What if a certain Assassin survived 2012?
22 December 2012
The day was like any other. People around the world went about getting ready for their holidays as the rumours settled about the sun flare that hit the day before. Jokes still spread like wildfire but it left scientists baffled. They just could not understand how the planet could have survived that predicted anomaly. Even so, people were happy but unbeknownst to them all, the figure that saved them came stumbling out of a temple…
"Argh!" Pained screams echoed through the ER. Nurses worked hastily over their patient.
"What happened here?" The ER doctor rested her stethoscope around her neck as she pushed through the crowd.
"He was found next to the road flagging down help. A trucker picked him up and brought him straight here. We gave him morphine for his right arm but it doesn't seem to take effect," the nurse rambled all the info she knew.
"His arm?" The doctor questioned. The nurse on the right side of the bed lifted the gauss. "What THE HELL! That is fourth degree burns! Get him prepped and OR 2 ready stat!"
"Right away doctor," a tall male nurse turned on his heel and sped down the hallway.
The female doctor looked to the other approaching doctors, "Hopefully there is still time to save his arm." The doctors pushed the man's bed towards the operating room as the nurses stayed behind.
"Fourth degree burns? That man is lucky to be alive," a dark haired female nurse commented.
"Yeah, but what could have caused it?" A blonde male intern asked as he stared at the disappearing bed.
"Maybe it was the supposed sun flare that never happened yesterday!" The female nurse joked.
"Hey! That is no laughing matter! That can still happen," the intern stomped away.
The nurse turned around, only to find her colleagues shaking their heads at her. "What?" She shrugged innocently.
13 months later...
"I can't believe it's been over a year already. Our John Doe here seems to just get sexier each day but... He just doesn't wake up," a dark haired nurse sighed as she inspects her patient's vitals and what's left of his right hand. His conditions haven't changed at all since he came out of surgery the first time. Mr Doe slipped into a coma and since then, he has been in and out of surgery several times to fix his arm. But when they got in deeper, they found his arm to have fifth degree burns. The bones in his right hand were badly charred, almost fused with each other. There was nothing they could do besides removing dead tissue and hope for the best.
"Oh? You think he's sexy, Jane?" A blonde nurse smirked as she hung a new IV.
"Shut up, Shana," the nurse known as Jane giggled and blushed lightly. "We all know he has... talent," She lifted the sheets to emphasise her point.
Shana laughed, "Yeah, you would say that."
Tucking back the sheets neatly, Jane turned to the foot of the bed. Taking up the chart to report her check ups.
31 January 2014
Patient displays no signs of waking. Vitals stable. All outputs normal. New IV...
She continued to write as the door opened to the coma ward. Shana quickly made her way over as she greeted the man. The man looked about mid 50's and tired but had a warm smile. Short greying hair framed his face in a neatly trimmed beard. Shana led him to the same bed of their burnt patient.
"Jane. This man believes he's related to our patient here," Shana's smile encouraged Jane.
"Sir," she shook his hand politely. "Do you know this man? We haven't been able to identify him." Jane led him to stand next to the bed. This is the first time since her patient showed that he had any sort of visit. It made her hopeful.
The man nodded, "Yeah... His name is Desmond. Desmond... Jones," The man lied, as he looked towards the nurses. A sad sigh escaped his lips. The man knew the consequences if the patient's real name ever got out. He has come too far, has tread so carefully to get this burnt man.
"Desmond Jones," Jane repeated as she scribbled the patient's name on the chart.
"I'm sorry. C-can I have a moment alone with him?" The man asked.
"Certainly. But can I have your name, sir?" Jane asked as Shana checked the monitors one last time.
"William Miles," the man smiled again softly. Satisfied, the women nodded and left to check on their other patients. William pulled a chair closer and sat down hard. He breathed a tired sigh , "Oh Desmond... If only I could come sooner."
The two nurses worked silently for a few minutes three beds away, "Who do you think is he?"
Jane glanced at the pair and shrugged a shoulder, "Not sure. Uncle maybe?"
"Maybe," Shana watched the pair as she continued to work.
"Desmond..." William sat forward and spoke softer. "I went through hell and back to get here. And I know I'm being an idiot putting you at risk like this. If Abstergo finds out that you're still alive, then it's surely my fault," his hand ran over his exhausted features. He sat forward, "Son, if you can hear me, we are waiting for you. Your mother, especially. She won't be able to stand your passing a third time," a long silence floated in the air as he studied his son's face. "Please... Wake up," William rested a hand on his son's shoulder. Desmond's left hand twitched and the monitors started beeping loudly. The two nurses raced over to the two men.
"What happened?" Shana asked Mr Miles.
"I am not sure," William stood and stepped back. Jane just stood there, staring in awe.
"What's wrong?" Shana asked Jane while she tried to interpret the monitors.
"Nothing but," Jane's smile started to widen, "His hand is moving!" She exclaimed happily.
"What?!" William and Shana both shocked when they noticed his twitching hand. Shana glanced at the monitors once more, "Could he finally..." She trailed off as she studied the patient's face.
