Kurtis Trent...Mid-Day...Undecided to where his journey will take him...
Having still the Nephilim sample in his possession, Kurtis carried on pondering on how he was going to get rid of it, and making sure that no one can get access to it. The most secured places he thought of were Area 51 in Nevada Desert, Fort Knox, which is in America, or even a Bunker or an Offshore Rig. However he thought against these places, since one of his reasons is that despite his skills and abilities, he wouldn't be able to get access to them due to the security of being the highest level. Kurtis even thought as far off, as to sending the dreaded sample into orbit to outer space, but that was far from a reality and was indeed near to impossible...
Kurtis had also considered the possibility, that if the Nephilim sample were to be hidden, it would have been only a matter of time that someone would recover the sample from that place, and unlock the many mysteries that were beholden in it. From that trail of thought, Kurits knew that there was no other choice. The sample must be destroyed, but how...
'Prague!' An answer came into his mind. Thinking back to his Lux Veritatis history, he knew that with all three periapt shards combined, they can destroy an immortal being. This was proven with the case of Pieter Van Eckhardt, the original black alchemist. Lara was able to defeat Eckhardt, using the three daggers and thereafter he ceased to be a part in this world...
'Perhaps if I can retrieve the three periapt shards from Eckhardt's body, then I might be able to extract the elements from each one that obliterates the cells that allow immortality. Therefore I will be able to fully wipe out this last remaining Nephilim sample!' A plan had finally formed in Kurtis's mind. At last he had a lead to go to, and without any further hesitation, he headed for Prague, knowing what kind of transportation he was going to use. Kurtis had hoped that Eckhardt's body was still hidden away at the Strahov Fortress in his lab, and it hadn't been recovered wholly yet. For if it had been recovered by The Income Cleaning and Research Corporation, then he would have no choice but to again break into their headquarters, to which he didn't want to do again...
Lara Croft... Driving in the streets in Paris... Afternoon
Driving around aimlessly through Paris, which basically was the mission given to her by Neil Peach, was not something she'd plan to do any longer. Lara knew Kurtis quite well, and understood that going by this method of illogical searching/wild goose chasing, she would never be able to find him. To get to know where Kurtis is headed, she had to think what he would try and do with the Nephilim sample he is carrying around with him.
'Now, where would he go?'This question was what she had been asking herself since the morning. But thanks to the free equipment and additional information given to her by the organisation whom were hunting down Kurtis, Lara would be able use them to find any sort of clues leading straight to him. She parked up the 4x4 vehicle, and got out the paperwork given to her from Neil, so she could see where he's been previously. This was so she could track down his movements, and see if there was a pattern or correlation emerging from them...
'So, he's been spotted in France, Germany and The Czech Republic...Prague, that's it! 'Lara set the cars' in built GPS and Onboard Satellite Navigation for Prague. This time she had a feeling that this was exactly where Kurtis was heading. Once the computer system confirmed Lara's targeted location, the navigation voice sprung into life, and started directing her to where she needed to go.
Without delay, Lara put her foot on the accelerator pedal and revved the car out of streets of Paris. As time passed and just as she was exiting the borders of France, the car dashboard screen suddenly changed from the map to a phone picture, telling Lara that she has a phone call waiting. She turned the loudspeaker in the car on, and answered the call. She had a gut feeling that this would have happened eventually, and knew that her car was traced and being watched...
"Agent Croft, can you hear me?" A familiar voice filled the car.
"Yes, loud and clear Mr. Peach" Lara replied...
"Agent Croft, where exactly are you heading? We can see your car on our systems telling us that you are leaving France?"
"Indeed Mr Peach, I have a hunch that our target is heading for The Czech Republic, set your course to Prague"
"Very good Agent Croft, we'll send some reinforcements and I will also be there, and we'll meet you there later on. Where exactly is our destination?"
"...The Strahov Building"...Lara stated as her answer.
Kurtis Trent...Outskirts of Prague...
As Kurtis got closer and closer to the dark fortress, his mind grew ever more tired. He had to stay alert for anybody suspicious lurking around. But has he kept himself awake, the further he thought of Lara and what she was doing at that moment in time. What he didn't know was that she was chasing him down along with the backing of the Income Cleaning and Research Corporation, and was getting closer to him by the second...
"I wonder what I will say to her once this little quest has been done..." Kurtis thought, knowing that if he saw Lara again, she won't be happy that he had left her that very morning. As he continued with his travels, Kurtis got his mind back on track with his adventure, and then considered the possibility that there could be guards on duty once he gets to the vast building. To retaliate against that threat, Kurtis got out his sacred weapon, the Chirugai, and it began to mystically spin and levitate into air with Kurtis's special powers. While it continued to spin horizontally, Kurtis also brought out his specialized Boran X pistol, and inputted a fresh clip of ammunition, ready to attack anyone who stood in his way...
