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Description
December 21, 1887; New Haven, Connecticut

It almost felt like an intrusion, coming here to the Peabody Museum of Natural History. It was built at the suggestion of Marsh himself, and his wealthy uncle was the one who funded the entire construction process. And here Evelyn was, walking through the museum's now famous Great Hall of Dinosaurs after hours to find Marsh and have a conversation that she knew would not be very pleasant.

Evelyn took a look around at the various fossils that graced the Great Hall with their presence, skeletons of ancient reptiles of all shapes and sizes that have been long forgotten by the sands of time. It was no wonder this place had become such a popular attraction when it opened up to the public eleven years ago.

God… eleven years, she thought to herself. She'd been at this for well over eleven years. Eleven years ago she was at Little Bighorn assassinating General Custer. And now… now she was just here, old and tired. Most people her age would've settled down by now, laid their guns to rest and just focus on family life. But not Evelyn. Evelyn had a mission to carry out for the sake of all humanity. Did she want a family? Of course she did. She hoped that by the time this was all over, she and Chaytan would still be able to have children and settle down somewhere. She was 42 years old afterall. It was only a matter of time before her machinery started to break down.

But she knew that first she had to ensure a world where those hypothetical kids could thrive and be happy. She had to make sure she killed Leidy and kept the Scythe far far out of Templar hands. She hoped that when that finally happened, she'd finally get to live in peace.

Until then, she had to face uncomfortable circumstances such as these…

Marsh was at the center of the Great Hall, standing at the base of an absolutely massive skeleton that adorned the center of the room. It was an Apatosaurus, Evelyn managed to deduce, one of the monstrously large animals that Marsh had discovered back in 1879. There was no head, but the rest of the body was enough for her to determine the species. Marsh stood at the base of it, fiddling with a random assembly of drawers and papers. He didn't even seem to notice Evelyn as she came up.

It took her loudly clearing her throat to finally get his attention. He turned around just to notice her, though he seemed extremely disinterested and promptly turned back towards his work.

“Ah, Ms. Arlie,” he said. “Good to see you again.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” she said, biting back the urge to be snarky.

“Have you been busy lately? I don't believe I've heard from you in a while.”

“I went on a little expedition up to Alaska over the past year. Started with reports of living mammoths but a lack of evidence made me realize these claims were false. I did uncover an… interesting Paleo-Indian site though.”

“That's all well and good.”

“Aye.”

There was an awkward pause. Marsh simply focused on his work. Evelyn anxiously rubbed her hands. “I uh… can see you've been rather busy since we last met a few years back.”

“Indeed. Many many new species uncovered.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Many more than Cope, so far. I'm ahead in the game!”

Evelyn bit her tongue. She wanted so badly to make a remark, but she knew she had to hold back for now.

“We've uncovered a new animal just this past spring," Marsh continued. "We unearthed a set of massive horns near Denver. At first I thought it was some sort of bizarre Pliocene bison, but upon further inspection I believe it must've actually been a horned dinosaur of sorts. I personally believe it to belong to the genus Ceratops, but I've heard there's a man named Hatcher working on some bones in the Lance Formation down in Wyoming. He claims he's uncovered a skull for the animal with three horns, but I've yet to see it and analyze it for myself, so I'm skeptical.”

“I suppose if he's legitimate, that would make the animal… Triceratops then?”

“Hmm… indeed. I suppose it would. We shall have to wait and see.”

“Indeed.”

Another long passage of awkward silence. Evelyn puffed up her cheek and looked around. “Aren't you going to ask what I'm here for?” she asked him eventually.

“You'll have to pardon me, Ms. Arlie, but no. I've very important work being handled here.”

“What are you even fiddling with?”

“I'm trying to determine which of these skulls will look best on this skeleton here.”

“I… what do you mean?”

“The museum has asked for a mounted specimen of a massive creature and so I am entitled to deliver.”

“But… Apatosaurus hasn't been found with a skull amongst the remains yet.”

“Exactly. That's why I'm deciding on a replacement.”

“I… replacement? What, are you just going to slap the skull of another dinosaur onto there?”

“Precisely.”

“I… You can't just do that though! Especially not on a public educational display!”

