6- An Evening To Remember
Several seconds passed during which the young man at the other end of the room seemed to take the hit. Then, after the shockwave, he came back to his senses and started to move again, in a slightly less natural way this time. Even from where she was standing, Lara saw his hand clench on the tray he was carrying.
What the...?!
Her heart began to beat a little faster in spite of herself. Ideas rushed through her head. She tried to get his attention by keeping her gaze on him, but the mercenary was intent on ignoring her, obviously taken by surprise as well. She saw him walked away in the room and meet one of the other waitresses, to whom he leaned to speak in her ear. The young woman, with slightly matte skin and black hair pulled back into a short ponytail, suddenly frowned and then raised her large black almond-shaped eyes to the adventuress. Their eyes met for a split second.
What the hell is happening?
"I'm more than happy you've found your feet in my humble abode, Miss Croft. I have the feeling this little surprise stay in Burma is not that bad after all, am I right?"
The young woman quickly swallowed her sip of wine, unable to take her eyes off the man who was also watching her from across the room.
"Let's just say I've found the peace and quiet I expected, but it may turn out that my stay is much more surprising than I thought."
"In a good way, I hope?"
The businessman looked at her sharply, as if trying to understand what was going on in her mind. A waiter served them the starter for what was to be a sumptuous meal. The man she had been watching went back to his job as a fake waiter, resuming serving drinks on his tray. His dark-haired colleague tried to do the same, but the adventuress repeatedly intercepted the looks she gave her.
"I can't say for sure at the moment, unfortunately," Lara retorted coldly, turning her attention back to her host for a few seconds.
The Burmese nodded slowly in understanding. He leant on the back of his chair.
"Perhaps you are anxious to return home? I'm sorry, I've just come to realise I didn't think for a second that you might have family obligat-"
"You said it yourself, I'm a professional person. Work is work. And my family obligations are my own business."
Khin winced at the young woman's incisive tone.
"I would be sincerely surprised if there were no one waiting for you in this big Manor of yours..."
Lara didn't answer, fighting at first against the image of Winston's grave that flashed through her mind. Then her eyes unconsciously slid to the young man she saw walking among the guests. He tried to turn his head discreetly towards her, but she caught him in the act. They stared at each other for a brief second.
"No," she replied sharply, before taking another sip of her drink.
A heavy silence fell between them. Khin cleared his throat, intertwining his fingers nervously.
"Forgive me for insisting like this, Miss," he added as the Englishwoman remained silent. "It was not my idea to make you uncomfortable with my questions."
"I'm a woman of secrets, that's all," retorted the adventuress with a smile, but in a tone that left no room for an answer.
Khin nodded again, obviously trying to change the subject and get the conversation going again as smoothly as possible. Out of the corner of her eye, Lara saw the man walking towards their table, a bottle in his hands, and stopping at the one just behind them. He was exactly in her field of vision. He was clean-shaven, and his hair was slicked back, making him look younger. Even though he was trying to stay focused, he couldn't help but glance at her. His two azure pupils rested on her. She felt an electric shock run through her from top to bottom.
He greeted the people he had just served and turned around. He then walked towards two other waiters who were busy a little further on with other guests. One of them was quite tall, with matte skin and a shaved head. The other, of Japanese origin, had black hair with red highlights. Despite the shirt and jacket, the adventuress could see a tattoo that went quite up on his throat and another on his hand.
The three men went together to the back room where the buffet and drinks were set up. They seemed to exchange a few words discreetly, observing the surroundings from the corner of their eyes.
Lara's heart leapt in her chest.
They are together
"Madam, Sir, may I offer you another glass of wine?"
Lara gasped. When she turned her head, she found herself facing the dark-haired young woman who stood before them, a bottle of a very rare wine in her hand. Her large, seductive eyes stared at her without blinking, as if challenging her. Lara felt the pressure rise.
"With great pleasure, thank you," Khin interrupted them unexpectedly with a knowing glance at the bottle the young woman was holding. "Lara?"
"No thanks, I think I've had enough for now. I'd rather have a clear head tonight," she replied with a sharp look at the waitress.
