HOME | DD

Description
October 20, 2015; Raleigh, North Carolina

Ava took a seat at a table next to one of the coffee shop's windows. She took a sip from her cup and leaned back a little. It had been a long day. She'd been working on paperwork for the past few hours, and she still had a bit more to go. She sighed. When she applied for her desk job at Abstergo Industries, she did so thinking that it wouldn't be much work. But, she was wrong. Every day, the papers just kept piling up. She sighed again. At least they payed well.

Ava took another sip of her coffee and reached into her bag. She pulled out her laptop and a folder that had her papers in it. She opened her laptop and began to work. She spent the next twenty minutes writing and typing in the quiet of the shop. Every once in awhile, she'd glance out the window and stare at the bustling city of Raleigh. Cars raced by as people rushed around. Lights flashed everywhere, even if the North Carolina sun faded them out. Ava reluctantly returned her attention to her papers.

One paper flew off of the table when she went to grab it. She sighed again and picked it up. She looked over the words. She raised an eyebrow as some of the text caught her attention. At the top, it read:

Abstergo Industries, Project Roanoke, Lineage Acquisition and Securement

Ava looked further down the page to see what was written. She didn't usually focus on what was on the papers. She usually just signed and organized what her coworkers handed her. But, for some reason, this particular paper caught her attention. She continued to read a few more sentences.

Usable genetic subjects have yet to be located. Recent research and operations have yet to collect any relevant data that would further the progress of Project Roanoke. However, our intel has informed us that the opposing organizations are even more in the dark than we are. Even with this comfort, we must still put all of our efforts into the advancement of the project.

Ava pondered over what any of this could mean. Genetic subjects? Opposing organizations? What was any of that supposed to mean? She would've pondered further, but after one quick look at her watch, she quickly stopped and scrambled to gather her stuff. "Crap!” she said. "I'm gonna be late!" She gathered her things, waved to the shop owner, and left to return from her lunch break.

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

Ava rushed into the building and to the front desk. "You're late again, Ava," said the man behind the desk.

"Yeah, Ben, I know," she replied. "Can you please just clock me in?"

"Yeah, no problem." He began to type at his keyboard. "You really shouldn't be making this a habit."

"I know."

"You could get in serious trouble."

"I know, Ben."

"Just trying to look out for you.”

Ava sighed. "I know. Thank you for that," she said.

Ben smiled. "Hey, what are friends for?" he said. He stopped typing and looked up at his friend. "There you go," he said. "You're clocked in." Ava smiled.

"Thanks, Ben!" she said before heading off towards her desk.

"No problem," said Ben. "Have a nice day, Ms. Arlie!” he joked.

Ava turned as she walked. "Hey! What did I say about calling me that?" she joked back. Ben just smiled and shrugged. The two laughed and waved goodbye, and then Ava set off.

After getting herself organized at her desk, she sorted through her various papers and handed them to several people around the office. One of them required her to take the elevator up a few floors in order to give it to its recipient. She reached the office listed on the file, knocked on the door, and entered when the person within told her to. She saw an older man sitting at his desk. "Ah, Ms. Arlie," he said as she came in. "Do you have my file?" Ava ignored the fact that he referred to her by her last name and nodded.

"Yes sir, Mr. Lupe," she said as she walked over and handed the folder to him. As she passed it to him, she noticed the paper that she read earlier sticking out of it. Lupe took it with a smile. He thanked her and caught notice of Ava's necklace. It was a string of beads with a circular medallion hanging from it. On the medallion was an engraved pattern that looked like a stylized teardrop. "That's an interesting piece of jewelry you have there," said Lupe. "I don't believe I've seen you where it before."

Ava shrugged. "Yeah, I just kinda felt like wearing it today."

"If you don't mind me asking, where did you get it?"

"Oh, it's a family heirloom. I got it from my mom, who got it from her mom, etc. My grandma told me it's been in the family for centuries. She says it used to belong to someone in one of the old Native tribes that lived on the coast." Lupe nodded. He seemed to ponder something.

“Well, it looks very nice," he said. "Have a nice day, Ms. Arlie."

"Thank you, sir. Same to you." She turned and left the man's office. She took the elevator back down to her floor, and returned to her desk. She started typing away at her computer, and waited for the clock to reach 7:30.

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

When it finally came time to clock out, Ava was one of the first to leave her desk. She'd finally finished all of her paperwork, and she was ready to head home and collapse on the couch. She clocked out, said a quick goodbye to Ben, and then left the building. She made a beeline for the parking lot, got in her car, and revved up the engine. She backed out of her parking spot, and started driving back to her apartment.