“I feel this Camarasaurus skull should work just fine.”

“Excuse me, I'm talking!”

“Yes yes, Ms. Arlie, I hear you.”

“Do you now?’

“Mhm. Now just hold up a moment while I fit this on.”

“But-!”

Marsh continued to ignore her. He climbed up a ladder that took him to the end of the creature’s long neck and he gently placed the Camarasaurus skull in position. Evelyn simply stood there slack jawed as he so uncaringly mismatched animals. He hopped down from the ladder and backed up to observe his work. He gave a satisfied nod. “There,” he said. “The public will hardly notice. The museum will have this specimen labeled ‘Brontosaurus’, the thunder lizard. What do you think, Ms. Arlie?”

“What do I think? What do I think?! I think it's bloody ludicrous that you would just take the skull of one animal, smack it on the neck of a completely different animal, and just pretend it's a whole different animal entirely!”

“Calm down, Ms. Arlie. The public will never be able to tell the difference.”

“But that's what I'm saying! We're scientists! It's our job to educate the people! Especially in our oh-so-young field! This is what you're starting the public opinion of paleontology with? A fake animal? Something like that could have repercussions across the centuries! Children could be taught that ‘Brontosaurus’ is a thing for generations because of this one idiotic gesture!”

“Ms. Arlie what would you have me do?”

“I'd have you get your arse back out into the field and find an Apatosaurus skull yourself so that you could display an accurate depiction of that real life animal!”

“The museum is pressed for time and so am I. This isn't about getting accurate results, Ms. Arlie. This is about getting more results than Cope does in the shortest time possible!”

Evelyn swore she felt her eye twitch. She could feel her face turning red. “Do you even bloody hear what you're saying?! Is that all that the scientific field means to you anymore?! A popularity contest against Cope?! You're no bloody scientist! Neither of you are! You're just a bunch of childish brats trying to see who has the biggest co-!”

“Ms. Arlie if you just came here to throw profanities at me then I can arrange for security to come in and escort you out.”

“How about I ram my blade into your throat before you even have the chance to call for help? You've grown just as corrupted as Cope and his Templars, so I might as well put you on my target list too!”

“You cut me off and you lose a valuable resource in finding that Scythe of yours.”

Evelyn’s fists clenched. “You know what? Go to hell, Marsh! I don't need you to find the Scythe for me! I don't need you to stop Leidy! I can do all that on my own with the people that have earned my friendship and respect! That's what I'm going to do and once that's done I'm going to go out there and be a proper paleontologist! I'm going to find bones and study them thoroughly for the people's sake, not my own!”

Marsh scowled underneath his beard. “If you are saying that you'll be yet another competitor to me, Ms. Arlie, then know that I won't hesitate to direct my hostilities towards you and your supporters.”

Evelyn scowled at him, simply sizing him up for a moment.

And then she suddenly pounced.

Within the blink of an eye, Marsh was pinned to his desk and Evelyn had her hidden blade mere centimeters from his eyeball. She glared into his eyes as if trying to claw at the very depths of his soul.

“Dr. Marsh,” she said through her teeth. “If you dare to ever get in my way, then I will be the last person you will ever cross. Am I clear?”

Marsh nervously kept his eyes on her blade as he nodded yes.

“Good. Goodbye, Dr. Marsh.”

And with that, she retracted her blade and sauntered away in the opposite direction, slamming the doors shut behind her as she turned away from the man she was honestly glad to not call friend anymore. She was her own woman now, she finally decided. She was free.

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

Evelyn wandered around the campus until she returned to the bench where Chaytan was seated. She sat down next to him and leaned into his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her.

“I take it the conversation didn't go well?” he asked.

“No… I told him I was through with him, and anyone else caught up in this stupid feud between him and Edward. From now on, we do this on our own. We stop the Templars on our own, we find the Scythe on our own, and then we go be scientists on our own.”

“A very wise position to take indeed, Evelyn. I'm rather proud of you.”

“Thank you Chaytan.”

He nodded and kissed her forehead, making her smile gently.

