For a second, Altair is afraid the other is dying. He feels his consciousness fading, feel him letting go of the mind they share, and for a second the edges of their vision starts to go black. He doesn't know what's going on, exactly, but he can guess that the other is a prisoner, and that these guards won't stop short of killing him.
He can't let that happen. Not just because he doesn't want to find out what happens to him if the other dies, but because he doesn't want the other to die. Maybe at first, yes, but now... it would be like losing part of himself.
He feels a sudden rush of anger, and suddenly his vision clears again. The pain rushes over in a fresh wave of agony, and Altair almost cries out in shock. He thought it had hurt before, but now- he winces away from yet another blow, and-
He winces.
He's the one in control.
No sooner has he realized this then he's on his feet, fresh bursts of agony breaking out. It hurts, but he's been hurt before, and he knows how to fight through it. One of his legs feels not quite right, and he keeps as much of his weight off it as he can. He's bleeding from a dozen cuts, and he can feel bruises forming that he know he won't see until morning. If he makes it until morning.
He will. He always does. He takes down the first guard while they're both reeling from the sight of their victim going from almost blacked out to suddenly on his feet. The second one manages to gather what whits he has, and reaches for something- a gun, it's called a gun- at his hip. Altair doesn't know what it does, but the other's mind is screaming at him that it means bad news, so he knocks it out of the man's hand before he can get a firm grip on it. The guard swears, and Altair slams his hidden blade into-
Only he doesn't, because the other doesn't wear a hidden blade. Altair growls a curse and breaks the man's neck instead. He falls to the floor and Altair reacts to a flash of movement in the corner of his eye- someone's there, and in an instant he's got them pressed against the nearest wall, pinned beneath his weight.
She's a woman. Not the one that had come in with the guards (that woman is in a corner, crying softly). This one is blond, in a white shirt now flecked with blood, and she's yelling something. He stops himself abruptly. She hasn't hurt him -Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent- and when he checks his other vision she shows up blue. He tries to listen. To his own surprise, he understands her. Somehow. The words are strange, but the other knows them, and the meaning comes through to Altair.
"Desmond!" there's panic in her voice. "Please, what are you doing?"
Desmond. The name feels right in his mind, but he knows it isn't his. It's the other's. For some reason, it's never even occurred to him that the other has a name. Altair steps back, letting her go. She's looking at him, a little wary. She's expecting something from him, but all he can say is, "What's going on?"
The question is his, but the words aren't. They come out in the same strange language the woman's been speaking. And the voice isn't, either. It's Desmond's, and Altair can't wrap his mind around hearing it come out of his mouth.
It seems to relax the woman- Lucy- though. "Thank God," she says. "I thought- but never mind. We need to get out of here." She grins feebly. "Some rescue, attempt, huh?"
Altair doesn't say anything. He's starting to feel like he might have to follow Desmond into unconsciousness, but forces himself to stay awake for now. If more guards come-
"Can you walk?" Lucy asks.
"Not far," Altair says, in that same voice that isn't his.
"Good enough," says Lucy, and slowly, painfully, they make their escape. Altair manages to stay awake until they're out of the building and Lucy practically forces him into the trunk of her car. He's too bleary, in too much pain, to wonder what's going anymore. He doesn't even stop to marvel at the car- another word stolen from Desmond's mind. He just curls into a ball inside the trunk and decides this is probably as close to safe as he can expect to get anytime soon. Pain reaches up and carries him away. The last thing he knows is darkness.