Chapter 10 - The Hidden Tomb

"Miss Croft.  Miss Croft!  Wait…please"

Lara turned around.  A native man was running after them.

"Please Miss Croft.  I have a telegram from London for you.  From your butler.  He has sent over your southern jeep.  He says he thought you might need it.  This way please"

Lara smiled. 

"I knew I'd forgotten something.  Oi! Lexa, Bryce. Transportation is provided"

They trooped the short distance to a helipad at the airport, which happened to be just desert.   Coming in from the distance, a helicopter could be seen, flying towards them, carrying something beneath it. 

"Is that your helicopter Lara?"

"No!  It's a Chinook"

"How do you know that?"

"I've heard a lot of them"

The Chinook came and landed a box down right in front of them. 

"What is it?" asked Lexa. 

"Most likely an elephant" said Bryce.

"Lets have a look shall we?"

Lara hopped up on top of the box like a cat, and ripped out a panel from the box.  She dropped inside. 

"Definitely an elephant" came Lara's muffled voice from inside the box… "Oh Shit!"

Suddenly, the roar of an engine came from inside the box, and the jeep ripped through the front of the box.  She had a big childish grin on her face.

"It's a big elephant too" she said.

"Very funny" said Bryce.

They all hopped into the jeep, and drove to where the ammo and weapons and luggage were still being unloaded from the jet.  In no time at all, Lara, Lexa, Bryce and the jeep were driving at Lara's breakneck driving speeds through the desert.  Lexa took something from her pocket - Lara could see that it was bright, and shiny and silver…it seemed to have a core of blue. 

"That way" said Lexa.. pointing straight ahead.

"What was that?" 

"Some kind of a compass.  I bought it from a dealer in Venice, just before all of this started actually"

"Don't you think that's just a little bit funny?"

"I did but now I don't know what to think.  I just want to find this place…as do you.  It's an adventure Lara.  Imagine the glory for you, the peace-of-mind for me"

"Tempting"  said Lara.

Every so often, Lexa would take the little object out of her pocket, look at it for a moment, and then give a direction to Lara.  They had been driving for 3 hours, when Lexa suddenly shouted.. "STOP!"

Lara slammed on the breaks.  They were in the middle of nowhere. 

"Why?  What's wrong?"

"We're here"

"What, the lost empire?" said Bryce

"No, the key to the empire.  This tomb contains….something."

"Just one question.  How do we get in?"

Lexa got out of the car.   She took the object from her pocket, and walked forward.  She kept walking until she was 200m from the car.  Lara watched her stoop, and put the object on the ground.  Then Lexa ran back.  

"Keep your head down"

They did so, and a few seconds later, a great rumbling started.. then a tornado of sand… All the time they kept their heads down, until it had gone quiet. They looked up, and there in front of them stood a doorway.  It was huge.  The frame was made of sand, but the great double doors were made of what appeared to thick and heavy Mirrors.  They were intricately carved, and had a seal made of sapphire, with a sword running through it.

"You know Lexa..  I wonder if you know more than your'e telling me.  You seem to know an awful lot about all this"

"I know nothing…I don't know how I know all this.  I told you.. I bought this, and then all those weird things happened, and the note..and all of the stalking and…."

"Calm down… I believe you.  How do we open these doors?"

Lexa walked up to the doors, and laid her hands upon the seal.  The doors swung open revealing a staircase, leading down into nothingness. 

"After you" said Lara

~~:~~:~~

Bryce came up behind them carrying torches and Lara's holsters, backpack and a phone. 

"Trying to get rid of me so soon?"

"I was only trying to help!"

"I know Bryce.  And I appreciate it, I really do.. but you forgot something"

"What?"

Lara walked back to the jeep and unloaded a crate of Uzi's and ammo. 

"These"

She filled her backpack with ammo, slammed 2 Uzi's in their holsters, strapped 2 machine guns to her backpack (within easy reach).  She then grabbed some bottles of water and threw them to Alexa who put them in her own bag.  Lexa picked up an Uzi.

"You know how to use one?" asked Lara.

"I guess so"

"You point at the thing you want to kill, and you pull the trigger.  This is an auto…you hold the trigger down and it fires off round after round.  Here, strap this on"

Lara threw Lexa a holster belt.  She strapped it on, and put two Uzi's in the holsters. 

"Looking good"  Lara smiled.

"Women! Fashion.  Women talk!!!!"

"Bryce!"  came the shout from both women. 

"Bryce?"

"Yes Lara?"

"It's not safe to insult us girls, when we both carry formidable weapons, is it?"

"No Lara!"

"What are you going to do while we go and play with the big boys?"

"I'm going to sit here, in the scorching heat, keeping contact with you"

"That's right Bryce.  You can set up the shader and cooler over there in the jeep if you want"

"Thanks Lara.  So generous"

"I know.  So make like a husky and Mush!"

 Lara and Lexa walked towards the gaping hole..

"Wait a minute..i gotta get pictures of this and see what is going on"

Lara ran back to the car and grabbed a camera.  She walked round taking pictures..

"Hey Lexa.  Can you see me?"

"No.  You're behind the door"

"I can see you, and in fact, I'm waving now.  Say cheese"

"Cheeese"

"Women" muttered Bryce under his breath. 

