Arno and Talon stood on a rooftop overlooking the courtyard of Hopital de la Salpetriere. Even though it was midafternoon, the sky was grey and the ground was soft and moist from the rain that had come on and off throughout the day. The courtyard below them was terraced and gated, with many varieties of flora that had not yet begun to bloom. The whole area might have been picturesque if it weren't for the weather, the season, and the numerous guards wandering the grounds.

"There ought to be a roster of patients being held here in one of the offices," Arno said. "If the captured Assassins are being held here, their names would be on that list."

Talon nodded in agreement, "Then we should search the upper floors of the building first," He said. "It's unlikely that they'd have an office in the cellar."

They planned their route through the courtyard carefully before beginning their decent. Two lone guards stood at the edge of the courtyard, with their backs facing the building that Talon and Arno stood on, which Arno took to his advantage when he leaped from the roof to assassinate the unsuspecting men. Talon took a more inconspicuous route, choosing to instead make a Leap of Faith into a conveniently located cart of hay near the base of the wall.

From there they made their way forward, pausing on either side of an opening in one of the many walls to quietly eliminate two passing guards. While they had several close encounters, they managed to sneak through the courtyard and make their way into the building without raising the alarm.

Once inside, they made their way through the upper halls, searching each room for the list they were looking for. Finally, in a corner office near a set of descending stairs they found their prize. Talon kept watch invisibly while Arno scoured the list for the people they were looking for.

"They're here," Arno said at long last, "all three of them are here. It says they are being kept in cells on the lower level." He replaced the list in the desk drawer he had taken it out of and walked towards where he assumed Talon was standing.

Talon revealed himself to be leaning against the door frame, "Then let's go get them."

Together they snuck down the steps leading down into the cellar where the patients, or prisoners depending on the case, were kept. Arno led the way to where the roster had said they were kept and stopped outside the first cell door.

"We need to find the key to this cell," Arno whispered, gesturing to the door.

Talon scoffed, "No we don't." And he proceeded to withdraw a lock pick and tension wrench from one of the pockets on the inside of his coat. Wordlessly he went to work on the cell door, and within seconds, the simple lock opened with a barely audible click.

The door opened on well-oiled hinges to reveal a single man. He wore the ubiquitous black and white coat of a lower ranking member of the Brotherhood, except his hood was down, and his mask lay like a scarf around his neck. Upon seeing Arno and Talon, his dirty face lit up and he ran a hand through his blonde hair which was loosely tied back at the nape of his neck.

"Arno!" He exclaimed, "I've never been happier to see you in all of my life."

Arno smiled, "I'm glad you are alive and well, James," he said, "but now's no time for pleasantries, we need to find the others and get you out of here."

James nodded, "But what about Roux?"

This time it was Talon who spoke, "Arno and I will take care of him, just worry about getting yourself and the others out."

"Alright," James said, seemingly satisfied, "lead the way."

Finding the remaining two Assassins was easy. James had been the highest ranking member on their mission and their de facto leader, so it was easy for him to convince the others to join him as they made their escape.

"When I was in my cell," James said before they departed, "I heard some of the guards talking about how Roux would be making rounds through the cells before he leaves by carriage. If you two are really going to eliminate him, catching him before he leaves would be the best idea. He came through this area before you arrived, so he must be in the last section, which is through those doors over there." He gestured to a single reinforced door leading further into the cellar. "Good luck."

"And you as well." Arno replied.

With that the trio led by James made their way out of the cellar, sneaking up the steps that would lead them to their freedom. Arno silently hoped that they would be able to escape. Meanwhile, Talon had already gotten to work on the door leading into the next area of the basement. Having found the door to be locked, he again withdrew his lock picking set and within a minute he had the door open. The door led to a short hallway devoid of light or another exit other than the other door at the far end. This door also proved to be locked, so again Talon picked the lock. Before he could open it however Arno put a hand on his, silently telling him to wait. Arno leaned close to the door, listening for sounds of movement on the other side.

From the other side of the door, Arno could hear a guard speaking, "Monsieur Roux, these are the last sets of cells. Your carriage awaits you outside in the courtyard."

Talon slid his into the straps for his arm blade which hung from his belt, grasping the leather handle in preparation for their fight. Arno drew his sword then turned to Talon and nodded before pushing the door open. Roux and his guards turned at the sound and drew their weapons. While it hadn't necessarily been their intention, their whole entrance was rather dramatic.

The four guards accompanying Roux were not stunned by the Assassins' appearance for long, for within seconds they all drew their swords and rushed towards the hooded duo.

The first fell by Arno's phantom blade before he could take more than three steps. Talon vanished, only to reappear behind the approaching guards, taking the first from behind with his arm blade and the second with a quick strike to the neck with his hidden blade. By this time, Arno was dueling with the fourth, their blades flying in a furious dance of steel. Talon turned as he removed his blade from the second guard to see Roux attempting to make his escape. Talon entered the Shade again, dashing forward then leaping to strike with both of his weapons. Roux fell beneath Talon's weight and blades, bleeding out from the dual wounds in his back. Talon heard the thump of a body falling and turned to see Arno withdrawing his unusual glowing sword from the final guard's chest. Bloody blade in hand, Arno came to kneel by Roux's side.

As Talon stood, Arno closed the dying man's eyes and muttered, "Requiescat en pace," before sending his hidden blade through the man's heart, finishing him and ending his pain.

He stood slowly before turning to Talon, "Let's go."

They ran up the stairs ahead of them, finding themselves back in the courtyard of the asylum. Talon entered the Shade, rushing ahead to eliminate any enemies they would have encountered invisibly and ensuring that his and Arno's escape would go unnoticed by anyone they missed.

Talon reappeared just short of the final wall dividing the courtyard from the outside world, leading the way as he hooked his blade on his belt and scaled the wall with ease. Arno followed only a few feet behind him, soon joining him on the wall before making a short leap of faith into a hay cart on the other side. When they were both on the ground again, they walked away from the asylum, confident that their escape was guaranteed.

"We should return to the Council and tell them of our success." Arno said.

"Lead the way."