The Lost Memory

by The-Storm-Unleashed

This story is in the process of following the story of all major video games and some comics: After seeing the strange writings on the walls and floors of Abstergo, Desmond returns to the memories of Altair to see they have been tampered with to hide the existence of another Piece of Eden. Desmond returns to these memories to find the lost artifact and the person who wields it.

21. Becoming the Beast

NEW COVER! Let me know what you guys think! Hope you all enjoy this SUPER long chapter! Was considering condensing it, or breaking it up into multiple chapters, but then decided to just give it to you in full. This chapter is in Azalea's perspective and moves through time distinguished by Bold timestamps. Hope you guys like this chapter and let me know what you think!

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Becoming the Beast

Azalea Hassan

February 2009: Frankfurt, Germany

"So that's fifteen now." He says towering over my desk with tense shoulders as I sit down typing an email to another Assassin Mentor requesting to send more willing Assassins. "That's fifteen in three months, Clara." He presses. "We are losing too many good soldiers to the Templars, and for what?" I look up at him and he frowns. "Clara, I know that you have taken this sect of mediocre Assassins to one of the most skilled in stealth killings, but we need more than that small success."

"Small success?" He bites his lip, knowing that he stepped out of bounds. "Was it a 'small success' when we crashed Abstergo's mainframe for three days and gathered all their intelligence and missions for the past three years? Was it a "small success" when we killed ten Templar Grand Masters and liquidated their assets to the Assassin's Order? Was it a—"

"I understand," he says cutting me off. "I am sorry." He exhales, but I am still tense. "I have heard from the other Assassin Mentors that they are worried about you." He says this slowly, watching my reaction, worried that I will react aggressively. "You're reckless with people's lives; as if you hold no value in life. You are willing to send so many to the slaughterhouse, just to get one success over the Templars."

"And how does the Assassin's Creed want to deal with me? What are they going to do? Dismantle my position here? What's to stop me from taking what I know and administering it to the Templars?" He swallows hard at this threat. "I have played this game for quite a while, Erik. I know what I am doing, and if the Assassins want to remove me from my position, they better consider the repercussions."

Erik stands before me, tall, muscular with his arms crossed at his chest. His brow is furrowed and his icy blue eyes pierce into me. "Anything else you would like to discuss?" I say intertwining my fingers. He shakes his head. "Good. Reach out to the Assassins again and tell them I want more man power. I have promising intel of a Piece of Eden in Serbia. I will be sending men on the mission and need some new faces to train. He clenches his jaw tightly holding back something to say. He bows his head and turns from me.

When he leaves my office I take a deep breath. The Assassins have been testing my patience as it is wearing thin. Erik was a Master Assassin from Sweden that I forced the Order to send to me to aid in developing this sect of Assassins. He often challenges my position over his, and our arguments increasingly escalate. Erik knows nothing of my immortality and is unaware of just how dangerous of an enemy I can become.

I go into my email and see an encrypted email from Harlan Cunningham. I open the email to see that it is not the same code we typically use to communicate with one another. I wonder why he would change the code without telling me. It takes me a moment to realize what he is saying, but when I finally decipher the emails it reads, Request granted. Stop fucking up. 12 disciples for the false prophet. I smile at the email knowing that he convinced someone in the Assassins order to send me 12 more recruits. I smile knowing that Harlan will escort the recruits and I will see him for the first time in quite a while. He is the only assassin whom I get along with.

I decode the rest of Harlan's email which explains that he will be sending the recruits in one week and to keep the information to myself as it is not entirely been approved by the Creed. I frown at the thought. There are very few people in the Creed that I have allowed to live after learning that I am immortal, Harlan being one of them. Regardless of my immortality and the lifetimes I have given to the Creed, many of them do not see it as an influential sacrifice. They often argue my importance to the Creed and in turn, keep valuable resources from me. To some of them, I am a reckless 26-year-old, and to those who know any better, I am a husk, devoid of human sympathy and rationality. It is because of this I often fight with them to send me resources.

I look at the Assassin sigil that hangs on a flag draped behind my desk. I think of the years of servitude I have given the brotherhood, and the years they have turned me away. The Templars are no better, and when I defected to their side during the Spanish Inquisition, I found they treated me with the same disregard, regardless of the information I provided of the First Civilization. Back then, no one cared about the First Civilization, or understood their importance. They simply saw these artifacts and their power for control. The Assassins and Templars have been fighting over the Apple for Generations, unaware of the vast majority of other artifacts out there waiting to be plucked of power.

It doesn't feel long until a week passes and Harlan enters my office with the new recruits. When he steps in, I practically jump with joy. I spring out of my seat and wrap my arms around his tall frame. He laughs and takes me in. "Oh I haven't see you since Cosa Rica!" He says with a sigh.

"Has it really been that long?" I ask.

"You haven't aged a day."

I wait for him to wink or laugh at his joke, but he does not. I lower my eyes and say, "I can't say the same for you."

After a few minutes of back and forth, two more men walk into the office and Harlan introduces them as recruiting officers that located the 12 recruits I had requested. I thank them and they inform me they will be introducing the recruits they have chosen for me. I ask the men to sit down, and one by one, they bring men and women before me and introduce their skill levels varying from tech to combat.

Every recruit sent is a promising one, and though I do not have room to request anything better, I do not feel the need to do so either.

Harlan shifts in his seat and clears his throat. "So," he begins, "This next recruit will cause a bit of… controversy." He says and I turn my head to the side, begging him to explain. He sighs, "I don't want you to dismiss him right away, as he is a valuable asset in taking down the Templar forces."

"Get on with it, Harlan." I say in a pressed tone, not amused with this dancing around the subject.

He motions to the door and a tall and muscular set man walks in. His head is down, and his blonde hair falls over his eyes. He looks tense, as if he is a prisoner being delivered to the electric chair. I do not recognize the man, and based off of his build, I can tell that he is a field agent and would be a valuable addition to the Assassins.

Harlan and the others look at me with tense eyes, as if I am supposed to react to the sight of the man, but I do not recognize him and do not understand why they expect me to react in a way. "So what is so controversial with this man?" I finally ask and the team looks at me with shocked expressions.

"You don't know who this is?" Harlan asks in a pressed tone.

"Am I supposed to?" I say with scoff. Harlan swallows hard and looks at the other two men in the room. Their expressions show a mix of confusion and shock. "Oh get on with it, Harlan, who is he?"

"I'm Daniel Cross." I look over at the man who finally lifts his head and peers at me through the strands of his blonde hair. His voice his hoarse and his lips curve into a menacing smile as he stares me down with his icy blue gaze.

I let out an involuntary chuckle, completely taken aback by the situation. When I see the look on everyone's face, I realize that I heard him correctly. I lean back in my chair and try to show disinterest in this most interesting circumstance. "And what benefit would I have with a Templar Sleeper Agent?" Harlan tries to answer but I stop him. "As far as anyone is concerned, you're still and active member of the Templar Order, and responsible for the death of dozens of Assassins, including the Mentor of the Creed at the time." I look away from Daniel and back at Harlan, "I may have been excommunicated from the Assassin's Creed during the time of his betrayal to the Creed, but an action like that does not go unnoticed. On whose authority do you have to bring him back into the brotherhood?"

Harlan swallows hard. "The matter is… confidential." I lower my eyes at him and he explains, "The Templars believe him to be loyal to the Order. Daniel has come to us, wanting redemption, and has offered his status to play both sides and leak false information to the Templars, information that you chose."

I look over at Daniel, and he has not taken his gaze off of me since he first laid his eyes on me. I match his gaze and he does not budge. He is not afraid of me as most people are. I admire him for that. "Daniel, what does this war mean to you?" His expression changes and I can finally read that he is taken aback by the question. He asks me to reiterate. "The war between the Templars and the Assassins. Why do you think it started? Why do you think we are still fighting each other after so long? Why are you so willing to turn from one side to the other?"

He takes a moment to answer, genuinely formulating a response for me. Finally, he says, "I think the war began as a power struggle between two powerful sides. I think that both sides are gathering knowledge for power and coveting the knowledge. Where one side wants to share the knowledge amongst the chosen elite, the other wants to bury it under fables and legends." He thinks for a moment longer, "The Templars have taken my freewill away from me. I was unable to control myself and regret the actions that occurred that night. Had I control of my thoughts… things would have been different. I just hope that my presence here can benefit the Assassins against their war with the Templars. " He says in a somber tone.

I exhale and finally say, "That's touching, but you're wrong." He looks up at me with confusion. "Your presence here against the Templars will not end this war with the Templars. In fact, nothing will stop this war. This war has been going on for so long that it is nothing but a tradition." I can see in the peripheral of my eyes Harlan and the other Assassins tense in their seats, but I continue to focus on Daniel. "No one knows how or why it really started. No one knows a life different than this. Templars don't know a life without killing Assassins, and Assassins don't know a life without killing Templars. At one point, the war between them meant something, they actually believed in what they were fighting for. But now, it's something to do because they don't know any different." The men shift in discomfort at this realization. "I want you to take something from this, Daniel." I say looking at him with tense eyes. "Have this in the back of your mind at all times." He returns my tense glare, "When you are killing someone—be it an Assassin or a Templar—when you justify their death as a necessity to bring an end this war; know that their death was meaningless to their cause, your death is meaningless to the cause, and your actions did not get you any closer to ending this war."

Harlan and the others are shocked at my words, and I can tell that Harlan is annoyed at my pep-talk with Daniel. Daniel finally clears his throat and says, "You have a very cynical perspective on this war for someone so young." I chuckle at the comment and Daniel continues. "It's curious that you are a Master Assassin yet, you don't consider yourself part of the Creed." I look at him with a confused expression and he explains, "you said 'the war between them' and 'what they were fighting for', you do not lump yourself in that category by saying 'us' or 'we'. I find it fascinating the Creed would put someone as skeptical as you are about the cause in a leadership role."

"And it seems to me, Daniel, that you lump yourself on the winner's side." I say harshly. "I can tell everything about the Templars taking your freewill was bullshit," he presses his brows together, trying to retaliate but I stop him. "I don't care why you are here, Daniel. I don't care if it is because the Templars took away your humanity or if the Assassins have better looking woman on their team. My only concern is that you are willing to kill anyone and everyone I ask you to, regardless of their affiliation."

"Yes I can." He returns in a hoarse tone.

"Good, you're in." Harlan tries to retaliate but I stand and shake his hand, "Welcome to my Creed, Daniel. You will be acting as my personal agent. Get comfortable here, I will hold a conference tomorrow to explain your position here." I sit back down and motion them to leave. "You may go now."

The two men leave and so does Daniel, but Harlan stays. "Since when have you been so bitter about the Creed?" He asks.

I look at him with a confused look. "You of all people know my opinions about the Creed."

"I just didn't expect you to be so vocal about it in front of the others."

I lean back in my seat and sigh. "How did you manage to convince the Creed to give me more recruits? More importantly, how did you convince them to give me Daniel Cross?"

He shifts in his seat, "I don't know how to tell you this, but those are all the rejects of the other Bureaus. They are failed Assassins, unable to fight or hack or whatever their skill is. The Creed figured that if you were going to kill them, it would be no loss."

I think back at all of the recruits that were presented before me. All of them looked like strong, able-bodied men and women, some of them with impressive build. I find it hard that any of them were rejects, but I dismiss the comment and say, "and Daniel?"

Harlan smiles a crooked smile, "Well you're so good at killing your recruits, and it would be no skin off their back if you get him killed too." I shoot him an annoyed look and he sighs. "I've been trying to get them to trust you more. There is only so much I can say."

I watch him as he fidgets with a silver ring on his finger. "Did you get married or something?"

He looks down at the ring and lets it go. "Ugh no," he says suddenly getting uncomfortable. "It's… ugh… family heirloom." He says shrugging.

I open my mouth to say something, when Erik comes bursting through the office door. "Daniel Fucking Cross!" He yells, "You've lost your fucking mind bringing him here! What game are you playing at?"

I sigh, "Harlan, let's continue this conversation soon. I have to attend to my team." I say in a pressed tone, glaring at Erik.

