Tomb Raider: Genesis
"For every journey, ... there is a beginning"

Part 2

Chapter 6: The Temple

Lara had only a rudimentary knowledge of paleontology, .... it wasn't her primary field of study, but she could swear that what she was seeing was a Deinonychus, behind some brush up ahead. Impossible, she thought. But then, everything she was seeing was inexplicable! She drew her guns immediately. If dinosaurs had survived for forty million years or more past the end of the Cretaceous period in some sort of refuge environment like this, .... chances are no one would know about it given the current state of the fossil record. She knew the Deinonychus was a carnivore and even though it was fairly small, they hunted in packs, in order to bring down prey much larger than themselves. 
Lara quickly looked around. She estimated it must have measured a little over one meter in height, and was about two to three meters in length. Its weight must have been around 68 kilos. Lara recognized it as Deinonychus because of its size and it had a lightly built skull. It had sharp curved teeth, elongated arms and hands with sharp claws, and a sickle-like second toe claw which was carried raised off the ground.

Lara: [talking very softly to herself] "Hmmm, ..... Cretaceous period I believe."

Bryce: "Lara, ........ everything alright there?"

Lara: " ..... Yes, ... just ran into a spot of company."

Bryce: "Company? ........ Down there? ...... You're not talking about rats, are you? ......... I hate rats."

Lara: "Nooo, ......... these are bit larger."

Bryce: "Not more bats?!"

She spots a ledge and takes off quickly, just as a Deinonychus comes charging at her. She turns and opens fire behind her .... dropping the animal in its tracks. She is pursued by a pack of Deinonychus. They were highly specialized for swift movement and savage attack. With its terrible claw flicked forward it could slash its prey with one foot while standing on the other. Lara reaches the cavern wall, jumps up, grabs the ledge and pulls herself up just before the group reaches her. She looks down at them. How, she asked herself? How could a group of carnivores have lasted all these millions of years underground? Yes, there was sunlight. Yes, there was a water source. But what about food? How could they have survived for so long? Up on the ledge, safely out of their reach, Lara looked around the cavern with her binoculars. she zooms in on the other side. There was her answer!

Lara: [speaking aloud to herself again] "Thecodontosaurus, I believe. Triassic period" 

The codontosaurus was a small herbivore. With the vast food supply (plants) and plenty of water, it would have provided an ample food supply for the Deinonychus. They were about one and a quarter meters in length, approximately a third of a meter in height and only weighed around eleven kilos. Then Lara spotted another species, .... Viriosaurus. The yellow-headed viri was known as a deep-forest browser, common in forests all over central and western North America. They were selective feeders and darted their heads in and out of the underbrush, searching for the tastiest bits of foliage. Lara estimated them to be about one and a half meters in length. They, too, would have made excellent food for the carnivores. Odds are that they developed better hearing, probably a better sense of smell, more efficient locomotion, excellent eyesight and more efficient means of reproducing in their new enviornment.

Lara: [speaking aloud to herself again] "Hmmm .... they were fruitful, ........ and multiplied." 

This cavern, the temple, the dinosaurs. How did all this ..... ? Then she recalled the asteroid theory. At the end of the Cretaceous period (about 144 to 65 million years ago) , a large asteroid was believed to have hit what is now the Yucatan peninsula. Much of the energy released from such an impact would have come in the form of heat. The resulting debris that would have rained down across large parts of the planet may explain this. If these few creatures had taken refuge in a cave that was sheilded, they may have survived the initial blast. The Mayan temple may have been built here later to protect it. But it still didn't make sense! How did these creatures survive for so long? 

Bryce: "Lara?"

Lara: "Yes, Bryce ...... I'm alright, ......... just thinking ....... how this could have happened."

Bryce: "How what could have happened?"

Lara: "...... You said your new system could also transmit video?"

Bryce: "Yes, .... delayed, of course."

Lara: "Of course. Stand by. ............ You won't believe this until you see it."

Bryce: "Ready to receive transmission."

Lara activated the small camera that was built in to her headset. Back at the manor, Bryce and Henry stare at the screen waiting for the digital pixels to form an image. Then he saw it!

Bryce: "Bloody 'ell, ...... are those, ..... are they ....... ?"

Lara: "Yes, Bryce. They're called Deinonychus, I believe. ...... A distant cousin of the raptor."

Henry: [gulps] "Are they ....... "

Lara: "Meat-eaters, .... yes. But they may have become herbivores as well. Otherwise, they would have died out long ago."

Bryce: "But how ..... ? I mean, ..... those are dinosaurs, Lara! ........ Aren't they supposed to be extinct?"

Lara: "Yes, and I'm trying to come up with a rational explanation as to why and how they're here. Remember, the great apes vanished from Europe several million years ago, yet there are still several species of great apes living in Asia and Africa today. But this is entirely different! And under very different circumstances. ..... I'm thinking asteroid impact theory." [now talking out loud to herself more than Bryce] "Let’s assume for now that dinosaurs died out worldwide in the aftermath of the asteroid strike around sixty-four million years ago. The impact associated with such an event would have thrown debris high into the atmosphere. And yes, some of that debris would have rained out, but enough would have stayed in the atmosphere for a long period. The sun’s light would have dimmed, producing a much nastier and longer-lasting version of a nuclear winter. Right? But they've somehow survived underground! They had adapted. Even flourished. Buried. Lost in time. It must have taken thousands of years to return to a reasonably stable and predictable ecosystem here. During the thousands or tens of thousands of years of rapid fluctuations the ecology probably favored smaller, adaptable animals that could eat almost anything and quickly rebuild populations after the catastrophe. Perhaps their ancestors had even developed the ability to go for long periods without eating meat. Otherwise, they would have eliminated one another long ago. They eventually, somehow, made their way to this cavern?" 

Bryce: "Really?"

Lara: "I’m not saying that’s how it happened, .... I’m simply saying it's one possibility. It's a theory."

Bryce: "Lara, this could turn a lot of science fiction into reality! Dinosaurs and man, .... uh, woman, .... in the same place at the same time. I have to record this!!"

Lara: "No. There can't be any record of this."

Bryce: "Why not?

" Lara: "Because if the archeological world, especially those in paleontology, were to find out about this place they would expect me to sacrifice everything, .... even my very life .... in order to preserve what's here. And getting myself killed, if you'll pardon me, is not in my mission plan! ....... Now do you understand?"

Bryce: "Yes, .... sorry."

The questions continued to churn in Lara's mind. How did the Maya build this temple with all these carnivores about? Or was the temple built before the creatures had even found their way to this cavern? Perhaps they were attracted by the scent of the foliage and the prescence of sunlight. But then, all these questions could be dealt with later.

Lara: "First things first. I'm heading for the temple, to look for the the Chinqura stone. I'll need a little diversion though."

She looks about and sees that she can make her way around to the other side of the cavern, safely out of harms way (the pack of Deinonychus). They follow her, snapping and drooling. Once Lara reaches the point where she is near the smaller herbivores, the Deinonychus see them and go after the smaller, easier prey. As they are now occupied, Lara jumps down and races to the temple. 

Lara: [running to the temple, shouting] "Bryce, ... I'll be cut off from you for awhile. I'm going inside the temple."

Bryce: "Be careful. Talk to you later. I'll be here."

Lara: "Right."

She shoots any Deinonychus that dare follow her. Sprinting up the steps to the top, Lara sees another set of doors. Once there, she uses the stone key to open the doors ..... then quickly removes it and runs inside before the doors close and an approaching Deinonychus gets there! God help her, she was loving every minute of this.

After the doors shut, she lights a flare and turns to look inside the temple. Lara sees a "tzolkin", a sacred Mayan calander. The first column represents day-names. The remaining columns are symbols in thirteen frequencies, repeating themselves to reach 260 days. In front, the "tzolkin" is represented with two wheels, one inside the other. Passing the arch, there is a sphere surrounded by circles, supported by a cone. The time keeping system of the Mayans was a combination of several cycles that meshed together, marking the movement of the Sun, Moon and Venus. From her studies, Lara knew that the Maya were preoccupied with time. They had devised an elaborate way of specifying dates. It allowed them to keep track of events that had happened not only in the past, but those that were currently taking place (as well as those that would happen in the future). 

Ahead was another set of doors. She takes out the three stone "keys" and sees the one that looks as though it fits the "lock". After the doors open, she sees an alter in the center of the room with a pair of skeletons lying across it. Standing over it is a statue of the god Menzabac. The skeletons were undoubtedly human sacrifices to their god. She looks up. Directly above it is an opening with a ladder carved into its side. Lara climbs up the statue and jumps to grab the ladder above. She climbs up to the very top. Here, at the top, she finds what she has been seeking, the Chinqura stone. She gathers it up and places it in her backpack. The cavern suddenly begins to darken, .... only the small beam of light from the shaft above the temple remains, like a spotlight on her.

Lara: "Damn!"

Henry: "Now, now ...... a lady of your education and breeding should never stoop to using foul language."

The video feed from Lara that Bryce and Henry had been watching suddenly goes dark.

Henry: "Damn!"

Even if she were to return the Chinqura stone to its previous spot, thus restoring light to the whole cavern, her chances of making it down the temple steps and back across the cavern safely were not good. But Lara had no intention of leaving empty handed. She looked up and determined that the shaft above her was large enough for her to climb through. Then she decided it was time to call a friend. Lara planted a booster at the top of the temple. 

Lara: "Bryce, .... are you there?"

Bryce: ".... Lara! Are you alright?"

Lara: "Yes, I'm fine. I found the Chinqura stone. But removing it pulled the plug on the lights down here. There's a small shaft above the temple. It has to be light coming from the surface, it was somehow magnified by the stone and the ancient mirrors in the cavern. Is there any way that you can tell me how deep I am?"

