Dead Reckoning

Desmond Miles

Exiting the Animus seems to become harder and harder on my body. Nothing strange occurs as I take the memories of Connor, unlike the memories of Haytham, where I am in my own body. Rebecca has been working on trying to understand what is happening to me, while Shaun is looking for any tie between Jezebel and the Assassin's Creed.

I lift myself into a sitting position and hoist my legs over the edge of the Animus.

"Welcome back, Desmond." Shaun says with the most enthusiasm I have heard from him since Lucy died. "You'll be happy to hear there's actually good news for once." I smile and ask him what is going on. "I've managed to locate a power source, and it is relatively close by. Up for a trip to Manhattan?"

"Is it safe to leave?" Rebecca says, "Abstergo's got to be looking for us."

"Obviously it's not safe, but we can't just sit around here hoping to get lucky though, can we?" Shaun says, "We need the power source, besides, I'm sure we can cook up some way to hide our movements."

"Maybe," Rebecca says with no reassurance in her tone. "The Templars have access to all kinds of satellites and camera systems. We'll need to find a way to mask our digital signature. I can probably camouflage the van too. But there is not much I can do for us."

"Don't worry," I say, "I can handle it." She nods and we head to the van where Shaun puts the coordinates in the GPS.

We are all quiet in the van and no one says a word. I look through the edge of my hood to see that my father is watching me. I wonder what he is thinking. I finally gather the strength to match his stare and when I do, he simply looks down and very subtly shakes his head. The image stings. I can tell that he is ashamed of me. I can tell that he doesn't think I have the strength to stop what is coming to the world. He is embarrassed to call me his son and worries that the fate of the world has fallen on a waste of a man.

The van parks and as I step outside, Rebecca hands me a small black drone. "What is this?" I ask as the device flies above me. "A remote operated camera. It will provide us with feed while you're on the mission." She hands me an earpiece, "This will let us talk to each other."

"We are almost there so listen up." My father says harshly. "The artifact is in an office penthouse in lower Manhattan. At this time of night, direct infiltration is going to get you noticed. I think we are better off having you drop in from above."

"What do you mean, above?" I say in an apprehensive tone. My father tosses me something that looks like a backpack, but after looking at it, I can see that it's clearly a parachute. I give him a questioning look and he tells me to get on with it.

I leave them behind and manage to make it to a service elevator used for large shipments and cargo. I turn the earpiece on, "Can you hear me? Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3?"

"Yup," I hear Rebecca say from the earpiece, "Read you just fine. Now why don't you power up that camera?" I do so and as the drone flies above me she says, "I've got picture, running diagnostics… perfect, nice strong signal."

I stretch my neck out as well as my arms. I figure there won't be a staircase up to the very top of the skyscraper, it's never that easy. I begin to run through the metal and wood beams that hold the building together as it's under construction. I run quickly as I duck and jump through the obstacles. I smile thinking of Ezio, and how his memories have taught me to move with such agility. There is a calming feeling I get when I move like this, a feeling of being closer to Altair and Ezio. It's when I move like this, that I feel like a true Assassin.

Once I reach the top of this building, I see a construction crane that I can easily climb and get a vantage point to deploy my chute. Rebecca advises me over the earpiece when I should deploy the chute. I take in a deep breath and look around the city. It's been so long since I have seen a building of this century. The lights and the sounds remind me of the first time I came to the city after I left the Farm. To any other person, these would be annoyances, but to me, the chaotic sounds were lullabies. It was an enriching sound knowing that for once in my life, I was in control of what happened to me, not my father, not the Assassins, not Abstergo or the Templars. There was nothing expected of me, no one wanted anything from me, and the only person I had to answer to was me.

I take in a deep breath and tell myself this moment is over. I have to go back to a reality where I am in no control of what is happening to me or expected of me. I jump, and the feeling of helplessness overcomes me in a rush. The feeling is intoxicating and euphoric. But it soon ends when I hear Rebecca telling me to deploy my chute. I pull on the rope and my body jerks violently as the parachute catches the air. I pull the levies to position me perfectly to the helicopter entrance of the building. I relax my knees and when I hit the ground, it isn't as harsh as I had imagined.

I remove the chute from my shoulders and make my way into the penthouse suite of the building. There is a lock on the door and I begin to pick it. After a moment of struggling, the lock finally budges and I enter the room. Before my very eyes, on display for all to see, is the power source, glowing atop a mantel in a glass box. I walk up to the glass and examine it for any wires or sensors that may trip an alarm. Without any present, I place my hands on the glass and lift, and to my surprise, it lifts without much effort and no alarm goes off. I take the power source and look into its glowing aura.

"Well that wasn't so bad." I say aloud, but as Murphy's Law likes to creep up on you, I speak too soon. When I turn around to leave the penthouse, I see a shadowy figure pointing a gun at me. I can't make out the face, but I can make out that they are male and heavily built.

"So…" he says in a deep tone. "You must be Desmond. Not exactly what I expected, but then again, your kind doesn't have many options these days."