Harlan bows his head at me and walks out the room without acknowledging Erik. After sizing up Harlan, Erik turns his attention to me. "Who the fuck was that?" he says speaking about Harlan. I know that Erik has met Harlan before, and rather than arguing about that, I address the Daniel situation.

"Cross is joining the Assassins. He is angry at the Templars for robbing him of his freewill and is seeking the Assassin's resources and aid in destroying the Templar Order." I say in a bored tone.

"He's a ticking time bomb, Clara. He's a strategically planted sleeper agent that was imbedded by the Templars and killed the Assassin Mentor!"

"Then you will benefit if he decides to kill me." I say between clenched teeth.

"I am not worried about your wellbeing. I am worried about the dozens of men and women here that you are putting in danger by having him here."

"I can assure you, Erik that I will have Daniel under heavy surveillance, and he will be unable to breath without my knowledge."

"He killed my sister, Clara." He says in a somber tone. "During a Templar raid."

"I understand that he killed a lot of Assassins, but he's here now to kill a lot of Templars." He sighs and I give in. "If it will make you feel more at peace with the idea, then you can be in charge of watching him. You'll have full access of what he does, where he goes, and what he looks up on the computers. Does that sound like a good enough compromise?"

He thinks for a moment, glaring at me with annoyance at the idea in the first place. Finally, he says, "If he slips up, in any way possible, I am going to put a bullet in his head, regardless of any objection from you."

"And I will hand you the gun." I say, and see his tense demeanor fade. "Despite what you may think, Erik I do care about the wellbeing of these people. I understand their importance and that is why I continue to train them to be the best and send them to missions the Creed won't. Because I believe in their strength and abilities."

"Good luck explaining that to them when introduce Daniel Cross to the team." He says bitterly and walks out of my office. I slump down into my chair and sigh. Erik is right, I am not sure what I will say to these groups of Assassins to ease their mind allowing a man that killed their brothers and sisters to roam free.

The following day arrives and everyone is waiting in the auditorium where I will inform them of Daniel's position with the Creed. I enter the auditorium with Erik by my side as I approach everyone. I tell them the exciting news of the group of men and women that have been given to us, which will grow our ranks. I inform them of new missions I am planning and new training exercises that will give us notoriety within the Creed.

"Lastly, I would like to welcome all the men and women that have joined this team. With each one of you here, we can build our ranks and become an unshakable force against the Templar Order." A few people clap and cheer. "That being said," I say, "Certain people in the Creed have believed it a strategic plot against the Templar Order to take one of their own and use them as a double agent." I see the mass confusion in everyone's eyes. "The other Master Assassins and I have agreed to allow a well-known Templar Sleeper Agent into our ranks to feed false information to the Templars, with the hopes to depreciate their resources." I swallow hard, "This agent has proven their loyalty to the Creed," I lie, "and will prove to be very beneficial to the Creed." I look over at Erik who looks displeased. "With that, please welcome Daniel Cross to the Creed."

Daniel walks on the stage and everyone in the crowd is so overcome with shock, that they do not riot as I had planned them to. They simply look up in utter disbelief that this is happening. Finally one of them speaks up, "How can we be sure that he won't kill us like he did before?" the crowd begins to erupt in chaotic cries "He's a Templar!" "They are going to activate his chip again!" "How can we trust him?" "He's a traitor!" "Kill him!"

"Enough!" I yell over the cries of the crowd. "Daniel will be under heavy restrictions until he has proven himself otherwise." I see Daniel tense in my peripheral. "I understand a lot of you are uncomfortable with this idea, but this is the war that we are in now. If the Templars want to send Sleeper Agents into our ranks and kill our loved ones, then we can feed them false information and will lead them to the slaughterhouse." I look over at Daniel and I cannot tell if he is impressed or concerned. "I understand a lot of you are worried about this," I say looking back at the crowd, "but I can assure you that the Templars will pay gravely for killing our brothers and sisters, and what Daniel did to us, will look like child's play when they see what we do to them!"

I watch as the crowd becomes more welcoming with the idea of allowing Daniel to join the Assassin's Creed. I take a breath of relief. After providing missions for the month, I leave the stage, and Daniel follows. "Great job up there," he says following me closely, "encouraging the masses. You even remembered to use terms like 'we' and 'our'. It really makes good for team moral when you convince them you're one of them." He says with a deep hoarse laugh.

My hands are clenched in tight fists and I turn on my heels and look up at him. "Let's get one thing straight here; just because I don't give two shits about this Creed or these people, doesn't mean that I am not willing to destroy you if you get in my way." My threats seem empty as he towers a good foot over me, and he seems more amused with my words than concerned. His expression drives me even angrier. "Believe me, if the time comes that I have to take you apart, I will do so in the most horrific way you can think. The Templars may have money, but they lack imagination. They may have controlled your mind, but I will break you down particle by particle if need be."

He shoots me a smile. "I'm sorry," he apologizes, "it's just so hard to take direction from someone as… small as you are." He bends his head down to my level and pats my head. I take his wrist and bend it with ease as he is unsuspecting of my movements. Before he can process that I have taken hold of him, I break his wrist and forearm in three places. I release him and he roars in agony. "You fucking bitch!" he yells cradling his arm.

"Oh no, looks like you'll be off the field for a while. What a shame." I walk away from him as he stays back swearing obscenities at me.

The following day Daniel enters my office with a sling on. I hide my smile behind the screen of my monitor. He enters without saying a word to me, and shuts the door behind him. His heavy steps approach me, and when he finally reaches the edge of my desk, he clears his throat. "I have been told I need to report to you." He says in a bitter tone.

"Yes," I say looking up from my screen, "while you're indisposed, you will work with me here, at the Bureau."

He shoots be annoyed glare, "What? You want me to sharpen pencils and file paperwork? I am a Field Agent. I belong on the field, killing people."

"Not while you're hurt, maybe you should be more careful next time." I can tell that he wants to say something to me, but he holds it back. "When you've proven yourself trustworthy, you will be released in the field with an escort, from there—"

"You mean a babysitter." He cuts me off, placing his good hand on my desk and leaning in to me.

"Call it what you want, you need to be watched. Naturally, you can understand that after slaughtering dozens of Assassins, I need to heed caution with you." I spit back at him.

He drops his tense shoulders and looks at me with what he attempts as sad eyes. "I'm not meant to be at a desk all day. You're not utilizing me to my full potential here." He says in a calm and bargaining tone.

"When your arm is healed, we can discuss a field mission." I say looking at him, "Until then, get on that computer," I say pointing at the computer in the corner. "And get ready to send false intelligence to the contact you have with the Templars." He logs into the computer and prepares an encrypted chat box that I am familiar with the Templars using. He looks back at me, ready to type. "Say, 'P.O.E. located in Serbia. 4 men sent. Coordinates attached.'" I stand up and hand him a note with coordinates.

"Let me guess, P.O.E. stands for Piece of Eden," I nod, "And these coordinates are fake ones to lead them on a wild goose chase while you get the Piece of Eden?"

"No, those are the coordinates of the Assassin's Bureau in Beograd, Serbia." He looks at me shocked and I sigh. "The Templars are going to become suspicious if you're constantly sending them information that leads them nowhere. Sometimes, sacrifices are necessary for the greater picture."

"So, you're going to knowingly kill those 4 men to give the Templars assurance that I am sending good intel?"

"No, I will inform them the Bureau location has been compromised and plant further useless information at the Bureau. The Templars will find our safe house—thanks to you—and my men will be safe."

He sighs and struggles to type with one functioning hand. I advise him to send three more emails to different Templar sects located in the Balkans, advising they raid the Bureau. I return back to my desk, preparing the itinerary for the Serbian mission. After a moment of silence, Daniel clears his throat and I look over at him. "So what's the Piece of Eden?" I look away from him and continue typing, not engaging his question. "Is it the Apple?" I scoff at the comment and he brings his brows together, "What's so funny?"

"You Templars are so hung up on the Apple that you never think to look for any of the others."

"What others are there?"

"Throughout history, every mythical device, every tool used to gain inhumane power, was likely a Piece of Eden."

"For example?" He presses.

I sigh, "That's the problem with the Templars. They think they have the upper hand in sending spies in the Assassin's ranks, but they never spend their infinite resources gathering intelligence that will actually be useful."

"Then enlighten me," he says turning away from his computer.

"Most notably with the Templars is the Holy Grail. After the fall of Acre the Templars lost the Grail to the Assassins, until the Holy Church and King Louis of France aided the Templars in retrieving the Grail from the Assassins. They have had possession of the device ever since."

"The Holy Grail," Daniel chuckles with amusement. "What next? You're going to tell me that the Shroud of…whatever is a Piece of Eden."

"Shroud of Turin." I correct him. "And yes, that's a Piece of Eden as well."

He rolls his eyes, "You can't serious believe in this mythical bullshit."

"You don't believe in any of it, because your superiors failed to brief you about these artifacts."

"And the Assassins briefed you?" Daniel says skeptically. "No offense, but how old are you? 25? 26? You're a bit young for a Master Assassin, and by the looks of the way you're running things, I'd say you haven't been at it for long." He says motioning at his arm that I broke from what he believes to be lack of control of my emotions.

I find his comment infuriating but hold back my temper. "I have made myself useful to the Creed years ago. I have proven that my presence is advantageous."

"Meaning that you have possession of one of these devises and you are using that against the Assassins to gain notoriety in the ranks." I stare at him blankly, but he is sure that he has it correctly, "That, or you're fucking someone." He says with a sideways smile and is returned with a scowl. He lets out a chuckle, "So which Piece of Eden do you have?" He asks in a teasing tone.

"Is it so hard to believe that I am just good at what I do?" I say in a bored tone.

"No," he says shaking his head, knowing that he finally pinned down why I am a Master Assassin. "They wouldn't put up with you as much as they do, if you didn't have something like the Apple to give them."

"I thought you didn't believe in this mythical bullshit." I say throwing his words back at him.

"Well I've never seen them. Have you?" I stare at him with a bored look, holding back any reaction to his question, but he continues to speculate. "You have. Do you have one now? Or has the Creed seized it from your possession?"

"I think that's enough for today." I say to him, and he tenses. "We can continue your work tomorrow."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, I just—"

"Nine should be early enough. You can train with Theo until then."

He puts his head down and leaves my office. I can tell that he wants to push me for more information and it makes me uncomfortable with what his intensions are. Daniel has not proven himself worthy of any information regarding the Pieces of Eden, and the last thing I need is for this type of information leaked to the Templars.

I turn my chair and look back at the flag that holds the Assassin's sigil. Behind the flag are four Pieces of Eden that I chose to keep close, while the other nine are located at my safe house. There are only ten Pieces of Eden left, and I will be in possession of all the Golden Pieces. Once I have all the Pieces, I will take them to Eden, and watch the world finally burn.

October 2009

A few months go by and Daniel's presence in the Creed has slowly become a more positive one. As the group grows, more Assassins are willing to join and work with Daniel. He has been approved for field missions and has proven very useful out in the field. I have put Daniel to the test, and asked he kill Templars out in the field.

I sit in my office with my training officer, Theo who explains Daniel's progress. "He's astonishing. His power is unmatched by any other recruit. He is climbing up the ranks."

"How is he on field missions? How is his willingness to kill Templars?" I ask.

"In the beginning he was hesitant. I believed he had a moral issue with killing the men he once called brothers." He pauses. "Now he seems to be warming up to the idea. In his last mission, his partner reported that Cross hesitated to kill three Templars, but once his life and the life of his partner was in danger, Cross killed two of the three men with ease."

"Yes, but I would like him to kill with ease, even when his life is not at stake. He needs to become more accustom to the idea that the Templars are his enemy."

"Agreed, I believe more field missions will give him the opportunity to become more welcoming of the idea."

"What about confidential missions?" I ask, "Do you trust that he can handle highly classified information? Can we trust he will not leak this information?"

Theo pauses for a while and I can tell that he is not too keen on the idea. "Honestly, I… I don't think a classified mission is something he can handle." I exhale angrily. "I know that you need your best for this Serbia mission, however, with how classified it is, I would not set temptation in front of Cross. If we have any doubt of him leaking actual information to the Templars, we can't give him something good to return with."

