Mystery of the Ages Wonders of an Ancient Glory: Part II A Tomb Raider Fiction Story Starring Lara Croft

By Ryan Foley

Preface A Mystery of the Ages is the second part of the Wonders of an Ancient Glory story line. If you haven't read Part One yet, you may want to stop reading and do so. You will more than likely be able to find Part One at the same web site that you found this story or E-mail me to receive a copy. While these stories are complete within themselves, they are connected together and will eventually form a full length novel story. I would love to hear your opinions of these stories, so feel free to E-mail me at okfoley@earthlink.net and let me know what you think. Also, pass along a few words of thanks to the webmasters who were nice enough to support this endeavor of mine. They are integral in bringing these stories to you, so lend them a few words of thanks as well. I hope you enjoy the second installment of the Wonder of an Ancient Glory. More segments are already underway and will be presented soon. So let's get on with it. Ladies and Gentlemen, stand by for action!

Ryan Foley

Dedicated to Joe Z. To the man who first put me into print and provided a writer he's never met with an opportunity to continue a dream.

Mystery of the Ages

Prologue

Silently, deep in the ocean depths, a small piece of Hell stirred. His consciousness had survived although his corporeal body had been destroyed. Not destroyed but shattered. His form was in too many pieces to even begin to take action. Slowly but steadily, he began to reform. Inky black flesh began to knit itself back together. Bone and sinew began to form pieces of pure evil. Purple black blood began flowing into reforming veins. With each piece of Hell reforming, joy and hatred flowed. Joy for the chance to seek revenge for his new most hated enemy. Soon, very soon, he would seek out his new adversary and deliver his own brand of demonic vengeance. And when that happened, God help Lara Croft.

Chapter 1: Exploring the Locked Nest

The gloss black Humvee sped along the rough-hewed road, kicking up billows of grayish dust behind it. Late afternoon was settling in; the sun was beginning to slip below the horizon casting a soft pink and red glow across the sky. The mild cloud cover helped portray the sky as the perfect backdrop for an artist's painting. Inside the racing vehicle, the driver casually propped her hand against the wheel while her other arm rested on the window frame of the rugged off-road vehicle. Despite her relaxed attitude and the impressive speed of the Hummer, she remained in complete control avoiding any major potholes with only minor course corrections. Her nerves would have served any seasoned stockcar driver well. The road wrapped along the pristine lake; the reflections of the sinking sun made the water appear as molten gold. Off in the distance, she could see her destination. Up on a hillock was a large cobblestone building with several picturesque cottages lining the lakeshore. Her foot pressure on the accelerator intensified and the Humvee sped even faster.

The driver rolled the ORV up to a smooth stop in the small gravel lot next to the largest of the buildings. As she stepped out, her PathForger hiking boots made a soft crunch against the tiny pebbles. Tucking her tight-fitting black scoop neck shirt into her loose khaki trousers, she took in the wonderful picturesque quality of the lodgings. She pulled on her 40's style bomber jacket and placed her jungle fedora hat atop her head. Leaning her elbow against the gloss finish of the Hummer, she looked out on the purpose of her journey. The ruler straight lake was calm; only a few ripples disturbed the tranquillity. The gentle whispers of insects coming out for the evening could be heard in the distance. Save for the power lines, one might think they were nowhere near civilization. All and all, the environment was very relaxing. Giving the hood of the ORV a slight pound, she headed for the lodge up on the small bluff. Lara Croft had arrived.

* * *

Lara made her way up the gravel steps sectioned off with aging railroad ties. The building was relatively new by European standards, which meant it probably at least dated back to the turn of the century. Above the doorway was an old hand painted sign reading, "O'Meara Resort Lodging." The door opened with a gentle creak and disturbed a small chime giving off a muffled clinging of bells. The elderly woman looked up from her paper at the new visitor. "Can I help you, miss?" she asked in a quaint elderly voice. "Eleanor O'Meara?" Lara asked politely, removing her rose tinted glasses and slipping them into the neck of her shirt. "That's right." "I'm Lara Croft. I believe you spoke on the phone to one of my associates about renting out a few of your lodges along the lake," she said as she approached the counter. "Oh yes, dear. What a charming young man he was. All the arrangements have already been made," the elderly woman said rising from her chair to attend to the paper work. As she arranged the forms, Lara said, "If you don't mind me asking, you don't have the traditional Scottish accent. With a name like 'O'Meara' I thought I'd be dealing with a prominent Scottish woman." "Oh I con speek with me Sco'ish when I nee to, lauddie," she replied in a flawless traditional Scottish accent. "But," she continued on in her regular voice, "I typically save that for the tourists. It looks like you've been around the block a few times, so I though 'why bother.' I'm actually American, born and raised in Iowa. My dad was stationed here with the Army and love made me stay." Lara laughed at the revelation, "Well, this place has nice homey charm to it. You and your husband do a great job." "Well, I do a great job. My husband is what kept me here in the first place, but passed on several years ago and I just couldn't find a reason to leave," she said with a polite smile and a quick change of the subject. "Now you have cottages five, six, and seven. It's about five hundred yards down. They're the best cabins we have. March is still a little early for the tourist season so you should be able to do all your research in peace." Smiling, Lara handed the kind woman almost twice the required amount for payment. "Thanks a lot Mrs. O'Meara." "Please, call me Eleanor, miss." "Okay Eleanor, but only if you promise to call me Lara." Eleanor handed the keys to Lara, and she started to make her way to the door. Just before she could walk out Eleanor called out. "Lara?" Half in and out of the door, Lara cast a long look back to the counter, where the old woman was smiling. "Welcome to Loch Ness."

