Things done well and with a care, exempt themselves from fear.
-William Shakespeare

Rome, 1503

Ignoring primary memories. Slipping lightly through contracts, or assignments. Desmond knew he couldn't carry on long like this, before Rebecca kicked him in the ass and made him do something. They were running out of time to find the Apple, and Desmond was stalling because of his own selfish reasons.

He was afraid. Nothing unusual happened while he was running about Rome, no missions, but he somehow knew that the second he stepped into a main memory, the visions would start.

Desmond? Rebecca's voice echoed in his head. Damn. She was going to kick his ass into next week.

But instead, she used a gentle tone. Mind telling me what you're doing? Don't forget, we need that Apple.

Her kind voice was pissing him off. Lucy must've told them about what happened! Now Rebecca was being nice to him because of that. Seething with anger, Desmond didn't answer and instead made Ezio kick his horse into high gear and gallop to where he knew the main memory started.

Requiem
Breach the perimeter of Castel Sant'Angelo and confront the Pope inside the Papal Apartments.

Steeling himself, and before he could change his mind, Desmond accepted the memory.

Standing inside the outer courtyard of the Castello, Desmond looked around, first with his own eyes, then using Ezio's Eagle Vision. Everything seemed normal... maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he was overreacting.

Grinning inwardly, confident, Desmond completed the first part of the mission with ease, killing guards and climbing up one of the walls.

To sing when you're living

CHECKPOINT REACHED.

Ezio hauled himself over the wall. Desmond made him stop and look around again. His guard was up as he scanned the area for anything unusual. He crept forward, dispatching a guard with his blade as he did so. The soldier fell to the ground and Desmond passed him without a second thought.

"...Don't I know him from somewhere? Hey, you!" Desmond froze as he heard a voice behind him. Turning slowly, he saw the guard he had just killed... on his feet and weapon drawn. Blood still seeped out from his stomach, spreading a dark stain on his shirt.

Maybe it's a glitch, Desmond tried to reassure himself. If I just kill him again...

He drew the crossbow and fired a shot straight through the guard's head. Instead of dying, his head shot back at the neck and came right back up, the guard glaring at Ezio as best he could with an arrow through his eye.

Great, an unkillable guard, Desmond muttered to himself. But that wasn't all, of course not. He looked back up to find the guard was multiplying, five or so identical men springing out of his skin. The cloning apparently wasn't perfect, some of the guards had mutations and defects. Two were missing hands or feet, and one actually had half of his head missing - the side without the arrow - rendering him blind and unable to see his target. The original guard (or what Desmond thought was the original - it was the only one without defects) angrily ripped the arrow out of his head, blood spurting from the hole in his face. The guard's eye was stuck about halfway through the shaft, dragging long fleshy nerves and veins with it as it was ripped out of its socket.

Okay, I can deal with this, Desmond thought, pushing his growing fear and panic down. Just climb back down the wall...

But before he could, the guards were thrown back as lights burst from each of their chests.

Shit! Desmond cried at the same time Ezio yelled loudly "Merda!(1)"

The balls of light bobbed toward Ezio and began to circle around him, faster and faster. Desmond had seen enough. He practically ripped himself out of the Animus and that memory.

To sing when you die

Desmond surfaced, gasping. He pulled the cathader from his arm and pushed away the head restraint.

"Desmond? What happened?" Rebecca asked worriedly, helping him up.

Desmond jerked his hand away. "Don't. Just don't," he hissed, still shaking and frightened from what he had just witnessed.

"Don't!" he screamed loudly, causing Shaun and Lucy to jump and hurry over to where he was standing. Rebecca was staring at him, hurt and confused.

"Did he hallucinate again?" Lucy asked Rebecca hurriedly, as if Desmond wasn't there. Rebecca shrugged.

Everything froze. Desmond started, reminded of the last not-so-pleasant time this happened. Rebecca and Shaun began to glow, and before Desmond could wonder what the hell was happening, twin balls of light rose out of their heads, taking the glow with them.

It was the same lights from the Animus. They were white, but sometimes they darkened and lightened, but never changed colour. They pulsed and flickered, looking like stars.

