1000 HOURS, P9X-861:
Lara coughed up a lungful of cold water, and shivered slightly. Her clothes were sodden and felt extraordinarily heavy as she tried to drag herself out of the water where she was lying half in and half out of the water. She coughed again, and struggled froward until she was sitting just above the water line.
After a minute, Lara reached up and checked that her backpack was still on her back, and her guns were still there. They were. Then her soggy and tired mind began remember what had happened. The chase, the jump of the cliff and then the tiring and chaotic swim through the water. She looked around her, and all she saw were trees lining up on either side of the river. Jack was nowhere to be seen.
Neither was the cliff they had started from. Lara sat there, shivering, for a while, before she heard a splashing noise from up stream. She dragged herself to her feet, and drew her guns. But it was only Jack, looking as tired, bruised and bedraggled as she felt. He was still wearing his jacket and vest, although there was a large rip in one of the sleeves. He had a nice purple bruise on his right cheek bone and several cuts and scrapes on his arms and face.
"Croft, you look like shit." He said as he staggered over to her.
Lara dropped her arms limply to her sides. "So do you."
Lara's hair was a tangled mess from where it had been pulled out of it's braid first by the branches during the chase, and then by the swirling current. Her right arm had a bleeding gash on it that was still seeping blood and her face was as bruised and scratched as Jack's.
Lara slumped back down onto the rocks, and Jack joined her. By now her shivering was getting worse, and she noticed Jack was shivering too. "We should find somewhere to get dry and have a sleep." She said.
Jack nodded. "There's another small falls about a kilometre downstream." He said. "I passed it on the way here. We should be safe there for a while."
Lara nodded. "I'm too sore, cold and tired to argue." She said.
"Do you think you can make it?"
"Probably." She said.
Jack nodded and stood, before reaching up to help her. Once they were both standing on their feet and relatively steady, they set off for the small cave. It took about two hours of frequent rests and stumbling progress before they made it. They were both almost completely exhausted from their run, and then their swim.
The water fall was small, only about two meters high, but behind the screen of water was a nice dry cave hidden from view. Lara managed to stagger inside before she shrugged off her backpack and collapsed. She lay in a heap, struggling to keep her eyes open for a minute before sitting up once more. Strong arms helped her and she leaned back against them gratefully.
"We'd better get our wet clothes off." Jack said after a minute.
Lara just nodded sleepily. She felt Jack move behind her, reaching for her backpack and his. "I've got a spare T-shirt." He said. "And you've still got your jacket."
"Mmm." Lara said.
Jack gently shook her. "Come on." He said. "Change and then you can sleep."
Lara gradually opened her eyes and shook herself. Jack was right. Once she was out of her wet clothes she could sleep, but not yet. "I've got a pair of shorts I can wear." She said.
Jack nodded. "I'll go outside an have a look around while you change." He said.
As soon as he was gone, Lara struggled out of her wet clothes and underwear, thankful she had thought to bring both spare underwear and her shorts. She was soon feeling warmer once she had climbed into them and her jacket - all of which was dry because her backpack was waterproof. Lara slipped her guns back on and also grabbed the blanket she had brought and tugged it around herself, before slipping outside to join Jack.
"Your turn." She said,
He nodded and looked at her. "I think we can probably have a small fire tonight." He said, holding up a small pile of wood. "The water will hide it. But the cave might get a little smoky."
"I think I can live with that." Lara said. "I'll go find some more wood."
Jack nodded and returned to the cave. By the time Lara got back with a decent sized pile of wood, Jack had changed into his spare T-shirt and had wrapped his blanket around his waist. A small fire was cheerfully burning at the entrance. Lara smiled at the sight. "Quite the housewife, aren't you?" she said.
"That's me." Jack agreed.
Lara chuckled. She put down the wood and went to her backpack, where she drew out a length of rope. "If we string this up," she said, "we could hang our wet things on it."
