Chapter Five: Nuper Mutata
If Desmond could name any place he wouldn't want to be at any point in time, it would be the Rome facilities of Abstergo Industries. Too many horrific memories flooded its walls and ate at his mind. Despite these feelings of trepidation and even fear, he found himself next to the building, trying to regulate his breathing and rapid pulse. The last time he had been here it had been to save his father. The time before that had been the grueling nonstop Animus sessions he had endured beneath Vidic and Lucy, who had been far less kind than his first sessions in the Animus. Thankfully, it was night and most of the employees, aside from some guards and late workers, were gone.
Inhaling nervously, he headed for the parking garage, feeling he would have a greater chance of successful infiltration from there. Walking through the front doors wasn't exactly a brilliant idea as much as Shaun thought it'd be amusing.
"All right." Rebecca's voice chirped excitedly into his ear, causing him to wince. "So there's a guard at the entrance to the garage. If you come from the north, he might not see you."
"Might." Shaun put in.
"Great."
Desmond slid along the bushes, sure that if a light shined on him he would look like the most suspicious person within a hundred miles.
Noticing the small guard station, he tried to see if the guard was facing him or not, but the way the walls were made it nearly impossible even with how well-lit the station was. Carefully, he tiptoed across the asphalt, slunk beneath the gate, and nearly broke into a run to enter the garage unseen. Crouching behind cars every so often, he weaved his way towards the entrance, not surprised when he saw it guarded as well.
"I don't know, Desmond." Rebecca told him, this time in a whisper he could barely catch. "There's no other way in from what I can see and..."
"Got it." Desmond interrupted her as he headed for a corner.
With frequent glances around him to ensure no patrolling guards happened across him while he worked, Desmond began to remove a ceiling grate. It was surprisingly difficult, full of bolts and screws. It took him far longer than he had wanted to get it off, while Shaun and Rebecca began to go over various alternatives, which were apparently better. He ignored them as he gently set the now mangled grill on the ground and slid it under a nearby car.
"That's a long shaft, Desmond." Rebecca informed him once her camera had darted up into the ventilation. "You can't actually be planning to climb it."
"Well, I don't think he's thinking by modern terms." Melissa stated. "Desmond. I've traveled up shafts before. You can't make it up one that long. You'll exhaust yourself and increase your chances of falling. It's difficult up short shafts!"
"Uh-huh."
He knew they had the experience and know-how to decide this was pointless, but his determination to not have to deal with guards and possibly raise the alarm won against logic. Beginning his ascent through the shaft, Desmond almost instantly regretted it. It was small, barely able to fit him and slick with grime and dust. Meanwhile, fierce chilly wind tried to push him back down the way he had come and it was loud, nearly deafening and making it next to impossible to hear Rebecca now trying to guide him through the ventilation system. He had the uneasy feeling of being inside of a vacuum cleaner as he shoved his back hard against one side and his feet to the other in order to shimmy up the wall. As he ascended further at a painstakingly slow rate, the tunnel grew darker and darker, the only light coming from the hole now several feet beneath him.
"This was a bad idea." He admitted through clenched teeth. "Next time, I'll listen. I promise."
The metal behind him suddenly gave way an inch and he bit his tongue to keep from yelling out in surprise as he shoved his elbows pressed even harder into the sides to keep from slipping.
"Hang in there, Des!" Rebecca yelped into his ear piece. "You have just a few more feet!"
He grunted, unable to respond any better with a bleeding tongue and his chin shoved to his chest. It took him a little longer to get to the top, which was somehow smaller, and slither into it.
"Never...again..." He choked on the dust and his own blood as he wiggled through. "Rebecca, where? I can't see anything."
"A little further than turn to your left. Don't go too far. There's a fan."
"Kay..." He could feel the air shoving against him and hear the fan's whirling as it rotated rapidly some ways in front of him. He inched forward, the sharp edges of metal catching his clothes and tugging at them as well as slicing into his fingers whenever he fumbled forward.
"Turn." Rebecca instructed. "Careful..."
The turn was nearly impossible and incredibly cramped. Had he not been determined to get himself out of the situation, he wasn't entirely sure he'd have been able to make it. The fan cut into his jeans when his leg got to close and he was grateful it missed his thigh. A few minutes later and Rebecca's heli-camera was outside of the grate unscrewing its bolts as Desmond was on the wrong end to be doing it.
Once safely landed in the small maintenance room, Desmond took a few minutes to catch his breath and rejoice in having survived the ordeal.
"You have a lot of luck." Melissa told him. "Most shafts are even smaller than that. That's why they're training rats to go work inside of them rather than people."
"And it looks like Abstergo shuts down some of its air during the night." Shaun added. "Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to make it up the shaft."
"I am dirty, bloody, sweaty, and...as you said I would be, Melissa...exhausted." Desmond wiped some of the sweat from his face, smearing blood onto it instead. "Ugh...I'm an idiot when it comes to modern stuff."
"Well, better buck up and get going." Shaun advised. "We haven't got all night."
"Right." Desmond willed himself to stand and brush some of the muck from his torn pants and sweatshirt. "Point me."
Stepping into the room where he had spent so many days a lifetime ago, Desmond eyed its dark corners before heading towards the Animus.
"It'll look kind of like a thick floppy disk." Rebecca informed him. "Right by the monitor to the Animus. Just pull it out. I'll have to hack into it, but there's no other way."
"Right." Desmond found what she was looking for and pulled it out. "Time to go..."
He turned and froze as his eyes landed upon someone near the door, a gun pointed at him.
