5- 68%
BRITISH MUSEUM, PRESENT DAY, ONE MONTH LATER
She clearly didn't know what she was doing here. She tried to keep on a masking smile, perched on her high heels, her glass of champagne tightly clutched between her clenched fingers. There were a lot of people there, much more than what was expected at first. Which was good for the exhibition, but certainly not for her. She could hardly stand crowded places like this one anymore, especially when she had to keep her smile on for the whole evening in front of pseudo-philanthropic bourgeois who would not hesitate to make misplaced remarks about her at the slightest opportunity. In the past, she had been sincerely happy to go to such kind of events, especially if it was in order to raise money for charity, or maybe more selfishly, to fund her next expedition. Gala evenings were now a real ordeal.
Maybe it's because I'm getting older
She sighed, and turned her gaze from one side of the room to the other. Slightly hidden in a dark corner, away from the rest of the crowd, she watched the movement of the people as they passed her by, exchanging more than approximate comments about the sarcophagus that was standing before them. Once again, she wondered what she was doing here. She looked down at her glass of champagne, but didn't feel like drinking tonight. Even if she refused to clearly admit it, she felt kind of bored about everything, and kind of alone those days. And most of all, she couldn't help but feel worried. And now she couldn't wait for this whole kind-of-a-joke night to be over so she could get back to Croft Manor.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned around, Lara came face to face with a smiling Mark, whose eyes shone with bright excitement behind his small round glasses. She felt as if she was looking at a five year old on Christmas morning.
"Is everything all right, Lara? Are you enjoying the evening?"
"Definitely," answered the young woman, who looked away, a bit annoyed.
The archaeologist did not let this deter him.
"I think Mr Thomas was looking for you, I think he would have liked to exchange a few words with you..."
"If he wants to lecture me once again about what happened in the Louvre, he has already done so, thank you," replied the adventuress a little aggressively. "If he's not ready to move on after all I've done for them, I don't know what to tell him..."
Lara fell silent abruptly, preferring to keep her mouth shut before she became even more angry. Once again she was unable to control the anger that had taken hold of her. She glanced at the people around before looking down. She wasn't here for that.
"I'm sorry, Mark..."
"No problem, I'm kind of getting used to it," he said, giving her an amused smile. "And you know, from what I heard tonight, your work on the exhibition has made quite an impression so far..."
She gave him a doubtful look, her lips pursed.
"... we wouldn't be here without you, believe me."
"I suspect so."
Mark let out a laugh. Lara saw him readjust his slightly oversized suit jacket. He looked uncomfortable in his clothes.
"Anyway," he continued, clearing his throat, "you look lovely in your dress."
The adventuress looked down at her long black dress.
"That's nice of you. But I think I'm too old now for all those socializing… things."
"We'll, I have to say I'd like to get away from all these endless parties that smell like hairdresser's hair spray and cologne perfume all the way. That's the annoying part of our job, for sure. But our work would be nothing without it. We have to shed light on our discoveries, and find charitable souls rich enough to fund the missions."
"True."
Lara gave him back a faint smile. A classical music tune rose in the room. The orchestra, which was playing tonight, had just resumed its concerto after a break. A couple greeted the two young people with a slight movement of the head. Lara responded politely, although she had absolutely no idea who they were.
"I'm going to Egypt," Mark announced confidently.
The Englishwoman looked at him in surprise, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"I mean, I'm leaving for another expedition in a few days," the archeologist added.
"Did you manage to get funding for the tomb that was discovered near Al Qaraya?"
"No, unfortunately..."
A shadow came over the man's face, his good mood had suddenly disappeared.
"I was hoping this evening would highlight the work of Luxor's teams, but obviously the Egyptology Department has other more important projects in mind..."
Mark pointed with his chin to two men who were talking a little further away, a few metres from them. Lara recognized the dean of the archaeology, whom she had met a few weeks earlier at the British Museum, but she didn't know the other man he was talking to.
"It looks like the university is now interested in much more luxurious, rather bankable objects, which will be of much more interest to foreign investors than simple ancient objects and trinkets..."
Lara turned to him and gave him a questioning look.
"A collection of priceless jewels has been found in one of the anti-chambers of Amenotep IV's tomb. And suddenly, it seems that all the healthiest shareholders of powerful American corporations come out of nowhere to show their greatest interest..."
"The world of archaeology is not what it used to be unfortunately," Lara replied with a sympathetic smile.
"All our work is almost nullified, or discredited by this kind of... I don't know, that's just kind of disgusting. Fortunately there are still real enthusiasts people like you and me, who have a taste for adventure and ancient history..."
