ALRIGHT GUYS! HELLO!
I know you have been waiting for this update and I am so sorry that it took so long, my school work got really intense and I couldn't get around to writing until now. However classes for this semester are now done so I will have more time to write so look forward to more chapters soon. But to reward you my patient readers I made this chapter extra long as I know you all wanted some of Desmond's POV.
From now I will be putting the POV in bold at the beginning of the chapter.
NOW ENJOY MY LOEVLIES!
Desmond Miles
Coming out of the Animus was always disorientating, being able to move my own body instead of reliving the movements of an ancestor would be confusing at first. Your body was always stiff, like you had been asleep for days without moving the entire time. Opening my eyes I looked at the smooth rocky ceiling hundreds of feet above my head. The sanctuary of first Civilization was also something I was not use too. I was not given much time to get my bearings before a voice spoke out at my side.
"Welcome back Desmond." Rebecca's voice said as she moved over towards me making sure the Animus was operating properly. I blinked and gave a nod of acknowledgement to her. Sitting up my hands came to my head as I slowly came back to my full awareness.
"What's going on?" I asked looking around, Shaun was near his laptop, my father was at his usual seated position not too far off to my side. Last time they had pulled me out of the Animus was because they had located another power source, and part of me had expected Shaun had located another.
Shaun turned and looked to me, he raised a hand and adjusted his glasses slightly.
"Well Desmond, we are not sure… I was hacking into Abstergo's system trying to find more information for our search for the power sources when I came across something strange. It seems that our dear friend Vidic has found a new subject, I have found some files on a 'Subject 18', naturally… I started to lurk through their files and it seems that they believe this person is somehow related to both your ancestors." Shaun explained as he stepped towards me. I glanced to both my father and too Rebecca it seemed that while I was in the Animus that they had found out about this.
"So what does this mean?" I asked lowly.
"It means son, that Abstergo is trying to find out what we do, they wanted to know where the Pieces of Eden went after Ezio had them. I suspect they are using someone who has ancestors who could give them the same information…" William Miles said with a frown on his face. He was probably not happy with this turn of events, if Abstergo was to gain any information then the tides could turn and all their work could be destroyed.
"But I thought that was impossible, aren't we the only ones who are descended from them?" I ask standing and looking to my father. That was after all the reason why they had needed me so bad, wasn't it? Wasn't that the reason that had started all this madness?
"Well from the looks of this files that is not the case, I am not quite sure what they have or have not learned from this new subject. But there is something in these files… there are constant references to 'The Chalice' and Piece of Eden." Shaun said and then gripped his chin in a thoughtful way.
"Wait… Hold on. I thought the Templars debunked the Chalice in the Crusades." I asked, I could remember the memories of Altair which he had tried to save a woman…. What was her name? Adha! Hadn't the Templars killed her?
"Well I can't be sure but this is what it is. Hold on…. Oh no." Shaun stated then started to scrolled through the screen on his laptop.
"What is it?" William demanded, obviously concerned by whatever had troubled Shaun.
"It seems they have linked the 'Chalice' as a link back to Those Who Came Before…" Shaun said and then looked around at all of us. I felt myself frown.
I felt the room start to spin around me, suddenly I was alone a vision of Juno before me. I don't think it was a new message, but more of a surge of memoires. I heard voices, a replay of messages I had heard before.
"Eden… she is Eden. Find Eve. The Key. Her DNA…" I heard Clay's voice echo in my head.
"The Key… You must find the key." Now Juno's voice replayed to me. Everything seemed to spin, I was caught between reality and whatever realm these voices, memories were speaking to me through.
"Desmond!" came a sudden loud voice, it was more grounded than the others.
"Son!" the voice of my father cut through the air as well and suddenly I was back in reality. Three sets of eyes were all looking at me with concern. My hand came up and rubbed the bridge of my nose.
"You alright mate?" Shaun asked as he glanced between me and the Animus, of course their reactions were always to put me back in that damn machine.
"Yeah… I am fine." I said as my hand dropped down back beside me. "I was just remembering something that Clay and Juno said to me, I think they are trying to remind me of what they told me before…." I mused out loud, I could see the confused looks on all their faces, of course what I said puzzled them, I didn't fully understand it myself.