Bryce: "I'll try to triangulate your position using your signal. ........ Triangulation is a process by which the location of your transmitter can be determined by measuring either the radial distance, or the direction, of the received signal from two or three different points to pinpoint your geographic position. I just need to find the exact location of your dish outside the entrance to the tomb, coupled with your present transmission, as well as the present location of the overhead satellite ......"

Lara: [scolding, reminding him] "Bryce, you're going on again ........... I know what it means, .... just do it."

Bryce: " .... Right, ..... hold on."

[pause]

Bryce: "Got it! ........... according to this readout you're about 250 meters underground." Lara steps out of the lights almost blinding path to get a better view of the shafts opening above her. 

Lara: "Bryce, is there any way that I can boost the power on this air gun that you sent along?" 

Bryce: "I anticipated that, so I amplified it ..... just in case. You'll see a tiny knob just above the trigger. Flip it. It will allow you to shoot a projectile from it at a distance of 60 meters or so."

Lara: "Sounds about right."

She takes a tong from her belt and attaches the remaining 50 meters of rope she has in her backpack. Then Lara inserts the tong into the barrel of the gun, snapping it in place. She then attaches the laser sight to the gun, to better her aim.

Lara: "All right, .................... this had better work Bryce, this is the last of my rope."

Bryce: "Make sure you hit a solid section of rock face."

Lara: [sarcastically] "Thank you so much for that bit of advice."

She aims and fires. Perfect strike! Lara puts on her climbing gloves and inserts more tongs on her belt, for easy access. She then lashes her backpack (with the stone) to her bum, anticipating the size of the shaft and that she may have to lean her back against the inside wall of the rock face. Lara then inserts another tong in the barrel of the gun and anchors it to her hip with a short length of bungee cord. She tugs on the rope to be certain that it will hold her weight.

Lara: "Right then, ...... beginning my ascent, ...... it's about 50 meters."

She starts her climb up the rope. Once at the top, she holds onto the rope with one hand while grabbing the air gun with the other. Lara then shoots another tong, that she can grip, into the rock inside the shaft. She reaches for another tong, while still gripping the rope with one hand, and inserts it into the gun barrel. She then fires the second tong into the rock face. Now Lara shifts her weight and grabs onto the first tong. With her feet and legs, she reaches for the dangling rope below her. 

Bryce: "Lara?"

Lara: "I'm a bit occupied at the moment, Bryce. ....... ugghh ....... I'll have to get back to you." Gripping the inside of the shaft with one hand, on one of the tongs, Lara pulls the rope toward her with her feet and legs. She removes a small knife from her belt and cuts the rope from it's tong. Now, using one hand and her teeth, she ties it to another tong and inserts it into the gun. Lara lets the gun (and rope) dangle from her hip and pulls herself up to the second tong that had been inserted into the rock face of the shaft. Now Lara could extend her legs against the wall of the shaft and brace herself. Lara attaches another of the boosters to the rock face. She grabs the gun, aims higher up, and fires. The tong with the rope was driven into the rock face of the shaft. Lara inserted another tong into the gun, then began her climb up the rope.

Lara: "Well, ... uhh, ..... nice knowing ...... all that rock climbing I practiced ........ was time well spent."

Bryce: "Everything alright then?"

Lara: [grunting] "So far, ..... so good."

She reaches the end of the rope and inserts another tong, then braces herself against the inside wall of the shaft again.

Lara: "It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic."

She continues inserting tongs and climbing her way up the inside of the tiny shaft. Finally she sees the end of the tunnel, so to speak. Lara finally reaches the top of the shaft. She reaches and pulls herself up and through the small opening. Finally! The first thing she does is remove the backpack from her bum and sits down to rest.

Professor: "Welcome, Lady Croft. ........... we've been expecting you."

Lara turns to look behind her, ..... and sees one of her father's old aquaintences. 

Professor: "The backpack my dear," [he motions for her to toss it to him] "... and your pistols, please."

She tosses the pack, and her pistols, toward him. One of his henchmen stoops over to pick up the pack and hands it to the Professor. He opens it, searches through it, and removes the Chinqura stone. He stands there, admiring it ...... then instructs two of his men.

Professor: "Kill her, ...... then dispose of her body and anything of hers down the hole, leave no trace. Then take the boat back to the village." [talking to Lara] "Sorry, my dear, but I'm afraid you're in way over your head this time. 

Lara: [sarcastic] "What a coincidence. I was going to say the same thing to you." 

Professor: [he smiles] "Just as defiant as your father. If you only knew the power of the stone." [then frowns] "Goodbye, Lady Croft."

He turns and walks away with the others following him up a slight hill, out of sight. She hears the hum of a helicopter warming up. The remaining two henchmen cock their pistols and raise them to aim and fire at Lara as the chopper takes off and flies overhead. Lara grabs two fistfuls of dirt. With blinding speed, she throws the dirt in their faces and kicks the guns from their hands just before they go off. Hand to hand combat ensues. She punches one man, then with an immediate spin-kick breaks the jaw of the other man. He loses his balance and stumbles directly into the hole Lara has emerged from, screaming as he plunges to his death down the shaft. 

Lara: "Sorry about that."

Lara is hit from behind and put in a headlock. She elbows the man in the ribs three times until he finally loosens his grip. She flips him over her shoulder and chops him across the throat ..... breaking his windpipe. Grabbing her her headset and a gun off the ground, she runs in the direction of the camp, near the tomb entrance. 

Lara: [out of breath, shouting over her headset] "Bryce, ..... Bryce, do you hear me??!"

Bryce: "Yes, Lara. ..... What's going on there? We heard others talking, ...... and gunfire."

Lara: [she stops] "I ran into a spot of trouble. A welcoming committee of sorts." [sounding winded] 

She looks at her compass. The camp is southeast of her position. She takes off again through the jungle. Miquel, she thought! She raced to the site. When she got there, Lara found him lying near the entrance to the tomb. She checked his pulse. Too late. Why, she asked? 

Bryce: "Lara?"

Lara: [sadly] "He's dead."

Bryce: "Who?"

Lara: "My guide, ... Miquel. ......... Listen, Bryce ......... I need you and Henry to do something for me."

Bryce: "Of course."

Lara: "I want you to get every single bit of information on two people. The first is Ian Chambers.

Bryce: "The man who sent you on this trip in the first place?"

Lara: "The very same. I want his past history, present employer, known contacts, .... everything. The other is named Gunther Krause, otherwise known as "the Professor". I need as much information as you can get me. I'll gather up what I can here, make it back to the city and hopefully be on a flight back as soon as possible. Got all that?"

Bryce: "Yes, .... but why would anyone want to kill you or your guide?"

Lara: "I don't know," ................. [frowning] "but I'm going to find out."

Lara gathered up what she could and headed back to the river. Once there, she looked over to see the battered raft she and Miquel had used. "Oh well', Lara thought. "Those two gents back there won't be needing their little boat here anymore. I"m sure they won't object to my borrowing it." As she loaded her things into the boat, Lara realized, ..... for the first time in a long time .... she had not thought of her father. Her mind had been concentrating on one thing and one thing only. Recovering that which had been stolen from her. And these people had used her, even tried to kill her. Lara thought to herself, ......... they had no bloody idea who they were dealing with!

Chapter 7: Mission Revised

[back in Columbia, Peltier addresses his associates]

Peltier: "Gentlemen, we all know that exponential population growth is dangerous and destabilizing. All out warfare between nations is, ..... sadly, ...... inevitable. We must eradicate this collective madness in our society and exorcise our demons in the name of rational humanity. The art of rendering any revolution is to enlighten the people ..... and to enlighten them is, insensibly, to turn public opinion to the adoption of those changes which are the given objects of the intended revolution. ..... We must apply ourselves to the acquisition of interior and exterior perfection, ..... a perfection which will, through the works of the our order, illuminate the entire world with reason and good deeds. And, regarding your financial investments, all of our combined funds have safely been transferred to Banco de la República, .... Colombia's central bank."

Peltier is approached by someone who leans over and whispers to him.

Peltier: [he announces to the room] "I've just been informed that the Chinqura stone is now in our possession, gentlemen. This is truly a great day for all of us, ........ and all mankind as well."

Everyone smiles and applauds. 

Peltier: "The scientists of certain nations who have a history of being hostile toward one another could soon possess the necessary scientific knowledge that control damaging weather to the point of being able to use such weather as hostile, destructive weapons. ....... We cannot allow this. Their stupidity and arrogance could bring about our very destruction. Our goal is two-fold, gentlemen. One, to prohibit effective military use,or any other hostile use, of environmental modification techniques in order to eliminate the dangers to us from such use. And two, to eliminate other threats to our own well-being; ..... i.e. the population explosion and rampant use of fossil fuels which are slowly strangling our planet. ............ The order will rectify this."

One of the committee: "And if they don't follow...... ?"

Peltier: "People have become so disillusioned with their daily undertakings, that many will not balk at joining our society, ..... and given the alternative, well. ........ The world must change. We will exist without nationality, skin color, or religious bias. We must act to preserve the human race. I'm afraid I have to travel to New York on business, to finalize some business dealings ........ but I will return shortly. Now, if you'll follow Alex, he will show you the rest of the complex."

[back in Guatemala]

Lara made her way upstream to the point where she and Miquel had left the truck. She comes ashore and ties up the boat. Lara walks up on the bank and is met by Miquel's cousin, Alberto.

Alberto: "Senorita, ..... where is Miquel?"

Lara: "Sorry, ..... your cousin was murdered." 

She motions back to the boat. Alberto goes down to it and finds his cousins dead body under a tarp.

Lara: "I have to find the men that did this."

Alberto: "I will do anything I can to help you senorita Croft."

Lara: "Well, for starters you can get me back to the hotel."

They walk a short distance down the road where Alberto has the old truck stashed just off the road, behind some trees. Two of his friends are waiting there. He motions to the river and asks them to get his cousins body and the luggage down at the boat. Once they return, they all get in the truck and make their way back to town. 

