Chapter Two
I, in no way endorse any type of faith or religion. I acknowledge and respect all faiths and beliefs and do not intend to insult or pay any disrespects to any individual person.
All I own are my characters and everything else is property of Ubisoft.
"Non interrompa, amore."
Manilo winced as his beautiful wife Isadora continued to constrict his hand. His soothing words had no effect on the woman as she let out a loud moan and groan as the pain of childbirth washed over her.
"Oh Signora! The baby is almost here!" The midwife gave Isadora's knee a quick pat. "One more good push."
Then there was the screeching noise of a baby crying.
"It is a girl," said the midwife smiling as she handed the baby girl to her parents.
"She is beautiful," whispered Isadora, gently nuzzling her daughter's face. "La nostra bella bambina."
Manilo kissed his wife then placed a kiss on his daughter's forehead. The baby quieted down immediately and stared up at her parents with wide brown eyes.
"Oh she has your eyes Manilo." Isadora passed the baby to her husband and relaxed onto the bed. The birth had left her tired and she needed to rest. "What shall we call her my love?" she asked, closing her eyes resting for a moment.
Manilo looked at his baby. She had beautiful brown eyes, a small tuft of beautiful, soft, brown hair. She had the same type of beauty Isadora possessed. He chuckled a bit when she smiled a wide toothless grin.
"Even your smile is beautiful, piccolina." Manilo looked to his wife. "A beautiful girl deserves a beautiful name, no?" He smiled and turned back to his daughter speaking in a sing song voice "Bella, bella bellisima! You will make all the boys cry!" He gave a hearty laugh when the baby, began to giggle. "Ah see, she likes it!"
Isadora only rolled her eyes at her energetic husband. She motioned for him to hand Bella back to her. "Where is Domani?" she asked as she nursed Bella.
"I took him to the Auditores." Manilo made his way towards the door but stopped when he reached for the handle.
"Go on," Isadora motioned with one hand, "I know you're dying to tell someone."
His eyes lit up as he threw the door open and proceeded to run through the house screaming, "I have the most beautiful daughter in all of Firenze! My baby girl!"
Manilo would probably run through the streets telling every person he came across, and would not be back for many hours. When the sound of the door slamming reached her ears she spoke to Bella. "Your papa is crazy."
Bella had fallen asleep.
"Mama!"
The five year old burst into the room and jumped onto the bed to embrace his mother. "Is she here?" he asked him, brown eyes lighting up.
Isadora laughed and carefully got up from the bed and moved to a chair next to a very ornately carved wooden cradle where Bella slept peacefully. "Come, Domani, this is Bella. Your sorellina." Isadora carefully lifted Bella out of the cradle without disturbing her slumber.
"Sorellina io sono vostra grande fratello. Grow up fast so we can play." Domani bent down to give his sister a kiss. "Mwah. Sleep good, Bella"
With her free hand Isadora ran her hand lovingly through her son's hair. "Is your papa back?" he nodded.
"Yes, Mama. Signore Giovanni came to see Bella."
"Could you please go get them,Domani?"
The boy nodded again and scurried out the door. "Congratulations, Signora Martello!" chimed Giovanni Auditore, a very good friend to the Martello family for many years.
"Grazie Giovanni," Isadora set Bella back into her cradle
"Congratulations again, my friend," he said as he gripped Manilo's hand. Manilo let out a happy yelp before pulling Giovanni into a hug.
"Is he always like this?" Giovanni asked Isadora who only rolled her eyes.
"Unfortunately yes."
Manilo released his grip and let out a deep breath. "Forgive me, Giovanni; you came to speak with us?"
The Auditore nodded. "Yes, my friends. I realise it's early—but I have been thinking of arranging a marriage between Ezio and Bella, since they are only a month apart."
Isadora bit her lip and looked to her husband. Manilo thought carefully. "You have been good to my family ever since my bastardo brother tried to destroy my family's business. You are my son's godfather, and you have given him an education. Your good name is always mentioned among the Medici." He walked over to Bella's cradle and looked down at her. "Truly, we are honored at such an arrangement, but…" he trailed off, caught up looking at Bella's sleeping form. "But we want Bella to have her own destiny. So we will politely decline."
He nodded in understanding. "I understand and respect your wishes. I wish upon Bella the best destiny she could ever dream to hold." This caused both parents to smile. "Now if you will excuse me… Manilo we will speak soon!" Giovanni hugged Manilo, and kissed Isadora's cheeks before turning for the door.
