古墓5 原文劇情

[Po Yu]

Memorial  

It is a dark and stormy evening in the English countryside. Lightning briefly illuminates the dark sky. Thick black clouds block the view of the sky as fierce rains pours down to earth, drenching trees, houses, and a familar form. The form of a woman wearing sunglasses, even in this driving rain, wielding two pistols.


But this familar, larger-than-life form is not our familiar heroine, but rather a statue of her that has been erected in the courtyward before her manor. Three people are standing in the rain to pay tribute to the memory of person depicted by the statue.


An older couple stand huddled underneath an umbrella, stand about a short stone's throw away from the statue, their grief or their guilt making them unable to close the remaining distance. The husband is a tall stately gent with a broad square frame. The wife, standing stiff-lipped in the man's arm, is slightly shorter and quite attractive even though she is getting along in age. Their posture is stiff, even in this time of sadness.


The third person is an even older man. He is even more hunched over than usual, but it is not the rain beating on his bald head that is slouching his shoulders forward. He shuffles forward slowly to place a wreath at the base of the statue.


The plaque at the base of the statue reads,

LARA CROFT
ONCE AND FUTURE ADVENTURER,
FOR HER.

Lightning strikes and the shiny brass plaque reflects its blindingly white light. The old man turns and looks at the couple, who turn and look back. All are at a loss for words. With nothing left to say, the couple turns to go as a car pulls up to the gate of the manor.


The old man turns to the car and walks down the path to the car, leaving the statue of Lara Croft standing alone in the rain. Winston climbs into the car. Inside, a man of the cloth is seated in the back seat viewing the evening news on an LCD screen.


The news reporter reads the evening news, "In world news, a private memorial service was today held for renown archaeologist Lara Croft..." The car is now travelling down the tree-lined road, away from the manor.


Father Dunstan attempts to breach a conversation and turns to the old man, "Tis is a sad day Winston."


"She will live on forever in our hearts," Winston replies bitterly while staring out the window of the car.


Father Dunstan attempts to comfort him and adds, "Surely Winston, and for this is but a memorial service, there may yet be news from Von Croy in Egypt."


Winston is quick to reply. "Indeed, we can only hope and pray that she may yet return to us," he tells the father hopefully. As quickly as his hopes welled up, they bleed away as he continues, "And I fear that Von Croy, digging in the hopes of discovering her alive, may only be met with black reality."


Father Dunstan nodds in agreement, "Indeed, indeed." The news reporter is still reciting the news as Father Dunstan points a remote control at the LCD screen and clicks off the telly.

[Po Yu]

It's a cold, dark, rainy, day. With the memorial service for Lara Croft over, her old friends retire to the Croft Mansion.

As they sadly collect their thoughts, they reminisce about Lara's past adventures...

Meanwhile...

Hundreds of miles away, Werner Von Croy coordinates the frantic dig - searching for answers buried deep beneath the Egyptian desert...

The foot falls of three men can be heard echoing through the halls of the Croft Manor. Only a few lights in the manor have been lit, and the rest of the manor is immersed in darkness. The only eyes that witness the three men's arrival are the stuffed hunting trophies that are mounted above the second floor landing.

Winston, Lara's butler and oldest friend, leads the other two men into the study. Flashes of lightning briefly strobe the home in bright white light, as the Winston steps out of the foyer into a hallway that leads to the study. "To the study, gentlemen, where we may pontificate over the day's disheartening events," Winston tells the other two men. Winston swings open the door to the study and steps inside.

"Indeed, my friend," Jean-Yves concurs. "Even the heaven's cry out," he adds. Inside the study, he and Father Dunstan take seats that flank the fireplace. Winston steps through a side door to the kitchen to prepare some tea for his guests. Jean-Yves reaches forward and takes an unusual stone with a crystal protruding from one end from the table before him. He holds it up to allow it's yellow crystal to catch the light of the fire.

"Ah, the Philosopher's Stone2. One of Lara's early conquests," Winston announces, as he returns from the kitchen with a tray of tea and crumpets. "And one of her most challenging pursuits, if my memory serves me," He quickly adds. He places the tray on the table.

"And Rome still bears the scars of that little episode," Father Dunstan contributes.

"Ah, she was never one for diplomacy, Lara," Jean-Yves chuckles. "But she certainly knew how to paint the town red." Jean-Yves nods around the table to see Winston and Father Dunstan in agreement. Their conversation brings them back to the time Lara was in Rome, Italy. Their memories begin with an evening at the opera.

