Chapter 39: Defending the Tower

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: Geothermal Valley/Acropolis, Month: November, Day: Wednesday 29th, Year: 2000, Time: 16:59 KRAT…

Leon growled as he pulled the last of the bricks from the wall down. He waved away the dust in the air and looked at Kat and Lara. "Why did that feel therapeutic?"

"Destroying something normally does." Kat snorted as he slipped through the newly made gap.

"Okay." Leon said as Kat and Lara followed him.

They dashed down the hallway. Stopping at the end of the hall as the ground had pockets where the floor eroded away to the level below. They all carefully jumped down and landed in a large puddle. Lara snorted seeing their way out was a wall she'd get to boost. She dashed over and put her back to the wall.

"Looks like it's my turn already." Lara joked as she laced her fingers together.

Leon stepped over to her. "Ready?" He asked her as he put his boot to her fingers.

"I'm not glass. Go." Lara snorted and gave Kat a teasing look.

Leon sighed but tried to not put too much weight on Lara. He put a hand to her shoulder before kicking off from the ground. Lara hissed at his weight. Building muscle of a martial artist, his height and gear, made Leon heavy as hell. He put his other foot to Lara's bent knee and pushed off her shoulder and hands. He grabbed the top of the wall as Lara stumbled from the sudden jolt.

"Sorry! You good?" Leon asked as he pulled himself up on top of the wall.

"I'm good." Lara said as she kicked her leg a moment and shook her hands. "Kat," She resumed her boosting position. "You're turn."

Kat nodded. She ran at Lara and did what she had done if it were Leon boosting her. Boot to hands, other boot to hip, jump up to wall. Leon grabbed Kat's hands and pulled her up next to him. They both looked to Lara who turned and backed up.

"We've got you." Kat assured.

Lara nodded. "Get ready to grab me."

Both got their arms ready. Lara ran at the wall. She kicked at the wall, running up it a moment. Her hands slapped into Leon's and Kat's. They grabbed her and pulled her up easily with minimal strain. They all stood and looked around. They appeared to be in an old wooden storage room. Through a window, they saw what blocked the door for the people. It was a large lock. It looked old.

"There it is…" Lara said nodding though the iron window.

"Maybe we can unlock that somehow. Get the door open and not damage it too badly." Leon voiced. "Make sure they can lock the way behind them. Delay Trinity for a bit at least."

Kat shook her head. "See that?"

Leon and Lara squinted in the dwindling brazier light. Their hearts sank at the idea, of Jacob's people possibly locking the door behind them, being snuffed. Through the window they saw that the door had piles of wood and stone in front of it. It was too heavy by the looks of it to bother trying to get in there and lift them out of the way.

"Well crap. So, we're blowing it up then." Lara sighed and looked around.

There was a floor below them. They dropped down and found that it was partly empty of what normally was there, looks like it was a weapons storage. Armor, weapons, and ammo were staked in crates or lined up on shelves.

"It's an armory…" Kat stated.

Leon looked round. "Not much left."

Kat smiled as she picked up one of the remaining bows. The string was old, but it could be fixed. "Well, you do need a stronger bow." She handed it Leon. "Try that draw. It might snap. But it could hold."

Leon took the bow. It looked like an old recurve, from the Mongols. He gripped the string and felt the ash and dust on it. As he drew it back, he felt it strain a bit and he hissed. It was harder to draw back than the makeshift.

"Feels harder, but…I think it's better than the one I've got." Leon agreed. He slowly let out the pull and nodded. "Feels solid, maybe just replace the string."

"Good. It'll strengthen your arms." Kat smiled then looked to Lara.

Lara walked to one of the boxes and smiled picking up a strange attachment for arrows. "This should do it." She muttered as she grabbed up several of them.

"What is that?" Kat asked as Lara started attaching them to some arrows she quickly made on the spot.

"Grenade arrows." Lara smiled and handed two to Leon and two to Kat. "They'll help break the blocked door and we could use them for other blockages."

Leon nodded tucking the two into his quiver. "Great."