"Fine," I say defeated. "Can you prepare another group to deploy?"

Theo hesitates, "With all due respect, I think you should hold off on the Serbia mission." I ask him to explain. "Everyone has been calling the Serbia mission the 'suicide mission'. Because no one has returned from the mission, everyone is weary and unwilling to sign up for it."

"I'm not asking for volunteers." I say bitterly.

"I know, but for moral's sake, I think you should consider giving the next group of Assassins a little more insight on the mission and what to expect."

"I will take that under consideration. Anything else?" He tells me no, and I dismiss him from the room. Once Theo closes the door behind him, I slump down in my seat. The fact that no group of Assassins are successfully able retrieve the Arc of the Covenant drains me. I begin to consider if the men and women I sent on these missions are foolish enough to look onto the Arc. The legends must have truth to them if I have yet to have a successful return in retrieving the Arc.

That night I decide to stay in my office and work late as I try to gather a team for the Serbia mission. I consider taking the time off and gathering the Piece myself. However, the mission is expected to be longer than I would like, and I believe that my absence will arouse too much suspicion with Erik, who has been watching my every move. I have to ensure a team can extract the Arc without getting themselves killed.

I hear heavy steps approach my office and within seconds, Daniel enters my office. I look up at him, "What are you doing here so late?" I ask.

"I couldn't sleep." He says hoarsely, "I was walking the compound and saw your light on. Thought I would check up on you." He smiles at me. "What are you doing here so late?"

"I have a lot of auditing and paperwork to do."

"I thought that was my job." He jokes.

"Some paperwork is for my eyes only." I say.

"Fascinating," he says approaching my desk. "Want to take a load off and talk for a moment?"

"About?" I ask still not logging off of my computer.

"My progress here."

"Theo has told me that you are acclimating well. The other recruits who joined with you look up to you, and the brothers as a whole have welcomed you in." I say looking at my computer. "As far as I am aware, your progress is a positive one."

"What about my progress with you." He says approaching me, "Do you trust me yet?" He says in a tone that I cannot place between overly sweet or condescending.

I stop typing and look at him. "No." I say bluntly and he is taken aback. "You will find it hard to gain my trust, or impossible at that. Very rarely do people actually have my trust."

"Why are you so jaded?"

"Why are you here, Daniel?" I say in a pressed tone.

"Because I am trying to get to know the Master Assassin." He returns in an annoyed tone.

I realize there is nothing strange about him wanting to get to know me, and I relax more. "I'm sorry," I say pushing away from my computer, "I shouldn't be so rude. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, to be honest, I am worried." I cock my head to the side and he continues. "My Templar contact is asking for more concrete evidence. They were grateful for the location of the Bureau, but for the past eight months I have been here, I have given them nothing but dead ends. I am worried they are going to catch on. I think we need to give them better intel."

"What do you suggest we give them?" I say leaning back, crossing my arms over my chest.

He shrugs, "Something good. Something they will know is the truth and worthwhile." He hesitates for a moment then says, "Maybe something about a Piece of Eden?" I exhale and he notices my change in demeanor. "I'm just worried that they will either think that I am compromised, or that my intel is stale and find no use for me."

I contemplate the issue and realize the severity of the issue he presents. I look at my computer and try to find any valuable information I can give the Templars. There is nothing I can give Daniel that will not be a devastating blow to the Assassins.

Reluctantly, I finally tell Daniel, "There is a ship docking in Indonesia to pick up a group of Assassins to aid in their escape after a Templar raid. The ship they are on is the Altair II. The ship is captained by a man named Gavin Banks. He is an ass, and I wouldn't mind the Templars roughing him up a bit." I say bitterly and I see Daniel light up with the information.

"Ex-boyfriend or something?" Daniel says with amusement.

I scoff with repulsion, "No, just a thorn in my ass, I'd like to pluck out." I say, regretting every interaction I've had with Gavin.

The fact of the matter was that I had slept with Gavin once to gain intelligence from him, after he picked me up from a raid in Bangladesh. After aiding him and his team with navigating away from a hurricane, I took Gavin to bed to gather his routes and operations. I underestimated Gavin and his ties within the organization, and after learning that I was immortal through one of the few Master Assassins that knows my secret, Gavin docked the ship and asked me to leave, knowing that I used sex against him. Since then he and I have had a toxic relationship that has to be mediated though Harlan.

"Any information you want me to add? Should I have him killed?" Daniel asks, tugging me away from my memories of Gavin.

I shake my head. "No he will be able to escape the Templars. Plus, I promised some important people that I wouldn't kill him. Roughing him up a bit will light a fire under his ass and bring me a simple joy."

Daniel laughs, "You are really a force to be reckoned with." He says impressed. "You are willing to throw anyone to the wolves."

"Only those I know that can handle it." I say, "Gavin has been evading the Templars for quite some time. I'm not worried about him."

"Does he have a Piece of Eden?" Daniel asks.

"No, but this information will be sufficient enough."

"I really appreciate all you have done for me." He says with a sideways smile. I nod at him and sit back at my desk, but Daniel approaches. "I look up to you, and I think you are an amazing leader." He says again and again I nod with a thankful expression. "I'm just… fascinated by you." He says approaching me. He steps around my desk and my first instinct is to stand up. He towers over me. He grabs a strand of my hair, "You are so intoxicating. I find myself attracted to you."

He moves in to kiss me and I slide away from him. "What are you doing?" I say in an offended tone.

"I… I'm sorry… I…" Daniel backs away from me, in shock that I rejected him. "I didn't mean to… I just…" he looks at me and begins to leave my office when he falls to his knees holding his head and groaning in agony.

"Daniel?" I ask. I approach him and he begins to yell and grunt in pain.

He holds his head and shouts in Russian. "My father wanted this life Anna," he yells in Russian. "Ugh! The voices!" he yells, now in English.

"The Bleeding Effect," I say to myself in shock.

I take hold of Daniel and try to get him to look at me, "Daniel," I say to him "Can you hear me? Daniel, look at me." He looks at me, and I see that blood vessels in his eyes have exploded, and blood spreads in his eyes, His veins press to the surface on his neck, and his face is stained red.

"Anna?" He asks me and I can tell that he is not himself.

I contemplate my next move with Daniel, as I do not trust him well enough to use Solomon's Ring on him. However, I see his face, and the pain the Bleeding Effect is causing him. "Hold on," I say to him in Russian, hopping that will ease him.

He continues to shout phrases in Russian, speaking of the Tsar, an explosion, and the voices. I remind myself to do research on who Daniel's ancestor is, and what the Templars used him for. I go to my safe and take out Solomon's Ring. I place the golden ring on my finger and it tightens to a perfect fit. I kneel to Daniel and twist the ring, igniting its power. I tell Daniel to calm down, and to relax; the ring singing to him as my words take control of him. He begins to calm; his stiff body loosening and no longer shakes with terror. When he finally stops yelling, he takes a deep breath and leans into me. He buries his head in my breasts and breathes heavily. I hold his head there and comb my fingers through his hair. He begins to calm down and breathe steadily.

He lifts his head from my breasts and looks up at me. "I'm sorry." He simply says in Russian and his head drops back down. I tell him to relax, and that everything will be okay, and we sit there on the ground while I calm Daniel until he falls asleep.

The following day I sit at my desk, writing Harlan an angry email that he did not inform me that Daniel was suffering from the Bleeding Effect. My keys click loudly filling the entire room with noise as I ferociously type my scathing email to Harlan. I hear a moan coming from across the room. I stop typing and look over at Daniel who is sprawled on the couch in my office. He holds his head and wipes his eyes of sleep. It takes him a moment to assess where he is, and when he finally does, he lifts himself into a sitting position. His eyes lock on me and he says, "What am I doing here?"

"How long on average did the Templars keep you in the Animus?" I say, getting down to business.

"What?" Daniel says in a weary tone.

I sigh, "Daniel, you are experiencing the Bleeding Effect. It is caused by being in the Animus for too long. You are experiencing a severe case of this, and I need to know how long they had you in the Animus to assess the situation we are dealing with properly."

"I… I don't know…"

"You don't know as in you were unconscious during this time? Or you don't know because you were in there for so long that you don't have a good estimate?" I say harshly. I look at him and he looks genuinely worried. I sigh, "Nikolai Orelov." I say, and he looks at me shocked. "I looked up your ancestry. That's the Assassin the Templars were interested in."

"I'm not discussing this with you." Daniel says, springing to his feet and stomping towards the door.

"I know how to subdue it." I call out and he freezes. "The Bleeding Effect. I know how to subdue the visions and the episodes." He turns towards me, "I can help you control them."

"How?" He asks.

"Show me your devotion to me, and I will help you." I say. He stands there for a moment, mulling it over, when finally, he nods with agreement and leaves my office.

March 2010

A few months have passed and Theo informs that the last three field missions Daniel was deployed on since we last spoke are progressing wonderfully; Daniel has been killing Templars with ease and Theo explains that his transition is like night to day. He believes Daniel to have no reservations with the Assassin's Creed. I decide that with it being a year that Daniel has been with this group, it is time that I give him the opportunity to be initiated into the Creed as an honorary brother of the Assassin's Creed.

I pitch the initiation mission to Erik and he is not amused. He sits before me with his thumb and index finger pressed to his brows. He exhales deeply and I cross my arms over my chest. "I swear to God, where do you come up with these fucking ideas?"

"I'm not very amused with your tone." I say flatly.

He looks up at me, "Come on, Clara. You can't be serious."

"Why not?"

"You're suggesting we let you and Cross attend a Templar conference under the guise that Cross is not a double agent, and you're his date." He says in an unamused tone.

"You're conveniently leaving out the part where we plant C4 explosives throughout the ballroom and set the place in flames." He rolls his eyes, "There will be thousands of Templars at this conference—high ranking Grand Masters including Alan Rikkin—all in one place, vulnerable to an attack."

Erik looks over at Theo who stands in the back with his arms crossed over his chest. Theo shrugs at his glance, "It might be a once in a lifetime chance."

I smile at Theo and Erik grunts in frustration, "Okay, but why Cross?" Erik argues, "He was uncomfortable with killing the Templars unprovoked," I argue that the hesitations have subsided but Erik continues. "We can't trust that he will be on board with this. And if he is not, you will be the only person on this mission with him. What happens if he snaps and he turns on you, exposing you to the Templars? Are you willing to die for this mission?"

I can't take Erik's concern to heart due to the circumstances of my immortality, though I retort a good enough response. "Daniel has been here for over a year now and has proven himself to the Creed. He is the only agent that would be allowed into the ball. This isn't something that any low level Templar is invited to. You have to have notoriety to your name. The Templars know who Daniel is, and they believe him to be a devout servant to their cause."

Erik shakes his head. "I don't like this." I lean back in my chair and sigh. "Have you spoken to the other Master Assassins about this? Or are you going rogue with this mission?"

"I have reached out to Harlan Cunningham, but he hasn't responded to any of my attempts to contact him." He asks if I have reached out to anyone else in the matter. "No one else will approve this mission."

Erik throws his hands up in the air, "exactly! Because this is a ridiculous mission! Clara, you are young, and you have a lot to learn." I dig my fingers into my chair as he says this. "I know you want to prove yourself to the Assassins but throwing yourself into the slaughterhouse will only get you devoured."

"The conference is in a week, I do not have time to get permission from the Creed. I will use my own resources for the expenses of this mission, and will go in as a rogue division so the Assassins are not responsible for this act."

"That seems reasonable," Theo says with a nod.

"And I will not ask any men or women to join me on this mission with their safety in mind. If Daniel and I are to die on this mission, then let us be the only ones. No more blood needs to be spilled." I say trying to appeal to Erik's concern of the recruits.

"Is Cross aware of this mission you have planned for him?" Theo asks.

"No, I have not briefed him. I was hoping for your blessings before I informed him. I trust he won't have any objection to this?" Theo nods. "This mission will prove Daniel's devotion to the Creed, and will provide the Assassins with the upper hand for the first time in centuries."

