[Tomb Raider -- The Movie
Gary Whitta's Unofficial, Unfinished Screenplay

There's been some talk of a Tomb Raider movie, which prompted PC Gamer's
Editor in Chief Gary Whitta to try his hand at a screenplay starring none
other than Lara Croft.

"I was cleaning out my hard drive when I found this stupid thing, which has
been sitting around on my PC for ages," says Whitta. "It's a hobby project
I never got around to finishing it because I lost interest after a week,
but I thought someone might get a kick out of reading it."

So who would play Lara Croft? "I think it would have to be Liz Hurley,"
says Whitta. "She's the only one who could get the accent right."]



                                TOMB RAIDER

"TOMB RAIDER" by Gary Whitta: First Draft, 20th May, 1997

This work-in-progress © Gary Whitta 1997



FADE IN:

EXT. HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS - DAY

An establishing shot moves slowly, serenely across the majestic panorama of
the Himalayan mountains. We are at extremely high altitude - many of the
lower mountain peaks are shrouded by the cloud layers below us. Eventually,
we arrive at an awesome sight in the foreground - the very peak of Mount
Everest itself.

SUPERIMPOSE CAPTION:

                            MOUNT EVEREST, NEPAL

                        29,028 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL

                                    1986

There is silence. Apart from a small orange weather beacon, the peak shows
no sign of ever having been touched by man, until…

…the silence is broken by an icy crunch as a steel climbing pick is driven
into the face of the mountain. A mountaineer, face hidden behind a heavy
hood and goggles, slowly but surely ascends and, with one final effort,
hauls himself up onto the peak. Having made it, he turns round to pull on
the rope attached to his waist and help a second mountaineer make the final
few steps to the top. They stand together and turn to take in their
breathtaking surroundings from the highest point on Earth. After a moment,
they embrace and launch their fists into the air in triumph.

INT. AIRPORT DEPARTURE LOUNGE - DAY

The image of Everest is viewed through the crackly reception of a
black-and-white TV set showing news coverage of the ascent. We pull back to
see that the TV looks down on the bustling departure lounge of Kathmandu
International Airport.

                                       AIRPORT ANNOUNCER (V.O)

                         Attention please, this is the final call for
                         flight number NA955 to Delhi and London Heathrow,
                         now boarding at gate five. (Announcement repeats
                         in Nepali.)

Most of the travellers here are Nepali but looking conspicuous amongst the
locals is a small but boisterous group of upper-class English school girls
in their late teens returning home from a skiing trip. MISS MILLET, a thin,
plain-looking and overworked teacher in her early fifties, is trying to
take a headcount of the girls before they board.

                                             MISS MILLET

                         (Exasperated) Girls! Girls! Please can you just
                         stand still for one moment? (Counting heads)
                         Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen… (a pause, then) where
                         is Lara Croft? Has anybody seen Lara Croft?

The schoolgirls shrug their shoulders. Miss Millet lets out a sigh.

                                             MISS MILLET

                         All of you, wait here while I find Lara.

Cut back to the airport TV. It’s being watched by just one person - but
that person is utterly transfixed. She is LARA CROFT, seventeen years of
age and about to blossom into a very beautiful young woman. Athletic and
pretty, but with an innocent and dreamlike air to her, she looks up at the
pictures of the Everest mountaineers celebrating their successful ascent
back at base camp. The narration is in Nepali but it doesn’t matter - Lara
is fascinated. In fact, she doesn’t even notice the irate Miss Millet
walking up behind her.

                                             MISS MILLET

                         There you are! Where have you been? Everyone else
                         is waiting for you!

Lara doesn’t hear her, still gripped by the television pictures. Miss
Millet grabs her by the shoulder to get her attention.

                                             MISS MILLET

                         Lara!

Lara snaps out of her daydream and spins around.

                                                LARA

                         Miss Millet! I’m… I’m sorry, I must have lost
                         track of time.

Lara’s English accent is impeccable, suggesting aristocratic breeding and
the very best education.

                                             MISS MILLET

                         Yes, well that’s something we don’t have much of!
                         Do you want this plane to leave without us? Come
                         along!

                                                LARA

                         Yes miss, sorry miss!

Lara gathers up her things and hurries towards the departure lounge.

EXT. AIRPORT RUNWAY - DAY

The mid-sized Nepal Air passenger plane takes off and disappears into the
distance, over the Himalayas.

INT. AIRPLANE - DAY

The 100-seater airplane is about half full, including the schoolgirl party.
They continue to behave boisterously, despite the best efforts of Miss
Millet to calm them down. The only quiet member of the party is Lara Croft,
who sits by herself, reading a book. One of her schoolmates, ALICE, notices
her.

                                                ALICE

                         Lara! What’s the matter with you?

                                                LARA

                         What do you mean?

                                                ALICE

                         You’ve been just a complete misery-guts the whole
                         trip! Don’t you want to enjoy yourself?

                                                LARA

                         I am enjoying myself.



                                                ALICE

                         (Laughs) With your nose stuck in a book the whole
                         time?

Another schoolgirl, MARY, joins in.

                                                MARY

                         It’s not as if you don’t have the opportunity to
                         have any fun, Lara. If I was the daughter of a
                         rich English Lord, I wouldn’t be a boring bloody
                         bookworm, I’d be spending the old bastard’s money!

This gets a laugh from the other girls, except Lara, who seems offended.
She closes her book and gets up from her seat.

                                                LARA

                         Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.

                                                MARY

                         The problem with you, Lara, is that you don’t know
                         how lucky you are! It’s all wasted on you, Lucky
                         Lara!

Another laugh from the girls, despite Miss Millet’s disapproving looks.
Paying no attention, Lara makes her way from the front of the airplane to
the bathrooms at the rear. She enters and locks the door.

INT. AIRPLANE BATHROOM

Lara looks discontentedly at herself in the mirror.

                                                LARA

                         Lucky Lara.

INT. AIRPLANE COCKPIT - DAY

The pilot and co-pilot look concerned as turbulence buffets the aircraft
and the visibility deteriorates.

                                                PILOT

                         Can’t see a damn thing up here. Was this in the
                         weather report?

                                              CO-PILOT

                         No, supposed to be clear all the way.

The pilot sighs and grabs the PA microphone to address the passengers.

                                                PILOT

                         Attention ladies and gentlemen, this is the
                         Captain. We are encountering some unforseen
                         weather difficulties at the moment, but we should
                         be coming out of it shortly. In the meantime,
                         could you please all return to your seats and…

At that moment, an audience-jarring SHOCK! As if from nowhere, a flock of
birds appears at close range through the mist and smashes into the cockpit
window. The force of the impact breaks one of the small side windows, and
the pilot is cut badly by the glass blasted inward by the sudden rush of
air, which is now howling around the cockpit. The co-pilot struggles to
help him while trying to maintain control of the airplane. For a moment he
loses it and the plane lurches to the right… making things even worse, as
outside, a wing clips a mountain top, shearing the engine and much of the
wing itself completely off!

In the main cabin, panicked reaction from the passengers and crew as the
violent impact throws people forwards in their seats, and luggage crashes
down from the compartments above.

In the bathroom, Lara is thrown forward and her head hits the door handle,
cutting it and leaving her slumped in the corner, dazed.

In the cockpit, the co-pilot fights a losing battle, desperately trying to
regain control. The plane is losing altitude fast, and listing to the right
because of the damaged wing.

In the main cabin, everone is now in a state of extreme panic as it’s clear
the plane is going down. Crew members hurriedly try to help passengers with
oxygen masks and crash positions.

The plane continues to descend, now flying through a valley with mountains
to either side. The co-pilot pulls back on the control stick with all his
might in an attempt to level the descent.

                                              CO-PILOT

                         (Into headset) Mayday, mayday! This is Romeo Alpha
                         Nine Five Five in distress! Our starboard engine
                         is out, losing altitude! Say again, this is…

Too late. At that moment the plane hits the ground and careens across the
rock and ice at breakneck speed, skidding left and right… and eventually
starting to slow down.

Visibility from the cockpit is near zero thanks to the snow being kicked up
all around. The co-pilot hits every brake and flap he can to slow the
plane, and it seems to be working. A look of relief crosses his face, but
then turns to horror as the visibility clears just in time for him - and us
- to see that the plane is heading straight into a mountainside ahead! He
barely has time to raise his hands to protect himself, before…

…the aircraft crashes headlong into the mountain with tremendous force. The
entire front section of the fuselage crumples like a concertina, while the
rear section tears and bends upwards before crashing back down into the
snow. With a mighty groan, the crippled aircraft lists over onto its
smashed wing and finally comes to rest.

Inside the aircraft, the cabin has been severely smashed, and stricken
bodies are everywhere. Exposed electrical circuitry sparks wildly, steel
supports hang from the ceiling and the whole structure looks like it could
give way at any moment. There is no motion amongst the passengers, and
there looks to be no survivors…

…but then, from the rear, a sign of life. Buckled and hanging from just one
hinge, the bathroom door opens slightly, then with a push from inside,
tears off the hinge and crashes onto the floor. After a moment, Lara
emerges, badly bruised, bleeding and dazed but otherwise unhurt. She limps
out into the main cabin to survey the awful scene before her. At first she
is horrified, but she braces herself and makes her way down the center
aisle.

                                                LARA

                         Hello? Hello? Is anyone… can anyone hear me?
                         (Louder, more urgently) Hello?

Lara looks frantically for signs of life, but there are none. After a few
moments the reality of her situation sets in, and she begins to cry.

Then, a voice. Only faint at first, barely enough for Lara to hear.

                                             MISS MILLET

                         Lara? Lara?

Lara swings round, trying to pinpoint where the voice is coming from.

                                                LARA

                         Miss Millet?

                                             MISS MILLET

                         Lara!

Homing in on the voice, Lara pulls aside some wreckage to find Miss Millet
beneath it. She is mortally injured and barely hanging onto life. Lara
kneels down and tries to help her.

                                                LARA

                         How are you? I mean, how bad… can you move?

                                             MISS MILLET

                         (Weaker now) Lara… I… can’t…

Lara tries to lift her, but Miss Millet cries out in pain. Below the waist
she is trapped under tons of heavy wreckage.

                                             MISS MILLET

                         Don’t try to… (coughs) I’m not going anywhere.
                         Save who you can.

