10 - No Escape
She was instantly seized by the icy wind, which blew continuously and in large gusts. Bending in two, she slowly made her way along the large railing that bordered the deck. She stopped several times, believing she detected movement a little further. But each time, she realised that they were in fact shadows drawn by the fine drizzle mixed with rare snowflakes.
She crouched down in a corner and took the time to observe in detail the two huge hatches which were a few metres away from her. As she had feared, everything was mechanised. She had an idea of where to find the control box, but if she triggered the external opening system, she was sure to be spotted. She would have to go through the inside of the ship.
She straightened up and resumed her progress. She easily reached the second hatch, and got closer to the command cabin. At a quick glance, she recognised the captain's cabin she had entered, just above her head, and even saw two men talking. She hurried on. She walked around a crate full of equipment that was there, and rushed to press herself against the wall.
The access staircase was just there. After listening to make sure there was no one around, except for the two sailors she could hear laughing somewhere above her, the whole ship was silent. She got away from the wall and went down the small dark staircase.
The smell of sea salt was particularly strong, and it was pitch black down here. Lara took the risk of taking out a torch to light her way. She was at an intersection: on one side, a corridor leading to the back of the ship, and undoubtedly to the crew's rooms, and on the other, a narrow corridor leading to the holds. She followed this one, measuring her every step. It didn't take her long to get to the end, as she soon came to a dead end. Or at least she came to a new corridor, which seemed to run alongside the first hold. There were several reinforced doors, all with big rusty handles. Luckily, the doors to the holds on this kind of ship were rarely locked. Without hesitation, she rushed to the first door she saw. She grabbed the large rusty iron handle and swung it open with a creak. The door swung open without resistance, and she slipped inside, before closing it behind her.
She had the unpleasant sensation of suddenly finding herself in a huge closed box. The freighter's engine rattled the metal walls around her, and the dampness rose to her nose and throat. There was also a strong smell of fuel oil. She could feel her feet slipping on the wet floor. At first a little disconcerted by this strange place, so big and yet so empty, Lara started to move and stepped into the hold, scanning the space around her with the light of her lamp. For the first few metres she saw nothing, before finally coming face to face with a pile of large wooden crates. Packed in large nets and stacked on top of each other, they formed a pile several metres high. After a quick glance, the adventuress realised that it was mostly medical equipment and provisions.
Provisions for several months
She walked along the stock of crates and found a quite narrow passageway leading to the bottom of the other hold. In the light of her lamp she saw a rectangular shape, also several metres high, with crumpled walls.
A container
She took a step closer. The double door of a container about ten metres long suddenly stood before her. She walked along one of the sides, but she found no markings, no indication of where the box came from. She walked back to the double door.
She also knew it was rare for containers to be locked. Usually, as with the ship's doors, they were sealed with large metal handles. And she was inwardly pleased that this was the case for this container too.
She put her hand on the handle, but did not operate it immediately. Her gaze, and her lamp, remained focused for a moment on the metal she was facing. She reached out to check that no one had entered the hold, and pulled the handle. Suddenly she felt a surge of apprehension at what she would find behind those doors.
As long as they're not mutant people...
There was a slam. The door swung open slightly, she pulled it open fully. She took out one of her 9mm guns. She shone her flashlight around, but all she could see was darkness. She held her breath and took a few steps forward. At first she thought the container was empty, finding nothing as she went. She even thought it was a trap. But suddenly the light from her lamp illuminated a shape. Lara frowned and concentrated.
The shape moved. A hand. Her blood ran cold through her veins. She raised her weapon a little higher, her finger already on the trigger, ready to fire. She took another step forward. She heard a sound, like some kind of whisper. Something, a little bigger, moved again in the light. Just as she was about to fire, however, she held back. Something had suddenly appeared in her sight.
