Secrets in History.
By Kaimaler.
Oh yes! Please, take the opportunity to go to my user page and at the very top they'll be a "Poll", please! Vote! Your vote counts! :D
When it's over, I'll rally the votes and publish my new story! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone chooses! Currently, only two people have voted so I'm sad right now. But! With any luck (of which I have NONE) more people will go and vote on the poll while they have the chance.
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Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everyone's heard it all before!
She had to learn it all the hard way. She growled to herself, her torso still pounding.
Stupid fucking dealer and his stupid fucking gun! She swore she'd do anything just to wait another day before Mario put her in the ring; he wanted to see what she could do and although she could easily take out a full grown man in hand-to-hand combat as she was trained to do so as SWAT, she was limited by her previous injuries.
With Leonardo's wrappings, she could barely move her upper body. He wrapped the bandages so tight and they were so thick that every now and then she'd discover yet another action she couldn't completely thanks to him.
She didn't actually blame him for her current position, but she needed to vent at someone and right now Leonardo and Ezio seemed like punching bags.
Vanessa was half-concerned that when she saw Ezio she'd use him as such; unfortunately, the painter was far more delicate so she couldn't do that to him. She'd have to let it all out on this poor mercenary before she even saw Ezio again or he'd be black and blue all over.
This man though not huge was still held a larger frame then her and he was reluctant to step in the ring with a woman as his opponent.
She could tell he was planning on going easy; his stance said it all. Sloppy, unconcerned, careless, Vanessa had to love these cocky men, so sure of success they failed to even ask if she had been trained before or look into her background before jumping in.
They all expected her to fail; this was her training to them. To her, naturally, it was them paying the consequences for their bad coordination in battle and with a melee weapon.
It didn't take long for this mercenary to realize that she wasn't a normal fifteenth-century courtesan forcing her way into the ranks of men.
The moment the man approached her, Vanessa struck first as it was clear he wasn't going to try and attack. Her torso lit up, fire burned through her upper body like she was on fire.
This was her only chance, she wasn't about to ask Mario if she could wait until her injuries healed over to spar. In a fight, both suffer wounds and broken bones; mentioning that her torso hurt too much to fight would only ruin her opportunity.
She didn't have to do much; a simple display of skill would suffice for this mercenary. Vanessa felt she was cheating, leading him on to believe she wasn't anything more then just a fifteenth-century woman.
With his attention on his friends outside the ring, Vanessa grabbed his shoulders and forced the man to double over; his stomach met her knee on the way down. First strike was always the easiest against an opponent; as she predicted, the man reassessed himself. He made sure she knew he wouldn't take that from anyone, man or woman.
He threw fist after fist, barely any hitting her as she dodged the man's attacks. He was slow and couldn't even punch properly, so if she was hit, it wouldn't be anywhere near as bad as if Daniel and her were sparring again. He could throw a punch and knock a man's lights out.
As soon as she saw him tiring out, she dove into him, bared the heel of her palm and struck upwards, forcing the man to stumble. Swiftly, she swung a kick to his ribcage and as he turned away from her, his side exposed, she kicked the back of his knee, knocking him to his knees. Even with her torso burning, it was all too easy to bring an untrained man to the ground.
Placing a foot against the man's side, she shoved him away. He couldn't fight right, but he could take a beating of which Vanessa hadn't dealt.
He grabbed onto her ankle pulling it right from under her, she fell to the dirt instantly while the man got ready to strike. Looming over her he seemed much bigger in comparison, yet Vanessa was built tough too.
He got a few off, to her stomach and face before Vanessa finally got the chance to take power for herself. He left himself open for rebuttal. Vanessa lashed out quickly, delivering a few sharp blows to his abdomen and while he flinched, she took his arm, rolled from underneath him and jumped onto his back in record time.
Vanessa took his arm with her, careful not to actually break it; she pulled it behind him harshly. He could hold her weight no problem, but in a vulnerable position; throwing her off wasn't an option.
