Through a very thin crack in the dark, a fine shaft of light is shining in, doing little to lighten the chamber.
There is movement. The crack becomes a gaping hole as a portion of ancient stone is shunted away. This is repeated until a figure emerges, having made enough room for himself to pass through. The fedora-clad man drops into the chamber.
CUTSCENE 01 - INTRO
The man who dropped into the chamber is Professor Werner Von Croy, well-known archaeologist-adventurer.
VON CROY: "And so, we breach the sanctum of the ancients. The first footfalls in this tomb for centuries."
A teenage girl appears from behind him, glancing about warily at her alien surroundings. Lara Croft.
LARA: "This place gives me the creeps. After you."
INTERLUDE 01
VON CROY: "Careful. All is not as it seems. Concealed traps and pitfalls await the unwary. You must stay close and follow my instruction."
INTERLUDE 02
VON CROY: "Good men have died to protect the information contained herein and cruel men have bartered the information for their own ends. For this we must respect it. We will not deviate from its route and you will not deviate from my instruction. This way."
INTERLUDE 03
VON CROY: "The first obstacle. A small hop to test your - how do you say - pluck. Press and hold walk. Now, push forward."
INTERLUDE 04
VON CROY: "Come come, child. Do not fear. This is merely an appetiser for the perils ahead. Push forward and jump together."
INTERLUDE 05
VON CROY: "The craftmanship of the Shenlha, lost to mankind as sand sifting through the fingers of an open hand. Does it not move you, child?"
LARA: "I'll break out the camera when we get to the Iris."
INTERLUDE 06
VON CROY: "Patience, child. Disrespect is the route to carelessness. Our route lays beyond the stream."
INTERLUDE 07
VON CROY: "This gap is wider and the edges treacherous. First walk to the edge, then press forward and jump together. When you are in mid-air, press and hold action. You will grab the outcrop."
INTERLUDE 08
VON CROY: "Hold action and press up."
INTERLUDE 09
VON CROY: "Ah, the pace is quickening now, ja? One more crossing, child, or do you wish to stop for tea?"
LARA: "Oh, I think I can just about hold it together. Wouldn't want to spill it on your nice suit... at any rate."
INTERLUDE 10
VON CROY: "This one calls for a run-up. I will go first."
INTERLUDE 11
VON CROY: "Be careful now, child. We have little time for incompetence. Walk to the edge, then tap back to give yourself a run-up."
INTERLUDE 12
VON CROY: "Now, press forward and immediately press and hold jump. Now hold down action to grab onto the ledge."
INTERLUDE 13
VON CROY: "A useful crack, rendered by the hand of time, invisible to the untrained eye."
LARA: "You're a regular superhero, Werner."
VON CROY: "Ah yes, the super... man? Hmph. Is enough comedy."
INTERLUDE 14
VON CROY: "Run to the wall. Now press forward and hold action to grab on. Now press right to shimmy across!"
INTERLUDE 15
VON CROY: "Good! Good! Now press forward to climb up."
INTERLUDE 16
VON CROY: "This is a high fall. You should lower yourself down to be safe. Turn around to face away from the door. Now press back and hold action. Let go of action to fall to the floor."
INTERLUDE 17
VON CROY: "Your chance to earn your keep fräulein. The mechanism to activate the bridge lies at the other side of the stream. These rivers cascade through chambers and caverns deep below these prehistoric foothills. As a consequence..."
LARA: "Freezing! I guessed. Your gout playing up again Werner?"
INTERLUDE 18
VON CROY: "In deep pools, you can swim by pressing jump. Use the directions to navigate through the water. There may be artefacts... trinkets at the bed."
INTERLUDE 19
LARA: "Your avergage priceless seaweed."
VON CROY: "No prizes for you this time Lara! Ah well, use forward and left and right to move across the surface until you reach the shore. Then press action to climb out. Look for a lever or pressure pad. There must be one close by. When you find it, use action to activate it."
INTERLUDE 20
VON CROY: "You will catch your death in those clothes my dear. A quick sprint up that ladder will dry you out again."
LARA: "Such concern. I never knew you cared."
VON CROY: "Dear Lara, you are a valuable asset to the quest."
LARA: "You old romantic, you."
VON CROY: "Yes, quite."
INTERLUDE 21
VON CROY: "Walk up to the ladder. Now press and hold action to climb up onto it. Keep this button pressed and use forward to climb to the top. There will be another lever up there. Pull it, then get back down here quickly. The quest is nearly at an end."
INTERLUDE 22
VON CROY: "Swiftly across the vines now. Press jump, then hold down action to grab onto the bars. Now press forward to swing across. Don't let go of action or you will again be for the plunge."
INTERLUDE 23
VON CROY: "There is no mention of this in the texts. I fear this must be opened internally. We must enter through the grate and be wary of snares."
LARA: "I presume by "we" you refer to me."
VON CROY: "Ja. My heaver frame may activate traps. You will pass unnoticed."
LARA: "How convenient."
VON CROY: "Stand facing the grate. Now, press and hold the crouch button. Push forward to crawl into the gap. Be alert!"
