Michael stopped and turned on his heels, he ran fiercely, back to where the Thugs were. "Oy, Mike, why'dja tear off like that?" The thug asked gruffly. Michael hesitated, "I... wanted to keep her trust when she told me to run, that's all." Two Thugs nodded but the first stepped closer to him, "You're lying to us, Mikey! I think you and the wench had somethin' happenin' before we got here. You like her, don't you?" Before Michael could answer the Thug spat in his face, "I knew it! You know the penalty for being within five feet of that slut is? Not worse than the one you're gonna face! You were freaking five millimeters of her and you failed to kill her!" The Thug breathed in, "The penalty, is death." Michael's eyes got large, "You can't kill me! I..."
"Watch me." The Thug replied dryly. The last thing Michael saw was the back of his eyelids.
"Drop 'er ova they'a." Lara made out as she opened her eyes. She found herself in a room with scant light and a table in the middle. On top was...oh no! Michael was lying there, knocked out, maybe even... Lara picked herself off the numbing floor and stumbled to Mike. "Mike, Michael, wake up!" Her voice was trembling and desperate, she jumped as his hand moved to hers. He smiled, "Lara, they're gonna kill me..." Lara felt herself die inside as she realized what he said. "No, you're not going to! I won't let them!" She reached for her pistols... They weren't there! Blast! They disarmed her. "You are going to die." She said in disbelief. "Before they come, there is something I wanna tell you..." Michael didn't get any further.
Lara spun her head around to the creaking of the iron door behind her. Out stepped a brawny man with Lara's guns. "Hey, bitch. Want your guns back? I know you just can't wait to kill someone." He sneered and spat on the ground. "Yes, I would like to kill someone." She replied coolly. The Thug grinned, "Too bad it's gonna be your boyfriend," And with that, he dropped the guns on the floor and left the room. Lara ran over to her guns, "Empty, of course! Wanted to make it a bit harder, didn't you?" She looked up as two dark figures entered the room.
"Hello." She heard a woman's familiar voice say. Lara looked perplexed, 'One of these big figures couldn't possibly be a woman!' Then she saw a shapely figure step past the two burly men, "Don't think these men will kill you, Miss Croft; be more afraid of me." The mysterious yet familiar woman turned on her heels out the door. Lara saw the two men smile, "Time to say goodnight to little Mikey." The Thug said savagely. Lara felt her insides grow weak; how could she kill her friend? No, he was more than that! "You can't make me kill him." Lara stuck out her chin defiantly. One strode forward and grabbed her chin, "Don't bet your life on that. You don't kill him, we kill him anyway; this way is just far more entertaining." A pause, then, "Jupiter! Ronny! Make this slut convert to our cause." The dogs sat there. "What are you waiting for?" He yelled angrily, "Get her! Fine, fine; get out you worthless beasts!" He reached in his pocket and handed Lara bullets to her gun. The two Thugs picked up Michael from the table and held him against the wall, standing on both his sides. 'This is suicide!' Lara thought, ' They know I'm going to kill them!' She smiled wickedly and aimed for Michael.
She saw Michael's eyes get large as she aimed both the pistols at him; he was drenched with sweat. "Dear Michael, I'm afraid it's time for you to go." Her eyes glinted with pleasure as she reached up the leg of her pants and got her silencer, the Thugs' jaws dropped. Expertly, she twisted it on, "Bye, bye, Thuggies." She widened her aim and shot with both guns. The two big lugs fell to the floor, blood trickling from the holes in their foreheads. "Mike," Lara ran to him. "We must get out of here!" She picked up the keys from an ex-Thug and unlocked the door. As she set foot outside the chamber, an intercom boomed from overhead, "Ah, Lara, you are smart, but I am smarter! We're in the middle of the ocean, there's nowhere for you to run. Meet me in the captain's room. It's time for a showdown." The voice ended as quickly as it had begun. "Looks like were off to the races!" Lara smirked.
