Revenge : Best Served Cold

By C. Mage and Sarah


	"Mail call!" David yelled as he closed the door.
	Lara moved down the stairs, stopped halfway and vaulted sideways, landing 
on one of the boxes in the main foyer.  As soon as she touched down, she vaulted 
forward, then right, then forward, then left and then forward to the floor below.  David 
walked in and checked his watch.  "Six seconds flat.  Looks like the ankle is fully 
back to normal."
	Lara wiped her brow; she had been going through her gymnastics routine in 
the Music Room and was still cooling down.  "Thanks.  Keeping the boxes in the hall 
wasn't a bad idea, David.  I don't have too many visitors and the training does come 
in handy.  What's in the mail?"
	"Let's see...."  David shuffled through the stack of magazines.  
"Archaeological Quarterly, The Historical Herald, Smithsonian, Guns & Ammo, 
American Handgunner..."  He handed them over to Lara, who took them with great 
interest.  "...bill, bill..."
	"Anything else?"
	David pulled out some junk mail and two envelopes.  "Looks like an 
invitation."
	"Well, don't keep me in suspense, David.  Who's it for?"
	"You.  Says here, 'Lara Croft and Friend, you are cordially invited to view the 
recent discoveries of the Scions of Atlantis."
	"WHAT??"  Lara dropped the magazines and nearly yanked the invitation out 
of David's hands.  
	"That's what it says.  According to this, someone found the original Scion, as 
well as several other artifacts from the ruins of the Atlantean pyramid...careful, Lara, 
you'll rip it!"
	She read further.  "Damien Powers?!?  Why, that wretch...!"
	"You  know the guy?"
	"Another competitor...he knows little to NOTHING about archaeology, but he's 
an ongoing student of Money-Grubbing 101.  His only interest in artifacts is what 
they will bring on the open market or the black market.  The fact that HE, of all 
people, found them....!!"  Lara shook the thought off as too intolerable to complete.  
"He probably wants to rub my nose in it, the swine."
	"Then don't go."
	"I HAVE to go.  I can't sit here, wondering if that opportunist has the actual 
Scion.  I thought I'd destroyed it, but then, I thought I'd destroyed Natla soon after 
and SHE survived."  Lara sat down on one of the boxes.  "When and where is the 
showing?"
	"It's up in the Ural Mountains, in Russia, at some place called Dosknaya..."
	"Sounds like his style...he likes remote places."
	"And the showing is in two days...at midnight."
	"That's Powers, all right.  He has this annoying sense of drama."  Lara got up.  
"All right, David, get packed.  We're going to Russia.  Pack warmly...at this time of 
year, dawn won't be showing up in Russia for another four months, and it's going to 
be cold."
	"Russia..."  David stared off into space.
	"Is something wrong?"
	"Huh?  Oh...well, let's just say that I had a few bad experiences with the 
Russian Mafia."
	"For a 'scumbag detective,' you certainly get around.  What involved you with 
them?"
	"I was tracking down what I thought was a drug smuggling operation, but as it 
turned out, drugs were only a small part of the operation."
	"What was the main part?"
	"Biological weapons."  David noted Lara's surprised look.  "Yeah, they're not 
too fond of me right now."
	"I can imagine.  Alright, I'll make the arrangements and make sure to keep 
your name out of it.  But we're going to have to make separate arrangements."
	"What for?"
	"Dave...we have to be discreet about our relationship.  We don't want people 
trying to get to one of us through the other.  We seem to have amassed some bitter 
enemies, you know."
	"Yeah...makes sense.  But I don't have to like it."
	"Let me put it to you this way.  We can always keep the cold away at 
Dosknaya by snuggling close to each other..."  Lara smiled seductively.
	"Right, I'll go pack now," David said quickly and walked to the stairs.
	Lara called up to David as he climbed the stairs to the second floor, "Just to 
make sure there's no problems, David, I'll set up a fake ID for you so we won't attract 
any unwanted guests at Dosknaya."
	"Got it."  David went to his room and Lara began preparations for her flight 
and David's flight.


	Lara sat back in her seat and smiled.  *Now this is how I like to get to Russia.*  
The plan was bypassing Moscow and heading for the city of Nizniy Novgorod.  It was 
an industrial city, known for automotive and shipbuilding, so Lara knew that there 
was going to be at least ONE flight into there nonstop.  When she got off the plane, 
Natalya was waiting for her.
	Unlike a lot of Lara's friends, Natalya was not interested in archaeology in the 
least.  Her forte was computers, mainly getting them into Russia and to most of the 
common folk.  She was responsible for bringing IBMs to many of the schools in 
Western Russia, in a small way.  After all, since capitalism had won over 
Communism by default, developers were moving into Russia by the trainload.  
Natalya was a smuggler before the wall went down, and had gotten involved with 
Lara when the young archaeologist was trapped behind the Berlin Wall.  Natalya 
had gotten her out and they kept in touch ever since.  By the time the Wall was 
remade into souvenirs, Natalya had amassed enough money to hire a few ex-KGB 
operatives and keep her business going on a legitimate level.  For a time, Lara had 
had to fend off Natalya romantically;  traumatic experiences with her father had 
made Natalya scared to death of being vulnerable to a man, and so had adopted her 
new lifestyle easily as she surrounded herself with capable, as well as attractive, 
female operatives.
	"Lara!  Over here!"
	Lara smiled as she saw her old friend.  "Natalya!  It is good to see you!  I 
thought you were in Smolensk."
	"Well, I received an invitation to a party and I was told that you would be 
there.  Do you know who's throwing this little bash?"  Natalya said in her thick 
accent.
	"Not a clue...how are you involved with Damien Powers?"
	"I did some work for him a few years ago.  I liberated some artifacts from 
disposal by a museum in Leningra...I mean, St. Petersburg.  Sorry, Lara...I can never 
seem to make the change.  To me, my hometown will always be Leningrad."
	"You mean, you stole some goods and smuggled them out of the country."
	"To-MA-to, to-MAH-to..." Natalya shrugged.  "What brings you here alone?"
	"Powers claims he has the Scion of Atlantis...as well as some other artifacts.  
That Scion is dangerous, believe me...the thought of that bloody amateur monkeying 
with it...!"  Lara shivered, and not from the intense cold.  She looked up into the 
darkness.  "Looks like foul weather...will we make it before the storm gets worse?"
	"Yes...we have a long way to drive, but we should get there by tomorrow.  A 
friend of mine has a truck waiting for us in Pechora, equipped with treads.  They'll 
get us up the pass to Dosknaya."
	*Tomorrow...*  "Can't we get there sooner?"
	"What's the rush?"
	"Nothing...it's just that I'm meeting someone there."
	Natalya smiled.  "Is he nice?"
	"You have no idea...I'll tell you all about him on the way up," she added as 
she climbed into the car.  


	David looked around the airport in Moscow.  "Damn damn damn.  The plane's 
going to be late."
	"Rogers!"
	David remembered to turn at the mention of his alias.  "Yeah?"
	"Got plane for you.  Runway Six.  You coming?"
	"Music to my ears.  Let's go."  He grabbed his suitcase and walked with the 
short pilot to a beat-up plane that looked like it had been made in the fifties and 
hadn't been serviced since the seventies.  The music turned to a funeral march.  
"You're SHITTING me....!"
	"No, I am not shitting on you.  Come, we go now.  Don't worry, we'll be fine."
	David sighed.  "NEXT TIME, Lara, *I* make the travel arrangements."


	"Really?  You had Krokov fly him??"  Natalya began to laugh merrily, joining 
Lara in mirth.
	"I wish I could see the look on his face when he sees Krokov's plane!"  Lara 
laughed, tears making her eyes blink.  "He'll never forgive me, I can tell."
	"Don't worry, Lara...Krokov is an excellent pilot and his plane is sturdier than 
Russian bear.  David will be fine."
	"I know that, and you know that...but if I know Krokov, he's giving David quite 
a ride!!"  Lara collasped in laughter.


	*I'm going to KILL her....*  David groused as the plane rattled and dipped 
around in the sky.  Even though it had risen above the storm clouds, the plane just 
never seemed to give up and fly straight.  *I KNOW she did this to me on 
purpose...she's just doing this to get to me.*
	"HOW YOU DOING?"  Krokov yelled back, playing his "dumb Russian with 
small grasp of English" part to the hilt.
	"I'M GOING TO THROW UP!!!"  David yelled back over the noise.
	"GOOD!!  EAT HEARTY!!" Krokov replied, "obviously" misunderstanding 
David and turned his attentions back to the flight.


	"Do you see him?"  Lara asked Natalya as they waited at Pechora.  
	"No...this infernal storm is picking up.  I hope they make it in...wait!"  Natalya 
lowered her binoculars.  "I see him!"  
	"Where?"
	"Three-thirty,"  she said, pointing to her right.  Lara looked and saw the plane 
touching down...or, more appropriately, slamming down.  "He's okay.  Now 
remember, you know nothing about any of this."
	"You think I am a fool, darlink?"  Lara said, imitating a Russian conspiratorial 
accent, then made her face deadpan as the plane braked, then spun around and 
travelled the rest of the way down the runway...BACKWARDS.
	Inside the plane, David ran up to the pilot's seat, worried that something had 
happened to him.  "Hey, pal, you okay?"
	Krokov looked up and grinned.  "Of course!  I always land plane this way!"
	Lara and Natalya got up to the plane as David opened the door and ran down 
the steps, nearly crashing into the two ladies at the bottom.  David's face was frozen 
in panic.  Lara couldn't resist.  "David, I'm so sorry," she said, not meaning a word, "I 
heard too late that the pilot I had requested had gotten injured and sent his brother 
in his place, I'm so sorry...are you alright?"
	In the face of such concern, David's rage dissipated.  "Let's...just...get out of 
here."
	"Certainly.  David, this is Natalya.  Natalya...this is David."
	The Russian woman took one look at David and immediately wondered if she 
should re-think her position on men.  She shook herself and said, "Welcome to 
Russia, David Connors."
	"Oh, I feel SO welcome."  He grabbed his suitcase, his impatient breath 
showing in the cold.  "Let's get moving."
	"David!"
	"Sorry, Lara...nice to meet you, Natalya."  David managed a smile and headed 
for cover.  When they got inside the depot, Natalya led them to a treaded truck and 
smiled.  
	"This should get us to Dosknaya, storm or no storm.  Everyone in!"
	Lara and David stowed their luggage and got in, finding the cab to be nice 
and warm.  As Lara snuggled up to David, she decided that she wasn't going to pull 
a trick like that on David again...unless he deserved it.
	With that to comfort her, she slept all the way up to the house.