The young woman in question returned a forced smile and took a step forward. The adventuress watched carefully as she poured the wine with a deft hand and straightened the bottle, turning it slightly.
"Saint Emilion Grand Cru. Quite complex, with black fruit notes, dense with good volume. An excellent vintage from 2003, you will most certainly enjoy it."
Khin nodded with satisfaction, contemplating the liquid in his glass. Without another word, the waitress greeted them and turned away.
Lara looked suspiciously at the glass in Khin's hand, then at the woman who was striding away. She then observed the other waiters who were bustling around the room, the guests, all seated, as well as the security men who were wisely staying in their corner. Then her gaze naturally turned to the gems on display behind them, and more precisely to the Eye of Fire, which now had two security guards all to itself.
She turned her head and observed the group of waiters who had gathered at the back of the room. An unpleasant thought made its way into Lara's mind.
They're not there by chance
She turned to Khin, and put on her most falsely curious voice.
"Excuse me for asking like this, but is it a foreign company you've hired to service this reception?" she asked, her eyes glued to the young man across the room.
The Burmese man gasped in surprise at this question. He swallowed his sip of wine and put his glass down, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"To tell the truth, I regularly use the services of a friend for such events. He runs one of the biggest event companies in the country, with an established reputation. Both of us are keen to use local people as much as possible, but we do appreciate profiles and expertise from elsewhere. It is not uncommon for the wait staff to be made up of several different nationalities, if that was your question."
Lara smiled politely at him and nodded.
"I just thought it was surprising to find a staff made up of so many different nationalities, especially since there are so many Americans. It's not very common."
The businessman shrugged his shoulder.
"I couldn't tell you how my friend chooses his staff. I do know, however, that he is extremely meticulous about choosing the people who work with him. He makes a point of recruiting only qualified and trusted people."
"I don't doubt that," the Englishwoman replied in a firm, distant voice, her gaze still on the group of four waiters who had started to wander from table to table again.
Khin took another sip from his crystal glass, a little unsettled by the young woman's attitude and cold demeanor.
"I'm very sorry to see that this detail is bothering you so much, Lara. Are you sure everything is all right tonight?"
She gave him another polite smile.
"I'm just surprised, as I was telling you."
He watched the young woman carefully, tilting his head slightly to one side.
"Could this distrust be hiding some grievance against Uncle Sam?"
Her eyes rested on the mercenary again just as he turned his head towards her at the same time.
"Let's just say I haven't stayed on the best of terms with some of them."
Then suddenly she noticed the waiters got on the move again. But this time, it had nothing to do with the reception. One after the other, they left the room through the back corridor. The mixed-race man, the one with the shaved head, was the first to disappear, followed closely by his red-haired colleague. A few feet away, the young man she had not taken her eyes off of turned around and left the crowded room, his waiter's tray tucked under his arm. She followed him with her eyes until his figure disappeared completely into the corridor.
Something is going on
She was now a hundred pour-cent sure of that. All this masquerade, him disguised as a waiter to blend in, all these low masses between them... something was clearly fishy.
"...a very nice property you inherited, if I'm not mistaken?"
Lara suddenly turned her attention back to the host sitting next to her, whose words she had not heard for some time. Khin's eyebrows rose and his mouth split into a half amused, half worried smile. The businessman was waiting for an answer from the young woman.
"In Sussex precisely, yes," she replied somewhat haphazardly. "Please excuse me," she added, rising hastily to her feet.
She put her crystal glass back on the table in a hurry, under the stunned gaze of her Burmese host who watched her striding away. She slipped between the guests, and stepped into the corridor that led to the back rooms. Several feet ahead, the figure of the man she was following disappeared into another adjacent corridor.
She walked a little faster so as not to be left behind. When she reached the junction of the two corridors, she slowed her pace and leaned against the wall. She had to be discreet. She listened carefully and realised that the young man had also paused, no doubt to check that he was not being followed. Then there was a creak, then the sound of the heavy kitchen door swinging open.
