"What exactly is it that you want to know?" Lara asked.
Sam was impressed, despite herself. She hadn't been too sure about what Lady Croft would be like, despite Daniel's admiration for her. But Sam was beginning to see that Lara Croft was a remarkable woman. Despite her injury, which Sam could see was hurting her; she was determined to keep going. And she had no problem with going head to head with the Colonel. Sam still wasn't sure whether this was a good idea or not, but it was admirable.
"Well, let's start off with what was in that crate?" Jack snapped.
"An artefact." Lara said, calmly.
"What were you doing at James Richards' Charity Ball?" Jack asked.
"So it was you." Lara said.
She glanced around the van. "But then I should have guessed that when I saw all these computers." Lara raised an eyebrow at Jack. "Who are you really working for?"
"I work for the United States Air Force." Jack said levelly.
Lara wandered over to a nearby chair, apparently unconcerned, and sat down. She swung her legs up on a nearby desk, and just looked at Jack.
"Then why do you have an archaeologist working for you?" Lara asked.
Jack glared at Daniel. Daniel winced slightly, but held Jack's gaze. "I already knew who he was." Lara said, as the pair glared at each other.
"You did?" Daniel asked, surprised.
"Dr. Daniel Jackson." She smiled. "You had some fairly interesting theories about the pyramids. I was going to attend a lecture, but you . . . disappeared before I could."
"You were interested in my theories?" Daniel sounded almost shocked. "I mean, most people thought I was crazy."
"I've seen many things." Lara said. "Aliens using the pyramids as landing platforms would not surprise me."
Sam glanced at Jack. He was frowning deeply and glaring at Lara. Lara looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "But you don't want me to know that, do you?" she asked him. "You want me to be a good little girl and give you all the information you want."
Lara grinned wickedly at Jack, and saw his eyes darken with anger. "Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm actually a very bad girl."
"You do not appear to be a child." The large, dark-skinned man said.
Lara looked at him. "Figure of speech." She said.
Then she looked back at Jack. "Does the big guy have a name?" she asked.
Jack ignored her. "What do you think you're doing?" he snapped at Bryce, who had - while being ignored by everyone else - opened his laptop and started typing.
"Checking my system." Bryce said, never lifting his head from the computer screen. "One of the thugs stood on it, and . . . "
Bryce looked up angrily when Jack snapped the screen down. "Hey!" he said.
Jack glared at him. "Carter!" he snapped. "Watch him."
Lara was still watching Jack from where she sat, a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Jack turned his furious glare on her. He watched her sitting there, and realised he wasn't going to get any information out of her unless she wanted him to have it. Which gave him an idea . . .
"Daniel, can I have a word?" he asked, and stepped outside the van.
Daniel followed him, curiously. "What is it Jack?" he asked.
Jack sighed, and Daniel saw how tired and frustrated his friend was. "You know," he said tiredly. "Next time the NID comes to us for help, I vote to tell them to stick it up their ass."
Daniel smiled. "I'll help." He said, and Jack looked at him, his glare softening.
"I'm not doing to well in there, am I Danny?" he asked.
"Not too bad." Daniel replied. "Lady Croft is known as a stubborn and determined woman. No one can get information out of her that she isn't willing to give."
"And that's the problem." Jack said thoughtfully. "She doesn't want to give us any."
Daniel nodded, looking at his friend, as Jack suddenly grinned. "Jack, what are you up to?"
Jack looked innocently at Daniel. "Nothing." He said.
Daniel saw right through the look. He knew Jack too well. Then he grinned too. "What are you going to give her in return?"
"That's the problem." Jack's smile faded, as he looked at Daniel, his eyes alert. "What would you give her?"
Daniel thought for a minute. Information and rumours flitted through his head, but he could think of nothing. Then he remembered something he had read about recently. It was about a stone . . .
"What she was looking for." He said.
Jack raised an eyebrow at him. "The stone? Are you kidding?"
"No." Daniel said. "The information she needs from the stone."
When Jack still looked confused, Daniel explained some more. "According to some myths I've been reading lately, the stone we're after was called 'the Sun Stone', and is said to contain the location to a great treasure. We give Lady Croft the location of this 'treasure' in exchange."
Jack's grin was back. "That would work."
Jack jumped back into the van, followed quickly by Daniel. Jack could see Lara's face grow watchful and alert when she saw his grin. He quickly hid it, but not until Sam had seen it too. "Sir?" she asked.
Jack smiled at her and nodded. Sam looked back surprised, but he could see the gleam of humour in her eyes. "Alright, Ms. Croft." Jack said. "Let's make a deal."
"A deal?" Lara asked warily. "What kind of deal?"
"You give us the information we want, and we return the favour." Jack said. "We give you the location you want."
