Chapter Six: The New World
Allison's heart was pumping powerfully as she ran on the treadmill. She was hooked up to half a dozen different machines monitoring her vitals as the nurses put her through her paces to be sure that she was physically well. They'd already done extensive psychological tests and found her surprisingly sane for a woman of her unique background. Her background, as it turned out, wasn't entirely unique. Theta Prime had been through much of the same torturous treatment at the hands of the sinister Combine Empire. Allison wasn't sure what to think of the woman who so closely resembled one of Julian's enemies turned ally. Theta Dark was dead, Allison knew, buried in a cemetery outside of City 12 not far from where Michael was laid to rest.
Allison watched as Julian entered the room. She put her game face on running to accentuate her womanly features. She quickly realized that Julian's mood was off. His posture was slumped despite the fact he offered her a smile as he entered. She could feel that something was wrong, his almond eyes didn't have their usual youthful exuberance.
"Good morning," she started hoping that a conversation would give her answers, "How'd you sleep?"
"Fine," Julian answered rubbing at his eyes as if trying to wake up from a bad dream.
"You seem distant," Allison remarked hopping down from the treadmill to get a drink, "You want to talk about it?"
"I thought he was getting better," Julian responded putting his face in his palms, "I talked to him the day before we left. He said he was going to resume full duties."
"Your Father?" Allison asked, "What's happened?"
"He's dead," Julian replied blankly, "We received word this morning just before dawn. He was found dead in his bedroom right after a party in his honor celebrating his recovery."
"What did he die of?" Allison asked immediately suspecting foul play.
"Shephard didn't say," Julian replied, "But he was damn broken up about it."
Jara and Alyx entered then. They could tell by the feel of the air in the room that the bomb had been dropped and that Julian had told her. The look in the young man's eyes said it all. He wasn't sad but he wasn't angry either. There was simply a simmering nothingness, a cold distant expression of sub-zero shock. Theta, who'd been standing silent in the corner looking over Allison's charts, approached now and put her hand on the man's shoulder. Julian didn't acknowledge her. He didn't react at all.
"We should go," Allison announced suddenly shattering the silence, "We need to get to City 12."
"You need to rest still," Julian answered, "You went through a lot yesterday. Your body and mind need more time."
"We've done all the tests we need to," Theta tried to help, "She's perfectly healthy, as is the baby."
"Baby," Julian echoed in a hollow tone.
"Goddamn it Julian," Jara shouted suddenly, "City 12 needs you. The people of this entire planet need you to be at your best. Are you just going to sit there and sulk?"
"I know it hurts to lose a parent," Alyx said, "I lost my Mom when I was three. My Dad was hit hardest... I didn't quite understand it at first because I was so young. Eventually though it did hit and it hit hard. But you can't let tragedy destroy you or what your Father stood for. The world needs you Julian Miles."
"They're right," Allison said looking into his eyes with her bright blue beauties beaming, "Now is not the time to give up. Now is the time to fight harder."
"I can have a convoy arranged to escort you to City 12," Theta offered.
"Do it," Julian nodded, "The world won't lose us both... not yet."
Adrian Shephard felt as if his entire world had turned upside down and to make matters worse he was heavily hung over. The morning had brought with it a tragic fragment of news that had evolved into a vast web of intrigue by mid-afternoon. His headache had worn off but his heartache had only just begun and to make matters worse he was sure that Desmond's death had been a murder. The assassin had been assassinated. The irony would have seemed amusing to any emotionally removed from the situation but Shephard was far from emotionally removed.
The General paced to and fro in the streets waiting for the arrival of Hassan hoping his friend had answers or at least kind words. Shephard saw the assassin shifting through the crowd, a crowd that seemed not at all friendly to the robed figure. Hassan stood before him soon enough with a sullen expression and shifting nervous eyes that checked every corner and shadow around him. It was, however, high-noon, and there were no shadows to check.
"Please tell me you had nothing to do with this," Hassan started and Shephard offered and expression that said he was truly hurt, "You're eyes say it all."
"Where would you get such an idea?" Shephard asked, truly appalled at the accusation from a trusted friend such as this.