"Well… what do we do now?" I asked trying to get back to the subject we had been talking about before the memories had surged forward.
"We don't have a choice… though it is ridiculously risky we have to go get this girl. Whatever she is, whoever she is, if Abstergo can get any information from her we will lose everything we have accomplished thus far. " William Miles said with a sigh.
"Oh well jolly good, we'll just waltz into Abstergo headquarters will we?" Shaun said as he paced back and forth. Seems he always had something clever to say. "Think they will just hand for over if we ask nicely?" he continued and Rebecca slapped his arm.
"Shaun!" she exclaimed.
"We don't have a choice, if we do nothing Abstergo will catch up with us." William snapped back at the other.
Silence fell over all of us. We all knew what was at stake, by not going we risked Abstergo catching us and then all would be lost, as in the whole damn world. Not to mention we would probably be killed if they found us. And by going to free Subject 18 we risked the exact same thing. At least they did not know we would be coming.
"We better get going and get this over with then." I muttered, and with that we started to pack up, getting ready to move out.
The journey back to Italy was rather silent, we were all nervous, Rebecca and Shaun were busy planning our break in as well as our escape. My father was silent too, while I… I was just trying to get my head into the right place.
I had never expected to return back to the Abstergo facilities that I myself had been held captive in. I was also riddled with memories of my own escape. I remembered Lucy when she broke me out… of course now I know it had all been a covert plan ordered by Vidic… I then pushed those thoughts away instead deciding to focus on the mission I would have to complete today.
The closer we got to the Vatican, the location of the Abstergo facilities, the more silence thickened over us. It was only once we were feet from the entrance to the building we someone finally speak. We were concealed in a van as Rebecca and Shaun went over the plan with me.
"Okay so get this, I can get you in but it will be up to you to get out on your own. It seems Abstergo is reconstructing the west wing of their research building, because of this their security is a little lax, they aren't expecting us so we have that on our side. I can run interference in their cameras and electronic security for a few minutes. We don't have long, maybe half an hour before they figure out what I am doing." Rebecca explained before she handed me a piece of paper it was a floor plan, and one room design I noticed was very familiar to me.
"From the files Shaun found we known Subject 18 is here, in order not to get caught try sneaking out through the west wing that is under construction, there is less security there." She continued and then a pause of silence went over us all.
This was it.
"Desmond, we will be on the west side waiting for you. Do not risk yourself any more than nessecary…" William said and I scoffed a little, we were risking everything just by being here.
"And… for gods sake be safe." He said lowly. Nodding slowly I pulled be hood up over my head before exiting the van and watch it pull away.
Rebecca wasn't lying, from the way I remembered this place the security was much less, perhaps that had to do with the fact they were trying to chase us across the world, not planning for us to try and break back into their headquarters.
Walking around the building a few times, sticking to large group walking the streets as I did I scoped out the best way to enter. Just around a corner seemed to be a delivery entrance. There was a single guard who was in a booth beside the gate and would be letting the trucks in and out. Compared to the front entrance this would be the easier way, now I just had to wait for a truck to arrive to go in.
I wasn't waiting long, about five minutes later a smaller delivery truck rolled up, and knowing I was short on time I had to use this as my way in. The guard got up to check the truck and I lurked behind a post, once he checked the inside of the truck he moved to open the gate. I watched as the truck rolled in, and the guard moved back to his post, then I was moving, ducking through the gate while the guards back was turned and just making it through before it slid shut.
I was inside, I could only hope from now on that Rebecca had been able to hack the security cameras otherwise this break in would be short lived. Finding an abandoned uniform, just the jacket and hat in the loading area I slipped them on so I would blend in before moving inside.
It was amazing how everything came back to me, I was rather easily able to navigate the halls knowing which way to go to get to the room of Subject 18. It also amazed me how easy it was for me to avoid notice, just by keeping the hat down.
At least until I reached floor of my destination. There, it seemed, was a heavy presence of guards. Apparently Subject 18 was something Vidic didn't want to lose.
From that point on I had to be more stealthy. I was able to silently take down some guards and hide their unconscious bodies in a broom closet. That at least thinned out the enemies. But as time started to grow short I knew I had to act directly.