Lara looked at Daniel and then back at Jack. "How do I know you'll honour your end of the bargain?" She asked.
"You don't." Jack replied bluntly.
Jack watched Lara as she decided. For a moment, he thought he saw a flash of anger on her face, but it was gone as quickly as it came. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?" she asked flatly. "So it seems you have a deal, Colonel."
Jack frowned when he heard the condescending tone she used when she said his rank. It seems she was angry after all. "Dud you go to James Richards' Charity Ball to steal an artefact?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I believe it will lead me to what I'm looking for." Lara answered.
"And what is that?" Jack answered.
"The Eye of Ra."
At her words, Jack raised an eyebrow and shot a look at Daniel. He looked surprised, but nodded. "Okay." Jack said. After a moment's pause, he asked another question. "Can you remember what the stone looks like?"
"Yes." Lara replied. "Do you have paper and a pencil?"
Jack turned to look around the van. Luckily there was a pad and pencil sitting next to a computer screen. Jack handed them over and Lara thanked him. Then she began to draw. Jack watched her hand, as she sketched, her movements sure and precise.
A few minutes later she looked up and wordlessly handed the pad to Jack. When he looked at it, Jack saw four neat triangles, each with a pattern engraved on the side. He raised an eyebrow and motioned Daniel over. When Daniel saw the page, he nodded. "That's it." He whispered.
Jack looked over at Lara. "Do you have any idea who attacked you?" he asked.
"None." Lara said. "I only know whoever it was, was a dark-haired woman."
Jack turned to Bryce, who had been listening quietly to the conversation. "Do you?" he asked.
"I think so." Bryce said.
"Who?"
"I don't know her name, but I've seen her face before." Bryce replied. "May I?" he motioned to his laptop.
Jack looked at Sam who nodded slowly. Then he turned back to Bryce. "Okay." He agreed.
As soon as Jack agreed, Bryce had snapped the computer screen up and was typing furiously. Lara gave a half smile as she watched him. "Got it!" he cried after a minute.
Triumphantly he swung the computer around so everyone else could see. A woman with dark hair and a pale face stared out of the photograph Bryce had found. She wore an elegant black dress and hovered just behind a laughing James Richards as he joked with another man in a tuxedo.
"Adriana Williams. Personal secretary to James Richards." Bryce said.
Jack looked at Lara. "That's her." She said in a cold voice, her brown eyes hard.
Sam was impressed, despite herself. She hadn't been too sure about what Lady Croft would be like, despite Daniel's admiration for her. But Sam was beginning to see that Lara Croft was a remarkable woman. Despite her injury, which Sam could see was hurting her; she was determined to keep going. And she had no problem with going head to head with the Colonel. Sam still wasn't sure whether this was a good idea or not, but it was admirable.
"Well, let's start off with what was in that crate?" Jack snapped.
"An artefact." Lara said, calmly.
"What were you doing at James Richards' Charity Ball?" Jack asked.
"So it was you." Lara said.
She glanced around the van. "But then I should have guessed that when I saw all these computers." Lara raised an eyebrow at Jack. "Who are you really working for?"
"I work for the United States Air Force." Jack said levelly.
Lara wandered over to a nearby chair, apparently unconcerned, and sat down. She swung her legs up on a nearby desk, and just looked at Jack.
"Then why do you have an archaeologist working for you?" Lara asked.
Jack glared at Daniel. Daniel winced slightly, but held Jack's gaze. "I already knew who he was." Lara said, as the pair glared at each other.
"You did?" Daniel asked, surprised.
"Dr. Daniel Jackson." She smiled. "You had some fairly interesting theories about the pyramids. I was going to attend a lecture, but you . . . disappeared before I could."
"You were interested in my theories?" Daniel sounded almost shocked. "I mean, most people thought I was crazy."
"I've seen many things." Lara said. "Aliens using the pyramids as landing platforms would not surprise me."
Sam glanced at Jack. He was frowning deeply and glaring at Lara. Lara looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "But you don't want me to know that, do you?" she asked him. "You want me to be a good little girl and give you all the information you want."
Lara grinned wickedly at Jack, and saw his eyes darken with anger. "Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm actually a very bad girl."
"You do not appear to be a child." The large, dark-skinned man said.
Lara looked at him. "Figure of speech." She said.
Then she looked back at Jack. "Does the big guy have a name?" she asked.
Jack ignored her. "What do you think you're doing?" he snapped at Bryce, who had - while being ignored by everyone else - opened his laptop and started typing.
"Checking my system." Bryce said, never lifting his head from the computer screen. "One of the thugs stood on it, and . . . "
Bryce looked up angrily when Jack snapped the screen down. "Hey!" he said.