                                                LARA

                         (Looking around) They’re all dead!

                                             MISS MILLET

                         (A pause, then) Then save yourself.

At that moment there is an ominous rumbling sound from outside the
aircraft, like thunder. Lara looks frantically up and around to try to
pinpoint the noise, but it seems to come from all around.

EXT. AIRPLANE - DAY

The impact of the airplane into the mountainside has destabilized some of
the rock shelves above, and an avalanche is imminent. Snow begins to slide
downwards, and large chunks are already falling and crashing down on top of
the fuselage.

INT. AIRPLANE - DAY

Lara watches in horror as the view out of several of the airplane windows
suddenly turns completely white - a snowslide just buried a section of the
plane. The deep rumbling from above continues, suggesting that much worse
is to come. Now acutely aware of the imminent danger, Lara turns back to
Miss Millet.

                                                LARA

                         I can’t leave you here! I won’t!

For a brief moment, some strength returns to Miss Millet as she reaches out
and grabs Lara by the shoulder.

                                             MISS MILLET

                         No! Listen to me! You can’t help me! Save
                         yourself, Lara. Survive. (A pause, then, much
                         weaker) Survive…

Miss Millet’s grip grows weak and her arm slumps down by her side. Her head
drops back. Dead. Lara stands and steps back, aghast. She looks around -
snow is fluttering in through the huge tear in the fuselage and is already
starting to settle inside. Suddenly Lara realises how cold she is and wraps
herself in a tattered blanket. She is totally lost, alone and terrified.
But then her expression changes as she pulls herself together and makes a
decision. Survive.

Cut to Lara hurriedly preparing. Rifling through luggage, she collects ski
clothing and dresses herself in layer after layer. She fills a backpack
with whatever food and equipment she can find.

Entering the cockpit, Lara grimly pushes aside the body of the dead pilot
to get past. The cockpit is crushed, but there is still room to move
around. Using a piece of metal wreckage, Lara prises the compass from its
housing in the buckled instrument panel. She also grabs a wad of maps and
puts these in her bag with the compass. Noticing what looks like an
emergency kit above her, she reaches for it but her touch dislodges it and
it falls to the ground, open. Inside is a loaded revolver. Lara hesitates
for a moment, then picks it up nervously - it looks huge in her small hand
- and puts it in her bag.

Lara, now fully kitted out in bulky cold-weather gear and hauling her heavy
backpack, steps out through the gash in the fuselage and carefully clambers
down the snowdrift that has built up outside. At that moment the rumbling
sound from above gets much louder, and Lara makes a desperate dash and leap
for safety just as hundreds of tons of snow and ice crash down in a mighty
avalanche, completely burying the plane. No rescue team will ever find it,
and if Lara had been just a few seconds slower, no-one would ever have
found her, either.

After scrambling away and regaining her compusure, Lara looks all around.
There is nothing but desolate, snowy wasteland and treacherous mountains as
far as the eye can see in every direction. She looks back at the aircraft’s
burial site and wipes away a tear.

                                                LARA

                         Lucky Lara…

Looking at her maps and compass, Lara makes the best guess she can about
which way to head, then trudges off into the white void…

EXT. HIMALAYAN VILLAGE - DAY

A remote village somewhere in the Himalayan lowlands. This tiny community,
home to no more than a hundred peasant farmers and their families, rests
hidden inside a shallow valley.

SUPERIMPOSE CAPTION:

                           NEAR BIRATNAGAR, NEPAL

                      74 MILES NORTHWEST OF CRASH SITE

                               ONE WEEK LATER

Inside a small hut, an American missionary doctor, LAING, is trying to
innoculate a small Nepali child who is scared of the needle.

                                                LAING

                         (In Nepali, subtitled) Now don’t be afraid. This
                         won’t hurt.

The child is uncomfortable and won’t stop struggling. Exasperated, Laing
has an idea. He acts surprised and points behind the child.

                                               LAING

                         Oh my word, what is THAT?

The child falls for it and turns his head to see. While his guard is down,
Laing jabs him with the needle and administers the innoculation.

                                                LAING

                         There, you see? All done.

Laing covers the needle mark with a cotton swab and the boy scampers away
to play with his friends.

At the edge of the village, an old peasant stops dead in his tracks when he
sees something he can barely believe in the distance. He double-takes and
steps forward for a better look. Amazed, he shouts back to the village,
never taking his eyes off what he sees.

                                               PEASANT

                         (In Nepali, subtitled) Doctor! Doctor! Come! Come
                         quickly!

The peasant’s shouts attract attention, and people start to rush over.
Laing notices the commotion and hurries over to see what the fuss is about.
When he reaches the astonished crowd that has gathered and sees what they
see, his jaw drops in amazement.

                                                LAING

                         Good God.

Staggering towards them in the distance is a dark, bulky shape which, as it
gets closer, we recognize as Lara Croft. Seeing that she is in distress,
Laing and several villagers rush out to meet her. As they reach her, she
stumbles, exhausted, into Laing’s arms. Her face and clothes are covered in
dried blood. Laing and the villagers carry her back to the village and
inside his hut.

INT. DOCTOR’S HUT - DAY

Lara, looking deathly weak, is laid on a table as most of the curious
peasants are ushered outside - only the senior villagers remain.

                                                LAING

                         (In Nepali, subtitled) Can you hear me? What’s
                         your name? (Again in English)

No response. Laing looks into her eyes and feels her pulse.

                                                LAING

                         Looks like borderline hypothermia. Shock too. We
                         need to get these clothes off.

Laing begins stripping away the outer layers of Lara’s clothing. Everything
is covered in dried blood.

                                                LAING

                         This can’t be all her own blood.

Laing notices that the lower left sleeve of Lara’s ski jacket is badly
torn. Stripping her down to her undershirt, he reveals a deep gash on the
inside of her lower arm, what looks like the result of a vicious animal
attack. One villager comes forward to take a closer look and recognizes the
type of wound on Lara’s arm. He looks terrified.

                                              VILLAGER

                         (In Nepali, subtitled) Is Yeti.

Hearing this, the other villagers become extremely concerned and start
talking anxiously amongst themselves.

                                                LAING

                         (In Nepali, subtitled) Quiet, all of you! There is
                         no Yeti! No Yeti!

Meanwhile, one of the other villagers is rummaging through Lara’s bag. He
finds her passport and hands it to Laing, who examines it.

                                                LAING

                         British, hmm? Alright Lara, if you can hear me, my
                         name is Doctor Laing. I’m here to help you. First
                         I’m going to fix this arm. Can you tell me how
                         this happened?

Lara tries to speak, but can barely manage. The villager behind Laing taps
him on the shoulder, who turns to see him holding the gun found in Lara’s
bag. Perplexed, Laing takes the gun and opens the breach. Six spent shells
spill out onto the floor. Whatever attacked Lara, she fought back, and it
lost a lot of blood. The doctor looks back at Lara in a combination of
confusion and amazement.

                                                LAING

                         What the hell happened to you, Lara Croft? (A
                         pause, then) Well, whatever it was… you’re damn
                         lucky to be alive.

INT. SUBTERRANEAN CORRIDOR

There is barely enough light to see. It is dank and musky, the only sound
comes from a light wind whispering and the "drip-drip" of water.

SUPERIMPOSE CAPTION:

                            OUTSIDE CAIRO, EGYPT

                                PRESENT DAY

Suddenly light is cast across these stone walls, revealing a narrow
passage, deep within an ancient Egyptian pyramid. Then the source of the
light appears - two strong flashlights attached to the backpack straps of
Lara Croft, now eleven years older. She has grown into an unbelievably
beautiful woman, with an incredible athletic figure and a disarmingly
tough, purposeful demeanour. With little effort, she pulls herself up
through a hole in the floor. She is wearing khaki shorts, stout climbing
boots, a sleeveless top, and not much else - it is sweltering and extremely
humid inside here. Her long, brown hair is pinned back and tied into a
braided ponytail running down her back. A pistol is holstered to her belt
and a shotgun slung across her backpack. She wipes the sweat from her brow.

Then, from below her, a nervous, stammering voice.

                                            WEEKS (O.S.)

                         Er… um… Miss Croft?

Lara sighs and turns back to look through the hole. She drops down on one
knee and lowers her arm through, then hauls WEEKS up. Weeks is a short,
rotund little man with a puffy red face and dressed in safari clothes and
pith helmet. He looks like something from a clichéd comedy sketch set in
the jungle. He’s certainly not comfortable here. He puffs and pants as he
tries to get his breath back.

                                                WEEKS

                         Where… where are we?

                                                LARA

                         This corridor leads to the central burial chamber.
                         Not far now.

Lara’s refined, upper-class English accent is as perfect and as
spine-tingling as before.

                                                WEEKS

                         (Relieved) Oh. Good.

Without another word, Lara walks away, into the darkness. Weeks strains to
get to his feet and waddles along after her.

                                                WEEKS

                         Wait for me!

When Weeks finally catches up, Lara has stopped at a dead end and is
studying a primitive map on a piece of ancient parchment. She looks around,
and then up at the ceiling, about five feet above their heads. Weeks
despairs at the sight of the dead end.

                                                WEEKS

                         Now what?

                                                LARA

                         We go up.

Weeks looks up, but sees only rock ceiling above.

                                                WEEKS

                         How on Earth do you…?

Weeks’ words trails off as Lara draws the shotgun from her backpack.

                                                WEEKS

                         I… er…

                                                LARA

                         Stand back.

Weeks wisely does so. Lara chambers a round, aims and fires diagonally up
at the ceiling. The sound of the shot in this enclosed space is deafening.
When the dust and debris finally settle, there is a hole about three feet
in diameter in the ceiling. Weeks looks amazed.

                                                LARA

                         This sandstone is ancient. Ceilings aren’t that
                         solid here.

Weeks nods in acknowledgement.

                                                LARA

                         (Smiling) The only problem with that is, neither
                         are the floors.

Weeks gulps and looks down, suddenly aware of the danger everywhere he
steps. Lara slings her shotgun and leaps up, grabbing the edge of the hole.
As she does, we notice the scar on her inner arm, now barely visible - but
the same scar she had when she walked into that Himalayan village a decade
ago.

