Berg very rarely gets stuck watching other people go through their ancestors' memories in the animus. He's not exactly a tech, although he can operate all the necessary machinery if it comes right down to it. Like today.
A half dozen of the techs had decided to sneak out in the middle of the night and stay out drinking in the closest bar. He couldn't exactly blame them for going a little stir crazy, not when they'd been stuck in the warehouse and the surrounding neighborhood for so long, but he disapproves of it anyway. Five of the six had been Assassins, and therefore a lost cause in any case. But the sixth is a Templar, and Berg had made his displeasure perfectly clear to her when she stumbled in with her new friends at half past six in the morning, looking not nearly hungover enough for Berg's taste. She's on the other side of the room now, nursing a cup of tea as she does her assigned work, while the Assassins (in typically undisciplined fashion) are sleeping it off upstairs.
Leaving Berg and a few others to cover for them. It's dull work, mostly. Monitor vital signs. Watch the memory feed. Pray for the clock to go faster, for the next shift to come to relieve him.
Berg's charge today is a young Assassin boy—a teenager, really, but as far as Berg's concerned, he's still a child. Javier. Not technically an Assassin yet, but definitely well on his way, and moving closer with every day he spends here, surrounded by other Assassins. It's a little bit of a waste, really, Berg reflects as he watches the monitoring screen of the boy's ancestors. The descendant of Shay Cormac would have made an excellent Templar.
Sadly, it's not to be. Javier is just at the right age to cling onto whatever stubborn idea he gets into his head, and now that he's decided he's going to be an Assassin, Berg doubts that he's going to be able to change his mind for at least the next several years—not until he's out of his teenage years.
"You look miserable," Bayek observes, dropping into the seat next to Berg.
"His assigned technician should have been here today," Berg says. "I have more important things to do than sit here and watch this."
"You're not interested in the animus?" Berg asks.
"I've seen all his ancestor's memories before," Berg says. "A few years back we got almost his entire life recorded and stored away at Abstergo."
"Alright," Berg says. "So tell me about him." He shrugs. "I'm curious.
"I'll trade you," Berg offers, because he's not in the habit of giving something away and getting nothing in return. "You have your question about Cormac, I have a question about your Hidden Ones."
"Oh?" Bayek asks, leaning back and crossing his arms. "What kind of question?"
"What exactly was it that you stood for?" Berg asks.
Bayek's mouth works for a second, and he's clearly thinking it over. "I could talk for hours and not completely explain what we stood for."
"I appreciate that," Berg says, deadpan. "I've never understood the point of the Assassin's nothing is true, everything is permitted. Any creed that can be summed up in six words is clearly too simple to build a life around."
"I haven't thought about it much," Bayek says. "I've been fairly distracted since I came here. But the Hidden Ones—if I had to sum it up, I'd say we're fighting for protection from anyone that wants to take what they shouldn't. Our free will. Our homes. Our families."
"When you say it," Berg says (and the honesty slips out of him without being entirely intentional). "It doesn't sound like such a bad thing. With the Assassins—oh, I know they say they're fighting for free will, but history has shown that what they're really fighting for is chaos."
"Hmm," Bayek says, a noncommittal sound that Berg accepts with a nod.
"But your group wasn't weighed down by the same history of poor decisions," Berg continues. "And I've been thinking that our group here really needs a name." He looks down at Javier instead of at Bayek. "If it's acceptable to you, the Hidden Ones seems like a fair compromise. Since we're fighting to stop Juno from taking everything we ever had from us, it only seems right."
"And your Templars will agree with that?" Bayek asks.
"They'll do what I tell them," Berg says. "And what we need right now is unity."
"Then yes," Bayek says. "Of course we can use that name." He gestures toward Javier, and to Shay on the screen. "Now, my question. Tell me about him."
"I don't know anything about the boy," Berg says. "Not much, anyway. He's an Assassin, and he's too young to be here." Only a few years older than Elina and Khemu. "But the Templar was a good man. He joined the Assassins when he was too young to know any better, but unlike many Assassins, he saw the error of his ways before it was too late. He switched sides, became a Templar, and spent the rest of his life atoning for what he'd done."
"That's a difficult decision to make," Bayek says. "To turn your back on your cause like that."
"The most important decisions are always difficult," Berg says. "Which is why we have to make sure the right people are making them."
"The Templars, you mean?" Bayek asks. He doesn't sound like he's trying to start an argument, so Berg doesn't push it. He's not particularly interested in winning Bayek to his side. He can see perfectly well that Berg would not fit with the Templars.
He's having a hard time deciding how he feels about the idea that when all this is over, assuming they all survive, they won't be on the same side anymore.
Javier gasps suddenly, jerking violently on the animus.
