April 9 2022

The alarm beeped steadily, breaking the silence with its instant droning. Desmond reached over, felt around on the nightstand for his phone and hit snooze. He then pulled the cover up higher and closed his eyes. He had thought all this madness would end when he died at the temple.

But it hadn't. He was alive again. Or as alive as a clone of himself could be.

Whatever. It didn't matter. Desmond just wanted to get a few more minutes of sleep before having to get up and go about his daily routine of honing his skills, spying on Abstergo and playing video games with Pete.

The alarm sounded again. Desmond cursed and sat up. No way had that been five minutes. But, according to the clock on the screen of his Samsung, it was 7:05 am. He sighed loudly. It wasn't bad enough he had given his life for humanity, but they still expected him to take part in the mundane rituals. Couldn't a guy get a break?

Desmond threw off the covers and got up. After putting on some of the few articles of clothing he had acquired over the last year, he made his way down the hall to the complex's upper level bathroom. Holding three floors above ground and one below, the renovated warehouse was not the most lavish of places. But it was better than some Desmond had stayed. At least it had indoor plumbing. There were rumors the building had once been base to a small gang who ran drugs in Manhattan. Desmond didn't believe that. He didn't think any criminal organization would choose such a secluded spot to house their operations. It was more likely the building was left over from a time when New York actually farmed. That would explain the acres of overgrown foliage surrounding the place. Either way, it made a nice base for the small band of Assassins. And with Desmond and Jack being the only permanent residents, it had more than enough room.

The top floor was nothing but four offices converted into bedrooms and one large bath. Level two was the living area. It was mostly open space with one section for entertainment and another for eating. Jack had partitioned a room off the kitchen and set it up as an office and surveillance studio. It had a locked door that only Jack had the key to. Not that such old school security would stop anyone who knew how to pick a lock. (Desmond did.) There was also a bathroom in the corner. The lower level was a garage and armory/training area. It also had a small bathroom and laundry area. The basement was where they kept the 'new recruits'.

Desmond went to the kitchenette and picked up the coffee pot. It was almost empty. That usually meant Jack had been up for a while. Or all night. Desmond wasn't sure the man ever slept. He poured what little was left into a decently clean mug and started a fresh pot. It tasted like shit, but at least he had caffeine.

As he looked around for something to eat, Jack came out of the office. He pulled the door shut tightly behind him. He looked at Desmond, started to speak. Then his phone began ringing. Jack cursed, looked at the device with annoyance then answered.

"Da?"

Another thing about Jack, he spoke a lot of languages. Desmond had no idea what the conversation was about. But the longer it continued, the more irate Jack became. When he finally said do svidaniya, Desmond thought he might throw his phone. Instead, he let out a long, slow breath and looked at the younger man.

"Good morning, Mr. Miles." His voice betrayed nothing about how he was really feeling.

"Morning," Desmond returned. "I made more coffee."

Jack grunted and sat down in one of the mismatched chairs placed along the plastic folding table. Desmond went over and sat across from him.

"Things not going well in Moscow?"

"Things are not going well anywhere."

"Even here," Desmond mumbled.

Jack didn't react to that. It was no secret things were not going as intended for them. This plan Jack had of taking down Abstergo hinged on too many variables. And there was still one in the group that refused to help.

Desmond looked at Jack, studied the man. "Are you sure you don't want to tell Faith that Connor is here?" At the expression his question had elicited, Desmond elaborated. "I'm not trying to question your authority. I just thought it might help persuade her."

"That information would make Faith compliant, but not trusting. I need her to pledge her loyalty of her own accord, Mr. Miles. Otherwise, she's a risk."

Desmond couldn't keep from scoffing. "She's a risk anyhow. We have no idea what Abstergo did to her. Nine years is a long time for a hostile entity to hold someone captive. Especially one with such shifty morals."

"Lucky for us, she doesn't remember anything."

"Yet."

Jack looked at him with reluctant agreement. "Let's see how she responds to you before we relinquish our leverage."

Desmond frowned. "I thought Pete was taking care of her."

"It's Saturday."

