Jack Winslow's eyes darted around the room, feeling that there was someone, besides the cameras, that was watching him. The hacking, the spying, it was beginning to weigh on him, and causing him to think people were out to get him at every turn. Going through the memories of Edward Kenway was not helping matters either. The man had more people trying to kill him on any given day than there were people in the small town he came from. The whole English and Spanish armadas wanted his head, and that didn't include some on the smaller countries as well.
Setting the Animus visor on its holder, he sighed, rubbing his tired and most likely bloodshot eyes. The particular session had been grueling to say the least. With the death of Edward Thatch, aka Blackbeard, and the discovery of the ship that carried Roberts, Edward's nerves had been on the fray, and in turn, along with his. If the pay wasn't as good as it was, he would have left a long time ago, but bills needed to be paid, and his car needed work, so he stayed where he was, trying his damnedest to stay under the radar. Do what he was told by the people of Abstergo Entertainment, and try and get the information he needed to get for the Assassins. Being a secret agent was not something that he ever wanted to do again after this was all said and done.
'Alright little mole, time to get back to work. People are depending on that shit.' He heard John cackle in his ear. The man beginning to be put on that list of the things that annoyed him. Up there with mosquitos and that buzzing sound you get in your ear every once in a while.
"If you're so good at this, why don't you do it?" Jack mumbled into the mic. He was so tired of the man always telling him what to do and when to do it. If he wanted that, he would have stayed at home with his mother. Not that he didn't love his mother, but being an only child, she was a bit on the protective side.
'Who do you think is covering your ass while you gather the Intel that's needed? Me, that's who. I can't be two places at once, and covering my ass from both sides. I'm good, but not that good. Now, just do as I tell you to do, and you'll have a life to go home to once this is over. If not, well, let's not think about that at this particular time.'
And the man had him there. He had heard the rumors of what Abstergo would do to him if they so much as thought he was a traitor to their company. He wouldn't live past sunrise, and frankly, he liked his life. "Fine. Where do you need me to go next?"
'That's the spirit! I knew I could count on you.'
"I'm only doing this because I really have no choice." Grumbling, he stood and picked up his tablet. It was the only tool he had, and if anyone else got ahold of it, he was as good as dead. It had all the data he had collected on it.
'I'm glad you're finally seeing things for what they are.'
He was getting the sneaking suspicion the man was up to something else, but wasn't about to question it. One wrong word, and he knew John would blow the whistle, blame him for everything, and Jack knew his death would look like an accident. "Just tell me what to do." Yeah, he really should have never taken this job.
'I need you to hack into the security feed here. They changed something and now I can't get in.'
Rolling his eyes, he headed to where he was told to go. It was the same song and dance. Once he was done, John would instruct him to go to the lobby, meet with Rebecca, who would ferret the information out as a courier. It was all the same, but for some reason, they had not been caught, yet. It was only going to be a matter of time.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
The Grand Temple was quiet, not a sound could be heard through cavernous place, save for a few stones falling from their places from around the ceiling beams, and the crevices. The ancient structure was crumbling down, and there wasn't a soul on earth that could stop it, but who would? The temple was a place of evil intent by one woman from a race that wanted nothing more than to enslave the human population once more.
But something moved in the shadows. It wasn't like a person, or animal. It was the shadows of the past coming back. The long forgotten history of the humans that everyone had forgot, save a few, and she knew she was going to get her revenge. Time was her friend, and she could wait for as long as she needed, but lacked a few things to complete her ascension back to her rightful place.
Juno stood on the precipice of change, and it would be in her favor. She had what she needed. Enough of Desmond's spark was recovered for her to start her plan into motion, but one thing was missing. Her vessel. She would need a body to carry her essence. For her to blend in, and to begin her complete domination of the descendants that laid the groundwork that wiped out her people so long ago.
"Soon." She whispered into the stillness of the air, as she looked on over the empty place that had held her for so long. "So very soon."
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Splashing water on his face, Desmond looked into the mirror, watching the water droplets fall from his shaven face. The skin was pulled taunt over his cheekbones, signifying how much weight he had lost since his time with Abstergo. Finally being free was something new altogether, and granted, he was grateful to be out, but he knew with him being in captivity, it had stopped them from going after the people that he loved.
