PART ONE: THE MASK BALL.
Scents of perfume, sweat and alcohol filled the air of the already hot room, Daniel noticed, as he and Samantha walked inside the double doors of James Richards' Washington mansion. A crisply dressed young man in a tuxedo stepped forward. "May I see your tickets please, sir?" he asked pleasantly.
Daniel nodded, and handed the tickets over. "Thank you." The young man said as he checked them. "May I also take your coats?"
"Oh. Yes." He said, as the young man carefully helped him out of his coat, and another young man helped Sam.
Daniel almost smiled when he remembered Jack's reaction to seeing Sam in the tight fitting Chinese style dress she now wore. Daniel himself had been surprised. He doubted whether he had ever seen Sam look quite so beautiful. The dress was a deep blue colour, covered with tiny dragons etched in gold thread, and it made her eyes look even bluer than usual. She was wearing a wig of blonde hair, carefully pilled up into a knot with two chopsticks holding it in place. She wore long silk gloves as well, and held a mask on a stick in her hand.
When Jack had seen her, his mouth had almost dropped open. Daniel didn't think he'd every seen his 2IC in anything other than BDU's and her Air Force uniform. After a moment's pause, he had managed to stutter something before excusing himself. What had surprised Daniel the most was that he had none of his usual sarcastic comments about Sam in a dress - not even about him in his elaborate, oriental suit.
There were a few people standing in the foyer, holding glasses of brandy or champagne, but Daniel could see many more inside what looked to be a large ballroom. A large chandelier glistened with light just below the ceiling, and the walls were made of dark wood panelling. Crimson silk hung from the walls, and there were several tables set about holding almost every conceivable dish in the world. Great displays of flowers were the centrepiece at each table, and a server stood close by to each.
Daniel turned to find Sam looking at him. "Shall we go?" he asked, offering Sam his arm.
"Yes." She said smiling, and took it.
Daniel resisted the urge to rub his itchy eyes, as they walked through the crowd. He hated contacts. "Smile, Danny." Sam said softly. "You're supposed to look like you belong here."
"I'd much rather Jack was here instead of me." He muttered back.
Sam grinned. "Could you see Jack in a suit, talking to these people?"
And because Daniel knew just what would happen if Jack did, he grinned back. "Point taken."
"Champagne, sir?" a voice at Daniel's elbow asked.
Sam smiled and took two glasses from the tray. "Thank you." She said to the waiter.
She gave one of the glasses to Daniel. He raised an eyebrow and was about to ask her something, when he heard a familiar name from the man in front of him.
"Well, I'll be! Lady Croft, what a pleasant surprise!" The man was tall and distinguished, with dark hair beginning to grey at the temples.
A beautiful woman near him smiled at the greeting. "Charles." She said warmly, her English accent clearly audible. "How are you?"
The woman wore a beautiful gown of a deep green, copied from the style worn by courtiers in Medieval Europe. It was open at the front revealing an underskirt of brilliant white. Her auburn hair was piled in mass of curls on her head, with a few curls loose, framing her face. The gold thread woven into her gown glistened in the light, and her mask was held in her hand.
"Good, good." The man said. "Last I heard you were off in the wilds somewhere in India, or was it Cambodia?"
"Cambodia." She said.
"Really? Well I never thought you'd turn up here, in Washington of all places. You aren't here on business are you?" Charles asked.
"In a way, yes I am. But not the business you mean." She said.
"Ah. The trappings of civilisation." The man said, commiseratingly.
Lady Croft laughed, her rich voice causing some people nearby to turn towards her. Charles offered her his arm. "Champagne?" he asked.
"I'd love some." She replied, and the pair moved off into the crowd.
"Who was that?" Sam asked Daniel. "Someone you know?"
"Know?" Daniel asked. "Oh, no. But I know of her. She's Lady Lara Croft, dubbed the 'Tomb Raider' by the press. She's found some important and ancient relics, including some straight from myths - like the Dagger of Xian."