With his arm leveraged behind him, her weight pressing on the now useless limb, the man struggled for a way out. She clinged to his back like a monkey, not even allowing him room to reach back and grab her.
Before he could conjure up a way to escape, Vanessa decided that if he wanted to fight dirty like any mercenary does; so would she. Leaning back, she forced a leg between his legs, threatening that which all men hold so dearly. He felt and when he looked down, he could see the knee positioned just perfectly to force him into a very unexpected womanhood.
"Yield." She stated, watching as he still tried to find a way out. Defeated by a woman? Unheard of, like so many other things in this century. With his brothers in arms nearby, Vanessa saw it only the sweeter of a victory and a time to put this arrogant mercenary in his place. "I said yield, sir."
He growled, mumbling to himself while onlookers waited for him to overpower her and win. Of course they'd imagine that; anatomy was well known in this era, but it wasn't so much so that everyone knew that when your arm is leveraged behind your back and you can feel your opponent readying themselves to snap it and, for the male gender only, an uncomfortable knee placed strategically so if you move pain with wreck your system before you can fight back.
"I yield." He answered as if it was tasteless. She smiled and was ready to release all pressure. "No cheap shots now or I will turn you into a woman." He grimaced before nodding in agreement.
Stepping off the man's back, she felt the rush of adrenalin wear off, her injuries coming back to repay her in kind for all the lost chances to cause her pain.
Ezio saw this; he was on the sidelines beside his uncle just watching the match. The man couldn't do much; he was slow but strong, forceful yet lacked finesse. When she reached the small wall separating the ring from the entertained folk; Vanessa leaned on it.
Mario smiled, "Very good, I am impressed." He knew the man wasn't his best soldier, but he wanted to test Vanessa, not kill her in the process. As he saw Vanessa grasping her stomach his brows furrowed. "I didn't think he hit you that hard, madonna."
"Ah~" Vanessa swung her legs over the small brick wall, "He didn't, I still have this injury from a while ago. Leonardo tended to it, but it still hurts." She groaned, standing in front of the two relatives, "Anyways, was that enough for you?"
"For now, yes, yet I would like to see what kind of training you spoke of before I make my final decision." Vanessa shrugged, "Course, but doesn't Ezio have somewhere to be? Like, now?"
Ezio glared a moment, "I should be on my way; Jacopo's men surely have plans to move." Mario turned to his nephew, "Correct, you must move quickly nipote. I will watch over Vanessa until you return, good luck." Ezio turned to leave, glimpsing the mercenaries argue and scold each other before leaving the Villa.
In truth he was interested in seeing how she did and in secret, concerned for her discovered bruises all across her torso. She was strange, putting it kindly, demanding, understating it, yet kept a form of manners that could almost be mistaken for none at all. Short tempered and had a sense of power behind her form. She was slightly muscular, tall, and if not for her sheer strength, she'd be considered very valuable to nobility.
There she stood in Villa Auditore sparring as if she'd be doing it for years. Of course, she could've been as far as he knew. Counting out her being a guard in her time and telling him about her arrival from the future (if that was even true), he didn't know Vanessa beyond her name and job.
Who were her parents? Nobles or peasants? Was she an orphan? Did she have siblings? If so, how many, brothers or sisters? He couldn't believe he had trusted anyone so readily, yet there she was, in the Villa with his uncle petitioning for a position in the guards.
How odd. How truly odd. He ignored thoughts of her home, of who she really is. Family, friends, business partners, he had to. He was on a mission.
In Villa Auditore, Vanessa was in the office with Mario, discussing her plans for training and what she'd require from him in order to proceed.
She had interest in being a soldier once, it was quickly overlooked though, she had a home and running off to join the army wasn't a good idea, at least, not until she felt physically and mentally able to take on the responsibilities of a soldier in training. Clearly with her permanent disability to hold over a certain weight on her arm, joining the army was no longer possible.