Bayek leans over at once, putting a hand on Javier's chest to keep him from bucking and hurting himself, then puts his other hand on his arm to soothe him. Berg, on the other hand, leans sideways around Bayek to get a good look at the screen. "Shit," he says, and Berg dimly registers that this might be the first time he's ever heard Bayek curse.
"Pull him out, Berg," Bayek says. His voice is urgent, but Berg ignores him. His eyes are glued to the screen, where a familiar memory is playing out. He's watched it half a dozen times—the underground precursor temple with the artifact that had changed everything. It had levelled Lisbon, and sent Cormac on his way to his true path as a Templar. Only this time, things are different. Juno is there too, and although the picture isn't quite clear enough to see the details of what's going on, but they're clearly together, talking.
"Pull him out!" Bayek says, again, and this time he actually reaches past Berg to the computer. Berg tears his eyes away from the screen and slaps at Bayek's hand. He turns then and starts the sequence to pull Javier out of the animus, because he knows Bayek's going to keep trying until he either manages to yank Javier, or he just breaks the animus. The latter option is far more likely, given Bayek's complete lack of experience with computers, and on a practical level they just cant afford that right now.
He doesn't give Javier the usual transitional phase between his ancestor's memories and the moment when he wakes up. They don't have time for that, and the sooner they get Javier out, the sooner they can get him back in, and figure out what Juno's doing there.
"I have to go back," Javier says at once, and Berg gives Bayek a pointed see, what did I tell you look.
"Not yet," Bayek says, then looks at Berg.
"You need me to translate for you," Berg says. "Because I have a translator and he doesn't."
"Yes," Bayek says.
"I'd rather just send him right back in," Berg says. "Did you see what his ancestor was doing? Juno was right there." And she's going to mess it up somehow, isn't she? She's going to turn Cormac away from his path to the Templars and ruin all the great things he should have done.
"It's a memory, Berg," Bayek says. "It doesn't matter if he sees it now, or in an hour, or in a week. So far, Desmond's the only one that's had to deal with Juno interfering with his ancestors. And he's a fully grown man with experience dealing with the precursors before. At least as much as anyone else has. This is a boy."
He's not going to give in, Berg can tell. It's that damned parental instinct of his—Berg is a father too, but his need to protect and comfort only stretches as far as Elina. Maybe it's different because Bayek has had to hold his son's body, has had to bury Khemu, and then live with the consequences. But he seems to be under the impression that any infant, child, or teenager within a fifty mile radius is his responsibility to protect, and he's not going to let them continue until he's satisfied that Javier is going to be just fine.
"Here," Berg says gruffly, pulling his translator out of his ear and handing it to Javier. "He needs to talk to you."
"Uh…" The boy takes the translator, but stares at it instead of putting it into his ear. "Do you think I could wash it first?"
Berg sighs, and leaves the two of them to it. "Make sure you alert me before you go back in," he says. "I mean it."
-/-
"Are you alright?" Bayek asks Javier, as soon as he's seen him put the translator in. "You were spasming."
"I… don't remember that," Javier says, visibly choosing his words carefully. He still looks like he's slightly in shock. "I knew it was possible I'd run into her, but when Shay turned around and she was just standing there, I—I mean, I almost desynched, it freaked me out so much."
He looks so embarrassed as he says this that Bayek leans forward and pats him on the shoulder. "Anyone would have felt the same," he says. "What was she doing there?"
"I don't know," Javier admits. "Going after the same artifact Achilles sent Shay to get, I guess. But I kind of stalled the memory when I saw her, I couldn't focus enough to make it keep going. And then you guys pulled me out."
"You looked like you needed it," Bayek says, and if he's honest with himself, he doesn't care if Javier will admit it or not. He's still just a child, and Bayek isn't going to watch him go into this memory unprepared.
"I don't know," Javier says. "I think I could have handled it."
Because of course he's just at the age where he thinks he's indestructible. Bayek knows he isn't.
"But there's no time," Javier says. "If I don't go back, then we're going to miss whatever she's trying to do.
"No you're not," Bayek says. "Because whatever happened, it's already happened. It happened hundreds of years ago. All you're doing is watching, and taking a few minutes to figure things out before you continue watching isn't going to make any difference to your ancestor or to Juno."
Javier looks up at him. "I'm… not afraid of her," he says.
But Bayek thinks by the look in his eyes that he is. Or that he's worried at least. He half wants to say something reassuring, but honestly… it might be better if Javier learns to feel cautious of what Juno can do. So instead he lets the moment pass.
"The artifact you said you think she's looking for," he says. "What is it, another apple?"
"No-o," Javier says, pulling the word out. "I don't think so."
"You don't think so?"
"It didn't look like one of those apples," Javier says. "I just… don't know what it is."
"Well I'm sure it's the same artifact Shay found the last time you lived through his memories," Bayek says encouragingly. "What was it?"