Chapter 2: Preparations

Yawning, Lara stepped out on the porch of her private cottage. Looking out onto the calm lake, she took in the quiet tranquillity as the rising sun burned away the last remnants of the patchy fog. Despite the bright morning sunshine, the temperature was still rather chilly. Looking down the rows of cabins she saw lights on and morning activity in the other cottages her research team were staying in. A loud crash and a sudden obnoxious stream of curses disturbed the tranquillity. Walking to the corner, she peered back at the parking area where her Hummer, two Jeeps and a full sized Dodge van with an oversized trailer were parked. One of her crew members was hopping on one foot while clutching the other. "Problem Spotnitz?" Lara asked, between sips of her coffee. "No," he muttered between curses. "Do these cases have to be so heavy?" "Well with all the cases being the same size, it allows us to organize and pack a lot easier. Different equipment calls for different weight," Lara explained matter-of-factly. "But hey, look at what it does for your biceps." "Oh ha ha ha," he replied with a flippant obscene hand gesture. Frank couldn't have weighed ninety-eight lanky pounds soaking wet and full of food. He had commented more then once on his insecurities about his body, or more accurately, his lack of one. The fact that he was almost 6'4" didn't help hide his rail-thin frame. Lara let out a slight giggle and turned back to observe the lake, downing more of her morning coffee. She had to admit there was a distinctive charm about Frank Spotnitz that made him extremely likable. She had discovered the young, sandy-hair, engineer while delivering a symposium at the University of Oklahoma. He had a rather in-your-face Dallas, Texas delivery but his ideas for in-the-field applications for machinery and equipment had been quite insightful. As she looked back to the cottages, Kim Manners walked out of her lodge dressed in her University of Alabama "Crimson Tide" sweatshirt and jogging pants, with her freshly shampooed, close cropped brunette hair framing her rounded face. Kim was not the traditional botany research student. She was a highly attractive petite woman measuring in at just over five feet. She and Frank always portrayed such a stark contrast when walking together. One of her most enduring qualities was the fact that she never showed off her natural beauty. When most women know that they are good looking they have a tendency of letting you know it. Kim was the exact opposite. She wore loose baggy clothing and hardly any makeup. Lara noted how much time she spent on the jogging track and it was clear she had a natural athleticism. Some of her fellow male students often felt that Kim may be "batting for the other side," but to Lara it was clear she was just devoted to her studies. Lara gave the young researcher a hello by raising her coffee cup as Kim waved good morning. Knowing the group wouldn't be ready to start for at least an hour, Kim took off on a leisurely jog before breakfast. Making her way down to edge of the lake, Lara stepped up onto the long dock and made her way down to the secured boathouse. The aging but stable wood creaked under her weight and bobbed slightly, as she made her way out over the water. The docking house, located at the end along with a single decrepit fuel pump and a covered porch, was primarily used to house two small boats or one large craft and allow room for the users to sit and fish. It wasn't anything fancy. It needed a coat of paint and few new shingles, but it did keep the boats out of the weather. Entering into the building, Lara was taken aback. Overnight, the team had turned the small shanty for docking boats into a scene from mission control. While the center of the room was open water to accommodate boats, the perimeter docks were now covered in electronic equipment. She looked around recognizing sonar arrays, Nexrad weather stations, seismometer relays, and even stations giving thirty-second updates on their submersible equipment. The reflections from the water cast ghostly pattern along the walls and ceilings giving the entire room the feel of a 70's sci-fi movie. As Lara made her way through the ordered chaos, she saw R.W. "R-Man" Goodwin and Paul Rabwin working on their submersible: the Dolphin 4. Both were employees of Warstiener Dynamics, Lara's adventuring gear supplier, and two top aquatic field equipment research employees, handling cases ranging from undersea cartography, aquatic volcanic activity, and biological surveys. Lara found it odd that she didn't even know Goodwin's first name. The whole group simply knew him as "R-Man" or just "Goodwin." He was a consummate professional, always on time and quick and to the point in meetings. He couldn't help but hide his thick muscular frame under his stuffy suits that he usually wore around the office. Lara asked him once if anyone had ever told him he looked like Denzel Washington. It was the few times she ever seen him bust up in laughter. Rabwin was a completely different story. The young designer showed a large part of his Native American heritage and usually wore his long hair in a braided ponytail. Too many beverages had caused him to develop a paunch but he swore he designed best after downing a six pack. His nose had been broken too many times during his high school and college baseball career to allow him to be considered handsome, but his upbeat personality more than made up for his lack of good looks. Unlike most designers, Rabwin enjoyed designing and working in the field as opposed to a desk. He liked making on-sight modifications during in-the-field tests to make sure his equipment worked properly. He usually wore various rock group T-shirts and jeans riddled with holes. The two had worked together since their freshman year at Florida State University. Both men had been interested in underwater archeology and oceanography from a young age. With FSU actively conducting underwater archaeological fieldwork since the late 1950's, the home of the Seminoles became the perfect habitat for the two researchers. It was unbelievable to Lara how two men could be so different after coming from the same background "How's it going, gentlemen?" Lara asked finishing off her cup of coffee. "Terrible," Goodwin grumbled, running his hands over his clean-shaven head. "Everything's fine, Lara." Rabwin said, shaking his head in disagreement. "What's up?" Lara asked in an inquisitive up-beat voice. "I don't fully trust this thing yet. We haven't done enough tests," Goodwin raved with a sharp flailing of his arms. "I'm not sure I'd trust her in a stable environment like a wave tank or even a pool." "Nonsense R-Man," Rabwin disagreed. "The specs all read fine. Everything is gonna work great. The Oh-two flow system is working fine and the liquid coolant is performing above the designs." He lowered his voice an octave and sounded like he was giving a sales pitch, "Dolphin 4 is the single best design ever created for the personal submersible watercraft." He smiled and put a reassuring hand on Lara's shoulder and squeezed, "Trust me Lara. I wouldn't put you in her if I didn't trust her with my life." Lara smiled a confident smile and left the two men to finish their work. As Lara walked back down the dock, she felt a sense of uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. She had never worked with a large team before. Usually, she worked alone. This was the first time she was working with a group of people on an exploration. While she planned to go in alone, the idea of a support team on the surface was a new experience for her and it was going to take some getting used to. Most of the members were still in or fresh out of college. While the enthusiasm and new ideas were commendable, their inexperience was somewhat disheartening. As she walked back to the cobblestone cottages, Mark Snow, the final member and operational leader of the team came out adjusting his communications headset. "Bad news, boss" he said with his deep baritone voice scratching his square jaw under his five o' clock shadow. "We've got a heavy storm system moving in on the Nexrad. Best case scenario is that the storm will arrive the day after tomorrow. We're gonna lose this unseasonably warm March weather." "So we've got two full days to go exploring?" Lara said raising an eyebrow. "And that's best case scenario." Mike said with a disheartening frown. "Well, let's not waste time talking about it. Call your fiancée in from her run and prep Dolphin 4 to launch," Lara said smartly. "You got it boss."