Many would question her judgment as to why she'd do something like that when she had a life unfinished in the States. She would to and so she stayed. Financially able to do as she pleased, she left New York City and arrived in Atlanta. She preferred the area, city but quickly turns into country if you leave it.
As infamous as the crime rates in Atlanta were, Vanessa was decent at her job; with the golden court room rule "Innocent Until Proven Guilty", she did all she could by it. Sometimes, though, criminals would slip through legal hands and wind up right back where they were before.
She hated how it worked, of course, but she respected the system as much as she could without touching a political basis.
After speaking about the training and workouts she intended for the mercenaries as they were done to her in basic training and the exercises she took on before her limiting injury when she planned on joining the military. Mario didn't say a single thing the entire time, only nodded and listening closely.
Vanessa was concerned he didn't approve of most of it, but as she explained the mechanics behind it she was sure he wasn't shooting down what she said yet carefully calculating what the training could bring to his mercenaries and Monteriggioni before deciding if her plans were beneficial.
It was rigorous training, hard work, it would aid the mercenaries in many ways that he hadn't thought of beforehand.
He wouldn't decide that day, instead, he'd ask time to consider the exercise program she suggested to improve his mercenaries combat skills. Vanessa held nothing against him, knowing it was a big choice, something that could either hurt or strengthen the mercenaries to Monteriggioni.
As the day began to wind down, Vanessa found herself in the company of none other then Ezio's sister, Claudia. She had to be from a somewhat wealthy family though.
She couldn't stand the company of the complaining woman, angrily mentioning how Mario has her working and back home her father never made her do such things. Vanessa was beginning to think he should've made her do so much more, perhaps she'd appreciate the fact that she's even alive after the hanging of her brothers and father, the sudden banker in-training to Assassin in-training surviving brother.
Who saved her and her mother when he could've died himself. Vanessa calmed the urge to shout at the young woman, ordering her to get over it, life is life, and nothing is fair; something, anything to stop her whining.
She was content leaving Claudia in the middle of a sentence, denying her calls. Vanessa headed straight to her room; Count was outside enjoying the town, attacking lawbreakers, doing all he could do for Monteriggioni, the hound loved his job as a K-9 unit more then Vanessa did. She momentarily missed his company, petting him and babying him.
For now she sat alone in a room, even though it could be said she had mute company already. Ezio's mother, Maria, kneeled at the bed praying; to whom and for what, Vanessa only guessed it was about her late husband Giovanni and her lost sons. Vanessa found the sight quite saddening, the woman secluded herself to the bedroom, offering little more then Ezio's comfort knowing she was alive though harmed.
From what Vanessa knew, it was years since his family was torn apart and his training as an Assassin began; he wasn't aware of their existence or of the Templar's until he learned how to fight with his uncle Mario as his tutor.
She knew all she needed to without Ezio's permission; it was his life after all she was digging into. Mario was his uncle, but he wasn't there, he may feel the same loss just not on the same level as Ezio. If she ever knew him well enough or got the chance, she'd ask him, not go snooping around behind his back.
Ezio had Mario, Mario had his entire mercenary army of Monteriggioni, they both had the Assassin's, Claudia had Ezio, Leonardo, Maria, friends and distant family; so on and so forth.
Vanessa couldn't help but wonder; who did she have? Was anyone even trying to look for her?
It hadn't been long, only a few days, he tried as hard as he could, but the evidence didn't support any of his first thoughts. She couldn't have been kidnapped; there wasn't a single person on the cameras. Although there were elsewhere in the precinct, there wasn't a single camera in the locker room due to the law.
He had to find out with what he had found and it wasn't much; it wasn't anything, but he had to look at it positively, he couldn't give up.
Vanessa was the closest friend he ever had.
She was out there, somewhere, he had to find her. His mind was erratic; he was taken off the case as it was also law that a police man or woman who has emotional attachments to any person in a case file couldn't be affiliated with it.
Instead he was inclined to take a temporary leave. Daniel admitted he was frantic at first, when she came into Atlanta she wouldn't talk to a soul unless it was about work and usually she'd just email them, ask them that way or put a report on her bosses' desk and leave it at that.
