Chapter: 30 Legacies
DESYNCHRONIZATION IN PROCESS
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I awaken to a heavy rumbling. No bullets to bombard our aircraft this time. Instead, lightning streaks across the nearby windows while a torrential downpour ensues. The rumbling persists and it sounds as though the plane is coming in for one hell of a landing. "Abigail," I faintly hear Mom's voice. "This is it."
"Hm?" I murmur, still groggy from the Animus.
"We've reached our destination," she tells me. "There's no turning back now." I furrow my brows while slowly sitting upright. The crackle of lightning has me heightening my senses as I leap out of my seat. It appears Shaun has landed us on some sort of ice shelf, as I can hear the frosted surface quaking beneath us.
"That should hold," I hear him say. "If we're lucky."
I try to make sense of things betwixt the flurry of buckling belts and zipping bags. Mom tosses me a backpack and then stuffs a pistol into her personal holster. "What's going on?" I ask. As I peer outside, the oceanic settings appear eerily familiar. "Wait," I utter. "Am I...is this...the Dark Sea?"
"I'm afraid it's not the Bleeding Effect this time," Mom answers. "Your eyes aren't deceiving you. This is the Dark Sea...and that's very much a Templar watercraft on the waves there." As I observe the ominous vehicle, Mom hollers to Shaun. "Now or never!"
Shaun dreads her words while unlatching the plane's ventral hatch. He pulls on a thick cord and I watch a small motorboat unlatch from the hold. I recognize it from Germany and ask, "Courtesy of Abstergo?"
"You know it," Mom chuckles and hands me a jacket. "Now hop in. We're running out of time." Shaun, Mom and I board the boat before heading into treacherous waters. As I pull my hood down to stay dry, I feel like I'm an Assassin all over again. Perhaps I am in a sense as we speed across the waves. Having so quickly exited the Animus, I start to recognize the waters and direction we're taking. Even after all of these years, the remnants of Ahtohallan welcome me like an old friend. My heart sinks as I observe the massive, Templar vessel circling the glacier.
"My Animus sequence," I speak to Mom over the winds. "You saw what I saw, didn't you?"
She nods. "And the Templars must've as well somehow. It's the only way for them to have dive teams here."
My eyes widen with realization. "You mean...they're looking for the Crystal of Eden?"
"Correction," Shaun murmurs. "It looks like they may have gotten their hands on it." He points across the inky waves as a glowing, turquoise essence floats towards the surface. Abstergo agents surround the glow until one of their divers emerges with a grappling device. My heart sinks when I realize the crystal is nestled in its mechanical grip.
"I've seen what that thing can do!" I blurt. "We can't let them get away with it!"
Mom takes the initiative as Shaun speeds our boat ahead. Just as the diver is escorted aboard the Abstergo vessel, Mom dares to aim her pistol. "Here goes everything," she murmurs and pulls the trigger. Lightning accompanies her muzzle flash as the bold bullet strikes the grappler. Sparks fly and the Crystal of Eden plummets across the ship's deck.
"Nice shot!" Shaun lauds. He gasps as I dive off the bow and swim for the ship.
"Abigail!" I hear Mom shout. "What are you-"
"I have to stop them!" I pant and continue swimming onward. The Bleeding Effect strikes me as I feel like I'm chasing Lady Caine. In a similar fashion, I pick up the pace and snag the ship's anchored chain. Catching on to my idea, Mom and Shaun serve as distractions to buy me time. I ascend the chain and vault on to the main deck. My eyes scour the rainy environment for the crystal until I see its glorious glow. Abstergo agents are cautiously approaching it as I slide downward. Using the rainwater to pick up speed, I race for the crystal while removing my jacket. Rather than touch it with my bare hands, I scoop it up in the jacket and lunge for cover. Bullets bombard the crates beside me as I strike the floor. A whirlwind of thoughts race through my mind as I ponder what to do with the crystal. Tossing it in the water just means these agents will find it again. As I stay down and brace for the worst, the gunfire suddenly stops. An all too familiar voice speaks up amidst the thunder and lightning.
"Abigail!" Dr. Ramesh proclaims. "Call it intuition, but I had a feeling you'd be here."
"Doctor," I call from behind cover. "You have no idea what this thing does."
"And you do?" Ramesh jeers until the thought hits her. "Ahhh so you've completed the puzzle? Your ancestor's memories have unlocked the truth. You know, I used to think we needed you to find the crystal."
"What changed?" I ask.
Ramesh chuckles. "You're not Queen Anna's only living descendant." My eyes widen as I comprehend what she means. My worst fears are confirmed when I hear his voice.