CUTSCENE 02 - BACKPACK
Beyond the grate, Lara has found herself in a moderately sized chamber, sunlight beaming in through a hole in the far wall. Near the lever which opens the doorway, a pedestal catches Lara's eye. A skeleton is slumped over the top of it, having been impaled by the spikes which had been activated. In its bony left hand it clutched a small brown leather backpack. No longer useful to the skeleton, Lara decides to take it as her own as she wrenches the bag away, pulling the arm off in the process.
INTERLUDE 24
VON CROY: "Ah, a backpack. Let us hope it does not hold the same luck for you as its previous owner."
LARA: "I make my own luck, Werner. What now?"
VON CROY: "Now it begins. The eyes of the ancients are upon us and their vengeance is wrathful! We must move quickly! When running, press and hold sprint to gain extra speed."
INTERLUDE 25
VON CROY: "Dive through the gap! Dive through the gap! Press jump to perform a diving roll!"
INTERLUDE 26 (VERSION 1)
VON CROY: "So you found the Garden of the Five Towers. Well done, my child. To the right, the Path of the Heretical. To the left is the Route of the Virtuous."
LARA: "I'm up for a little heresy."
INTERLUDE 27 (VERSION 2)
VON CROY: "The Garden of the Five Towers. To the right, the Path of the Heretical. To the left is the Route of the Virtuous."
LARA: "You know me Werner. A regular virtuoso."
INTERLUDE 28
VON CROY: "Now it becomes interesting, ja? You see now, it is not for the weak of heart. How do you hold up, girl?"
LARA: "Oh, I think I could get used to this."
VON CROY: "The door before us requires two people to open it. You go up to the alcove above the door. I will activate the switch down here."
INTERLUDE 29
VON CROY: "Push forward. Now press and hold action. When you're hanging from the ledge, hold down crawl to squeeze into the gap."
INTERLUDE 30
VON CROY: "Swing across to the alcove. Jump from the ledge, then hold down action to grab the vine. To release, let go of action."
INTERLUDE 31
VON CROY: "And now for the last. You are an exemplary student, Lara - although you have not yet learned the root of all adventuring - the craving to win at whatever cost. I throw down the gauntlet to you, my child. Whoever is first to the Iris claims the prize."
LARA: "Watch your back old man. I warn you, I'll pull no punches."
VON CROY: "I expected no less! On the count of three: One... two..."
CUTSCENE 03 (VERSION 1)
Lara has won the race for the Iris and is examaning the plinth inscription upon her arrival in a vast chamber. Von Croy later appears behind her, his fist clenched.
VON CROY: "And so the pupil excells the master. I congratulate you on your agility. Take your prize from the plinth. You have earned it."
LARA: "In the time it took you to find your way here, I've examined the inscriptions. It warns of vengeance on those who remove it."
CUTSCENE 03 (VERSION 2)
Von Croy has won the race for the Iris and is waiting for Lara at one of two levers. Lara later comes running into the vast chamber.
VON CROY: "Ha! I'm not such an old man after all, ja? Come here, child. The mechanism will require us both to release it."
Lara however is engrossed by the plinth inscriptions.
LARA: "The plinth inscription warns vengeance on those who remove it."
CUTSCENE 04 - FINALE
VON CROY: "Ah, ancient hocus-pocus. Forget this nonsense and come over here!"
LARA: "I don't count poison darts and triggered entombment your average child's tea party. I feel we should lend this some respect."
VON CROY: "Ah, and you are the world-famous archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft, ja? No, no, I am the reknown archaeologist-adventurer, Werner Von Croy, and you will do as I say! Go to the wall and pull the lever!"
Lara begins walking over to the second lever directly opposite Von Croy's at the other side of the chamber.
LARA: "What was it you said? Disrespect is the route to carelessness?"
VON CROY: "I am weary of this. Pull the lever now, Miss Croft."
LARA: "On your head be it, Von Croy."
They both pull the levers and the huge globe at the centre of the chamber stops rotating. The globe opens, revealing a pedestal holding the Iris on a platform. A bridge folds out in front of Von Croy, allowing him access. He walks to the pedestal and eagerly reaches out for the Iris.
VON CROY: "Have faith in experience, child, and you will learn more than simple..."
Before he can take the artefact however, the entire chamber begins to shake.
LARA: "You were saying?"
Von Croy loses his footing and falls off the edge of the platform, catching his leg in a crack on the platform's edge in the process.
VON CROY: "My leg! My leg! I am trapped! My leg is trapped! Help me Lara! Help me!"
LARA: "Hold on! I'm coming back to get you!"
The globe is closing up around Von Croy, sealing him inside. It is too late.
LARA: "Werner!"
Lara dashes for the exit and dives out into the open just as several huge slabs of rock come crashing down to the floor.
FMV 02
Fifteen years later on 26th December 1999, two camel riders are travelling through the arid hot desert at the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. One of the travellers, Ahmed Ben Trayal, is guiding the other towards somewhere. They arrive at a rock formation and disembark. Above, a rattlesnake is watching them from the rocky crags. Ahmed walks off in another direction whilst the other traveller examines something glinting in the rocks. It is a skull with a beautiful green gem embedded into where its left eye would have been. As the traveller reaches out for the skull, they are distracted by the beckoning calls of Ahmed. Turning their attention back to the skull they find a large black scorpion standing directly in front of the skull. Recoiling, the traveller stumbles backwards as a swarm of the scorpions rushes out from the rocks. Quickly, the traveller gets to their feet and dashes after their Egyptian companion.