On stage, a large soprano in a deep red dress is singing Mozart's "Voi che Sapete", from "Le Nozze di Figaro3". Lara Croft watches contentedly through opera glasses from a balcony box. Lara is dressed in a stunning strapless evening dress. It's cut low in front and cut high up her dominant leg. However, she's wearing quite sensible flats rather than high-heels.

Lara's appreciation of the aria is interrupted when a blonde man dressed in a tuxedo steps noisily into the box through the curtains behind Lara. He proclaims with a southern drawl, "Well g'all darn! Ain't she just a picture?" He saunters up beside Lara and gives her shoulder a hard pat.

"Ah, the charming Mr. Larson," Lara coos, lowering her opera glasses and turning around. "Has Pierre let you off the leash?" She asks so sweetly and so sarcastically. Before Larson can formulate a come-back, Lara asks, "Talking of which, where is our learned friend?"

"Ah, He's around," Larson tells her with a buck-toothed smile. "You got the cash?" He snaps quickly?

"I've got the cash," Lara replies. "But I don't deal with the monkey," she insists.

Larson, who has taken the seat beside her, smiles, "Hu-hm, well that ain't polite for a lady. Even if the monkey has the Mercury Stone?" Larson asks smugly. Larson reaches into his inside suit pocket and produces a gray rock with a large yellowish crystal protruding from one side. The crystal glows and hums slightly as Larson holds it out for Lara to see.

Lara reaches down beside her right leg and produces a metal attach?case and holds it out for Larson to see. "Lucky I'm in a generous mood," Lara replies.

Just then, her words are interrupted by the click-clack of a gun, having its first round chambered. She turns to see a second man has joined the party and is pointing a gun at her face. "Ah crawled out from under your rock, I see," Lara tells the second man.

The second man is quite pale with a goatee and is also wearing a tuxedo, "No need for unpleasantries, Miss Croft," Pierre cuts in. He reaches forward and takes the metal case from Lara's hands and he and Larson both back out of the balcony box, he tells her, "I'm afraid I must, once again, relieve you of your burden." He tosses the metal case to Larson.

Lara smiles sweetly and shrugs, "Easy come - easy go." Lara lays one hand on the balcony's rail rapping her fingers on the wooden rail a couple of times, and extends her other gloved hand out to Pierre. Pierre looks at her extended hand, failing to notice that the other hand has closed to form a fist. Pierre smugly leans down to give her knuckles a tender kiss, when she brings her closed fist around, punching Pierre squarely in the bridge of his nose.

"Oh!" Pierre stumbles backwards, dropping his gun.

Larson acts quickly. He hands the case back to Pierre and both men continue backing up, now in a defensive stance. Lara herself is out of her seat and is also rapidly closing the distance between herself and Larson. It's not all sugar and sweetness anymore. Lara's got a scowl on her face that should make any man think twice. Larson, unfortunately didn't hand the Mercury Stone to Pierre as well, holds out the stone in front of him, trying to keep both hands ready to defend himself.

When Lara is within range, she takes a spinning back-roundhouse kick across Larson's head. He lets out an enormous, "Oof!" and the Mercury Stone shoots out of his hands, straight up into the air.

Lara turns around takes a forward handspring to flip up onto the balcony rail. She reaches up and catches the Mercury Stone, and tucks it into her garter. She turns and takes a leap off of the balcony rail, grabbing onto the stage curtain. All heads turn from the soprano to Lara dangling from the edge of the curtain. The opera patrons let out a collective, "Aaah!" at the sight. The curtain drops to the stage floor, bringing Lara down with it.

Lara spins around to face the now ecstatic crowd, which assumes this to be some stunt to liven up the performance. They rise and give her a standing ovation. One of the spotlights moves from the soprano to Lara, and she curtsies graciously for the crowd as they toss red roses onto the stage to her.

The moment of fanfare ends when Pierre fires five shots at Lara from the balcony box. The crowd screams, as Lara quickly flees. Exit, stage right. Pierre and Larson quickly exit the box and run down the stairs.

Larson curses, "It ain't over until the fat lady sings." Not realizing the irony in his own statement.

In an alley behind the opera house, a hapless motorcycle courier is banging on a door leading to the back stage making an attempt to deliver a package. As he lethargically knocks on the door he looks at two posters for Casablanca and Rebecca. Without warning, Lara bursts through the door, knocking the courier aside. Lara scans left and right, and spots the courier's motor scooter.

