Chapter IV
Quiet knocks rapped against Alex's door around seven in the morning. He wasn't really sleeping; he rarely slept anyways. He sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands, then suddenly grinned at the sound of the door knocks. They were cut and rapid, possibly hesitant. Alex cracked his neck as he stood up and slid his courier bag over his head across his chest. He didn't like the fact that the bag kept slapping his ass whenever he walked, but apparently it was all Dana got for him. He couldn't really protest since she got it for him as a small surprise on transferring to a new school.
He adjusted his jacket and then proceeded towards the door. It swung open with ease, surprising Desmond on the other side. He jumped back having sudden contact with Alex's ice blue eyes. Alex chuckled in his head while keeping a straight face. Usually he'd feel disgusted with himself when such people would stare at him with such fear, but watching this guy have small heart attacks when he would suddenly pop up interested Alex in the strangest way that even Alex couldn't explain himself.
"Uh, sorry if you were sleeping," Desmond's words faded. "But I thought I should show you around the school a little bit, you know, so you don't end up getting lost." He face quickly flushed. "I-I mean! Well, that is, if you ever do get lost, at least you kinda have a sense of where you're going and you don't have to ask people for directions. Since Dana said you're a bit distant from others," the words spilled out of Desmond's mouth rapidly. It made Alex smile, causing Desmond to blush even deeper. It was fun making him feel embarrassed, even though he was completely doing this to himself and Alex paid no contribution at all into making Desmond's face red. Desmond turned his head to the side with his hand behind his head, showing obvious signs of being uncomfortable. They stood in silence for a while before Alex decided to take lead and get on with their day. Desmond followed behind shortly after.
"So our first class is around here in the G building…" Desmond continued to explain the locations of their classes together and, if he wanted, he could walk with Desmond between classes. Alex looked at him with a blank look of curiosity that apparently didn't go through to Desmond, who took it as an offending look. He quickly covered it up by telling him that he didn't have to if he didn't want to; if he wanted to be alone then it was okay with him. Alex merely turned his head and stared at the hallways before him.
After Desmond's tour of the necessary parts of the school ended, they travelled the halls to their first class to "beat the traffic" as Desmond put it. The halls were beginning to fill with students, and their classroom was only four rooms away until the starting bell rang. Desmond informed the teacher of the new student in the class, saving Alex a formal introduction. The teacher nodded, apparently confirming that he'd been sent an email about this from Ezio just this morning. He specifically gave Alex a seat next to Desmond because of Ezio himself. Desmond didn't seem as disappointed as Alex thought he would be, though he didn't question it any further. As they took their seats, as girl with dark short hair with headphones around her ears walked in and sat in front of Desmond.
"Hey, morning Des," she yawned as she took her seat.
"Morning Rebecca," Desmond greeted with a lighter smile. Alex guessed that he was happy the heavy atmosphere had lifted.
"Who's the new kid?" She gestured toward Alex, not showing much worry about him.
"Oh um," Desmond turned to see Alex's reaction on whether or not he wanted to be introduced to her. Alex showed no opposition from which Desmond could tell. "Rebecca this is Alec Mercer. Alex this is Rebecca Crane." He turned back to Rebecca. "He transferred here just yesterday."
"Ah kinda like you, huh Desmond?" She gave a small grin. She twisted around her desk to face Alex with an outstretched hand. She definitely showed no worry about him.
"Hey there, Alex. I hope you find Auditore Academy to your liking," she said with a friendly tone. Her hand slowly retreated when Alex showed no signs of motion. "Ah, so you're sort of like the shy type, huh? Don't like being around people, kinda like a loner?"
"Rebecca!" Desmond whispered in a surprised yet warning vice. Rebecca ignored his warning. "I-I'm sorry Alex, Rebecca is just a really open person is all."
"Hey hey, I don't mind, it's cool. You like your space and I can respect that," she put her hands up in defense. "But you know, if you ever need anything, you can be sure that me or Desmond will be there to help you out. I mean, a friend of Des is a friend of mine," she twisted forward facing the front of the class. Desmond let out a shaky laugh.
