Taking on the Andes

Lara, Carlos, and Larson started their trek into the Peruvian countryside the very next day. With Carlos behind the driver of their terrain vehicle, Lara was able to enjoy the sights of the grassy, green farmlands, where many alpacas were seen grazing under the midmorning light of the sun. The sky was a deep azure blue and the tall, spire-like mountains were glistening with fresh snow. Looking around, there was not a single cloud in the sky, but Lara knew that that would change in the coming hours.

"This place we are going to is actually not that far from Machu Picchu." Carlos said from the driver's seat. "By that, I mean over a hundred kilometres. Have you ever been there, Lara?"

"I haven't." Lara said. "But I've seen plenty of amazing photographs of the ancient city. It's actually very beautiful."

"It's even better in person!" Carlos said. "Especially just as the sun is setting over the mountains. Nothing, in my opinion, can compare to the sheer beauty of the ancient city at sunset."

Lara could not help but feel uncomfortable with the way Larson had situated himself in the backseat of the Jeep. She was beginning to get the impression that he was up to something that she was unaware of.

Why does he keep giving me that bloody smirk of his? Lara thought to herself. If only I could just find out…

Larson had remained quiet for much of the trip. Although he somewhat had feelings for Miss Croft, he still could not get over the humility that he suffered back in Rome after he failed to beat her to the legendary Philosopher's Stone. That was the first time he had ever been beaten by a woman, and now it seemed that he could find Lara in almost every magazine and news report everywhere he went.

So what if she found the Ark of the Covenant? he thought. So what if she beat me to the Philosopher's Stone? I still have something that she doesn't have, and that is a strong military background!

"Hey, Larson!" Lara said, looking at him from the front seat. "You're awfully quiet back there!"

"I'm just thinking to myself right now." Larson replied, though not in a very enthusiastic manner.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Lara. Just a little tired…"

Uh huh. Lara thought.

Just then, Carlos slowed the Jeep down as he guided them down a dirt road towards the point where vehicles became obsolete when traversing the treacherous mountain. They had finally reached their destination.

"Well, here we are!" Carlos said as he killed the engine. "Let's get our stuff together and start climbing that mountain. It will be another two hours before we reach the entrance to Vilcabamba."

Lara was the first to climb out of the Jeep. She took a few steps forward and took in the fresh, cool mountain air as a small breeze blew through her braided hair. She was ready for another exciting adventure.

"Aren't you going to grab your belongings Miss Croft?" Carlos asked as he reached in the back to get his backpack.

"Yes, of course!" Lara replied.

Larson walked up to her with a strange grin on his face.

"What?" Lara asked.

"Enjoying the fresh air I take it?" he said.

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that." Lara said. "Especially after being stuck on an airplane for over twelve hours."

"Yes, well I hate to rain on your little parade, but I won't be able to join you and Carlos up in the Andes today. I have other things to take care of."

"Well, that's good." Lara said. "That way I won't have to listen to you complain all the way up! You do have a reputation of doing that…"

Larson said nothing. He knew what Lara said was true, but he wished Lara was not so condescending towards him, even after the mistakes he made in the past. Still, he knew that Lara would not forgive him anytime soon.

"Listen, I know you're mad at me." Larson said. "But face it; you wouldn't be here if it weren't for me. I'm the one that told you about the City of Vilcabamba. This will be your next great adventure."

"I'm flattered by this offer." Lara said. "But that doesn't change my feelings about you, especially after last year's little incident in Rome. I hope you know that it's your entire fault."

With that said, Lara walked away from Larson and to the back of the Jeep to grab her equipment. Larson just stood there and could not help but feel a rush of anger rushing through him. He kept thinking about the orders that Natla had given him:

Be sure Lara finds the Scion, when the time is right, steal it from her and bring it to me. Also make sure that she is disposed of as well, we don't want her to screw things up.

Larson did not agree with Natla at first, but now he wanted his revenge against the British aristocrat for his pathetic 'loss'.

Meanwhile, Lara was getting suited up for the upward hike. She grabbed her trusty backpack, a prized possession that she collected from a skeleton in ruins near the Cambodian capital of Angkor Wat when she had the privilege of going on an adventure with her former mentor, Werner Von Croy, when she was just sixteen years old. Picking it up, she remembered the race and how she had beaten him to the artifact before he did and also the earthquake which followed after Von Croy tried to retrieve the artifact and was trapped inside the revolving globe in which the Iris was kept. Lara had not seen Von Croy since then, though she knew he was still alive. From what she read, Von Croy was living in New York and had his own company, but that was all she knew.

Lara, then grabbed her passport, compass, sunglasses, music player (though she probably would not use it anyway), a few 'health packs', a canteen full of water, a few snack bars, and her new alpaca fur cloak to keep herself warm.

"Are we almost ready Miss Croft?" Carlos asked.

"Almost." Lara said. "I still need to grab a few more things."

Lara reached into the Jeep and found her trusty dual pistols and the holsters that carried them. She then took the holster straps and attacked them to her belt and tightened the straps around her legs to keep them from moving so much. Finally, she took the pistols and checked to see if they were loaded and grabbed ten more packages of bullets to store in her backpack, just in case of an emergency. She was now set and ready to go.

"Are you sure you're going to need those?" Carlos asked curiously, referring to the weapons.

"You never know what kinds of dangers are lurking out in the wild." Lara replied. "Isn't that right, Larson?"

Larson, who was still standing on the other side of the Jeep, simply glared at Lara.

"Well, isn't Larson coming with us?" Carlos asked.

"No, he has some important things to care of." Lara said.

"I'll just meet you guys back down here." Larson said. "Don't be gone for too long. Remember there's a snowstorm that's expected to blow through the mountains today!"

"There's no guarantee for that!" Carlos exclaimed. "Are you sure you can't come with us?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright. I promise." Larson replied. "Besides, I have tons of paperwork that needs to be done before tomorrow. Natla doesn't take late work very kindly."

"Okay, we'll back in a few hours." Lara said. "I sure hope you won't regret it."

"Don't worry, Lara." Larson replied. "I'll be just fine."

The trap has been set! Now is my chance to explore the caves myself and find the first part of the Scion while Lara searched for it. I hope Pierre is having better luck than me right now, wherever he's at.

Hey, everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in such a long time! I got carried away on the other story that I have uploaded to this site, which I've dedicated to the Mario brothers. If you want, feel free to check it out sometime...

Anyway... Lara, Carlos, and Larson have reached the base of the mountain in which the entrance to the City of Vilcabamba is located. Larson decides to stay behind, as he said he would do in the previous chapter. However, Lara is starting to suspect that something is fishy with him and that he has some unknown agenda to fulfill; still, she doesn't pay much attention to it and remains focussed on the adventure.

There is a reference from Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation in regards to where Lara found her backpack. For those of you who have played the game before, this should sound familiar. Also, the reference of Von Croy's current wherabouts in New York are suggestive to later events that will happen, as revealed in Tomb Raider: Chronicles.

I will try and update this story as much as I can more often. Once again, I do apologize to those of you who have been waiting for me to update this for almost two months. I will keep in touch! :)

saturn95