"Put it down now and step away from the Animus." The woman ordered and Desmond immediately recognized her voice.
"Lucy?" He obeyed the last part of her command, but not the first. '
"Who are you?" She ordered. He wished he could see her face, but the light from the hallway and the dark of the chamber made her entire body a silhouette.
"I'm a friend." He told her, cautiously as he lifted his left hand to show her his missing ring finger. "I'm here to get you out of here."
"What?" Her voice wavered, uncertain. "What do you mean? What's going on?"
"We got wind of some information on Abstergo's plans." The lie fell easily from his lips. "They intend to find some pieces of Eden using this machine. William wouldn't tell me the details, but he needs you to help him find the POEs first. We already have a subject. Someone by the name of Desmond Miles. Apparently, Abstergo intended to use him, but we got to him first."
Slowly, Lucy's gun lowered. "It was supposed to be Elena or Sergio who came and got me if there ever was an emergency."
"They've been compromised."
"How?"
"I don't know. I just got my orders and came. That's it."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Luca Lombardi."
She seemed to believe him, likely due to his slight Italian accent. "Okay. I'll...you're really dirty."
He glanced down at his clothes and then back up at her. "Yeah...sorry."
It didn't take her long to grab a few things from Vidic's desk and then she led the way out of the facility, careful not to run into any guards along the way. He kept his hood up, careful not to let her see his face entirely as they made their way out of the building. They took her car with him slouching in the backseat before he found himself in the passenger seat as soon as she had passed the security guard.
"Where are we going?" She questioned.
He advised her under Rebecca's instruction, scrutinizing Lucy's features out of the corner of his eye. The distrust was so strong, he wanted to knock her unconscious and take her to the location himself, but he kept his cool.
They arrived in an open field outside of Rome, much to Lucy's confusion.
"Here's fine."
She parked and they both got out of the car. Desmond immediately sensed Melissa's presence as the Canadian Assassin slid through the grass towards them. A second later and Lucy was pinned to the hood of the car.
"What is this?" Lucy asked, surprised, as Desmond came around to help Melissa hold her down. "Hey!"
"Search her for any sort of surveillance." Shaun advised as he jogged up to them. "And give me her phone."
Desmond pulled the mobile from her back pocket, causing her to glare at him, and tossed it over to the other man.
"Shaun." Lucy gaped at the British man. "What's going on?"
"New standard procedure, I'm afraid." Shaun said as he hacked into her phone. "Ah...yes. It's got a trace on it. We'll just deactivate that and...all right. I have a few minutes before I have to smash it."
"I'd love to smash it if you'd let me." Desmond grinned when Shaun rolled his eyes.
"No tech." Melissa stated as she pulled out some handcuffs to attach around Lucy's wrists. "But I didn't want to go too deep, if you know what I mean."
Both Desmond and Shaun pulled faces at this.
"This is ridiculous." Lucy gaped at the three as she was permitted to straighten. "What is going on?"
"You want honesty?" Shaun continued to work. "How about we suspect you of betraying the Assassin Order?"
Lucy's face froze, her eyes glued to Shaun.
"Or that we know you informed Abstergo about the possibility of using Monteriggioni and sent two operatives to operate a sensor and transmitter in the manor's top floor? Or that you betrayed Clay Kaczmarek and let Abstergo basically drive him to his own death? Or that you had planned to use Desmond Miles to get hold of a Piece of Eden...or two or three or more? Did I miss anything? Oh, yes, or that you were intending to lead Elena and Sergio into believing they could infiltrate Abstergo when you did finally acquire Desmond and have them be slaughtered in an attempt to rescue him."
"And that she intended to rat out the location of the Farm to them." Rebecca added as she approached.
"There's that too." Shaun agreed.
Lucy still didn't move, her eyes wide and terror seeping into them. She knew she had been caught. They all knew it.
"You can smash it."
Shaun passed the cell to Desmond who immediately placed it on the ground and began to stomp on it. It was amazing how much relief flooded him knowing they were making it next to impossible to track them down.
"Ready?" Melissa asked, jerking Lucy away from the car.
"Just one more thing." Rebecca said as she opened up the engine lid. "Oh, and you guys will want to start heading towards the van now."
The four began towards the van as Rebecca placed something next to the engine.
"Where are we going?" Desmond asked as they started further across the field towards the van conveniently parked behind a row of trees.
"Sergio's team has sent an Assassin to a meeting spot." Shaun informed him. "Once we rendezvous with him, we'll be taken to the new safe house since the other one has been jeopardized."
"Sounds fine."
"Start running!" Rebecca said as she suddenly rushed past them.
None of them hesitated as they chased after her.
The explosion shook the ground and sent the small car's back end erupting up into the air as the front scattered several feet around the blast.
"Big enough for you?" Shaun shouted at Rebecca as she jumped into the van. They were all rushing now to get out of the area before anyone showed up.
"I was half tempted to add as second one." Rebecca laughed at the expression of disgust to wash over Shaun's face. "Oh, come on! Live a little!"
"I intend to live a little longer, yes!" Shaun got into the driver's seat. "Which means less TNT next time!"
Desmond laughed as he took his seat beside Melissa, Lucy across from them.
"Good, god, Desmond." Melissa pinched her nose. "You reek!"
"Desmond." Lucy's mouth dropped as she stared at him, words finally finding her mouth as the vehicle skidded onto the road. "Desmond Miles?"
He smiled at her as he removed his hood. "The one and only."
The rest of the ride was in silence.
Here you go! :D