* * *

Lara returned to her rustic cabin, and began to unpack her personal diving gear. She had yet to test her new form-fitted wetsuit, but what better place in the world than the famous waters of Loch Ness? She ran a quick check on other equipment: knives, lighting, fins, GPS position monitors, underwater camera, and other miscellaneous items. After a full check of her gear, she checked her watch and moved to the kitchen table currently full of electronic equipment, wires, and a large chrome suitcase with a full video unit built inside. She typed a few buttons on the keyboard and the LCD screen winked to life. The monitor was flashing the Warsteiner Dynamics logo as the satellite phone established its connection. After a brief pause, several windows opened on the screen including a videophone link with Hans Warsteiner. He turned to the screen and smiled, "Good morning, Lara. How are things in lovely old Scotland?" Lara adjusted the mini-camera on her end and smiled, "Just fine, Hans. We're about ready to go on our first launch." "How are the troops?" "Well, they all seem nice enough. I'm just not comfortable working with a team." "Did you fill them in on what you're really looking for?" "Are you crazy? They'd probably run for the hills screaming about working with a mad woman." Hans let out a brief chuckle, "The 'win' boys, Goodwin and Rabwin, are some of the best I have. Any problems you have, they should be able to solve." "Don't get me wrong, Hans. All your equipment is great but I'm afraid I'm may be letting myself get too dependent on the technology. My instincts may begin to lose their edge." "Well, use it as a helper not a crutch. And hey, don't let the fact that Mark's only twenty-five fool you. He's a top-notch leader and researcher. Listen, Lara. I'm late to a meeting over in R&D. They said they think they've discovered a key to the hieroglyphics in the coffin you recovered over in Shan Zanar. Good luck and good hunting." Lara nodded and switched off the communications system. She rose from her chair and walked out of the cabin with her gear. "Good hunting, indeed."

Chapter 3: To Boldly Go

"So the bartender says 'Don't worry buddy, with a pair like those you shouldn't have any problem hailing a cab!' Get it? Hailing a cab!" Paul Rabwin erupted into such violent laughter Lara swore he was going to pitch overboard. Lara covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. The crude joke had been funny but she didn't want to give the young designer more ammo to continue. "Man, this weather sucks compared to the Florida Keys last month," Paul said boisterously at the bow of the Sodie Searcher. The large silver gray pontoon boat bobbed lazily against the calm waters of Loch Ness. The high tech research vessel was impressive and the hassle to transport the boat across the Atlantic had been well worth it. Designed by the Watercraft division of Warsteiner Dynamics, the vessel was completely designed to fully operate in any aquatic environment. The craft measured almost forty full feet in length and was remarkably quick with four 400 horsepower outboard engines. Its enclosed cabin could easily accommodate up to five researchers and was fitted with a variety of electronic equipment. Sitting on one of the various storage lockers along the boat's side rails, Lara was suiting up in her black and yellow Sola wetsuit and was preparing to enter into Dolphin 4 for another plunge into the depths. She tested her oxygen tanks as the designer extended the boat's side auxiliary pontoons, giving the boat four stabilizing points to form a sturdier base. "Naked women. Drinks with umbrellas. Non stop partying with the locals," Paul said making little gyrating dancing motions on the main deck. "No offense, Lara, but studying the porpoise's mating rituals was a lot more interesting then digging through muck on the floor of Loch Ness." "So you enjoyed watching some porpoises making babies?" Lara said raising an eyebrow. "I wonder what Freud would say about that?" "We could have watched starfish regenerate for all I care. It was after hours that made it all worth while!" he quipped back. "I walked around in nothing but shorts..." "Which was no picnic for us, doughboy," Kim yelled from the raised level of the glass-enclosed bridge. Paul waved his antagonizer off and continued. "Anyway, I got to wear shorts all day and get my Indian ass nicely tanned, as opposed to shivering in the fog of Scotland. I feel like I should be wearing rain slickers and galoshes, making fish sticks for that Mrs. Paul lady." Trying to hide his smile, Mark stood off the bow dressed in his typical hooded black sweatshirt and jeans, cleaning Lara's diving mask. He was completely at home in the field. The wind had picked up and the clouds were beginning to darken. Most people would hate this kind of weather yet Mr. Snow seemed to be in his element. He silently wanted to agree with Rabwin about their last adventure in the Keys but he would never voice his opinion. Game time had arrived. Mark handed Lara her mask and gave her a stern look of caution. "If my calculations are correct, the storm will hit in six hours, Lara. With the oxygen umbilical, you can push twice that, but I'm not sure about the batteries. We've been pushing her hard over the last two days and I'm not sure about that last overnight charge. She just wasn't designed to be used sixteen hours a day on a daily basis." Despite the negative situation assessment, Mark tried to remain positive. "Five hours is my optimistic assessment. If the storm arrives when it should that doesn't give us a large margin of error. I don't want to try docking this thing if the waves get too choppy, especially if we have to hurry due to low oxygen or power." "Okay, I'm with you," Lara said strapping on the helmet and tossing the facemask into the seat. The large diving helmet looked more like a helmet to a futuristic space suit than for scuba diving. But she needed the extra room to allow her to maintain radio contact with the surface. "Mike test. One, two, three. We go?" From the bridge, Kim Manners monitored the array of electronic equipment. She held one of the communication headphones up to her ear and gave thumbs up. Over her headset Lara heard a crackle of static and then Spotnitz's voice from their base camp on shore, "Lara this is home base. I'm relaying the GPS coordinates to the sub now. We've got five possible locations left, giving you just under an hour to search each area. R-Man says the Nexrad radar's picking up some intense lightning, so you best be off the lake as soon as possible." "Roger, Frank. Thanks for the Intel. Okay guys, wish me luck," Lara said as Paul Rabwin helped her walk across the attachment arm and enter Dolphin 4. Lara had spent almost every hour of daylight for the past two days in the water searching for this "mysterious structure." Not knowing the true reason for her search, most of the students just thought she might have been searching for a potential den for "Nessie." The cramp olive drab submarine was one of the most advanced personal watercrafts Lara had ever seen. The sub was remarkably quiet and the skin of the vessel was cooled to keep the sub at the same temperature as the water, dampening it from thermal sensor sweeps. While the original "cloak" design was to avoid thermal radar, research had proved it also helped keep the vessel concealed from water life. Settling into the captain's chair, Lara powered up the engines and released the magnetic docking clamp, plunging the submarine into the depths. The special Heads-Up-Display mounted on the dash allowed Lara to view light in the infrared spectrum and with the sub fitted with infrared lights, she was able to view the underworld without disturbing the area with harsh light. Lara's time was running out. If she couldn't find what she was looking for within the next five hours, she would have to wait for another clear weather pattern. That could take weeks. And if what she believed was true, she didn't have that kind of time.