	"This is IT??"
	Lara awoke at the sound of David's disbelief and sat up, rubbing her eyes.  
"Are we there yet?"
	"You tell me."
	Lara awoke to see a blizzard-swept lake, with a long bridge leading from the 
edge of the lake all the way to an island in the middle of the lake.  On that lonely 
island sat a mansion, barely big enough to fit on the island...and it was a rather big 
island.  Even so, the wrought-iron fence ran all the way around the edge of the 
island, ending only at the gates just on the other side of the bridge.
	"This guy must enjoy his privacy...."  David looked at the bridge.  "I don't think 
the truck will make it across this bridge.  We'll have to walk in."
	"More likely we'll have to run in," Lara added.
	"Da."  Natalya put on her coat and looked at her watch.  "We've still got a few 
hours until the showing.  Let's get into the house before we freeze.  And let's hurry."
	Lara and David nodded, bundling themselves into their cold-weather gear and 
grabbing their suitcases.  David hissed as the frigid air hit his face and he squinted.  
"GEEZ!!"
	"COME ON!" Natalya yelled over the howling wind and moved off across the 
snow.  Luckily, the snow wasn't too deep and they made it across the mile-long 
bridge quickly.  With the run keeping them warm, they got through the gates and into 
the courtyard.
	They moved through the wide courtyard and stopped on the steps going up to 
the mansion.  Lara looked around at the cars parked on the far side of the courtyard, 
five of them total.  There were even a pair of helicopters on a twin helipad beyond 
the cars.  "Looks like we're not the only ones here!  Damien Powers must be really 
ready to gloat tonight!"
	"Forget about that!  Let's just get inside!  Jeez...it must be ninety below out!!!"  
David yelled back.  They went up to the double doors and opened them, moving 
inside rapidly and shoving the doors closed, fighting the wind every inch of the way.  
When the doors were closed, David relaxed a bit, feeling the heat of the house warm 
him.  "Aaaaahh...now THAT'S how I spell relief."
	As they savored the warmth, they heard a small, feminine voice behind them.  
"Mama...?"
	Natalya suddenly spun around, her eyes going wide as she saw the young 
girl.  "Ludmilla???"  She ran to pick her up, holding her close, then moved her hands 
over her.  "Ludmilla, what are you doing here??  I thought you were in school!"
	"Who's Ludmilla?" David asked as he shuffled off his parka.
	"That's Natalya's daughter."
	"Mama..." She spoke in Russian, tears falling down her cheeks, then 
embraced Natalya strongly.  She held her daughter close, then turned to Lara.  
"What's going on here?"
	"What happened?  I don't know Russian," David asked Lara.
	"Ludmilla was taken from her school by two men who said they were taking 
her to see her mother."  Lara looked around.  "Something is very wrong here."
	"I'm hip.  Maybe some of the other guests have some idea what's going on."  
David looked deeper into the mansion.  "I hear noise coming from that way.  Let's 
go."  David, Lara and Natalya walked towards the noise, Ludmilla carried in her 
mother's arms.


	They walked to a set of doors with a great many loud voices shouting in 
Russian, American and other languages.  "Sounds like the U.N. in there," David 
remarked as he opened the door.  
	Beyond the doors was a ballroom, complete with a long buffet table and a 
piano in a far corner.  The ballroom was occupied by ten people, all shouting at each 
other.  The shouting stopped when the doors opened and David entered.
	One of them, a well-built man with a very superior air about him, strode over 
to David.  "Are YOU our mystery host??"
	"ME?  No, I just got here myself.  What is...?"  His voice stopped as he locked 
eyes with a man to his right.  "Lara, Natalya, take Ludmilla out of here NOW!"
	"What...?" Natalya asked as the man David had seen walked over to him.
	"Well, well...David Connors," said the man, dressed in an expensive suit and 
sporting a gold Rolex.  "Man, it's been a long time since I've seen you.  How's the 
wife and kid??"  
	David ROARED and flung himself at the man like a mad panther, bearing him 
to the floor.  Lara and another man struggled to break them apart.  "DAVID!! DAVID, 
STOP IT THIS INSTANT!!"
	"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!!!"  David screamed as Lara and Natalya 
both kept him from going through with his words.  Ludmilla began to cry.
	"What has come over you, David!?  Who is this man?"
	"Allow me to introduce myself," said the stranger, straightening his suit.  "I am 
Nicholas Maas.  I'm a businessman in New York..."
	"You're a LYING, MURDERING, CHILD-RAPING MONSTER!!" David spat.
	"Sorry, Davey, but I was found innocent by a jury of my peers, remember?  I 
was acquitted."  Nicholas smiled.  "I used to work for some interesting people."
	"As did I."  Another man stepped forward, a black man wearing a sweatshirt 
and jeans.  "Hello, Lara."
	"Georges?  What are you doing here?"
	"I was invited.  Someone sent me an invitation, a Mr. Damien Powers.  Said 
he had something of interest to me concerning my parents.  But I have not seen 
him."
	"I received an invitation, too," Nicholas said angrily.  "Powers told me he had 
evidence proving my guilt in that case and threatened to re-open it.  I've had enough 
problems trying to clear my name without some loser trying to throw me back into the 
clink."
	"Hold it, hold it.  David, are you going to control yourself?" Lara asked. 
	David growled agreement and stopped straining against the grips on his arms.
	"Good.  Alright...let's try to sort this out.  Each of you in turn tell me who you 
are and what your business is with Mr. Powers...and please, no falsehoods.  There 
are no police here and no one will try to arrest you."  She turned to the woman on 
her left.  "You first."
	"My name is Camilla Richards," said the redhead, a willowy figure wearing a 
stark black evening gown.  "Some very valuable items were stolen from me a long 
time ago in New York and Damien Powers told me that if he would meet with me, he 
would tell me where they were."
	"What was the nature of these items?" Lara asked.
	"They were diamonds...rare, precious stones that had been in my family for 
years."
	Lara nodded, turning to the man next to her, a Japanese gentleman wearing a 
modest suit with a red tie.  "And you, sir?"
	"I am Renegaru Shike.  I work for the Yakuza in Los Angeles, as an assassin, 
a ninja.  I came here because Damien Powers told me that he had a job for me, the 
nature of which I have yet to know.  He sent enough money to cover the cost of the 
travel here and a down payment of one million dollars.  I took his offer as serious, 
but I have yet to meet him."
	David narrowed his eyes, but Lara continued on to the old woman wearing a 
shawl and a simple thick dress.  "And you, madame?"
	"I am Lucinda of the Morah clan.  My clan's most valued treasure, the Morah 
Scimitar, was stolen centuries ago by bandits.  Powers has told me that he has 
found the sword.  I am here to retrieve my clan's property."
	"The Morah clan...I have heard of you.  Gypsies," Natalya said in recognition.
	"Yes."
	"Curiouser and curiouser..."  Lara went to the next, a young man in his early 
twenties, well-dressed and confident.  "And you?"
	"I came here to get my property back, too," he said brashly.  "I'm Jason 
Witherton the Third, and I came here to get something...personal...from Damien 
Powers.  And no, I'm not going to tell you what it is.  That is between me and 
Powers."
	Lara said, "Under the circumstances, Mr. Witherton, you don't have much of a 
choice.  You don't want to look suspicious, do you?" 
	Jason paled, then said in a lower voice, "Powers is blackmailing me.  I 
suppose you want me to tell you what I'm being blackmailed for, do you?"
	"You don't need to."  David was much calmer now.  "You're under 
investigation by Interpol regarding your connections with the Colombians.  Powers 
must have something on you."
	Jason Witherton III was silent.
	Lara decided it was time to move on.  "And you, miss?" she asked a stunning 
brunette.  "Wait, I know you." Her voice grew harsh.  "You commissioned the 
Anderson dig in the Valley of the Kings."
	"I don't know what you're talking about.  I'm a supermodel; I'm only interested 
in young things."  She smiled winningly at David.
	"Nikki Therese...yes, I know you now.  Your cutthroat dealings cost the lives of 
the entire archaeological crew there.  You killed them all and stole the treasures for 
yourself."
	"I was never connected with that disastrous project."
	"Oh?  I'll bet the mansion and the lake that Powers has info connecting you to 
that.  You'll have a lot of money to pay, a lot of families to apologize to and a great 
many questions that the authorities will want to ask you."  Lara's voice was colder 
than the weather outside.
	"Don't be absurd," Nikki said, but her voice was smaller.
	"We'll see."  She turned to the next gentleman, a marginally-overweight 
Russian in a cheap suit and black boots.  "And you are...?"
	"Dmitri Orumov."
	Both Dmitri and Lara looked at David, who had spoken the name.  "You know 
me?" Dmitri asked with great interest.
	"Yeah...remember three years ago?  You tried to pick up some merchandise 
from the U. S. government that you weren't supposed to?"
	Dmitri's eyes narrowed.  "YOU'RE the one...well, it seems that I would like to 
speak to you later about that matter."
	"Using what?  Your Makarov?"
	"No gunplay, I assure you.  After all, it was a business venture, like any 
other."  Dmitri was apparently unruffled by the idea of spending some time with the 
person who cost him thirty million dollars, American.
	"Business, maybe, but not like any other.  The Russian Mafia is hardly part of 
the American business community."
	"You'd be surprised.  In any case, we won't quibble.  I was brought here under 
the impression that this Powers person could help me recover the money I lost in 
that operation.  Needless to say, I was interested."
	"I'll bet."
	"David, can we get on with this?" Lara asked pleasantly.  She turned to the 
next individual...or rather, individuals.  They were a set of twin Norweigen females, 
both incredibly beautiful...but they had one slight defect.  They each bore scars 
running down their faces, starting just above the eye and going down through the 
eye and ending an inch or two below the eye.  One had the scar over the left eye, 
the other, the right, like mirror images.  "And who might you two be?"
	"We're Doria and Darlene Falkner.  We were asked here by someone 
claiming to know the identities of our parents.  We recently discovered each other in 
Saudi Arabia after we had been 'bought'," said the twin on the left.
	"White slavery...how nice..." Lara looked disgusted.
	"It's alright.  The experiences weren't that bad...but according to the man who 
purchased us years ago, he said that our parents had sold us to him, for reasons he 
never divulged," continued the woman on the right.  "He gave us these scars as a 
way of marking us, to be certain which was which."  The right twin discussed this 
with a pleasant air and Lara got the uncomfortable feeling that these two enjoyed 
their servitude.
	"So whom is whom?"
	"I'm Doria,"  said the one with the scar over her left eye.
	"I'm Darlene," said the one with the scar over her right eye.
	"Right."  Lara looked around the room.  "All of us have apparently been given 
an offer impossible to refuse and brought here to a remote area.  Lovely."  She 
checked her watch.  "Well, whoever wants to leave, you'd better do it soon...the 
weather around here promises to be rather harsh.  Otherwise, we'll just have to wait 
and see if Damien Powers actually drops in to explain himself."
	"Sounds like a wonderful idea."  Georges looked around.  "Besides, I'm 
starting to doubt that Powers really can come through on his promise.  With such a 
variety of stories going around, I think we were brought here for some other 
purpose."
	Suddenly, they heard explosions outside.  Jason ran to the window and 
looked out through the snow.  "Well,  don't look now, but that option ain't available 
any more!  Somebody dynamited the bridge!!"
	"What??"  David ran to the window and peered out.  Sure enough, the bridge 
had been reduced to two stumps of burning wood at the banks of the lake and the 
island.  "Son of a...!"
	"Now what?  Doria asked.  "Can't we go across the ice?"
	"I DON'T RECOMMEND IT."  Everyone looked around as a synthesized voice 
boomed through the room.
	"Who is this??"  Nicholas demanded.
	"PLEASE PROCEED TO THE DINING ROOM."
	"And if we don't?"  Nicholas asked.
	"THEN YOU'LL NEVER FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON."	
	The room was silent.  Dmitri considered.  "Whoever it is, he's got a point."
	The others nodded, walking out, moving respectable distances away from 
each other.  What were once guests were now prisoners, not to mention prisoners 
with checkered pasts.  There was a hint of fear in the air as everyone wordlessly 
went to the dining room.  