When the traveller catches up with Ahmed, they discover that the guide has found what they have come for. In the sand is a metal handle. The traveller reaches out for it and pulls it. At first, nothing appears to happen. Then, the wind starts to become more violent as sand and rocks are flung all around them. The sand beneath their feet is slipping away too. The handle has opened a door in the ground and the travellers are sucked down into the stone-carved tunnel. They are deposited in a dark cave. Before Ahmed falls inside, the other traveller is rendered unconscious by the fall. It isn't long before they recover. The traveller gets to their feet and discards their desert robes, revealing the one and only Lara Croft. She steps forward, prepared to explore the newly discovered tomb.
CUTSCENE 05 - SARCOPHAGUS
At the burial chambers of the god Set's tomb, Lara steps up to the distinctive sarcophagus and climbs onto the coffin's lid. Upon it is the Amulet of Horus which Lara heaves out of its receptacle and puts into her backpack. With a sideways flip, Lara lands back on the floor of the chamber.
FMV 03
Lara exits Set's tomb through a stone archway and emerges in a large clearing. Lara takes off her backpack and takes out the Amulet of Horus for closer inspection. Hieroglyphics have been written on it. She begins translating them aloud.
LARA: "I, Semerkhet, High Priest of Horus, forewarn that..."
Lara's voice fades into that of the inscriber as the sky begins to darken, a thunderstorm brewing.
SEMERKHET: "...he who removes the amulet shall have released Set. He who walked abroad with the jackal at the dawn of man shall once again violate the earth."
A flashback sequence begins. It is 2900 BC and within the burial chamber where Lara would later take the amulet is stood the god Horus in front of the open sarcophagus. At the opposite side of the chamber, his uncle Set has arrived. Stood between the two deities is the high priest Semerkhet. Other priests around the chamber are on their knees, heads bowed. Set crouches to one knee, bowing low. With a subtle gesture of his golden falcon head, Horus indicates that Set rise and get into the empty sarcophagus. This the jackal-headed god acknowledges and climbs inside after Semerkhet has rotated a handle on the coffin which allows its lid to ascend. When all is ready, Horus silently indicates that Semerkhet press a button on the coffin. When he does this, electricity is generated into the coffin's lid. The underside of the lid is filled with spikes. After the sarcophagus has been sealed, blood begins to pour from jackal-headed spouts found around the base of the coffin.
SEMERKHET: "Set, ruler of evil, will again be free at the turn of a distant millennia. At his heel plagues and locusts. Harvests fail under the broken skies."
Semerkhet presents to Horus his amulet. As the falcon-headed deity places it onto the lid of the sarcophagus the blood immediately ceases.
Back in the present, someone familiar has pressed a revolver against Lara's head.
LARA: "My trusty companion returns."
AHMED: "The amulet woman!"
Lara continues translating the hieroglyphs on the amulet as lightning begins to strike.
LARA: "Once called forth shall the heavens split asunder, and the light of the sun god Horus shall banish the lord of darkness, Set."
Suddenly one of the bolts of lightning strike the exit of Set's tomb, sending rocks and dust everywhere around them. Ahmed is flung onto his back. When he gets up he looks around for his weapon. But as soon as he sights it he hears the clicking of two handguns.
LARA: "I wouldn't advise it."
Distracting Lara, a jeep pulls up beeping its horn wildly.
FMV 04
In a clearing, a red-scaled lizard is basking peacefully in the desert sun. When it hears the approaching sound of Lara's stolen jeep, it scarpers. Lara comes speeding into the clearing in pursuit of her traitorous guide, Ahmed. Continuing into the sparse desert she is fast approaching the banks of the Nile river and upon the banks are more of Ahmed's desert warrior friends with a barge. Lara slows the jeep to a halt as the goons catch sight of her. Then she reverses and shifts gear, intent on ramming through the blockade. The warriors begin firing at Lara before one of them decides to crack out a rocket launcher from a nearby crate. As the warrior attempts to get Lara in his sights, Lara shoots him with one hand on the wheel. He falls backwards to the ground and his launcher is inadvertantly set off, creating a tremendous explosion. The other man leaps for his life as their vehicles are blown apart. Lara drives through the middle of it all, crashing through a wooden gate and landing on the barge as it is leaving.
As Lara gets out of the jeep, another vehicle arrives on the scene: an old black 1955 Buick Roadmaster. Out of it first appears a walking stick, held by none other than Lara's one-time mentor, Professor Werner Von Croy! He approaches Ahmed who has appeared to tend to the wounded warrior.
VON CROY: "Fools! The Croft woman has outsmarted you ja? And now she escapes!"
AHMED: "The amulet, Herr Von Croy. It talks of the priest, Semerkhet."
VON CROY: "Semerkhet."
FMV 05
By the time Lara is on land again, night has now fallen. She drives and parks her jeep outside a small motel and strolls inside. She is greeted by an old friend. They embrace.