"What the hell do you want from me?" Desmond asked them, rather forcefully, because obviously they wouldn't answer. They were lights.

But to Desmond's utter shock, they did. "We have been trying to show you what to do," they both said at once. Their voices echoed in his head and bounced around, making his ears hurt.

"What to... do?" Desmond was rather bewildered. It didn't occur to him how these lights could be taking to him, how they were here, or what they even were. He just went with it. It wasn't the strangest thing he'd seen that week.

"Yes," they responded. "We have been sending you signs of what your task is."

"What task?" Desmond asked, growing impatient. "Just tell me!"

"You must eliminate the one who stands in your way." The lights pulsed faster, and before Desmond could say anything or react, they darted forward and entered him through his mouth. He tried to scream, but images were flickering before his eyes. Desmond, faceless and as a Roman guard, cutting off Lucy's face. Lucy exploding after Desmond had stabbed her. But those weren't real. That didn't actually happen. The proof was standing right in front of him, Lucy, with a worried and concerned look on her face, frozen.

More images. These were new, a large black room, glowing with blue lights. Desmond tried to study it, but it flicked away before he could get a good look. An Apple, sitting on some sort of stand. Desmond touching it. And then - he stabbed her. The blade jumped out of its sheath, calling for blood, and seemed to cry out with joy as Desmond sunk it into Lucy's flesh.

The images were gone. Desmond fell to his knees, suddenly exhausted. The lights were in front of him again, except they were red. Red like blood.

"We tried to show you, send you visions so you might figure it out on your own. But you have been stubborn. What you just saw was your task. Do not fail us."

"Fail who?" Desmond howled. "What the fuck was that? Who are you?" But they were gone, leaving nothing but a red glow in their midst.

"-still think we should make him get back in there," Shaun was saying. Dick. Desmond slowly rose to his feet, the lights' words still burning in his mind.

"Do not fail ussss," a voice repeated in his ear, before fading away.

"Come on, he's obviously sick or something!" Rebecca shot back at Shaun.

"What does that matter?" The Brit's voice rose. "We need that Apple Rebecca, or have you forgotten about that?"

Lucy's eyes were fixed on Desmond as he took deep breaths and tried to prevent his stomach from spitting out whatever was in it.

"It might be kind of hard to find it if he dies, Shaun," Rebecca said loudly, clearly growing more irritated.

"Oh come on, he's not that sick," Shaun scoffed.

"Shut up, both of you!" Lucy snapped over her shoulder. Turning back, she asked, "Desmond? Are you okay? You look really pale."

Desmond was still breathing deeply, trying to make sense of what the lights said in his mind. It could've been another hallucination. But they said they'd sent the visions, for some sort of task... what would a pair of lights want Lucy dead for?

"I need some air," Desmond muttered, turning. Somehow he ended up on his hands and knees on the floor, the hard stone inches from his face.

"Oh no you don't," Lucy scolded, helping him back to his feet. She wrapped his arm around her shoulder and half guided, half dragged Desmond out the Sanctuary and up the steps. That woman could be really strong if she wanted to.

Lucy lowered Desmond against a wall and he slid down it, gratefully welcoming the cold rock against his back. The blonde crouched down next to him, staring at him worriedly.

Now that it was just the two of them alone, the whispering in Desmond's brain grew louder, until hundreds of voices were screaming at him at once, their words overlapping each other's.

"-in our way!"

"-must be done-"

"-just a flick of the wrist-"

"KILL HER."

The last voice was so loud Desmond felt like his brain would explode. He leaned forward, clutching his head in his hands, and moaned softly.

And here at the end
At the end of the hurt
All the pain isn't the same
When it's your turn to burn

Desmond was dimly aware of a voice, not from inside his head, but floating through his ear canal.

"Are you okay? Desmond?"

A hand was shaking his shoulder. Desmond released his head and looked up at Lucy.

She looked so worried... so concerned for him. Fuck those stupid lights! If they wanted Lucy dead, they'd have to get past Desmond to do it. There was no way he was going to kill her.

1 - Shit!

FFFFFF. Talking lights? Really? Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Anyone who can guess what (or whoooo) the lights are gets a cookie :D