It's a beautiful, sunny day and Lara Croft is outside walking towards the concrete tent.
"Lost but never forgotten." She rubs her fingers across it.
"Yeah. Never forgotten." She gets up slowly and walks inside the mansion. She sits at her desk with her boots up on it. Lara droops her head and sharply brings it back up trying to stay awake.
"Miss Croft? There is a new mission waiting for you downstairs." As the butler said this Lara interupted.
"Thank you Mr. Burmington."
"You're quite welcome Lara." Lara slowly made her way downstairs to where James was working on his robots.
"Hello James. I heard there's a new mission. Or is it just another "mission training" practice?"
" I was told to train you today and send you on the mission tomorrow."
"Why?"
"I don't know. They just said that it was top secret and to just send you to Moscow."
"James, you know I don't go anywhere without knowing everything."
"Well I guess you're not going. 'Cause that's all I got." Lara sighed.
"Alright. let's get ready." James smiled as Lara stepped into the helicopter to the mountains behind the mansion as he pushed a button. When she got to the mountain, she went into the temple.As she looked around it didn't look any different than all thetimes she had been inthere.As she walked stealthily around she felt the ground shake underneath her. She turned around slowly and saw the giant robot behind her. She held her breath hoping it wasn't a motion detecting robot. She heard all the parts working inside of it. She had one chance. She pulled out her gun and shot the robot directly in the chest. It fell backward but caught itself.The robotcharged itself at Lara almost hitting her, but she was too quick and slid under the robot. Lara jumped on its back and started hitting the robot with the handle of the gun. The robot found this to be more of an annoyance than a problem. While Lara was hitting it she broke through to the controls and shut it off. The room got silent. All of a sudden Lara was pushed to the ground by another robot. As she laid on the ground the robot went to take another hit she screamed,
"STOP!" The robot froze.
When she got back to the mansion, she pulled in the remains of one of the robots into James' computer room while his little handheld robots crawling over his desk.
"My baby!" James cried. "What did you do to it!"
"Ha ha. I'll see you in the morning. I'm going out."
"Fine." James sighed. "She always has to kill it."
"I heard that. Oh yeah I left the other one up there ." Leaving him with that, Lara walked out of the room to the garage where all her vehicles were.
"Hmm." She said to herself. "I wonder what I should take tonight?" She chuckled as she walked past all the corvettes and mustangs until she got to her motorcycle. Lara started the engine and she was off.
When she got to the restaurant she parked her motorcycle in the back. She jumped off and pushed a button on her belt. Her monochromatic outfrot turned into a black dress. She stepped inside the restaurant and look around. Once she found who she was looking for, she went over to the table.
"Hello Brandon. Nice day, isn't it?"
"Still pretending that we're just here to discuss our mission tomorrow?"
"How do you know it's not true?" Brandon let out a long breath.
"You amaze me, Miss Croft."
"When haven't I?" Lara flirtingly chuckled. Then after getting a straight face, she said in a serious voice. "Ok. Now. Do you know anything about our mission tomorrow?"
"No. They wouldn't tell me anything." He paused, "You?"
"James told me that that's all they told him." She looked around. "He was acting really strange too." Lara sighed. "But then he always is." Brandon chuckled.
"That is true."
The next day bright and early Lara met Brandon at the HeathrowAirport. The walked down the hall until they reached an elevator. When they got inside Brandon pushed 7, then 4, than 6 and last 10. the elavator starting going down to the secret airport. The elavator read G, and then went blank. Brandon hesitated and then asked,
"I'm sorry."
"For what?" Lara asked.
"ForKurtis and all."
"I don't want to talk about it."When the door opened, there was a huge hall with airplanes and helicopters everywhere. They walked down it until they came the thier helicopter. It was a gray color of camoflage and was huge. Lara went over to the hummer next to the helicopter and as the helicopter was pushed out to the helapadand Brandon started it she drove the hummer. Ashe lifted it into the air, she droveit under the helicopter and attached the Hummer to it. Lara got out andclimbed on top and pulled herself into the helicopter as the rose higher in the air.She turned to Brandon and asked,
"Where are we going?"
"The rainforest in Brazil."
"No more information?"
"None." Lara sighed and lookedout the window. She thought about Kurtis and how he was shot. She also though about her father before he died and all the places he had been. She realized all of a sudden,
"Father never went to Brazil, did he? Didn't he tell me ot to go to a certain part of the rainforest?" Lara was confused. She tried to think back. She remembered her father giving her the Jasmine flower and how he told her stories about that, but she couldn't remember anything about Brazil.
"What's going on?" Brandon yelled. He started pushing buttons. Lara looked around to see them hutiling towards the ground. She reached over and pushed the button that drops the Hummer. She though ti would lighten tha load but it didn't help. The helicopter crashed into the ground throwing Brandon and Lara out of it. Lara hit a tree and tried to hold on. As she did, she heard a thud a couple yards away. Lara slid down from the tree and followed the moaning sounds she heard. She found Brandon lying in a huddled mass by a rock.
"Ugh. That was painful." He struggled to get up. "I think I broke something."
"Me too." They both laughed. "Are you ok? I'm going to go find the Hummer."