Of course. Saturday. The weekend. Pete didn't visit the complex on the weekends. He had a life, friends, a girlfriend. Things Desmond wondered if he would ever be able to have again. The closest he had to a thriving social life were the meaningless conversations he had with the checkout girl at the gas station. According to Jack it was too dangerous for Desmond to leave the compound often. Desmond agreed, but he did so grudgingly.

Intending to get the meeting over with as quickly as possible, Desmond ask Jack if Faith was awake. There was camera coverage in all the rooms except those on the top floor and the three bathrooms. The feed went directly to monitors in Jack's office. Since they had gotten Faith, Jack spent a lot of time in there watching her.

"She's reading," he told Desmond.

Jack gave him the key to the room she was in as Desmond stood up. He made his way to the basement where the 'medical' potion of the facility was. All it contained was four automatically locking rooms with cots and a closet of basic medical supplies. All the vital monitoring equipment and saline they currently had was acquired after Jack had gotten the new recruits. And it was all courtesy of Clair. Desmond wondered how she managed to steal so much from Abstergo without them catching on. Her being the head of their genetics department probably gave her a fair bit of leeway. It was ironic that most everything they had here once belonged to the Templars they were trying to take down.

Desmond unlocked the door, knocked and waited for a response. He didn't expect a polite greeting. Faith didn't disappoint him.

"What?"

At that, he entered. Faith looked at him from where she was lying on the bed, a book open beside her. It was the first time Desmond had seen her awake. She looked prettier than he remembered. He introduced himself, letting her know that he was a friend.

"Pete said you would be visiting me today." Faith closed the book without marking her spot and put it on the pillow. She sat up, crossing her legs in front of her. She looked skeptical at his appearance. No doubt because she didn't trust him. She was adamant about not trusting anyone. Desmond wasn't sure how Pete had managed to develop such a quick bond with her after only speaking a few times. But Pete was extremely easygoing. He made people want to like him.

"You gonna let me out of here today?"

Desmond took a deep breath deciding how best to answer that question. He didn't want to say no outright. It would make her less cooperative. Nor could he say yes. That would have been a lie.

As it turned out, he didn't need to say anything. Faith had already guessed the answer. She huffed indigently and picked up her book.

"You can go now."

She dismissed him as though she wasn't their captive. Like she had extended an invitation to Desmond and was bored with the visit. Her haughty attitude irritated him.

"If you really want to get out of this room, maybe you should try being a little nicer."

"Why would I be nice to anyone who keeps me locked in a crappy closet that's one step up from a prison cell?"

Desmond had to concede that. They had not shown much hospitality. But Faith's present condition was still far better than her previous one. She just didn't know that. "At least you have a bathroom," he offered.

She scoffed. "It's a half bath. I have to wash in the sink."

He started to remind her that even that was an improvement to using an outhouse but thought it best not to mention too much about her former life with Connor just yet. They needed to earn her trust first. Anything he said about that right now would likely be seen as antagonizing.

"You know, Pete brings me something to eat when he comes in the morning."

Desmond thought about the limited selection available upstairs. Unless Faith was in the mood for stale crackers or a can of tuna, she would be disappointed. "Yeah...we don't really have any food right now. I'll have Jack pick something up later."

At the mention of the man in charge, there was interest on Faith's features for the first time since Desmond had entered the room. She looked up at him, her attention unwavering.

"When am I gonna meet him?"

Desmond hesitated, not sure what to say. Jack was intentionally putting off a face-to-face with Faith for personal reasons. Not that Desmond blamed the man. Once Faith learned who Jack really was, she would be even less receptive.

"I'll ask."

Faith rolled her eyes but said nothing about that. Instead, she asked Desmond if he trusted Jack. When he told her that he did, she questioned him about his reasons.

"It's kinda a long story," he admitted.

Faith put down her book again. She moved to the edge of the bed and sat with her legs hanging off. "It's not like I have anything better to do."

"Okay," Desmond said. "How about I get you some food before I tell you about that?"

Faith shrugged. "Nothing with meat. I'm a vegetarian."

Pete had actually mentioned that about Faith. But Desmond still nodded. As he unlocked and left the room, he wondered again why Connor had chosen to marry Faith. Besides the time difference, the two of them were polar opposites. It wasn't a question Desmond would ask either one of them. But that didn't keep him from pondering the answer.