Hey guys, back with another chapter. Sorry it's taken so long (5 months?) to post a new chapter, but I've been really busy lately. However, don't worry the story won't die unless I say it does.
Anyways, thanks to evilgoodguy for beta-reading, go check out his stories! (Our stories occur in the same universe, hint hint.) Also check out our community, Destiny Rising. It includes all my AC stories, as well as his, so you can follow our intertwined (ish) plots!
Disclaimer: Ubisoft owns AC.
May 4th 1999, 0:03 hrs
Location: Guelph, Ontario
"Kenny? Where are you going?" I asked innocently. My brother looked back at me under his hood, his hand on the door handle just about to leave into the stormy night.
"You're not supposed to be up Alex, go back to bed," he said, about to turn back and walk out, but was soon stopped by my small body.
"No!" I yelled angrily. "I'm telling Mom and Dad!"
"Tell us what?" said a stern voice from behind me. I turned around and saw my father, his arms crossed with a stern look on his face. But when he looked up at Kenny, and what he was wearing, his expression turned somber.
"Go ahead Kenny, I'll explain where you're going to Alex." My brother nodded, turned and walked out into the rain.
September 1st 2012, 18:15 hrs
Location: Hidden
"Bill."
"Alex, I see you got out safely. I trust you are well," Bill said through the phone. Laurel grabbed the device from Alex's hand and placed it on the table.
"We're fine thank you Mentor," Laurel scowled at her lack of being acknowledged.
"Why, hello Laurel. So nice to talk to you again."
"Yeah, yeah," she said, walking to the kitchen. Bill's voice projected loudly in the small cabin, although his voice had a certain tinge of sorrow. Something was wrong.
"Any news on camps around the world?" Alex asked, trying to ease into what he really wanted to find out.
Bill sighed through the phone speaker. "Its not good, the Farm was taken two nights ago. Your Farm still holds, but its only a matter of time. I've sent an evacuation notice to them, but Walker isn't budging. He thinks it'll hold. Damn Canadians."
Laurel chuckled a little too loudly, walking back with an apple in hand.
Alex shot her an I'm-gunna-kill-you look, before turning back to the phone. "Walker will hold up. He's probably got Rueben rigging the place, especially after the Farm was taken. What about overseas? Any news at Abstergo?" Little was known about William Miles' family life, except for the fact that he and his wife had one son, who supposedly ran away. Other than that, he was 100% devoted to the Order, and if something in his personal life was wrong... It couldn't be pretty.
"This is actually why I called you Alex, I needed to borrow Seth for a mission in Rome," Bill stated slowly, "My men picked him up earlier."
Alex's body almost went into shock, but quickly was replaced by a fiery rage. He didn't seriously say that he 'borrowed' Seth for a mission, he couldn't do that. Seth was part of his team, his responsibility and it was up to him to decide what missions he can and can't go on.
"I'm sorry, I thought you said that you borrowed him for a mission to Rome," he laughed maniacally, though his anger was not well concealed.
"Listen Alex, this mission is important. You see, one of our brothers, a man named Desmond was captured by Abstergo. We believe he was sent to Rome for work in the Animus," Bill said softly.
Alex paused for a second, trying to gather his thoughts and speak with at least a hint of respect.
It didn't work.
"I DON'T CARE HOW IMPORTANT THIS DESMOND IS! THIS MISSION IS NOT WORTH IT!" Alex exploded, furious at his lack of knowledge on the latest operation. Of his four years serving the Order, never had he been this enraged by an executive decision.
The air was silent once more.
"Do not talk to me in that tone, assassin. I am your Mentor, and you will not address me in such a way! Do you understand!" Bill yelled.
"I-I" Alex stuttered, embarrassed that Bill had to bring out the rank card on him.
Bill continued, in a softer but still stern voice, "This is out of your hands, Alex. You have no idea the importance of Desmond, to the Order and to me. You should know this."
