Tomb Raider: Evolution
by Roger Pederson
    
The following story is based upon the opening events in the reboot of Tomb Raider.

Chapter 1
Days became weeks. Weeks became months. Months grew into years. Time had passed. They were wrong, Lara told herself. It doesn't heal all wounds. She felt that the wounds that her parents deaths had left would never heal. So she emersed herself in her studies. While most students had been planning an excursion into the world of unemployment upon graduation, twenty one year-old Lara Croft had planned a little adventure of her own. Having been left heiress to a vast fortune, she had no reason to seek employment. Instead, she wanted to make a name for herself. She didn't want to be known merely as the daughter of Lord Richard Croft. She wanted to live up to the family name, .... but Lara desperately wanted to make her own mark on the world! 
A week after graduating from Cambridge University, Lara contacted an old associate of her father. Conrad Roth. After putting his unique skills to use after leaving the military, Roth had become a freelance treasure-hunter of sorts. He was an ex-Royal Marine who had accompanied Lara's father in his travels. Lord Croft had commissioned him from time to time to ferry him across the globe in his archaeological pursuits.Today, traveling the world aboard a research vessel, Roth scoured the ocean floor in search of forgotten shipwrecks, looking for anything of value. Along the way, he had developed a reputation for intelligence, toughness, ..... and a tendency to "bend" the laws that limit the trafficking of historical artifacts! In order to get what he was after and do right by his crew, Roth had gained the reputation of a man who was willing to lie, cheat, ..... and even break the law if necessary. Remorse was not a part of his makeup.  Both men had shared an affinity for the acquisition of ancient artifacts, but it was Roth's way of procuring them that finally led to a parting of the ways. As a child, Lara had looked up to him, and perhaps that is precisely why her father had severed all ties with Roth. Croft didn't want his young daughter to become too influenced by Conrad. Lara admired Roth for his inner strength, toughness and tenacity. She loved her father and admired no one more than him, ...... but she had never really thought of her father as being 'tough'.  
Although Roth was no longer in the military, his dream still involved a life at sea  The lifestyle and years of successful missions had led to the acquisition of larger and larger vessels, eventually leaving him the captain of a well-equipped salvage ship ...... 'The Endurance'. Roth seemed to be a perpetually calm fellow. Nothing shook the man. And his intimidating presence had eliminated the need for him to ever raise his voice. Roth's military training had resulted in an authoritarian leadership style, as his collected and decisive demeanor often benefited the crew of the Endurance.
Roth told Lara that he was preparing for an expedition off the coast of Japan, in search of treasure he believed could be found there. Lara knew this could very well be her chance to fullfill a dream. Knowing her father had passed, he asked if she wanted to 'tag along'. "I'd love to, ..... if it wouldn't be too much bother" she said. "No bother at all, my dear. Just remember, this isn't going to be a pleasure cruise" Roth replied. Lara asked what she should bring along. "Just the essentials, I'm afraid. You won't be able to bring along more than a couple of small bags. Make sure you have a good pair of boots, you'll need them. And a compass." he told her. "And my cell phone, of course" Lara said. "If you want to. Just remember, you won't get very good, if any, reception where we'll be going" Roth told her. "If you want to contact someone, you'll have to use the ship's radio."
Roth told her that they would be leaving port in two weeks. Lara said she'd be ready. She did exactly as he had told her, packing only the essentials. When she arrived at the port, she was actually surprised at the condition of the ship. She expected the Endurance to be a broken-down old vessel, but Roth's military background had obviously taken hold of the ship and it's crew. Registered out of Liverpool, the ship had been around for awhile but looked none the worse for wear. Roth had divulged very little to Lara about the rest of the Endurance crew, aside from a few details about its first mate .... Jackson. The man had essentially been Roth's right hand for many years now, accompanying and advising Roth on their "missions". Jackson's uncle had been an old friend of Conrad's in the military, so there was a bond there. Captain Roth and his uncle had been on many adventures of their own.
