Disclaimer: I don't own anything – Everything Assassin's Creed belongs to Ubisoft. I barely own R-L.

Enter Havana...

I put the visor over my eyes and flick on the switch, activating the HUD. I'm taking to the Loading Screen where I see Edward, dressed in Duncan Walpole's clothes, standing or floating amongst an artificial sea of light and data, rotating slowly around. In my ear, I hear a synchronized female voice.

"Welcome to Animus Omega, Abstergo Entertainment's proprietary Ancestral Memory Research tool," the computer voice said, "If you have any questions, comments or concerns about how to operate your Animus console, please contact your Project Supervisor, Melanie Lemay. You have been registered as part of the SAMPLE 17 project. Your primary research target is Edward James Kenway. Born March 10, 1693. Swansea, Wales. Calibrations complete. All signs normal, all systems optimal. Extra-neural Transmitters activated."

And then I was standing next to him, unseen by him and everyone else, yet right there, connected to him. I could feel him as surely as he was me; as if we were one and the same. It was so unlike my previous experiences with Bartolomeo d'Alviano, Franceso Vecellio, Mario Auditore, Perotto Calderon, Fiora Cavazza and Giovanni Borgia in Project Legacy. I wasn't connected to them like I was Edward. If anything I was like someone peering through a window into someone else's life.

Awed to watch, but detached in personal feeling.

With Edward, I could almost feel his emotions and understand his thoughts to a point. We were still two separate people, but we were linked now; almost seamlessly.

And yet, he was still a big mystery to me.

Edward is a pirate, yet I sense something about him that stands out; like there is more to him than just a being a pirate.

Odd.

I didn't get this impression from him while I was in the Testing Animus Model, supervised by Melanie.

In that Animus, I witnessed his coolheaded and fearlessness demeanor amidst a naval battle. I saw his memory of his wife, and learned how he wanted to gain fortune for himself…for her as well I think.

And I suspect a broken promise to her.

Yet he felt so cold, detached, like he was trying to keep that memory out of his front most thoughts.

Then I witnessed him kill Duncan Walpole. Granted, Walpole threatened him first, but I had no idea how truly merciless pirates could be. At least, Edward wasn't sadist; he killed Duncan cleanly and didn't gloat or howl in victory.

No, Edward was calm, cool, almost like, to him, this was a common occurrence. Yeesh.

But it still didn't come to surprise to me that the reason he killed Duncan was for his reward money, not because Duncan threatened him with death.

Which is why we were in Havana: to collect Duncan's reward in his place since the note on Duncan's, now deceased, person said, that the ones giving Duncan the money would only recognize him by his outfit, not his face.

So an easy job.

Why do I get this sinking feeling that it is never that easy?

Havana Cuba, July, 1715

As I waited for Edward to finish helping Bonnet unload some of his cargo from the schooner, I did a quick check through the Animus Database. According to the data, this place is Havana, the major port and capital of the island country of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea. I heard of this place before, in pirate movies and games. I never thought I actually would see it for what it truly is.

And right now, for Edward, it's enemy territory. The Spanish have a strong presence here and they hate pirates more than they hate their former enemies: the British. I found myself looking around for wanted posters.

A flash-rogue like Edward had to be cautious too.

"It's mad to think Spain and England were at war two years ago, isn't it?" Bonnet stated to Edward, who had just handed a crate over to one of Bonnet's crewman. For a moment, I was wondering why Bonnet was ignoring me as I was standing right next to him. Then I remembered…

"I'm no better than a ghost," I said out loud even though no one here could hear me, "They can't hear me, they can't see me."

Bonnet continued on without interruption, "Here I am battering with Spaniards like they were my cousins."

I saw a look cross over Edward's face. He didn't share Bonnet's more optimistic view. And why wouldn't he?

According to the data, a little over two years ago, Edward came to the West Indies to pursued his dreams of being a privateer. He intended to sail under a renowned privateer known as Benjamin Hornigold. But then the Treaty of Utrecht was made not six months later. The treat had effectively ended all conflict between the major empires. While the treaty created peace in the West Indies, it left privateers like Edward without work as privateers were no longer needed or tolerated.

No wonder he became a pirate.

"Something wrong, Duncan?" Apparently Bonnet noticed Edward's grim look as well, but unlike me, Bonnet had no way to know why.

As quickly as it appeared, the look was gone when Edward realized he was betraying his true feelings. "No. It's nothing. Sand in my hampers," Edward assured Bonnet smoothly.

"Sand in your hampers?" I said out load again even though I knew I was going to be ignored, "Yeah, right."

"So where's the best squat in town?" Edward asked the merchant, "I'm dying for a quick kip. Or a siesta, should I say?"

"You want to take a nap?!" I exclaimed to Edward's deaf ears. "Now?! I thought you were her e for your reward money!"

Bonnet hefted a slightly heavy crate into his arms. "Um…I' just headed to a…public house now to meet some merchants. I could…" He paused to get a better grip on his crate. "I could show you the way."

"Well, lead on," Edward said, waving his arm toward the end of dock.

As we started to walk down the pier, Edward put his hood up.

"Well," I said to his back, "Seems like you do have some brains."

What is it about this guy that's making me act like this?

Please review. I could use the feedback to help me improve.