Chapter III

"…So if you need anything else, you know where to find me," Desmond shifted his feet uncomfortably. Alex stayed silent. "Though you can't come up during 'lights-out'…I'm pretty sure you knew that already… Uh, you do know when 'lights-out' is, right? Oh, well duh…the Chairman must've explained that to you and your sister before we left," he rambled. "Your stuff should be coming up soon so don't worry about those…" Alex looked up from the floor, but Desmond quickly avoided eye contact. "…Uh, you must've already known that too." Alex eyed Desmond throughout a grand pause. He noticed Desmond was always looking around the room, forcing his eyes to wander; never really searching for anything. Alex smirked under his hood once Desmond had made accidental eye contact and jumped. The guy was scared of him. Good. He should be.

"Alright I'll uh, take my leave I guess," Desmond finally said. He fast-walked his way toward the door, then bounced back against it. Desmond heard a small chuckle from behind him. He could feel his face burn slightly from embarrassment. Dammit, he'd thought. I fucking did it again. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He twisted the door handle and pulled back the heavy door. Alex couldn't help but shake his head. That kid is going to have some serious problems fitting in. Sure, he might make a few friends, but it's possible they may end up ditching him.

The door clicked closed, and Alex was finally alone.

He dropped his hood and rolled his neck as he surveyed his dorm. "Simple" was the only word he could think of to describe it. It was an average square sized room with bleach white walls, and one body-sized push-up window. The velvet red curtains lay heavy at the edges of the window frame, occasionally flowing from the breeze that traveled inside. East from the window sat a queen sized bed with equal red sheets that matched the curtains. Parallel to the bed on the west wall stood a tall empty study desk with small shelves and cabinets that held CDs or books; it also had a small lamp for the writing area below it. Finally, to the left of his desk were two full-sized mirrors that slid to the side revealing an empty closet.

Alex rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. It was only an hour and a half before curfew; he had time. He unlocked his window and hung on the edge as he bit his lower lip; he was starving. It was time for a fun night out in the city.

Desmond rubbed his face dry as he stepped out of his bathroom. He slipped on a rather tight black tank-top just before his cellphone rang on his desk. He picked up his earpiece and slipped it in his ear and clicked the call button.

"Hello," he said in a monotone voice as he zipped up a white sleeveless hoodie just below his collar bone and swung his head under his over shoulder bag. He could hear Ezio's voice from the other end.

"Desmond, how are you?" Ezio greeted cheerfully. Desmond raised an eyebrow.

"Uh…well considering how nothing had really changed in the past hour and a half I last saw you…" Desmond replied. Ezio's booming laugh rumbled through Desmond's ears.

"I suppose you're right," he said as he calmed down. "So, about the new transfers today," Ezio paused. "What do you think about them?" Desmond slipped on a pair of socks and shoved his feet in his only pair of red chucks. He adjusted the stretched part of his grey sweatpants over his ankles before speaking.

"Well," Desmond said as he quietly closed the door behind him. He made sure he had his cardkey to his dorm before he walked down the hall to the stairs. "What do you want me to say about them?"

"Just your honest opinion," Ezio merely said. Desmond could imagine the carefree smile on Ezio's face as he made his way down to the ground floor of the boy's dormitory.

"I guess they're okay?"

"'Okay?' You sound unsure, Bambino," Ezio chuckled.

"Y-yeah, well…! I don't know, I mean I'm…" Desmond quieted his voice in realization that he was nearly yelling. He sighed before saying anything else. "Dana, she was fine; she seemed fine at least."

"But…?"

"But it's that Alex guy I'm worried about. Honestly, what were you thinking? Letting someone like him into the school?"

"Alex is no more than just a student transferring to receive better education, as is Dana," Altaïr's voice suddenly spoke.

"Uh I'm sorry, sir. He's just a bit…strange," Desmond tried to put it in the most subtle way possible. He slipped his cellphone in the pocket of his sweats, then pulled out a single glove. He pouted shortly before slipping it onto his right hand; he was disappointed that he'd lost the other pair on his journey from Black Hills. "I'm pretty sure Ezio had the same vibes from Alex when he first walked into the office."

"True, but Ezio is usually always like that when a supposedly intimidating person arrives," Altaïr merely said. Desmond could hear the two men arguing over the phone and sighed. "…Of course you are fearless. Why, you were obviously not a nervous wreck around Malik the first time you met him. …That's right, I thought so." And with that, Desmond could tell that Altaïr had won the little spat. "Anyway, the reason we're having you keep an eye on him for a while is because he'd cause a couple of problems at his last school. Yes, they were so bad that we have to assign caretaker to him. We hope you don't see this as an unnecessary roadblock; the job is a job. The reward will be about $60,000. Of course we will be taking half."

