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Description
August 16, 1588; Roanoke Island

Kahente and the Dares awoke the next morning. Kahente accepted their offer of breakfast, even though she was anxious to get out and track down Roger Prat. After thanking them for the food and asking a few more questions, the three said their goodbyes and Kahente went on her way.

She wanted to keep a low profile and avoid as many fights as possible. She scanned the area's thick line of trees and decided that they would be the best route to take. She scattered up the nearest trunk, and disappeared into the branches. She kept from branch to branch, moving like a shadow. She kept her eyes and ears open for any signs of the enemy. Suddenly, she stopped when she heard a gunshot. She quickly scurried in the direction of the sound.

She eventually spotted two men below her. One of them held the still-smoking rifle. "Are you mad?" said his companion. "Keep your gun in check! The boss will have your head!"

"Sorry!" said the first man. "I can't help it. My fingers are shaking like mad!"

"What for?"

"Did you not hear what happened to Thomas?"

"No. What?"

"He's dead! He was stabbed through the neck!"

"What? By who?"

"They don't know. But... some guys are saying things. They think... They think an Assassin has arrived on the island."

"Oh rot. We left their kind back on the other side of the ocean. Do you know how many expeditions we've sent here?"

"No."

"Well, a lot. And not a single Templar has reported back any traces of their brotherhood."

"But what if anyone who did find evidence just never lived to tell the tale?"

"You worry too much. Come on, we'd best get going. Master Prat is expecting us." Kahente watched the two as they started walking down a path. She quietly tailed them through the trees. The men eventually arrived at a small, isolated area of the colony. They chatted for a moment with the men guarding the area before heading in themselves. Kahente scanned the treetops for a route in and made her way into the restricted area.

She looked below her and spotted the two guards again. She watched them walk into another fenced off area and she followed. Once there, she saw an older man staring at various papers on his desk. A red cross hung on his necklace. Kahente kept her eyes on him. The man turned to face the two guards.

"You wished to see us, master Prat?" asked one of the guards. Kahente gave a satisfied smile upon hearing her target's name. The man walked closer to the guards.

"Why yes," said Prat. "I did." Kahente moved a bit closer. She flexed her fingers, ready to spring her hidden blades out of their mechanisms. The two guards looked at each other, and then to Prat. "Well, what for, boss?" asked one of them.

"I just wanted to thank you for doing such a good job," said Prat.

Kahente flicked out her blades. She was ready to pounce.

"Uh... Good job at what, sir?" said the other guard.

Kahente stood right above Prat. She looked down at him. She was about to leap down.

Prat smiled. "For leading the Assassin right to me," he said.

Suddenly, he grabbed a pistol with lightning speed and fired a shot into the treetop. The bullet whistled past Kahente's ear. Instinctively, she moved out of its way. She lost her balance and fell to the ground with a thud.

Prat smiled as his guards looked shocked. Kahente retracted her blades and got up, shaking off the pain.

"I knew your kind would catch up with us," said Prat. "The question was only when you would come."

Kahente glared at him. "I will not allow the Templars to obtain whatever it is they seek," she said.

Prat laughed. "I'd like to see you try and stop us," he said.

Kahente saw the two guards beginning to flee to get help. She quickly took out two throwing knives and flung them straight into their spines. Prat watched as they fell to the ground.

He turned back to Kahente, who grabbed her tomahawk and twirled it for effect. Prat frowned and unsheathed his sword. The two stared at each other, and then they charged. Their blades clashed as they swung hard at each other. Kahente managed to cut into Prat's cheek. First blood to her.

"What is it the Templars plan to do on these lands?" Kahente asked during the fight.

"Same thing we've always been doing," said Prat. "Getting as much power and influence as we can." Their blades clashed again. "After your precious mentor, Ezio, destroyed our reign in Europe, our only option was to start again somewhere else." They swung their blades at each other again. Kahente glared at her opponent.

"So you come to our land in hopes of corrupting it?" she said.

"Corrupting? You know nothing, child." They swung their blades again.

"I know enough," said Kahente. "I know that you've inspired your people to destroy the Natives of this land. You didn't come here to rule, you came here to conquer!"

"The destruction of your people is necessary! You live like animals. You live in the dirt and cling to your chaotic and destructive ways. We English know order. We've tried to reason with you all. But since you do not listen, the sword is the only option." The blades sparked as they clashed.