* * *

Almost two hours later, Lara moved into the isolated cove labeled by the group as Section XR-3 in the northwest corner of the lake. She maneuvered the sub close to the sloping hills of the mud and silt. The sub's computer systems continued to analyze readings from the hundreds of laser beams bounced off the lake floor. The goal of the laser beams was to scan the surface of the bottom to detect any possible man-made structures. Unfortunately, the system was overly sensitive. Lara had spent many warnings identifying a few sunken boats, miscellaneous objects, and even one sunken car. She was running out of time. The storm had to be drawing closer with every minute. She had turned off her radio to help conserve battery power, leaving her alone three hundred feet below the surface. Several flashing lights began to blink on the sub's dashboard and a mild buzzer began to set off a programmed alarm. Looking through one of the sub's six monitor consoles, she saw the Doppler laser-imaging system begin to generate a three-dimensional image of a man-made structure at 95% certainty. It took Lara some time and several angles from the imaging system to realize the structure was a fully formed tower half buried in the mud and silt. The base of the tower appeared to have crumbled and the structure had collapsed to its side, resting on a raised outcropping of rocks. The tower looked like an old Netherlands windmill or castle turret. Lara flicked her communications back on. "You guys still with me? Give me a Sit-Rep." Lara heard Kim's voice over the radio, "Lara, it's good to hear from you. The wind has picked up. The storm's less than two hours away now." "I've found the structure I've been looking for. I can't pull out now. Ask Mark how much time we have." There was a brief silence and then Kim answered back, "Ninety minutes, tops." "That should be more than enough," Lara said and she cut the engines. The small turbofans slowly glided to a halt and Dolphin 4 rested in the thick mud. "What's your position?" Lara asked as she spun her chair to access the hatch sectioned off the sub and led into the rear dive tank. "We are about 100 yards off your starboard and we are planning to move into position directly above you. We'll hit the floods to help you identify our position. Paul says to squeeze the key chain on your front zipper. It's a micro-sensor that will help us track your movement and..." There was an uncomfortable pause. Lara listened as she strapped on her helmet's faceplate and activated her oxygen. "Kim?" "Paul says he's picking up some strange sonar contacts on the Fish Finder. Are you in the launch tank?" "She filling up with water now. I was about to open the rear hatch. Should I wait?" "It must just be a school of fish, Lara. You're good to go." "Confirmed."

* * *

The back of the submarine opened, bathing the surrounding area in the stark red glow from the interior hatch activation light. With all her gear in check, Lara kicked her way free of the sub. The water was chilling, prompting Lara to move quicker to get the job done and get back home. She made her way around the drab skin of the sub and activated the remote lighting system from the miniature keypad on her left forearm. The halogen lights arranged along the sub's upper supply rack illuminated the dark water to reveal the mysterious tower. A large school of fish swam away from the light instinctively. The large schools must have been causing the abnormal readings on the sonar. The structure appeared to be made of cobblestone and was lying perfectly still, as if a giant hand plucked the structure from the ground and laid it gently on its side. Spotnitz had said the lake still had earthquakes, some measuring up to 4.0. It was conceivable the tower could have shifted and plunged into the water. "What is that?" she heard Frank say. The video feed was relayed into a recording station back at the home base so Frank and Goodwin could see the information recorded from the sub's cameras. "I'm moving into position to study the tower. The base still seems attached to the structure, like a tree being ripped from the ground. What do think Frank; seismic activity?" "It's possible Lara. If this structure was on a cliff during an earthquake and the land slid into the lake... Yeah, it's possible. I've just never seen a structure fall intact like that before and not take some damage." The roof, foundation, and structure were all solid. Searching for a way in, Lara saw an opening, like a window frame on what would have been the highest section, possibly the third floor, of the tower. The window was positioned at about two o'clock on the tower, so entry should be easy. It was a small opening, but she should be able to fit, and at the time it looked like the only choice. As she swam towards the window, several large schools of various fish streaked passed her from beyond the tower, giving Lara a bad case of the willies. "Whoa, a bunch of fish just swam past me," Lara said as she turned to watch the fish swim away. "Something got them all riled up, like they were avoiding a predator..." Lara spun back to see nothing but green with an enormous pair of jaws and row upon row of sharp teeth.

