Animus Interface
Desmond Miles
"The Animus will do its part, and Desmond will do the rest." I hear my father's voice echo inside my skull, then break out and echo around the room.
I try to open my eyes, or my eyes are already open and there is nothing but darkness around me. I try to look around but everything is heavy and a tinkling feeling covers my body.
"What's happening?" I let out. I hear my voice echo. I try to move towards the echo, but I can't. I begin to panic, "I can't move… I can't move! No!"
"They buried her already." I look around trying to hear where the voice came from. I recognize the voice as Shaun's.
Everything begins to materialize and I finally have control of my body. I look down at my body and then look around at my surroundings. I am on a shore somewhere, but no beach that I recognize. There are floating blocks weightlessly suspended in the sky, as well as many others lodged into the sand.
"I heard." I hear Rebecca's voice echo into the sky.
"A little cemetery outside of Rome, nice place." Shaun says in a sad tone.
I try frantically to look around for them, and find them. There is something extremely surreal about this place. I hear Rebecca sigh and say, "Things got so fucked up so fast."
"His genes contain high concentrations of First Civilization DNA." I hear my father. I try to find him but I cannot. I am all alone here.
I hear a ringing in my head that then leads to a demonic, "Go! Alone!" and it's the unmistakable voice of Juno, the holographic woman who spoke to me in the Coliseum.
"Hello?" I call out as I try to find anyone else here in this eerie place. I walk around the place trying to understand where I am. These boulders are everywhere, and the sand and rock seem so real. I can feel the sun on my skin and the wind hit my face. The sound of the waves is soothing, however, there is nothing ordinary about this place.
"Just walk right past me."
I practically jump at the sound of his voice. I look down at a rock and there a man literally appears before my eyes. He materializes as an image, being constructed before me as if he were the memories inside the Animus. White lines and light pixels form the shape of the man on the rock. His eyes are wide and have a wildness about them, and his face looks weathered and stressed. I look onto him and there is a familiarity about him. "Sixteen?" I ask looking onto him.
"Ah, they didn't tell you my name?" he says with a sideways smirk.
I exhale with exhaustion. "Goddamn it, I'm still in the Animus!"
"Quite a shock you suffered out there."
I begin to pace around frantically, "Rebecca?" I shout looking up into the sky. "Get me out of here!"
"They can't help you, Desmond." He says and I look down at him. I am confused as to how he knows my name. "You are a broken man. Your mind… it's… broken."
"Broken?" I say, "I feel fine."
He disappears, then regenerates running towards me in a wall of pixels and sharp white lines. "So did I." he says as he pushes me to the ground. He laughs as I fall and says, "Look at me now." He motions at himself and I frown at the broken and angry man before me. He reaches out his hand and says, "Let's talk buddy." I take his hand and he helps me to my feet. "Walk with me." He says and I follow him around the shoreline.
"What is this place?" I say looking around trying to place where I am.
"It's nice isn't it? We are in the guts of the Animus, the original test program. No memories here, just basic physics, weather simulations… Hello world!" he shouts with his hands extended to the sky. "You're lucky someone had the sense to plug you in here." He says looking back at me, "saved your life."
"Saved?" I ask confused about what there was to be saved.
"Right now, you should be sitting in a hospital ward chewing on your tongue. For now, the Animus is keeping you intact. Keeping all your ancestors from collapsing into one big mess. If you can't find a sync nexus, all those personalities will smash together, and that won't be pretty."
I stop and look at him, "sync nexus?" I ask.
"I'm getting there, hold on!" he says as we approach a large doorway. Through two pillars is a bright blue light that shines creating what looks like a doorway. I hear a humming through the doorway and I am instantly drawn to its entryway. "There," he says presenting the doorway before me, "that is your way out." He disappears again, then rematerializes sitting down on a rock.
"You're screwing with me." I say turning towards him.
"Here is the problem." He begins, "your brain is hashed. Too many ghosts in your head, too many voices. So, how do you fix that? You claw your way back into restored data, you find your unfinished memories, and you crack them open. Finish what you started, until your ancestor has nothing left to show you. That is a sync nexus. And when you find it, the Animus can separate Desmond, from Ezio, to Altair and send you home… back to your body."
"How do you know all of this?" I ask him.
"Because it happened to me." He says bitterly. "But my body, it's worm food now. So now, I'm stuck here." He looks down and I can tell that he is boiling over something. He looks up when he realizes that I am watching him, and his mood changes. "A word of warning, when you step through there, everything changes. Nothing feels… normal. But you are still in control and it is up to you to find a way out.
"…Right…" I say in an exhausted tone. Of course, this will not be simple. Nothing ever is.
"If you hurry, you might make it back in time for Lucy's funeral." He says watching carefully for my reaction.
"What?" I say spinning towards him when I suddenly get a hit of visions. I feel a hit in the pit of my stomach and I crouch down and hold myself.
"Oh, I thought you knew." He says with amusement in his voice.
"Lucy…" I let out as I hold myself. "oh God…. I'm so sorry… it wasn't me…" I see visions of me stabbing Lucy. "It wasn't me… she made me." The visions stop and I am able to stand and regain my body. "What am I doing? What have I done?"
