/Earth, California, 2146 A.D.\
Samuel removed the Animus glasses, and the real world rushed back. He rolled of the cot and stood, moving toward the equipment table. He had just figured out the most recent location of an artifact called the Ring of Eden, which could lead its wearer to success of any sort. Now, he was out to retrieve it for the Assassins. This would be the third artifact he'd recovered well before the Templars. Sam reached the table and looked over his gathered equipment. There were boxes of EMP grenades, smoke grenades, and flash grenades. They were about the size of golf balls, and had buttons to activate them. Samuel pocketed two of each, then moved on. Finally, he put on the only other weapons he would need: two hidden blades. They were one of the most advanced weapons in the world today. They were simple tech-bracers, essentially forearm-mounted smartphones, with small, condensed batteries on them. These batteries were used to superheat air and generate a magnetic field, creating one of several types of plasma blade. The first was a classic blade that would cut and burn simultaneously. The second option was a hook blade, which could be used to climb certain objects, use different fighting techniques, or basically whatever its user needed a hook for. The third option was a split blade, which could be used to trap the enemy's weapon and disarm them. The last was a shatter blade, which was a quite violent option. Any impact made on the blade in this mode would cause the magnetic field to disappear, leaving superheated plasma to spray in all directions. It was just as dangerous to the user as to his opponent, and was mostly used as a last resort. These options could be changed simply by touching a button on the bracer's screen, or could sometimes be voice activated if the Assassin's hands weren't free. In addition to these batteries were several more condensed mechanisms. First was the pistol. It was a simple tube mounted on the tech-bracer that worked the same way as the blade, but would hurl the plasma at a very high speed. Next was the rope launcher. It was easily the largest mechanism on the bracer, though still smaller than it could be. It was a flattened cylinder about three inches in diameter. Inside was 100 feet of fine metal cord that could easily support the weight of up to three people, so long as it was anchored to a sturdy source. The last mechanism of note was the poison dart shooter. It was another tube, this one connected to a 1-inch long ammunition box. This held five small darts of poison that would cloud one's judgement and effectively craze them. Samuel finally flipped up the hood on his white jacket and pulled a red mask over his mouth and nose. The mask doubled as a rebreather for water or high altitudes.
Samuel finished all of this and turned to leave. His garage door opened on its own, and he mounted his silent motorcycle and rode into the city. California was just as it had been for a century, only more lights and more casinos and more technology. Samuel tore through back alleys and side streets, heading toward the airport at well over two hundred fifty miles an hour. When he reached said airport, he jumped from the motorcycle and walked inside. He needed no ticket, as he could just sneak onto the plane just before the gate closed. Samuel looked around. Blue industrial carpet, white walls, restaurants that could probably be trusted less than the Templars. Samuel finally found the gates, and looked for a flight to Baltimore, Maryland. Just as the gates were closing, Samuel slipped past the flight attendant and into an open seat. As the plane prepared to take off, Samuel thought about the time he had just spent in the Animus, in as much detail as if he'd been himself.
Randy climbed the side of the building, looking around. His hood nearly flew off in the wind, but somehow didn't. As he reached the roof, Randy realized that his assailant had been on top the whole time. The Templar was facing away from Randy, and so would be surprised. Randy slowly crept toward the Templar's back, careful not to give away his position. Just as he reached the hooded man, Randy felt something strange. He let his instincts take over, leaning back as a hidden blade flashed in front of his nose. As he came back up, his own hidden blade entered the Templar's heart. He laid the Templar down, and let him speak.
"I don't care what you do..." the Templar was going for the still-defiant route. "That fraud is going to be killed, and the Ring of Eden will belong to the Templars..."
"You are wrong," Randy said, "though you died for your cause. You've earned my respect."
"I... don't..." The Templar never finished. He slumped backward and began to slide down the slanted roof.
"You will get only what you deserve in the afterlife," Randy said. "For your sake, let it be pleasant. Rest in Peace."
The body slid over the edge of the roof, and it was time for Randy to leave. There were still two Templars out to kill Babe Ruth.
Samuel woke up. The plane was landing, and he had to get to the Babe Ruth museum. It wasn't far from the airport, and he would be able to make it by rooftops, easy. Samuel went through an unoccupied security booth, skirted the metal detectors, and ran for the exit. When he got outside, he asked someone about the museum.
"Oh, there? I was just at the museum! It was great-"
"Where is it, again?" Samuel interrupted.
"Oh, just down those few roads. Take your fourth left, third right, you know, to avoid the traffic, then left again and you're there! Come to think of it, though, it might be closed."
