I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
...
He coughed loudly, hurting his throat and his chest felt compressed. He opened his eyes to see nothing but complete darkness. The floor was cold and wet. The smell was foul, like something you would smell in the sewer. It made David want to gag, but he kept the contents of his stomach down. He knew he was in some sort of holding cell.
The room felt small. There was no window to let fresh air in the already cramped space. He saw light coming from the cracks he presumed to be the door. His head throbbed when he began to move his body. He was alone, he was sure of it.
Standing on shaking legs, David walked over to the door. Feeling his way through the darkness, David felt the wooden door. Pushing his weight against the object it did not budge. He cursed to himself knowing that he is now held prisoner. Breathing in calmly, he had to remember his training.
You are taught to never give in to your surroundings. If you are captured by insurgents, you must be as calm as you can be in such circumstances. You shall not panic. You do not give away anything that can be used against your country. Any vital information that can slip to them can be used to harm. David had two options in the matter of survival. He knew option one was not a choice because waiting for help was not going to happen. Option two was to survive long enough to escape.
'How can I even escape if I don't know who my captors are?' He thought to himself.
Moving away from the door, David felt his way back to a corner. There seemed to be some sort of mat to lay on and from what he could smell a sort of latrine. However long he was going to be in prison was up to whoever knocked him out. He was not even sure if a day passed or a couple of hours. All David could do was wait.
I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resists.
...
What felt like hours passed by slowly. There seemed to be little movement outside the door. Sounds of shuffling could be heard and muffled talk. David tried to sleep to regain some strength. His stomach growled for food. Breathing in the foul smell once again, he turned to his side to ignore his stomach.
The door slammed open blinding David with the light of fire. Three men stood in the shadow of the flame and dropped something to the floor. As quickly as the left the room, one of the men placed a torch of the wall and closed the door. Now with some light in the darkness, David could adjust better. Sitting up from the mat he walked over to what looked to be a tray. On it was a bowl with some watery looking soup that could be could and moldy looking bread.
Food was food to David. As suspected, the watery soup was cold. Eating in silence, the surroundings of the cell felt numb. Finishing his meal, David walked back to the mat and laid back down on the mat.
If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
...
The door opened again with the same three men from hours before. David sat up on the mat as two guards came to him. He did not put up a fight because it would be no use. He needed to know who was the enemy and why they captured him. He needed enough information for him to have a better understanding of what was going on around him.
Being held tightly by his arms, the two guards dragged David out of his cell. His feet felt weak from the lack of better space. The guards were taking him around dark corners, empty hallways, and they barely spoke to one another until they opened a door that looked new.
David was not sure what was going on and he still kept calm. The air was much fresher here then back in his cell. Being pushed inside roughly, the former soldier was once more blinded by light. Placing his hand over his eyes to get a better adjustment, he heard boots against a hard floor.
If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take a part in any action, which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.
...
"I have captured an assassin. It is an honor to have one in my presence. It is such a shame that you will be an example to your brothers." A man said.
Blinking to adjust to his surroundings, David looked to the man. As suspected, he was shorter than David. The man wore a constant scowl on his dark face. His eyes were sizing up David before talking again.
"You do not seem to be afraid of being captured. All assassin's do not fear death." He walked away from David.
He kept quiet as this man- his captor- talked in non-English. To David it was just rambles of gibberish. Each time the man would look back at David. His face very stoic without emotion.
"I know you do not understand what I have been saying, but maybe talking in a language you know will keep your ears open." He said.
David took a deep breath.
"Tell me, assassin, why did you trail that woman? What interest is she to you? From my understanding you people do not take special request from such peasants."
When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.
...
"I heard he scream and went to her aide." David simply stated not giving away anything to this man.
"Is it such a coincidence that you were there to help her?" He asked pushing further for something. He wanted David to slip.
"Wrong place, wrong time."David answered, again in simple sentences.
"Do you not know who I am?" The man was certain that giving who he is, David would fear him. Would he tremble before his feet?
"I am but a simple novice with no knowledge of the men in this city. You are a face I am not familiar with. Why you have made me your prisoner, I may not be given that answer. Why I was there when the woman attacked is simple and I will not provide you with anymore information." David stood tall as the man was simply angry.
"It does not matter who I am to you. I know your kind. I have heard of men being killed, men that I have known personally. You do not understand the loss and the consequences of their deaths." The man walked close to David. He tried to intimidate the former soldier. David was not so easily bullied. He was tall and no doubt stronger than this tiny man.
"What I know is what I am told to do. The death of those men mean little to me. I am a simple novice. Nothing more." David spoke.
"Clearly you know more than what you say. However, putting you to death will draw him out. You think you will try to change the world of men, but even you cannot see the deception within." The man kept a firm tone.
David looked forwards with his eyes staring at the wall. There was a bit of confusion in his mind that seemed to have slipped. His eyes showed emotion but he quickly recovered. The man shouted to call the guards in. The same three men came inside the room and grabbed David.
"You will be set an example. They will know their wrongs." He said before the door was slammed shut.
I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.
...
He sat on the mat thinking of his short visit with the man who captured him. The thought of death might have scared David, but he kept occupied trying to find a link that connected this man and those whom he has encountered with Altair. They all had a purpose somehow. Altair did not say much about the men he has killed; not that he would speak to David about it.
Frustrated that their was no answer, David leaned against the wall. There were many unanswered questions that floated around. The longer he thought about it the more David wanted to get out of the situation. These men, these assassin's, they were some part of weird society. And yet, David was caught in their fight just like how the Crusades were tearing each nation to the brink of collapse.
What was it that Al Maulim said when he first came to the Brotherhood? They were more than scholars. But, there was something that David has forgotten and saw it more like a work of fiction. Back then, David was focused on trying to get back home to his family. He still missed them, but missing them and constantly thinking about them wasn't going to help trying to get David back home. He barely thought of home now that he was getting used to being an assassin and uncovering some... conspiracy.
Then it hit David.
"How could I be so... stupid? This whole time that I have traveled with Altair, it was there in my face this whole time. The mysterious men, their deaths, Al Maulim speaking in riddles. Templars... Son of a bitch... I am in the middle of a damn war. And not the war in The Crusades." He rubbed his temples trying to get the headache to fade.
This whole time... it was right there this whole time. David wanted to smack himself for forgetting that Al Maulim gave him the answer, but he did not think to have it right in front of him. He wondered if Altair figured it out. More than likely he might have, just that the assassin hasn't said anything. David thought through clenched teeth.
Laying down on the mat, David could do nothing. He figured out a very important detail, but what did it have to do with him? He cared not for the fight between assassin's and these Templar's- if he was right on the matter. It did not explain how and why he was here at all. Did he have a purpose in helping defeat these men? Maybe. He did not feel like he had a purpose.
"And there is the matter of getting home... my family must still miss me." He frowned feeling guilty to have forgotten them. His heart stung in his chest. Alone. He was alone in a cell far from home. The darkness that surrounded him made the walls close in on him. Every image, every memory flashed of smiling faces. There was love there and there was also chaos.
His head was spinning rapidly. Flashes sparked like lighting in the dark. What he encountered and what he seen. Breathing in deeply through a tighten chest... the former soldier cried.
A/N: So David has figured out who these men are. Big shocker? Not really, Al Mualim pretty much gave him the answer many chapters ago. It's just that David seemed to have forgotten. You know with wanting to get home, finding out why he went back in time, all that good jazz. Seems like the plot is thinning out for our character.