This one is nicer I promise
April 2014, Hawke Island, Indian Ocean
Jacob felt like he was sleeping. Though he was having a nightmare. There were just so many people talking at once, screaming. Screaming in his ears until he was deaf but even even he covered his ears they didn't cease. Just on and on and on wanting to be heard. They reached out for him, some of their fingers brushed his skin or touched his hair. A few stronger ones had clawed hands around his ankles or around his arms, pulling him one way or another.
Then, all at once, like he'd entered the eye of a storm all the noise stopped. The echo of their screaming made his ears ring and when Jacob looked up there was a strange being in front of him. He recognized them too and looming over his shoulder was some tall, thin, black skinned man with wide, wild, eyes and a neat afro. They were staring at Jacob like they wanted to devour him and the memory of a woman with chipped teeth and tired bloodshot eyes flicked across his mind's eye. When she'd seen him she's wanted to eat him too.
"Jacob," Altair's voice was like a bell and the tall, wild, man vanished into nothing. Jacob rubbed his temple. His head hurt so much and the yelling was starting again. The demands to be heard starting to overwhelm again.
Altair knelt next to him and grabbed his arm, "Jacob," he said again, "stay with me."
"Where am I?" he asked.
"Don't worry about it," Altair said, "Now stay with me. Push back the voices."
Jacob squeezed his eyes closed, "Its hard," he said.
"I know. Here," and Altair did something but like when he'd first appeared the voices vanished. "Better?" Jacob nodded miserably, feeling tired. So so tired. "Don't go to sleep," Altair said, "Do not go to sleep," he shook Jacob a little.
"But I just want a little rest. I'll wake up in a second," and he was almost drifting. Altair shook him again, harder this time.
"Do not go to sleep. Sleep and you die." That made Jacob be a bit more awake. Awake enough to hear the whisper in his ear. 'Let me come' it whispered softly, so gently too. Not like the criers. Jacob didn't stop them. "Jacob," Altair was saying, "Jacob," another shake that made his brain rattle.
"What?" and his voice sounded strange to his own ears. "Altair?" and it sounded like someone else's voice. Altair released Jacob like he burned. He stayed sitting for only a moment more before exhaustion took him and he fell over onto his side.
"Shit," he heard Altair say and crouched over him, "Jacob. Jacob! Don't go to sleep!" But Jacob wasn't listening. He was very nearly asleep. "No!" he heard Altair yell and that was all he heard before he was Under the spell of sleep. At the edge of sleep the gentle voice whispered 'thank you, Jacob,' in his ear and he smiled in his sleep.
—
When Jacob woke from that dream he felt… good. Like really good. Like that had been the best sleep he'd ever had and holy shit he was hungry. He wanted to eat everything. He looked around then sat up and Ezio was sitting by him.
"Hey," Ezio said, "You aren't like… going to freak out are you?"
"Why would I freak out?" Jacob asked.
"Oh good," Ezio said.
"Uh?"
"How do you feel?"
"Awesome," Jacob said. That's an understatement, and Jacob started so bad he almost hurt himself looking behind him at the voice he'd just heard. Nope, not there, the voice said. The fuck? Hello Jacob. "Wha-" Talking isn't necessary.
"You okay Jacob?" Ezio asked.
"I… yeah? Hold on."
What the fuck? What does fuck mean? It means… fuck. That made no sense. NEITHER DOES A WEIRD VOICE IN MY HEAD. WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU? No need to yell Jacob. I'm Malik. And if what I understand about this whole thing… Hawk? did is right then I'm your ancestor. Wait… like Desmond's got ancestors in his head now I have one. I suppose. I'm just as confused as you. So much new information. Excuse me? I can see all your memories. Hey! Those are private. Not anymore. My you were a messy child. Stop that!
"Jacob," Ezio said and he snapped his head forward, "We need to talk."
"Right, sorry," Jacob said. Stay out of my memories Malik. Oh don't be like that you get to share mine too. I don't want them. Too bad. Jacob abruptly felt a wave of Old World wash into him. It happened very quickly, in the pause between his and Ezio's conversation, the length of a heart beat.
In that heart beat an entire life flashed before his eyes. Going to Masyaf, a brother named Kadar who was every bit as temperamental as him. The training. Altair. A hundred friends with boys their age. The smacks and beatings and disciplines. Eventually sacrificing a finger to the Brotherhood, getting to wear the hidden blade, the white hood and all the pride it gave him. Solomon's Temple. Fucking Solomon's Temple where that life had fallen apart. No more brother, no more friends, no more Altair, no more respected position. Just grief, pain and a blinding hot rage. There had been a long grieving period, for all that loss, but he'd come through to the other side and then the next important thing hit Jacob like a truck. Malik… liked Altair? And Altair had never known. Oh wonderful. Malik had grown old and then, in the final gambit, failed and let his best friend's youngest son die, and then had been killed himself.