Lara could not hold back an amused smile, as she could hardly imagine Mark as a neck-breaking adventurer. He shrugged, as if he hadn't noticed the young woman's reaction.
"All this to say that if you ever want to join me..."
Lara shook her head.
"Why do I get the impression that you are desperate to find me a job?"
"I do suspect that a simple exhibition like this is not much for you, that's pretty far from the hostile lands you're used to," the young man answered, embarrassed.
"I'm a versatile woman."
Mark smiled and stayed silent for a moment, before nodding slowly.
"In any case, there's still room for you. You're one of the best Egyptologists in the world, so..."
"The best, yes."
Mark let out another laugh, and shook his head to confirm the young woman's words.
"We'd be honoured to have you on the team."
"I'll think about it," the young woman answered softly with a tired smile.
The archaeologist returned her knowing smile, before glancing behind him.
"I won't bother you any longer. Sir McQuigg wanted to ask me some questions and talk to me. He would be delighted to see you too, by the way..."
The adventuress gave him a desperate look.
"... but I can also tell him that you had to leave in a hurry because of some compelling reasons."
The young woman laughed. She glanced around suspiciously, before returning to the young man. It was already late, the party would soon be over. She had nothing interesting to do here anyway.
"Thank you, Mark."
"You're welcome. If I can save at least one of us from this endless evening..."
Lara put her hand on his arm and exerted a friendly pressure.
"I'll make it up to you."
"Think about Egypt and my offer, and then we'll be even."
She withdrew her hand and gave him a smile. Mark nodded, understanding that their conversation was coming to an end. He took a few steps back as he returned to the other guests. Before he had completely disappeared, Lara called out to him.
"Mark!"
The young man came back to her, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"This is nothing about the exhibition, but have you ever heard of the company BIOTEKNIKA, by any chance?"
Hands on hips, the archaeologist seemed to think for a moment. She saw him bite his lip.
"Um... yes, I have."
Laughter from a group of people a few feet away interrupted them for a moment. Lara stared at the young man, she could see from his face that he might know something. Mark finally looked up at her.
"An extremely well-known Norwegian company, yes. Did they offer you to work with them?"
"Why, do you know if they usually recruit people like me?" she asked, suddenly curious.
Mark raised both eyebrows.
"I don't think so. But they've done some kind of big projects in the last few years, which have caused quite a stir in Europe. Not very neat stuff from what I've heard."
"You know them better than you let on, I think?"
"My ex girlfriend worked for them for a few years in their Norwegian lab. Some of the projects were heavily criticised, even among the employees themselves. Unclear, almost illegal stuff in hidden labs, some things like that..."
"I've never heard of any of this," Lara said, suddenly frowning.
"They managed to cover it up. A company like theirs has the means to cover itself in case of a massive media scandal. They've kept a relatively low profile since then, to keep themselves out of the limelight. A few well-placed bonuses have also helped to keep people quiet, especially internally."
"That's interesting."
Lara seemed increasingly pensive, intrigued by Mark's revelations.
"If you ask me, these are people to avoid in any case."
The Englishwoman nodded, her lips tight.
"Do you know why their research caused such a scandal?"
Mark looked up at the ceiling this time, he seemed to be thinking seriously about the question. He shook his head slightly.
"I don't know much about human genome, but my ex explained to me, having worked on it herself, that they do a lot of manipulation and re-crossing of cells I think. They were working on human cells at the time. They did some pretty horrible animal testing, and there were even rumours internally that they had tested their products a,d those manipulations on human beings, in underground labs. I couldn't tell you more about it unfortunately, it's not really my area of expertise, if you know what I mean."
Lara smiled at him gently.
"I'm sure I do."
"Since when are you interested in biotechnology?" Mark asked mockingly.
"I'm just curious, that's all."
Mark nodded, obviously not very convinced by the young woman's answer. He sensed that the subject was much more delicate than it seemed to Lara, but he did not insist.
"Go now, before someone else catches you," said the archaeologist, glancing at the service door behind them.
Lara winked at him. They exchanged a last smile before the archaeologist walked away and disappeared a little further into the crowd. After a last look around, Lara abandoned her glass of champagne on a nearby chair and slipped through the crowd before disappearing too.
—
CROFT MANOR, LATER IN THE EVENING
She dropped her heels on the thick carpet and walked into the large room. She discarded her long dress, before abandoning it on a chair a little further on. She undid her heavy earrings, then her diamond bracelet, which she placed on the bedside table. She sat down on the edge of the bed and massaged her sore neck. She sighed, tired and aching.
