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December 1, 1863; Dover Strait

Evelyn sighed, happy to finally be at sea after all the obnoxious obstacles they had to hurdle in order to be on their way. If she hadn't been a part of the trip, her father could've easily just slipped on over to the continent no problem. But both of them were determined to have her along, and that complicated things as always.

Because her enemies would never allow her to leave England easily. The Templars under the leadership of their current Grand Master, Crawford Starrick, had a firm hold on the island. They had their agents in every major town and port city, looking out for any signs of Assassins like her, ready to either cut them down where she stood or send her crawling to the outskirts of the country like the rest of her brothers and sisters. As far as she knew, there were only two Assassins left in London. One was Ethan Frye, a stubborn and distant stick in the mud, and his student Jayadeep Mir, who was equally stubborn and distant and a stick in the mud. All the other British Assassins like George Westhouse and Ethan’s kids Jacob and Evie operated in small towns around England, circling London like stray cats begging for some table scraps.

Evelyn herself stayed with her parents at Lyme Regis. The only reason her father was able to move so freely about was because he wasn't a member of the Brotherhood like his wife and daughter. He gave them his full support and they gave them his, but he preferred to stay his own agent, and they respected that.

But again, he and Evelyn were inseparable, especially when it came to their research as paleontologists. So they were forced to share the burden of the Templars together.

Evelyn sighed as she leaned on the edge of the ship, watching the waves go by and imagining the ancient reptiles that made waters like these their homes countless millennia ago. She barely even noticed her father come up and stand beside her.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she told him.

“Is that a lie?”

“Sort of.”

“Dealing death is never a fun trade.”

Evelyn shrugged. “It had to be done. That Templar agent would've killed us both when we tried to leave.”

“Yes I suppose so…” He sighed. “Well, at least that struggle is over for now.”

Evelyn laughed. “Father, it won't be over until Crawford Starrick is kicked off his throne.”

Victor chuckled. “Fair enough. Hopefully that day will come soon.”

“Hopefully.”

“In the meantime, at least we can finally be on our way to Berlin, and there we can finally get some work done without having any prying eyes glued to us.”

Evelyn nodded, already feeling better at the thought. “You never did tell me the specifics of this little journey,” she said.

“We're going to be meeting with a few of my old colleges from America. Two fine gentlemen by the names of Othniel Marsh and Edward Cope.”

“Sounds lovely.”

“Yes. They are good men and devoted full-heartedly to the cause of science. You'll love them, my dear.”

“I look forward to meeting them.”

“Good. With luck, we should all be standing at each other's sides by tomorrow. God bless modern transportation!”

Evelyn couldn't help but giggle.

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

December 2, 1863; Berlin, German Confederation

The Humboldt University of Berlin proved to be quite a beautiful campus. Evelyn and her father roamed its streets and halls as they waved to passersby and said gracious hellos to old colleagues. The only negative thing they could really speak of was the winter cold, and that wasn't really the school's fault now was it?

“This will be quite exciting!” Victor told his daughter. So many brilliant minds will be meeting for the first time today! You shall be meeting Marsh and Cope, they shall be meeting you, and they shall be meeting each other! It's destined to start some eternal friendships, I know it!”

“They've not met before?”

“No. Both have had their own special adventures in the field. Marsh had a bit of a hard financial start to his education, but he was always determined and he worked all the way up to earning his degree at Yale! Cope was a bit more… well-bred, shall we say. He's admittedly got a bit of an ego but he's a brilliant mind!”

“I'm surprised either of them have the time to make trips to Europe like this. Aren't the States in the middle of a Civil War right now? Grandmum’s letters make it sound like quite the mess.”

“Indeed, it is a tad hectic over there right now. But Marsh was already in Europe by the time the conflict broke out, and Cope ran away not long ago to avoid having anything to do with it.”

“Well then.”

“You'll like them both, I promise! They're excellent gentlemen.”

“I should hope so.”

“Oh! Here they come now! Look sharp, my dear!”

“Always”

She looked forward and saw two well-dressed gentlemen coming their way, one with a large beard and the other with a well-groomed mustache. They came up to the Arlies, smiling professionally, and shook Victor’s hand.

“Ah! It is a pleasure to meet you two gentlemen again!” Victor cheered.

“To you as well, Dr. Arlie,” the bearded man said.

“Likewise,” said the mustachioed man. “Care to make the introductions, my friend? I must say there are a couple faces which I do not recognize in this group!”