She runs forward, leap-frogs over the plastic crate strapped on the cargo rack, and lands in the saddle of the bike. She hits the electric starter button, and zips down the cobblestone alley.

The stunned courier has no idea what just happened, but turns to see the bright headlights of a car bearing down on him. He leaps aside to just barely avoid getting run down by the car.

It is apparent that Larson and Pierre have stolen a taxicab, and Larson is now behind the wheel. The speed down the narrow alley and close in on Lara and manage to tap the back of her motor scooter twice. Lara takes a quick look back and the accelerates the little scooter harder.

"Bucking bronco, baby!" Larson calls out, as he attempts to continue to cause Lara's scooter to buck like a wild horse.

Lara spots an intersecting alley, weaves a moment and takes a sharp high-speed turn into the next alley. Having overshot the intersection, Larson mashes down the brakes, and backs up the car and then puts it in forward again to make the turn into the alley and continue his pursuit.

Lara finds that this alley ends at a closed steel gate. There is plenty of space below the bottom of the steel gate, but not enough for a person riding upright on a motor-scooter. As she nears the gate, she turns and leans hard to one side, causing the scooter to be thrown sideways. She leaps off the scooter, which is sliding forward on its side, and tumbles forward on the granite curb of the alley. Both she and scooter pass beneath the steel gate. She rolls to her feet, her dress intact and not a hair out of place, while the scooter slides to a stop beside her.

Larson spots the gate and tells Pierre, "We ain't gonna make that gap, boss."

"We'll make it," Pierre insists.

"Ain't gonna," Larson counters.

"We'll make it!"

As the taxi-cab continues to race toward the gate, Lara stands up, turns and walks forward to the gate. She places her two hands on the bars of the gate, feeling the security they have provided for the decades it has stood in that alley. She smiles and takes a few steps back and stands there with her hands on her hips.

The top of the cabin of the taxicab crashes into the gate, blowing apart the windshield, while allowing the front end of the taxicab to pass underneath the gate. It rushes forward, but stops about a foot short of where Lara is standing, and is thrown back by the gate.

"What did I tell you?" a very battered and bruised Larson demands rhetorically.

"Mon Dieu!" Pierre curses, slamming his two fists down onto the dashboard. He isn't in much better condition than Larson.

Lara looks at the two thugs with a sort of wonder in her eyes. She smiles, takes a few steps backwards and blows them a kiss. She turns and walks off into the night. Leaving the two aching and dazed men sitting in the taxi.

Lara returns to her hotel and looks over the Mercury stone in her possession4. She decides on her strategy to look for the Philosopher's Stone the next day and goes to sleep. In the morning, she dons her traditional adventuring garb, straps on her hip holsters and checks her ammo, knowing full well that she will run into Pierre and Larson later this day. To avoid being conspicuous, Lara exits out the side door of her hotel into a side alley with a cobblestone pathway and hears the crickets chirping.

[Po Yu]

Lara cautiously approaches the building in the middle of the garden and looks up at the three gargoyle heads above the door. They look like the heads of dragons, staring ominously back down at her. Lara replaces the Mercury Stone in the receptacle with the symbol for mercury on it. Just then Lara hears a noise, and spins around with guns drawn. She looks up at the building facing the garden building. Not seeing anyone, Lara holsters her pistols one at a time and mutters, "Rodents, I shouldn't wonder. Big rodents." She turns and begins to walk away.

The source of the noise is Larson nearly falling off of the other side of the roof that Lara was just scanning. Pierre quickly grabs Larson's arm, preventing him from taking a header off the other side.

Larson gets to his feet draws his gun, and cocks the hammer. He takes aim on Lara, but Pierre raises his arm and knocks Larson's arm skyward just as he fires, saving Lara's life. "What?" Larson inquires furiously.

Pierre is furious, "Idiot! Idiot! What does the cowboy hope to achieve with this mindless firing?"

Larson is puzzled, "Ain't mindless. Or ain't we trying to kill her anymore then?"

"You were kicked in the head by a horse, oui? So the brain doesn't work correctly," Pierre asks sarcastically.

Larson asks ingenuously, "How'd you know about that?"

Pierre is flabbergasted, "Never mind! Never mind! We wait until she collects the other pieces. In this fashion we have the full prize at no extra effort."

