LARA CROFT AND THE MUMMIES OF PERU ==================================== PROLOGUE -------------- Lara dived into the pool, and began swimming. Her streamlined body moved through the water. She reached the end of the pool, and so came up for air. She was just about to go back under again, when she heard the phone ringing. She sighed, and then hauled herself out of the pool. Lara grabbed her towel and started drying herself. She finished drying her hair, and then dropped the towel over her shoulder, and then started to jog through the hallway to the phone. She picked up the portable phone, and started walking up the stairs as she used it. "Hello?" she said. "Hello," the voice replied. She didn't immediately recognise it, and then she realised who it was. "Krysler," she said. "Good morning, Lara," he said in a menacing voice. Francis Krysler was the owner of The Crystal Corporation. They dealt in historical mysteries, and were always looking for the find that would make them all richer than they already were. "What is it, Krysler?" "I have a job for you Lara, a little adventure, if you will," Krysler said. "I've heard you love your little adventures. Is that not true?" He was now getting on Lara's nerves. She cut straight to it, "What do you want?" "Go to your door now, and get the mail," Krysler demanded. "Why?" "Just do it." Lara walked over to her door, and picked up the mail. She opened a huge envelope full of hundred dollar bills. "You'll get that now, and another package later.. if you retrieve the glowing mummies of Peru." "Glowing mummies? You've been reading too many fairy-tales Krysler," Krysler laughed slightly. "Very amusing Lara, well, will you do it?" "Yes, but how do I get there, and where is it exactly?" "Go to the airport, and you'll be met by one of my men, he'll take you to Peru, oh and Lara, be sure to take your guns..." Krysler hung up. Lara walked up the stairs, taking off her swimsuit to take a shower. ONE - Trek To The Cave ---------------------------- Lara zoomed down the roads on her bike. Her sunglasses caught the light of the bright, sunny day. Lara had had an uneventful, safe plane flight, and was driving to the rendezvous point with her guide. She pulled over when she saw him flagging her down. She stopped the engine, swung her legs over the side of the bike to get off, and took off her sunglasses. "Hi, Lara Croft," she said extending her hand, which the guide shook, giving her a grin. "I've heard a lot about you," said the guide in a Brazilian accent. Lara smiled. She was getting quite famous. Either that, or the guide was just being polite. "Well, let's get going," she said, looking up at the snow covered peaks of Peru. Later on, Lara and her guide had reached their destination. It was an immense feeling of Deja Vu for Lara. Only months before had she gone on her quest for the Scion, where she had gone with a guide similar to the one she had to the mountains of Peru, before the guide was killed by wolves. She wouldn't let that happen again, it was her fault he had died, but her profession forbade her to blame herself. If she did, she wouldn't be where she was today. The guide looked around with some binoculars, and then handed them to Lara. "The cave is over that ridge," said the guide, pointing and handing the binoculars to Lara. She looked through and handed them back to her guide. They then started toward the cave. After about half an hour they were outside the mouth of the huge cave. "Okay then, I'm going in," said Lara. The guide waved goodbye, and started back down the mountain. Lara drew her magnums and journeyed into the cave. TWO - The Cave Of The Glowing Mummies ------------------------------------------- Lara reached down to her belt to lift up her lantern in the dark. The cave stretched on down a long tunnel, and she couldn't see any light at the end. She suddenly heard the high pitched squeaking of bats. She span around just in time to pump three bats full of bullets. Lara brushed back her hair, overhanging over her forehead, and started running down the tunnel. The tunnel gradually became thinner, and then steeper. Lara ran up the slope, and then saw it. A huge boulder starting to roll down the slope. She opened her eyes in surprise, and looked back for escape. A stone door blocked the only escape. Lara looked around, the boulder was nearly upon her. She looked up, and saw a ledge. She leaped up, and hung on, but the boulder still managed to damage her legs. She cried out in pain, and fell down landing, on the rough, hard stone. The boulder stopped as it was blocked by the wall of stone. Lara sat down, and healed her wounds with a small medi-kit. She bandaged her cut, bru! ised legs, and took some painkillers, by the time she'd finished, she was feeling fine. Lara continued running up the steep slope, and saw an amazing sight. Below was a thin river of water, probably a natural source, but