"Ahaha…yeah a friend," Desmond sank in his chair. Shaun walked through the door and rushed his way into class.
"Yeah, yeah, good morning you two, good morning," he quickly said.
"Morning Shaun," Rebecca said half-heartedly.
"Morning," Desmond nodded. Shaun dropped his bag at the feet of his desk and plopped down into his seat. He proceeded to take out his notebook and a pencil before finally noticing Alex.
"Who's the new guy?" Shaun asked, totally disregarding Alex's dark appearance. Desmond mushed his face into his palm.
"This is Alex," Desmond said in his hand with a slight hostile tone. He must've been annoyed with his friends being so blunt. "He transferred here just yesterday from…uh…I don't know what school actually."
"Well why don't you ask him?" Rebecca suddenly said. "He shouldn't mind being asked at least that, right? Hey Alex," she twisted in her seat to face Alex once more. "What school did you come from?" Alex shifted in his seat.
"O-of course, he doesn't have to answer if he doesn't want to, Rebecca," Desmond quickly butted in. "It's his business, and we shouldn't really bother him on it if he doesn't want us too."
"I studied genetics before at Gentek's educational wing. I sort of worked as I studied," Alex answered bluntly. The three around before him stared; Desmond more wide-eyed than the others. "What," Alex asked with a monotone voice.
"Oh, n-no nothing, nothing," Desmond reassured.
"So basically kind of like hands on learning?" Rebecca asked. "Wow that's pretty cool." Alex shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess," Alex sunk into his chair. He caught Desmond's eyes wandering about him. "What?" His voice came out rather hostile. Desmond jumped in his chair, turning his head back to the front of the class while turning fairly pink. Alex gave him a rather sour glare under his dark hood, then went back to slumping into his seat. He frowned at himself, rather disappointed he scared the poor guy. He grunted, remembering what he truly was: a monster—the human shape of one's nightmares. He was nothing but a biogenetically engineered animal that the army wanted to control and use for their own rotten reasons. Alex didn't even consider himself a human being. Any average human man would naturally be terrified or look down on someone or something that ideal to their taste. No one could ever love a beast.
Today's served lunch turned out to be a mesh of mixed potatoes, carrots, and peas, with a side-cup of sliced bananas and a small carton of frozen orange juice. Desmond made a face when he saw the lunch lady slide him his food tray, at the same time asking him how his day was as she did to the other students. Desmond pulled up a smile and reluctantly picked up his Styrofoam food tray and merely did a combination of a nod and a shrug—as if the lady knew what that even meant. He maneuvered his way through the crowded mess hall to his table on the far right of the cafeteria. His friends Rebecca, Shaun, and Lucy—dear god, Lucy—were all waiting for him. His face tugged in a smile the moment he saw her. Total relief was what he felt. He needed it after such a long day of playing babysitter. Desmond took his seat across from Lucy and Shaun next to Rebecca.
"So who wants my whole lunch?" Desmond pushed his tray in front of him.
"Why what's wrong with it? Did the lunch lady drop something in it?" Rebecca poked it with her spork.
"Nah, Desmond just hates squishy foods," Lucy replied. "When we were younger, he told me that eating bananas kind of made him want to vomit. He can't really have pudding either." Desmond shrugged off his embarrassment. He was slightly glad she remembered something he told her a long time ago. Rebecca nodded and went back to shaping her mashed potatoes into some kind of mashed potato castle.
"So Desmond," Shaun said in a sudden low voice that was hard to hear over the cafeteria chatter. "You're resuming your training today, yeah? Heh, good luck."
"Yeah, thanks for the confidence boost," Desmond folded his arms across the lunch table and tucked his chin in the middle.
"Dick move, Shaun. Don't worry Des, you'll do fine," Rebecca slapped Desmond's back rather violently, making him wince as he arched his back at the pain.
"The VR training takes a little time to get used to, but if I can do it, then I'm sure you can do ten times better," Lucy reassured. "It's a good thing we trained double time at Black Hills. I think because of that it'll help you a whole lot. They should start you off
"Haha, yeah," Desmond said rather sarcastically. Rebecca suddenly shot up from her seat, making Desmond jump. "Jesus Christ, Rebecca…" Rebecca looked down at Desmond and gave an apologetic face. You might even start off as a Guerriero or a Veterano."