Larson is duly impressed, "You are one clever cookie, boss."

Pierre is flattered by his companion's complements and smiles, "Comparatively, yes. Come, let's get off this roof and I will buy you a milkshake."

[Po Yu]

Lara makes her way down from the temple mount and returns to the garden. As she rounds the corner to the front of the garden building, she finds Pierre loitering there. Lara immediately draws her pistols and aims them at him.

Pierre doesn't seem impressed, "Come, come, Lara. We are all friends here." He clicks his tongue and motions with one of his guns.

Larson appears from behind the building, sneaking up on Lara and trains his revolver on Lara's head, "Begging your pardon, ma'am, but if you'd like to put them peashooters away. Lara holsters her pistols and Larson shoves her forward

Pierre now feels confident enough to make some demands of Lara, "Now, the second stone if you please, Miss Croft."

"Come get it," Lara dares.

"Hmmm," Pierre wonders aloud. He's wiser after having attempted to get close to Lara the night before. "It's a little late in the evening for these games." He turns to Larson and issues a command, "Larson, search her if you please."

Larson, having a short memory is clearly pleased, "Well, gosh darn if I don't get all the best jobs." He walks forward, facing her and puts his hand on her midriff, copping a gratuitous feel. He then kneels down and runs his hands up her bare legs.

Lara quickly tires of getting groped by this gorilla, so she suggests, "You want to try the back pockets?" As Larson leans in to put his hands on her behind, she knees him in the groin.

Pierre is fed up, "Larson! Enough! My patience is exhausted with this childish nonsense. The stone, Miss Croft." Pierre trains his gun on Lara.

Lara produces the Saturn Symbol from her pack and holds it out to Pierre. She offers him a warning, "If you put this into that gate, Pierre, you're going to get a lot more than you bargained for, trust me." Larson is standing by, still doubled over, with both hands between his thighs. Pierre now hesitates.

Larson steps forward. Feeling his manliness in jeopardy, he walks past Lara, and snatches the symbol out of her hands, while announcing, "I'll put it in then."

Lara offers an additional warning to Larson, "That would be one of the stupidest moves you've made, and that's saying something I think you'll appreciate."

Pierre continues to hesitate, this time verbally, "Uh..."

Larson slips the Saturn Stone in its receptacle. Looking around and realizing that nothing has happened, he turns to Pierre and shrugs.

Pierre regains his confidence and gloats, "A nice try as always, Miss Croft."

"Wait for it," Lara replies. A moment later, a bolt of electricity shoots from the building and zaps Larson. "Don't say I didn't warn you," Lara reminds them.

Pierre quickly runs to Larson's aid, and the two of them frantically pat down Larson's jeans, which are on fire. "What is it? What have we done?" A panicked Pierre asks?

"In your usual flamboyant style," Lara explains. "You have set in motion the next gate phase."

"Next gate phase?" Pierre puzzles.

"If my memory serves me," Lara thinks, looking up. "The gate has realigned itself and if it does not receive two stones in the next few moments... poof!" Lara gestures a big explosion with both her hands. Lara attempts to imitate Larson's low-brow vocabulary to make sure she drove her point home, "If I was you, I'd grab your Cro-Magnon cowboy over there and run as fast as your little legs can carry you. Au revoir, mon cher." Lara turns and walks away, leaving the two panicked men to wonder what their next move ought to be.

Lara quickly heads down the street to a nearby neighborhood11. From her research, she has deduced that this is most likely the neighborhood where the last two stones lay. Lara follows the twists and turns of the street until she abruptly runs into a dead end. She turns around to survey the buildings around her.

[Po Yu]

Lara steps through the opening back into the garden. She draws her guns and calls out, "Come out, come out wherever you are?"

Larson pops out from behind the building with his gun draw, "Heck, this ambushin' ain't what it used to be."

Lara trains her guns on him and replies, "Not when you're involved, no."

"Practice makes perfect, I'm reckonin'."

"Whatever," Lara tells him carelessly. "We seem to be missing someone," Lara notices. She side steps out of the opening into the middle of the garden.

"If you's talking 'bout Frenchy, he's kind of... indisposed," Larson announces smugly.

"And you thought you might just help yourself to his share of what's behind that gate?" Lara asks. "Unless of course this is just a social visit."