A face
It came out of the shadows. Lara moved a little closer
Scanning the darkness with her torch again, she discovered a whole bunch of shapeless masses clumped together at the bottom of the container. People sitting on the floor, their eyes glowing in the dark, all focused on her. Men and women, younger and older people were staring at her. She suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.
She came towards them and discovered an impressive number of people locked up there. The poor, frightened people backed away collectively, completely frightened. She could hear some of them sobbing. Covered in filth, they held each other to try to keep warm. A strong smell of urine and dampness gripped her nostrils, but the adventuress did not back away. She tried to call out to one of the women in front of her.
"Don't be afraid, I mean you no harm."
A heavy silence settled in the container. The poor people were obviously exhausted and underfed. Lara suddenly had an idea. She turned around, got out of the container, and went to the crates of equipment next to it. She opened one of the boxes, and dipped generously into the food supplies. After a few moments, she returned to the container with her arms full of food. Sensing their fear and anger, she gently approached the prisoners and handed them some fruit and cakes.
"Pass them around, divide them among yourselves."
She saw the young woman to whom she was handing the food nod gently. They divided the fruit and cakes among themselves, and literally devoured them without wasting any time. She sensed the group was eventually calming down. She approached the young Asian woman in front of her and crouched down to her level.
"Have you come to rescue us?" the young woman asked in a broken voice.
"Kind of," the adventuress replied in a soft voice. "How many are you exactly? How long have you been locked up here?"
The Asian woman shook her head.
"We are forty."
"Are there any children? Any sick people?"
She nodded.
"I don't know how long we've been here. I don't know..." the poor girl murmured.
She closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to remember something.
"I was out with some friends. We drank a lot, I lost track of them late in the evening in Myeongdong district..."
"...in Seoul?"
She nodded.
"I don't remember anything. I just woke up here."
The man next to her shook his head vigorously in confirmation.
"The same goes for me. I was on my way home to Knoxville after a night's work. I was attacked at the gas station, and then nothing..."
Lara glanced at the group behind them. She heard Spanish spoken in one corner, and French it seemed. So all these people were of several different nationalities.
"What is your name?" she asked the young Asian woman.
"Hiromi."
She turned to the curly-haired man.
"My name's Ben. D'you know why we've been locked up here?"
"Where we are? Why are we here?" the young Asian girl said in echo.
Lara concentrated on finding the words that would calm them and alarm them as little as possible, which seemed almost impossible. She thought it might be better to avoid mentioning the fact that they were undoubtedly going to be used as cannon fodder for some sordid experiment.
"You have been kidnapped by a criminal organisation. The ship has probably stopped over in South America and is now sailing towards Antarctica..."
Suddenly there was a heavy silence in the container. All faces had turned towards the adventuress.
"What are you saying?" asked the man, completely stunned.
"What do you mean, in Antarctica?" someone said.
"This is a nightmare..." the young Asian woman murmured.
"I promise to find a way to get you out of here," Lara tried to reassure them. "However, there's nothing I can do while we're at sea, it's far too dangerous."
"Why don't you just call for help?" asked another person in the group.
"I can't do that right now, and it would put us all in danger."
The young woman stood up and finally holstered her gun.
"These men are armed and dangerous," Ben told her in a serious tone. "If you lend me a gun, maybe..."
"Certainly not, you have to stay here for now. Until I find a plan to get you all out of here."
"But we'll die if we stay locked up here..." she heard someone said in Spanish.
"I'll come back for you, don't worry. But we have to get to the other continent. Do you have something to cover up and keep warm for the rest of the journey?"
Everyone nodded. Some people held up the old blankets they had been given.
"Very good," said Lara. "I'll try to come back in a few hours to check on you."
"Are you leaving already? Are you leaving us here?" Ben asked suddenly.
"Please don't leave us here..." Hiromi whispered gravely.
Lara leaned over and put a friendly and comforting hand on the young woman's arm. Her gaze met the young woman's determined but exhausted one.
