V. Trouble

The two women moved through the forest at a quickened pace. Lara purposely moved slower, allowing Joanna to keep pace. However, it brought a few objections from the stubborn agent which were promptly ignored. Not being as experience at running through the jungle at night as Lara, Joanna might have needed her to go slower, were it not for the nightvision lenses she had activated before they left. She watched the ease with which Lara moved through the thick jungle and found herself amazed at how adept she was. On her best day she couldn't move like that.

Lara suddenly stopped and stooped down, prompting Joanna to copy her. Jo scooted up next to her and Lara showed her the two figures standing mere feet from their position. They stood in close proximity, one lighting a cigarette, the other already smoking. Close-quarter automatics hung from straps at their sides. Lara signaled to Jo to stay put and then moved away before she could object.

The two men stood smoking and chatting, not in the least bit aware of their surroundings. They stood guarding what looked like a gaping hole in the ground. A rustling off to their left grabbed their attention, causing them to reach for their weapons. In a flash, Lara was at their opposite, guns drawn and aimed squarely at their chests.

"That's well enough, boys," she told them, cocking the hammers on her pistols. "Now set the guns on the ground, if you would."

The two slowly set their guns on the ground and stood facing the young treasure hunter. She motioned them away from the hole and they complied. Once they were against a tree, Lara inquired, "Who are you working for?"

A sound behind her caused her to whip a gun around, pointing it at a third man she had known to be somewhere nearby. The barrel of her gun wasn't but an inch from his head, the barrel of his not a foot from her waist.

"Thinking about wasting me?" she questioned him. "Your bullets might kill me if I'm not quick enough, but mine will most certainly end your life. Now why don't you be good chap and move over their with your friends."

As Lara spoke, the others silently pulled gloks from behind them and carefully pulled back on the slides. A choking sound from the one further back prompted the other to turn to face him, gun raised. Lara watched as her assailant's eyes looked away from her and she seized the opportunity. More swiftly than he could react, she turned and brought her leg up, her foot making contact in his most vulnerable spot. The man crumpled instantly and Lara redirected her aim back toward the two men. The first was down and the second had his arm at an awkward angle behind his back. He convulsed, choked, and then collapsed as Joanna de-cloaked behind him.

Lara lowered her guns.

"Are you mad?" she berated the young agent. "Going into combat with a wound like that?"

The man behind her managed a groan.

"Oh, so sorry I messed up your plans of getting killed." Joanna shot back as she picked up the unconscious guards' guns. "Would you like me to come back later when you're full of holes so I can patch you up and save your life?"

"Thank you." Lara replied. "But you could have just disarmed them. I had this one taken care of. And you should know as well as I do what that could have done to that hole in your side."

The man coughed.

"Alright, alright." Joanna conceded. "Point taken. He's getting up."

Lara turn and noticed the man trying to grab his gun. Lara stepped on it, halting his efforts. She then pointed her gun at his reddened face.

"Who are you working for?"

"I hate goons who don't talk." Lara spouted as they turned a dark corner. The two had used ropes that had been left to repel down five-hundred feet into a cool, dark cavern. Lara had been about to pull out her flashlight when Joanna had given her the nightvision goggles to use. The two then proceeded down an opening and quickly found themselves in a maze of corridors.

"Might have something to do with how you immobilized him." Joanna replied. "Those are some pretty large boots."

Lara stopped and stooped down.

"What is it?" Joanna asked.

"Tracks." Lara responded and then looked a little further. "And a body."

She then examined the walls closely.

"Looks like whatever trap was here has already been triggered. Hello. What's this?"

Lara moved to a particular spot on the wall and viewed the markings of an ancient civilization long since disappeared. She was silent for long moments, at last prompting Jo to speak.

"Did you find something?"

"Not sure." Lara replied. "These engravings mention a lady in ice that lives within the emerald. It says 'when the doors are opened, the emerald's treasurer will be revealed; a treasure of much gold that cannot be taken. When a person stands upon the gold in a certain place, the blue lady in ice will grant him entrance to see her. But only those worthy may enter. When the speaker to the spirits-' that's probably their shaman '-uses the key, the doors will open, but the path will be shut. One who is chosen to see the lady must accept his fate to be with her forever.' And it says her spirit speaks to those who enter in the language of the spirits."

"Well that's encouraging." Joanna spouted.

Lara tapped her finger on her lip, thinking. "Something strange about the grammar."

"Let's not worry about it for now." Joanna suggested. "I'm sure this one chap isn't all there is to whomever is after this emerald, or whatever it is that is down here. We'd better get moving."

"Right." Lara complied and then turned and continued down the corridor with Joanna close behind.

The voices started not long after that. They rose steadily as the two women approached a particular corner. Much flickering light could be seen and Lara handed the lenses back to Joanna. She then peaked her head around the corner. A large chamber lay well lit by many torches. On the far wall, taking up nearly the entire expanse was what appeared to be in the flickering light, a large, cut emerald at least five feet in length and three feet in height. The rest of the wall was filled with inscriptions. Lara knew as soon as she saw it that the emerald wasn't an emerald at all. But before she even saw that, her eagle eyes noticed the small artifact held in the free hand of an elderly man dressed in a cream suit and holding a cane in his right hand. She quickly retreated back around the corner and hugged the wall.