	The dining room was huge, able to seat an army.  However, there were only 
fourteen places set, each with it's own platte, silverware and placecard.  David's seat 
was at the head of the table, with Lara and Natalya's seat close by.  Even Ludmilla 
had her own seat, placecard and all.
	The voice boomed again.  "WHEN EVERYONE IS SEATED, I SHALL 
EXPLAIN WHY I BROUGHT YOU ALL HERE."
	David and Lara sat down, checking their chairs first.  When the others saw 
that the chairs weren't booby-trapped, they also sat down.  
	"NOW THEN...FIRST, DAMIEN POWERS DID INVITE YOU ALL HERE, BUT 
AT MY BEHEST."
	"Where IS our host?" Darlene asked.
	"HE'LL BE JOINING YOU SOON."  The voice paused.  "NOW, TO 
BUSINESS.  AS YOU'VE ALL FIGURED OUT, OR WILL FIGURE OUT SOON, ALL 
OF YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON...AN ASSOCIATION, HOWEVER 
INDIRECT, WITH EITHER LARA CROFT OR DAVID CONNORS.  THE DIRECT 
ASSOCIATIONS ARE ALREADY CLEAR, BUT THE INDIRECT ONES ARE NOT.  
FOR INSTANCE, THE TWINS.  THEY MIGHT BE INTERESTED TO KNOW THAT 
THEIR PARENTS WERE ONCE ASSOCIATES OF LARA'S FATHER...AND 
SUBSEQUENTLY, LARA AS WELL.  THEY WERE INFORMATION BROKERS 
WHO OFTEN SUPPLIED LARA WITH INFORMATION ON PLACES SHE WOULD 
ENDEAVOR TO EXPLORE...AND PROVIDED SOME OF HER ENEMIES WITH 
THE INFORMATION AS WELL.  HOWEVER, THE MAIN HOOK, AS IT WERE, IS 
THAT LARA AND THE TWINS DO HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON.  THEIR 
GENETIC STRUCTURE."
	Lara blinked.  "What?  How is that possible?"
	"A LONG TIME AGO, LARA, WHEN YOU WERE BORN, A SUBSTANTIAL 
SUPPLY OF YOUR GENETIC MATERIAL WAS SPIRITED AWAY FROM THE 
HOPSITAL WHERE YOU WERE BORN.  THE THIEVES WERE THE TWINS' 
PARENTS, WHO'D SEEN YOU AS AN INTERESTING GUINEA PIG.  THEY TOOK 
YOUR BLOOD SAMPLES AND WENT TO AN OLD FRIEND OF 
THEIRS...JACQUELINE NATLA."  Lara's eyes widened.  "I DON'T THINK NATLA 
EVER KNEW THE TRUE IDENTITY OF THE GENETIC SAMPLES' OWNER, 
ALTHOUGH I'M SURE SHE WOULD'VE BEEN INTERESTED.  NATLA, IN 
EXCHANGE FOR SOME NEEDED INFORMATION FROM THE PARENTS, TOOK 
THE SAMPLES AND CREATED TWINS FROM THE CODE, BUT NOT UNTIL 
AFTER SHE'D MADE SOME DISTINCT CHANGES.  YOU SEE, NATLA HAD HER 
OWN AGENDA AND SAW THE TWINS AS A MEANS TO MAKE SOME CHANGES 
OF HER OWN.  SHE INSTILLED IN THEM CERTAIN...BIOLOGICAL QUIRKS.  
PSYCHOLOGICAL ONES, I BELIEVE.  CERTAIN AFFECTATIONS TOWARD 
MASOCHISM AND SADISM, PARTICULARLY MASOCHISM.  WHEN THE TWINS' 
PARENTS FOUND OUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED, THE HEARTLESS CREATURES 
STOPPED THINKING OF THEM AS THEIR CHILDREN (AN IDEA, I HEAR, THAT 
WASN'T TOO FIRM TO BEGIN WITH) AND SOLD THEM OFF TO ONE OF THEIR 
ARABIAN CONTACTS IN PAYMENT FOR SOME VALUABLE INFORMATION.  ALL 
THAT NATLA HAD PLANNED IN ADVANCE.  PITY SHE NEVER SAW THE 
RESULTS OF HER EXPERIMENTATION."
	Doria and Darlene remained quite calm, even smiling at some points in the 
conversation, making some of the other guests feel decidedly on edge.
	"AS FOR JAMES WITHERTON THE THIRD.  REMEMBER THAT 
INVESTIGATION IN PROGRESS?  GUESS WHO WAS THE STELLAR DETECTIVE 
THAT FIGURED IT ALL OUT?"  James looked hollowly at David.  "YES...DAVID 
CONNORS WAS THE ONE WHO BROKE YOUR COVER DURING ONE OF HIS 
CASES AS A PRIVATE DETECTIVE...ALMOST.  HE NEVER KNEW WHO THE 
TRUE IDENTITY OF THE JACKAL WAS, ONLY THAT HE WAS THE ONE IN 
CHARGE."	
	David looked back at James.  "So YOU'RE the Jackal."  Jason glared at 
David.
	"MY, HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN.  WOULDN'T YOU AGREE, MR. 
RENEGARU?"
	"I might...if I knew what you were talking about," Shike answered dryly in 
English.
	"YOURS IS A MORE SIMPLE ASSOCIATION.  YOU WERE ASKED BY 
LUCINDA TO COME HERE BECAUSE I TIPPED HER OFF THAT LARA CROFT 
HAD THE SCIMITAR AND HAD STOLEN IT FROM THE GRAVESITE OF THE 
BANDITS THAT HAD TAKEN THE BLADE.  DESPITE YOUR OLD-WORLD 
DEMEANOR AND DRESS, YOU'RE QUITE A POWERFUL WOMAN...SINCE YOU 
PRESIDE OVER A CLAN OF SMUGGLERS."	
	"That is a LIE!"  Lucinda bellowed.  "I am humble..."
	"SAVE IT FOR SOMEONE WHO TAKES YOUR 'HUMBLE TRADITIONAL 
GYPSY' BULL SERIOUSLY.  LARA DOES NOT HAVE THE SCIMITAR.  A LITTLE 
FABRICATION ON MY PART.  SHE DOES, HOWEVER, HOLD THE DIAMONDS 
THAT CAMILLA RICHARDS PRIZE SO HIGHLY.  THEY WEREN'T YOURS, 
CAMILLA, NOR WERE THEY YOUR FAMILY'S.  THEY WERE BURIED IN AN 
AFRICAN TOMB IN ZAIRE, BUT LARA CROFT GOT TO THEM BEFORE YOU 
COULD.  YOU DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL NOW THAT LARA WAS THE CULPRIT, 
ONLY THAT YOU HAD BEEN DENIED OF YOUR PRIZE...SOMETHING THAT 
YOUR MONSTROUS EGO COULDN'T ACCEPT."
	Camilla silently fumed.
	"NICHOLAS, YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT YOUR PROBLEMS WITH THE 
SEVENTEEN YOUNG GIRLS YOU KIDNAPPED, RAPED AND THEN SOLD...FEAR 
NOT.  THERE IS NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO CONVICT YOU; YOU MADE SURE 
OF THAT.  SO DAVID'S HOPE THAT YOU WILL FINALLY BE SENT TO JAIL OR 
THE GAS CHAMBER IS FUTILE...BUT IT WAS A GOOD ENOUGH BIT OF 
INCENTIVE, WASN'T IT?"
	"Get to the point, Mr. Mystery Man."
	"BELIEVE ME, I AM.  LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, LUDMILLA.  YOU WERE A 
LITTLE EXTRA, JUST THAT LITTLE PIECE OF LAGNIAPPE THAT WOULD WORK 
TO KEEP NATALYA HERE."
	Ludmilla started to cry and Natalya held her close.
	"NOW THEN...ON TO THE REASON WHY I BROUGHT YOU ALL HERE.  
IT'S QUITE SIMPLE, REALLY.  ALL OF YOU ARE GOING TO DIE."
	The murmuring of some of the other guests ceased.
	"IT'S QUITE SIMPLE, REALLY.  ALL OF YOU HERE HAVE EMBARASSED 
OR THWARTED ME AT SOME TIME OR ANOTHER.  THE ICE OUTSIDE IS 
MINED; THEIR PROXIMITY FUSES HAVE JUST BEEN ACTIVATED.  ANYONE 
TRYING TO CROSS THE ICE WILL BE LUCKY IF THEY ARE MERELY BLOWN 
APART BY THE MINES...PREFERABLE TO A SLOW, LINGERING DEATH IN THE 
ICY WATER BELOW.  THANKS TO THE BLIZZARD, A NICE TOUCH OF 
DELIGHTFUL HAPPENSTANCE, ALL ATTEMPTS TO USE RADIOS OR 
CELLULAR PHONES WILL MEET WITH NOTHING BUT STATIC.  THE BRIDGE IS 
COMPLETELY GONE, AS YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY SEEN.  WE SHALL PLAY A 
LITTLE GAME, YOU AND I.  WE SHALL SEE IF YOU MANAGE TO KILL EACH 
OTHER BEFORE I CAN GET TO YOU.  AND, TO MAKE THINGS INTERESTING, 
IT'S HIGH TIME YOU MET YOUR 'HOST'."	
	A motorized cart wheeled into the room, bearing several covered dishes.  It 
stopped next to David.
	"YOUR HOST HAS NOW JOINED YOU FOR DINNER.  AND FOR NOW, 
ADIEU.  ENJOY YOUR MEAL, AND REMEMBER...WATCH THE STARS."
	Time slowed as everyone looked at the covered dishes and platters.  David 
took a deep breath, then slowly reached out, picking up one of the dishes and 
picking it up, bringing it close to his face.  He opened the lid just enough so he could 
look inside.
	David's face turned bone white and he slammed the lid down again, pushing 
the platter back onto the cart and backing out of his chair.  He had seen death 
before, but this was something so brutal, so alien in its presentation...
	"Dave...?!"  Lara stood up.
	"Don't open those lids...for God's sake, don't even touch them!!" he said in a 
horror-stricken voice.  "It's...."
	"It's what?"  Nicholas asked, his voice wavering.
	"...it's him..."
	"WHO??"  Lara asked.
	"DAMIEN, IT'S DAMIEN....!!"
	Everyone got out of their seats and backed out of the room, their eyes fixed 
on the calm, proper cart with its innocent-looking dishes and platters...


