Chapter 1: A Partner missing

London, Britain

The rain continued for most of the evening, toppling even harder against the rooftop, the windowpanes of the penthouse. Lightning bolts illuminated the skies of London. The moon had barely risen before the skies darkened and the heavens started pouring down, the planking sound against the rooftop succeeded in keeping her awake - not that the sound of the thunderstorm was stopping her from the restless movement.

Elizabeth Clark sat atop her bed overlooking the paperwork she had written on the Cabal and her partner's disappearance; her legs were crossing over each other. She's still fully clothed in streetwear, from the black t-shirt to the brown boots that could withstand any weather or terrain. She was a thin, well-built, and attractive young lady, but don't underestimate her. She still had her hip holster strapped on, although her pistols rested upon the nightstand table, but close enough for a swift grasp, if she requires it.

For most of the world, she was known as a photographer, working in London. She would post photos of her travels all over the world, beautiful places yet never seen before to cover up who she was. For those who knew her pretty well knows that she's a warrior of the light of truth, going over the world as an archaeologist as well known for her knowledge in old maps, ancient text, and symbols. She's been seen working with the world-famous archaeologist, Lara Croft.

Two more lightning bolts reached the sky, thunder complemented it loudly enough to rattle the shutters outside her windows. She sighed and threw the papers one side of the bed, leaning forward, resting her head in her hands. She was frustrated and hadn't slept particularly great in the last month, for numerous reasons, one of which was her subconscious asking her precisely the identical question over and over again, what happened to her partner? She rubbed her temple, she arose; glanced at the clock on the wall - 10:30 pm. This was going to be another long night. She picked up the papers, grabbed her backpack, shoving her research inside, but then she froze, seeing the shards in her bag, the Periapt Shards. She had found them down in the Strahov. She took the three out and wandered back to how she found the shards.

(Flashback to a month ago)

She glanced at the building, making sure the coast was clear before she managed to get inside. She moved through the Bio-dome to a corridor that leads to Eckhardt's lab, but when she reached that part of the building, the facility was more or less destroyed.

"What the hell happened here?" she uttered to herself. She travels down the slop, glides down, and sprang from time to time. She entered the laboratory, went straight down to the inner sanctum. Here she discovered Eckhardt's lifeless figure with the shard still impaled in him. She bent down, gently removing the shards from his body, all three still in one piece. She placed them away in her backpack and gazed up to see the Sleeper half destroyed.

"Glad to see he terminated her," she muttered to nobody.

She glanced around and found a tunnel, leading to an arena.

There was a deformed creature stumbled on the ground, the Cabal's experiments unleashed on her partner perhaps, she thought. There on the walls and floor were splattered with a disgusting green liquid. A few meters on another corps, this one was decapitated, looked like a strange hybrid dragonfly creature, with a pair of spikes, but on one of the spikes has blood on and nearby a huge pool of blood. She kneeled in horror at the sight, hands in her face.

"No, it can't be" She sobbed taking her hands away touching the blood with her fingertips, then it hit her, the past was calling her, she just remained like that, shutting her eyes, she whispered, "Indica mihi"

He arose after collapsing down on the ground. He was in extreme pain, but he knew he couldn't stay there, they would find him and finish him off.

"I hope Lara got out alive," He mumbled to himself as he felt another explosion, "Damn Croft always making trouble," He glanced at his Chirugai.

"Perhaps she'll proceed in searching for me," He said, tossed the weapon near the pool he had left behind.

"That should provide her a lead to locate me," He struggled to the huge door, stumbling once or twice grasping his stomach in pain, then he continued to the looming darkness.

Her spirit went to another place, where she could recognize doctors and nurses surrounding someone. She peered closer.

"We need to stop the bleeding fast," the one doctor said

"He lost too much, it's too late for him," a nurse yelled

"No, it's not, we can save him, we must his father will never forgive us," the first one said, as they moved she saw her partner lying there on the bed surrounded by people but where? She asked herself but then she noticed a symbol on the doctor's arm.

Her spirit came back to her body, she looked up and smiled.

"I'm coming, hold on." She uttered, getting up, she moved on into the darkness, she took out her flashlight, found a bloody door handle. She sighed, opened the door to find herself in the Sanitarium. Strolling through those empty hallways, she reached a room, but she paused when she noticed a skinny poor guy sitting on the bed. She walked in, pointing her guns at him.

"Don't you dare move," She commanded, "What's going on down here?"

"The Black Angel is coming for us all, I didn't sign up for this, not Angels and Demons. I'm only a truck driver."

"A truck driver! What are you doing here then? What were you caring?"

"My friend brought the sleeper, but I was carrying something else, a sarcophagus. Then they grabbed us and threw us down here, to be fed by their pets, but I'm safe in here,"

She sighed, holstering her guns "Yeah, sure just keep the door locked," she said, marched off trying to think what could be in that sarcophagus. She turned a corner and quickly ducked back when she saw two men at a door leading to the garage area, where she saw the trucks and their drivers getting in. She listened in on the two's conversation.

"Karel has given the orders, we need to take that sarcophagus far from here."

"But why Turkey?" the other asked throwing his cigarette down to the ground and stepping on it.

"The other stronghold is there"

"What do you think is inside that thing?"

"I heard it's another sleeper, but this one can only be awakened by the Black Angel."

They started wandering off into the distance, it was enough for her to escape that place after learning the truth of what happened here and what she just acquired about the black angel. That was not good, and she needed to find her partner, fast.