Sooner or later, Lara found the captain's room. She held both her pistols in her hands as she searched for the woman. "It's about time you got here, Croft!" Lara turned around and gasped. It was... her! Lara was standing right in front of herself! It wasn't a mirror, it was... her. "I can see how confused you are Lara. But I've heard that in death, all life's' questions are answered, so why don't you find out." Quick as a flash, Lara aimed her guns and shot. To her surprise, the other Lara was just as swift as she was! "You can't beat me, Croft, I was genetically enhanced to be one notch better than everything you can do." The clone back flipped and shot, so quickly, that Lara had no idea what happened. She winced in pain. The clone smiled, "See? I can do something, before your brain can even process! I'm so wonderful. And you know the best part? I'm evil. And evil people always get what they..."
The clone backed up in agony. Lara stood, "...deserve. And you know the best part?" Lara mimicked the clone, "You talk too much." Hours went by, and still no Lara was dead. It seemed the enhanced one was still no match for the real. But how? A swift blow to the head cut off Lara's train of thought. She was knocked against the wall and the clone was nearing her, ready to use her gun. "Bye Croft." She said evilly. The bullet blasted out and headed toward Lara; she didn't have enough strength to move, this was it. Her journeys and her life were coming to an end. Her eyes picked up a flicker of skin darting in front of her and she looked on the ground to see Michael, bleeding. Lara ran to him, "Mike! Why did you do that?" She stroked his hair, "Because I lov..."
Enough of this." The clone screeched. She picked up Michael and twisted his neck, dropping him to the ground. Lara glanced at Mike. 'So that was it, he's dead now; it's all over.' "No," Lara raised herself from the ground, " it's not over."
Quicker than the clone could raise a limb to block Lara's kick, she was on the ground. Lara felt herself getting stronger. "Now, it's personal." Lara and the clone fought again more vigorously than before. They fought until the wee hours of the morning when finally, "Now Croft, this is the last time I'm saying goodbye to you, so die this time!" Lara was pinned under the weight of her competitor, she couldn't move. Now, it was over. "I'm going to kill you the same way Michael died." Lara found herself grabbed by the neck. And...twist. Croft was dead.
The other Lara gazed at the dead one. "Pity you had to die. I thought we had a resemblance." Lara steered the boat and headed for shore.
"Watch me." The Thug replied dryly. The last thing Michael saw was the back of his eyelids.
"Drop 'er ova they'a." Lara made out as she opened her eyes. She found herself in a room with scant light and a table in the middle. On top was...oh no! Michael was lying there, knocked out, maybe even... Lara picked herself off the numbing floor and stumbled to Mike. "Mike, Michael, wake up!" Her voice was trembling and desperate, she jumped as his hand moved to hers. He smiled, "Lara, they're gonna kill me..." Lara felt herself die inside as she realized what he said. "No, you're not going to! I won't let them!" She reached for her pistols... They weren't there! Blast! They disarmed her. "You are going to die." She said in disbelief. "Before they come, there is something I wanna tell you..." Michael didn't get any further.
Lara spun her head around to the creaking of the iron door behind her. Out stepped a brawny man with Lara's guns. "Hey, bitch. Want your guns back? I know you just can't wait to kill someone." He sneered and spat on the ground. "Yes, I would like to kill someone." She replied coolly. The Thug grinned, "Too bad it's gonna be your boyfriend," And with that, he dropped the guns on the floor and left the room. Lara ran over to her guns, "Empty, of course! Wanted to make it a bit harder, didn't you?" She looked up as two dark figures entered the room.