'Almost there now'...Kurtis recalled his previous way there, and remembered all too well the events that happened.
Lara Croft...Prague...approaching her destination...
Lara parked up the car nearby the Strahov Fortress, and walked nearby to the entrance. Right on schedule, Neil Peach alongside with his reinforcements was waiting for Lara's arrival.
"Over here Agent Croft" announced Neil Peach, the leader of the small squad.
"Ah-Ha, Mr Peach, you've arrived earlier than I expected"
"Of course, once you told us where we should be, we got the earliest and best transportation to here... now to business"
"Indeed, I think this is the place where the Bugman is currently"
"How do you know that? What do you base that idea from, and how would you back it up with some evidence?"
"I based it on the ideals of how a suspect always returns to the scene of the crime. In this case, the files explain what he stole from the company, originally came from this place, and for sure he's been seen here before"
"So what would he be doing back here?"
"Well, perhaps he left something here before he stole the sample from you, so it could be the case of picking something up from here, or similar"
"Good theory, okay let's check it out..."
They went inside the building complex, and immediately were half blinded by the darkness compared with outside. However, this issue was soon resolved with one person from Neil's reinforcements quickly turning on the power for the fortress. Dimmed lighting showed Lara a familiar place to where she was standing...
"Right, we'll split up, here Agent Croft take this walkie talkie with you, if you find any clues or he himself, then contact us immediately, any questions?"
"Only one, which way am I going?"
"If you take up ahead, some of us will cover left and others will do the right side, is that okay with you?
"Certainly is"
"Right, let's get started shall we?"
Lara knew exactly where she was, and to her delight, they told her to go where she needed to. Up ahead was the only real way to progress forward through the large Strahov Fortress. With her instructions, Lara proceeded through the warehouse...
Kurtis Trent...Nearing to his objective...
Kurtis was initially surprised of how little to none "cleaning" there has been done to the fortress. In reality, everything that was there since he last came, was virtually untouched. The only thing that has changed is the more freedom and accessible the place has become. Because of this, it didn't take long for Kurtis to reach the deceased Eckhardt's lab, passing through, he was reminded of the fight between him and that mutated bug known as Boaz. He managed to overcome the trials of the Lost Domain, which was built up between the Vault of Trophies and the lab...
Thanks to his mystic abilities and skills, Kurtis infiltrated the inner sanctum of Eckhardt's lab. This was where he'd planned to awake and unleash the Sleeper, the true last hybrid Nephilim specimen. That was until Lara stopped him using the three periapt shards, to which his own creation, the sanglyph, instead of reviving the Nephilim race, it was used to destroy the sleeper...
When Kurtis entered the vast arena, what remained basically was a pile of rubble. A massive explosion must have happened here, since Lara didn't go into huge detail with her explanation. Kurtis began his search for the three shards, to which they must be lying around there...somewhere...
Lara Croft...Knee Deep inside the Strahov Fortress...
The further Lara got through the vast building, the more memories came flooding back to her to when she was previously here. She knew exactly where Kurtis was heading, no doubt in her mind that he had a different plan than before. Instead of trying to hide the sample, he was going to try and destroy it with the three periapt shards. There was no other explanation...
However there was a flaw in Kurtis' plan, if he was successful in his plan to rid the world of the Nephilim sample, he would still have the Income Cleaning and Research Corporation on his tail, in which they will have become more vicious in their search for him. In essence, not only would he have to destroy the sample, but to also clear him of his name, Kurtis would have to take down the corporation itself, and that would be one heavy task...Something he can't do alone...
Kurtis Trent...A few seconds until completing his mission...
After doing a full sweep of searching for the ancient weapons, Kurtis finally found them lying in the dust that has been slowly accumulating. There, he also saw the skeletal body of Eckhardt with the three periapt shards. Two were on the floor next to the ribcage, while the third was straight through into his skull. Kurtis got out the Nephilim sample and laid the glass vial container on the floor...
'At last, the end for this last remaining sample has finally arrived...' A happy thought crossed Kurtis, after all he was saving the world from an evil happening, devised by the Income Cleaning and Research Corporation. He picked up the two shards from the floor, and pulled out the third plunged one from the skull with some strength. The black thunderous blades from each one began to surge with blue aura, ready for their user to strike...