Lara pulls herself up through the hole, then disappears from view. Weeks
tries to jump up, but it’s far too high for him to reach.

                                                WEEKS

                         Um… ah… Miss Croft?

A few seconds later, a climbing rope is fed down through the hole.

                                                WEEKS

                         Ah. Yes.

INT. NARROW WALKWAY

Lara and Weeks make their way through another dark, damp stone corridor.
Lara moves quickly and with uncommon agility, and again Weeks is lagging
behind - he only catches up whenever Lara stops to check her map or refer
to hieroglyphics on the walls. Finally she finds what she’s been looking
for.

                                                LARA

                         Here.

                                                WEEKS

                         (Looking around) Where?

                                                LARA

                         Through this wall.

                                                WEEKS

                         What’s through there?

                                                LARA

                         Ancilliary burial chamber. It isn’t supposed to be
                         there but it is. They stopped building them like
                         this after Tut but some of the older structures
                         still have them. You just need to know where to
                         look.

From her backpack, Lara produces a small device no larger than a man’s
fist. A shaped plastic explosive charge. She attaches the charge to the
wall and arms it. The device responds with an electronic bleep.

                                                WEEKS

                         (Nervous) Is that… is that what I…?

Lara grabs her backpack and ushers Weeks back down the corridor and behind
a small wall where they will be clear of the blast.

                                                LARA

                         Better cover your ears.

Weeks does so and Lara throws the switch on a handheld remote. The device
detonates with an almighty BOOM which sends a ton of rubble exploding
outwards. Once the explosion has died down, Lara walks out into the cloud
of sandstone dust. Once it has finally settled we see that a hole around
five feet in diameter has been blown through the wall. Cautiously, Lara
steps through the hole and into the next room.

INT. BURIAL CHAMBER

It’s too dark to see properly, even with Lara’s twin flashlights. Extremely
spooky. She fumbles in her pack for a small but powerful portable arc light
and fires it up. Even this isn’t enough to properly illuminate the entire
room, but it does just enough.

Lara stands before an absolutely awesome sight. An ancient Egyptian burial
chamber, massive in scale and breathtaking in its beauty. The architecture
is astounding. Two gigantic stone pharoahs tower high above Lara, guarding
the sealed entrance on the far wall. In the center of the chamber, two
ornate stone tombs, and all around them, dozens of priceless artifacts -
ancient pottery, jewelry, gold and silver. A thousand fortunes. Even Lara
is impressed.

Weeks steps through and is blown away by the sight before his eyes.

                                                WEEKS

                         Oh my. Oh my!

                                                LARA

                         (All business) Indeed. Here.

Lara pulls a canvas bag from her pack and throws it to Weeks.

                                                LARA

                         Make yourself useful. Collect as much as you can.
                         Gold and silver only. The rest’s too fragile.

                                                WEEKS

                         Miss Croft, may I remind you that I am here only
                         as an observer, to confirm the authenticity of
                         these artifacts’ origins for my client?

                                                LARA

                         So far, Mister Weeks, all you’ve managed to do is
                         slow me down. Now if you want to get out of here
                         as quicky as possible, which I suspect you do, I
                         suggest you do as I say.

Lara starts filling a bag with artifacts. Weeks, looking severely
inconvenienced, gets to work too. He spots a large golden salver in the far
corner of the chamber. Excited, he starts to walk towards it.

                                                WEEKS

                         How about this?

Lara looks up from her work to see what Weeks is talking about. She sees
the salver, then notices something very few people would. Dust is gently
blowing up through the cracks between the floor stones there.

                                                LARA

                         (Urgently) No wait, stop!

Too late. In his haste, Weeks rushes across the unstable floor section,
which crumbles and gives way beneath his feet! As he falls, Lara leaps like
a panther and slides across the floor in a desperate attempt to catch him.
She gets there just a millisecond too late. Weeks has fallen, but amazingly
has grabbed onto a stone outcropping a few feet below. He hangs on for dear
life as the floor rubble falls below him - smashing through the floor of
the chamber below… and the next… and the next. Suddenly there is a
seemingly bottomless drop right below him! Weeks is not a strong man and
his grip is slipping.

                                                WEEKS

                         Help me!

Lara tries to reach down to him, but can’t - he’s just inches out of reach.
Thinking fast, she spools out a length of rope from her belt and lowers it
down to him.

                                                LARA

                         Grab hold of this.

But Weeks is too scared to make a grab for the rope. He daren’t take his
hands off the rock he’s clinging to. Every time he tries, he freezes in
fear.

                                                WEEKS

                         I… I can’t do it!

                                                LARA

                         (Thinks fast, then) Hold on.

Lara bolts toward the hole in the wall, grabbing her backpack and treasure
bag along the way. She races through the corridor and slides down a steep
incline to the level below. Never breaking stride, she sprints down the
next corridor, and down another steep slope to the next level. Here, she
runs alongside the corridor wall, scanning it carefully. She stops, draws
the shotgun and fires three shots into the wall. The shotgun is empty but
the wall still isn’t blasted right through. Desperate, Lara unleashes a
tremendous kick into the weakened section and it falls through. Lara moves
into the chamber beyond, where the falling rubble has created holes in the
floor and ceiling. Two levels above her, she can hear Weeks crying for
help.

                                            WEEKS (O.S.)

                         Please God help me, I can’t hold on. I can’t…
                         aaaargh!

Lara hears Weeks falling and doesn’t hesitate. She races toward the holes
and leaps over, tackling Weeks in mid-air as he and carrying him over the
abyss to safety. They crash down onto the dusty floor, Weeks atop Lara,
grabbing tightly onto her in terror.

                                                LARA

                         Get off me!

Weeks opens his eyes and, realizing he’s safe, sheepishly relaxes his grip
on Lara. She pushes him off her onto his back by her side. They lay there
for a moment, just getting their breath back, when a barely audible
creaking sound alerts Lara to further danger.

                                                WEEKS

                         Thank you…

                                                LARA

                         Ssshhhh!

Lara is listening intently for that noise. After a few seconds there it is
again - a damp, stony grinding sound. And then again, louder.

                                                WEEKS

                         What was that?

                                                LARA

                         Don’t move.

                                                WEEKS

                         What? Why?

                                                LARA

                         I don’t think this floor is any better than the
                         last one.

And then, another ominous creak, the loudest of all, and the floor they are
lying on starts to give way, ever so slightly.

                                                WEEKS

                         Oh no. Oh God, oh God…

While Weeks panics, Lara reaches carefully inside her backpack.

                                                LARA

                         Try to spread your arms and legs out wide, like a
                         star. Spread your weight.

Weeks does as he’s told. Lara finds what she is looking for and pulls it
from the backpack - a state-of-the-art piton-firing pistol. She picks a
spot on the nearest wall, about thirty feet away, and fires. The steel
piton shoots out and into the wall, trailing a cord behind it. The line
tightens and Lara pulls on the pistol to test the fixing - it holds fast.
The floor creaks again and gives way a few more inches. Any moment now, the
whole thing will collapse.

                                                LARA

                         Roll over and grab onto me.

                                                WEEKS

                         You just told me to…

                                                LARA

                         If you want to survive this, roll over and grab
                         onto me. Right now.

Weeks rolls over and clamps his arms tight around Lara’s waist.

                                                LARA

                         Got me?

Weeks nods, his head buried in fear.

                                                LARA

                         Good. Any second n…

The entire floor gives away beneath them. Tons of rubble crash downwards
through the floors below, and Lara and Weeks fall. Not straight down, but
swinging towards the wall they’re anchored to by Lara’s piton gun. As they
reach the wall, Lara kicks out with both feet and they smash through the
fragile sandstone into the corridor beyond as the tons of rubble continue
to crash through the levels below. It is a massive collapse that has
affected much of the internal structure - the very walls around them are
now rumbling ominously.

                                                WEEKS

                         I think we should leave. Now, please.

                                                LARA

                         I think you may be right.

EXT. EGYPTIAN DESERT - DAY

Featureless desert. The great pyramids are far in the distance, with Lara’s
jeep parked in the foreground. Suddenly, a small piece of the ground begins
to move, and the sand is shaken to reveal a secret panel covering a hidden
tunnel entrance. The panel slides to one side and Lara, covered in dirt and
coughing up brick dust, emerges into the glaring sunlight. She stops when
she looks up and sees something ominous off-camera. A moment later, Weeks
emerges behind her.

                                                WEEKS

                         Well, at least we made it…

He cuts his sentence short when he sees what Lara sees. A small squad of
Egyptian policemen is standing around the tunnel entrance. All the officers
have their rifles trained on Lara and Weeks, except SERGEANT FASIL, who
steps forward with a broad smile on his face.

                                                FASIL

                         (Always in Arabic, subtitled) Not quite.

Fasil motions to his men, who haul Lara and Weeks from the tunnel entrance.
Lara’s pistol and shotgun are taken away, along with her backpack and
treasure bag. The bag is opened and shown to Fasil. He reaches in and pulls
out a priceless golden goblet.

                                                FASIL

                         And what do we have here?

                                                WEEKS

                         I have no knowledge of…

                                                FASIL

                         Shut him up!

A cop strikes Weeks in the back of the head with his rifle butt, dropping
him to his knees.

                                                FASIL

                         Well, Miss Croft. I’m so glad to finally meet you.
                         Do you have any idea how many times your name has
                         come across my desk in the last three years?

                                                LARA

                         I can only imagine.

Fasil looks Lara up and down admiringly.

                                                FASIL

                         You’re not what I expected, Miss Croft. You’re a
                         very attractive woman. In different circumstances
                         I might be tempted to be lenient, but… this is
                         hardly a first offence.

Lara smiles coyly, flicks her hair back and takes a step forward - toe to
toe with Fasil. Despite being covered in grime and filth, she does her best
to look sexy and desirable. She succeeds brilliantly.

                                                LARA

                         Well… I’m sure we can work something out.

Fasil smiles broadly, exposing his set of disgusting teeth. Lara does her
best to disguise her reaction.

                                                FASIL

                         I’m sure we can.

EXT. EGYPTIAN POLICE STATION - NIGHT

Establishing shot of a small police station in downtown Cairo.

