'You with us?'

I heard a voice in my head and I opened my eyes to see a white room. I raised my hands and saw that they were there, as was my legs, feet, and everything else that was vital to me. "I guess I am, unless you want to define it more."

'I want you to make sure you can move normally. Baby is a bit sluggish so a few things might be off for a few, like speech and the like. I will work on it from this end.' Rebecca's voice traveled all around me.

I took a few steps, did a cartwheel and a back handspring. "I think I am good, Rebecca. Now, where are we going to start?"

'I can't get a good lock on a memory. There are a few things going on right now. You are having memory within memory. Desmond had the same problem with some of Ezio's memories later in life while he was in Rome.'

"Why would I have a memory within a memory?" I looked around the vastness of the white space around me. "Where am I anyway?"

'The loading area of the Animus. I take the data from your DNA then construct a virtual world to recreate the one that the memory is coming from.'

"Oh." I took a few steps and stopped. "Any ideas?"

'Like I said before, the Animus was designed to read your DNA and create worlds from it. I don't know if I can even get it to relive your memories.'

"So, whose memories are you getting right now?"

'Now this is strange.'

"Becca." I growled. "I would like some answers. Preferably now."

'Fine, here it is. Did you know your grandfather on your mother's side was an assassin?'

That floored me. "I didn't know that. She never spoke of anything like that. I am actually from assassin blood?"

'Well, in a manner of speaking. It seems that line was a sect that stayed quiet. No data is known about them or where they came from. That would explain why you were chosen to be the way you are.'

"Is that why you are having problems with memory within memory?" I asked looking up into the void.

'It's possible. I mean, I am also getting some of your father's memories as well. They are scrambled, like your own, but that is typical. It is hard for a female to step into a male's memories. I tried with Desmond at one time. Yeah, he was rejected quickly. So, now we have to either figure out what to do from here, or I will have to pull you out and see from there.'

"If I was to concentrate on the first thing I remembered when I came to, would that help?" I was in a new territory here. Great!

'I can give it a go. See what happens. We are all on a new base here.'

"Alright." I closed my eyes and breathed in deep, then exhaled and thought back on the first memory I had when I came to.

The sights, the smells, the ash and dirt that clung to my skin. The way the wind rustled the leaves on the branches and the sounds of the forest. I opened my eyes and they grew large as I saw what I was thinking of. "Becca, are you there?"

'Yeah, I can see it all. Wow, this is cool!'

I frowned. "Well I'm glad you do, because this is creepy." I scanned the area. It was all the same. I was just as I remembered it. "What do you want me to do? Not everything is clear."

'Just relax. You are tensing up out here. Look around and try to catch any details you were missing.'

I nodded and walked from the place I stood. "I see tire tracks. Lots of them, but they are not fresh. Most likely old. Weeks old. How long did they have me for?"

'From the feed and the notes, only a few days. It was a year after the blast that they found you.'

I tried to recreate everything that I did, down to what I was wearing. The rags of my old clothes, the ash on my skin. The bracelet I was wearing. Wait! "Becca, can everyone hear what I am saying?"

'Yeah.'

"Good, patch Allen in. I need to ask him a question." I inspected the bracelet. It had broken when I was running from Abstergo the other day. The thin chain snapped when I hit my wrist on the edge of the car. It was in the glove box of the car we ditched. I forgot to get it out.

'I'm here. What is the question?' His voice sounded strange. Like it was far away.

"My bracelet, the one that broke. When did I get that?" I think I knew how they were tracking me.

'You never wore bracelets. At least not that I saw. None of us do because they hampered the blades. Could get caught.'

"That was how they have been keeping tabs on me. I think they were waiting and hoping I would go back to a Piece of Eden." I cursed. "Damn them. Pull me out. I don't think you are going to get anything from me now. This is the first thing I remembered. I need to jog my memory a bit more."

'Actually, I would like to try something. It was something I did with Desmond when the memory we were after was corrupted. I think I might be able to put you in a memory that you can work from. It might help, or it won't do anything.'

"I really am not up for exploration through my mind right now. I thought I was in this thing to find out what Abstergo pulled from my head." I walked a bit down the dirt road that I had taken so long ago to leave this place. The wind blew my hair to the side and I pushed it back.

'We need to figure something out.'

"Well I am not keen on playing 'pin the tail on the memory'. I think some of the things in my head are better left buried and not exposed to the outside world. If you know what I mean." Although, I would not mind reliving a few memories that I had with Altair. Those made me smile.

