AN: Hey dudes and dudetts! Sorry for the late update, I was REALLY busy at the weekend.
Oh, and this is a short chapter. Sorry
The mirrors were cracked and dusty, but she could still make out her reflection from the remaining pieces of glass that sat on the wall. Looking around the room – the rest of the furniture didn't get any other mark. Some cubical doors were gratified, their hinges rusty and unstable. Lime scale and water marks covered the sinks, and looked like they hadn't been cleaned in some time. She brought her attention back to her image and sighed as she realised how tired she looked. Bags were under her eyes, and they were barely open. Her lip was cracked in certain places – Lara had been picking at it. She did that when she was younger, and in a time when she was especially nervous, it would sometimes lead to her lip bleeding non-stop. She smiled politely as a woman exited a cubical, quickly scrubbing her hands under the sink before exiting the public toilets, leaving Lara alone. She rolled her eyes as she drew her attention back to her reflection.
They had arrived in Moscow approximately an hour ago, but it had seemed a lot longer than that. Every second seemed like a minuet. Every minuet seemed like an hour and every hour seemed like a day. She was still on British time, making it 1 AM to her. Sure, it was still early in Russia, just earlier in Britain. She yawned and lifted her backpack onto the counter, fishing threw it's contents. She found her bottle of Coke she had bought earlier and quickly gulped it down, trying to wake herself up by taking in the kick the fizz of the juice offered. It wasn't working. She put it back in her pack, flinging her bag over her shoulder and walking over to the door, pushing it open and apologizing as she was close to hitting a woman with the force she used. Not that it would help – she probably had no clue what she was talking about. She looked down at the ground as she exited the corridor into the rest of the airport. She looked around as families carrying luggage rushed past, presumably trying to get to their boarding gate. She walked over to where Morgan was sitting, her arms folded over the back of a chair, leaning her head in the middle of them. She looked up as Lara sat down next to her and smiled before putting her head back down. Lara leaned her head back and closed her eyes, "You tired too, huh?" Morgan mumbled, her voice barely understandable.
"Just a tad." she yawned. She heard someone walk over to her and put something on her lap. Looking down, she saw a cup of coffee being held there. Tracing the hand back to it's owner, she saw Kurtis standing over her, drinking his own beverage. "You look like you could use this." he nodded after he brought his cup down from his mouth. Ignoring his 'enthusiasm' for Lara to have coffee, she gave it to Morgan, who only looked up to see what was hot on her lap. "She needs it more than me." she sighed, leaning her head back again. She heard Kurtis make a slight tutting sound as he sat down opposite them, but didn't make any motion to defend herself.
A few minuets passed and Lara felt herself on the verge of unconsciousness, before Mason turned up with their luggage. They had come off the plane, got a quick sandwich from a café and then departed ways, Kurtis going to look around the shops for anything interesting, Morgan staying put and just trying to rest, Lara going to the toilet and Mason going to collect their bags. She stood up, stretching her arms out as he handed her her suitcase, Morgan hers and Kurtis his. The rest of the group stood up, Kurtis throwing his cup in the bin and Morgan quickly swallowing the rest of the drink down, then putting it down on the floor.
"Lets get going." Lara said as she began to lead the group to the exit of the airport. "If her majesty says so." Kurtis rolled his eyes and followed after his peers.
The cold air was the first thing that hit him as he stepped out of the building. The chill invaded his space, making him hug his leather jacket closer to his body. He looked around, and was surprised to see how quiet it was, considering the airport had been so busy. They walked over to a taxi Mason had phoned to pick them up and Kurtis collected the luggage and put them in the boot of the car, slamming it shut behind him. He got into the taxi and shut the door behind him, looking behind him to the rest of the group in the back of the taxi. Morgan was nearly asleep already and Mason was being his usual Mason – the sound one. Lara hadn't spoken to him since their last encounter the night before, when Morgan had 'thankfully' stopped anything being taken any further. She had just been giving him the cold shoulder all day, as if it were his fault that nothing had happened between them. She was the one that walked away – not him. She had made it clear how she felt about him, but it seemed like she still wanted him to feel bad for something. He knew he had done bad months ago, but he showed her he was willing to make up for that. Instead of accepting his proposal, she shoved him away. Just like the 'new' Lara always did. But that was her doing. He would just let it go. He wouldn't dwell in the past. Never had. Never will.