Grabbing the towel from the rack to his right, he turned from the mirror and dried his face. He had been woken up by a nightmare, and with his nerves jumping, he knew there was no more rest for him. It was the same song and dance. The nightmares would come only a short time after he fell asleep, causing his pulse to race, and his heart to beat furiously in his chest, trying desperately to escape the confines of his ribcage.
Taking a seat in one of the chairs, he watched Isabella sleep on, unaware of the turmoil that was going on in him right now. Dropping his head into his hands, his screwed his eyes shut and hissed as he felt the familiar pain of a headache coming on. It wasn't the first time he felt it. They were frequent, and he knew it was something that he was going to have to live with until it was determined what was causing them.
"You should see a doctor." Ezio's heavily Italian accented voice came from beside him, and Desmond bit back a groan.
"Go away." He mumbled, trying his damnedest to not say it loud enough to wake her up.
"What? Don't want Isabella hearing you talking to yourself?" Clay was the next voice to be heard. The man was completely mad, but he was that way before he died at the hands of himself. "Don't want your girlfriend to know she's shacked up with a lunatic?" The blonde man cackled in his maddened state.
Raising his head, he saw all four of them around the room, looking at him. Altair stood near the door, leaned against the wall, head down, but watching him carefully from under the deep hood. Connor sat on the floor, opposite of the ancient assassin, one leg brought to his chest and the other straight ahead. Ezio was beside him in the vacant chair, hood down like normal, his eyes taking in everything in the room, and Clay sat on the dresser, hunched over, arms draped on his bent legs, eyes directly on him.
"So, have you thought of your plan to leave this place?" Connor asked as he picked some dirt out from under his nail. Cocking a brow, Desmond just stared at him. "What? You need to think of something better than trying to use her brother's passport."
"Would you all just go away? My head is already killing me, and with you guys being here, it makes it worse. I really don't want to listen to your griping right now." He gave his coldest glare, but it come off more of a grimace.
Altair, who had been quiet so far, pushed off the wall and walked over to him. "Like it or not, you are stuck with us until you either, one, get your mind in order and figure out a way out of your current condition, or two, die. It's your choice.
Desmond just stared at him like he had two heads. Finally coming back to his senses, he snorted. "You sure know how to make a guy feel better. You could at least try and sugar coat bad news every once in a while." He muttered, pushing past the man as he stood.
"You should know better than all of them here that I do not 'sugar coat' anything. I will tell you exactly what you need to hear, and when you need to hear it." The Syrian growled. "You cannot bury your head, and hope this all goes away. We're not going anywhere."
Turning sharply, he got in Altair's face. "I'm not burying my head, as you call it. I'm trying to figure out how to get back to the States and save everyone. I've unleashed Juno onto the world, Abstergo is trying to fry my brain, and the whole world is going down the shitter. The bad thing is, two of them are my fault." He felt his voice rising, but he was pissed. It was one of the side effects of his anger.
"Desmond."
His head whipped around to see Isabella sitting up in bed, watching him with wide eyes. Shit, shit, and just to top it off, damn. He hung his head, but felt the other four leave. It was kind of like someone had turned off the vice that had been put on his brain. "How much did you hear?" He asked quietly, unable to meet her eyes.
"You arguing with yourself." He heard the sheets rustle, and the sound of her feet touching the floor. "You can talk to me." Lifting his head up, she made him focus at her. Her eyes held nothing but concern for him. Not pity as he had seen in so many eyes before.
"Where do I begin?" He asked falling back onto the foot of the bed, but taking care not to hit the wound that was still seeping. She took a seat next to him, and laid a hand on his leg.
He heard her sigh. "Start from the beginning. I find it makes it easier."
Desmond choked outa bitter laugh. "I don't even know where the beginning is. I don't even know who I am anymore."
"Well, I know who you are. You're Desmond Miles, a stubborn, hard-headed jackass most of the time, but I still love you anyway." She laughed while holding onto him. "You are too hard on yourself. So, you argue with yourself. Big deal."