"You are wrong!" said Kahente. "The Natives live their lives freely and happily. You have no right to slaughter them!"

Prat swung his sword. Kahente hooked her tomahawk onto it's blade. She knocked it from his hands, throwing him off balance. She took this opportunity to drive her tomahawk into the man's shoulder blade. He fell to his knees with a yell.

...And for a brief moment, Ava's mind was her own again. She wasn't out of the simulation, but she could look with her own eyes at the unfolding scene. All the sights and sounds of the colony disappeared, and we're replaced with the blank digital void of the Animus. Kahente stood over Prat. He clutched his bleeding wound as looked up at Kahente.

"You will not stop us, Assassin," he painfully said. "We will find what we seek, and we will use it to gain our power."

"What is it you seek?" Kahente demanded.

Prat seemed to consider answering. He seemed to figure there was no point in lying. "A Precursor temple," he said. "We've received reports of a Precursor temple somewhere on this island."

"And what is inside?"

Prat shook his head. "We don't know," he said. "But whatever it is, we will claim it for the Templars, and we will destroy you all with it..."

And with that, he died. Kahente looked down at the body. "We are all free to live our lives as we make them," she said. "No matter how much others disapprove of it." She closed his eyes and thought back to the English means of wishing the deceased into the next world. “Rest in peace,” she said.

As she stood from the body, Ava's mind began to slip away again, being replaced with that of her ancestor. The simulation restored itself and the scene of the colony returned.

Suddenly, Kahente heard guards rushing towards the area. She cursed under her breath. She quickly grabbed a few important-looking documents from Prat's desk and scurried up the nearest tree. She disappeared into the leafy canopy. By the time the guards barged into the area, Kahente was already halfway through the colony.

Once she was in the clear, she found a small tree stump and sat down. She pulled out the papers she grabbed and began to look them over. They barely had any solid information on this Precursor temple. It was all theories and speculations. Kahente put the papers down and sighed. This mission was going to be much more difficult than she originally planned.

She looked up at the sky, pondering her next move. She watched as the clouds filled the sky. The sea of white filled her vision. She watched as double helixes began to form and twist as 1's and 0's scattered about. The ropes that kept her tied to the chair were starting to irritate her wrists and ankles. She heard a pipe slowly dripping water. Suddenly, the visor of the animus began to whir as it slowly lifted itself off of Ava's head.

She let out a gasp and began to breath heavily. Her head felt like it was going to split at the seams. She felt like she was going to puke.

“That's enough time in there for now," said the voice on the speaker.

"That was awful!" said Ava, who was still sweating from the experience.

“It could've been much worse," said the voice.

"How could that have gotten worse?" Ava thought she was about to cry.

"You could've still have been reliving those memories after we pulled you out," the voice replied. "Staying in the Animus for too long can trigger what we call 'the Bleeding Effect'. Your ancestor's memories would bleed through into your own. And in extreme cases, they could completely take over. We wouldn't want to damage that pretty little head of yours, now would we?"

"You're sick, you know that?"

"I've been called worse, Ms. Arlie."

"Let. Me. Go!"

"Not until we've found what we're looking for. Only then can we allow you to go free."

"Why do I get the feeling you're lying..."

Ava couldn't see the man behind the voice, but something made her feel like he was smiling.

"We'll give you a little more time, Ms. Arlie," said the voice. "Then we will continue the program."

Ava heard the speaker click off. She sighed as a few tears formed in her eyes. She just wanted to go home, back to her life. She didn't want to be locked in some dark room strapped to some horrible machine.

The machine. She thought about the awful experience. It was like she was herself, but she wasn't herself. She was someone completely different. It was like she had ceased to exist and she became an entirely new person. It was like living in some horrible dream. She sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about everything that had gone so wrong in the past twenty-four hours.

Suddenly, the Animus hummed again. Ava saw the visor come back down on her head. Her expression saddened. She knew what was coming next and there was nothing she could do about it. The visor covered her eyes and the inside of it lit up. Ava saw saw the void appear again. Helixes swirled and numbers dances. Another section of the helix blinked, and the world faded to white. She looked up at the sky as snowflakes began to fall to the ground.

