Chapter 28
Vidic furiously typed at a computer. The signal had abruptly cut off somewhere in eastern New York, and Vidic was cursing under his breath as he pulled down the last logs from the tracking device. The signal had dropped off the map entirely, and now Vidic had to triangulate which cell towers it had last communicated with before it went dark.
Cross idly toyed with his gun, watching the road pass outside the van. "You found it yet?"
Vidic snarled something unintelligible in Italian, then switched to English long enough to snap, "Shut up and let me work, Daniel. The faster I get these coordinates calculated, the faster we can find the Assassins and the Temple."
Cross snarled to himself, turning his gaze back out the window.
Desmond stepped closer to Lucy as the glowing woman took a few steps towards them, his blade held low. Juno's eyes went to Lucy's, and then traced down, settling on her swelling belly, now barely visible under Desmond's loose hoodie.
Her gaze lingered there a moment, and then her expression twisted in rage.
"What have you done?" she demanded, and Desmond tensed, stepping fully in front of Lucy. The other Assassins immediately closed ranks around Desmond and Lucy, their blades drawn.
Juno's voice rose higher as she shouted, "What have you DONE? This is not meant to be...the Path is not opened!"
Desmond's voice was calm as he stepped from behind the other Assassins. "You mean your path isn't opened."
The glowing woman's face twisted into a snarl. You do not know what you have done! She must die, and the child also!" Desmond's expression set into hard resolve.
"You will not touch them. Your plan has failed."
Juno stared at him, then laughed derisively. "You think you know so much!" she hissed. "You have only absorbed a tiny portion of our knowledge! How you have done it I know not, but all the knowledge in the world cannot help you if you cannot comprehend it!"
Desmond smiled, his eyes like topaz.
"That's where you're wrong."
He raised his hand, and they were all forced to cover their eyes as it flared. Juno gasped as Altair and Ezio stepped from seemingly nowhere, their eyes trained on the glowing woman. "Impossible!" she cried. "You...have learned to use the Apples, how?!"
Desmond growled.
"We humans are much smarter than you give us credit for."
Juno snarled, taking a step back. "You still do not have all the pieces you need! You cannot save your world without my help!"
Desmond's gaze became resolute again. "We'll see about that. You said we were here early, so I gather that we have time to figure something out." Juno smiled cruelly. "There is one key yet you need find, and without my help you will never find it!" Desmond's voice was very quiet as he said, "I've had enough of your help. See, it almost always seems to consist of you telling me to go do something, and for some insane fucking reason, I go do it."
Desmond's expression went cold.
"The last time you tried to 'help' me you almost forced me to kill the woman I love. I don't think we need your help anymore." Juno snarled at Desmond as she disappeared. "Your arrogance will be your undoing!"
Vidic sat back as the signal abruptly reappeared. It was as if whatever had been blocking the signal was suddenly removed, and he realized they were less than a hundred miles from where it blinked steadily. Daniel noticed the change in his posture and sat up, his expression eager.
Vidic smiled. "I think we just hit pay dirt." He looked at Daniel. "Remember...when we get there, Desmond is yours, but make sure Ms. Stillman makes it through relatively unharmed."
Daniel nodded, impatient. "Let's get going, already!"
Vidic nodded as he gave the driver directions, and the van swerved, turning around and heading towards the signal that blinked steadily on the GPS.
Lucy shivered in Desmond's hoodie as Rebecca rushed around, setting up Baby. Desmond came towards her bearing a steaming mug. "Here. This ought to help. Kyle and the others brought some MREs, and one of 'em had hot chocolate in it."
Lucy inhaled the warm steam gratefully, sipping the drink slowly. She sighed. "I don't know how comfortable I feel sleeping down here, Des. I mean...we are sort of being haunted by a very angry ghost...or...imprint..." She frowned. "Come to think of it, what is Juno, really? What are any of them? Are they imprints, like Altair and Ezio? If they are...why aren't they solid?" Lucy saw Desmond's gaze go hard.
"I mean...not that I wish they were, otherwise I'd probably be dead but..."
Desmond cut her off. "Right at the second, the only thing I'm thinking is that its a damn good thing they're just holograms. I don't even want to think what a terror Juno would be if she were a corporeal crazy, magical space wizard."