Jackson showed her to her cabin. She noticed the medallion around his neck, a 'prize' from one of his uncle's adventures, Jackson said as she unpacked her things. As she was settling in, it hit her. Lara realized it was actually happening! She was about to embark on her first major expedition. Her first great adventure! She believed the expedition would lead to a discovery of great significance and she would finally have the chance to prove herself. With Captain Conrad Roth and the crew of Endurance, Lara had set off in search of lost treasures. Her quarters was cramped, but she expected that. She was not some spoiled brat from a rich family. Lara had traveled the world with her mother and father, and had become accustomed to the "simplicities" that life sometimes insisted upon. Little did she know that a "simple" storm at sea would cut her ambitious dreams short.
One night, after several days at sea, Lara lay in her bunk listening to music on her Ipod when she thought she heard a large boom. She already knew there was a large storm at sea, but Roth had told her it was nothing unusual ...... nothing to worry about. But Lara became alarmed. She took off her headphones just as the ship struck a large reef. Lara was thrown across the cabin and hit the wall. Knocked unconscious, she comes to and finds water rushing into her cabin in the darkness. Struggling to her feet, she pries open the door to the hallway. Only the emergency lights were still working as she heard and saw water rushing in ...... the ship was sinking! Regaining her balance because the ship was constantly tilting, Lara scrambled to the nearest ladder headed up. But before she could get out, the ship shifted again and the escape hatch slamed shut on her. The waters below closed in. She's trapped!! Drowning! At the last minute, a fellow crewman opened the hatch door and pulled her to freedom. Lara rushed down the corridor toward the lightening flashes she saw illuminating the end of the hallway. The storm had thrown the Endurance into a large reef and broken it in two! "Lara, c'mon! ...... Jump for it," she heard Roth yell to her from the other half of the ship. Lara made the desperate leap, barely catching Conrad's hand. "I'm safe now", she thought to herself. But before he could pull her up, they lost their grip on one another and Lara plunged to the stormy waters below. "LARA!!" Roth hollered as her screams pierced the night.
Lara came to, finding herself washed up on the beach. The last thing she remembered was catching Roth's hand and then slipping through his grasp. "How did I get here?" she asked herself. She stood up and turned to look out at the wreckage of the Endurance just offshore. Looking down the beach, she saw pieces of the wreck already washed up on shore. Lara gripped her upper arm. She was bleeding. "I must have cut it when I was getting off the ship, ....... I have to stop the bleeding" she thought to herself. Lara looked around and saw part of a cabinet that contained some clothing. She tore off a piece of cloth and used it as a tourniquet for her arm.  Heading down the beach, she looked around at the vestiges of other ships and even a few planes around the island. "What in God's name ....... ?" She stumbled and fell to her knees as she collapsed ..... unconscious.

Chapter 2
Lara later awakened to find herself imprisoned inside a canvas sack, only her head exposed, ..... suspended upside down! The darkness that engulfed her was broken by the sound of rope protesting as it supported her weight and was pulled taut above her. It was punctuated by soft groaning and the dripping of water. "Oh my God, where am I?" she gasps. She looked around to see that she was in a cavern lit only by a few burning torches and candles. She sees another large bag hanging next to her. Like her, it's suspended upside down from a lofty height above a cavern floor. Another captive? There was no movement or sound from it, .... a dead one perhaps? "Oh God, no. I have to get out of here!!" Then she finally recognized the stench that permeated the air, "Oh God" ...... rotting flesh! "No, no, not like this. ....... I can't die like this" She was determined to get out of this. Lara refused to succumb to the same fate as the decaying corpses that surrounded her. "I've got to get out of here!!" She struggled and began to sway back and forth. As she built up momentum,  Lara accidently knocked into the sack next to her. "I can't die like this," she protests with an edge of hysteria. The sack is knocked into a sea of candles nearby, unintentionally lighting it on fire. It's engulfed in flames, and a body drops to the floor below. "It's okay," Lara thought to herself. The poor soul was already dead. But still, she felt the need to mutter "I'm sorry", to the corpse.