"Rumors circulate quickly," Hassan explained, "Especially when you have ears in so many places."
"They are saying that I did this?" Shephard asked spitting and shouting, "That I killed my best friend? Fucking Templar pigs!"
"Hush now Shephard," Hassan warned, "Such talk will get you a blade through the belly. It is only a rumor and nothing more. There is no evidence against you and there are just as many rumors claiming that the Templars or Baron Brown are behind it."
"I swear I'm going crazy," Shephard remarked sitting down to catch his breath as clouds gathered overhead, "This can't be real Hassan. He was well. He was healthy. This has to be a dream."
"It is not a dream," Hassan replied in a whisper, "And it was not a natural death. I suspect the Templars are somehow behind it as well. For now I suggest you lay low."
"Fucking Templars!" Shephard spat before bursting into tears, "Things couldn't be much worse."
"If you keep up those hysterics they will get worse. Emotion can turn self-destructive without reason to balance it," Hassan argued, "Do not lose heart my friend. You still have the Order. You will always have the allegiance of the Assassins. I will see you at the memorial tomorrow, until then my friend."
Shephard shook the man's hand before they went their separate ways. The General felt a bit better knowing that he still had friends and that his suspicions about Desmond's death were shared. Any comfort Hassan had imparted fled immediately when he came across a herald shouting in the streets that he was the murderer and that Desmond had died at his hands. Adrian Shephard fought the urge to throttle the herald knowing that such action would only make him look more guilty. For the first time in his life he truly worried about his reputation. If the entire City were turned against him it would be hard to clear his name even with the strongest evidence imaginable in his favor. The masses had no source of reason when they were all swayed together and if anyone was good at herding the masses it was the Templars.
Theta watched the group getting ready and felt the call of the road pulling at her own heart strings. She'd spent much of her time here in Hunters Fall out on patrol but it still felt like a prison at times. The call of duty was louder than the call for adventure. Now she had other excuses pulling her, one of them was wearing tight jeans and revving her own armored ATV. The way Alyx's eyes lit up when she revved the machine brought a smile to Theta's lips despite the heavy emotions on everyone's minds. For Theta there was also the temptation of her past. Julian had offered her a chance to unlock it.
"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" Julian asked her, "We could use you back in City 12 and we could help you find out who you really are."
"They could use me in City 12," Theta said offering Alyx a flirtatious smile before turning back to Julian, "But they need me here."
"Next time then," Julian offered shaking her hand.
"Don't forget me," Theta said to Alyx as they said their goodbyes, "I know I won't forget you."
"Maybe I'll come back sometime," Alyx offered, "And next time I'll bring Gordon."
"Who needs men?" Theta joked.
Along with the four companions Theta was sending six of her finest soldiers in an APC they'd built from various scraps on top of an actual Combine APC engine and frame. They departed early in the afternoon hoping to make it back to City 12 in a matter of days. It would be a long trek to make, at least nine hundred miles mostly across rugged terrain as the main roads were patrolled by the Combine.
Julian felt an empty pit in his stomach as they drove out into the open air. The scenery around them was absolutely stunning, the forest was alive with the song of spring time. Yet for Julian there was nothing serene or gentle about nature. The whole of the world had gone cold and sinister and to make matters worse he now he the weight of added responsibility. It would be his task to lead a major branch of the Resistance now, if he chose to accept the role that his Father had fulfilled for years. He had a legacy to live up to and he had the feeling that it was a legacy he scarcely understood. He'd often questioned the way Desmond had run things but now, likely to inherit a high level of power, he felt inadequate to fill the elder assassin's shoes.
Allison weighed on his thoughts heavily as well. It had only been a day since the bombshell about her pregnancy had dropped. New life begins. Old life ends. Julian laughed off the superstitious thought of synchronicity and focused on the road before him. It all became a blur as the hours drifted by until at last they made camp just after midnight. They'd been on the road for twelve hours and had made fantastic progress without running foul of any Combine. Everything was going well and the moon had lifted a bit as they sat around the fire and all had something to eat.