INT. EGYPTIAN POLICE STATION - NIGHT

Weeks languishes in a cell in the officer’s duty room. Two Egyptian cops
sit at a table, smoking and playing cards. Lara’s effects, including the
treasure bag, sit on a desk by the wall. From another room, we hear the
soft moaning and groaning of Fasil. The cops hear it too. They look at each
other and giggle knowingly.

INT. FASIL’S QUARTERS - NIGHT

A close-up shot below knee level shows Lara and Fasil standing toe to toe,
Fasil’s bed in the background. Fasil’s pants are in a heap around his
ankles. He continues to groan and pant. As we pan upwards, Fasil’s goaning
becomes louder, more urgent and gutteral. Then, as we finally see the whole
picture, we understand why he’s really making those noises - Lara is
choking him! Her hands are locked around his throat like a vice. Fasil is
powerless to break the hold, his eyes bulging and face turning purple. Lara
turns him and slams his head into the sink protruding from the wall. Fasil
collapses to the floor, out cold.

                                                LARA

                         Men.

She unholsters Fasil’s pistol and jams it into her belt.

INT. EGYPTIAN POLICE STATION - NIGHT

Back in the duty room. From out of shot, Lara lets out a blood-curdling
scream! The two cops drop their cards and rush into the corridor, out of
sight. We hear a short scuffle, and several punches being thrown. Moments
later Lara emerges and scopes the room. Weeks is delighted, if a little
surprised, to see her.

                                                WEEKS

                         Miss Croft!

                                                LARA

                         Where’s the bag?

Weeks points it out. Lara dashes to it and scoops it up.

                                                WEEKS

                         You have to get me out of here!

                                                LARA

                         (Looking around) Where are the keys?

Weeks points into the corridor Lara just came from.

                                                WEEKS

                         On one of their belts.

                                                LARA

                         Hold on.

At that moment the station alarm sounds, and we hear much movement and
frantic shouting from cops around the building. Getting closer.

                                                LARA

                         No time. I’m sorry.

                                                WEEKS

                         No! Wait! You can’t just…

                                                LARA

                         Sorry. I’m sorry!

Lara disappears through the door just as five cops storm into the room,
guns drawn. They scope the room, then charge after her.

INT. EGYPTIAN POLICE STATION CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Lara runs down the darkened corridor, the bag of artifacts slung over her
shoulder. In the distance but getting closer, the sound of cops on the move
all around.

INT. EGYPTIAN POLICE STATION - NIGHT

Sergeant Fasil stumbles into the duty room as his officers rush past in
pursuit of Lara. He holds a cold rag to the lump on his head, while trying
to pull his pants up from around his ankles. He is furious.

                                                FASIL

                         Get her! Go, go!

INT. EGYPTIAN POLICE STATION CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Lara comes to a halt - she can hear more police approaching from the end of
the corridor ahead of her, and the voices of those behind her are growing
louder as they close in. Trapped. The only other way out is a door set into
the wall here. She tries the handle - locked. At that moment a group of
cops round the corridor behind her.

                                              LEAD COP

                         (In Egyptian, subtitled) Hold it! Put your hands
                         over your head and move away from the door! Right
                         now!

Lara throws herself at the door and breaks it open with her shoulder. As
she disappears through the doorway the cops let loose with a barrage of
pistol fire - just as the second set of cops appear at the opposite end of
the corridor, and are instantly sent diving for cover. Some cops
instinctively return fire, sending those at the other end also diving for
cover. After a few seconds of chaos, everyone realizes what is going on,
and the two groups of cops start angrily shouting at each other.

INT. EGYPTIAN POLICE STATION STORAGE ROOM - NIGHT

The walls of the room are stacked with boxes. There’s no other doorway in
or out. Lara looks up to see a skylight in the ceiling, then back down at
the boxes - climbable.

EXT. EGYPTIAN POLICE STATION - NIGHT

The skylight is flung open and Lara emerges onto the tiled roof. Carefully,
she makes her way toward the edge, but the tiles are loose, and as some
give way she barely manages to stop herself sliding over the edge. The
loose tiles fall three stories to the street and shatter - too far down to
jump.

                                            FASIL (O.S.)

                         That’s far enough!

Lara turns to see Fasil standing behind her. At least four more cops have
also followed Lara through the skylight and have their guns trained on her.
Lara looks down to the ground again.

                                                FASIL

                         What are you going to do, jump? Go ahead! (Laughs)
                         My men will clean up the mess!

The sound of a vehicle approaching. Lara looks down to see a police jeep
pull up outside the station - directly below her. Time seems to stop for a
moment as Lara jumps… falls… and crashes through the canvas roof of the
jeep, right into the passenger seat! The driver barely has time to react
before Lara lashes out with both feet, sending him flying from the jeep and
onto the dusty sidewalk. By the time he gets to his feet, the jeep is
already speeding away. The cops on the roof open fire after the vehicle,
but it’s too late. She’s gone.

EXT. COUNTRY MANSION - DAY

A stunning palatial manor house nestled in a beautiful part of the English
countryside. The mansion’s expansive and lovingly-tended gardens and
grounds are surrounded by a high perimeter wall.

SUPERIMPOSE CAPTION:

                          BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, ENGLAND

At the front entrance, the heavy iron gates open electronically and a
leather-clad motorcyclist rides through and up the main pathway toward the
house. The bike roars around the ornate fountain at the front of the house
and screeches to a halt by the front door. The rider drops the kickstand,
dismounts and takes off her helmet - it’s Lara. All business, she strides
towards the house and through the door.

INT. MANSION LOBBY - DAY

Lara walks into the exquisite lobby. The centerpiece of this beautiful room
is a huge marble staircase. All around are eye-catching tapestries, old
masters and sculptures. Unbuttoning her leathers, Lara walks across the
chequered tile floor to where her butler, HAROLD, is talking on the
telephone. He is the quintessentially English butler - tall, mid-60s, slick
white hair, impeccable accent. The works.

                                               HAROLD

                         (Into telephone) Yes, I fully understand, sir…
                         Most unfortunate… yes, indeed… well, I shall
                         certainly pass on the message… please hold for a
                         moment, sir.

Harold cups his hand over the phone to talk to Lara.

                                               HAROLD

                         A gentleman by the name of Oscar Burolo on the
                         telephone, Miss Croft. He seems very anxious to
                         speak to you. Apparently he wants to know why one
                         of his employees is currently being detained by
                         the Cairo police. Would you care to take it?

Lara takes off her jacket and trades it with Harold for the telephone.

                                                LARA

                         (Into telephone) Burolo?… yes, this is Lara Croft…
                         yes, they do… well, I seem to remember warning you
                         that I could not be held responsible for the
                         safety of anybody you insisted accompany me… well,
                         I have the items, and I’m sure that the Cairo
                         police would be more than happy to negotiate the
                         release of Mister Weeks for their safe return.
                         Which would you prefer?… yes, that’s what I
                         thought. I’ll have someone deliver them to your
                         people for inspection tomorrow. Oh, and Oscar? As
                         we agreed, cash on delivery.

Lara replaces the handset and turns to Harold with a sigh.

                                               HAROLD

                         Am I to gather from that conversation, Miss Croft,
                         that your trip to Egypt was an eventful one?

Lara begins making her way up the marble staircase.

                                                LARA

                         I’ll tell you about it later, Harold. In the
                         meantime, I’d kill for a hot bath.

                                               HAROLD

                         I’ll see to it immediately. You have several
                         messages, would you like me to leave them on your
                         desk?

                                                LARA

                         Anything important?

                                               HAROLD

                         Mister Gustavson has called repeatedly over the
                         last three days to remind you that you are to
                         accompany him to the annual curators’ ball at the
                         Natural History Museum tomorrow evening. He seemed
                         most anxious.

Lara lets out a bored sigh on hearing this news.

                                                LARA

                         Tell him I’ll be there.

                                               HAROLD

                         Yes, Miss Croft. Oh, and Miss Croft?

                                                LARA

                         Yes, Harold?

                                               HAROLD

                         Welcome home.

Lara stops on the staircase, turns and smiles warmly.

                                                LARA

                         Thank you, Harold.

EXT. LONDON SKYSCRAPER - DAY

A modern mirrored-glass skyscraper towers above the London skyline. Glass
elevators shoot up and down the outside of the building at high speed. Down
at street level, the sign above the heavy revolving entrance doors reads
NATLA PETROLEUM.

SUPERIMPOSE CAPTION:

                                   LONDON

INT. PENTHOUSE OFFICE - DAY

The luxurious private offices of the Natla Petroleum CEO. From here on the
75th floor, there is a breathtaking view of London through the giant
windows that line the walls. Behind an impressive mahogany desk sits
JACQUELINE NATLA, President of Natla Petroleum. A sharp, savvy American
businesswoman in her early 50s, she looks extremely good for her age - one
of the perks of being a billionaire. She is flanked by two serious-looking,
and very large, men in black suits. On the other side of the desk, the
esteemed British archeologist DOCTOR RAYMOND SHAW is examining a series of
documents, blueprints and maps.

                                                SHAW

                         Fascinating… absolutely fascinating…

                                                NATLA

                         Exactly what I thought, Doctor Shaw.

Shaw folds the documents up and passes them back across the desk.

                                                SHAW

                         But ultimately a fairy-tale, I’m afraid.

                                                NATLA

                         I’m sorry?

                                                SHAW

                         I have to hand it to them. Very elaborately
                         conceived, but certainly not good enough to fool
                         an expert.

                                                NATLA

                         I see.

                                                SHAW

                         I don’t intend to in any way denigrate your
                         enthusiasm for my line of work, of course. But
                         it’s very easy to be drawn in by the idea of these
                         grand, mythical treasure hunts and in my
                         experience they invariably turn out to be wild
                         goose chases.

                                                NATLA

                         Am I to take it you’re not interested, Doctor?

                                                SHAW

                         It’s a very generous offer, but… well, let’s just
                         say I prefer to devote my research to projects
                         with a little more chance of success.

                                                NATLA

                         (Smiles) I fully understand. Well, thank you very
                         much for your time, Doctor.

Natla stands and they shake hands.

                                                NATLA

                         Pierre here will see you out. You can take my
                         private elevator - there are some quite stunning
                         views on the way down.

The larger of the two men in black, a huge Frenchman by the name of PIERRE
steps forward and presses a button by one of the full-length windows.
Within seconds a glass-walled elevator arrives outside and the window
slides open to allow entrance.

