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January 3, 2015; Indianapolis, Indiana

Things got a bit slow around the holidays. The Templars were starting to get really inactive due to their lack of manpower. So, I got to enjoy my Christmas and New Year properly with my family.

But, nonetheless, the job wasn't finished yet. It wasn't going to be finished until we stabbed this beast in its heart. It wasn't going to be finished until Natasha Wolfgang was dead. And thankfully, that moment would come soon.

We managed to work all that “vigilante” stuff in the news to our advantage. By now, it was clear to the whole city that Wolfgang and her Templar allies were doing a lot of awful things. Indianapolis is rebelling against our foes, and they're cheering us on as we stay anonymous in the shadows. Stories keep going around about the hooded vigilantes, these mysterious heroes who come silently in the night to the rescue of those that are being oppressed by the scum of the world and don't ask for anything in return. The people are calling for liberty, equality, and fraternity. They're calling for an end to the Templars, and the Assassins are going answer those calls. All we needed was the Grand Master, Natasha Wolfgang.

She'd tried desperately to recover her tracks, of course, but it was hopeless. Her lawyer, that Stanley Carraway guy, clearly wasn't fond of her at all. But he was still a threat. He was the last line of defense that Wolfgang and the Templars had. Without him, they wouldn't have any way to cover themselves anymore. And without that protection, they'd become the most wanted people in the state. All we had to do was kill him.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

We'd gotten word that Carraway was attending a Templar party, which I think was meant to be some means of showing that they're not all bad or something. Yeah, because as we all know, bad people can't throw parties, right?

Anyways, Chelsea and I went downtown that day to plan out how we were going to crash the party. It was going to be held in University Park, thankfully in the part of the park that had the most trees. There weren't that many trees grant it, but enough to serve as cover. And wow, security was everywhere. All around the perimeter, Abstergo Industries guards were patrolling. And there weren't any gaps.

“Crap,” I said to Chelsea as we observed the park from the streets. “How are we gonna get in with security that tight?”

“I'm not sure…” said Chelsea. We each looked around at every angle as we circled the park. There was no way in.

“Are there any underground entrances?” I asked, trying to brainstorm a plan. Chelsea shook her head.

“Not that I know of.”

“Dang.”

We sat in silence on a bench for a few minutes. Neither of us could think of a plan. I threw up my arms.

“Crap,” I said. “We can't go around. We can't sneak past. We can't go in from underneath. What other options do we have?”

“We could always just wait for Carraway to be somewhere else.”

“No. They won't risk that too soon. This'll probably be the only public appearance this guy makes before going back into hidden isolation for a long time. It has to be tonight.”

Chelsea nodded. We both kept thinking. Suddenly, I saw a flock of birds flutter overhead. They flew over the guards and the trees and landed somewhere in the park. I chuckled.

“You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say those birds were mocking us,” I joked. Chelsea laughed. Then suddenly, she froze as a thought started piecing together in her mind. She looked to the birds, then to me, then to the nearby buildings.

“Oh my god,” she said. “That's it!”

“What's it?” I asked, getting a bit excited.

“We can't go around, and we can't go beneath, but we can come in from above!”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, she pointed towards the skyline. I followed where she was pointing, and my eyes locked onto the top of the Chase Tower. Suddenly, her idea clicked in my head.

“Oh no,” I said. “No way.”

“It's the only way, squirt.”

“You can't really be suggesting that we climb on top of the tallest building in the state and jump off.”

“Of course not.”

“Good.”

“I'm suggesting that you climb on top of the tallest building in the state and jump off.”

“Of course…”

“Come on, Carter. We don't have any other options.”

“I know, but-”

“We have parachutes. You'll be fine.”

“Yeah but-”

“Just look.” She directed my attention again to the tip of the building's antenna.

“You'll leap from there, dressed and ready for the party. Then you'll parachute down into the park and land on top of the War Memorial over there. Then you'll just have to climb down and find Carraway.”

“...I won't really be able to carry my weapons with me while I glide down. Most of them would just fall off in the wind.” I was running out of arguments. Chelsea thought for a second.

“I know someone who could help with that. I should be able to contact him and he should be able to give you your stuff.”