“Speaking of stopping the Templars…” Chaytan said, a smile forming on his lips as well, “I managed to get a lead on one of Leidy’s lapdogs.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Do you recall the name Ferdinand Hayden?”

“He's the Templar that's been Edward's main source of income yes?”

Chaytan nodded. “The man is currently residing in Philadelphia, just a train ride away. I believe it would be rather beneficial to our cause if we stopped by and cut that spending short, don't you?”

Evelyn smiled eagerly. “Indeed I do, my dear Chaytan. You make an excellent point. Come on then! Let's head to the station now! We can be in Philadelphia by tomorrow!”

Chaytan nodded and stood, taking Evelyn’s hand and helping her to her feet as well. Then they immediately set off towards the nearest train station, ready and willing to give their new independence its first test run.

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

December 22, 1887; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Evelyn found herself walking through the exact same halls that began this whole Bone Wars nonsense almost 20 years ago. She still recalled that infamous Elasmosaurus incident here at the Academy of Natural Sciences, that display of arrogance that destroyed Marsh and Cope’s friendship and sent Cope spiraling into the arms of the Templars. It was a simple day, but still one that Evelyn couldn't forget, much as she wished she could.

She wasn't here for a trip down memory lane, however. She was here to kill.

Hayden was attending to business here according to Chaytan’s contacts. He was bound to be cooped up in his office, distracted by his work. The perfect environment for Evelyn to slip in and end his life. And through his life, an end to Cope’s funding as well. And with Cope out of commission, Leidy was going to have a much harder time searching for the Scythe.

Evelyn searched around the halls of the Academy, using her Eagle Vision to help her locate her target. She spotted him coming out of his office, and she quickly ducked behind a corner. He seemed exhausted. Whatever he was working on had clearly been taking a toll on him. He was walking in Evelyn’s direction, clearly too distracted by his own thoughts to notice anything in front of him, which of course was perfect for Evelyn. She waited patiently, fingers tugging at the mechanisms of her hidden blade, until he came closer and closer…

And then she struck.

One hand covered his mouth to stifle his screams as the other thrust her hidden blade into his chest. She slowly lowered him to the ground, leaning him against a wall as she felt the oh-so familiar feeling of the world around her slowing way down as reality disassembled into the empty vastness of the Animus white room.

Evelyn retracted her blade, looking down at her target as she did.

“W… why?” Hayden asked of her as he clutched his wound.

“Nothing personal, Dr. Hayden,” Evelyn responded. “But we had to damage a few cogs in Leidy and Cope’s machine. I can't allow them to get their hands on that Scythe.”

“Leidy and Co… My dear madam their machine was rusted and broken long before you killed me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh god it's… it's tragic really… Those two could never get along. Both too stubborn, both too full of themselves to see what was really important. And in the end it just blew up in their faces… Leidy expelled Cope from the Order and then quit paleontology altogether. He… agh… he said it was because he wanted us to use different tactics to find the Scythe but… we all know it was because he couldn't handle Cope and Marsh’s drama on top of his own…”

Evelyn was silent. She didn't know what to say.

“I tried so hard to have them make peace…” Hayden continued. “Science is meant to be a cooperative field, not a competitive one. But…. alas… it wasn't to be…”

“I… I'm sorry. I didn't know…”

“No, ma'am, don't be sorry. I played my part as best I could… You did what you thought was right… That's more than I can say for Cope and Leidy…”

Evelyn simply lowered her head. Rare was the time she felt such sympathy for one of her targets. They were both sick of the Bone Wars, both sick of the hubris, both wanted it to just stop.

“I hope you find that Scythe before Leidy does…” Hayden choked. “In his hands… a weapon like that… the consequences would be disastrous…”

“I promise I'll keep it out of his hands. You have my word.”

Hayden gave a weak, blood-stained smile. “Then that's all I need.”

And with that, his body went limp, and he died. Evelyn lowered her head and crouched down to close his eyes. “Good men suffer when bad men butt heads…” she said solemnly. “Rest in peace.”

She slowly stood from the body. The sights and sounds of history unshattered from the void and filled the world around her once again. Evelyn slowly turned away and walked back the way she came, wondering how much farther this idiotic rivalry would go before the entire world fell apart because of it.