"Hello." She heard a woman's familiar voice say. Lara looked perplexed, 'One of these big figures couldn't possibly be a woman!' Then she saw a shapely figure step past the two burly men, "Don't think these men will kill you, Miss Croft; be more afraid of me." The mysterious yet familiar woman turned on her heels out the door. Lara saw the two men smile, "Time to say goodnight to little Mikey." The Thug said savagely. Lara felt her insides grow weak; how could she kill her friend? No, he was more than that! "You can't make me kill him." Lara stuck out her chin defiantly. One strode forward and grabbed her chin, "Don't bet your life on that. You don't kill him, we kill him anyway; this way is just far more entertaining." A pause, then, "Jupiter! Ronny! Make this slut convert to our cause." The dogs sat there. "What are you waiting for?" He yelled angrily, "Get her! Fine, fine; get out you worthless beasts!" He reached in his pocket and handed Lara bullets to her gun. The two Thugs picked up Michael from the table and held him against the wall, standing on both his sides. 'This is suicide!' Lara thought, ' They know I'm going to kill them!' She smiled wickedly and aimed for Michael.
She saw Michael's eyes get large as she aimed both the pistols at him; he was drenched with sweat. "Dear Michael, I'm afraid it's time for you to go." Her eyes glinted with pleasure as she reached up the leg of her pants and got her silencer, the Thugs' jaws dropped. Expertly, she twisted it on, "Bye, bye, Thuggies." She widened her aim and shot with both guns. The two big lugs fell to the floor, blood trickling from the holes in their foreheads. "Mike," Lara ran to him. "We must get out of here!" She picked up the keys from an ex-Thug and unlocked the door. As she set foot outside the chamber, an intercom boomed from overhead, "Ah, Lara, you are smart, but I am smarter! We're in the middle of the ocean, there's nowhere for you to run. Meet me in the captain's room. It's time for a showdown." The voice ended as quickly as it had begun. "Looks like were off to the races!" Lara smirked.
Sooner or later, Lara found the captain's room. She held both her pistols in her hands as she searched for the woman. "It's about time you got here, Croft!" Lara turned around and gasped. It was... her! Lara was standing right in front of herself! It wasn't a mirror, it was... her. "I can see how confused you are Lara. But I've heard that in death, all life's' questions are answered, so why don't you find out." Quick as a flash, Lara aimed her guns and shot. To her surprise, the other Lara was just as swift as she was! "You can't beat me, Croft, I was genetically enhanced to be one notch better than everything you can do." The clone back flipped and shot, so quickly, that Lara had no idea what happened. She winced in pain. The clone smiled, "See? I can do something, before your brain can even process! I'm so wonderful. And you know the best part? I'm evil. And evil people always get what they..."
The clone backed up in agony. Lara stood, "...deserve. And you know the best part?" Lara mimicked the clone, "You talk too much." Hours went by, and still no Lara was dead. It seemed the enhanced one was still no match for the real. But how? A swift blow to the head cut off Lara's train of thought. She was knocked against the wall and the clone was nearing her, ready to use her gun. "Bye Croft." She said evilly. The bullet blasted out and headed toward Lara; she didn't have enough strength to move, this was it. Her journeys and her life were coming to an end. Her eyes picked up a flicker of skin darting in front of her and she looked on the ground to see Michael, bleeding. Lara ran to him, "Mike! Why did you do that?" She stroked his hair, "Because I lov..."
Enough of this." The clone screeched. She picked up Michael and twisted his neck, dropping him to the ground. Lara glanced at Mike. 'So that was it, he's dead now; it's all over.' "No," Lara raised herself from the ground, " it's not over."
Quicker than the clone could raise a limb to block Lara's kick, she was on the ground. Lara felt herself getting stronger. "Now, it's personal." Lara and the clone fought again more vigorously than before. They fought until the wee hours of the morning when finally, "Now Croft, this is the last time I'm saying goodbye to you, so die this time!" Lara was pinned under the weight of her competitor, she couldn't move. Now, it was over. "I'm going to kill you the same way Michael died." Lara found herself grabbed by the neck. And...twist. Croft was dead.
The other Lara gazed at the dead one. "Pity you had to die. I thought we had a resemblance." Lara steered the boat and headed for shore.