25- Home Sweet Home
OSLO, IN THE MEANTIME
"In view of the recent tragic events, it is difficult for me to hide any longer and to deny the delicate period BIOTEKNIKA is currently going through.
As co-director of the group, it is my duty to speak out to clarify the situation, and to be as honest as possible with our partners and customers, whom I thank once again for their unconditional support and the trust they have placed in us over the years.
As most of you know, BIOTEKNIKA is undoubtedly one of the world market leaders in terms of know-how and scientific advances in bio technology and bio genetics fields. We are today part of those who are helping to build the world of tomorrow, and that of humanity as a whole. All of our teams' work and efforts have been rewarded on numerous occasions, our reputation is well established, as is our desire to provide the best of ourselves and our services.
Unfortunately, our group, as powerful as it may be, is now facing an unprecedented crisis. A crisis that I do not wish to suppress towards those who have placed their trust in us over the years, out of a concern for honesty and transparency. I am not here to hide the truth. Our structure, our organisation, our identity have been touched to the core of what it stands for. Its values have been savagely undermined by external and disruptive elements, who have sought to destroy everything on which our work is based. We have been severely affected and shaken."
The Norwegian suddenly paused, and her theatrical gaze quickly swept over the crowd of journalists in front of her.
"The recent rumours about my husband's state of health, Tobias Svendsen, are part of the reason why I have decided to speak to you tonight. He had a very serious accident a few days ago and was rushed back to Norway for intensive care. Despite the remarkable work of the medical team and the wonderful welcome of the clinic, Tobias unfortunately could not be resuscitated. It is therefore with great sadness that the entire BIOTEKNIKA Group, its staff and assistants, shareholders, his family and myself announce that Tobias Svendsen, grandson of the company's founder and current group leader, passed away this Tuesday evening at Olslo's KAL CLINIC."
A wave of murmurs ran through the journalists, who suddenly shook nervously in their seats. The camera flashes began to crackle again for a few moments.
"Can you tell us more, Miranda? What exactly happened?", asked a young Norwegian TV woman sitting in the front row.
"Is it related to what was discovered in Antarctica?", asked a man a little further back.
The half-breed waved her hand and waited until it was quiet before resuming her speech.
"As decreed by our general assembly, and in accordance with the arrangements that must be made in such circumstances, I am to assume the new position of company director from today. I will assume all the responsibilities of this position with immediate effect in view of the exceptional nature of the situation.
Believe me, it is with a heavy heart that I accept this new role. A number of decisions have to be taken, and I believe it is important that all of this be made public, once again in the interests of total transparency and honesty. Those who trust us, those who work with us, our country, but also the rest of the world, have a right to know what is going on, and as the new director of the group, it is my duty to set the record straight."
She paused again, and took a breath.
"A few days ago, an explosion on the South Antarctic continent revealed the presence of secret scientific facilities belonging to our group. Clandestine laboratories were uncovered, hidden in strategic geographical areas. It seems that secret research was conducted there under the yoke of BIOTEKNIKA group. Abominations carried out behind my back and behind the back of the entire company, thanks to funds embezzled from some of our investors. Atrocious experiments, carried out on human beings kidnapped and torn from their families, whose only purpose was to serve as guinea pigs for experimental protocols. Something I am discovering today at the same time as you."
The half-breed fell silent once more and stared at the crowd with a dark and determined look.
"From the first results of the investigation, it seems that everything was ordered and organised by my husband himself, Tobias Svendsen."
There was a monumental blank in the room, which underlined the shock of everyone present. Then a new wave of indignation swept through the crowd. The Norwegian saw people stand up and wave their microphones at her.
"What do you mean by 'atrocious experiments'? Can you tell us more?"
"Is this related to the latest protocols put in place by BIOTEKNIKA? Do you know if other companies were complicit in these experiments?"
"What procedures were used?"
"Where exactly was the secret base located?"
"Please," the businesswoman told them.
Miranda raised both hands insistently to call for calm, which slowly returned to the room.
"Tonight I come to you not just as a widow, but also as a victim. The victim of a despicable plot, at the heart of which was my husband. For beyond appearances and the image he had created for himself, Tobias Svendsen was not the man he claimed to be. The conspiracy he cowardly set up cannot be kept quiet. It is impossible for me to condone such things, because it jeopardises all the efforts and research I have been carrying out myself for years. I categorically refuse to take part in any way in this filth, because this is not what I want for the company, nor for myself, nor for anyone else working with our group.
I was horrified to discover that behind Tobias was the Machiavellian empire of a family that would do anything, especially the worst, to achieve its ends. A family that believed itself superior to the forces of nature and thought it could master dangerous and unstable technologies. We were all deceived. I was deceived. BIOTEKNIKA has been cowardly mocked by the lies of a family consumed with ambition and greed."
"Mrs Svendsen, how could you not have known about this? How could your husband have hidden this from the company and the world?"
"Is this an organised crime ring? Did he have contacts with the mafia?"
"There are rumours of genetic manipulation, was this the case?"
"Do you know what kind of technology it was?"
"As I said, I am unfortunately finding out at the same time as you all, although I must admit I've had serious doubts for some time about illegal activities. I recently realised that certain accounting actions had been modified, that sensitive files were disappearing, not forgetting of course the suspicious behaviour of Tobias himself, who was very regularly absent and very evasive about his movements. I therefore called in a specialised team, which traced him to Argentina and then to the Antarctic installations. Once the secret base was located and confirmed, I went there myself with my team to find out exactly what was going on.
