A/N: This next scene is one of my favourites… for two reasons. One, it plays out like a scene in one of the games (if there was a two-player option). Two… Lara gets to give Kurtis the finger. :grin: God, I'm juvenile…
Revised 01/10/05
Kurtis' Chirugai, it turned out, was stored with Lara's backpack and pistols in an unlocked room on the top floor – one flight of stairs below ground level. Studying the map of the complex tacked to the wall, Lara shook her head in amazement. "This place is completely subterranean."
"And I'd bet my life they have Rosha in there." Kurtis indicated a room three floors below them, annotated with abbreviations so obscure neither of them could puzzle it out.
"Now, if only we could ignore the big red letters all over it that scream 'this is a trap!'" Lara observed tensely. Kurtis winced in agreement. That their weapons and a map to their goal would be placed conveniently in the same room was just too much of a coincidence.
"What choice do we have?" he replied, reaching for the blueprint and yanking it from the wall.
"Absolutely none… hang on." Lara stayed his hand from folding it up and held it up to the light, studying the side that had faced the wall and sucking in a triumphant breath. "Look. Trap–" she pointed to the large room Kurtis had indicated, "–and goal." From this side, it was clear that the blueprint had been altered, and that a tiny room accessible only by an air vent had been obliterated.
"Nice. Maybe we'll even get lucky and grab Rahil at the same time."
Lara shook her head, shouldering her backpack and slipping her .45 into its holster. "I doubt Karel's that stupid."
Mere minutes later, weapons readied, they crouched in two alcoves opposite each other just outside the 'trap' room. Kurtis consulted the map and pointed silently to the grating above her head. As Lara cautiously stood and began to work on opening the entrance to the hidden room, Kurtis glanced up and down the empty corridor before joining her. So close to where their enemy expected them to be, they wasted no words, and communicated using a variety of gestures. Gaining access proved trickier than Lara had expected, and as she fiddled with the screws that fastened the grating to the wall, Kurtis' impatient sign language prompted the necessary use of one finger in an emphatic motion that needed no interpretation. Biting his lip to suppress laughter, Kurtis took the grating from her and hid it in the opposite alcove. By the time he turned around, her backside was disappearing into the vent, and he allowed himself one silent, appreciative moment to analyse it before following.
After a short crawl, Lara halted at the end of the vent, rising from her crouch to balance on one foot and one knee. The vent was just wide enough for her to be able to turn comfortably, and she glanced at Kurtis, who raised his eyebrows in a silent question. Quickly, Lara conveyed what she saw, holding up two fingers to mean two enemies, and gesturing hurriedly to convey their positions.
One stood unsuspecting just below the vent. As long as the other guy was facing the right way, it would be a simple matter to drop down behind him and break his neck. Of course, in such a small room, the scuffle would be heard, and the second guy would either attack or raise the alarm. Lara elected to use the stealthy approach. Once she left the vent, Kurtis would have a clean shot to use the Dart SS they'd found in their ransacking. No problem.
Carefully, Lara chose her moment. It seemed the two guards were not friends – they avoided one another's eyes and did not speak. That made her job harder in one way – they were utterly focused on their task. But at least when she slid down from the vent and crouched behind the guard nearest to her, they both assumed the rustle of cloth was made by the other's fidgeting.
Now. Recovering from her drop, Lara stood, seized the guard's head in both hands, and twisted violently. The guy barely had time to gasp before his neck was broken.
"Huh?" The syllable had scarcely fallen from the other enemy's lips when a dart flew swiftly and silently to its mark in his jugular. Eyes wide with astonished resignation, the stocky man dropped and lay without moving.
"Nice shot," Lara murmured as Kurtis landed behind her. He shrugged and moved past her, began to search draws and cupboards for their prize. Lara knew better. Her own home was riddled with secret hidey-holes, and she knew the marks of hidden cubbyholes when she saw them. Without another word, she crossed the room, which was furnished like a 19th century study with a desk and leather armchairs dotted around its cramped space, and stood on tiptoe to examine the huge, gilt-framed picture that hung over the fireplace. "Too obvious, really," she told the horse and rider that posed for the artist, "but then, it was a little more difficult than usual to get to." As she spoke, her hands found the secret catch she knew would be there, and she pulled the entire section of the wall, picture intact, open to reveal a space the length and width of the portrait. Sat in the centre, appearing ridiculously small, was the Box of Rosha. "Hallelujah," the tomb raider breathed wearily, checking for traps before drawing it out of its hiding place.
Kurtis reached out to take it from her, then hesitated as he remembered the results of the last time he'd tried it. Repressing her concerns with logic, Lara relinquished the box. After all, she was the one who'd lost it last time – and if Kurtis wasn't Kurtis, he wouldn't have let her get this close to it.
A tiny smile played about his lips as he examined it. Then, to her surprise, he handed it back. "No use you having that backpack and not making use of it." A flash of understanding passed between them, and Lara felt her skin tingle. Shrugging it off, she deposited the box into the bag and gestured to the vent.
