It didn't take them long to reach the assassins' safe house. Despite much grumbling from Desmond, they had decided the quickest and safest route was on rooftop while it was still somewhat dark out. Thankfully, Alex had agreed that he wouldn't strap Desmond in with his tentacles if he kept a tight hold of him. Desmond didn't even argue, but rather just grabbed onto his shoulders without any hesitation. He did not want a repeat of last night.
The assassin safe house was on the other side of Central Park, and since they didn't want to raise attention, they took the longer route around the Park's exterior instead of cutting through it. Early morning joggers were probably just starting their routes, and Alex didn't want anyone to see him sprinting or gliding at high speeds while carrying a person in his hands and another person holding onto him for dear life.
In the end, it was a scenic run, and Desmond enjoyed the sights as they sped by The green buds on the hundreds of trees seemed to bring new life to Desmond. However, it wasn't long before they were encased in the city again with larger buildings looming over them. The young green of Central Park disappeared, and soon the two found themselves staring at industrialized grey. It grew boring after a while, and Desmond's paranoia of being dropped bubbled up again without the distraction of the Park.
Finally, Alex decided to drop to the ground once they were a couple blocks away. They landed in a shadowed alley, where Desmond quickly recollected himself while Alex waited impatiently. Once his brain realized that he was back on solid ground, Desmond took point and led Alex to the safe house. The assassin looked up at the building, seeing that the lights were still on, expecting the worst when they would enter the floor that they were squatting in.
"Are you sure that I can't take over?" Desmond asked as he unlatched the gate that protected the front door. "I can take Rebecca up by myself. And, you know, you could just leave."
Alex didn't answer; he just waited for Desmond to open to door. The younger man sighed and pushed the door open, and the virus entered without giving Desmond a passing glance. Alex didn't even wait for Desmond to close up the door before he started walking up the stairs. Desmond noticed this and swore, picking up his pace a bit.
"Seriously, Lucy's gonna have a bad taste for you after last night. Hell, I still do, too." Desmond tried to convince Alex. It would have been best if the virus just left them before things got out of hand more than they already did. He ran up the stairs and finally caught up with Alex. "And Shaun's just an ass. He'd piss you—"
Desmond couldn't finish. Alex had already opened the door to their safe house. And by opening, he meant giving it one swift kick, forcing the lock to break. Alex entered without hesitation, not waiting to see if Desmond would follow. The assassin heard a gasp and a stifled cry. It belonged to Lucy. Accompanying Lucy's cry was the blubbering shouting that belonged to Shaun as he tried to choke his fear without Alex noticing. Desmond peeked in behind the virus just in time to watch the other assassins back up into the kitchen. Lucy was already feeling around for anything to use as a weapon.
Alex took another step in, ignoring the two's reactions to his unannounced presence and headed towards the couch. Desmond was just entering behind Alex when he saw a kitchen cleaver flung at Alex's back. It found its target, hitting Alex straight in the right shoulder, where it should have rendered the arm useless. Desmond knew that Lucy was the one who had thrown it.
But of course Alex ignored the kitchen cleaver, not even feeling it, and just continued to the couch. He gently placed Rebecca down on the couch before turning to look at the three assassins. Desmond had ran into the kitchen was trying to take other numerous knives out of Lucy's hands, but wasn't succeeding. Lucy looked like she intended to kill, but Alex could pick out the terror in her eyes. And as for the man Desmond called Shaun, he looked like he was having a panic attack in the corner by the small fridge.
"Will you stop that?" Alex shouted at Lucy, clearly aggravated. His arms slightly trembled, rippling even, which caused Desmond and the others to take a step back.
He received no answer. The other assassins were too terrified by the volume of his voice. They winced, and Alex somehow felt even more irritated.
Alex just growled out a sigh and pulled the cleaver out of his shoulder. The assassins watched the act, frozen from fear, horrified like Desmond had been back that first night when Alex pulled out the hidden blade out of his heart. Alex frowned, his eyebrows creasing, and crumpled the cleaver into a metallic ball as if it was a sheet of paper. Alex tossed the crumpled cleaver to the side, the object clanging as it hit the floor boards, and kept his eyes on the group of assassins.