"To Desmond," Jara offered a toast with her canteen, "Best damned assassin ever."
"To a new legacy," Alyx said offering Julian a comforting glance.
"To a new assassin," Julian said toasting to the baby in Allison's belly, "The cycle begins again."
Julian expected to feel a swirl of emotions in his mind as he lay down and tried to sleep that night. Instead he felt numb. There was nothing there to be felt, he decided. Still somewhere inside he felt cold. Their lives were constantly disrupted by the Combine. The world was in ruins and shambles. Millions were slaves to the Combine and thousands of others fought and bled and died for the last two decades to free the Earth. Julian understood what his Father had been but the young assassin felt that he could never live up to the hope that Desmond had offered. He could never fix the world that had been broken, he didn't even know how it had been broken. Desmond had told him the story of course, the Resonance Cascade that had ended the world of men but his Father hadn't offered him as detailed a story as he needed. To piece the world back together Julian needed to know it had fallen apart.
Shephard stood in the pouring rain accepting the hollow comfort of kind words offered by the Templars. A crowd had gathered to pay their last respects to Desmond Moses Miles, the leader who had led the Resistance to the promised land - almost. The Templars all spoke kind words as the storm poured down and the thunder clapped. They gave speeches and praised the leader for his valiant efforts and at the same time won over more and more of the citizens to their own organization. Shephard listened as their deceptive tongues created a world in which the Templars had always been friends with Desmond even when the Assassin Order wasn't with them. The citizens didn't know any better as many of them had not even known of the existence of such organizations before the Combine invasion. Shephard felt sick to his stomach as Vidic, ancient enemy of Desmond, stepped to the mic. What he was about to hear only created more pain.
"On this day we mourn the loss of two of the greatest men who ever lived," Vidic began, "For just this morning we received word that Desmond's beloved son Julian has also passed. He was killed in a Combine attack outside of Hunters Fall."
Adrian Shephard was frozen in place unable to comprehend the words he was hearing. Every bit of his being felt numbed to the core and yet every cell in his body cried out in outrage at the words on this man's lips. Julian dead? How had he not heard? What madness was this? Shephard felt bile in his throat but he managed to quell it. He listened hard for Vidic's words though they now seemed muddled and distant to his bombarded senses.
"We mourn two great men who had set aside the honor of the Assassin Order to pursue nobler goals," Vidic continued, "In private these men were critical of the assassins and Desmond often remarked to me about his desire to one day dissolve the Order or to merge it with our own. We only wish he had lived to see such a united vision. We can only strive to make that united vision a reality."
"No!" A voice screamed, Shephard looked up to see that the voice had not been his own. Emil Nemico came running onto the stage. Several stage hands rushed out to restrain him but he broke free and reached the microphone, "The truth must be heard. The assassins killed Desmond because he threatened their order! I have their memos myself, secret documents that tell of a plot and its mastermind!"
"What are you going on about young man?" Vidic asked.
"I know who had them killed," Emil said, "Adrian Shephard. He sought the power for himself and when Desmond returned to health he realized he could not have it. So he sent Julian on a wild goose chase, a suicide mission that he knew would claim the young assassin's life because he had hired assassins to kill the boy! He then poisoned Desmond!"
"These are some hefty accusations," Vidic accused, "I would like to see some evidence!"
Shephard, now restrained by members of the crowd, watched in horror as Emil Nemico passed several sheets of paper to the aged hands of Warren Vidic. Vidic played the part so well pretending he had never seen the documents before, pretending they actually did prove Shephard's guilt. Vidic's gasp of horror made the ruse complete as he turned towards where Shephard stood with an accusatory glare of absolute conviction.
"General Adrian Shephard," Vidic boomed, "You will stand trial for the murder of Desmond Miles and his son!"
Shephard struggled to get free as the hands of the crowd clasped around him. He felt the world choking him. There was no escape for him now he knew. He would spend the rest of his life in a prison cell for a murder he did not commit and there was little that anyone could do about it. The Templars had been swaying the masses in their favor for months, years even and now, thanks in no small part to the party in Desmond's honor, they had convinced the citizens that they had always been Desmond's allies and that the assassins and Shephard were the enemy. All the world had gone mad.