After many minutes, she finally looked up. She looked out of the window into the dark night before glancing at her phone, which lay beside her on the bed. She unlocked it. No messages, no calls. She went to her contacts and selected Kurtis' home number. Her finger hung over it for a moment before she decided to press the cal button. There were several rings, but no answer, and the call automatically cut off.
She was not the kind of woman to worry. Or at least, to worry for so little. She was independent, and had always lived her life that way, moving forward without questioning. She didn't owe anything to anyone, and above all, she was not dependent on anyone. She didn't like to be bothered with details, let alone let them slow her down. And she knew that Kurtis was that kind of man too. For that, they had found each other well. Strangely enough they had never talked about these things openly, as if they instinctively understood each other perfectly. That's how they worked, both of them, and so was their relationship.
She herself did not give much news when she went on a mission. Kurtis and her used to go without news from each other for days, even weeks. She had sent him a message several days ago, and had tried to reach him the day before. No response from him. For a moment she had thought he was probably busy, just like she imagined she would be herself if she was about to fall off a cliff, or escape death. She would probably have had something else to care about than answering a call in this situation. So she figured he would probably give an update when he had the chance. Not that she wanted to know exactly where he was or what he was doing, there again it was clear they were both mature enough to trust each other.
But she knew it was different this time. A terrible doubt hadn't left her since the last phone conversation they had had. Something that was instinctual, that she couldn't explain, and that prevented her from letting her guard down. She couldn't get the cold, distant tone of his voice out of her head, and the uneasy silence that was so unlike the mercenary.
As if he's hiding something from me
She knew that she would not find sleep immediately. She got up, and with a silent step, moved away from the bed and the room to the large office and the library. On the way, she tried again to call the mercenary. But still no answer.
—
She leaned back in the big chair, rubbing her tired eyes. She had been literally stuck in her research for several hours now, and had not taken her eyes off the computer screen. She could no longer sort through all the information she had found, between the dates, economic and financial reports, various statements made to the press, campaigns to launch new projects... Everything was mixed up in her head. And yet, she was no more advanced than before.
Her eyes fell on the phone beside her, which she stared at for a long time with a distracted look. Then she decided to unlock it and looked through her list of contacts. She selected the one she was interested in, and then made the call.
The line rang blankly for several seconds, she even thought she wouldn't get an answer. Then, at the very last moment, someone finally picked up.
"Hi, Roman."
There was a blank on the other end of the line. Lara regretted calling him for a moment, fearing that he might hang up on her.
"Lara. I didn't expect to hear from you! Well, especially at this time of night..."
Lara glanced at the clock further down the corridor and bit her lips, a little embarrassed.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you."
"It's okay, I think we know each other well enough now to take a few liberties, right?"
The adventuress smiled.
"How are you, Roman?"
She heard the Russian sigh quite loudly.
"It could be worse. I've been back in business a bit, I've been contacted for a few projects here and there. Life goes on and on, as they say. Now that all the paperwork is sorted out, I'm feeling kind of relieved."
"I suppose so."
"And you two, how are you both doing with Kurtis?"
The young woman shrugged her shoulders without even realizing it. She realised that she didn't know exactly what to say to him.
"Pretty good, routine on our end. Demons for him, and some artifacts for me."
There was a silence. Deep down, Lara had imagined that Roman might have heard from Kurtis, even indirectly. She found it hard to hide her disappointment when it became clear that the young man knew nothing either.
"So tell me, how can I help you this time?"
Roman's question almost surprised her. She felt a little bit embarrassed as the young man had clearly understand why she was calling.
"Actually... I wanted to know if you could find me a plan or two to help me out."
"It depends. What kind of building is it exactly?"
"A house in the suburbs of Oslo."
"Ah, are you into housebreaking now?"
The young woman laughs softly.
"I see that you know me."
"Enough to know that there must be a lot of shenanigans behind it, again," the Russian answered mockingly. "No Nephilim or end of the world involved, I hope?"
"Not that I know of. At least not at the moment," she tried to joke.
"Tell me everything."
"I don't have a precise address, but it's the Svendsen couple's house, the owners of the Norwegian group BIOTEKNIKA."
There was another silence, during which the Englishwoman heard the Russian tapping on a keyboard at high speed.
"Okay," he finally said after a few minutes. "Is that all you needed?"
Lara's eyes widened slightly, surprised by the young man's speed.
"I will always be surprised by your efficiency. That was all I needed, yes. Thank you."
"Okay. There's not much to it, but I'll email it to you."
"That's perfect."
"Whenever you have the time, I mean, between two missions or artifacts, don't forget to come to see me in St. Petersburg. I'll be more than happy to see you, guys."