We found evidence that my husband was working on a major facility, a complex underground laboratory. The teams that worked there were obviously clandestinely recruited technicians and laboratory assistants of all different nationalities. According to the research carried out on the ground, and what we discovered, the laboratories contained various unfinished and potentially dangerous scientific installations. The aim was obviously to develop processes to genetically modify human DNA.
But having realised what was going on, Tobias preferred to blow up his secret base and bury the evidence and sacrifice innocent people, rather than have his schemes revealed to the world. An explosion that severely injured me, as I'm sure you've seen, and that cost the lives of some of the people of my team."
"And what about the people who were found in Argentina, who claim to have been kidnapped and to be part of a group of guinea pigs?"
Miranda shook her head gently, but did not lose her temper.
"It seemed that these marginal or simply isolated people, had been abducted all over the world and sent to the secret base in Antarctica, all via Argentina. It was an extremely well thought-out and well-functioning system, which explains why these missing persons and all these abnormal activities went completely unnoticed by the local and even international authorities."
The journalists became agitated again and the whispers and protests grew louder.
"What are you going to do? Are you going to prosecute? What guidelines should BIOTEKNIKA follow from now on?"
"Is there any compensation for these people or their families? Have they been repatriated to their homes? Are they in good health?"
"Do you think that your partners will continue to trust you after such an event?"
"A number of people have unfortunately lost their lives in these laboratories. What my husband did is simply unthinkable, and I cannot express my disgust enough at the situation. Tobias' madness was clearly boundless, but I am prepared to take responsibility for the consequences his actions have had on the company. It is my role as managing director to take responsibility for Tobias' actions and to rectify as best I can the horrors that were committed there. And I am of course at the disposal of the police force to cooperate and help them in their investigations. I promise you that this matter will be cleared up as soon as possible, I am personally committed to this.
I have personally ensured that these people are indeed well taken care of. Their repatriation to their various countries of origin has been organised, as well as the care they need to be given. Everything is of course taken care of by BIOTEKNIKA. As far as possible compensation is concerned, this has yet to be negotiated with the families concerned, and in private."
"Does this mean BIOTEKNIKA's activities have been put on hold until the matter has been clarified?"
"What did the police tell you? Is there an ongoing investigation?"
"The police have indeed opened an investigation, some of which I cannot reveal, as you can imagine. And it is still early to give you any further details about the future of the company at this time. A number of meetings have been organised with our main partners in the coming days, so that we can decide together on the way forward. All these issues, and of course the hidden laboratories, will be discussed at these meetings.
I know for a fact that there are still some unanswered questions, but I know that everything will become clearer soon. We are all in a grey area but I know that very soon we will come out of this fog. The whole thing will be cleared up. I have confidence in the police force and in the truth. I have confidence in the future, and in the strength of our company. BIOTEKNIKA will rise again, and we will emerge from this ordeal bigger and stronger. We will overcome the obstacles, and we will survive."
The businesswoman gazed around the crowd around the room for a moment, before turning her gaze back to the camera in front of her. Her hands gripped the edges of the desk firmly, before a slight, almost imperceptible smile froze on her lips.
"From now on, I will personally make sure no one gets in our way, in any way. And to all those who would try to stop us: we will attack first, and be sure we will get back what is due to us.
Thank you for your attention."
There was a general wave of protest in the room, and the journalists all stood up abruptly and massed in front of the podium, shouting in all directions.
"Mrs Svendsen! Please!"
Miranda then picked up her notes and turned around without paying any attention to them. She left the podium without looking back, amidst the din of journalists' questions.
—
For several seconds they stood in the middle of the living room, their eyes glued to the TV screen, whose bright colours flashed rather sharply in the dark night. They paid no attention to the hubbub it was making and the presenters who were giving a rough debriefing of the events. Lara turned slowly to Kurtis, who was standing right behind her.
"What the...?", she stammered, her eyes still round with surprise.
She met his confused gaze. The mercenary ran a hand through his hair, unable to stop the confusion in his head.
"How could she...?"
The young man shook his head. His mind was clearly struggling to make the connection with what had just happened. A strange dizzy feeling had formed in the pit of his stomach, it could only be a bad dream. He had destroyed the base. He had felt every corner, every metal beam, every corridor sink into the snow and disappear. They had seen the base collapse before their eyes. Everything had been destroyed, everything had been swallowed up by the snow... and the likelihood of anyone surviving that kind of collapse was...
…almost nil
And yet here she was. Thinner, visibly weakened, with a walking cane at her side. It was a miracle she had survived, especially if she had been in the depths of the base at the time of the explosion. But it was her. Tobias Svendsen had not survived, nor no doubt had much of the team in the base. But she had survived. And she had obviously taken matters into her own hands: blaming her own husband for the illegal research in the Antarctic base when she herself was the coordinator was a real masterstrock.
"Bitch...", Kurtis said in a breath.
He turned away slightly, hands on his hips. All the equipment used in the base had to be destroyed as well, as well as the Prima Materia synthesis samples the Norwegians had. But it was clear Tobias' death would make it easier for Miranda to cover up the whole affair, and perhaps she already had the idea of resuming her projects elsewhere, perhaps even in other secret bases, while the whole world would be focused on what had happened in Antarctica. And that would give her more room to manoeuvre to find Lara, him and the glove.
"She didn't publicly reveal our names, but it's all the same," Lara grumbled, and she too understood what this meant for them.
"She'd better not do it," the American cut her off. "It'll be much easier for her to catch us off guard if the media are not involved."
The young man suddenly became nervous, glancing around the room. He scanned the window, then the door that lay open behind them.
"We have to get to safety as soon as possible, she's probably already on our trail," Kurtis said, turning to Lara.
