Okay, people, I have completely forgotten this level (Aquatic Research Area). Since I don't have enough space on my ancient computer to install the game and play it (the third time) again through, I am using a walkthrough, and trying my very best to recall the level. Once again, my thanks.

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Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Ending

Chapter 2: Aquatic Research Area

"NO!" he shouted at Lara. She turned back with a questioning look on her face. "The ladder is protected by gun terrets below. You'll be toast if you go that way," Kurtis informed her. Muttering her thanks, she brushed by past him and dropped below from the walkway. Kurtis soon joined the raider.

"There's no other way, really, except for the drain pipe behind the gun terrets. Wait here," Lara said as her brown eyes spotted something. "I'll be back in a sec." She laid down on her abdomen and began to commando crawl. She manoeverd into a block hole, then stood up. The gun terrets couldn't find her as she was standing behind a number of huge boxes and she turned a valve. Almost seconds later, a gray gas floated in the air and the gun terrets completely lost sight of them. She signalled Kurtis to come forward. They both climbed the drain pipe, which surprisingly took their weight easily. Only about moments later, both the collegues were crouched on the floor, escaping from another terret. "Okay, my turn now, smarty pants... uh shorts," Kurtis said sarcastically. Lara growled at the comment.

Aiming with his pistol, he shot a few bullets at a pipe above the terret, which had a huge 'caution' sign on it. The bullets ricochetted and the pipe burst and debris crushed the terret. But the burst pipe released poisonous steam. "Avoid the steam," Lara advised him. They walked on the left side of the room and opened a door to a blue circular shaft. They silently climbed the ladder and followed a huge hall. The automatic doors opened at their approach. Lara lead the way to a small display panel. Everything was in red. "You said that you'll go and turn the power back on, Kurtis. It's still off," Lara coldly said to him.

"Well, I ran into the half Nephilim, something called the Screamer. If I hadn't finished it off, we'd been long dead."

"Reassuring," she muttered to herself. Kurtis walked up and joined her. "We'll have to turn it back on, only then we can move on to the Vault of Trophies," he said. She left the panel and observed the room. No doubt another mutant fish was swimming in the main tank. A small walkway separated the main tank from a little one. A broken window was present underwater. Her eye cught it. "Follow me," she said to him and dived in to water, to the broken window. Yes, surely it was a lever. Pulling it, she turned right with her partner at his heels. Moments later, they were swimming through flooded tunnels. They pulled up through the surface and panted. "You know what you're doing?" Kurtis asked anxiously.

"Restoring the power back. I really have a major hunch that what I am doing is right," she replied and climbed out of the pool. For her, Trent pushed the yellowish button and the adventurers walked out from the place. Lara checked the display panel again. "Oh, yes."

"What?" her so-called partner asked.

"The power has been restored, not fully enough, but still 50 is a good figure," she informed him. 'Now for the other half,' she thought.

"Maybe there," Kurtis pointed to a newly opened door, and without waiting for an answer, started leading the way. Shrugging, the raider followed. Upon entering a steamy room, directed by the door, they pushed a switch and the lift came up. Kurtis turned to face her, smirking. Lara threw a fake smile at him, then later grimaced and brushed past him to the lift.

The room below had a huge observation window, and what they'd been looking for: a lever to turn the rest of the power back on. Lara pulled it while Kurtis stared at the window. Silently, they walked back to the lift, climbed up and returned to the main room. The diplay panel showed that the power was completelty turned back on.

Maybe, the lights became brighter, or maybe, just now, Lara noticed a lever, a switch and then a ladder. She had to look at several directions for that. 'A puzzle!' her mind exclaimed. Without waiting for Kurtis, she raced up the stairs. "HEY, wait up!" he yelled at her and follwed her route. Looking up, he saw Lara pushing an empty chum bucket forward to a gray pad and push a button. The bucket came up to him. Seeing her signal, he used his telekinetic abilities to push the bucket sideways, above the trap door. Lara pulled a lever and some nice, juicy chum (A/N : According to Stella) filled it. "Try using your hands than your abilities, Kurtis..."

"Trent," he answered.

