Chapter 19 – The Dragon's Lair
Two hours later, the group had descended to the very bottom of the underwater cave. The walls were slimy with river water and lime now, and the air was stifling. Whatever fresh air had been available near the shallow pool where they had come in was all but lost down here in the twisting mazes cut into the rock. Lara was thankful she had remembered her cleats, as the floor had become treacherous during their descent.
It was cold, too. Here in the depths of the solitary cave, no light could get through. And the air was so thick with humidity and nitrous elements, that their lights could barely cut a path through the mists. And the stench was practically unbearable. The farther down they proceeded, the stronger the smell would get. It hovered about, licking their faces with invisible tendrils. It was a vile, revolting stench that sent Lara's stomach reeling every time she took a deep breath. There was something about it that didn't seem right. Even after years of flooding and decomposition, no cave should smell like that. Especially when it was under 120 feet of fresh water. She could understand a twinge of moldy air, or slightly noxious fumes from indigenous species, but this scent was something different entirely. It smelled like death. Cold, damp, soggy death. And Lara didn't like it one bit.
She had been following the 3-D mapping system all the way down. It had remained accurate even in places with weak signal. She thought the best place to look would be the very bottom of the cave. That's where the infamous "Dragon's Lair" was, and divers had been coming for years now to investigate it. She figured if something that deep beneath the surface of an ancient river had proven formidable enough to merit a nickname, then that was where Xavier would have placed his last clue. At least, that's what she thought. They could always go back to the surface of the cave and look throughout the upper levels. But her gut told her that something lay buried in the shadows below.
She took a quick glance back to make sure everyone was still with her. She noticed that everyone, even Mitchell, was beginning to look pale and haggard. It had already been a long day, what with the hike and everything. And now that they were deep within the cave itself, everyone was running on empty. She frowned as her stomach gargled, hunger gnawing slightly at the back of her throat. She looked at the map. The Dragon's Lair was only 200 yards or so ahead of them. The foul air seemed to be seething from the entrance, and she knew by the looks on the divers' faces that they wouldn't make it much longer without a break. She sighed, a little frustrated with the thought of stopping. She knew she could go on, but she had others to think about. She glanced back at Mitchell, whose eyes begged her to either slow down or stop completely. She had promised him that they would be in and out. No bullshit. But then, if they needed to rest, it wasn't like she had any other choice. She stopped walking for a moment, turning to face the rest of the salvage crew.
"Hey you guys," she shouted, her voice echoing shrilly off the lime-coated walls. The sound of her voice reverberating in the dark felt eerily haunting. "How about we stop for the night? Get some shut-eye? We can pick this back up tomorrow." The men breathed a collective sigh of relief, instantly flopping onto the cold stone floor next to each other. They quickly began to take off their heavy gear, piling it all in a semi-circle off to the left side of their new location. One of the divers began unloading a small cargo box filled with lanterns, and another produced a trio of sleek butane stoves. Lara was amazed. She had no idea they had brought so much stuff with them. But then, they were salvage divers by trade. They would be used to roughing it in the dark and the cold.
As they set up camp, Lara unpacked her own gear. She pulled out a set of compact thermal blankets from her rucksack, placing them on the ground. She tried to find the driest spot, and found a good one near the stoves. Some of the guys had already popped chili cans and were warming the contents in makeshift bowls.
"How the hell did you guys come this prepared?" she asked, amused at the small cans of hearty chili. One of the divers, a tall man with bright blonde hair and small grey eyes, smiled as he took his portion of the chili from the bowl.
"We're salvage divers, Croft. This is what we do. We go diving to find shit for people, and when we can't get the job done in one day…. Well, we just make do. We've been at this forever, so it comes naturally." He smiled, handing her a steaming bowl of chili. Lara took it gratefully, closing her eyes and taking in the aroma of real food. She was starving now, and the last real meal she remembered had been back at the temple the night before. He offered her a small plastic spoon. It wasn't big enough to do much damage, but Lara began to dig in. Within minutes she had finished the whole bowl, and was being offered another by the group.
"This stuff is good," she said with a mouth full of chili. The group nodded, their own mouths so full they couldn't reply. Lara noticed that they all seemed to be getting a little of their color back. Mitchell had joined them only moments before, taking a proffered bowl hungrily. His cheeks and ears were pink, and the tip of his nose was beginning to color. Some of the men sat away from the main group, laughing and joking in quiet tones. Kent had moved off to the side by himself, refusing to take a bowl of the chili when one was offered to him. He sat sulking on a small pile of blankets, his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. He looked like a grumpy old man. Lara pointed at him with her mini plastic spoon.
