While the three teams searched for the three power sources, Desmond Continued his search for the Key. Instead of continuing the journey as Haytham, Desmond was instead reliving the memories of his son Ratonhnhaké:ton or Connor.

Since they were the closest to the temple, Vincent and Tanya were the first to return, so by the time Desmond's next session was finished the first power source was waiting for him. When they arrived the assassins noted the bruises and cuts Vincent was sporting.

"Run into some Templars did you?" Shaun asked.

"More specifically an old friend," Vincent chuckled, "fortunately, Mr. Cross fights like a schoolyard bully, crude and clumsy."

The assassins looked at each other. "Cross?" William asked, "as in Daniel Cross?"

Vincent's eyes widened slightly, "you know him?"

"Who's Daniel Cross?" Desmond wondered.

"Believe it or not, he used to be an assassin," Shaun explained. "THE assassin from what I've heard."

Paull scoffed loudly and everyone turned to him. "THE assassin is right," He set his laptop down and walked over to them. "Cross was the Templars ultimate instrument during the great purge. He personally assassinated our old mentor and it was thanks to him that the Templars were able to find most of our cells. He didn't get them all fortunately, but the damage was done." He sighed and shook his head, "Kenny knew something was off about him he tried to tell Hannah, but her trusting nature overcame his caution. My brother is still haunted by her death and blames himself for the purge."

Rebecca nodded, "Hannah told me how Kenneth had proposed to her two days before Cross' betrayal."

Paul nodded, "I had never seen him happier when she accepted."

"I'm sorry," Desmond said.

Paul frowned, "Kenny actually tracked Daniel down and confronted him in Denver during the DIA Satellite Accident. Kenny nearly succeeded in killing him if Abstergo's 'Cleanup Crew' hadn't interfered. Though they were unable to stop him from destroying the satellite. before he was forced to flee.

"Don't worry," Vincent said assuring, "I have no doubt the revenge your brother desires will be his in time.' Vincent's mouth formed a thin smile, "though after kicking his ass a second time I doubt Abstergo's little piggy is going to want to leave the brick house for a while."

"Speaking of which," Shaun noted, "how exactly do you know Daniel?"

Vincent sat down the plopped his shoes on a nearby rock. "It was ten years ago. I had been hired to retrieve some files from Abstergo's database. I manage to break into their headquarters in America, but I underestimated how sophisticated their security was and ended up getting caught. They interrogated me harshly but they were unable to break me. They took some blood and several other DNA samples and found that I was a match for what they needed. So I became their new test subject or more specifically Subject 6."

The eyes of the assassin's widened, "Y-you?" Shaun stammered in disbelief. "You were a subject of Abstergo?"

Vincent nodded, "for over a year they put me in that mind melting machine of theirs. Making me relive memories of who I suppose were my ancestors. Evidently they didn't find what they were looking for so they decided to neutralize me. Or at least they TRIED to anyway."

"So you were actually able to escape?" Desmond was awed. Sure his own escape was relatively easy but then again it was planned by Lucy and Vidic.

Vincent shrugged, "I spent over a year in their care so I ppicked up a thing or two. Learning employee's routines and habits, probing for weaknesses. Crime is my profession after all and everyone knows that for a perfect crime, the execution must be as good as the escape. Swiping Vidic's keycard was easy enough as was dealing with the hundred two bit guards that tried to stop me. When I attacked Vidic, Cross came to his defense. Funny, the Templars greatest mole could only put up a measly 20 second fight. In the end I left Cross curled up in the floor with a broken arm, leg, nose and six of his upper teeth. All he managed was a bruised knee. This time around he fare slightly better but I still beat him easily."

"Damn," Shaun rubbed the back of his neck. "Pity you didn't kill him."

Vincent smirked, "the thought did occur to me. but I was more interested in getting out of there." He then reached into his pocket. "Any-hoo, I believe you were wanting this Angel Eyes." He pulled out the first power source and handed it to Desmond. Desmond took it and after giving a nod of thanks went over to the nearest terminal and inserted it . the temple glowed and Desmond noticed a barrier on the main door go out indicating the first lock had been opened. More lights appeared and Desmond saw one of the walls shift revealing a new area was available.

Suddenly a hologram of Juno appeared and began speaking. Though he didn't want to hear what she had to say he was still curious. Fortunately this one seemed more of a recording rather than Juno herself. Though Desmond wished that it was Mars instead for he was now curious about his take in all of this.

"In the beginning when we thought we could be saved, we sought to face the sun's wrath and contain it. Four towers would be built to pull her fury into this place and contain it." She waved her hand and the image of four structures appeared.