"I don't think I am strong enough to pull the bucket back here," she said to him. "Have the honor, please."

"Pleasure," he replied and pulled the bucket filled with chum back on to the gray pad and pushing it where Lara first saw it. When they returned back downstairs, he asked her, "What good is the chum bucket gonna do to us?"

"I don't know about you, but that gave me inner satisfaction," she smiled at his confused face. She continued to the other walkway, and checked for two levers she had to pull. All that time, Kurtis followed her without a sound. They exited through the opposite door and walked a short way till they came up to a few pipes. 'Strong enough to make it through, are you?'

"What!" she turned back and saw Kurtis looking at her with a confused expression. "What?" he returned.

"Your voice!"

"What with my voice?"

"Didn't you say something now?"

"No."

"Sure?"

"Positive."

Then thinking of it as a mind trick, she started traversing the pipe to the left. Just as she was in the middle, she again heard it. 'BOO!'

Lara's hand slipped the pipe and she began to fall till Kurtis grabbed her by her wrist. He easily managed to pull her up and her hands gripped the pipe tight. "Be careful, will you? You'd been killed if it -"

She turned to him. "You!"

"Me?" he simply answered.

'HA!'

"You are messing with my mind, aren't you?" she asked angrily as she recalled his mind tricks in the Louvre.

'You can mess with mine too.'

"SEE!"

"Well, I just talk telepathically. Anyone can do this. Try it."

It was a new thing, obviously. She gave it a shot. 'Umm... Kurtis, is this gonna work?'

'It is. I am just a call away.'

She grinned then continued traversing.

In ten minutes, they were back at the main room. Really, they did not have to do much when they got up: open a few doors, kill a soldier and collect a few clips.

"Now we have to pull a few things in the water," she began.

"It'll devour us alive!" he objected as he layed emphasis on the mutant fish.

"Wanna risk it?"

"You mad!"

"Well, I'll need to use you as a bait."

"What?" he blurted out.

"Dive in, swim around climb up and I'll do the rest. Go now, we don't have much time."

"I am sorry, I ca-"

"NOW!" she almost impatiently yelled.

Muttering something against women, he dived in and swam round and round the place in circles. Meanwhile, Lara loaded her Viper SMG with new clips and talked to him.

'You can come out now.'

'Finally.'

He climbed out using a ladder, and Lara finished the mutant with the machine gun. Thick blood floated in the water. "Ugh!"

"Let's go," she instructed. Lara pulled the first lever and swam through a newly opened underwater door. They swam to a room and climbed out. Wetsuits hung from an opened wardrobe. She handed Kurtis a full length suit, and a half sleeved herself. "Sorry, but I need a private place to change," she said to him.

"Where will I go?"

"Well... Try the room in which the levers are labeled."

"Okay, then. See you-"

"-In a few," she finished for him, then pushed him in the water and changed. She put the her tank-top in her backpack, along with one leg holster. Lara only wore a leg holster and unusually didn't feel uncomfortable. She swung her backpack on her shoulders, buckled her belt, grabbed a loaded harpoon gun which lay there catching dust with two aqua lungs and raised the water level of the room. Then later, when the room was flooded, pulled another lever that revealed a trapdoor, or should we say, the entrance to the Vault of Trophies. Both the partners met in the room, Lara wading in the water and Kurtis performing a very non-graceful swam dive. Lara laughed.

"You looked more like a duck then a swan!" she joked.

"Oh well, I just don't have your figure for that," he returned. The adventurers put on their aqua lungs and swam to the ancient Lux Veritatis vault.

Ellethiel – Well, thank you really, I hope you like this update too.

Chain Of Memories – Thanks, I just waited for reviews, I already had the previous chapter planned out. Read on.

AKKON – Yes, I used walkthroughs too. Yeah, it's been a decade since I played that game. I'll change it. Read on.

I liked writing the 'telepathy talking' scene. I know you'd be saying right now that why did I have to add this. Cause, it'll work out a lot later. True, Kurtis was silent as a lamb, but hey; Lara needed a break from his explanations. Hope you liked it. Read, enjoy and PLEASE review!