Chapter 8 - The Bleeding Effect

Tom had to blink several times as his vision returned. In between blinks, he could have sworn he had seen Shadow stood over him, but after his vision returned to normal, he could see that it was the female Assassin that had been accompanying them. His head felt… different. Different than it usually did after he'd been in the animus. There was the light-headedness, which was typical at this point, but this time it didn't go away, and his head felt as if it was in a vice. His head throbbed with a dull ache and it wouldn't go away. Looking over at the others, he could see that they were in a similar way. They both groaned in pain and clutched their heads.

"Good. So you're all feeling that?" Jason asked.

The three of them grunted a yes.

"Excellent. That is a good sign. No bleeding?" he asked.

"Not that we can see." Reported the other male Assassin.

"Perfect. The three of you get to training. Now!" Jason ordered.

All three of them protested but they dutifully obeyed. To their surprise, they found their abilities had significantly improved. Will's technique on the punching bags had developed and he could now get more force behind a punch. Shadow found that he could climb quicker and he could move in an even more agile manner. And Chad… well, he could take a few more direct hits to the face and his IQ dropped slightly. Overall, they were all taking on the traits of their ancestors very well. Chad and Will's side effects from Animus usage vanished not long after they began training again, but Tom's had refused to go away. His head pounded as he exercised, with no sign of easing up. It stuck with him after half an hour, then an hour, then one and a half hour. It refused to go away. He was about to tell Jason when Jason called to the three of them, ordering a training fight between Tom and Will first. The rules of the fight were simple. No breaks. No gloves. No headwear. Kicks and grappling were allowed but no biting. This was a real fight. Drawing blood could be a distinct possibility. The two entered the ring and Jason ordered the fight to commence.

The first few minutes were virtually standard, with both of them fighting in their standard techniques: Will came in, guns blazing, while Tom circled cautiously around, ducking and diving out the way, slowly wearing Will out with each missed blow. Then about three minutes into the fight, everything changed. Will waded in with another flurry of blows, which Tom dodged with ease, ducking under the last hook and manoeuvring himself behind Will. Then his head started ringing and his eyesight started to tremble, distorting what he could see. He placed a hand on his head, unsure of what was happening as he glanced at an incoming blow from Will. He threw himself desperately to the left as he felt the fist glide just shy of his ear. He quickly got back to his feet and shifted back, away from his opponent, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it. It did not work and much to his terror, he saw a horse and carriage charge towards him and he rolled frantically away from it, before a man wearing a colonial redcoat outfit leapt on top of him. The man tried to force his bayonet into Tom's throat but Tom held his arms back. Raising his legs to place his feet on the redcoat's chest, he pushed away with all his strength, sending his unknown assailant toppling backwards. Pushing his advantage, he leapt on top of the redcoat, reversing the positions and he flicked his wrist to engage his hidden blade and plunged it into the neck of the mystery redcoat, bloodlust in his eyes.

"ENOUGH!" yelled Jason, his voice strong and powerful.

Tom seemed to remember himself again and looked down at the terrified Will beneath him. The redcoat had vanished and placed Will in his stead. Looking at his wrist, he thanked the spirits that the Assassins hadn't saw fit to give him a hidden blade yet. He suddenly felt confused and disorientated as he no longer understood what was going on. What had just happened? He got off Will as Jason entered the ring and Chad stared at him in awe. Jason took Tom no-too-gently to one side and spoke to him in a firm but caring voice.

"What happened? What did you see?"


Chad was amazed at what he saw. The fight was going as he expected it, with Will trying to use his brute strength to end the fight quickly, with Tom evading every blow, trying to extend the fight and wear Will down so he had a better chance of his attacks affecting him. Then Tom suddenly stopped dancing around the ring. He stood still, and clutched his head, as if a sudden headache had claimed him. As Will recovered and launched another blow aimed at Tom's head, Tom only just managed to get out of the way in time. Falling swiftly back into a corner, he appeared to shake his head before gasping in fear. Will was on the other side of the ring when Tom randomly leapt and rolled, seeming to dodge something. Something no one else saw. As Tom was on the ground, Will pressed the advantage, jumped astride Tom, and tried to force his fist into his face. Tom held him back by the arms, furiously defending himself, raising his legs up to Will's chest, before pushing hard with his legs, sending a surprised Will toppling backwards. Tom dived on top of him, the positions now reversed as he raised his hand and flicked his wrist before bringing it down to Will's neck. There was a thirst for blood in Tom's eyes when he did this. This was not the shy kid who panicked at the sight of blood. It was as if Tom were possessed. And it was if he were trying to kill Will with one of the Assassins' hidden blades.


