I hate it but I refuse to mess with it anymore. I've been working on it for a week with two other chapters brewing. Future chapters with Desmond will be better, I promise...

And I know... Random change of time, but trust me, it works. I have to do this all proper like.

Abstergo Industries Compound – 2012

The click of boots on the tiled floor had initially woke him, but the hand that covered his mouth quite suddenly is what made his eyes fly open. He didn't bother to look before he acted. He grabbed the arm and twisted to the right, throwing the person off balance, and pulling them against his chest. He quickly rolled, pinning whoever it was beneath him before forcing the arm behind their back. There was a decidedly feminine yelp as he did this and when he looked again, he was shocked to see that it was, in fact, a woman that he was pinning to the bed.

"Who are you," he growled. He was quite honestly getting tired of sudden attacks and inexplicable happenings.

"I'm here to help," the woman squeaked, muffled by the bed.

"Tell me your name."

"Trust me, Desmond. I mean no harm!"

"No harm," he scoffed. "Then why were you sneaking around my room? How do you know my name? And who the hell are you!?"

"A'shaia wak akla mukla bel kullukum mumkin," she said in flawless Arabic.

"What," he gasped as his eyes fell to her right wrist, which he held. There, tattooed in black ink was the symbol of the Assassin's guild.

Desmond let her go and took several steps back from her. The girl did not look like she was of Middle Eastern descent, with her pale skin, blue eyes and blonde hair. It chilled him to the bone to hear the same words he had witnessed his ancestor speak. And even more disturbing was that she was branded as an assassin. Who was she, anyways?

"My name is Shayna Adair," she said standing and rubbing her wrist. "I was sent to help you."

He raised an eyebrow as he gave her the once over. She didn't look like someone who could help him. She stood at around five feet, five inches tall and was slim, but not lacking where curves were concerned. She was of a much smaller frame than he was and he was honestly surprised that he hadn't hurt her when he pinned her. She wore loose black cargo pants and a black tank top with a pair of worn looking black boots. A three fingered glove covered part of her right hand while silver dogtags and a cross necklace adorned her neck. A long black trench coat lay discarded over the chair next to the bed. The only weapons she appeared to have was a belt of throwing knives fastened to her thigh.

"How did you get in here," he asked.

"Same way you did," she replied. "Through the door."

"But the doors are locked with a sec-"

"-a security code that they never change?"

Desmond stared at Shayna for a long moment. She was clearly familiar with Abstergo and its inner workings and that made him very uneasy. He began to doubt his ability to trust this supposed assassin.

"Who are you?"

"I told you," she sighed, crossing her arms over a rather well-endowed chest.

"No… you didn't."

"What do you want to know then?"

"That phrase you used, the Arabic one, where did you hear that?"

Shayna stared at him, icy eyes not wavering from his brown ones, as if she was debating on what to tell him. He glared at her, willing her to answer him. And it seemed she broke finally because she sighed again, her eyes falling to the floor.

"A great assassin named Altair Ibn La-Ahad once said it as he lay his teacher in his grave," she said softly.

"How do you know of him?!"

"Aside from the fact that he is your ancestor? Yes, I know about that. Abstergo doesn't hide their records very well. Anyone with the right passwords can access the Animus records. But aside from that, I know because I have seen him just as you have. Al Mualim was my ancestor."

"Seriously, who the fuck are you," he growled, impatient with the way she was avoiding his question. The girl was a blatant tease and far more arrogant than he'd like to deal with.

"Fine," she began. "The Brotherhood refers to me only as 'Shaqr'. Abstergo has me on file as Subject Seven."

"Subject Seven? If you are Al Mualim's descendant, then why did they need me? Couldn't they have used you to acquire their treasure?!"

"Keep your voice down," she hissed. "And they tried. His memories remained inaccessible. The closest they could get was his daughter and even then they were unable to access the memories."

"His… daughter? I didn't know he had a daughter."

"Yes, he did. And she was, in fact, very close with your ancestor. Close enough that you and I are technically related by marriage."

"His wife?"

"Close," she said, pacing. "Altair and my ancestor, Sibylla, were master and student. From the shreds of memories I could see, they were obviously lovers as well. What I do know for sure, is that they both had children separate from each other. How this happened, I do not know, because according to all the records I have found, Sibylla was Altair's wife up until their deaths. The two were virtually inseparable from 1191 onward."

Desmond stared at the woman. Nowhere in his ancestor's memories did he ever see this 'student', Sibylla. He resorted to the Eagle Vision that he suddenly found himself capable of and was honestly surprised to see that Shayna really was an ally.

"How come I didn't see her in the Animus," he asked. "If they were inseparable, why was she not there in the memories I have."

"Simple," she replied. "Two reasons: first, have you ever noticed that the Animus will fast-forward? It skips parts of your ancestor's personal life deemed irrelevant to what Abstergo wants. Thus activities such as taking a woman to bed or courting her would be cut out."

"But if she had been his apprentice, then I think she would be there."

"The Animus did not show him taking a piss, did it? And yet you know he did."

They stared at each other for a long moment, almost challenging one another. Normally, he was laid back and uncaring. But this girl annoyed him to no end for some reason.

"Second," she continued. "You could be like me and those memories may require a key to unlock them."

"A key?"

"Yes, like a trigger or something."

"I don't follow."

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Perfect, one-hundred percent synchronization unachievable by yourself since they are shared memories and thus requires the other half of them in order to access them."

