Important Note 1- I just added six chapters to this fic, so if this seems confusing it might just be because of some skipped chapters. Or it could be because I've decided to give up proof reading this fic (see chapter 20 for details).

"So," Desmond says. "This is it." He glances across the room at Altair, who's finishing up a last round of packing.

"Just for the summer," Altair says. "And hopefully I'll get something useful out of it."

"Yea," Desmond says. "Um, about that- are you okay with all this?"

"With what?"

"Going back to Masyaf," Desmond says. "I mean, a thousand years later, it's going to be different from when you were there." He can't help remembering his time in the animus, going through Ezio's memories of the keep, and that had been five hundred years ago.

"I know," Altair says. "It's a ruin." His voice is light, but Desmond has a hard time believing it's that easy. At the same time, he doesn't really think that Altair will open up to him about it. Maybe he's been talking to Malik, now that the man's finally remembered his first life.

"I hope you find something," Desmond says. "Closure, at least."

Altair suddenly stiffens, and turns to glare at Desmond. "You don't think we're going to find answers," he says.

"I don't think it matters," Desmond corrects. "I'm going to be honest- this is getting complicated and crazy. We have- what, half a dozen assassins from two different universes and four centuries? Plus a templar, and whatever Lucy is, and Mary still hasn't remembered. It's just getting too big. I don't think we'll ever be able to explain it all, even before you factor in circinus and the Phoenix Project and-"

"Desmond," Altair interrupts. "It's really not as difficult as you're making it out to be."

"Isn't it?" Desmond asks.

Altair shakes his head. "Right from the beginning, I've assumed this is a first civilization thing," he admits. "Time travel isn't something humans have figured out yet. Circinus is in a class of strangeness all on it's own. If that doesn't scream 'Pieces of Eden', I don't know what does."

"It's not much to go on," Desmond says.

"It's something," says Altair. "If Masyaf doesn't pan out, I'll go somewhere else. If there's no answers there, I'll find another place." He shakes his head. "I don't think you really understand. I'm going to find out how we're here, and then I'm going to find out why we're here. And then I'm going to do something about it."

"Maybe there's no reason," Desmond says. "Maybe it's just random chance."

"That doesn't mean it's not worth looking into," Altair says. Then he sighs and shakes his head. "I need to go. My flight leaves at noon."

"Fine," Desmond says. Then, when Altair's halfway out the door, he calls after him to wait. Altair turns back, and Desmond says, "If anyone can figure out what happened to bring everyone here, it's you."

Altair looks surprised for all of half a second, then nods. "It's us, I think," he says. "All of us together."

"Right," says Desmond.

"So that means you're going to talk to Lucy?" Altair asks. "Soon?"

Desmond sighs. He's been putting this off for ages, because it's incredibly difficult to pick up the phone and call a women he killed in another life. "I will," he promises. "Today."

Then Altair nods, and Desmond is left alone, struggling with the idea of calling up Lucy, or leaving it just a little bit longer. It's tempting to wait, but in the end he decides not to. She doesn't pick up the first time he calls, but when he tries again a few minutes later, she answers.

"Desmond?" she asks. "What- why did you call?"

She sounds upset, like she's been crying recently, and Desmond doesn't like the way his stomach lurches in response. He's not supposed to like Lucy any more. She's dead-

(only not in this world)

-and she's a templar-

(only not here).

"I had a couple questions," Desmond says. "But never mind that. What's wrong?"

"I don't think we should be talking," Lucy says. "They might be listening."

"They? Lucy, who are they?"

"Vidic and his people," Lucy says. "I don't know exactly what's going on here- no one's really telling me anything. But I know they want your friends dead. Probably you, too, only I don't think they quite know what to make of you, yet."

"Shit," Desmond whispers.

"I'm sorry," Lucy says.

"It's not you," Desmond says. "I mean, it is you, but it's not anything you said. It's what I'm going to have to ask you to do." Because he can see it all coming together, forcing them into a pattern that's impossible to avoid. Just like Malik lost his arm in Solomon's Temple, and then again in New York, there are some events that seem fated to happen over and over again.

"What is it?" Lucy asks.

"I need to ask you to spy for me," Desmond says. "They trust you."

Lucy snorts. "I don't think they trust me," she says. "They tolerate me, maybe. Because they need someone to pick up after them and do all the little things they can't be bothered with."

