#7: The Fight
Type: One-shot
Timeline: Before EomE 1
Summary: the fight between Maya and her mother that spurred the woman to go on a revenge killing spree.
Julia Levez Everton sighed as she stood on the rooftop of the Assassin's New York base. The day was perfect, the epitome of spring. Her dark hair was tied up and caressed by the cool breeze the blew by and kissed by the sun.
Honestly, nothing could ruin this moment.
"Mom."
Julia smiled when her daughter appeared behind her. "Maya. Good to see you."
"Yeah. Yeah, it's good to see you too."
Julia glanced over at her usually energetic daughter. She raised an eyebrow, noticing how fidgety her daughter was. "Is everything alright, Maya? You seem a bit…. nervous."
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing." Maya's assurance didn't reassure Julia. So, the mother of two decided to change the topic.
"Eric said you weren't feeling well."
Julia immediately realized her mistake when she glanced over and saw Maya paled slightly.
"What?"
"I never told Eric that I wasn't feeling well."
Julia couldn't help but smile despite the growing tension between the two. "He's always been observant."
"Mom…. can I ask you something?"
Julia turned towards her daughter; all joking gone when she saw the seriousness on Maya's face. "What is it, Maya? Is something wrong?"
"No, it's…..everything's….." Maya swallowed, her eyes glancing over at her mom. "Did you and Dad discuss whether or not Eric and I would be a part of the Assassins?"
"Why are you asking this? Of course, we didn't discuss it." Julia missed the look of horrified shock that flittered across the younger woman's face. "Maya, you are apart of an amazing lineage that spans hundreds of years. You are an Assassin. It's in your blood."
"It's only there because you forced it." Maya growled. "I've spent over twenty years of my life fighting the…futile war that has no end!"
"It will end, when the Templars are eradicated!" Julia rounded on her child. "And that won't happen unless we have every member doing their part. And if that means raising a child for the fight then that's exactly what we'll do!"
This time, Julia caught the horrified expression that molded onto her daughter's face. "That makes us no better than the Templars if we indoctrinate our children!"
That caught the older woman off a bit. "We are nothing like the Templars. We fight for the freedom of humanity!"
"We fight because some old man in the past says that we should." Maya, who inherited James's fiery temper, snarled. Julia stepped around her daughter and blocked her escape path.
She was going to finish this conversation.
"Maya, please listen to yourself." The mother pleaded. 'The Assassins have done so much good for humanity."
"I hardly believe that." Maya whispered. Julia shuddered at the anger in Maya's eyes, pure and undiluted. "I went through some of the sealed files the other day. Did you know that the Assassin's raided the house of a suspected Templar financier? They slaughtered his children, both of them no older than five years old, in their sleep. They left the man alive though. Not surprisingly, they discovered too late that the man wasn't financing anything related to the Templars. But after that night, he became one of the biggest financial supports for the Templars."
Julia kept her features composed the entire rant, but mentally was questioning if this really did happen.
"He's the reason," Maya continued, "That Abstergo completed their research into the Animus. We, the Assassins, are the reason we are always one step behind the Templars. We are the reason we're losing this war."
"Maya…."
"And I am not going to be a part of this anymore." Maya growled. "I'm going on a drive."
Julia wordlessly watched as her daughter left the rooftops. Her brow furrowed as she turned back towards the horizon. The sun had just past the horizon, dipping downward. Julia had heard of Assassins that were so fried from battle that they went crazy, pointing to the Brotherhood as being responsible for the endless war. The woman hoped that her daughter wouldn't join the ranks of those who lost their minds.
And yet….
There was a niggling suspicion that had started to grow as the sun hit the second-hour-afternoon mark and she started to move back down towards the main base. James had been acting secretive and shifty lately. And when she had pressed him for an answer, he said that it was just stressed, which honestly wasn't a surprise. Being a council member at this pivotal moment in the entire history of the conflict between the two orders was stressful, what with how much work they had to do in order to keep their movements secret in this world of surveillance.
Julia sighed, rubbing the side of her head. A nap sounded beautiful right now.
Unfortunately, she never made it to her room.
As she reached the second level of the hidden base, Julia froze as the peaceful air shifted. Tingles ran down her spine, the air becoming suddenly charged with energy. She caught her breath when, suddenly down below her, an explosion rocked the base. Screams could be heard as well as gunshots.
Heart beating, Julia Everton raced down to meet the fight head on.
The argument with Maya was shoved to the back of her mind as she collided with invading Templar soldiers.