A knock came at the door and it opened. Thomas walked in, his face dark, and twisted in anger. I looked him over. "What's wrong?"

He looked at me, then to Sarah, and back to me again. "We've been betrayed…by a man in my group!" He had a file under his arm and he slammed it on my desk. I'd never seen him so angry before.

I looked at him. "Who is it?"

He looked at me, desperately. "Joseph Francois." He handed me the file. This is his picture. He's the only one I couldn't account for during the raids and the last few failed raids. He was the only one who had no reason for bailing out on us. I pulled out the photo from the manila folder and Sarah gasped.

We stared at her. "That's Francois!"

We stared back at the photo. He was a tan man, with messy black hair and a shaggy looking beard. He had a stone cold blue eyes and he had a gold earring in his left ear. I looked at the blow up carefully and found it to have a small cross on it. I shook my head.

Thomas paced back and forth. "That rotten little shit! I'll kill him! I swear to God I'll kill him!"

Sarah rose from her chair. "No! He's mine! He cost me my entire Den! If anyone gets to punish him it's me!"

Thomas got in her face and pointed. "He's done work for us, he's done work for me, I put my name out there, he's mine!"

They both cocked back fists. I shook my head. "That's enough!" I roared, "Both of you!"

They stared at me. I drew in a deep breath and let it out. I rose and offered a seat to my far left to Thomas. "Thomas. Please." He nodded, cast another glare to Sarah, and sat down. I looked to Sarah, and directed my gaze to the chair to my right. "Sarah. Please." She nodded and sat down, crossing one leg over the other and looked away from Thomas.

I pulled up my seat and looked at them. "I'm just as angry as you are. If anyone takes him out, it should be me. Not because I want this case more than either of you, it's because he's done nothing to me personally. This isn't personal for me. This is business." They nodded. I chose my words carefully, for I didn't want to offend either of them. "Sarah, I know he robbed you of your Den, but jumping in with blades drawn is a bad idea. We need a plan."

She nodded and rubbed her temples. "You're right… but Drago…we have to stop him…who knows how many others he's infiltrated. The man is a slimy snake…"

I looked to Thomas. "Thomas. We need to find a way to trap him, what do you think we should do?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's simple, Drago. We tail him to his home, tie him up, and beat him till he talks. It's that simple."

I nodded. "I'd be lying if I said I never did that to get information…but it was wrong when I did, and it's wrong to think that now. We need to get the information another way. We need to think like Assassins, not Templars." He nodded. I took another deep breath and mulled over a few ideas. "Okay…here's my idea. We trick him into meeting us somewhere, and then we interrogate him. He needs to come to us, not the other way around."

Thomas nodded. "Sensible, but how are we going do that?"

I shrugged. "I haven't thought that far ahead yet…give me a minute…" The time for subtlety was over. I decided to up my plan a little. I looked at Thomas and Sarah. "Tom…I've a better idea. Get in contact with him and tell him he's moving up. Tell him the boss wants to see him."

His eyes went wide. "The Master?"

I shook my head and smiled. "No. Me." They stared at me. "We don't need to bother her with this. She was enough on her mind as it is. We take care of this traitor ourselves. The only thing I want her to worry about is sending us on our mission, that's it." They nodded.

Tom stroked his chin. "I see…so…is this going to be a normal meeting or…"

I chuckled. "Of course it won't, it's going to be clandestine, and you two are going to be in the darkness as we speak. I want to look into the traitor's eyes as we slay him."

They rose from their chairs and Thomas pulled out his phone. "When are we doing this, Drago?"

I mulled it over. "Tomorrow night, 10 PM sharp."

Thomas nodded and thumbed through his contacts. After a moment or two of searching he found Francois' number. He punched it. He made sure the volume was as high as it would go put it on speaker. After a moment he came on. "Evening boss," he said.

Thomas nodded. "You've done damn good work lately. I just wanted to let you know that my superiors take a job well done seriously. My boss want's to meet you."