"Thanks," Sam said, and started running. The first building he reached was old, and had many handholds for him. He reached the rooftops, and saw half a dozen other shapes up there. The Templars had found the Ring. Samuel began free running, activating Eagle Vision along the way. Now, handholds and footholds stood out clearly, and he could see which of the shapes were Templars and Assassins through the late night darkness. There were two Assassins and four Templars, which meant that Samuel and his comrades were outnumbered four to three. As Samuel reached the crest of another roof, he saw two of the shapes meet. The Assassin tripped the Templar, who reached out and dragged the Assassin toward the edge. They scuffled for several moments before a noise rang out. It was a mixture of a quiet gunshot and a cartoony laser blast, and Samuel saw a faint flash of red light. The Assassin's form went limp and rolled from the rooftop. Samuel jumped to the next rooftop, then took a slight detour toward a Templar. When they met, the Templar tried to turn and tripped. Sam smiled at his luck, then fired his rope launcher into the Templar's chest. The Templar clutched at the sharp hooks, but couldn't free himself from the rope. Sam continued to run, jumped to the next rooftop, and disengaged his rope. It flew back into its container, leaving the Templar to fall several dozen feet to the ground below. As Sam proceeded across the rooftops, he noticed another Templar running a parallel course to his own. The Templar was slightly ahead, though, and Sam once again smiled at his luck. He watched as the Templar tried to turn about and prepare a plasma shot, but Sam simply reached forward and fired before his opponent could even turn all the way around. The Templar's speed was checked, and the body tumbled suddenly into an alley. Sam looked forward just in time to not run into a wall, and actually laughed out loud. The Chain of Eden was working its magic. It was a necklace, and it was supposed to bring unparalleled luck. Samuel was currently wearing it, and it did exactly what it was supposed to.
Sam climbed the wall, but didn't realize for a moment that this was the rooftop he was looking for. He looked around, and saw the final Assassin battling a Templar. As Sam watched, the Templar staggered back, and the Assassin leaped forward. Both fell, but only the Assassin got back up. Another Templar suddenly appeared next to Samuel, stabbing with his hidden blade.
"Left!" Sam barked, and his left-side tech-bracer responded instantly. The red plasma blades collided, and Sam shouted, "Right!" The right-side hidden blade appeared. Sam pivoted to the left, and buried his right-side blade in the Templar's chest. He then ran toward the edge of the roof, and pushed with all his might. The Templar slid from the hidden blade and tumbled over the edge of the building. Sam then turned around, and found the last Assassin standing there.
"Off," Sam said, and his blades disappeared. He went to the edge of the building, and dropped to a top-floor windowsill. He smashed the latch on the window and opened it, then entered. The inside was dark, but Sam found he could easily navigate using Eagle Vision. Even without it, the power emanating from the Ring of Eden was quite obvious. He crept through the museum, and found the Ring almost instantly. It was in a small display case, labeled, Here's the ring that Babe Ruth always wore during a game. Sam opened the case, took out the Ring, and jumped from the window. As he plummeted toward the ground, he reached toward his right-hand tech-bracer. He touched the rope icon, and it flew out. The rope caught on top of the building and pulled Sam back up, where he disengaged it and free-ran toward the airport. He was faintly aware of the other Assassin following him, and he appreciated the backup. They made it back through security, onto another plane, and into some open seats. The plane took off to the west, and Samuel struck up a conversation with the other Assassin.
"Name and Rank?" The Assassin looked up.
"Joe, Warrior. You?"
"Sam, Master. You after the Ring of Eden, or were you on a Novice mission?"
"Novice. I saw the Templars, though, and had to help get the Ring."
"So I suppose the Assassin in the streets was your Novice partner?"
"Yeah. I tried to tell him to stay behind, but I guess he didn't."
Sam nodded. He'd had his fair share of spite from Novice Assassins. "You did well today. I hereby give you a field-promotion to Veteran, for great competence under pressure, assistance in recovering an Artifact of Eden, and the death of a skilled Templar agent. Congratulations."
"Thank you, sir," Joe said. "I don't suppose we're on the way to your den? Mine's been destroyed just yesterday."
"Yeah, my den's got more than enough space for another Assassin, even with the other three already there."
"Thank you, sir," Joe said again.
"When we get there," Sam said, "we'll be going into a joint simulation with the other three to find the Gauntlet of Eden. It's supposed to let its wearer-"
Suddenly, the lights went out. The plane shuddered, then plummeted toward the ground 30,000 feet below.