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"Goddamn it!"
"What? What?" came Alister's worried voice in Zip's ear.
"Nothing, just..." Zip shook his head in amazement. "That's a long way down."
He took a shaky step forward, trying to focus on the ancient rope bridge in front of him and not the thousand-foot drop that awaited him should he slip. His fingers were clenched around the weathered rope that acted as a handhold. "Alister, you don't think she... fell. Do you?"
"No, we would have heard it," Alister said, the stiffness of his voice belying his confident words. He always became that little bit more British when he was nervous.
Zip glanced up at the red sky. The sun had nearly set. What was meant to have been a quick exploratory mission had stretched on for nearly twelve hours. They'd lost connection with Lara early on, but that was to be expected. The ancient Incas hadn't built their temples with radio signals in mind. Still, they'd expected her to come back into range by early afternoon. When hours passed with no word, they'd decided drastic measures were in order.
Zip was nearly across the bridge when a rotted-out board snapped beneath his weight. He barely managed to catch himself and watched in horror as the broken board fell endlessly into the abyss below. "Remind me why I'm down here and you're just playing stupid games on your phone?"
"Seven Kingdoms is not a stupid game, it's a strategy simulation-- oh, it doesn't matter. What matters is, I'm afraid of heights and you're not. I'm also incompetent with any sort of weapon, and we don't know what's lurking in there. So sending you not me was the obvious--"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Zip groaned as he stepped off the bridge and onto the firm stone landing at last. "Still doesn't make it fair."
"As long as we find Lara, preferably in one piece, it'll be worth it," Alister said firmly.
Zip nodded, mouth set in a grim line. "I'm heading inside. I might lose you."
"I'll be waiting," Alister said. "And Zip... good luck."
...
The inside of the temple was dark and full of twisting corridors. Despite the atmosphere, Zip encountered nothing more frightening than bats. Then, about twenty minutes in, he nearly leapt out of his skin in surprise. A jaguar lay on the floor, its fierce eyes open and glassy. Twin bullet holes pierced its skull. "Well, we know she's been here," Zip said, trying to calm his racing heart.
"You're on...track," came Alister's static-filled voice from Zip's earpiece. "Keep going."
Rolling his eyes, Zip obeyed. The carvings on the walls were ominous in the light of his headlamp. Several of them depicted human sacrifice, and he could have sworn some of the figures turned their heads to follow his movement. He reached a section where the path branched and arbitrarily chose the left path. A minute in, the path collapsed: dead end. Swearing under his breath, he backtracked, then paused. Disguised by the rough flagstones were a handful of bullet shells and two dead bats. Lara had clearly been this way. Either that or someone else had delved into this particular temple recently, but he highly doubted that. Not many people sought out ruins in the back end of beyond for their vacation retreats.
The right hand path led him down a long ramp, then up again past a series of holes in the walls. One hole had a long spear still protruding from it, and Zip shivered. His employer had strange hobbies. As he turned a corner, he stopped short.
He'd reached a large room that extended several stories up and down. The path had crumbled in several places, and there was no clear way across. Zip frowned, looking around for some way to bridge the gap. As he did so, his eye fell on a crumpled figure fifteen feet below. The khaki shorts and bare midriff were unmistakable. "Lara!" he yelled, his chest tightening. "Lara, can you hear me?"
Lara did not move. She was leaning up against one of the support columns for the walkway. Zip noticed several ledges that could get him down to her level, so long as he was very careful and didn't lose his grip. With a gulp, he went to the first ledge and levered himself off until he hung by his fingertips. Praying, he let himself drop the extra foot-and-a-half onto the next ledge. Two more such ledges followed, and then he was on solid ground again. Breaking into a run, he skidded to a halt and fell to his knees beside the motionless young woman. "Lara, say something. Move, do anything!"
Breathless, he rested his fingertips against her jugular, then exhaled as he felt the slow, steady beat of a pulse. "You're going to be alright," he said, knowing the words were likely a lie. They were trapped in the depths of an ancient ruin with no way out, after all. "I'm here."