"This wasn't part of the deal!" My father grunts as an agent shoves him at gunpoint.
"Yes, well your daughter has forced some changes, Mr. Callaghan." Ramesh insists.
"Dad?" I worry and slightly emerge from cover.
"Don't give them anything, Abigail!" he shouts over the downpour. That's all he's able to say before the agent strikes him. Such a sight infuriates me to no end.
"Abstergo has limitless means to achieve its goals," Ramesh asserts. "We busted your father out of prison to access his mind. In turn, we promised you'd be spared."
"I thought they had you," Dad confesses. "Abigail...I'm so sorry."
"It's okay, Dad." I assure. "I'm gonna figure this out."
"There's nothing to figure out," Ramesh sternly intones. "The rest of your miserable friends are being cornered as we speak. Now unless you want your father's blood on your hands, you will hand over the crystal now!"
I look into my father's eyes as he subtly shakes his head. As much as I want to save him, we both know what relinquishing the crystal means. We're both as good as dead if I do that. I glance at the Piece of Eden and swallow hard. What would Anna do? I think to myself. What any Assassin would. Give everything to save those they cared about. But I'm not Anna, nor am I an Assassin. I'm just...me. But maybe that's enough. Maybe what Dad and the rest of the world needs right now, is one risky pilot.
"Okay," I say. "You want the crystal, Dr. Ramesh?" I slowly unveil it from the wrappings of my jacket. "Here it is," I say and grab it with my bare hand.
"No!" Ramesh yells as energy surges across the deck.
It feels as though someone is burning and freezing my palm at the same time. This power pulses up my arm and flows throughout my body. It becomes so overwhelming that I have to actually scream. Icy beams protrude from my hands as frost coats the deck.
"Kill her!" Ramesh orders, but my ice forces them back. Dad escapes in the chaos as I hold the crystal close. Thick layers of ice entrap the vessel and spread to the nearby waves. Agents jump ship as the world around me brightens, even in the dead of night. My eyes widen as I glimpse the silhouettes of unknown, celestial figures hovering down to me. While they look like me, I fear that they are far from human. Their benevolent or malevolent intentions remain a mystery as I clutch the crystal. It is as if they are leaving its purpose up to me, entrusting that decision to be my own. I can weaponize the crystal against Abstergo...or I can preserve its powers. As I consider all that it's done to Arendelle in the past, I reach my decision. The Isu beings flee my mind as I call upon the crystal to obey my will. I call upon it...to be destroyed.
With a furious roar, I throw it to the heavens as it explodes in midair. A frigid shockwave ravages the upper deck and has me stumbling back. "I've got you!" Dad assures and scoops me into his arms. We leap towards the icy sea just as the ship breaks apart. As we dive into the frigid waters, I suddenly realize a blissful truth. Despite the reasons, my father is free and I can rest in his arms again.
Even as we tread amidst choppy waves, I drop into his embrace and utter, "Dad."
Panic seizes us for a moment as a motorboat closes in. It pulls alongside us and Mom extends a hand. "Hop on!" she shouts. She's just as shocked as Dad is once their gazes meet. I smirk at them and help myself into the boat. My eyes wander as Mom is forced to help up Dad. "Robert?" she gasps. "Is it...really you?"
"Rebecca," Dad huffs. "After all of these years...I'd feared the worst."
"Someone had to keep our girl out of trouble in your absence," Mom quips and they both look to me.
"You did it, Abigail." Dad simpers. "You found her."
"As much as I love family reunions," Shaun says. "What the bloody hell happened up there? Where's the crystal?"
"Gone," I respond. "Destroyed forever and free of humanity's corruption." As I sit back in the boat, I notice a private helicopter fleeing the downed ship. I see Ramesh slamming its door shut before they disappear into the stormy skies. Wherever she's gone...whatever Abstergo's still up to...I fear I haven't seen the last of her.
Like last night's raging storm, it appears Abstergo has cleared out. There's a distinct calmness in the air as I recline in our plane's cockpit. My gaze lists towards the sunrise over the fjord and it feels like I've been looking at it for centuries. I amuse myself thinking about how many other ancestors of mine have followed in Anna's footsteps. My ruminating is cut short as a pair of firm, loving hands rub my shoulders. I glance up at my father's elderly face and say, "I have to admit...this is not how I imagined we'd be reunited. Not all of us anyway."
Dad sighs and squeezes my shoulders. "Yes, well...life has a funny way of bringing our loved ones back to us." His gaze drifts towards the entryway where my mother is leaning in. "In one way or another, all three of us have been lost at some point."