Description
December 21, 1887; New Haven, Connecticut

It almost felt like an intrusion, coming here to the Peabody Museum of Natural History. It was built at the suggestion of Marsh himself, and his wealthy uncle was the one who funded the entire construction process. And here Evelyn was, walking through the museum's now famous Great Hall of Dinosaurs after hours to find Marsh and have a conversation that she knew would not be very pleasant.

Evelyn took a look around at the various fossils that graced the Great Hall with their presence, skeletons of ancient reptiles of all shapes and sizes that have been long forgotten by the sands of time. It was no wonder this place had become such a popular attraction when it opened up to the public eleven years ago.

God… eleven years, she thought to herself. She'd been at this for well over eleven years. Eleven years ago she was at Little Bighorn assassinating General Custer. And now… now she was just here, old and tired. Most people her age would've settled down by now, laid their guns to rest and just focus on family life. But not Evelyn. Evelyn had a mission to carry out for the sake of all humanity. Did she want a family? Of course she did. She hoped that by the time this was all over, she and Chaytan would still be able to have children and settle down somewhere. She was 42 years old afterall. It was only a matter of time before her machinery started to break down.

But she knew that first she had to ensure a world where those hypothetical kids could thrive and be happy. She had to make sure she killed Leidy and kept the Scythe far far out of Templar hands. She hoped that when that finally happened, she'd finally get to live in peace.

Until then, she had to face uncomfortable circumstances such as these…

Marsh was at the center of the Great Hall, standing at the base of an absolutely massive skeleton that adorned the center of the room. It was an Apatosaurus, Evelyn managed to deduce, one of the monstrously large animals that Marsh had discovered back in 1879. There was no head, but the rest of the body was enough for her to determine the species. Marsh stood at the base of it, fiddling with a random assembly of drawers and papers. He didn't even seem to notice Evelyn as she came up.

It took her loudly clearing her throat to finally get his attention. He turned around just to notice her, though he seemed extremely disinterested and promptly turned back towards his work.

“Ah, Ms. Arlie,” he said. “Good to see you again.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” she said, biting back the urge to be snarky.

“Have you been busy lately? I don't believe I've heard from you in a while.”

“I went on a little expedition up to Alaska over the past year. Started with reports of living mammoths but a lack of evidence made me realize these claims were false. I did uncover an… interesting Paleo-Indian site though.”

“That's all well and good.”

“Aye.”

There was an awkward pause. Marsh simply focused on his work. Evelyn anxiously rubbed her hands. “I uh… can see you've been rather busy since we last met a few years back.”

“Indeed. Many many new species uncovered.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Many more than Cope, so far. I'm ahead in the game!”

Evelyn bit her tongue. She wanted so badly to make a remark, but she knew she had to hold back for now.

“We've uncovered a new animal just this past spring," Marsh continued. "We unearthed a set of massive horns near Denver. At first I thought it was some sort of bizarre Pliocene bison, but upon further inspection I believe it must've actually been a horned dinosaur of sorts. I personally believe it to belong to the genus Ceratops, but I've heard there's a man named Hatcher working on some bones in the Lance Formation down in Wyoming. He claims he's uncovered a skull for the animal with three horns, but I've yet to see it and analyze it for myself, so I'm skeptical.”

“I suppose if he's legitimate, that would make the animal… Triceratops then?”

“Hmm… indeed. I suppose it would. We shall have to wait and see.”

“Indeed.”

Another long passage of awkward silence. Evelyn puffed up her cheek and looked around. “Aren't you going to ask what I'm here for?” she asked him eventually.

“You'll have to pardon me, Ms. Arlie, but no. I've very important work being handled here.”

“What are you even fiddling with?”

“I'm trying to determine which of these skulls will look best on this skeleton here.”

“I… what do you mean?”

“The museum has asked for a mounted specimen of a massive creature and so I am entitled to deliver.”

“But… Apatosaurus hasn't been found with a skull amongst the remains yet.”

“Exactly. That's why I'm deciding on a replacement.”

“I… replacement? What, are you just going to slap the skull of another dinosaur onto there?”

“Precisely.”

“I… You can't just do that though! Especially not on a public educational display!”

