Chapter 3 – The Phone Call

Lara was jerked slightly upward as the parachute opened violently. She cursed Bryce and his damn parachute until she was no more than twenty feet from the ground. She looked up quickly just in time to see a section of the upper wall come tumbling down with a crash.

"Shit!" She pulled the ripcord on the side of her pack once more, releasing her from the parachute. She went hurtling toward the ground, landing with a thump on her side. She grunted as a sharp pain split up her right thigh. She jumped up and dodged the falling parachute as it came fluttering to the ground. She took off running as fast as she could just as a piece of the ceiling came crumbling down. She flew through the inner chamber, past the pillars she had destroyed earlier, and down a winding set of stone stairs that led to the outermost antechamber located in the front section of the ancient temple. Once she reached the antechamber, she looked around the room, trying to locate the makeshift elevator Bryce had promised to rig for her exit. She spotted it not forty feet from where she stood, and took off running for it as the stairs behind her split straight down the middle and separated into two halves. Sweat running off of her in torrents now, she checked her breathing as she neared the slim board and rickety pulley system Bryce had thrown together. She jumped on the board and hitched the pulleys into position, using what upper body strength she had left to hoist herself and the elevator up towards a shaft in the temple ceiling. Sunlight poured through it, and Lara could smell gasoline fumes. Bryce had the Hummer ready.

She pulled faster as she watched the temple floor beneath her cave in and sink into the earth. She looked up and saw that the ceiling was quickly crumbling. If she didn't hurry, she would become a permanent edition to the Preah Kahn temple.

"Bryce!" she screamed at the hole in the roof of the temple. "Bryce, hurry!" Bryce's head appeared in the shaft of sunlight streaming through the hole.

"Lara! What the hell took you so long?"

"Not now Bryce! Get me out of here!" Bryce grabbed the rope attached to the upper pulleys and started heaving. Lara kept pulling herself up, keeping an ever-watchful eye on the crumbling ceiling. Finally, she got high enough to let go of the ropes and pull herself out of the hole. The makeshift elevator plummeted to the earth as Bryce grabbed the back of her tank and helped her pull up and out of the temple.

"Phew! Talk about close!" Bryce sighed.

"We're not done yet, buddy. Get in the car!" Lara shouted as the rumbling underneath them grew louder. She jumped to her feet and took Bryce by the collar of his Hawaiian shirt, bolting for the H2 Sport that sat parked 100 yards from the temple entrance. Lara leapt over the door and into the driver's seat, throwing the truck into first gear. Bryce tumbled in head first, barely making it before Lara let off the emergency brake and sped off. Bryce looked behind them as the ground the car had been parked on only moments before caved in with a deafening roar. Lara turned the truck in a wide circle and threw it into second. She directed it through the jungle surrounding the Preah Kahn temple, crunching over fallen trees and giant roots. Bryce closed his eyes, breathing a sigh of relief as they sped away from the cave-in. He took a quick peak in the H2's back seat at the oddly shaped robot that sat there quietly.

"Looks like S.I.M.O.N.'s okay."

"What a pity," Lara replied as she dug around in her glove compartment for a pair of sunglasses. When she found some that suited her, she shoved them on and sped up. All of a sudden, she heard a familiar ringing.

"Is that the phone?" Bryce asked. Lara stared at the international cell that sat mounted on the switchboard under her dash. The incoming call light was flashing. She and Bryce only looked at each other in bemusement. The international cell was Lara's private line. The only people who knew that number were Hilary, Lara's faithful butler and right-hand-man, and a handful of other personal acquaintances. "You gonna answer it?" Lara picked up the phone and hit the 'talk' button, holding it closely to her ear in order to hear above the roar of the H2's engine in fourth.

"Hello?"

"Lady Lara Croft," a smooth voice came from the other end. Lara looked fleetingly at Bryce, who shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"I have it on good account that you are the leading authority in ancient treasures and mythology. Am I correct?"

"I suppose that depends on what your views are on antiquities. Are you a treasure hunter or a private collector?"

"Neither. My reasons for contacting you are purely business-related." Lara struggled to keep the truck on the tiny jungle path with only one hand on the wheel. Bryce sat hunched in the passenger's seat, whimpering.

"Look. I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm not in a position to discuss business right now. Perhaps a later time."

"Lady Croft, my name is Edmond Mason." Lara slammed on the brakes, throwing Bryce headlong into the dash. As the H2 came to a screeching halt, Lara pulled off her sunglasses and threw them into the seat where Bryce had been sitting.

