Chapter 21: A Rest

I don't own anything. Resident Evil belongs to Capcom and Tomb Raider belongs to Core Design, Crystal Dynamics, and I think Square Enix. The only thing I own is the changes made to the stories of the Tomb Raider games/comics and Resident Evil games/comics/CG movies, the Government branch S.P.E.L.L., the person that has taken over Kathrine Warren's life, and Rose Warren. This story also will be bloody, violent, and have cursing. It's rated T for Teen.

Country: Russia, State: Siberia, City: Siberian Wilderness, Place: Near Kitezh, Area: Soviet Installation/ Hidden Ridge Camp, Month: November, Day: Monday 27th, Year: 2000, Time: 04:01 KRAT…

A loud ringing had gotten her attention from where she'd been. For a second Lara was confused. Then she was running. Running from the library's secret room. She reached the study and pushed the doors open. The sun light in the room framed the desk. Lara's young heart was pounding in her ears.

For a few seconds she didn't understand what she was seeing. "Dad, is everything alright?" She asked as she walked slowly into the room more.

She saw her father. He was at his desk, unmoving and slumped over it. She walked closer, uncertainty and dread filling her bones.

"Dad?" She asked shakily.

Then she froze with a gasp of outright horror. Her father wasn't slumped over his desk. He was draped over it. In his left hand was a handgun…that was still smoking from being fired. His blood had pooled on the desk and was dripping down from it to the floor, pooling again on and by a newspaper. On the paper was his picture and the headline "DISGRACED! RENOWNED HISTORION WILD CLAIMS DEBUNCKED!"

Lara fell to her knees feeling her heart hurt with a pain that was both foreign and familiar. Her father…was dead. She was parentless. An orphan.

The image of her father's study faded as she smelled something strange. Burnt sage. She slowly opened her eyes in confusion. Then her body caught up with her confusion and she tensed up and started coughing. Her throat was sore from more than likely coughing up water. She wasn't the only one coughing though. Leon was heaving and coughing as well from where he was bent over just a few feet from her. Jacob was helping Lara sit up and Kat helping Leon.

"Take it easy." Jacob told Lara as she sat up with his help.

"Don't scare me like that, ever again." Kat told Leon as he braced himself on his elbows before moving farther into a seated position.

"Sorry." He rasped.

"Let's get you both by the fire. Come on." Jacob said as he guided Lara closer to the fire in an old furnace or camp stove of some kind.

Kat helping Leon to it too. Everyone was shivering. Jacob not as much as the others but would shutter every now and then. Kat grabbed them all the furs she and Lara had made nearly two days ago and wrapped Leon in one and Lara in another. Jacob poured some sort of tea from a pot in the fire into bowl-like cups. He stirred each one after adding an herbal mix to them before giving them to each of the young people before him.

"Drink this, it'll help." He told them as they each took the hot cups.

The heat of the cups stung their fingers, but in a good way. Getting their blood to return to their extremities and warm them back up. Kat smelled the tea and tipped her head a moment. She only partly recognized this blend. A green tea it seemed and had a berry-like scent to it. She took another sniff and it dawned on her, Rhodiola Rosea. The Vikings used this in tea because they believed it gave them strength and courage. But now she understood that it helps to improve concentration and clear thinking in the face of stress and fatigue or lack of energy. It also helps for those not used to the thinner air of higher elevations. She looked at Jacob in surprise. He simply smiled at her as she took a long drink from the tea, almost as if he knew what she was thinking.

'Is he testing me? Does he know somehow?' She wondered.

"You could have left us in that river." Lara shivered as Kat relaxed from the tea.

"Would you have left me? Any of you?" Jacob asked with a knowing smile.

Leon looked up from gripping his cup, taking in the dark amber color. "I'd try to help." He said without hesitation. "I'm not the best swimmer though."

Lara looked down at her tea and shrugged with an 'oh well' smile. "I would've thought about it."

"I'm not sure." Kat said honestly. "I'd have to think about the dangers, and that I don't personally know you." She took a sip of the tea. "Ek munu glaðliga mote ér en at þurfa." (I would gladly escort you if in need.) She said in Old Norse, as a sort of test.

Jacob laughed at the three. Such different views from them and yet all similar. He looked at Kat and gave her a quick knowing wink. He stood and sighed. "What makes you think I didn't?" He asked them, referring to Lara's response. He walked to the fire and poked at the logs inside with a makeshift poker. "So, what makes you risk so much to come out here?" He asked looking at them slightly over his shoulder.