"Uh . . . Shaun, Lucy, this is Alex." Desmond said as he slowly took the knives out of the woman's clenched white hands. He set them down safely behind him in the small kitchen sink. "He helped us escape, remember? And we're thankful, but he really should get going now."
Alex didn't get the hint that Desmond was giving him, and neither did the other assassins. They didn't even really hear him, as if he wasn't even in the same room. His words went in one ear, but came out the other. They just continued to stare at each other, their gazes like knives. Lucy kept a pair of hawk like eyes on the virus, and she was foolishly determined not to back down.
Without another word, Alex turned and headed towards one of the apartment's windows. He had had enough of this showdown. The assassins watched, confused, as he opened the window and put a foot out against the building's wall. He turned his head to look at the three, and then glanced at an unconscious Rebecca, his expression softening just a tad. Only Desmond caught it.
"This isn't the last time. I'll be keeping an eye on you." Alex said, his motives a bit vague.
And with that, Alex disappeared from their sight. The only thing left from him was the hostile feelings in the air. Shaun, Lucy, and Desmond all shared a sigh of relief and went over to Rebecca, who was still knocked out. Lucy quickly unraveled the bandages around Rebecca's damaged leg. She let out a sharp breath, astonished at what she saw.
"This is bad." Shaun muttered. He pushed up his glasses and studied her wounds more closely. He got up and walked to his bedroom, coming out with a white bag with a red plus sign on it. "Our first aid kit will keep off an infection, but we need to take her to the hospital if we're to save her leg."
Lucy shook her head. "No, that'll just bring us even more unwanted attention. If anything, I think out trip with Desmond was what tipped Abstergo off in the first place. Bringing her to a hospital will only make the situation worse."
"It's already pretty bad." Desmond sighed, rolling his eyes as he sat down in an open chair. He started to rub his forehead, but stopped halfway when he noticed how poorly he could move his hands with the bandages around them.
It was then that Lucy noticed that Desmond was also wrapped up with bandages. She let Shaun take over and clean Rebecca's injuries by himself while she inspected Desmond's head and hands. Lucy got up and plucked some things out of the first aid kit and made her way over to the other assassin. Lucy shook her head and began to disinfect the gash on his forehead, and he sucked in a deep breath as it stung him.
"Oh, don't be such a baby." Lucy smirked as she continued to clean his wound. She started to wrap gauze around his head, hoping to keep it from bleeding again. "Grow up a bit, and take things like a man."
"Hey, chicks love scars." Desmond jokingly flirted.
Lucy shook her head and punched him on the shoulder lightly. The action was one of friendly affection, but Desmond flinched at the touch. Lucy realized that Desmond was still scared shitless after the past twenty four hours, and he needed to calm down before he mentally snapped. If he didn't already mentally snap. Every slight movement seemed to set him on edge.
"Well, you'll have a lot of scars on your hands, that's for sure." Lucy said softly as she looked for anything still deep in the wounds, but found nothing there. She quickly wrapped his hands up and sent him to bed. "You look like a dead dog, go get some sleep."
Desmond groaned and sat up. He made his way to his room and shut the door behind him. A few minutes passed, and Desmond's snores could be faintly heard. Shaun rolled his eyes at the rumbling, and looked over Rebecca to see if anything else was amiss about her. Her clothes were blood stained and gritty, and they looked like they had had their fair share of adventure in their life time. He started to take her jacket off when he noticed something.
Shaun furrowed his eyebrows in curiosity and bent over the unconscious computer techie. Something was neatly tucked into one of her coat's pockets, and it had caught his attention as if it was to do so intentionally. Shaun grabbed it, only to find out that it was a small piece of paper, folded poorly as if the person who did it was in a rush. The Brit sat back in his chair and opened it, pushing his glasses further up his nose.
"Um, Lucy?" Shaun shouted after he read the paper. Lucy, who had went back to the kitchen to put the knives away properly, perked up and looked at Shaun's distressed expression. She took in his expression and frowned. "You need to read this. Now."