"...Zip?"
Though her voice was barely more than a whisper, it still made Zip jump. "Lara, it's me. What happened?"
"Fell..." Lara moaned, her eyes still closed. "Hit a column. Left shoulder... dislocated. Help me... fix it..."
Zip nodded and turned his attention to her left arm. It was at a strange angle, twisted awkwardly to one side. "What should I do?"
"Straighten it out," Lara instructed.
Carefully, Zip took her elbow and began to straighten her arm. "Keep going," Lara urged. "Now pull and twist forward."
With gritted teeth, Zip did as she asked. Lara cried out in agony. "No, keep going," she panted, when Zip hesitated. Reluctantly, Zip tugged her arm, twisting inward. He felt something pop, and Lara gasped. "Ah, dammit. That hurt worse than a bullet."
"You would know," Zip said shakily. "Is it fixed?"
Lara nodded, then winced. "It is, but I still can't stand. I landed on my right side, and my tibia is broken, by the feel of things. Right wrist, as well. I tried to catch myself, which is how the shoulder got dislocated. Stupid."
"How did you fall?" Zip asked.
Lara's eyes were dim from the pain, but he could still see a hint of amusement in their depths. "It's a ruin, Zip. There are a thousand ways to fall." She sighed, then grimaced. "I mistimed a grapple. Let go too soon. I should have known better, my weight distribution was completely off from the beginning."
Zip glanced upward and spotted a metal ring high above them. His mouth went dry. Depending on where she was in her swing, Lara had likely fallen from nearly thirty feet up. "You're lucky to be alive."
"Not lucky yet," Lara countered. "I'm stuck here, out of comm range, with no way out. I can't exactly scramble my way back up to the walkway. I can't even stand."
Zip looked around them. On the far side of the room, there appeared to be an archway blocked by a heavy iron door. Standing, he began to make his way over to it. "Careful," Lara called.
Zip paused, and as he did so, a pair of metal spikes shot up from the floor exactly where he would have been. "Jesus!" Zip yelped, scrambling backward.
"Pressure plates," Lara explained hoarsely. "I'm fortunate I didn't land on one."
Zip shivered, then carefully made his way around the pressure plate. The door was black and solid, except for a small indentation in the shape of an elongated diamond right in the center of it. "It looks like something is supposed to go in the middle of this," Zip called over his shoulder. "Maybe some kind of key?"
"Ah," Lara said, a note of satisfaction in her voice. "I was wondering when I'd get to use this."
Reaching into her pocket, she fumbled for a moment before withdrawing an elaborately carved wooden diamond inlaid with rubies. "It's amazing the things you stumble across," she said with a pained smile.
Shaking his head, Zip retrieved the diamond key and minced his way to the door once again. The wooden piece fit neatly into the slot, and the door shuddered before raising like a portcullis. As it did so, there was a rumbling sound that echoed through the entire temple. "What the hell was that?" asked Zip, spooked.
"I would imagine the temple's defenses have now been activated," Lara said wearily. "You should hurry."
"What do you mean, 'I' should hurry?" Zip demanded. "I'm not leaving you here."
"Zip, I can't walk," Lara reasoned. "How am I supposed to dodge traps and fight wild animals?"
"We'll work it out," Zip insisted, returning to kneel by her side. "I didn't come all this way just to go back alone. What would I tell Alister? Or Winston?"
The corner of Lara's mouth twitched. "Oh, Winston. He's going to be so disappointed in me."
"He's just going to be glad you're alive," Zip insisted. "Please, Lara, don't give up. We can make it."
Warm brown eyes met his, and his breath caught. Time seemed to slow for a long moment. Then she nodded. "Alright. I'll try. But you'll need to carry me, and I'm heavier than I look."
Relieved, Zip shrugged. "Guess it's a good thing you let me use your gym."
