Soon Larson and Lara were facing an underground waterfall. Above the
falls was the opening to a tunnel, and another tunnel opened up behind
them. Lara sat down on a boulder and stared at the falls. "I love
subterranean waterways. They have such an air of mystery. It makes you
wonder where the water's come from, and where it's going. What deep places
of the earth has it been to?"
"Makes me wonder if it's good to drink," said Larson. He knelt down at the edge of the pool and scooped up some with his hands. "Wow, that's good!"
"It should be. It's the snowmelt from the mountains." Together they filled up their canteens. Lara dunked her face in the water and washed off the dust. "I think I saw a doorway behind the falls," Lara said when she came back up. "My guess is that's the tomb entrance."
"Why on earth would they build a door behind a waterfall?"
"Another security measure, of course. The ancients wanted only the best and brightest to access their tombs." Lara pointed to some piping adjacent to the falls. "Those pipes have to lead to a shutoff valve. All we have to do is find it and we're in."
"It's about time," Larson groused.
Oh, come on, Larson. Don't be such a wet blanket." Lara glimpsed something on the far wall. She left Larson's side to examine it and cam back a minute later. "There's some machinery there with three gears missing. Looks like we have to find them."
"I've got just the gizmo for that," said Larson. From his own backpack he withdrew a small metal-detector wand. "It's good for frisking people, but I brought it along to help you find that Scion. If these gears are metal we'll find 'em."
Together they proceeded down the lower tunnel- Lara on point with her pistols drawn, and Larson sweeping the ground and walls with his wand. Occasionally Larson's wand would chirp and they would dig up the ground to find the source. There were some false alarms, but pretty soon they had found two of the missing gears. The third proved more elusive. They paced all the way from one end of the tunnel to the other with no luck. As they were about to sit down and discuss alternatives Lara spied a coppery glint at the bottom of a pool. "I think that's number 3!" She cried.
Lara dove into the pool and swam gracefully down to the bottom. "Such an artful breaststroke," Larson thought to himself, looking at Lara's rippling image. "Heh. I'd like to give her the 'breaststroke'. Oh grow up, Larson," he chided himself. As Larson gazed at the pool he noticed something strange about the ripples. Every few seconds he noticed a shivering on the surface. Not spreading outward from a point, which would happen if something dropped in, but rather a vibration covering the entire surface. The shivers became larger and he began to feel it too. Earth tremors. Thump. Thump. THUMP.
Then he saw it. "God Almighty!" Larson cried out. It was a giant dinosaur! At least 20 feet tall with a mouth full of fangs. A T-rex, without a doubt. But how? Dinosaurs are supposed to be extinct! Larson had just enough time to gasp with horror before it saw him and let out a mighty roar.
Lara surfaced and held up the gear triumphantly. "I've got it! We're in!"
"Not yet we're not!" Larson pointed. Lara looked over at Rex but didn't seem too surprised. "The tomb's mighty guardian! Come on. Maybe we can beat it to the entrance." They sprinted back towards the tunnel entrance with the Rex thundering after them. They made it as far as the waterfall chamber before the dinosaur was able to cut off their retreat. Larson drew his pistol and aimed it but Lara pushed it away. "You won't kill it with that thing. Take this flare and distract it." Larson held his arm stretched to the side with the glowing road flare. The Rex was mesmerized by the sight and followed the red glow intently. As the dino was distracted, Lara carefully climbed onto it's back and shimmied upwards.
"Hurry, Lara!" Rex was bending for a closer look and was almost within chomping distance. Larson dropped the flare from his trembling hand and backed into a corner. The giant lizard bent down and sniffed at the fizzling light, then turned his attention back to Larson. Oh crap, he thought. But Lara was almost done. She had pulled 3 sticks of dynamite from her pack, attached them to the dino's neck with flypaper, and lit the fuse.
"Take cover!" Lara cried, and she stood up and swan-dove into the entrance pool. Larson ducked behind a boulder just before the dynamite blew. BLAMMO! The giant lizard's head went flying into a thousand pieces and it's body crashed to the ground.
Lara surfaced. "Did I get him?"
"That is the damndest thing I've ever seen!" Larson exclaimed. His admiration for Lara rose even higher. She had literally saved his life! Larson's doubts about his orders to kill her became stronger. No, he couldn't do it. No matter what Natla said, he couldn't hurt Lara Croft. There had to be some other way.