“Great…”

“Oh! That reminds me.” She started digging around in her bag. She pulled out a bracer and handed it to me. Attached to it was what looked like the casing of a hidden blade.

“What's this?” I asked.

“New weapon,” said Chelsea. “Try it on.” I looked at her, then at the bracer, and then shrugged. I slid the thing onto my left arm and fastened it. I hooked my finger into the mechanism of the hidden blade. I looked at Chelsea. She nodded as if to say, “Go on.”

I looked down at the blade. I flicked my wrist and tugged on the mechanism. The blade sprung out.

Except is wasn't a normal blade. It was much shorter, and consisted of two thin metal spikes that were parallel to each other. But what surprised me the most, was the series of spasming electric volts that crackled as they moved rhythmically across the spikes.

“Woah!” was all I could say. I flicked my wrist again and retracted the blade before anyone passing by noticed.

“Like it?” asked Chels.

“Oh yes,” I said, smiling.

“Thing's just a prototype, but it still works pretty efficiently. We call it the ‘shock blade’.”

“How creative.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I know. Still cool though.”

“That it is!”

“You're probably gonna need that when you get in there. Chances are, getting out when everything's done isn't gonna be easy.” I nodded. I was still horrified at the idea of jumping off the Chase Tower, but I knew it was the only way.

“Come on,” said Chelsea. “Let's get back to the hideout and prepare.”

I nodded. We stood from the bench and started making our way to the hideout to plan the stupidest thing we've ever done.

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

“This is the stupidest thing we've ever done,” I said as I walked out onto the roof of the Chase Tower that night.

“Oh hush,” Chelsea said over the speaker in my earpiece. “You'll be fine. I know it.”

“I hope you're right…” I mumbled.

Once I was on the roof, the winds were a lot stronger. It made the nice white-and-red coat I was wearing for the mission flap around violently. It was cold too. All I had on was the coat, a sweater vest and a button-up shirt, and some dress pants. And good god was it cold. Nonetheless, I carried on. I looked up at the ridiculously tall antenna of the building. I instinctively gave a nervous tug on my parachute bag strap and took a deep breath.

“Alright, Carter,” I whispered to myself. “You can do this...” And so I got to work on climbing the antenna. It took a while, what with me having to cling for dear life and trying not to pass out along the way. Sure, I've climbed to some high places, but I'd never gone 811 feet straight up without anything to stop me from falling but my own two hands. I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty nerve-wracking.

But still, I carried on. I went up, and up, and up, until eventually, finally, I reached the tip of the massive radio antenna.

There I stood, at the literal top of the city. I looked down at all the scenery. Lights were flashing everywhere throughout the night. Buildings lit up like Christmas trees, cars zipped by in trails of color, the stars lighting up the night above me. It was gorgeous. This was the city we were going to save. This beautiful sight was what we're fighting for.

As I kept my balance on top my viewpoint, Chelsea’s voice came out of my earpiece again. “Alright,” she said. “You see the War Memorial?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Good. Remember what we taught you?”

“...Yeah.”

“Good. Just jump when you're ready, but be sure to open the chute when I say so. Too soon or too late and this whole mission is pretty much screwed… and most likely so are you.”

“Gotchya.”

“Alright. This is it, squirt. Whenever you're ready.”

“Okay.” I stayed still for a long moment before standing up straight. I took one last look at my view of Indianapolis before closing my eyes. I took a deep breath as the wind rushed through my coat and hood. I stood motionless for a few moments more. I spread my arms out wide. Then, after hearing an eagle cry in the distance, I finally jumped and took my leap of faith.

The few seconds I was falling felt like hours. The wind crashed past me as I hurdled closer and closer to the ground. Then, just about when I was on the same elevation as the base of the Chase Tower’s antenna, Chelsea’s voice yelled in my ear again.

“Now! Open the chute now!” she yelled.

My eyes snapped open. My hand immediately grabbed at the parachute pull-string. For a split-second it seemed like it was stuck, but after a good hard tug, it came out and the parachute burst from my bag. It unfolded out behind and above me. I felt a quick jerk as the thing caught the wind and slowed my fall down to a gentle glide. I felt myself start to move towards the park as I held on to the ropes for dear life. I signed in relief and couldn't help but smile. I was still kinda horrified, but at least now I felt a bit safer. Chelsea cheered me over the earpiece.