Kurtis grabbed hold onto two of the the handles of the ancient Lux Vertatis weapons, and without any hesitation, he plunged both shards into the ground. The contents in the vial spilled out from the glass shattering from the sheer force from Kurtis. Without further ado, Kurtis finally reached out for the final periapt shard, and with all his might, he thrust the blade right into the heart of the liquid goo that was the Nephilim sample. A mystic power began to overhaul the pool of the Nephilim sample, rendering it now completely useless, with all the immortal cells now dying away from the magic of the shards.
'It's finally over!' Any threat of trying to revive the Nephilim race in anyway was now gone with the destruction of this sample. But before he could celebrate to himself any further, Kurtis felt an unexpected appearance had just entered the arena...
"KURTIS!" A recognisable female voice shouted across from the huge circular room.
"Lara..." A taken completely surprised Kurtis whispered out, knowing that voice from anywhere...
The female character came into light, and it was indeed Lara Croft...The person for whom would blossom any room that she'd entered in with her presence, especially this one, which was nearing devastation. Kurtis's heartbeat began to race even faster for when she got closer to him...Quickly unanswered questions got raised inside his mind...
'How did she find him?'
'What on earth she was doing here?'
'Did she come here alone?'
'What was she planning to do?'
Those questions were soon answered, and Kurtis really didn't know how to react, as Lara came over and hugged him tightly. They shared a sweet moment together, until Lara pulled Kurtis' head side over to her mouth, and began to whisper to him...
"Do you trust me Kurtis?" her warmed whispered voice filled into his ear, as they continued to hug each other softly.
"...Yes, Lara...I..."
"Don't say it, not yet..." It was that instant, Lara broke away from Kurtis. She got out a walkie talkie from her backpack, and turned it on. Kurtis didn't know what was going on, but he was soon to find out...
"Agent Croft to Team, over, I have found our target, the Bugman, over."
"Excellent, exercise extreme caution around him, we're right behind you, over!" A male voice responded.
"What!" Kurtis exclaimed, all of the sudden he didn't know what to feel anymore. Betrayal and utter disbelief was all he felt, he couldn't believe it...
Lara Croft...In Kurtis's eyes, she had fallen from grace...but hope remained...
Lara pointed one of her dual pistols straight at him, and they both remained in silence until the cavalry team arrived.
"There he is, seize him immediately" The leader of the squad team burst out, and almost promptly the small reinforcement team grabbed hold of Kurtis, disarming him in the process.
"So, you've finally found me, now it's your turn to hide, shall I count to three or is that too short for you?" Kurtis mocked, but Neil was having none of it, as he wanted to relish that moment.
"Don't push your luck Bugman, we've gone into a lot of trouble trying to find you, and now at last here you are..."
"Yes you finally caught me, so when is the fanfare celebration bus gonna arrive?" Kurtis furthermore joked around.
"Shut up, now where's the specimen sample that you've stolen from us?"
"Gone, I've destroyed it!"
"Ha, liar! You cannot destroy that specimen, it is forever living. Instead of taking it from you by force, we have other plans for you!" Neil stated, he then turned his attention away from Kurtis and onto Lara.
"An excellent effort you've made for our company, Ms. Croft, you shall be rewarded greatly. Would you like to come with us to our headquarters, and personally see the boss of our corporation? We will also take him with us. He shall be dealt with too, while we are there"
"Sure, it would be a pleasure to meet the leader behind this company" Lara said in a pretend excited fashion.
"Great, follow us to our car. Handcuff and blindfold the Bugman and take him with us" He ordered his fellow henchmen.
Kurtis Trent... Stuck and trapped in a inescapable situation...
In times like this, when your eyesight is blinded by darkness, you would rely on other sensory options, such as smell, hearing, touch and taste. Fortunately for Kurtis, not only did he have all these attributes, but also his psychic abilities allowed him to foresee pass his blindness and get a glimpse of what was ahead. He foresaw that they were heading for the exit, and straight towards a large 4x4 car with tinted windows, so no one can see what's inside...
Kurtis felt his head being forced down by one of the henchman, and thereafter he was pushed into the back of the business/luxury SUV. He could smell the interior of the car all too well, as it was a mixture of a new car smell along with quite a fragrance of aftershave. He could feel the premium leather and plastics of the car interior, and once he was secured tightly in, he further felt like a prisoner, as two of the henchmen were sat on both opposite sides of him. Using his supernatural powers, Kurtis saw that the leader of the squad hunter team had taken the position of driving, whilst Lara took the second seat next to him.
