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Description
July 16, 1969; Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Bromden couldn't remember a time he had ever driven as fast as he did. He managed the drive from Nevada to Florida in a day's length, and he was thankful that his speed paid off.

As soon as he arrived at Merritt Island and practically lunged out of his stolen car, he was greeted by the distant sight of the Saturn V rocket that was scheduled to take the Apollo 11 crew into the skies. Still there, still firmly in place, still waiting for him. Bromden allowed himself a sigh of relief, but he still wasted no time running forwards towards the Kennedy Space Center base.

A crowd of people was gathered all around the perimeter of the base. Of course there was. Who wouldn't want to be first in line to see the vehicle that would carry Man to the Moon take off into the heavens? It didn't bother Bromden one bit. It gave him just the cover he needed to slip by unseen.

Abstergo security lined the fences and scanned the crowds, and Bromden knew how to keep under their noses. An Assassin is most at home in a crowd, afterall. He kept his hood up, and adapted his pace to match a normal civilian. Be one with the crowd, and disappear into it.

He scanned the perimeter as fast he could, ducking behind bleachers when the crowd thinned out. Then, thankfully, his patience granted him the reward of a loose bit of wire fence sticking just high enough off the ground around the corner for him to slip by. He stood on the edge of the crowd, and watched the security guards’ movements carefully. As soon as enough eyes had their attention moved off of him, he bolted for his chance. The dust kicked up as he ran up and slid under the fence, and disappeared behind a junction box before anyone even had the chance to notice. Great, he thought, easiest part done. Now for everything else.

Security got tighter the farther in he went. He knew he couldn't sneak through the open air for very long. He would have to find an entryway into the main building soon. The rocket was in the distance. He could easily sneak right there. But he wasn't stupid. He wasn't about to get launched into space with no protection. He needed a suit first. And based on the transmission he heard on the radio speakers, he had to find one fast.

“This is Apollo Saturn Launch Control,” a voice on the speakers announced. “We've just passed the 31-minute mark in our count. At T minus 30 minutes, 52 seconds and counting; aiming toward our planned lift-off time of 32 minutes past the hour, the start of our launch window on this, the mission to land men on the Moon. The countdown still proceeding very satisfactorily at this time.”

Half an hour… he had half an hour to get this done. He took a deep breath. He could do this. For Wanbli, for the world, he could do this.

Bromden carried out a makeshift plan as soon as it popped into his head. He hid himself in the bushes, and got the drop on a guard who was unfortunate enough to get too close. Bromden left the man unconscious, but alive. Anyone dying on this mission would be too much of a risk. He had to slip by like a shadow, and the guard's keycard would prove very helpful in that.

With a satisfying beep, Bromden slipped through a back door of the main facility building. He immediately took cover, always being cautious to check the environment. Damn, he wished he had one of those convenient tourist trap maps for this place. All he needed was to find a suit and then book it for the rocket, but of course that couldn't be as easy as it sounded. He mentally grumbled, and quickly got to work searching for some sort of equipment room.

He considered ducking into the vents to navigate the halls, but he worried that would only eat up more time and make it more difficult to read the signs around the halls. He put his faith in most of the security being fixated on the control center, and took note of whatever hint of cover passed him by just in case.

Thankfully, the more reckless approach paid off for him, this time at least. He found just the sign he was hoping for: one displaying to all the world that the door he was in front of was an equipment room. Bromden allowed himself a smile, and with a swipe of the keycard he slipped his way inside. His eyes immediately swiveled over to the two guards sitting on the other end of the room. They had their backs turned to him, thank God, and they didn't seem very interested in doing their jobs anyway. They were leaned back in their chairs, with their legs up on the counter.

“Can't believe this is really happening,” one of them said proudly.

“I can't believe this is how far our bosses are willing to go just to get some dusty old artifact.”

“They're determined, gotta give them that. And hey, bonus: people on the Moon. I wouldn't mind taking up shop on the Moon.”

“Eh, I probably would.”

“That's cause you've got no sense of adventure.”

“You're the one sitting next to me, friend.”

Bromden was already far in the back closets of the room while the guards were having their little chat. He rummaged around the place, trying to find the suit he would need to get himself to the Moon and back.

Aha!

He opened up a locked closet that looked like it hadn't been opened in 8 years. And inside was Bromden's paydirt. A full suit perched nicely on a rack inside. It was different from the other ones that Bromden had seen. A bit more stylized and rugged, a callback to an earlier age when full priority wasn't just given to efficiency alone. To top it all off, the helmet had a small peak on the front of it, an homage to Bromden's own uniform.

“God, Kennedy, I miss you…” Bromden mumbled to himself as he took the suit off the rack. Who else but his old friend would commission such a suit be made? Especially one that matched Bromden's size exactly.

