Waking up is slow.
Slower than I've woken up in a long time…
Images flash through my mind, are they from a dream?
An insidious grin on the face of Zachariah Moore.
Nyx… My sister… She was holding something… A syringe.
The world falling away from me.
I fly up from the bed, surprising the person in the room with me.
Nyx.
Immediately a wave of dizziness washes over me and I tip sideways.
"I was starting to wonder when you were going to wake up…" Nyx says as helps me settle on the bed with my back against the wall behind me.
The room is plain, with cement walls and small windows along the top of the wall opposite the bed. Too slim for anyone to get through and too high to reach and look out. The door is metal with a small window. And at the opposite end of the room from the door is a washroom, separated from this space by only a wall of windows.
This is a cell.
A prison.
"What happened? Where am I?" I ask her, knowing I won't get solid answers.
"Don't worry. You're safe here. We can protect you from them." She says confidently, "It's okay if you don't remember everything… They did horrible things to you." What is she talking about? Are they trying to manipulate me? The drugs definitely affected my memory for sure… I barely remember the café from before we went in to get Yusuf and nearly everything afterwards is hazy at best. But I can remember sending Aquilo and Zephyr away with Yusuf… And… Nyx betrayed me. Mesonyx, my older sister…
She betrayed me.
To the Templars no less.
And the fact that she is talking to me like I should have forgotten at least the last month or so since the attack on my condo. This tells me that they don't know I'm different. That they don't know that I'm not quite human. That their drugs haven't quite had the effect they were looking for. And most importantly they don't know that I'm the source of power that has extended Yusuf's existence.
And I must do everything I can to make sure they don't find out. The Templars absolutely can not know. This means that I must work on more mundane ways of escaping this. I can't blast my way out of this cell through the wall and fly away on glowing wings.
"Protect me? From who? Where are Aquilo and Zephyr?" I decide to act as though the drugs did exactly what they had intended. She sighs and reaches for my cheek; I flinch away from it. If I'm going to play along, I'm going all the way. Maybe if this goes well, I can get them to let their guard down…
"Sorry… But Raea… They…" She's acting, I can see it in her gestures and hear it in her tone, "They hurt you. Badly. They took you to the Assassins and they tortured you for information on our uncle, only because he approached you at that café." So they're trying to spin themselves as my saviours. Not a bad plan; if their drugs had been used on the old me, this would have gone off without a hitch, "We tried to save you… But we were too late. It took us a couple of weeks to even find where they took you. You've been asleep for a few days since we brought you here."
"I… I don't remember any of that… I don't remember being tortured at all. Lio and Zeph wouldn't do that to me… And Dad… He wouldn't have let it happen." I have to remember what I was like before. I have to remember and use it. I am not the millennia-old ruthless Astraea. I am the naïve, lost, lonely Astraea who didn't belong anywhere.
"Raea… I'm sorry… But our father was the one behind all of this." She says quietly.
"No… That can't be right!" I shout. And an armed man opens the door.
"They said this might happen…" Nyx waves the man down, "They said you might not remember from the trauma. They also said you might get hostile about it… I'm going to leave for a while, you'll have to stay in here until you've calmed down." She stands up and walks to the door, "I'm sorry we couldn't save you first, Raea. It feels like this is all my fault, I hope you get better soon."
Shouting revealed more than I thought it would.
They are aware that I am a decently skilled fighter. They are concerned of having people alone with me. They have a watch posted outside the door, probably all the time, but at the very least while there is someone in here with me.
And either they have a wireless entry system, or the door is unlocked while someone is visiting. The latter being less likely.
I pound the bed beside me with my fist.
She really had me. I can't believe I never saw Nyx being in league with the Templars. Fuck… I didn't think that any of my siblings were with the Templars because of the note that Moore had given me the first time. It had read that he had never been able to get to any of us before our mom had gotten them to join the Brotherhood. It did not say anything about not having gotten to one after they joined the Brotherhood. When did it even happen? Before we met in Greece? Or after? It has been over a year since then now…
Damn it!
I punch the bed again.
Fuck.
I was so close… I held his face. I heard his voice… He called me his Star again.
They have cameras watching me surely, so at least this won't seem out of the ordinary… I bring my knees up to my chest, hold them, and bury my face there.
I was so close to having him back. And now I'm stuck here.
