Altair can feel it when Desmond dies. For a second, everything goes cold, and he has to blink a few times to clear the darkness from the edges of his vision. But it's more than that. It's not just physical, but mental, too. There's something missing from his mind, and he can feel the hole it left. He can't stop feeling it, like probing a missing tooth with his tongue.
He looks around at the other three; Connor has his face turned away so that no one can see it, and Ezio is crouched over Desmond's body, closing his eyes. All Altair can see of him are hunched shoulders and a bowed head. Haytham has his eyes fixed on the opposite wall, and when Altair follows his gaze, he sees her.
Juno. She looks a lot more solid than before, but still not all there. She smiles a slow, lazy smile at Altair as he crosses the room, and he stops when they're standing less than a foot away from each other. Standing this close, it's obvious how tall she is- seven feet at least, Altair decides- and he has to look up to meet her mocking gaze.
"Are you going to threaten me?" she asks.
"No," Altair says. "Not a threat. A warning." He can't see the others behind him, but he knows they're there. "Stay away from humanity."
"Is that all?" Juno laughs. "I'll do what I like, child, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. What were you planning to use? Those apples of yours?" Her voice, which had started off low and menacing, begins to rise. "My people created them. I know everything they are capable of- better than any of you do. We created technologies better than that, ones that will make the apples look like the toys they are!" By the end, she's shouting, and just on cue, at the last word- all the lights go off.
Altair blinks and looks around, but even in eagle vision, he can't see a thing. And it's not only dark, but quiet, too. Silent. Altair blinks, then rubs his foot against the stone ground underneath him. He can feel it, but even that makes no sound.
Before he can even start to wonder what's going on- or why- a single light appears in the middle of the room. He turns, and sees Desmond's apple still lying on the floor where it fell, glowing in a way that doesn't look at all familiar. He's used to its usual golden light, but this is different- it's light without color, light that doesn't illuminate. It's bright, bright enough that Altair knows he should be able to see everything in the room, but instead, all he can see is himself and the apple.
Then it pulses once, and Altair blacks out.
When he comes to, it's because he can hear voices and footsteps nearby. Loud voices, and a lot of footsteps. He gets unsteadily to his feet- his head is pounding- and looks around. Things look different than they did before the lights went out. Juno's gone, and so is Desmond's apple. But those aren't the only changes.
Ezio, Connor, and Haytham are still on the ground, unconscious and very very solid. Visibly solid, the way they're only supposed to be in their own times. He looks down at his hand and makes a fist. Also visible. Whoever it is he can hear in the temple outside, they're going to make their way back there and find the group in only a few minutes.
He gets Ezio up first. The older assassin starts to get up, rubbing the back of his head.
"Men outside," Altair tells him.
Ezio looks around the room, understands, and nods. Altair moves on to Connor, who's a little harder to wake up. Finally, Altair growls in frustration and says, "Come on, Connor."
"No."
"You have to," Altair says. "Someone's coming."
"No," Connor repeats, getting to his feet. "I mean- I'm not Connor."
"Haytham?" Altair asks. "Alright, good, you're back in your own bodies. Now come on."
Ezio gets Connor to his feet and the four of them manage to slip into the main room of the temple and into the shadows before anyone can see them. From there, they watch in silence as two dozen men and women set up shop. They bring in floodlights and computers, and get to work. Every piece of equipment left behind by the assassins is carefully packed up and shipped out. Then they get to the room with Desmond's body in it.
Two men carry him out in a body bag, and Altair sees Haytham go tense, then remembers that the Kenways are back in their bodies, and it's Connor asking- "Why aren't we doing anything?" he leans forward, closer to Altair so no one else will hear. "Shouldn't we do something?"
"Not until we know what's going on here," Altair says.
"But Desmond-"
"Is dead," Altair says, a little more harshly and a little more loudly than he intended.
"Quiet," Ezio whispers, and Altair drops his voice.
"These men are from Abstergo," he says. "See the logos on their equipment?"
"So that means templars," Connor says. They both glance at Haytham, who crosses his arms and stares back.
"So that means be quiet until they leave," Ezio says, and Altair turns to look at him.
"When did you start speaking English?" he asks.
"What?"
Now that he's looking for it, Altair can see faint yet familiar lines on Ezio's skin. "Well, at least we know where Desmond's apple ended up," he says.
"That... is worrying," Ezio says. "It's not poisonous or anything, is it?"
Altair only looks at him. "Yes," he says at least. "That's why I've had one in me for months and I'm still completely fine."
Not long after that, the Abstergo men start searching every inch of the temple, and while they're distracted at the back, the group escape through the front. There are more men outside, but the four of them get past easily. Two master assassins, a templar grandmaster, and Connor- who's extremely skilled in his own right. The half dozen guards waiting outside never even know they're there. Although to be fair, three are asleep, one's eating a sandwich as big as his face, one's taking a smoke break around the corner, and the last one's playing a game on his phone. A crowd of children could have passed through without being stopped.
And so they run.