Alex couldn't believe it. Bill actually thought that he knew him? He actually thought that he could relate to him? "Seth is part of my team, and you're letting him walk right into an Abstergo trap, AND YOU KNOW IT!" Alex yelled again, slamming the phone down, and storming away.
"Alex, wait!" Laurel said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. Bill was still on speaker phone.
"Alex, I honestly don't give a shit about what your opinion is. It's done!" he yelled.
"What the hell does it matter to you anyways? We lose operatives everyday, its part of life! Who the hell is Desmond and why is it so imperative that we save him? It's his fault he was captured, maybe he should've been more careful, or mayb-!"
"-ALEX! He's my son. Desmond is my son." Bill interrupted, his voice wavering.
"Oh." The rage and anger washed away faster than it had come into his body. He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts then replied, "Bill, I'm sorry about your son, I know you haven't seen him in a while but Seth is part of my team and I don't want him sent on a suicide mission."
The speaker was silent, as a wind blew outside, shaking the leaves and causing the open door to creak.
A wind blew outside, shaking the leaves and causing the open door. Alex and Laurel stood in silence, awaiting a response, when finally: "My decision still stands. Seth is en route to Rome as we speak, you can't do anything about it."
Fuming, Alex turned, grabbed his coat, shoulder holsters, and two pistols walking out the room, until Laurel grabbed his arm again.
"Alex, what's done is done. He's gone, you can't do anything about it."
"Get off me," Alex growled, shaking her hand off his shoulder and storming out of the house.
Laurel sighed and went back to the phone. Alex was so bipolar sometimes, one moment he could be laughing and having a good time; the next storming out the door going who knows where.
"Bill, I'm sorry about Alex. He's been through a lot these past few weeks, and news like this doesn't exactly come easy to him, you know?" she spoke into the phone.
"The stubborn ones are always the best fighters I'm afraid," Bill sighed, "Just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Angry men are irrational men."
He hung up, leaving Laurel alone in the dilapidated safe house, with a loud and steady snore coming from inside Tom's room. Laurel rubbed her eyes, yawning and looking at the phone in front of her.
"Dammit Alex," Laurel cursed under her breath, picking the phone up again dialing her friend's number. "I swear to God, after this is all done, I'm sticking you into therapy and locking you in there until you can control your damn emotions."
The dial tone droned on as Laurel sat down on the couch and put her feet up on the worn coffee table. The tone continued ringing... and ringing... and ringing.
"What the hell?" Laurel said, looking at the outdated flip phone, and tapping the screen which seemed to be frozen on the 'calling' screen. "You. Stupid. Thing. Work dammit-!" The screen flickered and a single logo appeared on the screen.
Laurel turned her head upside down. "Abstergo-?" She mumbled to herself, interrupted by a robotic voice emanating from the phone.
"No Laurel Newton, Erudito."
Alex furiously kicked a pop can lying on the ground, attempting to vent his anger. The lack of effect enraged him further.
"Executive decision my ass, this is personal," he thought.
The sun's rays beat down on Alex, the scorching late summer heat making him sweat under his light Assassin hoodie as he slowly walked down the relatively crowded streets in the small town where his team was staying.
The Assassins were supposed to be fighting to keep humanity's freedom, to keep it from being controlled by organizations such as Abstergo, and people such as Alan Rikkin, Abstergo's CEO. Yes, the way that they achieved freedom was in a morally gray area, and Alex always thought that it was for the greater good.
But lately...!
"Woah! Watch it!" exclaimed a voice from in front of him.
Alex looked up to see a teenager about sixteen years old, standing two inches from his face, his hands up with a startled expression on his face. He was wearing a white tank-top, with baggy jeans and a snapback cap on his head.
"What the hell do you think you're doing man?" he said with a nervous laugh. The teen had long messy black hair, with small beady eyes. There was what looked to be a fresh bruise on his face, and arm.
The kid kept moving his head, looking around nervously and checked his watch often. Alex knew something wasn't right, and he intended to find out what it was.
"Sorry, just thinking," Alex laughed, introducing himself. "Hi, I'm Alex."