mainly man made. She reached into her backpack for her camera, and took a photo of the area, and of the boulder behind her. The flash alerted five hungry wolves. Lara quietly crept down, the wolves not seeing her at first, but then one did see her, hiding behind a boulder. It lunged at her, but it couldn't reach, Lara was standing on a ledge. The other wolves ran over to the place where the other was, and all tried to bite at Lara. She instincively drew her magnums and shot dead three of them, before the other two managed to leap up on the same ledge as Lara. She shot one at point blank range in the head, blood and parts of the animal's brain sprayed everywhere, and the other wolf managed to bite deeply in Lara's left leg, she kicked at the wolf in fury, an! d it flew off the ledge, where she shot it in the leg, and then the he ad. Lara helped herself down off the ledge and walked to the water's edge. The water was crystal clear, and Lara could almost see her face in the reflection. The river went from one end to the other. At one end it continued under a wall, and at the other end was a lever. Lara walked over to the lever, and inspected it before pulling it. Nothing happened. Lara looked around to see if anything had changed, but then the ground started shaking, and through the cracks on the same wall, lava started seeping through. Lara looked at the wall and realised what was going to happen. She sprinted to the end of the river as fast and hard as she could, where she dived under the water, under the wall, at the same time as lava smashed through the wall at the far end, shattering the stone, and sending it into the river, and then a huge wall of lava rushed through. Lara saw it coming and ducked down underneath the wall, swimming as hard as she could. She could see it in the water, and it was com! ing for her through the water. It became unbearably hot, and Lara leaped up out onto a ledge, and hauled herself up. She looked down to see the once cool river of water, turn to a boiling, hot river of lava. She looked around and saw a huge block in front of her on the ledge. She readied herself to push it. She stepped back and then pushed with all her might, groaning as she got tired. She pushed it again, and then came to her prize. To the left of the block were five small mummies, glowing a unearthly green light. They looked very strange, with huge black eyes. Lara looked at the hieroglyphics on the walls. They were like none she had ever seen before. She bent down to touch the mummies, and felt a horrible pain on her fingers. Lara got her camera out of her backpack and took pictures of the mummies, and of the hieroglyphics. The rumble of the lava was getting closer. She tore some cloth from her shirt, and picked up the smallest, most preserved mummy with it as she heard ! the rumble of the lava getting closer. The whole place would blow at a ny minute, she needed to get out, and fast. Lara threw the wrapped mummy up on top of the block she had moved, and vaulted up onto it. She looked around for escape, and saw a loose tile above her head. She banged at it, and then stepped away as it fell to the ground. It was above the ground. She threw the mummy up, where other hands took it. "Krysler! You..." "Shut it, Lara this is mine. Here's your money," he said throwing done some fake dollar bills and laughing. "Goodbye," he said, "Aaagh! My fingers," Lara hauled herself out. "Sorry Krysler, did I forget to tell you?" Lara stopped short, as she saw Krysler raise an Uzi at her head. "Goodbye Lara!" he said, about to pull the trigger. Lara tripped him up, and pushed him down the hole where the tile had collapsed. He tried to climb out, but Lara kicked him in the head, and started sprinting down the snowy slope as fast as she could. She heard cries of "Help me Lara! I'll give you more money than you can imagine!" but knew that if she went back to get the mummy or Krysler that she would die too. She slid all the way down the slope before the explosion threw debris everywhere. Lara ducked her head down, and let everything blow over her. She got up, took a quick picture of the explosion, and then walked a while, struggling to keep going in the cold with all her wounds. She kept going, and it was only her sheer willpower and stamina that kept her going until she reached her bike, and zoomed back down to the airport. EPILOGUE --------------------- Lara finished writing her adventure journal and with the pictures she had taken of the mummies, and the tomb, handed her latest journal to the publishers, where they began turning it into print. The money Lara had received paid for her new harpoon gun, which she is now training with to fight underwater. As for the mummies, nothing was recovered but stone and lava, and nobody heard anymore about it, but everyone was looking forward to buying Lara's new adventure journal, "The Glowing Mummies Of Peru."