Finally, they stepped down into the dark, onto the first step.   Lara held her breath, waiting for something to happen.  Nothing did!  She took the next step down, and again, no traps.

"It's quite safe Lara"

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely"

The two women continued down the stairs. It got colder as they went down.  They could only see the steps.  It was black on either side of them.  Lara looked back up.  She could see the light from the door.  At least it had stayed open.  She stopped, took a flare out of her bag and shone it down into the black.  It was an abyss.  A sheer drop either side of them. 

"Lexa.  Don't move"

A rumbling noise started up from somewhere.  Lara looked back and saw Lexa standing a little further down. Lara quickly joined her.  At the moment Lara landed on the step with Lexa, a beam of light from no-where swept over them….

~~:~~:~~

When Lara woke up, she was lying in front of a set of doors, identical to those in the cavern below her mansion. Lexa was still out cold on the floor beside her.  Lara stood up, and went over to examine the doors.  There was a seal on them, and this was a blue orb, with a silver sword running through it.  The seal itself must be worth a fortune, but Lara, knowing that magic was at work, left it for the moment.

"Found anything interesting?"

Lexa had woken up and was now standing next to Lara.

"How do we open it?"

Don't know"

"Come on.  You've known everything else"

"I'll have a go"

Lexa walked up to the doors. 

"Lexa, jump back. NOW!"

"What?"

"Look up at the top of the doors"

They both looked, and at the top of the doors, there appeared to be an eye, with a shimmering silver pupil.  Lara looked at Alexa and noticed..

"Lexa.  There is a shimmering blue thing at your neck.  I'm taking it to be a pendant.  Why is it glowing?"

"Got it with the compass thing"

"Lexa!"

"Sorry.  I just keep forgetting.  Actually, that eye is the lock.  Come with me"

"They got up, and walked over to the door.  Lexa looked straight up, and again, a silver beam shot out and swept over them.  This time, when they arrived, they were not knocked out. There were in a vast cavern, or so it seemed by the echoes.  It was pitch black. 

"What we need is, some Light!"  Lexa shouted.

She took a step forward.  Next, a great flash appeared and the entire Cavern was lit up.  It was a temple.  They were on a bridge, made of what appeared to be black marble. Either side of them, a deep drop, but into crystal clear, deep blue waters.  Lush green plants and foliage grew everywhere, far below them.  The bridge had no sides.  It was just a block.  Brightly coloured fish swam in the waters.  Lara felt an utter sense of peace and felt she wanted to stay there forever.  She continued looking around her.  It was gorgeous.  She looked straight ahead again, and now noticed that directly in front of her, this vast cavern was dominated by a massive dais, that was on more black marble.  This bridge went straight forwards for about 200m into this lush and magical place, and then opened into a square.  A deep moat, about 30cm across, was carved into this black marble, and in the middle of this square sat the dais.  It was made of a shiny, bright silver mineral. 

"Is that the stuff that this Miran is made of?"

"Yeah.  I think so" said Alexa.  

The dais was intricately patterned with swirls and filigree patterns.  There were 5 platforms, each progressively smaller, leading upwards like an Aztec temple.  On the upper-most platform, a silver ring spun and twirled in the air, as though suspended on an invisible centrifuge.  It was about 50cm wide.  Lexa walked up to the platforms, and then began to climb. 

"This is it.  This is the key!"

"Lexa.  Be careful"

As soon as Lexa touched the key it became unfixed, and she took it in her hands.  But…  the cavern turned dark, peace became fear.  The water flowing from the dais, turned dark…thick……Blood.   Great screeches came from the ceiling of the cavern, and looking up, Lara saw, terrible, dark creatures. 

"Run!!!" she screamed to Alexa.  They ran as fast as they could across the marble. Lara had grabbed the Uzi's from her holsters and was firing up at the ceiling.   They were just about to make it to the door, when great dark vines shot out.  They blocked the door.  Alexa turned round to face Lara.  Lara was shocked at the look on her face.  Lexa held out her hand as though against a wall.  

"STOP!"

Everything stopped, instantly.  As thought someone had turned a television off.  Lara blinked.  Everything was back to normal.  Lexa was smiling, with the key in her hands in front of the door. Peace was everywhere. 

"Defence mechanism" said Alexa.

"It's happened before"

Lara was shocked, but said nothing.  There was something not quite right about this.  Something was wrong.  Alexa seemed to know a lot more…Lara set to thinking, but kept them silent.

The two women made there way up again.  After the first door, there were no others.  Just stairs, so they made their way up, and finally arrived back in the scorching sun….

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Disclaimer - I do not own the characters of Lara Croft, Chase Carver, Hillary or Bryce.  Core Design and Eidos Interactive do, so please don't sue me. 

I do own Alexa Munroe, so if you wish to use the name or the character in one of your fic's please contact me at athlete@talk21.com.

Thanks

This story is dedicated to my best friend, Jaina. 

To you, for putting up with my incurable Tomb Raider addiction. 

See you in the summer.

X  Lara

To all you Tomb Raider fans….   We rock!!!

Tomb Raider rules!!!!!!