Lara sat behind the large oak desk in her recently repaired library, going through a book on artifacts of legend, the light of the moon shining in through the large window behind her. Pausing briefly to stretch, she looked up to see what the others were doing.
Seated in opposite chairs by the fire, Harry and Alice were reading as well. Alice was studying the text required for her psychology courses, making notes in a notebook on her lap. Harry was going through, of all things, a poetry book. It was 'The Warrior's Book of Poetry' (an uninspired title, honestly, but she supposed they couldn't all be winners), and Alice had bought it for him not that long ago. It didn't really seem like Harry's kind of thing to Lara, but he appeared engaged enough.
At another, smaller desk by the bookcases Sam was playing a game on Harry's computer as Garfield, or Beast Boy, as Lara now knew him, sat beside her, backseat gaming, an issue of the Teen Titans comic laying forgotten nearby. For obvious reasons, Beast Boy had been reading through DC comic books almost obsessively.
As Lara watched, she saw a digital version of herself try to keep her head above rushing water as she was pulled along by the currents of a river, desperately trying to avoid the dangerous debris scattered about. Sam unfortunately appeared to make the wrong move, and Lara winced as she watched herself become impaled on a long, wooden spike.
"I would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't kill me, Sam." Lara said, a teasing smile on her face.
Sam ducked her head, glancing back at her with a blush on her cheeks. "I'm trying, Lara, but this isn't exactly easy…"
Lara shook her head in amusement, still not sure what to think about her adventures being video games, of all things. "Try living through it. That was definitely not easy. And I didn't get retries."
Sam smiled lightly. "Good point…"
Lara sighed lightly, feeling more content than she had in months. She had Sam back, she had a new, interesting project, and she had three, very interesting new friends.
Not that things were perfect. Sam was still recovering, though Alice had helped immensely. She still wasn't quite as boisterous as she once was, and Lara often caught her glancing at her, as though assuring herself Lara was still there. And Lara had found herself rushing to a screaming Sam's room more nights than not to soothe her after a nightmare, her heart breaking for her friend every time.
Alice, privately, had told Lara that from what she knew (with caveats as to her still learning about psychology, though Lara already trusted the bright young lady more than any professional shrink), that Sam's mentality would be very similar to a rape victim's. She'd been violated in the most intimate way possible, completely losing control and being powerless to fight back. And it had lasted a long time.
She had latched onto Lara, taking comfort from her presence, and would likely try to avoid being alone without her. She'd hopefully recover, but it would be a slow process. If it weren't for the nature of the event, Alice would recommend professional counseling. Unfortunately it was extremely unlikely they'd find a therapist versed in cases of possession. And Lara didn't trust them regardless. Not after Ana and Trinity's manipulations.
Lara had practically ordered that Sam move in with her that very day. Sam didn't put up any sort of fight, just looking beyond grateful.
Lara smiled, still remembering that day, when she'd gotten her friend back and learned more about her saviors.
Lara and Jonah had moved Sam to a couch set in front of the fireplace, comforting her as best they could as she wept, partly with relief. It had been almost an hour since Himiko was removed, and Sam was only just starting to calm down.
Pulling away slightly from Lara, whom she'd been huddled against, eyes rimmed in red and bloodshot, Sam finally looked calm. She gratefully took the glass of water Jonah handed her, taking small sips as Lara gently stroked her hair. The three were silent for a time before Sam finally spoke.
"God, I'm such a fucking mess…" She said, sniffling slightly and rubbing her face, trying to get rid of the tears and other unpleasantness.
Lara smiled softly. "Completely understandable." Then her face fell slightly. "I'm so sorry, Sam. I should have known. I should have…"
"Stop right there." Sam said, frowning at her. "There was nothing you could have done. It's not like you've got magic powers. How would you have even known?" She took a shaky breath. "I won't lie. I wanted you to save me, Lara. I wanted it so badly. I screamed for your help." Lara bit her lip, turning away in shame. Sam gently took hold of her face and made her look her in the eyes. "But I know that you couldn't have helped. I was terrified I'd never be free because I couldn't see any way that you, or anyone, could save me. So I don't blame you. I'm just glad you did manage to do it anyway." She smiled gently, looking at Lara almost worshipfully. "I should have known better. You'll always protect me…"
Lara felt like crying at the sheer faith her best friend expressed in her, and pulled the other girl in for a tight hug. "Always, Sam."
