Chapter Twelve:

The Trump Card

1205

"… Suna?"

I smiled weakly. "Frankly, I am as surprised as you are, father."

Altair's sword dropped to the ground. He quickly had me in his arms, ignoring the corpse beside us. I was so happy that I wasn't dead, that I was in his arms and smiling with him. I hadn't realized how much I would miss it, if I had really died. How much of an idiot I was.

"Impossible!" A'hd screamed, fighting against the Assassins holding him. "You should be dead! I stabbed you right through the chest! Through your heart! You are of the Devil's flesh! Of his blood! How dare you hold my sister's face, and call that son of a bitch your father?"

Moment ruined, I thought dryly as I let go of Altair, though he was more hesitant to do so than I.

"A'hd, you are a fool!" I yelled up at him. "Did you really think that I would be so foolish as to get hit by your arrows? To be captured and killed in such a manner? What you hit was not my heart, as you completely missed it!" I hoped that my lie would convince everyone else who was present as well. "A'hd, I was thinking of letting you leave. I was willing to talk to the Grandmaster about releasing you and letting you leave Masyaf with Ahdara, but you aren't even worth a word of it! You are no man, but a coward, and a fool! You put your own well-being above your daughter's!" My rant reminded me of the last words I heard before I'd supposedly "died". I looked to Altair. "Where is Ahdara, Grandmaster?"

"Some Templars took her away from the battle, and we were forced to retreat. We could not go after her," Altair told me, his voice both sad and serious.

My fists clenched. For years, before I'd even met Chara or knew about her, I had become good at controlling my emotions. But losing my sister had hurt me deeply, and I feared I would never recover. Now, the thought of losing Ahdara, who looked so much like my older sister… It was near unbearable.

"We will send out a search party immediately," Altair said. "You, Maria, Malik and I will be it. This victory will gain us the time we need."

I nodded. "Thank-you, Altair. This is something that needs to be finished."

1511

"It was… It must have been years ago, because I cannot seem to remember the exact date, but Ezio tried to leap over the canal in Venezia, and he ended up slamming into the wall he had tried to grab onto, and fell into the canal with all of his armour on!" I laughed, with Sofia joining in. "When he finally got out of there, he had the biggest frown on his face, you would not even believe it!"

Sofia tried to stifle her giggles. "Ezio sounds quite adventurous!"

"Oh, si, he was and still is. It runs in his family." I remembered that Mario had once stolen some of his younger brother's undergarments and hung them from the flagpole in Monteriggioni. Vanni wouldn't speak with him for a month. "What year were you born?" I asked her.

"1476," she said. "Here, in Kostantiniyye."

I nodded. "That was the year that Ezio's father and brother's were executed," I said sadly. "I remember that day. He was seventeen, you know."

Sofia automatically covered her mouth. "Mio dio. Ezio lost his family…?"

"He still had his mother and sister," I told her. "Though his mother, Maria Auditore, has been gone seven years now."

"Poor Ezio…" Sofia put a hand on mine. "Well, Ezio does not talk much about himself, so I do appreciate you telling me this." Sofia smiled. "I thought his name was familiar though. I learned of the execution of the Auditore's when I went to Venezia with my parents. What has Ezio been doing since then?"

I smiled back. "That, Sofia, is something that Ezio should tell you himself."

Sofia nodded in understanding. "Ah, but one more question, Sofia…"

"Si?"

"You say you remember that year, and yet you are so young! Do you mean in the history books, or were you really there?"

I grinned slyly. "I am older than you think, Sofia. Now I'd better go; Ezio might come around and hit me with his cane."

Right on cue, Ezio walked in. "I heard that," he growled, though it was playful.

"Oh mio dio! The old man can still hear!"

"And I could probably still find a way to calci nel culo." Ezio smirked and nodded to Sofia in greeting. "Mi dispiace. That was inappropriate."

Sofia waved her hand. "It is all right, Ezio. I am not so young that my ears would bleed from such a phrase."

I grinned. "I will leave you two now. I have something I must do."

When I'd shut the door behind me, I sighed. Ezio was getting older now, and I would be lying if I said that I did not miss the days that we had when he was younger and able to do more, but I knew he would have to slow down sometime. But with my life, nothing was ever slow. It was always fast, continuously moving, and it may never stop.

2012

I woke up and blinked a few times, trying to adjust my sight to the darkness around me. I groaned when I realized what time it was.

