If her head wasn't already throbbing she was sure the hospital grade lights that greeted her as she forced her eyelids open would have given her a headache. Her head hung limply against her chest. Her knees and bare feet dragging along the ground as her two burly guards were dragging her bodily down the hall by her shoulders. Everything hurt. She couldn't even expend the energy to lift her head. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and she winced. The metallic taste of blood reminding her of her split lip. The few strands of her red hair that where long enough were plastered to the back of her neck, slick with sweat.

She missed her long red locks, they used to curl down her back in ringlets that her mother would brush through in a nightly ritual. That was years ago. It was one of the first things these bastards had taken from her upon her captivity. The first tears she'd shed in this place were as they held her down and ran the electric clippers along her scalp. Handfuls of hair falling around her face. They rarely let it grow to any length. One of many personal liberties denied to her here.

As they neared the end of the hall she could hear raised voices, arguing. Her eyes scrunched up in dismay. Vidic was in a bad mood already. If her legs would have handled the strain, she would have dug her heels in a last-ditch effort to delay being dragged to the inevitable punishment that Vidic was sure to administer upon discovering her latest thwarted escape attempt.

As they neared she could finally make out the words being snarled at each other. Her brow furrowed in confusion. Lucy?

"We're losing him!"

"That's enough, Ms. Stillman!"

"We need to pull him out. Now."

Vidic sighed exasperatedly. "Alright, Desmond. We're going to try and bring you out now."

She blinked, her clouded mind latching on to clear thought. Who the hell was Desmond?

"Are you okay?" Lucy's voice had taken on a concerned, calmer, quality.

Vidic scoffed. "I told you he'd be fine."

"Bastards!"

She blinked, stunned. This must be Desmond. His voice had a low rumble to it. Flashes of hooded figures. Glowing gold sphere. Safety and peace. She dry heaved as present and past collided in her vision. Shutting her eyes tight she attempted to breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. Her stomach rolled in anxious fear. This was how Clay had said it started. How long till she was writing in weird script across her cell wall, unable to distinguish reality from history. Her body shuddered, a whimper escaping her small frame. She didn't want do die like that.

On of her guards reached up to knock on the metal door. It reverberated with a metallic clang.

Silence was all the answer from inside the room before quick steps clacked across the floor and the door opened with a near silent swish.

Vidic stood in the doorway; face pinched in irritation. He quickly scanned the guards then his gaze dropped to hers. She flinched as his face closed off, blank in all except his eyes, which roared with an inferno of fury.

"Miss Giles."

Two words. That's all it took for her whole body to start shaking. She couldn't stop, she'd almost rather the guards had shot her in the recapture attempt.

Vidic pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and breathed out aggressively through his nose. He jerked his head before turning and stalking back into the room. "Bring her."

Her guards dragged her through the door, dropping her in a heap after the door and closed, and beeped, indicating the lock had engaged.

"You got to be Fucking kidding me. A Kid?! You assholes kidnapped a kids? The hell did you do to her?"

She braced her thine arms against the tiled floor. Shakily raising her head and looked over to where the animus bed was in the center of the room.

He was younger than she expected. By his voice tone she would have pegged him older. He looked to be early twenties. He had an angular face, covered with a few days of stubble. He had black hair and dark eyes. She'd seen his face before….or maybe they had. He let her head fall back to the floor with a thump. It was too hard to think.

"I assure you Miss Giles condition is entirely of her own making." Vidic stated coldly. She didn't even bother to raise her head from the floor.

Desmond snarled and was clearly about to have a go at Vidic when the scientist turned and crossed his arms over his chest. "Really now, that's quite enough of that. I just saved your life."

"Saved my life?! You kidnapped me! Strapped me into that... thing!"

"Animus" The crumpled form muttered into the floor and she felt rather than saw Lucy crouch down next to her.

"Anita…." She trailed off scoldingly.

Anita tilted her head to the side and smiled sadly up at the blond. "Sorry Lucy…I thought I had an opportunity."

Lucy shook her head sadly and the two guards stood at attention addressing Vidic. "Subject has been recaptured Dr. Vidic. She led us for a chase around the interior compound but never made it to the wall. Tranquilizers were administered though rifle projectiles. And when the subject resisted, corporal punishment was administered until the subject was subdued. We figured it would be best to report her directly to you."

Vidic signed "Really Miss Giles I would have thought after the last two attempts you would have learned your lesson."

Anita grits her teeth. Talking back at this point wasn't going to do anything but make the situation worse but oh she wished she could hit him.

Desmond groaned, " I don't even know you people! Why are you doing this to us?"

Vidic raised an eyebrow. "You have information we need, Mr. Miles. As for Miss Giles, she has been a guest of Abstergo industries for some time, and she should know the consequences of her actions."

Anita paled, silently praying Vidic didn't recall the threat he'd made the last time she'd been caught trying to flee.

Thankfully Desmond had all the sass she'd lost over these past few years. "Information? I'm a bartender for christsakes! What do you want me to do? Teach you how to mix a martini?"

Anita snorted, hoping desperately the sound was muffled by the floor. Lucy helped her into a sitting position and shot her a warning look.

Vidic began to pace slowly back and forth. "We know who you are. What you are."

Desmond's expression turned guarded. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Vidic spun back to him. "Don't play coy with me. There isn't time. You're an Assassin. And whether you realize it or not, you and Miss Giles have got something that my employers want. Locked away in those heads of yours."

"But I'm not an Assassin. Not anymore."

Anita looked at him, brow furrowed. What did he mean? No one left the brotherhood. At least not that she was aware of.

"Yes... your file indicated as much. Something about an "escape." Most fortunate for us."