With silent steps, Lara resumed her progress, putting one foot after the other. She walked along the wall, her eyes on the lookout. The reception room's hubbub was now distant, barely audible. But the kitchens seemed even quieter, which was all the more strange on an evening like this.
She paused for a moment when she finally found herself beside the double door. She reached out once more and thought she heard muffled voices. Her fingers slid instinctively under her dress, towards the weapon she kept strapped and hidden against her thigh. She gripped it tightly.
She took a step and suddenly pushed open the wooden door.
Without hesitation she stepped into the narrow, tiled corridor. A few feet ahead of her, she found a group of five people sitting at a large stainless steel kitchen table. The young man she had been watching all evening had his back to her. The red-haired Japanese man and the mixed-race, as well as the young woman with black hair, were also there. There was also a man she hadn't seen until now: a much older man, maybe a little over fifty, with silver-grey hair. He was wearing what vaguely resembled a cook's outfit, under which were lattice trousers and thick boots.
At their feet, Lara noticed a huge open bag with a bunch of handguns and assault rifles sticking out. She raised her 9mm.
"What the...?!" the silver-haired man exclaimed as he suddenly straightened up, his eyes rounding in surprise as he saw the aventuress appear.
The rest of the group turned towards her with the same movement. Suddenly she was faced with five pairs of completely bewildered eyes. The American looked particularly dismayed and stared at her with intensity. If she didn't know that look so well, she could have sworn there was some shock in it.
"I was right thinking the petit fours tasted weird obviously," Lara told them.
The young woman slowly got down from the stainless steel table, grabbing the assault rifle that was lying next to her. The Japanese man stood up in turn, and took out from under his jacket an impressive knife with a long serrated blade. The mixed-race had a kind of machete in his hands. The grey-haired man bent down to pick up the shotgun lying at his feet. With one hand he loaded it and tucked it under his arm, ready to fire. All four of them took up a defensive position behind the American, who caught his sharp-bladed disc on the fly as it appeared.
"Look at you. What a lovely Power Rangers team you make," Lara hissed with a wry pout, aiming her 9mm at each of them in turn.
The older man took a step forward, but the American stopped him.
"What the fuck's going on, Trent?"
"Precisely. What the fuck is going on, Trent?" the Englishwoman repeated coldly, staring the mercenary straight in the eye."You're here for the stone, aren't you?"
A gleam of amazement crossed each of their eyes. The mixed-race man shook his head sharply.
"How-"
But he had no time to finish his sentence. Suddenly there was a thud, echoing in the walls around them and strangely enough under their feet. A few seconds passed, during which no one moved, trying to understand what was happening. Then, in the distance, muffled, panicked voices and screams began to be heard. They heard hurried footsteps and people shouting. Lara glanced at Kurtis, whose hand slid to his Boran X to grab it. They turned and ran in unison, followed closely by the American's four sidekicks. All six of them rushed out of the kitchen, weapons in hand, and stormed out through the double wooden door.
They ran up the corridor as fast as they could, strategically placed one behind the other. They passed several people running for cover. The large reception hall came into view, but it was filled with a thick cloud of smoke. Some people were on the ground, others were running in all directions. Some passed by her and the group of mercenaries without even paying them any attention, jostling them as they went. Lara frowned, her fingers tightening even more on the butt of her weapon.
But as they finally reached the great hall, the adventuress felt a new vibration underfoot, followed by a deafening noise. An unseen, super-powerful blast threw her backwards violently. Her body hung in the air for a split second, a sudden silence filling her head. She fell to the ground. She rolled over and hit something. The necklace she was wearing broke and spilled its gems all around her. A pain spread throughout her back. When everything finally stopped spinning around her, Lara realised she had been propelled several feet and landed against a wall. She propped herself up on one elbow, then the other, and let out a loud grunt. Her head was spinning horribly. Beside her, the other four mercenaries and Kurtis were also on the ground, all stunned.
"What was that?" the Japanese croaked in a hoarse voice, clutching one of his profusely bleeding ears.
