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Description
June 21, 1806; York, Upper Canada

“And then you place the feathers nicely onto the headband,” Aveza's mother instructed to her. Aveza did as told and placed the feathers on her doll's head. She smiled, proud of her work. Her mother smiled back. Aveza loved when her mother taught her the traditions of her family. She loved learning about the art and stories of the Shawnee. The culture always fascinated her.

Her father taught her things, too. Whenever she spent time with him, he taught her the culture of his people, the British. Aveza loved learning about both cultures, and she loved learning it from her loving parents. She started placing beads on her doll's outfit after her mother gave another set of instructions. Her mother was obviously impressed with her little girl.

Though she was a member of the Shawnee tribe, Aveza's mother never really did much to appear like one. She wore English dresses, participated in English pastimes, and even had a slight English accent. She was just as fascinated with the English culture as Aveza was with both groups of people. Still, she knew everything about her family's culture as well, and never forgot her Native heritage. A lot of her mother rubbed off on Aveza, including the English accent, though that also came from her father as well.

Aveza's father walked into the room while she and her mother worked. Her mother looked up and smiled at him. “So glad you could join us, George,” she said. “Aveza's doing wonderfully on her little project.”

“I'm certain she is, Shikoba,” said George, who smiled at his daughter. “She's a clever little girl and a quick learner.” Aveza smiled at that.

“Indeed she is,” said Shikoba. She reached over and ruffled her daughter's hair. Aveza giggled. Her parents smiled.

“Shikoba,” said George. “I'll be in my office. I have to write a few letters to our associates in America.” Shikoba nodded, and George went into the other room. Shikoba turned her attention back to her daughter. Aveza never really wondered about her parents’ work. All she knew was that her father was a merchant, and that her mother helped on occasion. She didn't think to ponder further. Perhaps she should have.

After about twenty minutes, George returned with a small satchel of letters. “Alright,” he said. “I'll go ahead and head out to arrange for these to be delivered. I shouldn't be long.”

“Very well, dear,” said Shikoba. George nodded and started making his way to the door. But before he could reach it, someone knocked from outside. He exchanged a look with his wife, who shrugged. Another knock came. George passed his bag to Shikoba and went to open the door. The unexpected visitor was still knocking as he turned the knob and opened it. To his surprise, two guards were at his door, hands on the hilts of their swords. Shikoba and Aveza looked over at the men.

“Is this the residence of George Deryn?” asked the guard. George nodded cautiously. “Why yes, gentlemen,” he said.

“And would you be the gentleman in question?” asked the guard.

“Indeed. I am George Deryn. Is there an issue, sir?”

“You tell us,” said the other guard. George gave a confused look as the guard pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and held it up for him to see. George waved his finger behind his back, telling his wife to stay out of sight. Shikoba saw the signal and pulled her daughter out of view, putting a finger to her lips to tell her to be quiet.

“You're under arrest,” said the second guard firmly, “for the murder of Louis Dunière of the 1st Parliament of Lower Canada.” George’s eyes widened, as did Aveza's. Shikoba gave an unheard gasp.

“I beg your pardon?” said George with disbelief.

“Don't play coy,” said the first guard. “We know that you are the one responsible for Mr. Dunière’s death last month.”

“That's a ridiculous claim! Louis Dunière died of old age.”

“The man was poisoned the night of his death. And our superiors have uncovered enough evidence to figure out that you were the one to do it!”

“I'd like to see this ‘evidence’. I assure you, gentlemen, I've never killed a man in my life! I'm just a simple merchant.”

The guards smirked a little at that. Shikoba peaked around the corner. Aveza, now scared, gripped her mother's dress. The guards looked at George. “Well, we all know that's not true,” said the second guard. The guards held up their hands, showing their rings. George gasped silently upon seeing the red cross engraved on the metal. “Isn't that right, Assassin?” said the guard. Both of them drew their swords. George looked at them. “Gentlemen,” he said firmly. “I will tell you once. Leave this place and this won't turn ugly.”