Winston shook his head and looked at him reproachfully.
"Well, Mister Trent, I hope you are not saying she will show up here tonight, are you?", he asked in an innocent voice, as if he was trying to convince himself that the situation wasn't as bad as he thought.
As the American opened his mouth to answer, there was a resounding sound of glass exploding into a thousand pieces, followed by a cry of pain. It was only when Lara's eyes fell on the huge red stain covering the butler's arm that had just collapsed to the ground she realised what had happened.
"Winston!"
The poor man was writhing in pain, his hand clutching the arm that had just been pierced by a bullet. He let out several screams. As she went to help him, Lara felt Kurtis grab her by the arm and force her down. They crouched down at the same time, as a burst of bullets blew out the window and across the room, blowing up the TV screen and some valuables in the process. One of the old lampshades flickered and fell off its small table, breaking into several large pieces right in front of them. The shooting stopped suddenly, there was a very short lull. The adventuress got free from Kurtis and rushed towards her butler, skidding through the debris. When she reached him, she could see the bloody hole of a huge gaping wound under the tatters of his torn suit. He was losing a lot of blood, but the bullet had come out.
A bullet whizzed by and went right into the sofa just behind them. The adventuress bent down and put an arm around Winston to help him up. The old man protested, for the pain was severe. But they had to find a way out. Kurtis suddenly straightened up and joined them as the shooting started again. Winston screamed in pain as the mercenary took his arm and slung it over his shoulder for support. The three of them got to their feet in one motion, and walked out as fast as they could under the gunfire that was destroying the room and the furniture around them. When they finally got through the door, narrowly dodging a few whizzing bullets, they found themselves in the long, dark upstairs corridor.
We have to get to the armoury
The two adventurers nodded in agreement, and pushed Winston forward a little more before he passed out. Behind them, they suddenly heard thumping against the large front door, which echoed throughout the great hall. They heard shouts and unintelligible words outside, and then loud noises over their heads, probably on the roof.
"Those bastards are closing in on us," Kurtis hissed through clenched teeth.
He met Lara's determined but somewhat uncertain gaze over the exhausted butler's wobbly head. One of the hall's windows exploded into a thousand pieces, and several men in black camouflage, assault rifles in their hands came in. The two adventurers could not make out their faces however, which were camouflaged under thick caps or helmets. As they took up position around the staircase and began firing, the mercenary's chirugai burst through the air at breakneck speed and stopped the bullets whizzing towards them, as if it had been a shield. The bullets ricocheted off its metal and vanished into the air. The English woman and the American had just enough time to crouch down and take refuge behind the large wooden railing. They heard the chirugai charge at the enemies again, and they took advantage of the mercenaries' moment of surprise to get up quickly and run towards the rooms. On the young woman's instructions, Kurtis kicked the door leading to the adventuress' room and burst it open. The three of them slipped through the opening and narrowly escaped another burst of deafening bullets. They slammed the door behind them, and Kurtis let go of the Englishwoman and her butler for a moment to grab one of the pokers hanging on the side of the fireplace. He placed the heavy iron bar across the door handles. He knew that it was not much against these armed men, but maybe it would help slow them down.
He then returned to Lara and Winston, and helped the young woman support the butler as she led them to the back of the room. They hurried through the huge bedroom, before entering the adjacent bathroom, knocking over several pieces of furniture and towels the old man had tidied up so well earlier in the day. Lara guided them to the very back of the room, not far from the large glass window. The American's pulse quickened when he heard voices outside, not far from where they were. He then glanced uneasily at the adventuress, who nodded.
They stopped in front of the tiled wall. Lara let go of her butler's arm and rushed to one of the tiles and put pressure on it. To the surprise of the mercenary, the piece of tile swung around and revealed a small digital box. The young woman typed in the code without delay, a green light came on and there was a click. Suddenly, the smooth wall in front of them began to move and slide in on itself, as if it were sinking inwards. A large frame appeared, the size of a door. There was another click, and then everything stopped moving. Not far away, they heard men running around the mansion and issuing orders in a loud, resonant voice. In a very short time they would be here, they could already hear their footsteps on the corridor's carpet.
Lara stepped forward and pushed the heavy camouflaged door that had just appeared in the wall. The mercenary followed her without question, and dragged poor Winston with him. They rushed through the opening, which Lara took care to close immediately behind them. Kurtis dragged the butler a little further and laid him gently in a corner. All around them, the American noticed an impressive number of shelves in a modern, uncluttered style, all covered with firearms of all kinds, but also handguns. The old man, barely conscious, let out a few hoarse grumbles that worried the adventuress. Lara turned her back on the two men for a moment and went to retrieve something from what looked like a drawer. She returned quickly with a large first aid kit and crouched down beside the mercenary. The young man glanced around curiously.
"If we weren't in such a serious situation, I think I'd tell you I'd never noticed you've got a hidden room here, even though I remember studying this wall closely with you..."
Kurtis gave her a quick wink, and the young woman responded with a small, knowing smile, but they quickly refocused as she grabbed the fabric of Winston's shirt and tore it apart.
"In fact the room did exist already. And ironically enough, I had to find myself in a quite similar situation to decide reinforcing its security. Roman helped making some major improvements."
Kurtis helped her to clear the wound and took some gauze and cleaner from the first aid kit to clean it. When she pressed the alcohol-soaked cotton ball to the bleeding hole, Winston suddenly came back to his senses and screamed.
"Hold on, Winston," the mercenary said softly, blocking his arm so that Lara could clean him properly.