"You died, Jacob," Ezio said.
Jacob blinked and he was trying to process it all at once. Malik and Ezio at the same time. "I what?" he asked.
"Well, you went Under," Ezio said. "Its what we call it, when an immortal dies and comes back." Jacob was now paying way more attention to Ezio.
"A what?" he asked, looking for clarifications.
"You're immortal now. Like us."
Jacob looked at Ezio and then laid down on his back and stared at the ceiling. "Jacob?" he asked.
Jacob? I'm immortal. Yes but- Not now Malik. Not now.
Jacob lay there for a good five minutes before he sat up. "I'm immortal?"
"Yes," Ezio nodded.
"How?"
Ezio frowned, "You Bled through. Altair tried to fix you but you just… he didn't fix it. You went Under. You died."
"But I'm not dead now."
"No. You're Awake. And hungry I'm sure. Altair should be along soon with some food."
Altair? Malik basically perked up. I wanna see Altair. Malik please. No I wanna see him with my own eyes. Those are my eyes thanks. Same thing! We share a body now, our eyes. I wanna see him. Allah its been so long. Stop thinking what you're thinking christ I do not need your fantasies! Whoops sorry. Who's Desmond? Why do you think about his butt so much? I do not! Yes you do. Huh… it is nice though. It is- Wait! I shouldn't be agreeing with you! Get out of my head! Technically now its our head. No, get out, its mine. Ours. Mine. Ours. Mine. Ours. Mine. Ours. You let me in, so here I am to stay, get used to it kid.
"Yeah, I am hungry," Jacob said. "So… how does this work?"
"Basically? You can't die. Well you can die, we call it going Under. While you're Under you regenerate, and are healed of all sicknesses and ailments. Then, once you've finished regenerating you Wake. You'll be hungry, so eat or you might starve to death."
"Okay," Jacob said slowly. "So I have a question."
"Of course."
"Do you have someone else in your head?"
Ezio blinked, "No? Someone else in your head?"
"Yeah he says- he said his name was Malik," Ezio stared at him. "What? Did I say something?"
"Malik?" Ezio asked slowly, "Like, Malik al-Sayf?"
"Uh-
"Yes," Malik said. Woah do not do that! Jacob cried. Do what? Use my body! Our body. NO! Its my body! Kid you're going to have to have to accept the fact that we're here together now. So get used to it.
"Jacob?"
And I think its rude that only you get to have a name for this vessel, Malik said. You aren't supposed to be here, Jacob said. Well I am now. I don't like us being referred to Jacob. Yeah and what did you have in mind? Malik? Fuck no. Of course not. This was your body first so I'd defer to that. Hmm, I saw it in here somewhere. Ah, yes; Jake.
Images and smells and sounds pulsed through Jacob's mind eye. Eugene with his first motorcycle, eighteen and he'd helped Jacob, then only ten, onto the old thing he'd spent most of his junior year restoring. He'd been cleaning it at the time. He could hear his brother's voice but not the words and could smell the polish he used to clean the chrome pipes. Jacob could feel Eugene's hands on his own, putting Jacob's smaller ones on the handlebars, explaining how to use them. That right was the throttle but no don't gun it Jake you'll flood the engine. Jacob felt like he was floating above his body. He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes.
"Jacob?" Ezio asked, touching him.
"Jake," Jake said and looked at Ezio, "Call me Jake now."
"What? I mean sure, but why?"
Jake blinked, Malik kept bombarding him with memories. Going to visit his moms for Christmas and being thrilled about socks and sweaters and a cordless power drill; protesting on Wall Street in the snow, lips blue and cold but anger hot enough to keep him warm; his first kiss where he'd been playing spin the bottle and had to kiss Ryan Sullivan and he'd known then he just wanted to kiss boys; when he'd cut his arm open on that piece of scrap metal, running from the cops when he was fifteen, it'd gotten infected cause he hadn't wanted to tell his moms about it and he almost died because of it; Eugene's funeral; telling his moms he was gay and they'd just looked at each other and hugged him, saying they were proud of him for telling them. It got too fast now and Jacob felt like his head was about to split open. He cried out and leaned over his knees, grabbing his head as he felt Malik digging through his memories, watching each one, each one lasting less than a second but he saw the entire thing because he could view at the speed of thought.