* * *

On the pontoon boat, Paul looked at the screen in disbelief; "It's not possible." "What?" Mark said, coming away from the helm. "The sonar is going nuts. I've got a screen full of snow, then no contacts, and then this huge form. I even lose Lara and D-4, when it blacks out." Paul said, smacking the screen with the palm of his hand. "It must be a malfunction," he reasoned. Kim began screaming, "Lara! Lara, come in!" She looked up with a horrified expression. "I heard Lara scream 'oh my God' and her radio went dead."

Chapter 4: The Athenaeum

After falling several feet, Lara made sudden sharp impact with a stone surface. Surprised at the sudden change of environment, she tried desperately to gauge her surroundings. She had dodged the huge...'thing' and scrambled for the only opening on the tower. When she passed through the window, she had dropped into free space, but that was impossible. However improbable, Lara couldn't believe her eyes. The ancient tower, despite having been tipped over on its side, had managed to keep water from its structure. But the window was open! Water should have freely dumped into the structure. Somehow the flood of water was kept at bay by some unknown force. She scanned the area with the window where she had entered the structure. She saw the long dark shadow move effortlessly through the water. In the glare of the light from the surface, she had difficulty registering details, but she could clearly make out a bulbous body, a long neck with counter-balancing tail, and four stubby flippers. Suddenly, a huge yellow eye filled the window. As the pupil contracted in response to the light, it looked as if the eye was narrowing to study her more closely. She guessed the eye must have been over a foot in diameter and it scanned the inside of the tower with a cold reptilian stare. The eye suddenly vanished from view, swimming away with blinding speed. She wasn't looking forward to swimming back out again but she would jump that chasm when she came to it. But now, Lara Croft had entered the Locked Nest. She had uncovered and entered the library of the fabled sorcerer Merlin.

* * *

"This is not good," Mark said while running a diagnostic on his equipment. "Everything seems to have failed. Her micro-sensor isn't showing up. Communications are down. This is not good!" "We still have the sub's functions on the diagnostic relay," Goodwin radioed in from shore. "What was her last position?" Kim answered, "She was fifty feet off the bow and she just disappeared. " "If she went into a structure, it could cause interference." Mark argued, "But a complete blackout? She was here one minute and then she was gone." "What about that odd sonar signal," Paul reminded. "The last thing we need is to start giving in to strange superstitions," Mark rejected hotly betraying his usually cool exterior. "I'll give her another ten minutes to make contact and then we load up the emergency scuba gear."

* * *

"Kim? Mark? Frank? Hello? Does anyone read me," Lara was trying to contain her panic. Her radio was completely dead. It couldn't even produce static. Water may have shorted out the system. The LED lights on her keyboard had gone dead as well. With the keyboard, she could have remote piloted the sub to her location. But now she would be forced to make a mad dash for the sub. It was roughly seventy-five yards away. Plenty of chances for that 'thing' to gobble her up like a quick appetizer. Lara decided to turn her attention towards the tower and figure out how to escape later. With the tower lying on its side, navigation was difficult. The top floor that she was in appeared to have once been a laboratory. Given her last experiences with Merlin's experiments, she made it a point not to touch anything. The tower glowed with a mysterious golden aura, giving Lara enough light to see. Fortunate, since her flashlight was also not responding. When she entered the tower, all electronic equipment seemed to shut down. She would be forced to trust her instincts to get through the remainder of this escapade. She thought back to her conversation with Hans before her first launch and reminded herself to be careful what she wished for in the future. As she navigated the wall that was now acting as a floor, she made her way past various overturned tables and spilled mysterious equipment into the secondary chambers. Assorted ancient furniture lay in piles against the walls, some crumbling into pieces. Remarkably, the room was clean. The outside of the structure was covered in algae and small plants, yet the inside had remained free of even dust. Along the walls were series of intricately carved cherry wood shelves all stained a deep red. The shelves were in serious condition and most of their contents had spilled out in the upheaval of the tower. Moving to a series of books, Lara scanned the various titles hand stitched along the leather spines. Her Latin was rusty and she had to guess at most of the words but it was almost like titles for textbooks. She ran through a few titles. A red book with gold trim read "Theoretic Postulations of Draconian Fluid Uses." A large encyclopedia-like book read "The Chronicles of Kovalath Kore." Lara swore the blue book read "Shalkalmir's Guide to Golem Construction." A long flat book much like a business ledger was stamped with the text "Contact with Planar Beings for Dimensional Travel." She must have been translating these titles wrong. Golem Construction? Dimensional Travel? The titles must have different meanings. Perhaps it was an older dialect of Latin than she was used to. Hopefully Hans' computer system would be able to scan the books at home base and translate the books. Sifting through the various odd pieces of broken furniture, she stumbled upon a mysterious amulet. The leather thong was worn but strong. In stark contrast to the leather band, the amulet looked like it had just been fashioned yesterday. It appeared to be platinum with several rare stones embedded around its edge and its middle was the draconian symbol of Merlin. Lacking pockets on her wetsuit she placed the medallion around her neck and continued her search.