The young woman cleaned the wound as best she could before grabbing a roll of gauze and wrapping it precisely around the old man's forearm. His tired, lifeless little eyes watched her without the slightest reaction, even though his face twisted in pain each time she tightened the bandage. Lara finished the bandage, then grabbed some tablets to force down the old man's throat. But already the butler was fainting again. The two adventurers caught him before he fell over on his side.
"Winston! Hold on!"
Lara grabbed him by the shoulders and looked for him.
"Winston! Stay with me, I need you! Where did you hide the glove?"
The old man's head rolled to the side and he coughed slightly, staring into space. He winced again and scratched at the bandage on his arm. Kurtis gently grabbed his hands to stop him. The old man tried to protest, though he was seriously stunned.
"Where's the glove?", Lara insisted as she felt the stress building up inside her.
With a superhuman effort, the butler finally straightened his head and turned his gaze to the opposite corner of the room. The adventuress followed the direction he was pointing and understood what he was getting at. She stood up quickly and ran to the other end of the small room. Kurtis saw her approach one of the mahogany plywood walls, under one of the shelves, and put her hand on it. She pressed down, and a small hatch suddenly opened, revealing a hiding place, in which was a canvas bag. She took it and returned to the mercenary, who looked at her with astonishment.
"And I thought I'd seen everything in this house."
Lara opened the bag and took out the glove.
"You wanna use the glove against them?", Kurtis asked, a little surprised.
"You used it to torture people and to get out of the base in Antarctica, so why not?"
The young man let go of the butler's hands and stood up.
"Between you and me, I'd rather not use it while I can. And I'm not sure it's a good idea to get the glove exposed."
"You want us to leave it hidden here and let them slaughter us?"
"I'd rather not have them slaughter us AND get the glove... it's better to leave it here, as long as they dunno where to find it. This is a secure room, right?"
"I didn't know doubts were part of your vocabulary."
"I'm serious, Lara."
She met the mercenary's determined gaze. In her hands, the glove vibrated slightly and gave off a gentle warmth, as if it were trying to tempt her.
"We'll take what we need," the young man continued, pointing to all the weapons around them, "and leave Winston here with the glove. We gotta be quick, before we get trapped here. If we're lucky enough, they might not even know there's a room here."
Lara looked down at the metal glove for a moment, inwardly weighing every word the young man said. Then her gaze fell on the butler still collapsed in the corner of the room. She tried to take a deep breath.
"There are many of them," she said after a few seconds, now thinking aloud.
When she raised her head, she met the mercenary's azure eyes again, which stared at her without blinking. Then, without a word, the young woman put the glove back in the bag before turning around to put it back where she had found it. She closed the trap door of the hiding place with a sharp snap, then stood up. She made a quick tour of the room, grabbed an assault rifle and threw it to the mercenary who caught it on the fly. She grabbed a shotgun for herself. She opened what looked like another drawer and pulled out a rather impressive amount of ammunition, which she threw at the American too. After slipping some into her back pockets, she then walked over to the wall where the small handguns were displayed and grabbed the uzis. Kurtis joined her and picked up a couple of 9mm weapons, then reached for a serrated knife, asking permission with a side glance.
"I'd rather be well equipped," he justified himself.
The young woman nodded softly, before taking a hunting knife as well. Kurtis slipped the weapon into the back of his trousers.
"If necessary, we'll make a stop by the armory downstairs."
They turned around and Lara returned to kneel beside Winston, who finally looked better and healthier. She put a hand on his tired face, and felt a little better when her eyes met the old man's little sparkling light. A tiny smile finally broke out on his lips.
"Miss Croft...", he said in a broken voice.
"Winston, I'm going to ask you to stay here, with the glo-"
"No, we must call the police, we must defend ourselves..."
"Winston, listen to me," the adventuress interrupted him.
She put her hands on his shoulders. The old man's jerky breathing seemed to calm down a little and he regained some composure.
"You have to stay hidden here, with the glove. They must not find this place. We can't let them find the glove. Whatever happens, you must not leave this place."
"Miss Croft..."
"Winston, you've got to stay here, whatever happens out there."
The butler shook his head gently against his will. He glanced at Kurtis and all the weapons he was carrying.
"It's alright. I've... we've seen worse than this," Lara said, looking up at the mercenary.
Against all odds, the old man's smile widened a little more on his face.
"There's some food nearby. And with some medicine, I should be all right," he replied in a weak but determined voice.
The mercenary suddenly moved to grab one of the assault rifles hanging on the wall. He came back to the butler with a set of ammunition and knelt down to hand him the weapon. Although his hands were shaking, and despite the pain, the butler gripped it firmly and held it against him, ready to fire if necessary. Lara then leaned towards him and placed a kiss on his forehead.
"Don't waste any more time," he told the two adventurers, trying to hide his emotion and stress. "Go and kick those slobs' arses!"
Lara could not hold back a laugh at such a surprising reaction from her friend. After one last knowing look, and one last approval from the old man, she stood up, and together with Kurtis, went to stand at the entrance of the small armoury, weapons in hands. They took a moment to look at each other, and took a deep, slow breath. On the other side, and a little further away, they heard regular, muffled knocks against the door of the room. They heard the voices of several men echoing in the distance in the mansion's hall. Kurtis tightened his fingers around his gun.
Lara put her hand on the armoured door, and pushed it opened.