“Of course, Dr. Cope,” Victor gladly agreed. He indicated the bearded man. “This here is Dr. Othniel Charles Marsh. Dr. Marsh, my colleague here is Dr. Edward Drinker Cope.”

“It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Dr. Marsh!” Cope said as he offered his hand to be shook. Marsh nodded and shook the other scientist's hand. “Likewise, Dr. Cope. Always good to come into contact with other scientific minds.”

Cope nodded, and he turned his head towards Evelyn. His eyes widened a bit, and Evelyn could've sworn his jaw was at risk of dropping. And she had to admit… she had the same reaction upon laying eyes in his face. “And who, might I ask, is this lovely young lady?” Cope asked as he turned towards her.

“This is my daughter, Evelyn,” Victor explained. “She's a brilliant young woman! A scientist in heart and mind! I couldn't ask for a better daughter.”

“Oh, you flatter me, father,” Evelyn laughed, her cheeks blushing. She had never been this flustered before. Something about Cope just set her off for some reason…

He smiled at her. “Well it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Ms. Arlie,” Cope said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. Evelyn swore she felt a pleasant surge go up her arm. “I look forward to spending our time together during our little scientific endeavor here in Berlin.”

“Same to you, Dr. Cope,” she said, not noticing the slight crack in her voice.

“So gentlemen,” Victor said to his two colleagues. “Shall we step inside and get away from this bitter cold? Not much help standing in the snow will be to our research.”

The other men nodded, though Cope had a hard time taking his gaze from Evelyn. “Indeed,” Marsh agreed. “Come then, my friends. Discoveries aren't going to make themselves.”

The three men wandered towards the entrance of one of the university buildings. Evelyn watched Cope go. “I think I've just made a discovery of my own,” she swooned under her breath, and then she quickly jogged up to catch up with them. They scurried into the warmth of the indoors, and Evelyn rubbed her hands together to generate a little extra heat. As she did, the cold and the warmth disappeared, fading away along with all the other sights and sounds of the campus and being replaced by the hum of the Animus headset on her head and the walls of the Temple. It wasn't long before she felt Ruby's hands gently lifting the headset off of her face.

“You know, I'm never gonna get used to that,” Ava joked as she sat up.

“Coming back to the future?” Ruby asked.

“No. Becoming a straight person.” Ruby burst out laughing at that.

Ava smiled. “What?” she laughed. “I'm serious! Evelyn getting all lovey dovey with Cope like that just feels weird!”

Ruby patted her girlfriend on the shoulder. “I love ya, Champ,” she chuckled. “How about you get out and stretch your legs a bit. I got you all synched up, I just need a minute or two to get the next batch of memories all loaded up.”

“You got it.”

Ava hopped to her feet and did a quick stretch session. She took a look around the Temple. It seemed the others had gotten the place set up pretty well already. They already had all the desks and equipment set up all around the main chamber. Computer monitors and cabinets littered the space. It looked like a second hideout. In a strange way, it was already starting to feel like a home away from home.

Ava decided to walk around a bit, see where everything was and how everyone was doing. Ben and Chelsea were off in a corner figuring out how to manage the entire operation they were running here. Carter and Jess were by the entrance, packing up some equipment. And Kiki…

Kiki was sitting alone, head down, either lost in thought or lost in the lack of it. Ava's smile quickly vanished. Inwardly she sighed. She hated seeing her mother like this. She hated that she and her choices were mostly responsible for it. Part of her wanted to go over and talk with her, to try and say something. But she knew her mother's body language all too well. She knew she wasn't in the mood for talking, especially about something that would get the two of them into a bitter argument again. And so Ava instead, with another saddened sigh, made her way towards Chelsea and Ben.

The other two Assassins smiled as she came up to them.

“Hey! Ava!” Ben said. “How's it going?”

“Ah you know, the usual,” Ava joked. “Jumping back in time in our heroic quest to bring down the Devil himself.”

“I still can't believe we got ourselves caught up in this mess,” Chelsea laughed. “I mean, I honestly would have never guessed our adventures would have us going against Satan.”

“I suppose we work in mysterious ways,” a new voice suddenly said between the three. They all jumped, startled as a beam of light shot out of the floor and formed the smiling figure of Gabriel.

“Dude really? Come on,” Ava said. “Warn us next time.”

“Ah but that's no fun!”

“Were you listening in on us the whole time?” Chelsea asked, clearly peeved.