Lara looked confusedly up at him as Leon took a drink from his tea, frowning a bit at the taste. "The Divine Source." She said as Leon looked at Kat unsure.

Jacob stopped moving as he looked at the flames for a moment. Then he looked at them over his shoulder. "I know what you're looking for." He sighed as he sat on the stool by the fire, he turned to look at them. "But I want to know why." He said as he cupped his hands between his knees, watching their body language, searching for any form of deception or lie.

Lara swallowed and looked down at her tea that she still hadn't even sipped. "When I was young," She began. "It was just my father and I. He was an archaeologist too." She took a breath, her air, like everyone else was coming out in white puffs. "In his last years, he was obsessed with myths about immortality. Of course, no one believed him…" She looked away from them all and at her tea again, its steam wafting up and lightly stinging her face. "…including me." Lara looked up at Jacob, then at Kat and Leon. They all just kept quiet and listened to her. She took a breath and looked back down and kept talking. "Our last conversation was a fight. He…" She shook her head angrily for a moment, Jacob got up and walked to sit next to Lara on her right, since Leon and Kat were on her left. "I thought he took his own life. But…he was murdered. Made to look like a suicide." She said as Jacob closed his eyes in sympathy. "I thought I'd come to terms with it, but…" She trailed off for a moment.

"Something else happened." Jacob guessed.

"I saw something that I thought was impossible. It changed everything." Lara nodded as she looked to Jacob. "I realized my father was right. He died alone and broken, the only person with him was his murderer." She looked back at her tea. "But he died for something."

Jacob nodded slowly in understanding. "So, you believe the Divine Source is real?"

Lara sighed. "I honestly don't know…" She said but, he saw her look momentarily at Kat before her eyes returned to her cooling tea. "But if there is some truth to it, I have to find out." She said and looked to him a moment. "It…It needs to be researched and studied. It could make a difference to the world. It's not something to be hidden away." She said watching Jacob, hoping he'd see and understand.

Leon stayed quiet. As much as he had started out on this mission having a similar belief to Lara, he was starting to think it'd be best if this Divine Source wasn't real. That even if it was like Kat said it was, it'd be best if it stayed buried or destroyed. Kat sighed shaking her head. She knew it had to be destroyed. People wouldn't stop looking for it. Just like people hadn't and wouldn't stop looking for Excalibur or Shangri-La.

Jacob snorted and shook his head looking down at the warm matts on the floor they all sat on. "A difference is not always for the best." He spoke wisely. "Would you wish Trinity to have the secret to immortality?"

Lara rolled her eyes and looked to him. "Of course not." She stated hating that question. "They are my father's murderers and I've seen what they do and want."

Jacob nodded with a soft comforting smile. "Then I would ask you not to abandon your quest, but to alter its path." He said making Lara look down and nod. "Join me and my people. Help us repel Konstantin and Trinity." He said getting them all to look at him.

"And after it's done?" Leon asked curiously.

Jacob looked at him and noticed that Lara was nodding at Leon then looking at him. He sighed and shrugged. "Then you all leave our valley untouched, but knowing you've done the right thing."

Leon and Kat were nodding but Lara was shaking her head.

"No." Lara said. "I'm sorry, I can't do that." She said and genuinely was apologetic.

"Lara…" Kat started.

"No." Lara looked to Kat sharply. "You know why."

"Can't or won't?" Jacob asked stopping a fight between friends and keeping them on topic.

Lara looked to him and took a breath. "I'll fight Trinity with you, my friends will too, but my goal remines the same." She said seeing his expression change. "If I give up now…"

He understood. "You'd feel like you'd be letting him down?"

Lara shook her head. "Not just him." She said before looking at the floating herbs in her tea. "I need answers, Jacob. I need to understand."

He nodded then stood up startling them all.

"You're leaving?" Leon asked after quickly swallowing some tea.

Jacob nodded as he looked at them. "Right now, my concern is for my village. It's over the mountain pass, a day's journey on foot." He informed them. "But there may be a faster way through the old copper mine." He looked at each of them slowly. "You all rest. I'll be back soon." He assured them.

He gave a small smile and walked out of the sheltered cave. Once he was gone, Kat looked to Lara.

Lara could feel her gaze as she pretended to take a sip of tea. She finally looked up. "What?"

"Spoilers." Kat muttered as she took a drink from her tea. "You should drink before it gets too cold."

Leon sighed. "Anything you can tell us about this whole 'Divine Source' thing?"

"It's not an object for good." Kat voiced making Lara startle. "Remember Himiko? Her Storm Guard? How they were?"

Lara nodded as she took a drink of her tea frowning at the herbal taste. It wasn't English tea.