"Me?" he asked, excited.

Thomas nodded. "Yes he does. He's quite anxious to meet you. How's tomorrow night sound?"

"That sounds great to me! Where, what time?" He was excited. Drago smiled. That's it, get excited…we'll end that excitement tomorrow night. Francois was so excited his voice was shaking.

Thomas looked to me and smiled. "My boss says to meet us at the old warehouse on Christopher Street. You remember the one we raided last week. Be there at 10 PM, third floor."

"Yes sir, I'll be there, ten sharp!"

Thomas suppressed a snicker. "You're the best. My boss will be most pleased. Get some rest." The call ended and looked at me. "I hate him."

I nodded. "I know. Thomas and Sarah harbored doubt in their eyes. I put a hand on both of their shoulders. "Change starts tomorrow. Thomas, make sure none of your men know about his meeting, got it?" Thomas nodded. I looked to Sarah. "Sarah, how well do you know the area?"

She shrugged. "I know the warehouse if that's what you mean."

I nodded. "Good. I want both of you there when he arrives. We'll interrogate him there. Once we get the information we'll silence him, for good." At that moment, I felt more like a Master than a mere Assassin. I felt powerful and in control. I felt like I could take on this role with absolute certainty.

Sarah smiled. "I've longed for this, you have no idea, Drago. Thank you."

I shook my head. "Thank me when his corpse is limp at our feet." She nodded and I looked to Thomas. He still seemed apprehensive. "I know you want to take him out, Thomas, but we have to trick him. He's a Templar agent, and we need him to think he's getting close to us."

Thomas nodded. "I know, it's just…I can't believe I didn't see through him."

Sarah nodded. "I know how you feel, Thomas."

For the first time in their exchange, he smiled at her. "Thank you, Sarah."

That made me smile. We finally had a repore going. I heard a knock on my door. "Come."

Master walked in, her hood thrown back, and her eyes back to normal. She had files under arm. She smiled slightly. "I've been thinking about this traitor…" she began. We all nodded and she moved into the room, placing the files on my desk. "I think it's time we reeled him in."

I smiled. "We've been thinking along the same lines."

She smiled. "I know, I heard your plan from the door." We all stared at each other, shocked. She chuckled. "I can eavesdrop you know. I am the Master, remember?"

I nodded. "Of course, Master."

Sarah straightened. "What do you think of our plan, Master?"

Master nodded. "It's a sound plan," she started, "But I have one suggestion." We all nodded. "Poison him with Aconite."

I raised and eyebrow in confusion, but Sarah's green eyes snapped open with delight. "A Templar poison…that's brilliant, Master!"

Master nodded. "I want the trail leading to us to be as obscure as possible. Plus, the sound of a treacherous Templar Agent just sounds so appealing to me."

I nodded. "It will be done, Master." Se looked to the files and frowned. I knew there was something elese.

She sighed. "Drago…the files…We're all in it…and so are our brothers and sisters abroad. We have to go to them and warn of them of the impending purge."

Sarah and I nodded. Thomas' eyes narrowed and his face scrunched in disgust. He crossed his arms. "They won't dare…"

I looked him over. "Come now Thomas, what more evidence do you need?" He shook his head and looked away from me. I looked to Master. "Master, Sarah found that the email I was sent from Ishara was a clever Templar ploy. A remarkable forgery."

She nodded. "I see…"

Sarah cleared her throat. "Master, if I may be so bold…" Master nodded. "We should get new antivirus protection for our servers. Abstergo is on our trail. With Drago's email they may bealbe to trace us, if they haven't already."

Master nodded. "That's a good plan. But resources are slim right now, we may not be able too…"

Sarah smiled. "I've transferred what funds my Den had to my personal account. I can help with that."

Master nodded, a smile finally creasing her lips. "Thank you, Sarah."

Sarah bowed. "It's my pleasure, Master."