Trembling in fear, and drawing motivation from it, Lara thought to herself, this is it! This was her only chance! If she can do the unthinkable, there's a way out of this. She had to swing close enough to the flames to set her own constraints on fire. "This is going to hurt," she muttered to herself. As the fire consumes the sack and ropes that bind her, Lara braces herself for the freefall to the cavern floor below. She screamed as she fell and finally hit the cavern floor, impaled on a metal spike of some kind. Another echoing scream erupts from her lips as she pulls the spike out that had pierced her side. Lara moans and bends over, holding her side, "Run, .... Have to get out of here", she says catching her breath and standing up wearily. Lara can feel her own frantic heartbeat, as she quickly makes her way through the passage toward the light ahead. "What .... ?" Lara stutters. "What is this place?" Pushed forward by fear and adrenaline, Lara navigates through the cave's narrow passages, searching for a way out of her desparate situation. The narrow, serpentine walls give way to a large room up ahead lit by candles. The waning claustrophobia has done little to alleviate the tension of her situation, as she sees a human corpse strung up in front of a sacrificial altar of some kind. "God no, .... what did they do to you?" She wonders if she would have suffered the same fate had she not escaped her bonds. The most unnerving realization for Lara was that the body was still fresh! Lara had seen skeletal remains before, perched amongst treasure from a variety of cultures and centuries past. But this was different. Very different! Very gruesome!
Barely lucid from the pain, Lara grabbed a torch off the wall. "Shit." Alarmed by the sound of footsteps, Lara quickens her pace. "Shit." She didn't give the relics in the room a second glance. She was focused on pure survival right now. Professional curiosity be damned. The walls close in on her again as the passage narrows. Lara drops to her knees to crawl through a narrow tunnel, only to find her legs ripped from under her as someone grabs her from behind. Lara stuggles to regain her footing, while the man tries to reassure her. "Stop! Stop it! Shhhhh! ... It's alright." He continues to claim he's a friend. "I'm trying to help you!" Lara fights him off and barely escapes. "Oh God, that was close. ........ That was close!!" She crawls and stumbles, making her way to a part of the tunnel that is partly underwater. Lara can hear her attacker calling after her "Wait, come back. I won't hurt you," his voice echos. She knows that she has to put some distance between them. She navigates her way through a flooded corridor that houses only a small pocket of air. She loses her footing every few steps, going underwater and emerging quickly with a panicked gasp. Keeping the torch, and her head, above water Lara continues along. The tunnel finally opens up to a larger passage and Lara is able to stand and run again. She looks back frequently to ensure that she isn't being followed. Once out of the flooded passage and on her feet again, Lara passes through a small waterfall, losing her flame. She relights her torch via a flame in the next room. 
Drawn to the expansive room by the sound of breaking waves, Lara spots another light source up ahead, ..... indicating an exit from the cave! But it's blockcaded by a row of explosive barrels. The quickest way out of this hell hole would be to simply light the barrels on fire, but in such a confined space she knew that would mean almost certain death .... and Lara preferred not to commit suicide at this point! She spots a rusty old cage in the distance and loads several crates inside it setting them ablaze. "You can do this, Lara ..... You can do this" she muttered to herself. Manipulating the cage so that it directs the crates she's set on fire to drop on the containers on the other side, Lara quickly turns away And covers her ears as a massive explosion rocks the cavern and ushers in fresh air from outside. Unfortunately, Lara's careless use of explosives has triggered a cave-in! She sprints toward the light that signifies her very salvation, frantically dodging falling rocks and boulders and leaping over gaping holes in her path amongst the chaos. Lara tumbles down a fissure in the collapsing pathway ahead of her, then scrambles up a steep slope to finally make her escape toward the light ahead ...... leaving the rapidly collapsing tunnel behind her. Successfully avoiding certain death, Lara runs and even scrambles on her hands and knees to the surface .... before finally collapsing outside. 