JEAN-YVES: "Mon Dieu! Lara!"
LARA: "Jean-Yves, my faithful friend!"
JEAN-YVES: "I fear this is not a social visit?"
Lara goes to the window and sits down on a couch.
LARA: "Only if you want Von Croy gate-crashing the party."
JEAN-YVES: "Von Croy?"
LARA: "I think he was looking for this."
Lara uncovers the Amulet of Horus from a small pouch.
JEAN-YVES: "The Amulet of Horus! An almost legendary artefact."
He crosses over to a cabinet and produces some tattered ancient scrolls.
JEAN-YVES: "So, you have found and opened the tomb of Set. This does not bode well. Translating from the Hebrew, 'He who removes the amulet shall once more release the dark power of Set. And Set sayeth: "I am the shadow across the sun. I am the bringer of plagues. My wrath will consume all lands and shall be ceaseless."
Lara and Jean both pass concerned glances at each other. A vision sequence begins, shadows and figures of Horus and Set coming and going. The silhouette of an ancient temple is the last shadow in the vision.
SEMERKHET: "The power to summon the sun god Horus, to bind the evil Set, shall only be revealed to the bearer of the amulet within the Temple of Semerkhet at Karnkak."
The vision ends and the action returns to the motel. Jean-Yves is preparing a meal in the kitchen, watched silently by Lara who is stood in the archway.
JEAN-YVES: "The ceremony is complete as the Armour of Horus summons the sun god. The Armour of Horus. At the dig site in Alexandria, my men talk fearfully of this."
LARA: "The armour must also be Von Croy's goal."
JEAN-YVES: "Only one so ignorant of the prophecies would dabble with such a prehistoric evil. Ah, yes. Releasing Set. But how could you have known, my dear?"
LARA: "Time to put things right and remove a thorn in my side in the process."
Lara walks out of the motel and back into the jeep. She heads for Karnak.
CUTSCENE 06 - JEEP A
Lara arrives in the jeep at the Temple of Karnak and pulls up outside, banging into a piece of dislodged rock in the process. She gets out of the vehicle and stares up at the walls of the temple.
CUTSCENE 07 - JEEP B
While Lara is exploring the Great Hypostyle Hall, others have now arrived at the temple: Von Croy and the desert warriors. He disembarks from his car and orders the men into the temple.
VON CROY: "After her!"
Armed, the men scurry out of their jeeps and down into the temple after Lara.
FMV 06
The huge stone door to Semerkhet's temple slides open and Lara steps inside, closely examaning the wall paintings before something else catches her eye in the darkness: two evil-looking bloodshot red eyes. Lara's fingers hover over her holsters but the eyes turn away and disappear.
VON CROY: "Miss Croft!"
Whipping around, Lara finds Von Croy's arm outstretched from the side of the entrance, clutching his walking stick.
LARA: "Von Croy."
VON CROY: "You sound concerned, my dear. Have you misplaced something?"
LARA: "Nothing I shan't be retrieving at a later date, lieber."
VON CROY: "You know how I admire your perserverence but I fear this time you may be testing it to the, how do you say... maximum."
LARA: "Always griping, Werner. If it's the leg causing all this resentment, I seem to remember that being down to your affinity with pulling hazardous levers."
VON CROY: "Enough of this tedious banter, Miss Croft. It is time for you to realise... Miss Croft?"
He peeps his head around the corner and Lara fires a shot from her pistol, narrowly missing his head.
VON CROY: "Now, let us review your sprinting skills!"
Von Croy has removed the Amulet of Horus from its receptacle and the door begins to close. Lara races back to the entrance but she is too late. Outside, Von Croy admires his prize as the sky begins to darken. A thunderstorm is brewing. One of the statues of Set flanking the temple entrance glares down at Von Croy. Then there is a flash and the usual calm weather returns.
FMV 07
At the doorway leading into Semerkhet's burial chamber, Lara flicks on her torch and quietly steps inside. Illuminating the far side of the wall, the torch reveals hieroglyphics. Lara begins translating them aloud.
LARA: "For I have served the god of light, Horus, at the time of plagues. To read this inscription means that..."
Once again, Lara's voice fades into that of the inscriber and another vision sequence begins.
SEMERKHET: "...the ruler of darkness is free. Set is released to walk abroad amongst the mortals. Enlisting his armies of the night to serve him. He who removes the amulet and releases the dark power of Set shall summon the sun god Horus
for whom the power of light will again imprison him."
Set, his skeletal armies, the sun god Horus and high priest Semerkhet all appear in the vision, scene after scene. As the vision draws to a close, there are scenes of the Orion constellation forming into the shape of a falcon and that
of Horus himself surrounded by his priests, prepared to do battle with his uncle.
SEMERKHET: "By the power of the amulet and armour of Horus shall Set, the ever living, be confined for all eternity. Summon the might of Horus through the light of the millennial constellations into his temple at the ageless pyramid,
into his likeness set in stone. With his amulet and his armour, he is once again poised to battle and defeat Set."
Lara whirls around to the sound of a vicious snarl.
