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Chapter Text

Cozumel, Mexico

“Rourke?  You there?” Lara called into her radio.

Static.

“Oh, damn!”

She clicked on her light and struggled to free herself. Her leg was pinned and her pants torn.  “Shit.”

Lara’s radio crackled to life a few moments later.  “Croft, you okay?”

“I’m here.  Just a little stuck.  Uh, a rock pinned my leg.”

“I’m on my way.”

“I won’t be long.”

Lara tried again to pull her leg out from under the rocks, grunting with exertion.  She pulled out her knife and took a deep breath.  Against her better judgment, she pried the rocks free just enough to pull her leg out from under them.  She climbed up through the narrow gap into an open chamber and laid back on the cold, hard floor.

“Rourke, I made it,” she said into her radio.

“I’m on my way in.  Almost there.”

“Sorry I didn’t wait.  Be careful.”

Lara approached the altar with wonder. She pulled out her camera and started snapping photos of the structures and glyphs when Rourke came in behind her and joined her at the altar.  He immediately noticed her leg.  

“I saw where the passage collapsed back there.  Want me to take a look at that wound?”

“No, I’m fine,” Lara said, continuing to take photos.

“What is all this?”

“Constellations.  This inscription—it’s some sort of riddle.  Pink fish … .”

“Pink fish?”

“Silver-crowned mountain.  There’s a date here, but something’s off—looks like it was damaged.  Perhaps intentionally.  But who would’ve tampered with it?”

Lara stared at the altar for several moments, and Rourke could see the wheels in her head turning.  She took several more photos before putting her camera away.  She looked up at him and said, “I’ll try and decipher the riddle—see if the date has anything to do with it.”

“Just one more thing before we go,” Rourke said.  “We have to arm this detonator again.”

“Yeah,” Lara said, “we don’t want anyone else getting in here.”

Lara and Rourke leave the temple in silence.  He knew she was deep in thought—he could see it in her face.

“You want to freshen up?  Regroup at the cafe?  Dr. Dominguez is supposed to be there tonight.”

Lara laughed.  “Is that your way of telling me I look like hell?”

Rourke laughed softly.  “Maybe.”

“Maybe … we could have dinner?” he asked.  He knew it was a long-shot.

“I’m not very hungry,” Lara said.  

“Right …” Rourke said quietly, rejection burning hot on his cheeks.

Lara turned to him and said, “But I’d love to have a couple drinks with you.”

When Rourke arrived at La Casa Mexicana, Lara was already waiting.  He knew immediately that he was overdressed.  He’d chosen to wear a black suit for some godawful reason, and she was wearing an oversized poncho over her gear.

When he joined her at the table on the balcony, she slid a beer across the table.  He was never one to deny a cold beer and immediately took a swig.  He looked down over the edge of the balcony and said, “Dr. Dominguez is here.”

“My father mentioned him in his journal.  More than once.  I’m eager to meet him.”

Rourke turned his attention back to Lara.  “So how’s your leg?”

Lara ignored his question.  “Rourke, look!”  She moved her chair beside him and held the photograph of the glyphs in her hands.  “The riddle … it’s directions!  To find the hidden city, go south along the shore until you find the pink fish.  Then chase the heart of the serpent to the silver-crowned mountain.  Look at this!  It’s the constellation Hydra, the serpent.  This star is the heart.  It sets in the southwest.”

Rourke looked at the photo for a long moment.  “So, southwest of the Amazon river?  Brazil?  We already looked there and came up with nothing.”

Lara shakes her head.  “Peru.”

“Peru?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

Lara pointed to the photograph of the damaged number from the altar.  “This number looks like a Maya thirteen, but what if it’s really an eight?  With precession, it—.”

“What?”

“Uh, precession.  The Earth tilts, so over time, the stars appear in a different place on the horizon. Important if you are navigating by the night sky.”

“Okay?”

“In the Maya calendar, that’s a two thousand year difference!  Back then, the heart of the serpent set directly to the west.”

“So that’s why it’s in Peru, not Brazil.”  His face lit up.  “We’ve been looking in the wrong place.”  

“We need to look for the silver-crowned mountain in Peru.”