Master looked me over. "Before you rest up for the night, I'd like you to walk with me, Drago. I've something I'd like to discuss with you." I nodded and looked to Sarah and Thomas. They had a certain light in their eyes and it made me feel good. They nodded for me to walk with her.

I rose from my chair and walked with her. It was my first time seeing her with her hood off. She was stunning, like I mentioned before. She had long, platinum blonde hair that touched her shoulders, and it made her features even more youthful. She flashed me a smile. "You've done me a great service." She said.

I nodded. "It's my pleasure to serve you," I said, still following. We proceeded down the hallway. She turned to me. "Drago…I've having a conflict of faith…"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

She looked at me, hurt hanging heavy in her eyes. We've lost so much…but we've gained so much in these last few weeks. Your intel has been invaluable."

I nodded. "You honor me, Master."

She led me to the end of the hallway, a dead end. She looked behind us and tapped the wall. To my surprise the wall opened up! I stared at her and she beckoned me to follow. I followed her down a winding staircase. The wall closed behind us.

The walls of this darkened staircase were lit by a series of small torches, lining the wall all the way down. We reached the bottom of the staircase and she allowed me to go first. I walked up to a large stone wall. This wall had strange markings carved throughout its massive face, and I recognized an Eagle symbol. This looked like the Eagle of our founder, Altair." I stared in awe. "Master…what is this?"

She walked next to me. "This is a piece of one of the walls at Altair's castle in Masyaf. This was the last piece we could get from it before the Templars took over. Rumor has it, the castle is all but destroyed." I frowned, but the rumor didn't surprise me. It hurt to think about. The very foundation of our Creed, lasted for centuries, going from Al Mualim, to Altair, to his sons, and being handed down till the days of Atilla the Hun. From then it fell to the Templars, but one of our greats, Ezio, found his way in it, and found the Apple of Eden once again…to think that all power, and all that history should be torn asunder hurt me to my very core.

I looked at her. "That's unfortunate."

She nodded. "Indeed, but this is where I come to collect myself. I call this the Great Hall. I've other artifacts here, artifacts that Templars would love to get their hands on. This is my best kept secret, Drago. You've been with us for a long time. I want you to know this secret too."

I stared at her. "Me?"

She nodded and beckoned me once more. She led me down a shorter hallway and it showed a tall, bronze shelf with multiple hidden blades. I stared a them, for they were gold or silver. I stared at her. I'd heard of precious metals used for Assassin Ranks, but I never believed the stories. She pulled off a pair of the gold blades and brought them down. "You've been with me since the beginning, Drago. You've proven loyal when all fell through. You've proven yourself worthy of holding the blade of a Den Leader."

My eyes widened. "Den Leader?"

She smiled. "By the rights of our Creed, I, Master Anasia Molvarro declare and recognize you as the rank of Master, and give you free reign to pick a Den of your own."

I went on one knee. "Master…" I began, "I'm…"

She put her hand on my shoulder and I looked up. "This is unorthodox, I know. But the sooner we get another den going, the sooner we can increase our numbers. I've kept this from you, and I shouldn't have, but we've had an empty Den around the coerner from us for years. I've been searching for a suitable leader to help even the balance of power around here. W'd coordinate assaults, and plan intricate assassinations together. With your coolness under pressure, and your attention to detail, I feel you're ready, Drago. These last ten years I've watched you grow from a brash teenager to a wise and skilled Assassin."

I was beside myself. I was thrilled that she put that much faith in me, but I couldn't leave her, not now. I shook my head. "Master…you…you honor me more than I could possibly say…but I can't leave you now…"

She merely smiled. "I didn't mean for you to get up and go right now. Once we've taken our more of your targets, I'm confident we'll be in apposition to garner more support and recruit more Assassins." She offered the gold blades to me. "My master told me that 'The rank of Master is the highest honor any Assassin can receive. The responsibility is great, and the rewards are even greater. We defend the lives of the people. All we do, we do for the people.'"