“I literally exist throughout this entire Temple, Chelsea. I hear and see everything.” He looked over at Ruby, who looked back at the gang all flustered.

“Uuuhhhhhh…” she stammered. “Don't judge me.” She quickly dipped back down into her tech, avoiding the subject. Ava couldn’t help but giggle.

“So, how's it really feel to be back?” Ben asked her. “Like… do you really mean it when you say you're glad?”

Ava smiled at her friend. “I am, Ben. I promise. I learned a lot about myself while I was in that coma. I know who I'm supposed to be. I'm supposed to be here with you guys, helping to save the world.” She couldn't help but look at her mother out of the corner of her eye. Her smile lowered ever so slightly.

“Well… I'm glad!” Ben said. “I… I couldn't stand the thought of losing you… You're one of my best friends and…”

Ava put her hand on his shoulder. “You aren't gonna lose me, Ben. I'm here now. We're all here together as a team, and nothing's gonna tear us apart.”

That made Ben smile, and he nodded in thanks.

And then Chelsea ever so politely killed the mood. “Hey! Careful with that, squirt!” she shouted to Carter.

“I got it I got it!” Carter reassured her from the opposite side of the room.

“Ya clearly don't if you're droppin’ all your equipment!”

“Oh I'm sorry. I don't see you coming over here and giving me a hand.”

“I'll give you a hand alright if you're gonna talk to me like that!”

Carter laughed heartily, and his cousin laughed in response. Chelsea turned to Ava. “Ava hun, do you mind helping Carter and Jess? He's kind of an idiot.”

“I heard that,” Carter said.

“I know you did.”

“Dweeb.”

“Squirt.”

Ava chuckled and shook her head, and then she made her way over to Carter and Jess, reaching down and helping them pick up their dropped equipment.

“Thanks,” Jess said.

“No prob,” Ava said. “What are you guys getting all suited up for? You heading out?”

“Couple of our spies told us that the Templars have been snooping around the hideout down in Indy,” Carter explained. “We think they're planning to launch an attack sometime soon, so we're gonna head down there and see what we can do.”

Ava nodded. “If Morgenster shows his ugly face, save me a piece of his ass.”

“Gladly,” Jess said.

“How pissed do you think Lucy's gonna be when he finds an ex-Templar pointing a gun at his head?” Carter joked.

“How much do you think I'll care?” Jess laughed.

“None?”

“Bingo!”

The three all laughed and then Carter and Jess did one final check of their blades, belts, and bags to make sure they had everything they needed. Once they were satisfied, they stuck their earpieces in and pulled up their hoods.

“Alright, we're heading out!” Carter told the others.

“Be home before the lights go out,” Chelsea joked.

“Up yours too,” Carter laughed. And with that, he and Jess made their ways out of the Armor room, back up towards the exit where the vehicles were parked.

Ava herself began to make her way back to Ruby and the Animus. “You ready to head back to the lovely romantic life of Evelyn Arlie?” Ruby joked as Ava walked up.

Ava laughed. “As ready as I'll ever be,” she said. “Oh well. Hopefully it'll at least be nice and sweet.”

“Well… I wouldn't put money on it.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well historically Edward Cope got married to some chick named Annie Pim in July 1865. My guess is if that's the case, anything between Evelyn and Cope probably didn't turn out too well.”

“Oh… Great. Relationship drama. Just the kind of fun thing I wanted to explore.”

Ruby laughed and patted her on the shoulder. “Ah, it'll be over quickly, Champ,” she reassured her. “Then hopefully we'll get into some real action and find that Scythe.”

Ava nodded, sitting down in her little chair. Ruby grabbed the Animus headset and gently lowered the visor over Ava's face. After a thumbs up from Ava and the clacking of keyboard keys from Ruby, the inside of the visor lit up and Ava found herself floating in the digital void of simulated reality once again. She saw a model of her DNA float in front of her, with one of its stands blinking red, ready for selection.

“Ready?” Ruby asked.

“Ready,” Ava said.

“Good luck, Champ.”

Ruby hit the final key, and Ava's vision was engulfed in white. She felt the tingle in her brain as the machine worked its magic and warped her mind a few centuries back down the genetic code. The image of her room began to slowly replace the blinding white. Papers littered the entirety of her desk and most of the floor. She hardly paid attention to them though. She was in a daze. A bad daze. The kind where your eyes just sort of find a point in space to stare at while your brain tunes out the world and thoughts of your problems race across your mind blindly.

Evelyn sighed. What had she gotten herself into?