Lara: "Alberto, I need to know if you've ever seen or heard of a man called Chambers?"

Alberto: "No, ..... I'm sorry senorita."

Lara: "What about a man called the Professor?"

Alberto: " ..... No."

Lara: [sighs] "Perhaps Miquel never told you the names of people that contacted him in order to protect you. The best thing that you can do right now is look after your cousin and his family, I'll find these men."

They pass through a village in El Palmar, .... Carmelita. They stop there to gas up the truck. While Alberto does that, Lara grabs a bag from the back and goes into the back room of a small store to change clothes. After a few more hours back on the road, they finally arrive in Guatemala City. Alberto drops Lara and her luggage off at the hotel. She heads up to her room and sits down on the edge of the bed as she calls the airport and arranges for the quickest flight to London. Once that's taken care of, Lara decides to shed her clothes and take a quick shower. 

She leaves the bathroom door ajar and after showering for a few minutes, she is able to hear someone entering her room. Lara slowly, silently, steps out of the shower ..... as the water continues to run. She side steps behind the door. Between the crack of the door, Lara can see there is someone in her room. The man pulls out a gun, attaching a silencer to it. He finally turns and Lara sees his face. Alberto! No wonder he had said that he didn't recognize the names Lara had asked him about. No wonder he hadn't looked so surprised to see the dead body of his cousin. But, she remembers, he had been surprised to see her!

Alberto heard a noise in the hallway that drew his attention away for a second. Lara quickly stepped into the room. Alberto's reaction was slowed by the site of a naked woman standing there. He started to raise the gun to fire, but she kicked him where it really counts! Alberto doubled over, as Lara grabbed the gun from him. He dropped to his knees and she covered herself with the bed sheet.

Lara: "Now then," [pointing the gun at him] "exactly what do you think you're doing here?"

Alberto: [groaning] "I was told to ...... to ...... to kill you, ...... or I and my family would die!"

Lara: "Who told you this?"

Alberto: "The one they call ...... Professor."

Lara: "Where is he?"

Alberto: "He has left the country, with the stone. Senorita, I am sorry about my cousin, ..... about what they did to you, ...... but, they ....... they threatened my family, ........ I had no choice."

Lara: "Neither do I."

She belts him across the jaw with the gun, knocking him out. 

Lara: [frowning] "Consider yourself lucky I don't kill you."

She gets dressed and gathers up her things. Lara leaves the hotel for La Aurora airport, where she boards a plane bound for London. After a long flight, Lara arrives at London's Heathrow airport where she disembarks the plane and is met in the terminal by Henry.

Henry: "Lara, are you all right?"

Lara: [walking straight for the terminal door and the waiting car] "I will be."

She gets into the Rolls parked out in front of the terminal, as Henry gets into the drivers seat and pulls out. Henry, without taking his eyes off the road, hands a manilla envelope to Lara in the back seat. She opens it and looks over the contents as he speaks.

Chapter 8: The Committee

Henry: "Here's everything we found on Ian Chambers. A graduate of Oxford, archeology major, ..... he also dabbled in ancient myths and mysteries. One of his favorite speakers at university was a Dr. Werner Von Croy. He had worked with your father on occasion at dig sites in Egypt, ...... until your father learned of Chambers involvement with a group known as the Illuminati.

Lara: "The Illuminati?"

Henry: "After learning of Chambers associations, your father would have nothing more to do with him. He then began working with Von Croy. Chambers later turned to a man called Peltier. Peltier headed a consortium that was doing research into global warming, weather control, that sort of thing. Chambers became his right-hand man."

Lara: "And?"

Henry: "No one is talking, ...... and there were few, if any, records of his past to find."

Lara: "What about Krause?"

Henry: "Bryce is putting the finishing touches on his report as we speak."

They arrived at the Croft estate. The Rolls pulls up in front and Henry gets out to open the car door for Lara. The front door opens and there stands Bryce, ...... with Winston! Lara rushes and throws her arms around him.

Lara: "Winston, ......... It's so good to see you!"

Winston: "And you as well, my dear. ..... The boys thought I might be of some help to you."

Lara: [smiling, looking over at Bryce and Henry] "They did, did they?"

Bryce: "Actually, Winston helped a great deal in our research of this Gunther Krause."

Lara: "What did you find out?"

Bryce: "Krause, otherwise known as "the Professor" is a virtual ghost. I couldn't find anything on him at all. But when I mentioned the name to Winston, he recalled the name from past experience."

Winston: "Your father had ..... dealings .... with him once before. Krause is someone who likes to refer to himself as a troubleshooter. If you have a problem that needs cleaning up, you call him. He's the kind of person you call upon when you want a problem to disappear. Lara, he is, essentially, ...... a hired killer. A very dangerous man."

Bryce: "Both Chambers and Krause have many known contacts, but the only one they seem to have in common is a man named Peltier." Lara: "Did you check into this .... Peltier?"

Bryce: "At one time he was associated with the Illuminati. 

Lara: "The Illuminati? You mentioned them before."

Winston: "The Illuminati refers to several groups. Historically, it refers specifically to the Bavarian Illuminati, a secret society founded in the late eighteenth century. In modern times it refers to a purported conspiratorial organization which acts as a shadowy hand behind the throne. They allegedly control world affairs through present day governments and corporations, usually as a modern incarnation or continuation of the Bavarian Illuminati. Many conspiracy theorists believe the Illuminati, or The People of The Light, are the masterminds behind events that will lead to the establishment of a New World Order."

Bryce: "While it wasn't legally allowed to operate, many influential intellectuals and progressive politicians counted themselves as members." 

Lara: "Yes, I recall the history. If I remember correctly, the Illuminati was a group founded by scientists, ... among others Galileo, who had become infuriated with the refusal of the Catholic Church to accept their work, merely condemning scientific research as heresy."

Winston: "There are many theorists that have even argued that the Bavarian Illuminati survived, quite possibly to this very day, though very little reliable evidence can be found to support the group's survival. However, several others have used the name Illuminati ever since to found their own rites, claiming to be the Illuminati or calling themselves a different name. In Peltier's case, ..... he may be associated with an offshoot of the Illuminati we learned about ...... known as the Committee."

Lara: "The Committee?"

Bryce: "The only thing I could find was information on a group that once called itself the Committee of 300, also known as the Olympians. It consisted of leading people in politics, commerce, banking, media, and the military. It was allegedly created by Cecil Rhodes to precipitate the introduction of a centralized global government. The group consisted of an inner circle called the "Society of the Elect" and an outer circle called the "Circle of Friends", not unlike the Illuminati and Freemasons. Purported members were such notables as Lord Astor, John D. Rockefeller, Lord Kitchener, Lord Salisbury, J.P. Morgan, the Rothschild family, ....... even Winston Churchill."

Henry: "Peltier later seemed to vanish from any records whatsoever. He re-appeared with a large corporation in the States .......... New York to be exact. They appear to be in the process of selling off part of their investments and relocating.

Bryce: "The name of the company is GlobalCom. Strangely enough, they seem to be dealing in some very diverse areas. Satellite tracking, communication, digital television, food processing, shipping, chemicals, ........ the list is almost endless."

Lara: "Did you check into their major investors?"

Bryce: "Not yet."

Lara: "Do it! [she walks off toward the study]

Henry: "Lara, this is not your battle to fight. These people are dangerous."

Lara: [shouting] "So am I. [stops and turns] They stole from me, Henry .......... and tried to kill me! I intend to find out what they're up to. Get me on a flight to New York for tommorrow and pack my bags. And get two tickets!"

Henry: "Yes, madam."

Bryce: "Two?"

Lara: "Yes, Bryce, you're coming with me. I may need your help. If Chambers is there he may recognize Henry."

Winston: "Lara, what do you have in mind?"

Lara: "A little reconnaissance. But first, I want to check on this "GlobalCom" some more. I'll be in the study." 

Lara awoke the next morning at 7 am. She stretched, then slid out of bed. After she had showered and changed, she headed downstairs. Waiting at the bottom of the staircase was Henry with the morning paper and her and Bryce's bags, already packed.

Henry: "Your plane doesn't leave until ten, plenty of time for you to grab a quick breakfast."

Lara walks into the dining room and sees her breakfast, already prepared, waiting for her on the table. She sits down and begins to eat, glancing at the newspaper. Bryce comes in, yawning and scratching himself. 

Bryce: "Arrrrrrrgh, ....... Lara, do you always have to get up so bloody early?"

Lara: [not even looking up] "Bryce, it's seven forty-five."

Bryce: [he sits down] "My point exactly." [placing his head on the table, still half asleep]

Henry: [directing his remark at Bryce, as he sets a cup of coffee in front of him] "Not all of us can sleep until nine in the morning."

Cheeky fellow for a butler, Bryce thought. They finished breakfast and got ready to leave for the airport. Henry brought the car around front and loaded the baggage. When they arrived at Heathrow, Lara and Bryce showed their passports and tickets then boarded flight 417 for New York. 

Flight Attendent: "Seats 27 and 28."

Lara: "Thank you."

They took their seats and buckled up. Bryce rubbed his bum in the seat and stretched out.

Lara: [sarcastic, looking over at him] "Comfy?"

Bryce: "Mmmmmm ........ never traveled first class before."

When the plane landed at Kennedy airport, Lara was greeted at the New York terminal by an old friend of her father's. 

Stevens: "Lara? .... little Lara Croft? ...... I hardly recognized you."

They embrace.

Lara: "Hello Michael. It's good to see you."

Stevens: "I haven't seen you since the dig in Egypt, ..... you were a small girl then. Now look at you."

Lara: "This an associate of mine, .... Bryce."

Stevens: [they shake hands] "Micheal Stevens. My magazine has done several articles on Lara's father over the years."

They walk toward the luggage carrousel to pick up Lara and Bryce's bags.

Lara: "Michael, .... I could use your help. I need to contact someone here in New York."