“Afraid we can't do that, Mr. Deryn,” said the guard. “We ain't leaving ‘til we have your head.” The guards pushed George back into the house, and they stepped in. Aveza watched in horror. One of the guards stepped forward and raised his sword. George looked up at the gleaming blade. Just as the blade was about to come down on his skull, George pulled his arm back, flicked his wrist, and, to Aveza's amazement, a shining blade sprang out from beneath his sleeve. George brought up his blade to block the guard's sword.

“Shikoba! Take Aveza and run!” George shouted as he swung his blade at his attackers. “I can help!” Shikoba shouted back.

“No! Get our daughter out of here!” The guards swung their swords again. One of them managed to slice his arm a bit. He winced, but he kept fighting. “Take the bag and go!” he yelled again.

Shikoba nodded. She grabbed Aveza's hand, grabbed the bag of letters, and ran towards the back door. “What about father?” Aveza asked, scared and in tears. “Your father's a strong man,” said Shikoba. “He'll get out of this, don't worry.” The two sprinted out the door. As they did, Aveza heard her father shout in pain behind them. They kept running.

After they rounded a few street corners, Shikoba had them slow down. As they slipped into the crowd, Shikoba tried to dry her daughter's tears. She rubbed her head and calmly hushed her. “I know a lot has happened, sweetheart, but we mustn't draw attention to ourselves,” she said. Aveza nodded and tried her best to calm down. The two of them moved gracefully through the crowd, blending with the citizens. Shikoba held Aveza's hand the entire time, refusing to let go.

“Come now,” she said. “We have to get some place safe.” Shikoba led her daughter through the streets of York. Eventually, they came to a tavern in the middle of the city. Shikoba walked Aveza in and went straight up to the bartender, who smiled as he saw her.

“Shikoba!” he said. “Great to see you again, your daughter as well!”

“William…” said Shikoba in a grim tone. “They have George.” The smile on the bartender’s face was instantly replaced with an expression of worry. “Dear God…” he said. “Is he...?”

“No. They threatened to kill them, but I could tell from how they fought that they intended to take him prisoner.” Aveza gripped tight to her mother's dress, trying to figure out what was happening.

“I'll get to work on contacting our brothers,” said William. “You look like you need rest. Go ahead upstairs and find an empty room.”

“We need to rescue George!”

“And we will, but you can't do that in that frantic state of yours. Trust me, Shikoba. I'll handle it. Take poor Aveza here and go rest. Please.” Shikoba seemed hesitant, but she knew William was right. She turned and led Aveza to an empty room upstairs.

Aveza slipped under the blankets of one of the beds. It was late, and even though she was as frantic, if not more than, her mother, she was getting tired. “What about father?” she asked her mother. “Is he going to be okay?” Shikoba looked at her daughter, choosing her words carefully. “He'll be okay,” she said. “Your father's been in worse situations. Don't worry, sweetheart.” She didn't sound too sure. Aveza nodded, however, trusting her mother. She curled up in her blankets as her mother did the same in another bed. It took a while, but Aveza finally let herself drift off to sleep.

------------

June 22, 1806; York, Upper Canada

Aveza awoke to the sound of William trying desperately to wake Shikoba. “Shikoba!” he said as she stirred. “Shikoba! Wake up! We have to hurry!” Shikoba sat up in bed, readily awake. “What?” she asked. “What's happened?”

“They're going to hang him! George is to be hanged not long from now! We have to go!”

Aveza shot up in bed, horrified at this news. “Oh my God…” said Shikoba. She shot out of bed and slipped on a simple dress. She helped Aveza do the same. After that, the three rushed straight out of the tavern. They hurried through the streets, following the noises of the gathering crowd, until eventually the gallows were in view. And on the platform, his hands tied, was George. A sea of people prevented The girls and William from getting close. “Father!” yelled Aveza, her voice lost in the hum of the crowd.

