Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Lara and Sam
Author's Note: Again, I appreciate there was a longer wait for this chapter, but a chapter every other day seems like a realistic system right now :) As we get further into the story it's becoming a little harder and more time consuming so the chapters may take longer to be edited and published. Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
"Er- Miss Croft?" Tom asked cautiously, moving round the counter to comfort Lara.
She shook him off and wiped her mouth.
"Are you okay?" Tom questioned. He picked up the game for her and stared at the bin.
"I'm sorry," Lara breathed. "I'll take that out to the skips for you."
"Don't worry about it," he murmured, nodding his head.
Lara nodded back and wiped her mouth. She stared at the floor, trying to understand logically and rationally everything that had just happened to her. She completely forgot where she was and that Tom was in the room with her.
"Are you ill or..." he started.
"No, no," Lara said, looking up suddenly.
Tom frowned before Lara realised she probably should have said yes.
"I mean yes..." she murmured. "That time of the month. Anyway... I'll be going now."
"Of course," nodded Tom sympathetically.
"Oh, how much do I owe you for the game?" Lara asked as he gave her the box back.
"Nothing. Already paid for, according to the delivery man."
"Yes, of course. Thank you."
She grabbed the tiny basket bin and hurried out of the shop, keeping her promise and throwing it into the skips before returning to her car.
"What the hell is this?" Lara asked herself, staring at the game. Her hands were shaking terribly and she had tears in her eyes, but she refused to break down; she had to stay strong for Sam.
On examining the front of the box, she discovered the game was for Xbox360, a console which she didn't own. She knew where she could find one though: there was one sitting in the middle of Sam's living room. However, it was on turning the box over that Lara discovered what she had to do.
Join Nishimura on her latest travels yet. After surviving Yamatai- Lara flinched at the name- she is back for more adventures involving dangerous games, narrow escapes and emotional turmoil. LITERALLY control Nishimura and help her: escape from hostage situations; use self-defence against lethal attackers; and meet up with her best buddy Lara Croft! But be careful! Nishimura has a very limited number of lives in order to make this game as REAL as possible! It's the most realistic action-adventure game yet.
Lara's eyes widened. She didn't need help this time. It was obvious from the use of capitalisation and underlining that the game wasn't a game it all. Somehow, this disc would be connected to the real Sam and Lara had to save her. Otherwise she would die. It was down to Lara to get her 'buddy' out of this mess.
That was something that sparked interest in Lara. Cow Blood had referred to her as Sam's 'best buddy' as opposed to 'girlfriend' as he had on a previous note. This suggested that this had been planned for a while- the back of the box had been written before they kissed in the car. Lara frowned. She looked at the spine of the box and realised the back and front were two separate pieces of paper, so the picture of Sam on the front really could be a current picture of her. Obviously a lot of thought had been put into this 'game'.
Lara drove to Sam's house quickly and recklessly, being yelled at by four different drivers. Nevertheless, she made it there within 10 minutes, all limbs intact. She ran out of the car and to Sam's front door, her jacket pulled round her now the sun had started to set for the evening. She shoved the spare key that Sam had given her into the lock and twisted it desperately, only to find the door was already open. Of course it was.
Lara pushed open the door and looked around cautiously. She thought she heard something but she couldn't be sure. Besides, that wasn't her main priority right now. Instead of investigating, she ran into the living room and found the TV turned on with the Xbox360 screen staring back at her. The controller was sat on the floor next to Sam's cushiony gaming chair. As Lara sat in the chair she looked at the framed picture of herself and Sam that sat on top of the TV. The photo was from university. They were sat on the quad, just having fun together. Lara was laughing and holding Sam's hand as it was slung round her shoulders. Sam's head was resting on Lara's shoulder and she was also smiling broadly.
Looking at the picture now, Lara could see the attraction between them, but she couldn't remember what they had been laughing at. She looked a little closer at the photo and noticed a red smear across the top of the frame. She picked it up and turned it over. There was a message on the back.
Beautiful photograph. But you shouldn't be looking at it right now. Play the game if you ever want to recreate anything like this.
"Fine," Lara grunted, taking the picture out of the frame and slipping it in her pocket. "I'll play your bloody, fucking game."