His first thought was to carry her draped across his arms, but that wouldn't have left a hand free for his gun. Fireman's lift was out as well. He would have had to put pressure on her broken leg, and he didn't want to subject her to any more agony. Finally, he found an unorthodox solution. "Wrap your legs around my waist and your arms around my neck," he instructed. "That way you can cling on if I need to use my weapon."
Lara raised a perfectly arched brow. "Like a koala bear? Or a toddler?"
"No pressure on your leg or your wrist this way," Zip informed her. "Plus you've got the best core strength of anyone I've ever met. You have a better plan?"
Smiling ruefully, Lara shook her head, then held out her arms like a child asking to be picked up. Zip shifted so that he knelt between her knees and carefully gathered her up, holding her close to his chest and supporting beneath her with one arm. He was suddenly very aware of his hand on her bare thigh. Noticing his discomfort, Lara winked. "Just don't get used to it," she advised.
Surprised to find a blush rising to his cheeks, Zip stood carefully, readjusting his grip on her once he's finished. She hadn't been lying: she was much heavier than she looked, 5'9" of solid muscle. Still, she balanced herself well, keeping herself upright without much help from him. Taking a deep breath, he crossed to the door and ventured through it, down a long narrow corridor.
His first sign of trouble was a flickering light cast over the dark stone. As he rounded the corner, he blinked and squinted in the sudden brightness.
Three jets of flame roared out of the wall, their cores a deep and ominous blue. Zip felt the heat of them wash over him, and instinctively held Lara a little closer. "Now what?" he murmured.
Lara craned her head to look. "The box in the corner. Use that."
"Use that how?" Zip asked blankly.
"Block the flames with it? Hang on, get closer."
Zip obeyed, turning his back to the flames so she could see over his shoulder. "Hmm," Lara mused. "I know how I'd do it. But there are two of us."
"You have an idea already?" Zip asked, amazed she could come up with a plan this quickly.
"If it were just me, I'd get on top of the box, then use my grappling hook over there," she pointed to a dull metal ring on the far wall past the flames. "Pull myself along on top of the box to avoid the flames. Although, it's more likely I'd just dive roll under the flames. But that's not an option either."
Zip shook his head in wonder. "How do you do it? Think of things like that?"
"Practice," Lara replied. "And I always remember this: If the makers of a temple didn't want anyone to be able to enter, they wouldn't have built all these corridors. They'd have just buried their relic or treasure someplace impossible to get to. There has to be a way past."
"So what do we do now?" Zip asked, regarding the large box suspiciously. "If we get on top of that..."
"Our balance will be off," Lara said at once.
"Not if we kneel, maybe..." Zip mused. "You keep the box steady while I pull us along?"
"That might work," Lara admitted. "Can you use a grapple?"
"Er... no," Zip admitted. "I've always wanted to try, though."
"Now's your chance." Lara tilted her head toward her left hip. "It's there, attached to one of the belt loops."
Zip retrieved the grapple, feeling clumsy and awkward as he did so. "So you throw it?"
"It's more of a cast, like fishing. It takes two hands. Try setting me down on the box."
Zip did as she asked, carefully placing her atop the metal cube. He noticed that her lips were white, her skin pale from the pain of broken bones. For all she spoke normally, she was hurting. Biting his lower lip, he turned to look at the loop of metal at the far end of the hall. "Let's do this."
It was not easy. Twice he almost dropped the grapple entirely. Each time he failed, Lara gently corrected him and gave him advice. Her voice was soothing, meditative, and before long he was able to throw in a straight line. On what had to have been his fiftieth try, he felt the grapple catch on to the ring. "I got it!" he exclaimed, more surprised than anything else.
"Good. Climb up here, and we'll see if we can move."
Zip clambered onto the box, then knelt, making sure to hold the grapple taut. Lara wove snake-like around him until she sat in his lap with her legs wrapped around his waist, clinging onto him and resting her chin on his shoulder. He could smell the musk of her skin and feel the press of her breasts against his chest. It was distracting, but he couldn't let himself lose sight of where they were and what he needed to do next. Bracing himself, Zip began to pull them and the box forward. "Lean back," Lara advised, when he immediately fell off balance. "Dig your knees in."