But even with all we knew, with all we had. It would take too long, For a thousand years we could labour and still the work would still be unfinished." Three towers disappeared leaving one in a state of construction

"The first tower remained incomplete so we moved on. But while we laboured on other endeavours, a few returned. They Thought to automate the process. Metal might finish what flesh could not. "Juno walked away and Desmond followed her.

"If we could not meet the suns cruel embrace, Perhaps we might rebuke it. Already we could generate the fields, to protect us in times of strife." Juno waved her hand revealing the Rings of Eden know to have defensive measures.

"But these were small and simple things, To replicate them on a scale the size of a world. We lacked the energy to make it so." An image of the world appeared with a barrier of some kind around it."

"Half the world, they said then, it is better than none at all, Again we failed, a quarter they asked, but even this they could not do. A sixth, an eighth, a tenth, they cried. The answer was still the same. Perhaps in time a city might be spared, But it was time we did not have, so we moved on." Juno walked away and disappeared ending the recording.

Desmond contacted the others, "did you get all of that?"

"Aye we did," Shaun replied, "Seems the First Civilization tried multiple ways to stop the sun but were limited by their own abilities."

"I for one want to hear Mars' tell this tale," Rebecca added echoing Desmond's earlier thoughts.

After getting some rest, Desmond returned to the animus to continue Connor's story. The end was a disappointment. Conner ended up killing Haytham but it was discovered that he no longer had the key in his possession. That meant that the key was being kept by the last templar. Conner had manage to dismantle the Colonial templar rite and killed off it's key members. Now there was only one left, Charles Lee.

Two days later the second power source was delivered. To Desmond's disappointment is wasn't Lucy that arrived but Michael and Jacob. But what was disturbing, was that just like Vincent, they too had run into trouble since their faces seem to have some bruising.

Michael and Jacob explained what happened in their Trip to Brazil. As soon as William heard the name Berg. his eyes widened. He was all to familiar with the Finnish Templar. He had lost a dozen of his closest colleagues to him and if Michael and Jacob faced him then that meant only one thing."

"You're telling me that you faced Sigma Team?"

Michael scratched his chin, "I'm guessing that's some sort of Templar hit squad."

"Are you kidding me?" Rebecca piped up, "Sigma Team is the Templars primary kill-team for hunting down Assassins. After the purge Sigma team was responsible for mopping up the survivors of the cells that were hit. Half of them were wiped out within the decade thanks to Sigma Team."

"I admit these ones actually put up a fight unlike the ones we encountered previously." Michael replied. "From the looks of it they seemed to be ex-special forces. His hand rubbed his side. Those guy can hit hard.

"In any case," Shaun interjected, The fact that you two manage to take on Sigma Team by yourselves, makes me glad that you're on our side."

"Well don't expect us to sign on to you're little assassin's club anytime soon," Michael warned. We may be helping you but we take orders from no one."

"It's is a pity in a way, William sighed, "If only we had people with even half your skills. We wouldn't be running."

Your order will bounce back eventually I think," Michael assured him. "From the looks of your history, you people have a habit of coming back. He turned to Desmond and handed him the next power source, Desmond took it with a nod.

Desmond took it cautiously, "they knew you were coming," he said finally.

"It would seem so," Michael replied.

"But how did they know?" Desmond wondered, "who tipped them off?" A horrible thought occurred to him. 'Lucy,' he thought faintly, 'tell me this wasn't you, tell me you're not still a templar.' Just the thought of it sent a bolt of pain through his heart.

As if sensing what he was thinking, Michael put a hand on Desmond's shoulder. "Hey we don't know what happened, I'm sure there's another explanation.

Desmond prayed that his friend was right and decided to think optimistically when another thought came to him. "If the templars sent teams to Manhattan and Brazil then that means-"

"-Lucy and Kenneth may be walking into a trap." Rebecca finished the thought.

Desmond turned to Paul, "Any word from you're brother?"

Paul looked up from his computer and nodded, Kenneth texted me an hour ago, they landed safely and are now headed for a warehouse outside the city limits. He said he would contact me as soon as they had the Apple which shouldn't be long. He then started typing furiously, "I'll message him to let him know of a possible ambush."

"I'll contact Gavin to see if he can send them some help," William added dialing his phone.

"Do you think they can retrieve the power source before Abstergo?" Shaun asked

"Lucy's no slouch from what I saw of her," Desmond replied.

"And Kenneth is one of our best fighters," William added. It was thanks to the skills of Paul and Kenneth that their assassin cells survived the purge."

Desmond nodded gratefully and left to install the power source. He inserted it into the next terminal. Once again the process repeated itself, another part of the main door lowered, a new section of the temple was opened and Juno appeared once more to continue the tale.