The General managed to pull himself free thanks to the lubrication the rain was providing. He rushed through the crowd using every skill the assassins had taught him to navigate his way through the crowd and into the city. He scaled right up a concrete building in an instant drawing perplexed stares from those in crowd tasked with chasing him down. Soldiers were soon on his tail as well but his escape was already complete. He dashed across the city cutting through the deepening dusk desperate to make it to the Assassin's Guild where he hoped to find help. Part of him wondered if Hassan too would turn against him. Nothing in the world was sacred anymore.
Julian could feel the shadows moving around them as his eyes sprung open. His senses were sharper than any blade ever wielded by man and his ears picked out the distinct sound of footsteps. He scratched his head. These weren't the ordinary footfalls of Combine soldiers yet whomever they were they were most certainly wearing standard issue Combine boots. That mistake alone cost them the element of surprise as they crossed into the camp.
The assassin waited silently biding his time and observing their movement with his ears. They made another mistake as several of them strolled quietly passed the smoldering embers of the fire clearing heading in his direction. Keeping absolutely still the young assassin waited for the soldiers to be standing over top of him. He had a knife in each hand and soon enough each soldier had a knife in each leg. He sprung up to his feet as they fell from theirs.
The camp was alive with noise now as the Combine soldiers surrounded them. They didn't behave like Combine soldiers and Julian found himself perplexed with the speed at which they moved and the intelligence they displayed. Instead of moving in for the kill they remained mostly hidden in the trees firing off every so often and using the terrain. They moved swift and silent and only fired when they could afford to be seen via the muzzle flash.
By now the others were awake and Julian did his best to direct their movements in the darkness. The assassin was in hog heaven in such conditions but he knew the others, aside from Jara, would be at a great disadvantage. Pulse Rifle fire danced in from all sides and Julian used the moments of light to fake his targets out into the open. He would run at them as they fired and force them to lead their aim and follow after him yet the speedy assassin always stayed one step ahead. He led several soldiers out into the open hoping to get them to shoot each other by crossing lines of fire. They were smarter than that though and the assassin was forced to take them out the old fashioned way. He pulled out his hidden gauntlet blade and swept for the knees staying just beneath the line of fire and doing damage as he dashed from soldier to soldier.
Soon enough the camp was filled with injured Combine soldiers most of whom were holding their legs. That didn't stop them however as more soldiers moved in. Julian had Jara and the others keep an eye on the injured while he penetrated out into the forest around them looking for the rest. He found several Elites standing on a nearby hilltop. He allowed them to order their soldiers to surround him and once surrounded on all sides the assassin leapt into the trees. Darting from tree to tree he picked his targets well dropping down on them. He took one MP7 with a grenade launcher and used the grenade to knock out four soldiers in one swoop.
Finally the Elites stepped forward and to the assassin's ultimate surprise they unsheathed swords. Julian extended both his gauntlet blades now. He expected to take on all of them at once but the first soldier proved more than a match for the assassin forcing Julian to rethink his strategy. It wasn't often he met an excellent swordsman and even amongst assassins the ability to actually fight with a blade was a dying art. Julian wondered if this sort of training was something new the Combine was trying out. He danced along step for step with his first enemy but as the second Elite stepped in he wondered if he might call for help. Gunfire still sounded from the camp putting quite a damper on that idea.
The assassin instead opted for a bit of cheating. He grabbed a smoke grenade that was strapped to the Elite's uniform and pulled the pin causing a moment of panic followed by a loud pop and a bright flash. The deafening sound and blinding light failed to phase the Elites and Julian ended up at an even greater disadvantage. He fell on his back and pulled out his gun mowing down the Elites but finding their armor tougher than usual only one of them was actually down for the count at the end of the MP7s magazine.