"I give it the green light." Theo says with a shrug. "What's the worst that can happen?"

"Clara and Cross can die from this!" Erik shouts

"Sure, but she is willing to accept that risk, as I am sure Cross is." Theo retorts.

"This can start a blood feud between the Templars and the Assassins. Worse than the one Grand Master Dalton James created when he staged an attack against the Assassins under a false Parle." Erik returns. "Even if you are rouge, the Templars will know this is an act orchestrated by the Assassins, and this cold war will turn into an all-out bloody one. Have you not considered the fallout of this?" Erik says looking at me.

"This will cripple the Templars so severely that they will not have the resources to return an assault." I say plainly.

"I agree." Theo says.

"You are both mad." Erik says in astonishment. "Why don't you bring Cross into this room and give him the chance to decide if he wants to die for this mission?"

I find Erik's sudden concern for Daniel's life laughable when he uses it for his own gain, but I keep my amusement to myself and say, "Daniel will be briefed on what he needs to know when the mission is ready to deploy to avoid any information moving to the wrong ears and spoiling the plan."

"So you don't trust Cross?" Erik says with an 'ah ha' tone. "If you're afraid he will leak this plan to the Templars, then why are you sending him on this mission?"

"Because if Daniel has any doubts about this mission, he will be unable to express them if I have a gun to his head, advising otherwise."

"So you're going to threaten him to complete this mission?"

I sigh and look over at Theo with defeat. He simply shrugs his shoulders. "I'm sick of dancing around this subject." I say with a sigh. "The mission will go as planned. I will take your concerns into consideration, but it will not halt this mission. The conference is at the end of this week, the arrangements have been made, and I've only invited you here as a courtesy to keep you in the loop. Don't make me regret that decision." I say with a lowered tone.

"Well then I'll be sure to watch over this Creed better than you have when I found out you're dead." He spits and walks out, slamming the door behind him.

"I don't understand why this effecting his so much." I sigh.

Theo shrugs, "I think he loves you."

I roll my eyes, "No, I emasculate him, and it infuriates him." I say with a smile.

"So when do you want to brief Cross?" He asks.

"Don't tell him anything just yet. Work on his CQC skills and ensure he is ready for this mission." Theo nods and leaves my office with more grace than Erik.

For the rest of the week I watch over Daniel's progression in fighting skill. Before he was strong and knew how to fight, however, Theo has successfully taught him defect assaults, play offense, and elongate a fight to tire his opponent. Theo has created a worthy advisory and I am proud of him for that.

I stand and watch a fight between Daniel and Theo. I see that after a while of fighting with equal skill, Daniel begins to best Theo. Before Daniel can get the upper hand on Theo, I order the fighting to stop and they do. I tell Theo that I want to fight Daniel, and they both tense at the idea.

I step into the ring, and remove my shirt, exposing me in nothing but black leggings and a black sports bra. I tie up my long thick black hair into a high ponytail. I watch as Daniel looks at Theo for direction. Theo nods warily at Daniel to continue.

We both take sparring sticks. I have two smaller bamboo shoots and Daniel takes one long spear. For a while, we are dancing with each other. Daniel is too apprehensive to attack me, and is staying on the defensive. This annoys me, as I want him to show me all he has. I dive in and smack him on his hamstring. Daniel roars at the pain and I watch a hatred build in his eyes. I smile as he begins to move more aggressively.

The other recruits stand and watch as we spar. A lot of the recruits have not seen me spar, and I see that they are entertained to see me join their ranks, all of course, except for Erik, who stands in the corner with his arms crossed.

Daniel lunges at me while my attention is on Erik, and with all his strength, he smashes my hip bone. I wince in pain as I feel my hipbone dislodge. Though the pain does not last and I feel my body regenerate and within seconds my body is healed. I am thankful that my leggings are high-waist as no one was able to see the broken bone.

He becomes angrier the more we spar, and I watch as every advance I dodge lights a fire in his eyes. He begins to lunge more and more after me, rather than waiting for me to gain my footing. He slaps one of the shoots out of my hands. He holds the spear to my neck, proud of himself, believing that he has won. I laugh and smack the staff away from my face and jab Daniel in the knee. He falls on his knee and I jab him again in the ribs. He falls holding his ribs. I watch as a wild hate over comes him. I stand behind him, ready to strike him down, when he swings the staff and makes me lose my footing.

I fall on my back with a hard blow that makes me lose my breath. Daniel frantically crawls on top of my body and without considering his next actions, he wraps his large hands around my small neck taking over the full surface of my neck. He tightens his grip and begins strangling me.

I hear Theo roar Daniel's name. I look into his eyes and they are blank of expression. I feel my throat collapsing under his grip, but because he continues to apply pressure on my throat, my body cannot regenerate fast enough and I feel the never ending and excruciating pain of my throat collapsing and esophagus ripping.

Theo climbs on top of Daniel, trying to pull him off of me but Daniel is too heavy and does not budge. Daniel begins to whisper in Russian. His voice is quiet, and I cannot hear what he is saying. I try to calm him in Russian, but my voice falls in my throat, unable to make it past his grip.

The other recruits begin to scream and some of the recruits that were sent with Daniel are begging him to get off of me. One of Daniel's companions, Sheppard, tries to assist Theo with ripping Daniel off of me, but they fail.

Everything goes quiet when I hear a click and see a gun pointed at Daniel's temple. Daniel freezes, not loosening his grip on my neck, but also not applying anymore pressure. I look at Erik who holds the gun, cocked and ready to shoot Daniel. I watch as Daniel's eyes go from a blank expression, to utterly horrified as he sees his hands wrapped around my neck.

"Get off of her," Erik commands in a low and threating tone. "Slowly."

Daniel releases his grip from my neck and I start to feel my neck begin to heal, and within seconds, the pain in my throat is completely gone. Daniel looks down at me with a genuinely mortified look. Erik takes the back of Daniel's head and slams him face down on the ground. Erik and Theo hold Daniel down and hold his arms behind his back. I pull myself into a sitting position and look down at Daniel who continues to apologize for his actions.

I tell Erik and Theo to take Daniel to my office. I inform the rest of the recruits to continue their training.

When we get into my office Erik sits Daniel down, then springs back to me and examines my neck, "are you alright?" He says as he tries to touch my neck. I push his hand away from me. He turns his attention away from me and back to Daniel, "You fucking animal, what were you thinking?" He says holding the gun to the back of Daniel's head.

"Stop," I say in a quiet and tired tone. I push the gun away from Daniel's head.

"Are you alright?" Daniel says looking at me. "I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I—"

I put my hand up to stop Daniel from talking. "I am fine, Daniel, relax."

"He's unpredictable, there is no way you're going on this mission tomorrow." Erik says and Daniel looks up at us with confusion.

"I forced his hand." I say, "I was taunting him and I took it too far." Erik scoffs and even Daniel shakes his head saying that he reacted rashly.

"I am ready for any mission you want to send me on," Daniel says frantically, "I promise I can control my emotions better. Please just give me a chance."

"This is a terrible idea." Erik says, "After this outburst, there is no way we are going to let you on a mission alone with him."

"I'm inclined to agree." Theo says.

I sit down in my chair and Erik suggest he goes with Daniel and I to the conference. "No, Erik, I need you here to watch over the compound while I'm gone. And I need Theo here to train recruits, and I will not have any further back up because it will make the mission messier."

"What is the mission?" Daniel asks, "I can handle it." He begs.

I look up at Erik and Theo and signal them to leave. Both are very hesitant to leave Daniel and I alone together after his attack. I give them both a stern look and they decide to finally leave. When the door closes behind them, I look over at Daniel.

"Are you alright." He asks with a sad tone.

"I'm fine." I tell him, "I'm a fast healer." The words fall as a joke to me, but not to Daniel, who still looks concerned. I pull out a pack of cigarettes from the drawer in my desk. I place on my lips and look up at Daniel, holding the pack up to him. He takes one and I light my cigarette. I lean over the desk and light his for him. He holds the cigarette with a shaking hand and closes his eyes as he takes a long and heavy drag. I sit back down at my desk looking up at the ceiling as I too take a long drag. "You were whispering in Russian," I tell him. "You were experiencing the Bleeding Effect."

He shakes his head, ashamed, "I'm so sorry."

"Daniel, I have a very important mission that I have planned for you. It deploys tomorrow and I need assurance that you will be fine."

"What's the mission?" He asks after taking another drag. "I can handle it, I've been able to control my emotions on any other mission." He says in a hasty tone.

"The mission will require you to be around high-ranking Templars, showing your devotion to their Order." He tenses and I can tell that the idea makes him uncomfortable. I begin to tell him more about the mission and the deeper I explain the mission, the more apprehensive he looks about it.

Finally, when I am finished explaining the whole plan, he exhales a cloud of smoke and says, "I don't know if I'm your man for this job."

"What do you mean?" I ask with pressed brows. "You're the only man I have for this mission."

"Clara," he says, "I need to have a better grasp on the Bleeding Effect. I can't go in and act cool around all these powerful people."

"I will be there the entire time to ensure your safety." I reassure him. He continues his hesitation and I stop him, "You complete this mission and you will be initiated in the Creed, and I will teach you to overcome the Bleeding Effect."

He knows he cannot argue this and he knows that he has no other choice. After a moment of what I believe will be him turning the mission down, he finally says, "Alright, I'll do it."

That night, I charter us a flight to New York where the conference is being held. I check into our hotel room under an alias and hand Daniel his room key. He mentions that we are not in the same room and I ask him if he expected to be. Daniel blushes and I tell him goodnight.

The next day I give Daniel a breakdown of the night's events. "Here is your key card, your badge, and your nametag." I say handing him the paperwork. "You will explain that the last 12 months that you spent under the Assassin's Creed, have actually been in self-reflection in Tahiti." Daniel scoffs and I glare at him. He swallows and continues to listen. "Tonight, we will be planting these," I say holding up four packs of C4 explosives. "We will plant them here, here, and here." I say pointing at a blueprint of the conference room, "and lastly, here." Daniel looks at the map and nods. "Tomorrow, we will enter the event together. I will be your date."

"How do we know each other?" He asks.

"That doesn't matter. Make something up." I say. "I want you to be engaged in conversation with everyone while I walk the crowds and gather information. I need you to be calm, collected, and interested in everything they say. If there is any valuable information exchanged, I need you to provide it to me." He nods. I ask him if everything is clear and he says it is. "Good, once the night is coming to a close, you and I will leave quietly, under the guise that you can't wait to take me home for the night." I watch as Daniel tenses at that part. "The C4 explosives are on a timer, so we need to leave right at 23:00 when they are set to go off," I say sternly." The explosives are planted in a way that will cause the building to collapse and ensure the maximum number of casualties."

Daniel nods. "So we set the charges tonight?"

I toss one of the C4 packs his way and he catches it, "Get dressed." I say.

Daniel and I make our way to the conference center. Daniel is dressed in black cargo pants and a tight black shirt while, I am dressed in a long black shirt, black leggings and boots. My hair is tied up and I hold a backpack with the explosives inside.

We enter the building through a service door in the back of the building. We navigate to an entry way that leads us through a tunnel system. I check the blueprints periodically to ensure we are heading in the correct direction. Once I have determined I am in the right location, I swing the backpack onto the floor and take out the charge. I have Daniel plant the charge while I keep the coast clear. Once he is finished we move on to the next. He plants the second charge with ease and we move on. For optimal damage to the building, the next charge needs to be placed higher on the wall than either of us can reach. I ask Daniel to lift me, and he does so with ease. I sit on his shoulders and I plant the next charge.

When we are on our final charge we are both sweaty and breathing heavily from the lack of oxygen in the tunnel systems. I can tell that Daniel is tired, so I take the final charge in my hands. I begin to plant the final charge behind some piping when Daniel hears something. He asks me to stop and I do so. He hears steps approaching and he grabs me violently by the elbow and lifts me from my kneeling position and turns me towards him. He presses his body against mine, lowers his head down to my level and forces his lips to mine. He holds my arms so I cannot fight, and before I can think, I hear a man yell, "Hey! What are you two doing down here?"