Description
August 16, 1588; Roanoke Island

Kahente and the Dares awoke the next morning. Kahente accepted their offer of breakfast, even though she was anxious to get out and track down Roger Prat. After thanking them for the food and asking a few more questions, the three said their goodbyes and Kahente went on her way.

She wanted to keep a low profile and avoid as many fights as possible. She scanned the area's thick line of trees and decided that they would be the best route to take. She scattered up the nearest trunk, and disappeared into the branches. She kept from branch to branch, moving like a shadow. She kept her eyes and ears open for any signs of the enemy. Suddenly, she stopped when she heard a gunshot. She quickly scurried in the direction of the sound.

She eventually spotted two men below her. One of them held the still-smoking rifle. "Are you mad?" said his companion. "Keep your gun in check! The boss will have your head!"

"Sorry!" said the first man. "I can't help it. My fingers are shaking like mad!"

"What for?"

"Did you not hear what happened to Thomas?"

"No. What?"

"He's dead! He was stabbed through the neck!"

"What? By who?"

"They don't know. But... some guys are saying things. They think... They think an Assassin has arrived on the island."

"Oh rot. We left their kind back on the other side of the ocean. Do you know how many expeditions we've sent here?"

"No."

"Well, a lot. And not a single Templar has reported back any traces of their brotherhood."

"But what if anyone who did find evidence just never lived to tell the tale?"

"You worry too much. Come on, we'd best get going. Master Prat is expecting us." Kahente watched the two as they started walking down a path. She quietly tailed them through the trees. The men eventually arrived at a small, isolated area of the colony. They chatted for a moment with the men guarding the area before heading in themselves. Kahente scanned the treetops for a route in and made her way into the restricted area.

She looked below her and spotted the two guards again. She watched them walk into another fenced off area and she followed. Once there, she saw an older man staring at various papers on his desk. A red cross hung on his necklace. Kahente kept her eyes on him. The man turned to face the two guards.

"You wished to see us, master Prat?" asked one of the guards. Kahente gave a satisfied smile upon hearing her target's name. The man walked closer to the guards.

"Why yes," said Prat. "I did." Kahente moved a bit closer. She flexed her fingers, ready to spring her hidden blades out of their mechanisms. The two guards looked at each other, and then to Prat. "Well, what for, boss?" asked one of them.

"I just wanted to thank you for doing such a good job," said Prat.

Kahente flicked out her blades. She was ready to pounce.

"Uh... Good job at what, sir?" said the other guard.

Kahente stood right above Prat. She looked down at him. She was about to leap down.

Prat smiled. "For leading the Assassin right to me," he said.

Suddenly, he grabbed a pistol with lightning speed and fired a shot into the treetop. The bullet whistled past Kahente's ear. Instinctively, she moved out of its way. She lost her balance and fell to the ground with a thud.

Prat smiled as his guards looked shocked. Kahente retracted her blades and got up, shaking off the pain.

"I knew your kind would catch up with us," said Prat. "The question was only when you would come."

Kahente glared at him. "I will not allow the Templars to obtain whatever it is they seek," she said.

Prat laughed. "I'd like to see you try and stop us," he said.

Kahente saw the two guards beginning to flee to get help. She quickly took out two throwing knives and flung them straight into their spines. Prat watched as they fell to the ground.

He turned back to Kahente, who grabbed her tomahawk and twirled it for effect. Prat frowned and unsheathed his sword. The two stared at each other, and then they charged. Their blades clashed as they swung hard at each other. Kahente managed to cut into Prat's cheek. First blood to her.

"What is it the Templars plan to do on these lands?" Kahente asked during the fight.

"Same thing we've always been doing," said Prat. "Getting as much power and influence as we can." Their blades clashed again. "After your precious mentor, Ezio, destroyed our reign in Europe, our only option was to start again somewhere else." They swung their blades at each other again. Kahente glared at her opponent.

"So you come to our land in hopes of corrupting it?" she said.

"Corrupting? You know nothing, child." They swung their blades again.

"I know enough," said Kahente. "I know that you've inspired your people to destroy the Natives of this land. You didn't come here to rule, you came here to conquer!"

"The destruction of your people is necessary! You live like animals. You live in the dirt and cling to your chaotic and destructive ways. We English know order. We've tried to reason with you all. But since you do not listen, the sword is the only option." The blades sparked as they clashed.

