"Huh?" Michael stammered. "Of you trying to play coy with me! Tell me why you're out here. You don't look like the most secure or strongest man I've seen. So why are you in a hazardous mountain alone?" She put on a rare smile and Michael felt his insides melt. He stammered, "Well, uh, see... I don't know." Lara looked at him, disgusted. How could he not know? He was playing with her! "Never mind then." Lara huffed and soundlessly ate her remaining lunch. "Thank You." Broke the silence between them suddenly. Lara looked up at the man. " For what?"
"For the food. I haven't had any in days." Lara, officially confused, finished her chips and stood up. Her alert ears picked up the sound of a predator nearby; and her brain- a scheme. "Here we go again!" Michael looked up at her thinking she was crazy.
He saw her strap on her pack and secure it. Her pistols reflected sun into his eyes as her coat blew slightly back. "May I ask what you're doing?"
"When I tell you to run, you run- got it? If, that is, you want to be alive for next time." Michael nodded fiercely. What kind of a woman was this? She was strikingly beautiful, but shockingly scary! "Hey, do you mind calling my Mike instead of Michael cause..."
"Run!" He watched Lara dart past him in flash. He clumsily followed her. "Just don't look behind you" Was all she said before gaining speed. "You're kidding!" Mike, surprisingly, didn't look back. Lara had no time to think about how smart he was for not looking. She had to run! Quickly, she dashed behind a huge boulder.
"Lara! Where are you?" Was the call she heard from the naïve man walking aimlessly. He imagined another rabid bear racing towards them, or a pack of savage wolves with razor and unforgiving teeth. He suddenly found himself daydreaming about being ripped bloodily apart. Wolves tearing his flesh off his skin and not savoring it, but diving back into his body for more fresh meat. He imagined them emerging from his gory corpse with his intestines imbedded in their jaws of fate. Slowly, his body would become part of theirs, sliding down their throats and spiraling down into their bloated bellies. He shuddered and opened his eyes as he heard a familiar voice, "Psst! Mike, over here!" He immediately flew to where Lara was and breathed heavy, "What's chasing us?" He tried to let the words escape from his trembling lips. Would they be safe here? Lara stood up and dusted the soft snow off of her coat, "Nothing." Michael gaped at her. "Come along then!"
"You know you scared the hell out of me, right? What's wrong with you? Do you honestly like terrifying people...?" He stopped suddenly as Lara turned around and shoved a pistol in his face, "What is this- interrogation? You want to hang around don't you? Then stop pissing me off!" She finished with her eyebrows raised. Then, a kinder smile appeared on the aggravated face, "Darling, if you're going to hang around me, I need to know things about you, not just your name." Michael sighed heavily in defeat, " I'm with the thugs..." He got no further for both pistols this time ended up in his face. "Okay, one minor detail you left out Thug, you're trying to kill me!" The enraged Lara screamed. "No, no! I... if you'd let me explain..." He smiled as she plopped him back onto the ground. "Thanks. Anyway, my mission was to seek you out and kill you." He said the last words carefully as he stared at her fingers by the trigger, "But one of my faithful comrades advised our leader that I was too weak for the job and I wouldn't stand a minute alone out here, let alone against you, Miss Croft." He saw her lower her weapons only a tad bit. I've been out here for three days. After I got the radio call from my brother David, I..."
"David? He..." Lara was amazed.
David Barrington! Mister nice-sounding city boy was her enemy! Well... was. Mike looked at her with uncertain eyes, the way he normally looks at her. "You know my brother?" Lara looked up, "No, I didn... uh, don't." She smiled fetchingly at him and he dropped the subject. 'Damn!' Michael thought. How could one woman have this much power over him? He'd killed women before. He didn't like to, but it was his job. He'd only kill people when his chief told him so. The whole reason they were they way they were, was to seek and destroy the infamous Lara Croft. Now that he had her, right in front of him, he couldn't do anything but blow his cover. 'Smart Mike!' He scolded himself as he covered his face with his arms.
Lara narrowed her dark eyes at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Unsuccessfully, she tried to make short conversation, " Do you want to kill me now?" She praised herself as she spoke, putting him on the spot. "No! I would never think that. You're not such a bad girl as the guys said you were..."
"And what exactly did they tell you, Mike?" Michael bit his lip as his brain urged him to continue. He inhaled lightly and began, " They said you were like an animal- a very hostile creature. They said you would kill anyone that talked to you and you deserved to be killed. They brainwashed me into believing that you were some sort of unforgiving monster! I can't believe I trusted them. Now I see you are just another person in the world doing what she loves best!" Lara was shocked. He perfectly described how she described herself! But was it a trick? She couldn't tell.
She scooted closer to him as he continued, "They also said you were a slut and you used your body to stop men from automatically shooting you." He paused and realized whom he was talking to. He expected a larger gun this time, but all he heard was a soft ringing of laughter coming from her as she toppled over backwards. He smiled almost apprehensively, "What's so funny?"
