Both tomb raiders sped down the highway and soon found themselves in a sparsely populated area. In fact, there were no houses around at all and no human being could be seen.

Lara slowed down her motorcycle and peered out her shaded visor of her helmet. This was definitely it. As she had done it a hundred times, Lara expertly dismounted her bike and gave the kickstand a good nudge with her toe. Not bothering to see if Alex was there or not, she removed her helmet and began to walk off the road.

"Lara? There's nothing here but dirt and ocean. Are you sure this is the place?"

Alex West dismounted his bike less neatly than his female comrade, but he got off of it nevertheless. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he watched as Lara continued to walk away from him. West sighed. He knew that she wouldn't clue him in on anything. Lara always wanted people to find things out for themselves. Sometimes that could be a major lifesaver, but other times, it could mean sudden death.

Soon Lara stopped just shy of the coastline. The vast Pacific Ocean gleamed in front of her in all of its mysterious beauty and she felt her breath being taken away. Tuvalu was a tiny island with not many technological distractions. This, right here, was what everyone needed to appreciate. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Alex now made his way toward Lara, but didn't dare disturb her in her moment. She had said something about people following them? Alex looked around curiously. Well, it didn't look like anyone was following. He'd think he would see anyone if they were anywhere near the two tomb raiders. There was no one in sight!

Just then a small disturbance in the air caught Alex's attention and he whipped around to face Lara. She merely smiled.

"Lara, what's going on?" Alex's voice was somewhat nervous and on-edge. He had no idea what was going on. If only she'd tell him!

A grin played on Croft's face but she answered him:

"They're coming."

Alex sighed, "You're playing games with me, Lara. Who is coming?"

"West, you simply can't know everything. If I had told you earlier, you might have not come. Now," she smiled mischievously, "you have to be captured just like me."

A faint gulp came from the male's throat. Captured? What on earth was she talking about? He knew that she had said something about people following them and about how they were going to be here and...

Holy shit, he thought. He finally was enlightened.

"Lara! We can't just stand here and let them take us prisoner! We have to run away. Let's get back on our bikes and get the hell out of here!"

West grabbed her arm but she yanked it back. He furrowed his brow in confusion but she only placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Alex, don't worry. Everything will be fine. Honestly, do you think I would put myself into a position that I couldn't get out of?"

A small wink was directed at him and Alex slumped his shoulders.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Croft. I don't know about this... Just waiting for our fate. They're just gonna kill us!"

Lara had to roll her eyes at this even if it wasn't the polite or aristocratic thing to do. Sometimes he could be so ignorant...

"They're not going to kill us, Alex. Think about it. We have something that they want and they have something that we wish to have as well. It's the whole game of keeping your enemy alive so you can help yourself! Honestly, it's so cliché, but..." she sighed outwardly and dramatically, "We must do what we must do."

Alex glared at her for a moment and she punched his arm lightly.

"You need to trust me, West. If you don't, you might find yourself in a situation that even I won't be able to get you out of. And that is saying something."

Noticing the long look his face was frozen in, she faced him more directly and placed both of her hands on his shoulders. Her voice was calm and reassuring:

"Look at me, Alex."

Far from reluctant, West moved his eyes to gaze into hers. Those eyes that he had so wished to look into in the morning, the face that he adored above all else now was in front of him again. The tension seemed to be washed away as she gently spoke to him:

"Everything will be fine. I thought you were braver than me, but apparently the tables have turned." She gave him a small smile. "Alex, they won't kill us, and you know why?"

He gave her a blank stare, but then a malevolent glint spread across her pupils. Her voice adorned a new emotion as she revealed the answer.

"Because we're going to kill them."

Just then the enemy was in sight. Four sleek, black helicopters hovered above them and twenty men jumped down to the ground where Lara and Alex stood. Each gun was aimed for different parts of their bodies. Lara didn't even flinch; this was merely routine, an expected occurrence. Alex had now composed himself and held the same defiant stare in his eyes. His posture gave away no hint toward his emotions.

"Lady Croft," a loudspeaker boomed, "we are here to collect you and bring you back to our employer. If you do not comply, we will be forced to kill your comrade and injure you to prevent escape. You have thirty seconds to comply."

Lara turned to Alex and laughed, her action confused a number of the men that surrounded her.

"So, I only have one choice, correct? Well, I suppose I could just run away and you could try to kill this man right here. But I warn you: you won't live long enough to regret it. So how about you lay down those guns and let me climb into a helicopter. I'm not impressed by your display. You'll just have to acquiesce because I am not one to be pushed around. So, if you don't mind..."

The tomb raider gestured with her hands for the mercenaries to holster their weapons. Every man looked at his companions and then up to whoever was in charge. Apparently, they weren't ready for Lara Croft.

"Do what she says, men. We have other ways of making sure that she is obedient. Move out!"

A graceful eyebrow arched as the men moved closer to Lara and Alex. In a split second, her pistols were un-holstered and she had grabbed one of the mercenaries and thrown him to the ground.

"This is not the way it will be," her stern voice said. "My companion and I will walk ourselves to the helicopters and no one will touch either of us. Is that understood?"

The man on the ground whimpered slightly under the heavy aim of Lara's twin pistols. Needless to say, someone didn't want to die.

"Back off, men. Return to your stations!"

When the soldiers had moved away, Lara holstered her weapons and reached a single hand toward the mercenary. He flinched and Lara smiled.

"I'm no threat to you, my friend. I think that you are the only one here that has sense enough to follow through with yourself instead of orders from others. I respect that."

The shocked man accepted her hand and let her pull him up. Quickly, he composed himself and gestured toward the chopper that would be carrying Lara and Alex.

"Why, thank you," Lara said politely. Alex nodded his thanks and they both climbed the steel ladders to the passenger-hold.

Soon the helicopters lifted farther into the air and the tomb raiders were taken to an unknown place where, surely, their main adversary awaited.