                                                SHAW

                         Thank you, Miss Natla.

Shaw walks to the elevator.

                                                NATLA

                         Oh, and Doctor? I would appreciate it if you would
                         indulge me by not mentioning this little project
                         of mine to any of your colleagues.

                                                SHAW

                         (Smiles) My lips are sealed.

Shaw steps inside the elevator with Pierre. Pierre hits a button and the
two of them descend swiftly out of sight.

                                                NATLA

                         Oh, I know they are.

INT. GLASS ELEVATOR - DAY

Natla was right - the views of London from the elevator as it descends are
tremendous. In fact, Shaw is so busy admiring the scenery that he doesn’t
notice Pierre silently produce a length of garotte wire from his jacket
pocket. A second later the wire is around Shaw’s neck and after a few
moments of futile struggling, Shaw’s lifeless body slumps to the ground.
Pierre hits another button on the elevator and it stops at a disused floor,
where the Frenchman drags the murdered archeologist out of the elevator and
into the darkness…

INT. PENTHOUSE OFFICE - DAY

Natla hits an intercom button on her desk and BURTON, Natla’s personal
assistant, enters the office, carrying a document folder.

                                                NATLA

                         Yet another skeptic, Mister Burton. I do hope that
                         little folder of yours contains some more
                         promising leads.

                                               BURTON

                         Well, it has been very difficult to…

                                                NATLA

                         I’m not interested in the excuses. Just tell me
                         who we’re looking at next.

Burton opens the folder and scans it.

                                               BURTON

                         Well, since we’ve had little luck within the
                         established archeological community, I thought we
                         might broaden our search parameters a little.
                         There are some very competent, and very willing,
                         freelancers out there, and one in particular has
                         come out right at the top of the list. The name’s
                         Croft. Lara Croft.

                                                NATLA

                         (Intrigued) A woman?

                                               BURTON

                         (Smiles) Surprised?

                                                NATLA

                         Of course not. Who is she?

                                               BURTON

                         Well, by all accounts she’s something of a
                         renegade. Her file is very, very sketchy in a lot
                         of places but it still makes for some interesting
                         reading.

Burton starts to read from the file.

                                               BURTON

                         Lara Henshingley Croft. Daughter of Lord
                         Henshingley Croft, one of the richest noblemen in
                         England. Born here in 1967, educated at the Sor
                         Bon in Paris before returning to England to attend
                         finishing school. In 1986 she was flying home from
                         a skiing trip when her plane went down in the
                         Himalayas. She’s presumed dead with the rest of
                         the passengers and crew, but a week later she
                         walks into a nearby village very much alive. Tough
                         little girl. Now, a lot of what happens after that
                         is very vague. Apparently when she returned to
                         England after the accident she left home, refused
                         a place at Oxford and called off her engagement to
                         a wealthy American entrepreneur. Nobody seems to
                         know why. Her parents eventually disowned her. She
                         turned up all over the world over the next few
                         years and… I can hardly believe this part myself…
                         became the youngest person ever to climb Mount
                         Everest, at the age of 24.

Natla appears immensely disinterested in all this.

                                                NATLA

                         Yes, yes, this is all fascinating. Why am I
                         listening to it?

                                               BURTON

                         In the last few years, Croft has made a name for
                         herself as one of the most daring explorers in the
                         world. She’s published several books about her
                         expeditions, all best-sellers, but she’s treated
                         as an outcast by the archeological community
                         because she does no work on behalf of the academic
                         establishment. She’s recovered countless
                         artifacts, but not one of them is in a museum.
                         They were all sold to private collectors.
                         Apparently, she only works for the highest bidder.

Hearing this, Natla sits forward and smiles.

                                                NATLA

                         I’m starting to like her already. How do I meet
                         her?

INT. LARA’S DRESSING ROOM - DAY

Lara stands before a full-length mirror in her underwear, comparing
dresses, when Harold walks in and instantly averts his eyes.

                                               HAROLD

                         Oh, I do beg your pardon, Miss Croft…

                                                LARA

                         Oh no, it’s all right Harold. Which do you prefer?
                         The red or the blue?

Lara holds up two designer dresses for Harold’s examination.

                                               HAROLD

                         Well… If I may be so bold… I have always been of
                         the opinion that you look best in red.

                                                LARA

                         That’s all I needed to hear.

The blue dress goes back on the rack.

                                                LARA

                         Now, the only question is…

Lara goes to her dresser and pulls open the top drawer. Inside, on a velvet
sheet, is a varied arrangement of edged weapons. Butterfly knives,
shurikens, folding stainless-steel blades… the kind used by professional
killers. It is a chilling collection.

                                                LARA

                         …which of these goes best with red?

EXT. NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM - NIGHT

A banner erected across the main entrance to this grand old building reads
"XXVII ANNUAL CURATORS’ BALL". Academics appropriately dressed for the
occasion are filing inside.

INT. MUSEUM HALL - NIGHT

The exhibits in this huge main hall have been temporarily removed to make
way for dinner tables, a dance area and stage. The party is in full swing,
as distinguished members of the scientific and academic communities mingle
and chat to the sound of gentle classical music.

All eyes are on Lara from the moment she walks through the door. As she
walks elegantly across the room, the men are transfixed. You can hardly
blame them - she looks absolutely stunning in her flowing red dress. One
man earns himself a slap across the face from his wife for paying a little
too much attention to Lara as she glides past.

Lara takes a champagne glass from the tray of a passing waiter and surveys
the party. Across the room, a disparate circle of archeologists,
anthropologists and historians and chatting informally and drinking. One
esteemed archeologist, DOCTOR DONALD QUINTON, is currently holding court.

                                               QUINTON

                         Frankly, you know, I’m not surprised she didn’t
                         turn up. She must know by now that what little
                         credibility she might once have had has long since
                         gone. I presume you’ve all heard about this latest
                         farce out in Cairo? I mean…

Quinton’s voice trails off when he notices the worried expressions on the
faces of the people he’s talking to, directed just behind him.

                                               QUINTON

                         She’s behind me, isn’t she?

One of the other academics nods grimly.

                                               QUINTON

                         Bugger.

Quinton turns and smiles broadly.

                                               QUINTON

                         Lara, my dear! What an absolute pleasure it is to
                         see you!

                                                LARA

                         Always nice to see you too, Doctor Quinton.

They shake hands, both acutely aware of their mutual insincerity. Quinton
is still embarrassed at his faux pas.

                                               QUINTON

                         I, er, I was just commenting, in fact, on how…

                                                LARA

                         Please, Doctor. I may not have your PhD, but I’m
                         just about smart enough to know when people are
                         talking about me. Oh, please excuse me, I’ve just
                         seen somebody I need to say hello to.

With that, Lara leaves the group as quickly as she had arrived. Quinton, a
little disarmed by the encounter, turns back to his group.

                                               QUINTON

                         (Lost for words) Erm…

Across the room, Lara arrives at the buffet table, where her book
publisher, a handsome middle-aged man by the name of GUSTAVSON, is loading
his plate with food.

                                                LARA

                         Well, I told you I’d be here.

Gustavson is at first shocked, then delighted to see her.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         Oh my God! Lara! It’s great to see you! I’m so
                         glad you made it!

Gustavson puts his plate to one side and embraces her. Lara returns the
compliment, but with much less enthusiasm. When they break off, Gustavson
looks Lara up and down, clearly smitten by the sight of her.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         You… you look absolutely fantastic!

                                                LARA

                         Oh, this old thing. Yes, well I don’t wash up too
                         badly.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         I’ll say!

Gustavson realizes his eyes have been wandering over Lara’s body for a
little too long, and snaps out of it.

                                                LARA

                         (Looking around) I don’t intend to stay for long -
                         you know this isn’t really my kind of thing.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         I know, I know. I wouldn’t normally suggest it,
                         but there’s a lot of media here tonight and this
                         kind of exposure can never do your sales any harm.
                         (A pause, then) I’m just glad to see you’re okay!
                         I heard about that spot of trouble in Cairo last
                         week, are you alright? How are you?

                                                LARA

                         I’m fine, Douglas, really. You really shouldn’t
                         worry, I’m a big girl.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         I’m sorry, I should know better by now. So,
                         anything worth writing about this time? We haven’t
                         seen a manuscript from you in quite a while.

                                                LARA

                         Oh, I don’t think so. It was really rather dull.

Lara pops an olive from the buffet table into her mouth. Gustavson seems to
be plucking up the courage to ask Lara something.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         Well… you know, I’ve been thinking, I have some
                         quite interesting new ideas for projects that I
                         think we could do together, you know we always
                         have room in our summer catalog for you. I, er… I
                         was thinking that perhaps we could talk about it…
                         over dinner?

Lara finishes eating the olive.

                                                LARA

                         We are talking over dinner.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         (Laughs nervously, then) Well, that’s not quite…

Gustavson is interrupted by a general commotion about the room as the
lights dim, and a spotlight hits the stage. Lara turns to see.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         (Quietly, to himself) …what I meant.

On the stage, the curator of the Natural History Museum takes the podium.
The music and chatter has stopped and all eyes are on him.

                                               CURATOR

                         Well, good evening everybody, and thank you all
                         for coming. To begin tonight, I’d like to
                         introduce somebody who we all know very well, and
                         owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to. Her
                         generous donations to this museum and its
                         endeavours over the years have been invaluable,
                         and we cannot thank her enough. Ladies and
                         gentlemen, please welcome our chief trustee, Miss
                         Jacqueline Natla.

A huge round of applause as Natla, all smiles, walks on stage and takes the
podium.

                                                NATLA

                         Thank you, thank you all very much. It has always
                         given me a tremendous sense of pride to be a
                         trustee of this wonderful institution. When I
                         became President of Natla Petroleum after my
                         husband’s death five years ago, I saw a unique
                         opportunity to take the resources of a
                         multi-billion dollar corporation and use them for
                         something beyond mere profiteering. Since that
                         day, our geological and mining teams around the
                         globe have worked hand-in-hand with archeological
                         and paleontology expeditions to ensure that our
                         vital work extracting fossil fuels for the world’s
                         energy does not unecessarily damage sites of
                         scientific merit or jeopardize your important
                         research. It should be noted…

Time dissolves to cut to the end of Natla’s speech.