"So what the hell's his problem?" she asked, wiping chili from her mouth with the back of her hand. It always felt good to rough it. No toilets, no beds, and no freakin' napkins! That was the way to live! For a little while, at least. The blonde-haired guy with small eyes looked over in his direction, sniffing a little.
"He wants to grow up to be the next Edmond Mason," he replied sarcastically. The rest of the group burst into peals of laughter, and Lara couldn't resist joining in. Mitchell had been in the middle of a large bite of chili, and had now sprayed it all over the front of his wetsuit. He tried wiping some of it away, but was overtaken by laughter.
"No… no! But seriously. He thinks he's thinks he's the next big thing. He has no appreciation for his job, and he thinks the people he works with are a bunch of losers. I really believe that if you asked him, he would tell you he doesn't get paid enough for what he does." That sent them all into a new stream of laughter, and this time Mitchell didn't bother trying to keep the chili off himself. Lara's sides hurt after she pulled herself together, and she handed her bowl back to the guy with blonde hair. She excused herself, giving a quick goodnight to everyone in the group. They all said goodnight, and Lara made her way back to her blankets.
When she was snugly tucked under the thermal blankets, she propped her rucksack underneath her head for a pillow. She suddenly felt very exhausted. Curling up beneath them, she began to get warm again. She closed her eyes, listening to the quiet echoing of voices across the expanse. At that moment, she felt at peace. It had been a long time since she had been on an expedition with anyone else. She had forgotten how good it felt to gather round a fire and share a few laughs. She began to drift, and her eyes locked shut as she lingered on the edge. She smiled to herself, the chili she had shared with her new comrades still warming her. She fell asleep to a sound she realized she missed terribly. The sound of other peoples' voices.
Kent's eyes shot open in the deep black of the cave. The lanterns had been turned low, and everyone was sound asleep. He glanced around him, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He caught a glimpse of Lara sleeping soundly a few feet from him, wrapped tightly beneath a set of thermal blankets. He sat up, sweat beading on the nape of his neck. His heart was pumping quickly but quietly. His eyes darted to and fro, settling on the open mouth of the entrance to the Dragon's Lair. He sighed a little, his memory returning. For a moment, he had forgotten where exactly he was. That happened a lot to him when he was traveling. He had woken up in so many strange places over the course of his career, he never knew what to expect when he opened his eyes again.
He was calmer now, and the terror of his dreams had passed. He always had terrible dreams when he was out in the field. It came with the job. He got out from beneath the blankets he was sleeping under, wrapping up in a hoodie he had thrown into his pack before leaving. He shivered in the chilly air, his breath escaping in a stream of mist. The cave was humid and muggy, and the scent was worse now than when they had first arrived. His stomach growled, and he cursed himself for letting his pride dictate his eating habits. He wished he could have that bowl of chili now.
He stumbled over to one of the cargo boxes holding the lanterns, being careful not to trip over any of his team members. He grabbed a small one, turning it on ever so slightly. He didn't want to wake anyone up. Especially Lara. She probably slept like a military general. One eye ever watchful. He didn't want anyone bothering him. When he got like this in the middle of the night, the only thing for him to do was walk it off. He shoved one hand in the pocket of his hoodie, and wrapped the other tightly around the lantern to keep it warm. He scrunched his shoulders together, shuffled his feet, and set off in the direction of the Dragon's Lair.
He walked inside, his nostrils immediately assaulted by the stench of rotting flesh. It was terrible, but he would manage. He had certainly smelled worse in his lifetime. The smell stung his eyes, causing them to water a little. But he needed to get out. He needed to get away from everyone else. He wanted to be alone, in the dark. He couldn't believe the nerve of that woman. Lara Croft. Hah! What a joke! He had heard so many "amazing" things about her, and yet she was just an ordinary woman. Sure, she had a great body. Her boobs were incredible! Had he not gotten off on the wrong foot, he might have even made a pass at her. But she was a bitch. He couldn't believe she had embarrassed him like that! In front of all his men! He felt a little ashamed at having given up so easily. But then, he was never one for confrontation. He had no problem sounding tough, but when it came time to prove his manhood on the field of battle, he tended to be a chicken-shit. He stopped short as his lantern illuminated a sudden drop off. He backed up, giving a low whistle as he realized how perilously close he had been to falling off the cliff into a pitch-black canyon below. He couldn't see the bottom, and the light from his lantern was too feeble to cut through the mist. He gazed down, transfixed by the depth of the pit. The walls of the canyon were black and moldy, covered in slimy mildew and what looked to be nitre. His heart stopped momentarily as the light from his lantern skipped across a strange blue hump in the canyon wall. He began to breathe again, not sure what exactly he had been afraid of. It was strangely shaped, like a hillock, but smaller. And it was a deep blue-grey color, like thunder clouds. It looked stony, with grey patches here and there. It was slimy like the walls, covered in some mixture of mold and nitrous substances. It was rounded on the top, like a turtle's shell. It fit into the wall of the pit perfectly, as though the cave had formed itself around it.
