A Traitor in Our Midst

by: Shadow Chaser

Story 1 – The Assassination Plot

Summary:

Post-Episode 8 "Mended" and pre-Mission 1, Benedict Arnold DLC - "Traitor in Our Midst." Ben's interrogation of the Tory prisoners from Stony Point reveal a dangerous second plot that was to be enacted after the death or capture of General Washington – the assassination of Benedict Arnold and capture of Fort Westpoint. Washington reluctantly contacts Connor to prevent such a thing from happening.

Story:

Ben suppressed a shiver from the early spring thaw. He shifted his feet, hoping to warm himself by continuing to move around. He knew he could have stood by the warm fire that was crackling next to the house that they were using as a waypoint, but Ben wanted to be able to see Connor's approach. And it meant from anywhere. There was the safety risk of having the Continental Army's Commander-in-Chief out here, with only two of his lifeguard, two of his aide-de-camps – Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette – and Billy, but Ben was mostly certain that this rendezvous spot was not compromised.

Connor had said that it belonged to one of the allies of the Brotherhood who housed some of the convoys coming and going to Davenport Manor and after the initial scouting that Ben and Caleb had done, it proved true. Said owner was currently helping them brush down their horses after their arrival. He was a weathered old man who had sharp keen eyes, but proved his trustworthiness by only taking their horses and not even saying a single word.

"Do ya think Connor'll come?" Caleb asked, bring Ben out of his thoughts as he glanced over to see him absently fiddling with his custom flintlock that he had taken from Sackett's barn a little over a year ago. The weapon had served Caleb well from the stories that he had heard from him.

"I hope so," Ben rubbed his hands against the slight chill in the air. This year's winter was clinging like a burr to the changing of spring weather. But he did not mind it as much as he was still flush with the victory in taking over Stony Point and also of the interrogation that yielded the latest actionable intelligence. The only issue was that he could not undertake such a mission, as his name and reputation was starting to be known throughout No-Man's Land – this latest victory at Stony Point was sure to garner more attention.

Plus they needed someone who was familiar with the land and Westpoint was near the Iroquois Confederacy territories if not bordering it. Ben and his 2nd Light had seen combat patrols through Westchester, but he had been confined to that region and rarely went northward due to the Tory and British military presence that occupied his attention at that time. When Ben had proposed sending a message to Connor, Washington had been extremely reluctant, even after Ben had told him of their meeting at Moodna Creek. But his commander had eventually relented and sent the message. Neither one of them expected Connor to answer the missive, but Ben held out a small amount of optimism for the Assassin.

Caleb had been the one to deliver the letter to a drop point in York City. He claimed that on his way out to Oyster Bay after Abe had refused to be broken out of Sugar Hill, a helpful lass by the name of Dobby Carter had come to his aid to avoid the patrols and to get out of the city. He had followed that with the fact that it did not help that Carter had tried to kill him first for acting like a somewhat suspicious redcoat officer poking around things. Ben had nearly groaned in exasperation from that comment, reminding him greatly of what Caleb had done under Abe's orders to the elder Townsend afterwards. He still could not believe what had happened, but was mollified by the bruise on his friend's nose and the fact that it had been Townsend who had thrown it. It seemed the Ring was back and amends had been made.

Ben could only hope that this plea for Connor's help would make amends on that front. Assassin goals or not, Connor was a stalwart ally and a boon, but Ben knew that if their alliance was to be renewed, the other man would have conditions. Ben had his own conditions too, but he was willing to let Connor speak his piece first since he was the wronged party. Hamilton was already familiar with Connor as was the Marquis de Lafayette. Billy was there not only because he was Washington's manservant, but out of all of them – including Washington's lifeguards, he had actual Assassin training under Nathaniel Sackett. Ben felt that his own skills did not count nor compared to the hidden lethality he knew Billy possessed. The somewhat frightening thought was that Billy hid it so well that when Washington had ordered him to discreetly train with Billy after Monmouth last year, he had not realized how good Billy was. It proved how unassuming he was at just playing his part of Washington's servant. Billy was the last line of defense in case Connor decided to use this meeting for revenge, but Ben was hoping it would not come to that.