“I feel this Camarasaurus skull should work just fine.”

“Excuse me, I'm talking!”

“Yes yes, Ms. Arlie, I hear you.”

“Do you now?’

“Mhm. Now just hold up a moment while I fit this on.”

“But-!”

Marsh continued to ignore her. He climbed up a ladder that took him to the end of the creature’s long neck and he gently placed the Camarasaurus skull in position. Evelyn simply stood there slack jawed as he so uncaringly mismatched animals. He hopped down from the ladder and backed up to observe his work. He gave a satisfied nod. “There,” he said. “The public will hardly notice. The museum will have this specimen labeled ‘Brontosaurus’, the thunder lizard. What do you think, Ms. Arlie?”

“What do I think? What do I think?! I think it's bloody ludicrous that you would just take the skull of one animal, smack it on the neck of a completely different animal, and just pretend it's a whole different animal entirely!”

“Calm down, Ms. Arlie. The public will never be able to tell the difference.”

“But that's what I'm saying! We're scientists! It's our job to educate the people! Especially in our oh-so-young field! This is what you're starting the public opinion of paleontology with? A fake animal? Something like that could have repercussions across the centuries! Children could be taught that ‘Brontosaurus’ is a thing for generations because of this one idiotic gesture!”

“Ms. Arlie what would you have me do?”

“I'd have you get your arse back out into the field and find an Apatosaurus skull yourself so that you could display an accurate depiction of that real life animal!”

“The museum is pressed for time and so am I. This isn't about getting accurate results, Ms. Arlie. This is about getting more results than Cope does in the shortest time possible!”

Evelyn swore she felt her eye twitch. She could feel her face turning red. “Do you even bloody hear what you're saying?! Is that all that the scientific field means to you anymore?! A popularity contest against Cope?! You're no bloody scientist! Neither of you are! You're just a bunch of childish brats trying to see who has the biggest co-!”

“Ms. Arlie if you just came here to throw profanities at me then I can arrange for security to come in and escort you out.”

“How about I ram my blade into your throat before you even have the chance to call for help? You've grown just as corrupted as Cope and his Templars, so I might as well put you on my target list too!”

“You cut me off and you lose a valuable resource in finding that Scythe of yours.”

Evelyn’s fists clenched. “You know what? Go to hell, Marsh! I don't need you to find the Scythe for me! I don't need you to stop Leidy! I can do all that on my own with the people that have earned my friendship and respect! That's what I'm going to do and once that's done I'm going to go out there and be a proper paleontologist! I'm going to find bones and study them thoroughly for the people's sake, not my own!”

Marsh scowled underneath his beard. “If you are saying that you'll be yet another competitor to me, Ms. Arlie, then know that I won't hesitate to direct my hostilities towards you and your supporters.”

Evelyn scowled at him, simply sizing him up for a moment.

And then she suddenly pounced.

Within the blink of an eye, Marsh was pinned to his desk and Evelyn had her hidden blade mere centimeters from his eyeball. She glared into his eyes as if trying to claw at the very depths of his soul.

“Dr. Marsh,” she said through her teeth. “If you dare to ever get in my way, then I will be the last person you will ever cross. Am I clear?”

Marsh nervously kept his eyes on her blade as he nodded yes.

“Good. Goodbye, Dr. Marsh.”

And with that, she retracted her blade and sauntered away in the opposite direction, slamming the doors shut behind her as she turned away from the man she was honestly glad to not call friend anymore. She was her own woman now, she finally decided. She was free.

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

Evelyn wandered around the campus until she returned to the bench where Chaytan was seated. She sat down next to him and leaned into his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her.

“I take it the conversation didn't go well?” he asked.

“No… I told him I was through with him, and anyone else caught up in this stupid feud between him and Edward. From now on, we do this on our own. We stop the Templars on our own, we find the Scythe on our own, and then we go be scientists on our own.”

“A very wise position to take indeed, Evelyn. I'm rather proud of you.”

“Thank you Chaytan.”

He nodded and kissed her forehead, making her smile gently.