It was a big deal to him. He was losing his mind, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. So, he decided to tell her everything. "I wasn't arguing with myself. I was arguing with Altair." And he launched into the whole story on how it all got started. How he began to see his three ancestors, and the crazy assassin.
Once he was done, his eyes stayed on the floor. Not able to bring himself to look at her. To see that she thought he had completely lost his mind. But what she said next surprised him.
"I don't know what you're going through, but when this is all over, and everything calms down, we can find a way to get this to stop." His head shot up, and he just stared at her. She gave a lopsided grin. "What? Did you think I was going to leave you because you talk to your dead ancestors?"
Rubbing his neck, he gave a weak chuckle. "Well, yeah."
Wrapping her arms around him, she laid her head against his arm. "Always looking at the bad side of things. Let me clarify a few things for you. You, idiota, are stuck with me until you want me to leave. We are a team, and there is no way in Hell that I will ever abandon my partner. Even if he is a raving lunatic." Isabella laughed. "Kidding! I don't think you're nuts. I love you, quirks and all. And even if I have to share you with the guys, I really don't care. Just as long as they're not there when it's you and me time. If you catch my meaning."
And after that came out, he couldn't help but start laughing. He knew what she meant, and at least with her knowing, he didn't feel so alone in the world. "I will try my damnedest to keep them at bay when that happens."
"Good, now, time to try and get some more sleep. We leave early in the morning."
And for once, he felt like he might be able to get more than an hour or two before the nightmares finally found him once more.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Damien readjusted the cap that was now perched on his head. An hour ago, they had ambushed the driver of the limo, shoved him into the trunk of Tori's car, and stripped him of the uniform. Unfortunately, he was the only one that it would fit. So, he got nominated for the task.
Watching the window, he saw the target exit the building, phone to his ear, face scrunched up in anger at whatever was being told to him on the other end of the device. The door opened, and Olivier climbed in, the valet closing the door behind him.
"No, I don't care what she wants. It will take time to get the location. If we push him, the man is going to find out something that we don't want him to. There is already someone hacking into the computers there." A pause as he listened to the person he was speaking to. "And I understand the pressure, Melanie, but if the mole finds out what we are hunting for in Kenway's memories, everything we have been working at will be for nothing. We must take this slow."
Clearing his throat, and putting on the best American accent he could, he spoke up. "Where to, sir?"
Olivier's eyes looked up at him in the rear view. "Midway. As quick as you can."
Giving a nod, Damien shifted the car down into drive, then eased into the holiday traffic. The meeting place was not that far out of the city. Seth and Tori would be waiting with his car, while he was about to pick up William a few blocks down. It all was to be done carefully, and quickly, with no one the wiser. Their job was made easier by the fact the man in the back seat did not have any guards with him. He may be high on the pole, but too low for them to be concerned about someone taking him. That was why he had made the perfect target.
The pickup point was coming up, and he felt his hand slide down in preparation to hit the unlock button. The light was on their side, and turned red as he pulled up to the light. William walked out from under an awning, head bent down, trying to keep the snow out of his eyes.
Before Olivier could react, William was in the car, gun in his side. "I would advise you to throw that phone to the front of the car, and keep your mouth shut." Once he did what he was told, William turned his attention to him. "I would get out of here as fast as you can."
He didn't need to be told twice. They had just pulled off the biggest kidnapping in their recent history, and in a Templar controlled city none the less. So, once the light turned, he did as well, heading to the meeting area where they would ditch the car, and take Olivier to a secret area for questioning.
"What do you people want with me?" Olivier asked as they made their way out of the city.
"Just a few answers. Then, you will be free to go." William told him, but Damien knew that was a lie. There was not going to be just a few questions. There would be a bunch of them, and if everything went right, the man had nothing to worry about. Double cross them, or give harmful information, he would never be found alive.
This was not the first time he had been on a kidnapping. Probably wouldn't be the last, but with age beginning to set in, and Sarah hounding him about slowing down, that was what he was working on. His children were everything and more he had trained them to be. Now with Isabella having a son to pass the legacy to, he wasn't too worried about the line of assassins continuing.