Zip did his best, and the box inched toward the flames. As they reached the first jet of fire, Zip took a deep breath. This was not how he'd planned on dying, but he supposed there were worse ways. The box slid forward and blocked the flames, though not their heat. Zip's palms were sweaty, and halfway across he nearly dropped the grapple. Swearing, he held on for dear life, rising higher on his knees to keep the kevlar line tight. Lara's head rested over his heart, her body flush with his as she kept them centered on the box. Her presence was enough to keep him focused, and as they slid through the final jet of flame, he breathed a sigh of relief. "That was too close."
Lara moaned deep in her throat, and Zip felt a chill run up his spine. "You hanging in there?" he asked nervously.
"Yes, I..."
Lara coughed weakly. Her face was flushed, and he realized with a jolt that she'd been lower down, closer to the heat. "Let's get you out of here," Zip said firmly, dismounting from the box and arranging her arms and legs around himself once more. He was soaked in sweat, as was she, and he prayed they'd find water somewhere soon. He'd passed a fountain of some kind on the way in; surely there had to be another one around here somewhere.
Luck was with him. As they moved carefully down a darkened corridor, he heard the unmistakable sound of running water nearby. Following the noise, he discovered a little alcove with a fountain. The basin was carved with a pattern of fish swimming in a circle, and the water flowed from an elaborate painted hawk's head. Zip knelt and lay Lara down flat on the ground. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks were still red as though she had a high fever. Zip made a cup with his hands and drew water out of the basin. It was ice cold, fed no doubt by nearby mountain streams. "Sorry about this, Lara," he said guiltily, then splashed the water onto her face.
Lara gasped at the cold, tensing as she instinctively tried to scramble away. Zip grabbed her around the waist, pinning her to the floor. "Woah, there," he soothed. "I just needed to cool you down a bit."
Lara took several shallow breaths before meeting his eyes. "I can't fault your logic, however unpleasant," she admitted hoarsely. "In for a penny, in for a pound. Might as well do it again."
Smiling slightly, Zip drew several more handfuls of water from the fountain, soaking Lara's face and hair. "Better," Lara determined. "Now you."
Without hesitating, Zip dunked his entire head in the water. It was blessedly cool, and as he emerged he heard Lara laughing at him. "I'm sorry, Zip," she said ruefully. "You just did that with such, such gusto."
Grinning, Zip shook his head like a dog, spraying water everywhere. Lara laughed again, a warm and wonderful sound. "Come on, puppy," she urged. "Let's keep going."
Zip stripped off his shirt, submerging it in the water before putting it back on. "That'll keep us both a bit cooler," he said as he gathered her up again.
Lara nodded and closed her eyes, breathing deeply with her chest pressed against his. How she managed to look serene while soaked in sweat and covered in grime, he had no idea. As he made his way up a ramp, he thought he could see light filtering through the cracks in the walls. "Almost there," he murmured.
"Zip? Zip, do you read me?"
Alister's voice made Zip jump, then grin. "I'm here, and I've got her. Bring in the chopper," he ordered. The light was growing stronger now, and he knew they were on the right track. He moved faster, nearly at a run, then stumbled back as they reached a doorway that led to thin air. "Whoa!" he yelled as a few loose stones tumbled down the temple's steep side.
"What's wrong?" Alister asked nervously.
"Nothing," Zip assured him. "We're on the east side, I think."
"I'm on my way."
Zip looked down at Lara, his forehead creasing in a frown. "Chopper's coming," he told her.
"So I heard," she replied quietly. "A part of me can't believe we made it."
"We're not home yet," Zip said grimly. "We still need to get you up the ladder."
"Dammit," Lara whispered. "I forgot about that part."
"Can you ride piggyback?" Zip suggested.