"You okay, Des? You've been all jumpy lately," she asked. Desmond rested his forehead into the pocket of his arms. He didn't care if it was in the middle of lunchtime; he was ready for a good nap.
"Just went out last night for a good run, if you catch my drift." Rebecca replied with a quick "oh."
"Dana! Over here!" A few minutes later, Desmond could hear the chatter of his friends greeting the newcomer, followed by the table thumps of seats being taken.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Oh don't worry about him Dana, he's just tired from some stuff he did last night," Lucy's voice replied.
"Don't say it like that, you make it sound like he was doing something dirty," Shaun spoke. Desmond could imagine Lucy's appalled yet amused face. Rebecca and Dana's laughter mixed around the table.
"Well of course he was out doing something," Rebecca suddenly said. "Me and Des totally had a great time together!" Desmond suddenly could feel his face burn with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.
"What do you mean 'you and Des'?" Lucy struggled to keep her giggles contained. "You and I both know that only I can bring the heat."
"Um, excuse me ladies, but I think you've officially weirded her out," Shaun said over their laughter.
"No no, it's okay Shaun," Dana spoke suddenly. "Between you and me though, I'd say you guys haven't experienced 'rough and ready' unless I'd be there with you." Desmond suddenly flipped up his head and smacked his hands on the table.
"Come on you guys, I'm still alive and breathing here! I can hear everything you're saying!" The girls sounded like they were choking on air.
"Oh my god look his face is so red! You always blush so easily Des!" Rebecca was tearing up. Desmond mushed his face into his palm. His arm brushed Alex's jacket beside him. Desmond looked up suddenly, catching a glance of Alex's hood; he could see the end of his mouth curved into a grin.
"Oh come on! Not you too!" Desmond suddenly stood up with his arms in the air. Alex looked up at Desmond, still grinning.
"See! Alex doesn't think we're weird either Shaun!" Rebecca pointed out. Alex chuckled under his hood.
"No, you guys are just very interesting," Alex shrugged and leaned on the table. Desmond eyed his friends as their laughs calmed…only then did he notice how close Alex was to his personal space. Desmond swallowed the spit in his mouth, cautiously taking his seat.
"Oh yeah, so Dana, you and Alex were schooled at Gentek, right?" Rebecca suddenly said. Desmond could feel Alex go tense.
"That's right," Dana said with ease.
"Gentek?" Shaun repeated. "You know, speaking of Gentek, I hear some shady business is going on between them and Abstergo." Desmond notices Shaun making eye contact with him, Lucy, and Rebecca.
"Oh really?" Dana says, interested.
"Yeah yeah, I've been hearing some rumors that Abstergo is buying Gentek or something," Shaun says in a low voice.
"Abstergo is buying Gentek?" Desmond repeated.
"That's impossible," Alex spoke up. "Gentek is the largest biological and genetic research company. It's been top-notch in its equipment since 1976. Judging by how much equipment they have and how much money they need to fund and sponsor their research, it's impossible to buy them."
"You sound so sure," Lucy merely said.
"I am sure," Alex said sternly.
"Well, time for you to brush up on what you know of Abstergo, pal," Shaun crossed his arms. "Abstergo Industries was officially founded in 1937 and is one of the largest and most prominent multinational corporations in the world. You probably only know them as a pharmaceutical development company, but that's just what they are to the public. It would make sense for a company like Abstergo to want a biological research company like Gentek."
"Abstergo Industries is one of the top contributors to the technological development of the world, so we can assume that Gentek can be using stuff from Abstergo. They're probably telling Gentek 'hey, without all of our stuff, you wouldn't be so successful. Now it's time to pay your rent,' or something like that," Rebecca stated. "Abstergo has always been involved with shady operations like this."
"No way…" Dana muttered. Alex remained silent.