Jonah smiled as he watched, content to see the two embrace. He was slightly surprised when Sam suddenly pulled away and turned to hug him as well. "Don't think I've forgotten you, big guy."
He chuckled and hugged her back. "I'm just glad you're safe now."
Sam held him for a bit longer before pulling back, turning to look at Lara. "How did you know, though?"
"I had suspicions that something wasn't right." Lara said. "Though I had no idea what, or how to fix it. Recently I thought it might have been something Trinity did, but again, no real clue."
Sam furrowed her brow. "What's Trinity?"
Lara waved her hand, not wanting to get into that particular mess at the moment. "I'll explain later. In any case, Harry was the one who came to us offering to help in exchange for assistance later. He apparently knew all about it, though I'm not sure how."
"Who's Harry?" Same asked, curious.
"Harry was the one that removed Himiko from you." Jonah said.
To Lara's surprise Sam began to look apprehensive. "Him?" She bit her lip before looking into Lara's eyes completely earnestly. "Lara, be very careful. You can't trust him. He's-"
She was interrupted when the front door opened and Harry, Alice and Garfield walked in, the two boys apparently arguing about something.
"-is it's absurdly convoluted! I mean, how does that even work? I'd never even heard about wands acting that way, and suddenly that just saves the day?" Harry said emphatically, waving his arms slightly, his skin still covered in eldritch markings.
"Dude, I'm telling you, from my experience, that's the way prophecies work. Hell, that was almost straightforward compared to some others I've heard about." Garfield said, and Lara blinked when she realized that his skin and hair were now green. She wondered what that meant.
Harry rolled his eyes as Alice looked at the boys in amusement. "Those books are such bullshit…" Then he turned to the three on the couch and smiled. "Well then, I hope things are going well here?"
"Yes, I believe so." Lara said, smiling. She turned to Sam, only for her smile to slip off. "Sam?"
The Asian woman was staring at Harry, trembling, looking absolutely terrified. Said boy quirked an eyebrow and took a small step forward, presumably to find out what was wrong, which only made Sam whimper slightly and shy away.
"Sam, what's wrong?" Lara asked, worried.
"He… He's…" Sam sounded scared to death, her eyes locked on Harry, like a rabbit before a predator.
Harry stopped advancing, a small, sad smile appearing on his lips. "You saw me the same way Himiko did, didn't you, Samantha?"
Sam nodded timidly, gripping Lara's hand tightly.
Harry sighed and ran his hand through his white streaked hair. Beside him, Alice looked confused, while Garfield appeared to understand what was going on.
"Will you at least let me explain who and what I am? I'd rather not make Lara Croft an enemy, especially over a misunderstanding." He said gently.
Indeed, Lara realized she'd been glaring at Harry for frightening her friend. True, Harry had helped free her, but Sam was Lara's priority, and it was still entirely possible that the boy had some nefarious purpose.
Sam thought about it for a few moments before nodding. "O-okay…"
"Thank you." Harry moved to sit on the other couch, Alice and Garfield sitting down on either side of him. He then leaned forward, elbows on his legs, looking like he was trying to think of how to explain. "…Alright, let's go with a cliché opening. What do you know of the multiverse theory?"
Lara stared at the mage, confused. "You mean, like different worlds where, say, the Nazis won World War Two?"
Harry smiled, satisfied. "Exactly something like that. But it's not just historical events that are different. Everything you can imagine can exist somewhere out there."
"What do you mean?" Jonah asked, eyeing Harry.
"I come from a completely separate Earth. One similar to, but not exactly like one you've probably heard of." Harry said calmly, still smiling, before pausing.
Sam finally asked the obvious question after a moment of silence for the three to digest that absurd statement. "Which world?"
Alice and Garfield glanced at each other, the green boy looking excited, the young woman amused.
Harry's smile grew into a grin. "Perhaps I should, fully, introduce myself first." He let a suitably dramatic silence settle before speaking again. "…My name is Harry Potter."
Lara stared, incredulous, before glancing at her friends. Jonah looked deeply skeptical, eyebrows raised, while Sam was gaping in shock.
Before any of them could utter a word, Alice spoke next. "My name is Alice Liddel." Her red dress suddenly changed into a blue one of a style not seen in over a century, with even a white apron tied in front.
Lara didn't get the significance, not until Sam squeaked out. "As in, from Wonderland?" She grew more shocked when Alice nodded, a pleased smile on her face.
