AN: Thanks very much again for the feedback. I hoped to be uploading more often but the IB offers little in the way of free time. That aside, here is the next chapter! Honest reviews and tips are always appreciated :D Just a heads up, I forgot to mention that any speech in italics are quotes from TR:Angel of Darkness.

Chapter 5

Airborne.

Lara had taken two days to plan her journey. She had a nine hour flight to Alaska, and then about three hours by boat to the unmarked island. After meticulous map scanning she had worked out roughly where it would be, and was hoping for the best. The engines whirred, but the sound was muffled by the headset she was wearing. The clouds passed her by in complete silence, and she felt alone.

It was nightfall as she descended into the airport. Leaving the plane in a private bay, she was glad of her warm preparation. Her boots crunched through snow, and she made her way to the dock. According to her watch, it was 8:00 pm. A man leaned against a wall stared at her as she arrived at the dock, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I suppose you want to hire a boat."

"That is correct. Can you help me with that?"

"I don't normally do business at this hour, but I can see the urgency in your eyes. You're going to need strength, the seas are wild at night. Try this one." The man lead Lara a short way along the dock, and signalled to a small, sturdy boat. It showed age, but no visible damage. She paid the man, who warned her to stay safe. Lara nodded and clambered in, the water swishing beneath.

She began to row. It was going to be a long, dark journey. She switched on her torch, which offered a little relief from the darkness. It felt like eternity that she spent in the black, with only the sound of the sea to narrate the journey. Suddenly the sea became choppier, and Lara was thrown back. She rowed harder, but the little boat tipped from right to left, and water sloshed over the sides. Lara gasped, the water was icy cold and she shivered. She could make out an outline ahead, and realised that she was nearing land. She moored the boat as gently as she was able, and withdrew her pistols with caution. She removed her torch from her bag and placed one pistol back into its holster. Shining the light, all she could see was the mouth of an icy cave, beyond that only brush. Footsteps echoed and the sound grew louder, until Lara saw a man emerge through the brush. He was small, donned in thick warm clothing, which made him looked rather odd, almost fat. He waddled over. It brought back more memories of Paris.

"Do you have what I need?"

Her thoughts were interrupted as the man approached her. "You came!"

"Yes, quite obviously. So what is this information?"

"I need to tell you how dangerous the situation is. People have died!"

"Died?"

"Yes, previous speculators. This is why I'm telling you, to warn you of what is to come."

"Thanks, but I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can. I need your help, stranger. I know this cave contains information, but I cannot venture far. I have seen bodies in there, mutilated and shredded. Bodies of those like you who want the answers. Are you sure you can do this?"

"Yes, there may be traps, or a large beast. It's there to guard the information - however not for much longer." Lara took a deep breath, reloaded her pistols, and entered the cave with her torch as her only guide.

The cave was dank, and the sound of dripping was amplified by hollow walls. Corpses were strewn across the floor, frozen in positions of terror. Lara stepped forward, and heard a crack. She hopped back, and saw the ground crumble away. Spikes awaited below, and Lara could see that the trap had not been previously avoided. Looking up, she saw a hole through the ceiling.

"That must be where they feed the covering through to the ground."

With her new discovery, Lara carefully descended, looking for any sign of disturbance in the ceiling. She crept stealthily, feeling sweat bead on her forehead. She entered a hallway, and was sickened by the blood she saw smeared across the walls. In her mind she was carried back to Werner's apartment on that fateful night, remembering the nauseating message Eckhardt painted in Werner's blood all over the walls. Even more nervous now, Lara ventured on as quietly as possible. Suddenly the ground shook, and a roar echoed through the caves. Thumping followed. Round the corner lumbered a great beast. It was covered in fur and had two fangs, a metre long. It lurched towards Lara, screeching and wailing, and flung her against the wall. Lara vocalised her pain, breathed deeply, and withdrew her machine gun. Blood stained the creature's white fur like the first mark on a canvas. The beast wailed again, and collapsed. Lara ventured over to its corpse. It was truly dead. On closer examination, Lara realised it had been a yeti. It wasn't her first encounter with one, but the dark had distorted its shape.

"Yes, highly inconvenient having abominations running around loose, isn't it?"

Checking for more creatures, Lara made her way through countless winding tunnels. She discovered a V-Packer gun discarded on the ancient floors, which she stuffed into her backpack. Finally she entered a corridor, long and empty - or so she thought. There was a single light at the very end of the hall, and it shone down onto a small slab, on which a book rested.

"Brilliant! That's the information I'm looking for."

As Lara was about to step forward, she realised that the hall was quiet. Eerily quiet. Suspicion welled up inside or her, and she shot two bullets from her pistols. As they zoomed through the air, a whole host of traps pierced through the walls. Huge spikes flung out at such a force that dust was scattered, and spikes protruded from the ground beneath. Breathing deeply, Lara stepped back, then sprinted with all her might. She needed to judge this carefully, a mistake would cost her her life.

She flipped over the first floor spikes, and quickly transformed her flip into a dive as another trap emerged from the walls. Adrenaline took over, and she was springing and diving at high speed. Eventually the traps met an end, and with a final air roll, she landed, one leg tucked underneath her, the other splayed out, before the slab. She smiled, laughing proudly at her achievement, before rising to examine her prize. The book was old, its pages yellowing, and was worn away at the edges. She gingerly opened it, wiping the sweat from her brow. This was it. Examining the cover, she saw it was entitled "Iubeo."

"Latin" - She thought to herself, "meaning order or command."

It was all written in Latin, and Lara slowly began to translate.

"My Brothers and Sisters. I tell you that one day this world will be ours - no more will free will dominate the actions of the world, but we will. The pareona will be our weapon, our aid. With its power we can have all we desire."

Lara unintentionally ignored the rest of the writing, and her eyes widened as she had an epiphany.

"My God…" she thought aloud, "Pareo, meaning obey in Latin. I have a very bad feeling about this. Somehow the world's train of thought is going to be affected."

She read further, seeing the initials UPP. It was true.

"We, the Union of Pareona Protection…"

"Idiots," Lara laughed to herself, "I suppose they really do love those initials. It must be a way for the members to remember their true cause, then again how does one forget about world domination?"

Lara slid the book into her backpack, and caught sight of a lever in the far right corner. Wiping away the cobwebs, she pulled hard. It was rusty, and she gasped as she yanked it back. There was a sliding sound, and a door in the wall opened, dust crashing to the floor, revealing stairs back to the entrance.

"Aha, how convenient."