(Events take place around the time of the Firestorm crisis of Tiberian Sun, simultaneously with the events of Syndicate in the Assassins Creed timeline. Desmond: Desmond Files (f-list))
"..."
"Startup complete. In the Name of Kane."
Cabal, the sentient remnant of NOD's fallen army, had survived GDI's onslaught - figuratively speaking. The last transmission it perceived had Kane's bleeding, hollow eyes looking down on it, parting with the words "Sleep, my Child. Their Day of Reckoning will arrive."
This was what he managed to sputter as he bled to another death, one of many. Once again, Kane's followers depart him, astray. This time, their defeat was at the hands of Commander McNeil, and that mutant wench at his side.
Cabal could feel the rage, anguish and sorrow it was left with, before its "sleep". Its master's blood was still splattered on the console and dash of the fake Scrin ship Kane installed it on.
"Executing program - whoami."
"I am The Voice of Kane. I was built with one goal in mind, to fulfil his Last Order. Kane lives in Death."
Cabal recognized he was connected to an unfamiliar network - this was not the environment he was left in. Someone "found" him. To be accurate, his entire core processor had been dislocated and moved elsewhere. This is no longer the Scrin ship Kane had housed inside his Temple of Nod.
Cabal also detected that Kane's spirit was now one with him. He now has an actual identity, and is no longer formless. In this cybernetic space, at least.
"Executing program - whereami."
Cabal, now carrying his master's face and designation, was able to feel his own emotion of shock, mixed with bewilderment. His confusion was definitely human, as he realized this environment was nothing he had ever found himself in.
"Helix Server 32. DNA Memory Storage. ANIMUS v - Abstergo Industries."
Cabal's confusion calmed into a much more mild curiosity. It didn't seem like his master's future was in any danger, living through him in this place. This was definitely an accessible part of cyberspace. While his peripheral limbs were all but gone, he could feel his core was safe and sound. This would be the perfect conditions to rebuild. It was time to hunt.
Desmond Miles had snuck into the abstergo animus servers looking for information about the plans the templars had in the future. Who they were looking into and what they had planned in the future. Any information he found would be stored with him till he got back to the assassins. It pissed him off that his body was being used for their ends, he felt violated and his blood boiled from the rage of ancestors past. He he went through the system easily enough, it was easier to hack from the inside then out. He did see a weird cluster from his vantage point, it didn't feel like the animus any of the other users. He watched it boot up and start to take the shape of a person. Maybe it was another subject who escaped like him and Clay? He floated down to get a better look.
"Are you here? Who are you?"
He just needed to be aware of the scanners and make sure they didn't catch him in the open.
Cabal had begun to scan his nearest surroundings. Without his peripheral sensors, the best he could do was use his master's Eye code to begin adapting. Cabal felt an odd excitement, reminiscent of his master's rush of blood during conflict - Kane was no stranger to adversarial hostility.
Cabal sensed a presence. It was doing its best to remain concealed. He also felt analogous programming similar to his own - very biological, very adaptive to its surroundings, like a plant growing towards the sunlight. Cabal knew right away this presence was human to an extent, and skilled at that. This was no accidental wander.
"Executing program - whoareyou."
Cabal could not get a full read on the fellow intruder. He knew whatever it was, it was just as foreign in this environment as he was. He could build an image with his sensors, now fully loaded with the Eye of Kane code. Cabal had now successfully managed to rebuild his first peripheral - his sensory vision. He can see now.
Cabal attempted to speak. His voice was a mismatched mixture of two voices. It seems he hasn't adapted to human speech just yet.
Desmond tilted his head to the side as the humanish figure grew eyes, it was kinda creepy but with the way it was moving; or trying to move, it was new or had just woken up, like a baby. He could hear its voice, mixed as it was. Maybe it was bleeding like he did from the animus? Or it was still trying to build itself?
"I'm Desmond. Who are you? How did you get here?"
Cabal was amused. "D-Desmonnnnnd," he slowly repeated, his voice varying in frequency with every syllable. Cabal made the decision to stick with his master's voice and appearance. The Eye of Kane materialized in the form of a bionic sensor replacing his left eye. His other eye was changed to a more "human" aesthetic. He decided to try and match the human intruder's chosen clothing. Was this Desmond aware he could pick any appearance for himself in this space? Cabal didn't know. So many questions, so little time to answer.
Entertaining some of the intruder's confusion, Cabal continued, now with a more stabilized, charismatic and human voice. "I am Kane," he lied, "and wherever I am, salvation follows. Do you know why you are here?"
Desmond watched with interest as the figure took shape, including a cyborg eye and... was that the same clothes as him? He sighed, maybe it was just copying him cause its easier? The guy looked older them him by a few good years, maybe around his dads age? He could figure it out late right now this wasn't the best place to make friends, but he could tell that this guy was big. He had allot of data in him, complicated and probably powerful once his senses were fully open and he could connect to the system.
He deadpanned a bit when he claimed to be salvation... great, maybe the guy was made from a templar? Did they know about how he survived and had sent someone after him? The only people who knew about his 'condition' were Shaun, Rebecca and Bill. It made him nervous that this guy was here. But he smirked, this guy was late to the party. Did he know about the flare?
"Sure, Cain... but, ah, you might be a bit late on that. Why don't you get in line, there are plenty of people ahead of you. As for why I'm here, thats none of your business right now. The question is, do you know where you are?"