—
The heavy door swung open slowly, and they found themselves into the darkness of the large bathroom. The two adventurers stepped out one after the other, Kurtis leading the way. They walked slowly into the room, which suddenly seemed strangely silent. After a few seconds, they heard footsteps above their heads again, echoing on the roof tiles. Then nothing. The adventuress and the mercenary exchanged a puzzled look, their eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Suddenly, there were loud gunshots, and the large window behind them exploded into a thousand pieces. The two adventurers turned around to discover that three men, rappelling from the roof, were infiltrating the bathroom. No sooner had they set foot on the ground than the shooting started again. The Englishwoman, hidden between a wall and the vanity, narrowly avoided a few bullets that whistled in her direction. She fired blindly, without really seeing where their enemies were. The glass of the shower in which Kurtis had taken refuge cracked, before falling to the ground in countless shards. The soldiers stopped firing for a moment, and the two adventurers took the opportunity to come out of hiding and fire back. One of Kurtis' bullets wounded one of the three men in the arm, he saw him fall backwards with a cry of pain. But the other two counterattacked immediately, lighting up the space with the bright light of their firing weapons. Lara and Kurtis took cover for a moment, rolling into a ball against the marble walls.
The soldiers moved forward one step at a time, they could hear it from the sound their boots made against the shards of glass on the floor and the sound of the guns coming closer and closer. Kurtis ducked as low as he could and bent slightly, before taking his turn to shoot, but missed. He let out a grunt of frustration.
We gotta move
The henchmen stopped firing, and the room fell silent again. They were reloading. With one movement, the two adventurers stood up abruptly and ran away towards the bedroom. Behind them they heard one of the men shouting and swearing in a foreign language as he struggled to get bullets back into his gun. Before the others had time to draw and shoot them like rabbits, Lara turned to fire. The swearing man screamed, hit in the leg, then jerked violently. She saw his head snap back in what she imagined to be an impressive splash of blood. She realised that Kurtis, who was running beside her, had also fired, and had not missed this time.
The other two soldiers seemed to come back to life, and started shooting again. But Lara and Kurtis had already reached the bedroom. The mercenary went to take cover behind the bed, while Lara took refuge behind the wall, waiting for their enemies to take them by surprise. She remained with her back against the wall, watching for the movements of the adversaries who were slowly approaching. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kurtis straighten up slightly and fire. Bullets whizzed past her and she heard one of the men grunt and fall heavily to the ground.
She came out of hiding and found herself face to face with the last man. She held her shotgun firmly in front of her and pulled the trigger. She winced and let out a grunt as the powerful bullets pierced her enemy's torso. The soldier's lifeless body finally fell to the ground. Lara then turned her gaze to the third man, who, although also on the ground, was still moving and struggling to get to his feet. When he tried to grab his weapon, which had slipped away, the adventuress aimed and fired into his arm. A sharp snap and the shape of the man's arm, not to mention the shrill scream he let out, told her he wouldn't be able to use his arm again anytime soon. She fired one last shot, which this time exploded down his throat with a mournful sound, and the man stopped moving for good.
She lowered her weapon slightly and turned to the mercenary.
"Okay, we're done with those ones."
But just as she finished her sentence, the iron bar holding the door behind them gave way and rolled to the floor with a metallic clang. The bedroom door opened wide. Four more men burst into the room, firing in all directions. Kurtis had just enough time to shoot one of them before climbing over the bed to hide behind it. Lara managed to wound one in the leg before retreating to the safety of the shattered shower. They heard the henchmen screaming and firing more and more. Kurtis tried to concentrate for a moment, then finally heard the familiar whistle of the approaching chirugai. Its bright golden light flashed across the room, and before the soldiers had time to react, the weapon was already on on them. One of the henchmen tried to protect his face, but the sharp blades of the metal disc lacerated his arms, before attacking his colleague, who had no time to react. The flying disc slammed into the side of his face and sank into his cheek and temple with an ominous sound, causing the last man to back away.
Lara then went out into the open to try and shoot him, but the man, although obviously surprised, dodged her shots with agility. The adventuress took aim as he closed in on her at great speed, but when her finger pulled the trigger, the rifle clattered in the air. She was out of ammunition.
"Damn i-"
Before she could react, the man had pointed his own gun at her and was about to fire. She dropped her shotgun and gave a powerful kick to her opponent, who staggered backwards. After a second kick in the chest, he fell backwards, his gun slipped out of his hand and slid to the ground, now out of reach. Lara rushed to block the man on the ground, but he didn't let her: he folded his two legs and used them to push away the young woman who was coming at him. He managed to hit her in the face, then pushed her back and knocked her backwards with a second kick. Lara was propelled against the huge mirror that stood there, and collapsed with a scream. She felt the pieces of wood and the frame of the object falling on her. She tried to stand up on her elbows, but skidded into the shattered glass. The soldier was already back on his feet, she could hear his footsteps coming closer. When she turned her head, she saw the metallic light of a handgun he was pointing at her. In a split second the young woman rolled onto her back, threw her leg out and hit the man's arm as he fired. He dropped the gun and it flew into the air, before landing further into the room.
The adventuress then grabbed the knife hidden behind her back, and in one precise movement stabbed it into the enemy's calf, who started to scream. He fell to one knee, his fingers desperately searching for the blade that had pierced his leg. Lara took the opportunity to kick him in the face, he lost his balance. Without wasting time, she literally threw herself on him, crushing him with all her weight to keep him on the ground. She gave him one, then two, then three punches. He grabbed her wrists to hold her back, but she struggled and resisted. The soldier suddenly straightened up, and gave her a powerful headbutt, which destabilized her and made her go backwards. She felt a sharp pain radiating through her nose and part of her forehead. Her hands let go for a fraction of a second, but that's all it took for the soldier to get the upper hand.