“Woo! You did it squirt! Now just get to the park and finish the job,” she said.

“Thanks, dweeb,” I nervously joked. “By the way, who's the guy you got to sneak my weapons in?”

“Oh, you'll know him when you see him, trust me.”

“...Okay then. Wish me luck.”

“Of course.” She hung up again. I then focused everything on guiding the parachute, riding the winds all the way to the War Memorial. I watched the beautiful skyline of the city disappear as my height decreased.

Soon enough, my flight came to a close as I finally landed on top the War Memorial. I let the parachute drop onto the roof as I caught my balance and took the chute off. I tried refolding it, but I realized that would've taken too long. So I just left it on the roof and started making my way to the ground. I'm sure someone will find it and deal with it eventually… surely…

Anyways, as I said, I made my descent. I quietly climbed down and made it to the ground. I brushed off some dirt from my coat and straightened my hood. I looked around, first to see if I was seen, and then to see where Chelsea’s informant was.

“Ahem,” said a voice behind me. I spun around to see a man in a semi-formal outfit, wearing glasses and holding a bag. My eyes widened as I recognized his face.

“John Green?” I asked, surprised.

“You're with Chelsea?” he asked.

“I… yeah.”

He tossed me the bag.

“Here's your stuff,” he said. “Now can you tell your cousin that we're even now?”

“I… Sure, yeah.”

“Good. Thank you. I'm getting really tired of your Brotherhood asking me for favors all the time.”

“Okay…”

“Right. So, I'm out. See ya.”

“Er, yeah. See ya, I guess.” He started to walk away, but then turned around.

“And remember,” he said. “I was never here.”

I gave him a thumbs up. He nodded and walked away.

“Well,” I mumbled to myself. “That happened.”

I looked down at the bag and unzipped it. Sure enough, inside were my weapons. I pulled out my baton, knife, and pistols and strapped them to my belt, hidden by my long coat. At the bottom of the bag, I saw the shock blade and its bracer. I took off my left hidden blade and put it into the bag. I strapped the bracer and shock blade in its place and tested it out a few times to make sure it worked. Satisfied, I zipped up the bag and threw it over my shoulder. It looked formal enough to still blend in at the party. Now I just had to find Carraway.

I had to sneak past a few guards that were patrolling the interior of the park, but I still managed to make it to the party area undetected. There wasn't that many people, but it was still pretty crowded. People, many of them probably Templar pawns, were gliding about in their fancy suits and dresses, talking about nothing in particular. They seemed too focused on the party to notice the Assassin hiding in plain sight.

I walked all around the party, looking for my target. Soon enough, I found him. Carraway was standing by a punch bowl, isolated from the rest of the crowd with his back facing me. Perfect. I knew this was going to be risky. I knew that the second I walked up to him, the second he died, everyone would panic and security would come. I knew I had to do this carefully.

I walked up behind him, silent as the wind. My fingers flexed, ready to yank on the mechanism of my blade. I closed in on Carraway. I inched closer, and closer, and closer, until I raised up my arm to strike and…

“I knew you'd come,” he said without turning around. I froze in place. He took a drink from his glass.

“I knew you'd come,” he repeated, a bit more sorrowful this time. Even so, he kept calm and professional.

“Then you know what I'm here for,” I said quietly.

“I do.” He put down his glass. “Go on then. Get it over with.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Just like that?” I asked. “You're just gonna give up like that?” There was no way it could be that easy.

“Pretty much,” he said.

“...Why?”

“Because I'm sick of it.”

“What?”

“Do you have any idea what the Templars have become?”

“Scum of the Earth?

He kinda chuckled at that. “That's one way to put it,” he said. He poured himself another drink and sipped it. “They always tell you the stories,” he continued, “about the Order's heroic stance. About how we'll one day be the rulers of the world and how our control will bring order and peace to the world.” He took another drink. “But it's all a lie. We're not what we trick ourselves into thinking we are. It's impossible. Power, control, it sounds okay on paper. But in practice, it isn't possible. It always leads to arrogance, greed, bloodlust, tyranny.” He paused for a moment. “All the things we've done, everything we've tried to cover up, it's awful. Unspeakable crimes against humanity. Oppression, abuse… experimentation… I'm just sick of it. Sick of being part of our lie. So yes, I'm going to go out willingly, with honor.”