Larson tells her sweetly, "Well, you know I's always pleased to see a little belle like you, Lara. Be more pleased to see that last stone, though, if you'll be wantin' to hand it over." Lara fires and Larson dives behind the building and complains, "That ain't supposed to happen."

Quickly draw weapons and open fire on Larson. Jump back and forth to try to dodge Larson's shots. After Larson falls, Lara will holster her guns.

Lara begins to approach Larson with her guns trained on him. A noise, like stone grinding on stone, catches her attention and she looks up. The stone serpents begin to move and look around.

Lara begins to back away and calls out to Larson, "Larson! Behind you!" Her voice is clearly alarmed.

Larson, holding his wound, doesn't notice the serpents eyeing him from behind and tells Lara, "I may be a dumb ass but I ain't fallin' for that again."

"No, really," Lara points with her guns, "behind you."

Larson raises the pitch of his voice to ape Lara, "Behind you! Behind you!" The three serpents emerge from the building and squirm around Larson. One of the serpents clamps its jaws around Larson's midriff. Lara continues to back away while Larson is screaming frantically. Finally the serpent flings Larson across the garden. He lands hard on his back and lets out a, "Whoa."

[Po Yu]

Lara will slide down the ramp and drop to a slope below. She takes an ungraceful tumble down the slope but manages to grab the edge of the slope before falling over the edge into the deep pit below. As Lara dangles precariously by her fingertips, a smug Pierre ambles up to the edge of the pit.

"Hmm... an unfortunate situation, no?" Pierre asks cheerfully.

"I've had worse," Lara answers slowly.

"Indeed. Indeed," Pierre nods. "This is a very deep pit and in this, such an historic venue, I feel sure there may be valuable artifacts lurking in its depths."

"I can't tempt you to jump down and take a look?" Lara asks sarcastically.

"Well, this is my point: I feel you may be better qualified to examine its secrets," Pierre declares lazily. "Unless you - perish the thought - expired in the fall. Perhaps if you lighten your load a little it may lessen the impact," Pierre suggests. "The stone you carry?"

"Wondered when you'd get to that," Lara adds. "Pull me up and the stone is yours."

"And we all live happily ever after?" Pierre asks warily. "I think not." Pierre looks down at Lara's big hazel eyes and has a change of heart. He allows his hormones to win over his better judgment and tells her, "Give me your word that once you leave the pit you will not lay a finger on me."

"You have my word," Lara promises. Pierre stoops down to offer his hand, but with a strong grip on his Magnums and his aim still trained on Lara's head. In order to obtain better leverage, he sits down on the ledge and pulls her up over the edge of the pit. Lara crawls up past him.

Pierre stands and turns around. He decides to collect on his favor, "The stone?" Lara walks slowly up to him, getting closer and closer. He attempts to remind Lara of their bargain, "Now, now, Miss Croft, you gave me your word. Come now Lara. Lara, you promised."

Lara puckers her lips as her face draws near his face. "Boo!"

Pierre is startled by her and slips backwards, falling off the edge of the ledge. He manages to grab onto the ledge. Finding that their situations have been reversed, he asks, "Could you find it in your heart to help me up? I appear to be slipping."

Lara looks down at him and says sweetly, "Pierre, you know nothing would please me more, but we have an agreement."

"Agreement?" Pierre puzzles.

"Not to lay a finger on you. Remember, silly?" Lara shrugs, "Anyway, busy girl, got to go." Lara turns to walk away.

Pierre begins to loose is grip and is about to start begging, "But I..."

Lara can hear Pierre let out a scream, and land with a thump and a moan. "Don't let me hold you up," Lara tells him.

[Po Yu]

Lara wields the glowing and humming stone in front of her admiringly. It's light grows so brightly Lara has to put on her sunglasses.

Back to the present in the Croft Manor, Lara's three friends are gathered around the table. "And so ended the first of many," Winston punctuates. "I'm sure Miss Croft would be the first to apologize for her not entirely courteous behavior regarding some of the more delicate religious artifacts." Winston turns to Father Dunstan, "Father Patrick?"

"No, need my friend," Father Dunstan raises hand and smiles. He waves off Winston's surrogate apology and shakes his head. "All in a good cause. At least we knew they were in secure hands. And fortunately, the church was above sending a bullet-proof envoy to retrieve them." He turns and casts a glance at Jean-Yves.