Rourke studied Croft for several moments.  He’d always thought that she would be an asset to Trinity, but he never realized just how brilliant, resourceful, and beautiful she truly was. Rourke surprised himself—he couldn’t believe that thought even crossed his mind.  He’d studied her dossier extensively and watched her in Siberia, but none of that prepared him for the day they finally met face-to-face.  They’d been working together for almost six weeks, and he wasn’t entirely convinced he could trust her … yet.  That didn’t stop him from developing an unshakable attraction to her.  He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since their first day in Cozumel.

She was still sitting close enough that he could smell her shampoo. He met her brown eyes and put his hand on her arm.

“What would you do if I kissed you right now?” Rourke said, the words just tumbling out of his mouth before he had the chance to think them through. He cursed himself.

Lara smiled. “Two things could happen. I could—.”

Rourke surprised her, pressing his lips against hers before she had the chance to turn him away.

“Aren’t you sneaky?” she joked.

Rourke leaned in to kiss her again when his phone rang loudly, startling them both.

“Yeah, this is Commander Rourke,” he said gruffly.  “Good, we’re on our way.”

He put the phone back into his jacket and said, “They’re almost in.  Let’s go.”

Lara followed Rourke down to the courtyard where Dominguez was seated.  

“Doctor!  We found it!” Rourke shouted.  

“What?  Show me!” he said with excitement.

“Croft, this is Dr. Dominguez,” Rourke said to Lara.

Dominguez offered Lara his hand. “Lara Croft.  You know, I’ve been interested in your work.  It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

“We should go,” Rourke said, urging them to start moving toward the dig.

“Did you make contact with the high council, Commander?” Dominguez asked.

“Yes, sir.  Even after the fiasco in Brazil, no one questions your leadership of the organization.”

“We’ve come too far to stop now.”

“Yes, sir.  They’re ready for anything.  Someone set off the trap at the first site.  We think it was Jonah Maiava.”

Just the mention of Jonah’s name immediately caught her attention.  She couldn’t believe that he’d been foolish enough to follow her.

“Wait.” Dominguez turned and scanned the crowd.

“What’s wrong?” Rourke asked.

“I want confirmation, Commander, no more guessing.”

“I’ll make sure we get visual confirmation.”

Rourke’s phone rang again.  “Yeah? This is Commander Rourke.  Dominguez wants confirmation Maiava is here.  You have the photo.  Male.  Early thirties.  You got that? Good.”

“Well?” Dominguez asked.

“They’ll find him.”

“Good. I don’t want anyone getting in there.”

Lara was worried.  She knew that Jonah was more than capable of holding his own, but she knew that Trinity would use whatever means necessary to eliminate him.  She couldn’t bear to have that on her conscience.

As they entered the dig site, Rourke picked up his radio and said, “This is Commander Rourke.  All teams, get ready for Operation Blackout.  I want the site secured ASAP.  When Dr. Dominguez arrives, we all go in together.”

“What’s Operation Blackout?” Lara asked curiously.

“It’s our insurance policy, Croft,” Rourke said.

“All units, get ready. Dr. Dominguez is on his way down.”

“What do you mean insurance policy, Rourke?” Lara asked with concern.

Rourke raised his radio to his lips once more. “None of the local workers leave the site alive.  We’ve planned for this.  Make sure the perimeter’s secure.”

The three of them round the corner just in time to see Jonah Maiava knocked to the ground, the obsidian dagger falling from his hands.

“Stop! Don’t hurt him,” Dominguez ordered.  

“Jonah Maiava,” he said.  He approached him slowly, offering him his hand.  He ignored his gesture and pulled himself to his feet.

Rourke picked up the dagger off the ground and handed it to Dominguez.

He laughed in disbelief as he held the artifact in his hands.  “The key of Chak Chel.  I have sacrificed my life for this.  Where is the silver box of Ixh Chel?  Give it to me.”

Jonah did his best to put on a brave face.  “It’s in a safe place.”

“You don’t have it?!” Dominguez asked with disbelief.  He turned to Rourke.  “Get the helicopter.  Now!”

It never occurred to me that you would just take it with this key and the silver box, we can remake the world.  Without weakness, cruelty.  Certainly with none of this.  But without the box?  The apocalypse.  The death of the sun!”

“You’re lying,” Jonah spat.

“Jonah, you felt it when you took the Key.”

“Tremors are common.”

“A tsunami is coming, and this is the first of many catastrophies.  Your doing!”