"Recognize them?" Joanna whispered, knowing because of the levels of the voices, she wouldn't be heard.

Lara nodded as she quietly checked her clip.

"Von Croy." She whispered back as Jo moved to take a look. "My old teacher. He's the one with the cane. Looks like he's teamed up with Pierre DuPont, one of my rivals. That's the one reading the inscriptions right now. He's NOT interested in adventure. Von Croy has the key. There's a slot on the far left wall. My guess is that Pierre is checking the inscriptions to make sure there aren't any more warnings or traps. Jo."

Joanna came back to her side.

"These are dangerous men who won't hesitate to kill you."

Joanna nodded.

"Right. What's the plan?"

"Bah!" Pierre grumbled. "It's all just legend around the lady in ice. Bunch of nonsense. Nothing to be worried about."

"Just the same," said the man in the suit. "Everyone stand back and be ready for anything."

The six armed men stood back as Von Croy moved to the wall and inserted the key into the slot. A grinding sound filled the chamber as the wall in front of them split and slowly slid away into the side walls. The torchlight flickered and stale air rushed out at them as the glittering gold to which the emerald was attached was revealed. The grinding ceased and the group looked upon the structure in awe.

At last, Von Croy spoke.

"This is not gold." He said. "It's-"

His words halted as a torch suddenly went out. The group turned just in time to see another become extinguished. Then, turning frantic, cocked their weapons, watching in terror as the torches, one by one, were extinguished.

"It's a ghost!" one of them said and began to turn tail and run.

"Stop it, you fools!" Von Croy said, stepping forward. "Just shoot whenever you see a torch go out!"

A shout from behind them grabbed their attention.

"Lara Cro-"

"Bugger all." Lara said as the cowardly grunt fell at her feet. "Joanna! Get the key!"

She then rounded the corner, took aim and began firing, leaping, tumbling and rolling, keeping the men confused and unable to get a solid beat on her in the now limited torchlight.

Von Croy quickly scrambled to get the key out of the wall. He felt something metallic impact his hand and a force push him forward onto the ground as Lara ran past him. He looked back to see a young woman dressed in blue suddenly appear, holding the key. Lara jumped up to the top of the strange structure and Jo tossed her the key as the walls began to close. Pierre raised his guns toward Lara in a deadly aim.

"Oh no you don't-".

His words halted as his weapons were expertly shot out of his hands by Joanna.

"Jo!"

Jo turned to see the walls almost closed. As fast as she could she scrambled up the front of the structure. The walls were closing fast. She felt a pain in her side, slowing her down. She dropped her gun to get a better grip. Lara reached for her and grabbed her arm. The walls were closing. Her foot would be crushed. Lara pulled as hard as she could and pulled the young agent inside just as the walls slammed shut.

"Are you alright?" Lara asked her.

"None the worse for wear." Joanna said with a grunt as Lara helped her up the rest of the way. Lara felt the warm sensation of blood on Joanna's side.

"What did I tell you about combat and tearing open your wounds?"

"Point taken." Joanna replied painfully. "Do you have the key?"

"Yes. But don't count our friends out yet. I only got two of their men and if I know Von Croy and Pierre, they won't give up so easily. Why did you re-appear?"

"I'm afraid these cloaks only last so long. Don't ask me why. The skedar are the ones who invented them, not me."

Another grinding sounded, halting their conversation. The dark chamber was suddenly lit up by a shaft of light shining down directly behind Lara. She looked up and could see sunlight pouring in from a long shaft overhead.

"Looks like your teacher was right." Joanna said knocking on the metallic structure upon which they now sat. "This isn't gold."

"Not in the least." Lara said seeing the closed hatch that lay before her.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Don't ask me." Lara replied, standing up. "This is where my knowledge hits a wall, as it were."

Joanna slowly and painfully stood, holding her side.

"Looks like it's large enough for a large person standing straight. Looks like we could squeeze in one by one…if we can even figure out how to get inside."

Lara looked at it a moment and then kneeled. She pushed experimentally on the plate.

"Weight depression." She mumbled.

"What?"

"Weight depression. Many of these ancient cultures used weight sensitive tiles to trigger their traps. Not saying this is a trap, but I think this panel works on the same principal."

"Well how much weight do we need?"

"It's usually not much at all. But again, that's for a trap. And I don't think this is one."

Bravely, Lara stepped onto the panel. It didn't move, but she could feel the unsteadiness of it.

"Not enough, eh?" Joanna asked her.

"Come stand her with me." Lara said, giving Joanna as much room as she could.

Joanna looked hesitantly at her.

"What about all that about being trapped here forever."

"Don't believe everything you read."

Joanna still hesitated.

"Are you sure about this?"

Lara smiled. "Not in the least."

Joanna made a face, but nonetheless trusted the young treasure hunter and gingerly stepped onto the plate. Immediately, a clicking and whirring was heard as two objects appeared on either side of the panel, and split in two. The panel then moved with the smoothness of an escalator, lowering down into the depths of the structure. The two women held their breaths, hoping that Lara was right and that they hadn't just sealed their fate to being entombed until they died.