An officer walked up to the platform and turned to George. “George Deryn!” he said loud enough for the crowd to hear. “You are charged with treason against your country and the murder of Louis Dunière! How do you plead?”

“Not guilty! Your claims are false!” George lied.

“The guards you attacked would claim otherwise!”

“They meant to harm me and my family! I was acting in self defense!” The officer just ignored him. He ordered a guard to put the noose around George’s neck. “George Deryn,” said the officer over the roar of the crowd. “With no evidence to counter the accusations against you, on behalf of the people of Canada and the British Crown, I hereby sentence you to death!”

“No!”

“No!” shouted Aveza, along with her mother and William in the back of the crowd. Shikoba looked around desperately, trying to find a way to stop this. Aveza just watched in horror. The officer walked over to the lever, and put his hand on it.

“You Templar dog!” George angrily shouted at the officer. “We will come back at you and your kind tenfold! We will drive you from our homes in a trail of blood, I swear it! We will!” The officer just smiled and yanked on the lever. The floor gave way beneath George’s feet, and the rope jerked as he fell. “Father!” shouted Aveza at the top of her lungs. Tears were pouring out of her eyes. She watched as her father's spasming body made its final jerk before it was finally still. The crowd cheered.

Shikoba and William were just as torn as Aveza. William put a hand on Shikoba’s shoulder. “You have to leave the city!” he said. “If they went after George, then you're definitely next on their list! You have to go!”

“And where would we go, William?” said Shikoba through her tears. “Where?”

“To the Davenport Homestead! Go to Connor in America! He'll know what to do!” Shikoba looked at him for a moment before finally nodding. She grabbed Aveza's hand, dragging her from the sight of her father's execution. The three of them made their way to the edge of the city as fast as they could. William managed to quickly get them a horse and some food for for the journey. Shikoba gave her thanks to William, and William gave his condolences. They said their goodbyes. Shikoba and Aveza got on their horse, Shikoba grabbed the reins, and the two bolted out of the city. All Aveza could think about was her father as the tears burned her face.

------------

June 23, 1806; Davenport Homestead, Massachusetts

After a day's worth of riding and dodging soldiers, the two finally arrived at the Davenport Homestead in Massachusetts. They passed all of the residents of the small village that surrounded the manor on the cliffside. They got off their horse in front of the manor, and Shikoba led Aveza to the door. She knocked hard on the door. Within moments, the door opened. Inside was a Native man, about 50 years old. He wore a long off-white coat and a green waistcoat and blue sash. He wore an Iroquois-styled cloak over his shoulders.

“Shikoba!” he said, welcoming her. “It has been a long time. I did not expect to see you here. How is George?” Shikoba bowed her head.

“Connor…” she said. “George is…”

Connor's jaw dropped. Sadness took over his face. “I'm so sorry...” he said. “George was a good man.” Shikoba nodded. Connor looked down at Aveza, who was still clutching her mother's dress. “I'm sorry about your father, little one,” he said. Aveza just nodded.

“This is Connor, Aveza,” said Shikoba. “He's a friend. Don't worry. You can trust him with your life.” Aveza looked up at Connor, who gave a comforting smile and a short wave. “It is good to meet you,” he said. He turned to Shikoba. “I think it is best if we talk in private about what happened,” he said. Shikoba nodded, and Connor led the girls inside. Shikoba sent Aveza into the other room so that she and Connor could talk.

Aveza sat and waited, trying to figure out how any of this could have happened. Eventually, Connor and Shikoba came out of the other room. “Aveza,” said Shikoba. “There are some things you have to know.” She sat down next to Aveza with Connor. Aveza had her ears wide open.

Shikoba seemed anxious about what was about to be said. She took a deep breath and looked at her daughter, who was ready and waiting to hear. Shikoba looked over at Connor, who simply nodded. Shikoba sighed and nodded back. She turned to her daughter.

