So you guys liked Siamak for the most part then, eh? Sweeeeet.


The following evening, in London

Lara kicked her legs up on the desk, flipping through the pages of the old brown book as she conducted some personal research on the Black Angel. Unfortunately, everything she found was stuff she already knew. Where was the stuff she didn't know?

With a sigh, she flipped through several more pages, keeping a sharp eye out for anything inconspicuous. She heard the door quietly open and looked up to see Kurtis entering. He closed the door behind him, then removed his gun from his holster, ejecting the clip to place beside it. "You can never be too careful," he said, seating himself across from Lara.

"Without a doubt," she agreed. "I'm trying to find more information on the Black Angel, but its history is as shallow as if it had never existed."

"That's the point," Kurtis said. "When the Lux Veritatis ancestors moved his body to Cappadocia, they were trying to get rid of any traces that could lead to him."

"In order to protect the world…" Lara added. "He doesn't honestly believe that the Lux Veritatis are the enemies, does he? Even despite what Karel is feeding to him…?"

"I don't know," Kurtis admitted. "Needless to say, he obviously doesn't think Emily is the enemy…"

"So we know he thinks she's his 'queen', but what does that mean? What does he want with her?"

"I don't know," Kurtis repeated, growing a bit frustrated. "It has something to do with Lemuria, I'm sure. And that's the last place we want him to take her."

Lara leaned forward thoughtfully. "Emily needs to be trained," she said. "Not just in physical combat, but in controlling her psychic powers as well. She's defenseless without proper training right now."

Kurtis nodded slowly. "She seems to be taking it on quite well, to say the least. It's all a matter of mind control."

"Which she doesn't have much of," Lara reminded him.

"I'll take care of it," he assured her.

Lara drew in a quiet sigh, offering him a subtle smile as she met his eyes. Then, she leaned forward, pulling his mouth towards hers. The kiss was interrupted by Alister shouting from downstairs. They sighed, and Kurtis dropped his head in frustration. Then, they rose to their feet and headed down the stairs to the tech room. Lara folded her arms over her chest. "What is it, Alister?" she asked impatiently.

"Take a look at this!" he said with excitement.

He stepped away from the table, and Lara's eyes grew wide. The sword lay atop the table, illuminating with a blue energy all around it. Lara stepped closer to it, looking up at Alister. "What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know!" Alister said. "It just started acting up all of a sudden!"

Lara eyed him suspiciously. "What did you touch?"

"Nothing!" he assured her. "Honestly! It did this all on its own!"

Lara continued to eye him suspiciously, then turned her attention to the sword. She reached towards it, but quickly moved back, shaking the burning sensation off of her hand. "That was unpleasant," she muttered. Kurtis stepped forward, extending his hand in its direction to lift it telepathically. His hand quivered as he attempted to emit his strength, but to his dismay, the sword remained stationary. He stepped back in confusion. "Unpleasant and strange," he added. "I can't even lift it."

"Perhaps you're rusty," Alister said passively.

Kurtis glared in his direction. "Or perhaps the Black Angel is the only one who can control it. After all, it is his sword…"

They turned their attention back to the weapon just in time to see it stop reacting. A puzzled look crossed Lara's face, and she reached forward, this time being able to take it into her grasp. She turned it over in her hand, eyeing it carefully. "Very strange…" she said. "It's the best idea that we hide it away. We wouldn't want anyone getting a hold of it, would we?"

"Absolutely not," Alister agreed. "But you've hardly spoken of your agenda, Lara. Where are we headed next?"

Lara returned the sword to the table and leaned against the wall. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "We have no real leads. As far as we know, Karel and the Black Angel are still in Cappadocia. We have no idea where they plan to go next, or even what they plan to do."

"Maybe not," Kurtis added, "but we sure can speculate."

Lara met his gaze, contemplating possibilities in her head. "All leads had seemed to point in the direction of Cappadocia, not just in reference to the Black Angel, but to the civilization of Nephilim hybrids as a whole. At least, that was how Karel and Eckhardt had put it."

"Maybe that's still where it all lies," Kurtis added.

"But maybe not," Lara said. She leaned away from the wall, holding her gaze with Kurtis.

