"We've entered Matsés National Reserve. If we keep heading northwest, we'll reach our destination—our people are waiting at Requena," Camila said, struggling to cross a small creek filled with sharp stones, her rations and water slung over her shoulder. But her words weren't exactly reassuring. The Peruvian Matsés National Reserve was vast, stretching across the border between Brazil's Amazonas state and Peru. The expedition had trekked westward without encountering any sign of civilization. The humid, stifling rainforest and ever-present threat of malaria were far deadlier than Trinity's mercenaries. Fortunately, Eternal City had planned for such conditions—alongside food and water, the team had been issued water purification tablets, insect-repellent paint, and quinine-based anti-malarials.
Still, Camila would've preferred an electric mosquito swatter—or a functioning communications device, even one that needed a hand-cranked generator.
"We've gone over two hundred kilometers, Camila," said Lara, who as an archaeologist had also been tasked with carrying supplies. She panted, "It's day five. There's no way Trinity can still track us. Maybe we should change course—Requena is too far."
"Where do you think you're going, girl? Requena is the closest settlement to us," Camila replied coldly. "To the west is another protected area, to the south another national park. If we don't follow the Ucayali River, we'll run out of supplies and die in the jungle. Let me be clear—I don't care whether you live or die. I only care whether the mission is completed."
"I know, I know, I just wanted to ask if there's any other way to contact the organization?" Lara asked. "I know Eternal City has loads of high-tech equipment, so…"
"If our radio hadn't been smashed along with the plane's fuel tank, maybe. But we didn't bring many backup comms for easier transport. Now we're stuck relying on Peru's terrible communication network." Camila extended a hand to help Lara up a muddy incline. Seven days of survival in the wild had drained everyone's strength—especially after they'd clashed with Trinity's search party five days ago. If it weren't for Eternal City's doctrine of firepower supremacy and their incomprehensibly advanced weapons, Camila's team would likely have been wiped out. Even so, they had no way to counter Trinity's attack helicopters. Once their man-portable missiles were spent, Camila had no choice but to lead her team through evasive maneuvers in the rainforest to avoid aerial detection.
Lara Croft had to reach Peru alive—that was the mission.
Eternal City had shown her a vision of the future and invited her to be a part of it. She had witnessed order being established in Africa with her own eyes. People who once owned nothing now had lives of their own. Western diamond companies and energy corporations had been mercilessly expelled, replaced by educated locals and Eternal City administrators. Schools, hospitals, prisons—basic infrastructure had been built. Advanced technology was no longer the privilege of the wealthy, but the machinery of construction. Criminals were executed, children were forcibly educated, and everyone contributed to the labor of building their new lives. People's living conditions visibly improved; those days of eating dirt cakes for sustenance were gone for good. Not everyone accepted Eternal City's rule—but even under the lash, the rulers forced the people toward a better life.
Camila herself had become a protector of that better life.
It was the vision she had longed for, and one she hoped to bring to her homeland of Peru.
Eradicating opium fields, destroying gangs, corrupt cops, and the U.S.-backed puppet government—returning wealth and power to every Peruvian. For that dream, she was willing to serve Eternal City, even knowing their brutal methods. As a member of Peru's anti-government guerrillas, Camila knew such methods were necessary. Only clueless Western liberals ignored the reality of people's suffering and cried endlessly for peace.
Like that fool Coulson.
Night fell quickly. To conserve battery power, Camila had ordered her team to use torches once they had shaken off their pursuers. It proved a wise decision—two days later, their remaining battery power was below fifty percent, and returning to the battle site to retrieve discarded supplies was out of the question.
"I hope Eternal City spotted that Trinity gunship," Camila muttered at the fire. Lara gave her a questioning glance, prompting Camila to explain. "Honestly, I don't even know what tech Eternal City has right now. But before we left, I heard from a friend that they now possess an armed orbital platform. Just imagine dropping a metal rod from space…"
"The 'Rods from God' project was a failure, Camila," Jonah interjected. "With the precision required, just dropping a tungsten rod doesn't do much. It's not even cost-effective."
"They could drop something—it was just an example! Don't laugh, Benjamin! Or I'll dock your pay!" Camila coughed. "My point is, it's very possible we're being tracked by a satellite in orbit. Even if they haven't found us yet, they're likely searching. A crashed attack helicopter isn't exactly subtle, right? I hope they send a dropship. Those things are insanely fast. We flew from Africa to South America in practically no time and even breached the atmosphere. Benjamin couldn't handle it—he lost his breakfast all over the deck."
"Honestly, I thought it was just a gunboat," Benjamin chuckled, his deep voice like a night owl in the forest. "No one told me not to eat before boarding a dropship."
He was an old subordinate of Camila's from the national army. After her imprisonment, he had tried everything to rescue her. But the Peruvian government wasn't about to release a military officer tied to anti-government guerrillas—and they planned to purge her entire unit. So when Eternal City came to extract Camila, their operatives in the South American highlands brought Benjamin along too. The battle-hardened Latino had clashed with drug lords and corrupt police alike. When Eternal City found him, the rifling on his AK-47 was nearly worn smooth, his clothes hadn't been washed in months, and his hair was caked with dirt.
If the agents had arrived any later, he might've become a wild man.
"So you spent half an hour scrubbing the dropship deck," joked another man. Aaron, with a black beard, shook the sausage skewered on a stick. "Unlike me—I managed to take a nap during the ride."
"Cut the crap, Aaron. You only lasted a little longer than me. You think we didn't see you puke outside the ramp?" Camila shot him down mercilessly. "And who told you it was a good idea to hit on those women in power armor? What kind of lunatic does that?"
"I was just admiring beautiful women! How could I know they'd be that crazy?" Aaron's face turned crimson. "What kind of woman beats a guy up just for flirting?"
"Plenty," Camila and Lara said in unison.
Everyone burst into laughter, as if Trinity's pursuers didn't exist. Surrounded by these loyal comrades, Camila felt that none of the problems they faced were insurmountable. She was filled with confidence in the future.
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