The backside of the van was dark and dirty. Lara's hands were tied behind her back, so she was unable to stay on her feet when the two men pushed her inside. She landed hard on the metal surface, breathing in the dust that stirred up.

"Thanks, guys." – she was coughing, looking at them rigidly before they closed the doors and utter darkness surrounded her again. Not that she cared. She welcomed the calmness of it even if she was lying uncomfortably in a van, not knowing where they took her. The only important thing was to keep Zip and Winston safe. If she ever lost either of them, she wouldn't know how to get over it. Lara struggled to a sitting position, leaning against the side of the van.

After a while she totally lost her sense of time and direction. Having no idea where they were heading, Lara gave up guessing. She would find out soon enough. If only she could reach for the knife in her left boot. When the van turned sharply to the right, Lara fell again, rolling hard on the floor. After a sudden breaking, the vehicle stopped and Lara felt like being tossed around in huge mixer. She turned her face away, blinking heavily when the harsh light of a huge lamp filled the cargo area again.

One of the men appeared in the door, and Lara tried to kick him in the face when he moved closer, but he was faster. Not being able to see anything but silhouettes, she kicked blindly towards them.

"Stop it!" – the man in the mask called out. "Do I need to remind you what will happen to your friends if you don't do what I tell you?"

Lara froze in the middle of the move, lowering her foot back to the metal surface in surrender.

"What do you want from me?" – she asked quietly, trying not to look into the light that hurt her eyes.

"You'll find out soon enough." – he gestured to his men and they dragged her out of the van. When Lara was finally able to look around, she realized they were at an abandoned airport site somewhere outside the city. Followed by the two men, she walked after the masked man to a big cargo plane. Before they entered it through the open plateau, he turned around and held a mobile phone towards her. "Now call your friend and tell him you'll spend a few days away as you need to clear your mind. They shouldn't look for you till you contact them."

"What's this good for?" – she wondered though she knew the answer perfectly.

"Just do it. My employer doesn't like surprises and uninvited guests. I'll dial for you." – he held the phone to her ear and watched her talk. Only a few short words, no tricks, no hidden messages. Lara kept her gaze on his face, but it was impossible to recognize him under the mask. His features looked twisted, altered though the transparent plastic. "Get in!" – he nodded towards the inside of the plane. "We have a tight schedule."

He didn't touch her, didn't try to toss her. There was no need for violence. He could see it in her eyes that she would obey. That was exactly what he expected. The strong Lara Croft was shaken, hurt deep inside and he wanted to use that to his own purposes. Through the small eye holes of the mask he watched her walk inside. The pants accentuated her shapely body, her hair fell onto her back. Despite the heavy boots she looked more feminine than anyone he had ever met before. Her brown eyes sadder than anything else. For a short moment he felt sorry for her.

"Where are you taking me?" – she looked at him with those chocolate eyes, her hands still tied behind her back.

"Sit down." – he offered her a place. He knew his manners, not like those two who he was forced to work together with. They had no idea how to handle her, he did. Lara took place, crossed her long legs elegantly. "There's no need to make it any harder than it has to be." – he left her there, walking over to the pilot. Lara could hear the quiet orders he gave him, but could not make out his words. Wonderful, she thought. Why didn't she care? Those lines she had written before were swirling on her mind. All those she had lost over the years… it made her tough, at least from outside. Inside she felt weaker than ever before.

The plane moved, slowly rolling over to the airstrip. She felt the vibration of the engines, that huge power that was able to lift this monster into the air. The lights of the city became smaller and smaller as they flew higher and higher. The airplane turned, its wings tilted to the side. Lara mentally said goodbye to England and waited where fate would take her.

The light rumble of the plane woke her when they landed. She had no idea what the time could be, or where they were. Outside it was still almost dark, the first rays of the sun just appeared in the east, painting the horizon light blue. When the plane stopped, the masked man stepped to her.

"Please, follow me!" – he point towards the plateau that slowly opened at the backside of the machine. To her biggest surprise there was sand around her, everywhere she looked. The air was still cool after the night, but Lara knew this would change very fast with the cruel sun wandering higher in the sky. They landed in the middle of nowhere. A jeep was waiting for them and after a short trip tents appeared in front of them. White ones, hiding between the sand dunes. When the car stopped, she jumped out, her boots sinking in the sand.

The sight that welcomed her was more than surprising. A big fat man was sitting in the shades of an open tent, a few steps in front of him a guy on his knees, his head lowered in surrender. His hands were tied behind his back as well, just like Lara's, a sack covered his head, so she couldn't see his face. What the hell, she thought, stepping closer. Very soon she found herself kneeling next to the guy with a gun held against her head.