He eyed her suspiciously. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I'm thinking that we should go back and do some damage control," Lara said. "You know – clean up the dust, make sure we turned over all of the stones."

Kurtis held her gaze, contemplating in his head. Then, he folded his arms over his chest. "You're not talking about the Strahov, are you?"

"Exactly," she said. "Back to Prague. What if we missed something there? What if there was more to the Strahov fortress than what met the eye?"

"There's bound to be security all over the place," Zip chipped in.

"When has that ever stopped us?" Lara reminded him.

Zip sighed. "So two tickets to Prague?" he asked.

"Absolutely," Lara said. "Book it for tomorrow afternoon."

"And…you're leaving Emma here again?" Alister asked nervously.

"What is it this time, Alister?" Lara sighed.

"Karel is bound to come looking for her," Alister said. "Or the Black Angel – or both! Do you really think it's a good idea to leave her here?"

"Don't question my integrity," Lara advised. "She's staying here." Lara scooped up the sword, looking it over cautiously. "I'm going to take this to the basement crypt and hide it away. Zip, can you have Emma come in and get ready for bed?"

"Sure thing, Lara," Zip said, rising from his seat.

Lara turned away towards the secret door, then turned back to face Kurtis. "Are you coming?" she asked. He sighed silently and followed after her. Lara pushed the hidden button on the wall which opened the trap door. Then, they descended into the darkness. Lara casually took hold of the flashlight on the shelf in the corner, turning it on to peer about the hallway as she handed the sword over to Kurtis.

"I didn't know the Croft Manor was so…secretive," Kurtis said, glancing about.

"It wouldn't be the Croft Manor without such surprises," Lara reminded him.

He chuckled a bit. "Ain't that the truth…?"

Lara approached one of the stone coffins along the back wall, feeling around for some type of button or lock. Her hand fell over spider webs and cold cement, then she reached the lock. She flipped it open, and the lid released, revealing the empty, hollow space within. Kurtis gently placed the sword into the coffin, then stepped back as Lara sealed it shut. She dusted her hands off as she stepped away. "That should do it, then. The only way to get down here is through the locks, and –"

"And it's not like Karel couldn't break through those," he said sarcastically.

Lara eyed him with a pleading look. "What else do you suggest?"

He sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair as he stepped away. "I don't know," he muttered. Lara watched him cautiously as he headed back up the corridor to return to the main hallway. After a moment, she followed after him. "What are you not saying?" she asked.

He glanced over at her. "What do you mean?"

"Don't jerk me around, Kurtis," she warned. "I know you like the back of my hand – you're hiding something."

He stopped with a sigh, realizing she was right. "It's Emma," he admitted. "I don't…I don't want to leave her here."

Lara folded her arms over her chest. "Where do you suggest she go, then?" she asked, trying not to sound bitchy but factual. "There isn't a place on this earth safe from Karel and the Black Angel – not even…not even at our sides."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he muttered. "We can only fight them off so many times – our luck is going to run out eventually."

Lara dropped her head, thinking over their options. "She wouldn't be much safer if she went with us to Prague," she admitted quietly. "And for whatever reason, we haven't had any from Karel yet. Perhaps he and his lackey are scheming…?"

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" he asked rhetorically. He sighed, turning away from her and heading up the corridor. Lara watched as he disappeared from her vision, realizing that he was right, but also realizing there was nothing they could really do…


Emily ran as fast as she could along the blue paneled mat, then sprung into the air, vaulting forward to take hold of the horizontal metal bar. Her body lurched forward, then swung backwards. She quickly gripped the bar and leaned backwards, tucking her legs up over the bar and locking herself into place. Then, she released her grip, dangling from the bar, suspended by the strength of her legs which were bent at the knees in a forty-five degree angle. She let her arms drop as she gazed down at the wooden floor below, her long brown hair falling straight towards the floor. After a moment, she tucked her arms behind her head, then summoned all of her strength to pull her body forward into a sit-up position. She continued to repeat the action, counting the sit-ups as she did so.

