Manulab: You Are a God Onto Yourself as Beautiful and Cruel as You Wish to Be
There was a noticeable shift in the proeathan line. First they were holding their line unerringly, firing back at their M2 rounds and in general acting like trained military men and applying pressure back on their ragged line. But now it was different. They seemed… afraid and were hiding. Rounds that made it past the line weren't instantly retaliated with gunfire from the line, but rather one or two would pop up to briefly spray before ducking back down.
"Hawk, what's going on inside?" Altair asked. Jake looked over at Altair even though he could hear him just time in his ear piece. There was a good hundred yards separating them though. Jake was tending to wounded further behind the line behind some sturdier cover.
"Good news, and bad news," Hawk said.
"Bad new first," Altair said.
"Cain's in there."
"Damnit," Altair cursed. "And the good news?"
"… Cain's in there."
"What?" Ezio asked and Jake's attention was drawn back down to the mortal he had his hands on when they whined. Blood was seeping through his fingers, through the bandages. His cover was their big numia that had taken them across the Atlantic. It had landed here a while ago and had been full of munitions and medical supplies. Good thing too, because Jake had needed them. Well, Jake and Shaun, the only two here who had any medical experience.
The mortal gave a pained noise and Jake smiled comfortingly at them, "Everything's going to be all right," he said kindly in German, his patient was German, he was muted through the frequency, but he still had them on.
"Cain killed the Overseer," Hawk was saying.
"Shaun," Jake called up into the numia. The man had arrived with their munitions and supplies, saying if he was the only one who knew how to field tend a wound, he could be there. Shaun looked out the numia. "Give me the thiopental sodium," he said.
"You sure?" Shaun asked.
Jake smiled a weary smile, "He's not going to make it," and he looked back at his patient, part of his side had been shredded by proeathan gunfire. "Now he can either die in pain, or in his sleep."
Shaun's mouth went thin but he went and got Jake the injector gun. "Yeah but why did Cain kill the Overseer?" Ezio was asking, "What's he get out of this?"
"I don't know," Hawk said, "But he killed them, and Cross, and left Heron alone. Isn't he out there yet?"
"No," Altair said.
"Here," Shaun said, holding the injector for Jake. He reached up and took it.
"Is that gonna fix me?" the man asked, he was an older man and didn't know very good English.
Jake smiled at him kindly, "Yes," he said, "Its going to make you go to sleep and when you wake up you'll be better." The man swallowed and nodded. Jake didn't know if the man knew what was going on, but he was so numbed by pain killers to stop him from feeling his side Jake doubted it mattered.
"Right now Heron is calling off the armada," Hawk said as jake lined the injector up on the man's thigh. "Apparently the proeathans killed us all thanks to their 'special weapon'; Cain, and they no longer need assistance." Jake pulled the trigger on the injector and there was a hiss and a click. "More proeathans would just further terrify and stress out their stock after this ordeal."
"All done," Jake said.
"Thanks, doctor," he said.
"I'll come check on you in a bit, just get some rest," he patted the man's chest and stood up.
"No wonder the proeathans look freaked out. They know back up isn't coming," Altair said.
Shaun was gray faced, his skin matching the gray patches in his hair. "How many is that now?" Shaun asked him.
"Indeed," Hawk said. "So now we need to push."
"I'm not keeping track," Jake said and climbed into the numia where the people who they could save were lying on the ground. Some were wrapped up like mummies or had medifoam filling their bodies to keep them alive and a few were just a bit battered. Most were asleep. They'd managed to save more than they lost but that man hadn't been the first one that had died under Jake's hands today because there was literally nothing he could do to stop the death.
He sighed and sat, feeling tired. We did good, Malik said. I just killed a man. We've done it before. Yeah but they've all been trying to kill us, that guy trusted me to make him better. We can't save them all, Jacob. I know.
"How you holding up?" Shaun asked him.
"I'll live," Jake said. "I'll feel better when we're back at Demeter. All these people can get into med pods and healed properly," he went to run his hand through his hair but stopped, realizing it was still covered in that man's blood.
"Cain," Altair said.
"You see him?" Hawk asked.
"Yeah I see him, fucker."