“You would’ve done the same!” Jonah shouted.

The sound of screams in the distance announced the arrival of the tsunami.

“God,” Lara muttered.

“Yeah,” Dominguez said with disgust.  “By taking the Key, you have set the apocalypse in motion.  Do you realize the tragedy you have unleashed?”

The sound of an approaching helicopter drowned out all other sounds.  

“The Cleansing has begun.  It falls to me now to stop it before it consumes us all!” Dominguez said as he walked away.

The last thing Jonah saw was Rourke taking Lara by the hand and pulling her onto the chopper.

Chapter Text

Peru 

The small plane flew over the Amazon River into dark and foreboding clouds. Lara could hear thunder in the distance as the craft neared the gathering storm. Rourke was sitting at the opposite side, staring out the window. The silence between them was unsettling. Lara kept glancing to the side, hoping to catch his eye and know that everything was okay between them.

“I think we’re looking for a volcanic mountain,” Lara finally said. “The ‘crown of silver’ is probably a band of clouds.”

Rourke continued staring silently out the window. He sighed loudly and said, “I just can’t believe we’re doing this.”

Lara sighed and looked down at her hands. “The riddle says ‘Chase the heart of the serpent to the silver-crowned mountain where the twins confer.’ I wonder what the twins are.”

Rourke shook his head, his eyes still not leaving the window. “This storm looks like bad news,” he said.

“It’s just a little rain,” Lara said.

Rourke cast her a sharp look before turning to the window again.

“We’ll concentrate on the cloudy mountain,” she said.

“A cloudy mountain. If we find it, how do we know if we have the right one?” Rourke finally turned and met Lara’s eyes.

“Gut feeling?” she said. “It’s our only clue. The mural says there’ll be more disasters. We have to stop it and Dominguez.”

“How do we really know?”

Lara closed her eyes. “Rourke, you need to trust me.”

Rourke met Lara’s eyes again. “We have to trust each other.”

Lara smiled sweetly and reached across the aisle to grasp his hand.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the sound of rain hitting the craft drew Rourke’s attention back to the window.

“Hey, we might have something here,” he said.

“Really?” Lara said excitedly. She unbuckled her seatbelt and moved to the window, stumbling a little as the plane shook from turbulence.

“I don’t like this storm,” Rourke said. “Should we come back in the morning?”
Lara rolled her eyes. “We are so close.”

Rourke frowned.

Lara moved to the cockpit.

“Miguel, is there anywhere to land?”

The pilor nodded his head. “Yeah, I can put you down near Kuwak Yaku.”

“Let’s go.”

Lara returned to her seat and buckled her seatbelt when the plane lurched forward violently. She turned to Rourke apprehensively.

“Hold tight, it might get bumpy!” Miguel called from the cockpit as the sound of breaking glass announced the arrival of hail.

A large hailstone burst through the front windshield, and the craft began to shake violently.

Rourke unbuckled his seatbelt and fought his way to the front of the plane.

“What are you doing?!” Lara cried.

“I’m gonna level it!” he shouted as his fingers locked around the yoke.

*                    *                    *

Lara opened her eyes to find herself suspended in the jungle canopy. She was still buckled into her seat but realized that the entire front of the plane was missing. She struggled to lift her head upright and tried to get her bearings. Thunder still rumbled off in the distance, and thick fog made her surroundings hard to make out.

Howler monkeys called out in the jungle all around her as Lara grasped the buckle of her seatbelt in an attempt to free herself from the wreckage. She fell into the mud below, feeling a sharp jab of pain in her chest. She cried out with pain as she forced herself to her feet.

“The plane!” Lara said to herself as she sees the wreckage atop a rocky outcropping.

“Rourke, are you there?!” she shouts as she climbs her way to the wreckage.

A rustling sound from the bushes nearby startled Lara; she spun around ready to draw her bow when she realized it was Rourke.

She sighed with relief and ran to him. She thrust herself into his arms and kissed him roughly on the mouth. “I thought I got you killed!”

Rourke put his arms around her. “Hey.”

He pulled from her embrace and said, “You know what happened to Miguel?”
Lara’s lip quivered. “He didn’t make it.”

“Damn it,” Rourke muttered. “So do you think that storm earlier was the storm? The one from the mural?”

“I don’t know.”

