And here comes Chapter two! I want to thank AJGuardian, TBK17, Winter's Sentinel, and the unknown person for their wonderful reviews. I'm glad you enjoy the story so far. As for Tori and her personality, she will get one as the story goes on. Right now, she's just that way. Anyway, on to the chapter!
Rebecca looked at the clock in her van. It was pushing the time for her to begin work as the courier at Abstergo Entertainment, and from what John had put in his email, it would be a day she would get something good. The man that they had working as their mole, Jack Winslow, didn't know a damn thing about anything relating to the Assassins, Templars, or the like until John recruited him as an escape goat in case they were caught.
Now the man had turned into a downright great spy. Not a soul thought about him in that way. His background was impeccable, and there was nothing linking him to the Order anywhere. That was why he had been recruited to work on the Edward Kenway line, one of Desmond's ancestors. The grandfather to Connor, and father to Haytham Kenway. It was enough to make your head spin if you didn't know the story from the beginning. Luckily, she did.
Pulling into her designated parking spot, she threw on her hat, adding her rain gear for some extra protection, and grabbed the bag from between the seats. It had everything one would need for a job such as hers. The information pad, a notebook, pens, pencils and her ID badge. Thanks to John's computer savvy, he was able to get hers and Shaun's names struck from the database, and get them into the building without a problem.
Climbing out, she hit the lock button on the door, closed it, and yelped when she came face to face with Victoria Bettley. Clutching her heaving chest, she gave the vampire of a woman an evil look. "Don't you know how to introduce yourself and not scare the piss out of someone?" She asked adjusting the strap to her bag.
Tori shook her head. "I need to you to deliver this note to Shaun. He had already gone into the building when I got here." Her cold voice left her shivering. The woman never showed any outward expression. Most likely that's why she couldn't keep a boyfriend.
"So do it yourself. I'm not your messenger." Brushing past the woman, Rebecca began to walk towards the large structure she worked in.
"Becca, please."
The 'please' part stopped her in her tracks, and caused her to turn and look at Tori. "Repeat that again? You just asked for help and said the word 'please' all in one day? Are you feeling ill? Did someone switch personalities with you?" That was the first time in well over twenty years that she had ever heard that woman use that word in a sentence.
"Look, I need some help and Shaun is the only one that can help me. I can't go in that building because if I do, they are going to know who I am, then I'm dead. Please, will you just do this for me? This is the first and the last time I will ever ask you for a favor." Tori pulled out the note and held it out.
Taking it quickly, Rebecca shoved it into her bag. "Fine. He gets off at five, and always walks through the front doors. The man doesn't own a car, so he walks back to the apartment we have here. You should be able to catch him out front at five after." She didn't know why she was going to help Tori, but there was something that was off about her that day. Maybe it was because of that.
Giving a small incline of her head, Tori turned the opposite direction, and vanished into the growing crowd of people showing up for work. The woman was good like that. Showing up, and vanishing just as quickly.
Shaking her head, Rebecca continued her journey into Abstergo. After checking in with security, and having her bag checked, she found Shaun at his station, serving coffee to the masses that needed the extra boost in the morning.
"Rebecca, there you are. Normally you are early. What? Couldn't wake you to your alarm? I told you all that loud music was going to ruin your hearing one day." He hit a button the espresso machine, and she listened to it whirl to life, grinding the coffee to a fine powder.
"No, for your information, I had a visit from an old friend." That was stretching it. More like an old enemy, but she didn't dare say Tori's name out loud. Too many ears within the walls.
That perked his interest. From the look on his face, she knew who he was thinking about, and that was Desmond. She pulled the note out that she had received and handed it to him. Upon reading it, he shoved it deep into the pocket of the slacks that he was wearing. "I see, and has someone finally medicated her, or did she just get laid?"
Not being able to control it, she busted out laughing, drawing a few looks in her direction. Putting her hand over her mouth, she stifled the chuckles that came from her. "I don't know, but it shocked the hell out of me too."
