Tomb Raider: The Next Generation: Tela's Tales

Mai chukled. "Of course." he said. He glared at the affectionate help Rico was showing Tela. Didn't he know what the Crofts were famous for. Their lovers normally end up dead due to them. . .normally they are the ones to kill their lovers. Obviously this would be no different.

Tela leant into Rico's touch. "Just leave it alone." she told Mai's friend. She kept struggling seemingly shrinking into Rico everytime they came close. it wasn't that she was scared of needles. She just didn't trust the bountyhunter nor his friends.

"Oh don't worry, Tela Croft..." Mai calmed her with his smooth Oriental accent and grace. "Master Chu is a master of medicine... but, unfortunately, the needle is not for you!"

The medicine man was close enough to get to Tela, who flinched and cringed and gripped Rico's arms tightly, which made Rico's veins to bulge, and the medicine man struck his target, pressing the plunger on the needle, injecting Rico before being swatted forcefully away by Rico's backhand.

Mai Chan giggled with obvious glee, and clapped his hands like a queer little school girl. "Ohhh Tela Croft! You fall for it so easy that time! I cannot believe it! You will help my Master recover the lost treasures he seeks now, or your friend Rico's heart will explode in 72 hours!! -hee hee hee hee hee hee hee!- "

UH OH!!!

Tela gasped. Jumping up in a blind fit of rage, she charged at Mai. How could he!

Mai giggled as he shut the door just ehind him and the medicine man. There was a loud thud thad made even Mai cringe.

Tela hadn't had time to stop. she laid on thr floor holding her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She would skin Mai after she delivered the treasure. Damn treasure! It always ruined her mother's life, now it ruined hers! She couldn't loose Rico!

After shaking off the slight headache, Tela ran to Rico and fell into his waiting arms. "Oh Rico!" she sobbed.

Rico pushed some bangs out of her eyes. "Shhh, everything will be fine. You know that you'll find a way out of this."

"With you. You are going to be fine. I promise."

"We've got 72 hours... that's 3 days..." Rico smiled, looking into Tela's amazing eyes, as they welled up with tears. "We have made love longer than THAT! Surely we can bust into some ancient temple and steal Vinny and Mini-Vinny some treasures and $hit before we break a sweat and my heart explodes... or whatever... We'll be fine, baby! I promise!" he lied, and Tela cried some more.

In a few moments, 4 no-neck muscle-heads with sub-machine guns came to 'escort' the troubled twosome to Vinh Sung's penthouse by the bay, at the Palms Hotel. It best be a short visit, Tela thought to herself; no dramatics or whining or bitching this time, no witty banter or wishful barter... quick in and out, get the dirt on the loot and get going to Tibet, save enough time to get Rico cured, and get out of this nightmare!

She hoped things went so smoothly, but she had to wonder if they would, upon the slow-a$$ elevator ride to the penthouse at the Palms...
not a good start to the last days of Rico's life!!

Tela sighed. How long could an elevator take? She tried to keep alll the emotion that coursed threw her surpressed. She also tried to keep a level head. She had to come up with a way out of this. There had to be one, although she didn't see it.

While still favoring her injury a little, Tela thought back to the phonecall from tibet. Her contact had listed a few thing they wanted her to find, but nothing that Mai's boss would be interested in. Damn, she needed to think. What could Vinh want?

while trying to figure out the mystery, she looked at Rico. why was he paying for her galavanting gloetrotting? Why was he going to die just because she was the est at what she could do? Damn, Tela hated being a Croft at the moment. She really did.

She tried to imagine being at Croft Manor, waking to a hot breakfast and a cold shower. There was nothing like a cold shower. Just the thought relaxed Tela. She glanced dazedly at the numbers as they lit. Wow, she had to admit, this place was kick-ass. Vinh's job had its perks and then again. Tela didn't have longer to think as a small sudden *ding* told her they'd arrived on the right floor.