Jack nodded, and together they strung it across the length of the cave, and hung up their clothes. They sat back down around the fire and Jack dug out some food. "I'm afraid it's only military rations, but it's all I have."
Lara shrugged. "I've had worse."
Jack smiled. "And watch out for the macaroni and cheese - it tastes like chicken."
His smile faltered for a minute, before it returned. "Daniel's observation, I take it." She said.
"Yeah."
They ate in companionable silence for a while as the world darkened around them. After a while Jack broke the silence. "It should be dark for about 10 hours." He said.
Lara nodded. "Do you think whoever attacked us will find us tonight?" she asked.
"It's doubtful, but I think we should still aim to be up at about dawn." Jack said.
"Fine." Lara agreed. Then she looked at him. "Are you cold?" she asked.
"A little, yeah."
"Take my jacket." She said, shrugging it off and trying not to flash her underwear.
Jack watched her attempts with a half smile on his face, until she growled with frustration and just gave up. Dropping the blanket, she shrugged out of the jacket and past it over, giving Jack a good view of her bra. He grinned at her. "I'll swap you for it." He said.
He took the jacket and then pulled off his T-shirt, and Lara got a long glimpse of his muscled chest. He tossed it at her, before shrugging into her jacket. "Mmm." He said. "Nice and warm."
Flustered, Lara tugged on his T-shirt, struggling to get her arms through the holes. When she finally managed it, she shot a glare at a grinning Jack and turned her back on him. She stared at the wall and watched the pattern of flickering light that danced across it from the fire.
Jack chuckled. She heard him move about, and finally turned back. When she did, she saw him stretched out on the floor of the cave, using his pack as a pillow. "'Night, Croft." He said,
"Goodnight." Lara said frostily, causing Jack to laugh again.
She dragged the blanket over her and settled down on the other side of the fire from him. In no time at all, Lara was deeply asleep and she didn't notice Jack watching her with a speculative gleam in his eye, before he rolled over and went to sleep as well.
* * *
10 HOURS LATER, P9X-861:
Lara blinked sleep out of her eyes and felt the twinging of sore muscles. She groaned softly as she sat up. "Sore?" Jack asked her softly.
Lara looked at him, and saw that he had already changed into his clothes from the day before. "Do you even need to ask that?" she asked.
Jack laughed softly. He tossed her, her clothes and turned his back. "I promise I won't look." He said.
Lara blushed slightly as she remembered the night before, but when Jack turned his back, she quickly changed back into her clothes. When she was done, Jack turned back around and finished packing his backpack. He grabbed the water bottles and headed outside. "I'll go fill these up."
Lara nodded. Jack left and Lara threw her blanket, her shorts and Jack's T- shirt into her backpack. Once that was done, Lara pulled out her comb and began to sort out the mess that was her hair. Soon it was once again braided neatly, as her fingers expertly sorted out the tangles. Then Lara grabbed her backpack and joined Jack outside.
"Ready?" she asked him.
He nodded in the half light of the dawn, and Lara turned to look at the sky and saw the golden rays of the sun beginning to peak over the horizon. Or what she thought was the horizon, since it was mostly hidden by the trees.
She turned and smiled at Jack, who was walking over to her. He was once again wearing his jacket and vest, although his hair stuck up at all angles and there was a slight shadow of a beard on his face making him look less like a soldier and more like a man at home in the forest.
Suddenly a movement caught Lara's eyes. "Jack!" she yelled. "Duck!"
Jack threw himself to the ground, ignoring the pain as the sharp stones bit into his hands, and felt the breeze as an arrow whizzed over his head. "Not again!" he growled, and jumped to his feet,
He headed towards the cave, thankful he had thought to strap on his weapons before he left. He drew his gun and fired at the direction the arrow had come from. But arrows rained down from the sky and prevented him from getting back to the cave to pick up his backpack.
He glanced up as Lara grabbed his hand. "Come on!" she yelled.
Jack nodded, and the pair sprinted for the relative cover of the trees, as a hail of arrows followed them.