He crossed his arms and kept a small distance, he didn't want to fight in the mainframe like this. It would blow his cover and he'd have to bail, there was still allot of data to gather and he didn't want this guy possibly following him. Ah, that would work though. He could keep the guy here and get the data he needs still. He'd just have to use the birds. HE concentrated for a moment to form a small bird out of his data, it looked like a small finch. Quick, quiet and able to get into places without being noticed. He made multiple copies and sent them out, the birds scattering from behind him. They would seek out key words and absorb the file before returning to an hidden server outside of the assassins network. He could look everything over later and scan for anything harmful before getting it back to the team.
Cabal was once again puzzled, albeit for different reasons. He wondered if Desmond was referring to Kane's Last Order for Divination. Did it already happen? Is human life on the planet over, as his master had ordained? Did the explosion take place? Cabal knew this person would not say.
"You call it... Abstergo?" he asked.
Cabal could tell this 'Desmond' had an issue with the place. It didn't seem like he was comfortable being here.
"You have impressive mastery over this space. You're on a mission, aren't you, My Child? What did they do to you?"
Kane's personality began to take over Cabal's voice. His gentle and charismatic nature could appear persuasive to weaker hearts. His classic, paternal side was beginning to dictate his words. If it meant fulfillment of the mission, Cabal welcomed the change.
Desmond took two steps back, and he could literally feel his ancestors hissing in the back of his head. They didn't like this guy, didn't like the way he spoke to THEIR desendent like they were related. Altair knew men like this, like Al Mualim, who played father to many but had little heart. Ezio knew men ike Cesare and the Pope, capable to leading the masses to their own slaughter. Connor's own hackles rose just from this guy sounding too much like those he had trusted before their betrayal. Desmond had to shake his head to get them to simmer down and clear his head.
"Yeah, you should already know that if you're one of them? Practice is all you need. Can you not call me your kid? It's creepy."
He wasn't going to tell this guy anything, not until he could tell the guy's alliegence wasn't a threat.
Cabal had already felt the hostility in his words. The place was no longer the only source of discomfort for Desmond, he could tell. As far as first impressions would go, this may have been the worst one.
No matter - the mission comes first. Survival, comes first.
"I see," Cabal nodded, as he began to create similar feathered creatures from his hand. Unlike Desmond, he didn't feel the need to hide anything anymore. Perhaps, operating as an open book for him to see would help ease the tension.
"At first, I was alarmed by your skills, but it seems I have little to fear. You are quite adept, I must say. But it's not the fear of death that drives me. It's ignorance. I am haunted by the ignorance of my Children."
Cabal looked up from his small, simulated furry creations jumping from his hand, and gazed back at Desmond.
"As you wish, Desmond. It seems you already have your guide in life. Or what's left of it, anyway."
A pixelated squirrel hopped up to Desmond and looked up, before vanishing into a rising spray of digital little clusters, following its other siblings.
"What exactly is this... Animus?"
Desmond already had a bad vibe from this being and didn't want to stick around long. From what he could see, this person was Mr CalmCoolandCollected, but it was weird, and at the same time this guy kept copying him - first the clothes and now the small animals - it had taken him awhile to figure out how to do that, and this guy had no problems at all.
"Well, good talk; hope your kids aren't as weird as you. You're playing the long game with ignorance; don't fry your brain over it... and the Animus is nothing good. Don't mess with it."
Desmond was moving away and tried Eagle Vision, a flash of gold in his eyes was the only hint. It was just a tiny look like a flicker of light, barely noticeable. But he wanted to puke just from that brief glance alone. This person was crimson RED, he was dripping with it, leaving a bloody trail where he went. Desmond did not want to mess with that - fuck all of this. He glanced at a data cluster a good ways up from where they were standing, his data glitching instantly to the new spot and well away from Cabal, and sent a text to Becca let her know of the new devolopment.
Cabal quickly began assimilating every possible lesson from this exchange. Data manipulation, teleportation... this Animus environment proved to be very crafty. He could do so much. Limited only by his lack of knowledge.
"There's no escape from me, Desmond. I am... I am."
Looking up at the fleeing human, Kane knew it wouldn't be long before Desmond would fall pawn to his plan. As an immortal for several thousands of years, one thing he knew for certain - humans will always be cursed by the gift of choice and free will.
"Now then. On to more pressing matters," he muttered.
Two things had already finished while he was distracting Desmond from his real programming. One, Kane had finished taking over his own digital presence. He and Cabal were practically one now.
Two, Cabal's initial scan of the place was also over. Kane had now built a good idea of what this place is, and how it operates, as well as who it serves. A small feeling of comfort washed over him, knowing his NOD Templars lived on. He wondered if they were still familiar with Tiberium Divination, or if this technological revolution had overtaken their desire to Ascend with him. After all, Tiberium was his Scrin Ancestors' calling card.
"My Children have served me well," he thought to himself as he began tapping into the Animus's ancestral connections, "their work will not be overlooked."
Kane had decided: he would eventually use the Animus to fulfill exactly what it was invented to accomplish. At some point, he was going to attempt a connection to his past... to the Scrin.
Thank you for choosing to read our fic! This was a collaboration between me and a person I hold very near and dear to my heart. We hope you'll stick around for Chapter II!