	David finished pushing the sofa against the door.  Lucinda was holding onto 
her mother with a death-grip, shocked beyond tears, shaking like a leaf in a 
hurricane.  
	"There!"  David sat down on the sofa.
	"So what do we do now?"  asked Natalya, scared for herself and her daughter 
beyond words.  Her voice was shaking.
	"Right.  Everyone calm down," Lara said soothingly.
	"Calm down??  Yeah, RIGHT!" James said sarcastically.  "Some maniac is 
trying to cut us up into little pieces and all you can say is 'calm down'???"
	"If you want to  panic, Mr. Witherton,"  Nicholas said bitterly, "go do it outside.  
She's right.  If we panic, we're dead for sure.  Alive and calm, we might be able to 
find this guy and take HIM out before he takes US out.  First thing we gotta do is 
accept the fact that we've gotta stick together...yes, David, that means you, too."
	"We'll settle our business later, Nicholas," David gritted.
	"Count on it, shamus," Nicholas retorted.  "With that in mind, I say we get 
some sleep."
	"Sleep??  Have you lost your mind?  With...!" said Camilla.
	"As much as I hate to admit it...he's right," David said. "but we all don't go to 
sleep...we post guards and work in shifts.  I can go for another few hours.  Four hour 
shifts, six people for each shift.  I'll take the first watch."
	Nicholas nodded.  "I'll take the next watch.  Who's with me?"
	James Witherton III shrugged.  "I can't sleep right now, anyways."
	"And I'll take the fourth watch," said Lara.
	David leaned close to Lara.  "I'd feel much better if you were watching my 
back while I was asleep," he whispered.  
	Lara nodded.  "Make that the second watch."
	"Getting nervous, Davey?" Nicholas said with a sneer.
	"No, I'm scared shitless."
	Darlene raised a hand.  "I'll stay up."  Her sister nodded assent.
	"That makes five.  I'll join," said Georges.  "Now let's find the bedrooms," he 
added with finality.  "Let's check upstairs."


	David looked around.  "Nice bedroom...for a prison."
	Lara looked at the furnishings.  Not too old, not too modern, the furnishings 
looked like Victorian English, but were quite solid.  "If these are replicas, they're very 
good ones.  This feels very wrong, David.  We're being set up.  After all, all these 
people are connected with us...someone went to a great deal of trouble to find these 
people and bring them here from the four corners of the planet."  She put her 
suitcases on the dresser and opened the wardrobe.
	"Tell me about it.  But why??"
	"I don't know...and I'm not in any hurry to find out.  What was that again, 
something that voice said...'watch the stars'?  What was that all about?"
	"I don't know."  David reached inside his suitcase and stopped.  "Oh, SHIT."
	"What?"
	"My gun's gone."
	Lara opened her suitcase and found that her pistols were missing, too.  "More 
of our host's trickery.  We're unarmed...and I'll wager that the others, if they were 
armed before, they aren't anymore.  Blast!!"  She thumped her suitcase, denting the 
leather.
	"Well, I guess that means that none of the other guests are armed."
	"Yes...but our host IS."
	"No...I don't think so.  Someone who could arrange something like this doesn't 
care about the weapons.  He can always get his own.  No...whoever our guest is, 
he's got something to prove.  What it is, I don't know."  He put on his jacket.  "I'm 
going on watch.  See you in four."
	"David?"
	"Yeah?"
	Lara went up to him and held him close.  "Don't you dare die on me....!"
	David smiled.  "I'll do my best.  After all, I've managed to stick with you for this 
long."
	"Take care, David.  There's a lunatic out there somewhere."
	"I know."  David smiled and kissed her warmly.  Lara melted into that kiss, 
feeling a delightful shiver all over her body.  When they parted, she smiled.
	"That was nice."
	"Thanks...maybe someday I'll do more than just kiss you." 
	With that cryptic remark, David left the room.  Lara watched him go, then went 
to bed, where she fell into a fitful sleep.


	...she was running...lost in a gigantic house with serpentine hallways...a door 
appeared and she entered.  She was in the dining room again, alone...she sees the 
cart with its covered platters.  Against her will, she walks towards the cart, her mind 
is screaming at her, NO, NO, DON'T TOUCH IT but she can't stop, she reaches for 
the lid of the nearest covered platter and lifts it...it is agonizingly heavy, but she lifts 
it to see a blood-soaked matting of hair but the head isn't Damien's IT'S DAVID'S 
IT'S  DAVID'S IT'S DAVID'S HEAD AND HIS FACE IS FROZEN IN A SCREAM...

