Ezio: We're back!

Edward: Now will you tell us why we're going to Damascus?

…

Malik: Where'd she go?

Altair: I almost forgot! She gave me a message to deliver.

Edward: Now you remember?

Malik: Novice

Altair: Concussion! Remember?

Leonardo: So what was the message?

Altair: …What message?

Connor: This is getting us nowhere. Altair, did the author give you any slips of paper?

Altair: (pulls out a piece of paper) Would this be it?

Connor: Willoffire123 is too busy doing homework to be here today. She doesn't own Assassin's Creed. On with the chapter!

"I don't like this," Edward muttered. "We're too exposed."

"We'll be fine," said Ezio. "Just keep your eyes, your good eyes, open for attackers."

After travelling for an hour by caravan, Ezio's nerves were fully charged. He was certain that he would sink his blade into the first thing that took him by surprise, whether it was an enemy or not.

"How are the invalids doing, Leonardo?" asked Edward. Leonardo turned around from his driver's seat, poked his head inside, and turned around again.

"Both are still sleeping," Leonardo confirmed.

"That's good," said Ezio, doing yet another 360-turn to check for attackers before blinking and pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "I don't think I'll be able to use Eagle Vision for much longer. It gets weaker the longer I use it, and I've been using it on and off for several hours."

"Take a break then, lad," said Edward. "Focus on your normal eyesight for a while. I'll take up the Eagle Vision watch."

Ezio gratefully complied with a swift "Grazi, Edward."

"One more thing, Ezio," said Edward. "Why don't you double back around? You can tail us for a while. You know, bringing up the rear, and all that."

"You mean to separate us in case the bandits attack," Ezio accused immediately. Edward always knew the lad was perceptive, but in this case, Edward had grossly underestimated him.

Edward sighed. "Yes, Ezio. That's exactly what I was thinking."

"I don't like it," said Ezio. "But it makes sense. At least let me take Leonardo with me to make the split more even."

"Va bene, Ezio," said Leonardo. "Edward, I hand the reins over to you."

"Fine," said Edward, climbing into the drivers' seat and handing the reins of his horse to Leonardo.

"Send up the flare if something happens," said Ezio, and he and Leonardo rode off in the opposite direction.

Edward blinked, letting his second sight take over. Suddenly, he could see the world in a different light. He could sense everything from his friends inside and around the caravan, to the squirrels leaping along the treetops alongside them, to the tiniest ant on the side of the road.

Not only could he sense every living thing within a 5-mile radius, he could also see their very life force emulating off them, and whether that life force stood by his ideals, or opposed them.

Which is why Edward cringed in embarrassment every time he remembered how easily they snuck up on him.

The horses reared in fright against the sudden onslaught of needles.

"Cach," Edward cursed, struggling to reign in the horses. He felt a sharp pinch in his neck, and several other places, and everything went numb, causing him to fall to the ground with a painful crash.

"Enough!" he heard someone order. "The targets have been subdued."

Edward watched as their attackers emerged from the shadows, numbering in around a dozen.

"Blindfold them," ordered another one, and Edward's world went black. He felt himself being lifted into the air, and thrown onto a wooden floor. He heard two more thuds, and two moans of pain, telling him that the attackers had indeed found Connor and Altair.

"Sir, we're missing one," Edward heard one of them inform another.

"Damn," cursed the one who was clearly in charge. The next moment, Edward felt the man's putrid breath on his face.

"Kenway," he growled, grabbing hold of his robe and slamming him against the wall of the cart.

"You idiots are the ones who stunned me," Edward chuckled. "You should know I can barely feel that."

Edward earned a slap across the face for his insolence, which again, he could barely feel.

"Smart-ass, aren't you?" the man sneered. "I'll only ask this once. Where is Ezio Auditore?"

"Dead," Edward spat. "He never survived the journey through the woods. We buried him in Jerusalem."

"Take 3 men to Jerusalem and find the grave of Ezio Auditore," the man ordered one of his subordinates. "Dig him up, and get those eyes. Bring them to our hideout here in Damascus once you've succeeded."

"So we are close to Damascus, are we?" Edward chanced his luck, earning another slap across the face.

"Quiet!" another man ordered. Then he was gone.

"You three best behave yourselves," the first man told the three assassins. "We want you in prime condition to meet your buyer. Especially you, Connor Kenway."

Edward heard someone else gasp, but it didn't sound like Connor or Altair.

"Once we are free, we will hunt you down," Altair promised. "No place will be safe for you or your men. I can promise you that."

The man chuckled. "I look forward to it. Until then, my friends."

And Edward felt the door slam shut, descending the wooden crate in darkness.

"Is everyone alright?" Edward asked the room at large.

"I've seen better days," said Altair.

"How's Connor?" Edward asked. "They blindfolded me; I can't see a thing."

"He's seen better days too," Altair admitted.

"Father, is that you?" asked the voice of a man Edward thought he'd never hear again.

"H-Haytham?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm here father," said Haytham.

"Shame we had to meet again under these circumstances," said Edward, although his voice was laced with fatigue, Haytham sounded perfectly fine. Edward tried to hide it, but he let out a sigh of relief.