“Aveza, there is more to our lives than we have let you know.”

Aveza looked at her curiously.

“We are Assassins,” said Shikoba. “Myself, Connor, and even your father, we're all part of an ancient brotherhood called the Assassins. We fight to make sure humanity's freedoms are guarded from those who would take it.” Aveza gave a surprised look. Shikoba nodded.

“The men who killed your father were of a group called the Templars,” said Connor. “They are our ultimate enemy. They are the ones that would take freedom from the people, believing oppression and restriction would somehow bring a peaceful world. They hanged your father because he was well on the path to putting an end to one of their plans.” He paused. “Your father was a good man, Aveza. He will be missed.”

“Did father really kill that man they said he did then?” Aveza asked.

Shikoba lowered her head again. “He did, sweetheart,” she said. “Louis Dunière was a Templar, one who had plans to replace Canada's government with Templar agents, disguising it as a false representative government. He was a threat to the people, and so your father killed the villain before anyone could get hurt.”

Shikoba was clearly not comfortable with revealing all this to her daughter at such a young age. “Aveza...” she said. “I know this is a lot to take in… And I hope you understand that-”

“I want to stop them,” Aveza said. “The Templars. I want to help stop them.”

Connor and Shikoba exchanged shocked looks. “Are you certain, Aveza?” asked Shikoba. “You don't have to make that decision.”

“They killed my father, and they want to hurt more people. I want to fight with you.” Shikoba looked at Connor, who shrugged. She was hesitant, but she couldn't think of any way around it. Aveza wanted to join, and chances are she'd have joined sooner or later. So be it. “Very well,” said Shikoba. “If that's what you want, then we'll train you. We'll help you become the Assassin that your father would've been proud of.”

Aveza nodded. After all that happened, she was ready, willing, and able. She looked at her mother and Connor. Suddenly they seemed like something much more, something to respect. They seemed like a whole new level of hero to her.

She looked at them. She listened to the birds outside she watched as the world was engulfed in a white void. She saw ones and zeroes appear in every direction, zipping around the void. She felt Ruby’s hands lift the Animus headset off of her. Ava looked into her beautiful blue eyes.

“You doing okay?” asked Ruby. Ava blinked. She felt dizzy, but overall, she was fine. “Yeah,” she said. “I'm good. I'm good.”

“Good. We managed to sync you with your ancestor. Should be relatively smooth sailing from here on out.”

“That's good.” Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked behind her and saw Ben. He smiled and handed her a cup of coffee. “Thanks! I needed this,” she said. She chugged down her coffee and placed the cup on the table next to her.

“So,” asked Ben. “How was it?”

“It was… okay, I guess,” said Ava. “I mean, it felt weird, but other than that, I'm fine. Poor Aveza, though.”

“It was pretty sad,” said Ruby. “Poor kid got caught up in this fight real early.”

Ava nodded.

“Do you need another minute or…?” asked Ben.

“No,” said Ava. “No, I'm fine. I can keep going if you want me to.”

“Your call, Ava,” said Ruby.

“Alright. Then let's go,” said Ava. Ruby nodded. She put the Animus headset back on Ava's head. She went over to her computer and typed on her keyboard. “We're gonna jump ahead in Aveza's life now that you're synchronized. It should be a lot more comfortable if you're in her later memories instead of her childhood ones.”

“Gotchya.”

“Alright, I'm starting it up.” Ava heard the clacking of the keyboard. She saw the digital DNA strands light up inside the Animus visor. A section of the strand blinked, and Ava's vision was filled by a white void.

She watched as ones and zeroes scattered around. She watched as the clouds hovered in the sky. She heard the birds chirping in the trees as the people below them scrambled along the city streets. She took in the smells of the place as she got off her horse and gave it an apple as a reward. She looked all around. Aveza had arrived in New York City.