"Giovanni," before the Auditore could leave the room Isadora called to him, "though there may be no legal document binding them, a little positive encouragement and persuasion might bring the two together."
Giovanni let out a laugh. "I hear wedding bells already!" He made his goodbyes again then left for his own home and family. Isadora watched as her husband softly traced their daughter's cheek.
"You will find your love little one, and it will be greater than any gift we could ever give you."
My name is Bella Martello—I was born June 17, 1459. I live here in Firenze with my mama and papa and my brother Domani. I am four years old. Today the sun is out, so Mama's letting me play outside today. She even let me take my doll, Cosima, out to play.
Mamma told me to take good care of her because she used to play with Cosima when she was a little. So that makes Cosima extra special. And she is; she is my very best friend. We play all sorts of games, and we keep each other's secrets. Right now we are playing a game together. Cosima is my daughter and I am her mother. She wants to dance with some no-good boy, and I am trying to convince her to go with a more suitable boy.
"Bella, why are you out in the garden all alone?"
I was forced out of my game with Cosima by Domani.
"Well, if you must know, brother," I stood up from my sitting position, Cosima in my arms, "It's none of your business."
Domani made a funny face. "Big words from a little girl." He ruffled my hair and messed up the pretty braid Mama had put it in.
"Domani!" I tried to push his hand away and when I did I tried to brush my hair tidy again.
"Stop whining like a baby." He was smiling like something was funny.
"I'm not a baby!" Why does my brother try and make me angry all the time?
"If you are not a baby, then why do you still play with dolls?" With that he snatched Cosima right out of my hands and held her high so I could not reach her, not even on the tips of my toes.
"Domani, please give me Cosima back!" I asked him nice and politely, like a lady should.
"I thought you said you weren't a baby?" Are brothers supposed to act like this?
"Perché sta così?" Domani only laughed.
"Give me back Cosima!" I growled angrily, like a stray cat, and attacked Domani's hand…with my teeth.
My brother screamed, "Ow!" and dropped Cosima to the ground holding his hand. I ignored my brother and scooped Cosima into my arms like she was a baby.
"Lei idiota, guardate cosa avete fatto!" Domani yelled at me, and I got angry again.
"Lo non sono un idiota! You made me do it!"
He looked mad when he grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the garden. "Domani stop, no-"
He stopped me. "No, I am showing Papa what you did to my hand." he held up his bitten hand to show me. A bunch of my teeth marks where deep in his hand, like holes in his hand. It did make me feel bad. A little bit, anyway.
Domani dragged me into Papa's workshop. I forgot what they call it but he draws pictures of houses then he builds them. Papa's workshop was in the front of our house so people could come inside to talk to him. I always liked it in there. There was always something interesting in here and I liked the smell of wood and paper that stuck to Papa. When Papa hugs me I make sure to breathe more so I can smell the wood and paper. Today I did not like being in Papa's workshop, because today I was in trouble.
"Papa, Bella has been bad!" Domani yelled and I tried one last time to break free from him.
My big brother held my hand tighter as gave me a scary look. I couldn't see Papa in the room—maybe he had gone out for the day. I wasn't so lucky. I saw his head pop up from behind a large pile of wood.
"What is this I hear? Bella being bad?" Papa walked around the wood and stood next to us. "Didn't I tell you to study today Domani?" Papa said looking at my brother instead of me.
"I was, Papa, but look what Bella did to me!" He released my hand and showed Papa the bite marks I had made. Papa made a scary face and frowned when he looked at Domani's hand. He got on his knees to look at me.
"Topolina." Now I felt worse. Now I was making Papa upset. "Why did you bite your brother?"
I looked down at my feet. "He wouldn't give Cosima back to me, Papa, not even when I said please."
He sighed then rubbed his forehead. "Turn around, both of you." We both did as we were told and we both got a good whack on the backside. "Domani, do as you're told and next time don't bother your sister." He ruffled his hair and pointed to the door. "Now, Bella, violence is never the answer to a problem. Especially for a young lady." He picked me up and hugged me.
"I'm sorry, Papa."
He hugged me tighter. "Oh, I know, piccolina. Now, go on and play." He gave me a kiss and put me down.
WARNING: DATA OVERLOAD. SEQUENCING ERROR
"Take care of your brothers and your papa, Bella."
I could feel the tears in my eyes as I clutched my mama's hand.