"That's what happens to most people who encounter the Source. If your will power isn't strong enough, you lose your mind and become little more than a drone." Kat explained.

"Wait, like the Drugur on Starlight?" Leon asked looking up.

Kat nodded. "They are called the Deathless. And they really live up to that name. From what I remember off the top of my head, they once were under the Prophet's guidance, but grew corrupted by the Source's power. They want it for themselves and will protect it until they are the only ones left standing. Because they would be."

Both Lara and Leon stared at her.

"So…what's the point of the Source then if it's such a risk?" Leon asked.

Kat sighed. "It's that same question from Jurassic Park. People saw that they could make something, and jumped to it, never thinking of the risks or consequences. Never thinking 'Should we do this?'" She had a frown on her face, as she looked back to the pot of water. She was not sure if she should share much more. It was clear that Jacob thought he knew or did know who and what she was before. The herb and he understood her Norse comment. She kept her thoughts to herself for the moment.

They lapsed into silence.

Leon jolted. "Oh right." He put his cup down and pulled his pack over. "You know how you two can read old crap?"

Lara and Kat nodded as he opened his bag.

"I uh…I fell into a tomb, I think. Anyway. I found these in there." He said as he pulled out the two scrolls, coin, and cross. "There was also a codex, but I couldn't read it. Or even move it."

Lara took the scrolls and Kat took the other things. Both putting their cups down.

"These are in Byzantine Greek. You won't know it." Lara agreed.

"And I'm super rusty on it. I can read Ancient Greek fine, but this version? It's vastly different." Kat voiced looking over the side of Lara's arm at the scroll.

"What do they say?" Leon asked picking his cup back up.

Lara read over the first one.

This should be more than enough oil to light the passages below, but be careful transporting it. We have not perfected the refining process, and it is still volatile,

You will know the man who supervises the construction, we all do. Without his knowledge of the Earth, none of us would have survived along the difficult journey. Do not linger, and if he asks for word of his wife and child, feign ignorance.

He cannot accept that they perished during our exodus, and expects them to arrive any day. We need his genius, and I fear if he saw the truth, we might lose him entirely.

"Instructions to deliver oil to the workers below where you found it...And not to upset the foreman." Lara said as she finished. "I think the foremen was in denial about the death of his family."

Leon nodded. "The place was pretty advanced for the time. I didn't think stuff that old worked. For a guy in denial, his judgment was good."

"What's the other one? It looked like a letter." Kat asked as she took a drink from her cup.

Lara put the first scroll away then read the next one.

My Love,

This letter is long overdue, but I have been hard at work. When you arrive, there will be a home for you here, with all the comforts we have left behind. It is a huge task ahead of us, to design and supervise the construction necessary to provide fresh water to our people, but all my labor will be paid in full when I see you and our children's faces again.

We will create a new world here, the equal of everything you left behind to follow me. It will not have been in vain, as long as you and I are together.

"A letter from the foreman to his wife...He expected her to join him any day soon." Lara sighed sadly as she finished.

"Poor man." Kat said. "Not grasping the reality of his loss…Or not wanting to."

Leon nodded. "I…I don't know what'd do in that situation."

Kat shook her head then saw the two artifacts. "So, found your first artifacts huh?"

Leon smiled. Happy to talk about something less depressing then the two scrolls Lara put away. "Yeah. This and this." He said picking up the two golden items.

Lara took the cross and Kat took the coin.

"The Prophet's icon, cast in gold...the metalworkers of the city started to develop their own style, but it's still similar to Byzantine craftwork." Lara informed as she looked over the intricately made golden cross.

"This is a coin for I assume the city's currency." Kat said flipping the coin around. "I'd guess this is the side profile of the Prophet on the back." She smiled at Leon. "Nice finds." She said handing the coin back to him.

Leon smiled. As he took it, flipped it then pocketed it. "Thanks. Not bad for a guy who's new to this kind of thing?"

"Not bad at all." Kat smiled.

Lara sighed as she handed him the cross. "We haven't had the chance to do journals for a bit." She said as she pulled her tape player and a fresh tape. "Leon, do you want to record too?"

Leon thought about it. "Might as well. Did it in Raccoon. And I have to write things down before and after missions."

