Shooting one last glance at her enemy she secured her weapons and started the motorcycle. It roared viciously as she swung it around and began to traverse the hill before her.
As soon as her back was turned Devon sprang into action. The large man leapt to his feet and grabbed his rifle. Hastily he took aim at his escaping prisoner and squeezed off two shots. Both narrowly missed their target and splashed into the soft earth.
Nearly halfway to the top the motor bike finally gave in to the hill's whims. The rider turned sharply to the side to confuse her foe only to discover that the elevation of the incline was more than gravity would allow at such an angle. Thusly, both the motor cycle and rider would have tumbled down the slope at great speed if it were not for the magnificent reflexes of the controller. Just as the vehicle was about to fall flat on its side the driver thrust her foot to the ground and swung the motorbike in the opposite direction.
She was now looking down the hill at her enemy. He stood ready aiming his shotgun directly in at her. "Last chance Croft," he yelled triumphantly.
Just then the air grew still as if it were warning of an imminent storm. From the mountains directly ahead, came the sound of some sort of a mechanical engine. It whirled in closer and closer until the ground began to vibrate. Not long after a gleam of silver became visible. As it came closer the sun's glare withdraw revealing its true form, a small helicopter. It streaked across the landscape, made a U-turn, and hovered just off of the edge of the cliff.
Lara glanced down at the man below her. She had become completely oblivious to him. His attention was now diverted by the chopper. It was as if he were in a trance. After a moment his gun slipped out of his left hand and hung lifelessly in his right. The lady quickly pulled her foot up unrestraining the motorcycle and raced down the hill past the American. The sudden rush woke Devon violently from his daydream returning him fully to reality and immediately he let loose a futile spray of bullets in the direction of the fleeing treasure hunter.
As before it was to no avail. The escapee was half way down the mountain before the Texan fired his first shot. Coming down toward the cliff, the explorer lifted her feet onto the seat of the speeding vehicle. Her eyes narrowed allowing her to focus only on the task ahead.
A few seconds later the bike launched its self from the cliff, leaving the safety solid ground behind it. At the same time, the daredevil leapt off of her transport in favor of another form. She flew through the air for a few moments ending up on the landing skids of the hovering helicopter. The explorer quickly turned and flung her legs upward to secure herself. The whirlybird then turned and soared out of view with Devon futilely in pursuit.
Immediately after it had left the American and the cliffs behind, the helicopter began to descend. It made its way to a field of tall grass. As it soured over the field, Lara released herself from the skids and dropped to the ground landing on her belly. The helicopter then continued forward and landed a few yards in front of her.
The ex - passenger peered through the tall grass at the chopper wondering whom she was going to have to deal with next. "At least I won't have to deal with Devon any more," she whispered to herself.
The satisfaction brought on by this statement was only temporary at best for the moment that she had concluded uttering it two of men in very dark business suits stepped out of the helicopter.
As soon as they had emerged from the flying machine they proceeded forward through the vegetation looking back and forth through the weeds. It was not a search in the traditional manner for the two men did not frantically run hither and thither calling out orders to one another. Instead, they walked casually through the grass talking as if they were simply on a business vacation.
The treasure seeker remained hidden watching the entire seen through the thick green blades around her. The helicopter was now silent. The pilot appeared to be the only soul aboard. The men, who were now half way between her and the flying machine, stopped and turned to each other to talk more seriously.
Sensing little danger from the men Lara slowly rose to her feet. "Thanks for the lift," she yelled fixing her weapons on the two men in front of her.
To her surprise the two gentlemen took very little notice of this remark except to acknowledge that it was said. "Ah, Miss Croft. There you are," replied one of the men in a very posh British accent, "We'll be with you in a moment." Without another word the man turned back to the conversation with his companion.
The tomb raider was perplexed. Who were these men and what did they need from her? She began to slink closer, her pistols trained on the strangers before her. "Excuse me," she said when she was a little closer, "I don't know who you are or what you want but I am not someone you should just ignore like
that."
"Quite right," replied the man who had spoken before, "I apologize. My name is Jonathan Brazen from MI6."
"And what about you," inquired the lady, still holding her pistols.
The second man smiled obtusely and extended his hand. "James Thorton, CIA."