"Bambina, crescere forte." I wanted to beg her to stay with me, to stay with Domani and Papa and little Marco. But we all knew she was in pain. Then my mother died.
SEQUENCE ERROR
"Do you wish to have children in the future, Bella?" Maria Auditore asked me as I looked up from my empty book; Papa told me to practice my writing. Mama sat next to Signora Auditore, rubbing her growing belly. My little brother or sister was growing stronger.
"Hmmm. Yes, I would like to have children."
Signora Auditore's eyes lit up. "How many children, my dear?"
I closed my book and looked to my mama, I reached over to place a hand on her stomach and smiled. "I want only one child, and it is going to be a boy."
Both laughed. "And you know this how Bella?"
I thought for a moment then shrugged my shoulders. "I just know…"
Signora Auditore smirked. "Now all we need to do is find you a husband!"
The two older women broke out into laughter again. I gave a huff and returned to my book.
SEQUENCING ERROR: LINGUISTIC MALFUNCTION
Today is a sad day, il giorno abbiamo posto la mia madre nel terreno. It is October 3. The year is 1473. Papa is crying.
"In nomine patris, et fili, et spiritus sancti. Amen."
FAILSAFE ERROR, SEQUENCING ERROR, LINGUISTICS ERROR
WARNING. EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN IN PROGRESS. PROCESSING…
Jason Morgan sat in a chair behind a desk, his eyes flicking through the Animus's network files. He was trying to find the problem. Every so often he glanced over to Olivia. The office (if you could call it that) was small and cramped, only consisting of the small Animus machine, his desk and the life support system that was keeping Olivia breathing and alive. His boss, Vidic, made it quite clear that she was not to leave the machine. His eyes lingered on the rising and falling of her chest.
"I'm so sorry, Livy."
He figured he would never be able to say it enough to make her forgive him. Deep down he knew this was wrong, he knew this was dangerous. They hadn't fully tested the effects of the Animus on the fragile bindings of the human mind. Sure, they had seen some 'long-term effects'. And there was a reason why Olivia was the fifteenth subject.
'No, not subject,' he corrected himself, 'victim, a prisoner.'
In reality they were both trapped in that cramped room. The best chance they had—the only chance they had—of getting out of here was to find whatever Vidic wants and pray he let them go. Jason sighed and pressed a button calling for a tech crew member to help him isolate the problem.
Soon after, someone came in.
"Did you hear what happened to Leila?" he asked, making small talk as he opened the small door revealing many wires and fans. Jason didn't know Leila personally, but enough to know she was is the same position that he was in. Trapped and forced to do painful, dangerous things to people they cared about.
"No, what happened?"
The tech member plugged a scanner device into the Animus. "Well, you know how the Subject 16 guy-"
Jason cut him off. "Jack Neumann."
The man rolled his eyes but Jason hated when people referred to them as subjects. "They are still human beings the same as me and you." The techy snorted.
"Whatever, Morgan. Don't let Vidic hear that or he'll assign you to someone else." He closed up the Animus. "Anyway, supposedly 'Jack Neumann',"he emphasized the name, "slit her throat and let the bitch bleed out. "
Jason felt his body go cold.
"Yeah, then the bastard slices his wrists and starts going mental, saying something about the end of the world, and the truth of all truths." He paused and looked to Olivia. "Yeah, they found him an hour later, he had bled out too. Not before writing all this crazy shit on the walls in blood—his blood and Leila's blood. Vidic's calling these 'phenomena' caused by the Animus the Bleeding Effect." He smiled widely despite the gruesome and graphic tale he just shared with his co-worker, like they were discussing football scores.
"Well. I'll catch ya later Morgan."
Jason felt his entire body shaking and the controlled temperature in the room was suddenly too hot for him. He stumbled over to Olivia's side, falling to his knees.
Dear God, Olivia, his Olivia… He couldn't let that happen. Could he somehow, secretly, moderate the sessions? No, too risky. Tampering with the sequencer could result in a system link shutdown, leaving the victim in a state of purgatory. With a mind but without a mind. Living but not living. Basically a vegetable. No, besides Vidic already had a tight leash around his neck. He had to get her out of here somehow. But he wouldn't be able to do it alone. He needed help, he knew exactly where to find it.
RESTORING SESSION…
FIRST AVAILABLE SIGNIFICANT MEMORY…
LINK FOUND: MEMORY CORE SUBJECT 16.
FLORENCE 1478
Beta'd by the super spectacular The-Lady-Isis :