Chapter 17 – The River Bhima
Voices echoed throughout the jungle, frightening birds and rustling the wildlife. The early morning air was thick and sweet, heavy with humidity. The sun was already blazing, and the lush green of the mountain terrain had taken on an otherworldly glow. Lara cast a glance back at the group of scientists trying their best to keep up with her. She only shook her head, wondering what the hell Mason was thinking. He had brought every last one of them, hell-bent on results. Most of them were not suited for tromping through the mountainous jungles of West India. In fact, Lara doubted if any one of them was suited for life outside the laboratory doors. None of them were dressed for the occasion, and they were all still groggy from jet lag. They looked like a rag-tag group of nine to fivers lost on some nightmarish island. Lara had to force herself not to laugh.
They had set out a few hours earlier, leaving the temple before the sun was even up. She had wanted to avoid the early afternoon heat, but it had taken too long to get everyone prepped and packed. Now they were running into it headfirst, and she knew they wouldn't hold out much longer. Fortunately, the sacred river Bhima was just over the next ridge.
Mason had traveled beside her since the beginning of the trek, never floundering. She was surprised that he could keep up so well. She had him figured for a soft businessman, the suit and tie kind. But lately, he had proved all her preliminary assumptions wrong. He could easily keep up with her, and he had barely broken a sweat in the heat. He was dressed in a breathable cotton polo and nylon khakis made for tough hiking. He smelled of expensive bug spray, and she had watched him personally weatherproof all of his equipment. He had certainly proved her wrong. They had chatted aimlessly in the early stages of the hike, but once it had gotten serious, so had he. He knew they were close now. She could see it in his steel grey eyes. There was something she couldn't trust in that look, something sinister. She hadn't shown him the way before setting out, yet he had gone ahead of the group more than once. He had never been to the sacred mountains before, yet he had never lost his footing once during the entire trip. He was as sure as a mountain cat, prowling and padding through the undergrowth… like he instinctively knew where they were headed. That had an unsettling effect on Lara.
They were nearing the final ridge, and the trees were beginning to thin out. She could hear the muffled groans and sighs from the group behind her, and she decided to give them what they wanted. She stopped, bringing everyone to a halt. Mason looked at her inquisitively, his face twisting a little.
"Everybody! Hey!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Everyone trailing behind her stopped, looking confused. She held up her hands to get their attention.
"Alright! This is it! The sacred river is just over that next ridge!" To her surprise, the group let out a strained cheer. She had to smile. Not everyone could be a tomb raider. She let her hands down, continuing to walk at a steady pace towards the last ridge. She could feel Mason watching her behind her back.
"You've been a little out of character lately, Mason," she said nonchalantly. She wanted to see if she could pull his attention from the task at hand. He was beside her again, keeping her pace. He sighed.
"No, I haven't been myself these last few days. I'll give you that," he replied in that aristocratic tone of his. "My mind has been a million other places besides where it needs to be. I always was easily distracted."
"But you've barely said a word about the expedition. I would think the excitement would be getting to you by now." He smiled at her.
"It has all but consumed me as of late, Lara. That's why I haven't been myself." His tone was slimy… twisting like a serpent in the grass. She didn't like it. It was too controlled.
They neared the top of the ridge, and the trees grew thick again. Not like the jungles below, but almost like a meadow surrounded by a thick grove. They emerged, and the sacred river valley came into full view. Lara heard little gasps from the group behind her. She had to agree with them. It was incredible.
The river valley opened up toward the West, where the mountains began to climb again. Thick patches of tropical greenery laced the outer rims of the basin. The sun shone directly through, glistening atop the glass-like surface of the river. There were bright red tropical flowers growing in abundance, filling the valley with a delicious scent. The water of the river itself was clean and clear, shimmering under the afternoon sun. Although it was moving steadily, it made no sound. The sight was enough to stop everyone in their tracks. Alex West found his way to the front with Lara and Mason, his breath hitching a little with excitement.
"This is it?" he asked, his blue eyes sparkling. Lara looked back at him, surprising him with a smile.
"Yes. This is indeed it."
The others began to descend from the top of the ridge, carrying their equipment and talking excitedly among themselves.
"Where Are we headed, Lara?" Alex asked. She raised a hand, pointing to the far shore to the north.