"Jacob— Jake, Jake," Ezio was calling his name but it was like trying to talk to someone through a waterfall. He just heard the white noise and the flickering images of his life flashing before his eyes. The images started to melt and meld and he saw more of Malik's life. Old Syria, before the civil war tearing it apart. It was a more in depth look now, not just a gloss over like earlier. It didn't help his head though and he wanted to just rip his skull off to ease the pressure building in it.
There was so much death and blood in Malik's life. The slice of a knife and a splatter of blood. Names and faces and targets raced by him at lightning speed. And so much running. Damascus, Acre, Arsuf, Jerusalem, Aleppo, Tyrus, running from the guards; climbing into windows and the time he'd climbed into the wrong one scared a couple who were enjoying each other in bed and been so embarrassed he fled and fell right into a group of guards; the drift of hash in the air, filling his lungs, dulling and sharpening him in different ways; not a few screams of people as he ran past, sword arm a whirl of silver and steel, cutting through everything; wading knee deep through an army with a squad of Assassins, fighting with the Saracens, pushing back the crusaders, and when asked who those devils in white had been were no where to be seen, already flying back to Masyaf. And Altair, so much Altair. Hating him was the first emotion, then curiosity at the boy Al Mualim found so interesting, an intense, white hot jealousy at his ability driving him to do better, harder, better, faster, stronger, all the time. Couldn't fall behind Altair, couldn't let him get ahead, but always chasing him. Even when the jealousy faded; always chasing. Wait Altair, wait please just a moment. Grief and hate and anger were a heady wash against him, flooding him before it was released. He couldn't hold onto it. Not towards Altair. No. Not him. Not his Altair. Such a waste, so much waste. He'd never said anything. He'd never told Altair. He'd let his boy die and never told him. And Tazim. He'd left Tazim alone in an Order that would hate him for being his son.
The memories started to recede. The images and smells and souths grew distant. He felt Malik there still, and his purpose. He had a second chance. A second chance to tell Altair, and to be with his son. It took Jacob a moment to realize Malik meant him. He was Malik's descendant, and he was about Tazim's age when Malik died.
"Jake," Ezio was saying, "Jake. Jake. Jake. Jake?"
"I hear you," Jake said feebly, feeling drained and so hungry. Starving actually.
"Are you okay?"
Jake looked up at him, "I will as soon as I get some food in me."
"Altair should be bringing some. Now I have questions. What do you mean Malik is in there?"
"When I Bled. I let him hitch a ride with me back to the living," Jake sat up with a groan. He felt drained and wanted to eat. "His memories, his emotions, his thoughts," he rubbed his head. "Fuck my head hurts."
"I'm sure," Ezio said.
"Where's that novice when you need him?" he asked wearily. He looked at Ezio, "This immortality. How immortal are we talking here?"
"I had my head cut off," Ezio said, "It grew back."
"That's some serious immortality," Jake said. "What about arms? Can I grow my arm back?"
"Yes. And Jake, you have both arms," he reminded him. Jake turned and looked at his left arm. I haven't seen my left arm in decades, Malik said. Its just an arm. No, Jacob, it isn't. Its much more than that, and Malik sounded so relieved.
The door opened
Jake turned and looked and he bared heard Ezio say, "Oh good, you're back." Jake might as well have had hearts for eyes now. He looks so young, Malik said. He's like nine hundred years old. He looks good for a guy who's nine hundred. Hey buddy try and keep it in our pants okay. His shoulders are even bigger than when I last saw him. Wow dude you are super gay. And coming from me that means you're really gay.
"You been telling him?" Altair asked and Malik mentally flailed because it'd been so long since he'd heard Altair's voice. Jacob wasn't so into it though. Altair was mean to him, always pushing him, exhausting him in training.
"Right now," Ezio said.
"Good, so I don't have to," Altair said and then looked down at Jake. "Hungry Jacob?" and Malik soured. Excuse him, he knows I'm in here; prick. Shut the fuck up Malik.
"Starving," he said.
"Good," and Altair crouched in front him and god damnit Malik don't stare so obviously at his crotch. But but- Wow you're a thirsty old man. Shut up Jacob you do the same thing when Desmond does squats! "Eat," Altair said putting food in front of him. Oh what I'd give for him to feed us. Did you have to make that sound so creepy and sexual? Cause it was sexual. Dude. What? We need to get laid. Altair first! Christ.
