(So I was thinking about Doom 4 and how I'd like the option for a female protagonist among other things, and then I was hit with a flash of inspiration. I never knew I needed to crossover two of the most iconic video game franchises of all time until I was already writing this thing, so I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it.

This is intended to be a scary story, with an atmosphere similar to Doom 3 or F.E.A.R. There's some blood and your typical violence. There are moments that may induce anxiety, if I've done my job right.

Now, step into this handbasket and join me on a nice little trip to hell...)

Now

Lights flickered, casting shadows that danced and played like demons in the fire. The air smelled like metal, blood and something dank and vaguely sour. Sam's breath was heavy, and she strained to hear anything over the blood rushing in her ears. A sweaty finger twitched near the trigger of her pistol as the sound of something approached, heavy steps on the metal planks.

She held her breath, the creature casting a long shadow down the hallway. She couldn't tell what it was, but she'd seen enough of the massacre in the cafeteria to know that she didn't want to see it any closer.

It rounded the corner and Sam screamed, squeezing her eyes shut and opening fire as she waited for the inevitable disembowelment.

Hands grabbed the gun away from her and then one clamped over her mouth. "Sam! Quiet!"

Sam immediately went silent, opening her eyes to see brown ones looking back at her. Blood caked the right side of Lara's head and a long cut ran past her left eye and down her cheek. She was wearing green armor, dented and slashed in places and there was more blood from wounds she couldn't see. It was the single most beautiful sight that Sam had ever seen. She threw her arms around Lara and whispered loudly. "Lara! You're alive! Oh my god, oh god. I almost shot you!"

"Keep your eyes open next time and you will." Lara squeezed Sam tight, then quickly looked her over. There was a wound on Sam's right leg, like something had tried to take a bite out of her, but she otherwise seemed unharmed. Terrified, but alive. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah. It hurts, but I can manage."

"That's good, I don't think I can carry you and fight at the same time."

Looking past Lara and into the hallway with it's flickering shadows, Sam asked. "How bad is it?"

Lara's expression was difficult to read, but there was a hardness in her eyes that Sam had never seen before. "It's like a mouth to hell opened up."

"I don't believe in hell." But Sam shivered as she thought about the things she'd seen while she'd been hiding.

"Yesterday, neither did I." Lara helped Sam to her feet, supporting her until she got her bearings. "I'm getting you on a shuttle and we're getting out of here. I promise."

"Can we nuke the site from orbit?" Sam asked, hobbling after Lara. "I'd really like to nuke the site from orbit, just to be sure."

Eighteen Hours Ago

Lara had been on Mars almost three months, and in that time she'd developed many questions about her contract and employer. The Union Aerospace Corporation's morals were questionable at best, and Lara kept telling herself it was worth it for the discoveries she was making.

They'd unearthed something that could change humanity's understanding of the origins of life on earth - and Lara was the one who was attempting to translate what they'd found. Artifacts. Structures. An entire civilization had once existed on Mars, and here she was, hamstrung by a non-disclosure agreement.

The whole thing put Lara on edge, but the discovery and the potential it had was enough to keep her from finding an out in her contract.

She looked up from her lunch when someone sat across from her. "Good morning, Alex."

"Morning." The computer tech grinned at her over his tray of UAC slop. Alex had become one of her few friends. He respected her abilities and had been warm and friendly from the get-go. He set the tray down on the stainless steel table and took a seat across from her.

The lights overhead flickered, and then went out. They came back a few moments later. Lara looked at the ceiling accusingly. "That's been getting worse."

"The lights I can handle," Alex said. He frowned, resting his chin on a hand. "Tobias said he keeps seeing something in the shadows. But there's nothing there. And he's not the only one. Something has the whole base spooked."

Lara chuckled. "Luckily, I'm not easily spooked. Do you have my PDA?"

"Right here." He pulled it out of his labcoat and held it out for Lara to take. "Should be running really good now. I tweaked it a bit for you, too. You know. Some mood music, a couple of games, unrestricted access…"

"Alex!" Lara hissed, then lowered her voice. "We could both get in serious trouble!"

"Hey, you said you wanted to get a look at the Cube, didn't you? Well here's your chance."

"Well yes, but that's not quite what I meant…" Lara picked up the PDA and slipped it into her own coat. "I've almost cracked the glyphs. I just feel like there's something I'm missing. I'm so close, Alex!"

"If anyone can do it, you can," he said, putting his hand on her arm. "After all, who discovered Excalibur? Atlantis?"

Lara grinned back at him. "I suppose. You're forgetting the Outback."

"Of course I am. I'd be way less humble." He shook his head. "I'd plaster the word "Atlantis" all over my resume."

"Do I have to list the thirteen high security places you've hacked?"

"I'll have you know UAC gives me full immunity."

Lara shook her head at that. Another thing she remained conflicted about.

"Lara!"

She snapped her head in the direction of a very familiar voice, and stumbled awkwardly to her feet. "...Sam?"