Next the diesel 2.5L V6 engine of the SUV came into life as Kurtis had heard it, and with a few presses on the accelerator and clutch, the car began to get into rhythm and was soon speeding along on the roadway. There was no conversation between the agents, and all Kurtis could hear was both the car being driven and any other passing cars that were alongside the SUV. The trip had taken a while, and out of the blue, he heard the leader dialling in a number on his mobile, which automatically went to handsfree mode.
"Hello Justine, we have crucial news for the boss, is she there at this time?"
"Yes Agent Peach, I'll patch you through to her, hang on for one moment please..."
"Who's the boss of the Income Cleaning and Research Facility?" Kurtis heard Lara asked out of the blue.
"Her name is Ms. Alison Robinson, and she is the founder and current leader of this corporation. Without her, this organisation would fail, had it not been for her driving force. Actually coincidentally she was also the one, who started this operation, and she intends to reap the benefits out of it, but we don't know what for...yet."
"Fill me in Agent Peach. I do hope it's good news that I will hear..." A new female sinister voice occupied the car interior.
"Indeed ma'am, it is very good news. We have successfully captured the Bugman, and we are now on our way with him to headquarters" Neil replied.
"Excellent news, I'll inform the other agents to cease their search and tell them to return to base, any other news to report?
"Yes ma'am, the reason as to why we were able to find the Bugman was thanks to our newest recruit, and we were wondering if she was able to meet you?"
"I see... why not, it will be intriguing to meet the person who had caught the Bugman"
"Very well then, we are on our way"
"Good, I shall see you in a bit then, over and out"
Neil turned off the on-board cell phone, and resumed his normal driving speed along the highway. During this time, Kurtis and the others remained silent, until they reached their destination as he heard from the Satellite Navigation confirming it. Both of his arms suddenly got clenched onto by the two henchmen beside him, and they both carried Kurtis out of the car.
"Come on you, we're here, the final chapter in your lifetime" Smirked one of the henchmen, and they led the Bugman inside the headquarters building...
Lara Croft...Heading up to the highest office...
Lara stood there in the elevator, nervously waiting for the lift doors to open any second once it reached to the top floor. As before there were five of them, Neil Peach, the two henchmen, Kurtis whom was still cuffed and blindfolded, and then there was Lara herself. 'What were they going to do with Kurtis', she wondered, as finally the moment came. Taking one deep breath, Lara followed Neil through the office corridor, and took note of her surrounding area...
Taking one final left turn, they reached one final hallway leading to the large office of Alison Robinson...
"Ah Agent Peach" the secretary announced as the small group entered the assistant's office...
"I'll just make Ms. Robinson aware of your presence..." She continued, and picked up the phone, waiting for an answer...
"Hello Ms. Robinson, Agent Peach and his team have arrived...Okay will do"
"You can go in to see her" Justine nodded at Agent Peach, and signalled them in...
"Thanks very much Justine"
They entered through into the second part of the spacious office, and there waiting for them was the boss of The Income Cleaning and Research Corporation. Ms. Robinson gave a good scan of each person as they appeared through the doorway. As everyone entered and stood there, Ms. Robinson began to speak.
"Ah Agent Peach, at long last the Bugman has been caught and now our plans to use this sample can continue as before" Alison Robinson proclaimed.
"What is this sample and what do you plan on doing with it?" Lara inquired, taking Ms. Robinson a bit off guard about the question.
"Who is this, Agent Peach?" Alison looked suspiciously at Lara, waiting for her reply.
"Forgive me Ma'am, where are my manners? This is the lady that graciously helped us catch the Bugman. Her name is Lara Croft, and we recruited her in Paris for our investigation about 2 days ago."
"I see...Well welcome Ms Croft to the Income Cleaning and Research Corporation, as you can probably tell from our name, we clean up abandoned warehouses, disused laboratories, or vacant buildings. We take anything interesting from these types of buildings and with our state of the art range of equipment that we use, we further research these mysterious objects of fascination. Once the research has been conducted, we determine if the source is of any good to us or not. As you've properly already have heard, this particular sample that the Bugman had stolen from us, was recovered at the Strahov Fortress in Prague, and through our extensive research, it has some amazing, out of this world properties, that are much valuable to us."
"What do you plan on doing with the sample then?"
"After further analysis, we are going to duplicate the sample and test it. Our test subjects will be humans, and they successfully bind together with the sample's properties...Hehe, we will create and fulfil a new goal, an ambition if you will..."
"And which one is that?"
"Ha, of course this sample will help us to create a new form of humans. It will increase our metabolism cells in our bodies and then transform us into a completely new breed of life form. We as observers to this phenomenal discovery will now call ourselves...Super Humans... Just imagine how life on Earth would become, a new world order would be on the horizon...That is my dream..."
"So now that you've got the Bugman, what do you plan to do with him?