                                                NATLA

                         (Continued) …and that is why I am particularly
                         proud today to present the Natural History Museum
                         with this check for five million pounds. Don’t
                         spend it all at once!

A rapturous round of applause as an oversized Natla Petroleum check is
handed to the grateful curator. Dozens of camera flashes.

Later in the evening. Lara is once again talking to the group she
encountered earlier. Quinton has had a little too much to drink.

                                               QUINTON

                         It’s not that I don’t respect your abilities or
                         your enthusiasm, Lara dear. God knows, if I was
                         your age I’d be risking life and limb spelunking
                         those ancient ruins as well. You just can’t beat
                         real, hands-on archeology. But I think you’d get a
                         little more recognition if just some of what you
                         recovered ended up in places like this, rather
                         than in the hands of those grubby private
                         collectors.

Lara is tired of being patronized by the likes of Quinton.

                                                LARA

                         Well, if the museums paid even half of what the
                         private collectors pay, I’d be more than happy to
                         do business with them.

                                               QUINTON

                         That’s all that this is about to you, money?

                                                LARA

                         No, Doctor. It’s about survival.

Thankfully, a voice from behind Lara interrupts the conversation before it
can get too ugly.

                                            NATLA (O.S.)

                         Lara Croft.

Lara turns to see Jacqueline Natla standing before her.

                                                NATLA

                         I’m Jacqueline Natla. It’s a pleasure to meet you.

Natla offers her hand and Lara shakes it, though she’s a little confused
about why Natla would be talking to her.

                                                LARA

                         Likewise. That was a very generous donation.

                                                NATLA

                         Yes, well, just between you and me a certain
                         amount of charitable donations per year makes for
                         a very comfortable tax write-off.

This makes Lara smile.

                                                NATLA

                         I understand you’re something of an archeologist.

                                                LARA

                         Well, not really, it’s all self-taught. I really
                         don’t feel all that comfortable at this kind of
                         thing. I’m only here to keep my publisher happy.

                                                NATLA

                         You do a lot of work for private collectors?

Lara’s a little more defensive now - how does this woman know so much about
her?

                                                LARA

                         It has been known.

                                                NATLA

                         I have a rather extensive private collection
                         myself. Actually, I’m surprised we haven’t worked
                         together before. We must remedy that.

Natla produces her business card and hands it to Lara.

                                                NATLA

                         That’s my private number. I’d like you to give me
                         a call. I have a little project which I think
                         you’d be very interested in.

The curator appears by Natla’s side.

                                               CURATOR

                         Jacqueline, there’s someone over here I’d like you
                         to meet.

                                                NATLA

                         Of course. Don’t lose that number, Miss Croft.

And with that, Natla is ushered away. Suspicious but intrigued, Lara
pockets the card.

EXT. LONDON STREET - NIGHT

After the curator’s ball, Lara and Gustavson are walking together down a
quiet London side street. It is late, and no-one else is around. Gustavson
seems a little nervous and self-conscious alone with Lara.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         Well, that was relatively painless.

                                                LARA

                         I’ve been to worse parties.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         (Laughs) Socializing with the beautiful people
                         never really was your scene, was it, Lara?

                                                LARA

                         (A thoughtful pause, then) A long time ago.
                         (Another pause, then) What do you know about
                         Jacqueline Natla?

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         Natla? Not a lot more than you heard tonight. Very
                         big on the archeological circuit, quite a hobbyist
                         I think. Big donations to the major foundations
                         and expeditions. Her name’s on a plaque in every
                         major museum in the world.

                                                LARA

                         She seemed very interested in me tonight.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         Well, who wouldn’t be? (A nervous pause, then) I
                         mean, that is to say, you’re quite a celebrity in
                         those circles as well these days.

                                                LARA

                         I’m not sure that infamy counts.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         (Laughs) Oh it does, it does. So, did she say what
                         she wanted?

                                                LARA

                         No, but she gave me her number and asked me to
                         call her. I got the impression she might have some
                         work for me.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         Are you going to? Call her, I mean?

                                                LARA

                         Yes, I rather think I will. She’s an intriguing
                         woman. And it’s not as if I’ve been that busy
                         lately.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         You see, this is precisely what I don’t understand
                         about you, Lara. Between your books and your
                         private work you’ve earned more than enough to
                         retire, and yet you insist on continuing to risk
                         life and limb in these god-forsaken little corners
                         of the Earth. Why don’t you just…?

                                                LARA

                         Stop? Retire? Sit in the garden and relax?

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         Well… yes.

                                                LARA

                         (Laughs) My God, what would be the fun in that? I
                         think I’d rather be dead. Besides, even if I
                         tried, it would never last. Trouble seems to have
                         a way of tracking me down.

At that moment Lara and Gustavson stop as they realize that their path is
blocked by two rough-looking THUGS.

                                               THUG 1

                         Alright mate? Gotta light?

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         Er… I’m sorry, no.

                                               THUG 2

                         Your wallet’ll have to do then, won’t it?

The second thug produces a switchblade from his back pocket. The blade
snaps open menacingly.

                                                LARA

                         See what I mean?

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         It’s alright, Lara. Leave this to me.

Trembling, Gustavson reaches around and pulls his wallet from his back
pocket. The first thug grabs it and rifles through its contents, while the
second mugger turns his attention to Lara.

                                               THUG 2

                         What about you darlin’, what you got there?

The mugger snatches Lara’s little purse and shakes it open. Nothing of
value.

                                                LARA

                         I don’t keep anything in there. You might be more
                         interested in this…

Slowly, Lara begins to hike up her skirt over one leg, revealing her
shapely stockinged thigh. The two muggers are at first bemused, but both
seem happy to see where this is going. Both sets of eyes are fixed on
Lara’s thigh. They nudge each other excitedly.

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         Lara, what the hell are you doing?

                                               THUG 1

                         Shut it, mate! Go on, darlin’!

The skirt is raised as high as Lara’s stocking top - and there is a
momentary flash of metal in the moonlight. We see it just long enough to
recognize it as a compact folding steel knife tucked into Lara’s stocking,
and a split-second of lightning-fast movement later, the knife is drawn and
held at arm’s length right under the second mugger’s nose. Lara stares
icily into his eyes, like a jungle animal stalking its prey.

                                                LARA

                         Drop it.

                                               THUG 1

                         What the…?

The first mugger moves forward to tackle Lara, but her free hand shoots out
and the flat of her palm hits him in the nose, sending him crashing to the
floor, bleeding.

                                                LARA

                         One word of advice, boys. If you’re going to carry
                         a knife, be sure you know how to use it. Since you
                         apparently don’t, I’d advise you to drop that one.
                         Before you hurt yourselves.

Lara is all business, ice cold. She pushes forward with her knife just a
fraction, and the tip of it edges into the mugger’s nostril, forcing him
backwards a step. Terrified, he drops the knife.

                                                LARA

                         And the wallet.

The mugger obliges and throws Gustavson’s wallet to the ground.

                                                LARA

                         Good. Now run away. Very quickly.

The mugger helps up his fallen friend, who is trying to stem the flow of
blood from his nose, and the pair of them run away into the night. Lara
bends over to collect her purse and Gustavson’s wallet from the ground. She
tries to hand the wallet to Gustavson, but he is too shocked to take it
from her. He stares ahead blankly, like a zombie.

                                                LARA

                         Douglas? Hello?

                                              GUSTAVSON

                         Did I…? Did I just…? I mean, did you…?

                                                LARA

                         (Laughs) Come on Douglas. I think we’d best get
                         you into a taxi.

EXT. LONDON SKYSCRAPER - DAY

Establishing shot of the Natla Petroleum building.

INT. PENTHOUSE OFFICE - DAY

The heavy twin doors to Jacqueline Natla’s office open and in walks Lara
Croft, escorted by Burton. Lara is slightly on guard, passively suspicious
of her surroundings, even though things seem safe enough. It’s an old habit
that has kept her alive many times in the past.

As Lara enters, Jacqueline Natla stands and walks around from her desk to
greet her, smiling broadly. Pierre and his counterpart remain in their
positions on either side of the desk, like two huge statues.

                                                NATLA

                         Lara! I’m so glad you decided to come! You know,
                         you had me worried. I was beginning to think you’d
                         never call. Please, take a seat.

                                                LARA

                         I generally prefer to stand.

                                                NATLA

                         By all means.

Natla sits back behind her desk.

                                                NATLA

                         Well, I know you’re curious about why I asked you
                         here, so I won’t keep you waiting any longer. As I
                         mentioned to you before, I’ve assembled an
                         extensive private collection of archeological
                         curiosities over the years. I pride myself on the
                         unique.

Lara motions towards the two huge, non-moving bodyguards flanking Natla’s
desk.

                                                LARA

                         Oh, I can see that. These two, for instance, very
                         fine examples of their period.

Lara moves closer to examine Pierre, who does not flinch or even change the
direction of his inert stare.

                                                LARA

                         So rare to find two together like this as a pair.
                         Does wonders for the value. Are they genuine?

Lara looks at Natla and smiles. Natla, nor anyone else in the room, seems
to appreciate Lara’s attempt at humor.

                                                LARA

                         Sorry. Just a little… joke… there.

                                                NATLA

                         As I was saying. The vast majority of the
                         artifacts uncovered by the expeditions I fund are
                         donated to the appropriate museums. But
                         occasionally we unearth something that I just
                         can’t resist keeping for myself. Which brings us
                         to this.

Natla hits a button on her desk console. A wall panel slides back and a TV
screen behind it powers up. The screen shows fuzzy amateur video footage of
some kind of archeological dig.

                                                NATLA

                         Three months ago, an excavation outside of New
                         Delhi uncovered the remains of this ancient Hindu
                         temple, believed to be one of the oldest in
                         existence. But the find itself is less
                         significant, at least to me, than what was
                         discovered inside.

The TV image switches to still photographs of ancient Sanskrit writings and
pictograms. Lara is intrigued.

                                                NATLA

                         These writings tell the story of a sacred ring
                         known as the Scion. Does that name mean anything
                         to you?

                                                LARA

                         No.

                                                NATLA

                         Hardly surprising. According to the local
                         religious historians, nothing quite like this has
                         ever been seen before. Many have even denounced it
                         as a fake, a blasphemy. I’ve chosen to remain
                         optimistic.