"I'll go get the doctor," Jane said and sped off to find the doctor responsible for Mr Doe, or Jones rather. A few minutes went by when the nurse returned, doctor in tow.
"What's the development?" The doctor took up the charts. Shana retold the happenings, "...then nothing."
Jane stared at his once again non-moving hand. Just that little movement gave her hope but was extinguished far too soon. Disappointment smeared all over Jane's face.
Shana knew she wanted to see those gorgeous brown eyes open on their own. She leaned in when Mr Miles cleared his throat, causing her to step back involuntarily.
"Doctor... May I have a word in private?" Mr Miles hesitated a few times.
"Of course," the doctor walked them aside as the nurses readjusted Mr Jones bedding.
"Nothing us true," William started when they were a few feet away from the nurses.
The doctor stopped dead in his tracks, "Everything is permitted." The doctor finished. The older man chuckled as the doctor turned with a quizzical grin. "How did you know?"
"Ones in our position, tends to see small details," William tapped the doctor's shoulder. A faint outline of a strangely bent 'A' like tattoo shone through his short-sleeved, light blue scrubs.
"So true. But I'm sure you didn't come here to chat," The doctor repositioned his sleeves.
"Actually I did. Doctor...?" William asked.
"Andrea," the doctor introduced himself, hand over the heart.
"Andrea Trovato. I knew you looked familiar," William nodded. "Rome 2010, right?"
"Si. It's not really a memory I would like to revisit again," Dr Andrea's eyes lowered as his Italian accent came through more recognizably.
"Many were lost and I am sorry th-"
"As am I," Andrea cut him off. His face stoic and his voice emotionless. "Now, you wanted to talk?"
"Yes. You know our people have been experimenting with Carbon Fiber?" William crossed his arms casually, not phased by the sudden change of attitude. Andrea nodded curiously as the conversation continued.
"Desmond? Can you hear me?" An elegant female voice surrounded him in the void. The void that seemed all to familiar...
"Y-yeah. I can," Desmond replied as he looked around. This place was familiar. It felt the similar to the time he revisited all his memories in the animus. Floating in emptiness, having a body without a body.
"Good," the woman's voice echoed around him. "We have little time to prepare you before we send you back."
"Send me back? Am I not dead?" Desmond questioned as he searched for the source of the voice.
"No, not dead. Thanks to Tinia, you have survived," the female's voice sounded like she was smiling proudly, yet sad.
"Tinia? Are you taking about Jupiter? Who are you?" Desmond used his eagle vision but still found no source to the voice. "Juno?" There was a long silence. Desmond grew restless as it continued, "Hallo?"
"Don't. You. Dare! Call me by her name," the female's voice replied coldly, almost growling with anger.
"Minerva?" Desmond tried to guess again.
"You really don't know, do you?" She appeared next to him. Fragments of her form seemed to be missing. Glitching out every so often.
"Know what?" Desmond's level of frustration rose. "Can you please just get to the point? I am sick and tired of this! If I'm the one that has to do your dirty work again, please... Enlighten me oh powerful ones," he snapped sarcastically at her.
"Very well," Minerva narrowed her eyes dangerously but circled him and sighed. "Juno, has escaped..."
"What?! How did she escape?" Desmond cried out in disbelief.
"Through you," Minerva's eyes glared daggers again. "I warned you this would happen. I warned you! About HER!" Her voice glitched out as the volume rose.
"What did you want me to do, huh? Just let billions of people die because you warned me of one being?" Desmond tried to retaliate.
"Your fate will be far more severe than having to dodge a mere sun flare. Unless y-"
"Unless WHAT? All I wanted was to save Earth!" Desmond interjected.
"So do we but you have NO idea what you have done by doing so," her eyes focused on his when she came to a stop on his left. "You must fix this. You have to end her for good this time and to do so, you have one destination," she sounded almost remorseful, yet her face contorted with anger.
"Oh yeah? And where would that be?" Desmond scoffed. He felt this was going to be a long struggle yet again.
"A place locally known as Chicago," Minerva sounded a bit more confident. "You will find her there for certain."
"Chicago? Why ther-"
"We will contact you again when the time comes. For now, you are ready. Time for you to wake," Minerva raised a hand to silence him. Her fragmented form disappeared into the void as the emptiness around Desmond seemed to disappear.
"Ready for what? Hey! You didn't tell me where in Chicago I should start!" Desmond gasped for air as beeping noises grew louder and more frequent.
"Search for the one the city calls, The Fox..." Minerva's voice faded.
"Minerva!"
"-mond. Son?" A familiar male voice broke through the groggy haze.
"He's regaining consciousness," another male voice boomed with an Italian accent.
"D-dad?" Desmond's voice hitched in his parched throat.
"Son?" William repeated as he leaned closer. Groggy eyes of his son focused on him. "It worked Andrea! It worked!"
"We shall see, Will. We still have ways to go," Andrea tapped a neat bionic right hand on his patient. The hand blended perfectly with the rest of the patient's arm.
"I know, but at least it's a start," William smiled as the age melted away on his face upon seeing his son's open eyes once more.
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