Chapter 35

12/20/2012

23:45

Desmond roused at the sound of the alarm he'd set several hours earlier. He saw the others getting up as well, and he gently shook Lucy. Out of all of them, she seemed to be the only one able to sleep. "Luce, wake up. It's time to use the amplifier."

In an instant, Lucy was awake, and Desmond put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay Luce, you didn't miss anything."

Lucy frowned, kissing him.

"I don't know, if it's the end of the world, maybe it might be better to sleep through it?"

Desmond smiled. "Sorry Luce...something tells me it's important you're involved when we use the device."

Lucy blinked. "When we use the device?" she said. "I thought it was just you?"

Desmond sighed. "I'll explain to everyone. We've got to get moving, it's going to start in about 15 minutes."

They surrounded the machine, and Desmond looked at everyone, his gaze serious. "Okay guys...we don't have much time for me to explain, so I won't. What I need is for everyone to follow my directions to the letter...no delays, no hesitation."

Everyone nodded assent, and Desmond sighed.

"We're going to form a circle around the amplifier. Everyone will hold hands with the person on the left, and Lucy, myself, Altair and Ezio will be in the middle with links to the outer circle."

They quickly arranged themselves, and Desmond stood before the orb in the center of their own device, wired back to the one in Juno's room.

Desmond, Lucy and the two ancestral Assassins joined hands, each of them extending a hand silently over the orb without touching it. As the minutes passed, Desmond said, "When I give the signal, we'll put our hands on the orb, and with any luck, the amplifier will work. I'll send the command to Juno's pedestal, and that should turn on the defense grid."

The minutes passed agonizingly slow, and as they passed, they felt rumbles in the ground beneath their feet. Desmond's voice was almost inhumanly calm.

"Stay steady. It's almost time."

The rumbling increased, and William's voice came from the outside of the circle.

"Desmond..."

Desmond ground his teeth together. "Not now, Dad."

Desmond wasn't sure how he knew when the moment was, but he knew the instant had come when an eerie light began to filter into the Temple from outside.

"Now!"

He touched the orb at the same time as the others, and the vibration of it froze him in place as golden light wreathed all of them. The moment slowed, and Desmond felt a massive amount of energy drain from the assembled team. The machine lit slowly, and Desmond felt his mind expand as it powered up.

Desmond's thoughts were cast out beyond the Temple, and suddenly he was everywhere at once. He saw the flare in slow motion as it whipped towards their glittering blue world – their home.

He reached forth with the power of the Apple, and as he did so he saw billions of eyes turn towards the skies as one, their heads haloed in gold. One glorious moment of harmony was achieved.

12/21/2012

00:07

Desmond spoke, and the world obeyed.

"Protect our home."

The burst of energy was incredible. Desmond saw from his otherworldly perch as a greenish shield shot through with gold wreathed their world, and at the instant the deadly fires from heaven would have lashed the surface, it dissipated instead against the combined will of mankind.

As the solar flare faded, so too did the shield, and Desmond's other sight faded with it. He came back to himself, seemingly constrained in the vessel of flesh that was his body for an instant before he was himself again.

He opened his eyes and saw the light in the orb under his hand fade, and blackness crawled at the edge of his vision. Beside him he saw Lucy, her blue eyes blank, her body falling slowly to the floor. He saw the others fall, one by one, and as the last of the light faded, he joined them.

Minerva appeared a scant moment later, surveying the unconscious Assassins clinically. A small smile graced her face as she spoke to the still form of Desmond.

"You have played your part well."

She disappeared, and the Temple was utterly silent.

Desmond was unaware of time as he floated in a seemingly endless sea of sensation. Hands held his, keeping him from drowning, and he dimly heard voices calling him.

"Desmond!"

One voice separated from the others, and this one tore at his heart.

"Des, please wake up!"

It took all the effort he had to open his eyes, and he blinked up a moment later at faces crowded over his. Lucy's tears were warm on his face as she threw herself onto him, sobbing in relief.

His arm came up to cradle her, gently. "Hey, take it easy Luce, my chest is still a little tender from Syria..."

To his surprise, Altair and Ezio were grinning at him, and he felt none of the usual energy drain he had been accustomed to in their presence.

He sat up slowly, supported by his team.

"Anyone get a look outside yet?" he asked, and a voice came from the entrance.

"Looks all clear, sir."

Desmond's head whipped around at the familiar voice, and he saw Kyle smile at him before sunlight streamed in the entrance of the Temple and he was gone.

Desmond blinked, not sure if what he'd seen was real. Altair's hand on his shoulder roused him from his shock.

"He is at peace, Desmond. Let him go."

Desmond nodded, his gaze shifting to the one that was a mirror of his own.

He got to his feet, looking around. Everything in the Temple was dark. The place was utterly devoid of energy, and even the equipment they'd brought with them was dead.

Lucy shivered, leaning against Desmond. "Can we get out of here, please?"

Desmond nodded. "Pack up what you can and let's get out of here." He grinned a little. "I don't know about the rest of you, but breakfast sounds like a great idea."

A/N: Yes, there's an epilogue.