	Lara woke up, biting back the scream that threatened to break free.  The 
sheets clung to her sweating body and she shuddered as she told herself, *It was 
just a dream...just a dream...*
	Then she heard the scream.
	Lara bolted out of bed, still wearing the black bodysuit, shorts and hiking 
shoes she had worn to bed.  As she left the room, she could hear another scream 
from down the hallway.  Lara sprinted around the first turn, then the second, to find 
almost all the guests crowding around a male body on the floor.  Panic rose in her as 
Lara recalled the last vestiges of her dream and she ran even faster.
	She got to the group and pushed aside to see Nicholas one the floor, rigid as 
a board.  His tongue was purple and he was pointing at David.  Nicholas' eyes were 
bulging from his sockets.
	"What's going on??" she asked.
	"...you....POISONED...me..."  Nicholas rattled, his breaths coming in halted 
gasps.  "...murderer....!!!!"  he said one last time, then went silent.  
	Georges bent down to look at him, then checked his pulse.  After a moment, 
he looked up at the others.  "He's dead."
	Everyone looked to David, who was looking stunned.  "I didn't...I didn't kill 
him!"
	"Don't give me that," James said accusingly.  "If you hadn't been pulled from 
his neck, you would've killed him when you first saw him!"  The others murmured 
agreement, looking at David coldly.
	"WELL, WELL...YOU JUST COULDN'T WAIT, COULD YOU?  WELL, ONE 
LESS VICTIM IS ONE LESS PROBLEM FOR ME...YOU'VE BEEN A NAUGHTY 
BOY, DAVID."  The Voice sighed.  "I'M SURPRISED.  I REMOVED YOUR 
WEAPONS, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW THAT YOU TRAVELLED WITH CURARE, 
DAVID.  I WILL NOT UNDERESTIMATE YOU AGAIN."
	Lara looked at David as if seeing him for the first time.  *Would he do it?  After 
all, David was no saint and Nicholas WAS a child-molester...no!  I don't believe that 
David is capable of cold-blooded murder!*  But Lara was suddenly unsure.
	"What have you got to say for yourself, David?"  Dmitri demanded.
	"I just came along and heard him choking.  He was drinking from a pitcher of 
water here..."  David pointed to a fallen pitcher.  "And then he just went stiff and fell.  
But I didn't kill him!  Lara, you've got to tell them that I didn't kill him!"
	"David..." Lara said, but David could read her unasked question in her eyes.  
He slumped to his knees.  "Look, there has to be some explanation!"
	"Yeah, there is."  Nikki's eyes blazed.  "We've got enough problems with ONE 
psycho without worrying about TWO.  But what do we do with him?"
	Dmitri smiled.  "Lock him in one of the rooms and chain him up.  If I know 
David, he's got a set of handcuffs.  We chain him up and lock him away until we can 
get some sleep and decide in the morning what to do with him.  Come on!"  
	Lara and Georges stood there as they dragged David away.  She looked up at 
Georges.  "David didn't do it, Georges.  I'm sure he didn't."
	"Are you sure?  How long have you known him, after all?  Under pressure, a 
person could do anything.  Even you.  Even me."  He shook his head.  "All we can do 
is be glad that they're not going to lynch him and that they will have cooler heads in 
the morning.  He'll be alright for now."
	"I hope so..."  Lara felt very small.  "I just can't believe it..."

	Lara looked at the rest of the assembled group.  "You realize, of course, that if 
David is bound and locked in his room that he is an easy target for the real killer..."
	"Oh, sure," Camilla said.  "How can he be an easy target for himself?"
	"Be happy that  they are merely tying him up," Shike said quietly.  "There are 
those who would be willing to inflict the Wu-Shing upon him."
	Lara turned to face him.  "And are you one of them?"
	"My ancesteries lie with Japan, not China, Ms. Croft.  Nothing so horrible a 
punishment could be thought up in my honorable country.  And though I lose face to 
admit it, what does face matter here and now?  My immersal in Western culture for 
so long a time has slightly tarnished my beliefs."
	"Excuse me," Lucinda interjected, "but what are you talking about?  What is 
this Woo-Zing?"
	"A method of torture and execution that the Chinese developed centuries 
ago," Shike said.  "It begins with small punishments for small crimes, and eventually 
becomes more hidious as the level of the crime increases.  There are five levels: Mo, 
the tattoo of the face; Yi, the removal of the nose; and Yueh, which literally means 
'the merger of knife and foot.'"  He sat on the couch again.
	"Thought you said there were five," Georges said.  "Tell us the other two.  Or 
don't you know?"
	Lara looked at Georges.  "It's not really appropriate to talk of such things 
here..."
	"Listen, if this guy knows something, I want to know it too.  He's piqued all our 
curiosities, now I say let him get on with it." 
	"Forgive me," Shike said.  "But I will not speak of the last two symbols aloud.  
The mere utterance of their syllables could curse this entire house.  But I will say 
this: Wu-Shing means 'Five Punishments.' And the fifth one very closely resembles 
what has happened to Mr. Powers already."
	Doria and Darlene both turned the same color of green.
	A sudden clatter from the vents caused everyone to jump in alarm.
	"Somebody is up there!" Lucinda pointed.  "I can hear them walking!" 
	"Relax," Witherton ordered.  "That's the way the whole house sounds when 
the heater kicks on.  Clatters on, then off.  It's nothing.  I was here first, and it scared 
the hell out of me too, until I figured out what it was."
	"Well, let's see what the weather outside is like," Natalya said as Darlene 
locked David's door and pocketed the key.  "Maybe if it improves enough, we might 
be able to radio out of here."
	"Doria and I will stand guard, in case something happens or David tries to 
escape," said Darlene.
	"Good."  Lucinda smiled. 
	"Not good."  Everyone turned to Lara.  "I still don't believe that he's the killer."  
*And even if he did want to kill Nicholas, who probably deserved it, David would've 
been much more careful doing it.  "No...this was too neat, too clean-cut."  
	"Maybe," Camilla said, "but until we know better, we can't take any chances."
	James nodded.  "Come on...let's check the weather."  
	The others left while the twins stood by the door.  As the rest of the unwilling 
guests left the hallway, Doria and Darlene looked to each other and smiled 
conspiratorily.


	David felt the cuff release and smiled.  Even though the handcuffs were police 
issue, he still knew his way around the locking mechanism and still kept in the habit 
of keeping a stiff wire hidden on his person.  *Shouldn't have cuffed my hands in 
front of me...." he thought with a smile.  Once one wrist was free, releasing himself 
from the other wristcuff was easy.  He sat there on the floor and rubbed his wrists.  
*Now...all I've gotta do is try to convince the others that I DIDN'T kill Nicholas...*
	He heard the door unlock and jerked his hands together around the bedpost.  
His positioned his body to hide his wrists just in time to see the twins enter.  "Oh....hi, 
ladies," he said, playing the defeated part well.  "You'll excuse me if I don't get up."
	"Oh, we don't mind..."  Doria smiled.  "In fact, you look good down there."
	"We just came in to see if you were alright," Darlene added.
	"I'm cuffed to a bed in the middle of a house in the middle of NOWHERE, 
stuck in the house with a raving lunatic and I'm being framed for murder.  Unless 
they changed the definition while I wasn't looking, I am NOT alright."
	Doria leaned down to whisper huskily, "Oh, I think we might be able to change 
your mood.  Couldn't we, sister?"
	"We could indeed.  David?"
	"Yeah?"
	"Are you going to be cooperative?"
	David narrowed his eyes.  "What do you mean by that?"
	Darlene bent down and whispered into his other ear.  His eyes widened and 
he looked at the both of them.
	"You're not serious!!"
	"Why not?  YOU'RE in no position to argue...besides, you might think it's fun."  
Doria smiled, reachine into her purse to pull out a pocketknife.
	"I wouldn't bet on it."  David looked at Darlene, who was taking off the leather 
strap of her purse.  "I'm not going to be a willing party to this."
	"Oh, we don't mind.  In fact, it'll be more fun that way," said Darlene, pulling 
the strap taut between her fists.
	"I'm glad to hear it."  David stood up quickly, pulling his hands out and 
grabbing their wrists.  Before the stunned women could react, David pulled them to 
the radiator next to the bed and shackled Darlene to it.  Doria tried to pull free, her 
pocketknife coming down on David's arm and causing a shallow slash.
	David barely noticed as he let her go.  "Alright, David...you've got one of us.  
What are you going to do now?  Are you the type of man who would hit a lady?"  She 
waved the bloodied knife in a threatening manner.
	"Nope.  I'd never hit a lady."
	Doria smiled just before David popped her right on the chin.  She dropped like 
a lead weight.
	"Fortunately, you're no lady."  She took the sheets off the bed and started to 
cut them into thick strips with Doria's knife while Darlene sat there, a strange, stupid 
smile on her face.


	James sighed.  "It's getting worse, isn't it?"  He looked out into the darkness, 
the lights from the house just illuminating the walls of falling snow just outside the 
windows. 
	"Da.  We are stuck here."  Dmitri sat down heavily.  "Now what?"
	"We've got to get out of here."  Lara stood up and looked down the hallways 
leading out of the foyer.  "Has anyone else been to see any of the other rooms in this 
house?"
	The other guests shook their heads.  "I just wanted to come here and meet 
with Powers, not explore," Lucinda said, with some of the others agreeing.
	"Then there might be another way out of here...if nothing else, to see if  we 
can discover the identity of our mysterious host.  We'll split into groups of two and 
search this place.  Somewhere in here is our culprit, most likely the one who really 
did kill Nicholas.  Camilla, you and Lucinda check the second floor.  James, Shike, 
you check this floor.  Nikki, Dmitri, check the courtyard.  Natalya, Ludmilla and I will 
check the top floor.  We'll meet back here in two hours.  Let's go."
	"Hold it!  Since when are YOU giving the orders around here?"  Nikki said 
imperiously.
	"If you've got a better idea, let's hear it," Lara said impatiently.
	"I say we stay here and..."
	"And what?  Wait for the spring thaw??"  James asked incredulously.  "We're 
stuck here...and I'd rather try to find the miserable son-of-a-bitch that put me here.  
Come on, Shike...let's find this guy."  The two men left to head down the hallway to 
their right.  The others turned to Nikki, then left on their own, leaving her and Dmitri 
in the foyer alone.
	Dmitri said, "Come, Nikki.  We have some investigating to do."  He went to the 
closet next to the door and grabbed his parka, finding the most expensive-looking 
ladies coat and throwing it to Nikki.  "Dress warmly, it's cold outside."
	"Don't remind me...after this is over, I'm never going anywhere cold again.  
Heat suits me just fine...hot parties, hot rays..." She smiled a bit.  "Don't you get tired 
of the cold here?"
	"Nyet.  Where can you have snowball fight if it's warm?"  Dmitri grinned and 
went outside.  Nikki privately vowed to shove a snowball down his back and 
followed.


	Lara, Natalya and Ludmilla went up the stairs carefully.  "Lara, what do you 
suppose the Voice meant when it talked about 'looking to the stars'?"
	"I don't know.  Unfortunately, I have a feeling that we're going to find out."  
She looked around at the hallways stretching out to the east, west, north and south.  
"We may have to split up."
	"I was afraid you were going to say that."  Natalya looked down at her 
daughter and picked her up, looking at Lara.  "Yell if you see anything."
	"Don't worry, I will."  Lara went off to the east while Natalya and Ludmilla went 
to the west.