"There," she replied, squinting against the sun. "That's where the ancient manuscripts said Victor Xavier went to beg for forgiveness. That's where we'll find something… if there's anything to find there at all." Alex nodded, waving a hand at two of his assistants. He pointed in the same direction Lara had pointed, and shouted at them.
"Take it down north, Jacob! All the way to the banks! Set up behind the rocks!" The two men he was yelling toward waved back, directing the group of researchers down the steep embankment.
About 45 minutes later, the entire team had taken up temporary headquarters by the far northern shore. The bank was enclosed by a line of large stones and boulders, and it made for a perfect spot to set up camp. Some of the team members had set up the more sensitive equipment farther away from the rest of the commotion. Diving gear was being unpacked from khaki duffle bags piece by piece. Laptops and wireless thermo-scans were popping up all over the beach. Even a few satellites made an appearance. Lara and Alex had pitched a large canopy to house Lara's dive gear and maps of the riverbed. The bottom of the Bhima River was an intricate system of tunnels and caves. They would need every last one of them to navigate the underwater mazes.
Mason had been sitting in a folding chair near the back of the tent, watching them intently. Every now and again, one of his minions would come and ask him if he required anything. Nicholas Howard came in several times, carrying registration forms and approvals that needed his signature. This time, he wasn't wearing a frumpy suit and loafers. He was decked out in a pair of long shorts and a white tank. He sported a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses, and he had traded his loafers for a pair of hiking boots.
Now Mason was up, pacing like a caged animal inside the tent. His face was distorted, and his eyes were glassy. Lara wondered just what he was thinking. She had contemplated asking him, but thought better of it as she watched him go to and from over the soggy ground. She could see Alex out of the corner of her eye, looking over the maps and navigational aides. He was also keeping an eye on Mason, his brow furrowed with concentration. Finally, the silence was broken when Nicholas came waltzing in, his demeanor uncharacteristically cheerful.
"Okay! They're ready to go!" he announced to the three of them. Mason's head jerked up violently, his black hair flopping a little. At that moment, Lara could see something almost on the edge of madness in his eyes.
"They are?" he asked intently. When Nicholas nodded, Mason's grimace smoothed into his normal, sly smile. "Good. Very good." Alex and Lara looked at each other inquisitively, and looked back at Mason, who was rubbing his hands together.
"What the hell's going on?" Alex asked, coming out from behind the table loaded down with maps. He took a protective stance by Lara's side, and her mind suddenly went rocketing back to the night before, when he had kissed her. She shook her head, trying to keep her thoughts cleared. Mason faced them, his broad shoulders bouncing a little in a chuckle.
"I had a salvage team flown in yesterday to follow Lara down to the river bottom," he replied, his smile big and a little unsettling. Lara frowned.
"Mason. You gave me your word when I signed on that I would be doing this alone. No one hanging off my ass." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, and Alex followed her lead.
"I don't see why you would need them, Mason. You already have a whole goddamn army camped on the beaches out there!" he said. Mason only shook his head, putting his hands comfortably into his pockets.
"I didn't hire them because I believed Lady Croft incompetent, or my own team lacking. I hired them for much more serious purposes."
"And what exactly would those be?" Lara questioned, her patience wearing thin.
"Whatever is at the bottom of this river… is cursed, Lara," Mason replied, his gaze intent. "It was not meant to be disturbed. If we are going to disregard everything history has taught us, we are at least going to go down there with as much support as possible. If something goes wrong, we should be prepared."
Lara and Alex only looked at each other, their eyes questioning. Lara caught herself getting drawn back to the night before once again, and she had to break his gaze in order to return to the tent.
"Alright Mason. We'll play along. But I don't want any of those guys putting one fucking foot over my boundaries. If I feel threatened in any way, I'm pulling the plug. And you can swim down there and find it yourself. Is that understood?" For a moment, Mason's gaze went icy, and his eyes widened like shark's eyes again. His breathing slowed, and she could see his fists clenching in his pockets. But it was gone the next moment.
"Of course Lara. Perfectly clear."
"Okay! Let's put 'em in the water!" Lara hollered above the din of machinery. She watched as a group of technicians hoisted a manual ROV into the shallow waters of the river's drop-off. They were yelling something at each other, making obscene gestures. Lara only shook her head, stepping back a little. They landed the ROV in the shallows directly below her, anchoring it with nylon. After securing it, they went back to put two more into the water.