"What exactly are you doing?" a voice called. Emily stopped her exercise and looked around as she dangled towards the floor. Zip stood leaned in the doorway, a curious grin on his face. Emily reached up to grip the bar with one hand, then released her locked-leg position so she could safely return to the floor. Then, she looked up at Zip. "Training," she said simply. "I figured it'd be a good idea in case any of those merks come around – or even Karel."

Zip chuckled a bit, heading in her direction. "I've always wondered why you haven't ever bothered to train in here," he said.

Emily shrugged, looking about Lara's home-built gym. "Do you honestly think I could reach any of the places in here?" she asked, looking up to the suspended metal plank in the air. "I'm not like my mother. The only thing I can reach is the horizontal pole."

Zip sighed. "It's getting late, Emma," he said. "Your mother wants you to head up and get ready for bed."

Emily removed the black fingerless gloves from her hands. "I'm tired anyway," she admitted. She trudged past Zip and through the door, past the small fountain and down the hallway to enter the grand hall. The house seemed empty – no one was around. She didn't see Winston, Alister, Lara, or Kurtis. As she headed up the stairs, she glanced towards the tech room. Zip seated himself inside as she stopped, leaning over the railing. "Are you…are you turning the security system on?"

"Of course I am," he assured her. "Don't worry, Emma. I've got it covered. I'll send your mom up when she comes in from the basement."

"Can you send my dad, too?" she asked nervously.

He looked up at her for a moment, then laughed a bit with confusion. "Alright," he said. "Will do."

Emily sighed as she trudged further up the stairs, glancing at the old grandfather clock that read 9:30 p.m. She pushed her door open, leaving it halfway shut. She quickly changed into her pajamas. Then, she entered her bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She splashed the cool water over her face, giving herself a moment to think. Sure, they'd been home all day, been safe all day, but now that she was semi-alert – not at all like the last night – she couldn't stop thinking about Karel and the Black Angel. What if they came to the manor and tried to kidnap her again?

Emily switched the water valve off, reaching for a dry towel. Emily knew the Black Angel wouldn't hurt her – for whatever reason – but Karel was another story. And what if the Black Angel disregarded his own desires to serve Karel, and in turn, did to Emily whatever Karel told him to? The Black Angel has free will, she reminded herself. He wouldn't listen to Karel when he could easily just overthrow him…

She switched the light off, hoping that her rationalization was the truth. With a sigh, she climbed into her warm bed, pulling the covers over her. She hadn't been scared to go to sleep since she was a little kid. Now though, she was paranoid. She glanced about the room cautiously, pulling the covers tight against her neck so she could cautiously glance around. Then, she drew in a silent breath, closing her eyes, even though the light was still on.

Emily startled when she heard her door creaking open, and she jerked her head up to see who was entering. Her muscles relaxed upon the sight of her mother entering, and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Lara approached her bed. "You're all set, then?" she asked, seating herself on the edge of the bed.

Emily nodded. "I guess so," she said quietly.

Lara eyed her suspiciously. "Are you alright?"

Emily glanced past her, knowing she couldn't lie if she met her gaze. "I'm fine," she said. "Where's Dad?"

Lara and Emily glanced up as Kurtis entered the room, shutting the door behind him. "Everything alright?" he asked. "Zip said you wanted to talk to me…?"

"I just…" Emily said slowly. "I just wanted to say goodnight to you guys." She dodged Kurtis's gaze, but she could feel his hot glare on her. She fought to avoid his stare, turning towards her mother. "Well, I guess I'll just go to sleep then…" she said slowly.

Lara brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Sleep well, then, love," she said, kissing her on the forehead. She rose from the edge of the bed and brushed quietly past Kurtis. Emily turned away to face the wall, but didn't hear Kurtis leave. She glanced up in time to see him approaching the edge of her bed, seating himself where Lara had sat. She gazed up at him quizzically. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You're afraid of Karel, aren't you?" he asked flatly.

Emily gazed down quickly. "No…" she said.

"You can't lie to me," he pointed out. "Not only am I psychic, you're a horrible liar."

Emily sighed. "Don't tell Mom. I don't want her to worry."

Right, Kurtis scoffed in his mind. I'm more worried than she is. "She'll be fine," he assured her. "And you?"

Emily shrugged. "I guess I'll be fine," she said. "I mean, if Karel wanted to get me, he could've done it already, right?"