"Do you regret anything, Desmond?" He asks, and with that, I turn from him and look at the large doorway that is the key to my freedom.
The lights of the door are mesmerizing and drawing. I'm not sure what will come of me and what I will need to do to ensure my brain understands the differences between Altair and Ezio's memories versus mine. I wonder if going into the Animus and searching my memories had any part in fucking me up. I look back at Sixteen who is dazing off into the distance. I hate the sight of him. This man smeared his blood on the walls of Abstergo. This lunatic hacked into Rebecca's computer and the Animus and showed us deleted memories about Azalea. I look at him now and as much as I have built him up in my head as a mysterious covert Assassin operative, he is nothing more than a drooling simulation, gone mad with his time trapped in the Animus.
"Do you regret anything?" I finally ask him and he looks up at me.
"Oh, you're still here?" he laughs, "you're supposed to fix your broken mind, Desmond. Though, if you want to stay here you can keep me company."
"Were you able to fix your broken mind?"
His face grows angry and I almost wish I didn't ask. "A little snake made it impossible for me to fix my broken mind." He disappears, and then rematerializes atop a floating pillar. "Now I am trapped here to rule this desolate wasteland."
"Who trapped you here?" I yell out to him.
He laughs, still standing on the pillar. "Oh Desmond, how dense are you?" and with that he disappears, and leaves me to the sound of waves crashing on the shore. I turn away from the shore and look towards the doorway. Knowing that I will get no answers here, waiting for Sixteen. Therefore, I move towards the threshold of the doorway and embrace what memories Altair and Ezio have left to show me.
After what seems like a brief time watching the memories of Ezio, I find myself back on the shore of the Animus mainframe. I look around and find Sixteen laying on a smoothed rock whistling a tune. "I don't understand," I say as I approach him. "What are Ezio and Altair trying to show me?"
He glances sideways towards me, then back to looking up towards the sky. "That's for you to figure out, comrade, if they have something to show you, then you should watch."
"I am," I say in frustration, "There is nothing blocking these memories."
"Maybe they are not the ones blocking the memories." He says cryptically as he swings his legs, hoisting his body into a sitting position. "Come on, Desmond, I know you know who it is."
"How do you know her?" I ask in a wary tone thinking about Azalea.
"The bitch did it to me!" He roars disappearing as he runs towards me, then reappearing right in front of my face.
"How?" I ask shaking in shock.
He disappears then reanimates sitting down on a rock with his hands on his knees. "Why don't you go through that door and figure it out?" he says pointing at the doorway.
I realize that he won't be much help to me and I decide to go through the door and see if there is anything that Altair or Ezio can tell me to help me understand what is going on.
Ezio Auditore da Firence
I sit with Yusuf in a small quiet room as we speak of the Templar influence in the city. He informs me that the city guards are bought by the Templars and disregard their actions and misdeeds. I plan to end the corruption of this city these people face, and remove the Templar influence. Yusuf is eager to aid in my plan and tells me that he will gather his forces and prepare them for a strike.
There is a garden where the Templars are known to hide and conspire in the southern district of Constantinople. Yusuf informs me that this group of Templars have taken his sister captive. We plan to raid the gathering at nightfall and Yusuf informs me of the guards' rotation. "Here," he says pointing to the area on the map, "is where the bulk of the Templar men stay, and where I assume they are keeping my sister, Eira." He points to another area not too far from the camp, "and here, is where the guard takes his watch. The guards are heavily armed with weapons and bombs." He warns. "Though, we have an advantage." He laughs, "With the increase in Assassin forces and aggression against the Templar forces, they have been conscripting Templar men from various neighboring allies. This works to our advantage because we can dress you as a Templar and you can stand guard while we attack the fort."
"Me?" I ask in shock, "Why would you have me stand guard?"
"With every assault, the Templars are becoming aware of our identity. We can no longer hide in the shadows as we once were." I laugh and so does Yusuf, "Do not worry, brother, we will be there to protect you."
"I am not worried, we will remove this sect, and we will bring your sister back to you, alive and unharmed."
"Eira is a strong fighter, and a worthy adversary. I do not fear that she is harmed, though I want her back to me."
"As it shall be." With that promise, I take to a bed and lie down for the night. I try to rest as much as I can before we begin our attack.
I arise and join the remaining Assassins as they prepare for battle. Yusuf hands me robes and armor that I am to wear and I take it hesitantly. He smiles at me and thanks me for agreeing to do this. I take the armor and dress myself as a Templar. I feel strange in the robes of the men who had my brother and father killed. However, Yusuf smiles when he sees me, and jokes about taking my Templar life. The men have a good laugh and once they are finished, we make for the Templar camp.
I approach the gates on foot, while Yusuf and his men watch from the skies. The Templar guards shift and tighten their stance when they see me arrive. The men grab for their swords and yell at me as I approach. "State your business!" I tell the men that I am a new recruit, and I was given direction to enter here. The men ask me for the recruitment word that was given to each recruit to ensure they are who they claim to be. I curse Yusuf under my breath as I think of something to say.