"And I'm Garfield Logan, but you'd probably know me better as Beast Boy." He then proceeded to turn into a green capuchin monkey, chittering at them and looking amused.
Once again, Lara didn't get it, and a glance at Sam showed she might have some idea but couldn't think of it at the moment. Jonah was the one that surprised her, however. "You mean, from the comics?" At Lara's look he shrugged. "My brother liked to read them."
Garfield, or Beast Boy, changed back, nodding enthusiastically. "Kinda sorta. Different version than the one you're thinking of."
"Wait, wait, wait, are you saying you're all fictional characters!?" Lara exclaimed, credulity strained to the breaking point.
Harry quirked an eyebrow. "Pot, meet kettle."
Sam was the first to grasp the implication of that statement, reassuring Lara that whatever else, her friend's keen mind hadn't suffered much. "Wait, are you saying we're fictional characters to you?"
"Video game characters, to be precise." Garfield said with a grin. "Lara is the main protagonist. She's very famous. A sort of female Indiana Jones."
Lara gawked. Her, a famous video game character? Then she had an epiphany. "Is… is that how you knew about Yamatai and Kitezh?" She asked hesitantly.
Harry and Garfield nodded. "Yep." The green youth said. "One game for each adventure. Heard they were about to announce a third before we left our home, too."
Harry turned to look at Garfield, interested. "Really? I knew there was a leak, but no official announcement."
The other boy looked smug. "Being a famous superhero has its perks."
"Wait a minute, are you saying that entire damn experience on that cursed island was a game to you!?" Jonah growled, looking uncharacteristically angry.
"Yes, and I do apologize for that, but before you get too indignant, I feel the need to point out that you've probably read and at least somewhat enjoyed a certain book series with a bullshit ending. Right?" Harry said calmly as Garfield snickered, making Jonah scratch the back of his head somewhat sheepishly.
"But…" Sam was confused, no longer as tense around Harry. "You don't look like the Harry Potter from the books. And I don't remember him having the power to yank souls out of bodies…"
Lara was mentally reeling and wondering why Sam at least seemed to be going along with the idea so easily. She would find out later that the hazy knowledge of magic the other girl now held helped her believe the absurd tale.
Harry grimaced. "Ah yes, that. There's a story behind that, which includes the reason I scared you so much. Remember, I said I'm from a different version of that world. My story went a bit differently than the books did after the fifth book. Up to that point everything is pretty much as I remember it. It's… not a pretty story, but I'll tell it. Alice deserves to hear it, at the least."
"Yes, I would like to know why you're so different from what I read of you, Harry. Not that I have much room to talk…" Alice said gently.
Harry took a deep breath as Garfield put a hand on his shoulder in support before beginning to talk, telling his story, beginning with the attack on his house and his ending up in a cursed town.
As he spoke, Lara grew more and more horrified by what she was hearing and the implications of such a place, and the entity in command. When she had the thought that it was entirely possible that there were places and beings like that in her own world, a part of herself she generally kept under firm lockdown began gibbering in terror.
Halfway through the tale Sam began to squeeze Lara's hand, seeking comfort, and she saw that Alice had done the same to help Harry, who hesitated several times, the memories obviously still paining him. The black haired girl looked at her friend with sadness and empathy. There was obviously a story behind the stoic young woman as well. But now wasn't the time.
When Harry's tale ended with Harry and Garfield getting launched out of their own world, things became silent. Harry reached for a glass of water, taking a drink to help his throat after the explanation. Then he set the glass down with a sigh. "So, now you know."
Lara didn't know what to say. What could one say to someone who had endured something so horrific?
"I'm sorry." Sam said, looking guilty. "You saved me, and I treated you with fear. I… I'm really sorry…"
Harry shook his head. "No need to apologize. I don't know what I looked like to you, but considering Himiko's reaction I doubt it was cute and cuddly. I don't blame you for being fearful. I promise I'll never knowingly hurt you, though." He smiled at her gently, which she hesitantly returned. Then he clapped his hands. "Now, enough of this melancholy. We have more important things to do. We haven't checked on Sam's health, mental or physical, due to these distractions. That should be a priority. I'm not sure what damage I may have caused ripping that bitch out."
Lara nodded and, ignoring Sam's protests, she and Alice proceeded to physically examine her to make sure there was no damage, Lara bringing out a medkit she kept for emergencies. Thankfully, Sam appeared to be physically fine, though they'd keep an eye on her. Then Alice explained to her about her ability to look into minds and her desire to check her mental state. Considering what she'd endured, Sam was understandably extremely wary, but in the end, agreed. And once that was over, after having heard Alice's diagnosis, Lara had ordered Sam to move in.
