list of fics Cain is in/will be in for those who don't stalk my blog like two little birds I know and wanna read/catch up on what they've missed: Tincture, Legacy, Pro Human, Those Who Came After and Circadian Rhythm. And probably more in the future.
A new Q&A will be coming soon also.
The silence was stiff and inflexible as they waited for Lucy to arrive. Desmond just sat, waiting. Several minutes passed before the door opened and Lucy entered. She looked around the room at the grim faces. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Oh, the usual, everyone trying to kill me," Desmond said.
She gave him a look, "I doubt this is a time for jokes, Desmond," she said.
He levered himself out of the chair, "Yeah but if not now, when? I mean I'm probably going to die before this shit is over anyway, cause no way the universe is letting a freak like me live past usefulness. So might as well get the jokes in where I can, right?" She didn't like that answer, none of them did. Desmond was the only one who'd come to terms that he would die. Well he didn't want to die, he liked living quite a bit. But he knew that there was no happy ending for him. The only end for him was the welcoming embrace of absolute darkness of death.
"What do you need me for?" she asked, "Demeter said something about your clone."
"Yes. I need him," Desmond said.
"For what?"
"Well, the others did want to put me in the Animus-
"What?" she demanded and then turned to Ezio and Hawk, "Have you two lost your damn minds?" she scolded the both of them. Ezio hunched a bit. "And who's idea was it to go along with what I'm sure was Andrew's dumb idea?" The immortals looked between each other guiltily. "If you're lucky I won't tell Altair so he won't skin you two for your combined idiocy."
"I know right?" Desmond chimed in. "I mean I kinda expected it from Ezio. But Hawk? Anyway. I need my clone for the Animus," he said.
"Why?" she asked. Rebecca butted in then, and explained it like she had to Desmond, adding in the Toba event information. "I mean… that sounds like a pretty good idea," she said.
"But I'm not getting into the Animus," Desmond said.
"Well if you had any ideas you wanted to I'd stop you," Lucy said. "I still can't believe you people wanted him to get into the Animus again," she sighed deeply and ran her hand through her hair a bit. She looked really hot when she pushed it back like that. No Desmond don't think that, he scolded himself and got back on track.
"Do you know where my clone is?" Desmond asked.
"I mean… its been like seven months, Desmond," she frowned. "He could be anywhere."
"But he failed," Hawk piped in, "his purpose. He's a failed test and Altair cut his face up a bit so they couldn't trick us again. So he's useless to them."
"Wouldn't they just kill him?" Ezio asked.
"I doubt it," Lucy said, "proeathans hate throwing things away if they can't help it. Its why they have empty, useless, bases, all over the world. Old strongholds from the First War, left exactly as they were. Though there isn't much left of them now. But if they went through a lot of trouble to make me, and Desmond's clone. They wouldn't just- just throw us away," she swallowed uncomfortably.
"Alright, so then best guess on where he might be?" Desmond asked.
Lucy approached the holotable and brought up a representation of the globe. "Normally," she said, "They'd put useful tools and technologies in Juno or Minerva," she circled their positions in Italy. "But both bases have been converted into a factory and a science facility," she licked her lips. "But that's for manufacturing. Desmond's clone and I…"
"That's where you were created?" Hawk asked, without any feeling. He wasn't doing it to be mean. It was simply a fact.
"Yes," she said. "But we didn't stay there long. We were relocated here," the globe turned, showing Asia and a dot literally appeared smack dab in the middle. "This is Apollo, the center of everything up until probably the rise of Atlantis. Apollo is where most of the non combatant proeathans lived and probably still do live, since I have no doubt the proeathans know we're going for Atlantis and don't want civilians anywhere near there.
"Its also the proeathans terraforming base. This is where they started to cool the planet and where a large seed bank was kept. Nothing like Demeter but these are plants and animals from tens of thousands of years ago to take the place of the plants that grew to adapt a warmer planet after the proeathans left. Its also capable of amazing feats that I honestly have to describe as magic since maybe only Hawk and Rebecca would be able to understand what I'd be talking about."
"Hey," Shaun said, indignant.
"Its more math than you want to deal with, Shaun," Lucy said as way of apology. "But they turned the land around Apollo into a paradise. This map, is wrong," she swiped her finger across the map in two large, shallow, crescents that formed an incomplete circle. "There are mountains here now. They create a rain shadow much like the Himalayans do. Hot air rises from Apollo from the machine's processes of terraforming, keeping the planet cold, builds into clouds and then rains within the newly created basin. When I was there the land had already been converted into a temperate rainforest."
"But how did they make the mountains?" Shaun asked critically. "There aren't any tectonic plates there."
"I told you," Lucy said, "its… like magic," there was awe and wonder in her voice, but also fear, that people could do things like this. "Air traffic above an around Apollo is carefully monitored as you can well imagine," she continued, back to business. "Theres no way we could get in there. Any numia who doesn't identify as friendly gets blown out of the sky."
"You've seen it?" Andrew asked.
"I've seen video," she said. "The attempts of the last five years made by humans was part of my education so that when I was with other humans I could tell you, in detail, how futile this all is."
"And do you think it is?" Andrew asked, eyes narrowed.
She looked at them, and then at Desmond. "I mean, I think its' impossible but-
"But?" Andrew pressed.
"Desmond has that look in his eye where he's not going to listen to me anyway so me trying to stop you is futile itself."
Desmond laughed, "Oh, you got that right," he said gleefully. "How friendly do you have to be to get to fly into Apollo?" he asked.
"You have to be on their side," she said.
"Or probably be me," Desmond said.
"Desmond. No," Ezio said.
"Did you just-
"You're not going to Apollo."
