Part 11

Katy must have dozed off at some point, she woke to the sound of an angry voice coming from the next room. She sat up, careful of the still painful wound on her side, in order to hear better. "No, no," The man's voice said, laced with disbelief and getting steadily louder, "You mean to tell me that you, a skilled assassin, managed to accidentally stab an innocent girl with a retractable blade?"

There was a murmured response, inaudible to Katy, she could tell it was Altair, his voice so easy to recognise. "Please, go on," The other man spoke up again. "I am keen to hear your explanation for, once again, breaking one our tenets." He let out a frustrated sound, Katy could almost picture him pinching the bridge of his nose as he continued to reprimand Altair. "After all that has happened, do you think our master will give you another chance?"

"I have apologised," Altair's voice was louder, more distinguishable, it was clear from the tone he was equally as frustrated with this situation as the person he was talking to. "I did not mean for it to happen, she fell." A loud scoff came from the other person. "She fell onto my blade," Altair insisted, "I could not have left her to die, Jabal."

"Perhaps not." Jabal responded, the sound of approaching footsteps warned Katy, she lay back and snapped her eyes shut as the two men appeared in the doorway. "You could have taken her to a doctor," the Rafik went on, "Instead you bring her here. I am no doctor, Altair! I trade secrets and information. I can not heal her, if that is what you are asking."

"No," The Assassin replied, he sounded tired now, weary. "That is not what I am asking, but I could not leave her to die, and I did not have time to leave her with a doctor." Altair exhaled deeply. "If she was to live, this was the only option, I apologise for the burden."

"You truly are determined to show you have changed." Jabal observed, a small amount of respect krept into his voice, she could hear a hint of a smile.

"Not only that," Altair went on, "She lured Garnier away from the main part of the hospital, away from potential witnesses." He sighed. "She knew my name." A long silence followed. Katy tilted her head and cracked her eye open, she watched the men through her eyelashes. Who are you kidding, you're not fooling them. With that thought, she shot up again, startled by the intrusion. Katy gasped and clutched at her stomach as pain ripped through her.

Altair and Jabal didn't even flinch at the sudden movement, they merely watched her. The Rafik looked at Altair pointedly, "Now she is awake, perhaps she could give me her version of events?" The Assassin rolled his eyes and leaned against the door frame as Jabal approached Katy. "Do not move so much," He advised her with a gentle smile, "And when you are ready, I would like you to tell me exactly what happened."

Katy nodded, but her mouth remained firmly closed. Jabal had a kind face, old and wise, though it was mostly hidden by a thick white beard that covered his chin. He wore a long, black coat with intricate embroidery on the sleeves over his Assassin robes. He crouched next to Katy to help her sit up on the cushions.

"Perhaps you could tell me how you know the name of my surly friend." Jabal prompted when Katy remained silent. "Or why you helped him."

Where do I start? Katy thought, If I tell the truth they might kill me. If you tell the truth they might help you. She shook her head, it was hopeless. I have to try, I'm tired of being weak and I want to go home. The two men exchanged a worried glance as Katy battled with herself. Once she made up her mind she spoke up.

"It'll sound crazy." Katy was startled at the strength of her own voice. After weeks of near silence, it shocked her, she felt compelled to talk. "I can't begin to explain why I'm here, but I shouldn't be." Jabal frowned ever so slightly as she went on. "I'm from the future, I think, or I've been sucked into a video game, like I said, 'crazy'!" Katy let out a little laugh, not really sure why she continued to ramble on, but being able to tell someone, even if they thought she was insane, was a massive relief.

"That's how I know your name," She looked at Altair when she said this, "That's why I lured Garnier away, so much easier to sneak away than having to fight your way out." The Assassin pushed himself upright and crossed his arms as Katy addressed him. "You're the main character in the game, I've played out this part of your life so many times..."

She trailed off as Jabal held up a hand to stop her, he turned to Altair with a worried look. "Perhaps she has a fever, what she says is lunacy." He said to the Assassin, who nodded in agreement. Jabal stood and went into the next room, Katy wanted to call after him, to tell him what she was saying was true, but it was like someone had pressed a mute button.

Altair moved aside to let Jabal through, but otherwise remained still, he watched Katy making no effort to hide the confused expression on his face. When he spoke, it was so quiet Katy almost missed it, "Thank you," He said, "For helping, and I am sorry." He gestured at her to indicate the stab wound. Katy smiled sadly, but her attention returned to Jabal as he re-entered the room.

The Rafik carried a tray that held various beakers and phials along with a fresh dressing for her stomach. "I have something that should help you sleep," He explained as he walked over to her and knelt down again, "Cleaning the wound will be painful, it would be best if you did not feel it." Jabal set the tray on the ground and handed one of the beakers to her.

Katy took a long drink of the liquid, it was thick and overly sweet. As she continued to drink she felt a faint tingling in her toes and the tips of her fingers. Jabal took the cup from her when she finished and helped her lay back onto the cushions. Whatever was in the drink worked, her eyes felt heavy and the tingling gave way to a strange, numb throbbing, she didn't remember falling asleep, but she did.

A/N: So much dialogue, agh! D: The adventure begins! How will Katy cope with the Assassins? How will the Assassins cope with her? You'll have to keep reading to find out.

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