She was happy to feel him so serene, almost at peace. It had taken him several months to recover from the death of his sister and father, murdered by Gunderson's men. For a long time Lara had blamed herself for this terrible tragedy, unable to rid herself of the guilt that was eating away at her. It was also for this reason that she had preferred to distance herself from the young man and not to drag him into other sordid stories. She owed him that, or rather said, that was the least she could do for him.
"So are we, Roman. We'll let you know as soon as we have a free moment. Sorry again for disturbing you."
"Don't worry, it's no big deal. Keep me posted on your new adventures, and if you need me, you know you can call me."
"I'll remember," the young woman laughed at the young man's cheerful tone.
"Be careful anyway," he concluded, but his words sounded more like advice than a warning.
"I promise. See you soon, Roman."
They hung up.
—
The adventuress' gaze stopped on the post it she held in her hand, then on the computer screen, on which was displayed a press clipping illustrated by an elegant photo of the two Norwegians. There was obviously no failure in the perfect world that had been created around Tobias and Miranda Svendsen. They were the perfect, modern and media savvy couple, and they definitely knew how to manage their communication and business affairs perfectly. Everything from them seemed so perfect and smooth. Every public appearance, every statement was visibly prepared and thought out in great detail.
Nonetheless, after her conversation with Roman, Lara had gone back to her research and had indeed found a few press articles confirming the illegal experiments carried out on human beings a few years ago, as mentioned by Mark earlier in the evening. Genetic manipulation experiments, carried out on pregnant women, foetuses, and on a few officially consenting adult patients. Patients with serious illnesses were used as guinea pigs for innovative cell regeneration processes. Laboratories were discovered in Argentina, Russia and South Africa. The affair had been hushed up, and looked like a banal accident, as for what the couple had declared during an official public apology.
The laboratories had been officially abandoned and condemned, and the trials stopped overnight. And since then, the couple had remained relatively discreet and had not made the slightest wave. They were blameless, although Lara seriously doubted it. She was certain that the couple was hiding much more than they appeared to be.
A metallic clink suddenly drew her out of her reverie. She felt a movement not far from her. Winston appeared, coming forward with his small tray, which he set down beside her on the desk. Lara glanced at the cupcakes and steaming tea that were waiting for her.
"I think I'll never understand how you manage to get rest, Miss."
She gave the old man a warm smile.
"I think the problem is that I don't know how to rest, actually."
The butler gave back a smile. His eyes sparkled with a petty, paternal glint. Lara straightened up a little and stretched for a long time.
"How are you feeling this morning?"
She looked straight into his eyes.
Why is everyone asking me how I'm feeling these days?
"A little tired, but nothing serious. I'm okay."
The butler raised a shoulder, before leaning over to pour a cup of tea.
"If you say so, Miss."
Lara shook her head, slightly surprised by the man's reaction, before leaning forward and refocusing on her computer.
"What's on your mind, if I may ask?"
The adventuress turned back to him. At first serious, they both exchanged an amused smile. Once again, Lara wondered how Winston managed to know her so well.
"Has Mr. Trent done something to you?" he continued before the young woman had time to answer.
Lara let out a laugh, almost shocked by the butler's spontaneity.
"Well, kind of, yes. He's causing me trouble, but not necessarily in the way you think."
"I think he would be the first and only one to do so, if I'm not mistaken."
The smile that appeared on Winston's face made Lara a little uncomfortable. She watched him as a strange glint suddenly lit up in his grey eyes. She did not know exactly what she was supposed to understand by these words.
"I know I'm the first one not to give any news when I'm on a mission, I can't lecture anyone on that point," she told him as she tried to change subject. "But his silence worries me. I haven't heard from him in almost a month, which is quite unusual."
"Maybe he hasn't had a chance to keep you informed, Miss. I'm sure he will as soon as he gets the chance."
Lara shook her head thoughtfully.
"Something is wrong, Winston... I really have a bad feeling, this is quite hard to explain."
"Is that why you're doing all this research?" he asked, pointing a finger at the computer.
Lara nodded, and the butler leaned forward slightly to glance at the pictures on the computer screen, though she wasn't sure he could see clearly from where he was.
"These are the people who employed him. A large international group with a rather shady past."
"Always the same, old people, in short," replied Winston as he finally straightened up.
They exchanged glances again. They were silent for a short while, and observed each other. Winston's two small, piercing eyes seemed to be scrutinizing her in detail, as if he were trying to understand what was going on in her head.
"Do you intend to go and meet them to find out more?"
"I thought you had read my mind," the adventuress replied, her voice almost playful and defiant.
Winston's eyes fell on the post it she held between her fingers which tapped it absentmindedly. The butler's face darkened abruptly, and his smile gradually faded as he managed to read what was written on it. His gaze fell back on the computer screen, and hidden behind the various photos and news articles, he discovered what looked like technical plans. His eyes widened.
