Chapter 8: Interlude: A Change That Begins
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing! No Ezio. No Altair. I own nothing. This is purely for amusement, nothing else!
Story Info
Summary: Life or Death. That's usually what it all comes down to. But not for me. I got some thing else. I got a choice. Now follow me Olivia Steel, as I thrown into a world I never believed true and try to change a shattered future.
Main Pairings: Eventual! Ezio/OC, (Mentions of Ezio/Many, Mentions OC/others.)
Other Pairings: Ciana/Gaspare, Lucy/Desmond (Will add others when decided upon)
Thank you, dragonsire13, pretzel-logic, and Yanderegrl43ver, for your reviews. Thank you all or all the follows and favorites and readers! You guys keep me going.
Modern Day Interlude 1
'A Change That Begins'
Desmond Miles life had been turned upside down many times throughout his entire life. Sometimes, it had been his own doing. Other times, it had been far out of his control. Right now, something—Miraculous? Terrifying?—was happening so beyond the realm of control that had not only upheaved his perception of reality and life, but everyone in the Sanctuary as well. It was all due to the mysterious Red Hood, Olivia Steel that had cropped up in Ezio's memories like she had belonged there the entire time. She was new, he had never saw her in any memories prior and her appearance had them all in tail spin. Ezio talked and trusted her like she had been with him for years, and when Rebecca went to look back in the memories they had recorded so far…
The files before Olivia's appearance had been corrupted.
His pulse pounded in his temples, and he could feel the tension crackle in the air. No one had really spoken since this had happened, all trying to decipher just what was going on and then suddenly the answer—a bizarre and impossible answer came to them. Ripples beyond the Sanctuary walls had taken place; small changes at first. Just memories that had been overlooked until Lucy, Shawn or Rebecca actual stopped to think about them. And then the big ones came, like the Templar's reach over the world had diminished. Abstergo and the Templar Order were still formidable foes, but several of the benefactors that made them untouchable were suddenly gone. Reports of their assassinations archived in Shawn's database like it had always been there.
The Assassins who had been a dying breed, suddenly were flourishing. Desmond would even saw that they were on par with Abstergo with political backing and power due to Knights Corporation—an international security business that was a front for the Brotherhood. It gave them avenues and paths that the Assassins in the modern age had desperately needed. As if that had not been enough, members of the Brotherhood that had died in the never-ending fight against the Templars were suddenly alive and well.
And the only people who seemed to know these changes were even taking place were the four of them hiding away inside of the Auditore Villa in Monteriggioni.
Shawn pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm telling you, I was there. I saw him get killed—no, I am not having issues with PTSD or nightmares. No, Lara, I do not need a therapist. Just because we are cousins doesn't mean you can get sassy with me and question my mental state. I just need some damn good answ…" he trailed off, and gave the phone in his hand an aggravated glance. "She bloody well hung up."
"This is insane. I mean, you all realize how insane that this is right?" Desmond asked, running his hands down his face. "Is there any way to explain this? To explain her?" He pointed to the still picture of Olivia Steel. There was a smirk on her face from where the memory had been stilled, where she was taunting Ezio, but in this moment, it felt directed straight at them. "Is it time travel? Did we fall into some kind of alternate universe? And how come we are the only ones that are noticing this bullshit?"
"Maybe because we are in the eye of the storm," Rebecca said, thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, with an eyebrow arched upward.
"Think of this all of this, the changes to the past and the present—think of it like a hurricane. The motion of the storm, the clouds and how they spin around and around with such force that it can wipe entire cities off the map, except in this case it is wiping away what we knew about history and the second half of the story doesn't bring destruction, but instead reconstructions. Some things that are sturdy and strong stay the same, but the smaller things—the more fragile to change become different, creating a new world in its wake," Rebecca commented, fiddling with her headphones that sat around her neck. "The reason we aren't getting caught up in the storm is because we are in the eye of it. We are too close to the heart of what is going on here."