It was only after he made an attempt to approach her that he found out she simply enjoyed silence, the short isolation she'd get after drifting off into her own thoughts of work, hobbies, or anything else. He was so relieved when he found out that she was actually a very kind hearted woman.
At first other people guessed she was strange and strayed from her sight, yet now, with his friendship, they became inseparable. He became a brother to her and she a sister to him; soon enough, everyone talked to her.
When she explained her reasoning for requesting such a long distance transfer he understood immediately. She loved being able to get away, the fact she lived in the fray but had her own escapism by going outside of Atlanta, hitting the north Atlanta Metro area was her favorite and she showed him why first hand. They traveled to the mountains, to the open fields, they saw more things in the country then they ever did inside the city.
Daniel lived in Atlanta nearly his whole life, but he hated to say that he never thought once of heading a little north. Funny thing was, it didn't take so long to reach it either.
He amused himself, running a nervous hand through his hair; Daniel would tell anyone that he feared for her. She was an attractive woman, a nice one, but she wasn't a weak one; if something happened to her, if she was kidnapped, the person holding her would have to be strong, forceful, and very, very persuasive.
Daniel dreaded Vanessa's mouth and attempts for freedom would be the death of her; assuming she wasn't dead already.
"No, damn it. Shut up." He growled, he couldn't take the anxiety. He kept his cell near him, fully charged every day. He couldn't sleep, he felt sick since the moment she was reported missing. His own thoughts wandering to the most likely of events wasn't helping.
So he decided to help her himself. Without authorization, as they'd just deny it, he had seen all the security tapes, went through the evidence room and picked out what he could find.
Out of nostalgia though, he took an item or two from her belongings.
Vanessa wore a necklace she told him was her mother's. She'd want it if they found her and he wanted to be the one to hand it back to her. Once he saw it, he felt determined to take it with him.
He remembered teasing her over it, "Why Spain?" He'd ask, "Because the people are beautiful." She'd answer without a word more; he just found her musings adorable. She was a sister to him, one he wished he knew earlier in his life just so he could've had more time with her.
The old leather hide book hand written in Spanish, she wanted to read it so bad she climbed him to get it. He let out a sad laugh, it was the last night he saw her; anyone saw her.
His mind wandered, again. If someone hurt her I swear I'll kill them. He was angry; he had to find some way to let out his heartbreak. She was so close to him, trusted him with her dark secrets just as he did, when someone broke into her house he was there all the time, watching her, checking the area; he protected her when she was vulnerable and felt helpless.
In turn, when he needed someone to reassure him, she was there picked him up and getting him back on his feet. Without fail, she'd be there just as he'd always be there for her.
He had to find her even if it meant searching endlessly, if it threatened his relationships he'd be okay with that; he had to be there for her.
In one hand, Vanessa's priceless necklace intertwined through his fingers; it wasn't worth much, an old metal necklace that was worn down, it was invaluable to her though so it made it gold in his eyes. In the other hand, her newest collection of Spanish books rested. It looked ready to fall apart if he breathed on it the wrong way.
It probably would. He held the two notable items in his hands knowing these were the last things Vanessa carried with her, the last things she touched.
He thought long and hard about what could've happened to her, if someone took her, attacked her or... No, not that. Please not that. He groaned, a lot of bad things happened in the girl's life, she never had a real family, but she was fine with that. She made a point that because she never actually knew her parents, she couldn't miss them.
It was valid. You can't miss what you never had. It was easy to get over the topic after that, they even joked about her being an alien human born of unnatural means.
She loved that, it was always a joke she laughed at. So he always found a new way to deliver it.
Vanessa told him that her foster parents gave it to her when she was old enough to care for it herself; they told her it was her birth mother's necklace given to them by the orphanage when they adopted her. It was a personal request that the necklace reach the girl and they did exactly that. She never took it off when she wasn't working. It was her crowning jewel.
The necklace was more her mother then the foster mother was.