(Flashback end)

I can't just sit here, she thought with boredom. As tired as she was, she couldn't stay another night here in London. It was no use, she already discovered that Miss Croft had arrived at her home and she didn't want to be contacted by anyone not even me, she thought, however, I'll reach her one way or another. Kurtis had just disappeared from the face of the earth. She arrived that evening, after leaving the Strahov, at the Healers although they stated he had been moved to a guarded location and they didn't know where. Just what I needed, she thought. Her quest to discover where the Cabal are hiding, came up empty. She had driven to Turkey in search of them, toward no success as well.

She required to go back home, to find help. She placed the shards back in her backpack, seized her keys and guns. She turned outside the door, not bothering to lock it. There wasn't anything inside that someone will take, she thought.

She trudged down the stairs, past the landlord's office and out onto the streets becoming soaking wet in the fallen rain almost immediately. Elizabeth started the engine of her motorbike, kicking it into first gear, released the clutch, throttled her way down the west, towards Surrey.

Surrey, Britain

Elizabeth waited in front of the iron gate of her Manor. For a moment, she looked through the bars, admired the walls of the building. She held a deep breath as she pushed the bell of the gate, waiting for an answer. The warrior couldn't hold back the smirk when she heard a familiar voice.

"Good evening, how may I help you?" her loyal butler asked kindly.

"You can begin by opening the gates for me, Henry." She requested, immediately accompanied by the sound of the buzzer.

Elizabeth went through the entrance and halt in front of the manor's doors. She turned off the motorbike's engine and walked in.

"Welcome home Miss Clark" Henry greeted "How about I make you some coffee, or anything else?"

"Perhaps later, thank you." The warrior breathed in the air of her home and glanced around.

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" she asked, glimpsing back at Henry. He had been with her since the beginning of her career. Still young, healthy, and strong to fight anyone or anything, he had left the army with her to work for her, for he had learned who she was and the danger she had, someone needed to keep checking on her. She had heard her boyfriend always saying that he was pleased to know Henry was here when he left for a mission of his own.

"Edward is back from New York and two policemen were looking for you and a journalist came asking for you again." He answered.

"What did the police want?" She asked.

"They want to ask you about Miss Croft." He answered. "But I assured them you were still on your dig site in Egypt."

"Thanks, Henry. Can you tell Edward to call my cousin, Lloyd?" She took a breath "I want to see him tomorrow ASAP."

"Will do Miss," Henry said, marched off to the tech room.

Elizabeth stepped up the stairs, entering the study, and found Alex sitting behind the desk reading a book.

"Alex" she said, making him lookup.

"Hey Liz, any luck in finding warrior boy?" He asked

"No, he just disappeared, Alex" She sighed, slumped down on the chair. "I can't even track down Karel and his Cabal members, last I heard they left for Turkey."

"Did you follow the trail?" he asked

"Yes, but I lost the trail when I entered Turkey. It's like Karel knew I was on his trail," she replied.

"Maybe this will help" Alex said, turning the computer screen.

Elizabeth observed an email, started to read it when someone entered the study. She ignored the person and went on.

Dear Alex

I hear you are great at finding things out about ancient artifacts and ruins. I need your help; I have heard about the myth of the Black Angel, but I can't find anything about it. Please help me; I am a historian in Turkey. I'll be waiting for your reply.

Thank you

Joachem Karel

As she finished reading the email, the person who came in, wrapped his arms around her and looked at the email.

"What does he want to do with the Black Angel?" She heard him ask, she laid her head against him

"He wants to awaken the Sleeper, the one who was buried in a sarcophagus with a spell on it, so only the Black Angel can break."

"Where is this sarcophagus then buried?" He asked, unwrapping his arms from her, she got up and stood in front of him, looking at him, in his sky-blue eyes.

"I'm afraid Karel already found the sarcophagus, it's up to us to find our brothers to unit them to find the Blank Angel before Karel." She said.

"Kurtis?" He asked, stepping closer to her, he hadn't seen her in over a month and he could see she looked terrible.

"Missing" She only answered, he then embraced her. He hated to see her like this.

"Baby we will find him," he answered and kissed her head. Kurtis was like a brother to her and in the field her partner who had each other's backs. She hated herself for not having his back in Prague.

"I know, I asked that Edward could contact Lloyd. If there's one person who can track him down its Lloyd," she answered and turned in his arms to look at Alex.

"Don't reply to his email and see if you have any luck on finding Karel's true location, please." She said

"I'll do my best" Alex replied, started typing on the computer. She smiled, and they both left Alex alone to work.

The sunlight shined through the windows, waking her up, she glanced to her left to see he was still sleeping. She had talked to him all night, explaining what had happened in the last month while she was away on her mission. Then she laid on his chest falling asleep. The best sleep she had, in the enter month, it was good to be home in his arms again, but it was back to business. Karel is out there planning to revive his race and Kurtis who knows where.

She got up not to disturb him; she went to the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror she sighs.

"I hope Alex found something, anything leading to where Karel disappeared to" She uttered to the mirror and turned the hot water of the shower on and undressed herself, getting in making the hot water run down her scared and tattooed body. She washed herself with soap making her relax in the shower. When she was done, she turned the water off, pulled the curtain away, grabbed a towel to dry herself. As she dried off, she glanced at the door to see him standing there.

"Morning" he said, closing in on her, wrapping his arms around her naked body and kissed her lips. When he broke the kiss, he spoke still holding her. "Henry brought us some breakfast while you were showering and said that Lloyd is downstairs, waiting.

"Thank you, Chris" She replied, kissing him back and walking out of the bathroom leaving him to shower. She finished up and had a quick bit, left to meet Lloyd downstairs.