She leaned against the counter and watched him work the machine. "Well, I guess she will have her meeting. I will see what she wants after work, but I think you are about to do a run." He nodded his head in direction of the elevator.
Looking that way, she saw Jack walk over the small bridge at spanned the indoor fish pond and small garden. Abstergo spared no expense in making sure the building was as esthetically pleasing as it was fortified. Security was tighter than a drum head, and everyone knew it. Even she couldn't hack the system and that was saying something.
Jack walked over, pad clutched to his chest like it was a child he had rescued. His blue eyes darted back and forth, and his fair skin was more washed out than normal, making him look downright sickly. She and Shaun exchanged looks as he walked over to them.
"I guess you're waiting for me?" He asked, his voice wavering as he held out the pad.
Tapping a few things on hers, the data was transferred and she quickly skimmed over the details. A place called the Observatory, and a close call with Bartholomew Roberts, aka the Sage. She had heard stories about someone by that name. Most of it was legends passed through the ages, and she never thought two shits about them, until now.
"Here, it's on the house. You look like you could use it." Shaun handed him a cup, which the man gratefully took. "Now, what's got you spooked?"
Jack's eyes darted around once more before they settled back on Rebecca and Shaun. "They are starting to look into the hacking, and if they find out it was me, I'm going to die. You do realize that." He spoke low, and his voice wavered once more.
She smiled reassuringly at him. "That won't happen. If they do find out, we'll get you out of here before they can harm a hair on your head, Jack. That's what we do."
He took a deep breath, exhaled, and his shoulders slumped. "I have faith that you'll get me out of here before anything happens. Thanks."
"Anytime." Looking down at her watch, she saw that she had to get to her next stop. "I have to run. If you have any problems, talk to the ass behind the counter."
Pointing a thumb at Shaun, she began to walk away, when said man called after her. "Call me?"
"Stuff it Hastings." She called over her shoulder, and a smile crossed her face at the muttering she heard from behind the coffee counter.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Victoria Bettley shook her head as she pulled the hood farther over her face, hiding her features from the surveillance cameras outside Abstergo Entertainment. It wasn't the wisest thing she had ever done, but there was only three people in this world that she could talk to in this world about what was going on in her head. William Miles, but he was so far out there with his own agendas that she wouldn't ask him. Desmond Miles, who had been dead for a year, and then there was Shaun Hastings, the resident history nut that knew most of the things about the Assassins, Templars and the First Civilization.
And that was why she stood in the rain, head bent down, hiding from the cameras, and waiting for the man to make his exit from the building. And he did not disappoint. Exactly five minutes after he was scheduled off, she watched Shaun exit the building, coffee in one hand and umbrella in another.
He must have seen her, because that was direction that he headed. Holding out the coffee, she took it with a small nod. "Rebecca said you needed something from me?"
As they began to walk down the street, she sipped on the contents of the cup, wishing it was a bit sweeter, but the espresso spoke to her. "Yeah, I need some help identifying some symbols." She spoke up. Asking for help was not in her area of expertise. Normally, if she couldn't figure it out, it was to hell with it, and give it to someone else. That wasn't the case this time. This time it was in her own head, and in an Animus session she had once done.
"Do you have a drawing of said symbols?" He asked, coming to a stop at the edge of the street. The light was green and so they stood there, waiting.
"Yeah, I have them." Opening up her jacket just far enough to get her hand into it, she pulled out the small slip of paper and handed it to the historian.
Unfolding it, his eyes scanned the symbols. "What you have here is First Civilization runes. I don't know the exact translation, but the closest I can get is it talks about the first assassins, Adam and Eve."
"I know the story." Tori rolled her eyes. Her father had told her the whole history of the Assassin/Templar war over and over. She probably knew it better than even the man beside her.