Kurtis wanted to agree, but he felt the breath caught in his throat. He swallowed his lie and sighed, gazing down at the gold patterns on Emily's comforter. "Listen to me, Em," he said quietly. "As capable as Karel is, your mother and I are going to be here to protect you – understand?"

Emily nodded slowly. "But…"

"No buts," he stopped her. "Just go to sleep. We'll just be down the hall. If you need anything at all, come get us."

Emily swallowed her fear. "Alright," she said. "Are you guys going to bed right now?"

"Probably," he said. "Is that okay with you?" he grinned.

Emily didn't think it was funny. "I guess," she sighed. "Well, goodnight then…"

She quickly turned away, facing the wall opposite of him so he couldn't see the fear in her eyes. She heard him sigh quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright," he said softly. "I'll see you in the morning."

She heard him rise from the edge of the bed and leave the room, switching the light off. Emily cringed as the room darkened, then jerked into an upright position. "Leave the door open!" she called quickly.

Kurtis stopped for a moment, then turned away, leaving the door halfway cracked open. Emily sighed, facing the wall again, praying that sleep would overtake her soon.


Siamak gazed up at the huge mansion standing before him, the moon hiding behind the garden hedges in the back. This must be it, he thought. He could feel it – the sword was here, and so was the tenth child. He drew in a deep breath, then moved forward towards the door. As he stepped closer, he could feel that a security system was activated. He stopped, gazing around, becoming acutely aware of the wires trekking discretely along the panels along the outside and inside of the house.

With a silent sigh, he reached both of his hands to the side. Then, he clenched his fists, his arms quivering as he telepathically destroyed the high-tech security system in an instant. He then reached a hand towards the doorknob, telekinetically dismantling it. The door opened inwardly on its hinges, and he casually stepped inside. I have to hand it to these mortals, he thought. They do try their best.

The inside of the manor was silent and dark. It was just after midnight, so the silence was expected. Siamak closed his eyes, trying to place in his mind where the sword was. He could feel its energy coming somewhere from beneath the house. He kept his mind trained on his objective, moving slowly forward as he felt energy growing stronger. He found himself approaching a stone wall. He tapped on it twice with his knuckles, hearing the hollow sound within. Then, he reached his hand forward, breaking the stone door from its hinges. He set it down quietly so as not to wake anyone, then entered past the demolished barricade.

Siamak followed the winding corridor deep into the crypt. He summoned the energy back to his mind – the sword was close. He stopped, standing just before a stone coffin. He reached his hand forward and removed the lid, revealing the blue, glowing weapon. A sly grin spread over his face as he reached forward, drawing the weapon into his hand to admire its entirety. "Just like I remember it," he said. Then, he strapped it over his shoulder, turning back towards the corridor to return to the main hallway.

He stopped just at the bottom of the stairs, slowly turning his gaze to the second story. The girl was beyond the door of the upper hall. Siamak quietly trekked up the stairs towards the door where he could feel the energy emitting most strongly. Then, he quietly opened it, stepping inside. He pulled the door shut behind him, then reached a hand over, removing the doorknob and locking it shut. Wouldn't want anyone to interrupt us, he thought.

Siamak quietly approached the bedside, leaning over to examine the girl as she slept. He silently seated himself on the edge, taking in her features – her long brown hair, messy from slumber. The blue eyes he'd seen so much fear in when they'd been in Cappadocia. The soft complexion of her beautiful skin.

A subtle smile crossed his face as he stared down at her. He reached a hand up, gently stroking her cheek. She stirred, confusion overtaking her face before she even fully awakened. Then, when she looked up, her eyes grew wide, and she writhed away from him in fear, screaming. She climbed off the bed and backed away into the corner. Siamak gazed at her with confusion and frustration. "Be quiet!" he ordered. "We don't want them to hear us!"

"W-Who are you?" she asked fearfully. "What are you doing here?"

"My name is Siamak Lachesis," he said. "Though I'm sure you wouldn't recognize me in this appearance…"

Her face knit into confusion. "Y-You're the Black Angel?"

He nodded slowly, then took a step forwards. "You have nothing to be afraid of," he assured her. "I'm here to take you home with me."