A blur slammed into her, arms wrapping tightly around her body. Lara hugged back, trying to ignore the sudden butterflies in her stomach. She looked down at her friend. "Sam, what are you doing here?"

Samantha Nishimura stepped back, planting her hands on her hips. She was wearing a smart looking dress skirt and a white button up shirt, with a UAC lapel pin. "I came to document your work. Duh."

Lara sucked on her lip for a brief second, then closed the distance between them again. She buttoned the top two buttons on Sam's shirt, then discreetly tugged her skirt down a little, all the while glaring daggers at anyone who'd dare look at her. "How the hell did you convince your father to let you do that?"

"Uh, by telling him I was doing a documentary on the moon base and then switching to the Mars transport at the last minute?" Sam swatted at her hands. "Lara what are you doing?"

"She's protecting your virtue from the eyes of the unworthy," Alex joked. He held his arms out and Sam gave him a hug. "Some of the guys here are assholes."

"Alex! How are you?"

After months of fairly glum and increasingly paranoid co-workers, Sam's sunshine was almost exhausting. Lara was torn between being happy to see her, being concerned for her safety, and finding herself thrown for an emotional loop. She watched as Alex and Sam caught up, before speaking up. "Do you have a bunk assignment?"

Sam turned and grinned at Lara. The twinkle in her eyes gave it away before her friend opened her mouth. "We get to be roommates again!"

Lara folded her arms, her voice as dry as her expression. "How many strings did you pull for that one?"

Sidling up against Lara, Sam gave her her most innocent look. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Of course." Lara just wasn't looking forward to months of once again pretending she wasn't attracted to Sam. Avoiding any awkward mistakes or confessions had been a full five percent of the reason she'd taken the Mars contract. Maybe even seven percent. "This is just a dangerous place, Sam. I'm worried about you."

"I've got my big strong Lara and Alex to protect me."

Lara rolled her eyes, but found herself smiling. "Lets get you settled, and then get down to the lab. I assume you have a cargo hold filled with camera equipment?"

"I've got enough to start with, the rest will get delivered to our bunk."

An arm slipped around Lara's waist. "Hello."

Sam looked at Lara, then at the newcomer with an American accent. She was a blonde woman in a labcoat like Lara's. She was wearing wire-rimmed glasses, and, as far as Sam was concerned, had a little too much up top. Though why she was concerned was a matter for internal debate. Sam shot a quick look at Lara. "Uh. Hi?"

Extricating herself from the blonde, Lara cleared her throat. "Sam, this is Doctor Amanda Evert. She works in the Delta Lab, researching some of the unusual energy that we've discovered here."

"Don't be so formal." Amanda laughed, and held out her hand. "Lara's told me a lot about you."

Sam took it, a polite smile plastered to her face. "Nice to meet you, Doctor. Wish I could say the same."

"It really seemed like she couldn't stop talking about you when she got started."

Lara cleared her throat. "I was just showing Sam to the lab. She's a miracle worker with a camera and is here to document my work."

"I need to get back to my lab too. We've got some exciting work later." Amanda's hand lingered too long on Lara's shoulder. It made Sam vaguely uncomfortable, like something was wrong with this picture but she didn't know what or why. Lara looked embarrassed as the blonde woman walked away.

"Well she seems friendly."

"Not really," Alex butted in. "She's actually turned into kind of a asshole. But most of the people on this base are assholes. I don't know what Lara sees in her. I mean I kind of do, just look at her, but-"

"Alex."

Alex looked at the way Sam was gaping at Lara, and at the deadly look Lara was giving him. He held up a hand. "And I'm needed in the server room."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Lara moved past Sam, pulling out her PDA to give them access to the elevator to the lower levels. Like most of the base, it was built from steel and other metals. The sides were a thick wire mesh, and they could see the Martian rock through it. She could practically feel Sam's eyes on the back of her head. She turned around, leaning against the wall as Sam stepped in after her.

"Sooo….Is there anything you want to tell me? Your best friend. That you write to like three times a week?"

"Amanda and I are friends."

Sam raised her eyebrows.

"That's all, Sam."

"Alex doesn't seem to think so." Sam folded her arms, giving Lara a smug look. Her expression softened after a few moments. "I'm not going to judge, Lara, if that's what you're worried about."

Lara had been worried about that, even if she'd known it was an irrational worry. "... I may be a lot less straight than you are."

Sam snorted. "I knew that like three years ago, Lara. I've just been waiting for you to figure that out. So are you dating? Is it love? She's really hot. Not as hot as me, but you know. And I never said I was straight."

"It was once or … thrice," Lara responded. "It was… nice, but then one day she seemed to change. She wasn't quite the same woman anymore. But I guess we were what we needed when we needed it." Thankfully she was saved by the ding of the lift. She quickly stepped out before she could say something she regretted. Was Sam jealous? Did she want Sam to be jealous? The answer to that was yes but Lara had more important things to worry about.

Sam watched Lara leave the lift, and brought her thumb to her mouth and chewed lightly on her nail. She stopped herself when she caught herself doing that and pushed aside an annoying feeling of jealousy.