Desmond rolled his shoulders and wiped his face with a towel on standby. He awkwardly nodded at the young woman who stood near the door of the VR room, holding a tray of refreshments and snacks. Beside her sat a rather large first-aid kit that was the size of an army storage box. He wanted to question why such a size was needed when he was only doing virtual training and his injuries couldn't physically hurt him, but he held his tongue. He now understood why so much money of the school was put into the medical needs.
He trudged through the halls of the training floor, peeking in some of the VR rooms and watching a few people stumble and trip over themselves. Desmond shook his head. They're so clumsy and awkward trying to train themselves. Even if they master the moves in VR training, they definitely wouldn't be able to handle the real deal of actually getting blood on their hands, or having to jump from building to building a good thirty feet above ground. They can try, but they'll certainly choke.
The low rumble of his phone startled him as he studied a recruit behind the door. He answered his phone, only to hear Ezio on the other line.
"Desmond, how was your VR training? The VR rooms are built under the school so only the people taking the Assassin's Training know about them."
"It was good. Pretty realistic, I might say," Desmond replied. "The fighting sequences were pretty challenging."
"Good, good. If they weren't challenging then you wouldn't learn anything," he chuckled. Desmond tried to laugh along with him, but the sound stuck in his throat. He sighed and waited for the man to resume. "Bambino, I have good news."
"Yes?"
"I have the contract for your first mission," Ezio spoke slowly. "It may be a little difficult, but I have faith in you." Desmond stood inside the white elevator and waited for the ding to indicate the arrival of his floor. He spoke slowly and quietly as he stepped out.
"What do you need me to do," he asked as he fast walked to the Boy's Dormitory.
"Rumors have been saying that Abstergo working on something along with a separate company known as Gentek," Ezio proceeded.
"Rumors saying that Abstergo might buy Gentek, right?"
"Yes," Ezio confirmed. "Malik had gained information that says an Abstergo agent is having a meeting with the founder of Gentek soon. We believe they may speak of their plans for a new project." Desmond crossed the lawn of the Boy's Dormitory and swiftly entered the lobby of the building.
"How soon will the meeting be exactly?"
"Two days from now."
"Of course it would be," Desmond snorted. "Alright then."
"Keep in mind Bambino, this is a stealth mission. You cannot be discovered under any circumstances. I'd prefer you not to kill any enemies you encounter, but if it cannot be avoided, then do as you must."
"I'll try to knock them out instead?" Desmond suggested.
"Bene. It may be time consuming, so if all else fails, remember to send them off with peace."
"I understand," Desmond nodded to himself. He tapped his food impatiently as he waited for the elevator to arrive in the lobby.
"You are to be ready and begin your mission by six-thirty pm on the day of the meeting. I will give you the full procedure tomorrow morning. Get a lot of rest beforehand. You are going to need all your energy for this."
"Of course." The elevator dinged as the doors slowly slid open. They spoke their farewells over the phone as Desmond stepped into the velvet red elevator.
To be continued in Chapter V…
Striders Babbles: IT'S BEEN A WHILE HASN'T IT? Sadly I've been trying to get my school work done and I've also just been very lazy haha ^^;; A little bit of research went into this about the two companies. I wanted to try and tie them together somehow since both games had big powerful companies involved I wondered what would happen if they joined forces! MWAHAHA D The way I put things together was kind of on the spot so if the whole thing sounds a little sketchy to you, please forgive me. OTL I didn't want to add in too much stuff and then suddenly make the two companies all weird sounding.
Also, Alex has started to speak! Whoaaaaaa. I wanted Dana and Alex to still be tied in with Gentek somehow, but I didn't want Gentek to be a school since Abstergo was going to work with it. The whole "working while I learned" thing must sound a little stupid. v_v;; Please forgive me again.
Finally, the last thing I want to mention is the Assassin Rank system! You might've been a little confused when Lucy said they might start off Desmond as a Guerriero or a Veterano. Those are simply the rankings given to the Assassin's who join the Brotherhood with Recruit being the lowest and Master Assassin being the highest. They way I described the Assassin Trainees in the VR rooms kind of made it sound like they were ALL Recruits ^^;; Hehehe…
Anyways, I'll try to write and update more often! I shall now try to make things more interesting from here on out ;D Stick around!
