Books upon books were spread out on the table in front of him, nothing making sense as Shaun poured over old tomes, and handwritten notes. The last symbol that Tori had given him a few days ago could be translated into so many things, if looking at hieroglyphics. But then you had to factor in some Roman and Greek writing, and then it took on a whole new meaning. He scratched his head, removed his glasses, and rubbed his tired eyes.

He had been at this almost as soon as he came back, pausing only to use the bathroom, and fix something to eat. The books were everywhere, covering all the tables, and received some rather nasty looks from Rebecca when she would come in.

Speaking of the woman, she lounged on the couch, headphones over her ears, most likely trying to drown out the small curse words that would come from his lips. Her toes tapped along with the music and he could tell it was some form of rock and roll. He personally, preferred classical or even big band era to the ear-splitting beats of the new generation bands.

"Rebecca." He called out her name, but got no response. "Rebecca!" He called louder, but still the same. "Bloody hell woman." Removing himself from the chair, feeling his spine pop, and his joints pulling from lack of use, he walked over to the couch, standing in front of the TV.

She finally looked up at him, removing the headphones. "What?" She asked, giving him a look that she was none too happy about being disturbed.

"I called your name and you didn't answer. I believe you have that music up too loud." He crossed his arms over his chest, and gave her a half-hearted glare.

Chuckling, she sat up and smiled. "Oh, I heard you. I just chose to ignore you."

"Oh all the…!" He spit and sputtered, not really knowing what to say to that. "I need your help."

That must have caught her curiosity, because she stood. "Alright, Mr. Genius, what can I do for you?"

Waving her over to the table, he picked up one of the books that he had been studying. "I am utterly lost on the translation of the third symbol. The first two begin the story of Eden, but the final one I cannot for the life of me find a translation for. I even had Bill send out everything he had on the subject. Which I am sad to say was very little, but I am at a loss."

She sifted through the lose papers, looking at a few, then passing a few more up. "Have you ever thought about scanning all of this into a computer? I could make a program that could scan all of these pages, and find a close matching symbol. It wouldn't take no more than a few days for me to come up with it. I mean, we have the knowledge from the Animus."

Something in his brain clicked when she said 'Animus'. "Oh Rebecca, I could kiss you right now!" He grinned. "Do you still have the data from Desmond's time as Ezio in the late 1400's?" She nodded, not quite catching on. "There was a glyph in there similar to this one. If I can isolate that one, then figure out its origins, maybe I can figure this massive puzzle out!"

It could work. It was the best lead that he had in days. All he had to do was find that one glyph. It shouldn't be that hard. There were only twenty of them, and he could isolate just that part of the data. He was hoping it would be no more than a few days before he would have the answers the woman sought.

Something tapped him on his shoulder, and when he looked up, Rebecca was standing there, holding her laptop. "You wanna do this now, or after you clean up your puddle of drool?"

"What?" Shaun asked, completely oblivious as to what she was going on about.

"You entered lala land when I told you I still had the data. Jeeze Shaun! Most men get that excited when a girl says they'll lay them, not about computer data. You Brits and your damn weird ways." She sat the computer down, and opened it up. Pulling out a portable scanner, she hooked it up as well. "This should help. With the programming already in the Animus data, you can most likely scan that symbol, and the computer will find it for you. No need to sit here and search for it yourself."

He watched in rapped fascination as Rebecca began to work her magic. Scanning the paper into the software, she set it up to find a close match. Once she was done, her eyes turned to her. "Done. Now when it finds something, it will start to yell at you."

"You have my deepest thanks. What would I do without you?" His eyes watched the screen as many images flashed past.

"Still be sitting there in your own filth, trying to figure out a complex puzzle that my computer is going to figure for you in a fraction of the time." Grinning, she rapped him on his back. "Now, here's an idea. Go get a shower, and we can go get food. There's this seafood joint not far from here that I am dying to try. You could get out of here as well."

"I do not…" He took a whiff of his shirt and recoiled in horror. "Bloody hell! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

She laughed like a hyena. "Wanted to see if you would notice on your own. I guess you didn't. Thank heavens that you were off the last three days."

Now he knew he had been wrapped up in the puzzle for far too long. "I think I will go take that shower now."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

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."

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Removing the binoculars from his eyes, Seth passed them off to his father. "They are on the move. Must have found something out." Picking up a pad of paper, he jotted down the time. He and his father had been staking out one of Abstergo's wharfs in Miami for a few days now. It was them and four other people, but with the two of them having bounties on their heads, they couldn't get close enough to know much. They relied heavily on what the others brought them, and what they were finding out from Shaun and Rebecca up north.

Damien readjusted the focus. "It seems so. It has something to do with this Observatory that I have been hearing about."

"Shouldn't we just go find it ourselves? Beat them to the punch? I mean, we do have one person that knows its location. Why not bust him out, and have him take us there?" Seth looked over at his father. "It would save us some time."