She didn't know if she wanted to. But she still walked over to Shaun and grabbed the paper out of his hands. Lucy held it up in a ray of sunlight, as if to get a better look at it. She needed it; whoever wrote on the paper had horrible handwriting.
It was a note.
Thought you'd have a problem with hospitals. Call the number below, ask for a Bradley Ragland. He's good with bad injuries. Tell him Alex gave you the number.
555-0169
That's all that was written, but it was enough to confuse the two assassins. It was obvious that Alex Mercer had given them the note. He must have already guessed that a hospital was where Rebecca needed to go, but couldn't. And somehow he knew why they couldn't seek medical aid. It took a second of thinking, and Shaun and Lucy shared a knowing glance: Desmond had spilled the beans big time to Alex.
But was this a gift? Or a trap? They had no idea anymore. Alex had become an enigma to them overnight. First, he tried to kill Desmond, and then Alex willingly helped Desmond and Rebecca escape Abstergo. Not only that, but Alex had taken care of them through the long night instead of abandoning them, and he even brought them back.
What were his motives? What did he want from them? Maybe Desmond knew, but he was already out cold for who knows how long. They'd just have to wait until he woke up, whenever that was.
"Should we try it?" Shaun whispered, suddenly very paranoid.
Lucy shrugged. "We don't have much of a choice, do we?"
Shaun sighed, rubbing his forehead roughly. He looked at Rebecca one last time, as if she could tell him the right answer. But just one look at the weak woman was enough for him to decide.
"I'll make sure we aren't traced when you call." Shaun muttered as he trudged to his computer, starting up the procedure as fast as he could. Lucy watched Shaun type away at his computer, waiting for him to nod or give her another signal. "You're all set, luv. Whenever you're ready."
Lucy nodded and held out her cell phone. She plugged in the number that Alex gave them and pressed the phone to her ear. Lucy listened to the soft, monotonous ringing, and wondered if someone would actually answer it. Someone finally picked up after the third ring, much to Lucy's relief. She sucked in a breath waiting for someone to answer. Apparently whoever this Bradley Ragland was, he wasn't expecting someone to call him.
"Alex?" A deep male voice asked, his voice shaking subtly with fear. The bass in the man's voice sent vibrations down Lucy's spine, and the woman lost her concentration and zoned out. "Alex, what's wrong?"
"No, this isn't Alex." Lucy finally said in a low and calm voice.
"Then who am I speaking to?" The man asked, his voice obviously showing relief that it wasn't Alex. However, the fear in his voiced was then replaced with suspicion. He spoke with a sharper tongue. "And how did you get this number?"
"I can't disclose that information at the moment. I can only tell you that I need your help. One of my colleagues is badly hurt and it's too dangerous to take her to a hospital." Lucy slowly said. "You may be her only hope."
"Then I'm afraid that you are in trouble, my dear." Ragland spoke without remorse. "I'm just a retired mortician, a frail old man really, that's trying to live the remainder of my years in peace. Sorry, but you're on your own, I'm afraid. Goodbye."
"Wait!" Lucy abruptly cried out, panic taking over her. She didn't know if Ragland had already hung up on her, but she couldn't stop herself. This may be their only chance to help Rebecca. "Alex Mercer gave us this phone number. He instructed us to call you."
The phone was still silent on the other end. Lucy was about to give up when she heard someone let out a deep sigh, and it wasn't hers. There was the sound of papers ruffling and she gave Shaun a confused glance. What was Ragland doing? Shaun shrugged, having no idea was the man was doing either. After a minute, the line went silent once again.
"Meet me at the Chapel between 13th and 14th street on Sixth Avenue in forty five minutes." Ragland finally stated, bringing a wave of relief over the assassins. "Go through the back, behind the restaurant. I'll be there, waiting."
Finally, the man hung up. Lucy turned the phone off and looked at Shaun, who nodded. He had gotten the address and wrote it down on a post it note. Shaun stood up and grabbed his coat that was resting on the back of the chair and put it on. Just a couple seconds passed and Shaun was on his way to the garage. They wouldn't be able to take Rebecca on foot or by subway, so they would have to take the van. Shaun grabbed the keys and motioned for Lucy to follow him.