"I… never actually went into Shay's memories before," Javier admitted. "I went into his grandson's memories, and a few other ancestors that are… I mean, they didn't live anywhere near this part of history. But no, I never went into Shay's memories."
But that means that they won't be able to tell what Juno's changing in the past. It's going to make it that much more difficult to figure out what Juno's planning here, specifically.
"Why are you in Shay's memories at all, then?" Bayek asks. "Not that it's a bad thing, since we wouldn't have known she was there, but why aren't you in the grandson's memories?"
"Berg insisted," Javier says.
"He's an important man, and I do not want Juno interfering with his life," Berg says, coming back just in time to, apparently, overhear Javier's comment.
"But I've never been in his memories before," Javier says. "I don't know what to look for."
"The piece of eden is obviously the most important thing to worry about," Berg says. "Which of course is why Juno would have gone there first."
"What's this one do?" Javier asks.
"No one really knows what it's supposed to do," Berg says. "Before Juno came and disrupted the memory, Cormac picked up the artifact and it caused an earthquake that levelled the city of Lisbon. And the artifact itself dissolved."
"So it doesn't matter if I've seen his memories before," Javier says. "Does it? I need to go back in there, figure out what the artifact is, and what Juno's trying to do with it."
"Good."
"But—" Bayek isn't sure Javier is ready to go back in. He's worried about what's going to happen to Javier if Juno takes control of Shay, but… Javier seems willing. And they don't have anyone else that can find out what Juno did to Shay. He knows there are animi that can let people see memories that belong to people other than their ancestors, Layla's told him about them, but they don't have any of those machines here.
So he watches as Berg sets Javier back up in the animus, and a few minutes later they're watching the memory start up again.
"What do we do if Juno finds a way to hurt him?" Bayek asks.
Berg shoots him an annoyed look, then reaches over to take the translator back from Javier. When he has it back in his ear, Bayek repeats the question.
"Then we'll find a way to fix it," Berg says. "We have you and Layla that can travel through time, and…" He trails off, thinking. "And Desmond's a possibility."
"Desmond's not here," Bayek points out. "And his ancestor's not there."
"No," Berg says. "But one of his ancestors was the colonial grandmaster while Cormac was entering the Templars. We could get Desmond in through him."
That does make Bayek feel a little bit better. After all, Desmond's faced Juno a few times now, and been just fine. "I'll ask Layla to email him," he says, standing.
"And I'll stay and watch the memory," Berg says. As if there was any chance he was going to leave while the memory was still going on.
-/-
Layla's just gotten back from meeting herself when Bayek intercepts her. It takes him very little time to get her caught up on everything that's happened, with Javier's ancestor, and the memory with the piece of eden, and then Desmond's tenuous connection to what's going on.
"Of course I'll let him know what's going on," Layla says. "No one should have to face Juno alone." Least of all some kid. "And Desmond should be able to help." She's exhausted from two flights in quick succession, and the emotional challenge of talking her past self out of doing something she knows she really wants to do. "Can I see the memory first? I don't want to email Desmond and panic him before we have all the details."
"Of course," Bayek says. "Berg's running Javier through it now."
He takes her to Javier's animus, and Layla pulls up a third chair so all of them can watch what's going on. Javier must have had to start over on the memory, because when Layla sits down he's just getting to the part where Juno comes in. Shay's too focused on the artifact to notice her at first, and Layla finds herself mentally urging him to turn around. Not that she's expecting it to help at all, but it's just—it's so painful to have to sit there and watch Juno sneak up on him. He has no idea what's coming for him.
"Is there sound on this?" she asks Berg.
He shoots her a slightly annoyed look (for daring to interrupt, probably). But then he reaches over and turns the volume up. Layla still had to lean over to hear it clearly, but at least she could catch what Shay and Juno were saying when he finally turns around and spotted her.
The first words that come out of the tinny computer speakers are a series of startled curses as Shay takes in the sight of Juno standing behind him.
"Didn't even see you there," he says, when he'd finished. "You—"
"Quiet," Juno breathes, and even though she's several centuries in the future and a continent away, Layla feels her breath catch at the sheer malevolence in her tone.
"Look at that," Bayek says, leaning forward so that his shoulders brushed against Layla's. It's oddly comforting, actually. Layla is never going to get over how terrifying Juno is, and she thinks Bayek knows that. Maybe that's why he presses so close. "Look at her eyes."
Layla swallows. "She looks pissed," she says.
"We've stopped her twice already," Berg points out. "Maybe it's starting to take a toll."
"I like the idea that we can tire her out," Bayek says. He sounds a little too thoughtful and not nearly scared enough, in Layla's opinion. "But I don't like that it's making her angry."
"Angry people are stupid," Berg says dismissively. "This is good news. She's going to start making mistakes. Now be quiet. If we're going to have the volume up, I want to be able to hear what they say."