Stevens: "Who? If I can help in any way ....."

Lara: "Trust me, ... the less you know about this, the better. With your contacts in the magazine industry, I was hoping to be able to use your name as a reference. So in case anyone calls you and asks if I'm employed by you, ....."

Stevens: " ..... you're a valued employee."

Lara: [smiles] "Thank you."

They grab Lara's bags and head out to Stevens waiting car. He drops Lara and Bryce off at a hotel. She checks in as Miss Amelia Evans. A bellboy takes their bags up to the rooms. 

[fade out]

Lara later arrives in Manhatten, in front of the GolbalCom skyscraper. She emerges from the taxi wearing a smart business outfit and glasses, looking very prim, ...... Bryce follows. It's a tall, impressive building. 

Lara: [whispers] "Not a word inside."

They walk up to the reception desk in the cavernous lobby, filled with busy people. 

Security guard at desk: "Name?"

Lara: "Evans, ... Amelia Evans ...... and associate ......... I have an appointment to speak with Mr. Peltier."

The guard checks his sheet then hands them both clip-on I.D. badges to identify them. A man steps forward.

Mr. Jacobs: "Miss Evans, I'm Mark ...... one of Mr Peltier's personnal assistants. I'll take you up to see him."

Lara: "Thank you. ......... Come along Brian."

They take the elevator to the twenty-third floor. The doors open and they emerge, walking down the emense hallway to Peltier's office. Jacobs opens the door for "Miss Evans" and her associate. He walks up to the secretary. 

Jacobs: "Miss Amelia Evans and associate to see Mr. Peltier." 

The secretary examines her appointment book and rings Peltier on the intercom. 

Secretary: "Miss Amelia Evans to see you, Mr. Peltier." 

Peltier: "Send her in." 

Secretary: [smiles at Lara] "Go right in." 

Lara: "Thank you. ........ You can wait here Brian." 

She enters Peltier's office, he rises from behind a huge desk and steps out to greet her. 

Peltier: "Miss Evans. A pleasure." [he kisses her hand] 

Lara: "Thank you." 

Peltier: "Please, have a seat." [walks back behind his desk] .......... "I contacted your magazine." 

Lara: "You called my employer?" 

Peltier: "They gave you quite the glowing report." 

Lara smiles and nods approvingly. 

Lara: "You're quite thorough." 

Peltier: "Well, ..... I don't give out many interviews." 

Lara: [smiles] "Yes, .... you're quite famous for that." 

Peltier: "Some would say infamous." 

Lara: "True." 

Peltier: "I detect a British accent." 

Lara: "Yes, well, I made a few contacts while attending Oxford ...... and I ended up working here in New York." 

Peltier: "Contacts are important in life. ....... What can I do for you Miss Evans?" 

Lara: "I'm simply doing background on some of your company's investors. I must say, you're very diverse. Satellite tracking, communications, digital television, food processing, shipping, chemicals, construction, ........ on and on." 

Peltier: [smiles] "Yes, well, the greater the diversity ..... the greater the profit." 

Lara: "I also understand that your corporation may be relocating?" 

Peltier: "Well, many companies, large or small, relocate from time to time." 

Lara "True, ......... I also understand that you may be interested in politics. Is that correct?" 

Peltier: "No more than the occassional contribution, ..... not that uncommon." 

Lara: "No personnal political aspirations?" 

Peltier: [shakes his head and smiles] "None whatsoever." 

Lara: "Well then, ..... it appears I was misinformed." 

She stands, and he politely rises. Lara extends her hand. 

Lara: "I'm sorry to have taken up your time. Thank you." 

Peltier: "Always a pleasure talking with a beautiful young woman." [he again kisses her hand] 

Lara leaves the room, as Peltier walks her to the door and opens it. 

Lara: "Brian, [talking to Bryce in the office lobby] .... are you ready?" 

They leave and walk down the hallway. Lara's eyes dash about, observing as much as possible. They enter the elevator and head down to the main lobby. They turn in their guest badges to the guard and exit the building. A taxi immediately pulls up out front, but Lara doesn't trust it. She walks over to the curb and motions to another taxi which pulls up. Lara and Bryce get in. The car pulls away after Lara instructs the driver to take them to their hotel. 

Bryce: "Lara, what was that all about?" 

Lara: "I needed to reconoiter a bit. Did you notice the security in that building?" 

Bryce: "Seemed normal." 

Lara: "Yes, well ..... it's not. Far from it. Even for as large a corporation as that. In addition to cameras everywhere, keypads, voice code entry ...... I also noticed what appeared to be laser motion-activated sensors in the hallway. They may also have retinal scanning." 

Bryce: "Why didn't you simply ask to see their security department as part of your interview?" 

Lara: "Too suspicious. .......... It would have tipped off Peltier." 

They arrive at the hotel and go up to Lara's room. 

Bryce: "What now?" 

Lara: "If I break into that building tonight, do you think you could hack into GlobalCom's mainframe?" 

Bryce: "You must be joking?" 

Lara: "I'm very serious." 

Bryce: "Hacking into the Federal Banking system would be easier than breaking into that bloody place!" 

Lara: "Bryce, ......" 

Bryce: "What are you looking for?" 

Lara: "Information." 

Bryce: "What kind?" 

Lara: "Anything about the Committee and what they're up to, and anything that may tell us the location of the stone." 

Bryce: "I don't know about this Lara. This is crazy." 

Lara: "That doesn't sound like the Bryce I know. Is this the same man who once hacked into the M.I.6 computer system?" 

Bryce: "There was never any evidence that I had anything to do with that. Besides, you were there with me remember?" 

Lara: "Bryce, this will be the greatest hack of all time. This could be your chance to be a hero." 

Bryce: "Lara, even with my new password hacking software, top of the line decryption, a constantly mutating algorythmic code to penetrate their computer defense systems ....." 

Lara: "You did bring everything we need?" 

Bryce: "Yes, but ....... " 

Lara: "I'm afraid you're all out of excuses then." 

Bryce: "Lara, I can't just hack my way inside GlobalCom's system. There's no direct modem access to their mainframe. I'd have to physically be there in order to do it. And I ...." 

Lara: "Relax, Bryce, ..... I'm the only one breaking in there. That's why I had you bring your toys. I'm going to attach your new transmitter that will temporarily link you to their system. You can hack into their mainframe from the safety of your hotel room, on your laptop. ....... Happy now?" 

Bryce: "But if you get caught ...... " 

Lara: "I won't get caught." 

Bryce: [sighs] "......... When do we do this?" 

Lara: "One a.m. tonight. So you'd better go to your room and get to work, make sure your computer is set up and ready to go, then get some sleep ....... we'll be getting up late. Don't worry, I'll wake you." 

Bryce left for his room and got to work, then went to bed. Back in her room, Lara laid out everything she would need later that night, including Bryce's communications pack, ..... then set her alarm and got some sleep. She had a big night ahead of her! 

Chapter 9: The Break-In

It was 12:30 am. Lara awakened, slid out of bed and headed for the bath to throw some water on her face. She picked up the phone and dialed Bryce's room to wake him up. Lara then quickly dressed in a black lycra catsuit and slipped a baggy, dark green jumpsuit on over it. She grabbed her backpack and loaded it with the supplies she knew would be needed. She slipped a light trenchcoat on, grabbed the communications pack and left her room to see Bryce. Lara knocked on the door, then walked into the room. 

Lara: "Any problems?" 

Bryce: "No, ..... these should do nicely." 

Bryce handed Lara an I.D. badge that he had made up for her using his computer and printer from the digital photo he had taken of her guest badge, a photo he had taken in the hallway of a maintenance worker and one of a maintainance worker's badge on the guards desk at GlobalCom. He had taken them using a tiny digital camera hidden in the manilla folder he had carried with him to the building when they visited Peltier. Lara had decided that the best and easiest way to break into the building was to simply blend in. And she knew that often times many maintenance people are virtually invisible, ...... especially the night shift. Lara looked at the badge. 

Lara: [smiling] "Smashing." [she put on her cap, her hair in a pony tail] "How do I look?" 

Bryce: "Very authentic. .......... You have the transmitter, comlink, everything?" 

Lara: "Yes, Bryce. ...... Relax. I'll contact you once I'm inside and set up. .............. Ta for now." 

Lara left the room and headed downstairs. Even before she'd left the hotel, she noticed that no one looked twice at her. Once she out front, she walked down to the bus stop, got on a bus and took it to the GlobalCom building. Lara knew she would be drawing too much attention to herself if a janitor were to arrive for work in a cab. Her friend, Micheal Stevens, had been nice enough to find out the name of the company that had the contract for maintenance work at Peltier's building. 

When she arrived at GlobalCom, she calmly walked up to the guards desk in the lobby and signed in, showing her I.D. badge. The guard examined it, nodded in affirmation, and handed it back to her. Lara silently sighed with relief and made her way to the staircase at the far end of the lobby. She opened the door and entered the stairwell as it closed behind her. 

Lara knew that, because of security reasons, the other doors would be locked from inside the stairwell. She made her way up the staircase to the top floor. Once there, she saw a problem. She needed to bypass the laser system that ran across the door. She got out a set of small mirrors to handle the job. This way, the lasers were still operative, yet she could now open the door without setting off any alarms. 

She opened the unlocked door to the roof and propped it open. Lara then looked for good spot to set up Bryce's comlink. She planted a booster on the edge of the roof at all four sides. After she was finished, she ran a small black wire from the dish to another one of Bryce's boosters that she placed, out of sight, near the door. 

Lara: "Bryce, ....... Bryce, can you hear me?" 

Bryce: "Yes,. ............... I take it the badge worked?" 

Lara: "Yes, ....... I'm on the roof. Hold on." 

Lara then gathered up her backpack and layed down some thin wire from the dish as she returned to the door. Back inside the stairwell, she ran the tiny wire inside under the door, again out of sight and connected it to another booster. 

