"Okay, Number 21. You can stand up now." That gruff voice that I had come to know so well spoke with deluded joy. I knew what he really wanted to tell me. . .He wante to ask me why I couldn't be as productive as most of the other subjects here, especially Subject 17. The man who had spoke to me smiled as I looked up at him. I didn't return the smile. but instead looked into my own reflection. 'Why is Subject 17 so special?' I asked myself. It's not like he was the president's son, or a CEO of some awesome high tech place like Abstergo.

I stood up and took a deep breath. It felt good to be out of the animus for once and actually stretch my legs. Usually, I had to go straight to sleep and eat something. Then, when I woke up, I'd have to go straight back into the animus. I blinked over at another subject who was laying down. He was still in the animus, although we were both placed into one at the same time.

"Uh. . .", I almost said something, but stopped. This was Abstergo. They knew what they were doing. "Hm? What was that?" The man looked up from his clipboard, but I just smiled back at him. "Nothing. . .Important at least. . ." He smiled back and continued to write on his pad of paper.

"Can I go to the bathroom, please?" I asked. The man nodded his head and I left the room. I passed another guy who was older than the rest. His name was Vinic, and he was pretty much the brains behind this whole operation.

I was about to wave to the man, but then I stopped. He looked pissed off and angry. From where I stood, I could see a vein popping out from his temple. His hands were curled at his sides, ready to punch something. It probaly had something to do with Subject 17, I had guessed. I walked past with my head to the side, afraid if Vinic were to see me, he'd go ballistic and kill me.

After going to the bathroom, I walked back to my cubicle, only to find nobody there. I bit my bottom lip. That meant I could walk around and see what Abstergo really looked like! I smiled and thought about all the cool things I was going to find. I couldn't remember the last time I was this excited.

My feet moved and my body followed like a lost puppy as I walked to the elevator. I pressed a button and I could hear the shiny metallic monster sliding down. As it opened, I saw nobody was in it. I giggled to myself. This was like ditching school!

"Hey!" I heard that gruff guy's voice behind me. I closed my eyebrows and cursed something or someone. Quickly, I turned around to see that same bald guy I always saw when I woke up running toward me. His eyes were wide, and he was stumbling a bit. "Y-you. . .see Vinic. . .N-now. . ." My heart turned to ice when I heard Vinic's name. The last time I had seen subject 28 was when Vinic called her in. She had told me good bye, and that was it. "Am I in trouble?" Oh! I wanted to punch this guy for making me sound like a stupid seven year old kid afraid of a punishment.

To my suprise, he shook his head and crinkled his eyebrows. "N-no! He wants to reward you about something we found out today." "About me?" I asked in shock. No way! Vinic wanted to see me because I had done something right!

Feeling a little too excited, I practically skipped down the rows of animus to the cubicle I had found Vinic in earlier. There he was. His face was more pleasent this time, and he seemed to be in a better mood. Maybe he was resolved what he was angry about last time.

"Knock, knock." I jokingly said. Vinic looked up and smiled. He kind of looked like my Grandpa when he did that, but, then again, most seniors looked the same. "Hello, Irisa. How are you?" I froze. He used my real name. . .What the hell? Usually, all the Abstergo employees used our codename's, or codenumber's. (What I like to call them.)

"I-I'm fine and you?" I quickly recovered myself and my manner's in mere seconds. Huh. . .Now that I thought about that, also, I had always had a fast recovery time. "I'm good, thank you. Come in, come in! And don't forget to close the door behind you!" He laughed at the joke he had just made and I quietly fake laughed also. Of course, there was no door because we were in a cubicle.

"So. . .What did you want to see me about again?" I smiled and he returned it. He placed his pale coffee cup on a desk and brought out a black file. He placed that, too, on the desk and opened it.

"Irisa Pausini. . .Are you Italian in any way?" Vinic looked up at me and I shook my head. "I'm sorry, s-sir. I have no c-clue. . .", Now I felt worthless again. "It's okay." Vinic put up his hands in a gesture of defense. "We digged a little and found out that you are." I furrowed my eyebrows together. Why would they want to know something like that? "Anywho. . .We also found something even more intersting out. . .See this girl? And this guy?" He brought up two what looked like to be paintings. I knew for sure they weren't pictures.

The girl had a red and black bonnet on, and she looked Italian. Some of her hair was falling out of the bonnet into small curls that stopped at her jaw line. She wore a dress that looked to be medieval or Rennaisance looking, and she was smiling a bright smile that made her even prettier.

The man, on the other hand, could barely be seen. He had a dark brown hooded shirt on with the hood up, covering most everything. I could barley make out his violet looking eyes. He was perched on top of a ledge, and I could see that the hooded shirt had a cape. The last thing I could see were his orange tights, and that was it.

"The girl is named Claudia Auditore de Firenze, while the man is named La Volpe." Vnic started to say. 'Okay?' I thought to myself. 'How is this information relevant to me?' Vinic frowned. "You really don't see it?" He asked with dissapointment. I really didn't want to seem stupid or anything but I shook my head anyway. I didn't understand what he wanted me to see. He sighed a deep, impatient sounding sigh. "Look", the man commanded while pointing toward a mirror in the corner of his room. I looked over there.

"Wha-", I started to say before catching my breath in my throat. Now, I saw it. . .When I was a child in elementary school, my blue eyes were always darker than most, making my eyes seem a dark blue. . .or violet color. I looked at my skin and hair. I was Italian heritage, as Vinic had said, and I was always darker than the other children. My hair was night colored, with only my bangs having any sort of curls in it.

My bottom lip trembled as I tried to remember how to breathe. I looked like the two paintings combined. . .Like their child or something.

"Then you do see it!" Vinic laughed and clapped his hands together. "Now you can help us figure out who Ezio Auditore is so we can capture Desmond back!" I started to temble and grow angry by then. "So. . .You're using me?" I looked back up at Vinic and he just smiled back without an answer. . .

This whole scenario was about two days ago. I had escaped later that night, but I can't really remember what happened. All I know is that I have to fins Desmond Miles. . .Urgh. Subject 17. I need to figure out who the hell this guy is, and how I'm related to him in anyway.