"Who are you?" I ask, but as I do, he approaches the light and I realize that it is Daniel Cross. My heart jumps and I swallow hard. I can't help but think about Clay.

"Ask your father," Daniel says and I take a step away from him. How does my father know this guy? "Now," Daniel says approaching me, "give me that." He says reaching out for the power source.

"I don't think so," I say pulling the source away from him.

"Look," he says with a sideways smirk. "I'm not supposed to kill you, but the Boss-man never said anything about fucking you up. So…" he continues and I can't hear anything else he is saying, all I can think of is taking him down.

I hold the power source tightly in my hands and when he approaches me, I swing the metallic cube at his head. Daniel falls to the ground with a heavy thud, and I kick his gun away from him. I look at him to make sure that he is unconscious and the blood trickling from his scalp indicates that he is in fact unconscious. I check to see if he is breathing, to ensure that I didn't just kill him, and his chest lifts with air.

I take his gun and leave the penthouse in a hurry with the power source. I feel terrible leaving Daniel on the ground like that, but I am sure the Templars will come after him and retrieve him.

I leave the building through the front door since the hard part was getting in. The team waits outside on the street and I hop in. I glare at my father, but he refuses to match my gaze. It isn't long until we are back at the Temple, and once we are there and I am sure we are out of any range of being listened to by the Templars, I decide to find out more about Daniel Cross.

I look at my father, and I am confused more than ever. How the fuck does my father know someone like Daniel Cross? I look at Shaun and Rebecca and can tell with their uncomfortable demeanor that they know something as well. Had I not entered the memories of Clay, I would not know who Daniel was. I decide to use that to my advantage and see if they will withhold any information from me regarding Daniel and his affiliation with Assassins and Templars.

"So, who the hell is Daniel Cross?" I ask in a convincing tone.

"Believe it or not, he used to be an Assassin." Shaun starts, "The Assassin, the way I've heard it told. But it turned out he was a sleeper agent for Abstergo, programmed to infiltrate and destroy the organization."

I think about Daniel and his involvement with Azalea. I wonder if she was aware that he was a sleeper agent, or if she was tricked by him. I find it hard to believe that anyone can get the upper hand on Azalea, but her feelings for Daniel seemed too involved for someone who was using the sleeper agent. Daniel had free reign of the facility Clay was at. There was no way she knowingly gave him the ability to move so freely.

"How did he know you were there?" My father asks, "We could be compromised."

"They must have caught me snooping inside their network and sent Cross to see what we were after. If they were aware of our current location, we'd know. Though I will say this, it doesn't bode very well for future expeditions."

"I've set up some cameras topside, if anyone shows up, we will see it." Rebecca says

Shaun suggests I take the power source and place it into the Grand Temple. I look up at my father and he motions me to join him for a walk around the Temple to find the location of where I should place the power source. I nod in agreement and we begin to walk. I look back at Rebecca and Shaun who watch us leave with cautious glances, probably worrying that we will turn physical again.

My father turns to me and says, "Son, I… I owe you an apology." I raise my eyebrows in amazement that he would apologize to me. "I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that. You have to understand that I've never been very good at this—never mind that we live rather… extraordinary lives."

"Yeah I kind of liked my ordinary one." I say almost bitterly.

My father sighs, "You can't escape who you are, Desmond." He says, and I bitterly respond that I have noticed. I can see a sincere look in my father's eyes, something I haven't seen in a long time. "Look, it's silly for us to go back and forth like this." He says in a defeated tone. "I admit I did a shitty job raising you. I apologize for that… I am truly sorry for that." He looks down, ashamed for everything he has done to me, and for the first time in a long time, I feel bad for him. "But it is important that you understand, it didn't come from a bad place," he says looking back up at me. "You're my son, and I love you." He pauses for a moment. "I guess I was so busy trying to make sure nothing bad happened, I didn't consider the consequences." He stops in front of the podium where I am to place the power source. "Truce?"

I take a deep breath and look at my father. It is obvious that he is genuine and I find myself forgetting the hate that I harbored for him. The animosity I felt towards his affair with Willow, the jealousy I held against the Creed for taking his time from me, and the fear I had of him leaving my mother and I, it all washes away. When I see the look of genuine regret in his eyes, the years of loathing him just vanishes. It all means nothing anymore. He is here now, and despite how he shows it, he does care for me, my wellbeing, and our relationship as father and son.

"Of course, Dad," I finally say and he takes me in for a hug. It is a strange feeling, hugging my father. I haven't hugged him since I was a child, and it feels so different, being a grown man hugging my father, rather than a small child. Something about holding my father makes me feel helpless, but safe, knowing that he is here to save me. I pull away from my father and try not to show him how much I missed his touch. "I can't believe it has taken me so long to ask, but… how's Mom? She's not…" I fall short on asking him if she is still alive, I can't bring myself to say it, or even think it.

"No, no, your mother is fine." The words bring air back to my lungs and I relax knowing that she is safe. "We decided it was safer if we split up for this job."