Kent shook his head, noticing a small rock at his feet. He gave it a swift kick, sending it tumbling into the black below. A moment later, he heard it hit what sounded like water, and he turned back, a look of slight satisfaction lingering on his face. He began to climb back to the camp. He watched the ground carefully, making his way back up the way he had come He began to grumble about Lara to himself, scratching at the back of his neck. It had suddenly gotten a lot warmer. He froze as an inhuman growl thundered from behind him.
He stood stock still, his spine tingling with terror. His eyes shot wide open, and for a minute he thought his pulse had all but stopped. He turned around very slowly, his feet like blocks of lead. His heart hammered violently in his chest, and his stomach reeled as he looked back to the cliff where he had been standing. He watched in horror as the blue-grey mass that he had assumed was part of the cave wall twisted and turned, and began to move up and down. His legs nearly went out from beneath him as he realized what was happening. Something. It was something alive. And it was breathing…
He watched as the mass uncurled its lower half, a thickly plated tail whipping out from underneath of its body. The tail was covered in vicious-looking blades, all curved into each other like intermingled bear traps. A long, muscular leg slipped out from behind the tail, the scales glistening with unnatural light. Another leg emerged, and then a pair of arms. A set of terrible claws lay poised at the ends, as black and as shiny as polished onyx. Kent could see the canyon walls reflected in them. His eyes bulged as a head, massive and grotesque, appeared. A huge mouth, like that of a killer shark, opened with a menacing snarl, exposing rows and rows of murderous fangs. Two great eyes, like alien spheres, opened to reveal bright red pupils. They immediately focused on Kent, as if the creature had known he was there all along. The beast raised itself up, sliding out of its nest in the canyon wall with a sickening, slippery sound. Kent realized the monster was oozing nitre from its skin, and that the awful stench was its noxious breath. He could see it seeping through the creature's barred fangs like smoke. But not smoke…. No, it was fog. Mist. Humidity. Kent shrank back as the monster opened its horrific jaws, letting out another deafening roar. Kent finally found his voice, and began to scream for his life. He turned as fast as he could, and began racing back to where the others still slept.
Lara's eyes fluttered open, her ears pricking. She sat up, positive she had heard something like a scream. She looked about, taking a head count. Everyone seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Wait, she thought. Kent. Where's Kent? She got to her feet, tripping over another diver in the process. She lit another lantern, shaking him awake.
"Hey. Come on, get up. Something's happening. Kent's gone," she said. The diver looked about in bewilderment and, realizing where he was and what was happening, got up and began to put his gear together. Lara went around, rousing the rest of the crew. She came to Mitchell, only to find that he was already wide awake and packing hurriedly.
"Something's wrong, Mitch, "Lara said, helping him get some of his loose gear together. He nodded solemnly.
"Sometimes Kent will go off by himself at night to clear his mind, but he always comes back."
"That's not what I'm worried about," she replied.
"Then what?" Lara looked towards the mouth of the Dragon's Lair.
"I think I heard him scream." Kent froze, his eyes wide with fear. He quickly began to stuff the rest of his gear into his sack, zipping everything up with nimble fingers. Lara thought she had never seen anyone work so fast and efficiently before. She went back to rousing the rest of the team.
Before she could get any farther, a terrible roar came blasting from the depths of the Dragon's Lair. Lara stood stock, her nerve endings alive with a terrible fire. Her jaw locked, and she could feel the blood beginning to race towards her face. The sound had filled her with a terror she had never known was real before. Everyone stared at the entrance to the cave, a faint sound echoing in the darkness. Lara realized with a sick certainty that it was Kent. And he was screaming.
Suddenly, all hell broke loose in the camp. All the divers began yelling and running al over the place at the same time. People were smashing into each other, and diving gear was flying here and there. They were frantic, and Lara knew she wouldn't be able to settle them down enough to make the dive back to the surface. But at that moment, Kent came lurching out of the deep black of the Dragon's Lair, and what followed behind him erased any logical thought she harbored. Her mind went numb for a split second, and she could hear her father telling her stories as a child. Frightening stories of Siva's guardians, the most hideous creatures on the earth. She remembered his tale of the Leviathan, a terrible creature resembling a dragon. Except the Leviathan didn't breathe fire or fly. He was the evil ruler of the water realms. He oozed niter and dwelt deep within the shadows of the water. Above all, he would destroy any living thing that crossed his path.