God, I really hope he remembers at least a little of the English I taught him… Then I think about it a little more… Who am I kidding? I don't think he would remember any of the English I taught him…
My chest gets tight and warm all at the same time, he is still alive. He was even able to recognize me… I didn't realize how much I missed hearing him call me Najmay. I just want to hold him now. I want to be held by him, to feel his arms around me again. I want the scent of the spice market that follows him…
I need to get out of here.
I focus myself. Extending my senses beyond me to see what kind of situation I'm in.
And it's not good.
This appears to be a different location. So far as I can tell, it is completely isolated. No roads in or out. Only a helicopter pad on top of the highest level, and a dock beneath the cliffs this facility is perched on. Even power wise, this place appears to run of a variety of renewable energy sources making it completely separate from any electrical grid. I won't be able to send a message that way… There is a satellite dish though… I suppose they still need at least some connectivity out here to the rest of the Abstergo outfit. I might be able to get a message out that way… But it is riskier… With a connected electrical grid I could manipulate my power through the currents to get a message to a place where Shaun or Rebecca might see it without them even noticing… But for a message to get to a place to be found through the satellite dish means that it not only has to go through their dish, but also up to the respective satellite before getting to the internet. That might have too much risk… Maybe if I can get to a computer console I could disguise a message to go to the internet. But that raises the problem of getting to a console and being able to stay long enough to compose, disguise, and send the message… Or maybe I could just disguise the message and hide it in some other information that would be getting sent away…
I brainstorm the possibilities of making an escape, without using any power that is too flashy. I could maybe get away with some electricity manipulating to get around less noticed. But first things first, I will have to gain at least a little bit of their trust before attempting anything. This is going to take more than a couple of days… Damn it.
By the time anyone makes any kind of appearance the daylight from the meager windows has faded, they brought a small meal that they left on a bare table against the same wall as the window. Though now, I'm sitting in the room alone as it gets darker and darker.
Soft Astraea would've been too spooked to even leave the bed, so neither have I.
A shadow at the frosted glass window of the door cues my game face. Time to earn their trust.
They want to play the deception game?
That's fine with me. I'll play.
This facility is called the Solis Research Oasis. Which is exactly the kind of haughty name I'd expect from a Templar facility. And yes. There is something of an oasis in the area of the facility that joins the wing they've decided to house me in and the bulk of the facility.
For the first four days they kept me in the same room. It had given me the time to really think about what I can do about mu situation. Unfortunately, if I want to keep my… Differentness a secret then I have to consider some mundane escape plans.
Any time they took me out of the room I was escorted by an alarmingly armed group of guards. I had decided to do something of a meek act. For this act I mostly just schlump around, I let my heels scuff the floors harshly and allow my feet to slap on the linoleum floors of the facility. I also tend to keep my shoulders hunched a little when I'm sitting down for long periods of time. Some of the little things I do are avoid direct eye contact with everyone except Mesonyx, and speak with a soft voice, often stuttering while speaking.
A couple of days later to keep up the ruse I refused to use the shower being that it is only separated from the rest of my space by a glass wall. They had been assuring me that my space was perfectly private, that no one could see in… But alas, they were lying. There are in fact three cameras. While none of them point directly into the bathroom space, I managed to stick with the whole nervous, shy act.
It had been two more days after that that Mesonyx had come to tell me that if I clean myself up they would allow me to leave the room nearly freely.
Now here I am, walking down a hall—almost—alone.
I have been forming the beginnings of an escape plan, but I'm hoping that I can get through to Nyx before then and we could leave together. Surely she is only being strung along by Moore. I can't imagine she really understands everything that the Templars stand for.
"And where exactly are you going?" A new face sneers at me from a side hallway as I pass by. He glares at me unabashedly. This is probably the boldest mistreatment I've gotten since my arrival. The rest of the mistreatment has all been them gaslighting or trying to fool me.
"I-isn't the veranda this way? I… I wanted to…" I look at my feet and point down the hall. It had been a bit of a risk to come this way, I had wanted to if anyone would stop me. I had gotten farther than I thought I would before this black-haired, blue-eyed man had gotten in my way.
"Stuff it. I know you're acting. There's not one person affiliated with those piece of shit Assassins that is this dense." Oo-hoo… Someone here is actually a little smart… Man the hate in those grey eyes. I wonder if that is for me specifically or the Assassins in general. I can't imagine that I've given anyone cause to hate me this quickly on a personal level… Yet.