Jack glared at him. "Carter!" he snapped. "Watch him."
Lara was still watching Jack from where she sat, a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Jack turned his furious glare on her. He watched her sitting there, and realised he wasn't going to get any information out of her unless she wanted him to have it. Which gave him an idea . . .
"Daniel, can I have a word?" he asked, and stepped outside the van.
Daniel followed him, curiously. "What is it Jack?" he asked.
Jack sighed, and Daniel saw how tired and frustrated his friend was. "You know," he said tiredly. "Next time the NID comes to us for help, I vote to tell them to stick it up their ass."
Daniel smiled. "I'll help." He said, and Jack looked at him, his glare softening.
"I'm not doing to well in there, am I Danny?" he asked.
"Not too bad." Daniel replied. "Lady Croft is known as a stubborn and determined woman. No one can get information out of her that she isn't willing to give."
"And that's the problem." Jack said thoughtfully. "She doesn't want to give us any."
Daniel nodded, looking at his friend, as Jack suddenly grinned. "Jack, what are you up to?"
Jack looked innocently at Daniel. "Nothing." He said.
Daniel saw right through the look. He knew Jack too well. Then he grinned too. "What are you going to give her in return?"
"That's the problem." Jack's smile faded, as he looked at Daniel, his eyes alert. "What would you give her?"
Daniel thought for a minute. Information and rumours flitted through his head, but he could think of nothing. Then he remembered something he had read about recently. It was about a stone . . .
"What she was looking for." He said.
Jack raised an eyebrow at him. "The stone? Are you kidding?"
"No." Daniel said. "The information she needs from the stone."
When Jack still looked confused, Daniel explained some more. "According to some myths I've been reading lately, the stone we're after was called 'the Sun Stone', and is said to contain the location to a great treasure. We give Lady Croft the location of this 'treasure' in exchange."
Jack's grin was back. "That would work."
Jack jumped back into the van, followed quickly by Daniel. Jack could see Lara's face grow watchful and alert when she saw his grin. He quickly hid it, but not until Sam had seen it too. "Sir?" she asked.
Jack smiled at her and nodded. Sam looked back surprised, but he could see the gleam of humour in her eyes. "Alright, Ms. Croft." Jack said. "Let's make a deal."
"A deal?" Lara asked warily. "What kind of deal?"
"You give us the information we want, and we return the favour." Jack said. "We give you the location you want."
Lara looked at Daniel and then back at Jack. "How do I know you'll honour your end of the bargain?" She asked.
"You don't." Jack replied bluntly.
Jack watched Lara as she decided. For a moment, he thought he saw a flash of anger on her face, but it was gone as quickly as it came. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?" she asked flatly. "So it seems you have a deal, Colonel."
Jack frowned when he heard the condescending tone she used when she said his rank. It seems she was angry after all. "Dud you go to James Richards' Charity Ball to steal an artefact?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I believe it will lead me to what I'm looking for." Lara answered.
"And what is that?" Jack answered.
"The Eye of Ra."
At her words, Jack raised an eyebrow and shot a look at Daniel. He looked surprised, but nodded. "Okay." Jack said. After a moment's pause, he asked another question. "Can you remember what the stone looks like?"
"Yes." Lara replied. "Do you have paper and a pencil?"
Jack turned to look around the van. Luckily there was a pad and pencil sitting next to a computer screen. Jack handed them over and Lara thanked him. Then she began to draw. Jack watched her hand, as she sketched, her movements sure and precise.
A few minutes later she looked up and wordlessly handed the pad to Jack. When he looked at it, Jack saw four neat triangles, each with a pattern engraved on the side. He raised an eyebrow and motioned Daniel over. When Daniel saw the page, he nodded. "That's it." He whispered.
Jack looked over at Lara. "Do you have any idea who attacked you?" he asked.
"None." Lara said. "I only know whoever it was, was a dark-haired woman."
Jack turned to Bryce, who had been listening quietly to the conversation. "Do you?" he asked.
"I think so." Bryce said.
"Who?"
"I don't know her name, but I've seen her face before." Bryce replied. "May I?" he motioned to his laptop.
Jack looked at Sam who nodded slowly. Then he turned back to Bryce. "Okay." He agreed.
As soon as Jack agreed, Bryce had snapped the computer screen up and was typing furiously. Lara gave a half smile as she watched him. "Got it!" he cried after a minute.
Triumphantly he swung the computer around so everyone else could see. A woman with dark hair and a pale face stared out of the photograph Bryce had found. She wore an elegant black dress and hovered just behind a laughing James Richards as he joked with another man in a tuxedo.
"Adriana Williams. Personal secretary to James Richards." Bryce said.
Jack looked at Lara. "That's her." She said in a cold voice, her brown eyes hard.