She arrived back at her small, peaceful home at about 8:15. She threw her bag on a table, took off her jacket, and flopped down on the couch. She felt so relieved to feel the softness of the cushions. She was ready for a nap. She turned on the TV, grabbed a blanket, and flipped through channels until she fell asleep.

A few hours later, she woke up, though she was still half asleep. She thought she heard a noise, but as she looked around through her heavy eyes, she saw nothing. She shrugged and laid back down. Suddenly, she heard another noise, and she was sure of it this time. She sat up slowly and glanced around the room.

She had a bizarre feeling, like something wasn't right. She was about to get up and investigate, but she suddenly stopped as she felt the prick of a needle on the back of her neck. She wanted to react, but before she could, she went limp and fell to the floor as she blacked out.

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

October 21, 2015; Raleigh, North Carolina

Ava eventually began to wake up. Her head felt like it was going to split open. She looked around at her surroundings. Her eyes widened as she realized that she was in some dark room. The windows were placed high on the walls, but she could tell that the room was a few stories up based on her view of the skyline. She looked around the room. It was completely empty aside from a desk behind her. She tried to get up from the chair she was sitting on, but her eyes widened again as she realized that her arms and legs were tied to it. She started to panic.

"W... W... What?" she stuttered. She tried desperately to pull at the ropes that held her. They wouldn't budge. She started breathing heavily. What was going on?

"It's no use," said a male voice that came from a speaker on the desk. "We've made sure that you wouldn't be able to escape."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Ava frantically asked.

"For our own safety, we'll remain unseen and anonymous," said the voice. "And as for your other question, we simply want answers."

"What makes you think I know anything about anything?" asked Ava.

"Oh, nothing. We don't think you know anything at all." Ava was confused.

"What? I thought you said..."

"We don't think you know anything, Ms. Arlie, but we know that you're connected to someone that did."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're related to someone who had plenty of experience with our operations in Roanoke, someone who survived to tell the tale. And we're going to use their tale to find it before your kind does."

Ava's thoughts thrashed with questions. The man mentioned Roanoke. Did this have something to do with that paper?

"What are you talking about? What is 'it'? What do you mean 'my kind'?"

"Your heritage, Ms. Arlie. You may not be fully aware of your place in our little fight with the Assassins, but it doesn't matter."

Ava just kept getting more and more confused. Suddenly, she heard a door open behind her. She glanced behind her to see a man in a mask and bulletproof vest that had the Abstergo Industries logo etched into it. He walked to the desk and picked up something off of. Ava heard the clacking of keyboard keys. Then, she heard the man walk behind her. He placed the object from the desk and placed it on her head.

It was some type of helmet that covered her eyes. Ava felt cables drooping from the back of it. She heard the armored man leave. "What is this?" she asked.

"It's called an Animus," said the speaker voice. "I'm sure you've seen our commercial models. It scans your genetic code and finds the genetic memories of your ancestors." Suddenly, the inside of the Animus's visor lit up. Ava felt a tingling in her brain. Ava saw what appeared to be a dark-blue void. Double helixes swirled as several 1's and 0's dashed around. "What's happening?" she frantically asked.

"We've already programmed the device to a specific ancestor of yours. You'll be reliving the memories of a young Native woman that lived during the 16th century."

"What do you mean 'reliving'?"

"You see, Ms. Arlie, the Animus doesn't just display memories on a screen, it transmits them directly into your nervous system. As far as your brain is concerned, these events will be real, and they'll be your own actions. Don't worry, you'll return to reality once we stop the program."

"Please don't do this!"

"I'm afraid we have to. It's for the greater good. We're activating the program."

"No! Let me go!" Ava tried desperately to yank at the ropes, but they wouldn't budge. She saw the helixes line up and break into sections. One particular section lit up. It blinked as if waiting to be selected. Ava continued to struggle. "No!" she yelled again. Suddenly the section stopped blinking, and the whole void turned pure white. Ava stopped struggling. She went completely still.

A whispered gasp escaped her mouth. Her brain pounded on her skull. All of her senses went numb. Her mind went blank. New sounds and sights filled the scenery. The sun shined bright on the flowing waters of the river that she was canoeing on. The birds sang in the trees as fish broke the surface around her. She paddled until she reached the beach of the island. A lizard ran off as she stepped onto land. She took a cautious look around. There didn't appear to be any guards.

She pulled her hood over her head. She checked her weapons over. She twirled her tomahawk and flicked out her hidden blades. She gave a satisfied smile and sheathed her weapons. She looked around one more time. After days of traveling, Kahente had finally arrived at Roanoke, and she had a lot of work to do.