The thing was a hassle to put on, but Bromden wasn't really in a situation where complaining would be permissible. He struggled his way into the first layers of the suit: the liquid cooling bodysuit and the long underwear, and then hustled to affix all the gizmos and extra padding to his head and arms. Then finally came the big piece: the white mess of tubes and wires that was definitely going to make sneaking to and onto the rocket a difficult task. He lowered his helmet on last: encapsulating himself in a bubble that echoed every breath he took.

He moved around a bit in his bulky suit to try and get a feel for it, and once he was comfortable (or as comfortable as he could be), he started moving on to part 2 of his plan: finding out where he was going to hide in that hulking behemoth of a vehicle. He couldn't just snuggle up in the cockpit with Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. The space was too small. He'd be spotted and killed on the spot. He needed somewhere else. Somewhere like a cargo pit. He started looking around the room for some sort of rocket diagram, taking care to be as silent as possible so as not to alert the guards.

His searching paid off. Soon he had a crude diagram of the Saturn V in his hands. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give him a solid plan.

“Lunar Module will detach from Command and Service Module in Lunar orbit…” Bromden read quietly to himself. “Then at the end of the mission astronauts will place Lunar geology samples and Precursor Artifact in the cargo hold of the Lunar Module's ascent stage for return to Earth.”

Perfect, he thought. That was where he would have to take his seat.

“This is Apollo Saturn Launch Control,” the voice on the speakers suddenly boomed. “We're now less than 16 minutes away from the planned lift-off of the Apollo 11 space vehicle. All still going well with the countdown at this time. The astronauts aboard the spacecraft have had a little chance to rest over the last few minutes or so. At least they haven't been busy with procedures with the Spacecraft Test Conductor. In the meantime we have been performing final checks on the tracking beacons in the Instrument Unit which is used as the guidance system during the powered phase of flight. Once we get down to the 3-minute-and-10-second mark in the countdown, we'll go on an automatic sequence.”

Dammit. He had to hurry.

He hurried out of the room as fast as he could given his new outfit, and he made his way for the nearest exit. He quickly took cover amongst the crates and trucks that lined the parking lots and paths leading up towards the runway. Bromden locked his eyes on the rocket in the distance. He'd have to climb all the way up that thing to make it to the cargo pit. He didn't have long, but that wasn't going to deter him.

“This is Apollo Saturn Launch Control. We've passed the 6-minute mark in our countdown for Apollo 11. Now 5 minutes, 52 seconds and counting. We're on time at the present time for our planned lift-off of 32 minutes past the hour.”

The radio broadcasts were getting more and more frequent as the countdown was constricted further and further. Bromden tried to quicken his pace as he navigated the runway and took cover wherever possible.

The rocket loomed over him like a titan of antiquity. Fitting, Bromden supposed. He stood at the base of the behemoth, and the giant scaffolding that held it in place. Scaffolding that would make for perfect cover while he made his climb.

“Three minutes, 25 seconds and counting; we're still Go at this time. We'll be coming up on the automatic sequence about 10 or 15 seconds from this time. All still Go at this time. Neil Armstrong reported back when he received the good wishes: ‘Thank you very much. We know it will be a good flight.’”

Bromden hurried up the metal structure as fast as he could. He grabbed any elevator cable and loose springboard he could get his hands and feet on as shortcuts.

“T minus 1 minute, 35 seconds on the Apollo mission, the flight to land the first men on the Moon. All indications coming in to the control center at this time indicate we are Go. One minute, 25 seconds and counting.”

He ran as fast as he could when his feet finally hit the floor he needed to be on. He bolted down the little tunnel that led directly to the side of the rocket, and started pulling away at panels with the speed that only a determined father could muster.

“35 seconds and counting. We are still Go with Apollo 11. 30 seconds and counting. Astronauts report, ‘It feels good’. T minus 25 seconds.”

Bromden frantically scurried up the inside of the rocket walls, fumbling his way towards the Command and Service Module, and then further into the Lunar Module.

“Twenty seconds and counting. T minus 15 seconds, guidance is internal. 12, 11, 10, 9, ignition sequence starts…”

There was a vicious roar that erupted underneath Bromden. He barely managed to get the hatch of the cargo pit open as the entire world started shaking him violently like a ragdoll in a dog's mouth.

“8... 7... 6...”

Bromden smacked against the walls of the pit as the shaking only got worse and the noise only got louder and louder as he tried to reach for a strap that would hold him down.

“5… 4… 3...”

He clicked the buckle into place, strapping him down for the ride.

“2…”

One more strap for good measure. Good lord he felt like he was in a paint shaker.

“1…”

But no turning back now…

“Lift off!”

