COPYRIGHT Theresa Jenne 2000
This level is exclusive to www.tombraiders.com and should not be put  on any other
web site.

Make backup copies of the following files.

Copy script.data and english to dat to C:\Program Files\Core Design\trle
Copy catacomb.tr4 to C:\Program Files\Core Design\trle\data

READ the story, then start playing....

Tired of the cold, gloomy winter months in England, Lara sipped a cup of hot tea and 
scanned through "The Times"  newspaper searching for a bit of adventure in print. Her 
eye caught the small headline in the Variety section, "Kennedy nephew escapes with his 
life in South America". Lara remembered Ralph Kennedy  as always getting in trouble 
either in social circles or with the law. He claimed to be an adventurer, but like most 
socialites and rich businessmen, he was inexperienced and risked his life and others in 
dangerous situations. Lara was truly annoyed with amateur adventurers. These people 
financed expeditions to climb mountains and other dangerous adventures. They were truly 
fools, and only deserved their fate if they failed. Unfortunately, the fools often got 
into trouble and risked other people's lives.  A true adventurer knows and faces the 
risks, even if those risks include death itself.

The article went on….

Ralph Kennedy and several companions had gone to South America to search for the 
Sacred Beetle. The adventure party had laughed at the legends told by the locals. 
The legends described the fate of those that did not succeed; it was said that 
those who died in the River of the Sacred Beetle would forever guard against 
intruders. Rumors from the local town folk speak of skeletons with swords which 
guard the river. Some claim they are the spirits of past trespassers.

 The local guides had led the Ralph Kennedy's exploration party to a point up 
river of the whirlpool. Until Ralph came floating down the river in his small 
life raft, no one had ever survived the whirlpool

The locals  found Ralph floating downriver in a small life raft with a body of a 
fellow explorer. His dead companion had been decapitated. Ralph had been found in
 a fetal position at the bottom of the life raft, shivering and raving of skeletons 
with mighty swords that had hacked at the explorers and of ghosts and other 
unworldly creatures. Ralph's body bore many wounds, which the local insects had 
claimed. Ralph's  body and those of his companion was not a pretty sight, and 
even the hardened policemen turned away in horror - the larva wriggling beneath 
the skin…. A homemade tourniquet was wrapped on his left arm to stem the flow of 
blood to his missing hand. Ralph claimed that they had entered the whirlpool in 
the small life raft and he said he saw  the Sacred Beetle just before being sucked 
down into the whirlpool. Somehow they had survived the whirlpool and floated 
downriver. The rest of the exploration party had not survived.

At the hospital, Ralph Kennedy is in intensive care. Leaks from the hospital 
staff indicate that Ralph Kennedy may be mad as he rants and moans about skeletons.

"Fools!" Lara muttered, "But in his bumbling, Ralph has located the location 
of the Sacred Beetle." Lara had been researching the river of the Sacred Beetle 
for some time. In the newspaper article, were the clues that she needed to find it. 
Lara called to her butler, Jeeves, to arrange a flight to South America. Lara thought, 
"Just a bit of adventure in a warm climate to cure this cabin fever." She busied about 
packing her small backpack with items needed for the trip.

On the plane, she found her self seated next to a small boy. The boy looked up
 in astonishment and exclaimed, "Lara Croft!" She quickly clamped a hand over 
his mouth and motioned him to be quiet. Last thing she needed on this trip was 
the whole plane load of people finding Lara Croft in their midst.  To the boy, 
she said, "Listen, my child, while I tell you story." She told the boy of her 
adventures in Peru and of her adventures with the Yetis, and his eyes widened as 
he listened. Soon they both tired and slept until the plane touched down. At the 
airport, the boy, clutching his napkin with the signature of Lara Croft,  
tugged at his mother's sleeve and pointed at the back of the tall cloaked figure 
fading into the airport crowd, he said, "Lara Croft!"

At the hotel, she began to make arrangements for the trip.  She inquired at 
the desk for a guide, and a jeep with a driver. The clerk was quite flustered 
by her request, "Oh Miss Croft, it is death… Yes, worse than death, to visit 
that river of the damned. Those reporters… They lure these tourists in, and to 
their deaths." Lara was not to be dissuaded, she pressed the clerk until she 
found the information she needed.  She had directions to a small tavern in one 
of the back streets. 