"Ah, but she recognized her place in the great scheme," Jean-Yves explains. "Some things, as history has illustrated, are best left to their slumber." Father Dunstan and Winston exchange puzzled looks. Winston leans forward interestedly. Jean-Yves chuckles, "I speak in riddles. I talk of the stricken wolf ship." Jean-Yves gestures to a picture of a German U-boat on the wall above and to the right of the hearth.

"Ah, yes," Winston nods, suddenly catching on. "The U-boat episode. Miss Croft would never enlighten me as to the details. For my own protection, she would often stress."

"Indeed, Winston," Jean-Yves agrees. "And for this you should be grateful." Their collective memories enter the dark cramped hallways of a German submarine. German seamen pass each other in the tight quarters. "Deep in the bowels of their vessels lay one of the most powerful artifacts in all Christendom. An artifact which, when wielded at the vanguard of an army, would make that army invincible." Behind bulkhead doors in a storage room, lies a few crates. One small unseeming crate glows and bumps up and down.

"The Spear of Destiny," Father Dunstan whispers reverently.

"But the boat never reached the fatherland with its precious cargo," Jean-Yves explains. "It disappeared from radar three weeks into the journey," his voice grows deep and menacing.

The U-boat is aground on a undersea trench on the sea floor, near the edge of a deep trench. Its captain and four seamen have boarded themselves in the torpedo room. The captain stands in front of racks of torpedoes, while one of the sailors vainly attempts to contact help. The broken radio yields only static, squeals and pops.

A bright unnatural light leaks beneath the bulkhead door. Soon the whole door glows and panic washes over one of the sailors. The light shoots through the small round window and blows rivets off of the bulkhead door. The sailors draw their weapons and take aim. When panic wins, they open fire. "Mein Gott!" They shout. As they fire, their bullets ricochets around the room, hitting some of the men and pinging off of the torpedoes. The captain repeatedly yells, "Nein!" Attempting to stop his men, but its too late.

It's unclear whether it was the unknown force or the stray bullets that take down the sailors, but the torpedoes explode, blowing the conning tower off of the U-boat. "So," Jean-Yves continues. "This is the resting place of the fifty-two seamen, and also something much more sinister."

[Po Yu]

Lara and Jean-Yves stand on a high hillside overlooking a Russian naval base. Light snow drifts down through the night sky. The scene is almost tranquil. Between two tall evergreens, Jean-Yves briefs Lara on the situation. Jean-Yves is standing in front of the snowmobile they arrived on. Lara, dressed in arctic camouflage, stands closer to the edge of the clearing, peering down at the naval base using sophisticated night-vision binoculars.

"The Zapadnaya Litsa port," Jean-Yves tells her. "Once the pride of the Russian fleet." Lara surveys the base and spots two black sedans pulling into the base. She zooms in on one of the cars and gets a glimpse of one of the men inside the leading car. "Ex-KGB, the majority of them," Jean-Yves continues, "Trained killers." Lara zooms her binoculars back out to see the two sedans enter the naval base. The gate is guarded by two men.

"Dealt with Mafioso before. Unpleasant memories. Prefer to avoid them whenever possible," Lara turns to Jean-Yves.

"Yes, I would prefer this also," he agrees.

Lara peers down at the harbor and spies a couple of salvage vessels pulling out of the dockyard. "Hardly a major search party, is it?" She asks. "There's something you're not telling me." Her big brown eyes pierce Jean-Yves.

"Ah, yes," Jean-Yves concedes.

"I'm a big girl now," Lara tilts her head toward him. "Hit me with the bad news."

"It is bad news," Jean-Yves yields. "The admiral's allegiance has been bought and under his command a nuclear submarine. It's housed in one of the dockyards."

"Well done," Lara congratulates him on his frankness. "Nuclear submarine? Sounds nice. Perfect holiday." Lara turns and begins toward the edge of the slope.

"Lara, wait!" Jean-Yves extends his hands and offers a small item. "Take this tracking device."

"What's this? You're not worried about me?" Lara asks defiantly.

"Yes. Someone has to." He presses.

Lara takes the device and smiles, "Touching, but don't wait up." Lara turns and runs down the slope. Jean-Yves mounts the snowmobile and starts it. He takes a sharp turn and heads off into the woods as Lara makes her way down to the naval base.

[Po Yu]

Lara hears the voices of two men below, so she immediately crouches down and listens in on their conversation.

The tall burly man tells the well-decorated man in uniform, "Move your men along, Yarofev. I do not pay such exorbitant prices for incompetence."