In that split second, it all came together in Lara's mind. The Dragon's Lair… People called it that for a reason. If anyone had ever seen the Leviathan and survived, that's exactly what they would refer to it as. She watched in horror as the monstrous beast closed in on Kent, his terrible jaws snapping at him. With one quick swipe, the Leviathan grabbed Kent by the head, twisting him in such a manner as to make him easier to swallow. Lara uttered a low moan as she listened to Kent's bones crunch beneath the power of the monster's teeth. Blood sprayed all over the floor of the cave, and she could see one of his hands dangling from the creature's mouth. One of the divers screamed hysterically, and the rest were frozen solid. Lara caught a glimpse of Mitchell. His face was white as a sheet, and she could see him trembling. She quickly forced herself to focus, dropping her sack on the floor of the cave and breaking into a sprint. The Leviathan roared, his thunderous growl deafening. She grabbed Mitchell, her only thoughts those of survival. Mitchell had enough sense to drop all of his gear, taking a firm hold of her hand as she came at him. Neither made a sound as they nearly collided with each other at high speed. The others began to scream in terror as the beast made its way through the remnants of the camp. He clapped his jaws down on two more divers, blood spurting from between his massive fangs. A few others managed to fall in behind Lara and Mitchell, but the rest were lost in the darkness.
Lara ran for all she was worth, holding tightly to Mitchell as she ascended to the higher levels of the cave. Her heart was racing, and sweat covered her entire body. The kind of sweat that only comes from sheer terror. The Leviathan was close behind them, roaring with bloodthirsty anger. Shrill screams came from behind as more of their comrades fell prey to the monster's clutches. Still, Lara held Mitchell's arm in a death grip. He was running just as fast as she was, and she was grateful that he could keep up. For a moment, the only sound they could hear was the frantic wheezing of their own breath. And the Leviathan began to roar again.
Alex nearly jumped out of his skin as the thermal scan he was napping next to sounded off in a shrill series of beeps. His eyes went wide as a large heated mass began to cross the screen.
"Whoa!" he yelled. Mason was beside him in an instant, his eyes glassy with impatience. Several other research team members gathered around the table where only minutes before, Alex West had been enjoying a comfortable snooze.
"What is it? What's happening?" Mason demanded, pushing his way to Alex's side. One of the scientists glanced at the screen, and groaned. Everyone looked at her.
"What's wrong Maria?" one of the others asked. She was already elbowing her way past Mason to get to Alex and the thermal screen.
"This is not good. This is extremely not good," she replied, seemingly to herself.
"What the hell's going on, Maria?" Alex asked, confusion clouding his voice. She plopped in a folding chair next to him, grabbing the keyboard and entering random codes and commands. Everyone watched intently, Mason most of all. Alex thought he looked like he was about to go into cardiac arrest. She stared at the screen, her eyes darting to and fro behind her thin glasses.
"This is not good at all," she said again.
"We get the idea! What the fuck is happening down there?" Mason bellowed. Alex noticed that Maria didn't even flinch at the severity of his voice. She must be one of the long-term employees, he thought to himself.
"Okay. Here's the skinny," Maria announced, turning in her chair to face the group. "We've got some kind of seismic anomaly going on down at the bed of the river. There is a tremendous heat mass circling through the system of caves down there, and it doesn't look natural at all. In fact, I can't even tell you what the hell it might be." Mason's eyes went dark and stormy, and his hands began to ball into fists.
"What can we do, Maria?" Alex asked, trying to remain calm. All he could think about was Lara. Lara was down there, pulling the weight alone, like always. He cursed himself for not following her down there. He should have gone with her. He should be down there right now protecting her from that…. giant heat mass…. thing.
"I have no idea," Maria replied, her voice troubled. "I couldn't tell you. If it's some kind of earthquake, I don't know how it came to be. It's moving way too fast. In fact, it resembles an animal more than a seismic event."
"That's impossible!" Mason exclaimed. "No land animal is that large! And the caves are above water!"
"Still, that's what it looks like," Maria replied. "Biologics have unmistakable heat signatures, and that floating mass looks a hell of a lot like the heat pattern of a lizard if you ask me!" Mason threw up his arms in exasperation.
"Why the hell do I hire you people if you can't even tell me what's going on?" he screamed. Maria only rolled her eyes, her focus returning to the thermal scan.