He exchanged glances with his dark-haired colleague, who was massaging the side of her head that had hit the ground when she fell. Yanis, the shaven-headed half-breed, had a slight injury to his arm, but seemed to be holding on. After a glance at his other companions, Kurtis tried to get to his feet, but a stabbing pain stopped him dead in his tracks. Looking down, he saw that a piece of glass several inches long had stuck in his thigh. Ignoring the signs of protest his brain was sending him, he grabbed the piece and yanked it out.
"An explosion..." he grumbled as he impatiently discarded the piece of glass.
Leaning against the wall, he stood up. He and the adventuress then discovered the extent of the damage. Someone had probably detonated a bomb, they both realised with fright. The smoke was thicker than ever in the great hall, but all they could see was chaos. Everything was upside down, as if blown by a tornado. There was debris of all kinds scattered everywhere, broken glass, wood, pieces of chairs and tables, chandeliers had crashed into the middle of the room... Some of the glass cabinets had been knocked over, spilling the precious objects of Khin's collection as if they had been unimportant trinkets, creating the image of a completely unreal battlefield.
After a few seconds of total silence, complaints and cries suddenly came from all sides. Several people were lying on the ground, including Khin, buried under pieces of metal beams. A pool of blood had formed under his head, his empty eyes staring at the ceiling. A little further on, Lara recognized Nay, who was lying unconscious against an overturned table.
"What the...?!" the older mercenary cried out once more as he retrieved the rifle that had fallen from his hands.
But neither Lara nor the others had time to understand precisely what had happened. One of the large glass windows still standing exploded into a thousand pieces. Something had hit it, or rather, someone had run through it. A stealthy shadow rolled across the rubble and scrambled to its feet. They could not see clearly who it was because of the smoke, but they could make out the figure of a man cloaked in a black suit that covered him from head to toe. Soon he was joined by several other men, who emerged one after the other from the broken window. They were all dressed in black suits, no physical details were apparent. They suddenly unfolded, moving with amazing agility and ease through the debris and bodies. They advanced without the slightest hesitation towards the centre of the room.
Lara felt the pressure rise as she realised what they were after.
"They want the stone," said Kurtis, who suddenly sprang into motion and lunged forward when he too realised what was about to happen.
At these words, the chirugai sprang up from behind her and split the air, brushing against her ear. The adventuress' fingers tightened around her own weapon, and she took a step forward.
As they had both sensed, the group of masked men had gathered around the secure display case that held the Eye of Fire. This latter, blown out by the blast, had toppled with the others and crashed to the ground. The red gemstone had rolled a little further, trapped under shards of metal and glass. Kurtis's flying weapon sped towards the first man who bent down to pick up the stone. The man stopped when he saw the weapon coming straight at him. He took a step back, narrowly dodging the disc that grazed his face. By reflex, the others stepped back, skidding through the glass to dodge it.
The chirugai made a wide circle in the air to turn around, then charged straight at the group of men again. This time they had no time to react and protect themselves. The sharp blades of the flying disc pierced the arm of a man in its path, before plunging into the back of another who screamed in pain. The four mercenaries moved into position and fired at the group. But the enemies were more reactive than expected.
After the moment of surprise, the men in black finally came to their senses. They retreated to safety, and in turn grabbed their assault rifles and fired.
Lara immediately dived forward to take cover behind the pile of overturned tables and chairs. Yanis followed her. Kurtis and his three other friends found shelter behind the large dark marble bar a few feet away. A bartender with a tattered shirt, huddled in a corner, looked at them without understanding what was happening. The dark-haired woman suddenly stood up, gun in hand, and fired. Enemy bullets whizzed through the air and exploded against the bar's wall not far from her. But she didn't have time to pull the trigger as the silver-haired mercenary grabbed her tightly and made her crouch.
"Els, stay the fuck under cover!" he yelled.
"Don't tell me we're just going to stay here and do nothing?" she retorted angrily, pulling him away with a movement of the shoulder.
They heard the muffled sound of bullets crashing on the other side of the bar. Small splinters flew through the air above their heads. Then suddenly there was no sound anymore. Silence fell abruptly in the large room. They heard several metallic noises echoing against the floor. The mercenaries exchanged a questioning look.