FMV 08
Having escaped the guardian of Semerkhet, Lara has finally found daylight again as she heads out of the cave. At the entrance, with his back to her, is Ahmed. He starts to turn and reach for his rifle but Lara is quicker. In a second,
her pistols are trained at the back of his head.
LARA: "Hands on your head! Take me to Von Croy."
As Ahmed raises his arms in surrender, they both sight a helicopter taking off from below. Von Croy is at the helm.
LARA: "Where's he headed?"
AHMED: "You waste your time."
LARA: "This attitude problem. You people need to learn some manners. Tell me now or you've just run out of time."
As the pistols are edged ever closer to Ahmed's head, he is forced to submit.
AHMED: "Uh... Alexandria."
Lara knocks him on the back of his head with a pistol. He falls face first into the sand. After donning his robe, Lara heads down to the railway below. Unnoticed, she finds a carriage to get into and slips off the robe.
LARA: "Your workforce is about to be delayed."
Back inside the cave is Ahmed. He recovers from Lara's blow and lights a match. Two familiar evil-looking eyes appear in the darkness; Semerkhet's guardian. Panic-stricken, Ahmed screams as the creature lashes out at him. Outside, the
train is departing.
FMV 09
At Alexandria, Lara arrives at Jean-Yves' study. It is filled with ancient relics, tattered papyrus and above all else, shelves upon shelves of books. At his desk, Jean-Yves hears Lara entering and turns around.
JEAN-YVES: "Lara, you're alive! I feared for you. What..."
LARA: "Von Croy has the amulet."
JEAN-YVES: "Ah, this is bad. But he doesn't yet have the armour. There is still time to prepare for Set!"
LARA: "Jean, I'm tired. Give a girl a break."
JEAN-YVES: "My dear, when all this is over you can retire but now we must move swiftly. My men dive in the bay for remnants of Cleopatra's lost palaces."
LARA: "Cleopatra?"
Jean rises from his seat and crosses over to the window, closing it.
JEAN-YVES: "Yes. She realised the armour's significance and had it brought here. Some was subsequently scattered but..."
LARA: "And where would you recommend I start looking?"
JEAN-YVES: "In the catacombs under Alexandria. My diggers have unearthed chambers connected to the Great Library. This would hold the true location of Cleopatra's palaces."
LARA: "Take me there."
JEAN-YVES: "There is a problem."
LARA: "Von Croy."
JEAN-YVES: "Yes. His dig is expanding, crossing many of my own tunnels. Of course, my men would no longer work when Von Croy's thugs appeared on the scene."
LARA: "Time to introduce myself to Werner's loyal workforce."
JEAN-YVES: "First, you must get into the catacombs. Von Croy has them completely sealed up and I fear he will soon have the armour."
LARA: "Over my dead body."
JEAN-YVES: "This I fear also. I shall wait here for news. Return if you feel I can help in any way. Good luck, Lara. I fear you may need it."
Lara begins to leave.
LARA: "I make my own luck."
CUTSCENE 08 - MINI LIBRARY 1
As before, Jean-Yves is seated at his desk when Lara returns for information.
JEAN-YVES: "More information, oui? I believe some of the armour could be here in the town."
Lara sits opposite him and puts her feet up on his desk. Jean clears his throat, indicating that Lara put her feet on the floor. She obliges.
JEAN-YVES: "A local collector had a small exhibition and was rumoured to own a piece. It's hard to say if this is true. The man was a fool. A while back, he vanished, leaving the exhibition boarded up. So, if Von Croy hasn't got to it,
perhaps this would be the place to begin."
Lara rises up from the chair.
CUTSCENE 09 - KEY
A set of keys is hung up on a hook behind the bars. Lara produces a pole with a hook on the end of it and slowly eases it through the bars and through the keyring. She pulls it back, allows the keys to fall to the floor and replaces the
hook and pole.
CUTSCENE 10 - MINI LIBRARY 2
This time, Jean-Yves is scanning one of his bookcases for information when Lara enters the study.
JEAN-YVES: "Lara, I've been doing some reading and it is highly probable that some of the armour is hidden down in the catacombs themselves. But you must take care. Word of Von Croy's men fleeing the tunnels has reached me. Set's
apparitions have begun to move into the city, gathering at the ancient sites. You must hurry and find the library."
CUTSCENE 11 - MINI LIBRARY 3
When Lara returns for the third time, Jean-Yves is now seated at a small table reading. She touches his shoulder in greeting. Jean looks up at her and gestures for her to stand beside him.
JEAN-YVES: "Greetings, Lara. Remember, somewhere in the library will be the means to guide you to the location of Cleopatra's palaces. Von Croy will not know you have found the library yet but I have heard through connections that he has
hired new local help and is doubly searching for another way in. For the moment we have the advantage but I fear you must move quickly if we are to stay ahead. Remember, the Great Library was very much like a university to ancient
Alexandria. It will be full of knowledge, puzzles and invention. You will need quick wits to get through. Good luck, my friend."
CUTSCENE 12 - LIBRARY END
At the Hall of Demetrius, Lara explores and discovers a scroll lying on the floor in one of the upper levels. Before she can read it, a sound momentarily distracts her. Thinking nothing of it, Lara begins reading.
LARA: "The tablet was returned to the sands that had spawned it beneath the Citadel..."
