Chapter 6: Echoes from the past
The motel room Lara and Kurtis were staying in was far from being comfortable, but at last it was a safe place to spend the night. Besides, Karel wouldn't search for them in a place like that. Kurtis sat on the bed, knowing that the feared time of questions had finally come. Lara sat next to him, but seemed very busy looking at the contents of her backpack.
"What do you want to know?" He finally asked.
Lara looked up from here backpack, apparently surprise, but said nothing, returning her eyes to her backpack.
"Come on! You are dying to know."
"Am I? You must think you are really interesting Mr. Trent."
"I have no doubt about it, Lady Croft." He said, with his ironic smile. Lara realized too late that she had been looking at him for too much time and tried to correct her mistake.
"Stop doing that." She said
"Doing what?"
Lara remained silent for a moment. Should she tell him the truth…? "Calling me Lady Croft." She looked at him; not very sure that he had believed her excuse due to the amused grin on his face.
"Ok." He simply said.
After a few minutes of silence, Lara finally gave in.
"What were you going to tell me?"
Kurtis realised that that was the most similar thing to admitting her curiosity that he would obtain from her, so decided to take the initiative in the conversation.
"You told me I had a lot of things to explain. I supposed you meant my 'special abilities'. There isn't much to say about that. Only that is something every member of the Lux Veritatis learns while his initiation, as a way of fighting against the cabal."
"I've seen you blow doors and I remembering you throwing me at the Strahov, not to mention that strange weapon of yours. Is there anything else I should know?"
"No, not really."
"And, what about…?"
"Hey, take it easy. We have a hard day tomorrow and I'd rather have some sleep, if you don't mind. Having a hole in your stomach is really tiring, you know?" He said as he stood up from where he was sitting and headed for the bathroom.
Lara got into the bed. The last thing she heard before drifting into sleep, was the sound of the water from the shower running, coming from the bath room.
She was almost completely surrounded by darkness, but for a faint light coming from an opening before her. All the building over her trembled violently, as if it was going to collapse at any moment. She needed to get to the exit; otherwise she would be buried alive. However, she didn't have the strength to run anymore, so her advance towards the entrance was slow.
A man appeared in the entrance, but she was unable to recognise it, as the rays of the Egyptian sun came straight into her eyes. She saw him beckoning to her and then she heard his voice. It was Werner.
"Quickly girl, before it collapses around you." he said as a new tremor shook the place, forcing Lara to leant against the wall.
"You back, Werner? No more set?"
"No time! Your hand, Lara. Give me your hand."
Lara could feel the ground collapsing under her feet, but was able to make a final jump towards the exit and grab the edge of the opening.
"Take my hand. I can pull you to safety."
"Good to see you again, Werner."
"I couldn't leave you."
Blocks of rock started to fall over them. The next time Lara was able to look up from her position, Werner had gone. He had left her, although he had said he wouldn't. The tremors got more violent and she finally had to give in. She let go of the edge and fell into the darkness.
IsisDeiyan got out of the boat that had brought her to the island, if it could be called like that. The only trace of human life was a small village the middle it. In fact, it was consisting of only one huge building. IsisDeiyan looked one more time at the boat, which by now was a small point in the distance, and then headed for her former home.
As soon as she reached the broken doors, she stopped. It had been two years since she had visited it. She sighted and entered the Hall. However, the inside was even worse. None of the walls was damaged; there was no sign of a battle, no blood, not even dust. It seemed that the whole had never been inhabited. And yet it was full of memories, good ones and bad ones, though she wasn't able to realised how much it meant to her till the glass of a window mirrored one of her tears falling down her cheek. IsisDeiyan got out of the boat that had brought her to the island, if it could be called like that. The only trace of human life was a small village the middle it. In fact, it was consisting of only one huge building. IsisDeiyan looked one more time at the boat, which by now was a small point in the distance, and then headed for her former home.As soon as she reached the broken doors, she stopped. It had been two years since she had visited it. She sighted and entered the Hall. However, the inside was even worse. None of the walls was damaged; there was no sign of a battle, no blood, not even dust. It seemed that the whole had never been inhabited. And yet it was full of memories, good ones and bad ones, though she wasn't able to realised how much it meant to her till the glass of a window mirrored one of her tears falling down her cheek. IsisDeiyan got out of the boat that had brought her to the island, if it could be called like that. The only trace of human life was a small village the middle it. In fact, it was consisting of only one huge building. IsisDeiyan looked one more time at the boat, which by now was a small point in the distance, and then headed for her former home.As soon as she reached the broken doors, she stopped. It had been two years since she had visited it. She sighted and entered the Hall. However, the inside was even worse. None of the walls was damaged; there was no sign of a battle, no blood, not even dust. It seemed that the whole had never been inhabited. And yet it was full of memories, good ones and bad ones, though she wasn't able to realised how much it meant to her till the glass of a window mirrored one of her tears falling down her cheek. IsisDeiyan got out of the boat that had brought her to the island, if it could be called like that. The only trace of human life was a small village the middle it. In fact, it was consisting of only one huge building. IsisDeiyan looked one more time at the boat, which by now was a small point in the distance, and then headed for her former home.As soon as she reached the broken doors, she stopped. It had been two years since she had visited it. She sighted and entered the Hall. However, the inside was even worse. None of the walls was damaged; there was no sign of a battle, no blood, not even dust. It seemed that the whole had never been inhabited. And yet it was full of memories, good ones and bad ones, though she wasn't able to realised how much it meant to her till the glass of a window mirrored one of her tears falling down her cheek.