"I can't stay with you, but I'll find a way to get you out of here. I need you all to stay here until I can find a way to neutralise them first."
"Please..." she heard in French a little further on.
"I promise to come back," she said, straightening up.
The Englishwoman walked back to the entrance of the container and the doors. Someone let out a loud sob. Lara felt a twinge of pain, but did not turn around. Reluctantly, she got out of the container and closed the doors.
It didn't take her long to get back to the deck and to Diego. Luckily, the night was still pitch black, which helped her to return discreetly to their hiding place. The old man gasped, gun in hand, as the young woman joined him. She waved her hand reassuringly to him.
"I was wondering where you'd gone, I was beginning to worry..." the old man told her bitterly.
He put his rifle down beside him.
"No unannounced visits?"
Diego shook his head gently.
"As expected, they did a change of guard a few minutes ago. But they don't seem to care about what's going on on the ship."
"I guess no one knows they're here, or where they're travelling to. They don't have to worry about getting caught I guess."
"No doubt about it. Did you find anything?" Diego asked.
"In the holds. There are about forty people of all sorts of nationalities down there..."
"My God..." the old man sighed.
They looked at each other.
"What are you going to do?" the man asked. "We can't just wait here-"
"We have no choice, Diego," she cut him off. "We can't risk exposing ourselves, I need the ship to arrive at its destination to find the Svendsen base... if we intervene now, we may have saved these people, but the base will remain unlocated and undoubtedly active... they'll find another way to get more people over here..."
"And if we fail, it will all have been for nothing."
Lara nodded. She saw the old man's shoulders rise, then fall slowly, as if he suddenly felt powerless.
"I'm definitely too old for this," he said jokingly.
For a moment, all they could hear was the sea hitting the boat's hull in large waves, and the sound of the engines whirring in the background.
"You and your son looked very much alike," Lara told him.
"You saw the picture at the inn, I suppose."
She nodded gently. A wistful smile came over the old man's face.
"Bastián was a very kind man, extremely devoted. He was well liked in town, he never had a problem with anyone."
Diego took out a photo from his pocket, in which he was proudly posing with his wife and son. Behind them, a large hand-painted sign, undoubtedly that of the inn a few years ago, was displayed in large white letters: ALBERGUE Y RESTAURACION LÓPEZ.
"Maria Rosa never really got over his disappearance," Diego whispered.
"I think anyone would find it hard to get over loosing someone you love, especially a child."
The silence fell between them. Lara smiled at him and handed him one of the blankets.
"You should get some rest."
"So should you," he replied, almost lecturing the adventuress. "There are only a few hours left until daylight, and I guess we're not far from our destination now. I'll stay awake some time while you rest."
The young woman wrapped herself in one of the plaids and lay down as best she could under the hull of the boat. With a glance, she checked that her weapon was beside her, before closing her eyes for a few moments of rest while she could.
—
They were both awakened by a powerful jolt. Panicking, Lara threw herself on her weapon and pointed it in all directions. Diego, with big round eyes, held his gun tightly and glanced around in panic. Suddenly they heard footsteps and voices coming towards them at high speed. Before the old man could move, Lara grabbed him by the arm and forced him to sit still. They saw shadows appearing outside, just between the straps of the boat they were standing under. They saw boots circle the small boat and stop a few paces away. There was a metallic click, followed by the sound of chains. There was another jolt, quite sudden. The adventurer and the Argentine exchanged a look, both holding their breath. The man outside suddenly shouted something, his deep voice echoing around them, which startled them. Then after a few seconds he moved away again with a heavy, hurried step.
Lara pushed back the blanket she was under, and started to step between the straps holding the boat together to get out.
"What are you doing?" Diego asked, completely panicked.
Lara pressed a finger to her mouth to tell him to be quiet.
"I'll be back in a minute," she said.