Desmond paused, thinking over Rebecca's words. It was an interesting and scarily accurate metaphor for what was going on here. He just didn't know what to make of it. It was a good thing that the Brotherhood was not dying out and now there once again a force to be reckoned with. He just didn't understand how one tiny woman could affect the future in such a way. He heard all that cockamamie bullshit about that time was a river, and every choice was a stone that made ripples. It was the first time he actually believed it, and that was unsettling to him.
"That…actually makes a scary sort of sense," Lucy replied, with a slightly faint look on her face. She dropped down into the nearby chair, and wrapped her arms around her midsection. "But if even you are right, what the hell has the power to cause something like this?"
"There is obviously some serious power play going on here. The past doesn't just change, and people don't just appear out of thin air. Not like this unless something serious beyond our ken and understanding is going down," Shawn stated, wearily. He took off his glasses, and rubbed his tired eyes gingerly. "Normally, I'd be the last person to be stock in higher powers or the like, but I think we are all going to have to broaden our views. Especially if we want to keep our sanity."
"I am beginning to question if I had any in the first place," Desmond grumbled, with a frown.
"Your self-awareness does you credit."
"Shawn!" Rebecca scolded him, half-heartedly.
Desmond merely rolled his eyes, used to Shawn's witty being sharpened on his ego. His dark brown eyes stared a moment longer at the picture on the screen before he turned around, and looked at the others. "It is so strange. I mean, one day we are all hiding away down here afraid of being discovered by Abstergo, and now we can walk the streets without batting an eye. I feel so weird interacting with the other assassins in the Villa and town. Half the time I don't know whether to say 'nice to meet you' or 'good to see you again'," he stated, folding his arms over his chest. He leaned back against the desk, and crossed one ankle over the other.
"You think that's weird try looking into the face of someone you seen die. The face of someone you felt like you…" Rebecca spoke, her voice wavered. Her eyes looked down at her shoes, and she shook her head side to side. She swallowed convulsively. "I suppose we should be grateful for it all. To go from barely surviving to being a force that is capable of fighting and standing against the Templars."
"I know what you mean," Lucy said, quietly. Her greenish blue eyes were troubled and worried. "It's like having two sets of memories inside your brain. One contradicts the other, but in your heart, you know they are both true."
"Nothing is true," Desmond whispered, lightly.
Lucy's lips twitched into a smile. "And everything is permitted. I wonder if the assassin that came up with that ideology had ever pictured something like this being permitted. While so many things are uncertain, we can be sure about one fact," the blond stated, pointing a finger to the Red Hood's picture. "Olivia is that catalyst that put this all into motion. I wanted to know who or what added her to the mix."
"You don't think she did this on her own?" Shawn asked.
"No. Something in my gut tells me that she is caught up in this like the rest of us," Lucy replied, placing her hands on her hips. Her brows furrowed, creating that little indention that Desmond noticed she got when she was thinking very serious and very hard about something. "Desmond, I hate to ask this of you. With the bleeding effect and the nightmares, I would never put you through more than was absolutely necessary, but—"
"You want me to go through Ezio's memories from the start," Desmond said, with a small nod. He had already known that they would need to start over, and while he was always leery of bleeding effect, he knew that this was something they needed to do. "Don't feel guilty about it, Lucy. I had a feeling that we were going to have to. Besides, I want to know where Olivia fits into all of this. I want to know the affect and impact she had on Ezio's life."
Lucy smiled at him brilliantly.
Desmond felt his heart flip-flop in his chest, and warmth crawl up the back of his neck. He couldn't stop the responding smile that appeared on his face even if he had tried. He had it bad for Lucy, and he wasn't even sure she was interested in him like that. Turning his mind away from that depressing thought, he added with a slight wince, "But can we try to skip all the sex scenes? Seeing my ancestor do the dirty is just not my idea of fun."