Lara considered for a moment. "I'm not sure I'm strong enough to hold on by myself. But if we tied my hands..."
"What about your wrist?" Zip said nervously.
"We'll have to risk it," Lara determined. "Take my belt off and bind my arms with it."
Kneeling, Zip leaned Lara against a wall and gently undid her belt. "Wait," she said as he lifted up her wrists. "Let me get on your back first."
Dutifully, Zip crouched down and allowed Lara to climb atop him. As she draped her hands over his shoulders, he took her wrists and carefully wrapped the belt around them, binding her hands together. He heard her inhale sharply. "That hurt?" he asked worriedly.
"Of course," was her reply. "But it's nothing I can't handle."
There was a rhythmic whirring sound as the chopper came into view. A rope ladder swung from the helicopter's deck, drawing closer and closer to the doorway. "Ready?" Zip asked Lara, in part to distract from his own fear. He was a tech guy, not a jump-out-of-ruins-onto-helicopters sort of guy.
His fear evaporated as he felt soft lips brush his cheek. "I'm ready," she murmured.
After that, there was nothing else to be done. The rope ladder swung in the breeze, tantalizingly close. Screwing up his courage, Zip leapt forward and clung on for dear life. The ladder shuddered under his and Lara's combined weight, but held. "Climb!" Alister shouted from above them.
"Working on it," Zip grunted. Slowly, painfully slowly, he made his way up the ladder. He was nearly at the top when the chopper jerked and he felt Lara begin to slip. "Hold on!" he yelled, panicked. Lara's legs slid down until she hung from her wrists alone. She screamed in agony. Zip let go of the ladder with one hand and grabbed for her leg, pulling her flush with his back. She was a dead weight, unmoving. Her wrists pressed on his neck, choking off his air, and he began to feel dizzy. Then someone grabbed his arm, yanking him upwards. He managed to climb the last few rungs and collapsed to the floor of the chopper face first, Lara lying atop him.
"She's alive? I heard her scream." Alister was fussing, hovering over the pair as the chopper took off in the direction of civilization.
Groaning, Zip cautiously turned over until Lara lay atop his chest. She was as white as a sheet, her eyes closed and her lips parted. "Broken wrist," Zip explained to Alister. "Leg too. We need to get her to a hospital, fast."
"That much is obvious," Alister sniffed. "What on earth happened in there?"
Zip regarded Lara closely, noticing her long lashes and the elegant curve of her nose. "I'll explain later," he told a miffed Alister. "Right now all that matters is keeping her comfortable."
Slowly sitting up, he arranged Lara in his lap so that her head was nestled in the crook of his arm. Her eyes still closed, Lara sighed. Zip watched the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest, thinking. He'd never experienced firsthand the sort of danger she regularly faced. He'd also never seen her injured, never thought of her as anything but an invincible goddess. He'd placed her on a pedestal. Yet the fire and spikes in that temple had been all too real. The way she'd moaned in pain had struck something within him, awakened a fear he didn't know he had. For all her nonchalance, her perfect physique, her skill with a gun, Lara was mortal. One wrong step could kill her just as surely as it could kill any other human. She'd been lucky this time. But one day her luck would run out, and the thought terrified him. He'd never realized how much he needed the sound of her voice, the sight of her roguish smile. Somehow, in the years since she'd hired him, he'd become irrevocably attached to her. It wasn't love - he didn't know her well enough for that - nor was it mere lust. Her body was off limits; he had barely even contemplated touching her until that afternoon. No, their bond was different. He felt bizarrely responsible for her. Nothing could be allowed to happen to her on his watch. More than anything in the world, he felt the need to keep her safe.
Stroking Lara's hair gently with his thumb, Zip looked over at Alister. "How much further?"
"Half an hour?" Alister reckoned. "I've sent a message ahead to the hospital. We'll land on their helipad."
Zip returned his attention to Lara, letting the warmth of his body shield her from the cold mountain air. "Not much longer now," he soothed, breathing in time with her. "Not much longer."