Without waiting for the old man's answer, she went out into the open and rushed to hide in the hollow formed by the boat's railing. It must have been close to noon, but the sun was low on the horizon, and a thick mist from the White Continent was moving towards them. The men were busy at the other end of the deck. The engines had slowed to a crawl, and there was a series of metallic thumps and bangs that echoed through the hull of the huge ship. They were docking.
She checked the other end of the ship and the command cabin, before straightening up slightly to glance over the railing.
For a split second she saw nothing but white. There was nothing but snow as far as the eye could see where they had stopped. Not a single building, not the slightest trace of life, except for the gigantic, full-length concrete quay on which they were mooring. In the distance, she suddenly saw large black spots coming in their direction. She recognised two snowmobiles, followed by three large military-style trucks. A little further down the deck, the sailors had regrouped and were preparing to lower the gangway.
The trucks and snowmobiles stopped below the boat. Armed men, all dressed in black, disembarked from the vehicles and took up strategic positions around the convoy. Lara felt another tremor beneath her, and suddenly some of the prisoners from the container appeared on the other side of the boat. They were gathering them on the deck. Lara recognised Hiromi and Ben in the group. Heads down, they all looked exhausted, but seemed to be holding on. The gangway finally lowered and the group set off. The ship's captain took the lead and went to greet one of the henchmen waiting below. They seemed to talk for a moment, while the other soldiers and sailors took the prisoners off one by one and loaded them onto the trucks. Several minutes passed, during which the hostages were shuffled into the large trucks that would undoubtedly take them to the science base. When they were loaded, and the back doors of the trucks were closed, the captain stayed to chat with one of the henchmen for a few moments. Four of the sailors left the boat and joined them, before getting into the trucks with the others. A little further on, one of the sailors still on the boat disappeared down the stairs into the hold.
Lara suddenly felt a movement next to her. Diego had just joined her and huddled against the rusty metal to avoid being spotted too.
"We have to be quick," the young woman whispered. "They'll be leaving for the base soon."
"What's the plan?"
"I have to find a way to follow them or get into one of those trucks. I need to find out where they're going."
Diego's eyes widened.
"Lara, we're surrounded! How can you get into one of the vehicles without being spotted?"
"We have to get off this boat in any case," she answered abruptly.
The young woman took a moment to think.
"Down there, there are five henchmen to escort the convoy, plus four sailors and the captain who are obviously leaving with them."
"That means there are only two sailors left on the ship."
Lara looked him straight in the eye in response. Down below, all the men had disappeared and had climbed into the vehicles. They heard the engine of one of the snowmobiles whirring with a deafening noise, and one of the trucks started to move. Lara signalled to Diego, and they emerged from their hiding place. Bending in half, almost on all fours, they silently walked along the railing. It took several long seconds before they reached the gangway that led down to the mainland. The young woman heard the old man grumbling behind her.
"This is madness, Lara, I don't see how-"
But he didn't have time to finish his sentence. As she was about to bend down to check on the convoy below the boat, Lara heard someone shouting. The second remaining sailor on the ship suddenly appeared in front of her, behind the command tower. He didn't have time to react as the adventuress aimed and shot him in the head. She saw something move to her right. The sailor who had gone down into the holds had resurfaced and was shouting incomprehensible words in Spanish. Mad with rage, he drew his gun and fired in their direction, but Diego was faster. The old man had already drawn his gun and fired. The bullet whistled through the air and pierced the man's carotid artery, causing him to collapse on the stairs behind him in a splatter of blood.
There was a brief moment of silence during which the adventuress and the old man stood still, watching for any movement. But the other men were unaware of anything. In the silence and the cold, they heard the second truck drive off. As Lara straightened up and turned to Diego, her eyes were caught by the huge bloodstain on his shirt, on his arm. She met the old man's pained gaze and he let out a grunt of pain.
"I didn't see that one coming..."
Lara rushed at him. But before she could do anything, the old man pushed her away with a wave of his hand.