Description
June 21, 1806; York, Upper Canada

“And then you place the feathers nicely onto the headband,” Aveza's mother instructed to her. Aveza did as told and placed the feathers on her doll's head. She smiled, proud of her work. Her mother smiled back. Aveza loved when her mother taught her the traditions of her family. She loved learning about the art and stories of the Shawnee. The culture always fascinated her.

Her father taught her things, too. Whenever she spent time with him, he taught her the culture of his people, the British. Aveza loved learning about both cultures, and she loved learning it from her loving parents. She started placing beads on her doll's outfit after her mother gave another set of instructions. Her mother was obviously impressed with her little girl.

Though she was a member of the Shawnee tribe, Aveza's mother never really did much to appear like one. She wore English dresses, participated in English pastimes, and even had a slight English accent. She was just as fascinated with the English culture as Aveza was with both groups of people. Still, she knew everything about her family's culture as well, and never forgot her Native heritage. A lot of her mother rubbed off on Aveza, including the English accent, though that also came from her father as well.

Aveza's father walked into the room while she and her mother worked. Her mother looked up and smiled at him. “So glad you could join us, George,” she said. “Aveza's doing wonderfully on her little project.”

“I'm certain she is, Shikoba,” said George, who smiled at his daughter. “She's a clever little girl and a quick learner.” Aveza smiled at that.

“Indeed she is,” said Shikoba. She reached over and ruffled her daughter's hair. Aveza giggled. Her parents smiled.

“Shikoba,” said George. “I'll be in my office. I have to write a few letters to our associates in America.” Shikoba nodded, and George went into the other room. Shikoba turned her attention back to her daughter. Aveza never really wondered about her parents’ work. All she knew was that her father was a merchant, and that her mother helped on occasion. She didn't think to ponder further. Perhaps she should have.

After about twenty minutes, George returned with a small satchel of letters. “Alright,” he said. “I'll go ahead and head out to arrange for these to be delivered. I shouldn't be long.”

“Very well, dear,” said Shikoba. George nodded and started making his way to the door. But before he could reach it, someone knocked from outside. He exchanged a look with his wife, who shrugged. Another knock came. George passed his bag to Shikoba and went to open the door. The unexpected visitor was still knocking as he turned the knob and opened it. To his surprise, two guards were at his door, hands on the hilts of their swords. Shikoba and Aveza looked over at the men.

“Is this the residence of George Deryn?” asked the guard. George nodded cautiously. “Why yes, gentlemen,” he said.

“And would you be the gentleman in question?” asked the guard.

“Indeed. I am George Deryn. Is there an issue, sir?”

“You tell us,” said the other guard. George gave a confused look as the guard pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and held it up for him to see. George waved his finger behind his back, telling his wife to stay out of sight. Shikoba saw the signal and pulled her daughter out of view, putting a finger to her lips to tell her to be quiet.

“You're under arrest,” said the second guard firmly, “for the murder of Louis Dunière of the 1st Parliament of Lower Canada.” George’s eyes widened, as did Aveza's. Shikoba gave an unheard gasp.

“I beg your pardon?” said George with disbelief.

“Don't play coy,” said the first guard. “We know that you are the one responsible for Mr. Dunière’s death last month.”

“That's a ridiculous claim! Louis Dunière died of old age.”

“The man was poisoned the night of his death. And our superiors have uncovered enough evidence to figure out that you were the one to do it!”

“I'd like to see this ‘evidence’. I assure you, gentlemen, I've never killed a man in my life! I'm just a simple merchant.”

The guards smirked a little at that. Shikoba peaked around the corner. Aveza, now scared, gripped her mother's dress. The guards looked at George. “Well, we all know that's not true,” said the second guard. The guards held up their hands, showing their rings. George gasped silently upon seeing the red cross engraved on the metal. “Isn't that right, Assassin?” said the guard. Both of them drew their swords. George looked at them. “Gentlemen,” he said firmly. “I will tell you once. Leave this place and this won't turn ugly.”