Description
July 16, 1969; Kennedy Space Center, Florida

Bromden couldn't remember a time he had ever driven as fast as he did. He managed the drive from Nevada to Florida in a day's length, and he was thankful that his speed paid off.

As soon as he arrived at Merritt Island and practically lunged out of his stolen car, he was greeted by the distant sight of the Saturn V rocket that was scheduled to take the Apollo 11 crew into the skies. Still there, still firmly in place, still waiting for him. Bromden allowed himself a sigh of relief, but he still wasted no time running forwards towards the Kennedy Space Center base.

A crowd of people was gathered all around the perimeter of the base. Of course there was. Who wouldn't want to be first in line to see the vehicle that would carry Man to the Moon take off into the heavens? It didn't bother Bromden one bit. It gave him just the cover he needed to slip by unseen.

Abstergo security lined the fences and scanned the crowds, and Bromden knew how to keep under their noses. An Assassin is most at home in a crowd, afterall. He kept his hood up, and adapted his pace to match a normal civilian. Be one with the crowd, and disappear into it.

He scanned the perimeter as fast he could, ducking behind bleachers when the crowd thinned out. Then, thankfully, his patience granted him the reward of a loose bit of wire fence sticking just high enough off the ground around the corner for him to slip by. He stood on the edge of the crowd, and watched the security guards’ movements carefully. As soon as enough eyes had their attention moved off of him, he bolted for his chance. The dust kicked up as he ran up and slid under the fence, and disappeared behind a junction box before anyone even had the chance to notice. Great, he thought, easiest part done. Now for everything else.

Security got tighter the farther in he went. He knew he couldn't sneak through the open air for very long. He would have to find an entryway into the main building soon. The rocket was in the distance. He could easily sneak right there. But he wasn't stupid. He wasn't about to get launched into space with no protection. He needed a suit first. And based on the transmission he heard on the radio speakers, he had to find one fast.

“This is Apollo Saturn Launch Control,” a voice on the speakers announced. “We've just passed the 31-minute mark in our count. At T minus 30 minutes, 52 seconds and counting; aiming toward our planned lift-off time of 32 minutes past the hour, the start of our launch window on this, the mission to land men on the Moon. The countdown still proceeding very satisfactorily at this time.”

Half an hour… he had half an hour to get this done. He took a deep breath. He could do this. For Wanbli, for the world, he could do this.

Bromden carried out a makeshift plan as soon as it popped into his head. He hid himself in the bushes, and got the drop on a guard who was unfortunate enough to get too close. Bromden left the man unconscious, but alive. Anyone dying on this mission would be too much of a risk. He had to slip by like a shadow, and the guard's keycard would prove very helpful in that.

With a satisfying beep, Bromden slipped through a back door of the main facility building. He immediately took cover, always being cautious to check the environment. Damn, he wished he had one of those convenient tourist trap maps for this place. All he needed was to find a suit and then book it for the rocket, but of course that couldn't be as easy as it sounded. He mentally grumbled, and quickly got to work searching for some sort of equipment room.

He considered ducking into the vents to navigate the halls, but he worried that would only eat up more time and make it more difficult to read the signs around the halls. He put his faith in most of the security being fixated on the control center, and took note of whatever hint of cover passed him by just in case.

Thankfully, the more reckless approach paid off for him, this time at least. He found just the sign he was hoping for: one displaying to all the world that the door he was in front of was an equipment room. Bromden allowed himself a smile, and with a swipe of the keycard he slipped his way inside. His eyes immediately swiveled over to the two guards sitting on the other end of the room. They had their backs turned to him, thank God, and they didn't seem very interested in doing their jobs anyway. They were leaned back in their chairs, with their legs up on the counter.

“Can't believe this is really happening,” one of them said proudly.

“I can't believe this is how far our bosses are willing to go just to get some dusty old artifact.”

“They're determined, gotta give them that. And hey, bonus: people on the Moon. I wouldn't mind taking up shop on the Moon.”

“Eh, I probably would.”

“That's cause you've got no sense of adventure.”

“You're the one sitting next to me, friend.”

Bromden was already far in the back closets of the room while the guards were having their little chat. He rummaged around the place, trying to find the suit he would need to get himself to the Moon and back.

Aha!

He opened up a locked closet that looked like it hadn't been opened in 8 years. And inside was Bromden's paydirt. A full suit perched nicely on a rack inside. It was different from the other ones that Bromden had seen. A bit more stylized and rugged, a callback to an earlier age when full priority wasn't just given to efficiency alone. To top it all off, the helmet had a small peak on the front of it, an homage to Bromden's own uniform.

“God, Kennedy, I miss you…” Bromden mumbled to himself as he took the suit off the rack. Who else but his old friend would commission such a suit be made? Especially one that matched Bromden's size exactly.