The men grow tense with every second I waste. "I have no time for this!" I finally yell. "I am a Grand Master from Italy who, because of you incompetent fools, is forced from his home to watch over your prisoners because you fools are incapable of staying alive long enough to transfer a simple prisoner!" I begin to yell in Italian and the men respond with wide eyes. Both fear my demeanor, and with apologies given, they allow me inside.
I am in complete shock that the men actually believed me to be Grand Master, even without me wearing their distinguishing cloak. I enter the camp, and there is a small gate at the base of a large wall. I unscrew one of the bars from the gate, allowing the Assassins to enter. I then leave before they pour in, looking for the position of the prisoners. It is not long until I find the prison they are kept in. I approach the site and lay eyes on two men and a woman sitting in the cage that houses them. One of the men notices me and spits, shouting out "Templar Scum."
The woman looks up, her face covered by the shadows. This must be Yusuf's sister. I examine the lock, and it will not be easy to pick. I determine that it will be more advantageous and draw less attention, if I find the Templar holding the key to their cell. I leave the assassins to find the man who holds their escape.
I lock onto a large man ordering Templars to their posts. I watch as the Assassins begin to form position for an assault. I stay low and reach the man. I watch as the keys dangle from his waist. Slowly, I approach the man, and when I have my hands around his keys, the Assassins set off a blow in the distance. The man runs towards the explosion, and with his movement, the keys fall in my hands. As the Assassins distract the Templars, I run to the cage and fiddle with the numerous keys.
The woman and two men perk up as I try to release them. Yusuf joins me with the blood of another staining his robes. "Eira? My beloved sister, are you hurt?"
The woman arises from the shadows, "Yusuf? Have you gone mad? I had everything under control." She looks onto me and with a strange fierceness in her eyes, as though she were angry with me. I look upon her and she is stunning. Her hair black as jet with eyes to match, her skin olive toned, but the most distinguishing feature of her, is the large X-shaped scar covering her cheek.
"Do not fear, Madonna, I am here to save you." I say to her and her expression grows angrier.
"No, it is I who save you." She looks to Yusuf, "I planted bombs throughout the camp, get your men out now!" she yells, and before we can think to move, a deep bang crashes through, throwing Yusuf and I from the gate. My ears ring and my vision blurs as I try to move from where the blast pushed me.
I open my eyes and see the small woman approach me. She places the black hood of her cloak on her head and kneels at me. My vision blurs and focuses, trying desperately to make sense of the scene. "Good to see you again, old friend." She says, her voice muffled. I look up at her, and my vision goes black.
Desmond Miles
I scratch my head as I leave the door of the Animus. "I don't get it," I say before Subject 16 materializes. "So, she fucks with Ezio like she has everyone else?"
"Umm, not quite," He says materializing before me. "That was her only interaction with Ezio. She was genuinely caught off guard by him there."
"So, what happens after that?"
He shrugs, "Nothing. She wiped that memory from Ezio, and her existence from Yusuf. That was the last he saw of her."
"How do you know these things?" I ask him impatiently, "How do you know so much about her?"
He smiles a crooked, cartoonish smile and says, "I stole them from her. I stole her memories." With that cryptic message, he disappears. I wait for him to reappear, but he is gone, leaving me alone with the Animus.
I cup my face in my hands and sigh. I go back into the Animus and desperately search Ezio's memories for Azalea, but she does not appear again. I have been at it incessantly and I can feel my head splitting, trying to figure out what my ancestors are trying to tell me. I sit on a stump with my head resting in the palms of my hands. Ezio is starting to age more and more, and Azalea has not made another appearance. I wonder what the last piece of the puzzle is. What is it that she is hiding from my lineage, and why is it the only thing keeping me from fixing my broken mind?
"If you know what it is, then just tell me." I call out to Subject 16 without lifting my head from my hands.
He appears on a stump across from me and says, "Give her some credit, though I was able to take some memories, there were some she guarded mercilessly." I shake my head and let out a chuckle. "Whatever the memory is," he continues, "It's very important and intimate to her. She's guarding it heavily."
I scoff thinking about how I was able to see her lose her virginity to Altair and that wasn't intimate enough for her to block. If anything, she is blocking something that reveals her weakness. I finally look up at him, finally hearing what he has said to me. "You stole her memories," I start, "That's how you know so much about her." He nods with a bored posture. "Show me," I say. He perks up, "Show me what she did to you and how you took her memories."
His eyes widen and he tenses up. He looks over at the door of the Animus in complete fear. He is terrified of the thing, and probably hasn't explored his own mind since he lost all hope. Nevertheless, something gives me the idea that if I see his memories, I can get more of an understanding of Azalea and how she operates. I haven't had much experience with her, besides as a child and that one night in my apartment. Maybe if I see her in another element, not hypnotized by her presence, I might actually begin to understand her.
He is hesitant, I can tell. "Think about it. With my help, we will be able to scan your memories to get the upper hand on her."
Finally, he sighs and says, "Alright," is all he manages as he lifts himself from his seat and enters the threshold of the Animus.