"They're out of ammunition," the Japanese man shouted.
When Lara tried to stand up to see what was going on, she was surprised to find herself face to face with one of the men in black suits. She didn't have time to point her gun and shoot as the man came at her in a swift jump. He punched her in the wrist, the adventuress let go of her weapon and it flew off a little further. She grunted as he struck her again in the face, she toppled backwards. Next to her, the Japanese man straightened up, but he didn't have time to counterattack either: as he was about to shoot Lara's assailant, he was himself hit by another man, who grabbed him by the waist and slammed him violently to the ground. The mercenary pulled the trigger, the bullet grazed his enemy's ear before loosing lose itself in the ceiling.
Somewhere not far from there, the four other mercenaries hiding behind the bar counter straightened up, only to find that the rest of the group of men in black were charging and coming straight for them. Els, the woman, took up a firing position, her rifle braced against her shoulder. She managed to fire a burst of bullets and take down two men, but she didn't have time to aim at all of them. She waited until the last moment for her magazine to empty, but had to face the facts. There were many of them, more than she had thought at first. She crouched down and narrowly avoided the man who was jumping over the bar, a long curved blade in his hand. She felt his body go over her head and saw his feet land in the broken glass right in front of her. As she tried to pick up her gun, the man kicked her once, sending the weapon flying. Then he kicked a second time. The young woman felt a sharp pain radiate through her side, she screamed.
Kurtis stood up and fired. The man collapsed right in front of the young woman, his neck pierced by a bullet. But as the American turned to face the other men coming at them, he was taken by surprise by one of them, who leapt like a feline at him. He had no time to protect himself, and received a punch in the face. He stumbled and fell backwards.
The silver-haired mercenary straightened up and fired with his shotgun. The bullets went through the man who was running at him screaming, but it was not enough to stop the others. Already two other men were falling on him to neutralise him. One of them hit him in the legs, the other aimed at the rifle. He held on to the first shot, tried to fire again, but the gun was out of ammunition. He let out a grunt of rage. He held up the gun to shield himself from his opponents' blows, but his shotgun finally slipped out of his hand after another kick. He was hit several more times and fought back as best he could, throwing his fist with all his might with a resounding cry. One of the men was coming at him in the idea to fight him with bare hands obviously, but he also saw out of the corner of his eye that another man was coming at him with something in his hand. Just as he was about to feel that long blade pierce his arm, the Japanese man threw himself at the enemy to stop him. He grabbed him the man from behind, slipped his arm around his throat and squeezed firmly. The man in black let out a glutural noise, and fell backwards. Taking advantage of the surprise and the movement, the mercenary swung him around, breaking his neck with a sharp blow. His heavy body lay sprawled across the floor.
When Els tried to stand up and take part in the fight, another man in black literally fell on her. She felt his boots against her back and the weight of the man crushing her to the ground. She struggled, and twisted around to get out of his reach. She was grabbed by the hair and thrown against the bar's shelves. Some of the shelves collapsed under the impact, bottles of alcohol exploded and spilled their liquor everywhere. The smell was strong. She slipped as she tried to free herself. She was kicked, then kicked again. She gritted her teeth. She put her arms over her head to protect herself. Then she threw her leg out and kicked several times. She recognised the shape of a shin, and a knee. She struck again and again. Suddenly something gave way under her heel. There was a crack, a short half-second when there was no sound, and then a scream. The man who had been attacking her fell to his knees in front of her. She threw herself on him and grabbed him firmly by the head. Then she pushed him with all her strength against the wall. His skull hit a whole pile of crystal glasses lying there. Then she pulled his head back and kneed him. The man grunted, and slid to the floor, unconscious.
At the very same time, a few feet away from there, the few remaining men in black had taken advantage of the chaos to rush to the Eye of Fire. One of them managed to grab it. Yanis, the mixed-race mercenary, leapt from his hiding place, machete in hand. He ran straight towards them, taking long strides. He gained momentum, jumped and raised his weapon above him. The first one he swung at had no time to react, or at least no time to push himself enough to dodge the blow. The sharp blade of the machete severed part of his arm with an unpleasant noise and an impressive spray of blood. The man dropped the heavy stone and staggered backwards, screaming in pain. His colleague retaliated immediately: he grabbed the long sword from behind his back and ran towards the mercenary.