Lara sighed at the memory. It hadn't been a pleasant day, but she was happy it had occurred, if only for Sam's sake.
Looking back at her friend, she found her focusing on a firefight against some of the Solarii. Lara's digital counterpart was ducking behind cover, her bow in her hands as the crazy cultists fired on her position with assault rifles. Then she moved out of cover to fire her bow at one of them.
Sam, it seemed, was a horrible shot. Lara couldn't help but smile.
"Harry," Alice said from where she was sitting. "Could you come here, please? I don't understand this sentence."
Lara smiled wider at the familiar request. Being from an entirely different time period, Alice often had to request assistance interpreting things, and she always asked Harry for help when she could.
"Sure Alice." Harry said as he set down his book after placing its bookmark, smiling. He got up and began to make his way to her.
That's what saved his life.
The cracks of a controlled three round burst of assault rifle fire broke through the night, and before anybody could react the rounds slammed into Harry's shoulder, which was where his head had been a split second before. He went down with a cry of pained shock as blood sprayed out from the wound. "FU-"
Beast Boy's reaction was instantaneous. He threw himself at Sam, tackling her to the floor as she cried out in surprise and covered her with his body.
Lara was briefly shocked into immobility, but the sound of breaking glass as someone burst through the window behind her spurred her into action. She got up and turned in a split second, grabbing the rifle that was aimed forward to where she'd just been and turning it upwards. Then she let go to free a hand which balled into a fist that slammed into the assailant's throat, making him choke.
While Lara dealt with her attacker, another came in behind him, and two more crashed through the other large library window, rifles raised.
Alice, who had sat in shock at the sudden attack, Harry's blood covering her face, quickly flew into a rage. She screamed in fury as she stood, outfit morphing into her blue dress, her Vorpal Blade in hand. She rushed forward, knife ready to strike. One of the attackers raised his rifle to shoot Alice, but she was unnaturally fast, whirling into range and going for the kill before he could react, her knife rising to bury itself up into his chin, , through his mouth, and to his brain, killing him instantly.
Beast Boy hopped up from where he'd been protecting Sam, changing form to a kangaroo and jumping, then morphing into a hippo midair. The sudden weight made him fall onto his target, which tried to get away, with incredible force, the room shaking from the impact. The operative managed to keep from getting crushed to death, but his legs were powder, if that, and he couldn't help but scream in agony.
Sam, after Beast Boy got off her, kept low to the ground and scrambled over to the still cursing Harry, panicking as she saw blood begin to pool under his body. Without any better ideas she took her top off, leaving her in a white undershirt, and used it to try to stem the bleeding.
The enemy Lara punched in the throat released his weapon in reflex as he choked, and without hesitation the Lady of the House grabbed it, aimed at the last, untouched commando, and pulled the trigger as he was about to do the same to Harry, who was in his sights, firing a barrage of rounds into his body, one hitting his heart and making him fall before he could utter a sound. Then she turned and did the same to the barely recovering donor of her weapon, filling him with holes and ending the threat.
The entire event took thirty seconds, if that.
Lara brought the rifle up to her shoulder and aimed down the sights into the grounds around her home, searching for any more enemies. "Everybody okay!?"
Alice was panting from her brief exertion, mainly from the fury she'd felt. She brought a slightly shaking hand up to wipe Harry's blood from her eyes, still gripping her weapon tightly in her other hand. "I… I'm fine." Then she turned and rushed to Harry and Sam, kneeling beside them. "Harry, Harry, are you alright!?"
"Just… fucking peachy…" Harry grunted, sounding as much annoyed as he was in pain. "Help me up."
Sam and Alice glanced at each other, wondering if that was a good idea, when Beast Boy made his way towards them, back in human form. "Get him up, girls. We need to see the damage." Tentatively, as Lara kept watch, the two girls did so, helping Harry sit against the couch behind him, making him groan. Beast Boy kneeled in front of them, looking at the wound. "Alright, good news, looks like the shots were all through and throughs. If you can use your mojo, should be a relatively easy fix. You good to do it? Pain not too much?"