"The Assassins… Oh! Mesonyx said something about that the other day… It's… It's been confusing. I feel like—" He crosses his arms in front of his chest.
"You really think that if you keep it up no one will notice that you aren't half as sloppy as you make yourself seem?" He steps right up to me, almost bumping me backwards with his folded arms.
"Eric." A voice like ice draws the attention of the man who is trying to intimidate my act away. My sister's slim, yet undoubtedly strong figure steps up next to us and he reluctantly backs away, "What exactly do you think you are doing?" She crosses her arms and taps her foot impatiently. I look up at her sheepishly, her pewter grey eyes soften as she looks over at me. "Come on." She ushers me away back the way I had come, "Where were you trying to go?"
"You brought me to a veranda the other day to look at the ocean… I was hoping to find it." I shrug a little bit, "I don't usually get lost so easy… Everything still feels pretty muddled…" I say as a confession.
"But you said the other day that things had been getting better… Why did you lie?" She stops me, and brushes some of her wheat blonde hair behind her ear.
"Well… I'm tired of being in that room for so long every day… And I was worried that you would stop letting leave the room if it didn't seem like I was improving…" I let my shoulders slump a little.
"Raea… You aren't a prisoner here. We just want to help you get back to being yourself…" Liar. "But if you lie to us about what you're experiencing as side-effects then we can't help you properly…" We start walking again and arrive at the veranda, where the ocean is twinkling in the sunlight.
"I'm sorry… I guess I'm just getting a little stir-crazy is all…"
"Well, I can see if they will let you wander around a little bit… The Oasis is actually genuinely nice. There are even some exotic birds Zachariah's superior chose to have living in there. Maybe I can work it out that you could spend some time there when it isn't being used." We sit down at the table and chairs there and she takes my hand in hers.
"Nyx… I still don't believe that our family would hurt me. I just can't picture it. Especially Venus. She would never hurt me." I say colouring my voice with some grief and sadness, "And what Eric said… Are these Assassins really so awful? How could they be if our family is all with them?" She gets out of her chair and comes next to me to pull me into a hug.
"I know… You're just so trusting; you wouldn't be able to see it. Maybe all my bullying was a blessing in disguise… Because it saved you being brought into it immediately… You got to live some more of your life than the rest of us. You got a chance to find yourself." Find myself… I don't know if that's what I would call it. "Come on, lets go have something for supper." She pulls me up and leads me through the facility.
It's been two and a half weeks now.
I've made progress. They let me walk the halls, some of them anyway. With less supervision each time I go only where I'm supposed to. Each day that goes by I can feel that they are letting their guard down more. Although, they haven't completely left me alone yet, there are usually guards hanging around. Acting casual but by the sideways looks and consistent presence, they've been switching to less obvious monitoring of me. With that though is that if I watch them they usually keep the act up. What they don't realize is that they aren't trying to fool a naïve, mid-twenties woman. Rather, they are attempting to fool someone who's been around the block before. A-plus for effort though. And I'd give a b-plus for enthusiasm.
But that is an improvement over an armed escort to each place I had to go—that is what they did at the beginning of course. They have also expanded the places I'm allowed to go. Like the veranda that looks out onto the ocean, four days ago they let me walk to it completely alone, with only some regular posted guards. That time I stayed until sunset. Making it evident that I'm still on the west coast, but I'm not sure if they've taken me north of Vancouver, or if they took me south and we're States-side. Too bad none of my powers involve a sort of internal GPS self-tracking.
The last few days, I've been testing the waters on them leaving me alone. How long they're willing to leave me unsupervised and where I've managed to get myself alone. The goal being to see if can I get enough alone time near a computer console to get a message out. Though I've never used my power like this before I'm relatively sure that I've figured out how I can managed it. I've had time to think of a format for the message that will make it look like the rest of the information on the outgoing. I've also managed to think of some code I can include that will make it leave the Abstergo mainframe to put itself in Shaun or Rebecca's way. And even though I don't know exactly where I am yet, the computers should. So if I can manage to sneak in a geotag on the information, they will be able to find me.
The other part of me working for their trust is to get as much information to send as possible. The more Shaun and Rebecca can learn the better for anyone who might try the ridiculous feat of trying to save me from this.