“Afraid we can't do that, Mr. Deryn,” said the guard. “We ain't leaving ‘til we have your head.” The guards pushed George back into the house, and they stepped in. Aveza watched in horror. One of the guards stepped forward and raised his sword. George looked up at the gleaming blade. Just as the blade was about to come down on his skull, George pulled his arm back, flicked his wrist, and, to Aveza's amazement, a shining blade sprang out from beneath his sleeve. George brought up his blade to block the guard's sword.

“Shikoba! Take Aveza and run!” George shouted as he swung his blade at his attackers. “I can help!” Shikoba shouted back.

“No! Get our daughter out of here!” The guards swung their swords again. One of them managed to slice his arm a bit. He winced, but he kept fighting. “Take the bag and go!” he yelled again.

Shikoba nodded. She grabbed Aveza's hand, grabbed the bag of letters, and ran towards the back door. “What about father?” Aveza asked, scared and in tears. “Your father's a strong man,” said Shikoba. “He'll get out of this, don't worry.” The two sprinted out the door. As they did, Aveza heard her father shout in pain behind them. They kept running.

After they rounded a few street corners, Shikoba had them slow down. As they slipped into the crowd, Shikoba tried to dry her daughter's tears. She rubbed her head and calmly hushed her. “I know a lot has happened, sweetheart, but we mustn't draw attention to ourselves,” she said. Aveza nodded and tried her best to calm down. The two of them moved gracefully through the crowd, blending with the citizens. Shikoba held Aveza's hand the entire time, refusing to let go.

“Come now,” she said. “We have to get some place safe.” Shikoba led her daughter through the streets of York. Eventually, they came to a tavern in the middle of the city. Shikoba walked Aveza in and went straight up to the bartender, who smiled as he saw her.

“Shikoba!” he said. “Great to see you again, your daughter as well!”

“William…” said Shikoba in a grim tone. “They have George.” The smile on the bartender’s face was instantly replaced with an expression of worry. “Dear God…” he said. “Is he...?”

“No. They threatened to kill them, but I could tell from how they fought that they intended to take him prisoner.” Aveza gripped tight to her mother's dress, trying to figure out what was happening.

“I'll get to work on contacting our brothers,” said William. “You look like you need rest. Go ahead upstairs and find an empty room.”

“We need to rescue George!”

“And we will, but you can't do that in that frantic state of yours. Trust me, Shikoba. I'll handle it. Take poor Aveza here and go rest. Please.” Shikoba seemed hesitant, but she knew William was right. She turned and led Aveza to an empty room upstairs.

Aveza slipped under the blankets of one of the beds. It was late, and even though she was as frantic, if not more than, her mother, she was getting tired. “What about father?” she asked her mother. “Is he going to be okay?” Shikoba looked at her daughter, choosing her words carefully. “He'll be okay,” she said. “Your father's been in worse situations. Don't worry, sweetheart.” She didn't sound too sure. Aveza nodded, however, trusting her mother. She curled up in her blankets as her mother did the same in another bed. It took a while, but Aveza finally let herself drift off to sleep.

------------

June 22, 1806; York, Upper Canada

Aveza awoke to the sound of William trying desperately to wake Shikoba. “Shikoba!” he said as she stirred. “Shikoba! Wake up! We have to hurry!” Shikoba sat up in bed, readily awake. “What?” she asked. “What's happened?”

“They're going to hang him! George is to be hanged not long from now! We have to go!”

Aveza shot up in bed, horrified at this news. “Oh my God…” said Shikoba. She shot out of bed and slipped on a simple dress. She helped Aveza do the same. After that, the three rushed straight out of the tavern. They hurried through the streets, following the noises of the gathering crowd, until eventually the gallows were in view. And on the platform, his hands tied, was George. A sea of people prevented The girls and William from getting close. “Father!” yelled Aveza, her voice lost in the hum of the crowd.