"You are wrong!" said Kahente. "The Natives live their lives freely and happily. You have no right to slaughter them!"

Prat swung his sword. Kahente hooked her tomahawk onto it's blade. She knocked it from his hands, throwing him off balance. She took this opportunity to drive her tomahawk into the man's shoulder blade. He fell to his knees with a yell.

...And for a brief moment, Ava's mind was her own again. She wasn't out of the simulation, but she could look with her own eyes at the unfolding scene. All the sights and sounds of the colony disappeared, and we're replaced with the blank digital void of the Animus. Kahente stood over Prat. He clutched his bleeding wound as looked up at Kahente.

"You will not stop us, Assassin," he painfully said. "We will find what we seek, and we will use it to gain our power."

"What is it you seek?" Kahente demanded.

Prat seemed to consider answering. He seemed to figure there was no point in lying. "A Precursor temple," he said. "We've received reports of a Precursor temple somewhere on this island."

"And what is inside?"

Prat shook his head. "We don't know," he said. "But whatever it is, we will claim it for the Templars, and we will destroy you all with it..."

And with that, he died. Kahente looked down at the body. "We are all free to live our lives as we make them," she said. "No matter how much others disapprove of it." She closed his eyes and thought back to the English means of wishing the deceased into the next world. “Rest in peace,” she said.

As she stood from the body, Ava's mind began to slip away again, being replaced with that of her ancestor. The simulation restored itself and the scene of the colony returned.

Suddenly, Kahente heard guards rushing towards the area. She cursed under her breath. She quickly grabbed a few important-looking documents from Prat's desk and scurried up the nearest tree. She disappeared into the leafy canopy. By the time the guards barged into the area, Kahente was already halfway through the colony.

Once she was in the clear, she found a small tree stump and sat down. She pulled out the papers she grabbed and began to look them over. They barely had any solid information on this Precursor temple. It was all theories and speculations. Kahente put the papers down and sighed. This mission was going to be much more difficult than she originally planned.

She looked up at the sky, pondering her next move. She watched as the clouds filled the sky. The sea of white filled her vision. She watched as double helixes began to form and twist as 1's and 0's scattered about. The ropes that kept her tied to the chair were starting to irritate her wrists and ankles. She heard a pipe slowly dripping water. Suddenly, the visor of the animus began to whir as it slowly lifted itself off of Ava's head.

She let out a gasp and began to breath heavily. Her head felt like it was going to split at the seams. She felt like she was going to puke.

“That's enough time in there for now," said the voice on the speaker.

"That was awful!" said Ava, who was still sweating from the experience.

“It could've been much worse," said the voice.

"How could that have gotten worse?" Ava thought she was about to cry.

"You could've still have been reliving those memories after we pulled you out," the voice replied. "Staying in the Animus for too long can trigger what we call 'the Bleeding Effect'. Your ancestor's memories would bleed through into your own. And in extreme cases, they could completely take over. We wouldn't want to damage that pretty little head of yours, now would we?"

"You're sick, you know that?"

"I've been called worse, Ms. Arlie."

"Let. Me. Go!"

"Not until we've found what we're looking for. Only then can we allow you to go free."

"Why do I get the feeling you're lying..."

Ava couldn't see the man behind the voice, but something made her feel like he was smiling.

"We'll give you a little more time, Ms. Arlie," said the voice. "Then we will continue the program."

Ava heard the speaker click off. She sighed as a few tears formed in her eyes. She just wanted to go home, back to her life. She didn't want to be locked in some dark room strapped to some horrible machine.

The machine. She thought about the awful experience. It was like she was herself, but she wasn't herself. She was someone completely different. It was like she had ceased to exist and she became an entirely new person. It was like living in some horrible dream. She sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking about everything that had gone so wrong in the past twenty-four hours.

Suddenly, the Animus hummed again. Ava saw the visor come back down on her head. Her expression saddened. She knew what was coming next and there was nothing she could do about it. The visor covered her eyes and the inside of it lit up. Ava saw saw the void appear again. Helixes swirled and numbers dances. Another section of the helix blinked, and the world faded to white. She looked up at the sky as snowflakes began to fall to the ground.