Lara: [whispering] "Bryce, ....... I'm in the stairwell now. I'm headed for the thirty second floor." 

Bryce: "Why there?" 

Lara: "Because a friend got me some information at the building commissioner's office and the electrical schematics tell me that most of their power is be drained from there. I'm betting that's where I'll find the main computer room." 

She goes down the stairs to the thirty second floor. Lara carefully, quietly, picks the lock on the door. She slowly opens the door a crack to see a guard walking down the hallway. Lara hears him say "32 clear" over his walkie-talkie. Once he's out of sight, she quickly enters the hallway, spots the maintenance closet and ducks inside. She finds a cart for emptying trash baskets, etc. and pushes it into the hallway. She walks toward Peltier's office when she spots the guard coming back on his rounds. Lara keeps her head down and walks right past him, hoping not to be noticed. 

Guard: "Hey you! What do you think you're doing here? This section is off limits." 

The guard turns around and walks after her. Lara ignores him and keeps walking slowly. 

Guard: "Hey! I'm talking to you!" 

She can hear his approach, just three feet behind her. 

Lara: "I'm sorry, I'm new here." 

She spins around quickly and kicks him flush across the jaw. A series of blows knocks the guard unconscious. Lara drags him to the maintenance closet, ties and gags him, .... then takes his walkie-talkie, keycard, keys, and passcode card. Now to find the computer room. She sees a set of large double doors with a placard that simply says "Com". A set of lasers buzz in front of the doors.This must be it, she thought. 

The keycard needs to be swiped and a passcode entered. She swipes his keycard through the slot and punches in the nightly code for that office listed on the card. The code was accepted. The lasers are deactivated. She enters and closes the door. Lara heads for the window and uses a suction cup to plant one of Bryce's boosters there. 

Lara: [whispering] "Bryce, ...... Bryce, can you hear me?" 

Bryce: "I'm ready, where are you?" 

Lara: "I'm in the computer room, ......... attaching your transmitter to their modem as you told me. ....... hang on." 

She suddenly hears a guards voice on the walkie-talkie. 

Voice: "Samuels, ..... you there? ..... Report." 

Lara quickly replays the voice recording she made of the guard she first saw in the hallway. 

Guard's voice on playback: "..... 32, .... all clear." 

Voice: "Affirmative. Out." 

There's a silent sigh of relief from Lara, then she takes her finger off the walkie-talkie. 

Lara: [whispering to Bryce again] "All right, ... you're hooked up to their mainframe. Try your access program." 

At first, his screen is blank. Then the GobalCom logo flashes on screen. 

Bryce: "YES!! [he claps] ........ I have a connection, ....... wait, .......... " 

Lara: "Wait? ...... What do you mean, wait?" 

Bryce: "There's a firewall. ........ It's all right though, ...... I expected this." [he types away on his keyboard] 

Lara: "Can't you get past it?" 

Bryce: "I'm working on it ............ " 

Lara: "Bryce!" 

Lara: "Lara, calm down. ........ I told you this wouldn't be easy. I mean, it's not like reading heiroglyphics." 

Lara rolls her eyes. Bryce's computer screen continues flashing ACCESS DENIED, as his decryption program runs. Login codes flash in the box on screen when suddenly, the screen changes to say ACCESS ACCEPTED. 

Bryce: "GOT IT! ....... Made it past their company firewall." 

Graphics flash onscreen, representing the machine's vast resources. A list shows the files that can be accessed. 

Lara: "Try getting into Peltier's files first." 

Bryce: "Accessing his computer." 

Lara: [whispering] "....... Well? ................ Bryce, we don't have all night." 

Bryce: "Keep your knickers on. ........ I'll run my password hacking program again............" 

Passwords flash through the box, but "ACCESS DENIED" keeps popping up on screen. 

Bryce: "Nothing yet." 

Lara: "Wait," ............ [Lara remembers something] ................... "try Weishaupt." 

Bryce: "Why that?!" 

Lara: "Adam Weishaupt was the first lay professor of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt. He founded the Illuminati in Bavaria. ........ The Committee is an off-shoot of the Illuminati." 

Bryce: [sarcastic] "Oh, of course, .... why didn't I think of that? ............ Spell it for me." 

Lara: "W ... E ... I ... S ...H ... A ... U ... P ... T" 

He types in the word and hits the Enter key. 

PASSWORD ACCEPTED shows up on screen. 

Bryce: [claps] "We're in!!" 

Lara: "Copy it! Download all his files! ............................... Can you see anything that might even be remotely connected to the Committee or the Chinqura stone?" 

Bryce: "........... It's downloading a rather large folder named Committment." 

Lara: "That has to be it." 

Bryce: [talking to his computer now. coaxing it] "Come on, sweetheart .......... come on .......... just a little more ......." 

Lara: "Bryce, ......." 

We see some guards coming down the hall toward the computer room, guns drawn. 

Lara: "Bryce, ......." 

Bryce: "Almost there ........... hold on......." 

Lara: "Bryce, someone's coming ............... they may have traced your signal. Once you have his files downloaded, take everything and get out of there ......! Do you hear me?" 

Bryce's computer confirms that the connection is terminated, ........ just after it's finished downloading the necessary data! 

Bryce: "Got it!!" 

Lara: "Get out of there. Meet me at the rendezvous point." 

Bryce: "I'm gone." 

Bryce quickly gathers up his laptop, portable drive, along with all his other gear and ducks into the hallway. He heads for the elevator, but hears a "ding". Not knowing who is about to step off the lift, he darts into the stairwell access, as the door closes behind him. Just as the door closes, the elevator doors open and four men in suits emerge. They head down the hallway toward his room, as one of the men talks on a cellphone ..... receiving directions. Lara was right. Bryce's transmitter had been traced! They kick in the door of his hotel room. 

Meanwhile, back in Peltier's building, Lara greets her unwelcomed guests. They open the doors and the guards open fire on her with automatic weapons equipped with silencers, taking caution not to damage the main computer. Her escape is blocked! She returns fire, diving behind a desk for cover. Two of the men are wounded. Lara reaches into her pack and pulls out a combination concussion and flash grenade. She pulls the pin and tosses it at the guards, ..... closing her eyes and covering her ears. A flash of blinding light and a loud bang temporarily render the guards helpless. 

Lara runs past them, clocking two of them unconcious along her way out. She runs toward the end of the hallway. The doors of the elevator open and more guards emerge, running after her. Lara opens fire on the plate glass windows at the end of the hallway, shattering them. She is pursued by dobermans as the guards open fire on her. Lara reaches the end of the hallway and leaps through the now open window, dropping three or four stories until .......... her chute opens. 

She directs the paraglider a block away, with the guards continuing to fire at her from the open window. Lara glides across the street, .... passing cars honk their horns. She releases the chute just before her feet touch the ground in front of an oncoming transit bus. Lara hits the ground running, right across the path of the bus. The trailing chute slaps the windshield of the bus and the driver hits his brakes. Lara continues running down the alley, into the darkness. 

Lara: "Now!" She shouts into her comlink. 

Back at the hotel, Bryce remembered what Lara had told him. "Don't go downstairs. They'll be waiting for you. Go up!" Up? Oh, well. Bryce ran up the stairs holding onto his computer for dear life. Once at the roof access, he blew off the lock with one of his little 'toys'. He was on the roof. Now what? 

Lara: "Bryce, ..... are you on the roof?" 

Bryce: "Yes, but Lara ........" 

Lara: "Your ride's on the way, ................... look up." 

Bryce suddenly spots a searchlight in the sky. Getting closer. A helicopter! It hovers over him and drops a rope ladder. He slips his laptop and other gear into a satchel and slips it over his shoulder, then clumsily begins his ascent up the ladder. When he climbs inside, he sees a familiar face. 

Henry: "Glad to see me, aren't you?" 

Lara had called Henry the day before and told him to get there as soon as possible. 

Bryce: "Henry! ...... Why didn't Lara tell me .... " 

Gunfire is directed at Bryce and the helicopter as the guards reach the roof. 

Bryce: [ducking quickly into the helicopter] "Bloody 'ell!" [covering his head] 

More gunfire. Bryce is in the fetal position on the floor of the old Army helicopter. 

Bryce: [shouting, looking up at Henry] "This wasn't in the job description!" 

Pilot: "I sure hope Croft understands this is going to cost extra." 

Henry: [talking on his headset] "How did it go, Lara?" 

Lara: "Just another day at the office." 

Henry: [talking on his headset] "We'll meet you at the rendezvous point." 

Lara: [running down the street and hailing a cab] "Right." 

At the hotel, Peltier's men are rifling through Bryce's and Lara's rooms. 

Bad guy #1: [talking on his cellphone] "Sir, we've found no signs of any form of I.D. in either room. Except a crumpled, ..... what looks to be a fake drivers license and employee card in the room with some mens clothing left behind." 

Voice: "Name?" 

Bad Guy #1: "Evans, ........ Amelia Evans ..... and a small piece of luggage with the initials .... LC on it." 

Voice: [talking to himself] "LC? .... Lara Croft? ......... But it can't be, ....... she's dead. .............. Or is she?" 

Lara, Bryce and Henry meet at the airport and get on a waiting plane. Aboard the private jet, Lara opens Bryce's laptop and inserts the flashdrive he used to download the data from Peltier's computer. She begins to examine it. Columbia! After a few minutes, Bryce, seated across the aisle from her, leans over ..... 

Bryce: "Find what you're looking for?" 

Lara: [softly] " ........... yes." 

Henry: "Lara, .... can we go home now?" Lara: [staring out the window] "You two can, I have somewhere else I have to be. I'll be getting off in Columbia." 

Bryce: "Columbia?" 

Lara: "Yes. Once you get back to England, call the police. Tell them there's been a break-in at the estate. If any of Peltier's men suspect me and are waiting there, the authorities will scare them off. The last thing they want is any publicity that might be traced to them. Once the police are sure everything is secure, lock the place down tight. Then leave. Make sure you're not followed. Go to the Sorlie house." 