Daniel pulls away from me and yells, "Hey can't a guy get some privacy?"

The man approaches us and shines a flashlight in mine and Daniel's faces. "What are you two doing down here?" He repeats in a more stern tone.

"What does it look like I am doing?" Daniel says angrily. "We were at that dull Sweet 16 party going on upstairs and decided to bail and have a little fun for ourselves."

The man flashes his light in my face, while Daniel tries to shield me from the man's beam. He examines my face and then Daniel's. "She looks a little young to be hanging out with the likes of you." He says in a defensive tone, noticing that due to my size, I look younger than 18, and Daniel is clearly in his late 30s.

"Yeah well she's 18 so fuck off." Daniel says.

The man looks back at me. "Have you given consent to this guy?" I nod, unable to speak from the complete shock of this whole situation. The man grumbles begrudgingly. "Well you're not allowed down here. You two want to get nasty, do it elsewhere."

"Thanks, Old Man." Daniel says and takes my hand to whisk me away. The man watches us until we are back into the hallways of the conference center. Once he no longer watches us, we leave out the front door and I breathe again, "Holy shit that actually worked." Daniel says with a laugh.

I let out a laugh and say, "Nice thinking."

We get in the car and I drive us back to the hotel. I tell Daniel that I was unable to plant the charge on the last batch of C4 and that I will keep everyone distracted tomorrow while he returns to the charge. Daniel agrees and we make our way back to the hotel.

Daniel walks me to my door and waits for me to open it. I look back at him and he smiles. "Good job tonight." He says and I say the same to him. "I'm excited for tomorrow."

"That reminds me," I say as I enter the room. I take out a suit from the travel bag. "Here," I say handing it to him. "This will be your uniform tomorrow."

He takes it and looks at the black suit up and down, "Geez, I haven't worn a suit in… I can't even remember."

I smile at him, "Well I am sure it will look great on you."

"What are you wearing tomorrow?" I pull out a long maroon deep plunge dress from the bag. His eyes widen at the sight. "Wow, you will look amazing in that. Kind of difficult to be inconspicuous in it." He jokes and I place the dress on the bed. He puts the suit down. "I am sorry about forcing that kiss, I didn't know what else to do."

"It's no problem," I say. "You were thinking on your toes, and it worked."

"It's just that, when I imagined kissing you for the first time, it wasn't forced." He says stepping towards me.

I let out an involuntary chuckle as he approaches me, "Nice line, did you think about that all night?" He smiles at me and takes my face in his hand. "You really think this is going to work?" I say looking up at him.

He shrugs, "I don't know, is it working?" He leans his head down and lightly presses his lips against mine. He inhales and moves his other hand on the small of my back.

I pull away from him. "Daniel, we can't do this."

He begins kissing my neck, "Why?" he speaks between kisses, "I've been waiting to do this for a whole year."

"We can't," I say unconvincingly. I am shocked at how much of an affect he has on me. I find myself wanting him just as badly as he wants me.

He laughs and I feel his lips form a smile. He presses his lips to my ear and whispers in a hoarse voice, "I want you." He presses his body closer against mine harder and I finally give in. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and hoist myself into this arms. He grunts with pleasure as he holds me in his arms and pins me up against the wall. His lips trace my body as he begins to explore it.

My hands clench in a tight fist when I no longer feel the sensation of pleasure due to that damned dagger. I try not to give into the frustration of being unable to feel him and I keep the façade that I can feel everything Daniel does to my body, for the sake of his own pleasure. He seems to be enjoying himself, and the more I see him enjoy himself, the more I can enjoy him. The night goes on like this, and I am grateful that I gave into his pleasure.

Hours later, I lay on Daniel's chest as each breath he takes rocks my head back and forth. He has been asleep for hours and has stayed calm throughout the night. I play out tomorrow's events out in my head. I think about how Daniel will have to leave the party to set the final charge so we can blow the conference center. I think about seeing the prominent figures in the Templar Order all in one place and I wonder how the night will play out.

I look up at Daniel and watch as he sleeps. He looks so peaceful in this moment. I wonder if I should tell him that I know how end his Bleeding Effect side effects. I can have him completely liberated from the bonds the Bleeding Effect has on him. I have been avoiding the subject ever since his first episode because I haven't trusted him up until this moment. However, as I lie next to him, I find myself putting all of my trust in him.

The following night approaches and I prepare myself for the conference. I curl my hair and put as much makeup as I can to cover my scar. I look at the two deep cuts that have stained my appearance for centuries. I remember the hatred Altair had when he cut my skin. I wonder if he was proud of himself for marking me so.

Daniel walks into the bathroom in his suit, and he looks absolutely dashing. I smile at him and watch as he is in awe of my gown. "You look…" He looks me up and down and cannot find the words to say how he feels. "Can I just say that maroon is my favorite color?"

I giggle as I put my earrings on. Once I have completed my outfit, I play with my hair to cover my scar.

He presses me up against the sink and grabs my hand that tries to hide my scar. He turns me around to face him and he pushes my hair behind my ear. "Don't cover it up." He says talking about the scar. He brushes his fingers against it. "You are so beautiful." He traces his finger down the slit of the dress on my chest and curves his finger up my breast. He smiles and presses his lips to mine gently, and I kiss him in return.

"We have to go," I say pulling away from him and I can see the disappointment in his eyes.

We take a cab to the conference center and soon, we arrive at the massive skyscraper that holds hundreds of high ranking Templar agents. We enter the threshold of the conference and men and women gather in extravagant dresses and suits. Daniel hands a man the invitation I was able to procure for him, and the man hands him a sticker to write his name on. He hands me one, and in the moment, I write down 'Anna'. Daniel looks at the name and a slight hint of distaste hits his eyes.

I smile at him in a reassuring smile and place the nametag above my right breast. We walk into the conference room where a man with a tray of champagne approaches us. Daniel refuses the glass, but I take one. I take a sip of the drink and Daniel takes me by the arm and walks me throughout the room.

I can tell that Daniel is nervous. It is stained on his face, and he holds me tightly, crushing my arm. "Relax," I whisper to him, "breathe, and be calm. I am here."

He takes a breath and we walk around, keeping our ears open for any useful information we can gather from the Templars.

"Is that, Daniel Cross?" I man yells in a jolly tone. Daniel and I turn around and a heavy set older gentleman waddles over and grabs Daniel into a bear hug. Daniel grunts as the man pulls Daniel away and examines him. "Fine specimen!" He says. "Warren had us all worried with you, but boy were we wrong. Just look at you! So strong!" he grabs Daniel's arms and feels him muscles. "Tell me, Boy, where have you been this past year? I haven't heard of any progress from you in a while."

Daniel clears his throat. "Ugh… Tahiti… self-reflection."

"Ah Tahiti," he exclaims with joy, "the woman there are superb!" The man finally looks over at me, "Oh but I see that is not an issue with you," the man nudges Daniel in the ribs, "Though a word of advice," he says under his breath, "If you're going to buy an exotic girl, pay top dollar for the ones that aren't… spoiled." He says referring to my scar.

I find my blood boiling at the comment, but I look away from him before I say anything I will regret. I look over to his right and see a pale black-haired girl with blue eyes and beautiful plump lips. Her nametag says "Birdy" and when I look at her, her eyes lock on mine. I can see the pain in her eyes and can tell that she is a sex slave to this abhorrent man. I send her a sad smile and she takes a heavy swig of her champagne.

The man finishes his conversation with Daniel waddles away. Daniel's jaw is clenched as the man walks away and I can tell that he is just as bothered by the comment as I am. "Don't listen to him," Daniel says pressing his lips to my ear, "he—"

"It's fine, Daniel." I say quickly, pulling away from Daniel. "Do you know who that was?" I say, wanting to remember his name when I gather a list of Templars to exterminate.

"Sinclair." He says simply and I recognize the names from the emails that I have hacked. He has developed a reputation with the Order for smuggling exotic drugs used to sedate Animus patients.

We continue to walk around the room and Daniel is still tense. I ask him what is wrong and he lowers his head so his lips reach my ear, "I've never felt too good in crowds." He admits.

"You're doing great." I reassure him.

"Daniel," I hear a stern and heavy voice say. Daniel looks up from me and when he sees the man who called out to him, he becomes tense. His jaw tightens and he begins to breath heavily. I look over at the man who called out to Daniel. He is tall, and muscular with the same build as Daniel. The man approaches us with a heavy stride. "What are you doing here?" He asks and Daniel struggles to answer. He is completely uncomfortable by this man's appearance. The man looks over at me when Daniel does not answer. His eyes light up when he sees me.

He looks me up and down and smiles at me. His hair is black, his eyes are a light blue, and he has a hint of a Scandinavian accent. He takes my hand and kisses it, never breaking my gaze. "Please excuse my ill-mannered partner. Juhani Otso Berg at your service." I do not recognize his name, but I gather that he is becoming the next Daniel Cross within the ranks just by looking at him.

"What are you doing here?" Daniel says with clenched teeth.

"Why the drinks of course!" He explains and grabs a tray of drinks. He hands me one as well as tries to hand one to Daniel. I read that Daniel is a recovering alcoholic and after many failed attempts of refusing the drink from Juhani, Daniel reluctantly takes the drink and downs the glass quickly before his mind can assess that he has given into that temptation. I watch as a malicious smile forms on Juhani's face.

He looks over at me and down to my breasts. He lets his eyes linger there for a moment, then his eyes move to my nametag, "Anna!" he exclaims, "what a beautiful name. Where are you from, Anna?"

It takes me a moment to gather myself before him, but finally I say, "I am from everywhere really, I have travelled all over the globe, that I cannot say I am from one place."

"Ah, I too travelled much in my youth." He takes a sip of his drink and menacingly looks over at Daniel, who is unable to contain his rage towards this man. "Oh Daniel, you'll be happy to hear that Dr. Sung is here," He turns quickly on his heals looking for the Dr. Sung, trying to call her over.

I look up at Daniel as he begins to sweat. I begin to worry about his wellbeing, and I worry that he will have another episode. I have the ring readily available, though I fear if I use it, it will call out to someone who may have once come into contact with the Ring either in their life or their ancestor's. I try to calm him, by holding his arm tightly, but I can tell that this man's presence is setting him off.

"Ah Rizzo! Rothschild!" Juhani yells out. "Come see who has decided to grace us with his presence." He says in a bitter tone.

"Daniel?" Rizzo says. I recognize the name as the man who trains the Templars from Harlan's notes. "Why are you here?" he says in a concerned tone. He looks over at me and does not smile, in fact he looks shocked, as if he knows me. I try to remind myself if I have ever come across this man, but I am sure that I have not.

"Ah, well if it is not a gathering of my favorite people." Warren Vidic comes and shakes the hands of the men. He takes Daniel's hand but stops shaking it when he sees me. He takes my hand and shakes it. He smiles at me and asks Daniel where he met me.

"Vidic," Juhani scolds, "You don't ask a man like Cross how he met a woman like her at an event like this." Juhani says, suggesting that I am an escort Daniel paid for.

I feel Daniel trembling in my arms and I decide that he cannot hold on anymore. I slyly place the Ring on my finger without anyone's notice. I begin to spin the Ring on my finger and send calming demands to Daniel, without saying a word out load. His shoulders drop and I can feel him loosen up. I exhales as it works.

I look across the room as the men speak amongst themselves and my eyes catch as someone stares intently at me. When our eyes lock my heart stops beating. Alan Rikkin. He smiles at me, the most devilish smile. He runs his fingers through his hair, thanks the people who was speaking with, and comes straight for me.

The men instantly stop speaking when he approaches the group. "Daniel, how are you, boy?" He says and Daniel says he is doing better since his leave in Tahiti. "Ah yes, Tahiti." Alan says. "And who might your lovely guest be?" He says looking at me. Daniel chokes on his words trying to introduce me. Alan takes the hand that I am holding Daniel with, the hand that Solomon's Ring is on, and he kisses it, exposing the Ring to everyone. I swallow hard, completely paralyzed by the situation that I am in. "Daniel," he says looking over at him. "Do you mind if I take this lovely woman from your hands?"