"Well don't get snippy with me. You came to me for help, and I am taking a big risk even talking to you, Tori. If anyone from Abstergo finds out who you are, you are dead and I will be detained, questioned, and then killed." He began to walk when the walk light lit up. She followed beside him, scanning the area for anyone that seemed to be watching him. Her sixth sense had never let her down, and she relied heavy on it now.
"Sorry. As you were." Her dead pan voice spoke out from under the hood.
He snorted, but did continue. "They were the first to remove an Apple, a controlling device from Eden. That was where the story of the Garden of Eden was derived from. It was them taking that first Piece of Eden that started the whole thing."
"But what do these symbols mean?" Tori pointed to the paper, careful not to drip water onto the black ink.
Shaun looked down at them again. "The first one is the sign of Eden." He laid his finger on the swirling lines. "The second is for hybrids, meaning Adam and Eve. They were the first ones after all. The third…" His voice trailed off and he pushed his glasses higher up onto the bridge of his nose. "That is one I am unfamiliar with. I can do some research and try to figure it out, but that's about all I can do."
It was have to be enough. "That'll work. I just want to know what they mean."
Turning a corner, they stepped under an awning, and Shaun closed his umbrella for a moment. "Would you care to tell me why this is so important?"
She had never told anyone about her dreams, or sometimes nightmares. "I see them sometimes. In the dreams I have been having since I was a child. In the last year, they have been getting worse. I don't know why, but I want to find out what they mean."
The historian merely nodded his head. "I can understand that. Well fine, I will help you out under one condition." That was what she was waiting for. "Tell William to get me out of this place. I have been languishing here from months now. This is below my knowledge. I should be hunting out secrets of the Pieces of Eden, or studying ancient relics of the Firsts, not playing barista to a bunch of Abstergo idiots."
For the first time in a good while, she actually laughed. "I'll see what I can do, but for now, just keep this between us. I don't want people to think I'm some whack job like Seth's sister. Pining over a dead man. She needs to move on."
Wrinkling his nose at her. "You haven't heard the news have you?" She shook her head.
"I've been kind of out of the loop for a few months. With Abstergo wanting me, and my father's passing, I haven't been around much." That was putting it mildly. She had been so far underground that she almost could pass as a creature of the night.
"Desmond is alive. He buried a message in that file you retrieved for William. They have been looking for him since."
"I checked him for a pulse. He was dead. He looked dead." That was something kind of scary. If he was alive, did Abstergo have the ability to bring people back from the dead?
Shaun shrugged. "I don't know, but he's alive." Snapping open his umbrella once more, he inclined his head. "I'll be in touch and I hope you talk to William for me." And with that, he walked down the street, leaving her standing there under the awning, too many things running through her mind to sort out.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Bullets flew past his head, biting into the bark of trees, as Desmond ran at full speed through the densely packed forest. Taking a wrong turn the night before, he had ran into one of their units that were hunting for him, and it nearly cost him his life in return.
His lungs screamed for breath as a bullet ripped into a tree not two feet from his head. Ducking the spray, he vaulted a log, and slid down an embankment. Once his boots hit the level ground, he was off once more, trying to get rid of the men that perused him.
Something pierced the soft flesh of his arm, sending a spray of blood out the front. A bullet had finally found its way to him, causing a wound that if he didn't get treated, would probably kill him. So, ignoring the burning white hot pain, he poured everything he had into his legs, trying to get them to go faster.
"Move your ass, Desmond." He heard someone growl next to him, but he didn't dare turn to see what apparition was yelling at him this time.
"There, over there. A fallen tree." A second voice called out to him. "To your left."
Casting his eyes in the direction the voice told him, he saw it. The tree was huge and had fallen up against another, giving him a pathway to the canopy above. It he could get above them, and double back over their heads, he might have a chance to reach their vehicle and get out of there, leaving them stranded for once. It was about the only shot that he had, so he took it.
Damn near doing a ninety degree turn, he felt his feet slide, but before he fell, he gained traction once again, running for the fallen tree, and up the trunk he went. Launching off the end, he safely landed on a sturdy branch, and breathed the first sigh of relief in hours.