Lara coughed up a lungful of cold water, and shivered slightly. Her clothes were sodden and felt extraordinarily heavy as she tried to drag herself out of the water where she was lying half in and half out of the water. She coughed again, and struggled froward until she was sitting just above the water line.
After a minute, Lara reached up and checked that her backpack was still on her back, and her guns were still there. They were. Then her soggy and tired mind began remember what had happened. The chase, the jump of the cliff and then the tiring and chaotic swim through the water. She looked around her, and all she saw were trees lining up on either side of the river. Jack was nowhere to be seen.
Neither was the cliff they had started from. Lara sat there, shivering, for a while, before she heard a splashing noise from up stream. She dragged herself to her feet, and drew her guns. But it was only Jack, looking as tired, bruised and bedraggled as she felt. He was still wearing his jacket and vest, although there was a large rip in one of the sleeves. He had a nice purple bruise on his right cheek bone and several cuts and scrapes on his arms and face.
"Croft, you look like shit." He said as he staggered over to her.
Lara dropped her arms limply to her sides. "So do you."
Lara's hair was a tangled mess from where it had been pulled out of it's braid first by the branches during the chase, and then by the swirling current. Her right arm had a bleeding gash on it that was still seeping blood and her face was as bruised and scratched as Jack's.
Lara slumped back down onto the rocks, and Jack joined her. By now her shivering was getting worse, and she noticed Jack was shivering too. "We should find somewhere to get dry and have a sleep." She said.
Jack nodded. "There's another small falls about a kilometre downstream." He said. "I passed it on the way here. We should be safe there for a while."
Lara nodded. "I'm too sore, cold and tired to argue." She said.
"Do you think you can make it?"
"Probably." She said.
Jack nodded and stood, before reaching up to help her. Once they were both standing on their feet and relatively steady, they set off for the small cave. It took about two hours of frequent rests and stumbling progress before they made it. They were both almost completely exhausted from their run, and then their swim.
The water fall was small, only about two meters high, but behind the screen of water was a nice dry cave hidden from view. Lara managed to stagger inside before she shrugged off her backpack and collapsed. She lay in a heap, struggling to keep her eyes open for a minute before sitting up once more. Strong arms helped her and she leaned back against them gratefully.
"We'd better get our wet clothes off." Jack said after a minute.
Lara just nodded sleepily. She felt Jack move behind her, reaching for her backpack and his. "I've got a spare T-shirt." He said. "And you've still got your jacket."
"Mmm." Lara said.
Jack gently shook her. "Come on." He said. "Change and then you can sleep."
Lara gradually opened her eyes and shook herself. Jack was right. Once she was out of her wet clothes she could sleep, but not yet. "I've got a pair of shorts I can wear." She said.
Jack nodded. "I'll go outside an have a look around while you change." He said.
As soon as he was gone, Lara struggled out of her wet clothes and underwear, thankful she had thought to bring both spare underwear and her shorts. She was soon feeling warmer once she had climbed into them and her jacket - all of which was dry because her backpack was waterproof. Lara slipped her guns back on and also grabbed the blanket she had brought and tugged it around herself, before slipping outside to join Jack.
"Your turn." She said,
He nodded and looked at her. "I think we can probably have a small fire tonight." He said, holding up a small pile of wood. "The water will hide it. But the cave might get a little smoky."
"I think I can live with that." Lara said. "I'll go find some more wood."
Jack nodded and returned to the cave. By the time Lara got back with a decent sized pile of wood, Jack had changed into his spare T-shirt and had wrapped his blanket around his waist. A small fire was cheerfully burning at the entrance. Lara smiled at the sight. "Quite the housewife, aren't you?" she said.
"That's me." Jack agreed.
Lara chuckled. She put down the wood and went to her backpack, where she drew out a length of rope. "If we string this up," she said, "we could hang our wet things on it."