"Now comes the fun part," said Lara. She placed the three gears in their respective places and pulled the lever. The machinery turned and the waterfall slowed to a trickle. Then the door behind the falls ground open. Beyond it lay the Tomb of Qualopec.
"Makes me wonder if it's good to drink," said Larson. He knelt down at the edge of the pool and scooped up some with his hands. "Wow, that's good!"
"It should be. It's the snowmelt from the mountains." Together they filled up their canteens. Lara dunked her face in the water and washed off the dust. "I think I saw a doorway behind the falls," Lara said when she came back up. "My guess is that's the tomb entrance."
"Why on earth would they build a door behind a waterfall?"
"Another security measure, of course. The ancients wanted only the best and brightest to access their tombs." Lara pointed to some piping adjacent to the falls. "Those pipes have to lead to a shutoff valve. All we have to do is find it and we're in."
"It's about time," Larson groused.
Oh, come on, Larson. Don't be such a wet blanket." Lara glimpsed something on the far wall. She left Larson's side to examine it and cam back a minute later. "There's some machinery there with three gears missing. Looks like we have to find them."
"I've got just the gizmo for that," said Larson. From his own backpack he withdrew a small metal-detector wand. "It's good for frisking people, but I brought it along to help you find that Scion. If these gears are metal we'll find 'em."
Together they proceeded down the lower tunnel- Lara on point with her pistols drawn, and Larson sweeping the ground and walls with his wand. Occasionally Larson's wand would chirp and they would dig up the ground to find the source. There were some false alarms, but pretty soon they had found two of the missing gears. The third proved more elusive. They paced all the way from one end of the tunnel to the other with no luck. As they were about to sit down and discuss alternatives Lara spied a coppery glint at the bottom of a pool. "I think that's number 3!" She cried.
Lara dove into the pool and swam gracefully down to the bottom. "Such an artful breaststroke," Larson thought to himself, looking at Lara's rippling image. "Heh. I'd like to give her the 'breaststroke'. Oh grow up, Larson," he chided himself. As Larson gazed at the pool he noticed something strange about the ripples. Every few seconds he noticed a shivering on the surface. Not spreading outward from a point, which would happen if something dropped in, but rather a vibration covering the entire surface. The shivers became larger and he began to feel it too. Earth tremors. Thump. Thump. THUMP.
Then he saw it. "God Almighty!" Larson cried out. It was a giant dinosaur! At least 20 feet tall with a mouth full of fangs. A T-rex, without a doubt. But how? Dinosaurs are supposed to be extinct! Larson had just enough time to gasp with horror before it saw him and let out a mighty roar.
Lara surfaced and held up the gear triumphantly. "I've got it! We're in!"
"Not yet we're not!" Larson pointed. Lara looked over at Rex but didn't seem too surprised. "The tomb's mighty guardian! Come on. Maybe we can beat it to the entrance." They sprinted back towards the tunnel entrance with the Rex thundering after them. They made it as far as the waterfall chamber before the dinosaur was able to cut off their retreat. Larson drew his pistol and aimed it but Lara pushed it away. "You won't kill it with that thing. Take this flare and distract it." Larson held his arm stretched to the side with the glowing road flare. The Rex was mesmerized by the sight and followed the red glow intently. As the dino was distracted, Lara carefully climbed onto it's back and shimmied upwards.
"Hurry, Lara!" Rex was bending for a closer look and was almost within chomping distance. Larson dropped the flare from his trembling hand and backed into a corner. The giant lizard bent down and sniffed at the fizzling light, then turned his attention back to Larson. Oh crap, he thought. But Lara was almost done. She had pulled 3 sticks of dynamite from her pack, attached them to the dino's neck with flypaper, and lit the fuse.
"Take cover!" Lara cried, and she stood up and swan-dove into the entrance pool. Larson ducked behind a boulder just before the dynamite blew. BLAMMO! The giant lizard's head went flying into a thousand pieces and it's body crashed to the ground.
Lara surfaced. "Did I get him?"
"That is the damndest thing I've ever seen!" Larson exclaimed. His admiration for Lara rose even higher. She had literally saved his life! Larson's doubts about his orders to kill her became stronger. No, he couldn't do it. No matter what Natla said, he couldn't hurt Lara Croft. There had to be some other way.
"Now comes the fun part," said Lara. She placed the three gears in their respective places and pulled the lever. The machinery turned and the waterfall slowed to a trickle. Then the door behind the falls ground open. Beyond it lay the Tomb of Qualopec.