Once more, Lara's voice fades into that of Semerkhet's.
SEMERKHET: "...of Saladin in Ancient Cairo, foretelling of the time in a distant millennia when the stars of Orion come together, the ceremony is performed and Set entombed."
The sound which Lara had heards moments ago transpires to be Von Croy, tapping his walking stick on the floor. He has appeared from a darkened corridor in front of Lara, surrounded by desert warriors.
VON CROY: "Hello my dear, another unannounced visit. I see you have found the scroll we unearthed. Interesting reading ja?"
LARA: "Only interesting if you know what it refers to."
VON CROY: "Yes yes, quite correct my dear. The armour on its own is no more than a curiosity but with the amulet and the ceremonial tablet, it becomes an important historical artefact, predating the Bible by centuries."
LARA: "There is more at stake here than the sum of the pieces, Von Croy. Ever heard of Armageddon? Unpleasant, even by your standards."
VON CROY: "Rebinding the spirit of Set, putting the armour on the statue at midnight at the turn of the Millennium. So on and such like, I was never a believer in this magical hocus-pocus."
Lara makes a run for it, diving off of the upper level as the desert warriors open fire on her.
VON CROY: "Fools! After her!"
Von Croy escapes through a concealed doorway as the warriors begin pursuit.
CUTSCENE 13 - MINI LIBRARY 4
Jean-Yves is back at his desk. He is about to reach out for a bottle when Lara enters, surprising him. He bumps into his chair. He then re-positions it.
JEAN-YVES: "Ah, Lara. You have most truly put Von Croy's nose out of joint this time. If events were less catastrophic I would be very happy. As it is, we must now be even more careful. He will become more desperate and thus more
dangerous. Be on your guard. Use the artefact to get into the Cleopatra's palaces and find the rest of the armour. Tread carefully now and not too much sight-seeing, hmmm?"
CUTSCENE 14 - THRONE
Lara enters the throne room of Cleopatra's palaces. The chamber is flanked by several pillars and at the far side is the throne itself. Approaching slowly, Lara admires the throne before sitting on it. Moments later, two stone doors at
either side of the room slide open. Two tall golden masked guardians wielding sceptres emerge.
FMV 10
With the entirety of Horus' armour in her possession, Lara returns at night to Jean-Yves' study. Something is amiss however. His desk chair has been upturned and upon the desk itself is a note pinned down by a dagger. Lara rips the note
off and begins reading it, imagining the voice of the writer.
VON CROY: "Congratulations, you survive to fight another day. I trust that you now have all the armour. Jean-Yves is escorting us to Cairo, not entirely of his own free will I admit. A simple trade: his life for the Armour of Horus! Do
not take too long thinking it over. Yours apologetically, Werner!"
Angered, Lara dashes out of the study and down to Jean's motorcycle. She starts the engine and races out of Alexandria.
Meanwhile, several Egyptian military helicopters are on their way to Cairo. Swarms of locusts begin to gather around them.
Also en route to Cairo, Von Croy is speeding through the desert in his own car, accompanied by three trucks. The locusts begin to swoop in and gather all over Von Croy's car. The interior of the car begins to flare a brilliant red as
the spirit of Set possesses Von Croy completely. His eyes unearthly and his skin discoloured, the image of a jackal flickers across Von Croy's face. Outside, the locusts depart as Von Croy's glowing car continues to its destination.
Nearby, Lara has almost reached Cairo as the swarm of locusts pass her by. Cairo is in chaos and flames as the battle between the Egyptian army and Set's forces draws to its conclusion.
CUTSCENE 15 - SERGEANT 1
Near the gate to Saladin's Citadel, Lara comes upon the wounded body of an Egyptian sergeant. She crouches down to check on him. He stirs.
AZIZAS: "What in God's name has happened here? Where are the rest of my men?"
Lara rises.
LARA: "I banged into a couple of them. They appear to have sealed off all the exits."
AZIZAS: "Yes, yes... This, this is good. You must help us to... to... to... to liberate the city."
LARA: "I'm just here for directions. I need a route to the Citadel."
AZIZAS: "This is not so good. This is where the main activity takes place."
LARA: "Activity?"
AZIZAS: "We encountered it as the skies began to darken. A creature of our ancient past. It tore through my men like a firestorm. I managed to station an ammunition truck before the beast. Had a mind to ignite the explosive device in the
area, but with renewed vigor, it forced us back. It was if it knew of our plans."
LARA: "Beast or no beast, Sarge. I've got to get into that building."
AZIZAS: "You have spirit. Perhaps... As we retreated, we had mined some of the streets to prevent contamination. Two of my men are still in the area. Out of the northern cemetery. One of them holds the frequency for the mine detector. The
other holds the second half of the code for the explosive device."
LARA: "And if I find them?"
AZIZAS: "Tell them that Sergeant Azizas sent you. I heard your motorbike. Once you have the codes, take me on it to the ammunition truck. I shall eradicate the blockage. But hurry! I am not long of this world."
CUTSCENE 16 - SERGEANT 2
Lara returns to Azizas.