He turned back around to face the front as the cab driver began to leave the pavement, heading in the direction of the near-by hotel.
Morgan opened the door to the hotel room and quickly threw her bags down on the floor, rushing for the bed and laughing as she jumped on top of it, closing her eyes, just wanting to sleep. But everyone else had other ideas. "Don't get too comfortable, Morgan, we've got work to do." Mason yawned, sitting down at the desk, the first thing on his mind his laptop. He lifted his case up, zipping the main compartment out and lifting his silver laptop, placing it down on the mahogany desk. "I'll be staying here, just in case Karel has tracked us down. With Morgan." he added the end with a sigh.
Brilliant, stuck alone with him, Lara thought. It wasn't that she didn't like Kurtis' company, it's just that that was the last thing she needed at this time. She sat down on the bed next to Morgan and sighed as she saw Kurtis exit the room with his bag, making his way over to their other room across the hall from Morgan and Lara's. She heard a beeping noise and looking through her backpack, she found her phone ringing and quickly lifted it to her ear. "Alister?" she asked upon hearing his voice at the other end of the phone. "Lara, we've got the location of the first part of the sword."
"First part?"
"Yes, the sword is split into three pieces."
"That makes things better." she rolled her eyes.
"There should be an abandoned call centre a few miles from where you are, can you get there OK?"
Lara looked around the room until her eyes were set upon the window. She gazed outside and sighed, "With all the snow, should be hard."
"Zip says he can help you with getting in. Use the headsets."
"Thank-you, Alister. Make sure to tell us if anything else comes up."
She hung up the phone after Alister reassured her that he would give them all the help he could. She stood up and took the headsets out of her bag. She looked back at Morgan who was almost asleep with her head rested on the pillow and then made her way to exit the room. She closed her eyes and exhaled a breath she didn't even know she was holding before moving to the door of Kurtis and Mason's hotel room. She knocked once before the door opened, Kurtis leaning on the door frame. She looked up at him as he nodded his head, urging her to speak. "Yeah?" he asked.
"Here." she handed him his headset and LED light that she had taken from her manor a few days ago. "I'm not leaving just now, we'll go later on in the afternoon." she turned around and began to go back to her own room. "How nice of you to make the decision for me." his voice was dripping with sarcasm, and it infected Lara like venom from a snake. She quickly turned around to challenge him with the words on the tip of her tounge, but when she finally set her eyes upon his door – he was gone.
Lara awoke the next morning when a loud banging came to her door. Her eyes were snapped open as the banging became louder and forced herself from her slumber. She looked over at her cheaply made alarm clock the hotel owned and her eyes widened at the time. She quickly stood up and made her way over to the door, not noticing Morgan wasn't in the room. She opened it with a yawn to see Mason standing there, "Hurry up, you should be leaving soon. Meet me in Kurtis and I's room in 20 minuets for breakfast." he sighed.
"20 minuets." she nodded, closing the door.
Twenty minuets later, Lara was in the hall, making her way to the other room. She opened it and the smell of fresh coffee and toast was the first things she noticed. She let the scents invade her nostrils and quickly took the plate of food Mason offered to her. Kurtis was standing by the window with a cup of coffee in his hand and Morgan was sitting on the bed, staring blankly at the television. "The building is a few miles south-west of here. You should get there in a couple of minuets, and it shouldn't take long to find the sword. The place is abandoned, there shouldn't be anybody to worry about."
Mason looked behind him to Kurtis, then turned back to Lara, "Will you two be OK?"
Lara let her gaze secure on Kurtis who was now looking at them both. She gazed into his eyes, taking advantage of the first time she could actually look at them without it causing an argument. "Yes. We will. Because I'm going alone."
"You're not going alone, Lara. I'm not an animal – I'm not going to rip your head off." Kurtis sighed.
Lara nodded, lifting her headset to her ear, clipping it in. "Morgan and I can keep in touch with you, Kurtis and Zip threw my laptop. It's connected to your headset and camera." Mason pointed out, handing her a set of keys. "What are these for?" she asked.
"The snow is too heavy to get to the building in a car. I've managed to book two snow-mobiles for you."
Lara smiled, "Brilliant."
"Lets get going, then." Kurtis said, grabbing his headset off the table and his own keys off Mason and then opened and exited the door to the room, not exchanging any other words with his peers. Lara rolled her eyes and followed after him.