"Forgive me for not shaking hands," answered the young lady staring down at the extended hand, "but I've had some bad dealings with Americans of late."
The CIA agent raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to make an apology on behalf of his countrymen but before he could utter a syllable he was interrupted by his British counterpart. "Our governments urgently need your help," he explained.
Croft slid her guns back into their holsters then crossed her arms in front of her. "It must have been urgent if you had to pick me up like that," She responded. "Why didn't you just land?"
"We couldn't take the chance with that maniac down there," Thorton chuckled, "Besides we thought you'd prefer it this way."
The young lady glared with great annoyance at the man. Realizing that his humor wasn't at all appreciated he briskly dropped the dense smile from his face. "We need to talk to you about the artifact that you have," he continued.
The renowned explorer dropped her hands to her hips and rested them on top of her pistols.
"What about it," she asked through clenched teeth.
"May we see?" asked the Englishman.
"Not if you want to continue breathing," she retorted.
"Well then," Brazen continued, "could you tell me if it looks like this?" Reaching into his coat pocket the gentleman produced a small parcel. Placing it into the palm of his hand he carefully unwrapped it revealing a large blue gem.
Lara quickly pulled off her backpack and removed the artifact. For several minutes she stared back and forth between it and the stone across from her. They were identical in every way except one. The engraved image on the agent's jewel was not of Shiva.
The explorer slid closer to the second artifact and carefully examined it. The engraving seemed to be some sort of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic but it was unlike anything she had ever seen. "Where did you find this?" the lady asked in astonishment.
"Cairo," answered the American agent, his dull witted smile returning. "We pulled it off some two - bit archaeologist named Jones. He was apparently-"
"We believe that these jewels hold special powers," interrupted the other man, "and when they are placed in some secret ceremonial place some sort of evil will be released."
The treasure hunter looked up at the man in front of her. His face was stern and unwavering. "I thought people in your position didn't believe in such things. Anyway I wouldn't worry too much. You've got one piece and this one is going into a very rich man's private collection."
"If that rich man is Drake," replied the CIA agent, "then there is something to worry about. He's the one that killed Jones."
"Quite right," continued the other. He looked deep into the artifact in his hand. Without an ounce of levity or remorse he tossed the jewel onto the ground, "and this is a fake."
The explorer bent down and picked up the discarded replica. She held it in one hand and the authentic artifact in the other. The resemblance was astounding. For all that the young lady knew, it was as real as the one that she had just recovered. "How do you know it's a fake?" she finally asked.
"We don't," the American answered, "but Drake obviously did. Jones was trying to pass that one off for the real thing."
"Hmmm," Croft slipped the original jewel back into her pack and continued to examine the fake.
"Do they have the Egyptian stone then?"
Mr. Brazen nodded his head, "We believe so. The operation seems to have left Egypt entirely.
Unfortunately we seem to have lost track of them."
Lara slipped the phony stone into her backpack and began to walk toward the helicopter. "They're in Rome," she announced as she strolled past the suited gentlemen.
"How do you know that," Thorton called after her.
The lady stopped and turned to face the government agents. "I don't know the legend except that it involves three stones each representing a powerful god, one from India to represent the Hindu god Shiva, one from Egypt representing Osiris, and one from Rome representing Jupiter. The legend also mentions something about the end of the world so perhaps we should get going."
"Am I then to understand that you will help us Miss Croft?" The Englishman asked smiling for the first time.
Lara nodded her head decisively.
"Good," continued the agent, "then when you find the last stone-"
The young lady walked forward sternly until she was almost touching the nose of the Brit. Her brow drooped low over her eye. "Let's get one thing straight, shall we," she stated very sternly, "I am NOT working for you. I am doing this on my own behalf. Any assistance you offer will be appreciated but I don't need it, and when I recover the artifact I will make the decision about what is to be done with it."
Both men stared back at the lady for a moment wondering what to say next. Finally, after a few minutes they realized that they had very few options. They nodded to the woman and motioned toward the aircraft.
As the tomb raider moved away the American's smile grew twice as large as it had been a moment before. "Man, those English ladies are cute."
Lara Croft moved steadily toward the air transport. After such a trying day she could only think of one thing to say, "I hate Americans"
To be continued…