This time, the animus works perfectly, and Desmond finds himself loaded into another memory, another ancestor-
dark... warm... safe...
But something doesn't feel right. He has no idea where he is, but after a minute or two he realizes his ancestor isn't breathing at all, but somehow he's not dying, either. But he doesn't get much time to think about it, because suddenly it all kicks off and for a long time there's just a mess of confusion and pain and sudden light and at some point Desmond realizes this is the memory of his ancestor's birth, and he starts to freak out a little because this is the weirdest thing that's ever happened to him.
And suddenly he's out, but something's wrong, because his ancestor still isn't breathing, and he knows that's not right, and for a second he panics- there's noise and confusion all around him, but he doesn't recognize the language, and the infant whose brain he's sharing is too busy dying to be any help. Not that a newborn would know what they were saying anyway.
Just breathe! Desmond urges, in the silence of their shared mind. Breathe! But it's no good, because this baby was born and lived and died- he didn't even know how long ago. But whatever happened is out of his control, it's history, and if Desmond is around in the first place to share these memories, the baby must have lived-
But he still doesn't breathe. Desmond can feel the baby's panic and confusion slipping away, and there's a cold emptiness to his mind that terrifies him. He tries to stay calm, but it's hard. He's helpless, and somehow he knows this baby is going to die.
But... suddenly, he remembers Altair, and his ancestor's claim that he could feel Desmond in his mind while Desmond was reliving his memories in the animus. And then he thinks of the dead guards at Abstergo, the ones Altair killed using Desmond's body.
If Altair could kill those men, he can save this baby.
Breathe, Desmond thinks again, and imagines himself taking a deep breath. Breathe!
But still the baby doesn't breathe, he's still slipping away, and suddenly there's a moment when he's almost gone, and Desmond is almost alone in the tiny, dying body, and for a second Desmond's the one in control, and he takes the baby's first breath for him.
Oxygen and life come flooding in together, and Desmond feels the child's mind stir slightly. He retreats into the back of the baby's mind, exhausted from that tiny effort, and waits for the memory to finish.
Around him, the child's family is ecstatic- probably they thought he'd been about to die. Well, he doesn't blame them. He'd assumed the exact same thing. The baby's panic fades a little, but Desmond can still feel his fear and uncertainty. He guesses that being born must kind of be a surprise, if you're not expecting it.
On cue, the baby starts to cry, which is good because that's what babies are supposed to do and bad because he's still afraid. He's spent nine months in the safety of the womb and suddenly here he is, all on his own for the rest of his life. It's alright- he thinks, and then realizes the kid won't understand, if he can even tell that Desmond's there. So he tries to share the feelings of the words, and not the words themselves. It's alright, he tries again. You're not alone.
And, perfectly on cue, the memory ends.
-/-
Well, this story took a sudden turn into 'I don't know where this is going' land. Oh well. Guess we'll find out. :)