She reached one of the inner courtyards of the hall with a little pool in the middle of it. She descended through stairs in one of the corners of the courtyard that led to a little corridor below it. IsisDeiyan took a candle from one of the walls to light her way through it, which doors where as smashed as the main doors of the hall. She stopped when she reached a small chamber with four inscriptions on it and several holes in the walls, most of them empty. She left the candle near the door, as there was no need of it. The room was full of light coming through a crystal window on the ceiling, just below the pool of water. She took something from one of holes on the wall and examined it to take it with her and, after that, she returned to the courtyard, crossing the garden around the pool of water that had remained untouched for hundred of years, protected by an unknown force. She then headed for the nearby stairs and opened the door to her bedroom. As the boat was going to come for her in the morning, she would have to spend the night there.
She was waked up in the middle of the night by her cell phone ringing. "If only I could sleep a single night" she though.
"You, how you dare to do this to me!" She recognised the furious voice immediately. "What the hell do you think you are doing? No better, what have you exactly tell them?"
"I guess it has worked then." Said IsisDeiyan, while she sat on the bed. "Don't worry; they don't know anything about you. I've told only told them what they needed to know. They have the solution to their mystery and I have got ride of you for a few days, so everyone is happy."
"You both should have remained out of my way, as you have always done, little sister."
"Not anymore, Ellein, not anymore."
Lara slowly opened her eyes, as she came around after her fall, expecting to find a complete darkness surrounding her, below tons of stones. However, she saw that she had been sleeping on some kind of bed and there were bandages on her cuts, although she was still inside the temple that had collapsed over her. She sat on the bed, trying to find out where exactly she was.
"You need rest, Lara Croft" said a voice.
Lara looked around, trying to find where the voice had come for. A bright light appeared in the middle of the room until it formed the figure of an Egyptian woman, with straight black hair and a white dress.
"Who are you?" asked Lara.
"Someone who has saved your life, as you have saved mine." She said, smiling.
"Your life? I don't think you need anyone to 'save' you."
"And I don't think my husband would be eagerly to see me after so much time of imprisonment."
"So that's some kind of exchange; your life for mine" said Lara.
"Well, no." Neftis finally was giving in. She will tell her everything. "Apparently it seems so, but in fact, I can't take care of myself, as you have said. The thing is that we want you alive. However, we aren't supposed to help you out of there."
"Why is that?" Lara doubted for a moment and continued "And, who are 'you'?"
"My race is that of legends, of mythologies, from all parts of the world." She stopped to think how much she should tell her. "There is an agreement between those of us who serve good and those who serve evil. If some of us were to interfere directly with human world, simply because we own the same ideas, the others would think they have a right to do the same. This may lead to a war among us, and I'm afraid that would be of no good to humans. We have been observing you and we have decided that you are worth the risk. Let's say we hope you save human race again."
"I see." Repied Lara "So if you claim that helping me is an exchange, they could not consdiere it be to direct action."
"Exactly." said the woman smiling. However, she changed her expresion quickly. "From now on, you are alone Lara. You would not remember this conversation. I'm sorry, but it would be too dangerous for us."
She approached Lara and put her hands at both side of Lara's head. Before she could protest, she fell to the ground unconsciuss. She was still asleep when the rocks of the entrance where remove ans she was taken outside, under Von Croy's supervision."
Karel was looking at the information he had just received on the screen of a computer. It seemed that, after all, human progress had developed enough to serve for his purposes, although it wouldn't be of much use to them if he succeeded. His siblings would be alive very soon and he would then finish what should have been done so long go. The download of the information finished and a voice talking through the loudspeakers of the computer took him from his thoughts.
"That's all we found, Sir" said the voice of a man. "Milady says she would be held there a few days. She has also told me, it's in your hands to decide the next step and who you need."
"Of course it is" he said as soon as the transmission ended.
Gunderson would take care of them. Not that his men were specially trained in the art of tomb raiding, but there was no need of it, as long as they were able to stole the key from them. And if they failed… he still had enough advantage over them.
The old building stood right in front of them under a dark grey sky. It was going to rain really heavily, but at least they could take over in the monastery if they hurry. Lara and Kurtis went into it as a loud thunder was heard outside. There was almost nobody inside, apart from a few visitors. They had no idea of were they should look for the key and the ancient temple was big enough to keep them busy for several days.
"We should separate." Said Lara. "I'll remain here and you'll search the west part. We'll probably find it sooner that way."
"Let me know if you find something." He answered, as he headed to where se had been told to."
After almost an hour of research, Lara had found nothing. She leant against a wall and closed her eyes, to have a little rest. When she opened them again, he found a man in front of her.
"Lara Croft?" He asked "Come with me. We'll pick your friend up on the way."
"On what way?" Asked Lara surprised.
"On the way to the key, of course."
I'm sorry not to have updated sooner, but I'm afraid I 'm not having much time to write, (because of my exams). But I'm trying to do my best. Hopefully I'll be tired ofstudying soon.
And if you see any mistake, please tell me. You know, disadvantages of English not being my mother tongue (and of having no idea about typing).
I hope you like my strange version of the events after tr4. I need it to be that way to link it with the rest of the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character of the tr games (I think I forgot to put this in my previous chapters).