"Me, a slut? Preposterous! That's the most amusing joke I have heard in a long time! Thank you Mike." He beamed as she scooted towards him and embraced him shortly. 'Who would've imagined a well-known, beautiful, and athletic woman would be hugging him!' Michael beamed as they continued on to find a suitable place to sleep.
"For the food. I haven't had any in days." Lara, officially confused, finished her chips and stood up. Her alert ears picked up the sound of a predator nearby; and her brain- a scheme. "Here we go again!" Michael looked up at her thinking she was crazy.
He saw her strap on her pack and secure it. Her pistols reflected sun into his eyes as her coat blew slightly back. "May I ask what you're doing?"
"When I tell you to run, you run- got it? If, that is, you want to be alive for next time." Michael nodded fiercely. What kind of a woman was this? She was strikingly beautiful, but shockingly scary! "Hey, do you mind calling my Mike instead of Michael cause..."
"Run!" He watched Lara dart past him in flash. He clumsily followed her. "Just don't look behind you" Was all she said before gaining speed. "You're kidding!" Mike, surprisingly, didn't look back. Lara had no time to think about how smart he was for not looking. She had to run! Quickly, she dashed behind a huge boulder.
"Lara! Where are you?" Was the call she heard from the naïve man walking aimlessly. He imagined another rabid bear racing towards them, or a pack of savage wolves with razor and unforgiving teeth. He suddenly found himself daydreaming about being ripped bloodily apart. Wolves tearing his flesh off his skin and not savoring it, but diving back into his body for more fresh meat. He imagined them emerging from his gory corpse with his intestines imbedded in their jaws of fate. Slowly, his body would become part of theirs, sliding down their throats and spiraling down into their bloated bellies. He shuddered and opened his eyes as he heard a familiar voice, "Psst! Mike, over here!" He immediately flew to where Lara was and breathed heavy, "What's chasing us?" He tried to let the words escape from his trembling lips. Would they be safe here? Lara stood up and dusted the soft snow off of her coat, "Nothing." Michael gaped at her. "Come along then!"
"You know you scared the hell out of me, right? What's wrong with you? Do you honestly like terrifying people...?" He stopped suddenly as Lara turned around and shoved a pistol in his face, "What is this- interrogation? You want to hang around don't you? Then stop pissing me off!" She finished with her eyebrows raised. Then, a kinder smile appeared on the aggravated face, "Darling, if you're going to hang around me, I need to know things about you, not just your name." Michael sighed heavily in defeat, " I'm with the thugs..." He got no further for both pistols this time ended up in his face. "Okay, one minor detail you left out Thug, you're trying to kill me!" The enraged Lara screamed. "No, no! I... if you'd let me explain..." He smiled as she plopped him back onto the ground. "Thanks. Anyway, my mission was to seek you out and kill you." He said the last words carefully as he stared at her fingers by the trigger, "But one of my faithful comrades advised our leader that I was too weak for the job and I wouldn't stand a minute alone out here, let alone against you, Miss Croft." He saw her lower her weapons only a tad bit. I've been out here for three days. After I got the radio call from my brother David, I..."
"David? He..." Lara was amazed.
David Barrington! Mister nice-sounding city boy was her enemy! Well... was. Mike looked at her with uncertain eyes, the way he normally looks at her. "You know my brother?" Lara looked up, "No, I didn... uh, don't." She smiled fetchingly at him and he dropped the subject. 'Damn!' Michael thought. How could one woman have this much power over him? He'd killed women before. He didn't like to, but it was his job. He'd only kill people when his chief told him so. The whole reason they were they way they were, was to seek and destroy the infamous Lara Croft. Now that he had her, right in front of him, he couldn't do anything but blow his cover. 'Smart Mike!' He scolded himself as he covered his face with his arms.
Lara narrowed her dark eyes at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Unsuccessfully, she tried to make short conversation, " Do you want to kill me now?" She praised herself as she spoke, putting him on the spot. "No! I would never think that. You're not such a bad girl as the guys said you were..."
"And what exactly did they tell you, Mike?" Michael bit his lip as his brain urged him to continue. He inhaled lightly and began, " They said you were like an animal- a very hostile creature. They said you would kill anyone that talked to you and you deserved to be killed. They brainwashed me into believing that you were some sort of unforgiving monster! I can't believe I trusted them. Now I see you are just another person in the world doing what she loves best!" Lara was shocked. He perfectly described how she described herself! But was it a trick? She couldn't tell.
She scooted closer to him as he continued, "They also said you were a slut and you used your body to stop men from automatically shooting you." He paused and realized whom he was talking to. He expected a larger gun this time, but all he heard was a soft ringing of laughter coming from her as she toppled over backwards. He smiled almost apprehensively, "What's so funny?"
"Me, a slut? Preposterous! That's the most amusing joke I have heard in a long time! Thank you Mike." He beamed as she scooted towards him and embraced him shortly. 'Who would've imagined a well-known, beautiful, and athletic woman would be hugging him!' Michael beamed as they continued on to find a suitable place to sleep.