Bryce: "The hotel?" 

Lara: "Wait there until I contact you." 

She picks up the phone. 

Lara: "Captain, call ahead and tell the ground crew at the El Dorado to refuel the plane immediately upon our arrival. Then file a flight plan for London." 

Henry: "You're going to Columbia?" 

Lara: [smiles and looks over at them] "I've never been there before, ... you know what an adventurer I am." 

After landing at the airport, the plane taxis to a private hanger. Lara disembarks the plane. The crew begins the refueling process. Bryce and Henry watch Lara walk toward the main terminal. 

Bryce: "She's going after him .......... isn't she?" 

Henry: "I'm afraid so." 

Once the refueling is finished, Bryce and Henry board the plane and it taxis down the runway to takeoff. As they fly across the Pacific, Henry stares blankly out the window while Bryce notices a news report coming on the screen up front. He elbows Henry and they both put on their headsets. 

Anchor: " ...... another series of hurricanes are reported in the Indian ocean, heading toward the countries of India as well as Korea. Again, .... major seaquakes have been reported offshore, east of the Japenese islands, and seismologists have reported other quakes taking place off the coast of South Africa. Residents are urged to look out for the threat of tsunamis, and seek higher ground. Scientists have also reported rumblings along the San Andreas fault line in the western coast of the United States. Many tornadoes are being reported in the United States and numerous hurricanes have been reported in the Carribean and Gulf of Mexico area ..............." 

Both men slowly remove their headsets. 

Bryce: "It's started." 

Henry: "Yes, ... with all these anomalies happening at the same time, .... I'm afraid it's too much to be a mere coincidence. It would appear that the powers of the Chinquara stone are more than a myth after all. 

[back in Columbia] 

After entering the El Dorado International airport, Lara showed her passport to the authorities and got into a waiting cab. She checked into a small hotel and called an old friend of her parents. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. It was her father's old friend, .... Hector. 

Lara: "Cómo está usted mi amigo. Es bueno verle." 

Hector: "Lara? ..... Lara Croft?" 

Lara: "Por favor, venga adentro." 

They hug. 

Hector: "It is good to see you my friend. I have not seen you in many years. You were a little girl then." 

Lara: "It's good to see you as well. .......... Did you bring the things I called about?" 

Hector: "Si. ........ but Lara, what are you doing here like this? No luggage, no other clothes than what you have on. Are you in trouble child?" 

Lara: "I'm fine, .... I'm simply in a hurry." 

Hector: "A costume party, .... judging from the way you are dressed." 

Lara: "You might say that. ....... Hector, I need another favor. And I know I can count on your discretion." 

Hector: "Of course, .... what is it you need?" 

Lara: "Hector, .... I was robbed and I'm going after the bandits. I need to protect myself. I need the name of a gun dealer, ..... one who won't ask questions." 

Hector: "Lara, your father would not want me to .... " 

Lara: "Please, ..... trust me, I'll be fine." 

Hector: [sighs] "Very well, ..... there is a man named Jaun, ..... he runs a small pawn shop in the Soacha section of Bogota." 

Lara: "I rather doubt that he'll take a credit card. Did you get the cash Henry wired to you?" 

Hector: "Si." [he hands her a briefcase] 

Later that night, Lara traveled to a crime-ridden section of Bogota. She asked around and located the pawn shop Hector had told her about. A man sat behind the counter of the small shop. He was a smooth-looking gent, almost a professorial type with a tidy goatee, heavily set with a balding head. She approached the counter. 

Lara: "Jaun? 

Jaun: "Si." 

Lara: "Necesito algunas pistolas." 

Jaun: [not even looking up as he reads his paper] "I speak English." 

Lara: "Excellent. .......... I need some pistols and ammunition." 

Jaun: "I am not a gun dealer." 

Lara: "Of course not." 

He stands, puts down the newspaper and looks her over. 

Jaun: [frowning] "You are not police." 

Lara: "No, ... I'm not." 

Jaun: "........ What kind of guns?" 

Lara: "Handguns. Semi-automatic. I need two, ..... plus extra ammo ....... and silencers if you have them." 

Jaun: "You have money?" 

Lara: "Cuánto la voluntad él me costó ..... How much will it cost me? 

Jaun: "Mmmmm ...... 413 million 8,500 pesos. That's about 1500 euros." 

Lara: "More like 1400, actually. I'd like to see the merchandise, please" 

He frowns, goes out back and returns with two Glock semi-automatic 9mm handguns and one silencer. She looks them over. 

Lara: "Hmmmm, .................... not bad condition. .............. I'll need some holsters and ammo." 

Jaun: "This will cost more." 

Lara: [sighs] "Actually, ... it won't. Look, I don't have time to bargain. ....... You and I both know that this is an illegal transaction and that you'll already be getting much more money for these than you normally would. If you don't like it, I can always go elsewhere." [she turns and starts to walk out of the shop] "I'm sure the local police would love to know what you're doing here." 

Jaun: "Wait, .................. " [frowns] 

Lara returns to the counter as Jaun gets the holsters and ammunition she asked for. She pays him and leaves, placing her purchase out of sight in the satchel she carried. Lara heads back to the hotel for a good nights sleep. The next morning, she showers and heads out for some more shopping. This time ....... climbing gear. 

Once she has what she needs, Lara gathers her things at the hotel and heads for the airport to charter a small plane. She walks into the office at the small terminal and approaches the man at the counter. Lara: "Usted habla inglés?" 

Pilot: "Si." 

Lara: "I need to charter a plane." 

Pilot: "Where." 

Lara: "West, northwest, .... toward the mountain range." 

Pilot: [looking up at her] "I need a destination point." 

Lara: "A destination, ...... " [Lara deposits a large amount of cash on the counter] " ...... or money?" 

Chapter 10: Columbia

In recent years, Colombia had been responsible for over 70 percent of the world's coca cultivation. Ninety percent of the cocaine entering the United States is either produced in or passes through Colombia. Colombia is also a significant source of heroin for the U.S. market. Columbia was a perfect hiding ground for the Committee and their plans. 

Columbia's society had become rife with drug-related violence. Terrorism both supports and draws resources from the narcotics industry. Nefarious terrorist organizations also relied on kidnapping and extortion to support themselves. Several leftist guerrilla groups, a right-wing paramilitary movement as well as local narcotics trafficking often fuel and even prosper from the chaos. The ongoing struggles in Colombia severely strain both military and civil institutions, and Peltier and the others knew that it would therefore allow the Committee to operate virtually undetected. While all resources have concentrated on the illegal drug trade, the Committee has operated in virtual anonymity. 

The local government's preoccupation with combating illicit drugs and terrorism, human rights violations, as well as the weakness of the justice system, were just some of the reasons the Committee found this remote area of the world so attractive for their purposes. Pelteir knew that building their compound there would not only serve their needs, but would also promote local economic development .... thereby deflecting any possible attention that might ordinarily by focused on them. And the last thing they wanted was to attract the attention of the the local authorities, such as the Colombian Armed Forces and the Colombian National Police. 

The Committee's personnel and facilities maintained a high state of alert, taking every possible precaution. They had set up phony production and trafficking of cocaine in Colombia to deflect any possible focus on their true purpose. They had to have good intelligence exchange with the locals, to avoid attracting attention from armed helicopter escorts, and joint operations that would employ ground troops in the area of their fortress. The Andes mountain range offered their fortress protection from the Pacific, and the local drug trade had caused devastating consequences in that region. 

Many low-level flights take place over Columbia, so Lara knew that a parachute drop might be her best opportunity of getting near the area undetected. She landed in the lowlands,at the bottom of a gorge, several hundred miles northeast of Ibaque in the Andean mountain range. Locals had said that they had lost many comrades in this desolate region ...... friends who were never heard from again. 

Lady Croft had her backpack, holsters and pistols, a shotgun, binoculars, flares, rope, infra-red vision/night vision goggles, and grappling hook. Lara had changed into a pair of light khaki shorts, a dark green tank top, and special glasses with night vision. She swung her backpack on, then slipped on a climbing harness around her upper thighs. She jogged until she had finally reached a point on her GPS, a point that she had gotten from Peltier's computer files. She looked up the face of the cliff. Lara used her rock climbing skills to carefully make her way up the wall of the gorge. 

Once she reached the top, she saw what many had never laid eyes upon. The Committee's complex appeared small, jutting out of the mountainside, barely visible with all the overgrowth. What Lara didn't know yet was that the majority of the complex was built underground, ... in the mountain itself. She quickly set up Bryce's comlink, placing it out of plain sight. 

Lara: "Bryce? ....... Bryce? ........ Are you there?" 

[pause] 

Bryce: "Lara, .....?" 

Lara: "I'm in the Andes mountains, ......... where are you?" 

Bryce: "I'm at the manor." 

Lara: "I thought I told you ....." 

Henry: [he leans over Bryce's shoulder to the microphone] "I'm here too, Lara." 

Byrce: "Sorry, but we didn't feel right abandoning you. We locked the manor down tight, like you said, and called in extra security. We'll be fine. ..... What about you?" 

Lara: " ...... There's a small building in the side of the mountain. It may be the complex that was mentioned in Peltier's computer files. The stone may be there. I'm going to check it out." 

Lara makes her way down the mountainside toward the valley and the far building across from it. 

Bryce: "Be careful. If that's the place, it will have heavy security." 

Lara: [sarcastic] "Really? ......." 

She looks around her, watching out for cameras, trip wires, etc. But standard trip wires have to be reset, ...... laser motion detectors don't. Lara activates her infra-red goggles. There had to be animal life in the area; wolves, elk, etc. She looks for animal paw prints. Lara spots some recent prints and follows them toward the complex. 