She put the disc in and started up the game. As the title screen came on, a message popped up instructing her to insert the ear pierce and microphone that was sitting beside the console. She did so and selected the option to 'play'. The screen faded out and took a while to load before Sam suddenly appeared on the screen. The camera was moving around slightly, as though a person was holding it without support.
"Sam!" Lara yelled instinctively. She was astounded to hear a reply.
"Lara! Lara can you hear me?" Sam replied, suddenly looking up at the camera and struggling against the ropes holding her in the chair. Lara could hear Sam's shouts as though they were in the same building.
"Yes! Sam I can hear you, can you hear me?!" Lara yelled back. She suddenly noticed the flashing 'live' icon in the top right corner of the screen.
"Yes I can hear you! You've got to help me, you've got to get me out of here!"
Lara could see the hope fill in Sam's eyes at the sound of Lara's voice and it pushed Lara over the edge. She started to cry quietly so Sam wouldn't hear her. She didn't want Sam to think she couldn't handle this. She could.
"Don't worry, Sam," she said, trying to sound okay. "I'll get you out. Where are you?"
"I'm in th-" Sam was cut off as her muscles went into spasm and she yelped.
Lara grimaced as she could just make out a small, deep laugh. She assumed this came from the person holding the camera.
"I can't tell you, Lara. If I tell you where I am, he sends electrical impulses through me," Sam murmured once she had recovered. She was starting to cry too.
"It's okay. I'll find you myself, don't tell me anything," Lara replied. She didn't want Sam to get hurt any more than she already had been. Even on the screen Lara could see the blood and gashes across Sam's face and arms. Lara made a mental note of Sam's use of 'he' before continuing.
"Okay, Sam. The man you're with, what does he look like?"
"He's wearing je-" Sam was given another electric shock.
"Sorry," Lara whispered, biting her lip. "What do I have to do?"
"I don't know. Where are you?" Sam asked.
"I'm i-" Lara was cut off by a deep voice coming from behind the camera.
"Answer that and the voltage increases," he said. It was easy to tell he was grinning.
"Okay, I'm not answering it," Lara said quickly.
Lara tried to study the room Sam was in but there really was nothing to see. The room was dark and dusty. There was a vertical wooden beam to Sam's left but apart from that there was nothing to see. The floor was concrete and the chair she sat on was a light wooden structure.
"Lara?"
"Yes, I'm still here."
"Can you see me?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"I'm on the Xbox. You're on a game disc," Lara said, smiling. Sam knew Lara didn't have an Xbox.
As expected, her eyes lit up and she smiled ever-so-slightly. Had she guessed Lara was in her house?
"You know, on the Xbox, you can change your view of the room," Sam murmured before getting another shock.
"We're not supposed to give her any help. She's had enough already," the gravelly voice murmured.
Lara suddenly remembered the time she played Grand Theft Auto with Sam and pressed the button that changes view.
Suddenly the screen switched to a different camera and she could see the back of Sam's head. This camera was still and must have been set up in the darkness behind Sam's chair, for it was impossible to see from the other camera's point of view. It was set up as though Lara was playing as Sam's character.
Then Lara understood. The words on the back of the box told her she could control Sam. That part was true. She moved the left analogue stick and Sam lurched forward and screamed.
"Shit. Sorry, Sam. I'm controlling you with your bloody Xbox controller," Lara muttered, before shoving a hand over her mouth.
"Don't say any more!" yelled the man holding the other camera.
Lara used the controls to untie Sam from the ropes and made her stand up.
"Thank you," Sam breathed.
Lara didn't know if Sam was talking to her or to the man holding the camera for letting this happen. Either way, her thoughts were stopped short as there was a loud bang and a gun fell by Sam's feet. Lara quickly made Sam pick it up as two men appeared in front of her from a door behind the now visible cameraman. They both smiled and had guns pointing at Sam. Lara heard Sam sob.
You're going to have to do it, Lara. For Sam's sake. Just like on The Island. It's for Sam's sake.
Lara hesitated only for a second before pressing the right trigger at both of the men. They yelled and fell to the floor as Lara sighed with relief. The game description had been right. She had escaped a hostage situation and fought off lethal attackers. Could the part about meeting Lara be true too? Maybe, but what was the catch.
Lara jumped as Sam let out a deafening scream. One of the men on the floor was twitching. Instead of shooting him again, Lara jumped to her feet. Why? She had heard the scream herself. It had come from upstairs.