They heard a snicker from nearby, and Kyle grinned back at them. "Sorry sir, now I'm gonna think 'crazy magical space wizard' every time I see that chick." Desmond grinned back, and Lucy managed to laugh. "Only you would make fun of an entity that very much wants to kill us, Des."
Desmond shook his head. "She won't kill you, Luce, or our baby. I stopped her before, I'll do it again, as many times as it takes."
Lucy sighed against his shoulder, drinking her now-lukewarm hot chocolate. "I know you will Des, I just hope it's enough to prevent what's going to happen..."
Desmond nodded. "I'm going to go see how they're doing with Baby..." He stood up, and the glowing patterns under his skin flared. His next step was staggering, and Kyle got to his feet as Desmond went to his knees, his skin lit from within with the geometric patterns. The walls of the Temple thrummed, and Desmond groaned as images began to appear around him.
Juno's laughter echoed in the Temple as Desmond looked around in shock. Dimly, he felt his body being moved, and his father's voice commanded, "Put him into the Animus!" He heard Lucy's protest and then he was...
"Sir?"
A beat, then, "Sir, everything all right, sir?"
He turned, facing the other man - his coachman - and nodding. "Yes, fine. I'm just preoccupied, is all."
"Don't forget your invitation, Master Birch will be meeting you inside."
"Thank you."
"Where shall I retrieve you once you're done?"
He strode a bit faster. "The front of the opera house, and be quick about it, I don't expect to be here long."
"I'll bring it 'round at once."
He moved on into the opera house, handing his invitation to the man who asked for it without so much as a glance.
He heard the man call from behind him somewhat helplessly, "Shall I...take your coat sir?"
He waved a hand dismissively as he strode up the stairs, hearing idle conversation around him. An announcement came from somewhere below. "Ladies and Gentleman, you are hereby requested to find your seats!"
He made his way to his seat, and the man sitting beside him glanced over long enough to say, "Haytham." He responded easily. "Reginald."
Reginald spoke again. "Can't tell you how happy I was to hear they'd mounted this revival. Gay's best work by far." Reginald glanced over at Haytham, who did not return his gaze. "Have you seen it before?"
He responded, "Once, my father brought me here as a child, but I remember little of it. But I suppose tonight will not afford me a proper viewing either." Reginald looked away. "No, I'm afraid it won't."
The other man sighed. "Onto business then. Do you see him?"
He turned on Eagle Vision, and his target became clear.
"He's seated in one of the boxes above." Reginald nodded. "The stairs are watched. You'll need to find another way up."
He glanced around, muttering, "I already have."
He made his way across the stage to the box, narrowly avoiding detection, and as he entered the box behind his target, he heard only sadness in the man's voice as he seated himself behind him.
"Haytham. You should have come to me. We would have found another way."
Haytham's voice was quiet as he heard someone move behind him.
"Yes, but then you would have known."
He leaned towards the back of the other man's chair, whispering, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry." The other man sighed. "As am I." There was no sound as his blade slid into the man's back, and he took the amulet from around the man's neck in the same movement.
He turned to face the horrified stare of the little boy who had run into the box behind him. Putting a finger to his lips, he motioned for silence as he left the box, nodding to two women who passed by him on their way there, and he knew he had seconds before they raised the alarm.
He forced himself to move at a stately pace, and as panic began to spread through the crowd, he increased his step as if to avoid unpleasantness.
He made his way out of the opera house while avoiding detection, and as his coachman opened the door for him, he asked, "And how was the opera?"
Shortly, he replied, "Rather dull, truth be told."
The man shut the door to the coach, and he examined the amulet in his hand once more. The coachman looked over from the bench. "Shall we be off, then?"
Absently, he replied, "Aye. To Fleet and Bride."
The coachman nodded. "By your command."
The scene shifted, and another man spoke. "Fascinating. Gentleman, I hold in my hand a key..."
The memory was abruptly interrupted as Desmond was dragged from the Animus, and the jar of the real world meshed unevenly with the memory he remained bound to. Blearily, he opened his eyes to a familiar face as Vidic said, "Well, hello again, Mr. Miles."
A/N: I hope to get more written this weekend, we'll see how it pans out...