With animal life here, mines would be out of the question since they would call attention to the complex and need to be reset. After a few hundred meters across the valley, she spots a laser beam cutting about four and a half feet above the ground. It was invisible to the naked eye, but very visible with Lara's infra-red goggles. 

The beam was high enough to let a wolf or other small animal go undetected, ...... yet low enough that it would be activated by any passing person. Lara ducks behind a bush, taking out her binoculars. Looking around, she sees cameras set high up in some of the surrounding trees. They're probably only monitored, she believes, when a laser protected area has been breached. Lara gets up slowly and moves on, ducking under the lasers and trying to keep out of sight of the cameras watching the area. 

Bryce: "Lara?" 

Lara: "Yes, Bryce?" 

Bryce: "Anything?" 

Lara: "Oh, ..... several security cameras covering the perimeter, motion detection lasers strung across the valley floor on the way to the complex. ........... [smiling] Very pleasant atmosphere." 

Bryce: "..... Right." 

Suddenly, an elk goes running by just fifty meters from her. She ducks behind a shrub and takes out her binoculars. Lara sees that one of the cameras has been activated and begins to sweep the area. She keeps behind the camera, out of sight. Inside the complex, we see a view of the guard station as they stare at the monitors, until they see what set it off. 

Guard: "False alarm. Just another animal." 

A few minutes later, after making her way up the other side, Lara found herself just a few hundred meters from the complex. She stops and kneels down out of sight and gets out her binoculars again. Time to reconnoiter a bit. Stationed in front of the complex she sees two guards. 

Lara: [sighs, and whispers to Bryce] "Two guards out front." 

Bryce: "Lara ...... " 

Lara: [whispering again] "I"ll have to take them out. They probably have to report in at regular intervals. But, once inside Bryce, I won't be able to communicate with you anymore. This place is sealed up tight. I have to move in closer. Signing off for now." 

Bryce: "Anything to save the world, eh? .......... Just be careful." 

While watching the guards, she noticed that they checked in every fifteen minutes. Lara decided to wait for two things, ......nightfall, (so she could then move in under cover of darkness) ..... and a changing of the guard. Once it was dark she activated her night vision glasses and waited for the guards. She saw the doors part and two new guards emerge. The doors closed behind them. The four of them converse briefly, then the other two who had been stationed outside entered the doors using a keycard. 

Lara waited until the doors closed after them, seeing no one else inside the entrance. She attached a silencer to one of her pistols and waited ten seconds. Lara had never actually shot anyone before, but these people had been trying to kill her for the last two days, so she had no qualms about killing them! She took out one of the guards, then the other. Lara then rushed up, out of sight of the cameras, and searched the second guard, .... finding a keycard. She returned to the door, swiped the keycard through the slot and removed her night vision glasses. The doors parted and she entered, ..... carefully. 

Lara had moved quickly after the guard change, since she assumed there would be cameras mounted just inside the entrance ....... to monitor the doors. But if there had just been a change in the guard, whoever was watching the monitors may think it was safe to take their eyes off it for a minute or so, thereby allowing her time to move in unnoticed. It was a risk, .... but, it was the only way in. Fortunately, she was right. She was inside the complex, but she only had fifteen minutes or less before an alarm would sound. She made her way down the stairs, staying out of sight of the security cameras. 

Lara uses the keycard to access the main security room. The door opens and Lara quickly dispatches the guards that were monitoring the cameras, before one of them has a chance to set off an alarm. Lara notes that one of the monitors is labeled as Peltier's office, with the floor and room number. She then approaches a control panel and disables the cameras monitoring the elevator. Lara then turns to leave and uses one of Bryce's toys to fuse the lock on the security room door once it is latched shut, after she has left. 

She makes her way to the elevator and swipes the keycard through the slot. The doors part and Lara steps into the empty elevator. She presses the button for the lowest level, where Peltier's office is. Before it approaches the level, she opens the glazed hatch above her and gets on top of the elevator, closing the hatch behind her. 

As the elevator stops and the doors open, a guard approaches the elevator after seeing no one get off. Lara sees him through the glazed glass, lifts the hatch, and jumps down on top of him, ... knocking him out. The elevator doors close behind her as she makes her way carefully down the hall. 

She comes to a set of large double doors and opens them. Peltier's office. Lara notices the many monitors on the wall, behind the large desk, each one tuned to a station reporting many weather anomolies occuring throughout the world. Suddenly, Lara hears a voice over a speaker system in the room. 

Voice: "...... I do repent; but heaven hath pleased it so to punish me with this, and this with me, that I must be their scourge and minister. I will bestow him, and will answer well the death I gave him. So again good night. I must be cruel only to be kind. This bad begins ........ and worse remains behind." 

Lara: "Shakespeare ........ Hamlet ............ Act 3, Scene 4, I believe." 

Peltier: "Welcome. We've been expecting you. .......... Well, I should say I've been expecting you. Many of my associates had been lead to believe that you had already been taken care of." 

Lara: "......... Sorry to disappoint you." 

Peltier: "Not at all, my dear." 

Lara: [looking around] "Quite a facility you have here, ..... impressive security." 

Peltier: "The best money can by. Apparently, however, it has a few holes in it. Otherwise, one person wouldn't have made it this far. ............ And you never would have broken into our building in New York." 

Lara: "Well, ..... [smiling] I seem to have a penchant for going where I'm not invited." 

A panel in the wall recedes and a man emerges. 

Lara: "Mr. Peltier, ..... how nice to see you again." 

Peltier: "Good evening Miss Evans, ...... Or should I say, .... Lady Croft." 

Peltier walks to the desk and grasps the glass container there. 

Peltier: "May I offer you some port?" 

Lara: "No, thank you. ...... I came for something that was stolen from me." 

Peltier: "Of course." [he pours himself a drink, and raises the glass] "But, I'm afraid it no longer belongs to you." 

Lara: "I beg to differ." 

Peltier: "You're sure you won't have some port? ..... Excellant year." 

Lara: [looking around] "Exactly what do you and your friends have in mind here?" 

Peltier: "It's quite simple, actually. We need the Chinquara stone. You see, our planet is rapidly outgrowing its available resources. Global warming is changing our weather. The by-products of industrial processes, transportation and deforestation are polluting our atmosphere.The changes in our world have resulted in many different causes, including volcanic eruptions, oscillations in the Earth’s orbit around the sun and changes in greenhouse gas concentrations. Average temperatures are increasingly rising. The temperature today is changing at a faster rate than ever, and it is caused by man-made mechanisms, not natural ones.Climate change is being driven by the addition of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the earth's atmosphere at rates faster than our planet's normal mechanisms can adjust to. This is largely in part to our uncontrolled population growth. There is simply not enough resources for all of us. We intend to solve this problem." 

Lara: "You mean by killing people?" 

Peltier: "By reducing the population ...... for the survival of others." 

Lara: "You mean the rich and powerful, ........... such as yourself?" 

Peltier: [smiling] "What's the old saying? Only the strong shall survive?" 

Lara: "And the Committee is strong?" 

Peltier: "Stronger than you could possibly imagine. The members of the Committee span the globe. The elite, .... the powerful, ...... the wealthy." 

Lara: "And the Committee is, shall we say, ...... an offshoot of the Illuminati?" 

Peltier: "In a way, yes. Not unlike the Illuminati, we felt it imperative that we remain a secret, until we had attained the power we needed to achieve that which would ensure mankind's very existence." 

Lara: "Really? ........ And you plan to save mankind by destroying hundreds of millions of innocent people, even entire countries, ..... in order to advance your own goals?" 

Peltier: "You simply don't understand, do you? There are those who believe in the sacrifices of a few for the benefit of humanity." 

Lara: "A few? You're mad." 

Peltier: "Semantics, Lady Croft. ....... After all, there is a fine line between madness and genius." 

Lara: "Who do you think you are? ............ God?" 

Peltier: "Come now, Lady Croft ........... After all, you are the one that gave us the power ..... the power to save humanity from its greatest threat, ....... itself." 

Lara: "What you are doing is planning genocide on a global scale, ...... it's murder, plain and simple." 

Peltier: "Make no mistake Lady Croft, the loss of a few million lives means nothing compared to the preservation of the human race. [frowns] And we're not about to let anyone, stop us." 

Lara: "And thus I clothe my naked villainy with odd old ends, stolen forth of holy writ; and seem a saint, when most I play the devil." 

Peltier: [smiling] "Ah yes, Shakespeare, ...... Richard the Third." 

Two security guards enter the room, guns drawn. 

Peltier: "Now, if you'll excuse me my dear, I've tired of our verbal sparring and have other things to tend to. These gentlemen [they point their guns at her] will ... take care of you. [he turns and exits the room, frowning] Goodbye, Lady Croft. ........ It seems your persistence will be the death of you this time." 

Peltier exits as Lara's "escorts" show her down the hallway to what appears to be a large storage room. They walk toward the middle of the room, but Lara knows what they have in store for her. She accentuates her walk, her hip action distracting the guards attention for a second. She suddenly drops low, balancing herself on her hands and one foot, and swing kicks the other leg behind her. The guards are momentarily knocked off their feet. Lara kicks their guns away and a battle ensues. 

One of them grabs her from behind, wrapping one arm around her throat and grabbing her arm with his free hand. The other guard punches her in the stomach then across the jaw. She uses the man behind her to balance herself, as she lifts both legs and kicks the other guard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Then she elbows the man behind her until he releases his grip on her and flips him over her shoulder. She quickly spin kicks and catches the other recovering guard across the jaw. Lara then gets behind him and snaps his neck. The other guard tries to grab her from behind, but meets the heel of Lara's boot in his face ...... knocking him cold. 

Back at Croft Manor, Bryce and Henry monitor recent weather changes via television updates on the BBC and CNN. Henry turned the television set up, as another story about the storms came on. 

CNN Anchor: These unseasonable storms seem to be increasing in intensity, what can we expect to see if this continues Jules?" 