"What do you want from me?"

Vidic looked down his nose at Desmond. "For you to do as you're told. The Animus will allow us to locate what we need. Once we have it, you'll be free to go."

Anita snorted; she couldn't help it. "Liar." She whispered and Vidic shot her a look, silencing her.

"I am not going back in there!" Desmond snarled.

Vidic shrugged. "You're not the only source of information we have Mr. Miles." He stalked over to Anita her guards, pushed Lucy aside and yanked the young girl to her feet. "Miss Giles has a head full of ancestry, runs neatly along near yours. But multiple angles are best to be able to get the most information." He glared at Desmond over his shoulder. "If you refuse to cooperate we'll just have to induce a coma and continue our work." He turned his attention back to Anita. Before glancing at her guards. He tilted his head to the side, where a vertical table style animus was placed.

"No!" Anita bulked thrashing back and forth desperately. "Please, Vidic, I'm sorry! I won't run again. Please!" she turned a desperate gaze to Lucy. "Lucy please! Help me! This is what hurt Clay, please!"

Lucy wrung her hands nervously. "Warren I…."

Vidic cut her off with a sharp gesture. "I warned Miss Giles what would happen if she attempted to escape again." He walked over to the vertical animus taking an iv needle and attaching it to the bag hanging by the table. "If she insists on scoffing at our generosity that we shall simply extend her animus sessions." He smiled wickedly at the red head. "After all Subject 16 spend days in the animus, and we learned so much from him."

The guards started to drag her over to Vidic, but Anita was desperate. She kicked out, causing one of the guards to stumble. Her feet struggled to get underneath her. her remaining guard twisted her arm behind her, forcing her to bend forward or risk breaking her arm.

As her fallen guard regained his feet and took a vicelike grip on her other arm Vidic tapped his chin thoughtfully. He sighed "Her behavior really is getting out of hand. These escape attempts are only giving her false confidence." He raised his gaze to her guards and said flatly, "Break her legs."

"NO!" Anita shrieked, struggling as one of the guards took both her arms in his and the other pulled a metal baton from his belt, grabbing her ankle firmly and puling her leg out straight. "Vidic please, I swear I won't ever try again." Anita begged desperately, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Vidic shook his head. "You've said that before Miss Giles." He shrugged, "I'm merely solving the problem before it evolves." He smiled cruelly at her. "It will be awful hard for you to go anywhere we don't want you do without functioning legs."

Anita sobbed as her guard lined his baton up with her knee. Pulled his arm back, knuckles whitening around the baton.

"Wait!"

Anita sobbed in relief as Desmond called out. Vidic scowled at the interruption, "What is it now Mr. Miles?"

Desmond swallowed hard, glancing nervously between Anita, the guards holding her, and Vidic. "Come on Doc. She's just a kid."

Vidic gave him an unimpressed glare. "Miss Giles as been with us for several years now. She knows better than these childish antics." He turned to gesture at the guards to continue but Desmond held up his hands placatingly.

"Awe Doc she's still a kid. What is she like 10?"

Anita blinked, swallowing hard. But not daring to move for fear it would cause the guard to resume his downward assault on her leg.

Lucy stepped forward nervously. "She's 15, so yes" she glared at Vidic, "Very much still a child."

Vidic turned his sour expression on the blond. "Don't even start Miss Stillmen we've been over this. If you coddle this behavior she will only try again."

Desmond jumped in. "How about my good behavior doc?"

Vidic raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon? I've told you we can always put you in a coma if you refuse."

Desmond nodded, "Yeah, but you also said this approach saves time. I imagine it's the same with her." he nodded to Anita. "So how about you have them let her go, as a sign of good faith. And I'll hop right back in the …." He trailed off trying to think of what Vidic had called the machine he was sitting on.

"Animus." Lucy supplied.

Desmond nodded. "Right the Animus. I'll begrudgingly run your tests or whatever. Just….don't hurt the kid."

Vidic was silent for a long moment. He spun on his heel and stalked over to Anita. The guard holding her leg released her, but her arms were still restrained behind her. he reached out and grasped hold of her chin roughly, tilting her face up to look him in the eye.

"You understand that I've had enough of these irrational displays I presume?" he stated coldly. Anita nodded, tear tracks reflecting in the light. "Mr. Miles has offered a chance to safe your sorry hide. But I'm going to make this a two-way street." He leaned forward, and his grip on her chin was the only thing keeping her from jerking back in fright. "You're going to help Mr. Miles learn the rules around here Miss Giles. Any issues we have with him, or his behavior will be coming out of your hide. And this will be your last second chance." He shook her sharply to emphasis his point. "We need you alive. But you're not require remaining intact. Do we have an understanding?"

Anita swallowed hard and gave a tiny nod. Eyes falling toward the floor. "Yes sir." She whispered Vidic released her and had the guards drag her to the other side of the computer screen next to the animus Desmond sat on. On the other side was a second Animus bed. The guards laid Anita down on it, cuffs slid out from the bed locking around her wrists and ankles.

Anita shuddered at the contact but didn't struggle. A blue shield came up out of the bed, encasing around her head, it was see through, but doubled as a computer screen.

Vidic motioned the guards to take up positions near the door before turning back to Desmond and raising an eyebrow in question. "So, what is it, Mr. Miles? The easy way." He gestured for him to lay back on the Animus. "Or the Crippled way." The guards by the door thwacked the baton in his hand aggressively to emphasis Vidic's point.

Desmond slid back and laid down on the Animus, without a fight.

Vidic nodded approvingly. "A wise decision." He gestured for Lucy to begin running the program. "Let's get started Miss Stillmen, we are burning daylight."