Blood oozed down his arm, and began its travel down to the tips of his fingers. Taking a second to survey the damage done to the bicep, he grimaced at the jagged wound. The bullet had grazed the flesh, but did enough damage that it would require stitches to properly heal.
"Anyone see where he went to?"
Smashing himself to the trunk of the tree, he listened to the voices below, hoping that the men wouldn't see where he was hiding. It was only going to be a matter of time before they thought about the treetops, but if they walked past him, he might, just might, have a chance to run once more. This time, he was going to stay off the ground and take a page from Connor's story.
"I say let him go. I know he was hit, and with that storm moving in, he's as good as dead out here." Another man growled. "Let's head back."
"But the boss said to bring him back alive or dead. If we don't do that, we're dead." The first man whined, but Desmond heard his footsteps turn back in the direction they came.
"Then we tell them that we shot him, and his body fell under the ice of the river. They won't go hunting for him until it thaws and you're looking at a few months. By then his body will turn up somewhere." The second guy laughed. "You need to get a backbone."
Poking his head around the edge of the tree, he saw them right near the base of a tree not far from where he was. All he had to do was jump a few branches, and get them from the air. The problem was, he only had one knife and there were two of them. Maybe he could kill one, and snag the gun before the other had time to think. It was worth a shot, and if he failed… No he wasn't going to think like that. He wasn't going to fail. He was going to make it out of this, and he was going to get back to the states. Isabella was waiting for him, and he was going to make it back to her, and to his son.
Judging the distance for his jump, he knew he could make it with little problem, and so he landed with not a sound. The branch was thick and held his weight yet again, but as he looked at the second one, he wasn't so sure about that one. It was only half the thickness of the one that he currently crouched on, and if he hit it wrong, there was about a twenty foot drop to the ground below. But he knew he at least needed on that one to reach one of the men that stood below.
So taking a breath, and exhaling, he took the leap. His right boot connected with the bark, but before he could balance himself, the sole slipped, causing him to fall. Out of instinct, he grabbed for the branch, and his hand held, leaving him dangling by one hand from the limb.
The sound alerted the men, and in horror, Desmond watched them pull their pistols once more. "Did you hear that?" The first man asked, gun at ready, looking around the quickly darkening woods. Twilight was beginning to set in, and soon, pitch black would settle on the land.
"Must be an animal in the trees." The second man looked around as well, but held his gun to the side.
Grabbing the limb with his other hand, he hissed in pain, feeling shards of white hot agony course through his body as he pulled himself back up to the safety of the branches above. He had little strength to begin with, and he was about spent when his rear touched the branch. Breathing hurt from the exertion he had placed upon his chest, but knowing that a chance at freedom lay with these men's deaths, he figured he could breathe later.
Getting back to his feet, and taking the last jump, he watched his prey from the perfect vantage point. Positioning himself just right, the knife was brought out of his jacket pocket, and held at ready. Steadying himself, he knew the timing had to be right, flawless.
"Take a breath in." The voice was now that of Connor. "Hold, release, and then strike. You are able to do this. You will not fail."
Listening to him, Desmond inhaled, slid his right foot an inch sideways, exhaled, and used the honed muscles in his legs to propel him forwards. And for a brief moment in time, it was as if the world slowed. The knife was brought up to strike, and as he began to descend, the blade buried itself into the back of the man that wanted to kill him.
Then time resumed, and using the momentum from his fall, Desmond rolled onto his feet, and grabbed the fallen gun. Turning swiftly, he pointed the business end at the other man. That man fell to his knees, eyes wide in fear. "Please don't kill me." He whimpered, gun abandoned on the forest floor.
"Why shouldn't I? Huh? Answer me that one!" Desmond growled, his thumb cocking the Colt that he took from the dead man. "You assholes have been hunting me for a week now. Trying to take me back somewhere I don't want to be. Now, you kneel before me, begging for your life, all because I have a gun trained at your miserable head."