Because there is no way that Zeph and Lio are just sitting back and waiting for me to get myself out. And with Yusuf there… I'm sure things are interesting. So I intend on at least giving them what I can. Although, the best scenario is that I am able to escape on my own.
I just hope that someone can convince them to wait and make a solid plan. This escape is not as time sensitive as getting Yusuf away from them, but there is definitely a part of me that knows I need to hurry. Which is why I've also been thinking of an escape, although I may have to wait for the right moment for this.
So far, they haven't caught on that I'm different yet. And I endeavor to keep it that way, but every day is a day that they could catch on. Which only adds a facet of risk to attempting an escape, I have to be certain that I can get away. Or risk them learning too much.
There is just the one guard that appears to not buy my whole routine… Ever since he first caught me trying to see how far I could get. It has been quite a few times now that he has tried to rile me up to reveal something to everyone else. Naturally, it hasn't worked. Firstly, he doesn't know which of my buttons to press. Secondly, since I'm aware he's trying to prove something it is only harder for him.
His name is Eric. And the biggest button of his that I've found to press? Fucking up his name. I've called him Erin, Ulric, Erit, Merrick, Erith, Airdrie, Mavic, Error, Frederick, Cleric, Gerrick, and Ericka. I'm decently sure he carries a higher rank, and I imagine he has taken his concerns to Moore already. But Moore is too infatuated with the idea of having an Assassin prodigy become his new plaything. He wants too desperately to outmaneuver his sister and brother-in-law… I.e. Mom and Dad.
"Out enjoying the sea air today?" Moore comes out onto the veranda.
"Yeah, it gets a little stuffy inside, I think… Maybe it's all in my head, but I like it out here…" I muse. I've been doing a decent job of convincing Moore that I don't remember our exchange before Nyx sedated me. He still approaches me with caution though. Wise on his part I suppose.
"I feel the same way," Liar. "The air here clears my mind when I've gotten too caught up in my work." He's just saying it all to earn some trust from me. Since it didn't work the first way, he's counting on my memory loss being permanent in order to have me in his little collection of his sister's children.
"I admit, I'm still pretty lost about all of this… I don't really know what to think." I put the lure out, to see what he will say.
"I understand. I remember being a young man. My parents, your grandparents, taught me the ways of the Brotherhood for as long as I could remember. They never really let me learn much else. But I am an inquisitive type, as I imagine you are as well, and I didn't care for the Creed of the Assassins. I suppose even if they told you, you don't remember… Their Creed is... Nothing is true, everything is permitted. I never cared for it myself." I wonder if he can tell that my personality is more in line with the views of the Brotherhood… Because he has conveniently left out the key meaning of the phrase. "Before they got me too deep into it, I caught the attention of a Templar Grandmaster. He helped to guide me towards the path to the Father of Understanding. Just as I helped your sister Mesonyx, and how I hope to help you as well." By leading me along that path with a leash made of steel, "Although, your sister has decided to do as I did and choose a name to suit who she is and not who your parents made her to be. I truly hope that you are open to finding yourself." Is that really how she feels? I will have to try and talk to her about it. On the name note… I am quite literally my namesake, so I don't think there's much room for identity issues there.
"I'm really not sure… I just think this is all too much right now, I still don't know if I really believe all the things you've said about my family… They love me." He reaches and places a hand gently on my shoulder.
"I know they've led you to believe that, but for them it is entirely based on what you can accomplish for the Brotherhood." He says, lying right to my face; he knows that they were never going to tell me about it at all. I wonder if Mesonyx told him that… "Regardless, I've disturb your peace for long enough, and I have work waiting for me." He walks away and back into the facility. Where I see him speak with Mesonyx before she comes out and sits at one of the tables and motions for me to join her. I listen but all he mentions is that I seem hesitant. He asks her to reassure me and reminds her of something.
"How are you feeling today? Sore at all?" She asks, she almost sounds like she genuinely cares, but I can also hear venomous undertones, the way I do almost every time I speak with her.
"I'm feeling a bit better today, I guess." I say to her, keeping my voice low and hesitant. I play a small smile.
"You guess?" She goes in for the bait.