I nodded and held the blade. I thought about all those poor people who had no idea of the crimes that the Templars were committing against them every day. "On my honor, and on my life, I pledge that I will follow the tenants of our Creed and continue to protect the public and their ways of life from the shadows."

She smiled. "Then it is so ordered. Rise, Master Malcom." I rose and she extended her hands. "You're old blades please." I nodded and slid them off, handing her the blade as I did. She fitted me with the gold blades. "Now that you are a Master, I can show you the things that trouble me."

I nodded. "I follow your lead," I said.

She moved forward to another wall, this one, had a large golden axe hanging on it. She nudged it and the wall moved! I'd heard of the secret doors of old, but I didn't think that any of them were still working. She went in a came back with alarge wodden chest. The chest was old and faded, but the hinges were thick and sturdy. She set the box on the small stone table opposite us. She motioned for me to walk to it. I drew closer. "Drago, what you're about to see only my Master and I have seen."

I nodded and flipped up the top. What appeared to be a gold ingot lay in the box, but it had the glow and power of a Piece of Eden. I stared at her. "A…A Piece of Eden? We've had one the whole time?"

She nodded. "This is the Bar of Eden. Holding this will grant the holder a view into their future, similar to the Apple, but this is more precise. This is the future only. Unlike the Apple, no one can be controlled with this, but if the Templars had this…"

I nodded. "Any one of them could see what we were doing or who they'd face before we would…"

She nodded. "I was able to see your progression with this, but I saw you waver. That's why I was apprehensive about promoting you a first, but after looking at it again, I saw myself giving the blade to you, and I knew you were ready."

I nodded. "How much could you see?"

She frowned. "I haven't seen it sense…but since you're a Master, I need you to see it."

I nodded and picked up the Bar of Eden. A soft gold light enveloped me, and I felt like I was taken out of my body. I could see myself standing there, and I could see my Master, trying to say something, but frozen in thought. I felt a hard wave of energy hit me and I looked up.. I was standing in what looked like a night clu, watching some band play…Sarah was with me, and the singer of the band had a hidden blade on his arm…Another wave hit me and I saw Ishara. Her long black hair was mangled, and her vibrant green eyes were dark and blood shot. I saw her tied to a chair with a needle in her arm. I called out to her, but just like my master, wshe couldn't see or hear me. It was like watching a movie with the sound off. I looked around some more and saw a strange symbol I'd never seen before. It seemed Arabic, but it also seemed Asian…Chinese maybe? I couldn't make it out. I tried my best to commit it to memory. Then…I saw…I saw my master…she was falling, a bullet protruding through her chest. I could see Thomas rushing towards her, and I could see…a man in a Templar uniform…I couldn't make him out…but he had a scar on his right hand. I close my eyes and I heard her speak.

"Drago? Drago?" I opened my eyes and the visions were gone. We were back in the secret room and she gently took the bar from me. "Are you alright?"

I shook my head. The images were so intense, so real, it made my heart race. I took a few deep breaths.

She put her hand on my shoulder. "What did you see?"

I sighed. "I saw…I saw Ishara…she's alive, but she's being held captive…I saw a needle in her arm, probably a mind altering drug…I also saw a wired symbol on the wall opposite them. Then…" I looked away from her. "I saw you…A Templar shoots you. I couldn't see his face, just a mean scar on his right hand."

She nodded. "I see…"

I nodded slowly. "But before all that, I saw Sarah, she was with me in some club, a young Assassin was on the stage, I could see his blade on his arm. He was scanning the crowd. He looked at us and gave us an acknowledging nod…than it changed to Ishara."

Master nodded. "I'm sorry your experience was unpleasant…"

I shook it off. "It's alright," I said, "I just didn't expeect it to work…I mean…I've seen other pieces in action, but seeing into the future is just…"

She nodded. "I know. "I'll announce your new rank to the rest of our Den. It will do us good to have a team of Masters out here. We haven't had that kind of strength in a long time."