* * *

From shore, Frank Spotnitz and R.W. Goodwin studied the operational readings of Dolphin 4. While contact had been lost with Lara, the sub was still functioning, although on standby power. Running through several remote control procedures on one of the computer terminals, Goodwin quickly punched up several commands and moved his mouse cursor over a large flashing red diagram on the screen that read "ACTIVATE." He clicked the button.

* * *

Dolphin 4's dashboard winked to life, a large red glow from a console reading "REMOTE ACCESS ACTIVATED." A large hiss of gas bubbles was released from the top of the boat and the umbilical oxygen cord began to winch its way to the surface.

* * *

"Okay, Mark." Spotnitz's voice came across slightly garbled. "The U-OX-C is deploying now. At that depth, the marker should reach but barely. You should be able to follow the cord all the way to the sub." Mark was already suiting up in the black and blue wetsuit and testing the oxygen. "How's D-4 holding up guys?" Paul asked trying to remain cool. "Not good," Goodwin replied flatly. "Battery 4 and 5 are malfunctioning. Power is down tremendously. Even if you don't push her hard, I'd say you've got half an hour of active power left." "Nothing like a challenge," Kim said with a smile helping Mark into his tank harness. There was a deep rumble in the distance and a big, fat single raindrop smacked against the deck of the pontoon boat. The three snapped their gazes from the deck to one another. "Great" they all said in unison.

* * *

Lara quickly gathered up most of the books, over one hundred in all, and carried them stack by stack to the entrance room. Her waterproof containing barrels were still on the sub. She would have to swim back to the sub, pilot it over and land the supply rack very close to the window. She would then pull the barrels in, load them up, and activate their CO2 canisters to float them to the surface. All the while avoiding the mysterious creature that is swimming around looking to make a meal of her. No problem. Just another day at the office. After cleaning out most of the second chamber, Lara moved to the third and lowest chamber. Unlike the other two rooms, this chamber was not lit with the golden glow. As Lara stepped into the darkened area, her breath quickened and her pulse begin to race. She paused in the entranceway and let her eyes adjust to the dark. The circular room was not completely darkened. A slight blue glow could be seen emanating from the center of the room. Much of the room had experienced heavy damage. Many pieces of crumbling stone littered the room and traveling over the rocks appeared dangerous. Near what would have been the center of the floor, on what was left of a raised dais, still attached was a mysterious glowing gem. With all of her electronic equipment failing, on a hunch, Lara produced an old-fashioned compass. The needle spun wildly. Raising an eyebrow at the curious event, Lara moved deeper into the cavern until several rocks began to crumble under her feet. Being so far away from her oxygen in this unstable underwater environment was sure suicide so she headed back to the main chamber at the apex of the tower.

* * *

Mark Snow descended deeper into the dark, chilling depths. He pulled himself down, hand over hand along the U-OX Cord, to place him right on top of the deserted submersible. As he moved deeper into the darkness, he began to see the telltale glow of Dolphin 4's running lights and halogen array. From the corner of his eye, he swore he saw a flash of movement, but he shook his head in protest. He reminded himself that the mind tended to play tricks in intense situations. After plunging almost three hundred feet, he finally reached Dolphin 4. Several schools of fish quickly swam passed him as he moved into the red-lighted dive tank bay. He slid into the diver hanger of the sub and pressed the large flat glowing yellow button to close the hatch door. He realized nothing had happened. The doors remained opened. He examined the hydraulic shafts along the hatches and all were functional. Mark guessed that with some of the batteries down, the power must have been channeling to the system. Looking beyond the hatch doors, Mark saw something swimming oddly towards him from out of the darkness. Its neck had an eerie snake like movement and its immense body was pushing itself forward at a tremendous rate of speed. And then he saw the teeth. Frantically, Mark popped the auxiliary control hatch surrounded by black and yellow striped marking tapes and began pumping the lever to manually close the hatch. With every pump of the handle, the door inched closed but the green reptilish beast was closing faster. Snow slammed the last inch of the hatch closed just as the beast rammed headfirst into the submarine. Several long tooth mark indentations formed against the hull, but the metal remained intact. The impact of the strike knocked Mark to the front of the dive tank. Luckily, the receptacle was still filled with water cushioning the impact slightly. Activating the air pumps, he drained the water from the tank, and accessed the hatchway into the sub's command bay. Looking out the glass, he saw the beast swim past, bumping the sub with its long snake-like tail. The creature was immense; it must have been easily over seventy-five feet in length with its tail measuring roughly a third of its total length. If Mark didn't know any better, he'd swear he had just seen a dinosaur. And the dinosaur was turning around for another pass.

* * *

Frank Spotnitz whooped in joy. "Sub power is on-line!" Unlike Lara's dive suit, Mark's had not been equipped with communication. The only way the surface team would know if he had reached the sub was to monitor its activity. With the sub brought back from its standby power mode, Mark must have safely navigated to the Dolphin 4. "Sodie Searcher, this is home base. D-4 is up and running," Goodwin relayed the news to Paul and Kim waiting aboard the pontoon boat.