"What did he do exactly for him to be expelled and need to be watched over at his new school?"

"Unfortunately those are questions I cannot explain. It may be a personal matter that Alex doesn't want anyone to know. If you're still curious, you can ask him yourself, if you'd like," Altaïr suggested. Desmond's lip twitched at the thought. If it was as sensitive subject to Alex, then it might be best if Desmond left it alone and just followed through with his orders.

"So I just have to keep the kid out of any funny business? No fights, no arguments with the teachers, obey all school rules, that kind of stuff?"

"Precisely," Altaïr reassured.

Desmond embraced the cool air as he stepped out onto the grass in front of the boy's dormitory. The air wasn't as fresh as it was at Black Hills, but it was just as sweet. He pulled his hood over his head before he made his way out to the entrance gates. Desmond pressed against his earpiece.

"Oh, I'll be going out for a while. I'm going to be working at Bad Weather for a while, then I'm going exploring."

"Exploring? What for?" Ezio's voice came back on.

"To get a better feel for the new grounds I'm on. I guess better wording for it would be 'synchronizing my map' so to speak," Desmond laughed slightly.

"…Wait, I don't get it," Ezio said. Altaïr had broken the awkward silence between them.

"Alright, we understand. Just be back before midnight," Altaïr ordered.

"Yes sir."

The cool air burned in his throat as he took a deep breath. He was satisfied with his catch tonight; a few out-casts were easily swiped up from alleys and were dealt with easily. The latest disguise he had was some high end looking man with slicked back blond hair and wrapped up in some dark trench coat. He preferred clothing that didn't really trip him up while he was running, but nonetheless, a disguise was a disguise.

"I still have a good handful of time left before curfew," Alex spoke to himself. "Maybe I could cause a bit of trouble for a while?" He adjusted his hood before setting off to the streets.

"Ngh!" A short grunt came from above, followed by small grains of dirt that fell atop Alex's head. He quickly brushed them off and peered up into the looming buildings. He caught a glimpse of a shadow struggling slightly before hoisting itself up onto the rooftop. Curious, Alex arched his back before running himself straight into the building in front of him. Halfway up, he caught the edge of a window frame. Biomass raged on the edges of his fingertips and around his arms as he clung to the side of the building. He always found this perk of having biomass simply useless, seeing as how he was able to just run up walls with ease. He didn't see how being able to climb up walls could possibly be useful. Until now that is. It was perfect for sneaking, though it would be better if the raging biomass wouldn't rip off chunks of the wall as he progressed upward.

He clung to the crumbling edge of the building as he peered above the rim. The shadowed figure stood over the ledge parallel from Alex. Alex climbed over his ledge and quietly hid behind a large air conditioner as the figure re-adjusted himself. Alex let himself scan over the figure, taking small peaks and occasionally hiding behind the conditioner again.

"Ahh…" the figure let out a gasp as he shook off his white hood. Small faint puffs escaped his mouth as he breathed in the chilly air all too deeply, for he began to choke a little. He let out a small shudder, then a quick laugh; the man seemed to be enjoying…whatever he was doing.

Alex peered through the darkness to try and catch a glimpse of the man's face before he decided to raise his hood once more. For a second, he questioned himself why he was taking such interest into such a stranger. Why was he? What the hell was he doing, hiding here, hoping not to be seen, acting like he was afraid of the consequences. He snorted as he began to rise from his hiding place. This man was just the same as every other human—mindless food. All of which are scattered around Ney York to Alex's convenience because hey, what is anyone going to do about it? And besides, he'd much rather have this man's appearance as a disguise than ol' Slick he's got on hold over here.

As he took his first few steps from his hiding place, the sound of knives cutting through air had whizzed past him before he could even realize his biomass appear before him to stop the oncoming attack. The knives hit against his armor with a dull thud and clamored against each other on the ground, ringing into Alex's ears. He could feel the biomass surround his body…pulsating…like it was alive. He looked up into the eyes of the man before him behind his biomass armor; the man's eyes shined a bright white with a mix of light blue as his wide brows furrowed above. He quickly tugged his hood over his head, letting his glowing eyes become more distinct. He turned around and took a leap off the edge, spreading his arms as he fell. Alex's biomass retreated as he hurried to where the man once stood, looking over the edge of the building, only to see the shadow leaping from flag pole to window and from banner to the next building over. Intrigued from familiar face he saw, Alex decided to play hide-and-go-seek.