Sam raised an eyebrow in surprise at Daniel's clear admiration, but nodded, and followed him into the crowd.
* * *
Lara grinned, as she walked quietly down the darkened corridor. She had managed to slip out of the crowded ballroom without being noticed. Although, it had taken a while before she had excused herself from Charles' company - which was a shame, because he had been a friend of her and her father for many years. A friend who would probably know what she was up to by tomorrow, she reflected.
Finding a dark office off to her left, Lara entered, and carefully looked around. The room was empty except for a large mahogany desk and large filling cabinet. Reaching under her voluminous skirt, Lara pulled out an empty black bag, and a small pouch. She carefully put the pouch on a nearby desk and the bag on the floor.
Then Lara began to change. First the wig came off, revealing Lara's usual waist-length braid. Once that was done and carefully placed in the bag, she began to remove the dress. Underneath, Lara wore black: black boots and a black cat-suit. She carefully put the dress in the bag and grabbed the pouch.
Out of it came her guns, which she strapped to her legs in their usual places; a pair of black gloves, so she wouldn't leave any fingerprints; and a headset with infrared glasses. She put them on. "Bryce, are you there?" she said.
"Of course, Lara." Bryce replied.
"I hope you're keeping those cameras busy."
"Yep. No sweat, Lara." Bryce said.
"Good." Lara grinned wickedly.
She walked to the window, and peered out. She had picked the room well. It faced the back garden, in which several couples were now wandering, and was overshadowed by a tree. Lara waited until most of them were out of sight, before carefully opening the window and throwing the bag onto a shadowy tree branch, and hidden from view.
Lara closed the window and returned to the darkened corridor. Above her head was the vent she needed to get to, but Lara could see no way of getting to it. She narrowed her eyes, and then grinned. Quickly Lara dragged the chair from the nearby office and positioned it under the vent. Climbing onto it, she reached up and dislodged the vent covering, carefully sliding it into the vent itself.
After that was done, Lara returned the chair and walked back under the opening. Bending her knees slightly, Lara tensed and the jumped, just managing to grab onto the edge of the vent. She quickly pulled herself up, and replaced the cover.
She crouched for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the almost pitch blackness of the vent. Then she began crawling forwards, in the opposite direction to the ball room. "All right. Lara, you'll want to take a left at the next intersection, then head straight ahead for about two meters. According to the computer, there should be a couple of laser traps hidden near the chute." Bryce told her.
"I'll keep my eye out." Lara said.
She followed Bryce's instructions, and soon came to a stop near a wide metal chute running directly upwards in the ceiling. "I don't see anything, Bryce." Lara said.
"Try infrared."
Lara reached up and pressed the button on the side of her headset. Her glasses took on a slightly red tint, and Lara could now see several beams crossing her path. "Anyway to get through them?" she asked.
"If there wasn't, I would have told you to go another way, wouldn't I?" Bryce said.
"Cute, Bryce, but it isn't helping."
Bryce ignored her. "The lasers are on a timer. You'll be clear to go in 30 seconds, but I'd hustle. You only have fifteen seconds to clear them."
Lara quickly judged the distance - about three meters. "I won't make it." She said.
"You should be able to stand up for most of the gap, because of the large vent above your head. Just duck down before the fifth laser or you'll get a nasty knock."
Lara cautiously stood, and found Bryce was right. She tensed, standing evenly on her feet, ready to move as soon as the lasers disappeared. "5, 4, 3, 2 . . . " Bryce said. "Go!"
Just as Bryce yelled in her ear, Lara saw the lasers disappear and sprinted forward, aiming for the mark she had picked just before the fifth maker. Just as she reached it she ducked her head and rolled, before she skidded to a stop just beyond the lasers. She got to her feet, and saw them reappear, the last one only a few centimetres from where she was.
"Right." Lara said. "Now where?"
"Follow the corridor to the end. Then go down the ladder."