Julian dodged one blade but was met by another that slid cleanly through the flesh of his right arm without hitting bone or muscle. It was painful as hell but in the process the soldier had shoved his sword into the ground. Julian managed to get out a throwing knife and toss it. The knife penetrated the armor deep enough into the soldiers chest to draw blood but not enough to mortally wound the soldier. It didn't matter, the injury bought Julian enough time to slit the soldier's throat and narrowly evade the next soldier's attack.
On his feet once more the assassin decided to tackle the last Elite to the ground and beat him to a bloody pulp with his bare hands. Jara and the others interrupted him calling him over to reveal that several of the Combine prisoners had escaped and that all the other soldiers were retreating. Julian pushed the Elite to the ground and removed the man's helmet.
"You're no Elite," Julian remarked, "You don't have any of the tubes, the markings."
"You won't get a word out of me," the man said pulling out a pistol, "I'm as good as dead anyway."
Julian tried to stop the man but it was too late. The shot resounded sending the birds that had just begun to settle down again into a frenzy once more. The soldier slumped to the ground as nothing but a bloody mess as his brain oozed onto the leaves of the forest floor.
"These aren't ordinary Combine," Julian said, "If I didn't know any better I'd say there weren't Combine at all."
"Could it be Theron again?" Jara asked, "He had some unorthodox helpers before."
"I doubt it," Alyx said, "We would have seen him by now. We would know by now that it was him... unless he was just testing our strength."
"I don't think it was Theron," Julian announced, "We need to get moving, we need to get to City 12."
Shephard entered the Assassin's Guild soaked to the bone from being out in the storm. Hassan had only just arrived having attended the memorial service. Shephard had actually beat the assassin back a feat not easy considering Hassan's skill at free running. The wise old assassin was troubled by the events of the last few days. The Templars had built a tight case against Shephard and had turned the city's sentiment against the assassins and gained the people's affection. The assassins were seen as accomplices in this fictional plot by Shephard. Hassan wondered to what lengths the Templars would go to get power over the city and eventually over the world.
"I suppose they've shown their true colors once and for all," Hassan said offering the General some dry clothes, "Deceptive snakes thirsty for blood and coursing with venom."
"Deep down Desmond was an optimist. For all his cynicism he never gave up hope that people were generally good," Shephard sad, "He wanted us to overcome the Combine together. You don't think what they said about Julian is true do you?"
"It would take more than a few Templar agents to kill that one," Hassan assured him, "I doubt that a dozen of my finest assassins could undo him. What he lacks in skill he makes up for in being extremely lucky."
"Desmond used to joke and say that Julian had one of the gods looking after him," Shephard recalled with a grin, "One of the gods... Desmond was far from a religious man. I never understood what he meant."
"Get some rest Shephard," Hassan offered, "They will be after you in the morning. I will do my best to keep you safe but even the destiny of the Assassin's Guild is unknown."
"The world really is upside down," Shephard said, "Good night friend."
Julian watched the campfire flicker as the first light of dawn appeared. They'd made it a good distance since the attack and felt safe enough to make camp and get at least some rest. Julian and sleep had been at odds that entire night but now more than ever he felt the weight of the world on his shoulders. On the one hand he had Allison to worry about and the pulse that was now being nurtured within her womb. And on the other all of humanity cried out to him. He put that notion aside with a sigh realizing that most of the world still didn't know who he was. That's how the assassin wanted it - he wanted little notoriety for himself. The assassin order had always operated in such a fashion, they worked in the darkness to serve the light.
"A penny for your thoughts Mister Miles," a voice hissed from behind him. Julian turned to see the man in the blue suit, the G-Man.
"I suppose you've heard the news," Julian said turning back to the fire, "My Father is dead."
"A terrible loss of a great asset," the G-man coolly replied, "Your Father was a far more willing pawn than you at least, at first. He was so willing to help this world and so unquestioning of certain authority."
"You killed him didn't you?" Julian asked almost absent-mindedly.
"We do not kill anyone Mister Miles," he replied, "We merely allow things to run their course. I trust that you are still stubbornly refusing to play our little game? Or would like to join our employ permanently?"
"What exactly are you offering?" Julian asked noticing that the G-Man now held a familiar golden orb.
"A piece of Eden."