"I'll be down in a second." Lucy said as she went into her room and took out a wheelchair that they had bought in case of an emergency. Lucy thanked herself for thinking about it back then, knowing that she would have never guessed the series of events that they just went through. "I'm getting Rebecca."
She couldn't hear Shaun's response, but she knew that he heard her. Lucy propped the wheelchair open and placed it by the couch, where it would be easier to transfer the unconscious assassin. Lucy picked Rebecca up and slumped her down into the wheelchair. Rebecca's head rolled around, and Lucy gently placed it in a more comfortable position. With one last glance at Desmond's room, Lucy wheeled Rebecca up and locked the door behind her.
"Take care, Desmond." Lucy whispered as she took her time wheeling the woman to the stairs, where Shaun waited for them. She was speaking more to herself than Desmond, as if she was trying to calm down her own nerves more. "We'll take over from here. Just get some rest."
The assassins had arrived at the destination about half an hour later. On their way through the traffic filled streets, Rebecca had finally awakened from her pain induced coma. The first thing she did was start groaning in pain. Shaun had been holding her hand for support, and now the woman was squeezing the blood out of his own. Her grip was so intense.
During that time, Shaun had tried to fill the girl up with enough pain medicine to knock her out again. Just as Lucy was pulling the van into the Chapel's small back parking lot, Rebecca was starting to sink back into a groggy unconsciousness. However, the computer techie was determined to stay awake, having slept through enough excitement already.
"Alright, Becca, but take it easy." Shaun finally caved in as the van's engine was shut off. Rebecca gave him a clouded gaze, her movements slow hitched slightly, before giving him a dazed smile. "He might decide to drug you anyways."
"Don't sweat it, Shaun. I'll be fine." Rebecca muttered, her voice gruff.
Shaun sighed and wheeled Rebecca out of the van carefully. The woman clutched onto the wheelchair as if her life depended on it, and she flinched when Shaun hit a rock on the asphalt. The Brit muttered an apology and continued to wheel Rebecca to where Lucy was waiting for them, which was by the front of the white van.
"How are you holding up?" Lucy asked. She looked over the other woman, picking out all the obvious injuries and wondered which one was the one that hurt the worst. It was evident that her broken leg was causing the most amount of pain.
"Never better." Rebecca forced through gritted teeth. She was lying.
Lucy nodded and led the two to the Chapel's back door. A black Chevy truck was parked by the back entrance, most likely belonging to Ragland. Good, at least the Doctor had decided to show up. The three assassins were still on edge, but they had to get this appointment done and over with.
They stopped by the entrance, Lucy's hand gripping the steel doorknob. She and Shaun shared a hesitant glance before breathing a sigh. This could still be a trap, and it would all be over with in an instant. Rebecca knew this too, but in her pained, drugged out state of mind, she disregarded this fact and huffed out an impatient complaint.
"My leg feels like it went through a flippin' shredder. Can we please get on with this?"
Another second passed, and Lucy forced her hand to pull the door open.
They entered a dimly lit hallway, but could see that it opened up at the ending. Shaun slowly and cautiously pushed Rebecca forward, his eyes darting from side to side if there were any signs of danger. The wheelchair creaked against the Chapel's old wooden floor, and Shaun silently cursed the man that designed this old place. Obviously they hadn't thought about evasiveness when constructing it.
Lucy closed the door right behind them, and narrowed her eyes in suspicion and fright. Just in the little crevices of the door were spots of old blood stains. That was not a good sign. Blood was never a good sign. She pulled a small pistol out of her brown jacket and silently followed Shaun down the hallway. At the first sign of danger, she would pull the trigger.
The three assassins slowly entered the back room, where an old man was sitting at a desk, facing away from them. The man had all of his tools laid out and ready for use. He had no idea what sort of trouble his caller was in, so he had just decided to bring the lot of them.
"Bradley Ragland?" Shaun finally asked, breaking the silence of the room.