Satisfied that they wouldn't do any damage to her machines, she turned and went back to base, where Alex was busy packing up her gear for the dive. She smiled as she watched him scurry about, getting everything ready. He had certainly changed over the past year. Something was happening to him. She couldn't say what, but something was happening. He glanced up, smiling when he saw her.
"Okay! You're almost set, Lara." He pointed to a small rucksack designed for deep diving. "That has just about everything you'll need down there. I even threw in some waterproof protein bars." Lara had to laugh, and he began to blush.
"Protein bars? Really Alex… "
"Hey, don't laugh! You never know how good one of those babies tastes until you're stuck under water for days at a time!" Lara cringed a little. He was of course referring to their last encounter, almost a year ago. They had both gone after the wreck of the Fairwind, a British merchant ship that had been blasted to the bottom of the sea in the early 1700's. It had gone down loaded with Spanish gold, which of course had drawn them both to the hunt. She had beaten him there, of course. She left him alone in the cavernous grottos where pieces of the ship still remained intact. In a way, she had prayed that that would be the last time she ever saw him. But she was relieved when he cornered her a few weeks later in London, his anger with her near boiling point.
"Lara?" She shook her head, clearing her mind. Best not to dwell in the past too long. It made her feel old.
"Right! Thanks, Alex. You didn't have to go to all this trouble." Her heart skipped as he leaned in, his nose nearly touching hers.
"Yes I do. Now get down there and find whatever the hell he's looking for so we can go home!" He shot a thumb back to where Mason stood bellowing at Nicholas. They both smiled, and Lara turned away to keep from blushing. She grabbed her equipment, strapping it on.
She had put on a black wetsuit with blue piping down the legs and arms. Her favorite. It had her initials stitched into the sides. She connected the harness for her rucksack and strapped a hunter's blade to her right calf. She strapped herself into her BCD, giving everything another quick run-over. To her right, the group of salvage divers Mason had hired was already entering the water. All were men, and all were decked out in ridiculously expensive equipment. She shook her head. None of that shit was going to do anything for them that far down. They were going to cross into another world down there at the bottom of the sacred river. Reality ceased to exist once you were that deep.
"You ready to do this, Lara?" Alex asked, his voice laced with adrenaline. She began to ease herself into the drop-off, the cool water rippling around her lower body. She experienced an instant of sheer panic, but it was only an instant. It was something that always happened to her before she went on a dive. She didn't know why, since diving never frightened her in the least. Still, she respected it, as panic was often a warning that something was amiss. She turned to look at him as she eased herself into the shallows.
"Yeah. I am. Let's do this." Alex nodded, giving her a big smile and an all-American thumb's up.
"You just be careful down there, Croft. Don't worry about things topside. I've got you covered."
Once she was in the water and floating freely, he handed down the mini tanks.
"You sure these things work Lara? They look awfully small."
"Bryce invented those himself. I tested them out in the depth pool at home. They're solid as a rock," she replied, fitting the miniature oxygen tanks onto her back. She slid them up, moving her rucksack a little to the left to keep the two from colliding during the dive. Once she was fully strapped into her gear, she went over everything one last time for safety. The other team members were entering the water around her now, all of them strapping in and prepping. Some had already descended, and one of the crew leaders had taken one of the three manual ROV's deeper to warm it up. Her own was already started, humming contentedly in the water next to her.
"Hey, Lara," Alex said as she prepared to submerge. She looked at him, her mask fogging just a little in the humidity. "Be safe down there, okay? Don't take any chances. I want you back here alive and kicking by the time we pull out." He gave her a weak smile. She could tell he was nervous. They both were. Hell, everyone was at this point. Something was down there, all right. Something that didn't want to be found. Both Alex and Lara had seen what happened when you messed with something that wasn't supposed to be messed with. That feeling, that heavy oppression that drifts in and out… that sense that boundaries are about to be breached, and another world discovered. They all shared that feeling now. That apprehension. It was everywhere. On the beach with the technicians. In the water with the divers. In the tent where Mason sat chewing nervously at his perfectly manicured fingers. It was indescribable, but it was very present. They were going down to the river's bottom to awaken sleeping demons. And that never came with positive consequences…