Jack nodded, and together they strung it across the length of the cave, and hung up their clothes. They sat back down around the fire and Jack dug out some food. "I'm afraid it's only military rations, but it's all I have."
Lara shrugged. "I've had worse."
Jack smiled. "And watch out for the macaroni and cheese - it tastes like chicken."
His smile faltered for a minute, before it returned. "Daniel's observation, I take it." She said.
"Yeah."
They ate in companionable silence for a while as the world darkened around them. After a while Jack broke the silence. "It should be dark for about 10 hours." He said.
Lara nodded. "Do you think whoever attacked us will find us tonight?" she asked.
"It's doubtful, but I think we should still aim to be up at about dawn." Jack said.
"Fine." Lara agreed. Then she looked at him. "Are you cold?" she asked.
"A little, yeah."
"Take my jacket." She said, shrugging it off and trying not to flash her underwear.
Jack watched her attempts with a half smile on his face, until she growled with frustration and just gave up. Dropping the blanket, she shrugged out of the jacket and past it over, giving Jack a good view of her bra. He grinned at her. "I'll swap you for it." He said.
He took the jacket and then pulled off his T-shirt, and Lara got a long glimpse of his muscled chest. He tossed it at her, before shrugging into her jacket. "Mmm." He said. "Nice and warm."
Flustered, Lara tugged on his T-shirt, struggling to get her arms through the holes. When she finally managed it, she shot a glare at a grinning Jack and turned her back on him. She stared at the wall and watched the pattern of flickering light that danced across it from the fire.
Jack chuckled. She heard him move about, and finally turned back. When she did, she saw him stretched out on the floor of the cave, using his pack as a pillow. "'Night, Croft." He said,
"Goodnight." Lara said frostily, causing Jack to laugh again.
She dragged the blanket over her and settled down on the other side of the fire from him. In no time at all, Lara was deeply asleep and she didn't notice Jack watching her with a speculative gleam in his eye, before he rolled over and went to sleep as well.
* * *
10 HOURS LATER, P9X-861:
Lara blinked sleep out of her eyes and felt the twinging of sore muscles. She groaned softly as she sat up. "Sore?" Jack asked her softly.
Lara looked at him, and saw that he had already changed into his clothes from the day before. "Do you even need to ask that?" she asked.
Jack laughed softly. He tossed her, her clothes and turned his back. "I promise I won't look." He said.
Lara blushed slightly as she remembered the night before, but when Jack turned his back, she quickly changed back into her clothes. When she was done, Jack turned back around and finished packing his backpack. He grabbed the water bottles and headed outside. "I'll go fill these up."
Lara nodded. Jack left and Lara threw her blanket, her shorts and Jack's T- shirt into her backpack. Once that was done, Lara pulled out her comb and began to sort out the mess that was her hair. Soon it was once again braided neatly, as her fingers expertly sorted out the tangles. Then Lara grabbed her backpack and joined Jack outside.
"Ready?" she asked him.
He nodded in the half light of the dawn, and Lara turned to look at the sky and saw the golden rays of the sun beginning to peak over the horizon. Or what she thought was the horizon, since it was mostly hidden by the trees.
She turned and smiled at Jack, who was walking over to her. He was once again wearing his jacket and vest, although his hair stuck up at all angles and there was a slight shadow of a beard on his face making him look less like a soldier and more like a man at home in the forest.
Suddenly a movement caught Lara's eyes. "Jack!" she yelled. "Duck!"
Jack threw himself to the ground, ignoring the pain as the sharp stones bit into his hands, and felt the breeze as an arrow whizzed over his head. "Not again!" he growled, and jumped to his feet,
He headed towards the cave, thankful he had thought to strap on his weapons before he left. He drew his gun and fired at the direction the arrow had come from. But arrows rained down from the sky and prevented him from getting back to the cave to pick up his backpack.
He glanced up as Lara grabbed his hand. "Come on!" she yelled.
Jack nodded, and the pair sprinted for the relative cover of the trees, as a hail of arrows followed them.