* * *

Mark strapped into the safety harness of the captain's chair and began to quickly flick switches and press buttons. He had to get the submarine fully back on-line, before the Loch Ness Monster made a meal of him. He dashed through the start-up procedures keeping one eye on the control panels and keeping the other on the looming creature currently on a direct collision course. With the auxiliaries powered up, Mark initiated the main power. The beast continued to close the distance. Primary and auxiliary turbofans were activated. He could make out the individual fins and pebble skin on the creature. With the creature bathed in the harsh halogen glow, he could see every detail. The halogen glow! He quickly shut the light rack off and the running lights down and floored the sub to the left. While he had managed to sidestep the initial brute force of the creatures rushing attack, the thing's hind flipper managed to slap the sub's nose, spinning the craft wildly and causing spider web cracks to form on her right view panel. Dolphin 4 was taking too much damage. If he didn't get out of here soon, both he and the sub would cease to function.

* * *

Lara pushed her way out of the tower's window and into the brisk water of Loch Ness. She gaped in slack jawed horror. Dolphin 4 was gone. The ridge where she had left the sub was now vacant. What the hell happened to the sub? Had the creature attacked it? Maybe it had been knocked back down the other side of the muddy reef. Even if Dolphin 4 was just over the ridge, it was a long swim leaving her extremely vulnerable. And if the sub were where she hoped it would be, three hundred feet of water would separate her from safety. Plus, once she reached the surface she would still have to find the Sodie Searcher and make her way onto the boat. That was a risky and desperate chance but she couldn't give up now. The clock was ticking. Looking up to the surface of the water, she saw the hazy glow of the Sodie Searcher's flood lamps. It seemed an impossibly long way away. Lara decided to skim the floor and then make a mad dash straight up to the boat. It was risky but she had no other choice. Hugging the bottom, she pushed her way out over the floor. She wasn't sure if the mud and thick vegetation helped conceal her or if she was simply blazing a trail for the predator to follow. No fish or underwater life could be found. Lara was confident that was not a good sign. As she rose over the ridge, her heart sank. The sub was nowhere to be found. So much for hoping to find her over the rise. That meant the creature must have picked up the two-thousand-pound vessel and carried it off. That was even more disheartening than the fact that the sub wasn't there. Then the attack came from above. The immense jaws sunk deeply into the mud just a hair away from Lara's head. The beast was all over her. It pulled its head out of the mud and stared coldly at Lara with its reptilian eyes. Frantic, Lara swam for the safest place she could find. She came to rest in between the monster's shoulder blades. With herself in this relatively safe position, she prayed that she might be able to buy herself some time. But then the beast nimbly pivoted its head around like a swan. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. There was no way she could avoid the jaws, not at this close range. The beast paused momentarily sizing up its prey and then like a serpent, its head rushed forward to strike. Lara was about to die.

* * *

Suddenly, Lara Croft's communication system came screaming to life. "Lara, GET DOWN." From behind her came a loud roar and a sudden flood of light as the Dolphin 4 slammed into the onrushing head of the Loch Ness Monster. The monster was stunned by the sudden burst of light from the halogens and the smack against its snout. Surprised, it swam for safety. Lara desperately latched on to the submarine as it skimmed past. Hanging on as the sub sped away, Lara began hauling herself towards the emergency hatch located in the underbelly. "Mark?" she asked over her headset. "Yeah, I'm here. We lost contact with you. What the hell was that thing?" "Let's worry about that later. Take me back over the tower." She could sense the apprehension in his voice, "Lara, were running on electrodes here. She's sustained heavy damage and I think we should head ba-." "I'm not turning back now because of some overgrown shell-less turtle," Lara said firmly. "Take me back over the tower and hover in position so I can drop in the storage containers." The beast had disappeared off the scopes and even though it was against his better judgment, Mark complied. Mark steered the sub into position over the window as Lara emptied the five large blue storage barrels and a length of steel cord into the opening. "Okay, when I go back in we should lose radio contact. Make a circle and meet me back at the opening in three minutes. Okay?" "Roger. Lets do this quick and get the hell out of here." "I'm all for that. On the final approach begin to deploy the winch. Three minutes on my mark. Now, Now, Now!" Lara dropped into the window and Dolphin 4 sped off through the water.

* * *

Lara stored all the books, activated the CO2 canisters, and linked all the watertight containers to the metal cord in two minutes and thirty seconds. Poised at the opening of the window, she saw the sub coming out of the darkness on its final approach. Luckily, Nessie was nowhere to be seen. The sub glided in smoothly and Lara leapt into the water tugging the cord along. She quickly locked the cord, along with her own lifeline, to the sub's equipment rack on its underside and the towing cord pulled taut. The turbofans strained but the sub pulled the storage containers out of the tower. Once the air-filled containers reached the water they began to rise to the surface. Lara relaxed slightly with relief, as she wasn't sure if the sub would have had enough power to pull the containers out of the air-filled environment. "Mark, we are free and clear. Let's get out of here." Gunning the motors, Mark replied, "We're already gone."

* * *

"Did you feel that?" Goodwin asked. "Feel what?" Frank asked. On cue, there was a very distinctive tremor and then a second sharp, more violent shock. Books fell from the shelves and equipment spilled haphazardly. The two men tried to stay on their feet as the world shook around them. Being over the water helped but the vibrations were still strong. Moving to the seismometer, Goodwin saw the needles ricocheting wildly. The sudden arrival of the earthquake could not have come at worse time.