Jake then distracted himself with eating and just kinda tuned the others out. Altair isn't that great, Jacob said. Well, he's an idiot, but other than that. He's mean, and a self centered, control freak. I won't disagree on those demerits but he really isn't that bad once you get to know him, Malik insisted. I don't believe you. Oh well, doesn't make it less true. He can be rather funny actually and he's very loyal. Yeah? He was with the woman he lost his virginity to for his entire life and even though I wasn't the easiest person to get along with… he never replaced me. I bet he isn't even into you. Don't say that! Don't shit on my dreams Jacob. Man you have access to my slang for like ten minutes and you're already taking my lines. Thanks grandpa, you're a real inspiration. Shut up Jacob.
Jake looked up when he felt a shift and saw Altair head for the door. He chewed quickly and swallowed hard and scrambled to his feet. Malik had control of his mouth even without his permission. "Wait wait you stupid novice I didn't say you could leave yet."
Altair turned around, he looked moody and pissed off, especially at Jake. "Really, now is not the time," he growled and oh yeah I forgot how scary that is, Malik said. Told you he isn't that great.
"Shut up," Jake said to Altair's great surprise. Have you never kicked him? What? No of course not! Its Altair you think I have a death wish? See the thing is with Altair, he's really a big dumb idiot who likes to be told what to do. So when you want him to behave, you just yank his chain and bit and remind him who's boss. We're so not the boss, man, Jacob said. Not yet we're not. Altair was clay in my hands back when I was alive, he'd do anything I say. Yeah well that's not then. Well he knows I'm here, we should remind him. You're going to get us killed, man.
"Did he just—?" Desmond asked, staring at Jake. You like this boy? I mean kinda, Jacob said. He's cute and funny and handsome and has a really firm butt. So yeah, I guess. Okay. Why? Malik what are you going to do. Shhh, watch and learn Jacob.
"You don't get to say that to me kid," Altair said, having to look up at them. He's so short, Malik said, I swear he was taller. We're just tall, Malik. Oh, fancy that we are. "And if I remember correctly you're the novice."
Malik laughed, but it didn't come out of their mouth, silent laugh. "Still wrong, as usual," he said, sort of meanly and put his right hand on his hip. Well that was new. "Too worried about everything you shouldn't be worried about still. I would have thought you'd have broken that habit Altair—" and there was fear in Altair's eyes. Oh he knows, Malik said.
"Shut up," Desmond said, they looked at him, Desmond was wide eyed. "What the hell did you do to him?"
"I told you," Altair said, "he's not like you."
"You mean besides the whole immortal thing?" Jake asked, making a motion.
"Stop that," Desmond said.
"Stop what?" they asked.
"That thing you just did. Just stop, its terrifying and… oh my god."
He knows too now, Jacob said. Well at least he's smarter than Altair, Malik said. Literally anyone is smarter than Altair, Jacob said. Now you're getting it. "Well, he seems to be taking it well," Jake said glibly.
"Was there a point to this? Beyond annoying me I mean? I do have a bird to go pluck."
"Yes, actually there is," Jake said and he smiled brightly. Nine hundred years Jacob. Oh god you're actually going to do it aren't you? Jacob groaned. Hell yeah I am! Shouldn't you be, I dunno… wise and sagely? I don't know where you got that idea from. Uhg just do it.
So Malik did. He grabbed Altair by the front of his shirt and yanked him close and kissed him hard right on the mouth. He let Altair go and Altair swayed, staring at him. "Wanted to do that for nine hundred years," Jake said. You're way too pleased with yourself aren't you? Jacob asked. Oh immensely Malik said.
"Did he just-
"I think you broke them, Jake," Ezio said, amused but sounded nervous too.
"Well at least they're quiet now," Jake said proudly and poked Altair in the chest. Altair just continued to stare at him, totally flabbergasted. See, I told you he's a big, dumb, idiot, Malik said. Just have to yank his chain a bit and remind him who's boss. You're going to get us in so much trouble. Wouldn't be the first time!
Jake turned towards Desmond. Malik no. Jacob, yes, Malik said. Malik no. Shut up Jacob I'm doing exactly what you want. "And you," he said to a very bewildered Desmond and stepped over to him and kissed him too. It wasn't as forceful as Altair's, but Desmond didn't kiss him back either. "Been wanting to do that for a while." Malik no!
Unlike Altair though Desmond at least kept some wits about him. Why do we both like idiots? Jacob asked. Cute butts? Abs? Big shoulders? Nice penis? Shit works for me, Jacob agreed. "I think I need to sit down," Desmond said and lowered himself to the floor looking so confused and like his world was a lie. Yeah, they only have their looks going for them, Malik said. Horrible husband material and shit Malik no that was a joke!