                                                LARA

                         (Moving closer to screen) What is this Scion?

                                                NATLA

                         Well, the scripture translation hasn’t been easy,
                         a lot of the text predates even our best knowledge
                         of ancient Sanskrit. But from what we’ve been able
                         to gather so far, the Scion was an ornate golden
                         ring worn by the Hindu God Ganesha. It’s comprised
                         of three interlocking sections, representing
                         education, knowledge and wisdom. According to the
                         scriptures, Ganesha took off the ring and left it
                         here on Earth as a mortal treasure to remind his
                         followers of the importance of wisdom and serenity
                         in their lives.

                                                LARA

                         Very impressive.

                                                NATLA

                         Well, we’re still a long way from a complete
                         translation - we’re learning more every day. In
                         the meantime, that seems to be the general jist of
                         it. Most importantly, the text looks like giving
                         us some indication of where the Scion might
                         actually be found today.

                                                LARA

                         (Confused) I’m sorry?

                                                NATLA

                         It’s vague, of course, but probably enough for you
                         to go on. Are you interested?

                                                LARA

                         You want me to go to India and bring back a magic
                         ring left on Earth by an eight-armed elephant God?

                                                NATLA

                         (Smiles) Very few ancient scriptures go into as
                         much specific pictorial and geographical detail as
                         the information in these texts. Our theory is that
                         a group of ancient Hindu priests actually
                         constructed the ring according to the descriptions
                         laid out here, and presented it to their followers
                         as an object of worship. They may even have placed
                         it in the precise location that Ganesha is said to
                         have left it, and converted that site into a
                         temple. If that’s correct, and if we can translate
                         the rest of that text, we can find it.

                                                LARA

                         So why do you need me?

                                                NATLA

                         (A hesitant pause, then) The text also mentions
                         how the Scion is protected by the Hindu Gods in
                         accordance with Ganesha’s decree that it never be
                         disturbed. That has made it extremely difficult to
                         recruit any local help, and apparently there have
                         been a number of… incidents that have deterred
                         some of my own people from continuing their work.

                                                LARA

                         What kind of incidents?

                                                NATLA

                         I’m convinced there is a rational explanation, but
                         since the discovery, three members of the team
                         have disappeared in mysterious circumstances.
                         There was some talk of curses amongst the locals,
                         which spooked the rest of the team enough to get
                         out on the next flight. Well, all but one. My team
                         leader stayed behind, he’s the only one still
                         working there on the project. But he’s not very
                         experienced in this kind of… field recovery work,
                         and I need somebody who is. Somebody like you.

Natla hits another button on her remote control and the TV picture changes
again. Now we see a photo-realistic 3D rendering of the Scion, slowly
rotating. It is absolutely beautiful. A thick, elaborately-carved solid
gold band in three sections - it looks like three golden snakes connecting
head-to-foot to form a perfect circle.

                                                NATLA

                         This is a computer-generated rendering of the
                         Scion, based on the pictograms we uncovered.
                         Beautiful, isn’t it?

Lara seems transfixed by the rotating image, an object of almost
unimaginable beauty. Natla smiles - she knows Lara is hooked.

                                                NATLA

                         How soon can you leave?

                                                LARA

                         (Turning) How much are you paying me?

Natla smiles again, shuts off the TV and returns to the desk. She peels off
a sheet of paper from a pad and hands it to Lara.

                                                NATLA

                         Half now, the other half if you bring back the
                         Scion.

Lara looks at the piece of paper and is amazed.

                                                NATLA

                         That’s minus expenses, of course.

                                                LARA

                         It’s worth this much to you?

                                                NATLA

                         Money has never been an issue. And like I said, I
                         pride myself on the unique. (Pause) I take it
                         you’re interested?

Lara hesitates for a moment.

                                                NATLA

                         I do hope you’ll say yes, Lara.

A quick shot of Pierre, staring at Lara. She, of course, does not know the
fate that would await her if she turned Natla down.

                                                LARA

                         How could I say no?

                                                NATLA

                         (Smiles broadly) Excellent! I’m so glad. And from
                         what I hear of your reputation, I have no doubt
                         that you’ll be successful. Mister Burton here will
                         see to your travel arrangements. Our corporate jet
                         can…

                                                LARA

                         (Interrupting) I don’t fly.

                                                NATLA

                         Pardon me?

                                                LARA

                         I don’t fly. It’s a rule.

Something tells Natla not to push Lara on this.

                                                NATLA

                         Well, in that case we can make alternative
                         arrangements. Mister Burton will be in touch.
                         (Pause) Well, what do I say now? Good luck, I
                         suppose!

Natla and Lara shake hands, and Burton escorts Lara to the door.

                                                NATLA

                         Oh, there’s just one more thing. (Pause) The news
                         of this discovery hasn’t been easy to contain, and
                         by this stage I doubt that I’m the only collector
                         who’s aware of what we’ve found. If I were you,
                         I’d be prepared to encounter some… competetive
                         interest.

                                                LARA

                         (Smiles) I wouldn’t have it any other way.

With that, Lara turns and leaves. Burton closes the doors behind her.

                                                NATLA

                         Well? What do you think?

                                               BURTON

                         What do I think? I think our intelligence was
                         right. She’s a grave-robber, not an archeologist.
                         I don’t even think she’s in it for the money.
                         She’s in it for the thrills. She couldn’t care
                         less about the significance of the artifact, or
                         why you want it. (Pause) She’s perfect, in fact.

                                                NATLA

                         (Smiles) Exactly what I was thinking.

EXT. INDIAN SEA PORT - DAY

SUPERIMPOSE CAPTION:

                           GULF OF CAMBAY, INDIA

A large ship has recently docked in this bustling sea port on the western
coast of India. Dressed in her hiking gear and carrying a heavy backpack,
Lara walks down the ramp from the boat and onto the harbor deck.

Cut to Lara’s passport being inspected. The Indian inspector flicks through
the pages of her passport - every page is filled with exotic stamps from
around the world.

                                              INSPECTOR

                         You’ve been around, Miss Croft.

                                                LARA

                         I beg your pardon?

                                              INSPECTOR

                         Your passport. You’re very well-travelled.

                                                LARA

                         Oh, I see, yes. Well, I’m hiking. You know, round
                         the world. Been wanting to do it for years.

The inspector stamps Lara’s passport and hands it back to her.

                                              INSPECTOR

                         Enjoy your stay in India.

                                                LARA

                         Thank you.

Lara makes her way through the checkpoint, through the port and out onto
the street. An excited-looking Indian CHAUFFER stands in front of a
Mercedes holding a piece of card which reads "LARA CROFT". Lara approaches
him.

                                                LARA

                         I’m Lara Croft.

                                              CHAUFFER

                         Oh yes! Please, this way!

The Chauffer opens the rear passenger door to the Mercedes and beckons her
inside. Lara is a little suspicious.

                                                LARA

                         Who sent you for me?

                                              CHAUFFER

                         Natla! I take you to hotel! Yes, yes! Natla! Very
                         good!

Lara unhooks her backpack and throws it inside the car, then gets in after
it. The chauffer shuts the door and gets in the driver’s seat. As he does
so his expression changes - he suddenly looks a whole lot less ingratiating
and cheerful, and a whole lot more serious.

                                                LARA

                         Where are we…?

She’s interrupted as both rear doors open and two Indian HEAVIES, bigger
than the driver, get in the car on either side of Lara.

                                                LARA

                         What the…?

Both doors slam and the car pulls away at speed.

                                                LARA

                         Who the hell are you? What is this?

Before Lara has time to react, one of the heavies has looped a plastic cord
around her wrists and pulled it tight, binding them together.

                                                LARA

                         Now what the…?

One of the two heavies pulls a gun, an old-fashioned pistol, and points it
across his chest at Lara.

                                               HEAVY 1

                         (In Hindi) No talking.

Lara turns her head to look behind her, through the rear window. Right
behind the Mercedes is a second, backup, car. More Indian toughs inside.

                                                LARA

                         Two cars? How flattering.

The gun is jammed into her ribs.

                                               HEAVY 1

                         I say no talking.

Lara looks at the empty passenger seat next to the driver. On it, a long
length of cord and what looks like a lot of black garbage bags. She doesn’t
like the look of that at all. Time to think fast.

Lara’s backpack sits pressed tightly between her legs. Covertly, she rests
her bound hands on top of it. Very quietly and carefully, she produces a
small folding knife from a pouch near the top and opens it. She turns it
inward between her wrists and starts to work on the binding.

Bad luck for Lara - the shiny steel blade catches a glimmer of sunlight and
it reflects, alerting the gun-toting heavy. He grabs her wrist with his
free hand, but Lara is too fast. She cuts through the binding, then quickly
turns the knife and jams it into his thigh. He cries out in pain and the
gun fires - right across Lara and hitting the second heavy in the chest! He
slumps forward, dead, as Lara and the gunman fight it out. They struggle,
and the door handle is hit - the door swings open and as the car lurches
they’re thrown halfway out of the car. Now on top of Lara, the heavy tries
to push her head down into the ground as it rushes beneath her at high
speed. His huge hand almost completely covers her face. Just as Lara’s face
is about to scrape the ground, she unleashes a devastating knee to the
heavy’s groin and he shrieks in pain, relaxing his grip. Siezing the
moment, Lara summons all her strength and throws the heavy over her head
and out of the car - his body crashes into a roadside fruit stall. Two
down.

Lara closes the door, grabs the pistol from the floor and turns her
attention to the driver, who now looks very worried.

                                                LARA

                         Out.

At first the driver refuses to budge. Lara cocks the pistol and puts it to
his head. She has no time for games today.

                                                LARA

                         Out!

The driver opens his door and rolls out onto the street. For a moment the
car is out of control, driver-less. It lists wildly to the left and mounts
the sidewalk - street market customers run for cover as the Mercedes
crashes through a series of stalls.

Lara jumps into the front seat and regains control of the car, pulling it
back out into the main road. The car is hit heavily from behind - Lara
checks the mirror to see the backup car right behind her. She pulls the car
into a sharp turn down a smaller sidestreet, but the backup car stays right
on her tail.