"Yeah… I mean, I just keep thinking about everything you told me the other day… I'm still not—"
"Not sure it really adds up? I know the feeling." She looks out over the ocean, "I remember the day they told me all of it. Our parents. I had graduated from my bachelor's in history only a week earlier. You were just fifteen then, I remember you walking into the house while mom and dad told me in the yard. They told me I had a choice. But… In reality they only disguised it as a choice." She looks over at me, "For me it took a while to come to terms with everything… At first, it felt as though I were finally a part of something… Like I belonged… But once Aquilo joined, that feeling disappeared. I watched how well he meshed with the Brotherhood, and again I felt as though I didn't really belong. It only got worse with Zephyr joining and then Venus…" She pauses for a moment, everything she's said so far has been the truth… I never knew she felt that way, "Once Venus was told, it began to click for me. That our parents had just used us all. They had put us all in those classes and extra-curriculars to teach us those skills in the most underhanded way. They manipulated everything about how we grew up. Although I didn't have the courage to stand up to it until recently. And if not for Charles I don't know that I ever would have stood up to it…" Charles? She stands up, "That's why I'm going to abandon everything from them, even my name. Charles brought me to this door and Zachariah has opened it for me, I can be my own person. Not their pawn." She comes over and hugs me, "I hope you at least consider the offer to join us… We can help you become yourself instead of what they built you up to be. You could be more than the girl named after a virgin goddess of stars." Then she leaves. If only I could tell her…
I watch her go into the building and see the ever-present Eric looking out at me. I smile and wave at him. I see his eyes narrow before I turn to look back out at the ocean where sunset is colouring the horizon but just out of view.
Then I hear the door open, and who sits across the small table from me next but Eric.
"I know you're faking. I know it. There is something about you that seems so…"
"Amazing?" I supply, "You know, Boric, I think you're just jealous that I don't have to do any work right now." I see his eye twitch as I fuck his name up yet again, "You shouldn't hold onto jealousy… It can really weigh you down." He just narrows his eyes at me again, and I just smile.
"You may have Moore and Harris convinced." Harris? Who in the hell is Harris? "But you can't convince me. I know you're just waiting. I'm not sure what for yet… But I know it. And all I need is for you to slip up once. Then you can bet I'll be waiting to show you your place."
"Oh my… So scary…" I stand up and begin to walk towards the door with Eric following close behind me, "I guess I should watch my step here… It can be slippery, right, Derrick? Especially once its dark." I look back briefly and flash my most genuine smile. I can practically see the steam coming out his ears as I turn back to open the door and return to the little cell waiting for me as dusk begins to bring in the night.
Part of me had hoped to convince Mesonyx that the Templars won't really help her… But I think she is too infatuated with this idea of becoming her own person… She has felt pushed into being an Assassin for too long and it's coming to a head. If I hadn't gone through everything I had up to this point, I would probably join her for that speech she made. But now all I feel is sympathy. I know how it feels to lose yourself. To feel as though the someone, or maybe everyone, has stolen who you are. As I am now, I don't feel that need to find myself. I have had a long time to figure out who I am.
And while I may not fully endorse everything the Assassins do… I do fully believe that if there is ever to be a true and lasting peace in the world… The people of the world must choose it of their own free will. The Templar's idea of peace through tyranny will only end in more pain, war, and hatred.
I had once overheard Ezio speaking with Sulieman after Ahmet had revealed himself as the one behind the Byzantine-Templars, Sofia's capture, and Yusuf's murder. Sulieman had said it so well then—what is wrong with the Templar logic.
The world is a tapestry of many colours and patterns. A just leader would celebrate this, not seek to unravel it.
Now that I know I have no hope of ever turning Mesonyx's gaze away from the Templars… I must leave here. It's already been too long. Too long because I'd been holding onto this fool's hope to bring Nyx home…
Tonight is the night then.
I won't bother sending any messages, I will leave and make contact with the Assassins once I'm far enough away. This won't be easy… If I catch attention too quickly I might not make it. There are too many of them here for me to face directly, so I must try to escape as quickly and quietly as I can.
Alone.
I pass the time into the night the same way I have been for the last week. Drawing for a while, reading a book they gave me—lovely novel just brimming with lacklustre Templar rhetoric— and then laying in the bed before turning off the lights and going to sleep. Little did they know for this whole time I'd spend half the night carefully observing their guard patrols for the graveyard shifts. Usually I do sleep for about three hours. But I'm usually awake and laying in the bed with my eyes closed by around one in the morning.
