Prologue: Welcome To The Animus

As Jason began to open his eyes, he found himself trying to remember what had transpired last night. He was at a party with his friends over at the Bad Weather night club. They wanted him to celebrate his graduation from college and they knew that he used to hang out at the place. Of course, the only reason he did was because he liked talking to the bartender, Desmond Miles, about his book ideas. He wanted to be a writer ever since he was eleven years old, since his foster parents used to write magnificent novels of heroes of old. His real mother was dead, his father was out there somewhere, and his older brother was taken in by their uncle for some reason. Now none of his living relatives had been in contact with him for four months, and Desmond had gone off the grid around the same time. In fact, his friends didn't know he didn't drink anything while he was here; not even Desmond's famous Shirley Templar he offered when he officially turned twenty-one and didn't need to slip through the back with his hood up.

His mind went blank again when he saw what he was looking at.

It looked like a movie sequence set in the past. The world around him seemed to be flickering, as if he was watching a video game having difficulty loading its textures. The time setting was definitely in the past, and everyone was wearing things that have only been worn in plays and movies of the time period.

As for his body, he was wearing a blue coat from the time period with leather bracers, armored boots, metal guards on his shoulders, and what appeared to be a chainmail overlay within his coat. There was a golden sword on his belt that didn't seem to match the time period, and he was carrying a few guns strapped to his thighs and a strange back holster. There was a hood that covered his eyes and he could already see that in his hand was a necklace. On it was an oval with a line that cut horizontally through it. It appeared to be made out of iron or ebony, as it was a metallic black.

"Something's wrong." Jason heard a voice. "He's having issues connecting to his ancestor's memories." The voice was feminine, and it got Jason's thoughts working again. Who was that voice? What did she mean by 'ancestor's memories?'

"Give him some time, Elizabeth." Another voice spoke. This voice was familiar to Jason. Was it Uncle Drew? "The machine doesn't immediately give the user access to the memory."

"Mr. Hobbes, if Jason tries accessing the memory in this state, serious complications could arise to his mental health." A third voice spoke. It was that of a man he didn't know, but Jason could hear the British accent laced with the words. "I offered to help in your investigation because it would help stop Abstergo's edge in the market. I don't want anything messing this up."

"I know my nephew's limits, even though I've neglected him for fifteen years. He can do this."

"Sir," The feminine voice spoke again. "Jason's being pulled back from his memories."

As soon as Jason heard that, he felt something shift in the simulation, and suddenly he saw himself falling. He wasn't sure if he jumped or if he was pushed, but he did see someone in front of him falling with him. As if by instinct, his body (or perhaps his ancestor's body) shot an arm forward, unleashing some kind of blade from his bracer. His other hand held onto a sword, and even though he couldn't see it clearly, the other man that was falling with him had a sword pointed at him. His left hand sunk the blade into the man's shoulder, stabbing his sword into the man's chest.

"If this is the end, let us die together, Drake!" Jason spoke, but it was not his voice. His ancestor was definitely an Englishman and there was a tone of anger in his voice.

The man named Drake laughed. "This isn't how we're going to die, boy!" Drake pushed his hand out of his shoulder and pulled something on Jason's coat. He didn't have time to figure out what it was as he seemed to jump to another memory after that. This time he was on a ship that was taking cannonfire from another ship nearby.

"Carlisle," Another female voice spoke. Could Carlisle be his ancestor's name? "I don't think it's wise for us to even think about ramming that ship! We've almost sunk the Majesty here!"

"Then we'll take the Hangman's Noose from the Templars as they have with so many of our brothers over the years!" Jason/Carlisle yelled.

"It's fifty against twenty! How can we do that?!"

"Katherine," Jason saw his arm go to the woman's cheek. "I know we can do it. We're Assassins. We can do anything."

"But what about Jauffre? He's a thief and a brawler, not a trained killer! What if he gets hurt during this?"

"He won't! He knows how to survive!"

A man in a brown jacket ran up next to him. He had a metal shovel in his hands and he was sweating and panting.

"Carlisle, the crew says we've used the last of the cannonballs!"

"Tell them to prepare to board, Jauffre! We're taking the Hangman's Noose from that Templar bastard!"

The memory faded, and Jason could hear the arguement from the outside world again.

"Look, Mr. Hobbes, maybe we should pull Jason out and explain what is going on. Maybe it'll help him access the memory. Elizabeth keeps saying it's forcing him out. Maybe if he knows what's at stake-"

"There's not much at stake anymore, David." Uncle Drew replied. David? As in his best friend David Armsby? What was he doing here? "Desmond Miles stopped the most dangerous part of our assignment. Now we have to focus on finding the artifacts his ancestor hid from the world so if Juno tries to rise, we stop her from using the most dangerous artifacts the Forgotten Ones left behind."