Lucy let out a snort of laughter while Shawn just rolled his eyes and Rebecca full out laughed out loud. For the first time in days, the dark clouds that lingered over the four seemed to disappear. "I am sure, Rebecca and Shawn can work something out to that affect," the blond woman chuckled, biting back a grin.
"We can," Rebecca confirmed, with a bob of her head. "But it's going to take a little while. We had to recalibrate the animus after it went all wonky when we tried to search Ezio's past memories. It will be a little while until it's up and running."
"Good. That means Desmond can go with Lucy to grab some groceries," Shawn said, pleased.
"Shawn," Lucy sighed.
"Look, I want to believe that these changes are all good and well. But we can't just rule out the possibility that the Templars managed to get ahold of a Piece of Eden that has somehow distorted reality. We know the objects are capable of a great number of things," Shawn told her, seriously. "I am doing some digging and verifying all that I can to eliminate that possibility to the best of my ability, but just in case, we are being had…we need to watch our backs."
And like that the dark clouds were back.
The afternoon air was warm, and held a low undercurrent of dewy humidity that made clung to her like a second skin. Lucy had many things on her mind, and the recent changes to reality—and despite Shawn's suspicious, she believed this was real—had changed her in a profound way. Shortly after joining the Assassins, she had experienced a loss that had broken her in a way that she could not heal. She had blamed the Brotherhood for it, never out loud but inside her head. It had turned her heart cold and dark, growing with intensity as she became disillusioned with the war. She had never intended to become a double agent. She had never imagined in the beginning that she would have betrayed the Brotherhood, and she tried justifying working with the Templars by telling herself that she just wanted the war to end. That it needed to end, and the never ending bloodshed to cease all together.
It had been a weak lie. A lie that she could not fool herself with anymore, now that her eyes had been opened. The painful loss had never happened. With the Brotherhood strong and thriving, the death of her family had never changed her. The moment of weakness that had made her become a double agent never happened. The intended betrayal erased from the script that was life, and replaced with a part that Lucy was so afraid to grasp with both hands. She didn't deserve such a second chance.
Her sins might have been erased, but the weight of them still choked her. The shame of her actions plagued her and haunted her, stealing into her thoughts and dreams. She thought to confess, to reveal to the others the dark truth of what she would have done, but each time she went to speak, her voice would falter. They were her friends. Maybe that was hypocritical given what she had once intended to do, but the thought of losing them was so agonizing that she couldn't bear it. She couldn't see the trust turn into a look of betrayal. In Desmond's eyes most of all.
It was made worse by the icy fingers—a lingering part of her darkness—that still had a hold on her heart, but like spring come to thaw out the winter snow, a warmth blossomed inside of her. It grew with each new memory that faded out the old and broken ones, making them seem dull and unimportant in comparison. It was melting the ice in her soul away, and bringing back a light that she had thought lost to her forever.
She just wished it had been enough to ease the guilt, too.
The passenger side door of the Honda opened, and jolted Lucy out of her thoughts like bolt of lightning. She tapped her fingers along the steering wheel as Desmond settled down into the seat beside her. As much as she fought it, she was intensely aware of Desmond Miles. In this timeline and the other, she had been aware of him. If anyone had the ability to change her cold heart away from betrayal, it would have been him. She had forged a bond with him, despite it all. She felt underserving of his trust and friendship. She felt the same way about Rebecca and Shawn, but there was difference with the one she had with Desmond.
She had asked so much of him. She had made him take leaps of fate, convinced him to join the Assassins, and go under the animus even when it could drive him insane. He had placed so much trust in her hands, and she had almost thrown it away. It was one of the reasons that Shawn's theory about this all being some kind of setup just didn't make sense to her. If Abstergo had masterminded this whole thing, why would they have undone her loyalty to them? Why lose an asset that would have given them access to Desmond, the one assassin whose blood line and genetic history was so tied to the Piece of Eden that Abstergo hunted him and his kin like no other? It made her stomach sick thinking about how selfish and cold-hearted that she had become.