"Always assuming the worst," I say. "Can you get into contact with her? Can I say hi to her? I… I just miss her voice."

My father looks at me and with a blank expression he says, "I'm sorry, it's too risky. Maybe when we are done here."

"Right… when we are done." I say under my breath and my father pats my shoulder. I place the power source on the podium and the Temple lights up and my father smiles a proud smile.

My father decides to continue walking around on his own and I take this opportunity to speak with Rebecca and Shaun. They are both working on their computers when I walk up to them. "Wow, no scratches, no blood? I say you and your father had quite the civilized conversation." Shaun says with bewilderment.

I don't interact with Shaun's comment, instead I look around to see if my father is in earshot. When I see that he is not I tell them that I need to talk to them quietly. "What is it, Desmond?" Rebecca asks quietly.

"What do you too know about Daniel Cross? I want to know everything."

Shaun and Rebecca look at one another, and then Shaun says with a shrug, "Just what we told you. He was a very skilled Assassin, but it turned out that he was a sleeper agent for Abstergo. He had a Nano-transmitter implanted in his brain by the Templars. When it was the perfect time, Abstergo activated the chip and Daniel killed a high-ranking Mentor of the Assassin Order."

"For a long time, he was… important to us. He was a different person." Rebecca says sadly.

"He was a sleeper agent, like Lucy." I say harshly, trying to demonize him.

She shakes her head, "She was different, she made a choice. But Cross—if you read the files, Abstergo just… they… they did terrible things to him." She frowns, "He is all alone, and the people he thought he could trust used him."

"Did you know him?" I ask.

"No, but I knew Hannah. She tried to help him and she trusted him." Shaun puts his head down and Rebecca continues with teary eyes. "There was a raid about a year ago, and she stayed behind so the other Assassins could get escape. She tried to reason with him, and fix things…" She takes a breather and I ask her what happened. She looks up at me with tears now falling down her eyes. "What do you think happened? He killed her. That's what he does. That's all he knows how to do." She wipes the tears from her face and Shaun pats her on the back.

I swallow hard and I tell her that I am sorry for her loss. "I lied to you guys." I finally say and they look up at me. "I have seen Cross before." Their brows come together in confusion, and I continue. "When I was trapped in the Animus, I saw Subject 16… Clay." I see the look of shock on Shaun and Rebecca's face. "He was trapped in the Animus, and if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have found my way out."

"Christ," Shaun says under his breath.

"While there, Clay allowed me to enter his memories, where he showed memories when he worked for the Assassins. In those memories he worked with Daniel Cross as well as Azalea, under the alias, Clara."

"Wait," Shaun asks completely lost. "You're saying that Clay showed you Daniel working for the Assassins, as well as contact with Azalea?"

"Yes, Azalea was the Mentor of a compound of Assassins, and Clay was working for them as an analyst. It's a long story, but basically Clay was punished by Azalea for finding out she was immortal."

At this point Rebecca and Shaun look completely lost. "Desmond, that doesn't match up." Rebecca says, "Clay became Subject 16 on February 1, 2011." She looks at Shaun and shakes her head with confusion. "Daniel killed the Mentor and shifted to the Templars in 2000."

I step away from Rebecca, feeling physically drained by this information. "If Daniel became a Templar in 2000…" I trail off not able to speak.

"It was a very widely known betrayal." Shaun says, "With all the information Azalea has, she had to have known he was a Templar."

I shake my head in shock, "She was sleeping with Daniel." I say and they both raise their eyes in shock. "Do you think…" The words have trouble leaving my lips, and I almost choke on them, "Do you think Azalea has defected to the Templars?"

The idea falls heavy on us and creates a tense atmosphere. Never did it cross our minds that Azalea could have defected to the Templar's side. She has been alive for a long time and has undoubtedly been betrayed by the Assassins and Templars plenty of times to consider switching sides, or possibly even playing on both fields. Since we began looking into these memories, I've been looking forward to meeting with Azalea and learning everything she knows, but now with the doubt of her allegiance setting in, I'm becoming apprehensive. All the Assassins she sent to their deaths to acquire possession of the Ark, and keeping skilled Assassins off vital missions, it seems so obvious now. Were she and Daniel working with the Templars against the Assassins to gather the Pieces of Eden, or was she actually unaware of Daniel's allegiance to the Templars?

"So, what do we do?" Rebecca says finally breaking the silence. "If we find her and she is working for the Templars, she will definitely turn Desmond in to Vidic."

"Fuck," I say under my breath. "What are we going to do?"

They shake their heads and neither of us know what to do, or what to say. I can't see them anymore and I can't think of what will happen to us. I look at them and I realize that I am the reason their lives are in danger and I can't live with that idea. I back away from them without saying a word. It's starting to become evident that we won't make it out of this alive, and I will lead them to their deaths.