"ENOUGH!" Jason yelled and Tom looked up, snapping out of his trance-like state and seemingly confused. Jason climbed athletically into the ring and took Tom to one side.

"What happened? What did you see?" Jason asked, firm but caring.

"I… I… I don't know…" Tom trembled. "I was fighting Will, then I suddenly went light-headed and I didn't see his punch coming until the last minute…"

"Yes? And then?" Jason asked quickly, eager for more information. A confused look crossed Tom's face.

"And then… I saw a horse and carriage… charging right at me… I know it sounds crazy but it looked so real…"

"Yeah…?"

"So I rolled out the way out of it… next thing I know, there's a redcoat jumping on top of me, pinning me down and trying to impale me with his bayonet!"

Chad chuckled, acting as if Tom just said an innuendo. One sharp stare from Jason shut him up.

"Go on…" Jason said.

"Well, I kicked him off me and jumped on him, engaged my hidden blade and stabbed his throat." Tom rubbed his wrist idly, noting that he has never worn a hidden blade.

"Interesting…" Jason pondered, rubbing his chin in thought.

"What the fuck is going on?!" Chad asked. "Why is he seeing things?!"

"It's the same thing that's caused you all to pick up the traits of your ancestors. Prolonged exposure to the Animus causes a phenomenon known as the 'Bleeding Effect.' Side effects include seeing the memories of your ancestors even when not in the Animus. Your brain is the only thing from keeping their memories and yours smashing together into one big, gooey mess." Jason explained.

Will shivered at the thought.

"So… we'll all start seeing shit?" Chad asked.

"Not exactly. It's possible, but not a certainty. You might get the occasional vision of the past, but I wouldn't expect it to affect either of you as badly as it seems to affect Tom."

"Why the fuck is this happening?" Tom asked, desperate for a straight answer.

"All the ancestors in your head are all coming together, and your brain is struggling to remember which one is you. These phases will come and go, but they should be over pretty quickly."

"So I'm stuck like this?"

"Basically, yes. Sorry…" Jason shrugged apologetically.

"Its… fine. I'll get used to it, I guess." Tom replied, understanding.

"On the bright side, it should improve your training."

"That's something, I suppose…"


The three trainee Assassins continued to train as Jason and the other two Assassins supervised, paying extra attention to Tom, who was now at risk of succumbing to the Bleeding Effect. He occasionally had to shake his head to clear the visions that swamped him, but other than that, he had no more serious problems. He was now picking up stealth skills at a highly improved as well, a fact that made Jason smile with glee. 'The plan could work' he thought. 'The plan was working' he corrected himself."


"Brother Jason!" The female Assassin rushed into the warehouse, then into the kitchen, doubling over and panting desperately for breath.

"Take it easy." Jason replied, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Slow down, just breathe. Now, what news do you bring?"

"The Assassin-hunter Otso Berg is here. The Templars have also increased their presence here massively. I think they know we're here."

"Hmm…" Jason pondered. "Its possible… unlikely, but possible. The Templars are very crafty, especially that Otso Berg. He has killed many of our brothers and sisters during his time as a Templar, and to think he started out as nothing more than a simple enforcer…"

"What should we do?" The male Assassin asked from his position perched up on top of a cupboard.

"He does not know that we know he is here, which makes him vulnerable. This could be an opportunity to remove a big threat to all Assassins. We may not get another chance like this again." Jason thought aloud.

"But we can't get close enough to kill him… not with just three of us!" The female Assassin replied.

"But we don't have three Assassins." Jason grinned. "We have six."

"The recruits? You can't be serious!" The woman said, aghast. "Your putting them at risk!"

"Not to mention putting us at risk having to babysit them!" the male Assassin added, jumping down from his perch.

"Have some faith in them." Jason said calmly. "Just look at their ancestors. Assassination is in their blood."


The next week's training was especially punishing. Even Will was struggling to keep up with the physical demands of the gruelling and rigorous training regime. The only person who seemed to be coping was Tom. It was as if his recent experiences with the Bleeding Effect had changed him somehow. He seemed more confident and had a much more solid mental resolve. His strength and agility had seemed to double, making him even more nimble than before. The only downside was that the semi-constant visions could sometimes overwhelm him and he would temporarily lose his balance until the visions passed. And as luck would have it, it was almost always at the most awkward moments, such as when he was boxing or Jason was running exercise with them again. But despite everything, he still managed and didn't let it faze him too much. He was still out-performing the other two.

"What's with the recent increase in training?" Will once grunted during the week, sweat pouring down from his face from a solid four hours on the rowing machine.

"I might have a special operation coming up and I want to see if you guys are as good in practise as you are in here. But I won't say anything more for now."

