Chapter 2 – Booby Trapped
All was quiet in the Monarch's darkened sanctuary. No one had entered its sacred realm in many years. The jewel itself shone brilliantly in the dim light of two rows of undying torches. Suddenly, a dirty pair of hands and a set of grappling picks appeared at the edge of the Monarch's chamber, clambering for a sure hold. Soft grunts and heavy breathing followed, accompanied by a head and shoulders. Lara Croft pulled herself into the hidden room where the Monarch Sapphire sat waiting for another unsuspecting victim. She was covered from head to toe in dust and sweat. She tossed off her harness and gear, stumbling into the light of the torches in awe. An annoying squawking sound echoed in the room.
"Lara! Lara can you hear me! Are you alright?"
"Bryce… I can see… I can see the… it's beautiful!" Lara replied between labored breaths.
"What? What can you see?
"The… Monarch. I can… see it!"
"You can? Well, what the hell does it look like, Lara? Don't keep us on pins and needles up here!"
"It looks… exactly like I knew it would." With that, she turned off the headset completely and stuffed it into her pack.
She stared into the gloom that surrounded her now. She could see the Monarch, and her heart resounded with the joy only a tomb raider could experience. She looked about her cautiously, waiting to take her first step until she was sure there were no identifiable booby traps. When she figured all was clear, she stepped quietly toward the jewel. The torches flickered in some unseen breeze, and Lara stood still again. She hadn't come this far to be pummeled by some ancient snake pit or something. She continued walking slowly towards the Monarch, increasingly enthralled with its shape and beauty and allure. She came within a foot of her prize and stopped.
"It's too easy," she said to herself. "It's just too easy." She moved her hands slowly in front of her, checking for poison dart triggers. When nothing happened, she looked up to see if any large objects were held poised to crush her flat. Nope, nothing there either. She took out a small thermal scanner and switched it on, taking comfort in its stupid 'blipp-blipping' in the silence all around her. When the scanner picked up nothing of interest besides her own body heat, she turned it off and stuffed it back into her pack. "I don't understand it," she mumbled to herself. "By all rights there ought to be some kind of heinous trap awaiting anyone so foolish as to enter the hidden room with motives concerning the jewel. But there isn't! What am I missing?" She took a final careful step forward and looked at her prize. She had made it. It was hers for the taking. But something didn't feel right.
She touched the Monarch gently, tracing a finger over its perfectly cut surface. She imagined it sitting on top of a small velvet pillow, encased in a glass cube, displayed on the shelf of her favorite bookcase in Croft Manor. She smiled slyly and snatched the jewel, bracing herself for whatever would come. Nothing. Nothing at all. She looked about her in curiosity, wondering why she hadn't tried this before. She grabbed a handful of industrial cellophane wrap out of her back zipper pocket and wrapped the jewel up as carefully as possible. She pulled off her pack, opened it, and placed the Monarch tightly between two extra shirts she had brought along… just in case. She closed her pack and tossed it back over her shoulders. She saluted the small stone column that had just moments before been the resting place of one of the most beautiful jewels in the world. Then, she jogged slowly towards the entrance to the hidden room.
She stopped halfway back when she heard the rumbling again. This time it was louder and closer. It sounded like the entire world was caving in on her! She looked around, trying to remain as calm as possible, only to see the section of the room where she had just been fall through the floor and go crashing to the ground far below.
"Oh shit," she mumbled. "That's what I forgot!" She braced herself and ran as fast as she could down the hall of the hidden room. The floor continued to fall away close behind her. She grabbed her headset and stuffed it into her ear, wincing at the pain. "Bryce! Bryce! Emergency!"
"Lara! What – "
"The whole damn place is coming down, Bryce! Get the goddamn Hummer ready!"
"You got it! We'll be ready to fly once you get out of there! No get out of there, Lara!" Lara ran as fast as she knew how, but she soon realized it wouldn't do her any good. She was running out of room, and fast. The edge of the room and the sheer drop to the floor loomed before her. She tightened the straps on her pack, picked up her pace, and sped toward the opening as the rest of the room gave way.
Just as she was about to go off the edge, she made a leaping jump into the air. She quickly pulled a ripcord protruding from the side of her pack, releasing a small black parachute from her knapsack. Another of Bryce's handy gadgets. The minni-chute she supposed.