I turn away from them and go for a walk. I hear Shaun call out to me, but I don't go back to him. I can't do this anymore. I walk into an area that lights up when I placed the power source into the socket. It's so quiet here, and I feel so peaceful with the sound of silence around me. I close my eyes and enjoy the sound of nothingness. When I open my eyes, all is gone and goes black. I look around and see Juno approaching me. She begins to speak and the room fills with a golden light.

"They were used to command, to control, to own." She speaks of the Pieces of Eden, and she shows me one of her people controlling others using the Apple. "But we soon discovered another use. When enough sat in thrall and were told to believe, their thoughts took on form. What they imagined became real." She shows the captor being vaporized with the thoughts of those seized. "If a hundred minds could wish away a wall or create a tree, what might a thousand do? Ten thousand, or more? Might we change the consensus and will the threat way? We revolved to send one into the sky where it might illuminate us all. Once placed, a sentence would be uttered, 'make us safe.' In this way, we would change the consensus. We would save the world. But it never came to be. We sent a dozen of them skyward, but there was no way to maintain control, direct the beam and enthrall the world. Thought this was strange and dangerous, what we tried next was worse."

I move into another room and Juno appears again. "Our first instinct was to travel back to change the past. However, we could not find a way but forwards. We could look forward, and so here we sought to see beyond ourselves, and know what was to come. First, we watched to learn if our work would succeed. But the answer was always the same, so we moved on to other things, but she remained. The one you call, Minerva. In time, she stopped looking—and instead began to speak. She called out across time, in hoped that you might be saved." Juno shows me Minerva speaking with Ezio for the first time. "She hid messages where none might find them, save for you and those within this place."

She shows me a large glowing blue orb that has columns inside it, hidden safe under the shell. She leaves and all goes back to what it was before. There are no lights, and the dome turns to a large wall. I wonder if that is what is hidden away behind that door. That once I find all the power sources and keys, the door will open and I will enter the dome. "Whatever is on the other side of that door, it benefits Juno." I say knowing that I will have to be careful.

I return back to the gang and they are all waiting for me. "Everything Alright?" I ask

"Shaun has located a second power source." My father says, "I've asked Rebecca to charter a flight for us."

"Where to?" I ask

"Brazil," Shaun says.

We pack up and make our way to the airport. When I board the plane, I find myself drifting out of consciousness, and within seconds, I fall into a deep sleep. I wake up with the harsh landing of the plane. I get on a train that takes me to another terminal. I look around and see that Abstergo has posted wanted posters of me everywhere. I look at one and it reads that I am guilty of murder. I think of Lucy and how the Templars are right, and they didn't have to lie on that one. I swallow hard and when the train stops, I pull up my hood in hopes to better hide my identity. "You there, Rebecca?" I ask quietly in my earpiece.

"Bad reception, can you hear me?" she calls back between bits of white noise.

"Well, glad to see that's working, guess I will try you again when I am topside." I say to myself.

I make my way to the coordinates that Shaun gave me for the power source. Shaun and Rebecca tell me that the power source is in the possession of a woman, whom they presume is unaware of its purpose and power. They advise me to approach her with caution.

The coordinates lead to a bar where I hear an ear-piercing cry from a woman. I run over to an open door where a woman, bloodied and beaten is thrown out into the hall. I look at the woman, then through the doorway, where Daniel stands with a gun pointed at me. Without a thought, he begins to shoot at me. I dive to avoid his shots and hide behind the wall as he shoots through the door. I go to charge at him and he does the same. He begins to run down the hall rather than attack me. I figure the power source must not be here and he is running to it.

I begin to run after Cross. He runs through the streets of Brazil, knowing that I won't attack him in front of all these people, and that the crowds will be perfect cover for him. I get frustrated at this, as all the local police begin to draw arms to us.

He leads me into an indoor garden. He quickly turns around with fists up and a look of insanity on his eyes. He swings at me and gets a good hit at my jaw. I step back and shake my head. I step back again as he charges for another hit. I dodge, then quickly swing at him, and get a good hit at his left temple.

The Police follow us into the room and they begin to attack me. I look and see that they are not hitting Daniel, and I figure they have been paid off by Abstergo. Daniel begins to laugh as I struggle to fight the four policemen as well as him. I begin to struggle and the more the punches hit my head, the more I feel myself going unconscious. I shake my head, trying to get my thoughts clear, not allowing myself to go unconscious. Eventually, I take down all the policemen and focus on Cross. He's swinging at me like a mad man. He charges at me with every swing, and I am able to dodge him for the most part. He is very sloppy and I can tell that there is something off about him. The Daniel that Clay showed me was a strong and collected operative. The way he fought Azalea in the ring was much more calculated and patient. Had I faced against that Daniel, I surely wouldn't have survived, but he is now irrational, and nervous, and his fighting reflects this. I am not sure what is going on with Cross, but he is definitely not the top Assassin he's been painted out to be.