"So, you're telling me, I'd need your memories in order to view the memories involving your ancestor."

"Pretty much."

"But why," he asked, scratching his head. "I can see memories involving other people just fine."

"Because that is the way it works sometimes. Altair and Sibylla, as I said, were nearly inseparable. I'm talking about one of the most pathetically romantic and devoted couples EVER. Their memories are too tightly wound with one another."

"So how would they access those memories? Obviously they need us both in the Animus at the same time. And that thing isn't big enough for two."

"A second Animus machine and then rigging us together."

Desmond couldn't help but give her look. The way she said it was as if she had shrugged, so non-chalant like it wasn't a big deal. But it was a very big deal. If her ancestor was Al Mualim, then she carried knowledge about the Piece of Eden that Abstergo desperately needed. She shouldn't even be here.

"How did you get out," he asked, suspicious of her again.

"Excuse me?"

"How did you get out of here? It seems unlikely that they just released you."

"I escaped."

"How?"

"Security back then when more… relaxed."

"So you're the reason for all this."

"Sadly, yes," she looked at the clock then back at him. "Speaking of, we have wasted too much time. We should be going now."

Shayna grabbed her coat and shrugged it on. It was long on her, the hem only a few inches from the ground. She looked at him with what he thought was an expectant look before moving out the door and into the lab. She stopped and waited halfway to the exit, when he didn't follow her, with a sigh. It was clear from the way she stood that she was annoyed with him. He didn't need to be a psychic to know that. He shook his head and followed her, taking one last look at the Animus, which he hoped he would never see again as she led him towards the door. He watched her punch in the security code, his heart rising in his throat as he thought of being free.

The doors took far too long to slide open for his tastes but when they did, he knew it had to be too good to be true. Shayna went through first and his fear was confirmed. Arms reached out and grabbed her, twisting her own arms painfully behind her back till she went down on her knees, a gun held against her head.

"What are you doing," cried Desmond, rushing forward.

"Did you really think it would be that easy," said that voice Desmond had come to hate, halting him. Dr Warren Vidic stepped from the shadows on the other side of the door. "Well if it isn't Subject Seven! Just the assassin we were looking for! Did you miss us?"

"Go to hell," Shayna spat.

"Mr. Miles, I'd not move if I were you," said Vidic, as Desmond was calculating a way to get his would be savior away from the security guards. Vidic then turned back to Shayna. "You are going to give us what we want this time."

"I won't help you templar bastards, just as my ancestor wouldn't," she growled. Desmond had to admit, the girl was brave to be staring down the barrel of a loaded AK-47 and still be defiant.

"Oh I think you will," Vidic cackled. "I have no doubt of it. And Desmond here is going to be the key that unlocks those sticky little memories of yours."

"Not if I escape again! I did it once, I'll do it again!"

"I think not. Welcome back to Abstergo, Miss Adair. Knock her out."

Desmond had no choice but to watch as Shayna was struck with the butt of the gun and knocked unconscious. The guards then took her to the room Desmond had called his own for the last several months. He stared at Vidic in disbelief.

"You can't do this," he exclaimed.

"I can and will," replied Vidic, dialing a number on his phone before speaking into it. "Mrs. Mercer? Be a dear and change the security codes through the entire building. Yes, we got her. Good work, as always."

Vidic then turned back to Desmond as the guards returned, flanking him, carrying Shayna's knives

"Now, Mr. Miles, I suggest you return to you room and tend to your new guest."

Desmond glared at the man before him, fists clenching. He decided not to risk armed guards and returned to his room, the door sliding shut and locking behind him. They had laid Shayna on the bed, her black clothing standing out in shocking contrast to the white sheets. It was now that Desmond noticed that everything here was white and it annoyed him quite suddenly. He shrugged it off and went into the bathroom for a wet rag. When he returned, he could clearly see the bump on the girl's head where they had struck her. He sat on the edge of the bed and laid the rag over the bump with a sigh.

"Thanks for trying," he mumbled.

Shayna was beautiful, he admitted. And he could not understand how girl as pretty as her had come from the same place he had. He watched her for a long time before being startled half to death by a very odd occurrence. For a split second, he saw a different setting, different place, same girl. He blinked several times and it happened again. It took him only a few moments to realize that he was seeing through his ancestor's eyes at what was probably a vision of Shayna's ancestor. He shivered. If she was right, the next several days in the Animus were going to be very weird.

NOTES:

"A'shaia wak akla mukla bel kullukum mumkin" is the exact line from the game that Altair spoke to Al Mualim as he lay dying in his arms. It translates into "nothing is real forever but everything is possible" NOT "Nothing is true, everything is permitted"

Desmond is Subject 17.

Mercer is a direct reference to Prototype. (See below)

AK-47 rifles because if you remember correctly, there is a shoot out in the game at the compound. I think the guards would be armed at all times.

Author's Comments:

It's shit, I know. I didn't want to write it, I wasn't feeling it. Abstergo scenes are far too stiff. Take your pick.

I promise, it will get better. This chapter was an after thought.

OH! Cameo! Mrs. Mercer? Yeah, that would be Kitty Mercer, computer genius extraordinare! I thought I would give my friend's character a cameo, since she was the reason this damn fic got started.

All you need to know about Mrs. Kitty Mercer is that she is a character in my friend's story as a descendant of Malik, a computer genius and she is married to Alex Mercer of Prototype.

No, this is not turning into a crossover. Her's is the crossover, I simply gave her character a cameo.

There will be more cameos of her characters... expect them.