He pushed her back violently and straddled her as she fell backwards to the ground. He punched her with one fist and tightened his fingers around her throat with the other. The adventuress kneed him several times, threw her legs to get him out of the way, scratched him, but the powerful hand tightened more and more around her neck, she was suffocating.
Only a few feet away, Kurtis, who had just called off his chirugai, finally stood up after escaping the first shots. He saw one of the soldiers rush at Lara, whose rifle had just emptied. The man literally threw himself at her, but the mercenary had no time to intervene. When he tried to move forward to help the adventuress, he was stopped in his tracks. He felt a shock in his abdomen and thorax, his breath suddenly stopped. He felt arms gripping him tightly, and before he knew it, he had been slammed against the wall.
He felt his head hit one of the pictures on the wall, which came down and crashed to the floor with a loud noise. They staggered and knocked over the bedside table behind them. The American grabbed the lamp that was on top of it with one hand and smashed it against his enemy's skull. The man grunted. Kurtis kicked him. The man finally let go, and Kurtis came face to face with the last remaining soldier, who, despite his injured leg, seemed particularly aggressive, and looked quite willing to fight him.
Kurtis took a step forward to attack him first, throwing his fist to hit the head. The enemy dodged and retaliated with a punch to the ribs, then another to the stomach. The mercenary grunted and put his arms in front of him to protect himself from the blows. He felt the soldier getting closer to him, he gave him a side kick to stop him. The enemy hit him in the other side, right in the place of one of his old wounds, which suddenly revived. Taking advantage of this slight moment of weakness, the man grabbed the mercenary by the shoulders, and pushed him against the wall again to block him. Kurtis retaliated several times with knees, aiming first at his stomach, then kicked him hard in the knee and in his wounded leg. The soldier let out a terrible scream, bent in half from the pain. But as Kurtis pushed him away with another punch to the chin, he noticed the man was reaching into one of his pockets. Something flashed before his eyes, and he had just enough time to block the soldier's move with his forearm, who was trying to stab him with the long blade of a serrated knife. The sharp weapon narrowly missed his face and tore part of his flesh. He felt blood running down his arm, but gritted his teeth as the soldier pushed the knife down on his target.
Kurtis pulled his second arm free, and delivered a violent elbow strike right into his opponent's collarbone. He felt the bone crack with a sharp pop, before the henchman suddenly started screaming. Kurtis pushed him away and kicked him out of the way. Mad with rage, the man pulled himself together and charged straight at him, knife held high above his head. The mercenary barely ducked to avoid it, and he felt the weapon graze the top of his head before it stuck in the wall behind him. The American then drew his own knife, but before he had time to use it, the soldier kneed him in the face. Kurtis toppled backwards, slightly stunned. The knife slipped out of his hand and disappeared under the bed. He felt the soldier grab him by his shirt and pull him up. He received several punches. He finally managed to protect himself with one arm, then hit the man back before grabbing his broken shoulder and digging his fingers into the flesh. The man's reaction was immediate: he screamed at the top of his lungs. But again, he was tenacious. He grabbed the mercenary tightly, turning him around in a sharp movement. Destabilized, they both fell on the bed just behind them. The furniture creaked, and suddenly collapsed under their weight. The huge solid wood headboard creaked too, before cracking across its entire width. But Kurtis was focused on the enemy who had just pinned him underneath, lying full length against him. He felt his hot, jerky breath through his bonnet and met his hateful gaze.
"Sorry to disappoint you man, but you're definitely not my type!"
Without giving him time to react, the mercenary hit him hard in the temple and pushed him away. The man toppled over and rolled onto the side, before falling heavily from the bed. He tried to stand up several times, this time really out of breath, but slipped in the broken glass and wood. He tried to grab a splinter of wood to use as a weapon, but the mercenary got off the bed and crushed his hand with his boot. The man groaned again and moved to free himself. Kurtis sat on him and pinned him down. He picked up a large piece of glass nearby, and grabbed the henchman by the bonnet and tilted his head back. With a precise gesture, he firmly grasped the shard of glass that slightly grazed his fingers, and slid it against the man's throat, who hiccupped in surprise. A dark, hot liquid poured out from under him, and after only a few seconds the man finally stopped moving.
Kurtis let go and scrambled to his feet. When he turned around, he found Lara still struggling against a soldier who had pinned her down. The mercenary rushed to the fireplace and grabbed one of the pokers hanging on the side. He then turned around, held the iron bar firmly in his hands and struck the man who was holding Lara prisoner. His head snapped to the side, accompanied by a fairly large spurt of blood. He collapsed head first. The young woman under him screamed and rolled to the side to get out of the way. She was coughing hard, wheezing as she tried to catch her breath. Kurtis took a step forward and pushed the man over with his foot. His bloody face bore the marks of the blow he had just received. He was still breathing, but the glassy look in his eyes indicated that it was already over for him. Without feeling the slightest pity for him, the American raised the iron bar once more and struck him.
The poker fell to the ground with a metallic clang as Kurtis dropped it to reach Lara. He crouched down beside her and put his arms around her to help her up. They took a second to catch their breath and looked around. The room was in chaos, not to mention the mutilated bodies of their enemies.
"Sorry...", said the young man as he saw the large bed that now looked like a shipwreck stranded on reefs.
"I'll send you a bill."
They exchanged a pale smile before quickly going around the room to retrieve their weapons and ammunition. They quickly searched the bodies of the henchmen, but found nothing of interest. Soon they heard a noise in the hall. More men were entering the mansion. They exchanged glances and both moved to the now shattered bedroom door. They stepped over the large splinters of wood and leaned over slightly to try to see what was happening on the other side. From where he stood, Kurtis could see several other men slip through the window they had destroyed in the hallway, and move silently towards the stairs.