I didn't know what to say. “If that's how you really feel,” I eventually said, “you can come with us. The Assassins can-”

“No. No. After everything I had a hand in, all the innocent blood that fell on my hands… No. I want this... Please.”

“...Okay…”

“Just promise me something.”

“Yes?”

“Promise that you'll stop them. Stop Natasha and whatever is left of her followers. Because the Templars won't quit. As long as they have a foothold, they'll keep clawing their way back. They're a hydra. You have to take out the heart before you can do any permanent damage. So promise me, promise me that Natasha Wolfgang will die.”

“...I promise.”

“Thank you.” He took another drink, his last one, and then put the empty glass down. “Alright then,” he said. “Do it.”

“I'm sorry.”

“So am I.”

I felt really bad about what I did next, but it had to be done. In one, fluid movement, I flicked out my shock blade, its electricity crackling loudly, and I slid it into Carraway’s back. All of the other guests turned towards us as Carraway’s body spasmed and jerked as the blade did its thing. I pulled my blade out and retracted it, the electricity making a ‘pop’ as it turned off. Blood didn't come out of the wound. The blade cauterized while cutting. With one last spasm, Carraway fell dead on the ground.

Time seemed to slow down as all the terrified eyes fell on me. I frantically started analyzing any possible escape routes. My concentration was interrupted, however, when a woman cried out from the crowd.

“Assassin!” she yelled in fear. And that caused all the guests to start running around screaming. A bunch of security guards had suddenly come running, drawing their batons and shouting orders.

“Catch him!” one shouted over the screams of the crowd.

“Rip him apart!”

I made the first strike. I charged at a guard, lunged on him and drove my hidden blade into him. Another guard ran at me as I let the body fall. He had a knife in his hands, which he raised up with an intent to puncture my skull. I quickly dodged, however. I grabbed the guy's hands as he was swinging the blade and I forced them downward. The knife went straight into his stomach and he yelled in pain as he fell.

I turned to another guard, who was in the process of swinging his baton at me. I quickly reacted and grabbed the baton. I flicked out my shock blade and jabbed at the guard with it. He spasmed for a moment, and I used that moment to yank away his baton and knock him out with it. More guards approached, some drawing their guns. I dropped the guard's baton and sprinted in the opposite direction. I ducked when they fired at me and tased any guards that got in my path. I kept sprinting.

I bolted out of the park and ran down the street. I could hear the guards yelling behind me. I ducked into a wide alleyway and ran onto another street. Suddenly, a car pulled up in front of me. It was Chelsea’s. “Get in!” she said as she pulled up. I didn't hesitate. I yanked open the passenger door and jumped in.

“Go go go!” I said frantically as I saw the guards running around the corner. Chelsea nodded and slammed on the gas. The engines roared and the wheels squealed as the car bolted forward. Pretty soon, the guards were just specks in the rear view mirror. Once we were in the clear, I sat back and sighed.

“Thanks for the rescue, dweeb,” I joked as I caught my breath. Chelsea laughed.

“Anytime, squirt,” she said. “So, is it done?”

“Yeah,” I said, actually feeling a bit sad about my target.

“Good.”

“You know what this means right?”

Chelsea nodded. “It means it's finally time to finish this,” she said.

“Natasha Wolfgang.”

“Our last target.”

“And the last step to setting the city free.”

“That's right”

“Do you know where she is?”

“She's been cooped up in her office at the Abstergo building. Rumor is she's planning to go into hiding.”

“Well, she's not gonna get the chance.”

“She's gonna be escorted by some of her bodyguards next Saturday to get some supplies.”

“Then that's when we'll strike.”

Chelsea nodded. I nodded back. After months and months of hard work, the Assassins were finally about to claim a major victory. The Templars were choking on their last breath. It was time to end Wolfgang’s life. It was time to free the city.