Daniel looks over at me wide-eyed and petrified. I nod at him, and very flirtatiously say, "Shall we have a drink?"

"At this rate, Daniel might get what he's paying for with this one" Juhani chuckles as Alan takes my hand and whisks me away from the group.

I look back at Daniel he looks utterly terrified as Alan takes me away. I give him a reassuring smile and my direct view of Daniel is obscured as Rizzo and Rothschild close in the gap.

"Tell me darling, what brings you to a bore of an event as this one." Alan says as soon as we are out of ear shot.

"Bore?" I say, "It is such a wonderful event."

"Well with sights such as you," he says taking two glasses from a tray and handing me one. We toast and I take a large gulp, even though the liquid does not affect me. "Where are you from Miss Anna?" I try to feed him the same story I gave Juhani but he interrupts me "Middle Eastern," he says and I swallow hard. "You can see it in your features." He explains, "Though Anna is not a name native from that area. Is it short for something?" he looks me in the eyes and smiles at me knowingly. "Ah!" he exclaims, "What a beautiful ring!" he takes my hand and looks at it. "A bit masculine, don't you think?"

I try to stay on my toes with him, but he absolutely has the upper hand on me. This is the first moment I have been in front of Alan, and is presence is overwhelming.

"Father," a dark-haired woman approaches us and Alan takes her in a hug.

"Anna, I would like you to meet my daughter, Sophia." We shake hands and she whispers to him that she needs to speak with him. He says under his breath that he is working. She looks at him and then at me in disgust and walks away from us. "Please excuse her manners. She is just drained from her research. She is working on the theory of human violence and working on a cure for it."

"Curing human violence? Violence is written in our DNA." I say, "It is a part of us, it is not something that you can cure… Subdue maybe—" I trail off trying to look at Daniel, but I cannot see him past the crowd of people that Alan has put between us.

"Oh, you should speak with her, she will open your eyes to the ideas of human violence." He says, "You see, after Assassins killed her mother when she was a child, she has been devising a way to cure all men of the chains violence enslaves us with."

"Does she honestly think that will end the war between the Assassins and Templars?" I say bitterly.

"Ah," he exclaims, "so Daniel brought us a very interesting guest with him. Tell me your thoughts on this war with the Templars and Assassins?"

"It is a pointless power struggle between two sides that don't know how to win this war."

"Don't you not think we are doing a better job? We have driven the Assassins into the shadows."

"The Assassin's have always been in the shadows," I look at him, "We serve in the dark to protect the light." I say the tenant.

"So, we do not have the upper hand?" He says interestingly.

I look over and find Daniel through the crowds of people. He watches me intently. "It does not matter who has the upper hand." I say looking back at Alan. "Both the Assassins and the Templars have at once had the upper hand over the other. That did not lead to ending the war. In fact, it led them to fight harder, to retrieve the upper hand. And so the cycle continues for centuries."

He sighs. "I suppose you're right. That is unless, you're able to gather all the Pieces and deliver them to their Eden." I completely freeze and my vision blurs. I look at him with wide eyes and he simply returns with a smile.

I clench my hand in a fist, frantically grabbing for the Ring when he stops me and grabs my hand. I see the golden ring, still on my finger as he holds my hand. He twists his wrist and his hand is on top and he exposes a silver ring on his finger. I swallow hard at the sight of the Ring's replica.

"You had some nerve arriving here with that on your hand. Even more nerve using it here on one of my men." I look over at Daniel, but he is no longer in my sight and I cannot see him anymore. "Now," he says letting me go. "I find it laughable that you would think you could stroll in here with your little game of dress up and think that you could honestly get the upper hand on the Templars. Ever since we seized the Holy Grail from Acre, the Templars have had the Assassins cowering in the shadows for centuries."

"So what do you have planned? Are you going to make an example of me? String me up for dead for all the Assassins to see?"

"Well that wouldn't be much of an example with someone who is immortal as yourself." He says in a neutral tone.

I step away from him, feeling dizzy with his words. "How?"

"It may have been easy, skirting through the centuries before drones and digital film, however, with our infinite resources, we have been able to watch you for decades. Every time you step out into the world, our satellites honed in on your image. We have dozens of photos from you though street surveillance, drones, photographers in the streets even. Ever since the 70s and even before, with the ancient text of a raven-haired woman with X scarred on her face," he says brushing my cheek. "You have been sloppy as technology advanced. Now, I may not know how old you truly are, nor do I know the device that has granted you your eternal walk, but that does not matter. The fact is the same. We know what you are."

I try to comprehend everything he says, but it just makes me angry at myself for being so foolish in allowing the Templars to learn of my immortality. "So, you know that I am immortal, what now?" I say trying to keep my composure.

"Now? Now I offer you the chance of a lifetime. Join the Templars. Provide us with your Pieces and we can create an infinite army that will finally exterminate the Assassins once and for all."

I laugh, "you think I have not been offered this by your kind before? I was apart of the Templar Order many times throughout my time on this Earth, and just like the Assassin's the Templars failed to accept me as a worthy addition to their ranks." I say angrily.

He bows his head, "You cannot hold against us, what our ignorant ancestors believed. They were unaware of your talents, not only as an immortal being, but as a woman, to be treated of equal value among her male counterparts."

"And what will the Templars give me that the Assassins will not?"

He laughs at the question, "I have eyes and ears everywhere, sweet girl. I hear everything. I see everything. There are no restraints to my bounds. For you, I offer no limitation, no restriction. You have the power to do and say as you please, with no objection from your peers. You see, we know when we have something worth keeping; your allegiance being one of them. We have more money, more properties, more men; all at your disposal. You can have anything you would desire… even Daniel Cross." He says with a devilish smile, seeing right through me. He takes my hand and both of our rings shine in the light, "together, we will bring an end to the Assassin's Creed."

I look up at him, and before I can think of anything else, I hear the shrill sound of a woman shrieking in terror. I look over and see Daniel approaching us covered in blood. I approach him and when I do, I hear a deafening explosion. The ground below us shakes but does not collapse. Everyone begins to panic and run out for the doors. Daniel grabs me by the elbow and begins to drag me out of the room.

I look back at Alan who does not run from the explosion, and simply stands still and calls out over the chaos. "Give it some consideration, Miss Anna."

We return to the hotel where Daniel begins to rip off his bloodied tie. I am shaking, completely overcome by tonight's events as I sit at the edge of the bed. I look over at Daniel who watches me from the edge of his eyes as he unbuttons his collar. "Why didn't the other charges go off?" I ask under my breath and he ask me to repeat myself. "Why didn't the other charges go off?" I yell as I stand. "Only one charge when off. The one charge that I planted. Why didn't your charges go off?"

"I don't know." He sighs in a tired voice.

I pull out my gun and point it at him. He takes off his bloody shirt and tiredly puts his hands up in surrender. "Why didn't your charges go off?" I ask again, pointing the barrel of the gun at him.

"Clara, put the gun down." He says trying to calm me.

"Answer me!" I demand.

"Put the gun down and we can talk about this." He says in a bargaining tone. I cock the gun, ready to shoot him. "You and I both know that I can disarm you faster than you can shoot that gun." He says.

"I'd like to see you fucking try." I threaten. He swallows hard and steps away from me. "Whose blood is that?" I ask seeing his hands stained red.

"Rothschild." I look at him confused and he explains. "I went down to set the last charge and I found Rothschild and Juhani were down there. They found the charges and they were disarming them. I got into a knife fight with them. I stabbed and killed Rothschild, and I slashed Juhani in the leg. They didn't get to your charge because of how high it was, and I couldn't wire the ones they disarmed because they were going to go off. So, I ran." He looks at me with angry eyes. "Juhani knows I'm working for the Assassins. I'm compromised." I swallow hard and look him up and down, keeping the gun pointed at him. "Now will you please put the gun down?"

"Alan said that you were his man." I say with the gun shaking in my hands. I swallow hard. "Tell me right now, are you working for him?" Daniel clenches his jaw tightly and I sigh.

I begin press down on the trigger when he calls out, "Yes! Okay yes. I was working for the Templars but once I got to know you—"

"Don't feed me that bullshit!" I yell at him.

"It's true! Clara, I…" He hesitates, taking a step towards me. "This past year with you…" He continues to step towards me and lowers his hands.

"Daniel, stop!" I say sternly and he backs away from me, lifting his hands back up in surrender. "I'm not a fucking idiot! You think you can feed me this line and I'm going to eat it up like a little school girl?"

"What do you want me to say?" He yells loudly and shocks me. "The Templars put a chip in my head and made me do things to people that I didn't want to do. The Assassin's refused to take me back, I had nowhere to go!" He swallows hard. "The Templars put me in the Animus and turned my mind into fucking slop. I can't control myself. All I want is to control myself, and you were the only person who has shown me how to." He steps towards me again. "They were going to kill me. I didn't have a choice."

"You had a choice and you made it." I say sadly.

He falls down to his knees and put his hands down on the ground. "I didn't see another way." He says in a sad tone.

I press the gun to his head and he inhales. He looks up at me accepting his fate, but as I look into his eyes, for the first time in decades, I am unable to pull the trigger. The gun shakes in my hand and no matter how hard I try, I cannot pull the trigger. I put the gun down and sigh. He looks up at me with wet eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I'm giving you the chance the Assassin's didn't." He lets out a fatigued sigh and grabs onto me, burring his face into my breasts. I put my hand on his back and let him embrace me. "Daniel, don't make me regret this."

January 2011

I sit in my office and try to decompress for a moment while I figure out my next more. I've been monitoring Erik's return to Sweden on the Altair II. He has been aiding Gavin for 4 months since he left the compound when I told him of mine and Daniel's affair.

I keep trying to reach out to Harlan, but all my attempts have lead to no response. I begin to feel the weight of everything crushing around me, and all I need is his guidance. I stare at my monitor for a while, contemplating my pride as I see the hotline to reach out to Gavin. I can't let Gavin know that I need his assistance, but the more the days go by that I haven't heard from Harlan, the more worried I am for his safety.

My hands shake as I type the email to Gavin, informing him that I have not heard from Harlan in over two years and that I am worried about him. I tell Gavin that the last time I have seen Harlan was when he delivered Daniel to me. I beg him to locate Harlan and to write to me with assurance that he is alive and well. I send out the email and exhale now that it is out of my control. I decide to continue everyday functions as well as I can, until I have reassurance that Harlan is fine.

My relationship between Daniel has been better than ever. Daniel has been going on field missions weekly and reporting back with valuable information on the Pieces of Eden. He has been willing to kill any man I ask, and take on any mission needed. I trust him to take missions that are unsanctioned by the Creed, such as burning the rogue Assassin's home while I retrieved the Arc of the Convent. He completes any mission I ask of him without question. He has rarely at the Bureau, but when he is not on a mission, he is in my bed. He has proven to be a valuable companion.

Three weeks go by, and Gavin has yet to respond to me. I question if he simply holds the information of Harlan's wellbeing from me as a cruel punishment for what I did to him. I begin to realize that every relationship that I have formed within the Creed has been a toxic and dysfunctional one. I begin to wonder if I should make amends. I sit at my desk and open another email for Gavin. I begin to explain to him how I am not good at making meaningful relationships and I apologize for using my body against him. I write him a heartfelt letter, explaining that I am genuinely sorry for using him the way that I have.

Once I am finished writing the letter and reading over it, I hover over the send button. Before pressing it, I hear my office door open. I look up and in enters Harlan and Gavin.

Gavin strides over towards me aggressively and before I can process his movements, he pulls out a gun and points it at me. Instinctually I pull out my gun and point it back at him. "You fucking bitch!" he calls out with disdain in his voice.

"What are you doing?" I yell and I hold my finger on the trigger ready to take his life in any moment.

"You know exactly what you did. You fucking fed my coordinates to the Templars and because of it, three of my men are dead!" he spits.

"Go ahead and shoot me, Gavin. You know how well that will bode for you." I say teasingly, pointing the gun at him.

"Gavin, stop." Harlan yells, trying to get a hold of the situation.