Description
October 20, 2015; Raleigh, North Carolina

Ava took a seat at a table next to one of the coffee shop's windows. She took a sip from her cup and leaned back a little. It had been a long day. She'd been working on paperwork for the past few hours, and she still had a bit more to go. She sighed. When she applied for her desk job at Abstergo Industries, she did so thinking that it wouldn't be much work. But, she was wrong. Every day, the papers just kept piling up. She sighed again. At least they payed well.

Ava took another sip of her coffee and reached into her bag. She pulled out her laptop and a folder that had her papers in it. She opened her laptop and began to work. She spent the next twenty minutes writing and typing in the quiet of the shop. Every once in awhile, she'd glance out the window and stare at the bustling city of Raleigh. Cars raced by as people rushed around. Lights flashed everywhere, even if the North Carolina sun faded them out. Ava reluctantly returned her attention to her papers.

One paper flew off of the table when she went to grab it. She sighed again and picked it up. She looked over the words. She raised an eyebrow as some of the text caught her attention. At the top, it read:

Abstergo Industries, Project Roanoke, Lineage Acquisition and Securement

Ava looked further down the page to see what was written. She didn't usually focus on what was on the papers. She usually just signed and organized what her coworkers handed her. But, for some reason, this particular paper caught her attention. She continued to read a few more sentences.

Usable genetic subjects have yet to be located. Recent research and operations have yet to collect any relevant data that would further the progress of Project Roanoke. However, our intel has informed us that the opposing organizations are even more in the dark than we are. Even with this comfort, we must still put all of our efforts into the advancement of the project.

Ava pondered over what any of this could mean. Genetic subjects? Opposing organizations? What was any of that supposed to mean? She would've pondered further, but after one quick look at her watch, she quickly stopped and scrambled to gather her stuff. "Crap!” she said. "I'm gonna be late!" She gathered her things, waved to the shop owner, and left to return from her lunch break.

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

Ava rushed into the building and to the front desk. "You're late again, Ava," said the man behind the desk.

"Yeah, Ben, I know," she replied. "Can you please just clock me in?"

"Yeah, no problem." He began to type at his keyboard. "You really shouldn't be making this a habit."

"I know."

"You could get in serious trouble."

"I know, Ben."

"Just trying to look out for you.”

Ava sighed. "I know. Thank you for that," she said.

Ben smiled. "Hey, what are friends for?" he said. He stopped typing and looked up at his friend. "There you go," he said. "You're clocked in." Ava smiled.

"Thanks, Ben!" she said before heading off towards her desk.

"No problem," said Ben. "Have a nice day, Ms. Arlie!” he joked.

Ava turned as she walked. "Hey! What did I say about calling me that?" she joked back. Ben just smiled and shrugged. The two laughed and waved goodbye, and then Ava set off.

After getting herself organized at her desk, she sorted through her various papers and handed them to several people around the office. One of them required her to take the elevator up a few floors in order to give it to its recipient. She reached the office listed on the file, knocked on the door, and entered when the person within told her to. She saw an older man sitting at his desk. "Ah, Ms. Arlie," he said as she came in. "Do you have my file?" Ava ignored the fact that he referred to her by her last name and nodded.

"Yes sir, Mr. Lupe," she said as she walked over and handed the folder to him. As she passed it to him, she noticed the paper that she read earlier sticking out of it. Lupe took it with a smile. He thanked her and caught notice of Ava's necklace. It was a string of beads with a circular medallion hanging from it. On the medallion was an engraved pattern that looked like a stylized teardrop. "That's an interesting piece of jewelry you have there," said Lupe. "I don't believe I've seen you where it before."

Ava shrugged. "Yeah, I just kinda felt like wearing it today."

"If you don't mind me asking, where did you get it?"

"Oh, it's a family heirloom. I got it from my mom, who got it from her mom, etc. My grandma told me it's been in the family for centuries. She says it used to belong to someone in one of the old Native tribes that lived on the coast." Lupe nodded. He seemed to ponder something.

“Well, it looks very nice," he said. "Have a nice day, Ms. Arlie."

"Thank you, sir. Same to you." She turned and left the man's office. She took the elevator back down to her floor, and returned to her desk. She started typing away at her computer, and waited for the clock to reach 7:30.

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

When it finally came time to clock out, Ava was one of the first to leave her desk. She'd finally finished all of her paperwork, and she was ready to head home and collapse on the couch. She clocked out, said a quick goodbye to Ben, and then left the building. She made a beeline for the parking lot, got in her car, and revved up the engine. She backed out of her parking spot, and started driving back to her apartment.