"Really you cut his head off, can't he just fuck off already?" Ezio asked, annoyed.
"I'm saying," Altair growled. "Jake you still in the back?"
Jake turned on his earpiece, "Yes habibi I'm still back here," Jake said and knew exactly what Altair's face looked like just then at his Arabic. Ezio and Hawk knew some Arabic, enough to hold a simple conversation in modern Arabic, but crusade era? It was like speaking Hindi.
"Jake," he growled.
"Yes?"
"Don't be a shit head."
"I'm safe, kick his ass habibi," he said fondly.
"What're they saying?" Hawk said.
"No idea. But Altair looks weird- Hey! Why'd you punch me!?"
"Play nice Altair," Jake chided him. "The enemy is Cain, not Ezio."
"Right," Altair grunted.
"Ow," Ezio said.
"What happened?" Jake asked.
"Cain just nailed Altair in the face."
"He'll live."
"Yeah he will," Ezio said. "Huh… Altair turn on your piece so we can hear."
"So what? You're good again?" Altair was in the middle of asking. Shaun sat next to Jake after checking on their patients with the same tired sigh as Jake.
"I was always good. Just depends on your point of view," Cain's voice was distant, not close enough to the ear piece to get a good sound, but close enough to hear. "Not like you. So righteous, so-" And everyone could hear the sound of Cain getting punched through the ear piece. "So angry," and then there was scuffling.
"Ezio, what's going on?" Jake asked, sitting up a bit straighter, worried now.
"They're fighting," Ezio said.
"Everything all right?" Shaun asked him, he didn't have an ear piece.
"I don't know," he said lowly.
"Pay attention brother," Cain was saying, "This is your bright future you reaped. Do you see it?"
"Ezio?"
"You don't wanna know," Ezio said. Jake got up and walked down from the numia. Altair might have said something, but it was garbled.
"And you're still the stupid kid I picked up from that gutter nine centuries ago," Cain snapped and then Jake stopped when he heard a crunch. "Dumb kid," Cain said.
"Did he just-
"Yeah. Altair's dead," Ezio said.
"Damnit," Jake didn't run, but he moved quickly towards the front line.
"I'm going to keep this," Cain's voice was suddenly much louder and now closer Jake could see him putting the ear piece up to his head. "I don't know how it works, but I know you can hear me. Can't you?"
Jake saw Ezio waving to everyone, do not answer. There was silence across the comms.
"I know you can, but you're afraid," Cain said. "You should be afraid. Now someone answer me before I change my mind and kill you all too. Who's in charge here?"
"You just killed him," Jake said, coming up next to Ezio behind their own cover. At this range he could see what had happened to Altair. Cain had snapped his neck, twisting it at a horrific angle.
Cain laughed, "Right. Of course. Who are you?"
Ezio looked at Jake, motioning him to shut up. "Naser," he said.
"Naser… of course you are. What's your real name?"
"What's it to you, Cain? I don't know your real name either."
"A fair point kid. Are you Altair's newest chew toy?" Jake didn't answer him. "Yeah, you are," Cain snorted. "Guy needs to get a life." Jake watched as Cain walked between their lines. "You know the girl up there?" he asked.
"Lucy?" Jake asked.
"That's her name? Huh…" Cain said slowly. "Yeah, her."
"She's my friend," Jake said. Ezio kept looking between Jake and Cain, not sure where he wanted to look more.
"Well, I didn't get to tell Altair before I had to murder him, but your little Evening dove is safe."
"No she isn't," Jake said, staring at Cain from over the top of the vehicle. "All those proeathans are going to kill her. Or worse." Cain stopped his walking and sort of calmly rotated on his heel to look at the proeathan line, hands behind his back. "She got in there, but I doubt she'll be coming out."
Cain said nothing for several long moments. Jake's heart was hammering, all the way up in his throat, and he could practically feel it beating against his tongue. He swallowed compulsively. He didn't know what the hell was going to happen and Cain was a loose rocket. A wild card. Who knew what he'd do next. A moment ago he'd just killed Altair, now he was having a fairly civil conversation with Jake. It was freaking the both of them out and Malik kept insisting to go get Altair. Jacob was having none of it.
"Are you afraid, helper?" Cain asked.