Desmond splashed his face with cold water once he arrived at Bad Weather. The world around his was blue, and the people around him faintly glowed an identical color. His hands matched the color scheme, as well as his body as he looked up into the mirror in front of him; the only thing different were his eyes, which shined a blinding bright white in his vision. He vigorously shook his head and washed his face once more until the blue scenery faded away. He dried himself off with a couple of paper towels before he set back out into the bar.

As he stuffed his belongings into his employee locker, he found himself drifting off, remembering his recent confrontation. It was only so long ago, which was making is difficult for Desmond to focus.

"What the hell was a creepy guy standing in a black armor looking suit doing up on a rooftop?" He'd ask himself. The figure emitted a menacing bright red color the last Desmond had seen him; he'd have to make sure not to run into him again…though would a man like that really be following him around? Desmond still couldn't get over the enigmatic figure's costume. He groaned as he slowly shut the door of his locker and made his way into Bad Weather. He re-adjusted his earpiece as he stepped behind the counter and tied up his apron. With not many customers in the building, he was left with dish washing work. The dishwashers themselves too long and in the time it takes to clean everything, the whole sink above the dishwasher would be filled to the rim. He rinsed then lightly scrubbed the small espresso cups with the yellow side of the sponge, rinsed once more, then placed gently in the empty sink beside him. He repeated this procedure and took his time, for he was sure that no one was really in a rush to grab and espresso at this time of night. As he washed the last set of cups, he quickly and quietly took note on the remaining customers in the coffee-house. About three people; a couple, spending their time in the quiet night having a light conversation in the furthest corner of the building, and a young woman sitting near the entrance with her knees up to her chest, pencil in hand and a sketchbook in her lap while she tapped her pencil to the beat of the music coming from her earphones as she contemplated on what her next masterpiece should be. …Hang on, make that four customers.

Desmond dried his hands as he noticed the tall man briskly walked inside and took his seat straight across from the Desmond. His eye twitched slightly as the sight of the man's apparel. His hands were folded together as he rested his elbows on the table top. His hair was slathered in so much hair gel, it nearly made Desmond sick. Not only that, nothing says "hi, I'm a creepy man who might stab you in a corner when we're alone and leave you to bleed out in an alley" like wearing a large leather black trench coat that flowed around your ankles. Desmond continued to clean up the area around the sink, wiping any splashes and soap suds that escaped the sink, but he couldn't help but feel bother by a sharp cold feeling that stabbed at his back. He let out a small grumble as he peered over his shoulder back at the man. Sure enough when their eyes met, Desmond quickly spun back around, letting the blood rush to his face. A small chuckle caused him to turn around all too soon, not giving his body any time to cool down. They watched each other for a good minute in pure silence.

"Can I help you?" Desmond suddenly said in a light-hearted tone. Despite the heavy atmosphere, Desmond always had to present customers with a friendly first impression so they'd come back…even though Desmond definitely didn't want this guy to come back.

"Nah," the man shrugged and leaned back into his chair. The creaks sent shudders through Desmond's body. "I hope you don't mind, I'm just here to relax for a bit. Tough day at the office, though I'm sure you wouldn't know."

"No no, not at all…" Desmond continued wiping the counter top. Although the coffee-house was a strict "buy something or get out," Desmond didn't want to chase the guy out of the store for a first impression. The man looked like a snobby jack-ass anyway since he worked at "the office" so he should have some money to spare for a drink. Desmond walked around the counter with a small spray bottle and a moist towel and started wiping down the small tables.

"You're new here, yeah?" The man suddenly asked. Desmond flinched at the sudden question, and then resumed wiping the tables. "I've never seen you around New York." Desmond shrugged.

"New York is a big city," Desmond replied. His guest nodded.

"True, but I've actually covered some good ground around the city, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen you around here recently." Desmond sighed as he placed the spray bottle down and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Yeah, you're right. I actually moved here a little while back," Desmond replied. "Got enrolled into a school here." He didn't want to tell the whole truth, nor did he really want to lie to the man either. "Got a full scholarship and everything." Alright, now that was a total lie.

"Ah, that's good, that's good. What school do you go to?"

"Uh, the Auditore Academy?" Desmond raised an eyebrow, wary of his answers. This man was getting a bit too comfortable for Desmond's liking. The man merely nodded with a weak smile. "And what about you? Where do you work?" The man raised his eyes to Desmond's with curiosity and confusion. He broke their gaze immediately after before responding.

