Element 115
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Background
Element 115 was one of at least five that were sculpted by a Polynesian tribe millenia ago in Antarctica from a meteorite that landed there millions of years before. Named the 'Meteorite Artefacts', they formed the basis of a culture centring on the Lost City of Tinnos. In the 19th century it was taken from an ice cave by a sailor on Charles Darwin's expedition around the world.
What happened to the man who took the artefact is not clear, although it almost certain that he died before it was taken from him. As the Beagle sailed up the coast of South America, it is possible that he died there - either at the hands of brigands and thieves, or perhaps as a result of an extra-terrestrial encounter.
The artefact was later found by the US Government in a UFO crash similar to the conspiracy at Roswell, New Mexico. The craft was left intact and its pilots had gone into stasis inside the ship. It was taken to Area 51 as part of ongoing experiments there. The stasis chambers were copied to keep several aliens fresh for autopsy purposes, while others were allowed to remain inside the craft.
The discovery by the American government must have been made only recently, as the autopsy process on the aliens has only just commenced. However, the artefact, which the alien pilots seemed to have been using as a power source and control array, had been declared a new element.
Recent History
Lara Croft infiltrated Area 51 at the behest of Dr. Willard, who employed her to recover all four of the artefacts that appear in Tomb Raider III. She discovered the secret Area 51 base and learned not only of the UFO crash but various weapons and electronics technologies being tested and experimented with at the base.
Lara took Element 115 and later delivered it to Dr Willard in Antarctica along with three other meteorite artefacts. However, during the course of events they came into her possession again and she now keeps them safe.
Powers
The only one of the Meteorite Artefacts not used as a weapon, it can be assumed that Element 115 provides a great deal of power and can also be used to manipulate machinery, electronics and genetics.
Notes
Element 115 was probably so named by game designers because of the claims of Bob Lazar, a self-proclaimed physicist and conspiracy theorist that such a substance (also named Element 115) could be used as a fuel for space travel - apparently based on evidence from the S-4 base near Groom Lake, Nevada, in the 1980s. On some platforms, the Ora Dagger and Element 115 swap names.