Lara labeled her tape then slapped it in. She hit the record button and started talking. "Alone again. Jacob's gone ahead." She took a breath as Kat got out her liberated recorder. "There's something about him that I can't quite put my finger on. It's strange, but almost comforting...like I could tell him anything and it wouldn't faze him." She looked from Leon to Kat, seeing them both waiting and toning her out the best they could for privacy. "I sense no judgement from him. Yet, at the same time, he's hard to read." She shook her head. "My instincts tell me he's a good man. He saved my life - I think I can trust him, at least for now. But I can't shake a nagging feeling that he knows more than he's letting on." She stopped the recording and took the tape out.

Lara then handed Kat her own tape. Kat took it with a nod. She labeled it and popped it in. She then hit the record button.

"Here we are. Leon, Lara, and I are back together…" Kat looked at them both and took a breath. "Lara trusts Jacob for now. That's a good thing. He knows the land. He can talk with his people. Plus, Jonah's there I believe. Or will be soon." She paused again shifting a bit. "It's also good to be all together again. More eyes to watch our backs. I think Leon and Lara will make great teammates." She smiled a bit, then frowned. "Ana also showed her true colors. And they're not pretty. At least we have some names to hate." She said slightly darkly.

She stopped recording as Lara handed Leon a blank tape. Leon took the tape and put it into his stolen tape player. He frowned for a few moments. Then shook his head.

"Can…Can I have some privacy?" He asked looking at Lara and Kat nervously. "I'm kind of nervous talking it out rather than writing it."

Kat nodded and she and Lara stood and walked to cave's entrance, far enough away that they couldn't hear him if he spoke, but close enough so they'd hear him if he called out. Once they had their backs to him, he hit record and sighed.

"Been a while since I've done this. And on audio. Weird." He shook his head. "So first. This acarological thing is new to me. I'm so far out of my element that it's both funny and frustrating. Funny cause it's weirdly fun, learning things I didn't before, seeing old places. But frustrating because I also don't know anything. The only other language I know and still have to keep practice with is Japanese. And being here? It's opened up so many languages I didn't know about or even thought of." He paused. "Second is that running, hiding, and fighting the human soldiers of Trinity is more familiar. Given all the people Kat and I have fought of the years, it's natural." He sighed and looked up at the two. "Then…then there's Kat. Jonah pointed it out. I'm gonna go out on a limp and guess Lara's seen it too." He took a breath sitting back. "I don't know. It's strange. I…We work so well together. As friends and partners. It's like…like she can read my mind sometimes. And it also feels like I can read hers." He ran a hand through his dry messed up hair. "I don't know what this is that we're doing. I don't know what I'm doing." He lowered his head. "When this is over…We both need to talk." He hit the stop button. "I'm good!" He called to them as he popped the recorder open to label his tape.

Kat and Lara came back. But as Kat moved to sit down, Lara spoke up. "Let's get changed."

Kat and Leon looked at her startled. "Huh?"

"Our clothes are wet and there must be other changes of clothes here. Besides, Kat and I had our coats taken from us, not to mention we've all lost our hats. Looks like this is a supply camp for Jacob's people. There must be dry clothes here." Lara pointed out.

Leon looked down. "Can we give each other privacy?"

"Oh, yeah don't worry. I'm not thinking of peaking." Lara said then sent Kat a playful smirk. "I'm not anyway."

Kat sent Lara a sharp 'I'll kill you later' glare. "We are all adults here."

Country: Russia, State: Siberia, City: Siberian Wilderness, Place: Near Kitezh, Area: Soviet Installation/ Hidden Ridge Camp, Month: November, Day: Monday 27th, Year: 2000, Time: 05:31 KRAT…

Leon finished zipping up his new coat. They all now looked like they were part of the resistance against Trinity now. Leon in mostly gray blues, Lara in grays, and Kat in moss greens. They had all changed with their backs to each other. All being mature adults and not looking. Though there were a few soft gasps of 'Cold! Oh, that's cold.' As they removed their wet things and the cold air blew over their wet skin.

Lara pulled her radio and pushed the talk button. "Jacob…" She asked. "Are you there?"

Static. It almost seems like someone was trying to get through, but none of them could fully tell.

"Damn it, where is he…?" Lara asked looking to Kat and Leon.

It had been at least a few hours and Jacob hadn't returned or called them.

"Maybe he's held up somewhere." Leon guessed. "We should go find him, give him some back up."

"Let's stick together though. No need to separate." Kat advised. "The more eyes and ears we have on this the better."

They all strapped on their gear silently, each in their own thoughts as they checked weapons, reloaded as needed and stored the spares in their packs. Once they were ready, they gave nods to each other, and Leon did a really bad impression of John Wayne.

"All right let's move out. We're burning daylight." He said in grouchy southern voice.

Kat sniggered and Lara rolled her eyes as they all moved to the mouth of the cave.