The thing was a hassle to put on, but Bromden wasn't really in a situation where complaining would be permissible. He struggled his way into the first layers of the suit: the liquid cooling bodysuit and the long underwear, and then hustled to affix all the gizmos and extra padding to his head and arms. Then finally came the big piece: the white mess of tubes and wires that was definitely going to make sneaking to and onto the rocket a difficult task. He lowered his helmet on last: encapsulating himself in a bubble that echoed every breath he took.

He moved around a bit in his bulky suit to try and get a feel for it, and once he was comfortable (or as comfortable as he could be), he started moving on to part 2 of his plan: finding out where he was going to hide in that hulking behemoth of a vehicle. He couldn't just snuggle up in the cockpit with Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins. The space was too small. He'd be spotted and killed on the spot. He needed somewhere else. Somewhere like a cargo pit. He started looking around the room for some sort of rocket diagram, taking care to be as silent as possible so as not to alert the guards.

His searching paid off. Soon he had a crude diagram of the Saturn V in his hands. It wasn't much, but it was enough to give him a solid plan.

“Lunar Module will detach from Command and Service Module in Lunar orbit…” Bromden read quietly to himself. “Then at the end of the mission astronauts will place Lunar geology samples and Precursor Artifact in the cargo hold of the Lunar Module's ascent stage for return to Earth.”

Perfect, he thought. That was where he would have to take his seat.

“This is Apollo Saturn Launch Control,” the voice on the speakers suddenly boomed. “We're now less than 16 minutes away from the planned lift-off of the Apollo 11 space vehicle. All still going well with the countdown at this time. The astronauts aboard the spacecraft have had a little chance to rest over the last few minutes or so. At least they haven't been busy with procedures with the Spacecraft Test Conductor. In the meantime we have been performing final checks on the tracking beacons in the Instrument Unit which is used as the guidance system during the powered phase of flight. Once we get down to the 3-minute-and-10-second mark in the countdown, we'll go on an automatic sequence.”

Dammit. He had to hurry.

He hurried out of the room as fast as he could given his new outfit, and he made his way for the nearest exit. He quickly took cover amongst the crates and trucks that lined the parking lots and paths leading up towards the runway. Bromden locked his eyes on the rocket in the distance. He'd have to climb all the way up that thing to make it to the cargo pit. He didn't have long, but that wasn't going to deter him.

“This is Apollo Saturn Launch Control. We've passed the 6-minute mark in our countdown for Apollo 11. Now 5 minutes, 52 seconds and counting. We're on time at the present time for our planned lift-off of 32 minutes past the hour.”

The radio broadcasts were getting more and more frequent as the countdown was constricted further and further. Bromden tried to quicken his pace as he navigated the runway and took cover wherever possible.

The rocket loomed over him like a titan of antiquity. Fitting, Bromden supposed. He stood at the base of the behemoth, and the giant scaffolding that held it in place. Scaffolding that would make for perfect cover while he made his climb.

“Three minutes, 25 seconds and counting; we're still Go at this time. We'll be coming up on the automatic sequence about 10 or 15 seconds from this time. All still Go at this time. Neil Armstrong reported back when he received the good wishes: ‘Thank you very much. We know it will be a good flight.’”

Bromden hurried up the metal structure as fast as he could. He grabbed any elevator cable and loose springboard he could get his hands and feet on as shortcuts.

“T minus 1 minute, 35 seconds on the Apollo mission, the flight to land the first men on the Moon. All indications coming in to the control center at this time indicate we are Go. One minute, 25 seconds and counting.”

He ran as fast as he could when his feet finally hit the floor he needed to be on. He bolted down the little tunnel that led directly to the side of the rocket, and started pulling away at panels with the speed that only a determined father could muster.

“35 seconds and counting. We are still Go with Apollo 11. 30 seconds and counting. Astronauts report, ‘It feels good’. T minus 25 seconds.”

Bromden frantically scurried up the inside of the rocket walls, fumbling his way towards the Command and Service Module, and then further into the Lunar Module.

“Twenty seconds and counting. T minus 15 seconds, guidance is internal. 12, 11, 10, 9, ignition sequence starts…”

There was a vicious roar that erupted underneath Bromden. He barely managed to get the hatch of the cargo pit open as the entire world started shaking him violently like a ragdoll in a dog's mouth.

“8... 7... 6...”

Bromden smacked against the walls of the pit as the shaking only got worse and the noise only got louder and louder as he tried to reach for a strap that would hold him down.

“5… 4… 3...”

He clicked the buckle into place, strapping him down for the ride.

“2…”

One more strap for good measure. Good lord he felt like he was in a paint shaker.

“1…”

But no turning back now…

“Lift off!”