"Well, now we're either Hawkeye or Green Arrow. But only one of us is wearing green…and none of us are wearing purple." Kat joked as they climbed an old ladder back up to the window.

Once there, Lara nocked one of her new arrows. Before she drew it back she moved a few steps toward the doors window. "Get clear of the door!" Lara yelled to the people and Sofia. "I have to blow it."

They looked to each other and backed off quickly. Lara waited a moment, letting those behind the door get to cover. Then she drew back and quickly let her hand fall back and the grenade arrow sang forward. It flew freely through the window and then crashed into its target. The moment in impacted with the block, it exploded. The blockage was ripped apart along with the door. The only thing that remined, as the dust settled and the smoke thinned, was an open doorway and fire licking the edges of the door jambs.

As Lara lowered her bow, Sofia came running out then stopped and started directing the people out. Pointing down the path and waving her arm in a circle. Lara, Leon, and Kat joined them soon after as the elderly men, women, and children dashed out and down the path, following the other people. Seeing the three Sofia nodded to them.

"Thank you, the three of you." Sofia nodded. "They'll be safe in the catacombs for now." She then grabbed them and led them off to the side as the people continued to pass. "I know you seek the Divine source." She began making them stiffen up with worry. "But my people will die to protect it."

"Your people are already dying. You can't protect it forever." Lara informed before Leon or Kat could speak.

"We've lasted this long." Sofia definitely stated. "But for now, I'm glad to have you as an ally. All three of you."

One of the men ran over getting their attention. "They're converging on the tower! We've still got people there!"

They looked to the tower in question. Some fire flickered in windows and smoke drifted out on the wind. It looked dark and ominous against the twilight sky.

"Get the other's to safety." Leon told Sofia.

"They'll need a leader to look to and take care of them." Kat agreed as Lara nodded.

Sofia nodded and joined with her people. Leaving Leon, Lara and Kat to continue to the tower.

Country: Russia, State: Siberia, City: Siberian Wilderness, Place: Near Kitezh, Area: Geothermal Valley/Acropolis, Month: November, Day: Wednesday 29th, Year: 2000, Time: 17:09 KRAT…

After helping Kat stand on the ruined flaming bridge, their radios beeped. "Lara, Leon, Kat!" Jacob's voice called out sounding both exhausted and determined. "I'm here! But we're taking fire from the choppers!" He was forced to shut up a moment at the sound of gunfire. "I need you to get Trinity's attention, any way you can!"

"Leave it to us." Lara said.

"We can do this. Just need to find something." Leon voiced.

One at a time, they jumped from one part of the bridge to the other. Helping the others who jumped over. Kat sent one of their grenade arrows at the door they had to go through and destroyed the blocking debris. The doors themselves were too thick and old to break but destroying the blockage had shown them that the bottom of the doors was rotten and fragmented enough that they could crawl through.

Leon crawled through first then turned around to help Kat and Lara through. He heard foot falls and turned around to see one of Jacob's people.

"Over here, we need your help!" He yelled to them.

It was too late to help the man though. An explosion behind him to the left got his attention so he stopped running. The moment he stopped moving a bullet cracked into his head. He fell to the ground dead. The three jumped to action when they saw Trinity's people. They didn't need to speak to each other. In that moment they needed to be as loud as they could be and hope they got the attention of the helicopters. If they could draw them away from Jacob's group, then they could find the surviving people and get them the hell out.

Country: Russia, State: Siberia, City: Siberian Wilderness, Place: Near Kitezh, Area: Geothermal Valley/Acropolis, Month: November, Day: Wednesday 29th, Year: 2000, Time: 17:23 KRAT…

They ran through an old archway. The ruins around them likely had been a castle or cathedral at some point but had been converted into a market or trading post. Either way, it was still in disarray from fires, the dead, and those still fighting. Anything wood had been trashed and was burning. Ash glittered in the air and smoke was blocking out the sun, turning the day into a false twilight. They turned a corner, seeing Trinity's people firing at Jacob's. Needless slaughter. Killing children. People just defending themselves from invaders didn't deserve this.