The muscle-bound goons with the hardware grabbed Tela gruffly from behind, clenching a fistful of shirt, as they had when the group made way from the docks. The goons grip twisted the torn shirt over her deep wound, and Tela winced and struggled against the man's force, in obvious agony, though she never shouted out.

Rico was forcefully shoved from the elevator car, behind Tela. The elevator emptied directly into the penthouse parlor, and Tela shoved hard across the parlor then too. The goon with the grip held on to her torn shirt though, and tore the whole thing from her torso, leaving her to sprawl to the floor topless into the living room beyond the parlor.

Vinh Sung sat comfortably on the fine Oriental-crafted sofa as Tela and Rico arrived; he was wearing the finest suit, silk shirt and pants, and smiled as Tela grimaced up at him, her beautiful but bloodied body bouncing and bobbing for all to see.

"Ahh, Croft..." Vinh greeted. "I pay good money for my girls to lap dance for me, and here you are, doing it FOR FREE! I always knew that about you Tela Croft... that you come real cheap... and for all the low-class losers you can befriend..." he was speaking of Rico, of course, but...

"Yeah, that's right..." Tela sneered, standing up boldly, baring her breast and hard body with no sign of shame. "And here you are, my friend, all this fortune, yet still bottom-feeding... " she pulled the silk table cloth from the coffee table in front of the sofa, and fashioned it into a wrap around tube-top, though it was immediately stained by her own blood.

"Still renting-out muscle from No-Necks 'R' Us, Vinny?" Rico grinned, though Tela glared at him; there was no time for this!!!

"Disgraceful!" Vinh Sung snapped, standing and pulling the fine silk away from Tela's torso.

"You sure are!" Rico snarled, but further banter was cut short by a sharp strike from a big boot by one of the no-necks. -oof!-

"What do you want, Vinh?" Tela demanded, covering her bulbous assets now that Sung and a goon stood so close.

"Not what you might think, Croft..." Vinh took a moment to admire her boldness and beauty, something which Rico found himself doing more often than not; she was truly striking there, facing death and indecent indignity to save a friend. "No... I need you to NOT steal anything from the Temple of Shi'tih Panhs... the dig which uncovered the temple was unsanctioned by any government, and the history of the place demands that nothing be disturbed, or 10,000 years of darkness will fall upon the Earth... this is why the Temple of Shi'tih Panhs is also known as the Temple of Gloom... if so much as a coin or trinket is taken, it will be disastrous!!!"

"What do you need me for?" Tela was confused. "Why threaten my friend's life, and give us only 72 hours to not go some place?"

"Oh, you MUST go there, Tela Croft..." Sung was as mysterious as ever. "And bring Mister Rico with you, and others, if you have resources available and a team at the ready... there are 2 other insidious and greedy gold-digging grave-robber expeditions already enroute to desecrate the temple for all its riches... unscrupulous sorts who do not believe in superstition and curse as you and I do... they will bring about the end of the world as we know it unless you stop them by sealing the fissure in the earth and collapsing the entrance to the temple..."

"I have a jet and the explosives you will need, along with the usual gear and equipment we steal from you every time we encounter you in your travels... heh heh... it is a 2 hour flight to the region, so you have approximately 65 hours to find the temple and seal it shut and return here to administer Mr. Rico the antidote, or he dies... and we all plunge into darkness..."

Tela scowled, and looked to Rico, who was still wheezing and recovering from the kick to his ribs.

"Stitch me up!" she demanded, turning her back to her captor, and pulling down her pants some, baring more of her sweet natural beauty to expose the horrible wound in her back side...

"Nice gash, Croft..." Vinh joked, poking the wound tenderly. "None of my mens' work, I hope?" he snapped his fingers and a few female 'nursemaid' type Oriental women moved from elsewhere in the house to tend to Tela's injuries.