Weatherman: "As we speak, storms such as tornadoes, tsunamis and hurricanes are increasing in intensity and frequency, Mark. The Greenland ice sheet is melting at a catastrophic rate. The melting of this sheet could result in the complete shut down of the circulation of warm water in the Atlantic Ocean." 

Mark: "Are we talking about global warming here?" 

Weatherman: "This is truly frightening, Mark. This is beyond global warming. No one expected this to happen for another two hundred years or more. There seems to have been a change in the circulation of warm currents, triggered by more fresh water being dumped into the oceans. This could conceivably plunge over half of Europe and parts of North America into a new ice age, .... while the rest of the planet continues to get warmer. The catastrophic fracture of some ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic regions could cause the sea level to rise by amounts as high as ten to twenty feet in a very short period of time, flooding such places as Manhattan island and even London. If this continues at it's current rate ....." 

Bryce clicks the remote, turning the television off. 

Bryce: "Do you think Lara knows about this?" 

Henry: "I think she's trying to stop it." 

Bryce: "Do you think she's in trouble?" 

Henry: "When is she not in trouble?" 

In Columbia, Peltier once again addresses his colleagues. 

Peltier: "Gentlemen, all of our combined assets have successfully been transferred to Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria. We will now use the power of the Chinqura stone to effect a rise in sea level across the globe, ...... thereby flooding land where millions of people now live. We can also reduce rainfall across vast areas where crops are grown. The melting of many glaciers, along with a rise in snow elevations, will affect water supplies across the globe. The Greenland ice sheet is one of our targets. Tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis ..... We will use these methods, and more, to achieve our goal of reducing the earth's population thereby saving mankind from itself." 

Meanwhile, in another section of the complex, Lara has made her way to a monitoring station ...... taking out any guards that discover her. On one of the monitors she sees what appears to be a control room of sorts, and what looks like the Chinqura stone, ....... with a blue light shooting straight up through a beam projector! She heads for the room, encountering more guards along the way in hand to hand combat. When she finally reaches the control room, she sees two more guards standing on either side of the door. A man in a white lab coat approaches from the other direction. While he shows the guards his identification pass, it's enough of a distraction for Lara to run up and quickly dispatches all three. She takes the keycard that the lab worker dropped. Then Lara removes his white lab coat, puts it on and picks up his clip board, ..... hoping that anyone else in the room won't take as much notice of her. She swipes the card through the slot by the door and enters. 

There are three technicians monitoring power output and various other data on the equipment in the room. They barely take note of her and continue with their work. Lara looks the area over. Power couplings, oscillioscopes, particle beam enhancers, function generators, along with other analytical laboratory equipment dot the room. In the center, with huge cables leading to it all, is a dish antenna-like device with the Chinqura stone at the raised center of it. Suddenly, one of the technicians turns and looks at Lara. 

Tech 1: "Hey, ...... you don't belong here. This is a restricted area. How did you get in here?" 

Lara: [turns and smiles] "Charm, ... I should imagine." 

She throws off the lab coat she was wearing and quickly strikes the approaching technician with a right hook, and disables another technician with a roundhouse kick. A third tech runs toward a large red button on the wall, but Lara is able to trip him up before he reaches it and knocks him out. She heads for what appears to be the power modulator section of the controls. Lara looks it over and disables the couplings, thereby cutting off power to the dish and the Chinqura stone. The beam stops. She rushes over and removes the stone from its pedestal on the dish. 

A loud alarm sounds and a red bulb begins to flash as we hear a monotone voice repeatedly shouting "INTRUDER ALERT" over the speaker system. Oh, oh. She quickly places the stone in her backpack. Time to leave, Lara thinks to herself. Lara hops down and rushes over to the power grid. She sticks a small device with a timer on the control panel there and flicks it on. The numbers flashing tell you it's a bomb. The timer reads 14 minutes and 59 seconds, and counting. She turns and rushes to the door. Once in the hallway, she heads for the elevator shaft. 

Chapter 11: Retribution

A computerized voice continues to announce over the speakers. "INTRUDER ALERT" ...... "INTRUDER ALERT" 

[addressing his colleagues again] 

Peltier: "Gentlemen, please, ... remain calm ..... this is nothing to be concerned about." 

Committee member: [shouting] "I thought you said this fortress was impregnable!" 

Peltier: "I assure you this will be taken care of momentarily. Now, please excuse me." 

Peltier calmly leaves the room and goes to his private office. He sees Krause standing at the monitor. Without turning around, the Professor utters one word. ....... "Croft!" 

Peltier: "Impossible. It can't be! I ordered her execution only minutes ago." 

Krause: [turning to face Peltier] "And I ordered her to be killed in Guatamala, but she somehow escaped. ....... [sarcastically] Now it would appear that she has also escaped your guards, Mr. Peltier." 

Peltier: [enraged] "Then I suggest, .... Professor ... that you handle the situation personally!" 

Krause leaves the office, as Peltier pushes the intercom button on his phone ..... "Security! ...... Security!" 

He had designed the complex to be invulnerable to attack by air, land or sea. What he had NOT factored in was that penetration might be possible, yet highly improbable, for just one individual. What's the old saying? "Hell hath no fury, like a woman scorned" ? 

Lara rounds a corner only to see two guards down at the other end of the hallway, two more join them. She ducks back behind the corner, dodging a hail of gunfire. Poking around the corner, she returns fire. Two of the guards are wounded. She glances at her watch. Lara looks up and sees another way out. She grabs a stun grenade out of her backpack and tosses it at the guards down the hall. She ducks back behind the corner and shoots out the grating above her, then jumps to the ceiling and dives into an air vent. 

In his office, Peltier talked to security on his phone. 

Peltier: [talking to the guards] "Where is the intruder?" 

Guard: "Sorry sir, .... we lost her." 

Peltier: "Her? ...... You're certain it was a woman?" 

Guard: "Yes sir." 

Peltier: "Kill her on sight! ...... Do you understand me? ...... I don't want her captured. I want her DEAD!" 

Guard: "Yes sir." 

Crawling along the crampt vent, Lara came to a T-junction. She heard a slight whooshing sound coming from the left. So, naturally, she headed in that direction! She finally came upon a grating blocking her path. No wonder she'd heard that odd sound. Another look at her watch. Six minutes and 48 seconds to go. 

Peltier: [talking to security] "Where is she now?" 

Guard: "There's no sign of her, .... we think she may have ducked into one of the air vents." 

Peltier: "Lock it down ...... do you hear me? ......... Don't let her get off this level!! ...... Bring more guards down, then lock the elevator at the top!" 

The vent had led her right to the main elevator shaft. She was able to remove the grating, looked down and punched the grating out. Lara looked up and saw the elevator car descending. She ducked her head inside just in time. The car stopped at the lower level that Lara had been on. Lara quickly crawled out of the air vent and very lightly, quietly, stepped onto the top of the elevator just as the doors closed and it began to rise. She had heard people getting off, but only a couple of people getting on.As the elevator headed up, she glanced at her watch again. Three minutes and 26 seconds remaining. She removes a gas canister from her pack, opens the upper hatch and drops it into the elevator then quickly closes the hatch. She waits a minute, then opens the hatch and drops down into the elevator as it continues to rise. Lara looks at the two men lying unconscious on the floor. Chambers and Krause! Cowards to the end. 

Lara then feels the elevator slowing down and steps to the side, out of sight, drawing her pistols. The doors open and two guards enter from the hallway when they see the two bodies lying lifeless on the floor of the elevator. Lara knocks them both down and dives into the hallway, firing at the other guards ....... just as the elevator doors close and lock behind her. A gun battle ensues. She ducks behind a pillar and hugs the wall, returning fire. Lara removes two more stun grenades from her pack and tosses them at the guards. One minute 32 seconds to get clear. 

She runs down the hallway past the now half-conscious guards, grabbing a keycard out of the hand a guard at the door. Swiping the card through the slot, the doors open and Lara sommersaults through the doorway, shooting the two guards standing outside. 

She turns and runs as far away from the complex as fast as possible. 

Meanwhile, on the lower level of the complex, Peltier can't help but think of another quote from Shakespeare, ......"What a piece of work is man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension ...... how like a god!" 

Lara's watch has counted down to 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, ...... Lara dives over a large outcropping of boulders fifty yards from the complex. One! A huge explosion sets off a chain reaction inside the fortress as Lara tumbles down the mountainside into a shallow ravine. The complex begins to collapse in on itself. Lara looks back at the explosion lighting up the night sky. 

Bryce: "Lara! ...... Lara! Are you there? ....... Lara?" 

Lara: [out of breath, responding over her headset] "Yes, Bryce. I'm here." 

Bryce: "Everything alright? ..... Did you get the stone?" 

Lara: "Yes. The C4 explosive and timer that I picked up from some rebels here worked nicely." 

Now came the big question. Should she keep the Chinqura stone and take it home as a souvenir of her adventure, ...... or should she destroy it, so that no one may ever again try to use it for some manical purpose? Lara walks off into the distance, ..... away from the decimated site. 

[fade out] 

Back at Croft Manor, Bryce and Henry continue to monitor the weather changes via television updates. 

CNN Anchor: "This from our weather center, it appears that the string of unusual storms we've been experiencing worldwide has, for some unknown reason, subsided. We've seen a great deal of damage from the many tornadoes, tsunamis and hurricanes that have struck different areas of the world, but again ..... our weather appears to be returning to normal ........ " 

[two days later, back in England] 

At Croft manor, ...... Henry opens the front door as Lara and Bryce emerge. The sun is shining, birds chirping. 

Bryce: [looking up at the sky] "Hmm, that's strange ......... I thought it was supposed to rain." 

Lara: [smirking, as she walks down the steps] "..... Not today." 

THE END

Story by Roger Pederson

Lara Croft and Tomb Raider are trademarks 
or registered trademarks of Square Enix Ltd. All rights reserved. 
This story may not be published, or re-created.