Lara hugged her thick jacket as her and Kurtis stopped the snow-mobiles. She flung her leg over one side, getting off the bike completely and stood up, taking in the image in front of her. Snow covered every spot of ground that could be seen and below them, far below, was a building, partially covered in the white substance. Mountains of snow were parallel to them, even bigger amounts squaring the building in from anything else. Getting in and out would be harder than she thought. She took her binoculars out and brought them up to her face, zooming in on the view in front of her. "Snow's everywhere. Even on the building. It will take some work to get in." she sighed, putting them back in her backpack. "Do you think you can handle it?" she asked, getting back on her bike, but this time standing up instead of sitting down on the seat. As an answer, Kurtis revved his bike up again and raced towards the building. Sighing, Lara followed after him.
She had expected the road to be smooth with all the snow that was melting, but it was anything but. She was nearly jolted into the air several times by the time they reached the call centre. She slammed the breaks down quickly and almost skidded off the edge of the range of snow. She got off it and looked around, "Looks like we're walking from here." she sighed, beginning to slide down the snow to the foot of the building. She heard a grunt behind her, presumably Kurtis following her. She gazed around, noticing that the walls she had seen minuets ago were merely water towers. She tapped into her headset "Zip, we're here, where is it?" she heard him sigh on the other end.
"You're right on top of it."
She looked down to see a glass imprint on the ground. Kneeling down, she dusted some snow off with the back of her hand to see a glass shaft on the ground. "Elevator shaft. Probably the easiest way to get in." Zip pointed out rather matter-of-factly on the other end of her headset. Lara withdrew one of her pistols and trained it on the hinges of the shaft's door. She fired once and quickly jumped back as the whole square of glass caved in. She put her pistol back in it's holster and walked to the edge of the shaft, swaying her arms as she came to the end, looking over a sea of black, with what looked like an endless amount of fall. "Long way down. All the more fun." she smiled, turning back to Kurtis. "Yeah, fun." he replied dryly.
Ignoring Kurtis, Lara unhooked her grapple fro her belt, extending it and folding it and stretching it in her hands. She turned around and knelt down, hooking the claw of the grapple onto the edge of the shaft. She looked down as she jumped into the opening, swinging as she gripped onto the rope of the grapple. She reached into her backpack, taking a flare out and snapping it against her leg before holding it up in the air. She looked around, and let go of the rope, grunting as she hit solid metal, "The elevator's here. Just jump down." she shouted up to Kurtis. She watched as he crawled over the edge of the opening, lowering himself down before dropping completely to the ground.
He squatted as he landed and dusted his hands off, "Awful stable for-" he felt the lift below them shift and noticed that his weight wasn't the best of things for the elevator to be carrying. He quickly dived down, opening the crate that could let them into the elevator and jumped down, dragging Lara with him.
When they hit the ground, Lara felt the wind being knocked out of her. She pulled herself up and sat against the wall, reaching her hands out as the shaft began to move again. "Get out of there, it won't hold you for much longer!" Zip screamed to both of them threw the headset. Kurtis looked around frantically, searching for a means of escape. A ventilation shaft was placed just above them on the wall of the elevator and Kurtis quickly pushed his hand out, bashing the vent cover. Dents covered it before it finally caved in and he quickly grabbed Lara by the arm and urging her towards it. "Quick!" he took her by the waist and lifted her into the air. She quickly crawled into the space and turned around, ready to grab Kurtis and give him help if he needed it. She saw his hand on the edge of the vent and crawled forward. She reached her hand out and began to pull him up, but his weight was too much for her. "Give me your other hand!" she shouted to him. She closed her eyes, pulling harder until she was pulled forward by something. Her eyes shot open and she saw nothing but blackness in front of her. She looked down to see Kurtis' hand slipping over the edge of the crating and quickly reached out, but it was too late. "Kurtis!" she watched as he fell down until he was too far away to see. "Kurtis!" No answer.
She stared wide eyed, straight ahead, looking at nothing. She turned around as she felt salty liquid tear up in her eyes, "Lara?! Lara! You still with me?"
"We've lost Kurtis." she continued onwards threw the vent.
AN: I know – it's short. But don't ya just love your cliffies???? No? Well, only one person knows where I live. Thank God for that!
Now, I realise I updated late, but I was busy so I'll give you a quick update for Tuesday, OK?