An officer walked up to the platform and turned to George. “George Deryn!” he said loud enough for the crowd to hear. “You are charged with treason against your country and the murder of Louis Dunière! How do you plead?”

“Not guilty! Your claims are false!” George lied.

“The guards you attacked would claim otherwise!”

“They meant to harm me and my family! I was acting in self defense!” The officer just ignored him. He ordered a guard to put the noose around George’s neck. “George Deryn,” said the officer over the roar of the crowd. “With no evidence to counter the accusations against you, on behalf of the people of Canada and the British Crown, I hereby sentence you to death!”

“No!”

“No!” shouted Aveza, along with her mother and William in the back of the crowd. Shikoba looked around desperately, trying to find a way to stop this. Aveza just watched in horror. The officer walked over to the lever, and put his hand on it.

“You Templar dog!” George angrily shouted at the officer. “We will come back at you and your kind tenfold! We will drive you from our homes in a trail of blood, I swear it! We will!” The officer just smiled and yanked on the lever. The floor gave way beneath George’s feet, and the rope jerked as he fell. “Father!” shouted Aveza at the top of her lungs. Tears were pouring out of her eyes. She watched as her father's spasming body made its final jerk before it was finally still. The crowd cheered.

Shikoba and William were just as torn as Aveza. William put a hand on Shikoba’s shoulder. “You have to leave the city!” he said. “If they went after George, then you're definitely next on their list! You have to go!”

“And where would we go, William?” said Shikoba through her tears. “Where?”

“To the Davenport Homestead! Go to Connor in America! He'll know what to do!” Shikoba looked at him for a moment before finally nodding. She grabbed Aveza's hand, dragging her from the sight of her father's execution. The three of them made their way to the edge of the city as fast as they could. William managed to quickly get them a horse and some food for for the journey. Shikoba gave her thanks to William, and William gave his condolences. They said their goodbyes. Shikoba and Aveza got on their horse, Shikoba grabbed the reins, and the two bolted out of the city. All Aveza could think about was her father as the tears burned her face.

------------

June 23, 1806; Davenport Homestead, Massachusetts

After a day's worth of riding and dodging soldiers, the two finally arrived at the Davenport Homestead in Massachusetts. They passed all of the residents of the small village that surrounded the manor on the cliffside. They got off their horse in front of the manor, and Shikoba led Aveza to the door. She knocked hard on the door. Within moments, the door opened. Inside was a Native man, about 50 years old. He wore a long off-white coat and a green waistcoat and blue sash. He wore an Iroquois-styled cloak over his shoulders.

“Shikoba!” he said, welcoming her. “It has been a long time. I did not expect to see you here. How is George?” Shikoba bowed her head.

“Connor…” she said. “George is…”

Connor's jaw dropped. Sadness took over his face. “I'm so sorry...” he said. “George was a good man.” Shikoba nodded. Connor looked down at Aveza, who was still clutching her mother's dress. “I'm sorry about your father, little one,” he said. Aveza just nodded.

“This is Connor, Aveza,” said Shikoba. “He's a friend. Don't worry. You can trust him with your life.” Aveza looked up at Connor, who gave a comforting smile and a short wave. “It is good to meet you,” he said. He turned to Shikoba. “I think it is best if we talk in private about what happened,” he said. Shikoba nodded, and Connor led the girls inside. Shikoba sent Aveza into the other room so that she and Connor could talk.

Aveza sat and waited, trying to figure out how any of this could have happened. Eventually, Connor and Shikoba came out of the other room. “Aveza,” said Shikoba. “There are some things you have to know.” She sat down next to Aveza with Connor. Aveza had her ears wide open.

Shikoba seemed anxious about what was about to be said. She took a deep breath and looked at her daughter, who was ready and waiting to hear. Shikoba looked over at Connor, who simply nodded. Shikoba sighed and nodded back. She turned to her daughter.