Yanis turned around right in time to counter the blow. The two blades clashed with a resounding noise. He was clearly in control of his weapon, but the enemy in front of him was just as skilled. The man in the black suit raised and lowered his sword several times, forcing the mercenary to back away. Each one saw the other's move with frightening precision. When the enemy aimed at his head, Yanis leaned to one side or the other. When he tried to lunge with his machete, the man in front of him would dodge the blow in the same way. He again swung his weapon at him, but the man in black almost immediately countered his attack. As he tried to contain his enemy, the mercenary suddenly released the pressure and let him go forward. He swung his machete, but missed him. The man in black immediately counterattacked: his sword swung over his head and came down once. Yanis leaned to the side to avoid it. The sword rose a second time, and this time managed to seriously scratch the young man's arm, who let out a cry of surprise. His waiter's shirt tore, and soon an impressive amount of blood began to flow down his arm, which had already been injured in the explosion.
However, he did not let himself be destabilised, and retaliated. He pushed his enemy back with a violent kick, then brandished his machete. Although the other hemal saw the blow coming, he did not have time to avoid it completely. He tried to back away, but the mercenary's blade went through his suit and cut him badly in the chest. He let out a cry of pain. By reflex, he tried to reach Yanis with his sword, but only grazed him. He was losing a lot of blood, and strength. In a final fit of rage, the man in the black suit raised his sword and ran straight at the mercenary. This latter blocked the blade that nearly impaled him with his own weapon, and swung it around to make the other man let go. He elbowed the enemy in the chest, then thrust his machete into the base of his neck. The blade went in with ease, breaking the collarbone in the process and cutting through the flesh to the plexus. The man immediately collapsed face down in agony.
As Yanis finally caught his breath, the man in black with the severely damaged arm -now almost in two pieces- grabbed the fallen sword of one of his fellow mercenaries and suddenly stood up. He rushed at the mercenary with a shrill cry. Els, who had just broken free of her own attacker, jumped over the bar and ran to stop him. She bent down and picked up a huge piece of stone and threw it at the man in black, who was about to impale Yanis. The stone hit him on the back of the head, he screamed in pain, and dropped his weapon. He turned around, surprised. When the young woman reached his level, she gave him a violent kick in the chest, and he fell backwards into the broken glass. Just as Yanis was about to hit him back, he rolled over and threw his leg against the mercenary's, then against the young woman's. Both of them lost their balance and fell backwards. The man in black got back on his feet at full speed, recovering in the process the large red stone that lay not far away.
Els sat up as best she could. Her head hurt like hell. Beside her, Yanis grunted and struggled to get to his feet, he was still stunned. With a titanic effort, the young woman got to her feet and ran after the man who was flying away with the Eye of Fire.
He was running fast, nimbly weaving his way through the debris scattered around the reception hall. If he continued like this, she would loose track. But just as she was about to catch up with him, a man appeared on her right. She stopped dead in her tracks, and skidded to a halt just as he lowered his long sword to strike her. The blade flashed before her eyes, and grazed her nose closely. She had a moment of surprise, before regaining her senses. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a chair fly through the air at breakneck speed, before exploding into pieces on the man who was fleeing with the red gem under his arm. There was a cry of astonishment and the man collapsed. The stone fell in turn, and rolled away with a thud.
Right on time, thought the dark-haired woman, before refocusing on the man in front of her. She reacted immediately by punching him in the ribs. Then she used her foot to aim at one of his knees. The man suppressed a scream, but didn't give way. He threw his sword again, Els crouched to avoid the blow. She then struck the man in the shin. He flinched a little more, but raised his weapon once more and aimed it roughly at her. However, even with this inaccuracy, he managed to wound the mercenary. The blade tore through her trousers and grazed her thigh badly. She felt the blood running down her leg. Mad with rage, she tackled the man's weapon to the ground with one foot, and hit him hard in the face with the other.