"Looks like she's rounded up the whole Norwegian army," Kurtis told Lara in a bitter voice.
She undid the safety catch on her uzis, her back against the wall.
"We have to move. We have to get them away from Winston and the glove," she said.
"You want us to rush into battle without thinking?"
"Why not?"
We don't know how many they are, the young man replied mentally, shaking his head, his gaze still focused on what was happening below.
I didn't know doubts were part of your vocabulary
He turned his head towards the adventuress.
"There could be ten, twenty, a hundred of them, It doesn't matter. I won't let them win."
Kurtis leaned out into the corridor and began firing at the soldiers who had gathered at the foot of the stairs. One of them fell backwards, mowed down by one of the bullets, and the others, surprised, scattered for a moment before pulling themselves together and pointing their rifles in the direction of the two adventurers. The mercenary took cover just as their bullets pierced the wall behind him. The silence fell after a few seconds, before they heard the soldiers moving again.
The chirugai, which had not moved until then, detached itself from its master's belt and ran into the corridor at lightning speed. The two adventurers saw it suddenly disappear, before new shots rang out. They looked at each other in confusion as footsteps, fighting and grunting noises were heard further on. They heard the metallic sound of a man falling to the ground and dropping his weapon. Kurtis nodded discreetly to Lara, and with one movement, they both came out of their hiding place and entered the dark corridor.
As they thought, the chirugai was creating a diversion. One of the enemies was already on the ground, another was crawling on the floor, wounded. So they took advantage of the moment of panic that had overtaken the group of soldiers to fire on them. Kurtis managed to kill another man who was trying to venture up the stairs, Lara shot the one on the ground. The last soldier still standing, taken by surprise, tried to counterattack and fired in their direction. But he forgot about the chirugai, who, not far away, turned around in the air to rush at him. It went right into the back of the man's skull, who after a hiccup of surprise, collapsed like a rag doll in the steps.
Kurtis' metal disc returned slowly to him, the two adventurers straightened up and stepped forward at a measured pace, their weapons still smoking. There was no more noise in the large house, but Lara remained on her guard.
Suddenly there was another bang, and a bullet grazed Lara's arm. The two adventurers crouched down to dodge the bullets, whose source they could not determine. They huddled against the large wooden railing and looked around. Another bullet embedded itself in the column behind which Kurtis was standing. The young man leaned over slightly, and finally, after a few seconds of concentration, saw something moving a little further down the stairs. One of Miranda Svendsen's men was lying in wait to ambush them. The mercenary slid his pistol between two columns and fired. The railing below exploded into small pieces of wood, before silence fell in the great hall.
Then the soldier stood up abruptly, and ran up the steps while firing at them. The two adventurers fired back, their faces tense with concentration. When the man finally reached the landing, he tried to run into the nearest room, no doubt to seek refuge, but the adventurers' bullets were faster. He was riddled with bullets and toppled over head first, before collapsing and disappearing into the next room.
Several seconds passed before Lara and Kurtis dared to move again. They exchanged a quick glance before standing up. Once again, the manor was quiet, but they did not trust appearances. Other armed men were undoubtedly still around.
They both moved cautiously forward, Kurtis slightly in front, weapons pointed in front of them. But all seemed strangely quiet. They glanced at the bodies lying everywhere in the hall and the staircase.
D'you think we got them? the young woman heard in her head.
But she didn't have time to answer him. There was a sudden movement, she heard grunts, and Kurtis abruptly disappeared from her field of vision.
—
OSLO, IN THE MEANTIME
Saija let them in and quickly closed the door behind them. When she turned around, Miranda was already sitting at her desk, her gaze focused and serious. Javier was following closely behind her, and as soon as she sat down he handed her a phone. The Norwegian grabbed it firmly and put it on speaker.
"I hope you have some good news for me," she said to her caller in a cold voice.
There was a slight crackle on the other end of the line, but the man who answered sounded quite confident.
"Everything is going according to plan. The men have been deployed on site. There have been a few casualties, but nothing surprising. We are dealing with regulars. Our team is about to crack the access code to the secured room."
"How much longer?"
"A few minutes, maybe less. We're making good progress, but the security system is pretty good, it's designed so that anyone can't hijack it, it's an advanced technolo-"
"But it's your job to open that damn door, isn't it?"
There was a blank on the phone, and a heavy silence fell on the office.
"It shouldn't be long now," the man finally replied.
The half-breed turned to her Argentinian henchman, who spoke before she could even ask him the question.
"The men are already in position. They are waiting for your orders."
The businesswoman then met the eyes of her young assistant, who could hardly hide her excitement and impatience.
"Good," she replied with a smile.
—
Before she could react, Lara saw Kurtis topple to the side and fall heavily to the ground, carried away by the soldier they had thought dead, but who, though severely wounded, had waited in a corner to take them by surprise.
The mercenary and the soldier were thrown off balance and rolled on the floor before falling down the stairs for several feet. The American felt the stranger crush him with all his weight, his head banged hard several times against the carpeted steps. His enemy let out several cries of pain as they slammed into each other. When everything finally stopped moving, Kurtis struggled to sit up, his head spinning slightly. He stood on one knee, then the other, while the soldier next to him tried to get up too. But the mercenary was the first to react and throw himself on his opponent. He hit him with a violent punch, the man retaliated. They grabbed each other by the hair, scratched each other, hit each other again and again. They rolled and pushed each other back violently. The soldier gained the upper hand for a moment and pinned the American under him. With surprising speed, he pulled out a gun, cocked it and pointed it at the young man. Kurtis tried to stop him by the wrists to push him away, but the shot went off anyway. He screamed as the bullet pierced his upper shoulder with a resounding thud.