Harry cracked a sardonic grin. "Please, BB, I've had worse." He closed his eyes and focused. As the three watched his flesh began to knit together slowly, repairing the damage before their eyes. Within less than a minute, there was only some light scarring left to indicate he'd ever been wounded. Moving his arm tentatively he smirked with satisfaction. "There, good as new." Groaning lightly he began to get up, his friends moving to assist. "Now, anybody got any clue what the hell just happened?"
"We were attacked." Beast Boy said blithely, grinning at Harry's irritated look.
"Thank you for the information, Captain Obvious." He bit out before turning to Lara, who was still looking out onto the grounds, now with a night vision scope she'd pilfered from one of the enemies' bodies. "What do you think? Trinity?"
"That seems obvious to me." Lara said as she turned to check on him. "The question is, what prompted it?"
There was a pained moan from the corner of the room, and everybody turned to see the Trinity agent whose legs Beast Boy crushed glaring back at them through pain glazed eyes.
"Let's find out, shall we?" Harry said as he moved forward, kneeling in front of the operative, taking his headgear off to reveal a rugged, scarred face. Harry slapped the man lightly, trying to get him to focus. "Okay buddy, what was this all about?"
The agent sneered at Harry. "Go… to hell…"
Harry sighed. "Well, so much for the easy way." He stood up and made his way over to the others. "He's not telling us anything."
"Then what do we do?" Sam asked, crossing her arms. "We need to know why they attacked."
Harry sighed. "Times like these make me wish I had the slightest clue about the mind arts…"
Alice shook her head. "My power isn't useful for information gathering either." She was obviously not happy about that. "I go into mindscapes. I don't see actual thoughts."
Harry suddenly began to smile. "Hey BB, remember that thing we discussed?"
Beast Boy looked at Harry curiously before his eyes lit up. "Oh. Oh! Think it'd work?"
"Can't hurt to try." Harry said with a shrug, to which Beast Boy nodded.
The green boy moved towards the operative, who eyed him in unfocused anger, his eyes dull. "What do you want, monster?"
"This shouldn't hurt, dude." Beast Boy said before he began to change. To Alice, Lara and Sam's surprise, he didn't change into an animal. Instead it was a humanoid being with green skin. It had a thin mouth and relatively small, orange eyes in a conical head.
Sam turned to Harry. "What's that?"
"A Martian from our reality." Harry said. "They're powerful telepaths."
The Trinity agent's eyes widened at that information when Beast Boy spoke. "Looks like the Manor's bugged, Lara. From what this guy was told, Harry is a fallen angel in human form and needs to be destroyed by all that is holy. Me and Alice were secondary targets due to being from another world. And we only discussed that in this building."
Lara's eyes narrowed. "Damn, how did they manage that?"
"Well, you were rebuilding the place." Sam said. "It wouldn't be hard to slip some agents in with the construction crew to add some cameras and mikes." She shrugged at her friend's looks. "I like spy movies. Sue me."
Harry turned to Beast Boy. "See if you can get any information on bases and their headquarters. This is an opportunity."
The man's eyes widened in horror. "No! You will not find out anything else from me!" He quickly reached into a vest pocket and pulled out a grenade, priming it before any of them could react. "In the name of God, go to hell, you abominations!"
Harry, without a thought, moved forward and put a shield around the man right before detonation. There was the sound of an explosion, but nothing left the shield, though the floor rumbled from the impact.
Once he was sure that the danger had passed, Harry let the shield dissipate, revealing a lump of charred meat where the operative had been.
As Lara went to rub Sam's back while she went to puke in a corner, Harry turned to Beast Boy. "Get anything?"
Beast Boy changed back to his human form, frowning at the remains of the zealot, but nodded. "Just one thing. Venice."
Whew, another chapter, complete.
This fic has now hit another milestone. It has passed the 1000 Follow mark. Lets keep it up. Next lets get to 1000 Favorites and 500 Reviews.
Not really much to say for this chapter. It's rather straightforward, I think. Next chapter should be fun as we mess Trinity's shit up. Exciting.
Some will complain about Harry being taken out of the fight like he was. To this I say: Harry isn't invincible. A sniper round to the head is as fatal for him as anybody else. He's tougher to kill, but he can be killed. I hope this event makes that clear.
I've decided on a sort of schedule for my fics, being that I'll do a chapter of Brightest in Shadow, then a chapter for a random one of my other fics (whatever catches my fancy, to be honest), then another chapter of this, and so on. I think it should work well, since I'm extremely interested in this fic, but don't want to burn out or get bored of it.
I think that's all for now. Hope everybody enjoyed the chapter. Till next time.