She arrived back at her small, peaceful home at about 8:15. She threw her bag on a table, took off her jacket, and flopped down on the couch. She felt so relieved to feel the softness of the cushions. She was ready for a nap. She turned on the TV, grabbed a blanket, and flipped through channels until she fell asleep.

A few hours later, she woke up, though she was still half asleep. She thought she heard a noise, but as she looked around through her heavy eyes, she saw nothing. She shrugged and laid back down. Suddenly, she heard another noise, and she was sure of it this time. She sat up slowly and glanced around the room.

She had a bizarre feeling, like something wasn't right. She was about to get up and investigate, but she suddenly stopped as she felt the prick of a needle on the back of her neck. She wanted to react, but before she could, she went limp and fell to the floor as she blacked out.

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

October 21, 2015; Raleigh, North Carolina

Ava eventually began to wake up. Her head felt like it was going to split open. She looked around at her surroundings. Her eyes widened as she realized that she was in some dark room. The windows were placed high on the walls, but she could tell that the room was a few stories up based on her view of the skyline. She looked around the room. It was completely empty aside from a desk behind her. She tried to get up from the chair she was sitting on, but her eyes widened again as she realized that her arms and legs were tied to it. She started to panic.

"W... W... What?" she stuttered. She tried desperately to pull at the ropes that held her. They wouldn't budge. She started breathing heavily. What was going on?

"It's no use," said a male voice that came from a speaker on the desk. "We've made sure that you wouldn't be able to escape."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Ava frantically asked.

"For our own safety, we'll remain unseen and anonymous," said the voice. "And as for your other question, we simply want answers."

"What makes you think I know anything about anything?" asked Ava.

"Oh, nothing. We don't think you know anything at all." Ava was confused.

"What? I thought you said..."

"We don't think you know anything, Ms. Arlie, but we know that you're connected to someone that did."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're related to someone who had plenty of experience with our operations in Roanoke, someone who survived to tell the tale. And we're going to use their tale to find it before your kind does."

Ava's thoughts thrashed with questions. The man mentioned Roanoke. Did this have something to do with that paper?

"What are you talking about? What is 'it'? What do you mean 'my kind'?"

"Your heritage, Ms. Arlie. You may not be fully aware of your place in our little fight with the Assassins, but it doesn't matter."

Ava just kept getting more and more confused. Suddenly, she heard a door open behind her. She glanced behind her to see a man in a mask and bulletproof vest that had the Abstergo Industries logo etched into it. He walked to the desk and picked up something off of. Ava heard the clacking of keyboard keys. Then, she heard the man walk behind her. He placed the object from the desk and placed it on her head.

It was some type of helmet that covered her eyes. Ava felt cables drooping from the back of it. She heard the armored man leave. "What is this?" she asked.

"It's called an Animus," said the speaker voice. "I'm sure you've seen our commercial models. It scans your genetic code and finds the genetic memories of your ancestors." Suddenly, the inside of the Animus's visor lit up. Ava felt a tingling in her brain. Ava saw what appeared to be a dark-blue void. Double helixes swirled as several 1's and 0's dashed around. "What's happening?" she frantically asked.

"We've already programmed the device to a specific ancestor of yours. You'll be reliving the memories of a young Native woman that lived during the 16th century."

"What do you mean 'reliving'?"

"You see, Ms. Arlie, the Animus doesn't just display memories on a screen, it transmits them directly into your nervous system. As far as your brain is concerned, these events will be real, and they'll be your own actions. Don't worry, you'll return to reality once we stop the program."

"Please don't do this!"

"I'm afraid we have to. It's for the greater good. We're activating the program."

"No! Let me go!" Ava tried desperately to yank at the ropes, but they wouldn't budge. She saw the helixes line up and break into sections. One particular section lit up. It blinked as if waiting to be selected. Ava continued to struggle. "No!" she yelled again. Suddenly the section stopped blinking, and the whole void turned pure white. Ava stopped struggling. She went completely still.

A whispered gasp escaped her mouth. Her brain pounded on her skull. All of her senses went numb. Her mind went blank. New sounds and sights filled the scenery. The sun shined bright on the flowing waters of the river that she was canoeing on. The birds sang in the trees as fish broke the surface around her. She paddled until she reached the beach of the island. A lizard ran off as she stepped onto land. She took a cautious look around. There didn't appear to be any guards.

She pulled her hood over her head. She checked her weapons over. She twirled her tomahawk and flicked out her hidden blades. She gave a satisfied smile and sheathed her weapons. She looked around one more time. After days of traveling, Kahente had finally arrived at Roanoke, and she had a lot of work to do.