"Of what?" Jake asked.
"Of anything?"
"I'm afraid of you," Jake said.
"You should be. You all should be. I don't think these yellow eyed freaks properly understand that," Cain said. "So maybe I should show them. What do you think, helper?"
"I think you'll do whatever the hell you want, Cain," Jake said and swallowed again, his throat was dry.
"Altair could learn from you. Because that's exactly what I plan on doing," and the entire human line held its breath as Cain walked to the proeathan line. They didn't seem wary of Cain at all and he looked down at them, pointing at something the humans couldn't see. Jake ducked down a bit more, so only his eyes were above the top of the cover and tried to wet his throat when Cain was given one of the proeathan guns. The immortal looked at the gun a moment like he'd never seen one before and Jake's eyes widened a moment as Cain sighted up through the rifle and shot the proeathan right in the face.
"Holy shit," Ezio breathed and it was like watching Altair fight. It was completely, and utterly, terrifying. Cain was a force of nature, a natural disaster given human form and he ripped through the proeathan line like they were ants. They could hear gunfire, and no doubt Cain was getting shot, but it barely seemed to slow him down.
In moments half the proeathans behind the line were dead or too injured to continue fighting. Cain didn't even seem to notice them. He moved from one weapon to the next, often times shooting a proeathan with their own weapon, or just using his hands.
"What's going on down there?" Lucy's voice suddenly asked in the silence. "I hear a lot of gun fire."
"Cain," Jake said, part in awe, part completely petrified.
"Is he attacking us?"
"No. He's attacking the proeathans," Ezio said.
"Good. Now, I'm not completely helpless, but there are more proeathans in here. If Cain's cutting a path, or at least being a distraction, I am going to need help in here. Sooner the better since I can only stall them off for so long and I don't think I can take on six by myself," she said.
"Right," and then Ezio was standing up. "Everyone!" he yelled, "Time to move. We've got a clear way." Jake got up on wooden legs. "You okay, kid?" Ezio asked him, grabbing his shoulder.
"I'm about to piss my pants," Jake said.
Ezio chuckled and squeezed his shoulder, "Wait till we're done here. Now c'mon, we're going to need you in there I'm sure."
Get it together, Jacob, Malik said sharply. Sorry, I just talked with a serial murderer, and someone who thinks he's a god, and watched him go on a killing spree. That's barely an excuse! Altair is just the same. Jacob hesitated, no he isn't, he said. Yes he is. You know he is, he's got more control, but he's still a murderer just like Cain and you've seen him go on killing sprees. Now get it together. Right… right I just… Altair's never killed us before; Cain has. So I talked to our murderer, sorry I'm a little fucking shaken up here, Jacob snapped. Get it together, if you're so messed up let me handle it.
Jacob hesitated again, usually Malik just played back seat driver and snarking companion. He rarely 'got to drive' you could say, since he was honestly just a passenger in Jacob's body. Sometimes though, he did, because it was better, easier. Okay, Jacob said, you can do it.
"Jake, you okay?" Ezio asked.
"Yeah," Jake said and got up, ignoring any weapon and left the safety of the line. Cain was still on a rampage, but had slowed down now, the bullets taking effect. People were streaming towards the now broken proeathan line, shooting. He went over to Altair's body on the ground still.
So what's it? Malik asked as he knelt next to Altair's body and put both hands around his neck, to feel how it'd happened. Simple break, clean, Jacob said, feeling the bones of Altair's neck. He should Wake up later today probably. Good, Malik said and got up. As he walked he favored his left side a bit, the shoulder a bit back. Five years wasn't enough time for Malik to get used to having two arms fully. He didn't drive often enough.
They stepped into the plantation. "Lucy," he said, staying back as the Assassins entered, the normal people had, mostly, stayed outside, not knowing what to do, and probably scared. Jake didn't blame them. "How do I get to you?"
"Go down the entrance hall," Pluto said.
"Where's Lucy?"
"She currently isn't available."
"Is she alive?" Jake demanded and moved quickly down the corridor, almost running but not quite.
"As far as I know, yes."
"You there," Jake called, in a tone that left no argument to being obeyed, a tone he wasn't normally capable of without Malik doing the talking. The Assassins turned, "With me, now," he motioned with his right arm and the four followed. "Okay down at the end of the hall, what now?"