Setting down the binoculars, he looked at his son. "Because we are not sure that is what they are going after, Seth. If they have not found it yet, then there may still be time. We can't go barreling into a situation that we have no clue as to what they are planning. For all we know, this could be a ruse to have us take them to it."

"But…" He began, but decided to clamp his mouth shut. It would do him no good to argue with his father. Besides, he did bring up a valid point. If the Templars didn't know the exact location, and the Assassins did, they would know something was up, and it could get a few people killed.

The phone that sat between them began to vibrate. Damien picked it up and answered it. "Yes Bill?"

Taking the binoculars back, he watched the dock workers load the freighter with cargo and supplies. They had been working on the vessel for well over a week now, claiming on paper that it was for transportation of medication to the people of South America. The copy of the manifests were that of pharmaceuticals, but he had never heard of them before.

Hanging up the phone, his dad looked over at him. "We are being reassigned."

"Huh?" That wasn't something he was ready for. They had spent days here, watching and planning, and now they were being pulled? "Why?" Was the only thing that came from his mouth.

"There is a man that has to be grabbed. His name is Olivier Garneau, and he oversees the Abstergo Entertainment division. We have questions, and he has answers." His father started up the car, and pulled it down into drive. "We are to meet Bill in Chicago. That is where the shareholder's meeting is going to take place."

He couldn't believe he was hearing this. "And you do realize that we have to drive clear to the top of the country. That's going to take us over a day to drive."

Pulling onto the road, his father angled the car towards the highway. "I know, but this must be done, Seth. We are the only ones available to do it. Besides, Bill will be meeting us, and Tori will be there as well."

"Oh great! Let's bring her along." He rolled his eyes and sunk down in the seat. "You know how well we get along. Why you're at it, why not bring a bomb with you to kill the rest of the people?"

"Seth." Damien warned. "I'm not asking you to like her again. All that's being asked is for you to work with her and us to take this man in. It's not like I'm asking you to marry her."

He looked at the man in the driver's seat. "No, you already did that once before. 'Oh Seth, you and her would be wonderful together. Think about the Brotherhood.'" He mocked his father's speech to him a few years ago. "Yeah, we almost killed each other. Thanks, but no thanks."

"Don't you start with me. I will drop you off with your mother, and pick up your sister. Maybe she would have a better attitude about this." Pulling onto the highway, they headed out of the city. "I bet she would love to get out of that house."

Snorting, Seth watched the cars pass by his window as they rolled down the road. "Yeah, and the first chance she gets, she's going to try and find Desmond. Isn't that why you won't let her on missions right now? Because you know she's got her own agenda?"

Silence settled in the car for a moment before his father sighed. "Your sister is a very complicated person right now. She has gone through so much in the last year. It's understandable for her to want to find that boy."

He was catching the underlying meaning. Everyone had said the same thing. Isabella was off her rocker. "No, she's not complicated. She had two things on her mind. Collin and now Desmond. You really think you're going to stop her from leaving when she wants? I don't think so. Dad, you said it yourself. She is a force to be reckoned with. With all that training she's had, I'm pretty sure you, Bill, or Tori can't stop her." He knew he was caught between a rock and hard place. "Fine, I'll go with you, but you had better not pair me up with her."

A light chuckle came from the driver's seat. "Would I do that to you?"

"Yes." Came his reply. He knew his father, and they had worked together long enough to know that his father was always trying to get him a girlfriend. Being an assassin full time now kind of limited his choices on women. He could picture his first date when they asked what he did. No, that wouldn't be awkward. Not at all.

All his father did was laugh as they drove towards their destination.

Preview of Chapter Four

Desmond raised his head up from the makeshift bed he had made the night before. The small shed he had found on the back of an abandoned property had provided enough shelter from the elements, but his arm was telling him that he really needed to have it looked at. The pain was getting worse and the skin around the wound was now inflamed and burned like a branding iron. He knew an infection when he saw one, and this was getting worse.

Rising from the old blankets he had scavenged, the wind howled outside, letting him know he was in for another cold day. Pulling the phone from the inside pocket of his jacket, he saw that it was four in the afternoon. Not a wonderful way to start the day, but he also knew that he had to get a move on. Abstergo was not going to just sit idle and wait from him to be spotted. They would have more men out looking for him now.

Grabbing the small first aid kit that he found in the back of the truck he procured from Abstergo, and removing his jacket, he gingerly peeled off the old gauze and bandages from the wound. The putrid smell of infection and rot reached his nose, causing him to gag, but he didn't know where to go, or where any hospital was.

So, after carefully rewrapping the wound, he leaned back against the shed's wall, feeling it give a bit at his weight. His stomach rumbled, telling him that it was completely empty, and he knew it. But there was no money left. Not even enough for a small pack of gum. He thought about going into the small town of Obninsk that he had passed the night before, but he had finally seen himself in a mirror of being on the run now for a week. His hair, which was longer than normal, was knotted and full of leaves and things only found in the forest. His brown eyes were sunk in from lack of food, and sleep, and he smelled like a trash can.