AZIZAS: "Your bike will need modifications to clear some of the larger obstacles. Nitrous Oxide connected to the carburetor should give you the extra punch. Go! Bring me the codes."
CUTSCENE 17 - WHOUSE
As Lara drops into a garage and approaches a wounded soldier, he raises his pistol. Lara draws her own.
LARA: "Put your gun away. Azizas sent me."
He lowers his arm.
SOLDIER: "Help me, Englisher. I bleed to death. I tried to hide but those things smell the blood on me."
LARA: "I've come for the mine frequency. I need to get back to Azizas through this rabbit warren with both legs intact."
SOLDIER: "I do a good job with the mines. Not that it does us any good. We are all dead or half-dying."
He reaches for the detonator and throws it at Lara's feet.
LARA: "Where are the rest of you? I need the explosive codes."
SOLDIER: "Saida, my colleague, lies across the roof bridge in the mosque. As we retreated, something new that we had not encountered before came from the shadows like lightning and took his head."
LARA: "The codes?"
SOLDIER: "Inside his head! Inside the creature!"
LARA: "I need those codes!"
SOLDIER: "Search his body. I don't know. Leave me now for I am weak and wish to prepare myself for my god."
CUTSCENE 18 - CROCODILE GOD
Azizas is still waiting when Lara returns on the motorcycle. She carries him into the sidecar and drives off to the gate of the Citadel in between the truck and the creature. Lara gets out and lifts Azizas out of the sidecar.
AZIZAS: "You are a strong woman."
LARA: "Lara. And you handled yourself pretty well, Sergeant. You've got the codes, what now?"
Azizas points his rifle in Lara's direction.
AZIZAS: "After all we've been through, I think not. This is merely insurance."
LARA: "Against what?"
AZIZAS: "Against your stopping me from doing my duty. Somebody needs to drive that truck in there."
LARA: "Kamikaze."
AZIZAS: "Whatever it takes for my country. In the next life then, my friend."
Azizas climbs into the driving seat of the truck. Lara backs away and takes cover. Azizas drives the truck off of the ledge and into the creature. The explosives are detonated and Lara is flung backwards from the blast. The creature has
been destroyed and the way to Saladin's Citadel is clear. Lara salutes Azizas before heading inside.
CUTSCENE 19 - CRYPT 01
Inside the Citadel, Lara finds Jean-Yves tied to an altar. She frees him.
JEAN-YVES: "Thank God you made it! Von Croy... I saw it myself. I would not have believed such a thing. He's possessed of Set!"
LARA: "Get out of here, Jean. I have a feeling things may turn nasty."
JEAN-YVES: "He's digging under the Citadel in the Crusaders' vaults in search of the Ceremonial Tablet. The tablet which contains Set's binding incantations. Be careful, Lara. I fear there are things in the vaults man was not meant to
see."
Jean embraces Lara.
LARA: "I'm not a man, Jean, and I'm always very, very careful."
In the Crusaders' vaults, the possessed Von Croy is uncovering something in the ground as one of the desert warriors patrols around him.
SET: "We have it! The ancient Ceremonial Tablet. Take it and prepare it, and see if the Croft woman has arrived with our armour."
Von Croy rises up and the warrior picks the tablet up. Von Croy walks away and places the Amulet of Horus into a receptacle set into a wall. The door to a crypt opens. After stepping inside, he invokes some power and the skeletal bodies
of two Templar knights begin to stir.
CUTSCENE 20 - CRYPT 02
Lara finds her way into the crypt where Von Croy is waiting for her, surrounded by four black jackals.
SET: "Come in, Lara. I've been expecting you. Come to me, child. Do not fear your old colleague. I merely require the armour that you hold in your possession."
LARA: "And in return?"
SET: "I will grant you vigor as those around you fall. You shall command the ultimate power: that of life or death over those you choose at your side and in return they will bow at your feet and give worship."
Lara begins backing away.
LARA: "Got my fair share of that already and besides, give a jackal your hand and he'll bite off your whole arm."
Lara makes a dash for the amulet. She pulls it out of its receptacle and the crypt door slides shut, sealing Von Croy and the jackals inside.
LARA: "Barking mad."
Afterwards, Lara finds a window elsewhere in the Citadel overlooking some water. She dives into it.
CUTSCENE 21 - INSCRIPTION
Lara kneels to examine the hieroglyphics engraved onto the stone tablet in front of the sphinx.
LARA: "The inscription reads, 'One night in dreaming came to me the spirit of the sphinx. In his passing, he spoke unto me words of great wisdom, "Thutmosis, here is your true destiny: This land of Egypt is forever yours to rule. In
return, protect me always from the sands of time. As you are, I must be free from head to toe so that we both may see the divine beauty of creation."
CUTSCENE 22 - DIG
Returning to the sphinx with a shovel, Lara begins digging in front of the stone tablet. Later, a hole reveals a tunnel running underneath the sphinx.
CUTSCENE 23 - SCORPION
Lara attacks the giant scorpion which clutches an Egyptian soldier in one of its pincers. The scorpion lets go as she finishes it off with her pistols. She rushes over to check on the fallen soldier.
SOLDIER: "Allah be praised. For a moment, I thought I was dead for sure. Please, for your own safety, take these keys and hide in the pyramid of Menkaure. Save yourself from these abominations!"