"Is this your friend Roman who...?"
"Yes," the adventuress cut him off. "He agreed to help me out, I needed his knowledge. But that's all. I don't want to drag him into this, I've caused him enough trouble in the past, I don't want to ask more of him."
"Miss, I don't know if..." said Winston, shaking his head sharply.
"I won't be gone for long, only for a few days."
"I'm not sure that's reasonable..."
"I just want to make things clear," Lara said as she stood up from her chair.
"The last time you infiltrated a flat, you were in the news for almost two years, Miss."
"That's beside the point, Winston," the adventuress replied curtly, walking past him as she headed to the door now.
Winston remained silent in front of the young woman's determination.
"It's not like I want to infiltrate the company itself. If there are any kind of sensitive documents to be found, I'm guessing the Svendsen hid them somewhere they could not be easily hacked. So it means they'd rather hide those data at home rather than at work. According to an official statement they'll be away for a few days, so I won't have to worry about them."
"You are no industrial spy, Miss. What are you going to do with what you might find out? What if you get arrested? What will you tell the police or security services?"
"I will advise accordingly."
Lara stopped in the doorway and looked back at the butler. She sensed his apprehension, but she could not blame him. She herself did not know exactly what she was looking for, nor what she was supposed to find out there.
"There are too many grey areas for me to sit back and just wait without doing nothing, Winston. If there's something I'm not being told, I'd rather find out for myself and remove all doubt. At least I'll know for sure."
Winston nodded slowly. After a shy smile that almost looked like an apology, the adventuress turned around again and left the room, no doubt to pack some things.
"Take care of yourself," the butler murmured.
But the young woman had already disappeared.
—
OSLO, NORWAY, ONE DAY LATER
The city lights glittered brightly in the thick black night. A light mist had risen, and seemed to meander between the tall buildings and other towers. The area and the suburb, which were a little off-centre from the rest of the city, were extremely quiet at that late time of night.
After a last look around, Lara took a little momentum and climbed the wall that separated her from the villa. She easily climbed and dropped down on the other side, in a secluded corner of the spacious garden. Hidden behind two large trees, she crouched for a moment, studying the terrain around her. From where she was, she could see the reflections of a large bay window, which led directly into the heart of the house. She walked in a straight line, slightly stooped forward, trying to keep her gaze focused on her objective.
She went through the last few steps without difficulty, and reached the terrace. She walked along the large, luxurious pool, and nimbly threaded her way through the tall, exotic plants to the glass door some meters away from where she was standing. She pressed herself against the glass and peered inside. It was dark, but thanks to the large bay window she could make out the large dining room and the kitchen, next to which she was standing. The villa was big, not to say immense, but extremely spacious and airy, with a clean style, which gave her a fairly wide view of the place. At the other side of where she was standing, she saw what she was looking for: a small red light on the wall, indicating a box hanging right next to the front door.
Here we go
She took a few more steps, still sticking to the glass to stay in the blind spot of the surveillance cameras, as Roman had told her to do. She walked silently up the terrace, and easily found the access door to the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. Like many flats and modern houses of this style, it was impossible to break through the double glass in a few seconds, and what's more, without heavy and specialized equipment. She continued on her way, and finally arrived at the end of the building. As she had hoped, she reached the other side of the kitchen and came upon a large window.
Better
She took another look around. It was very quiet in the garden, and there was no sign of life in the villa. Lara reached for her backpack and pulled out a long and thin metal rod.
Let's do it in the old fashioned way
She slid the rod between the window glass and the window frame. There was a shrill, rather unpleasant squeal as the adventuress forced it in. She stopped to check that there was still nobody around.
She forced a little more to push the rod in a little further. She spent many minutes pushing and sliding the rod against the window. After several tries, she felt the tip of the metal strike against something. She concentrated a little more, manipulating the metal rod with sound and delicacy.
Suddenly there was a click, and the window gave way and opened slightly. The young woman wasted no time. She pushed back the window and pulled herself up onto the sill to slip inside the house. She crouched for a moment, perched on a large work surface.
A regular, loud "BEEP BEEP" suddenly echoed around her, filling the house. She had very little time. Barely a minute, according to what Roman had explained to her. She quickly closed the window behind her, and almost folded in half, she get down from the kitchen work surface and ran straight ahead without question. She skirted the large central island in the kitchen, and continued to weave her way between the imposing sofa and the long coffee table. She was lucky, the entrance was not far away, she had only a few meters to go to reach the box. She almost lost balance and slipped on the carpet, but she caught herself at the last moment. After two last steps, she found herself facing the front door, and rushed to the box that was still beeping. She slipped her hand into one of her trouser pockets and pulled out a sort of mini plastic box, which she stuck to the wall next to the other. In less than ten seconds, she undid the protective shell of the alarm box, and connected it to her own box with the small wires provided for that purpose. The adventuress then pressed a large button, and after a few more seconds the alarm beeped a little longer, before finally stopping. Lara sighed as she saw the message 'system disarmed' appear on the box.