But Jacob's people were winning. They could see it. Word had got around to other people of Kitezh, to use Trinity's weapons against them. It was working. Jacob's people knew the valley and everywhere in it. Trinity did not. They were at a severe disadvantage. Yeah, they had two helicopters, but even helicopters had limits.

Lara smiled with pride that they were winning. She pulled her radio. "Jacob, it looks like we've got the upper hand!"

By then the three where in cover looking for where the choppers were. Taking this time to check their ammo and weapons. They were thankful for the extra ammo from the fallen and scattered ammo cashes.

"Good work. Those choppers should be in range soon." Jacob informed them from the radios.

No sooner had he said that, one of the choppers came around.

"They're here!" Leon shouted into his radio.

But they didn't need to worry about one of them. Someone on Jacob's side sent something at it. Whatever it was, it exploded on impact. The explosion damaged it enough to send it into a spin. Another explosive hit it. The base of the blades this time. That sent it falling over a wall a good distance from them. It crashed and a fireball erupted upward. It sent an orange glow around the area for a moment.

"We did it." Kat told Jacob as they stood from cover and cheers sounded from Jacob's people as some gunfire closer to them died down.

"Lara, Leon, Kat, are you three there?" Sofia asked over the radios after they beeped. "Trinity is storming the tower. We're trapped in the catacombs beneath!"

Their eyes widened at that information. They may have taken out one of the choppers but the battle was far from over.

"Damn…" Lara gasped.

"Hold the line, keep your people safe." Leon ordered.

"We're on our way." Kat assured.

They ran up some stairs and ducked into cover quickly as bullets came from some of Trinity's people. Kat threw together a quick Molotov then threw it over their cover and at their assailants. Fire rained down and around the group, it missed three of the attackers. The others were coated in flames as they screamed in pain and shock.

Lara fired her pistols on the men and a woman that jumped out of cover and away from the burning people. Leon joined her. When a man came crashing through a rotted door with battle armor and shield, Leon slid around him, pulled his axe and knife and sliced the man's neck and sank the axe point into his ribs. After looting any ammo they could use, they came upon a locked door, not wanting to waste ammo on blowing it, they decided to crawl under it through a broken board at the bottom.

"This is team 5, we're heading into the catacombs." One of the men said as Kat pulled her spear and knife, and Lara pulled her bow, seeing only three people. "Need some backup here." He continued as Leon pulled his knife and axe again.

"Got it, on our way." The guy on the radio said as Leon, Kat, and Lara snuck up behind all three.

They all made their move. Lara rushed the one in the middle and looped her bow around his throat before pulling tight. Kat stabbed into the right guy's gut and then sliced his throat. Leon grabbed the left guy by his forehead and pulled back before dragging his knife across his throat. With a crack from Lara, they all dropped their dead bleeding targets.

"They're here!" Someone yelled letting them know there were others in the room they hadn't been able to see.

"You're damn right we are!" Lara yelled in anger.

A white spotlight shined through the wooden slats. Men and women lowered down quickly on ropes. The second chopper. The three switched to long range weapons, Kat her rifle, Lara her bow and the exploding arrows, Leon barrowing Lara's assault rifle.

"Hold your positions, push them back!" Yelled one of the men to the others just before a shot took him out as a bullet hit right between his eyes.

He dropped as Leon and Lara joined Kat in firing. 30 seconds and they had the first wave down. The three quickly moved forward and over to the locked trap door to the catacombs.

"Reinforcements are here," Shouted a new voice as they reloaded and covered each other. "Pin them down!"

Leon fired on the Trinity men and women before ducking behind a pillar to reload. "Loading!"

"Gocha covered!" Kat called out as she popped a brass as she aimed and fired her next round.

"Switching for bow!" Lara called as she ran out of full clips.

"Go, go!" Shouted one of the men as Leon came back out to fire. "Keep your heads down!"

That guy died as Kat's rifle shot found its home in his neck. He didn't follow his own advice about keep their heads down. Leon's shots took out four guys, heads and necks mostly unrecognizable. Lara's exploding arrows blew off legs and arms. All this death seemed to be making the number of Trinity dwindle quickly.