He let go. Els then slid the sword towards her to retrieve it. She scraped her fingers on the sharp blade before reaching the handle. She grabbed it and lunged without thinking. The man had no time to react, the sword pierced his abdomen. He hiccupped, a trickle of blood formed on his lips, before he fell to his knees, his eyes still round with surprise. Els withdrew the blade from his body with a sharp blow, he fell face down. She abandoned the sword and ran to pick up the Eye of Fire.
Lara didn't really see what was happening around her. One of the men in black had targeted her, and didn't seem to want to let her go until he was done with her. The blow to her face had stunned her slightly, but fortunately it took more than that to knock her out completely. When she fell to the ground, she broke her fall by rolling backwards. She stabilised herself by skidding in the glass, using her hands to stand up and counterattack immediately. She dodged another kick, then another that grazed her head. Lara took advantage of a moment of imbalance to throw one of her legs into his. The man fell heavily to the ground in his turn. However, he rolled to the side when the adventuress threw herself on him and hit him with her fist. He kicked her in the ribs. She let out a cry of frustration, the enemy moved fast. She saw him grab a piece of twisted metal that was lying somewhere around. She managed to protect her head from the first blow, but the second hit her in the back. The adventuress fell flat on her face with a cry of pain. But she quickly reacted, and rolled to one side to dodge the metal bar that was coming at her again. It made a loud metallic noise as it hit the marble floor, only inches from her skull. She rolled onto her back and hit the man's arm. He lost his balance slightly, but immediately recovered. He lowered the metal bar again. Lara only had to spread her legs to dodge it. Then, she took advantage of a very short second of respite to block the iron bar with one foot, and hit him with the other. Her long dress tore with a shrill sound, but she paid no attention to it. Her heel dug into his rib cage and broke on the spot, the man let out a cry of pain. She then released the foot that held the metal bar to the ground. The enemy, surprised by the manoeuvre, dropped his weapon and fell backwards. Lara then grabbed her second shoe and got back to her feet. Before the assailant had time to react, she struck him with her heel, which planted itself directly at his neck. Blood spurted out, his mouth opened several times in a compulsive manner. The adventuress pushed him back with one foot, his already dead body collapsed like a rag doll.
The young woman did not have time to turn around and come to Kurtis' rescue, who was himself busy getting rid of the man who had violently tackled him to the ground. Another man in black had already targeted her. She had just enough time to parry the first punch he threw at her, before getting into a new hand-to-hand fight.
Behind them, the Lux Veritatis knight was himself the target of one of the men in black. He had found himself propelled to the ground like in a rugby match, without even realising it. The landing was quite rough. He and the other man slid into the glass and metal debris. The mercenary felt his skin tear in places. Then he felt the full weight of his enemy on him. Soon hands were crushing his face against the cold ground, reaching for his neck to choke him. Kurtis struck blindly to defend himself and try to push him away. His fist hit its target in various places, he heard a few grunts, but the other man did not seem to want to let go. He then had the idea of grabbing a handful of broken glass, and threw it in the enemy's face. This time, the assailant released his hold. The American tried to push him away, but the man still had a firm grip on him. He grabbed Kurtis by the hair and pulled. The mercenary toppled to the side. The Lux Veritatis took several blows in a row without being able to really fight back. In a desperate move, he then grabbed the assailant by the neck, and dragged him back with him. The two men went into a roll; by the time the man in black was on top of him, the mercenary had placed his feet on his chest and pushed. The enemy flew through the air, before falling heavily to the marble floor. He stood still, gasping.
Kurtis got up as quickly as possible. The first thing he saw was Lara struggling with one of the enemies, and the one trying to escape with the Eye of Fire. He mentally grabbed the first object that came into his field of vision -a chair- and threw it at high speed against the fleeing man. The wooden object exploded with a resounding noise, spilling a whole bunch of wood into the air. The man in black immediately fell to the ground.