The man shook in fear. "I won't tell them where you are. Please, I don't want to die. Not here." His voice came out as a whisper.
"You have one chance. I'm not going to kill you, but if you so much as try to follow me, I will not hesitate to blow your brains out the back of your head. Do we understand each other?" The anger from the chase was draining from him, and even though the gun weighted maybe a few pounds, it felt like holding a granite column.
He shook his head in response. "Good." And with that, brought the gun down on the man's head, effectively knocking him out.
"That was a noble thing you did, Desmond." Altair watched him from under the cowl.
Sliding the gun into the waistband of his jeans, he began to search the men. "Don't really care about your option right now." He replied curtly. All he wanted was some keys and maybe some money. Damn he was hungry. It had been almost a day since he had eaten anything.
"Don't you think you should call Isabella? You told her you would call in a few hours, and that was almost nine hours ago." Ezio knelt next to him, his arms relaxed on his bent legs.
"I will when I get to their truck. Phone's dead and I need a charger. I lost mine in the chase." Standing, he counted out the money that he had. About forty rubles, and some change. He would eat well tonight, and be able to buy another card for his phone.
"Then you better get moving, Des. A storm's coming and you don't want to be caught out in it." Clay leaned against a tree, a grin on his face. "Or unless you want to freeze your nuts off out here? I personally opt for warmth."
Shooting the man a glare, he pocketed the cash, and the set of keys. "Shut your mouth. You're dead. You don't feel the cold, or heat."
"Why must you be so hurtful?" He faked being wounded by clutching his chest.
"Clay." Altair growled, and glared at him. "Knock it off."
The wind began to pick up, causing him to shiver. The truck was about two miles in the direction that he had come from. Or so he hoped. The running through the woods had thrown him off, so hoping for the best, he started to walk in the direction his footprints came from.
Connor walked beside him. "Do you not think that man will freeze out here? You said you weren't going to kill him."
Sparing a glance at his ancestor, he shook his head. "I said I wouldn't shoot him, but like hell I'm going to drag his ass out of these woods. Let him figure that out on his own." And he kept right on walking.
Kind of dark, I know, but I needed to show the difference in Desmond's character from the last story until now. Hopefully everyone likes it.
Preview of Chapter Three
Stepping into the airport from her overseas flight, a yawn passed Isabella's lips as she held onto her carryon bag. Carrying light was a thing for an assassin, but the problem was she could not get her blades into the plane with her. They were safely tucked away in the case her mother has given her. It was her cover, and it worked well.
Weaving her way through the throngs of bodies as she made her way out of the crowded airport, she took in all the people that surrounded her. Families taking vacation, couples holding hands, gazing into each other's eyes, business types talking on their phones, finishing last minute transactions before their flights.
It had been hell trying to get here. At first her mother was completely against it.
"Absolutely not, Isabella!" Sarah placed the last dish in the drying rack, and drained the sink. "I will not allow my only daughter to go gallivanting around Russia trying to find someone."
She groaned, holding her anger in check. It wouldn't get her anywhere to blow up at her mother. Not right now at least. "Mom please! I am his only chance of getting out of that damn country. He needs me."
"He's a trained assassin, sugar. I'm sure he can find his own way out." Opening the fridge, she began to gather things for dinner. "Besides, you have a child now. You need to be with him."
Isabella knew her mother had a point, but damn it, she had to do this. "Fine, but answer me one thing. What you would have done if Dad had called you and told you he was in trouble? Would you have found a way to help him?"
Sarah's hand stilled on the gallon of milk. "That's different, Isabella, and you know it. He's my husband. Of course I would find a way to help, but I'm no assassin."
Taking a softer tone, she looked at her mother. "But I am. Mom, this is what I was trained for. I was trained to help people in need. To fight the wrongs in this world, and to free my fellow man from the grip of the Templars. Desmond is in trouble with the Templars. He is also Collin's father. Can you not see that I need to do this?"