I put my gun down and Gavin follows my lead. I am glad to see that he is still as unpleasant as ever towards me. "What is going on?" I finally ask, "Why are you here?" I say directing the question to Gavin. Harlan's presence has always been welcomed, but Gavin's has not.

Harlan's expression turns from anxious to sad and he sighs. "We need to speak with you, Azalea. You should probably sit down."

"What's going on?" I ask, concerned with Harlan's worried gaze.

Harlan sits down next to me, while Gavin stands and leans against the wall. He sighs then looks over at Gavin with a sad expression. "I'll tell her if you want me to." Gavin says in a bored tone.

"Tell me what? Harlan, what is going on?"

"Azalea…" Harlan starts hesitantly. "Daniel is… Daniel…he's"

"Your boyfriend is a Sleeper Agent." Gavin says harshly.

I look at Gavin harshly, "I know he is a Sleeper Agent." They both retract at my tone and my words and I explain, "We were using that as a tool. He defected to the Assassins again." Harlan shakes his head and holds my hands. "He is working for the Assassins now." Harlan continues to shake his head. "You were the one who came here and vowed for him." He continues to shake is head. "Yes, yes, you sat right here" I yell pointing at his chair. "You sat right here and you told me…" I stop when I realize something, but Harlan says it out loud before I can.

"They used the Ring." Harlan says.

"No…" I let out.

"Rikkin, Vidic, and Rothschild." He says, "They used the Ring and they pretended to be me." I Remember seeing the ring on Harlan's finger and asking if he was married. Erik didn't recognize him when he walked in. I begin to feel sick.

"We intercepted the assignment order." Gavin begins to explain. "We didn't know where they would hit. We dispatched the message out to everyone, but they halted your communications to the Creed." He says, explaining why Harlan never answered any of my emails. "We wouldn't have found out if it wasn't for Erik joining the Altair II and letting us know Daniel was here." Gavin swallows hard as he sees this affect me. "We came as fast as we could…"

"Daniel told me that it started off like this, but he has halted his communications to them." I try to explain. "He has since seized his communications with the Templars. He has been obedient in every mission I have sent him on, killing all Templar assets he comes in contact with." I try to reason the situation.

Gavin shakes his head, "No he hasn't. We have reports that he continues to send information, as well as staging these deaths. No Templar assets have been killed on his missions."

I recoil and the comment, "That's ridiculous." I say, "He and I are close… he wouldn't lie about his missions."

"We know how close you two are." Gavin says in a hostile tone, "He was providing the Templars with reports; precise detailed reports on how intimate your relationship was together." He says in a condescending and unapologetic way.

I begin to feel myself getting sick at the idea of Daniel reporting to Alan of our nights together.

"He and the 11 people he arrived with are all Sleeper Agents." Harlan says. "They were all tasked to infiltrate the Creed to gather information on our missions. Daniel was tasked with... um…" He stumbles over the words. "He had a sleep order with you." He finally says bluntly.

"Harlan," I say shaking my head at him. I try to think about everything Daniel has said to me over the past two years, and how it could have all been a lie to control me. I feel myself getting sick. I look up at Harlan with teary eyes and say, "Harlan, I love him." I can't say why I feel the way I do, but Daniel has a power over me that I have not felt in centuries. Harlan shakes his head, trying to pretend he did not hear what he did. He above anyone else knows that I have been incapable of feeling strong emotional feelings for someone. It has been longer than I can remember since I have said that I loved someone, and my heart aches at the realization that Daniel used me.

Gavin surprisingly stays quiet, even though he is reveling in my pain. Finally, Harlan says, "Caroline has sent a kill order for Cross." He says speaking of a high-ranking Master Assassin "With the blessing of the Mentor." He says speaking of William. I look up at him with wet eyes and he looks away from me, unable to see me this hurt.

"I can do it… if you need me to." Gavin offers in a plain tone with a shrug.

I shake my head, "No, I can get him to convert." I say in a begging tone. "I know how to gain his trust. I can talk to him and I can reason with him. I can—"

"He gave the Templars specific details of how he fucked you!" Gavin yells over my pleas. I look over at him with hateful eyes. "The locations, what he said to you, the positions you two used—"

"Gavin!" Harlan yells telling Gavin to stop.

Gavin swallows hard then says, "There was no subtlety in his reports. We read them all. He had no respect for you in writing those and sharing them with the Templars." He says, finishing his response. "This mission was his final one before he was initiated into the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order. If he completed this mission, he would have been named a Grand Master." He says in a stern tone. "He does not love you. He used you."

"He knows about the Ring," I say looking at Harlan. "He knows about the Arc, he knows about the Apple." I say frantically.

"Does he know you're Immortal?" Gavin asks.

I shake my head, "No but Alan does." Gavin cusses under his breath. "He doesn't know it's through the dagger or my lineage. But he knows I'm immortal."

It all begins to come together. All the times that he asked me about the Pieces of Eden and other valuable information, all of it was being fed to Alan Rikkin.

"We have to kill him, Azalea." Harlan says in a sad tone. "We have to kill him, or he will kill others."

"We can handle this, you don't have—"

"I'll do it." I say interrupting Gavin. I look up at him with wet eyes. "I'll do it."

That night, I stand in front of my dresser, looking at myself in the mirror. I am disgusted with the image that looks back at me. How could I have been so stupid?

I hear my door click open and through the mirror I look and Daniel walks into the room. He looks at me through the mirror and smiles. He locks the door behind him and approaches me. He smiles at me menacingly and when he finally gets to me, he presses his body against mine. He digs his face into my hair and inhales deeply. He moans with pleasure. "You smell amazing." He sighs as he begins to pull the sleeves of my shirt down. "I've missed you." He moans pressing his hardness against me.

"I found the mole." I say, still looking at him though the mirror, unable to look into his eyes.

He groans, "Hum, I thought we established that it was Kaczmarek." He says tugging on my shirt.

"There is another one. He must have had help."

Daniel turns me around and I finally look him head on. I look into his icy blue eyes that pierce through me. "Who do you think it is?" he says as he begins to kiss my neck.

"I don't think," I say as he kisses me. "I know. I have a confession."

He pulls away from me and looks down at me. "Who is it?" He says, bringing his brows together.

Before I answer, he hears the muffled cries for help. Daniel, pushes past me and follows the muffled sounds that lead him to my closet. He opens the closet and inside is Daniel's right hand man, Sheppard, tied to the chair and gagged.

"Clara, what the fuck?" Daniel yells at me, "Sheppard is not the mole!"

Sheppard begins frantically yelling muffled cries. He's probably trying to warn Daniel that I know he is still a Templar, but Daniel can't make out what Sheppard is trying to say.

"Yes, he is. He confessed." I say and Sheppard yells wildly. "He even told me about others." Daniel looks over at me with wild eyes. "He told me about Don, Brad, Fred, Erin, Julia." I say. "I shot them all after they admitted it." Daniel swallows hard deducting that if I killed all of them, that I must suspect him as well. I look over at him, "Are you one of them?"

"No!" Daniel yells convincingly. "I am not a Templar agent, and neither is Sheppard!"

"Yes, he is, Daniel. And if you want me to believe that you're not one of them, then you have to prove it to me." I pull out a gun and hand it to Daniel. "Kill him." I say, "Shoot him and show me that you're not one of them. Show me that your loyalty lies with me and not with the Templars." I say calmly, "shoot him and prove to me that you are not feeding the Templar's information." I spit venomously.

Daniel points the gun at Sheppard, and Sheppard begins to hysterically cry. I hold my breath while I wait for him to shoot. I hear the deafening sound of the shot being fired, but once the shock of the shot clears, I begin to feel a sharp pain in my heart. I look down and see blood staining my maroon shirt as it trickles out from my chest. I look up and see Daniel pointing the gun at me. The sight stings as the bullet wound heals.

I pull down my shirt and show him the wound healing. I watch as the look of utter shock covers Daniel's face. "Do you remember when I told you that the Templars never tell their agents vital information?" I say as I pull out another gun from my waistband. I point the gun at Sheppard and shoot him in the head, silencing his muffled cries while keeping my eyes fixated on Daniel. "Alan never told you that I am immortal, did he?" Daniel's face contorts into an utterly terrified look. "What Alan doesn't know though, is that my real name is actually Azalea. That I am the only surviving heir of HasanʿAla Dhikrihi's Salam, the Mentor of the Assassins before Al Mualim robbed him of life." I say approaching him and Daniel scrambles away from me.

"No… the bullet was a dud." Daniel says, trying to rationalize what he just saw. He scrambles to cock the gun for another shot by his hands shake too violently to take hold of the gun.

"No Daniel, it wasn't."

"You're lying!" Daniel yells. He throws the gun in defeat and charges at me and pins me against the wall. He begins strangling me as hard as he can, and I feel my throat collapse. I keep my eyes on Daniel the whole time as he shuts his eyes tightly, unable to look me in the eyes as he strangles me.

I feel the blood vessels in my eyes burst and my esophagus tearing under his strength. Daniel notices that I have not passed out yet, and he begins to shake me, slamming my head against the wall, causing me to have an aneurysm. He continues to slam my head against the wall and tightening his grip, as he lets out frantic cries, begging me to die. I feel everything he does to me, but it all heals before his very eyes.

Daniel begins to sob as he tries to kill me. He pounds my head against wall three more times, then his hands tremble off of my neck and he falls to his knees sobbing. I swallow hard as I place the barrel of the gun to his head. He cannot look up at me and he stares at the ground, shaking in fear.

"Do it," he says, bringing his head up and looking at me with wet eyes. "Look me in the eyes and pull that trigger." I cock the gun and hold the trigger tightly. "Do it!" He yells at me with tears falling down his face. "Pull that trigger and stop the voices. End my misery." My hands shake and I press the trigger tighter and tighter to deploy the bullet, but not enough to set it off.

I look at him in the eyes and I see fear in them. My heart hurts and when I look at him, I can't do it. I pull the gun away from him and he exhales sharply. "You're a coward." He says to me. "You're a fucking coward!" He yells.

"Get out." I say quietly, turning away from him.

I hear him stand up and walk out the room. As soon as he leaves the threshold of the room, I fall to my knees and sob.

March 2011

Two weeks go by and I sit in a room of Mentors. The Mentors look over me, putting me on trial for allowing Daniel to survive. Subsequently, after I allowed Daniel to live, he raided an Assassins compound and killed dozens of men and women at the compound. He led dozens of Templars in several compounds, attaining precursor artifacts and texts, giving the Templars an overwhelming advantage over the Assassins.

Caroline looks at me as I am unable to look them in the eyes. "We are in a consensus that the accused, Azalea Salam, will be stripped of her title as Master Assassin, her accounts will be liquidated, her team dismantled, and any Piece of Eden artifacts gathered under the assistance of the Creed will be seized. The accused from here will be excommunicated from the Creed and banned communication from anyone who associates themselves with the Creed. Any violators of this ordinance will face the same fate as the accused." Caroline looks over at Harlan, who drops his head. "Does the accused have any closing statements?" I sit quietly, not able to look at any of them in the eyes, as I hide away the shame in my eyes. "That will be all then." She says in a sad tone. She flashes me a sad look and I get up and walk out of the office as everyone watches my shame.

August 2011: Montreal, Canada

A few months pass since I have been excommunicated from the Assassin's Creed. I have since had no contact with anyone, including Harlan. I find his dedication to the Creed infuriating, especially knowing how difficult it was for me to carry out the kill order against the only man I have loved in centuries. Since my excommunication, I have been trying to gather intelligence from both sides, but am being kicked out at every direction.

I sit my safe house reading Daniel's accounts on our relationship. I find myself coming back to these accounts often, trying to ignite a hatred inside me, so I can finish the job I was unable to do. I hold the paper tightly in my grip as he recounts a moment between us.

She sat on top of me, her thighs straddling my hips. Her thick hair was curled and messy from being tossed around. She looked down at me with a satisfied smile. She flipped her hair. God, she had to have known how much that affected me. I asked her why she picked Kaczmarek over me for the Abstergo mission. She didn't like that I mentioned it right here, still sore from me inside her. She told me he was 'good at getting the job done'. I asked her if I wasn't, and she laughed, telling me she wanted me near her. I remember sitting up, looking her in the eyes as her legs quivered as she straddled me. I told her I knew why she wanted me near her, and when she asked why, I told her "because you love me". When she didn't respond, I knew it was true.