"You should tell him anyway. He's your nephew and he's my friend. I don't want to keep him in the dark."

"Fine. Elizabeth, pull him out. Gently."

Jason saw a bright light and felt as if he was about to wake up from a dream, but not before he heard a few final words in the simulation he was in.

"Start at the beginning so that you know the end, Jason."

As soon as Jason could open his eyes, he saw a white ceiling above him and a glass visor moving away from his eyes. The people surrounding him looked at him, some with curiosity while others with compassion. As soon as Jason grasped his head, his uncle spoke.

"Jason, are you all right?" He placed his hand on his shoulder, but Jason shook it off.

"What the hell was that, uncle?! What is this?! What's going on?!"

"Calm down, Jason. Let me explain. You were brought here to help us with finding something."

"Help you find what? And how would I helped you trapped in this machine here."

"Animus." The Englishman spoke. "The machine is called an Animus. As for where you are, Jason Grey, we are in London right now."

Jason blinked. "London? That's across the Atlantic. How'd I get here?"

"That was your uncle's doing. He knocked you out back in America and flew you here. We plugged you into the Animus so you could help find an artifact of great power."

"And just who are you supposed to be, mister businessman?"

The Englishman bowed his head. "Matthew West of Pendragon Industries. I'm the C.E.O. of the company and I am funding this project to find the artifact your uncle is looking for."

"Pendragon? Doesn't your company design computers or something?"

"Computers, cell phones, cars; pretty much anything that we use on a daily basis. The Animus, however, was technology that we stole from Abstergo after Desmond Miles eliminated most of the staff trying to rescue his father."

"Desmond?" Jason stood up. "Desmond was just a bartender. I visited his club every night he worked just to talk to the guy."

"Desmond was captured by Abstergo and placed into the Animus to find the locations of the Pieces of Eden. He escaped and aided the Assassins in stopping a far greater threat from ending the world, but at the cost of his own life. Now the Assassins are struggling with the war against the Templars."

"Templars? Pieces of Eden? Assassins?! What did I get dragged into here?"

Drew cleared his throat. "Jason, behind the scenes of history, there have been two separate factions fighting for control; the Templars and the Assassins. The Templars seek to place the world under their control, using artifacts hidden from history to indoctrinate us to do their bidding. The Assassins fight the Templars to ensure that every human being possesses their free will. You are an Assassin, as am I."

"Uncle, I don't think you noticed, but I am not an Assassin. I have been living with my adoptive parents for fifteen years without even a visit from you and Rodney. I've been taught how to write books, not kill people. And I don't appreciate being kidnapped and strapped to a machine that I don't even know about. So if finding this damn artifact of yours by plugging into this damn machine is important to you or the Assassins, why don't you or Rodney strap yourself into this damn thing!"

"I can't do that, Jason. The ancestor the Animus is looking for belongs to your father's gene pool. You mother was my sister. And Rodney-" Drew stopped.

Jason looked up at his uncle, still holding a look of annoyance on his face. "What? What excuse does Rodney have for not strapping himself to this damn thing?!" Jason saw as his uncle looked around at Matthew, then David, and then back at him.

"Rodney's dead."

Jason stopped, dropping his annoyed look. "What?"

"He was murdered by a Templar sleeper agent named David Cross about a month ago, before Desmond killed him at Abstergo. We never suspected anything until it was too late. And with your father still missing, we can only access the memories through you. This will also help train you, as well."

"To become an Assassin? How?"

The woman that spoke during his moment inside the Animus showed her face. "The Animus causes something to the user called the Bleeding Effect. It makes it so that you inherit traits from your ancestors that you can use in real life. Skills such as fighting or what the Assassins call Eagle vision."

Drew turned around. "Ah, Miss Tanner. Glad you could rejoin us. Jason, this is Elizabeth Tanner. She will be helping out with the tech stuff involved with the Animus."

Jason turned to see Elizabeth for the first time. She had curly red-brown hair, green eyes, and freckles on her cheeks. The first word that immediately came to Jason's mind was 'beautiful', but he couldn't find a way to speak the word. He was mesmerized.

Immediately he felt his friend jab him in the arm.

"I somehow knew you'd like Lizzy." David joked. "Hell, I signed up because of her. She asked me to help get you here, so now here we are."

That brought Jason back to reality. "Speaking of you, why are you here, David?"

"The Assassins need all the help they can get and you needed someone you could trust here. Obviously Lizzy and Mr. West are new to you, and your uncle has never really talked to you until now, so I was asked to help get you here. And I'm telling you, you've gotta use this machine! It can send you back in time to see life through the eyes of your ancestors. I actually tested it out for them, too. Learned a few new ways to throw a punch because of that tough bastard I ended up as."

