Lara Croft and the Talisman of Shaolin
http://members.wbs.net/homepages/g/a/l/gallow.html by Gallow

I. The Call to Vengeance


	Lara inhaled deeply, it had been a long trek beneath the river's surface and 
she was dangerously close on time. She fingered the talisman beneath her shirt 
with a smile before she began to pull herself out. 
	Much to her dismay she met an out stretched hand greeting her.
	"So we meet again Ms. Croft, I see you have already... how do you say, 
tested the waters?"  Gustaff Rembrant's  smile was as smug as ever. He was an 
argentine rent-a-raider, dressed in a gray brown uniform, post war neo nazi, 
apparently no one had ever told him that Hitler lost. "You must learn to cover 
your tracks better, we had only to follow the trail of bat-corpses to find you."
	"Predictable as always Remmy. Let the real archeologists do the work and 
ambush them for the credit." Reluctantly Lara accepted his help pulling her out 
of the moving waters. "Now then let's get this done with." As she made to draw 
her pistols she was suprised to find that her arms wouldn't move, someone had 
grabbed her from behind and was restraining her.
	"No unessesary theatrics today Ms. Croft we have a plane to catch." To the 
other man he said. "Remove her gun belt and give me the pack."
	Her backpack was wrestled off of her and handed to Rembrant. The German 
searched through an assortment of maps and surveilance equipment, he didn't find 
what he was looking for.  "Where is the talisman?"
	Lara held her tounge, she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. 
Instantly she regretted her stubborness as Rembrant balled his fist and dug it 
into her belly.The englishwoman folded under the blow gasping for air.  The 
german lifted her face by the chin, "Do not toy with me Ms. Croft there are less 
tolerant people after that Talisman you would do well to give it up."
	Lara remained silent she would never allow a man to bully her. 
	"You have made your choice then." Rembrant proceded to remove his leather 
gloves and knelt down removing her boots and turning them over to empty out 
anything that may have been hidden in them. Finding nothing he continued on to 
her shorts frisking each pocket and lingering just a few moments too long on her 
buttocks. Still finding nothing he felt over her chest and back.
	Rembrant ignored the look of condemnation he recieved from Lara. He 
thought 
for a few moments rubbing his mustache before realization dawned. "You are a 
clever girl Ms. Croft." He said grabbing  the neckline of her shirt and tearing 
vicously outward with both hands. 
	Lara let out a cry as the cotton garment was ripped to shreds baring her 
fine torso.  The Talisman hung on a chain between her exposed bosoms. Her face 
turned beat read as she struggled for a moment. The man behind her had too good 
of a hold.  Rembrant smiled, "I see you have kept in shape Ms. Croft however I 
am only interested in this!" He reached forward again pulling off the Talisman 
with a jerk.  "Clyde take care of her."
	"Yes sir," said the man holding her. Lara struggled again with no success, 
the next thing she saw was water as Clyde tossed her in head first back into the 
river.  She quickly pushed herself off of the shallow bottom  and resurfaced. 
	Rembrant was already moving when she came back up. Clyde was out last 
and he 
dropped a small round object as he left. Lara was lifting herself out when she 
realized that Clyde's object was a grenade and quickly ducked under to avoid 
ther explosion. The englishwoman felt the shockwave as chunks of rock flew out 
in all directions. 
	A few moments later Lara raised her head above water to see her exit caved 
in...


"Be hasty with the flight preparation Clyde, one thing that can be said for Lara Croft 
she has a knack for showing up when she's not wanted."
Rembrant sat in the pantoon smoking a cigerette. Clyde was checking the wings and 
body of the plane for excess frost.
	Rembrant played a dangerous game against a dangerous opponent. He had
no delusions of being a archealogist, yes he attended the colleges earned the 
degrees, but it always seemed more natural to let others do the work. Lara Croft was 
no push over and if she survived his little trap she would chase all over the planet till 
she recovered the Talisman.
	Clyde leaped into the cockpit his face contorted with panic. A moment later 
they heard the distinct roar of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle revving up.
	"You are a clever girl Ms. Croft," he said to one in particular, "I would have 
wagered at least another ten minutes till you escaped. Are we ready Clyde?"
	The large man nodded gunning the plane's engine...

