13
He awoke slowly. His head pounded.
He opened his eyes and took in the unfamiliar but luxurious bed he was lying in.
He became confused then. Where was he? What was this place with walls adorned with huge works of art and bright unnatural light...
then he heard a voice coming from his left.
"Welcome Grandmaster Starrick"
Crawford Starrick turned his head and saw a younger women sitting on a couch observing him, a man sat besides her
"where am I?" he questioned, he found his throat felt like gravel
The man who sat next to the women now stood
"Grandmaster Starrick. My name is Lance Conri and I am Grandmaster of the London Templars...please make yourself comfortable, we have tea here as we are aware you favoured it, but we can offer you something else if you wish"
"I wish for you to get on with it, now...where am I? And what do you mean that YOU are grandmaster of London? Crawford growled impatiently
"What I'm about to tell you is going to come as a shock and the tale is not a short, or pleasant one..." Lance replied.
After the extensive explanation Crawford stared into the fireplace as he processed his thoughts, he had listened attentively and only questioned occasionally when certain things became unthinkable to him.
2028. Aside from the fact he was apparently bested by the damnable Frye twins, he found that the year he was now supposedly in the hardest fact to digest...but after looking at the technological items Trudy had shown him, the view of the city from his large window and having had a closer inspection of a modern gun a guard in the room had carried, he had finally been convinced of the strange predicament he had found himself in
"So" he started "you say I died...at the hands of the Frye Twins...yet, here I stand, thanks to the wonderful technology you have found" he turned to look at the Conri siblings, but his face had no joy, he looked angry
"And pray tell, what right did you think you had to disturb me from eternal slumber?"
Trudy looked slightly aghast now
"Sir... we only thought to do the best for our order...and for you. You were one of the most influential Grandmasters in history, and as great as our organisation may be, a great artefact still eludes us. We were hoping with your great mind we would be able to finally secure the Apple of Eden, as you came so close to obtaining the power of one before"
Crawford looked around as he paced around the room
"all this power at your fingertips, and still, you haven't secured the Apple...I must say I'm a little disappointed"
"We will find the Master Assassin Lynch!" Lance said becoming angry "it's only a matter of time..."
Crawford turned and looked at Lance coldly
"Have care with how you speak to me...boy" he seethed
Trudy then decided to step in quickly to ease the tension, knowing her brothers hackles would of risen at the term used
"Grandmaster Starrick. Please forgive us, but I'm sure we can offer you something that would please you greatly..."
"And what would that be my dear..."
"return to power...and a chance for revenge on those who took it away" Trudy said grinning
The morning had arrived and Diane had spent the majority of the night hammering on the cell door and shouting
"For the love of god...DIANE! WOULD YOU STOP!" Jacob pleaded "you're driving me INSANE!"
Diane looked back at him angrily "no! I'm not giving up!" she growled as she made her way back to the door and started hammering again
"How's the headache?" Evie called to her brother, who shot her a look back and dropped his head into his hands.
The little shutter on the door was suddenly pulled back and Diane immediately recognised the face peering back at her
"TIM!" she cried "you must listen to me!"
"NO DIANE" Tim interrupted angrily "you were a terrorist all along, and so was your son! And to think, I invited you into my home. You ate with my FAMILY!" Tim then slammed the shutter closed again so Diane started banging wildly
"ABSTERGO ARE THE TERRORISTS! LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON AROUND YOU! FOR GOD'S SAKE TIM, THEY HAVE A YOUNG WOMAN IN HERE THAT NEEDS MEDICAL ATTENTION! A WOMAN THE SAME AGE AS YOUR DAUGHTER! THAT THEY SHOT!"
The shutter was pulled back again and Tim observed Rayna who was leaning against Evie looking very pale.
"Alright" Tim answered "I'll request for some medical aid, but ONLY if you agree to stop banging!"
"She agrees!" Jacob called hastily
Diane grinned
"ok Tim...just get Rayna some help...please"
After a time a company of guards came into the cell and after cuffing the group they escorted them all out of the small cell and to the floors above where the four were roughly pushed into separate glass cells opposite each other, then two doctors came in to see to Rayna's arm. Diane turned to Tim as he went to leave
"Tim, open your eyes to what's going on around you" Diane pleaded
"Goodbye Diane..." Tim replied coldly, but as he did so his eyes fell on Rayna. Trudy then entered the cell block and Tim stood beside the wall to observe.
Trudy approached Rayna's cell as the doctors worked on administrating an injection of antibiotics
"Where is your Uncle Hastings and that bastard Lynch hiding? Hmmm?" Trudy questioned
Rayna stayed quiet as she glared back at Trudy. Trudy looked down at the woman through her glasses and walked swiftly forward, crouched, then suddenly grabbed Rayna's wounded arm and started to squeeze the bullet wound causing the young women to cry out in pain. Jacob was in the adjacent cell and started to kick the glass wall
"leave her alone!" he growled through the barrier
Diane looked over at Tim
That could be your daughter...she mouthed
Trudy stood and faced Jacob through the toughened glass wall
"Welcome back Mr. Frye...I have a guest upstairs who's simply dying to meet you..." Trudy said with a cold grin "Mr. Fowler! Take the twins to the penthouse"
Trudy then turned back to Rayna and crouched back down as the twins hands were once again handcuffed as they were taken from their cells
"You WILL tell me where the coward Lynch and his group are hiding...or this is only the very beginning of the pain you will experience here!" Trudy then stood and turned to leave with her entourage of guards.
Diane looked over to Tim who was still standing by the wall with a sullen look on his face
"Please Tim...help us..."