"Is that so? I used to remember you got into fights over jocks calling women horrible names."

"Yeah, but this guy did a lot more than that, too. Maybe during breaks we can talk about him. You know, assuming you'll still help out your uncle with the Animus."

Jason looked back at his uncle. "You know, uncle, if you had wanted me to help you, you could've done something along the lines of a letter or a phone call."

Drew cleared his throat. "Abstergo has been monitoring cell phone surveillance for a while. We couldn't give you a call."

"Well you could've just easily walked up to me and said 'Hey, I know we haven't talked for fifteen years, but I just wanted to say your brother's dead and we need help saving the world from ancient evils that only exist in the books you write!' That wouldn't have been hard."

"And how would I know I could convince you to come along willingly, huh?"

"I don't know. I would've listened eventually."

"'Eventually' is not a luxury we can afford right now. The Assassins are losing and we need every advantage we can get. The artifact we are looking for, however, would give both Juno and the Templars advantages over world domination if we do not locate it. Now I know the situation could've been handled better, but right now, we need to look into the mind of Carlisle Grayson, one of England's greatest Assassins. The division in London held copies of Carlisle's journals that told of an artifact he recovered from the Templar mastermind in 1719. Unfortunately, we can't access that date immediately. So, we're going to have to work our way to that memory, giving you time to harness Carlisle's skills for yourself. Once we find the artifact's location, we will immediately head for it and transfer the artifact to a newer facility where the Templars will not be able to reach it."

Jason sighed. "That easy, huh? All right. Since I don't seem to have a choice in the matter, I'm in. Next time, though, just try talking to me for a change, Uncle."

Drew smiled, rubbing his beard. "Next time, then."

Jason got himself comfortable on the Animus again, watching as Elizabeth pressed a few buttons. The glass view screen moved across his eyes and he could feel the machine being reactivated. As his vision faded to white, he was wondering just what Carlisle Grayson was like. Was he just like himself, or was Carlisle a different man?

London; June 8th, 1715

Carlisle Grayson was a kind-hearted young man at the age of twenty-two. He was a courier for King George I and a participant of the Catholic Church. His mother was a middle-aged woman who was currently suffering from an illness that his brother, Gregory, could afford medicine for with his mysterious job. Wearing a white shirt, blue vest, blue pants, and black boots Carlisle walked into his king's chambers to receive his next message. He messed with his blonde hair for a second longer before stepping into the throne room.

King George wore the finest clothes made from England, and his long gray wig made him look very agreeable as king. George had taken a liking to Carlisle as he was devoted to the king and to his country, and he always delivered his messages to his contacts on time.

"Ah, Carlisle." George spoke. "I am glad to see you again. I have two messages and a package that needs to be delivered. I trust you will be able to deliver?"

"I am always at your service, my leige." Carlisle, bowed, smiling to his king. "What needs to be delivered?"

George summoned one of his servants with the wave of a hand, and Carlisle watched as a young boy with a backpack walked up to him, leaving the bag at his feet. "There is a letter for the guard captain that needs to be brought to him immediately. I also have a letter and package that need to be given to the captain of the vessel currently docked at port."

"I can do that." Carlisle picked up the backpack and slung it over his shoulders.

"The bag is a generous gift to you for your services. You have served me well these past few years, and I have not always showed my appreciation to you."

Carlisle blinked, surprised at this. "Why, thank you, my leige! I admit, I do not believe I have done anything to earn this favor."

"You have done more than enough to aid me. I trust you shall continue to do so for another twenty years."

Carlisle bowed. "God save the King!" When he had finished with his good-bye, he turned around and headed out of the palace, beginning his jog to the guard captain.

"Looks like Jason's figuring out how to run as Carlisle." Elizabeth commented on the outside world.

"You know, it's really only like real life, Liz." David retorted. "I mastered it easy as my ancestor."

"Hey, guys," Jason interrupted. "I know you're having a blast out there, but I'm trying to work here, so could you please stop talking about the controls and only tell me what to do when I'm stuck?"

"Sorry." David apologized.

Carlisle did not hear the conversation between those in the present time, so he had been jogging along patiently to the guard captain's office. The man wasn't there, but Carlisle pulled out the letter signed for him and placed it on his desk. When he returned, he could easily find and open it. It was about twenty minutes afterwards that Carlisle made it to the shipping yards and found the freighter loading up cargo. A man in a navy coat was looking at a roster when he turned at Carlisle's voice.

"Are you the captain of this vessel?"

"Yes, I am. What business do you have here?"

"I was told to deliver this package and letter from the king to you."

The captain took the items and looked at them. "Ah, these are items he's mailing out to the colonies across the Atlantic. We'll make sure they're delivered safely. There's talk of more pirates gathering along the coastlines of the Americas."

"How can the Americas be so full of opportunity if they have so many pirates?"