Description
December 1, 1863; Dover Strait

Evelyn sighed, happy to finally be at sea after all the obnoxious obstacles they had to hurdle in order to be on their way. If she hadn't been a part of the trip, her father could've easily just slipped on over to the continent no problem. But both of them were determined to have her along, and that complicated things as always.

Because her enemies would never allow her to leave England easily. The Templars under the leadership of their current Grand Master, Crawford Starrick, had a firm hold on the island. They had their agents in every major town and port city, looking out for any signs of Assassins like her, ready to either cut them down where she stood or send her crawling to the outskirts of the country like the rest of her brothers and sisters. As far as she knew, there were only two Assassins left in London. One was Ethan Frye, a stubborn and distant stick in the mud, and his student Jayadeep Mir, who was equally stubborn and distant and a stick in the mud. All the other British Assassins like George Westhouse and Ethan’s kids Jacob and Evie operated in small towns around England, circling London like stray cats begging for some table scraps.

Evelyn herself stayed with her parents at Lyme Regis. The only reason her father was able to move so freely about was because he wasn't a member of the Brotherhood like his wife and daughter. He gave them his full support and they gave them his, but he preferred to stay his own agent, and they respected that.

But again, he and Evelyn were inseparable, especially when it came to their research as paleontologists. So they were forced to share the burden of the Templars together.

Evelyn sighed as she leaned on the edge of the ship, watching the waves go by and imagining the ancient reptiles that made waters like these their homes countless millennia ago. She barely even noticed her father come up and stand beside her.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she told him.

“Is that a lie?”

“Sort of.”

“Dealing death is never a fun trade.”

Evelyn shrugged. “It had to be done. That Templar agent would've killed us both when we tried to leave.”

“Yes I suppose so…” He sighed. “Well, at least that struggle is over for now.”

Evelyn laughed. “Father, it won't be over until Crawford Starrick is kicked off his throne.”

Victor chuckled. “Fair enough. Hopefully that day will come soon.”

“Hopefully.”

“In the meantime, at least we can finally be on our way to Berlin, and there we can finally get some work done without having any prying eyes glued to us.”

Evelyn nodded, already feeling better at the thought. “You never did tell me the specifics of this little journey,” she said.

“We're going to be meeting with a few of my old colleges from America. Two fine gentlemen by the names of Othniel Marsh and Edward Cope.”

“Sounds lovely.”

“Yes. They are good men and devoted full-heartedly to the cause of science. You'll love them, my dear.”

“I look forward to meeting them.”

“Good. With luck, we should all be standing at each other's sides by tomorrow. God bless modern transportation!”

Evelyn couldn't help but giggle.

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

December 2, 1863; Berlin, German Confederation

The Humboldt University of Berlin proved to be quite a beautiful campus. Evelyn and her father roamed its streets and halls as they waved to passersby and said gracious hellos to old colleagues. The only negative thing they could really speak of was the winter cold, and that wasn't really the school's fault now was it?

“This will be quite exciting!” Victor told his daughter. So many brilliant minds will be meeting for the first time today! You shall be meeting Marsh and Cope, they shall be meeting you, and they shall be meeting each other! It's destined to start some eternal friendships, I know it!”

“They've not met before?”

“No. Both have had their own special adventures in the field. Marsh had a bit of a hard financial start to his education, but he was always determined and he worked all the way up to earning his degree at Yale! Cope was a bit more… well-bred, shall we say. He's admittedly got a bit of an ego but he's a brilliant mind!”

“I'm surprised either of them have the time to make trips to Europe like this. Aren't the States in the middle of a Civil War right now? Grandmum’s letters make it sound like quite the mess.”

“Indeed, it is a tad hectic over there right now. But Marsh was already in Europe by the time the conflict broke out, and Cope ran away not long ago to avoid having anything to do with it.”

“Well then.”

“You'll like them both, I promise! They're excellent gentlemen.”

“I should hope so.”

“Oh! Here they come now! Look sharp, my dear!”

“Always”

She looked forward and saw two well-dressed gentlemen coming their way, one with a large beard and the other with a well-groomed mustache. They came up to the Arlies, smiling professionally, and shook Victor’s hand.

“Ah! It is a pleasure to meet you two gentlemen again!” Victor cheered.

“To you as well, Dr. Arlie,” the bearded man said.

“Likewise,” said the mustachioed man. “Care to make the introductions, my friend? I must say there are a couple faces which I do not recognize in this group!”