"You forget, Mikhailov," The officer reminds sternly. "I am still an admiral of Russian navy and as such demand respect." Lara presumes that this must be Admiral Yarofev, that Jean-Yves briefed her on earlier.

"While you accept my bribes for use of the submarine, you are under my employ and will follow my instructions without complaint," Mikhailov replies

"If I deal with the like of you to keep my men in bread, it does not make me one of you," Admiral Yarofev hisses.

Mikhailov laughs loudly and slaps the admiral on the back, "Relax, my friend. We are two sides of the same coin." He turns and walks away and boards the submarine.

"Mafioso filth," Yarofev spits at Mikhailov under his breath. He turns and calls to his men, "Brushev, hurry on with that box. Our new commander demands efficiency." A couple of men shove a crate, which slides down a ramp into the submarine. "Enough! Enough!" The admiral calls, "Board and seal hatches."

Yarofev climbs onto the conning tower of the submarine, where Mikhailov is waiting for him. Mikhailov announces "As you have promoted me to commander, is it not fitting to board before the admiral?" Mikhailov climbs into the open hatch, leaving Yarofev to watch him.

Lara takes in the scene and waits until all the men have disappeared into the submarine before standing up.

[Po Yu]

Lara lands on the submarine quite hard, rolls forward and ducks behind a ridge near the top of the submarine. A Russian marine hears Lara hit the submarine and steps out of the submarine to investigate.

He walks past Lara's hiding place toward the tower. Lara quickly scrambles to her feet and runs forward to hide behind a crate. She peeks around the crate and then smacks her fist against the crate to get the marine's attention.

The marine turns around to investigate. Expecting someone to be hiding behind the crate, the marine leaps around the corner of the crate to find no one there. Lara, meanwhile, has made her way around the crate the other way and has sneaked up on the marine from behind.

She attempts to clobber him from behind, but he deflects her falling fist. He grabs her arm and twists her around. Lara elbows him in the gut, causing him to double over, turns and gives him a swift upper-cut to the jaw, laying him out.

She quickly turns and enters the submarine just in time, as the loading bay doors are closed behind her. She looks around and huffs, "Humph, economy class."

[Po Yu]

Inside the submarine's cold storage bay, Lara sits down and pulls her knees close to her and leans her head on her knees. Her rest is interrupted by footsteps approaching. Lara looks up when she hears the sounds approach. A bulkhead door opens soldiers and Admiral Yarofev along with two Russian steps through.

"An unwelcome addition to our little assignment," Admiral Yarofev declares. The two soldiers step forward and point their guns at Lara. She raises her hands over her head. "Leonid," He commands one of the soldiers. "If you will escort this lady into the brig." One of the soldiers waves his gun to indicate that Lara should walk ahead of him.

"Your little assignment?" Lara asks inquisitively. She gets to her feet and steps toward the men. "You have no idea what your Mafia financed assignment is." Lara challenges, "Do you Admiral?"

"Young lady, who you are and what you know is of very little concern to me," He replies. "If I was captain of my ship, I might listen to you, but unfortunately the situation I find myself in doesn't allow me that privilege so if you will be quiet and hurry along like a good little girl," the Admiral spits. Admiral Yarofev gestures down the hallway outside. Lara steps past them and walks down the hallway ahead of the three men.

They round a corner where there are crews quarters. One of the soldiers opens the door and Admiral Yarofev turns to Lara, "Inside please."

Lara warns him, "You're making a grave mistake. You know that?" The soldiers slam the door to the crew's quarters shut.

The Admiral turns to the two soldiers and orders, "Under no circumstances open this door. You understand?" The two soldiers salute. The Admiral turns and walks away.

[Po Yu]

Lara will spot a ventilation grate on the right that overlooks the submarine's control room. She looks down into the control room to see Mikhailov and Admiral Yarofev talking to each other.

Mikhailov is peering into one of the submarine's two periscope, and asks Yarofev, "Then it is true? We are before the stricken U-boat? Now we find if its cargo is still intact." He turns to Yarofev, "Prepare your divers."

"And are we to be told what we search for?" Yarofev asks back, clearly annoyed.

"Enough to locate it, da," Mikhailov replies. "But beyond that I fear it may be too much for your limited intellect to grasp."

"Perhaps too much for mine, trusted comrade, but perhaps not for the spy we have located on board," Yarofev shoots back, clearly looking to get a rise out of Mikhailov.