It isn't long until I get the upper hand on Cross, and I get a good hit square in the jaw, and then another hit in the nose. He starts bleeding profusely out of his nose, his lip is busted, and he is quickly losing consciousness. I take another swipe at him, and this one my knuckle digs into his temple. He falls to the ground. I check to make sure that he is still breathing, and he is. His face is swollen and bloodied and he no longer looks like himself. I check his jacket and the power source is tucked away in one of the inner pockets. I hold the power source tightly in my grip and flee the scene before Daniel wakes up, or the police show up.

I begin running and the police see me and start chasing me. I run from them as fast as I can, dodging them through backstreets. Eventually, I make my way down to the subway where I enter the closing doors just as they shut on my chasers. The subway begins to move and a sigh of relief overcomes me. I take a seat and hold my head in my hands and decompress. These fights with Daniel are draining, but I am still concerned about the fact that he is not on his A-game, or even B-game. He is weaker than Shaun described him, and he is weaker than Clay showed me. It's like his fighting style completely changed. He is sporadic and his movements are heavy and uncontrolled. He's easy to beat, as if he is completely untrained. Seeing as how he's been involved with the Assassins since the late 90s, I'd say he should be better trained.

I decide to shake the thoughts of Cross from my head and focus on getting some rest. I enter the plane to get back to the states. I decide to get some rest and try focus on some sleep, rather than everything that is falling down around me.

I return to Rebecca and Shaun, and they congratulate me for my success. I look at my father and ask him what has been bothering me since I've met up with Cross. "So, you trained Cross, has he always been this easy to beat."

Everyone in the room tenses up and I can tell I hit a nerve with them all. "Daniel was a great soldier, and an obedient pupil." My father says in a stern voice.

"Is that why he turned on you and the Assassins?"

"Desmond," Rebecca says in an offended tone, but my father stops her before she can go on.

"Daniel was ill, son." My father says, "He was not in control of his actions or thoughts."

"Is that why he freaks out screaming in Russian?"

Everyone is taken aback by that comment and I realize that I only know about that because of Clay's memories. "How do you know about that?" My father says in a stern voice. I look at Rebecca and Shaun to chime in and help me out, so my father doesn't know about me entering Clay's memories. "They didn't even know about that." My father says pointing at Rebecca and Shaun.

I decide changing the subject is my best way out, "Was it the result of the Bleeding Effect? Is that going to happen to me? Am I going to start speaking Italian or Farsi? Maybe a mix of both?"

My father shakes his head, "Daniel's ancestor was extracted using barbaric methods by the Templars!" He snaps angrily, "The Nano-transmitter in that boy's skull destroyed his conscious. He was a good man, an honest man, which I had the pleasure to train personally for years. I saw him as a son." My father presses his lips shut, realizing what he said.

"Funny," I say in a sad tone, "you had a son and you never gave him the luxury of your time."

"Desmond, I…"

I walk away from my father before he can say anything else to me. The anger boils over in my body, until I cannot contain it anymore and I punch a stone wall. I hear a crunching noise and realize that I must have broken a knuckle, but I cannot feel anything because of the rush of adrenaline. I think about Daniel, and how my father trained him as his own son. I think about Willow, and how my father fucked her like his wife. My father has constantly given attention to those other than his family. I make a promise to myself, that the next time I see Daniel Cross, I will drive my blade in his throat.

I walk around the Grand Temple, trying to clear my head of everything around me, when all goes dark and Juno appears before me. I realize that I haven't had a moment to myself since Abstergo took me for their Animus Project, and the idea becomes crippling.

"A new world approached," Juno begins, "One that was dark and cold. It would consume us, for we were flesh and flesh is frail." She begins to speak of the end, how they tried to change their genetic makeup to make their flesh more resilient to the solar wave. "It was Aita who volunteered to see if it might be done—Aita, my husband, my love." She shows a man laying down, preparing for the change, and she shows herself, worrying and doting over him. "In the end it changed him," she says as the hologram shows her husband begin to seize while she is helpless to stop it. "He was a prisoner of the machines. The body might survive, but his mind become brittle to the touch. He begged me for release. I pleaded with him to give us time to find another way, but there wasn't one…for none of us." She shows a vision of herself stabbing her husband to death.

I find everything she says weighing heavy on my shoulders. I decide it best to go back into the memories of Connor where I know the outcome is a pleasant one, unlike what my own might become. I make my way back to the camp where Rebecca and Shaun furiously type at their computers, while my father stands watching. "Look at that!" Shaun says with excitement, I've found a third power source!"

"Already?" I say with astonishment.

"It popped up in an earlier search but I only just confirmed it."

"Where?"

"There is a museum in Cairo with one on display."

"I guess Connor will have to wait," I say getting ready for the mission.

"No, you stay," my father says stopping me from packing. "We need to find that key and time is running out. I'll make the trip."

I look at my father with annoyed eyes, "What about Cross?" I say, my father thinking that I care for his wellbeing, when in reality, I want Cross all to myself.

"Everything is going to be fine, I'll be back soon." He pats my back and heads for the exit.