Lara released the breath she was holding since she had entered. She waited a few more seconds where she was, watching for a possible system failure. But the empty villa was quiet and silent. She turned around.
She retraced her steps slowly, taking the time to observe the furniture and the space. At first glance, the Svendsens lived in a house with almost nothing, with the most minimalist decoration. Very simple furniture, very few decorations on the wall, a few rare photos of them in a frame on a large wooden sideboard. She would have thought she was in a decoration magazine. A home as smooth and perfect as the image of their couple was.
Lara quickly went around the room, before moving to her left, opposite the kitchen, where she had entered. From what she had understood from the plans Roman had given her, the Svendsens occupied a house divided in two separate floors, the upper part of which was partly devoted to bedrooms. Her gaze roamed the space and quickly came upon two solid wooden doors, hidden behind a large metal staircase. She walked around the staircase and approached the first door. As a precaution, she paused to check that no one was on the other side, before grabbing the handle and sliding the door open smoothly.
After a quick look inside, the young woman realised that this room would not be of much interest to her. It was almost empty of everything, except for a few sports machines, a gym mat on the floor, and some dumbbells, but nothing more. Lara could not hold back a sly smile when she imagined that this was exactly the kind of room that only served to keep up appearances and make a good impression here, given the material's poor state of wear. Lara turned around and carefully closed the door, before turning her attention to the next room.
As she suspected, this one was served as an office. Two large tables facing each other stood in the middle of the room. One was almost empty, while the second was covered with papers and documents of all kinds. At the back stood what looked like a sort of mini-lab: another table, quite high, on which were various objects and research materials. Diplomas, but also press clippings were hung all over the walls.
After a last look behind her, Lara tiptoed in, observing the desks, then the equipment in the back of the room. There was a computer on one of the desks. Luckily it was not switched off, only on standby. She grabbed the mouse and moved it, the keyboard lit up and the lock screen appeared in a dazzling white light. The machine required a password to access the desktop, and therefore, potential documents.
Lara couldn't help but smile as she reached into her bag for the small USB stick she had brought with her. She slid the object into one of the USB ports and a small black window appeared on the screen. A series of numbers and codes began to scroll at full speed. The Englishwoman let it run for a few seconds until the system installed on it cracked the computer. But she didn't have long to wait. There was an audible alert, and the screen unlocked. The home page and the desktop were displayed. She now had access to Miranda's computer. She couldn't thank Roman enough for lending her this gadget.
She was surprised to discover that the computer was almost empty. At least, there were very few files saved on the machine. She quickly went through the few folders she found, as well as Miranda Svendsen's mailbox. Everything was almost empty. Lara bit her lips in nervousness. She went through the two or three registered files again, but it came up to nothing. They were just banal accounting documents, or simple project reports.
Lara sat up, hands on her hips. She shook her head in annoyance.
Either she regularly sorts through her data, or she keeps everything on an external medium
Her eyes fell on the drawers beneath the desk. A block of three drawers, the first of which was closed by a small lock. She took out a small torch from her backpack and checked the ones underneath first, which she could open easily, but she didn't find much in them, except for a few sheets of paper and a notepad. Her gaze then fell on the first drawer. The adventuress frowned and bent down to take a closer look. She tried to pry it open manually, as if it would open without her having to force it, but unsurprisingly, it didn't. Lara pouted in concentration. She jammed the small lamp in her mouth to get out of her backpack, and rummaged through it. She took out two small pliers, which she cleverly slid into the lock. After several seemingly endless minutes, one of the pliers finally came across something. A tiny relief in the metal, a security system. She applied pressure with the second pliers, and there was a click. The lock gave way. The drawer opened slightly.
Lara swept the drawer with her lamp, unable to hold back a smile of satisfaction. Unfortunately, it faded almost as quickly as it had appeared when she discovered the contents of the drawer. Again, there was almost nothing. A few scribbled papers, envelopes, pens, a few post it notes. Something caught her eye, however, hidden under the other objects: a photo. The young woman gently grabbed it and shone the light on it.