“Of course, Dr. Cope,” Victor gladly agreed. He indicated the bearded man. “This here is Dr. Othniel Charles Marsh. Dr. Marsh, my colleague here is Dr. Edward Drinker Cope.”

“It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Dr. Marsh!” Cope said as he offered his hand to be shook. Marsh nodded and shook the other scientist's hand. “Likewise, Dr. Cope. Always good to come into contact with other scientific minds.”

Cope nodded, and he turned his head towards Evelyn. His eyes widened a bit, and Evelyn could've sworn his jaw was at risk of dropping. And she had to admit… she had the same reaction upon laying eyes in his face. “And who, might I ask, is this lovely young lady?” Cope asked as he turned towards her.

“This is my daughter, Evelyn,” Victor explained. “She's a brilliant young woman! A scientist in heart and mind! I couldn't ask for a better daughter.”

“Oh, you flatter me, father,” Evelyn laughed, her cheeks blushing. She had never been this flustered before. Something about Cope just set her off for some reason…

He smiled at her. “Well it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well, Ms. Arlie,” Cope said, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. Evelyn swore she felt a pleasant surge go up her arm. “I look forward to spending our time together during our little scientific endeavor here in Berlin.”

“Same to you, Dr. Cope,” she said, not noticing the slight crack in her voice.

“So gentlemen,” Victor said to his two colleagues. “Shall we step inside and get away from this bitter cold? Not much help standing in the snow will be to our research.”

The other men nodded, though Cope had a hard time taking his gaze from Evelyn. “Indeed,” Marsh agreed. “Come then, my friends. Discoveries aren't going to make themselves.”

The three men wandered towards the entrance of one of the university buildings. Evelyn watched Cope go. “I think I've just made a discovery of my own,” she swooned under her breath, and then she quickly jogged up to catch up with them. They scurried into the warmth of the indoors, and Evelyn rubbed her hands together to generate a little extra heat. As she did, the cold and the warmth disappeared, fading away along with all the other sights and sounds of the campus and being replaced by the hum of the Animus headset on her head and the walls of the Temple. It wasn't long before she felt Ruby's hands gently lifting the headset off of her face.

“You know, I'm never gonna get used to that,” Ava joked as she sat up.

“Coming back to the future?” Ruby asked.

“No. Becoming a straight person.” Ruby burst out laughing at that.

Ava smiled. “What?” she laughed. “I'm serious! Evelyn getting all lovey dovey with Cope like that just feels weird!”

Ruby patted her girlfriend on the shoulder. “I love ya, Champ,” she chuckled. “How about you get out and stretch your legs a bit. I got you all synched up, I just need a minute or two to get the next batch of memories all loaded up.”

“You got it.”

Ava hopped to her feet and did a quick stretch session. She took a look around the Temple. It seemed the others had gotten the place set up pretty well already. They already had all the desks and equipment set up all around the main chamber. Computer monitors and cabinets littered the space. It looked like a second hideout. In a strange way, it was already starting to feel like a home away from home.

Ava decided to walk around a bit, see where everything was and how everyone was doing. Ben and Chelsea were off in a corner figuring out how to manage the entire operation they were running here. Carter and Jess were by the entrance, packing up some equipment. And Kiki…

Kiki was sitting alone, head down, either lost in thought or lost in the lack of it. Ava's smile quickly vanished. Inwardly she sighed. She hated seeing her mother like this. She hated that she and her choices were mostly responsible for it. Part of her wanted to go over and talk with her, to try and say something. But she knew her mother's body language all too well. She knew she wasn't in the mood for talking, especially about something that would get the two of them into a bitter argument again. And so Ava instead, with another saddened sigh, made her way towards Chelsea and Ben.

The other two Assassins smiled as she came up to them.

“Hey! Ava!” Ben said. “How's it going?”

“Ah you know, the usual,” Ava joked. “Jumping back in time in our heroic quest to bring down the Devil himself.”

“I still can't believe we got ourselves caught up in this mess,” Chelsea laughed. “I mean, I honestly would have never guessed our adventures would have us going against Satan.”

“I suppose we work in mysterious ways,” a new voice suddenly said between the three. They all jumped, startled as a beam of light shot out of the floor and formed the smiling figure of Gabriel.

“Dude really? Come on,” Ava said. “Warn us next time.”

“Ah but that's no fun!”

“Were you listening in on us the whole time?” Chelsea asked, clearly peeved.