"You do that. I'll stay here." He paused. "Hello? I'm in pain here!" Lara bent over and kissed him. "Thank you now go find the hummer."
"EXCUSE ME?" Lara turned around and pointed her gun at him.
"I mean, uh do whatever you want?"
"That's what I thought you said." She chuckled.
As she walked though the rainforest she heard something russling in the bushes. She cocked her guns and slowly turned around. Nothing was there, so she kept going. After a long search, she found the Hummer and drove it through the forest running over small trees as she went.
That night when Brandon and Lara were around the campfire asleep, Lara had a dream. She was running away from a monster. She saw her father telling her about what was chasing her.
"It's called a Kosowa. It's is a religious figure for a secret tribe deep in the Brazil Rainforest. Anyone who is not in the tribe will face this creature and perish. But, if you loose something that is important to you, it get you out of a terrible position and put you back where you want to be. " Her father's figure faded away. Lara cried,
"Father! Come back! Tell me more!" She was coming to tears. His face suddenly flashed in front of her and yelled,
"Watch Out!" Lara woke up and gasped for breath. Her dagger was sticking out and about to kill Brandon.
"Whoah there! Don't kill me!" He sat back down and turned to her. "Bad dream?"
"Yes. Goodnight." She turned on her side away from Brandon and pretended to be asleep.
"Okay." He said in a high voice. "Have it your way!" Lara didn't get back to sleep for a while. She was silently crying and thinking about what her father had "said".
The next day Brandon woke to see Lara chopping down trees to get fruit with a machete. She cut them in half and shared it between them.
"It's going to be a long day." Lara said as she sat down beside him.
"Why?" He scooted around to be directly opposite of her. "Got news?"
"No of coarse not." She said in a annoyed voice. "But," she smiled. "I do have a clue."
"Do I get to know?"
"Nope cause I'm not quite sure." Brandon tilted his head as he got up.
"Ok. Whaaaatever." Lara chuckled and got in the Hummer.
"Get in Brandon." When he got in, Lara drove through the jungle tearing up everything that was in her way. After roaming around in a direction that seemed random they found a river. When they got out of the Hummer, they found signs in an unknown language. Lara had studied every language known to man, but she still couldn't read it.
"Let me try. Maybe the old Brandon can read it."
"I don't think that's possible. I mean, I know every language man has come to find and…" Brandon interrupted and surprisingly said,
"I got it."
"What? How is that possible?"
"I don't know actually." He turned around from a sign. "It seems to be a mix of languages."
"Well what do they say?"
"Do not cross the river if you do not wish to perish." Brandon pointed his finger. "That one over there says beware of the almighty Kosowa."
"I knew it." She said to herself as she got a couple guns out of the Hummer. "Let's go then."
"What Lara?"
"Come on Brandon." Lara said. " Let's go. We have to."
"Mmmmkay then. Let's go." Brandon followed her as she waded across the river. Brandon and Lara saw a shadow behind them. They slowly turned around to see a huge monster standing behind them.
"Just like in my dream."
"Run!" Lara and Brandon started running and shooting back at the Kosowa. They kept running until they reached the front of a gate to a village. When they reached it, the Kosawa came to a halt. It wouldn't go near the gate. The entered the village to see it empty. They walked through it and made their way to a tall building. They climbed up the stairs until they came to a creature guarding the doors. He began making strange noises that Lara didn't understand. Brandon made noises back. Lara stood waiting for it to be over. The creature's voice got louder and angrier. All of a sudden, the big doors opened and an army of the creatures started to attack Lara and Brandon. They ran down the stairs and out of the village to be greeted by the Kosowa. They shot at it while they turned into the forest. They climbed up and mountain to get away from the creatures and Kosowa. When they got to the top Lara started hitting Brandon.
"You knew about this didn't you?"
"About what?" Lara was getting furious.
"You set me up." She shook her head. "Just like the other men I fell for."
"I'm sorry ok? I had no choice."
"Yes you did. And you chose the wrong one." Lara pointed her gun at Brandon. Tears streaming from her eyes.He started walking backwards away from the gun.
"Take it easy. We're tight aren't we?" Brandon was getting nervous "We can work this out right?"
"I'm not going through this anymore." She pushed him to the ledge "Goodbye." The gunshot echoed through the trees. Birds rose into the air. Lara's face covered with tears. She wiped them away and vowed to herself never to love again. Not one more tear she said. The Kosowa climbed over the edge of the mountain. Lara jumped to her feet. Her gun was shaking. Then she dropped it. It the calmest words she could she said,
"Do it. Kill me already." The Kosowa spoke.
"No. You lost your loved one so you are free. I will take you home where you belong." With a flash of light Lara was out of Brazil and back home in her bed. She ran downstairs to see James and Mr. Burmington to greet her.
"Hello Lara." They said. Then stepping forward James dropped his head.
"Lara, we're quite sorry for… you know… what happened."
"It's fine boys." Lara said with a weak smile.
"Um, the funeral's tomorrow Lara."
"Very well. Carry on." Lara walked slowly back up the stairs to her bungey-ballet cords. She buckled herself in and jumped off the ledge. She gently went up and down, her hair flying behind her.