"What is a fact, is it fixed, immutable, certain in it's existence and only awaiting discovery? Or might it be changed." A huge image of an Apple of Eden appeared, "here we learned the answer and thought that it might save us."

The apple shrunk and appeared in the hand of an Isu. He held it up ad humans passed clearly under the apple's influence. Desmond's eyes narrowed and his hands curled into fists. Remembering how he had once been under that apple's influence to know that it wasn't a pleasant experience.

"They were used to command to control, to own. But soon we discovered another use." The image shifted to the humans on the knees as the Isu manipulated them with the apple. "When enough sat enthralled and were told to believe, their thoughts took on form. What was imagined, became real. If a hundred minds could wish away a wall or create a tree. What might a thousand do? Ten thousand? More? Might we change the consensus and will the threat away?"

The Earth appeared with a small light ascending from it and hovered above the planet. "We resolved to sent one into the sky where it might illuminate us all. Once placed a sentence would be uttered, Make us safe. In this way we would change the consensus. We would save the world."

"But it never came to be, We sent a dozen of them skyward.' As she said this more lights appeared and seem to orbit earth. "But their was no way to maintain control, to direct the beam, to enthrall the world, to speak the words Though this was strange and dangerous, what we did next was worse."

Out first instinct was to travel back, to change the past, But we could not find a way. But forward, we could look forward, And so we sought to see beyond ourselves and know what was to come. First we watched to learn if our work would succeed. But the answer was always the same. So we moved on to other things.

Juno frowned, "But she remained, the one you call Minerva." As she said this the Isu in question appeared. "Mars did the same but instead of looking he began speaking. In time Minerva too stopped looking and like Mars began to speak. They called out across time in the hopes that you might be saved. Minerva hid messages where none might find them save for you. Mars went about it his own way, one kept secret from his people."

The assassins were listening intently to everything that was being said. "Fascinating, William said finally.

"Desmond was not so enlightened. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!" He roared, "all the cryptic warnings, the threats, the damn riddles. JUST TELL US WHAT YOU WANT!"

"They are Desmond," William explained. "We saw the Nephilim back there, We seemed like grasshoppers, in our own eyes and we must look the same to them. Imagine trying to explain all this to a two year old, to a grasshopper. When they said the will of the gods was unknowable, they meant it literally."

Desmond was really missing Lucy right now, he wanted, no needed her guidance, her advice. He wished she was here just her being so far away was driving him mad, "Michael, does that roommate in your head have anything to add?"

"Sorry," Michael sighed, "he only comes around when he feels the need arises. I guess now is not that time. But one thing is clear, You seem to be the literal key to stopping what is about to happen.

Desmond shook his head, all of this was becoming too much and decided to get some rest. As he did this Paul went to William his face consumed with worry, "We may have a situation," he said in a low whisper.

"What is it?" William replied stiffly

"Kenny hasn't contacted me and it's been 4 hours. I know he's been on a mission but I should have gotten some kind of update by now."

William nodded, "I must agree with you, so far both teams have had run-ins with Templars on both of their assignments."

"I worry that they discovered the breach I made," Paul wondered. "I'm certain that I was careful not to leave any digital footprints but a part of me wonders if they already knew what we would look for."

Now William was concerned, If the Templars caught wind of their hack or worse manage to trace it then that means they don't have much time left."

Just then William's phone rang, William picked it up and answered, "this is William."

"William, it's Gavin, you better put Paul on the phone, something happened with his brother."

William's eyes widened and his features hardened. The others noticed too and asked about it, "everything all right Mentor?" Shaun asked.

William slowly lowered the phone and handed it to Paul, "You might want to take this."

Paul froze and slowly took the phone, "yes, what is it."

Nobody heard what was said but Paul's face became even paler as he slumped down into the seat. "I-is he...alive?" ha asked his voice barely able to get the words out.

The reply seemed to calm him down a bit, and Paul spoke in a still strangled voice. D-did...h-he...say... a-anything."

This reply caused him to gasp. as he covered his mouth in horror. His grip loosened and the phone fell to the ground. William picked it up and started talking with Gavin.

"What exactly happened?" he demanded. "Uh-huh," William sighed deeply, "I see, thank you for telling me Gavin, Bye." William hung up and pocketed the phone, his face solemn.

"What is it William?" Rebecca asked worriedly, "what's wrong?"

Willian sighed deeply and spoke as Paul was in a state of shock. "Our team was ambushed in Cairo, Kenneth is in critical condition and they took the power source."

"What about Lucy?" Rebecca asked her only concern was for her friend's wellbeing.

William looked back at Desmond's sleeping form, before turning back to them. "Lucy has been taken."