Tears weld up in his eyes, and he had a feeling he wasn't getting out of this alive. The SUV was nearly out of gas, his arm was so infected that he knew it was a matter of time before it moved into his blood stream, and all he could think about was how Isabella was going to take his death yet again.

Just the thought of her made his heart hurt, and the tears fall. He had failed her, and she would never know how much he tried to get back to her. How much he wanted to be there with her and their son. He was going to die in that little shack and there was no telling when anyone was going to find his body. They wouldn't even know who he was. Just another homeless man trying to get out of the weather.

Picking back up the phone, he dialed the cellphone number she had given him last night when he finally was able to call her. She had told him it was her personal line and that only she would answer it. After two rings, she did pick up. 'Desmond, thank God you called. I was getting worried.' Her voice came over the line, causing the tears to fall harder.

"I am so, so sorry." He told her, leaning his head against the cold wood.

'For what?' She asked.

"For thinking I can do this on my own." He now knew that he should have asked for help sooner. If he had, he might not be in this mess.

'Where are you?' She demanded. 'I'm coming to get you. I said I would, and now I am.'

He laughed bitterly. "You won't get here in time. You're in the States, and I don't know how much longer I can take the cold."

'Desmond, listen to me. I'm leaving Moscow. My plane landed an hour ago. I can get to you. Where are you?'

"Huh?" He didn't expect her to come. He told her not to come, but thinking back, when did she ever listen, and this time he was glad she didn't. "You're here?"

'Yes, but I can't come get you if I don't know where in this damn country you are.' Her voice was strong, but he was not.

"I don't know. I'm near a town called Obninsk. I'll… I'll try to make it into town. I have a car." Pushing himself up, his limbs protested to the movements because of the pain, the chill in his body, and the exertion yesterday. "Will you… will you talk to me until you get here? I'm not doing too hot."

'What happened?' Her voice wavered, and he could tell she was most likely on the verge of tears.

"Got shot." He hissed as he finally stood straight. It was painful to do so, but he managed. Tucking the phone into the crook of his shoulder, he pushed the door open with his good arm, and frowned when he saw all the snow that had fallen the night before. There had to be at least six or more inches.

'You got shot? How bad is it?' From her tone, she was beyond scared, and he felt bad for do that to her.

"Yeah, in the arm. It's pretty bad, I'm not gonna lie." He looked at the snow some more, and knew that he had to get to the SUV, which he hid in the barn at least a half mile from his current position. "Bella, I don't even know if you can save me this time."

Isabella snorted over the line. 'I will damn sure try. I'm not giving up on you, Desmond Miles, so you had better have your ass in that town in under an hour.'

He laughed as he trudged through the deep snow, nearly falling a few times. "Now you sound like my dad."

'Well someone has to push you, and push you I will. I didn't fly halfway around the world to bring back a corpse. You're going to be fine, and damn it, we are going to give our son the family he needs.' Her voice became strong once more, and he wished he was as optimistic as she was. The bitter temperatures were sapping what little strength he had left.

The barn wasn't too far now. He could see it just in front of him. He was going to make it. "Bella, do you remember that one time we were shipwrecked?" The memory took his mind off the pain for a minute. It was the first time he had actually kissed her. It was the one of the greatest days of his life.

She chuckled. 'Yeah, I remember. You got me to skin that animal. I still find that disgusting.'

"But it was worth it. That honestly has to be one of the best memories I have. Not the shipwreck, but just being with you." Laying his hand on the wooden barn, he took a few shallow breaths. It was difficult to even do that at the moment. The freezing cold was hard on his lungs.

'The best memory I have is the first night I met you. That was the night that changed everything for me.' Her tone was soft and he heard a sigh. 'You know, you were too chicken shit to talk to me the next day.'

Opening up the barn door was a feat, but he did it, and got in the SUV. "I know I was. I never really had a lot of interaction with women who weren't drunk before." Pulling the keys from the visor, he fired up the motor, and almost cheered when it started.

She laughed at him, but from the waver in the sound, he knew she was still worried. 'Des, you are so messed up.'

Letting out a yawn, Desmond leaned back in the seat. "I know, but…" Another yawn escaped him, and his eyes tried to shut, but giving his head a good shake, he tried to stay awake. "but, you know you enjoy it."

'That I do.'

His phone began to beep, signaling that it was coming to the end of its battery life. He had maybe a few minutes of talk time left. "Isabella, listen to me, if we get cut off, don't worry. My phone is dying, and I don't have a way to charge it." He had forgotten the charger in the shed and he wasn't about to make the trek back to get it. To hell with that.

'Then I'll let you go. That way it'll be there for me to find you when we get to town. Just hold on for a little bit longer. I'll see you soon.' Her voice brought him a measure of comfort in that dark time, but even then he knew he still had to make it to her.

"Okay. I'll leave it near me." And he hung up the phone. He was so tired, but he could sleep more after he got to her.