"Let's get out of here."
Replacing the grating that had barred their entrance, Lara froze. Footsteps; of course. Sighing, she drew her gun. Kurtis' Chirugai hummed in his hand.
Six men strolled down the hall – four were struck dead before they had time to register what was happening. Facing off against the two that remained, they were caught by surprise, and utterly outnumbered, by the ten or twelve lackeys who emerged from nowhere, Joachim Karel at their head. In desperation, Lara realised their only hope lay in bluffing. "I'll hold them off – you get the box!" she called to Kurtis.
Instantly catching her drift, Kurtis ran for the grating they had just replaced and began to fiddle with one of the screws. By the time he was ordered to freeze, the entrance was only half-open. Fingers crossed… Lara shot him an overly-apologetic look, adding to their ruse, and he shrugged in return as they were frog-marched into the 'trap' room without even being searched.
"Always wanted to be tied up with you," he said ironically, as they were pushed into chairs set back to back, and their hands and legs were bound.
"You've seen way too many gangster movies." Lara ignored him to address their captor, who only smiled. "What now? You're going to bring out the sharp knives and flamethrowers?"
"The physical torture will come later. First, I have a special Nephilim party trick to show you." Karel took a seat in an armchair a short distance away and grinned inanely.
"Wonderful," Lara sighed. "But you're missing one important part of the jigsaw. Torture is for when you want information from someone."
"Unless you're a psychopath, in which case it's for fun," Kurtis added.
"Helpful, Kurtis…" Lara rolled her eyes.
"Psychopath." Contemplatively, Karel sat forward, regarding them with shining eyes. "Yes, I suppose I am, really. Who wants to go first?" Silence from both captives. "Eeny, meeny, mi–"
"Oh, spare me," Lara spat sarcastically, tossing her head to detract attention to the fact that she could – just barely – reach Kurtis' bonds. His fingertips curled round her own in silent encouragement, and she squeezed back before applying her nails to the difficult task ahead.
"You can go first." Karel turned his full attention to the tomb raider, who glared back. The green fire around the blonde monster's fingers flared into life, and then, all of a sudden, the room around them disappeared. Loathing the disorientation that this change brought, Lara stared around for Karel as a new and different place materialised – one that was altogether too familiar. Kurtis couldn't identify it, but heard her suck in a breath, felt her fingers against his freeze in recognition.
"What?" he asked softly. It didn't take a genius to work out that she was in some kind of emotional turmoil, and he longed to reach out and comfort her.
"Don't ask," was her curt reply. Kurtis had no choice but to watch and wait as a figure, gasping for breath, stumbled up stone steps towards sunlight – Lara herself.
"Son of a bitch," she muttered, eyes following her double's progress and hesitation as a second figure appeared at the top of the steps. "Don't you fucking dare!" she yelled, on the off-chance Karel could hear her. Of course, the scene continued to unfold.
"Quickly, girl! Before it collapses around you!" the anonymous figure entreated urgently in a thick German accent as the earth shook and rubble rained on Lara's head.
"You back, Werner?" Lara's double asked wearily, bracing herself against the wall for support. "No more Set?"
Where had he heard that name? Kurtis' eyes widened as he recalled their conversation weeks ago. Karel killed my mentor. Werner was more of a father to me than my own father was. On top of that, he was my friend. The Lux Veritatis warrior winced in comprehension as he studied this Lara, who was somewhat different to the woman he had fought beside. She seemed less hostile, more open… but perhaps that was because of the company she was keeping.
"No time!" Werner answered her question, beckoning urgently. "Your hand, Lara, give me your hand!" Before she could take action, and with a startled gasp, Lara plummeted as the floor gave way beneath her, leaving her dangling by her fingertips. Werner raced towards her as she held on grimly. "Take my hand; I can pull you to safety!"
Her grip was slipping, Kurtis could see. Feeling as tense as if it was really taking place, he watched with clenched fists as she gasped out, with a hint of resignation, "Good to see you again, Werner."
"I couldn't leave you!" He stretched out, straining to reach her hand as another almighty rumble shook the entire structure. Lara, desperation in her eyes, removed one hand from the stonework and reached up to him – and in the same split-second, the old man, made jumpy by the threat of collapse, turned his back and stumbled from the temple as it fell in. The watcher's point of view remained on Lara, who lost her grip and fell with a cry as the remaining sunlight was obliterated by falling rock. Blackness filled their vision. All Kurtis could hear was the shaken breathing of the real Lara.
The scene changed to the exterior of the tomb, a mound of rubble by this time. All was still… until a hand clawed its way out of the wreckage. Kurtis' heart twisted in sympathy as Lara, barely recognisable beneath torn clothing, a thick coating of dust and grime, and with bloody, torn fingertips and skin, dragged herself into the open air. For minutes, she lay stunned in the sunlight, gasping in precious lungfuls of oxygen, before freeing her legs from the stone around her. Barely giving herself time to rest, she began to crawl on hands and knees away from her prison, eventually finding the strength to get to her feet, and staggered off into the desert.