They have a fairly sensible guard rotation. There are three units of guards that take care of the night shift, with a separate ensemble for the day shift. Within the three units, there is one that consists of seven groups of three guards patrolling the outside of the facility and the outer perimeter of the grounds; this is the largest single unit of guards. There is the set that patrols the inside halls of the facility in five groups of three; this represents the second largest unit. The smallest set is the unit of guards that rotate checking key areas of the facility and switch watch over my door every thirty minutes. This set consists of six guards who travel alone but move the quickest. This graveyard ensemble makes nighttime my most likely time to succeed in an escape. The daytime ensemble is about fifty-percent larger with a higher concentration of guards inside.
They all remain in radio contact with each other in their respective units, with one from each set linked into the larger communications between all the guard units. And of course each of the six individual guards that patrol have access to the facility-wide comm link. The key to my escape is going to be remaining as quiet as possible, deal with any discoverer of my escape quickly before they can radio for back-up, and hope that I don't come across one of the twelve guards that lead the inner and outer units or one of the solo guards with the full communication set up. Other than that I should be able to either fully avoid most cameras or use a small amount of my power to interrupt the video signal; although that would leave evidence of my passing should they decide to review the footage. Therefore, I should avoid any video manipulation if I can help it.
The quietest times for the patrols is between three and four in the morning. This also happens to be the time of the night by which most of the guards begin to yawn. And a good few hours before the day units have had enough rest to be fully aware.
So that is when I'm going to make my move.
I look at the clock on the plain table, it reads 3:15 am. The guard outside my room should be changing any minute now. And the next won't be here for another thirty minutes after that. With room for delays, I should end up with about fifteen minutes before someone discovers that the guard at my door has vanished.
Sure enough, I hear the replacement guard arrive to relieve the woman standing at my door. Accompanied by a yawn.
"Oh, don't do… Thaaaaaat. Damn it… That was my first yawn all night. I was doing really well until you came along." The woman harshly whispers to the man.
"No regrets. That felt great." I hear a punch.
"You're terrible. You know I've been struggling with the switch to overnights…"
"Oh, muffin… Do you wanna go back to day times where you might have to escort the naïve, innocent, adult-baby around all day long?" I smirk, apparently I've been doing well. They all fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Except Eric, it seems. I wonder if he will have taken nights tonight because of my provocation earlier. Maybe I should have kept my fun to a minimum earlier…
"Ugh… No. I barely escaped having to do that… I'm glad I don't have to deal with her being so painfully pleasant. I can't deal with people like her. So… Smiley… And she still refuses to believe how terrible the Assassins are. I heard from Dale in day shift that she actually said she isn't sure if she believes any of it at all! Like it's really up for debate? Like come on. Use your eyes." The woman vents a little pent-up frustration with my attitude. Her volume had started to rise at one point, but she managed to keep her voice mostly even.
"Jeez, I didn't realize you felt so strongly about it. But yeah, I get where you're coming from. I mean we already have to put up with that hoity toity Harris woman from the Assassins, and now they're trying to reel in this one? For what? I honestly can't see how she could possibly be of any value to the Templars…" The man makes sure to speak softly, "Anyway, you better go take your break quick. I'll come for around mine in a bit naturally."
"Yeah, see you later." I hear the steps of the woman fade into the distance and I wait five more minutes after that. Then I slink up to the door, I place my hand on the side where I know the panel is and put enough power into it to short it out. The quick zap causes the guard to curse.
"How did that happen?" He whispers, I step to the side of the door and wait. Sure enough I hear the little beep of him overriding the door to open it. The lump of pillows on the bed making him drop his guard until I jump him and get him immediately into a strangle hold until he slips unconscious. Once he drops for good, I drag a little further into the room and snatch the key card on his vest.
"Have a good sleep…" I whisper before closing the door with him inside and slinking down the hallway. If disguising him in my bed wouldn't have been a waste of ten precious minutes I would have done it. But alas, lack of guard there will cause some alarm in less than twenty minutes now anyway.
Their energy choices are to my advantage because they tend to dim the lights at night so that maybe a third of the lights are on. Making it quite dark. The guard teams outside are equipped with night vision but the ones inside are not.
My end goal is to get deep enough into the forest that I will be able to go full speed without worrying about being found. If I get to the point where I can go my full speed, then I'm home free. To go full speed it would be best to be completely out of visual range of any possible pursuers. So how far I have to go depends on how long they pursue me making it still an uncomfortably open variable. But it's one I must live with.