Her mother straightened up, and sighed. "But I don't want my grandson growing up without his mother. If you do this, you could lose your life, or be taken again. I don't think my heart could handle that once more."
Gathering her in a hug, Isabella smiled. "I'll be okay. This is what I do. I know I can get in, and get out him out before they know I'm even there. Please help me do this."
She felt her mother's shoulders slump. "Fine, but you are going in as me. I still have friends in the botany field, and taking a trip to Russia to study the flora in the winter would not look strange." Pulling away from her daughter, Sarah shook her head. "I'll buy you as much time as needed, but when your father finds out…"
"He's going to come after me, I know, but he won't risk doing that long of a flight. His name is on that list of Abstergo's most wanted, along with a few people we know." She smiled. "I'll be back in a few days. Please don't let Daddy follow. I need to prove to him that I am what he trained me to be, and this has to be my mission."
Her mother took her hand, and led her upstairs. Opening the safe that was hidden in the back of her closet, Isabella watched her pull out a few things. "You are going to need cash, and at least some kind of protection." Standing, she grabbed a case from the top shelf. "Your weapons should be able to go in here. A botanist with a few knives won't raise any brows. When you go deep into the woods, you have to have some protection."
Opening it up, she saw soil sample trays, a few scrappers, and various other things she didn't even know. "I can't even tell what all this is."
Laughing, Sarah closed the case. "I'll give you the manual. It will give you something to read during your flight." Looking around the room, she huffed. "Now, you had best go get your things together, and scoot before your father gets back. He's due to return in the morning with your brother. I'll call and get you a flight."
Hugging her once more, Isabella's heart began to soar. "Thanks Mom, for everything."
Grabbing the case from the luggage carousel, she looked around the airport once more. A sign caught her attention. The name 'Sarah Bellucci' was emblazed on the white board. Walking over to the man who held the sign, she gave him an arched brow. "And you are?" She asked.
"Vladimir. You must be Ms. Bellucci I would assume." His thick Russian accent almost butchered her last name. "I was told you would be here today. Your mother said to take you into town."
Her mother had mentioned knowing a few people that lived here from her time taking soil samples near the Chernobyl sight. "How do you know her?" She had be sure. Like hell she was about to get into a car with a man she didn't know. That was a recipe for disaster.
"Walk with me?" His dark eyes darted around, and she had a feeling they were being watched.
"You so much as trick me, and I will take you down." She growled, holding onto the handle of the case.
A nod came from him, and they walked towards the door. "I worked with your mother when she first came out here in the mid-eighties. She was a part of group sent to study the effects of radiation on the local flora. You father, Damien, I believe his name was, came with her." He paused and pulled some sunglasses from his breast pocket. "That was when I found out about the Brotherhood."
Well that perked her interest. "So, you're one of us?"
He nodded. "Yes. Well, to everyone else, I am just a hired guard. I was one of a few guards hired to watch the equipment when your parents came. Now, I am part of a team that was dispatched to find out why Abstergo has been running all over Moscow and the surrounding area."
She knew why. "What have you found out?" She asked, readjusting the strap to her bag.
"They are looking for the man that you currently are in search of. They came close last night, but those men have yet to return. We have friends within their walls here. Not enough to make a difference, but enough to get us information." Vladimir pulled out a set of keys from his pocket, and led her out the front doors. "My car is not far from here. If you would like, I can take you to a hotel for you to freshen up."
Shaking her head, she looked at him. "No. Do you know where they disappeared at?" It was her only lead to Desmond, and if it was a few hours old, there was no telling how far he was from the site. She had to get there fast.
"I do. I assume you would like to go there first?" Nodding, she walked next to him as they headed towards his car. "Then, I will take you there, but be warned. He has been clever enough to stay away from places that are heavily populated. No one knows how to find him."
A cell phone sat in her bag, and the number that she called him on was saved in the directory. "I might be able to find him. I just have to get to that site."