"A spy?" Mikhailov asks "I trust you disposed of him."

"Not him. Her." Yarofev corrects. "Yes, we are forced to run with wolves but we do not kill indiscriminately like they."

"Fool!" Mikhailov regains his composure, "I shall dispose of her when I return. Move the sub into position, quickly, comrade."

Yarofev now peers into the submarine's second periscope and gives commands to the sailor at the helm, "Take her five degrees astern, quarter power. Then bring her to a full stop." He turns and clicks on a microphone mounted on the periscope and announces, "Attention all dive crews. Report to your stations immediately."

[Po Yu]

Once the Extreme Depth Suit, or EDS, is fully operational, Lara chimes, "Time to turn the tables." She walks over to the suit's pants and examines it. She turns around and grabs onto the two parallel bars above the pants and pulls herself up over the pants. She lowers herself into the suit's pants and pours her legs into the suit.

When she is snugly set into the suit's pants, the chains that hold the upper half of the suit automatically rises and swings over to the pants. The two supports that Lara used to pull up on automatically lower and the upper half of the suit lowers itself down over Lara.

Once Lara is inside the EDS, she finds movement to be quite difficult. She moves very carefully and deliberately and steps down off of the platform and walks over to a hatch. The hatch automatically opens as Lara approaches.

With some difficulty, Lara steps up onto the platform in from of the hatch and steps through it onto a lift. The lift lowers and the hatch closes and finally lowers Lara into the ocean depths outside.

[Po Yu]

Lara pilots the EDS into the chamber and hovers over the crate for a moment.
She dives down and opens the crate and produces the artifact. The wooden shaft of
the spear has long since eroded in this underwater resting place, but the spearhead
is still fully intact. She declares, "Ah who could believe it." She tucks the spear away.
Of course her good fortune is short lived, as removing the spearhead seems to have
triggered an undersea earthquake which rocks the U-boat. Wreckage falls from the
ceiling and hits the EDS. "Puncture!" Lara exclaims, "Time to leave."

[Po Yu]

When Lara returns the Russian submarine, she rides the lift back into the dive chamber. She steps forward and the hatch closes. She stands in the storage case for her Extreme Depth Suit, or EDS. The chain attaches to the upper half and pulls it off of her.

Lara turns left, walks forward and grabs the support arm above her head and pulls herself out of the pants of the EDS. She turns around and returns to the upper half of the EDS, as the legs collapse to the ground.

She pulls the remains of the Spear of Destiny from the small storage place on the EDS just as Mikhailov arrives with two of his thugs. They turn their guns on her.

"Ah, our on and off visitor," Mikhailov announces. "I fear you have an item in your possession that I require."

"To be used in your continuing quest for world peace, I presume," Lara spits sarcastically.

"World peace," Mikhailov repeats. "Not entirely my purpose in pursuing this artifact."

"This artifact contains untold power," Lara interrupts him, deadly serious. "Power of which the likes of you will never harness." She clutches the spear close to her. "If you wish it, you may have it, but you will regret it," Lara tells him ominously, emphasizing the 'will'.

"The world may regret it," Mikhailov corrects. "Hand it to me and I may spare you."

"On your head be it," Lara tells him as she whips the spearhead towards him.

Mikhailov catches it and tells the two goons, "Take her to the torpedo room, and eject her into the ocean." Mikhailov so satisfied with himself, he lets out a "Ha".

The two thugs lead Lara away. As she passes Mikhailov, she turns and exclaims, "Sergei! Listen to me." Lara waits for Mikhailov to turn and face her. "You don't know what you're dealing with."

He waves her off, and the two thugs lead her out of the dive room. As soon as Lara, who is being escorted by the two thugs, are outside, they hear the sound of electricity. Back in the dive chamber, purple and pink sparks shoot out of Mikhailov and lift him into the air.

Suddenly there is an explosion and the inside of the submarine is plunged into darkness. In the darkness Lara makes her move. In the blackness, the sound of a fist and a foot connecting with their intended targets are heard. The first sound is followed by a surprised "Ah" and the second by a "oof" of pain. All are punctuated by the splash of a unconscious body falling into knee deep water.

A moment passes and emergency power is restored to the submarine. Lara surveys the damage and finds water pouring in from everywhere and the hallways already flooded to her ankles.

Mikhailov is nowhere to be found. Lara knows the submarine is sinking and she must quickly find a way to the surface.