"Kill him of course, but first there is one more task he has to do for us, take his blinds off" Alison Robinson ordered, and of course without any questions asked, the henchmen took off his blindfold. Kurtis took a brief look round, and looked straight into Ms. Robinson's burning eyes...
"So now we are seeing eye to eye for the first time, where is the sample Bugman?"
"Haha, I don't have it anymore, it's gone!"
"WHAT!" "You can't have done...that's impossible..."
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I destroyed it with the only means necessary to do so...The periapt shards were the answer" Kurtis smiled at his explanation, as he saw Ms. Robinson fuming with rage.
"NO...I WANT HIM KILLED IMMEDIATELY, I WANT NO HEISTATION!" Alison Robinson responded angrily with the order to kill. Knowing all that effort into planning, research and money had gone to waste...
Just at that moment, before the other agents could react to that order, Lara sprung into action. Kurtis glanced over to her direction, and saw her give him a cute little wink. He nodded straight back at her, and then Lara drew her dual pistols, and shot point blank into the henchmen who were grabbing hold of Kurtis upright.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING AGENT CROFT?"An astonished Neil Peach questioned Lara, stunned by what he had just seen her do.
"I've heard all that I needed to hear. I never was truly working for you, I only used you to help me find him...and by the way his name's Kurtis, not that stupid code name that you called him" Retorted Lara. Quickly Kurtis turned his back to Lara with the knowledge that she hadn't really betrayed him, and pointed out the chain binding his arms together. Lara took aim and shot the chain, freeing Kurtis arms so he too can engage in the battle.
"Very well, you shall die along with him too" Neil Peach pledged to Lara. He took a glimpse at his boss, quickly seeing that she was in danger of getting shot!
"Ms. Robinson! Take cover and call reinforcements to get up here!" He ordered his boss. Straight away, Lara threw one of her pistols over to Kurtis, and without delay, Kurtis targeted for Neil Peach.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Without saying another word, Neil Peach slowly fell to the recently refurbished office floor, not moving any muscle on his body. The duo that consisted of both Lara and Kurtis, then turned to the boss of the corporation and the person behind this whole operation. Alison took a step back, holding a gun she picked up from one of the deceased henchmen on the carpet floor. She certainly didn't have the time to call reinforcements, so it had all come down to this...
"You won't get away with this...the both of you" A determined Ms. Robinson said to both Lara and Kurtis, as they cautiously stared at her until Kurtis spoke...
"I'm afraid we already have...The sample has been destroyed and your top personnel have been decommissioned, why don't you just give it up?" He asked her, but his answer came out in one big out-burst.
"NEVER!" Ms. Robinson snarled, and with an evil wicked grin she trained her gun towards Lara's direction.
"Ha, say goodbye Ms. Croft! HAHAHA!" She shouted out over the top.
BANG!
Lara thought for that moment that she had just been shot, but to her surprise she didn't feel any pain. She looked over to Alison Robinson, but she too was in shock awe at what had just happened. Just before the bullet from her gun had the chance to reach Lara, Kurtis dived out in front of her to take the shot. Thereafter he just lay still on the floor, not getting back up at all...
'Kurtis...' Lara's thought process nearly drifted away, before turning her attention back to Alison Robinson.
"Fool, he obviously loves you, or else he wouldn't have done that self sacrificing defending act for you" Ms. Robinson aggressively told Lara, as both of them still targeted each other with their weapons.
"Drop it or you'll force me to do it!" A strong Lara commanded, having had enough of seeing the sight of Alison Robinson. Seeing the seriousness and strength of character in Lara, Ms. Robinson was taken back to the point of becoming frightened of Lara. Lara moved closer to her, with the pistol still aimed at Ms. Robinson, whom kept on taking steps back away from her pursuer.
"STOP! Don't come any closer or... AAARRRGGGHHHH!" A sudden sound of her scream alerted Lara and made her jump at bit, as Ms. Robinson had briefly forgotten in that tense session she had left her wide window open. It was just a matter of a second and she'd disappeared from Lara's viewing vision. Lara quickly came over to the window and took a peek out of it, seeing if Ms. Robinson had caught the ledge or if she had plunged to her death.
It didn't matter either way, as Ms. Robinson would have met her conclusion somehow. When Lara looked over, she wasn't able to see any trace of her, so it was definitely most likely that she'd dropped all those floors of the building. Having seen the last of the corrupt Ms. Robinson, Lara instantly turned her attention to Kurtis, who remained motionless on the floor. Lara came over and put her hand on his shoulder, to see if she was able to get him out of unconsciousness.
"Kurtis...KURTIS!"...