"Get back!" she demanded. "I'm not going anywhere with you!"

His face slowly changed from hopeful to a mixture of shock, irritation, and confusion. "And what else are you going to do?" he asked dryly. "Stay here for the rest of your life? There are far better things that await you in Lemuria."

"I'm not going to Lemuria!" she said. "I don't even know why I'm here talking to you! You need to get out of here before my father comes and –"

"No one can stop me," he interrupted. "Not your mother, not your father…not even Karel."

Emily stared up at him fearfully in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I am the only one who can protect you from him," he said. "You have to trust me in this." He stepped towards her. "If you come with me, together we can stop Karel."

"But why?" she asked quickly. "You work for him!"

Siamak held his gaze with her, then scoffed. "I almost forgot that," he muttered. Then he sighed quietly. "You wouldn't want harm falling over you, would you? Or your family?" Emily gazed away, knowing that to some extent, he was right. He was possibly the only person who could keep her safe from Karel. But then, she remembered what her mother said – the Black Angel is a sleeping giant. She certainly wouldn't want to wake him. "I personally promise that nothing will happen to you – so long as you come with me."

"And if I don't?" Emily asked slowly.

He stepped threateningly closer to her. "Let's not find out what will happen if you choose that road," he warned. He reached a hand in her direction. "Come with me, Emily."

Emily gazed down at his hand, trying to think of what to do. Then, she quickly rose to her feet, bolting past him towards the door. He didn't seem to care, and then she found out why. As she reached the door, she found the knob missing, and the barricade sealed shut. He slowly approached her, the casual look on his face sending more fear up Emily's spine than the menacing look on Karel's face ever had. She did the last thing she could think to do – she began pounding on the door, screaming for her parents. Almost immediately, Siamak approached her, pulling her hands down roughly to her side and covering her mouth with his free hand. "Don't make this any harder on yourself!" he hissed. "I don't want to hurt your parents, but if they come in here, I'll have no choice!"

Suddenly, Emily heard banging on the door. Her parents had come to her cries for help. She heard the bang again, and again. Siamak glanced around, then dragged Emily across the room towards the window. She struggled to break free from his grip as he opened the window. For a young boy, he was certainly strong. If only I had my lighter…she thought. She remembered the time in France when she'd burned that Cabal follower's face with her hand. Emily quickly reached for Siamak's wrist, willing her mind to produce elemental energy. After a moment, he cried out in pain, releasing her as he staggered back. Emily rushed to the door just as Kurtis broke it down, a gun held in his hand towards the intruder. Lara stood just behind him, an assault rifle aimed towards Siamak's head.

Siamak eyed Kurtis angrily, drawing the sword from his back. Then, he swung the weapon in Kurtis's direction, sending a surge of blue energy his way. Kurtis quickly dodged it, then fired a shot from his gun at the Black Angel. Siamak staggered back, then gripped his chest where the bullet had entered. After a moment, he began to struggle for breath, shaking his vision clear. He reached his hands towards his head, groaning in pain. His profiles began to rapidly change from person to person, until he released a final cry of defeat and vanished into thin air, taking the sword with him.

Kurtis lowered his gun with shaking hands, thankful that he'd taken the time to reconstruct the bullet that Garin had made in France the first time he'd managed to fend Karel off. If it worked the way he hoped, Siamak would be teleported to some far-off location.

He entered the room, making sure there were no more threats, then holstered the gun. He turned towards his daughter. "You alright?" he asked quickly, examining her thoroughly to make sure she hadn't been hurt. Before he could speak another word, Emily dove into his arms for an embrace, shaking violently as she fought to keep herself from shedding tears of panic – and to keep herself from going into a panic attack.

Kurtis didn't know what to do. He'd never had to 'embrace' a kid before, let alone his own daughter. He knew, though, that she was scared, and that she needed some consolation from the one person who seemed to be her protector. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around her and held onto her tightly, gazing up at Lara just in time to see her lower the rifle with a look of confusion, fear, and hopelessness.


Whoa ho ho look at him GO!! Not quite what you expected, was it? Alright, I'll catch you guys on Sunday, cuz I'm going out of town this weekend!! =D