"And yet here we stand together," Mom says. "Call it fate, luck, or perhaps a mix of both." She runs a hand up Dad's back as they both look down at me.
"So what happens now?" I ask.
Mom chuckles. "What do you want to happen?" she counters.
"Honestly-" I sigh. "This is strange for me. Not 'holding an ancient artifact and blowing up a boat' strange. But 'I've never had both parents united in the same room' strange."
Mom and Dad exchange sympathetic looks before addressing me. "I know neither of us have really been there when you needed us most," Mom says. "And there's certainly a lot for us to learn from one another."
"But now we have a chance to do so as a family," Dad adds. "I mean...I'm technically an international fugitive, so I'll take this covert lifestyle."
As I look to my parents while Shaun steps into the room, I reach for new meaning in my life. "The Assassin Way brought us together," I say. "And if threats like Dr. Ramesh and the rest of Abstergo are still out there, we must keep fighting back. Who knows what other dangerous artifacts could still be out there?"
"Spoken like a true Assassin!" Mom cheers. "Well what are we waiting for? Shaun, cross-reference our database and scan for Templar activity. Abigail...get us airborne!"
"Huh?" I blurt.
Mom gestures to where I'm seated. "You're at the controls, kid," she says with a wink. "Take us up."
I look to Dad as he says, "Fly, Abigail. Fly free."
I smile at his words and eagerly grip the controls. "Hang on, everyone!" I proclaim and flip the plane's throttle. My grin widens as the engines boldly roar. It isn't long before the aircraft is weightless at my control. We're soaring above the clouds and seeking greater ventures. As I pilot us onward, I embrace the union of those around me. I know there's much to learn, but this...is where I belong.
SAN FRANSOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, SAN FRANSOKYO
A tall, lanky student traverses the institute's halls. Her bright, platform heels clack down a corridor as she leans into her cellphone. The device is practically lost in her long, honey-blonde tresses. "I know," she huffs into the phone. "I said I'd be there as soon as I could, Fred." She pushes up her wide, magenta-rimmed glasses and proceeds towards an office door. "But my professor said a special offer came in for me. I'll be over at Noodle Burger once I'm done." There's a long pause as her friend grumbles. The student giggles at his response and says, "Just save a milkshake for me, okay? Thanks, Fred. Adios." She hangs up and knocks on the office door. "Professor?" she inquires. "You wanted to see me?"
"Honey!" her professor greets. "Just in time." He gestures to a stern-faced woman seated at the nearby desk. "This is Dr. Ramesh of Abstergo Industries."
"It's so nice to meet you," Honey responds. "Apologies. I don't think I'm familiar with Abstergo."
Honey's professor departs as Ramesh smiles coyly. "Don't fret," the scientist says. "Most people aren't." She examines a lengthy file and smirks. "Honey Lemon. That's a...unique name."
"It's what my friends call me," Honey explains. She worriedly furrows her brows and inquires, "Pardon me, but I don't recall filling out any applications for your company."
"Oh you didn't," Ramesh assures. "We found you."
A daunting silence ensues as Honey asks, "What exactly does Abstergo do?"
Ramesh smiles and leans across the desk. "History is our business," she answers. "Some would call us the archivists of the future. Delving into yesterday to save tomorrow."
"But my expertise are in chemical engineering," Honey insists. "If you're looking for a historian-"
"Oh Honey Lemon," Dr. Ramesh chuckles. "Honey...Honey Lemon. You really have no idea, do you?" Honey raises a brow as Ramesh continues. "Tell me this, my dear. Have you ever heard of the great Beatriz, Assassin of Madrisia?"
"No," Honey admits.
"You will," Ramesh replies. She flashes a devious grin and slides an application form across the desk.
Author's Note: Thank you so much for joining me on this adventure. "Anna's Creed" has been a journey thirty chapters in the making and I hope you've enjoyed the ride. It is my honor and pleasure to continue bringing new fanfics to you here at GoldenHeart Stories. I'd greatly appreciate a review if you liked "Anna's Creed". Story reviews really mean a lot and I thank you for your time!
So what's next at the moment? Frozen is my specialty and it makes up the majority of my content. My Frozen/Star Wars crossover "The Frozen Force" is currently on its third season and updates every Friday for your enjoyment! With thirty chapters per season, there's always more content to look forward to! As for other projects, more Frozen stories are currently in the works, but their titles are currently waiting to be announced. You can follow me at GoldenHeart Stories/ GoldenHeartHQ on Twitter and GoldenHeart Stories on Instagram for future story updates. Stay connected because storytelling is my life and more content is heading your way!
Long Live Your Imagination!
~ Michael