The kid didn't answer. Instead, he ran past him further down the street. "That kid could be me," Alex thought, "If Kenny hadn't found me that day…" Alex ran after the teenager.
"Wait! You never told me your name kid!" Alex grabbed his shoulder. The kid whipped around, holding his hand out quickly.
"Fine, my name's Ralph," The teenager's hand was sweaty and shaky as Alex held it, and he could tell that it wasn't just from the less than violent encounter that they just had. He checked his watch again, mumbling under his breath, "Shit, I'm out of time, there's not enough time!"
"Enough time for what, Ralph?" Alex asked innocently.
"How did you hear that?!" Ralph answered fiercely, though fear shone in his eyes.
Now it was Alex's turn to look around cautiously, and when he determined that the coast was clear, he pulled the trembling teenager to an abandoned back alley. "Look, I can see that you're in trouble, and I can tell it's not your average I-didn't-do-my-homework trouble. Now tell me, what don't you have enough time for?"
"Didn't your mom ever tell you to mind your own business? Fuck off." Ralph spat, proceeding to shove Alex, who caught his hand in mid push and twist it around unnaturally.
"Look kid, what I do for a living, what I have prepared for and trained for years, allow me to help people like you. People who have put themselves into predicaments in which they could never solve themselves are exactly that type of people I specialize in helping. People like you Ralph," Alex whispered in his ear, tightening the hold. "Now, what are you late for?"
"Fine! I'll tell you!" Ralph cried in pain, "Just let go of me!"
Alex let go and crossed his arms, as Ralph began his story, "My mom had – has – a drug problem. Ever since my dad died, she's used anything she could get her hands on. But lately, we've been short on money. The only way she could get money, save from stealing it, was borrowing money from the local Bratva." Ralph paused, looking at his watch again.
"Continue."
"My mother never paid them back, so naturally I had to save her again. I've been working three separate part-time jobs to pay this loan off, and I promised the Bratva Captain that he would have the money by 6:00 p.m. today." Ralph said. "It's 6:45."
"Where are you supposed to meet them?" Alex asked simply.
"Here, I'll show you." Ralph said, grabbing Alex's arm, pulling deeper into the back alley and out the other side to another street. Ralph stopped and pointed to a pawn shop, labeled Vladimir's Pawn Shop, across the street. "There."
"Okay, stay here, it'll get really dangerous in there." Alex said, putting a hand on Ralph's shoulder, and starting to walk towards the shop.
"No! I'm coming with you!" Ralph yelled, catching up to Alex and taking a place by his side. "It's my problem, I should at least help."
Alex stopped and turned to Ralph, "Be careful, and whatever you do... just do as I do." He resumed walking towards the shop, avoiding cars as the drove by the less than busy street.
Approaching the shop, Alex looked up to the sign, looking for any signs of the Bratva. There were none. His arm and hand twitched as he readied his right hand hidden blade, and opened the door.
"Welcome!" exclaimed an elderly man with a slight Russian accent, "How may I help you, friend!"
"I'm looking for the owner of this fine establishment," Alex said in the nicest tone possible.
"You are looking at him."
"Perhaps you misunderstand," Alex stated slowly, "I am looking for the captain."
The man's eyes narrowed, "You ask dangerous questions Alex Lee-Nakanasa."
"How-!" Alex began, but was interrupted by several men walking towards him. Ralph moved back, and shook hands with one of the men, who proceeded to give him a wad of cash.
"You can't trust people nowadays can you Alex," laughed the man, "Take him."
"Son of a bitch," Alex thought, angry at his foolishness. He should've seen this coming, 'Ralph' wasn't the best actor.
Time slowed down as Alex activated his Eagle Sense. Outlined in red were the four men surrounding him, Ralph and the man sitting at the front desk. Alex flexed both his arms and unsheathed his hidden blades, ducking as one of the men to his right was about to make an uppercut to his face.
