[Setting: The collapsing, flooding Stepped Pyramid and the Jungle Perimeter, Kuwaq Yaku]
Lara found herself trapped in a deadly, rapidly escalating dilemma: the ceremonial entrance was blocked by Trinity's arriving heavy-lift helicopter, and the labyrinth behind her was quickly becoming a watery tomb. The deep, guttural sound of the mountain groaning was now compounded by the roar of water surging through the passages.
She spun on her heel, the Silver Box of Ix Chel clutched tightly against her chest. The water was already chest-high in the main corridor, murky and turbulent.
"Leo! Status! I'm trapped! The main exit is blocked by air transport, and the inner tunnels are flooding!" Lara shouted into the comms, scrambling to find a new route.
"Affirmative, Lara! The chopper is circling the main plaza! It's a heavy tactical bird—they're deploying snipers to pin me down and clear the entrance for their ground extraction team! They know you have the Box! Find a secondary egress point—NOW!" Leo's voice was strained, punctuated by the sharp crack of his rifle fire.
Lara slammed her hand against the nearest wall, searching frantically for a weakness. She spotted a series of small, ventilation-like openings high near the ceiling—ancient water outflow drains built by the Mayans to regulate the ceremonial flood chamber. They were narrow, but possibly navigable.
The Drowning Passage
The water level rose with shocking speed, buoyed by the destabilized aquifer. Lara had only seconds. She located a sturdy stone column, drove the blade of her Pry Axe deep into a crevice above the water, and used the leverage to hoist herself upward, fighting the current that threatened to drag her under.
She reached the lowest of the outflow drains and wedged herself into the tight space. The air inside was stale and thick with humidity. She began to crawl, the smooth, claustrophobic stone scraping against her skin, the Silver Box pressing uncomfortably into her side.
Behind her, the main corridor filled completely. The pressure in the drain passage intensified rapidly. The water was no longer just filling the pyramid; it was surging into the drain with brutal, unstoppable force, threatening to blast her out or drown her in the tight confines.
Lara was forced to discard her heavier equipment—her Assault Rifle and much of her pack—to fit and maintain forward momentum. She kept only her Stealth Knife, her Bow, and the crucial Silver Box.
She reached a sharp turn in the drain just as a massive, violent surge of water rushed through the passage. The force slammed her against the stone wall, wind knocking from her lungs. She fought blindly, using her hands and feet to anchor herself against the terrifying current. She felt the drain begin to crack and separate ahead of her.
Leo's Diversion
On the surface, Leo was fighting a desperate rearguard action. Pinned down in the jungle perimeter, he was facing not just the ground team, but the terrifying threat of the heavy helicopter circling overhead.
The chopper's door guns opened up, shredding the foliage around his position.
"They're going to glass the whole area, Lara!" Leo yelled into the comms. "I need to take that bird down or at least force it off course! Get out of that death trap!"
Leo broke cover, sprinting toward the clearing where the collapsed drill rig lay—a battlefield now littered with wreckage and felled Trinity soldiers. He targeted the chopper's fuel tank with a precision that was his signature.
He fired a high-explosive round from a salvaged Grenade Launcher attachment, aiming not directly at the chopper, but at a cluster of unstable, high-tension steel cables still attached to the downed drill rig, directly beneath the chopper's flight path.
WHOOMPH!
The blast was deafening. The steel cables snapped under the force, whipping upward like massive metal snakes. One cable struck the main rotor assembly of the heavy helicopter with a catastrophic impact.
The helicopter immediately stalled. Its engine shrieked, and the pilot lost control. Instead of falling into the clearing, the massive airframe drifted wildly, crashing into the dense jungle several hundred yards away in a spectacular explosion of smoke and fire.
The ground team was thrown into disarray, their air support—and most of their communications—gone.
The Surface Breach
The explosion on the surface gave Lara the crucial seconds she needed. The surge of water in the drain passage momentarily lessened, diverted by the chaos and new cracks in the pyramid's structure.
She reached the end of the drain. The smooth stone had fractured, opening into a small, vine-covered recess on the side of the pyramid structure—a non-ceremonial exit, perfectly hidden from the main plaza.
Lara plunged out, coughing violently, gasping the fresh, humid jungle air. She was soaked, covered in slime, but holding the Silver Box.
She didn't stop. She immediately checked her surroundings, hearing Leo's ongoing firefight near the main entrance.
She used the natural, overgrown rock buttresses of the pyramid to climb laterally and find high ground, moving like a predator through the shadows. She reached a large, moss-covered archway overlooking the central clearing where Leo was making his desperate stand.
The Final Stand at Kuwaq Yaku
Leo, utilizing the smoking wreck of the helicopter crash as a distraction, had rallied. He was trading fire with the six remaining, furious Trinity ground operatives. He was outnumbered and outgunned, but his disciplined suppressive fire was keeping them pinned down.
Lara, now in a perfect, elevated position, secured an arrow in her bow. This was her moment to end the immediate threat.
She targeted the Trinity team leader first, a clean shot to the chest, dropping him instantly. The remaining operatives spun, confused by the sudden, accurate fire coming from a new, unexpected direction.
Lara unleashed a rapid sequence of arrows, targeting limbs and vital armor plates. Two more operatives fell, their resistance crumbling under the simultaneous flanking assault.
Leo saw the opening. He surged forward, rifle blazing, clearing the remaining enemies with terrifying efficiency. The clearing went silent.
Lara slid down the archway and rushed to Leo, who was already securing his position and checking the fallen mercenaries.
"Extraction... compromised," Leo said, his breathing heavy. "The helicopter crash has brought the local police and military assets in fast. We have maybe three minutes before the jungle is swarming with official uniforms."
"We have the Box," Lara confirmed, holding up the Silver Box of Ix Chel. "We need to analyze this and find Paititi before they can mobilize their next wave."
Patricio's Aid and Escape
A rustling in the jungle signaled a new arrival. It was Patricio, who had been observing the firefight from a safe distance, his face pale with shock.
"They—they are monsters!" Patricio stammered, his fear palpable. "They risked the entire town! You cannot stay here! I know a route! A secret, pre-classic canoe path down the lower river. It will take us away from the main roads and the military patrols!"
Leo nodded instantly, recognizing the chance for a clean, secure exit. "Lara, let's go! We use the river. Patricio, lead the way! We need to put as many miles between us and this disaster as possible."
As they plunged into the dense, riverine foliage, the sound of distant sirens began to filter through the humid air. The battle for the Silver Box was over, but they had left a scene of total, violent destruction in their wake. They had exposed Trinity's hand, forced their retreat, and secured the next critical artifact, but they had also accelerated the timeline.
Lara looked down at the Silver Box in her hand. It felt hot, its low hum a constant, terrifying reminder that they were not just holding an artifact—they were holding the key to a global catastrophe. The Cleansing had begun.
Chapter End.