	Doria looked up at David.  "You know, David, if you'd asked to do this to us, 
we probably would've said yes."
	David looked down at the nearly mummified Doria and shook his head.  
"Sorry, but no."
	"You could've at least let our hands free!"
	"For what?  So you could get loose?"
	"No," Darlene said with a slow smile.  "So we could pleasure ourselves for 
you."
	David frowned in disgust.  "No THANK you."
	"What's the matter, David?  Don't like the idea of two women being your 
willing slaves?"
	"Sorry, Doria...it's just I have this slight affliction.  It's called good taste."  He 
looked at the two of them for the last time, then turned and left, ignoring their threats 
and curses.  As he closed the door, he sighed in relief.  *Good thing these rooms are 
soundproofed...*
	David stopped.  *Soundproofed??*  A chill ran up his spine.  He looked down 
the corridor and yelled, "HEY!!"  As he feared, the sound didn't travel far and the 
echo he expected to hear never came.  Now he remembered why his voice and the 
voices of the others sounded so strange.  "Dammit...the whole house is constructed 
to defeat sound," he said to himself.  "Gotta find the others...wait, check that, gotta 
find Lara.  The others would just as soon shoot me as look at me."  
	The noise of the clattering vents grabbed David's attention.  His eyes 
narrowed.  Something about that sound bugged him.  *I think it's time to check out 
the air conditioning in this place.*


	Meanwhile, James and Shike were getting nowhere.
	The garage had been empty, starkly empty, as if the garage belonged to a 
house that had just been built.  There was even sawdust and wood shavings on the 
concrete.  "I dunno, Shike...this place is as empty as a tomb.  I haven't been able to 
find anything."
	"Someone must have been here.  The house is warm, has been for some 
time."  He looked around.  "I do not like..."
	Suddenly, a woman's scream came from the courtyard.  James turned and 
went to the garage door.  "Nikki!  Something's happening out there!  Give me a hand 
with this thing!"
	Suddenly, Shike realized what was wrong.  When his own car was parked, he 
had seen no garage door outside.  "James, wait!!"
	James hauled up on the bottom of the garage door.  The "door" didn't move, 
but the handle did, breaking away.  he fell backwards, then yelled as the floor titled 
away from the "door," which had been nothing more than a cleverly disguised prop.  
Shike leaped for the doorway into the house and made it just in time.
	"SHIKE!  HELP ME!!"  
	Shike turned and saw James trying to grasp something, anything to keep him 
from falling, but the wood shavings and sawdust made the floor pratcially frictionless.  
Shike looked on in horror as he saw a pit beneath the concrete...and then he saw a 
light go on in the wall of the pit, revealing a a mass of something...MOVING...over 
the pit floor.  Shike looked closer.  *Scorpions!* he thought, looking up at James, but 
he had already fallen past the lip of the floor.
	"SHIKEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" he screamed, then landed on the floor.  The 
scorpions attacked blindly at the force that had crushed many of their number and 
Shike stepped back from the scene as James began to scream and scream and 
scream, beyond all help the moment he tried to lift the fake door.  Shike slammed the 
door shut and leaned against it, breathing hard.  He had seen death before, in many 
forms, but this was more than just death...  *No one should have to die like that.  This 
house is a death trap...I've got to find the others.*  He steeled himself against the 
horrors yet to come and headed for the foyer.  


	Dmitri slammed the door against the cold and bolted the door as Shike ran up.  
Dmitri turned at the Japanese's approach.  "Shike...by God in Heaven..."
	"What happened?!"
	"One of the fountainheads...a dragon.  As Nikki walked past, one of the head 
turned to her and spat a stream of flame at her!  It must've been napalm..."
	"Get a hold of yourself!"
	"Someone's trying to kill us!" Dmitri said angrily.
	"I know."  Shike told Dmitri about what happened in the garage.  "We have to 
find the others.  The house is...what's the word?"
	"Rigged?"
	"Domo arigato...the house must be loaded with traps."  He looked towards the 
stairs.  "I have heard of Ms. Croft's reputation...she might be one of the few people 
professionally equipped to deal with this sort of thing.  We must find her first."
	Dmitri nodded and they walked to the stairs.
	Carefully.


	One floor up, Lucinda and Camilla were searching the guestrooms.  The 
silence in the house was eerie to say the least, but they were discovering other clues 
that were making them even more nervous.  The rooms were all laid out in identical 
fashion, right down to the placement of the brushes and combs of the vanities.  They 
didn't notice it at first because both of them had other things on their minds.
	Namely, how to get back at Lara Croft. 
	Camilla was fond of the idea of stripping her naked and leaving her outside to 
freeze while she watched from one of the windows.  *Of course, I'll have to get rid of 
David Connors, but from the guest list, I'd say that there will most likely be a line 
developing to put a bullet in HIS brain.  All I have to do is bide my time...and when 
she's alone...BAM!*  Camilla grinned.  *She'll wake up in a winter wonderland...*
	Lucinda, for her part, had her own ideas about getting rid of David.  Despite 
having no real grudge against Lara, she figured that it might be satisfying to make 
her hurt a little...and, from the way she reacted around David, doing something to 
HIM might prove...*
	"LUCINDA!!"
	The cry alerted her instantly and she turned around.  Lucinda was suddenly 
alone in the hallway.


	Camilla got up from the large cushion where she'd landed and dusted herself 
off.  She looked up and yelled, "LUCINDA!!!!" but there was no answer.  *NOW 
where the hell am I?*  The hallway was dark, lit by a light at the far end.  The walls, 
ceiling and floor were solid stone, freezing to the touch.  With nowhere else to go, 
Camilla walked towards the light, at least a hundred feet away.  As she walked, an 
idea occurred to her.  *I must be underneath the lake...maybe this is some sort of 
secret passage leading out!*  She laughed.  *I knew I'd find a way out somehow.  
And when I get out...*
	As she went to the light, she found that the hallway split left and right.  To her 
right was more darkness; the torch was the only light in the corridor.  There seemed 
to be another light to the left, so Camilla turned and walked towards the other light.  
As she got closer, the light became two lights, right next to each other.  
	Camilla stopped when she saw the source of the lights.
	A gigantic metal bull sat in the corridor, as if trying to squeeze through the 
tunnel.  Instead of legs, though, there was a huge roller where the legs should have 
been.  Steam rose lazily from the nostrils.  "What the devil ARE you?" she asked, 
half-expecting the bull to answer.  And, in a fashion, it did.
	As Camilla walked closer, she felt a part of the floor underneath her left foot 
sink a few inches.  She looked down, then back up at the bull.
	The eyes suddenly glowed much brighter, bright enough to illuminate the 
corridor.  The wisp of steam suddenly turned into a hissing blast and the bull began 
to move forward.  Camilla started to back up and she realized that the bull was 
starting to increase speed.  A look of dawning comprehension came across her face 
and she spun around, bolting towards the torch in the other direction.  The roller 
began to rumble behind her as the bull began to move even faster, now moving at 
the speed of a brisk walk and accelerating.
	Camilla discarded her heeled shoes and ran like crazy for the torch, knowing 
that it marked the place where the hallway split.  *If I can just make it to the 
hallway....!* she thought wildly, hearing the rumble behind her growing louder...and 
CLOSER...  *Don't look back, just run and run and RUN!!* she yelled at herself.
	The bull continued to accelerate, closing the distance between it and the 
running woman.  
	Camilla's heart pounded and her lungs began to ache, and she disobeyed 
herself, looking behind her.  Her eyes went wide as she saw the bull rumbling 
towards her, only fifty feet away...and closing in on her.  Camilla looked back, saw 
the torch getting closer and put on an extra burst of speed, fear stimulating adrenalin 
to flow within her.
	The bull was only twenty feet away when she got to the torch, blindly running 
for the opening.  She passed through the opening and felt the most profound 
sensation of relief...until a split-second later, when she ran into the block of stone 
pushing her back out into the hall again.
	"NO!!  NONONO!!!" she shrieked, beating at the wall as if her fists could 
pummel the five-ton block of stone back.  She turned to her right.
	It was only a foot away from her.
	Camilla felt the pain of being slammed further down the hallway, tumbling 
twice before the juggernaut caught up with her, grinding her into a thin paste on the 
floor.  Her scream of pain and terror lasted only until her vital organs were squeezed 
up through her lungs...


	Lucinda looked around, a chill running through her.  Camilla was nowhere to 
be seen.  Lucinda looked around for a trap-door or something to that effect, but 
couldn't detect anything.  *Where did she GO??* she asked herself.  Something 
inside her told her to back out of the room and she obeyed the impulse.  The door 
closed itself behind her.
	Lucinda had a ghastly feeling that she wouldn't be seeing Camilla ever again.
	She headed back down the stairs to wait for the others.


	Lara went back down towards the hall back to the stairwell, wondering if 
Natalya had found anything leading to the identity of their unseen host.  She also 
decided that she was going to go back downstairs and free David, and the hell with 
everyone who had a problem with it.  When Lara got to the stairwell, however, 
Natalya and Ludmilla weren't there.  
	What was there was a folded up piece of paper.
	Lara picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it slowly, her curiosity piqued.

	NATALYA AND LUDMILLA AREN'T FEELING VERY WELL RIGHT NOW...
	(CONTINUED ON NOTE AT ROOM DOWN THE HALL)

	Lara's heart began to race as she looked with wide eyes down the hallway.  
She ran down past the doors until she came to a door with another note taped to the 
door handle.  She ripped it off and opened it.

	...THEY DISAGREED WITH SOMETHING THAT ATE THEM.