Only a few feet away, Lara was in close combat. She counterattacked with a series of punches and kicks. The man in front of her managed to dodge them more or less well, throwing them back when he could. He managed to hit her in the hip, in the ribs, she let out a scream. She hit him in the head, in the stomach and just missed his private parts. She crouched down once to avoid a punch, then a second time to dodge a kick. She then slid her leg to mow down his, the man fell. But he got up almost immediately, and leaning on his elbows and hands, he threw his foot into the young woman's face. She fell to the ground.
Face down, she noticed out of the corner of her eye Kurtis on one side, entangled in a roll with the man he was fighting, and on the other side, her own assailant picking something up off the floor. A whole chair yoke. She got to her feet as quickly as she could, but he was faster. The man in black struck with all his might. The impact was so violent that she hardly felt it. Mostly she felt her legs give way under her and her body collapse. For a brief second she was stunned, half lying on the ground.
"That… is not really fair," she grumbled, running a hand over her face to try to regain her composure.
She groaned. The man in black's figure approached and loomed over her. But just as he was about to finish her off with a chair, she saw a figure leap at him and grab him from behind. Kurtis, who had managed to get away from his own assailant, put his arm around his neck and threw him to the ground in one swift movement. He picked up the piece of chair, and slammed the man to the ground in a powerful gesture, who finally stopped moving.
Out of breath, Kurtis discarded the chair's remains and turned around. The Englishwoman, still cowering on the floor, literally glared at him.
"You're welcome," the mercenary retorted bitterly at the icy look the young woman gave him.
She however accepted the hand he held out to help her up. Her head was spinning and it took several seconds before she came to get back to her senses. The other mercenaries gradually gathered around the two of them. Els held the red stone under her bloody arm.
"Who are these men?" Lara asked, looking round the room, of which there was almost nothing left.
Suddenly, a distant, steady whistle was heard outside. They recognised the sound of sirens. The mercenaries glanced at each other in understanding. They gathered up what little they had left and set off. The Japanese man ran to one of the windows overlooking the garden. He made a kind of rope from several sheets and tied it to each other, then around a concrete frame of the wall blown out by the explosion. The older mercenary, Yanis and Els joined him.
"Villains for sure," Kurtis answered as he took a nervous look around him.
The adventuress had the greatest difficulty controlling the immense feeling of irritation that overwhelmed her at that very moment.
"What are you going to do with that stone?" she asked as the Japanese man disappeared through the destroyed window.
"Not now, Croft," the American retorted just as coldly.
Outside, the sound of sirens grew louder and more urgent.
"So you and your bunch of power rangers and all these Ninja guys show up out of nowhere to steal the same priceless stone, and you would like me to believe this is all perfectly normal?"
"I'll explain later if ya don't mind. For now, I think there're much more pressing matters to think 'bout."
"Another unclear story, I suppose?"
The mercenary didn't utter a word. They stared at each other for a few moments. The anger was palpable.
"I'm not moving from here until you tell me what you're going to do with that stone."
Kurtis huffed in annoyance.
"Just follow us and you'll find out. Unless you'd rather stay here and get charged with murder for a change?" he retorted, glaring at her.
Lara glanced at Khin's body lying nearby and opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps coming up the stairs. A horde of uniformed and armed men suddenly appeared at the other end of the reception hall. They could not contain their surprise when they discovered the state of the place. They shouted unintelligible words and made big gestures at the two adventurers.
I'm not sure they don't see us as a threat indeed
She and the American suddenly turned around. They turned their backs on the policemen, and ran without thinking towards the gaping window. Behind them, the men shouted louder, shots rang out. Bullets whizzed around them. They gained momentum, and when the edge of the window came into view, they leapt without hesitation into the void. They stayed in the air for a second before the Lux Veritatis took the lead and broke their fall with his mental strength. They landed almost gently in the gravel below. They wasted no time in getting to their feet. They crossed the large garden plunged in the thick night. The policemen's screams became more distant, and the blows gradually ceased, unable to reach them now. The Englishman and the American ran without looking back, and disappeared into the threatening jungle.