"You going to stop me old man?" Desmond challenged. "If we need what Eve knows so badly then we have two options; you put me in a fucking coma forever, or we go get my clone. There is no plan C. And don't bring up Altair," he added when Ezio opened his mouth, "We all know Altair won't be happy about it." He turned back to Lucy, "Who could get us in?"
"I don't know," she admitted.
"Could you?"
"Hardly. I'm on their wanted list. See what went wrong," he tapped her temple.
"Could Od?"
"Possibly. It depends on what the relationship the Ilythians had with the Adjatevs before they went missing."
"Didn't they defect?" Ezio asked.
"I mean," Desmond started, "not 'officially' or anything. They're such a small group that I doubt the Adjatevs wouldn't welcome them back. Especially if they brought something to smooth it over."
"Like what?"
No one was going to like what he said next, "Well, me."
"Absolutely not," Ezio said.
"Now you're the one who's lost it Little Bird," Hawk said at the same time.
"Desmond you can't," Shaun said.
"Stop stop," he held up his hands while everyone talked at once, they quieted. "Look, its the best way," he said.
"Its a good way to get you captured," Ezio said.
"It isn't up for debate," Desmond told him harshly. "I'm going."
"Big Eagle would literally lock you up when he finds out," Hawk said.
"Then we aren't telling him," Desmond said.
"Desmond that's crazy," Ezio said.
"Good thing I'm a little crazy," he gave Ezio a bit of a reckless grin. "I need to get to Apollo because as much as I like Od and the Ilythians, I don't trust them with this. And no one else here could walk into that place and walk back out again."
"And neither would you," Ezio said.
"I could. I will," Desmond said, "I'm more proeathan than any of you. I'm a bit on the short side to be a proeathan, but I'm in the height category. And if needed I'm the only one who can use the sixth sense like they do if they test me. I also know myself better than any of you. I'm the guy for this job."
No one looked happy about it, but no one disagreed either. If they needed Desmond's clone they needed someone to go get him, and none of them were fit enough for it. "Fine," Ezio said, "No one breathe a word of this to Altair. He'd shut the entire thing down. We can tell him once you're gone," he told Desmond.
"Just make sure he doesn't follow," Desmond said.
"Before we get too far in our little scheme," Shaun butt in, as he was prone to do. "You might have the physical requirements of being proeathan, but you look nothing like them. And I'm sure they all know exactly what you look like." Desmond frowned, he hadn't thought of that.
"If we may," Venus' voice chimed in from the ceiling.
"Yes, of course Venus," Desmond said.
She and Hera appeared around the holotable they were all standing around. "Hera and I may have a solution to your dilemma of being… human." Venus once more wore the likeness of Altair, and used his voice, which made this all sort of weird.
"Which is?"
Hera reached up and tapped her featureless mask. "The disciples of the stars are called hadi ko enlrnma, or faceless starseers. We were a united movement within the proeathan city-states without allegiance to anyone save the high priestess. They are a neutral faction that offer spiritual help to the population.
"The size of the order has shrunken dramatically since we were reawakened, but we don't doubt that people are joining out of fear and wanting some sort of understanding in this chaos.
"The faceless wear masks at all times, some of the most devout even when they sleep. If you could infiltrate their quarters and done their uniform, you would be able to move around Apollo rather freely. We highly doubt that those there have a full count of all the faceless. It went into a great disarray when I was sacrificed into this."
"How do I do that?"
"This is a map of Apollo," Venus said, bringing up a new hologram. "The hanger where numia are required to enter through is here," the large room glowed blue. "We do not know exactly where the hall of the faceless is, but Hera has an approximation."
"It is somewhere in this area," Hera said and an area of what looked like several football fields lit up green. "It is, unfortunately, as close as we can determine where hall of the faceless reside."
"Quick question," Hawk said, "Desmond also can't speak whatever language is the common one in Apollo."
"Faceless often take vows of silence for several years, or even their entire tenure," Hera said. "Find a mask with three black crosses, one in the middle of the forehead, and one under each eye. All within the order of faceless will take vows of silence and will chastise anyone who attempts to speak to you because to be spoken to is to be tempted to break your vows."
"So an excuse to not talk, cool," Desmond said.
"You'll blow your cover in like five minutes," Shaun said sarcastically.
"Shut up, Shaun," Desmond said, scowling at him, but not too hard. "But that sounds like it could work," Desmond continued, "Just getting to the hall of faceless will be a challenge."
"If an Ilythian is there they could help you," Rebecca said helpfully. "Like if its a group you could just blend in with them."
"Before you progress," Hera said, interrupting. "A faceless' eyes are their most prominent feature. A proeathan will maintain eye contact with a faceless at all times to not appear rude. You must be in Eagle Vision at all times while you are at Apollo as proeathans only have yellow eyes, if they see your eyes, you will be found out."
"Wonderful," Desmond sighed. "Okay, sounds simple enough. Now we just need to get the Ilythians to help us," he said. "They awake yet?"
"Od is holding a meeting with his seconds and thirds," Pluto said. "But I have informed him you wish to speak with him. He said once breakfast is over he'd be happy to meet with you on his side of the ark."
"Christ back and forth, back and forth," Desmond muttered under his breath, "Okay," he said louder, "Thank you Pluto."
"Of course."
"Hera, Venus, thank you for your help, unlike these yahoos," he gave the rest of them a look, "Wanting to put me in the Animus," he half muttered and rolled his eyes. "I think we're done here?" he asked them. There were some nods and yesses. "Great," and they dispersed.
become my patron and help me eat by going to dot com slash xazz
So is actually something that if you like me you should do. If you ever say you'd buy a book from me that's great, but I really don't wanna wait to publish a book to maybe not have to work terrible jobs. Saying you'd buy a book I wrote is a promise to support me later; but I need support now too.