"You're worth more than that," Desmond says. "They'll see that too, soon enough. And when they do, you'll start learning more about their plans. And when you do, I need you to tell me." This is how it started, back in the other world. Lucy was sent into Abstergo by the assassins to spy, and somewhere along the way, she… got lost. Switched sides.

And then Desmond was the one to kill her.

"Why?" Lucy asks. "Please, can't you just tell me what's going on here?"

"I can't," Desmond says. "I mean- I shouldn't. But I'm going to anyway."

So he tells her everything. Too much, probably. If she does end up going over to the templars, she'll be able to give them everything they need to destroy their little group, already so broken by time and lost memories. But he tells her anyway, because she's sort of a part of it all too, and that means that in some twisted way, she deserves to know.

-/-

Lucy's shaking slightly when she knocks on Vidic's door, and her stomach is trying to tie itself into a knot. She doesn't have a choice, and if she tries hard enough she can almost convince herself that what she's doing is right. She nods a greeting to Vidic, and to Haytham as well when she sees he's already in the room. It looks like she's interrupted an argument, but that's hardly new at this point. They've been fighting almost constantly for the past few days, ever since Haytham had a surprise visit from his son. It's none of her business, but it is starting to get on her nerves.

"What is it?" Vidic asks.

"He called me," Lucy says, and she can tell Vidic's pleased by the way his eyes suddenly seem to gleam within his pale face.

"And?"

"I got it all recorded," Lucy says, and pulls the recorder out of her pocket. "He had a lot to say."

"He trusts you then," Vidic says. "Good." Lucy doesn't answer, and Vidic leans forward slightly. "This is good work, Miss Stillman, important work. People like this are a danger to themselves and to everyone around them. The best thing for all of us will be to just get rid of them quickly. Lock them up for study."

"I know," Lucy says tiredly. He's been telling her the same stories for over a month now, of assassins- crazed killers, members of an ancient order that believed they could better the world through death. It's not fair that she's being dragged into all this, but right now Vidic and his people seem like the slightly saner option than siding with the assassins. "The sooner they're stopped, the safer we'll all be."

Only- they hadn't seemed insane. Not mad-psychopathic-killer insane, anyway, and most of the oddities she's seen can be explained by the genetic memories Vidic's always talking about. The Phoenix Project is his plan, so at least part of that insanity is his fault, isn't it?

Haytham grunts, and gets to his feet. "I have better things to do with my day than sit here," he says. "Work to do, things to take care of." He leaves the office without another word, but Lucy catches Vidic glaring at him as he leaves. Maybe the argument she'd interrupted on her way in had been more serious than it had seemed.

Vidic listens to the entire recording of Lucy's conversation with Desmond while she sits across the desk from him. Hearing it all again, it sounds even more insane than it had the first time, and Lucy realizes halfway through that she's twisting her fingers together in her lap, almost wringing her hands out of nerves. Vidic doesn't notice, doesn't even look at her. He just stares at the recorder, as if his intense scrutiny will somehow make the answers he wants more quickly. Finally, the recording ends.

"Are you ready to do more for us?" Vidic asks, finally looking up at Lucy. It doesn't sound like a question, though, and Lucy knows full well that in his mind, Vidic has already assigned her a place and a job. "You're going to do so much good for our side."

"I need you to spy for me."

Lucy shakes her head, hoping to drive away the memory of her conversation with Desmond. She's afraid, she's jumped in over her head and made the wrong choice-

But right then, just when she's the most afraid, that's when she gets it. Desmond wants her to spy on Vidic for him. Vidic wants her to report on Desmond's every movement. They both expect her to turn double agent for them, and that means she's the one with all the power. She doesn't have to pick a side- not yet, anyway, and maybe not ever. She'll be her own agent, lying to both sides, until someone proves they're worthy of her trust.

"Alright," she says, smiling brightly at Vidic. "What did you have in mind?"

"String him along," Vidic says. "He already trusts you, so use that. They're all gathering together in one place, so they must be planning something. Your job is to figure out what it is."

"And then?" she asks, very quietly.

Vidic does something with his mouth that could have been a smile on someone else's face. It doesn't reach his eyes, though, and it looks utterly chilling. "Then you tell me, and I send people to take care of them."

Important Note 2- This fic is in sort of limbo right now. I hate abandoning fics in the middle, but I think in this case I might have to. Or at least give it a break for a while because I lost control of this story about twelve chapters ago and I don't even remember what the characters are doing anymore. I might write some quick ending at some point, but maybe not. I don't know.