#24: The Weight of Sacrifice

The silence between the three was almost palpable. The officer kept his gun pointed at Dante, but his attention was completely on Lara now.

“And why should I believe you?” the man asked skeptically.

Lara took a step forward, deliberately slowly, as if she didn’t want to provoke any hostile reaction.

“Because I’m the only person who can access that data. You know that. Without me, you just have a bunch of numbers.”

Dante tried to intervene, but she cut him off with a firm look. He clenched his fists in frustration, but he knew now was not the time to argue.

“Okay, let’s say I believe you. Where’s the data?” the officer asked, a slight hint of suspicion still in his voice.

“That’s something we negotiate,” Lara replied, crossing her arms. “I’ll give you what you want, and you let him go.”

Dante finally spoke.

“Lara, no. This isn’t a fair trade.”

“Shut up, Dante,” she snapped, never taking her eyes off the cop. “You’re not going to die because of me.”

A Risky Twist

The cop studied Lara for a moment, his eyes taking in every detail. Finally, he lowered his gun a little.

“You’re bold, girl. But I’m not stupid. You’re coming with me. He’s staying.”

“No way.” Dante took a step forward, but was stopped by Lara’s glare.

“It’s okay,” she said, her voice surprisingly calm. “I know what I’m doing.”

The cop smiled, as if he’d won.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

Lara stepped closer to him, but before she could take another step, Dante moved. Quick as lightning, he threw a small device that exploded in a blinding flash.

“RUN!” he yelled.

Confusion was instantaneous. Lara hesitated for a second, but soon felt Dante's hand grab hers as he pulled her toward a side exit.

“You're crazy!” she screamed as they ran.

“Did you want me to leave you with him?” Dante replied, panting. “That wasn't going to happen.”

The Temporary End

They found an exit to an abandoned area, full of rusty containers and an unsettling silence. Lara leaned against a wall, trying to catch her breath.

“That was stupid, you know?” she said, looking at Dante.

He shrugged, a tired smile on his face.

“Maybe. But it worked.”

She shook her head in disbelief.

“We can't keep going like this, improvising at every step. It's not going to work out at some point.”

Dante walked closer, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Look at me.” He waited until she looked up. “I'm not going to let anyone take you. Ever.” Lara felt a mixture of anger and relief. She wanted to scream at him, but at the same time, she wanted to hug him.

“You’re insufferable, you know that?”

“I’ve heard that before,” he said with a smile, before pulling her into a tight hug.

For a brief moment, the chaos seemed far away.

A New Plan

When they finally separated, they both knew they didn’t have much time.

“What do we do now?” Lara asked, still trying to process everything.

Dante looked around, thinking quickly.

“We need a temporary hideout. Something off their radar.”

“And then?” she insisted.

He looked her in the eyes, his determination evident.

“Then we end Project Aurora once and for all.”

Lara nodded, even though she knew it would be an almost impossible mission. They were in the middle of a war, and everything seemed to be getting harder and harder. But somehow, she knew she could count on Dante.

And for now, that was enough.