"There's an elevator," Pluto said. "Anyone with you who can use Eagle Vision?"
"…No," Jake said.
"Go through the double doors, and then take a right. I'd suggest going quickly, Ms. Stillman just told me proeathans just got on the elevator."
"Faster," Jake said and now did run, the others following him. "Which way Pluto?"
"Follow the hall and you'll get to a left bend. Don't take it."
"Yeah? I see it, do what instead?"
"The wall to the right is false, go through it."
Jake paused a moment and tested it, it was just a hologram, "Through here," he ordered and they started up the stairs. "Top floor?" he asked Pluto, all of them taking the stairs three at a time.
"Yes. There are five flights."
"Wonderful. Tell Lucy we're coming."
"I did," Pluto said, "She still has her knife, but-
"We're coming shut up I don't want a play by play," Jake panted. Faster, Jacob said. I'm going as fast as we can go, Malik snapped, do you want to get out and push? Push you right down a flight of stairs if we don't get there faster, Jacob snarled right back. Malik tuned him out and focused on climbing.
They reached the top of the stairs shortly and Jake was about to ask Pluto where to go when they heard yelling and he took off again toward it. There were no words in the yelling, just… anger. The Assassins moved around him when they came to the main room and there were four proeathans up and two down, one dead, trying to pin something to the ground. The Assassins opened fired, drawing the proeathans attention and there was a lot of gunfire all at once.
The Assassins killed the four proeathans though at the cost of one of their own, and started to field strip them. Jake jumped over to the last one who… could have been alive. Thought probably not. They were on their hands and knees, but totally limp, sort of crushing Lucy under them, and she just kept stabbing them in the chest and back and whatever soft spot she could get her hidden blade into.
Jake pulled the proeathan off her and she surged upwards ready to stab Jake too. Jake grabbed her. "Lucy, Lucy holy shit calm down," he had her left wrist in a vice grip, holding it so the blade upwards and away from his face. He watched her eyes focus.
"Jake?" she asked.
"Yeah," and then he was being hugged and wow that was nice. "You're fine," he said, hugging her back tightly, releasing her wrist.
Then abruptly she sat back, "We have to go," she said.
"What? Where?" Jake asked, confused.
"Just c'mon, we have to go," and she was pulling Jake to his feet. "You," she turned to the Assassins.
"Ma'am?" one asked.
"Come with us and shit where is my comm… I lost it," but she was still pulling Jake along, towards a hall of servers.
"Where are we going?" Jake asked as she pressed something invisible on the hall and doors slid open. They entered.
"The future," she said and pressed the button for the bottom floor.
—
Jake's mouth opened when Lucy showed him what she'd found. "What the hell?" one of the Assassins asked, sounding so confused.
They're breeding us to be slaves, Malik said. Livestock, Jacob said. Same thing. Might as well be.
"They're creating more of us after killing off nearly our entire population," Lucy said.
"What?" Jake asked, "What do you mean nearly our entire population?"
"There were seven billion people in the world five years ago," Lucy said. "There are now somewhere between five hundred thousand, and a million. The proeathans can only account for so many and-
"I need to sit down," one of the Assassins said and slid onto the floor, looking like the world had just drooped out from under him.
"If my timing is right everything should begin to drain… now," and on cue all the pods started to beep. They beeped once and then fell silent in a line and there was a hiss from them all and they slid out so the pods rested at an angle. They all rapidly started to drain of the clear liquid suspending the children.
"How many are there?" Jake asked.
Lucy looked at him, her mouth tight, "A lot," she said. "How's the clearing of the plantation going?"
"Hawk," Jake switched his ear piece over, "What's going on here? How's the coverage?"
"Good. Pluto is helping and we have them running."
"I-is Cain dead?" Damnit Jacob don't make us stutter, its weak. Well he terrifies me okay! He can't hurt us, we'll come back. I don't like pain. Then you're in the wrong line of work, kid.
"For now, I think so," Hawk said. "The comm he stole from Altair hasn't had any activity on it for a while, not that I heard at least."