But it seemed fate was on my side, two of the guards headed towards the elevator, and then another guarding the door started to go down the hall and around the corner to do a perimeter check. Again I seized my chance, I moved as calmly down the hallway as I could towards the guard and the door that I needed to get into.
The guard looked up. "Erik?" he questioned, obviously thinking I was one of the other guards, one of them that was now locked in the broom closet.
I kept my head down, only lifting my face to look at him at the last moment. A flash of recognition passed through his eyes and I knew instantly, that he knew who I was. His body tensed and he backed away his mouth opened and he started to shout.
Before I could really figure out what I was doing the hidden blade on my wrist flashed out and I surged forward. One hand grabbed his shoulder while my armed hand came up towards his torso. The blade slid into his ribcage like a hot knife through butter.
A sputtering gasp came from the guard, his body became rigid and then went limp. I guided him to the ground as quietly as possible before retracting my armed hand. Standing over the body I realized I had killed, taken a life, and it had been second nature to me.
I stared down at the body with some regret but I know I couldn't be mourning over this man, I had done what I had too because in the end I knew they would not hesitate to kill me. I then looked to the door it had an electronic lock, I quickly swiped the security key card from the dead guard at my feet and then opened the door.
Entering into the all too familiar room I looked around for any sign of life. And I only found one, it was a man, maybe a few inches short than I, he had dark hair, glasses and was wearing a white lab coat. I knew then he worked for Abstergo, and there so far was no sign of Subject 18.
The man turned as he heard the doors open and seeing me he started to speak; "What do you want?"
"Where is the girl?" I asked calmly. The man stepped forward crossing the small distance between us, once he was close recognition also flashed across his face.
"Who are you? What are you doing-" as the man spoke I rushed forward to take him down, however this time I wasn't going to use lethal force, instead I just punch him squarely across the face, His body twisted away from me and he fell to the ground. I paused over him to make sure he was out.
Turning I looked around the room again, there indeed was no sign of the mysterious Subject 18. Knowing there was only one place she could be I quickly turn and head towards the grey door that lead to the bedroom area for the captive.
The door slid open with my proximity and I entered, what I found behind the door was something I never expected to see.
I quickly looked to the figure that was standing to the right and my eyes locked with the female figure.
Shock ran deeply through me, I was seeing this woman before me… but I knew what I was seeing was impossible. She had fair ivory skin, her face, her eyes, even her dark hair, even though it tumbled around her face, looked exactly the same. I am not sure if this was the bleeding effect showing me this woman from my ancestor's past or that is was causing me to react to her image as Ezio probably would, I felt my gut and chest clench almost painfully.
"Cristina?" I found myself asking in shock before I could stop myself. It could be no other than her though and suddenly things were starting to make sense. Vidic wanted someone that had connection to Ezio… this woman before him must be Cristina Vesppuci's descendent.
The shock in her eyes made me suspect she too knew who I was, which was confirmed when she spoke.
"E-Ezio?" her sweet voice asked with a small waver. The physical appearance between this girl and Ezio's memories of Cristina was eerie, but her voice was much sweeter, and it registered somewhere inside me.
I smiled to her before I nodded slowly to her. We both recognized each other through the memories of our ancestors. I wasn't sure how long we stood there standing and staring at each other it couldn't have been more than a couple minutes but I knew we had to go and quickly if we wanted out of here.
"Come on, let's get out of here." I said to her and saw her smile in return as I reached my hand out to her. Her smile grew and her slender hand quickly reached out and placed it in mine.
Looking up to me the brunette beauty spoke,
"Lead the way."
Author's Note: Hello again everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I enjoyed writing it. Though I look forward to writing their escape more. I want to thank you all for the wonderful reviews you have all left me. They really do encourage me to write so thank you a million times over. & now to address some questions you guys had for me;
RavingSunshine: I am undecided, as I haven't gotten very far in AC III, I am just a little worried about introducing too many character, especially when I am not sure how a revolutionary ancestor will fit into everything yet. However if people give me suggestions I may add one in.
Well that is about all the questions I have so far. But still thanks for all the positive feedback! Keep it coming & please don't be afraid to ask questions or leave comments or ideas!
As always PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!