As Eagle Sense predicted the man swung at his head, but the punch was cut short by a quick leg sweep. Alex swiftly stabbed him in the skull, twisting around and pulling his gun out to shoot the next man coming. His hidden blades automatically retracted as he flexed once more.
The deafening gunshot rang through the small store, as the man crumpled to the ground. "Dammit, " Alex thought, his ears ringing from the gunshot, "Not using that again." He tucked the gun back in his shoulder holster, as he stepped to the side to avoid a clumsy charge by another assailant.
He fell to his knees down clutching his stomach, giving Alex the opening he needed to break his neck. Eagle Sense warned him that the fourth and final man was going to stab his back, causing Alex to whip around and elbow him in the face.
The man staggered back and smiled, wiping the blood from his newly broken nose. "Come on then," he taunted, gesturing towards him.
Alex stayed silent, only smiling at the lone attacker. He then proceeded to feint a left hook, followed by a right-side twist and a swift elbow to the chest of his attacker. The man clutched at his chest, unable to breathe, as Alex calming walked over to him and stabbed right through his neck with his unsheathed hidden blade.
"That all you got?" Alex asked, his arms stretched out, as the final attacker fell to the ground, dead. Ralph silently hid behind an unfallen shelf.
"For a fight? No. For a distraction? Yes," laughed the man from behind the desk.
"Distracti-!" Alex began, but a sharp pain in his neck cut him short. He felt behind his head and grabbed a small dart from his neck. He looked around to see a small hole in the glass at the front of the shop, and a sniper on a building across the street. "Dammit." Then everything was black.
Alex awoke to a blinding light, hanging from a pipe in what looked like the basement of the pawn shop. His hands and head began to ache as he slowly regained consciousness, realizing that he was cuffed to the pipe and that he had several newly-formed bruises on his cheek.
"You really thought that you could run and hide from us, Assassin?"
Alex squinted and looked away as a tall, slim figure walked through the light towards him. When he looked back, he saw a man in his late thirties standing in front of him. He was wearing a well cut suit, with the bulge of a bullet proof vest underneath. He had a gun holster strapped to his side, and two very large men beside him.
"Alex Lee-Nakanasa. It didn't take us long to find you, did it?" the man asked, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is-!"
"You know, I really don't give a shit who you are, because in a few minutes it's not going to matter," Alex interrupted.
The man smiled and looked to his two thugs beside him. He then bursted out laughing saying, "Oh really, why is that?"
"Because in a few minutes, you will be dead and I will be going on my merry way."
The man laughed again, "I like you. You're very ambitious. A quality that I value in my men. I-"
"-If you think that you can persuade me to join the Templars, you're sadly mistaken." Alex assumed that they had only captured him for one reason. To convert him, as they converted the infamous Daniel Cross.
"Join the Templars!" he laughed once more, pulling a knife out of his jacket. "No." He ran the edge of the knife along Alex's sweating cheek, nicking some blood. Alex felt the red droplet slowly fall down the length of his face. "I would never want your type of scum to join the Knights. Especially given your particular ancestry."
"Ancestry?" Alex thought, "What the hell is he talking about?"
"No, I'm afraid I'm just here to… extract certain information from you. Information regarding one Walker Abbott. You know anything about him?" the man asked in a seemingly kind tone, although the knife in his hand said otherwise.
"Who?" Alex stared fiercely into the eyes of his captor. He wasn't getting shit.
"Tsk tsk. Alex you better not be lying to me. Especially when we have a certain someone you care about. When was the last time you spoke to Katherine Patterson?"
Alex exploded in anger and fear. "YOU SON OF A BITCH, SHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!" The handcuffs cut into him as he shook against the restraints.
"Ah, so it's the girl that breaks the famous Alex Lee-Nakanasa. I promise, no harm will come to her as long as you cooperate. Now, where in the Farm is Abbott's bunker?"
Alex hung his head. He had to cooperate; Katie's life was on the line. "Th-!"