I look at Rebecca and Shaun, and rather than saying anything to them, I enter the Animus, and watch as the animosity between Connor and his father Haytham becomes more and more prominent. I can't help but relate to him with my own issues with my father. When I exit the Animus, I feel as though this time around was a breeze and I was not in the Animus for the eight hours that I can safely stay in the Animus to avoid a Bleeding Effect.

Rebecca turns to me with worried eyes, "Something's happened, Desmond." She says and I turn to her. "Abstergo… has your dad."

"Where?" I say with more of a harsh tone than a worried one.

"Italy, the same place they were holding you." Shaun says.

I jump down from the Animus, "What are you two waiting for? Let's go!" I say in a scolding tone.

"There's more!" Rebecca shouts to me as I walk off. I turn to her and she opens a video on her computer.

I watch the video as it comes up and there is my father tied to a chair with fucking Warren Vidic walking behind him. "Hello again, Mister Miles. I hope this message finds you well, or as well as it can, all things considered. It appears we now each have something the other desires. I promise a trade—bring me the Apple, and we'll return your father to you, no worse for the wear. Should you refuse, he will still be returned, albeit much worse for the wear. I assume you'd like to avoid an unpleasant outcome."

My jaw clenches tightly and my fists form forcefully as the hate fills my body. I slam my fist down on the keyboard and the video stops. I grab my jacket and the hidden blade. I strap it on and look at Rebecca and Shaun. "Let's go." I say lowly.

We get into the van and I sit in the back. I look across from me, where my father should be sitting. I swallow hard, trying to put away emotions that might take me away from the mission. "I always knew it would come to this." I say aloud and Rebecca looks back at me with sad eyes. "I just did not think it would come so soon. I wonder if Abstergo even knows what's about to happen… and has this been part of their plan all along? Maybe they want the world to end. To see it all burned away. Then they'll have their new world… ripe for the reshaping." I think about leaving my father there and focusing on the mission and saving the world. If my father were in my position, would he do the same? He has compromised the relations with his family, and the lives of friends for the sake of the Creed—should I do the same? I think about it, but in the end, I can't just leave him there to die. He is my father, and despite the resentment I harbor towards him, I cannot sit idly by while he is led to his death.

We exit the van and I enter the threshold of Abstergo Industries. I never thought I would be back here again, let alone walking in through the front door willingly. I realize that I stick out like a sore thumb in jeans and a hooded jacket, while everyone else is in business attire. I catch a glimpse of a camera and I keep my head down.

"They are probably holding your father on the upper level, the same place they were holding you." Rebecca says through the communicator. "There is an elevator down the hall, try not to let them see you."

"They know I am here, Rebecca. There is no way they don't." I say as everyone stares me up and down.

"This… is a really bad idea." Shaun says nervously through the communicator.

I make it down the hall without any trouble but come across some when a group of guards form a wall in front of the elevator. "Drop your weapons and come with us, sir." They say as they puff their chests, making themselves look more intimidating.

"I can show myself in, but thanks for the offer." I say in a cocky tone.

"I'd rather this not turn ugly, Mister Miles." Vidic says over the PA system.

"Then let me through!" I yell out.

"Subdue the subject please." He says and as he does, the men take out beating sticks.

I get into a fighting stance, and they begin to charge at me. It is easy to fight them off, and with little trouble, I am able to knock all the guards out without using the hidden blade. I smile to myself, knowing the with the knowledge and skill of Altair and Ezio, I can take these men down with ease.

I run to the elevator, where Rebecca tells me to go to the fourth floor. The elevator stops short of the floor, and when the doors do not open, Vidic chimes in again over the system. "Well, I see you've learned absolutely nothing since you left us. Walking into an elevator in the middle of a hostile environment, really?"

I roll my eyes at his words, "Where is my father?" I call out to him.

"You'll see him soon enough. Now be a good boy and wait for security to fetch you."

The door remains closed and I look around for a way out of the elevator. Rebecca comes in over the communicator, "You're going to have to climb the rest of the way."

I look up and see a vent that I can easily pry open and climb through, and I do so with ease. I enter a room that looks empty, and I look around for an outlet to another room. When I notice what room I am in, I get sick. I am in the room where Abstergo extracted memories of Altair from me. I see the Animus I laid in and the computer Lucy worked from.

I take a step towards the Animus, when in the corner of my eye, I see something move. I look over and see Daniel pointing a gun at me. "Give me the Apple!" He demands, and when I duck, he begins shooting. I dive behind the Animus and hear Daniel's heavy steps approach me. "Let's not drag this out. You've got nowhere to go and I've got a gun." I hear him loading the gun and approach me. "Speaking of which, it's the 21st century, and you're still running around with only a tiny knife for protection—it's stupid." He walks closer and I can tell that he is right next to me. I can feel his gun pointed at me. "Alright, Desmond, game's over."