The soldier hands some keys to Lara.
CUTSCENE 24 - HORUS
Deep beneath the Great Pyramid at the Temple of Horus, Lara approaches the god's likeness and begins assembling the armour's on its body. Greaves, gauntlets and breast plate all in place, Lara adds the final component to the centre of
the breast plate: Horus' amulet.
FMV 11
Something stirs in the Orion Constellation. From the very heavens themselves, the spirit of the sun god Horus descends to the Earth and the Great Pyramid of Khufu, directly through the central shaft and into his stone likeness where
Lara is awaiting the god's arrival. She watches the spectacle in awe as the once stone statue takes on a glimmering armoured form.
Outside, the locusts are gathering at the pyramid, swarming in at every entrance. Soon they rush into the cavern and encircle the animating form of Horus. Before the ceremony is completed however, the locusts trigger an explosion which
shatters Horus into countless shards. The fleeing spirit of Horus knocks Lara on her back. The amulet on the other hand, seemingly indestructable, is flung into the surrounding water.
Where there ought to have been Horus was now the dreaded Set standing amongst the flames.
SET: "My weakened cousin is once again returned to the stars. It is I who shall rule once more. Come forth and kneel and bow before your god before he extinguishes your worthless life!"
CUTSCENE 25 - DOOR
Constantly evading Set's bolts of deadly energy, Lara manages to climb her way back up the central shaft. She backflips and lands in a small chamber. Taking the Amulet of Horus from her backpack, Lara places it into the receptacle of
a trapdoor which closes upon insertion of the amulet, sealing Set away once more.
FMV 12
At Giza, morning dawns as Lara arrives at an exit to the Great Pyramid. Exhausted from her ordeal, Lara pauses for a moment before making to leave. As she slowly ascends the steps towards the light outside, a shadow falls over her. Von
Croy. The corridor begins to shudder. Von Croy beckons Lara to come forward.
VON CROY: "Quickly girl, before it collapses around you!"
Lara is forced backwards a few steps as a few stones become dislodged from the ceiling.
LARA: "You back Werner? No more Set?"
VON CROY: "No time! Your hand, Lara! Give me your hand!"
The steps beneath Lara's feet begin to crumble away as she dashes up to Von Croy. She is forced to jump as the last step falls away and grabs onto the ledge below Von Croy.
VON CROY: "Take my hand! I can pull you to safety!"
LARA: "Good to see you again, Werner."
VON CROY: "I couldn't leave you!"
Von Croy is forced to flee as the stone blocks above him begin to fall. He turns around. The pyramid has been sealed, a stone bearing the visage of Set blocking the exit. Sombrely, Von Croy removes his hat and sighs, his gaze falling
to the ground.
CUTSCENE - TIMES
In London, at the office of Peter Stothard, editor of The Times, Lara is leaning over his desk analysing an edition of the newspaper.
LARA: "The initial discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, and?"
STOTHARD: "This is Howard Carter's original exclusive. Yesterday morning from our Egyptian correspondent, we received this."
He gestures to another edition of the newspaper on his desk which Lara also examines.
LARA: "Tutankhamun's tomb... New tunnels... I see. I've stayed in bed for less."
STOTHARD: "Our man stumbled across this new dig site. After we received this information, news reached us that he had been found fever-ridden and hiding nearby ranting about the new tomb."
STOTHARD: "Wait, you'll get nowhere without Carter's original information. He was the first to discover Tutankhamun's tomb and reported exclusively to us. His original chamber layouts and notes lie in the relevant issues in our archive
room. Invaluable to the tomb raider."
LARA: "Quite. And where are these archives?"
Lara leaves the editor's office and makes her way down a corridor to the archive room. She is later found pouring over a large book.
LARA: "Time to finish what Carter started."
CREDITS
PC Programmer
Richard Flower
AI Programming
Tom Scutt
Programmers
Chris Coupe
Martin Gibbins
Derek Leigh-Gilchrist
Martin Jensen
Animators
Phil Chapman
Jerr O'Carroll
Level Designers
Andrea Cordella
Pete Duncan
Jamie Morton
Richard Morton
Andy Sandham
Joby Wood
FMV Sequences
Peter Barnard
David Reading
Matt Furniss
Simeon Furniss
John Lilley
Additional Artwork
Damon Godley
Mark Hazleton
Steve Huckle
Steve Hawkes
Darren Wakeman
Music & Sound FX
Peter Connelly
Original Story
Pete Duncan
Dr. Kieron O'Hara
Richard Morton
Andy Sandham
Script
Hope Caton
Andy Sandham
Producer
Troy Horton
QA
Tiziano Cirillo
Nick Connelly
Hayos Fatunmbi
Paul Field
Steve Wakeman
Dave Ward
Jason Churchman
Thanks to
Phil Callaghan
Mick Harrison
Joe Scutt Phillips
Special Thanks to
All in the Game Limited
Viewpoint (UK) Limited
Executive Producers
Jeremy H. Smith
Adrian Smith
English Voice Actors
Lara Croft - Jonell Elliott
Werner Von Croy - Kerry Shale
Peter Stothard - Himself