It was a black-and-white photo, with horny corners. It was torn in places and folded, slightly yellowed. Lara watched carefully as three people posed proudly in front of an entire metal display of medical equipment, in an obviously dark place. There was one man, quite tall, with slightly wavy hair elegantly combed back, whom she immediately recognised as Tobias' grandfather, Otto Svendsen. He wore a simple long white coat on which she could see any name embroidered to confirm it was really him. Lara shook her head gently.
She did not recognise the other people. Her gaze fell on a hard-looking woman with very dark hair who was standing not far from the Norwegian, and who was observing the camera shyly, even if a slight smile had frozen on her lips. She looked relatively young, perhaps in her twenties, and was also wearing a white coat, perhaps a nurse. A third, shorter man in a military uniform stood on the right side of the picture. His mesmerising blue eyes were half hidden by his military cap. Lara was suddenly struck by a detail, all three wore armbands on their arms. A cold, unpleasant feeling ran through the young woman from head to toe as she recognised the symbol embroidered on it. The Nazi symbol.
What's that?
Lara suddenly frowned, confused.
Otto Svendsen was a Nazi?
She turned the photo over, and found some words written in pencil. On the top left corner was what looked like an address.
Puerto Deseado, Sta Cruz
Lara turned the photo over again to look at the three figures. There was no date, but judging by their respective outfits, and the material around them, the photo looked like it had been taken in the 1940s or 1950s.
Why would Miranda Svendsen keep a photo like that?
The whole thing was taking on an extremely bizarre dimension. The Englishwoman placed the photo on the desk and took a picture with her phone. She then placed it back carefully where she had found it, replacing the other objects too as best she could to hide her tracks. She pushed the drawer open and slammed it shut.
She stood there for a moment, facing the computer, hands on her hips. All kind of questions started running at high speed in her head. Many politicians, members of big industry, some large and powerful families, and even some world-famous heads of government had been steeped in sordid stories for generations. Many of the big names in the world had a murky past. Tobias Svendsen had undoubtedly concealed his Nazi family background from the world, it was obvious that he would never have allowed this kind of information to taint his image and ambitions as a dynamic young entrepreneur.
Plausible. But that doesn't explain the photo
But Lara couldn't believe the Svendsens had just kept the photo as a souvenir.
She looked around again, but quickly realised she would probably not find anything more in this room. So she retraced her steps to the staircase and to the living room, and decided to go upstairs for a walk. She slowly climbed the large metal staircase, which led her to a floor as large and spacious as the lower floor of the house. A large wooden and black marble bathroom opened up to her. She continued on her way, past a first room, obviously a guest room, before reaching the end of the corridor and a last room. The Svendsen's room.
Like the rest of the house, the couple's room was spacious, strangely airy and almost devoid of decoration. A huge king-size bed sat in the middle of the room, facing the large bay window. At the back, she could see a large dressing room. There wasn't much else, except for a large bookcase that covered part of the wall on the right.
Out of curiosity, Lara approached it and took a look. She shone her lamp on it, and spent several long minutes scanning the books, up and down the shelves. Miranda had quite an impressive collection of various encyclopaedias and books on scientif research and human genetics. Many of them were unknown to the English woman, no doubt because they were extremely specialised books, the subject matter of which completely escaped her. However, Lara noticed a few books that stood out and were more familiar to her, such as various novels and poetry collections written by great names in Rwandan and African literature.
On the second shelf, her eyes fell on a novel by Alexis Kagame, and she suddenly frowned. She took a few steps back to look at the library as a whole, before returning to one of the shelves on the left. Her heart leapt slightly in her chest as her eyes fell on the book she was looking for. A book by Alexis Kagame. The same as the one she had just seen, it was in two copies in the library.
Doesn't it a bit strange to have the very same book in two copies?
Cautiously, Lara grabbed it out of its place, before flipping through it quickly. She found nothing, however. She put it down, and went to the other book. She took it out and turned the pages carefully. But she soon noticed that the book had a strange shape. After a few seconds, after flipping through several pages, she discovered a rectangular hole cut into the pages, in which something was hidden: a USB stick. Lara's gaze remained fixed on it for long seconds, as if she didn't believe what she was seeing.
So she thinks she is in a spy movie, obviously
She took the key, and quickly went down again to get back to the office and the computer. She plugged it into one of the USB ports, next to the other key. A whole series of documents and files appeared on the screen. The adventuress' heartbeat began to quicken. At first slightly hesitant, she tried to open the first folder, entitled "ARG026", which contained several photos and a whole bunch of press articles.
Bingo
Lara discovered almost a dozen files like this. Statistical studies, experimental reports, laboratory reports, legal reports, lots of photos and newspaper extracts. In fact, there was the entire follow-up of the Svendsen projects of the last ten, maybe twenty years. Lara hesitated for a fraction of a second, before starting to copy the data as Roman had explained to her. A loading bar appeared on the screen.