Lara smiled softly and crawled on.
Scents of perfume, sweat and alcohol filled the air of the already hot room, Daniel noticed, as he and Samantha walked inside the double doors of James Richards' Washington mansion. A crisply dressed young man in a tuxedo stepped forward. "May I see your tickets please, sir?" he asked pleasantly.
Daniel nodded, and handed the tickets over. "Thank you." The young man said as he checked them. "May I also take your coats?"
"Oh. Yes." He said, as the young man carefully helped him out of his coat, and another young man helped Sam.
Daniel almost smiled when he remembered Jack's reaction to seeing Sam in the tight fitting Chinese style dress she now wore. Daniel himself had been surprised. He doubted whether he had ever seen Sam look quite so beautiful. The dress was a deep blue colour, covered with tiny dragons etched in gold thread, and it made her eyes look even bluer than usual. She was wearing a wig of blonde hair, carefully pilled up into a knot with two chopsticks holding it in place. She wore long silk gloves as well, and held a mask on a stick in her hand.
When Jack had seen her, his mouth had almost dropped open. Daniel didn't think he'd every seen his 2IC in anything other than BDU's and her Air Force uniform. After a moment's pause, he had managed to stutter something before excusing himself. What had surprised Daniel the most was that he had none of his usual sarcastic comments about Sam in a dress - not even about him in his elaborate, oriental suit.
There were a few people standing in the foyer, holding glasses of brandy or champagne, but Daniel could see many more inside what looked to be a large ballroom. A large chandelier glistened with light just below the ceiling, and the walls were made of dark wood panelling. Crimson silk hung from the walls, and there were several tables set about holding almost every conceivable dish in the world. Great displays of flowers were the centrepiece at each table, and a server stood close by to each.
Daniel turned to find Sam looking at him. "Shall we go?" he asked, offering Sam his arm.
"Yes." She said smiling, and took it.
Daniel resisted the urge to rub his itchy eyes, as they walked through the crowd. He hated contacts. "Smile, Danny." Sam said softly. "You're supposed to look like you belong here."
"I'd much rather Jack was here instead of me." He muttered back.
Sam grinned. "Could you see Jack in a suit, talking to these people?"
And because Daniel knew just what would happen if Jack did, he grinned back. "Point taken."
"Champagne, sir?" a voice at Daniel's elbow asked.
Sam smiled and took two glasses from the tray. "Thank you." She said to the waiter.
She gave one of the glasses to Daniel. He raised an eyebrow and was about to ask her something, when he heard a familiar name from the man in front of him.
"Well, I'll be! Lady Croft, what a pleasant surprise!" The man was tall and distinguished, with dark hair beginning to grey at the temples.
A beautiful woman near him smiled at the greeting. "Charles." She said warmly, her English accent clearly audible. "How are you?"
The woman wore a beautiful gown of a deep green, copied from the style worn by courtiers in Medieval Europe. It was open at the front revealing an underskirt of brilliant white. Her auburn hair was piled in mass of curls on her head, with a few curls loose, framing her face. The gold thread woven into her gown glistened in the light, and her mask was held in her hand.
"Good, good." The man said. "Last I heard you were off in the wilds somewhere in India, or was it Cambodia?"
"Cambodia." She said.
"Really? Well I never thought you'd turn up here, in Washington of all places. You aren't here on business are you?" Charles asked.
"In a way, yes I am. But not the business you mean." She said.
"Ah. The trappings of civilisation." The man said, commiseratingly.
Lady Croft laughed, her rich voice causing some people nearby to turn towards her. Charles offered her his arm. "Champagne?" he asked.
"I'd love some." She replied, and the pair moved off into the crowd.
"Who was that?" Sam asked Daniel. "Someone you know?"
"Know?" Daniel asked. "Oh, no. But I know of her. She's Lady Lara Croft, dubbed the 'Tomb Raider' by the press. She's found some important and ancient relics, including some straight from myths - like the Dagger of Xian."