After a brief recovery, she slowly rises to her feet. Before her was a scene of terrifying grandeur. Stepping cautiously toward the cliff's edge, she beholds a breathtaking ocean vista. It was an eerie site! The surrounding coastline was littered with ships, planes, and other wreckage. Some of them appear to be centuries old! "What in God's name is this place? ....... What happened here?" she asks herself.  While she now has room to breathe, Lara seems to have jumped out of the frying pan and into the proverbial fire! Lara carefully made her way down the hillside, toward the shoreline where she had first awakened, all the while holding her hand to her left side to put pressure on her wound. Along the beach, she saw footsteps ..... leading inland. She knelt down. Lara knew they weren't hers because the size of the footprints were larger than her own. "Couldn't have been too long ago. The tracks are still fresh," she said to herself. Some of the footprints had begun to disappear the closer they were to the shoreline. "Twelve hours, .... maybe less." 

Chapter 3
First things first. Lara scavanged among the debris that had washed up on shore, looking for anything that might come in handy. She was especially in need of medical supplies, but could find none. Her side was bleeding badly. Without antibiotics, Lara knew that she had to cauterize the wound somehow in order to stop the bleeding and minimize the possibility of infection. The procedure was a simple one, she told herself. Heat a piece of metal over fire and apply it to the wound. This would cause the surrounding tissue and blood to heat rapidly to an extreme temperature, causing coagulation of the blood ...... thus controlling the bleeding. "Metal," she said to herself as she looked around and finally spotted what she needed. She pried a small piece of pipe off a sink that had been washed ashore, perhaps broken off when the ship was torn apart during the storm.  "Now, fire." Easy enough she thought. Both her father and Captain Roth had taught her long ago how to start a fire with nothing more than two sticks. After she got the fire going, Lara wrapped some wet cloth around her hand and grabbed the pipe, placing its tip in the flame. After a few minutes, Lara lifted the left side of her blouse with her other hand to reveal her wound. She removed the pipe from the fire and, gritting her teeth, bravely placed the tip of it against her wound. "Shit, ...shit, shit!", she exclaimed. Her screaming drowned out all other noise along the beach. Lara doubled over in agonizing pain! But she wasn't finished. She still had to do the same to the entry wound. Reaching around the back of her left side, Lara touched the red hot tip to the wound and held it there. Another blood-curdling scream erupted from her lips as she bent over and collapsed from the pain. 
There was now way of knowing how long she had been passed out, she thought to herself. Lara quickly got to her knees and looked around. No one! She breathed a sigh of relief, and quickly examined her wound. Proud of herself, she remarked "Well, ..... I guess I won't be wearing any bikinis for awhile."  Getting on her feet, Lara gathered up pieces of clothing along the beach and washed them off in the ocean water. After they were sufficiently dry, she tore them into strips and used them as make-shift bandages. Out of the corner of her eye she spots a familiar container washed up on the beach. A crewman's footlocker. She opened it to find the usual things, nothing of any use ..... except for a canteen. "Now this I can use." Lara then followed the tracks she had spotted earlier ....... in the hopes of finding another survivor on this god-forsaken island. The trail led inland. She followed it as best she could. Then she saw something that made her stop in her own tracks. Animal prints! Wolves!! At least two or three, by the looks of it. They were following the trail as well.  It was getting close to sunset, Lara thought. "I have to find a safe place to camp for the night." It was getting dark now, and the sound of wolves growling was followed by the sound of a man yelling.  She heard gunshots! Running over the hill ahead of her, she saw something that lifted her spirits. It was Roth, sitting with his back up against a large boulder, .... a pair of wolves lay dead nearby! Roth had been attacked by a pack of them, and by the time Lara got there, the wolves had already wounded his leg badly. He'd managed to deal with a couple of them with his pistol while the rest made their escape, but he was incapacitated. She ran over to him. "Are you all right?" Lara said. Smiling and looking up at her, Roth replied "Do I look alright to you?!"
