File 004: The Final Countdown


Mission File 004: The Final Countdown

 

July 20th, 1990: The Victorians dock in London, needing new supplies and to find new crew. Rolfe, Lara and Ace decide to go their separate ways from the Victorians. Captain Ace Rogers gets on the first boat out to try and go back to America and get to the rendezvous point in Kentucky, to see if Andy or any of the others survived the plane crash and storm. Lara Croft decides to visit her local bank and repurchase many of the supplies she lost. They then go to hook up with a friend of hers in the area. Their search takes them to Scotland Yard where they find out that her friend was murdered just a couple days before. Another military friend of his is also at Scotland Yard, Jack Frost. He decides to go with Rolfe and Lara to try and discover what has happened to their friend. Little turns up at the crime scene, but they discover the involvement of an Asian sorceress from Aysle and possibly a German neo-nazi. The Asian woman, who they learn is named Susil, captures their other friend as they arrive at his house. Their information gathering leads them to Cairo. In search of two possible targets or suspects. Jack Frost is forced to stay behind, but contacts two friends of his already in Cairo who meet up with Lara and Rolfe to lend a hand. The four look up Paul Carter in the phone book, but only find a listing for Paul’s mother. In a visit with her, the heroes discover that Paul has taken a new job working on the new pyramid for Pharaoh Mobius. They also find out that Susil has also visited Paul’s mother the day before. They quickly head to Giza where the new pyramid is being built. They meet up with Paul Carter who tells them to come back after dark. The heroes leave and return after sun down. Paul meets them and fills in some of the blanks. They discover that what the villains are after is a launch key to a nuclear missile. Paul has hidden the launch key in the tombs below and must lead the heroes to it. When they get to the chamber containing many caskets. Two 4th planting gospog show up and attack the heroes. Through the battle, Rolfe and Paul Carter break away from the fight. Paul shows Rolfe which casket belongs to Dorothy Neville, the last of the possible victims. She had died several weeks before while working on the pyramid and Paul had buried the launch key with her for safety. Possessing the launch key, Rolfe, Paul and the others escape from a battle that they were desperately losing. With Lara and Morocco unconscious they get to the top chamber, sealing the two gospog below them in the tombs. As they regain their bearings they realize that the tomb doors that they had left open were now closed. As they look up at the opening in the incomplete temple they notice seven ravagons, the Asian sorceress, and Amun Ra (the temple’s foreman). They inform the heroes that they had already retrieved the launch key and duplicated it. The two villains leave and the Ravagons attack. Only the Pretender, Paul Carter and Rolfe are conscious, and the battle goes poorly. Suddenly the Ravagons leave for no apparent reason. Rolfe had been beaten down by the ravagons. Then the doors blow off the hinges and two dwarves named Huey and Dewey get the heroes out. The injured and unconscious are loaded in the back of the dwarves 2.5 ton truck. The dwarves take off on dirt bikes while the Pretender and Paul get in the truck and chase down the two villains. Pretender ends up on the back of the villains truck. As he makes his way towards the cab he is confronted by two more ravagons. He is knocked from the vehicle and tubles away. The villains escape. Paul gives them the location of the missile silo. And the heroes head back to London. Huey and Dewey stay behind, sticking to their assignment from Lady Ardinay. They meet back up with Jack Frost who tells them that Skaven Von Pratt was released on bail, but has since jumped bail and is missing. The heroes quickly drive out to the missile site in Tilling. Once there they find that the place has been transformed to look like an old farm house. The missile has actually turned into a tree. While there they find a very battered Major Flint, and an almost dead Susil. She explains that Skaven went insane after being told his rank would not increase. He has armed the nuclear missile to strike Germany instead. Suddenly, without warning, the area reverts back to Core Earth axioms and they discover that the missile has already been set to launch. They now must get to Skaven and stop the countdown. They do so, and render him unconscious. Then they shut down the launch sequence. Rolfe tries to transform back into his human form, but he is overcome with fury and begins attacking everyone else. They manage to lock him in the control room, hoping that his transformation will wear out. Suddenly the missile reactivates and locks into place. They find out that Amun Ra has activated it through remote and has locked out controls. As an extra distraction Amun Ra has sicked four ravagons on them to keep them busy while waiting for the Missile to detonate where it is at. While everyone else battles the ravagons, Pretender climbs the missile in an effort to disarm it, using his chameleon power to keep himself disguised. After working on it for quite a while, things do not go as expected. He takes the next best action by dropping from the top of the missile on top of the last remaining ravagon. He is hurt in the process, but he takes out the last opponent. Lara tries to climb the missile, but is having no luck. Jack suddenly comes to a realization. He rushes back up to the control room where he finds Skaven Von Pratt. He notices that he is indeed wearing the talisman that Susil had worn previously. Playing on a hunch he removes the talisman and places it on the floor. He blows it into pieces and the area reverts back to Asyle, twenty seconds before detonation. Fearing what might happen if the area reverts back to Core Earth again, the heroes decide to reduce the Ayslish farm house and the tree (that is actually a nuclear missile) into nothing but harmless ash. Then the heroes decide to head back to America to regroup with their other friends.

 

Personnel NameHome CosmStarting PossibilitiesEnding Possibilities
Jack FrostCore Earth1011
Lara CroftCore Earth1228
Morocco SmithCore Earth1013
PretenderNile Empire60
Rolf WolfeOrrosh1021