My heart drops and I take in a deep breath as I shut my eyes tightly. I wait for the deafening sound of the gunshot, but I don't hear it. Instead I hear Daniel cry out, "Not now! Not now!" I peer through the Animus and see him cradle his head. He begins to grunt out Russian words as he did when Clay saw him in Azalea's office. He keeps yelling and stumbles away from me. I follow him as he runs away from me, down the halls of Abstergo. He keeps yelling "get out" as he looks back at me and tries to shoot me. His aim is compromised as he runs frantically away from me.

He shoots a window then proceeds to charge at it. He shatters the glass and continues to run down the endless cubicles of Abstergo. I jump down after him and chase him down. Dozens of Abstergo guards begin to swarm Daniel and I as I chase him. Eventually, I reach him and when I do, I pull on the fabric of his jacket near his shoulder. I pull him towards me, and when he turns around, I thrust my blade into his chest. He lets out a loud and deep grunt of pain and falls to his knees as blood stains his clothing. He looks up at me with his brows tangled in pain. He coughs and blood falls from his lips. I tower over him as he sits on his knees. I know that he is lung shot and it is only a matter of time until he dies, but I want to savor this moment, and I want to take my time killing him, but I know I don't have that luxury. I have to find my father.

He looks up at me, wanting me to finish the job and end his misery. "Do you hear them too?" he begins coughing and he holds his chest. Blood covers his lips and teeth as he smiles devilishly at me. "Do you see them?"

"Who?" I ask.

He falls on his hands and coughs a pool of blood on the floor. He slumps over and leans up against a cubical wall to die. "The voices." He says as his body goes limp and his eyes stare off into nothingness.

I don't have time to close his eyes, as the guards approach me. I run away from him and don't find the satisfaction that I thought I would get from killing Cross.

I hear Vidic's voice over the intercom. He yells over the death of Daniel, and how he was his star pupil. I try to push the thought out of my head while I take down the guards Abstergo sent for me. I finally reach the elevator at the end of the room. As I enter the elevator, I see another group of guards swarm the room I was just in.

"Where's Vidic?" I ask Rebecca as I catch my breath in the elevator. She tells me he is on the fifth floor and with satisfaction; I press the small white five button on the elevator floor keypad.

The elevator opens and Rebecca informs me that Vidic's office is up ahead. I look down the hall and see the large logo of Abstergo Industries shine back at me. I approach the logo slowly and am drawn to the three simple lines that symbolize an entire organization of sick people. I swallow hard knowing that I need to get going and save my father. When I reach Vidic's office I see a group of Abstergo guards standing in front of me, my father tied to a chair, and Warren Vidic behind his desk.

"Not so fast, Mister Miles. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm the one calling the shots. Now give me the Apple." He approaches me with his hand extended out to retrieve the Apple.

"You want it? Fine, here it is." I say, and as I do, I clench the Apple in my grip and take hold of the minds of the Abstergo guards. I can feel their power and I can hear their thoughts as if they were my own. I command them without words to raise their guns to Vidic and they do so without question. Vidic yells in fear to stop. I flick my wrist and the Apple shoots out a light, and as I will it, the guard shoots Vidic with his gun. He then turns the gun to himself and shoots, and the others follow suit. The power the Apple holds is intoxicating.

I approach my father and he begins to yell at me, "You never should have come here, you put everything on the line and for what? So you could rescue your father?"

I cut his restraints, "Yeah," I say in an obvious tone and my father smiles and gives me a hug. I take in a deep breath of his cologne and savor the moment I wouldn't allow myself to miss.

My father takes the power source from Vidic's desk and we head out of there. I want to tell my father that I am happy to see him, and that I am glad he is safe, but I stay quiet and focus on leaving Abstergo without raising any more suspicion.

We get back to the Temple and everyone is forcing me to go back into the Animus, and I agree. We need to get this door open and now that we have all the power sources, the only thing keeping us from knowing what is inside is the location of the key. I sit in the Animus and my father reassures me.

I enter the memories of Connor and for the first time I am not in his body, but my own. I call out to Rebecca and Shaun and ask if they can hear me, but they don't answer me. I call out to Connor and he cannot see or hear me as well. He is being spoken to by Juno. I listen as she tells him that he must hide the amulet, the key that I am looking for. She looks past Connor and looks at me. I can tell that she sees me but she doesn't acknowledge me. She tells him that his people sacrificed for the future and that he must hide the amulet. I can tell that Connor is confused but she continues to tell him to hide the amulet.

The memory flashes to Connor digging a grave at the old house and I am now once again in his body and tethered to him. He makes his way to the grave of Achilles' family, and begins digging. He takes off the amulet and drops it into the grave. When he does, I feel myself slipping from him, and the Animus.

I jump into a sitting position in the Animus and tell them I know where the key is. My father tells me to get ready and we do so. We enter the premises at night after hours, as it has become a museum since. Once the sun has set, we enter the property and begin digging. Once we get deeper into the grave, I fall to my hands and knees and shovel out the dirt with my hands. Eventually I feel something brush up against my fingers; I grab at it and pull on the chain. At the end of it, is the glowing amulet.