	The bottom dropped out of Lara's stomach and she opened the door slowly.  
The floor had dropped open, all loose furniture not up against a wall now in one of 
two pits twenty feet below.  The rest of the furniture hung there, obviously attached 
to the wall in some fashion, but the eerie effect of a bed and two dressers defying 
gravity did not hold Lara's attention at the moment.
	The two bears down in the pits DID.
	They were thin, apparently half-starved...but they were eating well now.  Lara 
looked and saw that one bear, the smaller of the two, was ripping away something 
that looked like the sweater Ludmilla was wearing...
	Lara backed out of the room wildly, slamming up against the room on the 
opposite side.  Her lungs refused to work and she gasped for air, the shock of 
seeing the remains of Natalya and Ludmilla too much for her frazzled brain to 
handle.  Lara slid to the ground and stayed there in a state of utter shock as her 
mind switched off for a while...


	David had the feeling that he knew how it felt to be a TV dinner.
	Surrounded by metal on all sides, he crawled through the ducts, feeling the 
rush of hot air that kept the house refreshingly warm.  He had crawled only a short 
distance before coming to a grill barring the way.  Examination of the grill revealed a 
set of sturdy hinges...and a latch, complete with lock.
	David's mind began to roll.  *Somebody IS using these things to get 
around...why else would anyone take the care to lock internal grills??  I'm on to 
something here...now, I've gotta get the others and let them know what's going on.*  
As he climbed out of the vent, he looked at the door leading to the room where the 
Falkner sisters were.  David sighed.  "I'm going to have to let them go, too...damn.  
Well, I hope they got the hint and decide not to try and fondle me anymore," he 
thought aloud as he opened the door to find out that Doria and Darlene wouldn't be 
fondling ANYONE ever again.
	The two women lay there, eyes wide open, perforated with several hundred 
small arrows.  Green froth came from the sisters' mouths.  Spray-painted on the wall 
was a message written in red paint over the hundreds of small holes in the 
wallpaper:

	LOOKS LIKE THEY GOT WHAT THEIR HEARTS DESIRED...ENOUGH 
"PRICKS" TO SATISFY THEM BOTH AND PLENTY OF PAIN.	

	"HOLY CREEPING JESUS!!!" David breathed and turned away from the 
room, slamming the door and emptying his last meal all over the expensive carpet.  
He'd seen dead bodies before...but never like THAT.  When the urge passed, David 
stood up shakily and tried to spit the bad taste out of his mouth.  He ran out into the 
foyer, crashing into Dmitri and Shike and sending them all to the floor.
	"David!!"  Dmitri exclaimed, then narrowed his eyes as he got to his feet.  
"What have you done with Doria and Darlene??"
	"They're in the room you put me in...and if you can pin what happened to them 
on me, I'll eat your parka...!"
	Shike looked up suddenly.  "Some kind of death trap?"
	David's eyes widened.  "How did you know??"
	"The same thing happened to us...or almost happened to us.  Nikki and 
James are dead."
	"How?" David asked.
	Dmitri said, "Nikki was roasted alive by napalm spat from the mouth of a 
dragon-shaped fountain and James fell into a pit full of scorpions."
	David nodded.  "It makes sense, now.  Draco and Scorpio."
	"What?"  Shike asked.
	"Don't you see?  Whoever our 'host' is, he's using constellations as inspiration 
for ways to kill us.  I just left Doria and Darlene...they had been pierced by arrows.  
Sagittarius, I'll bet."  He looked up at Shike.  "Have you seen Lara?"
	"No," Dimitri said.
	"We've got to get the others together."  David stood up and went to the double 
doors leading to the main hall.
	"Where are you going?  Are you mad?" Dmitri sputtered.
	"I've had some experience with booby traps, Dmitri.  You can stay here if you 
want, but the woman I love is out there somewhere and I'm going to find her even if 
the entire house comes alive to try and kill me!"  David shoved the doors open and 
went through.
	Shike looked at Dmitri.  "You know...I think I was in love like that, once.  You?"
	"Da.  Lost her to GRU purge."  Dmitri stood up.  "Some things worth dying for, 
eh?"  He helped Shike to his feet.  "Well, comrade...if I am going to die, it will not be 
while hiding in the dark like some child."
	Shike nodded and they both followed David.  Theyw ent through the doors to 
see David kneeling on the stairs...looking DOWN.  They ran up to find that a section 
of the stairway had dropped down and Lucinda was in a giant pit filled with water.  
"Lucinda!!  Just keep treading water!  I'm going to get a rope!!"  David stood up and 
met Shike and Dmitri on the stairs.  "Excuse me, gents...!"
	They stood aside and let David pass, then kneeled close to the edge.  
"Lucinda!  Can you hear me?" Dmitri yelled.
	"Yes!!"  Lucinda called back up, shedding clothing as fast as she could to 
keep them from dragging her under the water.  "I'm alright...the water isn't cold, it's 
warm."
	Dmitri sighed in relief.  "For once, a trap that didn't work.  All we need to do is 
get her out."
	Shike looked concerned, however.  "Why isn't the water cold...?  Lucinda!"
	"What?"
	"Is the water getting warmer?"
	Lucinda felt the water around her.  "Why...yes, it is."
	Shike's eyes flew open.  "DAVID!!!  GET BACK HERE QUICK!!"
	"What is matter, Shike?"
	"Think, Dmitri!  Why would someone go to the trouble of heating water out in 
the middle of a cold region like this?"
	"I don't see..."
	"Why do YOU heat water, Dmitri?"
	"When I'm trying to..."  Dmitri's eyes went wide.  "It can't be...!"
	A shriek from below caused Dmitri to look down once again.  Steam was rising 
from the pool and Lucinda was screaming in pain as boiling water was pumped into 
the pool.


	David threw aside the other bags until he found his bag, reaching through it 
and finding the grapplegun, strapping it to his wrist.  He ran back as he heard 
Shike's yell and entered the main hall just in time to see clouds of steam rising from 
the pit.  "Holy Mary Mother of God...!!" he whispered, then heard the screams 
coming from the pool and ran up to the edge.  "Aquarius...I should've known...!"
	"David!!  Do something, she's going to be boiled alive in there!" Dmitri yelled.  
"Where's the rope?"
	In answer, David aimed his right arm up and fired the grapplegun high into the 
ceiling overhead.  As Shike and Dmitri looked on, David stepped out over the pool 
and started descending slowly into the pit.  He squinted as Lucinda's screams of 
pain assaulted his ears and the hot steam started to lightly cook him.  He looked 
down through the steam to see...
	Shike and Dmitri waited, collective breaths held as they saw the thin, taut line 
descending into the thick mist...then saw David come up through the steam and 
swing over to their side, his skin red and wet.  They caught and steadied him.  
"Lucinda...?"
	"I was too late...I'm sorry..."
	Dmitri nodded, a new respect for David welling up inside him.  "You did all you 
could."
	David shook his head to clear it, then jerked away as the stairs closed up 
behind him.  He turned his face up and yelled, "YOU SICK BASTARD!!!   WHAT 
WAS THE POINT OF ALL THIS, HUH???  WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US??"
	No answer.  David turned to the others.  "Where did you last see Lara?"
	"Top floor," Shike answered.
	"I'm going up there," he stated firmly.
	"We're coming with you," Dmitri vowed.  David nodded and the three men 
climbed the stairs with determined eyes.


	Lara came out of her daze with fire in her eyes.  Somebody had done this to 
one of her best friends in the world...and she SWORE that she would find the one 
responsible and make him pay dearly for everything.  She got up and went back to 
the stairs, every sense alert to anything out of the ordinary.  As she got to the stairs, 
she felt the thumping of feet running upstairs and she dropped into a defensive 
stance.
	Then she saw David, Dmitri and Shike running up and relaxed, running down 
to meet them.  She fairly leaped into David's arms and gripped him tightly, tears 
running down her face as she mourned her friends.  "Natalya...Ludmilla...." she 
breathed.
	"They're not the only ones."  Lara moved back to look at David, shock on her 
face.  "Lara, this whole place is loaded with booby traps...I think we're the only ones 
left alive."
	Lara looked around.  "The others are all dead?"
	"As doornails," Dmitri said.
	"They all have been killed in manners resembling the constellations of stars," 
Shike explained.  "We have to get out of this house before something ELSE  
happens."
	That's when the giant broke through the wall.
	At the top of the stairs, a bronze statue twelve feet tall burst through the wall, 
raising a raar-edged sword.  The shield was surrounded by serrated teeth, like a 
buzzsaw blade, and was a full seven feet across.  It wrested itself through the 
opening it had made and all could see its head, styled in Early Grecian...and 
wearing a blindfold.  "DAAAAVVIIIIIDDDD!" it groaned, stomping towards them.
	"You've gotta be fucking kidding me...!!" David breathed.  "Orion?"
	Then Lara broke the trance.  "MOVE IT!!" she yelled and ran for the railing of 
the stairs, vaulting over it to land on the floor below.  Shike followed suit, then David 
and Dmitri followed as well.  They ran down the stairs with the metal giant in hot 
pursuit.
	When they got to the stairs leading to the ground floor, David yelled, "LARA, 
STOP!!!"  
	Lara had already seen the floor falling away and she jumped through the 
steam cloud, somersaulting to the other side.  Shike barely made it himself.  David 
was getting ready to jump when the Orion statue hurled its shield, banking it off the 
wall.
	Lara saw it heading straight for David's skull.  "DAVID, DUCK!!"
	David pitched forward just in time as the shield passed over his head, cutting 
loose some hairs and embedding itself in the main doors.  David dropped to the floor 
just in front of the pool of boiling water, then got to his feet.
	Orion was right in front of him.
	It swung its sword and David jerked back, his feet stepping to the edge of the 
pit.  For a second, he felt his weight move back, then he regained his balance and 
ducked under Orion's next swing.  He tried to move to the side, but Orion was a bit 
too fast, slashing down in the direction of David's feint.  He was fast running out of 
options.  He moved to the left and saw the sword take a huge chunk out of the 
bannister.  "IF ANY OF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY IDEAS, OR WOULD LIKE TO GIVE 
ME A HAND, I'D REALLY APPRECIATE IT!"
	Lara ran to the discarded shield.  "Shike!  Dmitri!"
	They ran to her side and helped her yank it free.  Shike took it and held out a 
palm, telling Dmitri and Lara to back up.
	David jumped over a low sword-slash, feeling it take off one of his shoe's 
heels.  He fell forward and looked up to see Orion raising the huge blade high.  
"ANY TIME NOW, LARA!!" David yelled.
	"HEY, YOU!!!"
	The automaton looked up to see a disgusted look on Lara's face as she 
mouthed the word, "Shmuck."  Then Shike let the shield fly.  David heard the ringing 
SHHNNNNNNGGGGG of the disc as it passed over his head and bit deep into the 
android's stomach, letting loose a shower of sparks.  It staggered, then went for 
David again.
	Lara's eyes went wide as she saw the blade come down again, but her 
actions and Shike's throw had bought David a second to act and he did, shooting the 
grapple-line over the pool of boiling water and leaping from the edge.  He felt the 
blade whisk through the back of his trailing shirt and jacket, then heard a metallic 
groan as Orion pitched forward into the water.  Arcs of electricity climbed up the 
sides of the pool, sparking through the steam over it, but David was already through, 
tumbling to the ground and rolling away from the stairs.  Lara sprinted over to him 
and helped him up.  "Dave??  Are you alright??"
	"I'm...OUCH!...alright.  I think I gave myself a good sprain."
	"Where?"
	"Left wrist...I'll be okay."  He looked up at the lightshow over the pit.  "Now 
what do we do?"
	"I say we risk the storm.  Better that than trying to stay alive in this house of 
horrors." Lara said firmly.
	"What about the mines in the lake?"  Dmitri asked.  "How do we keep from 
getting blown up?"
	"I think I know...but it's going to mean running VERY fast."