“Aveza, there is more to our lives than we have let you know.”

Aveza looked at her curiously.

“We are Assassins,” said Shikoba. “Myself, Connor, and even your father, we're all part of an ancient brotherhood called the Assassins. We fight to make sure humanity's freedoms are guarded from those who would take it.” Aveza gave a surprised look. Shikoba nodded.

“The men who killed your father were of a group called the Templars,” said Connor. “They are our ultimate enemy. They are the ones that would take freedom from the people, believing oppression and restriction would somehow bring a peaceful world. They hanged your father because he was well on the path to putting an end to one of their plans.” He paused. “Your father was a good man, Aveza. He will be missed.”

“Did father really kill that man they said he did then?” Aveza asked.

Shikoba lowered her head again. “He did, sweetheart,” she said. “Louis Dunière was a Templar, one who had plans to replace Canada's government with Templar agents, disguising it as a false representative government. He was a threat to the people, and so your father killed the villain before anyone could get hurt.”

Shikoba was clearly not comfortable with revealing all this to her daughter at such a young age. “Aveza...” she said. “I know this is a lot to take in… And I hope you understand that-”

“I want to stop them,” Aveza said. “The Templars. I want to help stop them.”

Connor and Shikoba exchanged shocked looks. “Are you certain, Aveza?” asked Shikoba. “You don't have to make that decision.”

“They killed my father, and they want to hurt more people. I want to fight with you.” Shikoba looked at Connor, who shrugged. She was hesitant, but she couldn't think of any way around it. Aveza wanted to join, and chances are she'd have joined sooner or later. So be it. “Very well,” said Shikoba. “If that's what you want, then we'll train you. We'll help you become the Assassin that your father would've been proud of.”

Aveza nodded. After all that happened, she was ready, willing, and able. She looked at her mother and Connor. Suddenly they seemed like something much more, something to respect. They seemed like a whole new level of hero to her.

She looked at them. She listened to the birds outside she watched as the world was engulfed in a white void. She saw ones and zeroes appear in every direction, zipping around the void. She felt Ruby’s hands lift the Animus headset off of her. Ava looked into her beautiful blue eyes.

“You doing okay?” asked Ruby. Ava blinked. She felt dizzy, but overall, she was fine. “Yeah,” she said. “I'm good. I'm good.”

“Good. We managed to sync you with your ancestor. Should be relatively smooth sailing from here on out.”

“That's good.” Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked behind her and saw Ben. He smiled and handed her a cup of coffee. “Thanks! I needed this,” she said. She chugged down her coffee and placed the cup on the table next to her.

“So,” asked Ben. “How was it?”

“It was… okay, I guess,” said Ava. “I mean, it felt weird, but other than that, I'm fine. Poor Aveza, though.”

“It was pretty sad,” said Ruby. “Poor kid got caught up in this fight real early.”

Ava nodded.

“Do you need another minute or…?” asked Ben.

“No,” said Ava. “No, I'm fine. I can keep going if you want me to.”

“Your call, Ava,” said Ruby.

“Alright. Then let's go,” said Ava. Ruby nodded. She put the Animus headset back on Ava's head. She went over to her computer and typed on her keyboard. “We're gonna jump ahead in Aveza's life now that you're synchronized. It should be a lot more comfortable if you're in her later memories instead of her childhood ones.”

“Gotchya.”

“Alright, I'm starting it up.” Ava heard the clacking of the keyboard. She saw the digital DNA strands light up inside the Animus visor. A section of the strand blinked, and Ava's vision was filled by a white void.

She watched as ones and zeroes scattered around. She watched as the clouds hovered in the sky. She heard the birds chirping in the trees as the people below them scrambled along the city streets. She took in the smells of the place as she got off her horse and gave it an apple as a reward. She looked all around. Aveza had arrived in New York City.