Once more, the scene changed. Lara, dragging one leg and with her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach, emerged from an endless sea of sand into… more sand. Clearly parched and exhausted, she fell to her knees and continued her journey at a crawl, acceptance towards her own death beginning to set in. She halted to catch her breath, and fell into a foetal position on the sand, eyes fluttering closed as she passed out. Footsteps sounded, and as the scene faded into black Kurtis caught sight of several anonymous figures wrapped in burnooses.
When the images returned, it was clear that some time had passed. Lara, riding a camel and wrapped in traditional dress herself, headed at full speed towards a settlement in the distance. Drawing closer, she leapt from the camel's back and sprinted across the sand, calling something in a language Kurtis did not recognise before reverting to English: "No, no, no, please, no…" Despite the frantic chant, as she made her way through the bodies that littered the ground, it was clear that she was too late. Lara sank to her knees in front of a woman who took laboured breaths, fighting for life, and began to quell the bleeding, but at the end of a short, quiet conversation in that strange language, Kurtis saw the stranger's eyes go blank and she exhaled for the last time.
Lara, for her part, sat silently amid the carnage for perhaps two minutes before she rose, murder in her eyes. Kicking her camel into life, she followed the tracks of the assassins to a nearby camp, and drew a fully automatic Uzi. Five minutes later, holstering the weapon, she left behind the same mess as had been left for her, face expressionless.
When this image dulled, the real world took its place. Joachim Karel rose from his chair, a rapt expression adorning his features, and crouched just out of range of Lara's bound feet, staring into her face. "Fascinating," he said, and appearing to truly mean it. Kurtis could not see her reaction, but Karel enlightened him, taking his seat once more. "She looks like a broken doll. Beautiful, but cracked. In fact–"
Before he could continue, a low voice interrupted him. "Leave the country, Karel. In fact, leave the planet, because I'm going to find a way to kill you, and then nowhere on this earth will hide you from me." Lara's voice was weary, but even, and tinged with menace. Kurtis mentally cheered at this show of her usual attitude, but Karel merely smirked.
"Reverting to clichés, Ms. Croft? Not like you at all."
"Sometimes the classics work the best." As the words snapped from her mouth, Kurtis felt his bonds loosen, and carefully tucked the rope into his back pocket before reaching out to work on Lara's restraints.
"My Lord Karel!" Frantically, the cult member who had healed their injuries came running into the room. "The box! The box is gone!" As he spoke, he shoved the doors closed behind him, locked them.
Oh, great. Mr. Double Agent has no loyalty to either side. While Karel was still off balance, Kurtis gathered all of his strength to finish the task he had been working on throughout Lara's flashback – to summon his Chirugai to him. His head ached fiercely, and he felt the warm trickle of a nosebleed, but the weapon burst through the wooden door of the cabinet it had been locked in, and flew to his side, severing his own leg bonds and Lara's before landing in his palm.
Lara was immediately on her feet, fury in her countenance. Karel was conjuring up his green fire once again, but the Chirugai, though not inflicting any permanent damage, was enough to make his concentration falter. At the door Mr. Double Agent had locked, they heard shouts as cult members tried to break through, and realised he had helped more than hindered them by barring this route of escape. But how would they get out, if not by the door? One glance at their mysterious aide gave them their answer.
Seething with desire for vengeance, Lara instead ran in the direction he pointed out, wistfully leaving behind her pistols. Behind the tapestry that hung on the wall… a lever! "Score," Kurtis muttered from behind her. Once flicked, the switch opened a panel in the wall, and they tore down it. A hundred feet into their escape, Kurtis called the Chirugai back to him. Between them, it was the only weapon they possessed, their guns having been taken from their holsters on their capture.
"Does this thing go anywhere except further underground?" Lara snarled to no one in particular, frustrated. Many pairs of boots could be heard in the distance, stampeding towards them, and as they turned a corner the first bullet bit into the wall beside them. As if in answer to her question, the tunnel began to slope upwards, taking them towards the surface.
The Chirugai occasionally decapitating the leading men in the pursuit, they continued for five minutes or so… and then hit a dead end. Biting back a torrent of expletives, Kurtis called his weapon to him, using the orange glow hat emanated from it to illuminate the walls, ceiling and floor. "There!" In a trice, Lara flipped the lever downwards, and above them, a ceiling panel slid to the side, revealing a patch of daylight.
"Freeze! Don't fucking move!" The plethora of guards had caught up with them at last, and stood scant feet away, guns all targeted straight at them. One last time, Kurtis sent the Chirugai in to do its destructive work, offering a step for Lara to reach the surface as he had done in the Strahov. The familiarity of the move made her smile, despite the circumstances, and landing on solid ground above, she held out her hand to pull him up after her. Without a moment's pause, they tore down the street above, barely noticing that they were in the temple district of a major city just before dusk…
So, there we go. Lara's secret's out… and next we find out Kurtis'. After a rather sweet interlude in a temple. :) Now, do you hear the little purple button calling you?