Entering the smoke filled tavern, she asked the bar tender to point out the guide. 
The bar tender pointed across the room at a dimly lit table with two men seated at 
it, "Another victim for you, Manual!" Lara made her way across the room and Manuel 
motioned her to pull up a chair. "The renowned Miss Croft! I heard you were in 
town. Have you eaten yet?"  Lara shook her head, and the guide called to the bar 
tender, "The best for Miss Croft as this may be her last supper." Lara sat down 
with the drunken guide, "I am looking for a guide to take me to the river above 
the whirlpool."  The guide took another swig of liquor, and smiled, "Missy, are 
you yet another fool to visit that place of death? " Lara replied, "A visitor, 
yes, but not a fool."  The waiter arrived with a large plate of local cuisine. 
The guide motioned to the food, "Eat up, Miss Croft. Yes, eat, drink and be merry, 
for if you visit that cursed river, you will not return. I will take you above the 
whirlpool; and then I will come back to spend your money and drink to your memory. 
No amount of gold will make me take you further than the river."  Lara replied, 
"Advise well taken, and the food is excellent, much better than the hotel. I will 
also need a Jeep and a driver, and a small boat down river, should I succeed."  
The guide sneered, "Succeed? The Ralph Kennedy party, I remember the sounds I 
heard when I returned down the trail back to the jeep. The screams of men in 
mortal pain, the swords clanging… The swords clanging, a sound I will remember 
until I die. Only Kennedy survived, and they say he is mad. They say he cowers 
and snivels in a corner, begging for his life to be spared, begging for mercy 
in a small white room, all alone with invisible demons. They say he will never 
recover. Missy, you are a fool to even think about visiting that river. Be a 
tourist, visit the local sights, then pack your bags to return safely to 
England."  Lara was concerned that the guide might refuse to take her and 
answered, "An eloquent speech, I have heard speeches like that before. I am 
not a tourist. I have seen worse than your river could ever conjure up." The 
guide at her intently, "I see in your eyes that you know of such dangers, such
 terrors, maybe you will have a chance to survive. In that case, we must toast 
for your safe return. I refuse to take any victims to feed the restless soul of
 that cursed river.  But you just might survive, so I will take your money and 
guide you to that hopeless place."  Lara answered, "I thank you, and I do hope
 to return. Bar keep, another round of drinks for our table, and another platter
 of that delicious food, for as Manuel says, I may be eating my last supper." 
They finished their toast , the meal  and made arrangements to set off in the 
morning. 

The next morning, they set off in a vintage Army jeep. The driver ground the 
gears as they traversed the poorly maintained mountain roads, skirting washouts 
and navigating swollen creeks. The missing muffler on the jeep made talking 
impossible, so Lara watched the amazing landscape as they traveled higher and 
higher into the mountains. Finally, they could not travel any farther with the 
jeep. As they gathered their gear for the hike, the guide once again tried to 
stop Lara from continuing. "Last chance, Missy. From here, even I may not return. 
Let us hop back in the jeep, return to the village and consider it a fine day of 
sightseeing."  Lara smiled, "Come now, Manuel, you have not yet earned your keep 
for this trip. Where is the trail?"

Lara and her guide started up the mountain trail. As they hiked, the guide 
once again tried to stop her from continuing, "Missy, over the years, I have 
taken several people on this trek, and Ralph Kennedy and his companion were 
the only ones to survive and make it back. It seems every time I come up here, 
the sounds of swords  increases. I have seen ghostly creatures which have no 
place on this earth, and it is no place for a young lady such as yourself. 
I would hate to see a creature not of this world wearing a long ponytail." 
Lara smiled and replied, "I won't be alone, I have my two trusty companions." 
She patted her pistols.  A loud noise of a sword hitting metal rang through 
the air, and the  guide nervously said, " I don't know that those fellows pay 
much attention to pistols. But this is as far as  I will go. Missy, look up ahead - 
for there is the river. You just need to follow it downstream." The guide 
crossed himself and said, "God be with you," and turned and ran back down the 
trail. 

Lara was alone, all alone in the hot, humid jungle, and the sound of the sword 
hitting metal rang through the air again…..

