Ezio reared aorund in his decendant's grip, but was unabel to shake him off the back of his armor. "You were going to kill Mario! You son of a bitch!"

Cesare glared back, but was quick to take his arm out of Rebecca's grip and grab her by the throat, "Where are we?"

Rebecca gasped and sputtered something, though Ezio himself couldn't understand as he still was trying to figure this new language out. Cesare reached donw and took a knife out and held it to her throat, making her grow wide eyed.

"You're better tell me now!"

Ezio watched at Lucy sent a swift blow to the back of his neck, the General instantly fell to the floor, and Ezio wished Desmond would let him go so he could kick the slim in the stomach.

He looked back at his uncle with consern, the man was coughing blood and Shaun was trying to convince him to do something which he kept refusing. After another dry heave of his chest, the old assassin was breathing horsely, and Shaun had grown too impatient. He tore Mario's hands away and undid a couple buttons and found bloody wound in right on his chest. Although bleeding, it didn't appear terribly deep.

Mario looked up at his nephew, his eyes widened with realization, "Ezio? H-how did we get into the sacuary? Who are these people?"

Ezio sighed, he'd have to explain everyhting to his uncle, "Rest for now, I tell you soon enough."

The older man didn't argue out of sheer exhaustion and wieriness.

Leonardo watched as Ezio helped his uncle up and to a chair nearby, Lucy and Shaun were picking up Cesare and placing him off to a side where they could tend to him in case Lucy had truely hurt him. Dispite what he thought, he was beginning to pick up the language they spoke, simply though listening in, and Desmond translating things for him.

For a moment he touched one of the scars still on his cheekbone, caused by a man whose thirst for knowlodge was so great that he was willing to kidnap anyone to get it. no matter the conciquences. For Leonardo, it wasn't so terribly long ago. He shuddered in remembering the few days...

And now a magically journey into a week ago in Leonardo's life!

I could hear footsteps, and through my being so caught up in my work I had thought it was my gambler of an apprentice. "Salai? Is that you?" Only when I put down the quil pen and looked up, I had seen my friend standing in the doorway, and I fought back the embarrassment of confusing the assassin for the apprentice. "Ezio! I must be getting lazy in my old age. I did not know you had returned to Roma." As i spoke, I placed the stool I had been sitting on for the past few hours and walked up to him. Almost like we were brothers, we exchanged a quick hug, feeling Ezio's hand strongly pat my shoulder.

When we let go, Ezio gave me this saddened looked, the corners of his mouth pinned low in a frown. "Unforchanatly, I cannot stay. I am here to charter a ship."

I couldn't help but feel dissapointment, but managed to keep a calm smile on my face and voice with an edge of happiness, "Let me assist you! I know a Captain, he's very discreet." I took a few steps back as I turned to look through my papers and other jumbled projects which cluttered my desk, "Hang on, I have the name recorded somewhere."

"What are you working on?" Ezio asked me. I looked over my shoulder at him, and grinned lightly as I stepped around to face him.

"Oh this?" I replied when I saw the paper I had been working on. "A hobby of mine. Of course you are familiar with Pythagoras!"

"Remind me." Ezio responded quickly, and I half rolled my eyes, consitering he had been so worked up on getting Cesare Borgia, he must have forgotten.

"The brilliant scolar from Greece who discovered many secrets about the heavanly spheres and our cosmos."

"These symbols come from him?"

"Ever since my exploration of that strange Apple, they've been stamped on my mind. I found symbols like them in the writings of the Pythagorean discipes." I explained, still shuffling through my things for that Captain's name. With a sigh, I stood and looked back to him, "I'm afraid the Captain's name excapes me."

"The Apple has been put to rest." But little did he know then that I'd ask to see it once more. Which wasn't smart on my own. "Prehaps it would do you good to focus on painting." He begun to step towards one of my current projects, a woman I was painting. "You seem to be doing decent work on this one."

"Ha!" I laughed. "You are kind, however even I can see that she is badly drawn. And that smile? Overdone. Meaningless. But forget painting, I made a breakthrough in my research several days ago. A huge discovery." I moved back toward my desk as I called form my apprentice, "Salai! Can you bring me the_" I stopped when I didn't hear a reply. I sighed to myself and told Ezio with a slight bti of irritation, "Oh, he is not back! I intended to accompany you to the docks, but we cannot leave my workshop without my assistant."

Ezio held a hand out to stop me, "Bene, an easy task."

"I'm afraid you underestimate Salai!" I sighed.

Ezio chuckled, "Wait and see."

"Suit yourself," I told him. "You will likey find him at La Volpe Addormentanta." With a pat on the shoulder I watched Ezio nod and leave. I jsut discided to sit back down after the door closed behind him. Just waiting for his return.

I looked back at the symbols, my thoughts on what this scolar had believed. Maybe he could have been right.

A loud knock on the door interrupted my thoughts, I looked up and stood back up. When I came up the stairs and to the doorway, I was greeted with a swift and unexpected punch to the stomach. Gripping my abdomine, I barely looked up enough to see the attacks were a few men in brown robes.

As the man got ready for another strike, I scrambled down the steps, the men after me in an instant! As I leaped over the desk, I sent a shower of paper behind me, my only concern was avoiding their grasping hands. I turned behind the desk only to be met with someone tackling me to the floor, and with as strong kick, he hit the same area I had been punched, making me cough as the air excaped my lungs. Abd everyhting was gone away as the one man next to him stomped down on my head. The world going black.

I could barely keep my vision straight as I came too, my fingers trembled as I reached under my desk, my hands wrapping aorund a discarded bit of white paint in a glass container. Dipping my finger into the paint I quickly begun to write on the floor, "DIPINTI DELLA VILLA" I then remembered at the last moment, Salai can't read at all! I had promised I would teach him, but the countless projects had gotten in the way! But Ezio, I knew very well he could read.

Th men were throwing thems around, and finally, they were satispied with a couple knocked over tables and chairs as well as paper littering the floor. Two men grabbed me and started to drag me out, and from there, all it took was their carelessness to make me go back into darkness.

Yup guys, I'm also putting the Da Vinci Disapearance in this. Thought it would be interesting.