And he stayed true to his statement and didn't say another word on the matter, despite Chad's constant desperate pleas. However he did approach Tom during the middle of the night when everyone else had gone to sleep, and asked him to follow him. The pair walked out of the warehouse into the chilly night outside. The sky was a deep purple, not yet the harsh black of the dead of night, with the moon hanging majestically in the middle, full and beaming. Dry leaves scraped against the ground as the light wind carried them and threw them around, tossing and turning. Owls hooted their night-time songs and the occasional car horn from the hustle and bustle of the city punctuated the natural orchestra. The night was cold yet calm. It seemed… serene. Tom pulled the hoodie closer around him to keep the icy breeze from making its chilly way to his bones. Jason strolled uncaring for the chill, stoic against the breeze, his hair flowing smoothly. He turned and saw Tom fighting the cold and laughed a mighty, hearty laugh which boomed in the night.

"Come," he said, "Let us run to get your blood flowing."

And with that, he dashed away towards a high brick wall of another warehouse in the industrial complex. He felt the impact of each foot hitting the ground through his shoes. He felt the air running through his hair as he picked up speed. As he met the wall, he felt his hands slide over the rough bricks of the building as his feet pushed him higher with a single big push from the wall. For the first time in a very long time, he felt truly alive. His fingertips met the ledge at the peak of his wall run and he swiftly hefted his own bodyweight upwards using every muscle in his body and vaulted onto the rooftop of the storage shed he had scaled. He laughed and looked back to their warehouse, expecting to see Tom charging desperately after him, but he saw nothing. Absolutely nothing. The leaves had stopped moving and scraping. The owls had stopped hooting. The breeze had stopped blowing. The night was still. Instantly on his guard, Jason flexed his wrist and his hidden blade sprung from its holdings from his gauntlet.

"You know," a voice called from behind him. "You really shouldn't challenge someone who practically spent most of his life free-running to a race. You will lose."

Jason spun around and saw Tom sat up on the much higher roof of the warehouse, looking down at him, his legs swinging idly over the ledge.

"How did you-?" Jason started.

"Get up here?" Tom finished, grinning. "Practise."

Jason returned the grin and burst out laughing. Tom began to chuckle too, and before long, both of them were in a fit of laughter.

"You should know…" Jason struggled to say through the laughter, "it has been a very long time indeed since I laughed this hard."

"That makes two of us!" Tom smiled.

"Come on then!" Jason yelled up to him before he started to run again. Tom swiftly followed from the higher rooftop above him.


The two of them ran for nearly an hour, making their way deep into the city, no obstacle proving too much for them to handle. They eventually found themselves atop a large apartment building and they made their way down an old, rusting fire escape. Each made their way down using a different route. Jason vaulted the stairs and railing, taking the safer, yet still risky route down while Tom vaulted the railing and made his way down the outside of the fire escape, the quicker but riskier way down. The both arrived at the first floor of the fire escape at the same time, but before Tom could leap down to the ground, Jason stopped him and gestured for him to be silent. Below them was a dark alley, lit only by a bright burning fire in an oil drum. Dark figures moved in the darkness below.

"Brothers and sisters… time grows short." Came a voice from below, its deep accent thick. He sounded Finnish. "The Assassins are here and they have obtained three very important assets of ours. Assets we cannot allow them to have. I have given each of you a dossier on the three assets. They must not die. You are to locate them so we can reacquire them. Anyone who gets in our way must die."

As Tom leaned on the railing in an effort to better here the voice below, the old fire escape showed its age. Several sections of the railing that had rusted heavily crumbled away and the railing came free. Thankfully, the voice covered the sound of the snapping railing and the remains dropped straight into a full dumpster, silencing the drop. Tom, having leant on the railing fell with it, only to be caught by Jason by mere fingertips. Jason held Tom in place by his forearm, cautious to haul him up because of the possibility of someone below noticing the movement and looking up, revealing their position. Refusing to move, they both listened intently to the voice.

"You all know what you must do. May the Father of Understanding guide us." It said.

"May the Father of Understanding guide us." The others echoed.

Jason pulled Tom up from his precarious position and they watched the figures fade into the darkness, disappearing completely from sight.

"Who's was that voice?" Tom asked.

"That? That was Otso Berg. He is a known Assassin-killer and leader of Sigma Team, an Abstergo task force, the deadliest they have. And he is looking for you and the other two. This is bad. We have to move. And tonight. Quickly, we have to get back to the hideout. That operation I mentioned earlier in the week has just been moved forwards. We have to find him before he finds us."

"What do you mean?" Tom asked, confused.

"Follow me. I will explain everything on the way."