So all three go quiet, and watch Shay onscreen as he spreads his hands in a conciliatory motion. "There's no reason to get upset," he says, and his voice makes him sound almost like he's talking to a child. Layla winces. She's not going to like that, is she? "Everything's fine."
"Look at that," Berg says, keeping his voice low enough that he won't have to risk missing anything they're saying. "Look—he's going to get out of this." His fingers trace lines over the screen, and Layla realizes Shay's eyes are darting from side to side, evaluating the situation and Juno herself.
"Not if she gets close enough to use the apple," Layla says.
"He will," Berg says. "He has to."
If Layla hadn't known any better, she might have thought Shay was Berg's ancestor, not Javier's.
"You don't even know what you have there," says Juno in the memory. "Move out of the way, or you're going to regret it."
"Is that a threat?" Shay asks, and Layla sees his eyebrows go up.
"It is a fact," Juno says, her voice and her face tight. "I am tired of being pushed aside, and you and your damn Brotherhood is always, always in my way!"
Her voice rises up in genuine anger there, and Bayek asks, "Are you okay, Layla?" before he can stop himself. He knows Layla can't appreciate being the only one of them that can't hide how genuinely terrified she is of Juno.
"I'm fine," she says. "But Shay might not be."
"Should we pull Javier out again?" Bayek asks, more in Berg's direction than Layla's. Maybe talk to him, figure out something he can do that would help him—"
"What are we supposed to do?" Berg asks. "From what Desmond says, he could only interact with his ancestors because of how he almost died at the Temple. Unless you're suggesting putting Javier through that—"
"I'm not."
"So I guess we'll have to watch and see what happens."
What happens next is that Juno darts with superhuman speed toward Shay. Bayek tenses, and feels Berg and Layla doing the same thing on either side of him. Then she's past Shay, reaching not for him but for the artifact, and she does—something. Shay doesn't quite turn quickly enough for Bayek to see what it is, but whatever it is it allows Juno to pick up the artifact without anything consequences.
"This isn't what would have happened if Juno wasn't here," Berg tells them. "When Shay picks it up, the artifact dissolves and Lisbon is destroyed."
"I mean, her people made it," Layla points out. "If anyone would know how to handle it, she wo—holy shit."
The sudden outburst attracts the attention of several other people around them, not that Layla seems to notice. She points at the screen, and Bayek watches in surprise as everything else in the room, Shay included, is thrown suddenly upward, so quickly that it almost seems like gravity has just reversed itself. Only Juno is unaffected, standing in the middle of the now empty floor, artifact held aloft, a kind of grim satisfaction on her face.
"It's not much," she says. "But it's something."
She gestures with the artifact and everything falls again—Shay hits the ground with a heavy thud, and Bayek watches for several long seconds until he sees the man move again.
Juno is walking out of the room, clearly convinced that the encounter is over. There's a cocky sort of spring in her step, and it makes Bayek angry just seeing it. Sure, an artifact like this isn't as dangerous as the apple. Controlling someone's mind has to be worse than this, but still… it's going to make fighting her difficult. If she can just throw people around however they want, it's going to be basically impossible to get this new artifact away from her.
Only apparently, no one's told Shay that.
Slowly, so slowly that at first Bayek thinks he's imagining it, Shay forces himself to his feet. He's obviously in quite a lot of pain, as he forces himself to follow Juno, and his steps are heavy and slow. Quiet, though. And as he comes up behind her, Juno doesn't notice him until it's too late.
"Got you," Shay breathes, and although she turns just in time to avoid his blade, Shay is still quick enough to grab at the artifact. When he touches it, it dissolves.
And then comes the earthquake. Shay runs. Juno runs too, but in another direction, and they quickly lose track of her. But the artifact is destroyed, exactly the way it had been originally. And Shay's still alive, only a little the worse for the wear.
"He did it," Berg says, leaning back in his chair and breathing a sigh of relief. There's a smile on his face, a big stupid smile. "I can't believe he made it out of there."
"It's not over yet," Bayek says grimly. "He got that artifact away from Juno, and she's not going to forget that."
"And," Layla adds. "We can't use Javier to communicate with Shay the way we can use Desmond to communicate with his ancestors."
"No," Berg says. "But… Desmond does have ancestors in this time."
A pause as they all process this, and come to the natural conclusion.
"We need him in that ancestor's memories," Bayek says.
Layla's already on her feet and running for her email. "I'll tell him what's going on," she says. "What's the ancestor's name again?"
"Haytham Kenway," Berg calls after her. "And tell him to hurry."
-/-
I'm so upset about how long this chapter ended up being. I have a bad habit of starting to ramble when things get long, and then they don't make sense and nobody wins. So please let me know if you have any complaints, and I will do my best to fix them.