"Okay," and he relayed the conversation to Lucy. The lines of pods hissed again and lowered to the ground, Jake looked in one. It was a replica of the pod they'd taken Desmond from seven months ago, not quite the med pod Lucy had been in, but close. "So, now what?" he asked her.
"They should wake up on their own," she said, "Who flew the numia here? The big one?"
"Uh… Charlotte," Jake said.
"Get in contact with her, have her bring it closer," Lucy said and went over to one of the pods. It irised open.
"Are we taking them with us?" Jake asked.
"Of course we are," Lucy said. "And this isn't the only bank of them."
"Fuck," Jake said.
"The air force isn't coming, we can take our time. But we have to move. Tell Charlotte," she ordered.
"Right," Desmond's going to be upset when he gets back, Jacob said as they told Charlotte what she needed to do. Why's that? Malik asked. Because Lucy's blowing up his fucking spot! Malik laughed at that.
"Is she coming?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, she's coming," Jake said.
"Good. Once the plantation is secured I need everyone to come here. We're going to have to crack the banks open one at a time."
"How many kids are in here?" Jake asked.
"Few hundred," she said, "Across them all I'd say close to a thousand."
"Fuck."
"Yeah, and look, they're starting to wake up now," she reached into the pod and took off the child's head gear. Jake looked over her shoulder. The kid coughed a little and opened their eyes, which were brown. "Hey," Lucy said gently.
"Momma?" they asked.
"No," she said and picked the child up out of the pod. "The pod'll open when you get close. Start taking them out," she said.
"Lucy you realize how utterly insane this is, right?" Jake asked.
"Its this," Lucy said, "or face extinction," she said. "I'd rather do the insane than watch my species get wiped off the face of the Earth and replaced by worker drones."
"Lady's got a point," one of the Assassins said.
"Fuck," Jake muttered, "Hawk," he said, "How are we on taking the plantation?"
"First few floors have been cleared. Outside has been cleared," Hawk said.
"Good. We're good," he told them. Lucy was going to another pod, the first child standing and hanging onto the back of her shirt like a little duckling.
"Start opening them," Lucy said.
Jake looked at the remaining three Assassins, "Well, you heard her," and he went into the room and started opening the pods. Malik let Jacob lead again, sinking back into his consciousness. They all… looked the same. Not in a cloned sort of way. But in a way that made it look like their parents had been selected to make children with specific skin and hair color. Medium skin, dark hair, dark eyes, people who could endure both cold and temperatures by not being white, or black, but between; best of both worlds. He wondered how many of them were related.
He set each child down as he went, and once he was sure they could stand, turned to the next one. Like Desmond they could stand, and sort of walk, but they wobbled, these children had never stood in their entire lives but clearly had had muscle strengthening while in their pod so they weren't helpless. Probably so their 'worker drones' had less of a learning curve to operate.
The children didn't stay near him though, they just seemed to gravitate towards Lucy, which Jake thought was weird. She's a woman, Malik said. Excuse me? The reason they're going to her, because she's a woman, a potential mother. But she isn't, Jacob said. It makes sense to me. Then do share with the class Malik. You know memories can be implanted. That first one woke up and as soon as she saw Lucy she said 'momma'. They know what a mother is, Malik said. Us and the others here are men. I don't doubt they've been a bit conditioned to seek out a maternal figure, and she's the only one around. Fucking weird, Jacob said. Very, Malik agreed. I fucking hate proeathans. Same.
"Jake," Lucy called from the front of the big room, he turned and looked towards the sound of her voice. "Jake?"
"Yeah?"
"Come here." I swear she acts like our wife, Jacob said. Pretty enough for that. Yeah she is. You think Altair is Awake yet? No but when he does Wake we're getting a kiss. That sounds nice. Yeah it does.
"Coming, dear," he called back and trotted back to the front. Lucy was surrounded by children, naked children at that. "Huh, well that's something you don't see every day," he told her.
"You're telling me. Is Charlotte here?"
"Uh, lemmie check," Jake said and quickly did so. "She says she is."
"Good," and then she looked down and picked up one of the children, one who was holding onto the hem of her shirt. "C'mon everyone," she said gently and headed out the door. The children followed her. "Coming with?" she asked Jake, "I can't do this by myself."