"Diego…"
"Just go, Lara!"
"You're bleeding, I could at least-"
"I'll take care of it myself, don't worry about me. For Gods sake, just go, don't wait for me, I'll deal with it..."
"Diego..."
"Damn it, just do as I say! I'll find a cabin to hide in. There's plenty of food here. And don't forget that I was a doctor, on a ship, not so long ago..."
Lara shook her head, her lips pursed.
"Promise me you'll be careful."
"I'll be more careful than you, that's for sure."
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Lara could not hold back a smile. She put a hand on the old man's arm.
"They'll probably come back for the food and equipment..."
"I'll be waiting for them, don't worry," said the Argentine, proudly holding up his rifle.
He winced again in pain.
"Take cover and call for help, contact the mainland, we'll probably need help and reinforcements," the young woman said eagerly.
"It will be done."
They nodded together and exchanged a knowing smile. The engine of the third truck whirred and they heard its wheels skidding in the snow.
"Don't waste any more time, go now!"
The young woman stood up without waiting. She glanced down, the third truck was moving away and disappearing into the mist as well. Around them, the wind had suddenly picked up, and clouds had replaced the pristine blue sky. Flakes were beginning to fall. Before launching herself onto the gangway, she turned one last time to Diego.
"Go and take cover. I'll give you an update soon."
He struggled to his feet, but not without another grimace. He was squeezing his wound with his hand.
"I hope so."
They exchanged one last look, and the young woman abruptly turned around. She did not look back. Weapons in hand, she ran down the long gangway to the dock. The last truck had left, but the last snowmobile was still there. The soldier on it had not seen it. She fired without hesitation and the man with his back to her, hit in the back, slipped off the seat and fell head first into the snow.
She began to run harder. The last truck was not far ahead, but she had to run fast so as not to lose sight of it. When she reached the snowmobile, she grabbed the soldier's helmet and put it on his head, before getting on the vehicle. With a kick, she pushed back the body that was in the way, and started off in a hurry.
She followed the tyre tracks in the fresh snow to catch up with the convoy as it sped through the mist. After a few moments, the tail lights of the last military truck came into view. She stayed at a safe distance and followed the convoy of vehicles for several kilometres, winding through the immense snow plains that stretched as far as the eye could see around her. They seemed to go further and further inland. And the further the convoy went, the more she dreaded what she would discover at the end of the road.
Diego was probably right: this was madness. She had no idea what to expect, or how many soldiers were in the base. She didn't even know what she would do when she got there. But she was armed, and determined.
I'll improvise, as always
Something suddenly appeared on her right and startled her. A snowmobile suddenly appeared out of the mist and sped towards her. At first she thought it was just a reinforcement, coming with her to the back of the convoy. However, the soldier who was leading pointed something in her direction. She had just enough time to turn her snowmobile to dodge the shot that had just sounded.
She clearly recognised an Uzi, which the man pointed at her again before firing. Clinging to the handlebars of her vehicle, she ducked and narrowly avoided the burst of bullets that grazed her helmet and deviated slightly from its trajectory.
Her assailant moved away a little, slowed by a large clump of snow, before turning and coming back towards her. He fired again, but Lara accelerated and positioned herself next to the truck, behind which she was protected for a moment. She heard the other snowmobile accelerate and come back towards her. The enemy came straight at her and got dangerously close. She pulled out one of her 9mm guns and fired into the mist. But her field of vision was reduced, and very unstable. She tried to fire several times, but the man also dodged the bullets with agility.
The truck suddenly veered to the right, and the snowmobiles found themselves alone, lost in the middle of the tundra. The landscape was much less uniform here, with large rocks jutting out from under the snow on all sides. Lara narrowly avoided a rock formation that suddenly rose up in front of her. For a moment she lost sight of the other snowmobile, which had disappeared behind the rocks. After a few metres, the soldier suddenly reappeared. He was speeding towards her, turned his machine and made a sharp turn to come down on her. She narrowly avoided him by going in the opposite direction, just as the two machines were about to crash into each other.