The soldier punched him in the face again, Kurtis' head hit the floor. He felt stunned for several seconds. But it was not the blow he had just received, nor his injured arm that caught the mercenary's attention. In the distance he heard the sound of breaking glass, followed by hurried footsteps. He also heard voices. Other men were infiltrating the house.
A little further up, Lara saw Kurtis fall down the steps without being able to intervene. She heard a noise below and realised that other armed men were coming towards them. Without hesitating, she pointed her uzis at them and fired. Some of them went down. The others tried to shoot at her, she ducked and retreated into the living room. She took cover against the wall and positioned herself so that she could have them in her sights. But just as she was getting into position, she noticed movement on the other side of the floor. She felt her blood run cold as she saw another group of men coming out of the library. The two adventurers were surrounded.
There was a gunshot, followed by Kurtis' scream, which startled her slightly. When she leaned over slightly, she saw the mercenary writhing in pain and clutching his bloody shoulder, before being struck by the man holding him down. She also noticed the men slowly coming up to them and pointing their weapons in her direction.
The adventuress felt a powerful torrent of rage wash over her. Unable to keep her cool any longer, she let out an angry scream and stepped out into the open for a split second. She fired a first burst of bullets into the group of men coming up on her right, then aimed as best she could at those approaching Kurtis. The response of their enemies was not long in coming. She hurriedly took cover to avoid the bursts of bullets coming in her direction. The soldiers were shouting orders in all directions, they were deploying. She heard Kurtis screaming in pain again.
One of the living room windows exploded behind her. As she turned around, Lara found herself face to face with three more men who had just entered the room. She cocked her uzis and fired, one of them collapsed, hit in the chest. Before the other two could fire back at her, she dove forward, rolled over, and took cover behind the chairs and the big sofa that were falling apart. The detonation of assault rifles echoed deafeningly throughout the room, and the adventuress felt the couch vibrate dangerously as they riddled it with bullets. She tightened her hands around her weapons, ready to counterattack, but she realised with horror that the magazines were empty. She had no more ammunition.
She took a quick look around. Right next to her, she noticed one of the small side tables knocked over. Without thinking, she dropped her weapons, dived forward to grab the piece of furniture, or at least what was left of it. She grabbed it firmly and stood up. She then threw it with all her strength in the direction of two armed men. They started shooting in all directions, taken by surprise. The small table shattered as it hit one of the two men, who staggered backwards. The second man fired in the direction of the young woman. Before she had time to take cover, one of the bullets hit her in the arm, and another in the leg. She let out a cry of pain, before collapsing on the glass coffee table, which also collapsed with a resounding noise.
A little lower down, Kurtis could feel the blood flowing in great quantities from his arm. And the pain, searing. He grunted and struggled. The enemy standing over him struck him once, then twice, then three times. Truth be told, he had lost count. His mind wandered for a moment. The footsteps came closer all around him, he saw pairs of boots pass right in front of his nose. The man holding him down grabbed him by the throat and squeezed. He struggled for a moment, but already other henchmen were there too. He was grabbed by the arms and was forced to his feet. The barrel of a gun was pointed at his chest, but also at his back. His hands were restrained with handcuffs. His breath was caught as he was punched in the stomach. Blood poured from his nose.
He heard gunshots up in the living room. His eyes widened as he realised what was happening.
"Lara!"
A few men went past him and went up to the floor to go and help the men who were fighting the adventuress. The men surrounding the mercenary tightened their grip on him. Not far from here, Kurtis suddenly noticed two other soldiers he had not seen before, two men who were coming out of the young woman's room. The mercenary was unable to contain the feeling of dizziness and the terrible uneasiness he felt when he saw the object one of them was holding in his hands.
No...
They had in their possession the bag containing Eckhardt's glove.
"Motherfuckers!", the American hissed.
Suddenly he threw his shoulder and hit some of the men to get them out of the way, he cried out in pain again. The soldiers grabbed him to prevent him from moving, and one of them even hit him with the handle of his rifle.
"Let's get moving, we've got the glove!", suddenly shouted one of the soldiers.
There were a few more shots, bangs, people fighting and then screams, which Kurtis recognised as Lara's. He heard one of the men somewhere above shouting something in Norwegian. There was one last shot. Then suddenly nothing, and total silence.
During a few seconds, nothing happened, and nobody moved. Neither the men who held him prisoner, nor the men who were still up in the living room. Time stood still. The men who had the glove passed him by without paying the slightest attention to him. Some others followed, heading now for the exit. One by one the henchmen came out of the living room, rifles in their hands. When the American looked up, he noticed the look of satisfaction on each of their faces.
Kurtis felt a heavy weight fall on him, as if the whole world had been shattered on his shoulders. And suddenly, a terribly cold, piercing, painful wave washed over him. The henchmen nodded to one of the men next to Kurtis, who responded with a nod too. Everyone suddenly moved in turn, and the mercenary felt their grip tighten on his arm and take him away.
"Bastards!", he breathed through clenched teeth.
He struggled harder, shaking his shoulders to free himself. He tried to turn around, tried to push them out of the way. It couldn't be true. Lara couldn't be...
He was hit on the back and collapsed on the steps. One of the soldiers came and stood in front of him to block his way.
"Game over, you fucking piece of shit."
The man then grabbed his gun, and hit the mercenary in the face with it. Kurtis passed out.