"Sorry, ... stupid question." she said as she tries to clean his wounds with the make-shift bandages she had. "I take it there were more than two of them." Lara said, looking over at the dead wolves. "Guess I'm not as good a shot as I used to be," he replied with a smile. Roth noticed the bandage on Lara's arm and signs of blood on her blouse. "Looks like you could use a little medical attention yourself," he said. "I'll be okay," Lara replied, glancing down at her side. "I stopped the bleeding, ...... I just need some rest." Lara patched him up with supplies she'd scavenged, hoping for the best. But, she was painfully aware that the situation was out of her hands. While bandaging Roth’s leg, he tells her that the other wolves made off with his food pack. He grabs her arm, "Lara, that pack also has our emergency medical supplies and the transmitter. Unless we get it back, ..... we’re stranded here!!" Roth tells her bluntly.She knows that without that transmitter there's no way to call for help, ...... and no way to give him the necessary medical aid his leg requires. After Lara has done her best, he tries to stand up but passes out from the pain and blood loss. She pops him back up against the boulder. Lara quickly gathers up plenty of kindling and starts three fires. Eyeing the wolves’ tracks, she knows Roth won't last long without those provisions. He’s still alive, but he's out cold. She places plenty of extra firewood within his reach in case he needed it, though she planned on being back soon. Scared, but with no other choice, Lara then grabs Roth's pistol and sets out to retrieve their supplies. 
Lucky for her, there was a full moon that night. She moved as silently as possible and tried to stay downwind of the wolves. If they ever caught her scent, .... well, .... Lara preferred not to think about it. "Great," she thought to herself. "Just as I've begun to regain my senses, I'm off chasing a pack of bloody wolves in the dead of night! I must be out of my bloody mind!" Lara knew that in order to find the wolves, she must remain undetected by them. Moving as quietly as possible, she had to avoid stepping on any dry leaves and twigs, and take great care when moving through dry grass. She followed the tracks, leading to a small gorge where she spotted a wolf poking its head out from behind some bushes against the side of the gorge. Lara quickly knelt down out of sight behind a bush. This had to be it! Maybe there was an opening behind those bushes? It came out of its den and was followed by two others. "Hmmm, ..." Lara thought. Roth killed two out of five, "... not bad for an old fart." The three wolves didn't even take note of Lara as she had stayed out of sight and downwind of them. The lead wolf sniffed at the wind. Nothing, he took off in the other direction and his companions followed.
This was it! Lara knew she may not have much time. They may be out hunting for awhile, .... or they may be coming right back! She had to hurry. She quickly made her way across the gorge and crawled inside the wolves' den. There were bones and various debris scattered everywhere. Lara frantically looked around, her heart racing a mile a minute! "Where is it ....... Where is it?" she asked herself. THERE!! She quickly inspected the bag, closed it and slung it over her shoulder. She grabbed some of the mud off the floor of the den and began rubbing it on her clothes and skin, especially her boots, to try and mask her scent. Mud caked her face, arms, and chest, with only sweat and tears exposing small rivers of bare skin. Then she got the hell out of there!! She didn't want them following her back to camp. Masking her scent was only part of it,  now she had to take another route back. But she had to remain downwind. Lara raced across the gorge and took a thirty-degree turn ....... heading for the beach. Once there, she went chest deep into the surf and waded back down to the point where she first saw Roth's footprints. Granted, she couldn't see the prints as well at night and they were probably gone by now anyway, but Lara had taken note of the surrounding shipwrecks and other landmarks before. 
After returning to their encampment, the supplies in hand, Lara set the transmitter and medical kit down next to Roth and got to work on treating his wounds. Roth, half-awake, looks up at her. "You got it.  ...... Your father taught you well!" he whispered weakly. "You taught me a thing or two yourself," she replied. Roth asked her where she got her first aid training.  “Night shift at the emergency room,” Lara replies. “A wolf’s got nothing on a broken bottle.” she said with a smile. "We have to get a signal out," he tells her. "Not now, ...... in the morning. Right now I dare say we could both use some sleep," she replied. After applying fresh bandages to his leg, Lara gave him an injection of penicillin. She tried to make him as comfortable as possible, then stoked the campfires. She settled in for some sleep herself, but kept the pistol in her hand ....... just in case.
