On a sunny day in a desert, a shiny silver saucer drifted through air. Its' tiny shadow wobbled on scalding sands.
Within saucer's walls, in a cartography room, Lara fussed around engrossed map. Books, notebooks and papyrus rolls scattered on the table. She keenly studied old journal in her hand.
As ship passed one of unexplored areas, Lara flinched.
— Hime, who was that? — she asked.
— Please, specify your inquiry, — pleasant voice rang in a room.
— I mean a traveler, whom we just missed. What was he doing here?
— We missed no one.
Lara stopped working.
— What do you mean?
— No life presence detected so far. We are alone here.
— Check it again! We just missed somebody!
— Scanners did not misread. There was no one.
— That's impossible! Hime, stop the ship!
Saucer halted in its' track.
Lara dropped the journal and rushed to the bridge. She lunged to a control panel and checked the scanner.
There indeed was nobody.
— What the hogwash?
She looked through back window.
Nothing, but sandy dunes up to very horizon.
— Hime, ride back until I tell you to stop.
Saucer set off again. It drifted back the way it came.
— Here! Stop! — Lara looked down to the floor. — It's right here under my feet. Can't you see them?
Main screen flickered showing sand dunes.
— See for yourself.
Lara keenly inspected every curve and shadow on surface.
Realization dawned on Lara.
— Hime, run deep scan through the ground!
An impulse blasted out from underneath the saucer and sunk at the sands.
Dark spots appeared on scanner's screen. Sharp and symmetrical. Arranged closely to each other.
— No life presence detected. Only empty spaces, arranged in artificial pattern.
Lara's eyes widened.
— That's a settlement… — she mumbled. — Then what does-
Her face turned ashen. Goosebumps crawled her skin.
— Forget scans! Drill a hole! Now!
— Mjolnirs are incapable of such task.
— Then what can we do?
— Call a rescue, if needed.
— Damn it!
Lara dashed through the doors. She zipped the stairs to ship's very bottom. A hangar.
She ripped open small compartment and took out a vial with yellowish liquid.
— Lara, what are you doing? — Hime's voice gained shades of concern.
— Somebody's burred there! Alive! And I have no intention of leaving them to die a horrible death!
— That is not your concern.
— So what? Should I just leave them be?
— Yes, if alternative jeopardizes your own well-being.
— Are you insane? What sort of barbarian do you take me for?
— That is better option than suicide.
— I don't plan to kill myself!
— You will, if you take that.
Lara clenched the vial.
— Like I have a choice! Rescue will arrive too late!
— You do not know that!
— Shut up!
Lara opened the vial and chugged entire content in one gulp. She closed her mouth to stop an urge to throw up. Through shear effort she swallowed the liquid.
— Blergh! — she frowned. — I'll never get used to this taste.
Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Her mind started to spin.
She dropped empty vial with others and closed compartment.
— Hime, — she slammed a button and opened an airlock, — prepare medbay.
Hot wind blasted her in the face. Dust clouds wreaked a havoc among dunes.
Lara stepped outside.
— …Noted.
She tumbled down cutting through hot air. Wind howled sliding around. Earth dragged in. To smash against hard sand.
Midway she jolted to a halt.
While dangling high in the air, she swung her hand.
…
CRACK!
…
A chasm ripped open in a ground spewing clouds of dust. Loose sands flooded gaping jaws and plummeted to an abyss.
— Ngh! — Lara clutched her head.
She swallowed numbing pain and sunk to the chasm. She plunged deeper and deeper, where sun didn't reach anymore. Dark caves skewered both walls. Some small, some big. They stretched deep down the pit.
Once Lara reached the last cave, she halted. One of them emanated faint light.
Lara reached out. Clenched both fists. And pulled.
…
CRASH!
…
Massive chunk of rock ripped out from the wall. Pebbles and small debris crumbled to the chasm.
Rock drifted closer to Lara. But at her gesture it plunged down. Rumbling, smashing and cracking. It vanished in abyss.
Deep within clawed out cave, Lara saw a person. A blonde woman in ripped Egyptian dress. She dangled in a cone of bright light.
Lara lunged closer only to find her suspended in motion. Streaks of blue blood extended from wounds and dangled by her body. Cuts and bruises covered her hands, legs and face. Long hair floated in disarray.
Lara reached at her and pulled.
Woman's body bent. Drifted to light's border. It broke out hurling at Lara.
— Gah! — woman gasped as she crashed to her arms.
Blood gushed out from open cuts. Woman groaned, wheezed painfully. Although, she mustered last strength to raise her head and look at Lara. Gaze clouded and unfocused.
Woman sunk to her arms.
Lara tightened the hug and drifted back to the chasm. They moved up lightly sailing through cold darkness. They slipped out from the chasm. Sailed through sunny hot air. Shrouded under saucer's shade and slipped through open airlock.
Lara took woman to medbay and placed her on medical bed. She gently caressed her head.
Lara gasped as sharp pain stung her brain. Her sight blurred and her mind blacked out. She collapsed on the floor.
Lara regained her senses to a soothing buzz of medical equipment. Her head throbbed, but she could manage.
Groaning she rose up, but a warm hand softly pushed her back.
— Lay still. You have not fully recovered yet.
— ! — Lara flinched.
Pretty young girl stood by her bed in nurse's clothes.
Lara shuddered. She grabbed her hand and gently squeezed.
— Hime, please, forgive me!
Raven-haired girl glared at her coldly.
— Oh? You have the audacity to ask my forgiveness now?
— I'm sorry!
— You expect me to simply comply to your wishes and forget?
— I'm really sorry!
Hime scowled.
— I had to load this body to save your worthless existence!
Lara lunged at her and wrapped in a tight hug.
— I know! You have no idea how thankful I am!
— No! It is you, who have no idea! Can you at least fathom how scared I was?
— I know…
— You know nothing! I thought you were going to die!
— I'm sorry…
— You scum! I will never forgive you! I never want to see you again!
Hime started to sob.
— I'm sorry…
— I hate you! — she cried through tears.
— I'm sorry…
Lara held her tightly wrapped in arms. She gently caressed her silky hair repeating soothing words over and over again. Eventually, Hime calmed down.
— I apologize for such unsightly looks, — Hime wiped her tears. — I did not want to break on you. I simply was worried.
Lara gave her a smile and gently caressed her cheek.
— You have nothing to apologize for. I deserved some scolding. Besides, getting angry at someone you care is perfectly normal. That's what makes us human.
— I… see… Thank you.
— See? — Lara grinned. — Now that is Hime I know!
— Oh, hush.
Hime tossed new clothes Lara in the face and went to check on other patient.
— How is she? — Lara asked while dressing up.
— Her condition is stable. Internal and external wounds had been sealed. Fractured and broken bones had been repaired. All that is left is her mental state. It will take some time to recover.
— Did you notice her blood?
Hime glared at her.
— Like I could miss that.
— Who do you think is she?
— I cannot say.
Fully dressed, Lara joined Hime.
— She is of unknown species?
— Perhaps. Only she herself can answer such inquiry.
She leaned on bed's handrail.
— Guess, we'll have to wait until she wakes up.