Author's Note: Sorry it's taken so long to get this up, but I'm in the
middle of my final exams at the moment, and I don't have much time to
write. So here's a short bit to keep you going. I'll try and update as
soon as I can - probably in about two weeks.
* * *
Jack tossed the stone to Daniel, who looked at in amazement. "That's it alright." He said.
Sam grabbed her radio. "Major Blake." She said. "What is your position?"
The radio crackled and Major Blake's voice came over. "The front door is clear."
"We could use some assistance." Sam said. "We're in the basement, left corridor."
"Affirmative." Major Blake replied.
A few minutes later, Major Blake and Lieutenant Peters appeared in the doorway. They immediately took control of two of the guards. "Take them up to the surface." Jack ordered. "Danny, you go with them."
Daniel nodded, and turned to lead the way out. Major Blake and Lieutenant Peters followed him with their prisoners. Just before Sam turned to go, she tossed Jack her radio, so they could keep in touch.
As soon as they were gone, Lara looked at Jack. "What are we going to do with her?" she asked.
Jack warily holstered his gun. "I'll take her to the surface." He said.
"What will I do?" Lara asked.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "You'll be coming with me, Croft." He said, and could of sworn Lara looked faintly disappointed.
But before Lara could do anything, Adriana kicked backwards, catching Lara in the knee and forcing her legs to buckle. Adriana spun out of Lara's grip and lunged, grabbing one of Lara's guns from the floor. She held it in front of her, wildly switching from Jack to Lara while she backed away. "Hands up!" she yelled.
Reluctantly, Jack and Lara raised their arms above their heads. They watched as Adriana then reached behind her to the table in the centre of the room, and opened a box. Red numbers appeared on a timer and Adriana cackled. Ten minutes began counting down when she pressed a button. "Now you'll die!" she screamed.
Lara looked helplessly at the timer, completely out of ideas. The lack of sleep and her various injuries were making her sluggish. She looked at Jack. He was frowning and turned to look at her. "Go." He mouthed.
Lara shook her head, as Adriana began singing in a high pitched voice. She couldn't hear the words, but Lara didn't care. "You go." She whispered to Jack. "Warn the others."
When Jack opened his mouth to argue, Lara shook her head. "You have the radio." She said softly. "And you know what's going on."
There was a hint of reproach in her voice that made Jack want to tell her everything. She deserved to know - if they got out alive. He nodded at her. Seconds later, Jack watched in horror as Lara ran at Adriana. Adriana looked up and trained her gun on Lara, but Jack didn't hesitate. He slipped out of the room and began running down the corridor, grabbing the radio from his back pocket. "Blake!" he snapped into it. "The building's going to blow! It's been rigged on a timer. Get everyone clear!"
At that moment, Jack stumbled and almost stopped as a gunshot rang out behind him. He closed his eyes and kept running, hoping Lara was still alive.
* * *
Lara grimaced as the hands gripping hers began to loosen. Adriana slumped to the floor, a shocked look on her face. The gun felt heavy in Lara's hand, and her trigger finger felt bruised from where Adriana had been trying to force her to pull the trigger.
She holstered the gun, and shook out her hands, trying to ease the pain. Then she knelt and checked Adriana's pulse. She was dead. Lara glanced at the timer. Five minutes and counting. Lara grabbed her other gun from the floor and raced out the room. She sprinted down the corridor and raced up the stairs. Time ticked by as Lara ran through the building, rooms flashing past on either side.
Lara had just reached the front door, when a blast at her back and slammed her against the strong wood. She grimaced at the pain in her head and everything began to fade. Lara grit her teeth and struggled to stay conscious, but at the moment something slammed into the back of her head and she fell into unconsciousness.
* * *
Jack covered his face when the building exploded. He was lying back on the hill they had used as a look out point hours before. "Any sign of Croft?" he asked Sam, who was watching the area through binoculars.
"None, sir." She replied.
"Dammit!" Jack cursed.
"Sir?" Sam asked.
"Adriana pulled a gun on us." Jack said. "Lara charged her, and I left. I heard a gunshot."
Sam winced and beyond her, Daniel looked shocked. "She was shot?" he asked.
"I don't know." Jack said. "I only heard the gunshot."
"Even if she wasn't shot, she would have been seriously hurt in that explosion." Major Blake said. "And if she was still in the basement, she would've been killed."
"Can you see anyone?" Jack asked.
"No one, sir." Sam replied.
Jack sighed. "We'd better have a closer look." He said. "Blake, you stay here."