“We should go. If we can find Kuwak Yaku, we can rest for the night.”

“Sounds good.”

“I think I could see the village through the vines over there,” Rourke motioned back toward where he had come from moments before.

They make their way down through the jungle and find their path blocked by a heavy stone pillar, probably the last remaining piece of some ancient structure that once stood there.

“Help me with this,” Lara said.

They lifted the pillar enough to allow to Lara to pass underneath, and as she turned to hold it for Rourke, she was forcefully knocked down. A jaguar pounced on her, tearing at her back and neck with its teeth and claws.

“Fuck!” Rourke shouted. He struggled to lift the heavy pillar, but it was too heavy to move alone. He remembered the flare gun in his pocket. He tossed it though the opening.

“Lara, the flare gun!” he shouted.

Lara managed to kick the jaguar back for a split second, allowing her to grab the gun and shoot a flare, stunning it. She leapt to her feet and managed to down the jaguar with one lucky shot between its eyes.

“Croft!” Rourke shouted again.

Lara sunk to her knees, struggling to catch her breath and calm her nerves.

Lara slowly made her way to the opening where Rourke was still trapped.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Help me with this,” she said, ignoring his question.

Together they lifted the piece of stone out of the way enough to allow Rourke to climb through.

Lara walked away without another word.

“Your back looks bad.”

Lara continued to ignore him.

“I guess I’m gonna go make camp,” he said finally.

*                    *                    *

Rourke already had wood gathered and a fire started when Lara finally joined him. He was sitting beside the fire and patted the ground next to him.

Lara sat down next to him without a word.

“Let me take a look at your back,” he said softly.

Lara shrugged her shoulders. “I’m fine.”

He moved behind her and gently touched her back.

“It’s not pretty,” he muttered. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he said, “You’re going to need to take that shirt off.”

Lara’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Rourke—.”

“Listen, I’m not going to make any cheap moves,” he said defensively.

Lara laughed softly and lifted her arms, waiting for him to pull her blue tank up over her head.

Rourke’s fingers brushed against her skin as he pulled the shirt off, and he audibly groaned when he saw the extent of her injuries. He cleaned her wounds carefully. She shrank away from him.

“We’ve been pushing forward so hard. Flying into that storm—,” Rourke said

“I didn’t think it was going to be that bad.”

“I should have insisted we turn back. I mean, I get it. You lock onto a problem and everything else just disappears.”

Lara lowered her head. “Rourke—.”

“Croft, I’m with you. It’s my choice. But if we die—who stops the cataclysms? Who stops Dominguez from doing what he wants?”

“Sometimes I feel like I HAVE to keep going, and if I don’t, then I’ll just let everyone down. But maybe for the sake of a few hours, we could’ve turned back.”

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” he said, focusing intently on the task at hand and trying to forget that Croft was sitting in front of him in nothing but a sports bra.

“About what?”

“About Trinity, about us.”

“Oh?”

“I think you should join me.”

“I thought I already had?” Lara asked with confusion. She winced again as Rourke applied some kind of ointment to her wound.

“Officially,” he said.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for that kind of commitment,” Lara said with hesitation.

“I have no family,” Rourke said. “Trinity is all I’ve known for the past eight years. Trinity is my family.”

“I don’t have any family either,” Lara said.

Rourke bandaged Lara’s wound and then sat back down beside her.

“Then join me. Once we stop Dominguez, we can run everything, Croft.” He stared at her earnestly.

“Dominguez said he would use the Silver Box of Ix Chel to remake the world. If you had that power, what would you do?” Lara asked. “Would you go back to the way things were before?”

“And lose everything I have now? No. This world isn’t perfect, but everything I love—everyone I love—is in it,” Rourke said, staring intently into Lara’s eyes.

Lara turned and put her hands on Rourke’s jaw, stroking his beard with her fingertips. She kissed him softly on the lips and said, “Thank you for fixing me up.”

Rourke answered her with another kiss. He put his hands on her waist, drawing her closer to him. His hands slowly traveled down her sides, coming to rest at the small of her back.

Lara leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and nestling her head in the crook of his neck. She slid her fingers into his dark brown hair, playing with it for a moment before she finally pulled away and said, “We should get some rest.”

Rourke handed Lara her shirt and said, “Yeah, tomorrow we’ll head into the village.”