	"This is insane!!"  Dmitri looked out over the bridge.  
	"It can work," Lara said through chattering teeth.  "All we have to do is run fast 
enough to outrun the explosions."
	"How?  They're set to go off when someone tries to cross the bridge."  Shike 
looked worried.
	"Consider this...the cold is well below freezing..."
	"No shit."
	"Dave, please.  It could be that the cold will slow down the electronics that 
work the detonators, as well as the chemical reactions within the explosives 
themselves.  If they've slowed enough..."
	"Yes!" Dmitri exclaimed.  "It could work!"
	Then Dmitri's face came off.
	The others turned at the sound of the gunshot to see a man standing in the 
mansion's doorway, holding up a formidable-looking pistol.  "It might work at 
that...but you'll never know."
	David's mouth dropped open.  "MAAS?????  But you're DEAD!"
	"In the immortal words of Lara's Monty Python, 'I got better.'"  Nicholas Maas 
smiled.  "I'm surprised at you, David...I would've thought a hotshot detective like 
yourself would've figured it out.  But no, it turns out all along that you aren't 
smart...just damned lucky."
	Shike smiled grimly.  "I should've examined you more fully.  Something to slow 
down the vital signs?"
	"Yep.  Prerecorded Voice, a couple of people helping me out...you remember 
the twins.  They had a slight accident, though...they were quite fond of you, David, 
and they didn't quite have the dedication to their work that I demanded.  They had to 
die as well."  Nicholas smiled.  "But in the end, David, you were just too damn lucky."
	"You did all this just to get back at ME??  You killed all those people because 
of ME??"  David couldn't manage to wrap his mind around the concept.  "I thought 
you were crazy, Maas...but I underestimated you."
	"Small minds like you always will.  Sorry about your friends, though."
	"The hell you are!!  Why did Ludmilla and Natalya have to die, huh?  They 
had nothing to do with me!"  David clenched his fists.
	"Everyone has to have a hobby."  Nicholas smiled the smile of the hopelessly 
insane.  "You wanna know something, David, just off the record?  You were right all 
along.  I did rape and kill those women.  And to be totally honest?  The little girls 
were the best."
	David took a step forward and Nicholas sent a bullet into the ground in front of 
him.
	"Don't push me, Davey...if you're lucky, I just might kill you and leave Lara and 
Shike alone.  Or I could kill Shike and have some fun with Lara before I torture her to 
death and let you watch."
	"You aren't crazy, Maas," David hissed, "you're a full-blown, card-carrying, 
state-of-the-art, certifiable psycho."
	"Glad you noticed."  Nicholas' grin grew even wider.  "Any last words, Shike?  
You're going to die right now, no matter what.  Prepare to join your ancestors."
	"As a matter of fact, I do have some last words, Nicholas.  In fact, it's a riddle 
for you to answer."
	"Oh?"  Nicholas looked intrigued.  "Well, then...go ahead."
	"What do you call an unarmed ninja?"
	Nicholas considered.  "Alright, I give.  What DO you call an unarmed ninja?"
	Shike smiled a smile colder than the air outside.  "Impossible."  He flung out 
both arms and Nicholas fired, sending a bullet into Shike'd shoulder as the shuriken 
from Shike's fists imbedded themselves into Nicholas' face, chest and arms.  
	David caught him and hauled him to his feet.  "LARA, COME ON!!"  He bolted 
down the wooden bridge with Lara in tow, leaving Nicholas lying in the snow, 
bleeding and dying.  Inside the house, the electrical arcs had set the carpet on the 
stairs ablaze and the house was beginning to burn.
	Even dying, Nicholas was determined to get rid of David, and his manic zeal 
gave him the strength to get to his feet and lean up against the doorjamb, unaware 
that the fire was licking its way towards him.  He reached into a pocket and drew out 
a small box with two switches.  He flipped one and a red light lit up on the box.  He 
moved his head slowly up until he could see the trio halfway across the bridge and 
Nicholas Maas grinned like Satan himself, pressing the second switch.
	Nothing happened.
	Lara had been right...in fact, she had been very right indeed.  The cold had 
not only gotten to the bombs, but the cold had frozen the electronics.  He staggered 
out to the beginning of the bridge, screaming his rage at being cheated, when he 
realized that one bomb still worked.  However, he was in no position to be grateful.  
It was the bomb right under his feet.


	Lara, Shike and David ran for dear life, the first bomb only increasing their 
speed as they haf-ran, half-stumbled across the iced-over bridge.  They made it 
across to see the mines going off across the surface of the ice in the lake, then saw 
the flames reaching higher and higher within the house, explosions ripping through 
the superstructure.  Shike went to his car as David and Lara stood there, not feeling 
the cold as they watched the house burn down.
	David broke the silence.  "I don't understand how someone could hate so 
much that they would dedicate their lives to ruining one person...not anymore.  I 
used to, a long time ago," he added ruefully.
	Lara nodded, then embraced David.  "That time is past, now."  She continued 
holding on to David.
	"Thinking about Natalya and her child?" Shike said from behind them.  They 
turned to see him resting in his car.
	"Yes...they were good friends."  Lara felt tears in her eyes and she blinked 
them away.  "And now they are gone."
	"You helped to burn the culprit responsible for their deaths.  The balance is 
restored in all but your heart, and soon, that, too, will follow."  Shike sighed.  "I shall 
be glad to return to Tokyo...it has been some time since I went fishing."
	"Are we going to run into you again?" David asked warily.
	"Not professionally.  You two saved my life...and for that, I am grateful.  
Perhaps we may never see each other again.  Who knows?  The Wheel turns and 
turns...it may come back to where it stopped before."  He got into his car and closed 
the door, starting it up and putting the car's snow tires to good use.  Lara and David 
watched him go until his lights faded from sight.
	"Let's get out of here," Lara shivered.  
	"I heard that."  He walked with Lara to the truck, helping her into the driver's 
seat.  "Oh, Lara, one more thing.  Did you ever find any evidence that any of the 
Atlantean artifacts were there?"
	"None.  Soon it will all be buried under ice and snow.  Let it stay there...there 
is enough trouble in the world."
	"Well, in that case, Lara, I'd like to make a suggestion," David said as he 
climbed in the truck's cab and savored the feel of the heater.
	"What's that, David?" Lara asked, still morose.
	"Next time we go somewhere a little 'out of the way,' remind me to bring a 
shotgun.  The automatic variety."
	"I'm sorry, David...I'm just not in the mood right now.  Let's just go home."
	David fell silent.  Finally, as a last-ditch effort, he said, "At least I didn't have 
to carry your shapely butt out of there."
	Lara turned to look at him.  "I beg to differ, MR. Connors...YOU were the one 
wounded this time.  I had to carry YOU out."
	"Au contraire, my dear lady, I was just fine!  YOU were the one needing 
assistance."
	"Why, you impertinent arsehole!  At least I didn't get chained up like some 
dog in a kennel...!"
	As the argument continued on into the Russian night, David felt happy again.  
From the sound of Lara's threats and insulting remarks, she would be back to normal 
in record time.

	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*

	EPILOGUE

	As the sun finally began to rise over the burnt-out hulk months later, a ray of 
sunshine caught something buried deep within the ice and reflected off its metallic 
gold surface.  Deep within the frozen waters of the forgotten lake, a ring of 
Atleantean metal sat there until it's discovery a week later by a brown-haired, buxom 
woman adventuress.  She wrested it from the ice with almost superhuman strength 
and looked at it carefully.
	"Now, Lara Croft..." the woman hissed, "it is about time that you met the one 
person who could truly defeat and destroy you...and when we meet face-to-face, 
you'll know WHY...!"
	She threw back her head and laughed high and loud, a laugh very much like 
Jacqueline Natla's laugh...and, at the same time, very much like Lara's as well...