Sam raised an eyebrow in surprise at Daniel's clear admiration, but nodded, and followed him into the crowd.
* * *
Lara grinned, as she walked quietly down the darkened corridor. She had managed to slip out of the crowded ballroom without being noticed. Although, it had taken a while before she had excused herself from Charles' company - which was a shame, because he had been a friend of her and her father for many years. A friend who would probably know what she was up to by tomorrow, she reflected.
Finding a dark office off to her left, Lara entered, and carefully looked around. The room was empty except for a large mahogany desk and large filling cabinet. Reaching under her voluminous skirt, Lara pulled out an empty black bag, and a small pouch. She carefully put the pouch on a nearby desk and the bag on the floor.
Then Lara began to change. First the wig came off, revealing Lara's usual waist-length braid. Once that was done and carefully placed in the bag, she began to remove the dress. Underneath, Lara wore black: black boots and a black cat-suit. She carefully put the dress in the bag and grabbed the pouch.
Out of it came her guns, which she strapped to her legs in their usual places; a pair of black gloves, so she wouldn't leave any fingerprints; and a headset with infrared glasses. She put them on. "Bryce, are you there?" she said.
"Of course, Lara." Bryce replied.
"I hope you're keeping those cameras busy."
"Yep. No sweat, Lara." Bryce said.
"Good." Lara grinned wickedly.
She walked to the window, and peered out. She had picked the room well. It faced the back garden, in which several couples were now wandering, and was overshadowed by a tree. Lara waited until most of them were out of sight, before carefully opening the window and throwing the bag onto a shadowy tree branch, and hidden from view.
Lara closed the window and returned to the darkened corridor. Above her head was the vent she needed to get to, but Lara could see no way of getting to it. She narrowed her eyes, and then grinned. Quickly Lara dragged the chair from the nearby office and positioned it under the vent. Climbing onto it, she reached up and dislodged the vent covering, carefully sliding it into the vent itself.
After that was done, Lara returned the chair and walked back under the opening. Bending her knees slightly, Lara tensed and the jumped, just managing to grab onto the edge of the vent. She quickly pulled herself up, and replaced the cover.
She crouched for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the almost pitch blackness of the vent. Then she began crawling forwards, in the opposite direction to the ball room. "All right. Lara, you'll want to take a left at the next intersection, then head straight ahead for about two meters. According to the computer, there should be a couple of laser traps hidden near the chute." Bryce told her.
"I'll keep my eye out." Lara said.
She followed Bryce's instructions, and soon came to a stop near a wide metal chute running directly upwards in the ceiling. "I don't see anything, Bryce." Lara said.
"Try infrared."
Lara reached up and pressed the button on the side of her headset. Her glasses took on a slightly red tint, and Lara could now see several beams crossing her path. "Anyway to get through them?" she asked.
"If there wasn't, I would have told you to go another way, wouldn't I?" Bryce said.
"Cute, Bryce, but it isn't helping."
Bryce ignored her. "The lasers are on a timer. You'll be clear to go in 30 seconds, but I'd hustle. You only have fifteen seconds to clear them."
Lara quickly judged the distance - about three meters. "I won't make it." She said.
"You should be able to stand up for most of the gap, because of the large vent above your head. Just duck down before the fifth laser or you'll get a nasty knock."
Lara cautiously stood, and found Bryce was right. She tensed, standing evenly on her feet, ready to move as soon as the lasers disappeared. "5, 4, 3, 2 . . . " Bryce said. "Go!"
Just as Bryce yelled in her ear, Lara saw the lasers disappear and sprinted forward, aiming for the mark she had picked just before the fifth maker. Just as she reached it she ducked her head and rolled, before she skidded to a stop just beyond the lasers. She got to her feet, and saw them reappear, the last one only a few centimetres from where she was.
"Right." Lara said. "Now where?"
"Follow the corridor to the end. Then go down the ladder."
Lara smiled softly and crawled on.