"Indeed," said Haytham. "I had hoped they wouldn't find you so quickly though."

"Can you see?" asked Edward.

"No, they blindfolded me days ago," said Haytham. "Is anyone else here with you?"

"I am also here," announced Altair. "Along with your son, Connor."

"Connor?" said Haytham in disbelief. "What's he doing in the Middle East?"

"We, Connor, Ezio and I, had a common target," said Altair. "We teamed up for the assassination. It failed, and we regrouped in Jerusalem."

"Although it nearly cost both Altair and Connor their lives," said Edward.

"And Ezio?" asked Haytham.

"For all convenient purposes, the Italian is dead," said Edward.

"Ah, I see," said Haytham, breaking Edward's coded words immediately. "He'd better find us soon, though. These men intend to sell us to a prospective buyer who wants to dissect us and figure out the power of Eagle Vision."

"Father?" groaned Connor, obviously awake now.

"Connor," said Haytham. "Fancy meeting you here."

"I do not need your sarcasm right now," he said through gritted teeth. "Where are we?"

"On our way to be dissected by shoddy scientists who want to study our second sight," Haytham said lightly. "Connor, what happened to you?"

"Well, let's see," Connor drawled. "I took a bad leap of faith, was impaled by a tree log, and nearly lost my leg. Other than that, I have grown a few inches since last we met."

"For God's sake, could someone remove our blindfolds?" demanded Edward. "I can't see a thing."

"I'll do it," said Connor. Seconds later, Edward's blindfold was removed, and he saw the paper-white face of his only grandson clutching his chest five inches away from his face. Altair, bound by his hands, sat on the other end of their little prison. Haytham sat in between them, his hands and feet both bound, his blindfold still intact.

Edward himself had his hands bound behind his back and his feet bound tightly together by rope.

Connor, on the other hand, had not been restrained at all.

"Why didn't they bind you?" demanded Edward.

"They probably didn't think I was capable of much movement, given my condition," Connor said bitterly.

"Well if you can move, remove my blindfold, boy," ordered Haytham.

"Even if I wanted to cut you free, father," Connor spat. "It would take energy that I do not have to crawl back to you. I can, however, cut you free, Edward."

Edward felt the ropes around his hands loosen, then severe entirely. He grunted, rubbing his painfully sore wrists.

"Thanks, Connor," he said, crawling over to Haytham. "I will untie the rest of you now. Haytham, you must promise not to attack any of us once you're free. Only then will I untie you."

It broke his heart to have to say it, but the look on Connor's face told him he'd made the right decision.

Haytham didn't even pause. "The four of us together have a much more likely chance of escaping than I do on my own, of course I won't attack you. Now, will you please untie me, father?"

Edward obliged, loosening his sons ropes, and letting them drop to the floor.

Haytham, removed his blindfold, squinted at the new light, and began working on his ankles. "Thank you."

While he worked to loosen the knots binding his feet, Haytham studied his father, almost daring him to question his intentions. He, unlike the three assassins before him, had been in captivity for three days, and knew exactly where they were going, and didn't like it one bit. While he hated the idea of having to team up with his crippled, useless son, Haytham hated the idea of having his eyes gouged out and studied even more. Besides, he hadn't seen his father since the man had disappeared and left him in the care of Reginald Birch when he was a little boy. Maybe he could finally get the answers he was looking for.

And who in their right mind wouldn't want to work with the great Altair Ibn-La'Ahad?

"Rise and shine, lads," barked the voice of one of their captors some time later, opening the door and letting in harsh light to wake the Assassins and the Templar.

One of them grabbed Altair and dragged him out of the cart, Altair letting loose a torrent of insults in Arabic in the process.

"Get your hands off me you-," started Edward, only to notice where they were.

"Welcome to Damascus, assassins," said the man with the iron grip on Edward's left arm.

"Take a good look around, boys," said the man with the iron grip on Edward's right arm. "It'll be the last one you ever have."

Willoffire123: And we're back in business!

Turkey: Gobble!

Altair: What is this strange creature?

Edward: I've never seen anything like it.

Ezio: It's gigantesco!

Connor: Guys, it's just a turkey.

Haytham: Honestly. It's as if you've never seen one before.

Willoffire123: That's because they really have never seen one before. The turkey's native to the colonies.

Altair: But why is this 'turkey' here?

Willoffire123: Because yesterday was Thanksgiving!

Ezio: What are you giving thanks for?

Connor: It's a holiday

Haytham: Everyone sits around a table, gives thanks for a good year, and eats that turkey.

Edward: Does that mean we have to eat it?

Willoffire123: No, Thanksgiving was yesterday.

Altair: But Connor already killed it.

Willoffire123: CONNOR!

Connor: I regret nothing.

Willoffire123: Well, we might as well eat it now. What's everyone thankful for?

Edward: booze

Ezio: women

Altair: purpose

Connor: You are terrible at this. I am thankful for the Brotherhood (and family)

Haytham: I am thankful for the Order (and family)

Willoffire123: What's that, boys? I didn't quite catch that last bit.

Haytham & Connor: We said Happy Thanksgiving!

Ghost Turkey: Gobble! Gobble! Until next time!