'So, where do you want to go?'

"Allen, you there?" I leaned against a tree. I had done that before. It was like having déjà vu.

'I'm here again. What do you need now?' He sounded irritated.

"Look, if we go any deeper into my head, there are things that are going to be exposed. I need help. Help me recreate a memory that I can remember part of. It was the December 19th, 2012. I think that was the night before everything, if I am correct." I picked a blade of grass and looked at it carefully. Everything seemed so real, but I knew it was all in my head.

'What can you remember?'

"The woods and a cabin. We were talking. I don't remember the conversation, but we were both angry at each other. I smacked you, and stormed out. You followed." I hung my head and looked at my wrists. I remembered having something there. My blades were missing. Did they survive or were they destroyed. "I lost my blades in the explosion."

'Yeah, but we can make you new ones if you want.'

"They were special. They were old. Do you think they could still be around?" Why was I so torn up about those blades? "My father's dagger was also destroyed. I know I was carrying that with me."

'No, that's safe. I have that in my bag.'

My head shot up. "Why would you have that?" The scenery started to shift. A building replaced the rubble and I was standing in front of Altair.

"No, I will not stand for this." He glared at me, eyes burning in rage on what I was about to do.

I smiled at him. It was strange to be smiling at him when I was in so much pain. I was calm about it as I could feel the blood running down the stomach. "You have no say so in the matter." And slowly, so he would not notice, I slipped my dagger from behind my back. I knew he would not leave without me and I would not let him stay behind. I could not let him do it. There was so much for him to do.

He fixed his eyes to mine, and I struck. Plunging the dagger deep in his chest, I watched his eyes widen as he looked down at the dagger and my hand still on the hilt. "I told you, you have no say so in the matter. I'm sorry." And watched him drop to the floor.

I turned to the others. "Get him out of here. Do not look back whatever you do." I pushed the door open and looked out it. Freedom was so close, but I had the dead man switch. No one would make it if I tried to run.

"You cannot be serious?" Ezio stared at me, eyes wide. "You cannot do this."

Before I could utter another word, I felt myself being pulled out of the machine. My eyes flew open and I gasped for air. "What…what happened?"

"You're blood pressure started to drop. The memory was so intense that your body actually thought you were there." Rebecca began to unhook all the wires from me. "You had to come out by force."

"I wasn't ready. I have to know how it ended." I tried to push them off of me, but Altair's hand landed on my chest and shoved me back.

He got up in my face and glared. "You don't want to know, believe me. It is messy and that is how all of this got started. That is one memory that you are going to have to see without the machine."

I met his eye and glared back. "Get off me."

"No." And he pushed a bit harder. I could feel my ribs bowing in, and I could not get a deep breath. "I won't hurt you, but I will not let you hurt yourself. The last time you pushed yourself to remember, you ended up passing out from the pain."

"I know what I am doing. I had it under control." I grabbed his arm, but it was like trying to move a steel rod that was in dry concrete. He would not budge an inch. "Damn you."

"Well, I can at least tell you are partly coming back. You are now trying to fight me at every turn." And from the tone of his voice, he didn't like it.

He released me and took a few steps back. I took in a deep breath. Rebecca held out her hand and helped me stand. "I think we are done for right now. I want to make a few tweaks to Baby before we try again."

"Okay." I rubbed my shoulder where the round had gone through me in the memory. It was odd to feel the pain from the bullet ten years later.

She went to look me in the eyes, but I turned away. "Are you alright? You look a bit pale."

I waved her off. "It was…intense in there. I guess I am a bit shaken up. I'll be fine in a little bit." And walked towards the door. "I think I need some air."

Opening the door, the chilled wind caused me to shiver slightly, but it helped to clear my head. I had to know what happened. What I did to start the catalyst that took my memories. I knew I was in an explosion, but how big of one? I needed this memory.

I could hear footsteps behind me, and turned my head slightly to see Altair walking up beside me. He draped his jacket over my shoulders and let his hands rest there a moment. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I really need to learn to take this a step at a time. I mean, I should know that strong memories are going to mess with me." I pulled the jacket around me and soaked in the warmth. "I just wanted to know. I stabbed you. I tried to save you."

"Because you knew I would not leave you behind. I could never do that." He began to walk away and I followed.

"You tried to save me one other time, and failed." He did not answer, just kept walking to wood's edge.