Too early, I thought sadly. I wanted to get right back to sleep, but I was suddenly thirsty. So, I crawled out of my bed and trudged to the kitchen. Most of the pop was gone (consumed mercilessly by Mason), and that made a lot of room for other things in the fridge. I grabbed some orange juice and poured myself a glass, wondering if I shouldn't just drink the rest. That was how thirsty I was.

I heard something outside the kitchen. I placed my glass down onto the counter and quietly moved to the door. I peeked outside and saw a figure making their way towards the room that we'd moved both Animi to. Or, at least, the one where we moved the Animus I'd been using. The main room, in short.

I followed quietly, trying not to make a sound on the creaking floorboards. When the figure reached the main room, I realized it was Bill, and he had the Apple in the chest I'd initially hid it in.

Bill looked around to see if anyone was up. Of course he didn't see me; his body was old, and that meant his eyes were weak. Despite wearing white in the shadows, I could blend in perfectly. When he was satisfied, he opened the chest and stared at the Apple. I stepped out then, deciding I didn't want to find out what he was doing and instead just stop him outright.

"Bill," I greeted sourly. "It's early in the morning. What're you doing with that thing?"

Bill nearly jumped, but got himself under control. "It's my turn to watch over Desmond," he replied.

"And you're doing a fantastic job," I said sarcastically. "Bill, drop that thing and watch your son."

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Bill asked. "When Lucy died, I took it upon myself to guide this team, and—."

"For God sakes!" I snapped, trying to keep my voice down. "We both know that you as a leader is like me as a Templar! It just doesn't work!"

Bill frowned. "Samantha, I'm more of a leader than anyone! You knew that years ago!"

"When I was teaching you the skills we Assassins use, did you ever notice me saying how great of a leader you would be?" I shook my head. "Sometimes, Bill, we have to accept our place in the world and just move on. I was never leader. I'm still not. I take orders and I carry them out. That's my place. Yours is to watch over and care for your son, who is between life and death right now!"

"I don't need this from you." Bill took the Apple out of the chest. "Samantha, I decide. I'm the oldest, and I'm the leader."

"Oh, so now we're playing the 'oldest' card? You're old in body, Bill. I'm old in mind. And age."

"Shut-up!" Bill snapped.

"Did I hit a nerve? Sorry. Then again, after all the times you'd gotten on my bad side, I guess this is just one way to make up for it."

Bill was shaking. I had no idea what was on his mind, and I was suddenly thankful for the comfort my hidden blades were giving me.

"Samantha, I'm warning you. If you dare insult me again, you'll be sorry."

I smirked. He knew I was going to take the bait. "Your parenting skills suck, you were always lazy, you smell like dirty socks and feet, and your hair can't get any greasier."

Bill raised the Apple. "I warned you! Now you won't get any mercy from me, you little bitch!"

I didn't react. I couldn't. It was too fast. The Apple rooted me to the spot. And then I felt the sensation of warm blood. It started at my sternum, and I was so shocked that I didn't even notice the pain until another path of blood appeared, this time just above my collar bone. And then my chest, and my arms. The Apple released me, finally, and I fell to the ground, screaming in pain. I realized that the wounds that had healed ever since I became immortal were reopening. Everywhere, in every place. From getting stabbed through the heart by A'hd hundreds of years ago, to getting shot by Michael less than a week ago. That meant that some wounds were opening twice. Just in the same place, pretty much. And it hurt like hell.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Mason yelled, and tackled Bill.

The Apple flew out of Bill's hand and rolled somewhere. Hell, I was too busy to look for it at the moment, and Mason and Bill were grappling with each other ferociously enough that the Apple wasn't on the top of their minds.

Finally, after what seemed a lifetime, the Apple stopped whatever it was doing. It was hard to breathe, and I was lying in a pool of my own blood, which wasn't stopping or showing any signs of slowing. I admit; I was scared, wondering if the Apple was going to kill me. I was terrified.

"Hey!" I heard Rebecca yell. "What the hell's going on?"

Shaun and Rebecca pried Mason and Bill apart, though with difficulty. "We'll get their 'testimony' later, Rebecca!" Shaun said. "Get some bandages! And a lot of stitches!"

"She needs to go to a damn hospital!" Mason objected. "That can't get healed by bandages and stitches! She needs the ER!"

I saw Rebecca kneel beside me. "Sam," she said, but quietly enough so Mason wouldn't hear, "are you healing?"

With a ton of effort, I shook my head.

"Hospital it is," Rebecca said. "Shaun, get the van. Mason, you're with us. Bill…" She glared at him. "Stay here and watch your son. And don't even think about taking off to get outta trouble."