	Lara screamed as the world fell out from under her.  She had been swimming 
down the river for nearly twenty minutes surfacing only for breath.  Then the waterfall 
had crept up on her, she had taken a different tunnel the last time. The 
englishwoman flailed helplessly in the open air dropping almost a hundred feet into 
an underground lake. The water hit her like a brick wall disorienting her so she 
couldn't tell which way was up. 
	For the second time this day Lara's heart sank. She could feel the water break 
just as something below her wrapped itself around her leg and pulled her back down. 
She did her best to kick whatever it was off but she couldn't see what or where it 
was.  She looked down to see a mass of tentacles reaching out to grab her. They 
held her mainly by her cacky shorts, which were not as slick as her skin .  She didn't 
have much air left and couldn't last much longer so she made a painful decision.
	Lara lowered her hand unfastening the button of her close fitting shorts. 
Immedeatly the tentacles sensed the release and assaulted the garment. The cloth 
tore away from her firm legs allowing her to wriggle free of their grip and float to the 
surface. 
	She rolled onto shore gasping for air. Instictively she tried to cover herself 
then realized the futility of her modesty since no one was around. 
	She looked around noticing, much to her relief, a passage that seemed to 
have been made recently. Rembrant probably excavated this tunnel when he came 
in.
	"No respect for history." She muttered beginning her climb.

	"Brother Lucas? Are you alright?" Lara jaw shivered as she talked. They were 
deep in the Hymalyas and high enough for the mountains to be covered with snow.  
She turned Brother Lucas over to check his injuries he had taken a decent blow to 
the head but he would be able to travel. The Shaolin Monk began to wake.
	The Brother's eyes widened. Through her ordeal Lara had been stripped of all 
her clothing but a scant pair of french style under panties.  Lucas got a clear  view of 
her bare legs, breats and torso. She was still damp from the river and coupled with 
the extreme cold her naked skin was taut with goose bumps. The monk averted his 
gaze sheepishly.
"What happened to you?"
	Lara blushed right along with him she raised her arms to conceal her amble 
breasts. "I'm sorry Brother Lucas I forgot. It's a long story..."  In the distance the loud 
purr of a plane engine started cutting off her train of thought. "That's Remmy I got to 
try and catch him, may I have your robe?"
	Brother Lucas pulled off his threadbare tunic and handed it to her. He wore a 
humble but warm suit underneath so the cold didn't bother him as much. Lara 
fingered the robe carefully,  "I'm sorry but you're taller than I."
	The bald man undertood, "Of course Ms. Croft."
	The english woman found the seems and ripped them apart. Then she cut 
away the bottom half of the robe and slipped it over her head. It fell just above her 
knees still exposing her legs but sufficient enough to protect her from the cold. She 
was in business.  
	She checked the Harley they had used to get up the mountain,  she had filled 
it with coolant so it could run in the mountains. Lara pulled out the shotgun she 
holstered in the saddle bags, checked that it was loaded then straddled the 
motorcycle. "Right, let's go adventuring."
	The Harley roared vengeance as it sped off closing the distance between 
Lara and Rembrant's plane. They were on a ledge with little space for take off so 
Lara knew they would have turn back before attempting to fly. She opened the 
throttle up on the bike racing towards the plane. 
	The small air vehicle headed right for her trying to knock her off the bike. As it 
passed over her Lara cocked the shotgun and fired a round of buck shot through the 
plane's wing. Then she turned the vehicle around skidding a little because of the 
difficulty added for carrying the gun. She matched the plane's speed cruising next to 
it and unloaded another round into the landing gears.
	Then she fell back watching the plane wabble a little as it turned around 
preparing to take off.  Like the Matador and the Toro they faced off reving their 
respective engines. They bolted at each other each ready to ram the other. As they 
neared Lara stood up on the bike vearing to the side. Much to the occupants of the 
plane's suprise she lept off the Harley grabbing on to the edges of the hole she 
made in the wing. 
	Lara held on for dear life pumping the shotgun and firing clumsily at the 
cockpit of the small plane. Rembrant sneered at her shattering the window with his 
elbow and aimed his pistol at her. The english woman knew she was an easy target 
so she let go swinging forward and miraculously catching the tail wing as she flew 
by. Pistol fire trailed her as the plane left the ground, she dropped the empty shotgun 
using both hands to hold on.
	Rembrandt was persistant firing his Browning pistol at her .  She had to drop 
or she'd be hit and fall uncontrolably to the ground beneath them.  As she let go the 
baggy sleaves of Brother Lucas's robe caught on the rear landing gear, she cried out 
as she dangled helplessly.  Then the cloth gave ripping away from her shoulders. 
Lara heard an odd high pitched sound in her ears as she fell to certain death. Then 
her heart
sank as she realized...
	She realized the sound was her...screaming.

To be Continued...