"We've got to do something," Alex said. "We don't even know what's going on down there! They could be in real trouble!"
"Right. I think our best course of action would be to go ahead and prep some rescue divers. Let's get a pair of those heavy duty ROV's Lara so graciously provided us with into the water. They're outfitted with first aid gear." Alex nodded, motioning to one of the personnel to get everything ready. From the sound of things, they were going to need to be prepared for the worst…
Lara and Mitchell tumbled into the open cavern where the team's diving gear had been left. They could hear the Leviathan behind them, bludgeoning through the cave with pounding footsteps. Lara's mind was spinning, and she was trying desperately to focus, to remain calm. She wasn't going to let them die down here, and that meant they were going to have to make the return dive. And they were going to have to make it on a wing and a prayer. There was no time to check their gear now…
Without a sound to each other, the two began to climb into their equipment. The Leviathan was closing in on them, and Lara could tell from the sound of its menacing growl that it wasn't too far behind. It would catch up to them, and they would be cornered. There would be no way out, and they would be slaughtered. Lara suddenly became very angry, tossing down her equipment and moving toward the cavern entrance. Mitchell only stared in horror and disbelief. The Leviathan rounded the corner just in time to see Lara approaching.
"Lara! No! What the hell are you doing?" he cried out, his voice cracking from strain and fear. But she wasn't listening. She was pissed now. She reached into her back right pocket, feeling around, praying that she still had one left. Her hand closed around a tiny, marble-like object, and she uttered up a silent prayer of gratitude. She took out the mini bomb, pulling the safety tab out. It immediately went active, emitting a series of bleeps that filled Lara with a gruesome sense of satisfaction. She was going to give that fucker something to stew over, alright!
"Lara! Stop! We have to get in the water!" She ignored his pleas, quickly searching the mouth of the cavern for signs of a weak point. She spotted one not twenty feet from where she stood. She flipped the activation node on the side of the mini bomb, tossing it towards the spider web of cracks along the right side of the wall. She jumped back, rolling over herself and Mitchell as the mini bomb went off with a huge explosion. Rocks and debris flew everywhere, and Lara covered their heads with her arms. Mitchell cried out in alarm, and Lara braced herself for an aftershock. When none came, she got up to survey the damage. When she saw what had happened, she blessed Bryce's name a thousand times over.
The cavern entrance had fallen in on itself, and the Leviathan was trapped outside. She could hear its monstrous hulk slamming away against the rocks, and she knew they didn't have a lot of time.
"Come on Mitch. Get in gear. I've bought us some time, but not an eternity. We need to go now!" Mitchell was only staring at her in blatant disbelief.
"Lara, I…."
"No horse shit, Mitch! Move your ass!" She quickly threw on her gear, strapping everything together with the speed of a professional. Mitchell began fumbling, and Lara noticed tears streaming down his cheeks. And yet there was no time to console him, to promise him that everything was going to be fine. If they didn't leave immediately, nothing would ever be fine for either of them again.
Once she was fully strapped in and her tank somewhat regulated, she bolted for one of the ROV's still at bay in the shallow pool. Mitchell did the same, trying to hurry. Lara glanced forlornly at the remaining diving equipment stowed up against the far cavern wall. They were all dead. Every last one of them, save for her and Mitchell. Her heart tugged, and she had to fight hatred and tears all at once. All of a sudden, a terrible crash sounded from the fallen wall of rocks that was once the entrance to the cavern. Both of them stared in horror as the Leviathan's head broke through, his terrible jaws snapping at them from a distance. It howled and roared in anger and frustration, and it slowly began to claw at the rocks in an attempt to get through. Just as Lara was about to order Mitchell into the water ahead of her, she noticed something shimmering around the monster's neck. She looked closer, and was amazed at what she saw. It was a chain made of thick, plaited links. Lara thought it looked a great deal like a drawbridge chain. At the base of the thick chain was a golden key the size of a woman's shoe. It winked in the light cast by the pool, and Lara caught herself wanting a better look.
"Lara! We have to go now!" Mitchell screamed. She shook her head, turning on the ROV full blast. She scuttled it a little, giving Mitchell some room to pull in ahead of her.
"You get in first! I'll pull up the rear. If that piece of shit tries anything, he'll have me to deal with. I want you safe." Mitchell nodded, pulling up in front of her and descending into the pool. Lara put her mask on, letting the familiar taste of manufactured oxygen fill her lungs. She revved the ROV, diving into the water at high speed. She was already beneath the water when the Leviathan broke through the last of his barrier.