When she awoke the next morning, she found Roth eating from a can of peaches that had been in the supply bag she had retrieved the night before. "Peach?" he offered. "No thanks, I'm fine. I'll drink the juice though." Lara asked if he was feeling any better this morning. She didn't get the reply she expected. "You know, our best bet is to take the transmitter to that central mountain peak, the radio tower above the village ...." Roth told her, pointing in the direction of the mountain. " .... the higher the point, the better the transmission." Roth tells Lara that the tower on the mountain will give them the ability to broadcast a strong signal in every direction. "Let's face it, ..... we both know that I'm in no condition to go anywhere, especially not up there," Roth tells her. They both know the implications of the statement. She has reason to be distressed. "I was afraid you were going to say that," Lara confesses in a candid moment of self-doubt. She looks away from him, as if embarrassed. It was up to Lara alone to scale the mountain and send the signal. But she wasn’t too keen on someone placing such a responsibility on her young shoulders. He sees that Lara looks despondent and unsure of herself. Roth knew he had to bolster her confidence so that she could venture off on her own to signal for help. "You wanted to be an adventurer, .." she thought to herself. "Well, ...... adventure has just bitten you in the ass!"

Lara remembered how Roth had encouraged her when she was a little girl. Now she really needed that encouragement! "You can do this Lara; ..... after all, you're a Croft,” Conrad assured her, smiling. But Lara was still scared and uncertain of what may lie ahead. "I don't think I'm that kind of Croft," she replies weakly. “Yes you are,” Roth encourages. “You just don’t know it yet.” That having been said, he lays his climbing axe down in front of her. "You'll need this." he says to her. "Let's hope I'm a fast learner," counters Lara. She reaches for the axe as Roth gently grabs her wrist. "Just be careful, Lara." She nods before standing up to leave. "Just in case," she says, handing him the pistol. "You have enough firewood?" she asks. Roth nods yes, and motions her to get going. Placing the transmitter in her empty satchel and slinging it over her shoulder along with her bow and canteen, Lara then slipped off without another word. In her life, Lara had always made a habit of relying on other people. Now, the only person she could count on was herself.

Chapter 4
Getting to the mountain was one thing, getting there alive was another. She still felt uneasy from her previous encounter in the cavern. An undisclosed stretch of time had passed as Lara had trekked several miles now and had finally reached the base of the mountain. Upon reaching the village as night began to fall, ....... she found nothing but quiet. Not a sound! There was no one in sight. The village was deserted. She looked in a couple of the huts but found no one, then Lara then spotted a bow and a quiver of arrows on the floor of one shack. Well, at least now she had a more conventional weapon even though it was primitive. Just feeling the bow in her hand made her feel safer. Luckily for her, she'd practiced the sport of archery when she was growing up and was quite good. She found something else that might be useful. Three sticks of dynamite that she carefully placed in her satchel. Out of fresh water, she stopped at the well and lowered the bucket. Hearing it touch water, she filled and raised it. At least she'd be able to fill her canteens now. The water tasted good, though she still felt uncomfortable for some reason. Taking the back trail, she headed for the tower ..... at the very peak of the mountain, Lara moved as quietly as possible. Surprising even herself, she proved to be more than capable of climbing the tower. She secured the transmitter to the tower and covered it with canvas she'd found on the beach. After sending the signal and setting the automatic homing beacon, Lara descended the tower and awaited an incoming plane that had responded to her S.O.S., .... as her heart now filled with the hope of rescue! While waiting for the plane, she looked down at the village and saw light from torches, .... they were moving around. Someone was down there! 