"Edmond Mason? As in, the Edmond Mason?" A light chuckle came from the other end.

"Yes Lady Croft. Now, as I understand it, you're currently destroying temples in Cambodia, right?" Lara paused, not sure how to respond.

"You could put it that way," she replied, looking back at the cloud of dust that had settled where the Preah Kahn temple had once stood.

"You're right. The Cambodian jungle is no place to conduct a business call. When do you suppose you could be in London?"

"London? Mr. Mason, I live in Suffolk. Not London."

"Oh, I'm aware of that. I'm also aware that your rival… what's his name? West? I'm also aware that he happens to live in London." Lara paused, her blood boiling.

"I can't be bought, Mr. Mason."

"I understand that, Lady Croft. I'm no simpleton. I much prefer you to that sell-out Alex West, but if need be I'll resort to second best. Now, when do you think you can be in London?" Lara looked at Bryce, who was struggling to climb back into the passenger's seat. She gazed at the 24-hour clock duct-taped to the dash.

"I can be there in 36 hours."

"Good! Very good! Are you familiar with London's business district?"

"Quite well, Mr. Mason. Most of my clientele can be found there."

"I had hoped. Now, do you think you can find the Mason Corporate Office?"

"One step ahead of you, Mr. Mason. I'm quite familiar with your company. Over the years, I've been contracted to hunt down some of the world's most notorious treasures for you."

"Oh, not for me lady Croft. For the company itself. We specialize in providing those wealthy enough with their own particular claims to greatness. Many times those include rare artifacts. I am involved very little with the company other than allowing them to operate under my name. However, this time it is I who am in need of your expertise."

"Mr. mason, my research and travels are purely for my own advancement. I don't do house calls."

"Somehow I knew you'd say that. Indulge me for a moment. Will you come to London, sit and talk civilly with me, hear what I have to offer? I can guarantee that it won't be a waste of your time." Lara sat back in her seat, debating on which course of action to take.

"Lara," came Bryce's muffled voice from underneath the passenger's seat. "I can't feel my legs."

"Mr. Mason, I'll come to London. I'll listen to your offer. Hell, I might even join you for dinner. But if I smell anything I don't like, it'll be the last you see of me in friendship. That goes double for your company's clients."

"Very good, Lady Croft. I'll make arrangements for your arrival immediately. You will, of course, be reimbursed for any travel expenses associated with my company."

"Don't bother, Mr. Mason. Unlike other tomb raiders, I don't hunt treasure to put food on the table. I can handle my own travel expenses."

"Of course, Lady Croft. I apologize if my comments were inflammatory in any way. They certainly weren't meant to be. You must understand that I am used to working with a far more Philistine audience."

"I understand completely, Mr. Mason. Now, if you don't mind, I have a few more temples to destroy before I head back to civilization."

"Till we meet again, Lady Croft."

"Goodbye Mr. Mason."

With that, Lara put the phone back on the switchboard and helped Bryce out of the footwell of the passenger's seat.

"Took you long enough!" he shouted as he rubbed his hands up and down his numb legs, which were turning the strangest color blue.

"Bryce, I think we ought to get someone to look at your legs."

"You think!"

"Look Bryce, I'm sorry. I had a very important phone call."

"I can't imagine who would be more important than your techie stuck in the footwell of your obnoxiously large SUV!"

"Mr. Edmond Mason," Lara replied seriously. Bryce stopped rubbing his legs and stared unbelievingly at her.

"You're joking."

"Not in the slightest."

"You mean… THE Edmond Mason?" Lara nodded, grabbing her sunglasses once more and throwing the truck back into gear. Bryce ran a thin hand through his shaggy hair. "I can't believe it!"

"You better believe it. He asked me to come to London. He has a proposition for me."

"London! Great! I love London!" Bryce replied with a smile.

"And who says you're going?" Lara asked, cocking a brow in his direction.

"You bet your ass I'm going! Besides, you should know by now that you can't get rid of me. Plus, you'll need somebody to pull surveillance for you while you're meeting with Mason. It takes two people to go in undercover." Lara looked at Bryce with a sly smile.

"You know Bryce, I think I may have taught you too much for your own good."

"I'm starting to believe that myself," he replied, buckling his seatbelt. "Now let's just get back to where they have a Burger King. I'm starved." Lara laughed out loud, something she didn't do very often. She put the SUV in high gear, taking off like a shot through the Cambodian jungle, into the red rays of the setting sun.