(A/N: I do not own Spiderman or Assassin's Creed. That right belongs to Ubisoft and Sony).
Peter followed behind Emmanuel, Chris and Sofia into a sort of meeting room at Chris' apartment. It was a relatively normal day at school or at least what counted as the 'new normal' for Peter at least. Chris asked him to come over to his and his mom's penthouse that night for a very important discussion about their next task.
Inside the room Sofia led them into was another woman that seemed to be in her early forties, along Sofia's age. She was standing beside a large round table. The woman turned and smiled when she saw all of them.
"Hey, guys" She said warmly.
"Peter, I'd like you to meet a good friend of mine and Emmanuel's mother, Ms. Laetitia England" Sofia said, introducing the two
"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am" Peter said smiling, shaking Laetitia's hand
"Thank you, young man. Same to you. I hope you don't mind my saying but you look rather handsome. I bet dozens of young ladies are banging down your door, aren't they?" She asked cheekily, winking.
"Mom!" Emmanuel said, kind of embarrassed as Peter blushed.
"I wish" Peter chuckled.
"Well give it time. They will" Laetita said, chuckling.
After a few meet and greets along with Laetita giving her son a big hug and kiss on the cheek (Which he wiped off like a teenage boy would), they all got seated.
"So Peter, as you can probably guess, Laetita is also a Templar and works for Abstergo just like me" Sofia explained.
"Head of Operations Division, as a matter of fact" Laetita said proudly.
"Do all Templars work for Abstergo Industries?" Peter asked curiously. He wasn't exactly wanting to look for a job there.
"Not necessarily. As a matter of fact, Abstergo itself actually answers to some Templars" Sofia said.
Before Peter could even ask what that meant, they decided to get down to business.
"You've done us a great service last night, Peter. The NYPD are now more on alert about the Assassins in New York" Laetita said.
"Assassins?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, that's what our adversaries call themselves: The Assassin brotherhood. They go about wearing hooded clothing and use blades that they hide under their wrists. Have been for almost two millennia now" Sofia explained.
"Almost as long as the Templars or at least the group that eventually became the Templars formed?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.
"More or less. We're not really sure when our group officially began but I reckon it was around that time we formed, a few decades give or take" Sofia explained.
"I see…" Peter said, getting more curious. As he originally thought and as Christ told him last night, it seemed this was a never ending war.
"They're very dangerous and highly skilled. Thankfully though, they refuse to enter the modern era in terms of weaponry so it's easier to deal with them now" Chris said, referring to their hidden blades.
"That's a reason why we felt you would be a wonderful asset to our group. We have the resources to deal with them all over the world but for whatever reason, they always had the upper hand in New York. They almost always were one step ahead of us here" Sofia explained.
"So I'm essentially a hunting dog, then?" Peter asked, getting slightly offended.
"Not at all, Peter. That was only one of the reasons. We also feel you to be an open-minded, kind and caring spirit that would help us guide the people of New York along with the rest of the world into a like minded age of prosperity for all to enjoy, without crime running about and no worries alike" Sofia said, trying to diffuse the tension.
It seemed to work as Peter seemed to calm down.
"Alright...so if you don't mind me asking, why have I been asked here tonight? I don't suppose it was just to thank me for stopping a bunch of criminals?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, there is another reason. You weren't the only reason why me and Laetitia came to New York. We're seeking another person, a person who we believe could help us with the next stage of our current mission" Sofia explained.
"And who would that be? Another hero or something?" Peter asked.
"No, not a hero but a fascinating person, nonetheless" Sofia said as she passed down a picture to Peter. He looked at it and on the picture was a young boy (Though not that much younger than Peter).
The boy in question was a rather peculiar looking one. He had a red eye and a blue eye. Had a small goatee and a rather large looking nose.
"His name is John Standish. We believe he goes to your school" Laetita explained.
"I...may have seen him around though I can't really say he looks familiar" Peter said, looking closely at the picture.
"That's not surprising. He's a year behind you and he spends most of the time in the computer lab as we've learned. He seems to be very skilled in IT it would appear" Laetita said.
"Hm...Ok. Why do we need him? Do you want to recruit him as well?" Peter asked.
"No, nothing like that, though maybe he'd be interested. Who knows? His IT skills could definitely come in handy...but anyway, the reason why we're seeking him out is because we believe he has the means to allow us to gain access to a device that is of particular interest to us" Sofia explained.
"What device?" Peter asked, getting curious.
"It's a pretty amazing device, Peter. It's...a sort of tracking device" Emmanuel said.
"Tracking device? Why would we need something like that? There's plenty of those around" Peter asked, confused.
"This isn't an ordinary tracking device, Peter. With this device, we'll not only be able to know where someone is at all times but know what they're doing and what they're thinking" Emmanuel retorted.
"That...sounds a bit odd...and a bit Orwellian" Peter said, getting slightly concerned.
"We know on the face it does but it's not like we'll be spying on our next door neighbors with this device. No, we're wanting to track corrupt politicians, industry leaders, people that are supposed to be fighting and providing for the every day man and woman but are instead fighting to fill their pockets" Laetita said.
"O….k. I guess that makes sense but how can this John person get us the help we need to get this device? Is he supposed to make it or does it already exist?" Peter asked.
"It's existed for a long, long time, Peter. Long before me and Laetita were even born or our parents or their parents or theirs or theirs and so on" Sofia explained.
"This is starting to sound a little kooky if I'm being honest. This isn't making any sense" Peter said, getting more skeptical as time went on.