I toss the paper away from me, unable to read anymore. I imagine the satisfaction that Rikkin and Vidic must have gotten reading these testimonies from Daniel. The notion sickens me. I look back at my computer trying to eradicate the memories from my mind. There has been no information given to me by the Assassin's as my communications have been blocked. There is nothing but a cryptic message from Alan, asking if I have given consideration to his offer in lieu of the Assassin's actions against me. He had to have known I wouldn't kill Daniel, and the Assassin's would excommunicate me; giving me motive to defect to the Templars.

I leave my computer and decide to walk the streets of Montreal. Ever since Alan's threat about always watching me, I have been more mindful of surveillance and have effectively avoided being taped. I walk down the street, digging my hands in my pockets. I look around, mindful of being followed, when my eyes catch another. She motions for me to follow her and I do so.

She leads me to an alley, safe from cameras or satellites. She removes her hood and smiles at me. "You look like shit. I didn't know that was possible for someone who was immortal."

"Always a pleasure, Jezebel." I return spitefully. "What information do you have?"

"Well, you were right. The Templars are going to go after Altair's lineage after you told them who you are." I nod, knowing that when I told Daniel my real name, who would report to Alan, who in return would attempt to locate the surviving relative of those involved at the time, which would be Altair's descendants. "You were wrong though," she continues. "They are not going after William as you thought they would."

"What do you mean?"

"They think William is too difficult to go after, since he is the Mentor. So they're going for his son, Declan."

"Desmond," I say under my breath, realizing that I should have thought of him. "What else did your source tell you? When are they taking him?"

"We didn't talk much after that." Jezebel says insinuating that she and her source slept with each other.

"How did you acquire this information?" I ask.

"I took a lesson from your book, of opening my legs for information." She says condescendingly.

"There's a difference between my methods and yours, Jezebel. I actually get something when I sleep with a man. Information and power over others. When you spread your legs, it's nothing but the meaningless pleasure that fades."

"Hum, sounds to me like you're a tad bitter. At least I can feel it." I clench my jaw and turn away from her, knowing that she has given me what I want and I need nothing more from her. "Oh by the way," she calls out to me. "I thought it worth mentioning, your lover is in Denver." I freeze and clench my firsts. "They replicated the Apple and are trying to use to with one of their satellites." I turn towards her and see looks amused. "It's an abomination what they did to the Apple. But your sweetheart will be there to oversee the launch." She goes on to tell me that they will meet underneath the Denver International Airport, and that her informant will also be there.

"Thank you for this information." I tell her as I walk away.

"Azalea," she calls out, "How many more missions of yours until you give me back what is rightfully mine?" She asks regarding the Staff.

I smile at her and leave her in the alley and I return to the safe house. I pack my things and prepare an itinerary to fly to Denver. I look over at my desk and see more pages from Daniel's testimonies about me. I find myself wanting to read more about what he wrote of me. It has turned into a sick form of punishment, that I justify by saying it will help me with ensuing his demise. I grab the paper and begin reading.

I woke up one night in the middle of the night to her staring out the window. The moon was full that night and it lit up the room, displaying her nice tight little ass for me to see. The sight excited me. She turned to me and saw my eyes examine her body. It made her smile. I wonder what she was thinking about. She walked over to me, swaying her hips, watching with a smile as I grew hard for her. She climbed on top of me, leaning in and pressing her lips against mine. I hugged her tightly against my body, entangling my fingers in her hair, kissing her passionately. I grinded against her and she grabbed for me, guiding me inside her without another word. She gasped as I filled her up entirely, shaking from the sensation.

I push the paper away unable to read how he described my body for Alan and Warren to read. Reading these accounts made me hate him more. It made the idea of killing him easy for me to swallow, and I use those feelings to help me though my trip as I will confront him once one.

The flight is not long and when I land, I make my way outside. I pull on the hood of my jacket and hide my face from the cameras. The cool air keeps my cover-up believable.

I blend with a crowd of people and keep my head down as I leave the building. I separate from the crowd and tail a security guard as he makes his rounds on the exterior of the airport. I snag his key card and head towards a service door that leads me into a tunnel system. I take out my gear from my check-in luggage and change into an outfit more appropriate for the mission. I holster my gun and head down the stairs.

I hear some men talking and I freeze trying to see who they are. I hear them whispering and I fear that they heard me head down the stairs. I pull out my gun, ready to shoot anyone I need to. I hear them approach the stairwell, and I try to find a place to hide, but there is nowhere to go. I point the gun and the end of the stairs and ready my aim for when the men come into view.

I see feet, then when they approach, I cock the gun. The two men do the same, and when one sees me, he commands the other to put his gun down. I look down the stairwell and see Harlan looking back at me. "Harlan, what are you doing here?" I say, my heart skipping a beat looking at him. I haven't seen him since my trial, and seeing him again brings back bad memories.

"Azalea," he says in a hoarse tone, lowing his gun. "Why are you here?" He says knowing the answer to that. When I don't answer he decides to answer for me. "You couldn't kill him before, you're not going to stop me from ending this. Too many people have died because on Daniel Cross."

The other man looks at me shocked, knowing now who I am. "That's why I am here, Harlan." I say, still holding the gun up to him. "I am here to stop this." Harlan looks at the other man, not sure if he should trust me or not. I lower my gun and descend down the stairs to his level. "I am here to help."

"Help what side?" Harlan asks suspiciously.

"You're not going to find out by inquiring about it here." I say, pushing away from him and heading down the hall and down another set of stairs. Harlan and his partner follow me down the stairwell. For a moment I feel at ease, as though I am on a mission with Harlan once again. The notion brings me joy for a brief moment until the reality sets in.

We enter an opening where the Templars are stationed. I stand back and so does Harlan and his partner. I look up and see over a dozen Templars. I ask Harlan if it is just the two of them, and he nods. "Looks like the Creed was quick to sign your death certificate." I say harshly and Harlan swallows hard.

I take a step towards the camp they have set up when I hear a voice call out. "Alight, give me that." I clench my gun tightly as I see Daniel enter the room and take the Apple in his hands. I look back at Harlan who sends me a worried look.

I step closer, trying to reach him before he does something stupid with the unstable Apple. I signal for Harlan and his man to stay behind and they do so. I hug the walls of the encasement as I try to make my way towards Daniel and the Apple. I hear a man call out and I freeze.

The man approaches me and grabs me by the hair. He drags me to the center of the camp. "Well look what we got here. Looks like the Assassins sent us a gift. You think they would send someone more fearsome."

Daniel turns around and looks at me. Our eyes lock for the first time in 6 months, and for a slight moment, I see fear in them, before he covers it up with amusement. The man begins to laugh at why the Assassins would send one woman to take on dozens of men.

Daniel stops their taunts. "You underestimate our guest." He says approaching me as the other man holds my arms behind my back. "You are in the presence of a Master Assassin." He brushes my cheek, "My apologies, former Master Assassin." He says mockingly and I push my cheek away from him.

"Oh you don't mean the one with the 'nice tight little ass' do you?" He says happily as he quotes Daniel's words in his reports describing me. I feel my skin crawl knowing that these men read what Daniel said about me. The man looks at my body up and down, while others sneer and laugh.

"Kind of hard to think she's as strong as you said," One man approaches, "Seeing how small she is."

"Don't underestimate her." Daniel warns, "Where are the others, Azalea?" I find my blood boil at the sound of him saying my real name.

"What others? You know just as well as everyone else that I was excommunicated from the Assassin's Creed." I say bitterly.

My words bring a smile to his face. "Yes, what a shame they stripped you of your rank and all your assets."

"What do you want to do with her, Boss?" The man holding me says.

"Let her watch. When I place the Apple in Abstergo Eye, she can watch the Assassins be terminated first hand."

"Daniel, don't do this." I plead.

"Why?" He says mockingly, "For old time's sake?"

"No," I say plainly, "You put that abomination of an Apple inside that satellite and it will destroy all of your assets. Abstergo can't replicate the devises like the First Civilization can. You can't control it like the other devises."

He scoffs, "That's a cute plea, but it falls on deaf ears." He begins to place the False Apple inside the satellite when I decide that I should no longer stand idly while he places that disgrace of a devise inside the satellite.

I slip out of the man's grip, pull out the original golden Apple and point it at Daniel. At this point, Harlan and his partner come out with their guns raised. The rest of the Templars raise their guns to me.

"The Apple," Daniel says trying to approach me.

"Take one step closer to me and I will drop you." I threaten.

"I'd like to see you try." Daniel says mockingly. I flick my wrist and all the Templars move in a swift motion, turning from guns pointed at me to pointing their guns to Daniel.

He looks aggravated at the sight. He commands them to stand down, but none of them can because I hold their minds and actions. I watch as Daniel fumes at this realization.

"Give me the Apple, Daniel." I say sternly.

He laughs, "You really think I would hand this over to you?" I grip the Apple in my hands tightly as it sings loudly. A beam of light shoots out of the Apple and hits Daniel. He holds out the False Apple against his will. "What are you doing?" The False Apple beings to glow and vibrate in his hand. I grip the Apple tighter and when I do, the False Apple shatters in Daniel's hands. "NO!" he yells as he falls to his knees scrambling for the pieces.

I pick Daniel back up with the Apple. "Now," I say to the Apple. Daniel pulls out his gun. "Kill them all." I command and Daniel shoots down the Templars one by one as he yells frantically trying to get a hold of his body that I control. Once all of the men are dead, I approach Daniel. Blood is trickling from his nose and ears. He is shaking as he tries to fight my control over him, however, I force him to fall to his knees.

He looks up at me with sunken eyes. "I want to see what you desire most in this life." I say as I kneel down next to him. He struggles, trying desperately to escape my hold on him. I hold the Apple tightly and it shows me his deepest desires. I see Daniel stand in front a group of men as he gives them orders to attach an Assassin compound. I dig deeper into his mind, trying to expose his deeper desires and I see me. He approaches me, taking my face in the palms of his hands. I see him kiss me and I dig deeper into his desires, unmasking his deepest desires. After he kisses me, he moves his hands down my cheeks and to my neck. He begins to strangle me, and after watching the light leave from my eyes, he drops my dead body onto the ground.

I stagger away from Daniel, causing the vision to dissipate.

He spits the blood that has dripped from his nose into his mouth. "What?" he says menacingly. "You honestly thought I loved you?" He begins to laugh maniacally.

Harlan comes running to me. "End this, Azalea!" He implores me, looking traumatized at the site of Daniel and what I am doing to him.

"No," I say under my breath, holding the Apple up as it begins to create the illusion in Daniel's mind that he is being choked. He grabs for his throat, trying to stop the pain, but he cannot. "I know how to end it." I tell Daniel. "I know how to end your side effects, from the Bleeding Effect." I tell him and watch his eyes light up. "Not subdue it, not control it. I know how to end it. I can make it so that you will never be enslaved by the voices in your head, because you know what caused the Bleeding Effect?" I ask him as his face grows more and more red, "It's from being in the Animus too long. And do you know why being in the Animus for so long has affected you the way it has?"

"Azalea," Harlan approaches me, but stops when he sees the rage in my eyes.

"It's because the Animus is a Piece of Eden!" Daniel lets out a chocking noise and widens his eyes. "The only way to end the Bleeding Effect, is to enter the original Animus." I tell him. "I'll let you take a wild guess on who has it in their possession." He begins struggling under the weight of the Apple. "I'll give you a hint," I say pressing my lips to his ear. "She has a nice tight little ass." I say and Daniel yells with all his might, as the blood vessels in his eyes explode, filling the white of his eyes with blood red.

I twist the Apple and Daniel falls unconscious from an aneurysm. I stand up and brush the dust off of me. Harlan and his partner look at me with fear in their eyes. I look at them both. "Come, I know who Abstergo is going to take as Subject 17."