"Oh no..." Tela admitted, in dead-pan. "Your goons were loving and gentle, as always..." she folded her arms, covering her breasts and the bruises on her arms from being man-handled by Sung's 'gentle' soldiers...

"Yeah..." Rico huffed, squatting on the floor on his knees. "What's a few busted ribs between 'low-class losers'?!" a glance from Vinh was all it took for the goon behind Rico to lash out and kick him again. -AUGH!-

"You are already dead, Mister Rico..." Vinh Sung sounded so smug. "I can make it quick and painless, if you prefer..."

"Suck my--"

"RICO!" Tela cried, while the nursemaids stitched and bandaged her wounds. "I need you..."

That was all he needed to hear; Rico cowered to the floor, biting his tongue and keeping quiet...

Tela grimanced as one of the nurses finished her work. She led the others out. "Glad you took your time." she shouted after them.

Vinh laughed. "They did do their job though." he said advancing.

Tela's eyes narrowed. She recrossed her arms, ut didn't back away. She couldn't show her weakness. "You know, Croft, I don't get why you slum."

Tela tried her best to not retort. She felt his eyes roaming over her body. "If you get me a shirt, I'll save the world again and your ass." she said.

Vinh frowned. "Of course." he said snapping his fingers again.

Tela glanced at Rico. She had never been so embarrassed in her life. The oriental jackass mind as well as just bedded her. She shivered.

Seeing the small petite woman walk in with a shirt that seemed to be the right size. Tela took it and thanked her. She slipped it on. Amazingly it fit perfectly! "How the hell?!" she asked.

Vinh chuckled. "I do my research. Now go!"

Rico was watching the servants and Vinh the whole time, even as the muscle-head machine-gunners hefted him from the floor and tossed him toward the elevator again.

"I do my research too, Vinny..." Rico snapped, rubbing his sore arm where the needle had poked him. "Trust me, you'll see us again, real soon, you son of a---"

the doors to the elevator closed on Tela and Rico before he finished his insult. Tela looked at Rico angrily.

"Why do you do that every time??" she snapped. "This is YOUR life on the line this time, Rico! Not just... 'the world'... you know?"

Rico was calm, surprisingly calm, standing in silence as the elevator descended. "I'm not going to die..." he finally said, stepping off the elevator before he was shoved off.

Tela was forcefully removed, if only so the goons could exert some force and control over the situation, and Mai Chan waited in the parking garage beneath the hotel.

"Greetings Tela Croft..." Mai smiled wide. "I do hope Master Sung was gentle with you, delicate flower... and YOU, Mister Rico... I see they were justifiably appropriate for your ilk as well... shall we be off? The Leer jet is waiting..."

Tela glared and Rico snarled at Mai Chan, as they were escorted to the waiting limo.

"Wait for it, sweets..." Rico whispered as they were shoved into the car. "Follow my lead and we'll be on our way..."

Tela could only look and wonder what Rico was plotting this time...

Tela stared at Rico. He had that look in his eye. the look that foretold of death defying antics and just barely escaping. She wasn't exactly sure if she liked this. "Rico, luv, what are you planning." she whispered as she layed her head on his chest.

Closing her eyes she imagined everything was alright. She and Rico were back at her mansion enjoying a nice leisure swim. She was only waken from her dream when she heard one of Mai chan's sarcastic remark.

The lone mansion was dark except for one lone light that shone dimly through a curtained window. The dark figure gracefully scaled the high wall and crouched motionless at the top. A soft hiss could be heard as his night enhancing vision lens came into play. He saw the unmistakable red of the laser light that criss-cross the perimeter of the wall. Beneath his mask he smiled. From his lightweight pack he took out a small black object. It had a small sqaure LCD screen and three buttons: red, amber, green. He depressed the amber button and the LCD screen came to life with lines and words that no human eye could discern.

The information was sent via IR to his headpiece. Within moments, the laser light went dead.

(Heh, I would reply to that but I don't know hot to exactly.)