The wall exploded, blasting the two guards and his captor back. Alex looked over to the bodies, which landed rather close to him, and saw they were knocked out cold. He looked back up to the gigantic crater in the wall and when the dust cleared a laughing figure emerged.
"I LOVE this weapon!" Laurel laughed, stepping out of the smoke and rubble, holding a rocket propelled grenade. Tom was close behind her, waving the dust away from his face coughing.
Alex sighed in relief. "Thank God you're here, I don't think I could've lasted any longer. They have Katie," he said.
"Laurel, you couldn't have used something quieter? Say, a lock pick?" Tom coughed, "Every damn cop in the city is gunna be on his way to this pawn shop now!"
Laurel rolled her eyes walking over and picked the lock with her hidden blade.
Alex rubbed his aching wrists, as he picked up his weapons from his captor. Tom surveyed the surrounding area, with a C-7 assault rifle, and a Bluetooth on his ear. He looked through his scope and shot the two guards, but left the captor alive, as Alex was standing over him.
"Area secure, subjects neutralized, package retrieved, requesting transport," he said.
"Who's he talking to? We're supposed to be in Protocol Seven," Alex asked, "And where the hell is Katie?"
"An ally. And Katie isn't here, she's at home completely fine," Laurel replied, "Now, we really have to get out of here. The cops and Abstergo agents are going to be here anytime to pick up these sons of bitches." She gestured towards the unconscious men lying on the ground.
Alex sighed in relief. Katie was okay, completely unharmed. "Gimme a sec," he said, leaning down and frisking the man who interrogated him. His I.D. tag said his name was Otto Schmidt, Head of the Lineage Research and Acquisition Department at Abstergo. "Holy shit," he whispered to himself, "This guy's Inner Sanctum… This guy's Inner Sanctum!" His voice rose to a yell.
What was left of his team ran over to the body of Schmidt. Laurel ripped the tag off his shirt, and looked at it. She swore under her breath, at first seeming angry, but looking up Alex could see she was beaming. "That's great!" she smiled, "Let's kill him." She drew her gun and aimed it at his head, ready to pull the trigger.
Alex looked away. Sure he had seen plenty of people die, he had just killed four men a few hours ago. But this man was defenseless. Defenseless… Like his mother.
"Stop!" he shouted, raising a hand. Laurel looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but it was Tom who spoke.
"Alex, this man was about to torture you. He is a member of the Inner Sanctum of Templars, the leader of the Lineage Research and blah blah blah department. This man kidnaps people like you, people with ancestors and locks them away forever!" Tom yelled, pointing his rifle at the unconscious Otto on the ground. "This man is the scum of the earth, the very men we are trained to assassinate!"
Alex had to think quickly; the emotion he was feeling was not generally accepted in the Brotherhood. If a guy was bad, you killed him. Simple as that. Finally he came up with something, "Exactly. He's IS, that's big fish."
"Well, okay then. Let's kill him!" Tom said, aiming his gun.
"Wait, I wasn't finished. He's IS, meaning he knows everything. All the Templar's plans, their schemes, their projects. Their secrets. He'll be very useful to us." Alex replied.
Tom lowered his gun, thinking. Laurel kept her gun up, bringing it closer to the body. Alex walked over and gently lowered her gun, looking into her eyes. "Laurel. Think ahead." He whispered.
Her hazel eyes reflected his own face, as Alex stared at Laurel. "Fine," she finally answered, looking away, and putting her gun back in her holster. "I don't like it, but you're the boss, Boss." She pulled out a pair of handcuffs and secured the now stirring Templar.
"Here, we don't want him seeing where we're going," Tom said, walking over and blindfolding and gagging their new hostage.
"Why? And who were you talking to?" Alex asked, as Laurel pulled out her phone. She tapped the speaker option.
"Our name is Erudito" answered a robotic voice, "And because you're going home, Alex Lee-Nakanasa."
New chapter, (possibly) in the next few weeks. Reviews are appreciated, and thanks again for being so loyal!
P.S. If you have any questions, or suggestions, feel free to PM me!