As daylight drew closer, the sound of sputtering engines alerted her to the craft's approach. A glance over Lara's shoulder, however, revealed that something was wrong with the plane. Something very, very wrong! It was coming straight at her! It slammed into the mountain as Lara sprinted toward the edge of the cliff. She hurled herself head over heels down a steep slope, the wreckage behind her in hot pursuit! She somehow managed to survive without being pancaked by a turbine or impaled by flying debris. Lara reached up with her free hand, securing her grip on the cliff's edge, ..... keeping her from plummeting into the ravine far below. After the plane's wreckage cleared her and tumbled down the side of the mountain, Lara climbed up to solid ground. "My God, ...... what, ...... what the bloody hell??" she muttered in shock. She screamed at the top of her lungs, "WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HEEEEEERE!!!!!!!" She dropped to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. After catching her breath and regaining her senses, Lara stood up and made her way back down the side of the mountain. She avoided the village this time, having tied the transmitter at the top of the tower and set it to automatically emit a homing beacon. It would send the S.O.S. signal every hour, until the battery finally ran it out. Roth had figured it was good for 48 to 72 hours at least. Hopefully, someone else would hear it! Question is, would they meet the same fate?? Lara was left pondering the mystery of the island. "Why is it seemingly impossible to escape the island's gravitational pull?" she asked herself. Why has its shoreline become a graveyard of old, dilapidated vessels? Some of the ships appeared to date from around the late 18th century. Many of the planes were World War II era vessels. "And why do the natives seem to be after the remaining members of the 'Endurance' crew?" she wondered. After reaching the bottom of the mountain, she made her way back to the encampment. Lara realized that her fate and the fate of Captain Roth may be inextricably tied to unearthing the secrets of their geological captor. It was a perplexing mystery. She was determined to discover the truth ........ rational or otherwise!
When she got back to the camp, she discovered that Roth was gone. "No! ....... Captain? ...... Captain Roth?! ...... Captain??!" she called out, frantically looking around as she grabbed her climbing axe for protection. Her heart sank as she dropped to her knees, sobbing. She was alone again! The only sign she found of Roth was his automatic pistol lying on the ground and the medical kit over by a tree. Whoever took him must have felt no compelling need for either of them. All they had taken, besides Roth himself, was the food supply. She looked around the campsite. There were definite signs of a struggle, but not much. Either Roth had been surprised by his attackers, or he was in too weak a condition to put up much resistance. They had dragged him off. She had to find him! But, the question was ......... where had they taken him? And why? 
Chapter 5
Lara looked around the campsite, finding the trail markings left behind she saw that they must have knocked Roth out and carried him off. Their footsteps had become deeper and there were only three sets of tracks now!  The scavenger's den. They probably took him there! The very thought of going back there told her just how desparate things were, but she had no choice. She followed their tracks. The trail led to a small opening in the side of a ravine near the center of the island. Lara went in, ..... cautiously! As she made her way through the tunnel, she was jumped from behind. As if things weren't desparate enough, the scavenger grasped her legs. Lara struggled with him. "Shhh, .... Shhhh" he said. She flips around and faces him. My God, she thought, "It's Jackson," recognizing the medallion around his neck. "Jackson it's me, ..... Lara Croft .... from the ship, .... remember? ...... Roth, where is he?" He didn't speak, but merely grunted and motioned for Lara to follow him. After traveling underground, alternating between cramped tunnels and large open 'rooms', they came to a large cavern. Jackson motioned for her to stop and get down behind a boulder overlooking the chamber below them. Looking down, Lara saw Roth being strung up across from an altar of some kind. "No' he moaned to his captors. "Please, .... don't," he pleaded.