She jumped and abruptly turned around. A clatter echoed further into the flat, the front door had just opened. She glanced at the office door, and ducked reflexively. The Svendsens were officially on the other side of the world for an indefinite period of time. The alarm was off...
Maybe there was an extra security system. A double system that would be triggered in case of emergency, and would send an alert message
Her blood ran cold through her veins. She had not thought about this eventuality. She turned off the torch discreetly and glanced at the computer to check the status of the copying process.
21%
The Englishwoman then moved away from the desk, walking towards the door with a slow and silent step on the thick carpet. She held her breath for a moment so that she could better pick up the surrounding noises, but the house was dead silent. She leaned against the wall, not far from the door. She forced herself not to lean over and take a look at the other side. After several long seconds, she perceived a movement in the living room. Extremely quiet, measured footsteps, and a jerking breath.
The footsteps moved away in the direction of the kitchen, before slowly returning to her. Lara glanced again at the computer, the light of which filled the whole room and would certainly attract attention. The backup rate had risen to 34%. The footsteps came closer and she felt a presence on the other side of the wall and the room. The young woman bit her lips.
Silence fell for a short time, before the footsteps resumed their march. Lara held her breath as a figure finally appeared in the doorway. A man stepped forward, apparently holding something up to defend himself. Before he had time to react, Lara grabbed his arm to throw him forward and elbowed him in the face at the same time. The man dropped the taser he was holding tightly and let out a groan of pain. He staggered forward but did not fall to the ground. He turned sharply to face his assailant. Realising that Lara was unarmed, he lunged at her to strike back. The young woman retaliated by ducking at the last moment, before the security guard's fist reached her. She took the opportunity to hit him in the stomach, the man grunted again, but seemed to hold on. He grabbed the Englishwoman by her clothes and her bag, and pushed her violently to the side. She fell heavily to the ground and was pinned against the wall. Before the agent could rush in and retrieve the taser that had fallen to the ground a little further, Lara kicked him away before throwing her leg at the man. He fell to the ground. But before the young woman had time to get up, the man grabbed her leg and pulled her down beside him. Lara let out a cry of surprise. She had no time to dodge the punch he threw at her. A sharp pain shot through her jaw. Luckily, she managed to block the second punch that was about to fall on her, by protecting herself with her arm. She pushed the security guard back with a kick. The man, a little stunned, did not retaliate. Lara took the opportunity to get back on her feet and consider an escape route. However, just as she was getting to her feet, she felt the man grab her by the waist and swing her forward. The agent had rushed at her to tackle her down, and they collapsed together on the floor, knocking over the furniture and office chairs in the meantime.
The adventuress felt the man's strength tightening on her arm as he blocked and kept her firmly face down to the ground. Before he reached for the taser, Lara managed to arch her back and kicked him with the elbow once, then twice, before the man finally let go. The young woman pushed him away again, gasping for breath. Her jaw hurt like hell. She finally got to her feet and, grabbing the heavy lamp on Miranda's desk, rushed at the security guard to knock him out with it. With a clean, precise blow, she smashed the object on the man's head, making sure not to kill him. With a grunt of pain, the man finally collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The adventuress sat up, breathing short and wheezy. She pushed back the few strands of hair that fell into her eyes. Without missing a beat, she turned around and headed straight for the computer. Her heart clenched in her chest when she saw the data loading rate: 65%.
She could not wait any longer. The racket she had just caused would not fail to alarm all the neighbours around, if it was not already done. Not to mention that the security guard would undoubtedly wake up in a few minutes. She looked desperately at the screen, her fingers already grabbing on the USB stick. The loading bar had risen to 68%. If she stopped copying now, she knew she wouldn't get all the data, and if she removed the stick abruptly, she would also risk losing everything that had been copied already. She bit her lips in annoyance and banged her fist on the desk. She had no other choice left, and especially no more time to think.
Never mind
She gripped the key and pulled it out. The copy bar disappeared instantly from the computer screen. Without further ado, Lara put the key back into her backpack, took Miranda's USB stick which was still plugged in and slipped it into the book in which it was originally hidden. She hurriedly put the computer back into standby mode. The security guard lying next to her began to growl again.
She abruptly turned around and started to run. She hurried in the staircase to get back to the first floor, and rushed into the Svendsen's room. She returned the book to its place in the library, before turning around and running down the stairs. Before leaving, she hurriedly unplugged the small box she had placed on the wall and put it away, but she didn't bother to turn the alarm back on, there was no time. She turned away and rushed through the wide open door.