Disclaimer on Prologue.

El- Thanks for all the reviews! I promise this chapter will be much longer than the previous. I appreciate all the tips, sense I'm new; I'll need a bit of help. lol

Here goes nothin'.

Chpt. 3 Chase

Parisian Ghetto

3:15 am

Both heads turned towards the direction of the snapping noise. Silence parched the night air, nothing making a move. The smell of garbage and waste filled the air, making them cringe.

Kurtis slowly backed away, making sure not to attract Lara's attention. He turned, finding a pistol barrel to his face. It's holder's head covered in a gas mask and night vision goggles.

" Bonswa misure," he stated in a low, husky voice. Kurtis could feel the man's breath on his face. Smelling of alcohol and cigars. He closed his eyes, readying himself. He could sense the man putting pressure on the trigger. He savored every moment he had before he had to move. The time came.

Kurtis ducked at the precise moment, avoiding the man's 9mm bullets by an inch. Yet, unexpectedly, the man fired multiple shots. Injecting the pungent smell of gun smoke into the air. The last of many bullets skidded across Kurtis's shoulder. He cried out in pain,

Meters away, Lara looked back at Kurtis, expecting to see him standing in front of her, but he was over by his motorbike. A man stood in front of him, pointing a 9mm pistol in his face. " Bonswa misure." She heard him say.

Kurtis ducked with surprising precision, missing the first few bullets missing him by inches. The last ones hit him across the shoulder, making him cry out in pain.

Kurtis fell on his side, holding his shoulder that burned like satin's fire. The skid wasn't deep, but enough to cause a hell of a lot of pain.

Lara took out her twin pistols, lifting the safeties in unison. She shot off a round at the man, who dropped dead on the spot. She walked up to him, yet before she could do anything, the man melted into a pool of black acid. She recoiled on the spot looking over at Kurtis, who was sitting on the ground looking into the pool of liquid.

Lara looked over at him." You ok?" She deadpanned, her voice giving off no emotion. Kurtis shrugged, pulling himself up, but stopped halfway. Lara tried to help him but he shrugged her off.

" Listen…" He told her in a voice hardly above a whisper. She strained her ears.

" Kurtis, I don't hear anything…" She stated. But seconds later, she heard it. The growing sounds of footsteps. Not one, but many.

" Come on." Kurtis whispered, pulling himself all the rest of the way up and gesturing Lara towards his bike. He swung his leg over, sitting on the front of the seat. As Lara soon found out, the seat was only made for one person.

As Kurtis gunned the throttle, Lara could feel his muscular back hard against her chest. She looked backwards once they were moving at a considerable speed. About ten men stood in a V formation in the middle of the ally. They all had matching dark navy blue jumpsuits on. Each of them also had on a pair of large sunglasses.

In the front of the group stood a woman in a jumpsuit just like the men. But on the front of her blouse, was a symbol. A skull with a beetle protruding from the left eye.

Lara turned back, suddenly putting her arms around Kurtis when he turned the corner.

Halfway down the road, Lara looked behind her again, seeing nothing but streetlights and a few homeless persons.

The remembrances of the horrible sign on the woman's shirt made Lara squeeze Kurtis tighter till he turned his head slightly.

" I would appreciate it if you would try not to suffocate me." He inquired. Lara loosened her grip on him, feeling her cheeks run red. Noticing this Kurtis dropped the subject." Would you prefer a hotel room, or abandoned building?"

Lara looked at a street sign," I prefer a hotel, you?" Kurtis only nodded, turning down a dark damp ally way. The smells of must and sewage filled their nostrils.

Kurtis parked next to a neon hotel sign. The O and L lights had burnt out, leaving the T blinking bright green.

The walls were dingy; graffiti littered them, giving the space an eerie feeling. Lara had gotten used to all the sights and smells of Paris, but some she was not ready for.

Kurtis headed for the door beyond the sign, beckoning Lara to fallow. She did, noticing the door had no handle and seemed to be heavy steel. The funny thing was, the door stood beside the actual doorframe.

Entering the small, well you could say lobby, Kurtis and Lara approached the tiny desk (actually a few garbage cans covered by a thick lumpy board) A small man sat in a small, plastic chair, snoring. The cigar in his mouth lifting and dropping lazily with the man's breathes.

Kurtis slowly lifted his hand, brining it down hard on the desk, waking the man. As he awoke, he dropped his cigar and stood.

" Whosa whats!" He stammered, tripping over the desk. He, after noticing Kurtis and Lara, opened a black notebook, saturated with coffee." You would like a hotel room?" He asked briskly. Lara nodded at him, pulling out her wallet. Kurtis stopped her.

" I'll pay." He insisted, taking out his own wallet. As he did so though, a card fell out. He walked over to the desk, not noticing the card. Yet Lara picked it up, outing it in her own pack.

El- I know, I know, it's short. Well, it's a start right? I've been having only two hours on the Internet at one time and lots of homework!

I've been thinking of putting a tomb exploration in the next few chapters, but you'll have to give me some ideas. Also Lara & Kurtis, let's say, confrontations.

PLEASE GIVE ME IDEAS!