It was why he was also walking around the area – he wanted to be the first to encounter Connor and ascertain his intentions before even letting him get near Washington. A quick glance back to where Washington and the others were told him Billy was doing the same, albeit in a smaller, tighter circle. Connor's letter only indicated the day in which he was agreeable to meet Washington, but not the hour. They had arrived early in the morning, having set out before the sun had risen in camp. Now it was nearing midday and Ben hoped that Connor did not keep them much longer. The early spring thaw, even with winter's hand still clinging onto it, meant that he would be moving the army soon. Whether or not to take back York City or move further south, due to the increased presence of the French Fleet, Ben did not know, but what he knew was that the plot against Arnold had to be stopped this very moment.

He himself still respected the General, but his initial giddiness had waned since the General had all but disparaged his comments for the lavish ball he had thrown. Ben had initially wanted to apologize, but he followed his instincts and listened carefully, hearing about Washington's approval for Arnold's court martial, reading the charges and expenditures to him, amongst other things about his character. Like Sackett's death had taken the initial romantic notions of espionage from him, this new information about Arnold had done the same. But he would not, could not fault the fact that Arnold was one of their best commanders and they needed to do everything to ensure that he survived.

"He seemed a bit friendlier than the last time, though in a nice shiny stabby kind of way," Caleb commented in an off-hand manner and Ben only rolled his eyes at his friend's comments. Still he could not help the smile that appeared on his face at the small joke that was said.

"What," Caleb smiled back, "you know it's true. Every time I see him, he's cutting through lobsterbacks like wet parchment."

"Not all Assassins are like that," Ben started, but then made a face, "okay, most of them are like that."

"Yeah, except you. You just end up shooting through them like wet parchment," Caleb slapped him playfully on the shoulder as Ben sighed and nearly groaned.

"Caleb..."

"Just kidding Benny-boy," his best friend said, "not gonna lie though. We keep handing you musket after musket, and you'd probably do it."

Ben acknowledged his friend's words with a shrug. "I suppose..." he knew Caleb wasn't wrong in his assessment, but Ben also did not like to brag about his skills that had been handed down to him and Samuel through their father. He still regretted the fact that he had missed Liam Griffith and instead, only downed Alexander Mayfield during their escape attempt after Monmouth.

The distant neigh of a horse down one of the paths leading to the house stopped Caleb from making another comment. Ben put a hand on the butt of his pistol as Caleb did not even bother and drew his out, his finger brushing the trigger that would send forth a spring-loaded bayonet hidden underneath his custom pistol. A few seconds later, Ben relaxed a little at the familiar sight of Connor riding towards them.

He noted that the Assassin's outfit nearly blended him among the brown of tree bark, and it was only the movement of his horse and the fact that his hood was pulled down that Ben had been able to spot him. He supposed that was the point seeing that Connor had on a tan-colored coat with the light blue trimmings that denoted French colors instead of the dark blues of Continentals. He wondered if the Marquis de Lafayette had furnished Connor with his new outfit. He had seen the two conversing in low tones after Monmouth which indicated that the two knew each other. Lafayette had also been vocal in his agreement with his proposal to give the mission to Connor after he had suggested it. It was not that he was jealous, but rather hoped that with Lafayette here, Connor would see reason and accept the mission instead of outright rejecting it since it would be Washington who proposed it. If that was the case, Ben was glad that the Frenchman was here.

"Connor," Ben raised his hand in greeting and got a silent nod in return as the Assassin pulled his horse up next to him and dismounted. Ben grabbed the reigns of his horse for him, but did not miss the sheer amount of weaponry that had been exposed under the longcoat Connor wore. A tomahawk was hidden underneath, his sword visibly on his waist, but what surprised him the most was the unusual looking pistol that held three barrels, more than likely allowing for three shots at once and Connor wore two of them on him. He also noted the small pouches, one of which made for a curious sound when knocked a little that sounded like miniature cannon balls. He also noted the small thin rope-like daggers that hung more towards his back and small hollow-pointed needle-like contraptions that he knew from his father's toolset were poison darts. He also noted the bow and pack of arrows on Connor's back. All of this and Ben knew that the deadliest of all of the weapons was not even visible – the hidden blade on one of his forearms; hidden beneath layers of clothing.