"Lucy, are you alright?" Desmond asked.
Lucy looked up, and felt her heart clench at the genuine concern shining in his dark eyes. God, she felt like a bitch for all that she had done. No amount of cleaning the slate could change that. "I'm fine," she replied, softly. "I just have a lot on my mind is all."
"I think we all do," he smiled. "Given the circumstances, no one can blame you."
Oh, they most certainly could and I wouldn't blame them if they did, she thought, hiding a wince. She turned the keys in the ignition the second that he got his seatbelt on. The drive was a short one, just to a local grocery store that was about a mile beyond Monteriggioni's walls. There was a little store near the villa, but it lacked many of the items that were on the list.
"Do you really think Abstergo could be messing with our minds?" Desmond questioned, lightly.
"I think that after all the cruelty and madness they are capable of…we can't rule it out," Lucy answered, carefully. "But if you are asking if I believe that this all just some sort of mind game in the grand scheme of things? No. I believe that it is real. This is something beyond what we have ever faced. Something beyond what Abstergo has ever faced, though it is exactly the kind of power they want to harness."
"Now that is a scary thought," Desmond said, his lips twisted. Cold, ghostly fingers danced across the nape of his neck. "Abstergo with the power to alter history, or send someone back in time? That is terrifying to imagine all the good that they could undo, even good things that have nothing to do with the Brotherhood."
Lucy shivered. "I don't want to even think about what Abstergo would be capable of if they discovered a power source like this," she said, with a small shake of her head. Her blond bangs swayed side to side with the motion. She flipped on the headlights because the sun was setting, and even though it wasn't too dark yet, the last thing they needed was to be pulled over. "I just can't help, but feel leery of the machinations going on here. To what end would someone or something do this? What did they get out of putting Olivia Steel in the middle of Ezio's way? And why specifically her?"
"I wish I knew," Desmond shrugged, lightly. "Hopefully through the animus, and Ezio's altered memories we can find some answers."
"I hope you are rig—"
A great flash erupted from the backseat of the car followed by a thud. The car swerved violently on the road, until Lucy managed to get control of the steering wheel and pulled the car off of the road, slamming on the breaks. The truck that almost hit them head on blared its horn as it passed by, and the driver flipped her the bird. She twisted her head to peer into the back seat, and shock filled her when she saw a young man sitting there. "What the—how the—" Lucy sputtered, her eyes wide. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she shared a quick look with Desmond. He looked as shocked and confused as she did. "Where did you come from?!" She demanded, withdrawing the gun from the glove department.
Desmond looked as unnerved as she felt. He blinked his eyes rapidly, and pinched himself harshly a couple of times as if to make sure this wasn't just a dream.
"Oh, God. That was…what the hell?" The young man groaned, lifting himself up. His green eyes then caught sight of the gun barrel pointed steadily at his head and he scrambled back. "What the hell!"
"This might be a good time to tell us your name," Desmond said, tersely.
"Uh, the name is Leo. I'm harmless, so you could point the gun away from my face that would be shiny," the young man stuttered out, his face bloodless and his eyes riveted on the weapon. His pulse jumped erratically in his throat, and he pressed his body so hard against the backseat like he was attempting to sink into it.
"That's not happening," Lucy told him, her voice sharp. Her heart hammered in her chest, and the only reason that she hadn't put a bullet in the man's skull was because Desmond relaxed ever so slightly. She knew he had just used his special talent, and that his eyes had shown the young man wasn't an enemy. "How the hell did you get into the backseat of my vehicle?"
"Backseat of…" Leo became as still as a statue, not even a breath rattled through his chest. He stayed that way for several seconds as his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull while he truly comprehended just where he was. He drew in a great gust of air, and frantically whispered, "Shit. What the fuck? I was just at home, and now I am here. What the fuck? What the everlasting fuck?"