* * *

As the Dolphin 4 submarine raced for the surface, Lara disconnected the tow cable from the supply rack. The containers wouldn't need the sub's help to get back to the surface. Looking down from her precarious position under the sub, she saw the tower fading into the darkness. Suddenly, the world seemed to open up as a large crevice formed under the tower. The fissure swallowed the tower in a storm of rocks and released a shower of air that began erupting to the surface. The cascade of bubbles rushed towards the sub, buffeting their ascent to the surface. Lara's eyes grew wide in horror as the head of the Loch Ness Monster emerged from the wash of bubbles. Lord, this thing is smart, Lara thought. Using the bubbles as concealment to cover its approach, Lara had almost no time to react. Its jaws were opened wide and its long thin tongue looked to pull Lara into its fearsome rows of butcher knife teeth. With the force of the sub's speed and the torrent of bubbles, Lara couldn't pull herself up against the hull. She was being drug along the sub's path, dangling out like bait. Too suddenly, the monstrous jaws clamped shut around Lara's torso. Closing her eyes to the impending doom, Lara reflexively tensed, her knuckles turning white under the strain, as she knew her body was about to be torn asunder. But the killing blow never came. Instead she only saw a brief flash of crimson light from under her closed lids. Squeezing her eyes opened, she looked about. Sure enough, she was in the creature's mouth. She could see every bone cutting tooth, the pale purple color of the long serpentine tongue, and she could stare down the black gullet of the extended neck. Yet still, the killing blow didn't come. An eerie crimson aura surrounded Lara, almost like a mysterious bubble that the creature couldn't bite through. Confused, the creature continued trying to force its jaws closed but could not. And then Lara saw the glow emanating from the amulet she had taken from the library. Frustrated, the monster released its grip on the bubble, and reared its head back to look at Lara and the escaping machine. Recognizing the aura, the monster halted its relentless pursuit and let the odd construction go as it continued its ascent into the light. Lara locked gazes with the beast as they rocketed away. If she didn't know any better she would have sworn she recognized a bit of human intelligence behind those cold reptilian eyes.

* * *

"I'll be damned," Paul said from the helm as the Sodie Searcher headed back towards their base camp. "This would be the part where the grizzled old fisherman would say, 'Boy I heard some whoppers in my day but this one takes the cake'." From one of the research chairs, Mark Snow laughed a sigh of contentment. Now that he was safe back on the surface, he could finally laugh at the ordeal. He had just been on a wild ride and only now could he begin to comprehend everything that had happened. Kim gently rubbed his shoulders as the boat raced along the water. Lara Croft stood gazing out onto the furrowed lake with hundreds of concentric circles forming from the barrage of rain. She looked out over Dolphin 4 hanging in its launch clamp over the main deck and the five storage containers holding their precious cargo. Ironically, Lara felt no joy. She had confirmed the existence of one of the world's greatest mysteries and recovered a vast expanse of knowledge from the athenaeum of fabled sorcerer Merlin. Yet, like the dark looming clouds rolling in from the west, she knew that dark time were ahead.

Epilogue

"Raise a glass, lads," Hans Warsteiner said. The six other adventures sitting at the table heartily complied with the request. Lara Croft, Hans Warsteiner, Mark Snow, Kim Manners, R.W. Goodwin, Paul Rabwin, and Frank Spotnitz all raised their respective glasses filled with their choice of liquor. Hans simply said, "To a job well done." And the group downed their glasses. The small homey restaurant had been more than gracious towards the group when they had requested a private dining hall with the best of all food and drinks. "So what will you do next?" Lara asked Mark and the researchers, after finishing off the last of her steak. Mark wiped a bit of gravy from the corner of his mouth, and smiled in response. "We just confirmed out next order of business." The other workers looked up from their meals, apparently still unaware of their next assignment. The Discovery Channel has commissioned the Sodie Searcher to help film an upcoming documentary special on the Carcharodon carcharias." "The what?" Frank asked. Kim smiled at the genus species name. "Great White Sharks." "No way!" Paul began to protest. "There is no way you are getting me in the water with a Great White. I saw Jaws three times. No way." "That's too bad," Mark said. "We've got a two month film stint in San Diego and then its down to Dangerous Reef in Australia for another three. Well, we might be able to find a replacement, but..." "Wait a minute," Paul reconsidered. "Fosters? Sheilas? Shrimps on Barbie and Ken? Let me just say, G'day mate. I'm in." The group enjoyed a good laugh. Mark asked, "So what about you, Lara? Where are you off to next?" "Yeah," Frank added. "With your confirmed reports of the Loch Ness Monster's existence, you gonna become even more famous." He cast his hand in a wide sweeping arc, "Lara Croft-Myth Masher & Legend Locator. Available for hire at not-so-reasonable prices." "Actually, I've decided not to go public with the announcement and I hope you all don't either." Her statement brought a bit of an arousal from the group. Seeking to justify herself Lara continued, "Mrs. O'Meara treated us better than anyone else I can remember. If the official confirmation of Nessie were ever brought to the public, say if she was captured, it would kill the industry. Small businesses would dry up. Who would buy Nessie souvenirs? Mrs. O'Meara said she gets a lot of traffic from Nessie Hunters. I don't want to be a part of destroying those businesses." With no other arguments, the group agreed to keep their encounter with the Loch Ness Monster a secret. And the night wore on...

* * *

Lara ejected the disk from her computer and placed it in the vault along side Merlin's Spellbook and other various trophies she refused to keep in the open. The disk was one of several on which she kept a journal of all her many adventures. She also removed a simple leather thong necklace from around her neck and placed it in the vault. Tied to the thong necklace was a single white tooth the length of her hand that gleamed pearl in the half light. Frank said he had pulled the tooth from part of the rear damage to Dolphin 4 and thought she should have the memento. She had completed her retelling of the tale on the disk; her days of exploring, finding the odd tower, recovering the books, the earthquake that destroyed the tower, and most importantly discovering the amulet that kept her safe from Merlin's guardian. It was the only rational explanation. Merlin must have created the creature to protect the library while he was away. Keeping the tower underwater would keep his archive hidden and the creature must have been insurance to keep it safe from interlopers. Only his symbol on the amulet protected her from the deadly beast. But now she knew, with the recovery of the lost collection, an even greater adventure lay in store for the brave adventurer.

Mission: To Be Continued...

A Mystery of the Ages Author: Ryan M. Foley

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