#18: The Weight of the Cause

The wind cut through Lara's face as she and Dante ran through the busy streets, almost invisible among the crowd. Night was falling with a blanket of darkness, but the city lights still shone like artificial stars, casting shadows that seemed to take on a life of their own.

“It's no use, is it?” Lara said, her voice choked, without looking at Dante. “We won't be able to save everyone.”

Dante watched her surreptitiously, noticing how shaken she was. Even with the pain of losing Caio, she remained firm, but the emptiness in her eyes showed the internal battle she was fighting.

“The war doesn't end with the death of a man,” Dante replied, his voice low, almost like a mantra. “We're going to make his fight have meaning.”

Lara stopped walking and looked at him, her expression hard.

“And how? We don't have any allies anymore, Dante. We are alone.

Dante took a step forward, looking around. The city was full of people, but it was as if they were all in their own worlds, disconnected from the fight going on in the shadows. He knew Lara was right, but he couldn’t let her give up. Not now.

“We have what we need,” he said, pulling Lara’s backpack. “Now, we need to take it to the source. And take down the system once and for all.”

Lara looked at him suspiciously, but something in his eyes made her feel safer, even if only for a second. The fear was still there, lingering, but she knew that without this fight, everything Caio had done would have been in vain.

“And what do we do now?” she asked, her voice calmer, but still tense.

Dante smiled, but it was a bitter smile.

“First, we need a safe place to review this data. Then, we’ll figure out what to do with it.” We can't afford to make mistakes.

The Refuge in the Underworld

As they walked through the dark streets of Rio, they came to a more remote neighborhood, where the buildings seemed older and the streets were empty. It was a direct contrast to the oppressive brightness of the city center.

Dante turned to Lara.

“This is the place.”

Lara observed the dark brick building, with an iron door that seemed to collapse at any moment. It was a makeshift refuge, probably abandoned, but at that moment it seemed like the only safe place.

“Are you sure about that?” Lara asked suspiciously.

“Trust is all we have now,” Dante said, opening the door with a bang.

The interior of the building was completely silent. Only the sound of their own footsteps echoed off the dirty and worn walls. In the back, there was a small room with an old but apparently functional computer.

“Let’s see what you got,” Dante said, taking Lara’s device and connecting it to the station.

Lara walked over and began to watch the data being transferred. A series of secret files and programming codes scrolled across the screen, while evidence of the data manipulation, and how “Project Aurora” was being kept secret, appeared before her.

“This…” Lara swallowed hard. “This could destroy everything.”

“We’ll make sure it does,” Dante said, with a firmness she hadn’t expected.

As he continued to analyze the files, Lara took a step back, absorbing the gravity of the situation. She knew the mission was far from over, but at that moment, she felt the weight of what was to come. The weight of what she was willing to lose in order for the truth to be revealed.

The Rise of a New Alliance

The sound of footsteps interrupted the silence. Lara and Dante turned quickly, their hands instinctively going to their weapons, but they soon realized they were not alone in the refuge.

Across the room, a figure emerged from the shadows.

“Don’t move.” The voice was soft, but full of authority. “If you think you have the solution to all this, you are still far from the truth.”

Lara frowned, the tension rising instantly. The woman who appeared before them seemed at ease in this decaying space, as if it were a part of the city that no one else saw. She had a proud posture, a visible scar next to her left eye, and an aura of someone who had seen and done it all.

“Who are you?” Lara asked, her voice tense.

The woman smiled, but it was not a friendly smile.

“Someone who is as tired as you are. Someone who can be useful. But that depends on how you want to play the game.”

Dante was the first to react.

— What do you want?

The woman approached, her eyes fixed on the computer screen.

— I can help you take down the “Aurora Project”. But in return, you need to help me with one thing.

Lara and Dante looked at each other. Whatever it was, it could be the key to bringing down the system once and for all. But doubt still hung in the air, and the question they both knew they needed to ask, but didn't have the courage to say, still remained.

“What do you want from us?”