I get distracted thinking about running free and almost go around a corner where a team of three is passing through the hall. I manage to stop and flatten myself against the wall just out of their sight.
Unfortunately, they were really thinking when they chose where to put me. The Solis facility has a research wing that follows a cliff jutting out from the main cliffs. They put me at the end of it. And since my best escape window is at night, jumping into the water below is not an option. Pretty damn sure that if I get crushed against the rocks, I will in fact stay crushed. In other words… Rest in pieces. Especially considering that the drop from the facility into the water is an easy 850 meters. And using glowing, golden wings in the middle of the night in a place with extremely low light pollution is not exactly the low profile escape I'm hoping for…
I manage to get to where the wing that juts out joins the rest of the facility. This is where their 'Oasis' is. I've been there a handful of times but as for the rest beyond here… I've only ever 'seen' this area through extending my senses. But that means that I've never really seen it. Only ever… Observed it, through that extension. From what I've seen there are other people being kept captive or something similar. And going through and seeing it for the first time I find it looks like a true Abstergo research facility.
This is also where it will get tougher to remain undetected because there is a higher concentration of guards in this area. There are the ones inside which will pass each area every ten minutes and then there are those patrolling outside who will be able to see in.
Oh look, this research area is even complete with a few Animus rooms.
The patrols seem the same as usual so far… But I keep having to stop to let them pass, it's been thirteen minutes already. I haven't even gotten halfway yet and I'm almost out of free time.
An alarm begins to blare and suddenly the whole facility is completely lit up.
Scratch that… I'm completely out of free time.
I spot a door in the hallway and go over to it with the key card ready. But it isn't locked. When I get in I realize why. It's a kitchen. It is just as asleep as the rest of the facility was three minutes ago. Although… I imagine that alarm probably woke up the rest of the population living here. Scientists, researchers, lab assistants, and guards, naturally. I find a nook to hide from the door into the hall in case someone has a mind to look in here, and then I focus very carefully.
The movement in this place has exploded. Within five minutes the guard numbers have doubled… I think they might be faster than most emergency services…
Which does not bode well for me.
I listen carefully to those closest to my location.
"This area is clear." They pause and I hear murmuring that must be from the comm links the group leaders wear, "No, there were no disturbances in our patrol all night." Another pause to listen, I can hear the footsteps of the group getting closer, "No, there is no way she got all the way out. None of the motion alarms went off at the perimeter." The leader clicks his tongue listening to the other side, the murmuring getting clearer as they get closer, "She is just a beginner in whatever they might have been able to teach her. Not to mention her memory loss. She probably can't even use any of those skil—" They get cut off from the other side, as they get close enough for me to hear the voice of Zachariah Moore coming over the comm link.
"She may be a beginner, but she is also a prodigy. I don't want any of you to hesitate. If you see her, tag her with the tranquilizers. That's why you have them." He says firmly.
"Sir, what is she reaches my team's posts?" A female voice comes over the link.
"Well, then I suppose there won't be much choice. But ideally we will get her with the tranquilizers, even if she ends up with more than four."
"But sir that's—" The man starts to say.
"I know." Moore bites through the link, "If she suffers from too many tranquilizers we can resuscitate her, but we can notlose her. We must recapture her at all costs. If we fail this isn't just coming down on me. Master Sulien Harris will have all our heads if we lose her. Are we clear?"
A round of 'yessir's comes over the link as they pass by the door to the kitchen.
"Tsk. They talk as if she could have even made it this far. Have you seen her? Have you heard her? She walks way too clunkily for an Assassin, and there's no way she could have gotten this far without any of us noticing. Moore seems to think that she is some kind of super Assassin in the making though… So arrogant."
"Should we check here?" One of the others suggests, right outside the door. I may not be visible from the door, but if they commit to a full search of the kitchen they will find me.
And I can't use my power. At the very least it will give me away, at worst I use it and it not only gives me away, but I use too much and get exhausted too quickly resulting in getting caught.
"No. That's a waste of time. We should be surrounding the cliff section's exits, all we should have to do is listen for the slapping of her feet on the ground, or for the scuffing of her heels as she drags her feet." The team leader decides as they continue in the direction I had come from.
Thank you for being an arrogant asshole.