"Ever fought a pirate before, son?"

"No."

"Good, try keeping it that way. Our vessel's been attacked twice, but we know what to do. And unless you know how to fight, you wouldn't survive a pirate attack."

"I can fight. My brother taught me hand-to-hand and how to disarm an opponent. The king's also taught me a bit of sword play."

"What about guns?"

"What about them?"

"Do you know how to handle a gun?"

"Never had the luxury of learning."

"Then you should learn. The pirates use those a lot in their fights. They literally arm themselves with guns all over their body. Don't expect to come out of a skirmish against them alive if you can't use their own tactics against them." The captain walked up the ramp onto the ship, ending the conversation. Carlisle looked into the bag to see his weekly payment in a coin purse. With that note, he pulled it out and tied it to his belt, knowing exactly what to do with it.

"Time to get some food for the table." Carlisle moved at a brisk pace, walking away from the docks and to the market square. With the gold he earned, he made a purchase of salted meat, carrots, bread, potatoes and onions for a stew they could eat for dinner. It was as he was finished buying the goods that he felt a hand clamp on his shoulder and a familiar laugh echo in his ears.

"I knew I'd find you here, brother." Gregory laughed.

"Gregory, how was work today?" Carlisle turned, looking at his brown-haired brother. His brother wore a white coat with red embroilment from the place he worked. He was a bit secretive about what he did, but the gold he earned payed for their mother's medicine, which was good enough for Carlisle.

"It was dull compared to the things you do. I have mother's medicine, however. We should head on home, perhaps. But first, I want to test out on your skills. How about a little race to the church."

"You're on, big brother." Carlisle smiled.

"Okay. Three... Two..." With that, Gregory took off, making Carlisle frown at his brother's dirty trick. He immediately commanded his legs to move.

"That was cheating!" Carlisle yelled.

"It was fun and you know it." Gregory retorted, smiling that his brother caught up with him. "Best to keep up, Carlisle!"

The brothers ran through the streets, dodging the crowds before they got ran over by pedestrians. Once the church was in sight, Carlisle ran as fast as his legs could carry him, slowing down as he reached the wall. He was panting and out of breath when Gregory jumped onto the wall, climbing all the way to the top.

"Come on, Carlisle!" Gregory mocked from above, making his brother look up. "I'm not going home until you join me!"

Carlisle backed away. "You know I don't do heights, brother."

"Don't be such a baby. God will carry you up, Carlisle."

"That's a strange way to put the phrase 'fall to your death'."

"Just climb for mother's sake, then."

Carlisle grumbled as he reached for the ledge. "That's not a fair shot using mother against me." Slowly, he climbed up the window from the points that could be grabbed, reaching the top in no time. His one hand slipped, however, and his brother caught him before he fell.

"Come on, brother. I gotcha." Gregory laughed as he pulled Carlisle up.

"Don't ever make me do that again." Carlisle glared angrily at his brother.

"Don't worry, brother. I swear on mother's life I won't make you do that again."

"Good." Carlisle relaxed and looked around. "Although, I guess the view is a great reward for climbing this high."

"That's the spirit, brother. May London always hold promise for us." Gregory sighed as he relaxed his hand on Carlisle's shoulder.

"And may the city give us years of peace." Carlisle nodded, seeing the sun beginning to set.

Suddenly, his brother pushed him off the roof.

Carlisle yelled as he fell off the church into a cart of hay. When his senses came back to him, Carlisle climbed out and brushed himself of the hay that had gotten onto his clothes. Gregory followed after, climbing out without a single straw on him.

"You bastard." Carlisle growled.

Gregory laughed. "Come on, brother. I knew where the cart was. You didn't break your head or anything now, did you?"

Carlisle crossed his arms.

"Okay, let's head home. We don't want to keep mother waiting."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, there you have it. The first part of my Assassins Creed original fanfic. I plan on having fourteen segments, six interludes, and two epilogues in this (one for Carlisle and one for Jason). As always, I'm taking a canon/non-canon approach to things, but the canon for this story is only mentionings from the other games. Everything else is my own original idea which may not be actual material that could be used for a canon Assassins Creed game at the time.

This story is going to be updated bi-monthly to monthly depending on school and other projects of mine that I will be working on. London is the primary location, but I also plan to have Carlisle visit Barcelona and Scotland for some of the sequences. Carlisle will utilize many of both Ezio's and Edward's devices that they used against the Templars, all of which I will discuss on my YouTube channel (without major spoilers to the plotline). Carlisle/Jason will also be collecting journal entries that act as the collectibles of an Assassins Creed game, and Jason will make a bunch of references to things like game mechanics, storylines, and just flat-out references.

That's pretty much it for now. Follow and/or favorite for future updates, and review to keep me interested in the story.