Lara tried to accelerate again to outrun him, but the terrain was unstable and the powdery snow slowed her down. Soon enough she heard the engine of the other snowmobile sounding at her back. There was a shock and a metallic squeak, she was thrown slightly to the side: the man had just hit her from behind. She straightened her vehicle as best she could, glancing over her shoulder. She tried again to aim and shoot, but she could not control the vehicle, she could not stabilise herself.
The enemy suddenly accelerated and hit her on the side this time. The impact was even harder than the previous ones. Lara nearly toppled over and fell off. She struggled to stand up, avoiding another shot. They were now side by side and driving at the same speed. The young woman took hold of the handlebars and, controlling her balance, threw her leg to strike and disarm him. Her foot struck first the man's leg, then the arm he was reaching for as he was about to fire again. The soldier let out a cry of pain as the young woman hit him hard in the arm, then in the head. His snowmobile swerved slightly and went flying away, but he held on. He came back at full speed to the level of his enemy, now determined to finish her off.
But as the young woman prepared to be shot again, she saw the soldier lower his weapon and fire several shots into her engine. Her snowmobile made a strange, metallic squeak, and black smoke suddenly rose from the front bumper. She lost speed.
Without thinking, Lara climbed on the seat, pushed on her legs and jumped, thus abandoning the vehicle which went to crash against rocks a little further in a huge cloud of smoke and debris. Luckily, the soldier had not seen her coming. She landed on the back of his snowmobile. And before he could react, she grabbed him by the neck and tried to disable him.
The snowmobile lost speed as the man struggled to get out of her grip. She cried out in pain several times as he elbowed her in the stomach, struggling to free his arm and the hand that held the Uzi. He swung the vehicle sharply to one side, hoping to topple his opponent, but Lara grabbed on and squeezed his neck even harder. She toppled backwards, taking the man with her. They found themselves lying on the seat of the machine. After another elbow in the ribs, the young woman loosened her grip slightly and the man took advantage of it. He straightened up and aimed. Lara folded her legs and hit him with all her strength to deflect the shot that had just sounded. The bullet pierced the metal of the vehicle a few centimetres from her head.
There was a violent jolt. The snowmobile shook. They had driven over a pile of dark rocks, which completely destabilised the machine. Before they could do anything, the snowmobile spun around and tipped over. Lara and the man were thrown out together and rolled in the snow. The vehicle continued on its way for a few metres before turning over in the snow.
Lara didn't have time to regain her senses when the man, unarmed and without his helmet, was already coming towards her. He fell heavily on her, and grabbed her helmet to remove it. The young woman grabbed him by the suit, put both feet against his chest, and pushed him backwards. He rolled in the snow with a grunt, but righted himself. She managed to get to her feet before her assailant was upon her. She punched him in the stomach, but he retaliated by hitting her hard in the face. Stunned, the adventuress fell backwards and collapsed in the snow. The man walked towards her and stood over her, pinning her to the ground with his large snow boot. In the distance, Lara recognised the hum of engines coming towards them. Five or six snowmobiles suddenly surrounded them. Men in camouflage suits dismounted and joined their colleague. They watched the young woman warily, their weapons all pointed at her. Her gaze met that of one of the soldiers, Lara was fuming with rage.
"Let's take her away!" said the man in a firm voice.
The other soldiers moved in and surrounded her. The adventuress tried to fight back, throwing her legs and fists in all directions to resist them. But there were too many of them. They grabbed her and held her down. One of them pulled out a piece of rope, and locked her wrists with it. She struggled one last time, but was punched in the face again. She felt the soldiers grab her by the arms and lift her up. They carried and pushed her to one of the snowmobiles, where they put her on. The soldier she had chased and fought with approached, a smirk fixed on his face. From his split lip flowed a thick trickle of blood. They held each other's gaze for a moment.