"Yeah, I'm coming," Jake said. "You three," he called to the Assassins, "Hold off, we'll be right back," he called.
"Sir," one man called back.
"Okay, lets go," and after a moment Jake offered his hand to one of the children, the boy looked up at him and then grabbed it. Jake followed behind everyone and it didn't take them long to get to the entrance, though by now a bunch of them were straggling, too small and weak to walk very fall. Jake had a string of children following him, each holding each other's hands, and the one in front holding his.
He squinted when they left the plantation since there were no windows in there and the sudden bright light was intense. The big numia was sitting in the previous no man's land, the gangway down, off to the side of the entrance. Normal people were still behind their old line, too afraid to join the Assassins or those brave enough to take on their oppressors. Jake scanned the area and saw all the proeathans out here were dead and he saw Cain amid the dead there. Altair was there too, lying where he'd been left. The normal people noticed when they came out of the plantation, surrounded by children.
"What the hell?" Jake looked towards the numia at Shaun's voice.
"I'll explain later," Lucy said. "Everyone," she called and waved to the people who were looking, staring. "Come help, its okay, you're safe now. The proeathans are dead."
"Really?" someone called.
"Yes. They're all dead. Now come-" but her voice was drowned out by a loud cheer that was thrown up that surprised Jake, startling him. He wasn't used to people celebrating what they did. He was used to just… doing it without fanfare. But they did come forward, in a wave. Lucy quickly organized them to help the children up into the numia and then to follow her back into the plantation.
Jake stayed out with the numia and Shaun. "So, how are our patients?" he asked Shaun as people carried children up the gangway into the numia.
"One died while you were gone. It was painless. The others are as you left them."
"Good. Excuse me," Shaun nodded and Jake went over to Altair and knelt. Then he reached around and picked Altair up. Altair was fairly heavy for a guy of his short stature, it was all muscle, but Jake was strong enough to hold him. Altair's head lolled bonelessly on his neck and shoulder as Jake carried him back to the numia.
Remember how jealous he was when we carried Lucy? Malik asked. Yeah? This would be the only way he'd ever let us carry him. True. At least he isn't talking. Small miracles! He'd never shut up if we did this normally, Malik sighed. They walked up and into the numia which was now crowded with small children, all of them sitting or now lying down. Shaun was up here now and sternly ordering everyone around in a way that seemed familiar to him. Jake took Altair to a chair and gently put him in it.
"The plantation is secure," Hawk suddenly said, "I repeat the plantation is secure."
"Good," Jake said. "Pluto," he switched to the other frequency because apparently Lucy had stolen someone's ear piece because she was rapidly ordering people to the places the banks of pods were located.
"Yes?" Pluto asked.
"Does Demeter contain a secure room?"
"How secure?"
Jake looked out the door of the numia, towards the proeathan line. "Could she hold Cain?"
"Yes? Why, what are you thinking?"
Malik what are you doing? Jacob cried. "I don't think Cain's as bad as we're giving him credit for. He's honestly no worse than Altair in some respects."
"This is true."
"But I don't know if we can trust him like we can Altair."
"So test him and if he proves unsatisfactory, jettison?" Pluto asked.
"Something like that," Jake said.
There was a brief pause, "Demeter is preparing a room that can contain him. Bring him if you want."
"Okay. Thanks Pluto," Jake said. I hate you, Jacob said angrily. He deserves a chance, Malik said. He could kill us all. He could always kill us all Jacob, him being close to us wouldn't change that. But before he didn't, and I don't think he would. One thing about the older of us is that we have an acute sense of honor. Maybe not the same as you people do now, but we have it. Altair has lived nine hundred years by his own, particular code of honor, and no doubt so has Cain. They probably overlap, so he deserves a chance if we're going to give Altair a chance. I hate when you're logical, Jacob said snidely. I like you better when you're too busy distracted by knowing you're actually allowed to ogle Altair's ass. Malik laughed at that. Lets go get that would-be 'god' then, shall we? Fine, Jacob sighed. But for the record; I don't like it. Duly noted.
They walked down the gangway of the numia and headed for the proeathan line to go retrieve Cain from the fallen. This time at least, the immortal wouldn't have to Wake alone.