"The-they're still standing…" One of the men yelled in shock that their brute force and numbers wasn't working against just three people. "Someone…just kill them!"

"Come and try!" Kat taunted.

"Come on!" Lara joined in.

"Seems to us, you're too chicken shit to take on us. You'd rather fight old women and children!" Leon called out as they moved to new cover.

They continued cutting the men and woman of Trinity down. Each man or woman the three killed, the more cautious the enemy grew. They took down the last of the minor soldiers because the next wave to appear was armored and looked like a SWAT team.

"Hostiles spotted!" One called looking at the three.

"For fuck's sake!" Leon groaned. "I'm almost out of ammo!"

"Same!" Kat whispered as she looked at the two. "Close range time!"

"Agreed!" Lara said as she switched her bow for her axe and knife.

Kat was first as she ran at the guy with a shield, he seemed too confident. But just as he opened to swing, he coughed as he hit Kat's right shoulder. He was confused for a moment as Kat's knees buckled from the hit to her shoulder. But he looked down and saw a spear was in his chest, right under the protective vest. In his diaphragm. He coughed again on blood as Kat hissed in pain and pulled her spear back and swung it horizontally at his head. He could only make gurgling sounds as his throat was sliced open.

Leon and Lara double teamed the other guy. Lara getting his attention by swinging her axe and knife at him wildly. Letting him be overconfident. But the guy didn't realize he was backing up into a trap. It was over in four seconds. Then Leon wrapped an arm around his throat and anchored to his other arm. Then with a sharp movement and crack, Leon snapped his neck.

He let go of the guy and they realized it was all over. No more of Trinity's people were attacking. The helicopter was flying away. A full retreat. Kat leaned on her spear shaking as she tried rolling her left shoulder but jolted in pain. Leon saw the movement and ran over.

"Are you okay?" He asked as Jacob's people cheered and came out of hiding or from fighting.

"No…" She hissed. "My shoulder. I think that hit did something."

Leon checked her shoulder in a similar way she had for him way back on Starlight. Kat hissed out a curse word in both English and Norse. He sucked on his teeth.

"I think that ass dislocated it." He helped her to some sandbags as Lara moved to help people. "Can I feel your shoulder properly?"

Kat nodded and struggled to take her coat off. Leon helped her get her coat off and her gear. Now that he could feel and see her shoulder better, he shook his head.

"It feels dislocated, but not fully. Might be more strained than anything." He looked to Kat. "I wanna try what you did for me back then. See if it helps."

Kat nodded. "Should help."

Leon led Kat over to a crate and she laid down on it on her stomach. Leon then took Kat's arm and pulled it downward at the stone floor. Kat hissed as she struggled to relax her arm. A soft pop sounded letting them both know that it had been a very small dislocation. Leon almost let up on the pressure but stopped himself and looked at his watch.

"How's it feeling?"

"Not as painful. Bustard hit hard with that baton." Kat told him.

Lara came over. "Your arm will have to be in a sling."

Kat looked at Lara. "No…it was minor."

"Kat, I had to have a sling for my arm, remember?" Leon reminded, partly smiling at their roles reversed.

"Hels." Kat ground as she closed her eyes. "Can't use my rifle one armed yet and using a spear one handed can be exhausting. Just my axe, knife, or pistol."

"If we have to go anywhere, you'll stay here, and Leon and I can keep going." Lara advised.

Kat groaned. "I need battle. This is the only time I can get it." She muttered in her accent.

Leon took a breath as he looked to Kat. "If it's not too strong, I'll watch your back. But if there's swimming or climbing, you might have to stay here."

Kat looked at him. "I can swim with one arm."

Leon sighed. "Stop being stubborn."

"I'll eat the healing herbs. Might work. Like eating the blue herb for curing most poisons." Kat said as Leon let go of her arm.

Leon raised an eyebrow at Kat. "I don't think you should ingest green and red just yet."

Lara nodded. "It could knock you out of a bit or impar your mind."

Kat sighed as she sat up and nodded in agreement. "True."