Could it be possible that the island's inhabitants had "de-evolved" as a species? And could the same thing be happening to anyone who is stranded here?  How could it be that virtually the entire population of the island would just regress and make a u-turn to cro-magnon?  Rational creatures naturally thin themselves out, but these 'people' were definitely not rational creatures!  The concept of "natural selection" and "survival of the fittest" was indeed in control on this island!  Here, the belief that "might makes right" was no longer a scientific argument --here, ...... it was a fact. Only the strong would survive! Certain characteristics were deemed more desirable or necessary to survive. Oftentimes, only the smartest of this stupid brood would make it to add their genetic "potential" to the next generation, who in turn would be even more cruel and stupid than their ancestors. Unfortunately, it wasn't necessarily the smartest but often times the most savage ones who were given the best opportunity to survive and spawn. Each generation found shallower and shallower resting places in this already dried up pool of primordial sludge.Lara had learned that the qualities of this "survival of the fittest" world justified some very inhumane practices. She had witnessed that firsthand. Those who could adapt and survive did just that, ....... those who could not, perished -- and were either offered up as sacrifices in pagan rituals or simply used as food, since the surviving population here had become cannibalistic. And that was the only reason why the island's population had not expanded at an exponential rate over these many years. 
The scavangers had finally finished their task and left Roth strung up there. Jackson motioned to Lara, as he showed her the way down. Jackson had clearly been affected in some manner, but he still showed compassion for Roth. Upon their descent, Lara saw it! There it was, on the altar. They worshipped it. It had become their god! Lara and Jackson rushed over to Roth and quickly untied him. Putting his arms across their shoulders they started to quickly help him get away. Lara noticed that the rock upon the altar glowed. "Could it be ...... a meteor of some kind?" she asked herself. It had probably struck the island centuries ago. Lara was convinced that it not only played a part in the island's inescapable attraction, but also was responsible for the reverse evolution among the people here. What if, Lara theorized, the radiation immiting from this rock had something to do with the "de-evolving" of the island's inhabitants? What if just a few people had taken refuge in a cave from a storm just long enough for it to affect them? What if that's what happened to Jackson? The rock had become embedded into the cavern. What if it had affected the island itself, giving it it's own gravatationl pull?? That would explain all the ships and planes crashing here!
She knew that if it were even slightly concievable, she must do something! Otherwise, it would take control of her and they would never escape. Lara could only hope that the effects of the radiation would eventually where off, if their exposure were limited! She told Jackson to take Roth back to the tunnel entrance and get outside. Fortunately, Jackson was still lucid enough to understand. He got Roth out of there. Then Lara took something out of her satchel that she had found in the tunnels earlier ....... three sticks of dynamite! She carefully set them right next to the rock upon the altar, tying the fuses together. Lara asked herself two simple questions. Was it dangerous, ... yes. Was it is possible, ... yes!  In the end, she knew she had to do try and destroy this thing if she were ever going to get off this bloody island. The rock was only about three meters in diameter, but even if she couldn't totally destroy it ...... perhaps shattering it into several pieces would severely limit, if not destroy, the islands pull on ships and planes that came near it! 
She ejected three bullets from the clip of Roth's pistol. Using her pocket-knife, she pried off the end of each and poured the gunpowder at the tip of the fuse. Quickly climbing to the top of the cavern, behind the boulder, she took out Roth's pistol. Three shots left! Missed. Missed again. She'd attracted attention, she heard them coming. The rock gave off a strange glow. Lara aimed. Success!! The fuses were lit. Lara ran as fast as she could through the tunnels. Her pursuers quickly followed. Just before she reached the opening she heard the explosion. The tunnel collapsed behind her as she dove through to daylight! She looked up to see parts of the mountain seemingly collapsing in on itself. Lara looked over and saw Roth propped up against a tree. "You're crazy, .... you know that?!" he said to her, smiling. "Well, .... one does what one has to, ...... you helped teach me that," she replied. "Where's Jackson?" Lara asked looking around. Motioning off into the distance, "Ran off, .... I tried ..." Roth mumbled as he collapsed. Lara knew there was nothing they could do now but wait!  The hardships she had been through only seemed to have strengthened her resolve. "Hold on old friend, .... we'll be okay," she thought. Another plane, or perhaps a ship, would hear their distress beacon and come to their rescue. And this time, hopefully, ..... they wouldn't crash! Lara had become a hardened survivor! 

THE END
07 - 02 - 11
Lara Croft and Tomb Raider are trademarks 
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All rights are reserved.       
Story by Roger Pederson