"Come on, let's go!" he finally said.
He sat down in front of the young woman and started the snowmobile. The convoy set off, and disappeared into the mist.
—
The room she was in smelled strongly of damp and metal. In a nearby wall she could hear the steady drip of water leaking from an old pipe. In the hallway she heard footsteps coming and going and muffled voices. She wiggled her fingers and feet gently to stretch them, but she could no longer feel the blood flowing through her arms and legs, which were firmly attached to the back and legs of an uncomfortable metal chair. Her head was seriously buzzing, she felt nauseous, her mouth was pasty and parched, constrained by a cloth gag that burned the corners of her lips. She was horribly cold and shivering, her clothes still soaked with snow sticking to her skin in an unpleasant sensation.
The cell door suddenly creaked open and she heard several people enter and surround her. She stood still, watching for movement around her. Someone grabbed the blindfold that covered her eyes and pulled it off abruptly. From darkness she found herself in full light, blinded by the lamp hanging over her head. It took several seconds before she could open her eyes fully.
She turned her head to one side and then the other, and noticed three soldiers beside her, including the ones who had called out to her.
"So, not so much of a show-off, eh?" the man she had fought with on the snowmobile ironised.
She wanted to protest, but suddenly remembered that the gag in her mouth prevented her from uttering a single word. She gave him a murderous look, and stirred, even though she knew she could not break free of her bonds. New footsteps echoed in the corridor, and through the open door appeared two more people: a dark-skinned woman and a man.
"Look at that..." the woman hissed, looking down at her.
The Svendsen couple approached at a measured pace and finally entered the room. The adventurer let out a grunt of surprise as one of the guards grabbed her by the hair and tilted her head backwards to expose her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Miranda watching from above, her arms crossed against her chest. Tobias moved closer and leaned forward to observe the young woman closely, as if she were an animal, or a precious object in a museum.
"That's her," he said after several seconds of observation."It matches the images on the surveillance video."
The guard released her. The Norwegian let out a cynical laugh, and took a few steps back, hands in his pockets. Lara felt his piercing and intriguing gaze watching her in detail.
"Quite honestly, I didn't think we would ever have to deal with you, Miss Croft," he said in a detached voice. "Given that we work in completely opposite fields..."
Lara's eyes met those of the half-breed, who stared at her without blinking. She felt a slight pain in her forehead. She suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.
"You have an annoying tendency to meddle in things that are obviously none of your business," she muttered. "But your little act to get here was not very successful. I thought you were much more intelligent than that, Miss Croft."
The pain intensified in her head, and Lara felt her blood freeze in her veins. Stress suddenly took hold of her, she squirmed in her chair and pulled a little harder on the restraints that held her, as if to escape the headache that reverberated throughout her skull. Her eyes darted from the woman to Tobias without understanding what was happening. Miranda turned to her husband.
"She knows about Otto, and about Eckhardt."
Lara looked at her incredulously.
How is it possible...?
"You don't know everything about us yet."
An evil smile played on Miranda's lips. And the Englishwoman suddenly understood why she felt so uncomfortable. The pain in her skull was exactly the same as the one she had felt during certain confrontations with Karel. She tried to close her mind before Miranda forced it further, which made the woman smile even more.
Fight it while you can. But we'll know what you've come for very soon, the young woman heard in her head.
"The question is, what are we going to do with you now," Tobias asked in a falsely concerned way.
"I have an idea," Miranda murmured.
She snapped her fingers, and the men in the cell began to move.
"After all, not everyone can have a specimen like yours at their disposal. We might be able to get something out of you."
The guards closed in around the adventuress and began to grab her by the arms. In the commotion, a figure suddenly stood out in front of her in the darkness. A man had just appeared at the entrance to the cell. Lara felt the world shift around her as her gaze met the two sparkling azure eyes that had focused on her.