It had been a few days, he had to keep track. The department would announce her dead after a certain time, without any leads, Daniel couldn't even move forward with his own private operation to reclaim Vanessa alive... or her body.
He flipped through the book once or twice, mindlessly messing with the pages. He couldn't read Spanish, he didn't know any other languages but his own; alas, he found comfort in the book's oddly warm pages and the warm light they emitted.
He knew Vanessa was reading this, when it was found it was open, pages turning lazily. It was dropped on the ground, that much was as clear as day, but it meant someone had to come in without her noticing them, without her even feeling them.
The thought of her being murdered was too much for him to bear, but thinking she was captive to some maniac or criminal with a grudge made him hate himself. He shouldn't have left until she did, he felt guilty even though he knew it wasn't his fault; he just wanted to feel something other then hopelessness. What could they be doing to her? Was she hurt? Do I want to know what's happening to her right now? Daniel cried out, the ache increasing with every gradually increasing fear.
He couldn't help her, she was gone. She could be dead in a gutter, a captive to a perverted psychopath, all these things the opposite of what he was dying to know.
Her safety, her healthy; it was unlikely. He viciously held onto the hope that all they'd do is break a bone or two, she could deal with that as she had done in the past, and at least it would be better then everything else they could do to a woman in her position with her kind of enemies.
With pained thoughts of his close friend, his chosen sister, Daniel fell into a white sleep. It was almost like staring at the sun, but it went away too quickly for him to comprehend what happened.
That he was clutching the book in his hands, Vanessa's necklace with it as he felt a sensation like falling.
And finally; nothing else, just a dreamless sleep.
Review Replies:
Mazzax:
Oh, you mean that they are not archers, right? For a moment I thought this was a flame. D:
I was rather disturbed that NO MERCENARIES EVER could use anything but a claymore and a battle axe. It's really sad, really, really, sad. :P
Ooooo, Daniel? HERE? FIFTEENTH-CENTURY WAAAAT.
Who knows, let's see where this goes for our poor, slowlyloosinghismind, Assassin. :)
flyingcrispi:
I LIKE LONG REVIEWS THOUGH. I do, I really love it when a reader puts their thoughts into their review, it makes me feel like they're actually "reading" it and paying attention. It's comforting. :)
Well, in this chapter all we can see is Vanessa trying to do her part. Nothing else because Vanessa has many a trouble ahead of her. Various things like: Assassin's, Templars, Daniel (weeeeee), Count, Mario, assaults, threats on her life, etc. etc. Y'know, the normal: "IKNOWANASSASSINLOLROFL" roll. :D
And I like Ezio's idea that Vanessa isn't from the future like she said: WHO'D BELIEVE THAT? (iwouldmaybepossiblewhoknows) So he'd feel a need to find out more about her rather then just accept it, even if Leonardo's wonderfully exotic, energetic, and open mind is. LEONARDO ROXORZ LAWL
I'm sorry, I'm in that kind of a mood today. :)
crystalfeathers:
8D
Which is Leonardo. Wait. I mean Vanessa. DAMMIT
Yeah, I guessed because of Leonardo's wonderful imagination that he'd believe it quicker and easier then Ezio. After all, Ezio didn't believe Leonardo when he said he thought he figured out how to make a man fly.
Look at him now! Flying around in Leonardo's flying machine, doing crazy stunts and stuff. :)
Isis the Sphinx:
Isn't Egyptian Mythology the most interesting? You always hear about Greek, Roman, and various other kinds, but surprisingly though Egyptian Mythology is well known, it isn't used as much today as other Mythology is. :(
It's a shame, I love learning about the ancient Egyptian culture but no one ever tries to bring it to light that much anymore. It's always a touchy subject some reason. -shrug-
And you're most welcome. I prefer talking to my readers rather then just saying "Thanks for reviewing, I'm a selfish author!" Because, y'know I am selfish, but at least I don't go right out and say it. :)
Anyways... ERM. Grazie for reviewing! :D