I focus to see that the closest team is approaching the intersection of hallways before they turn and walk farther away from my location. Making an imprint in my memory of the locations all the teams were in, most of them were gathering at areas where the main area of the facility meets the part where the cliff juts out near the Oasis, leaving fewer between me and the exit.
I had been being cautious of the cameras, but at this point, with the facility lit up like daytime… I don't think I will be able to avoid all of them, and the additional guards. Then I see my answer right there in front of me. A staircase leading down to the janitorial halls. Another save from Abstergo's arrogance, whoever had this 'Oasis' facility built doesn't like to see the janitorial staff mulling about so it seems they built, underneath the main floor, a whole mess of hallways that let the janitors get around unseen.
Extending my senses to follow the hallway out, I see one team in the middle of the hall I need right now… And one more team near the end where it leads to a garbage disposal area… Outside.
I climb down the stairs and come out in a rather clean and empty hallway. It's long and the signs do read that the garbage compactor and disposal is that way, but there are absolutely no obstacles between me and the end. Besides the two teams, they were far enough apart that I should be able to deal with each one separately but if they are watching they will likely see me coming. And they will call for help.
I take a slow and deep breath. I'm just going to have to book it all the way to the end. Luckily even without my power I have more physical prowess than a normal human of my size and body type. Hopefully, I won't have to dip into my power. But even so, I just need enough energy after this to get deep into the forest.
Then I begin my run.
The hall is longer than I thought, then I realize it's because the first team is further down it than I had last seen. They had moved further down towards the end, and the second team had moved closer. Now the two teams are meeting.
Fuck.
I see one of the guards spot me, she shouts and fires a dart at me. I dodge it, but then the rest of the two teams fill up the width of the hall and they all fire at once. I skirt to the edge of the hall and only take three of the six shots fired, but I can hear them shouting into their comms. I need to get out of here quickly.
As I reach their location they fire again, I take four this time, but I'm able to swiftly go from one to another knocking them all out with quick and precise actions. I hear the squawking of the comm link as I get ready to run and decide to take one so that I can at least hear some of what's going on. As I slip it into my ear I make a break for it again.
"Team Lambda? Team Eta? Hank? Sierra? Respond immediately." A calm voice over the comm, then the voice continues, "All units, disturbance in the utility hallways leading to the garbage compactor and garbage retrieval areas. Converge on that location." A slew of 'roger' sings over the link and I pick my pace up even more.
Seeing the end of the tunnel arriving, I make the decision to just run. If I pause to see where they are the most it will accomplish is giving them time to multiply. They've received orders to go to where I'll be coming out. This teamwork is definitely the kind of well-oiled machine that I can't face alone. Nothing like the ninnies who stormed the Assassin hideout in Bitola. And if I give pause for anything, I'll fail.
I see a button coming up on the wall for janitors to open the door without having to hold it open, I smack it on the way by and slide through the slim opening before it has time open further. I vault myself over the brick wall enclosing the dumpsters from the forest and begin to race for the trees. The forest is closer than I thought it would be…
Sure enough, there are already some guards arriving here and they begin a barrage of dart fire at me, most are aiming too slow, but four more manage to hit their mark. I am starting to feel the effects of it too… My legs, which normally wouldn't have any issue with this amount of running are screaming in protest from the tranquilizer now coursing through my system. But I just keep running. I can see the forest. I'm almost there… I pass a few of the grand lodgepole pines.
Crack!
I sharp sound followed by the blossom of agony from my left shoulder sends me skidding to a halt on the ground. I clutch my shoulder already smelling the blood coming from the wound.
A sniper.
And a damn good shot.
I try picking myself up off the ground to continue my desperate sprint, but a well-placed kick flips me onto my back and knocks the wind out of me. The guard who kicked me walks over and steps on the gunshot wound in my shoulder. It's none other than Eric. He grins at me sadistically and I can't help myself.
"Ah, Generic, we meet again." I grin as fully as I can, as I watch his expression warp angrily, "Arghhh!" I shout the pain as he steps down on the wound in my left shoulder. I can feel the world begin to fade from view as the face of Moore comes into my view.
"My, my… We certainly underestimated you, didn't we? A miscalculation that will not occur again… I assure you." He says as he motions for the guards to take me back.
I couldn't do it alone after all.
With the loss of blood caused by the sniper shot the tranquilizers are able to take hold of me causing the world to disappear from around me.