Twenty minutes passed when they pulled up into the lot. Tori and Seth leaned against the car, hoods pulled up over their heads. Once he came to a stop, they walked over, opening the car door for William and their 'guest'. Olivier got out of the car at gunpoint, eyes wide. "Where are you taking me?" He cried, looking about to piss himself.
Damien just shook his head. "Just keep your head down, and mouth shut, and you'll be fine."
Not another word left his lips. Maybe he was smarter than he was given credit for. William shoved him into the waiting arms of Seth. "Get him in the car, and make sure he can't get out."
Giving a nod, his oldest led the man to the waiting car. Throwing the cap into the limo, Damien ran his fingers through his graying hair. "What is the next course of action? We have to get out of this city and not be caught in doing so. I hope your contact told you how to accomplish that as well."
William gave a curt nod. "You and I will lead Tori and Seth down US-41 down into Indiana. From there we go to one of the old safe houses. We can hold him there for a time."
The plan sounded solid enough, but there were things the other man was withholding, and that in itself could be dangerous for all involved. "Bill, as a senior member of the Brotherhood, you need to start sharing things here. I have known you for many years, and I know you're keeping things from me."
"I keep many things to myself, and have for years. What makes this any different?" He turned and began to head for the other car when Damien called out.
"And isn't that what drove your son away? You and your little secrets?" That made William stop. "You forget, we are kind of tied together now. It's my daughter and your son that kind of made us this way. Now, either you start sharing, or I pull myself and my son out of this operation right here and now. Your choice."
Spinning quickly, he marched back over to where Damien stood in the snow. "You want to know what I'm hiding." He nodded, face neutral. "I hide things to keep people safe. I do what I do to keep the Brotherhood going, and keep what we have given so much for moving forward."
Sneering, he got in William's face. "And you think keeping secrets is helping us? You are a bigger fool than I thought. It was your secrets that got my youngest son killed." It was only a hunch that he had for years, but in that moment, when William turned from him, he knew the answer. "They were after me again. I loaned my sister-in-law my car. The car that they knew was mine. You knew they were after me, and you didn't tell anyone. You kept it to yourself."
"I was trying to find my son. I was hunting for Desmond at that time, and I lost track of where Abstergo was. I would have told you." His voice was low, hurt, but that wasn't going to save him this time.
All he wanted to do at that moment in time was punch the bastard in his face, but for the sake of his children and grandchild, he refrained. "So, in your hunt for your son, I lost three of my family members. I lost my wife's sister, my nephew, and my son, Dante. I didn't lose them to my words, or actions. I lost them because of you." Curling his hand into a fist, Damien closed his eyes tight, and the face of his youngest son passed by. "After this is over, I'm done. I don't want any part of your schemes. That includes my daughter, son, and if I can help it, my grandson."
"You can't keep him from me, Damien. That is my grandson as well." He spoke up.
Meeting William's eyes, he glared. "Watch me."
Wow, that was a hard chapter to write. I needed a conflict. One on the inside. Now you have it. Kind of a dark ending, but I like it. I will add a preview of the following chapter, but it won't be like before. Enjoy!
Preview of Chapter 8
"Isabella, do you think having him here is safe?" Sarah looked over at where Desmond had fallen asleep on the couch, Collin sleeping next to him, on the floor, in his bouncy seat.
"Mom, where else was I supposed to take him? Huh? He doesn't really have anyone else he trusted right now. I'm the only one that he will talk to. Besides, Abstergo isn't stupid enough to go after us together." Her eyes looked over at the father and son. Desmond had been inseparable from Collin since they arrived a few hours ago. "I will not have him taken once more."
Sighing, her mother shook her head in defeat. "I hope you know what you're doing."
So did she, but she wasn't about to voice that out loud to her mother. So, putting on the greatest act she could, Isabella smiled confidently, and hoped it was convincing. "I know I do. We work better as a team than we do apart."
"Just so you know what you're doing. I'll trust your judgment." She watched her mother walk into the kitchen, and she hoped she could come up with something, anything, to keep them all safe.