"People don't just appear in the backseat of a car!" Lucy snapped.
Desmond put a gently hand on her shoulder. "Lucy, calm down. We aren't going to get any answers to this…whatever the fuck just happened if you fill him up with bullet holes," he stated, awkwardly. It was obvious that Desmond was not use to being the voice of reason.
"This is Olivia's fault. I mean, all this weird shit started with her," Leo talked to himself, his arms wrapped tightly around his waist. He seemed lost inside of his own world, not even seeing or hearing them. "She dies and gets sent to the past. Carl goes as silent as the grave, and now I just get dropped into some random car with random people. I always joked that my life was like the Twilight Zone, but I never figured Murphy and his fucked up laws would actually go through with making it a reality."
"Olivia?" Desmond said, his dark eyes shared a look with Lucy.
Lucy frowned, deeply. Olivia Steel mysteriously appears in Ezio's life, and now a person was magically dropped in their car that had a friend named Olivia whom he was blaming for his predicament. This was no coincidence, and Lucy had a feeling that their troubles were only about to grow in size.
Leo blinked at them, bemusedly.
Desmond let out a breath through his nose. "This friend that you are blaming? Wouldn't happened to be Olivia Steel, would it?" He asked, with a resigned note in his voice.
"Uh, yeah…" Leo replied, with a hint of hesitation. "Why?"
Lucy dropped her forehead against her headrest with a groan. "Son of a bitch. Can this get anymore fucked up than it already has?" She demanded, hotly underneath her breath. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head and looked at Desmond. "In the glove compartment, there is a pair of handcuffs. Until we know more about him, and Olivia, I think we should be cautious and keep him restrained."
"Uh, really there is no need for that," Leo reassured, quickly. "I'll be good, and there is no need to put me in handcuffs or anything."
He was ignored.
Desmond raised a brow, the corner of his mouth quirked upward. "You keep handcuffs in your glove department?" He asked, more than a little amused. His dark eyes held a wicked gleam that made all of Lucy's insides tremble.
"Desmond, don't be dirty," Lucy told him, her voice more breathless than she cared to admit. "We don't have the time."
"And if we did have the time?" Desmond looked intrigued as he withdrew the handcuff. His thumbs brushed across the metal with more care than necessary, almost like a man caressing his lover's skin.
A flush stained her cheeks, and she froze like a computer did right around being hit by a bolt of lightning. The thought of Desmond, her and handcuffs seemed to short circuit her brain. Finally, she gathered her wits and tossed him a glare. "Now is not the time," she told him, her voice a little more high-pitched to be normal. "Put the handcuffs on him."
Leo let out a strangled laugh. His eyes darted between the gun and the handcuffs, sweat dripping down his brow. "Look, I didn't agree to some kind of weird threesome. You two can carry on with your passive aggressive flirting, and I will leave after apologizing for unexpectedly dropping in on you, but I've got to go…" His voice trailed off, and his eyes narrowed at Desmond. His eyes held an intense look like he was working out a puzzle, and then slowly, he said, "Did she just call you Desmond?"
"That would be my name," Desmond said, dryly.
"Desmond?" Leo said, tonelessly. "As in Desmond Miles? Descendant of Altair, Ezio and bunch of other Assassins?"
The temperature in the car plummeted. The mischief dropped off of Desmond's face in the blink of an eye, and his right arm tensed. The hidden blade slid out from where it was hidden underneath the sleeve of his loose hoodie. Leo's throat bobbed, and Lucy swore that the young man recognized the sound.
"Then I think there is only one response I can give that sufficiently describes what I am feeling," Leo said, with a nervous laugh. His eyes rolled back into his skull, and he promptly fainted.
Desmond and Lucy stared for several moments. And then Desmond looked over at Lucy, and said, "Well, that's convenient."
"Convenient isn't a word I would use for any of this."
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