"We don't expect you to understand right away, Peter. This is a lot for anyone to take in but know that this isn't some fantasy or a prank we're trying to pull. This device has existed for thousands upon thousands of years and that John is the person we need to gain access to it" Sofia said, her voice getting more dramatic as she went on.
"It's true, Peter. Past members of the order have seen what this device is able to accomplish and it's...mind boggling, honestly. We still don't really understand how it works. We just know that it does" Laetita said, supporting Sofia's point.
"Well...ok. Do we know where it is?" Peter asked, getting a bit intrigued.
"As a matter of fact, we do. It's in a bay in Jamaica called Long Bay. I've had team members of Abstergo research it for some time. We've known where it is for a few years now but we needed one other element to gain access to it and John has it" Laetita said.
Peter nodded. He still wasn't understanding but he figured he'd give it a shot.
"Ok...so we use this device to monitor the activities of politicians and business people and use it against their corruption and this guy John has the means to get it...does this device have a name, by the way?" Peter asked, getting more curious about it.
"It doesn't have an official name as far as we know but the place where the device is located is called the Observatory" Sofia said.
"The Observatory...sounds like a fascinating place" Peter said.
"It really is, Peter. I haven't seen it myself but I know what it looks like. With this power, we'd be able to actually hold governments and businesses alike accountable for their actions and we'll be able to make sure they do right by the people they're supposed to serve and provide for" Chris said, amazed just by the memory of it.
"So where does John fit in? What does he have that others don't?" Peter asked, curiously.
"We believe that John is a reincarnation of one of the...people that built this Observatory. He's been born again and again hundreds if not thousands of times over. Every reincarnation has been called a 'Sage' throughout history" Sofia explained.
"Reincarnation?" Peter asked. He was getting more and more confused as time went on.
"Yes. We believe we have documented evidence that he has lived several other lifes before, some famous names in history too. For example, have you heard of a man named Bartholomew Roberts?" Sofia asked.
"Bartholomew Roberts….you mean 'Black Bart' Roberts? The Pirate?" Peter asked.
"You know your stuff, Peter. I'm impressed" Laetita said with a smirk on her face.
"Thanks" Peter said with a flush on his cheeks.
"Yes. That was a reincarnation of the man that built the Observatory and the same man John is reincarnated from" Sofia said.
"How do we know that it's actually him though?" Peter asked.
"We've done extensive research on the man that John is reincarnated from and John's face is exactly the same and so are his eyes. We are confident that it is him" Sofia said with the same amount of confidence in her voice as she said she did.
Peter looked at the picture again and got a good look at the picture again. He did look peculiar though it was still a lot to take in. A device that will monitor and locate anyone on Earth? Reincarnation? He felt there was something they weren't telling him but felt it wasn't too important to get into the nitty gritty at the moment.
"Ok...I'm still confused but...I think I got the general idea. What do you need me to do exactly?" Peter asked.
"Sages have been sought out by Templars and Assassins alike for centuries and almost every encounter both sides have had with him was a hostile one. We want to take a different approach so we want you specifically to talk to him, to convince him to help us" Sofia said.
"How...how am I supposed to do that?" Peter asked, a little worried.
"Well I've heard you're a charming young man, Peter. Just use your natural charisma to persuade him" Laetita said, cheekily which caused Peter to blush again.
"I… I don't really know if-" Peter started to say before he was interrupted.
"We'll be there to help you out, Peter. No worries" Emmanuel said, patting Peter's shoulders.
"Yeah, that would probably help" Peter said with an awkward chuckle.
"Then it's decided then! Peter, you and the boys convince the Sage to help us tomorrow and from then on, we can plan to take a trip to Long Bay and see the Observatory for ourselves" Sofia said.
"Woah, woah! A trip to Jamaica? I...I don't really know if my aunt will approve" Peter said, worried with his boy scout attitude resurfacing.
"It'll be no bother, Peter. We'll only be gone for a few days and it'll be for...purely educational purposes only. I'll send a letter to your aunt first thing tomorrow and we'll inform your school as well. We'll have you back in no time" Sofia said, trying to assure him.
It only worked somewhat as Peter took a deep breath. "Ok...I'll talk to John tomorrow. You said he spends a lot of time in the Computer Lab?"
"Yes, that's right. You'll likely find him there" Sofia said, confirming Peter's thinking.
"Ok...I think I know what to do" Peter said, nodding.
"Good man" Sofia said, patting Peter's shoulders which caused him to smile slightly.
Sofia turned her attention to everyone else.
"Alright. I think that about covers it. Does anyone have anything else to share?" Sofia asked. No one said anything else so after a few seconds, Sofia ended this meeting.
"Thanks again for coming, Peter. It was very nice meeting you" Laetita said, shaking Peter's hand.
"Thank you. Same to you, ma'am" Peter said, smiling at her.
"Oh, call me Laetita, please. I'm an old lady but not that old" Laetita scolded but good-heartedly.
"I wish he would stop doing that to me, too. These young boys make me feel 100" Sofia said, chuckling.
Peter chuckled with them too. He felt surprisingly comfortable with these people. He couldn't really explain why. He guessed it had just been a while since he was in such welcoming company. Whatever the reasoning, despite his concerns and confusions, he felt more at ease doing this, especially after helping Emmanuel and Chris take down a group of killers last night.
After Peter said goodnight to his friends and their moms, he went to the elevator and pressed the button to the bottom floor, beginning to wonder how he was going to convince this 'Sage' to talk with the Templars about letting them into this Observatory place. Thoughts and ideas went through his mind as the next step to being welcomed officially by the Templars was in place.