Blake nodded, and Jack wriggled backwards. Sam and Daniel followed him, and the trio made their way back towards the now levelled building.
* * *
Jack tossed the stone to Daniel, who looked at in amazement. "That's it alright." He said.
Sam grabbed her radio. "Major Blake." She said. "What is your position?"
The radio crackled and Major Blake's voice came over. "The front door is clear."
"We could use some assistance." Sam said. "We're in the basement, left corridor."
"Affirmative." Major Blake replied.
A few minutes later, Major Blake and Lieutenant Peters appeared in the doorway. They immediately took control of two of the guards. "Take them up to the surface." Jack ordered. "Danny, you go with them."
Daniel nodded, and turned to lead the way out. Major Blake and Lieutenant Peters followed him with their prisoners. Just before Sam turned to go, she tossed Jack her radio, so they could keep in touch.
As soon as they were gone, Lara looked at Jack. "What are we going to do with her?" she asked.
Jack warily holstered his gun. "I'll take her to the surface." He said.
"What will I do?" Lara asked.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "You'll be coming with me, Croft." He said, and could of sworn Lara looked faintly disappointed.
But before Lara could do anything, Adriana kicked backwards, catching Lara in the knee and forcing her legs to buckle. Adriana spun out of Lara's grip and lunged, grabbing one of Lara's guns from the floor. She held it in front of her, wildly switching from Jack to Lara while she backed away. "Hands up!" she yelled.
Reluctantly, Jack and Lara raised their arms above their heads. They watched as Adriana then reached behind her to the table in the centre of the room, and opened a box. Red numbers appeared on a timer and Adriana cackled. Ten minutes began counting down when she pressed a button. "Now you'll die!" she screamed.
Lara looked helplessly at the timer, completely out of ideas. The lack of sleep and her various injuries were making her sluggish. She looked at Jack. He was frowning and turned to look at her. "Go." He mouthed.
Lara shook her head, as Adriana began singing in a high pitched voice. She couldn't hear the words, but Lara didn't care. "You go." She whispered to Jack. "Warn the others."
When Jack opened his mouth to argue, Lara shook her head. "You have the radio." She said softly. "And you know what's going on."
There was a hint of reproach in her voice that made Jack want to tell her everything. She deserved to know - if they got out alive. He nodded at her. Seconds later, Jack watched in horror as Lara ran at Adriana. Adriana looked up and trained her gun on Lara, but Jack didn't hesitate. He slipped out of the room and began running down the corridor, grabbing the radio from his back pocket. "Blake!" he snapped into it. "The building's going to blow! It's been rigged on a timer. Get everyone clear!"
At that moment, Jack stumbled and almost stopped as a gunshot rang out behind him. He closed his eyes and kept running, hoping Lara was still alive.
* * *
Lara grimaced as the hands gripping hers began to loosen. Adriana slumped to the floor, a shocked look on her face. The gun felt heavy in Lara's hand, and her trigger finger felt bruised from where Adriana had been trying to force her to pull the trigger.
She holstered the gun, and shook out her hands, trying to ease the pain. Then she knelt and checked Adriana's pulse. She was dead. Lara glanced at the timer. Five minutes and counting. Lara grabbed her other gun from the floor and raced out the room. She sprinted down the corridor and raced up the stairs. Time ticked by as Lara ran through the building, rooms flashing past on either side.
Lara had just reached the front door, when a blast at her back and slammed her against the strong wood. She grimaced at the pain in her head and everything began to fade. Lara grit her teeth and struggled to stay conscious, but at the moment something slammed into the back of her head and she fell into unconsciousness.
* * *
Jack covered his face when the building exploded. He was lying back on the hill they had used as a look out point hours before. "Any sign of Croft?" he asked Sam, who was watching the area through binoculars.
"None, sir." She replied.
"Dammit!" Jack cursed.
"Sir?" Sam asked.
"Adriana pulled a gun on us." Jack said. "Lara charged her, and I left. I heard a gunshot."
Sam winced and beyond her, Daniel looked shocked. "She was shot?" he asked.
"I don't know." Jack said. "I only heard the gunshot."
"Even if she wasn't shot, she would have been seriously hurt in that explosion." Major Blake said. "And if she was still in the basement, she would've been killed."
"Can you see anyone?" Jack asked.
"No one, sir." Sam replied.
Jack sighed. "We'd better have a closer look." He said. "Blake, you stay here."
Blake nodded, and Jack wriggled backwards. Sam and Daniel followed him, and the trio made their way back towards the now levelled building.