We rush back to the Temple, somewhat with fear of the Templars tracing us, but mostly with the curiosity that we have of what will happen when we use the key. I approach the door with the amulet in hand. Rebecca reassures me that they are right behind me. I place the key into the spherical slot. The door begins to illuminate in a bright blue light that is blinding, then all disappears and the force field has fallen. I take a step into the threshold and all becomes dark and bleak.

I hear a voice approaching me. "Yes, come…" I approach a pedestal that holds a glowing ball. Before my eyes, Juno approaches me. "Here at last. You know our story now of how we tried, and how we failed. All our hopes extinguished… save one." She places her hand on the large glowing ball. "Your touch will lead to a spark, a spark that will save the world."

"Wait!" I look behind me and Minerva enters the room. "Do not touch that pedestal!" She warns.

"You," Juno says with distain in her voice. "But how? You left? You destroyed the device!"

"Did you think there was only one?" Minerva says with amusement.

"What the hell is going on here?" My father asks with concern.

"You must not free her." Minerva warns. I ask her what she means by this. "Juno dwells within these walls, awaiting release. While we worked to save this world, she sought to conquer it. She used our machines to set her plans in motion, divination through number. There is a pattern to existence. To comprehend the calculations is to tame time. This was my focus and so I built the eye to aim us, but she turned it towards her own ends. When we discovered her treachery, we put a stop to it. Then we left, but first, we called to you… that you might try again. We thought it would be safe with her gone. Now I see we were deceived. She served and endured, and then she began to work. For centuries, Tinia and I walked the world, hoping to rekindle the spark of civilization. We shared what we knew as best we could. We were not the only ones. But for all the power we wrought, still death would claim us. But before it did, I would have one last look to know if we succeeded.

"That's how you're here now?" I ask her.

"I had hoped you might find this place—and finish our work. But it is too late. You and all the Templars have squabbled over refuse. You have wasted centuries, and so have lost your chance. You cannot hope to stop the end now, Desmond, only to survive."

"She is lying!" Juno yells, "Only touch the pedestal and the world will be saved.

"Better the world burn, then she be loosened upon it."

"Is that so?" Juno says turning to her, "Show him then."

"But he will not understand." She approaches me, "It is complicated… it is…"

"Show me," I demand.

They enter my mind and begin to show me the Earth and the Sun. Juno begins to speak of how the Sun will have its way with the Earth if I listen to Minerva. She shows me a reality of men and women screaming in the streets, volcanos erupting all over the globe and the Earth being devoured by the pits of fire. She shows us leaving the Temple to see the Earth in ruins. She tells me that I will rise and bring a new hope to the dying world. She paints me as a prophet and tells me that I will guide the confused world. She tells me I will become a symbol of survival and hope. The world will begin again, and humanity will thrive once more. She then goes on to tell me that I will become frail and I will die. She tells me that with time, I will become a legend, and with more time, I will become a God. And with this change, will bring the beginning of the destruction once more. And that the world will once more fall to the corruption of organization and deceit.

Juno leaves my mind and I am back into my body, my head aching from her visions. "She will sacrifice you—sacrifice the world—for no other reason than to deny me vindication."

"They will enslave your kind, Desmond." Minerva says approaching me. "Is that not why you fight? Is that not why you came here? To ensure more than just race's future, but its freedom?"

"What future… what freedom …billions dead, and the whole cycle begun anew? This world has known nothing but heartache and horror since we left it."

"Our gift to them… and you'd see it all returned."

"Enough!" I yell and they both look at me. "Whatever Juno's planning—however terrible it might seem today—we'll find a way to stop it. But the alternative, what you want, there is no hope there."

"If you free her, you'll be destroyed." Minerva yells

"It will happen in an instant," Juno says to me, "There will be no pain."

"You mustn't!" Minerva becomes hysterical.

"It's done, Minerva, the decision's made." I say to her.

"Then the consequences of this mistake are yours to live—and die—with."

I turn from them and look at my father. "You need to go, all of you. Get as far away from here as you can."

"Come with us, we will find another way." My father says trying to grab me.

"There isn't time" I say somberly.

"Son…" he begs.

"You know it's true. It's already started. I need to do this now, so go! Go!" I yell at him and watch the hysterical expressions on their faces as they reluctantly turn from me.

They go from me with frightened and confused eyes. I turn away from them and look onto the large sphere that holds my fate. My hands are sweaty and I begin to choke on the fear that sets in. However, I take a deep breath and I slowly and hesitantly place my hand on the sphere. A light shoots out and the sphere takes hold of my arm. I cannot take it off and I begin to feel my flesh burning as electric current carries through my body. I let out a yell and as I do, I feel a release—a release of pain and any other feeling I hold. I can no longer feel my body. I look up to the ceiling of the Temple as all goes dark around me. The images around me begin to blur and I am falling from this world. I hear a muffled noise in the distance, a voice? I try to move but I cannot and my vision begins to fall, but before all goes black, I see a figure stand before me.