“I literally exist throughout this entire Temple, Chelsea. I hear and see everything.” He looked over at Ruby, who looked back at the gang all flustered.

“Uuuhhhhhh…” she stammered. “Don't judge me.” She quickly dipped back down into her tech, avoiding the subject. Ava couldn’t help but giggle.

“So, how's it really feel to be back?” Ben asked her. “Like… do you really mean it when you say you're glad?”

Ava smiled at her friend. “I am, Ben. I promise. I learned a lot about myself while I was in that coma. I know who I'm supposed to be. I'm supposed to be here with you guys, helping to save the world.” She couldn't help but look at her mother out of the corner of her eye. Her smile lowered ever so slightly.

“Well… I'm glad!” Ben said. “I… I couldn't stand the thought of losing you… You're one of my best friends and…”

Ava put her hand on his shoulder. “You aren't gonna lose me, Ben. I'm here now. We're all here together as a team, and nothing's gonna tear us apart.”

That made Ben smile, and he nodded in thanks.

And then Chelsea ever so politely killed the mood. “Hey! Careful with that, squirt!” she shouted to Carter.

“I got it I got it!” Carter reassured her from the opposite side of the room.

“Ya clearly don't if you're droppin’ all your equipment!”

“Oh I'm sorry. I don't see you coming over here and giving me a hand.”

“I'll give you a hand alright if you're gonna talk to me like that!”

Carter laughed heartily, and his cousin laughed in response. Chelsea turned to Ava. “Ava hun, do you mind helping Carter and Jess? He's kind of an idiot.”

“I heard that,” Carter said.

“I know you did.”

“Dweeb.”

“Squirt.”

Ava chuckled and shook her head, and then she made her way over to Carter and Jess, reaching down and helping them pick up their dropped equipment.

“Thanks,” Jess said.

“No prob,” Ava said. “What are you guys getting all suited up for? You heading out?”

“Couple of our spies told us that the Templars have been snooping around the hideout down in Indy,” Carter explained. “We think they're planning to launch an attack sometime soon, so we're gonna head down there and see what we can do.”

Ava nodded. “If Morgenster shows his ugly face, save me a piece of his ass.”

“Gladly,” Jess said.

“How pissed do you think Lucy's gonna be when he finds an ex-Templar pointing a gun at his head?” Carter joked.

“How much do you think I'll care?” Jess laughed.

“None?”

“Bingo!”

The three all laughed and then Carter and Jess did one final check of their blades, belts, and bags to make sure they had everything they needed. Once they were satisfied, they stuck their earpieces in and pulled up their hoods.

“Alright, we're heading out!” Carter told the others.

“Be home before the lights go out,” Chelsea joked.

“Up yours too,” Carter laughed. And with that, he and Jess made their ways out of the Armor room, back up towards the exit where the vehicles were parked.

Ava herself began to make her way back to Ruby and the Animus. “You ready to head back to the lovely romantic life of Evelyn Arlie?” Ruby joked as Ava walked up.

Ava laughed. “As ready as I'll ever be,” she said. “Oh well. Hopefully it'll at least be nice and sweet.”

“Well… I wouldn't put money on it.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well historically Edward Cope got married to some chick named Annie Pim in July 1865. My guess is if that's the case, anything between Evelyn and Cope probably didn't turn out too well.”

“Oh… Great. Relationship drama. Just the kind of fun thing I wanted to explore.”

Ruby laughed and patted her on the shoulder. “Ah, it'll be over quickly, Champ,” she reassured her. “Then hopefully we'll get into some real action and find that Scythe.”

Ava nodded, sitting down in her little chair. Ruby grabbed the Animus headset and gently lowered the visor over Ava's face. After a thumbs up from Ava and the clacking of keyboard keys from Ruby, the inside of the visor lit up and Ava found herself floating in the digital void of simulated reality once again. She saw a model of her DNA float in front of her, with one of its stands blinking red, ready for selection.

“Ready?” Ruby asked.

“Ready,” Ava said.

“Good luck, Champ.”

Ruby hit the final key, and Ava's vision was engulfed in white. She felt the tingle in her brain as the machine worked its magic and warped her mind a few centuries back down the genetic code. The image of her room began to slowly replace the blinding white. Papers littered the entirety of her desk and most of the floor. She hardly paid attention to them though. She was in a daze. A bad daze. The kind where your eyes just sort of find a point in space to stare at while your brain tunes out the world and thoughts of your problems race across your mind blindly.

Evelyn sighed. What had she gotten herself into?