“Speaking of stopping the Templars…” Chaytan said, a smile forming on his lips as well, “I managed to get a lead on one of Leidy’s lapdogs.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Do you recall the name Ferdinand Hayden?”

“He's the Templar that's been Edward's main source of income yes?”

Chaytan nodded. “The man is currently residing in Philadelphia, just a train ride away. I believe it would be rather beneficial to our cause if we stopped by and cut that spending short, don't you?”

Evelyn smiled eagerly. “Indeed I do, my dear Chaytan. You make an excellent point. Come on then! Let's head to the station now! We can be in Philadelphia by tomorrow!”

Chaytan nodded and stood, taking Evelyn’s hand and helping her to her feet as well. Then they immediately set off towards the nearest train station, ready and willing to give their new independence its first test run.

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

December 22, 1887; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Evelyn found herself walking through the exact same halls that began this whole Bone Wars nonsense almost 20 years ago. She still recalled that infamous Elasmosaurus incident here at the Academy of Natural Sciences, that display of arrogance that destroyed Marsh and Cope’s friendship and sent Cope spiraling into the arms of the Templars. It was a simple day, but still one that Evelyn couldn't forget, much as she wished she could.

She wasn't here for a trip down memory lane, however. She was here to kill.

Hayden was attending to business here according to Chaytan’s contacts. He was bound to be cooped up in his office, distracted by his work. The perfect environment for Evelyn to slip in and end his life. And through his life, an end to Cope’s funding as well. And with Cope out of commission, Leidy was going to have a much harder time searching for the Scythe.

Evelyn searched around the halls of the Academy, using her Eagle Vision to help her locate her target. She spotted him coming out of his office, and she quickly ducked behind a corner. He seemed exhausted. Whatever he was working on had clearly been taking a toll on him. He was walking in Evelyn’s direction, clearly too distracted by his own thoughts to notice anything in front of him, which of course was perfect for Evelyn. She waited patiently, fingers tugging at the mechanisms of her hidden blade, until he came closer and closer…

And then she struck.

One hand covered his mouth to stifle his screams as the other thrust her hidden blade into his chest. She slowly lowered him to the ground, leaning him against a wall as she felt the oh-so familiar feeling of the world around her slowing way down as reality disassembled into the empty vastness of the Animus white room.

Evelyn retracted her blade, looking down at her target as she did.

“W… why?” Hayden asked of her as he clutched his wound.

“Nothing personal, Dr. Hayden,” Evelyn responded. “But we had to damage a few cogs in Leidy and Cope’s machine. I can't allow them to get their hands on that Scythe.”

“Leidy and Co… My dear madam their machine was rusted and broken long before you killed me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh god it's… it's tragic really… Those two could never get along. Both too stubborn, both too full of themselves to see what was really important. And in the end it just blew up in their faces… Leidy expelled Cope from the Order and then quit paleontology altogether. He… agh… he said it was because he wanted us to use different tactics to find the Scythe but… we all know it was because he couldn't handle Cope and Marsh’s drama on top of his own…”

Evelyn was silent. She didn't know what to say.

“I tried so hard to have them make peace…” Hayden continued. “Science is meant to be a cooperative field, not a competitive one. But…. alas… it wasn't to be…”

“I… I'm sorry. I didn't know…”

“No, ma'am, don't be sorry. I played my part as best I could… You did what you thought was right… That's more than I can say for Cope and Leidy…”

Evelyn simply lowered her head. Rare was the time she felt such sympathy for one of her targets. They were both sick of the Bone Wars, both sick of the hubris, both wanted it to just stop.

“I hope you find that Scythe before Leidy does…” Hayden choked. “In his hands… a weapon like that… the consequences would be disastrous…”

“I promise I'll keep it out of his hands. You have my word.”

Hayden gave a weak, blood-stained smile. “Then that's all I need.”

And with that, his body went limp, and he died. Evelyn lowered her head and crouched down to close his eyes. “Good men suffer when bad men butt heads…” she said solemnly. “Rest in peace.”

She slowly stood from the body. The sights and sounds of history unshattered from the void and filled the world around her once again. Evelyn slowly turned away and walked back the way she came, wondering how much farther this idiotic rivalry would go before the entire world fell apart because of it.