Tomb Raider: The Golden Seal

Chapter 4: Selma's Diary

(...)

Gunderson went back to the excavation's entrance to catch his breath. His men were wearing gas masks, but he was already half-suffocated by the damn petrol.

Then he saw Kurtis standing in front of him. He immediately aimed his gun at him while noticing at the same time he wasn't trying to defend himself.

"Are you looking for this, Gunderson?" He said with a mocking smile and stretched a hand towards him. The Golden Seal rested on his risen middle finger, and the mercenary wasn't sure which meaning Kurtis was referring to.

"Well, I see you finally dare to face me, Trent."

"Selling yourself to the highest bidder as usual, shitface? Who are you working for this time? Karel, isn't it?"

"I have a life-mission, but your only purpose is to die at my Meister's hand." Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him, and when he turned he saw Lara pointing her gun at his face. What the hell...?

"Don't move." Said Lara. "Don't shout, don't breathe. If you do anything, by the time your men arrive you'll be dead."

It had been a trick. Kurtis had distracted him so she could creep up from behind.

"You can't win." Said Gunderson. "The Nephilim has planned everything for you, and he'll find you wherever you hide."

"Who said we're hiding?" Lara asked.

Gunderson smiled. "When you know what he's going to do with you, darling, you'll want to hide for the rest of your life."

Lara frowned. What on earth had any of this to do with her?

"Cut the crap." Kurtis said, taking out his weapon. "Get into the tunnel."

Gunderson dropped his weapon, and forced at gunpoint by Lara, headed toward the tunnel, passing the big pool of gasoline. His men couldn't help him now, and his five most trusted ones were in one of the chambers; it was too risky to call them.

I'm without a doubt surrounded by idiots, he thought.

"Go on, Lara," Kurtis suggested.

She lit a flare with an evil smile.

"You filthy whore!" Gunderson yelled.

Lara dropped the flare into the pool and the petrol set on fire immediately. The mercenary ran away and disappeared into the dark.

"Nice." Said Kurtis, putting away his weapon.

Lara had to agree: the fire would block the entrance for a while, forcing Gunderson and his men to retreat. As for the rest of the mercenaries, they probably would be lost in secondary tunnels, and the exit was blocked by another explosion.

"We should have killed him." Lara said as they walked to where Kurtis somehow managed to stash his bike without it being noticed.

"Kill Gunderson?" He said. "I guess so... but I still have some level of respect for him. He was at one point my boss and something like a friend, even if it were a long time ago. If I have to kill him, I won't do it that way."

Lara shook her head. Damn men and their ridiculous sense of honour. "You know what I don't like about your plan?" She said. "Since the beginning I've constantly been insulted, and it's all been planned by you."

Kurtis laughed. It was the first time she heard him do so... and it changed his face completely, Lara thought. "I'm sorry. I promise to compensate you for every offense."

"Well," she sighed, "as emperor Caligula said: Let them hate me, so long as they fear me."

They left the excavation and went back to Istanbul. Lara's plan was to return to Selma's apartment in order to find more information about the Seal. But they were ignorant of the fact that their every movement was being watched by Karel, who had allowed them to gain the upper hand over him up until then. The strategy of one who knows he's going to win.