"Gentek…" the man said, barely above a whisper. "I…I work at Gentek." He avoided Desmond's eyes as he clenched his hands together. Desmond hesitantly picked up his spray bottle.

"I see," he said, eyeing the strange man. Gentek, from what Desmond could remember, was some top-notch biological and genetics research facility. He also remembered the old man Ezio telling him about something called "Blackwatch" and the soldiers that are constantly patrolling around here are sort of partners with Gentek. Desmond shrugged as he walked back behind his counter. Whatever this "Gentek" company is, it certainly isn't shit compared to the shady business back in Abstergo.

The night passed on awkwardly in silence. Desmond had no orders to be filling, so he was completely free. The couple in the far corner had left quite some time ago, both hand in hand and smiling as they walked out into the chilly night. The young artist had accidentally fallen asleep while brainstorming for ideas. Desmond ended up having to wake her up and inform her that the coffee-house was closing soon. She rubbed her eyes and yawned as she pulled on her heavy coat and wrapped her scarf around her neck. She thanked Desmond and he replied with a small smile, leaving her pink in the cheeks. She waved goodbye as she walked out and covered half her face with the top of her scarf.

The man, however, stayed put at his seat.

Desmond didn't bother to question it; instead he proceeded to the locker room to change back into his comfortable clothes and out of his dark uniform. He slipped his earpiece back on and called Ezio to tell him he was going back already. Ezio hummed in approval, then hung up shortly after. Desmond walked out back into the coffee-house, only to be greeted once more by the same man; he hadn't moved an inch from his seat.

"Excuse me sir, but I'm about to lock up. I think it's about time you got home. You are tired aren't you?" Desmond walked up to the man. He looked up at Desmond and simply nodded as he followed him out into the cold. Desmond locked the door and gave it a quick tug, making sure it was locked. He turned back to the man and gave him a rather awkward nod goodbye before walking off into the night. As he turned the corner out of sight, he snuck his way into a narrow alley before proceeding up the wall of the nearest building.

He skidded to a halt, taking in a short breather. It was almost midnight. He wasn't so far from the academy anymore; he only had a few more streets to go down before he made it back. He perched himself at the corner of the building he was on, peering down at the streets below him. He smirked then shook his head. He never knew New York would still be so lively even at this time for night. Then again, it was the city that never slept. He closed his eyes and breathed; once opened, the world around him too that same iconic blue shade as it did before. He was able to pick out potential threats from civilians, most of them he noticed were Blackwatch soldiers…and…?

Desmond stood from his post and squinted. He quickly scanned his surroundings determining what path to take. He then crouched from his position and quickly leapt from the building. Chest forward, he plunged forward, grabbing hold of a flag pole protruding from the building across from him halfway down the fall. It bent, close to snapping from the sudden weight, then ricocheted straight back up, giving Desmond a small boost back into the air. He was flung toward the brick red wall of the building next door and nearly smacked his face into the wall itself before falling to his death. He grunted as he managed to grip the edge of a thin window frame, hanging in a crouching position a good long ways from the ground. He looked above him, then made a sudden leap for the next window. Climbing to the small building, he ran straight across the roof and peered down in the dark alleyway. In the pale blue atmosphere, four red figures grouped around a stranger, pressing them against the wall behind them. Desmond blinked, allowing the true darkness of the world to show.

His mouth twisted as he heard the revolting comments from the men below. The inched closer and closer to the woman below. Her voice couldn't escape her throat, but Desmond could tell she was terrified. No time to think. He leaped off of the roof down into the secluded alley and pinned his target to the cold, wet ground. Startled cries escaped the mouths around him as he stood. Punches and kicks were thrown, an even a knife was confiscated. The only man standing ran off as Desmond wiped the blood from his knuckles and sweat from his face. He had a good number of hits done in on him, but he was sure that he was much better than the three douche bags scattered around him. Desmond looked back at the woman who was still shaking behind him.

"You should hurry home…" he cleared his throat. He recognized the woman; she was the same girl who dozed off at Bad Weather. It was good that she didn't seem to be able to see Desmond's face. She flinched at the sudden advice, but nodded. She carefully stepped around the men strewn about, nearly losing her balance. She side-stepped around Desmond, squeaked out a "thank you," then ran back out into the crowded sidewalks. Desmond looked down on the men who held their sides and groaned in agony. His lip twitched at the sight of them. Serves you assholes right, he thought.

Alex's white grin can be seen from under his hood from above.