It was raining. The wind lashed and whipped against the strong metal of the Endurance, which was now split right down the middle. The pitter pattering of the rain hitting the ship was calming, but felt disruptive in the present situation. Gunshots were heard in the distance followed by multiple explosions from different sources.

Alex was sitting on a grated floor, his leg crushed underneath an enormous metal pipe. His skin was ripped open and revealed bone. A flap of thick skin was folded right beneath his kneecap. Burning sensations shot up and down his shin. He cried out.

"Oh, God! Help!" He lamented. He looked down at his leg. Blood climbed up his leg. He leaned forward and tried to grip his leg to make the anguish end, but it wouldn't end. The pain began to crescendo and he replied with cries of agony. Oh, the pain. Oh God the pain makeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstop. A voice interrupted his crying and a glimmer of hope shined within him.

"Alex, are you in here?" said a voice. That can't be who he thinks it is, is it? Lara? It just might be.

"Lara! I'm down here!" He cried. Alex tried to lift himself up but his leg told him to sit back down.

"Come on... Come on..." He said to his leg, trying to pry it from underneath the metal. By doing this, he tore the flap of skin back even more.

"Agh. Goddammit! Ow, fuck!" He yelled. There was no point, anymore. He was staying right there. "Why, why, why, WHY!" He thought to himself. He heard that voice again.

"Alex?!" Lara called. From the shadows she emerged. For only a moment he had forgotten the pain and gazed at her. He stared at her face. Even the blood splatters seemed unable to hide her beauty.

Lara was the type of woman that you never forgot about once you saw her. Although her beauty was undeniable, that wasn't what caught Alex's eye. It was the way she carried herself. Her chin was held high despite all the odds and problems that weighed on her shoulders. Combine that with all her beauty and, man, you've got yourself quite the lady.

On top of that, she had the kind of curves that would make a guy want to scream. And that face. Oh, that gorgeous face. Her features were carved thoroughly, as if God pushed every human being to the side and spent all his time on her. And those eyes were so grey and reminded Alex of rain clouds. He used to hate the rain before he met her. Overall, she was gorgeous.

"Lara! What are you doing here?" He shouted to her.

"What's going on?" she asked, concerned. She trudged through the water and approached the blocked doorway that separated the two. Alex tried to lean forward a little, but sat back again after resistance.

"I'm pinned down here... Doesn't look too good." And it didn't. Muscle and bone were showing. He gripped the grated floor.

He watched Lara use her arrow and rope to pull a heavy machine across the tracked ceiling. An obstruction blocked the machine from bursting through the doorway.

"Dammit," she muttered. "The track's blocked!" He heard her mumbling to herself as she processed just how to get him out. She fired her arrow at the machine and pulled it around the track in different directions. After pulling it a few times, she mounted a ladder on the side and used her weight to push it forward. Alex watched her climb into an entrance above the ceiling.

"Please don't go..." he thought. He needed her now more than ever. One part of him didn't want her to waste his time. The other wanted her to hurry up and get him out of here so he could at least be less than 30 feet away from her. But he couldn't be selfish. It was his fault he was here, after all...

"Lara, I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess. I don't know what I was thinking coming out here." He sinckered in hysterical exhaustion. "I thought I could be the star in my own goddamned action movie. Guess it doesn't work out like that."

Lara replied with repetitive kicks to some sort of metal object followed by a thunderous crash that resonated throughout the room. "Okay," Lara breathed. "Got it." Alex was relieved, but only slightly. His leg was singing grand opera at this point. He looked at the gun in his hand and thought how much easier things would be if he just ended it right now. Both for him, and for Lara. But he was too close to give up now.

"Great...Good job... So sleepy..." His voice quited as he finished the sentence. His vision began to go black at the edges. Alex closed his eyes. He needed rest, if only for a minute. He heard Lara call his name, but his hearing began to fade.

Alex must have fallen asleep, because when he looked up, he saw Lara there in front of him. She kneeled down in front of him. Oh, those eyes. He was finally able to see them more clearly again and couldn't help but smile. If he was going to die, at least this would be the last thing he saw. She smiled with pity at him.

"Oh, Alex..." she whispered. Tears began to form in her eyes and Alex silently pleaded that she wouldn't cry. She looked at Alex's hand and smiled when she saw his success.

"You got the tools," Lara observed. Despite the pain, Alex cracked a smile.

"Finally," he grinned. "I impress you." Lara's expression changed from pleasant to serious.

"Let's get you out of here," she said as she attempted to pull the pipe from his leg. He cried out as it scraped against revealed muscle. If he got out of this, he prayed he could walk correctly. Maybe not... Lara's hands retracted and she apologized.

Alex smiled. "Looks like my dance career's over... Ha ha..."

Suddenly a bullet flew past their heads, and their moment was over.

"We got her!" A Solarii shouted as he fired his gun at them from above. Lara and Alex ducked behind some debris. Alex shot at an oil drum next to the men and an explosion threw them to the floor. Lara shot a look at him, almost glaring.

"What are you doing? You'll kill us!" Lara shouted. Another explosion rattled the room. Alex knew at that moment that his fate was sealed.

"I'm not gonna make it out of here, Lara. Take the tools," he pleaded.

"Not without you," she argued. Alex felt a warmth forming in his chest. He checked for a wound. Nothing. Maybe it was her. He smiled. "How often does a guy like me get to be a hero?" he joked.

More bullets flew past them, just barely missing. Lara dodged and threw herself next to Alex and he fired at them, not sure if he hit them or not. "Is this it?" he thought. If so, he had better give her the tools.

He held them out to her.

"Nowhere to run!" A voice shouted. Dumb bastards didn't know when to quit.

"The others are counting on us," he pleaded again. And held his hand further out to her. She shook her head.

"Go!" he shouted with exasperation. Lara shook her head again and again.

"Now," he said much more calmly. More bullets. For just a second longer, Lara hesitated. Quickly, she leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek and ran off with the tools. Alex shot at the remaining Solarii and watched Lara sprint out of the room and slam the door on her way out.

And now, he was alone. He fired again and again. It was time to end this. He pointed his pistol at another oil drum and its explosion killed off the rest of them. Alex cringed as another explosion dislodged his leg from the force of the pipe. He was free, but the door was locked.

"Alex!" Lara lamented from the other side of the door. But he didn't respond. He will respond as soon as things settle down. As quickly as he could, Alex limped to another side of the room, where another door stood. He charged into the door and opened it with all of his weight. Here, he was in a hallway that was split apart from its crash into the island. Below him an angry sea thrashed and roared as the storm controlled its every emotion.

All he could think about was Lara. She kissed him. He never thought he would see the day. And now that he was free, he was determined to see that day again.

Without a second thought, he plunged into the sea and swam to the surface. He searched around for anything to grab, and saw an overturned lifeboat. With the last bit of strength he could muster, he swam with the current to the boat and grasped it at the middle. He lay his head down on the damp wood and, despite the gunfire and explosions, he fell asleep as the storm calmed.

It seemed that the Sun Queen, or whatever she was, was feeling merciful today.