Stopping at the tree line, he sighed and looked into the vastness of the forest. "Yes. I tried to save you the night this whole thing started. The Apple took that away from me. You were my responsibly and I failed."

I stood next to him and I knew what he meant. He thought he could have saved me if the Apple had not interfered. "Do you want my thoughts on that night? I remember some of what happened."

"Sure." He pushed a small rock with his toe.

"I don't think I could have been saved." That got him to turn his head. Letting his jacket fall off my shoulders, I reached for his hand, and raised my shirt. I placed his fingertips on the scar that ran on my abdomen. "That is a death blow, even now a day. I would have bled out before you got me to healer. I was dead in every word, but if they had not stepped in, I would not be here talking to you. I am alive because of them not once, but twice. If you want something to be proud of and credit to saving my life, you taking me from the streets of Acre."

His fingers moved on the scar. He knew I normally didn't let anyone touch the scar. "You remember that?"

I smiled and chuckled a bit. "Yeah, but I had a little help. I asked the apple to show me. Actually I asked how I came to be the way I am. It showed me when I stole your gold."

He smiled at the memory. "I had a hard time catching you. You were quick and knew the city better than I did. I don't think I would have caught you if you had been at full strength."

"You gave me the coin, and then helped me when I collapsed. You could have took the coins back when that happened, but you took me with you, and fed me, then gave an orphan a chance at a new life. I will always be grateful to you for that." My hand was still on his wrist, and I laughed when his fingers brushed my navel. "Don't do that. I am ticklish there."

He grinned and I knew I was in trouble. "That was one thing I never knew about you. I did not know you were ticklish."

I swatted his hand away. "Don't you even think about it. I hate being tickled."

"I will keep that in mind as a form of torture then, I suppose." Bending down, he picked up the jacket and handed it back to me. "I believe you dropped something."

Taking it from him, I slipped my arms into the sleeves and they fell past my fingertips. I scowled. "I hate being short."

"I like you being short."

"Shut up, smartass." I stuck my tongue out at him, and laughed alongside him, letting my time in Animus become a distant memory.

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

We headed back in after a few more minutes of peace. The Farm was so quiet and peaceful, not like the hustle and bustle of places that I have been. It was nice, but I understood why Desmond would go nuts here. I liked peace and quiet, but I also liked to interact with people.

When we walked back in, William looked at us. "So, are you ready to go back in?"

I shook my head and took a step back. "Not right now. After that last incident, I am a bit scared of the damn thing."

"Understandable, but you do know that everyday more assassins die from the knowledge that the Templars have. If you have something that can help us, you need to let us find it." He walked over to us, and Altair stepped in front of me protectively.

"She will go back in when she is ready. Not before then. We know what is at stake. Better than you might think." He growled and narrowed his eyes at the elder Miles.

They nearly stood toe to toe, until William looked him up and down. "Have we met before? You look very familiar."

Shit! Desmond resembled Altair. That must be where he was getting the connection at. Altair covered well. "Doubt it, unless you have ever jumped bail before."

Good save, I thought to myself. "Just give me a few minutes. I will be ready." I stepped out from behind him.

William nodded and walked away. I glanced over at Rebecca and Dawson. They we both glued to the edge of their seat wondering if the old man was going to connect the dots.

We walked over to where they were, and in a low voice Becca sighed. "I thought he was going to bust us for sure. Seeing that they all look alike." She was talking about Conner, Ezio, Desmond and Altair.

"I know. It is kind of scary sometimes." I smiled and turned my eyes to the man we were talking about.

"Shut up." But I knew he didn't mean it in a mean way. He was trying to play with us.

I laughed. "I guess I am ready to try again if you are."

She nodded her dark head. "Let's give it a go. We shouldn't have too many more problems, but if something happens like last time, I will pull you back out."

"Understood. I wouldn't have it any other way." I took a seat in the chair and readied myself for the things that I would see.

I know finding the tracker was rushed, but I had to have a reason they did not follow them to the Farm. I needed them safe for a bit to figure things out. Everything is slowly coming together and yes, Alanna's grandfather was an assassin. That will come into play later. I will warn you now, I have four chapters done as of now, and I will be posting them close to each other, like 12 hours a part. I have a lot going on and a few things to clarify. Hopefully you like the story so far and I want to thank DanAlaya for the wonderful comments. Always a pleasure to see them, and to EmilyLouisexx as well. I have not been thanking people so here I am, doing it now.

*Sassiersphinx81*