From the passenger side window of the backup car, a gunman emerges, holding
an AK-47 assault rifle. He lets loose a burst - bullets pierce the trunk
and shatter the rear window. A second burst blows out the front window -
Lara is missed just barely as she ducks her head down. The gunman moves
back inside the car to avoid hitting a building as the car shoots past.

Severely pissed off, Lara slams on the breaks as hard as she can, and the
backup car, unable to stop in time, smashes into the rear of the Mercedes.
Amidst a shower of glass, the gunman is thrown through the front window,
across the hood and right through the rear window of the Mercedes! Lara
floors it again and the backup car, though badly buckled in front, gives
chase.

The chase continues down these deserted side streets, the backup car coming
level with the Mercedes and bashing sideways into it, trying to run Lara
off the road. A second gunman in the backup car opens fire, shattering
Lara’s side window and again forcing her head down. She returns fire, and
her marksmanship isn’t too shabby - the first two shots miss, shooting
holes in the rear bodywork, but her third shot hits the gunman in the head,
and he slumps over the door, dead. We notice that the two other shots have
blown holes in the backup car’s fuel tank and it is now trailing a line of
gasoline behind it.

The duelling between the two cars continues. Lara reaches through the
window with the pistol again to take another shot at the backup car - and
then… from behind Lara, the AK-47 gunman appears in the back seat! Badly
cut and dazed he may be, but dead he ain’t. Lara doesn’t see him until it’s
too late - he reaches around with his arm to strangle her, and seems to be
doing a very good job of it. Lara drops the gun, and it falls outside the
car into the stret. She tries to fight back, but can’t while retaining
control of the car, so she slams on the brakes. The backup car, unable to
react in time, races past them and finally screeches to a halt about fifty
yards up ahead.

The struggle inside the car continues - with Lara losing. And then, a
brainwave. Groping blindly, she finds the recline lever by the side of the
seat and releases it - the seat back drops down under Lara’s weight,
trapping the Indian heavy right under it! Painfully crushed, he releases
his grip on Lara, and she quickly turns and is about to land a knockout
punch when more machine-gun explodes around the car and Lara dives for
cover.

                                            GUNMAN (O.S.)

                         (In Hindi, subtitled) Out of the car!

Lara kicks open the buckled driver’s door and gets out. Standing behind the
backup car for cover, the driver and gunman both have AK-47s trained on
Lara. Hands up, she steps away from the car.

                                               GUNMAN

                         Over here! Keep your hands up!

At that moment, Lara notices the trail of gasoline that runs right past her
foot and up to the punctured fuel tank of the backup car, where it is still
seeping out into a large puddle. Thinking fast, she dives low behind the
Mercedes for cover.

                                               GUNMAN

                         Stop!

They both let loose with a stream of machine-gun fire. The bullets rattle
around the car, and as Lara was betting on, a stray bullet ricochets off
the ground by the gasoline trail and ignites it. Instantaneously, a trail
of flame shoots towards the backup car. Both gunman and driver see it, but
not quite in time. They turn to run, but they’ve only made it a couple of
steps away by the time the fire hits the gas tank - not good enough. The
car blows up in an almighty explosion, taking both bad guys with it.

Stepping out from cover, Lara checks out the burning wreck for any sign of
life. None. Then, behind her, a sound. She turns to see the AK-47 guy
struggling under Lara’s Mercedes seat where he’s trapped. But he seems not
to be trying to get out, but to reach something in his pocket…

Lara rushes over, releases the seat recliner and drags him out of the car
to the street, just as he is popping something into his mouth. Standing
over him, she pulls him up by the collar.

                                                LARA

                         Alright, who are you? Who are you working for?
                         (And again in Hindi)

No response. He just smiles.

                                                LARA

                         I’m not kidding here! Who are you?

And then, through the man’s smile, a black froth oozes forth. Lara
recognizes it almost instantly.

                                                LARA

                         Oh no. No, you don’t…

She forces his mouth open and jams her hand inside.

                                                LARA

                         No, don’t bite down! Don’t you…

But it’s too late. The fast-acting poison has taken its effect. The
Indian’s eyes roll over and he falls back to the ground. Dead. Lara steps
back and tries to take stock. She looks all around. Thick black smoke
billows out from the burning car. In the distance, the sound of police
sirens approaching. Moving fast, Lara grabs her backpack and throws it over
her shoulder.

                                                LARA

                         Five minutes. I’ve been here five minutes…

EXT. HOTEL - DAY

Establishing shot of a luxury hotel in New Delhi. The sign over the doors
reads IMPERIAL HOTEL.

INT. HOTEL RECEPTION - DAY

Lara, looking extremely dirty, ragged and battered after her earlier
excitement, walks wearily up to the main desk. The smartly-dressed guy
working reception eyes her suspiciously - she doesn’t look like the typical
Imperial Hotel customer.

                                            RECEPTIONIST

                         Are you looking for directions, miss?

                                                LARA

                         I’m checking in today. You have a room for Lara
                         Croft.

                                            RECEPTIONIST

                         Well, let’s see…

The receptionist flicks through his record cards. He seems almost
disappointed when he find the record of her booking.

                                            RECEPTIONIST

                         Ah. Yes. Miss Croft. You’re in room 611. I’m
                         afraid it’s not quite ready yet, it’ll be another
                         hour.

                                                LARA

                         I’ll be in the bar.

                                            RECEPTIONIST

                         Excellent idea, miss.

INT. HOTEL BAR - DAY

Lara walks into the bar, takes a quick look round and instantly sees
something she can hardly believe. Sitting at the bar is MILO TREVELYAN -
American, mid-40s, rugged, unshaven and dishevelled. He knocks back the
last dregs of his double whisky.

                                                MILO

                         (In Hindi) Another one here.

The Indian bartender refills Milo’s glass.

                                             LARA (O.S.)

                         Still exploring the bottoms of whisky bottles, I
                         see.

Milo turns to see Lara standing at the bar. She sits at the stool next to
him. Milo’s reaction is at first one of surprise, then he lets out a
world-weary laugh. Instantly there is a tense atmosphere between them -
these two go way back.

                                                MILO

                         Jesus Christ. I should’ve known.

                                                LARA

                         Long time, Milo.

                                                MILO

                         Portugal, ninety four.

                                                LARA

                         (Nods) Looks like they re-set your jaw pretty
                         well.

Milo traces the line of a scar along his chin with his finger - a memory of
their last encounter. The bartender waits for Lara’s order.

                                                LARA

                         Beer. And another for him.

A fresh glass of whisky and a bottle of Budweiser arrives in front of them.

                                                LARA

                         Don’t you have any Indian beer?

                                              BARTENDER

                         Is Indian beer.

Lara turns the bottle to read the label - it’s a Budweiser label, printed
in Hindi. She sighs and takes a big swig.

                                                MILO

                         Of all the bars in the all the world… (a pause,
                         then) what the hell are you doing here?

                                                LARA

                         I could ask you the same question. I’m sure we
                         both have the same answer. Who dragged you out
                         here?

                                                MILO

                         Would you believe the Indian government’s
                         department of religious heritage?

                                                LARA

                         No.

                                                MILO

                         I thought not. (A pause, then) Burolo.

                                                LARA

                         (Surprised) You’re working for Burolo? He’s…

                                                MILO

                         Your client? Not any more. I think your latest
                         little screw-up in Egypt was the last straw. Seems
                         he wanted someone who can actually get the job
                         done. (A pause, then) So, let me guess. Natla.

                                                LARA

                         (A pause, then) Well, since her team unearthed the
                         original site, I think she has a better claim to
                         it than most, don’t you?

                                                MILO

                         (Laughs) Jesus Lara, I thought you knew this
                         business. It’s not about who’s entitled - it’s
                         about who gets their hands on it first. That’s the
                         game. That’s why they use people like us.

                                                LARA

                         Burolo’s not interested in that ring. All he wants
                         is another trophy to show off to his Japanese
                         clients.

                                                MILO

                         Yeah, right. And Jacqueline Natla’s after it for
                         humanitarian reasons. Give me a break.

Lara thinks about this as Milo takes another shot of whisky.

                                                MILO

                         Aah. Whole thing’s a god-damn wild goose chase
                         anyway.

                                                LARA

                         Looks more like a Wild Turkey chase from here.

                                                MILO

                         By the way, Lara, did I mention you looked like
                         s***?

                                                LARA

                         Tough commute. (A pause, then) You’re wasting your
                         time out here, you know, Milo. The original
                         Sanskrit’s the only way to get to that ring, and
                         only Natla’s got it.

                                                MILO

                         What makes you think I haven’t already seen it?

                                                LARA

                         You’re fishing, Milo. Finish your drink and catch
                         a flight home. (Sarcastic) It’s dangerous here.
                         I’d hate to see you get hurt.

                                                MILO

                         (Laughs) Jesus Christ, I think it’s finally
                         happened. You’re actually starting to believe your
                         own hype.

                                                LARA

                         I’m serious, Milo.

                                                MILO

                         Yeah Lara, I’m serious too. Listen to me. You and
                         me, sitting here like this, talking - this is as
                         pleasant as it’s ever going to get. You’re not
                         going to get in my way this time out. Not any
                         more.

                                                LARA

                         That reminds me. I don’t suppose you’d know
                         anything about seven guys gunning for me at the
                         harbor this afternoon, would you?

                                                MILO

                         Funny. I was just about to ask you if you knew
                         anything about the two waiting for me in my room
                         last night.

                                                LARA

                         Only two? I guess they’re not taking you quite as
                         seriously. (Pause) Even so, maybe you really ought
                         to think about leaving before it gets too
                         dangerous.

                                                MILO

                         No, maybe you’d better think about it, Lara. Just
                         maybe you’re in over your head this time.

Lara smiles, finishes her beer and stands up to leave.

                                                LARA

                         Well, I have work to do. Good luck, Milo.
                         Something tells me you’ll need it.

Lara turns and walks away.

                                                MILO

                         (Under his breath) I should’ve killed you in New
                         Zealand.

Lara re-appears behind Milo. She leans close to talk right into his ear.

                                                LARA

                         And I should have killed you in Peru. But I
                         suppose we’re both just too polite.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY

A quick salacious shot of Lara enjoying a hot shower before emerging into
her bedroom, wrapped in a towel. Her backpack lies on the bed, half
unpacked.