"I hope we did not interrupt a mission of import," he said lightly as he led Connor's horse, and saw the Assassin give him an arched, but neutral look. Connor knew that he had seen the large amount of weaponry on him.

"Your Commander always summons me to do his dirty work for him," the native Assassin replied a little icily, "it's best to come prepared."

"You're not wrong about that," Ben shot a dark look at Caleb's quiet reply, but blinked a little in surprise at the sudden brief smile that appeared on Connor's lips. He shook his head inwardly – at least Caleb and Connor found some kind of neutral ground. He was also proud of his best friend to elicit some kind of reaction other than cool indifference from the reticent, somewhat-volatile Assassin.

As they approached Washington, Ben nodded once to signal to the others that Connor had no intentions of attacking and out of the corner of his eye saw the native give him an unreadable look before quickening his footsteps. Lafayette and Hamilton stepped back to give him room to talk to Washington in semi-privacy, but Ben was glad to see Billy hang a little closer – both as his duties as a servant, and also as Washington's closest bodyguard. The two members of his lifeguard kept their attentions faced outward for any visible threats beyond the small circle that they made.

Ben walked Connor's horse just a little closer than the circle Lafayette and Hamilton made, enabling to hear what was happening, but not enough that he was considered an intruder or eavesdropping on their conversation. The horse whickered and made nibbling movements towards his helm to which he pulled out of the way of its teeth and instead, patted it absently on the cheek.

"How dare you call on me after Monmouth," Connor's voice had not risen, but it contained a lot of disdain and anger in it.

Ben watched as his Commander-in-Chief only frowned before handing him a small piece of paper, "I have no one else to turn to."

Connor took the paper and broke the seal, scanning the contents quickly as Washington continued, his voice neutral and giving no hint of any emotion. "The intelligence that's been gathered warned me that Westpoint has been infiltrated. I believe that they intend to murder Major General Benedict Arnold."

Connor folded the paper back up, "I still do not see why you need me."

"The loss of such a figure, would be devastating to the cause," Washington looked rather reluctant before Ben caught a look directed at him. He frowned as he also saw Connor glancing at him before the two resumed their conversation with each other. "It must be done without my soldiers' knowledge."

It hit Ben then the hidden reason why Washington had not given him such an assignment. In his capacity as head of intelligence, he was able to conceal a few things, but Congress needed his reports along with that of Washington's and since he was a military commander, he had to file reports on every single one of his actions. The one to assassinate Reverend Worthington had been labeled an accident, but his injuries sustained by Gamble's shot had been recorded as part of military scouting.

"The mere idea of the Patriots being breached would be crippling to morale, to the war," Washington continued, "will you do it?"

Ben held his breath, watching Connor closely. If he said no, then Ben knew that he would have to take some kind of action regarding the intelligence they had gotten from the interrogated soldiers from the Stony Point raid. It would have to be listed as part of a military report and it would make Washington's efforts to stop the assassin or assassins from killing Arnold a lot harder. For one thing, Ben would have to go in disguise again, but the stakes would be infinitely higher – the area around Fort Westpoint was heavily contested territory and the latest reports from Colonel Jamieson said that the Tory 'Cowboys' and Patriot 'Skinners' were far more vicious than those of the contested territory in Westchester. It would be an extremely dangerous mission for Ben. It was not fear that prevented him from accomplishing his mission, but rather the lack of skills needed to do such a thing.

It seemed Connor came to the same conclusion or some conclusion as he leaned in towards Washington, a little closer than Ben liked – but Billy made no movement – so Ben forced himself to relax, and hissed, "It will be done. But never call on me again."

With that, the Assassin abruptly turned and stalked towards Ben. He quickly stepped to the side as Connor swept up the reigns of his horse into his hand and with one fluid movement, mounted the beast and kicked off, heading away from them at a gallop.

"Well," Caleb ambled over and absently flicked the spring-loaded bayonet on his pistol out, "that went rather well."

Ben could only nod in mute agreement. At least Connor was amenable to helping Washington one last time.

~END~