It was time to end this.

Description
January 3, 2015; Indianapolis, Indiana

Things got a bit slow around the holidays. The Templars were starting to get really inactive due to their lack of manpower. So, I got to enjoy my Christmas and New Year properly with my family.

But, nonetheless, the job wasn't finished yet. It wasn't going to be finished until we stabbed this beast in its heart. It wasn't going to be finished until Natasha Wolfgang was dead. And thankfully, that moment would come soon.

We managed to work all that “vigilante” stuff in the news to our advantage. By now, it was clear to the whole city that Wolfgang and her Templar allies were doing a lot of awful things. Indianapolis is rebelling against our foes, and they're cheering us on as we stay anonymous in the shadows. Stories keep going around about the hooded vigilantes, these mysterious heroes who come silently in the night to the rescue of those that are being oppressed by the scum of the world and don't ask for anything in return. The people are calling for liberty, equality, and fraternity. They're calling for an end to the Templars, and the Assassins are going answer those calls. All we needed was the Grand Master, Natasha Wolfgang.

She'd tried desperately to recover her tracks, of course, but it was hopeless. Her lawyer, that Stanley Carraway guy, clearly wasn't fond of her at all. But he was still a threat. He was the last line of defense that Wolfgang and the Templars had. Without him, they wouldn't have any way to cover themselves anymore. And without that protection, they'd become the most wanted people in the state. All we had to do was kill him.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.

We'd gotten word that Carraway was attending a Templar party, which I think was meant to be some means of showing that they're not all bad or something. Yeah, because as we all know, bad people can't throw parties, right?

Anyways, Chelsea and I went downtown that day to plan out how we were going to crash the party. It was going to be held in University Park, thankfully in the part of the park that had the most trees. There weren't that many trees grant it, but enough to serve as cover. And wow, security was everywhere. All around the perimeter, Abstergo Industries guards were patrolling. And there weren't any gaps.

“Crap,” I said to Chelsea as we observed the park from the streets. “How are we gonna get in with security that tight?”

“I'm not sure…” said Chelsea. We each looked around at every angle as we circled the park. There was no way in.

“Are there any underground entrances?” I asked, trying to brainstorm a plan. Chelsea shook her head.

“Not that I know of.”

“Dang.”

We sat in silence on a bench for a few minutes. Neither of us could think of a plan. I threw up my arms.

“Crap,” I said. “We can't go around. We can't sneak past. We can't go in from underneath. What other options do we have?”

“We could always just wait for Carraway to be somewhere else.”

“No. They won't risk that too soon. This'll probably be the only public appearance this guy makes before going back into hidden isolation for a long time. It has to be tonight.”

Chelsea nodded. We both kept thinking. Suddenly, I saw a flock of birds flutter overhead. They flew over the guards and the trees and landed somewhere in the park. I chuckled.

“You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say those birds were mocking us,” I joked. Chelsea laughed. Then suddenly, she froze as a thought started piecing together in her mind. She looked to the birds, then to me, then to the nearby buildings.

“Oh my god,” she said. “That's it!”

“What's it?” I asked, getting a bit excited.

“We can't go around, and we can't go beneath, but we can come in from above!”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, she pointed towards the skyline. I followed where she was pointing, and my eyes locked onto the top of the Chase Tower. Suddenly, her idea clicked in my head.

“Oh no,” I said. “No way.”

“It's the only way, squirt.”

“You can't really be suggesting that we climb on top of the tallest building in the state and jump off.”

“Of course not.”

“Good.”

“I'm suggesting that you climb on top of the tallest building in the state and jump off.”

“Of course…”

“Come on, Carter. We don't have any other options.”

“I know, but-”

“We have parachutes. You'll be fine.”

“Yeah but-”

“Just look.” She directed my attention again to the tip of the building's antenna.

“You'll leap from there, dressed and ready for the party. Then you'll parachute down into the park and land on top of the War Memorial over there. Then you'll just have to climb down and find Carraway.”

“...I won't really be able to carry my weapons with me while I glide down. Most of them would just fall off in the wind.” I was running out of arguments. Chelsea thought for a second.

“I know someone who could help with that. I should be able to contact him and he should be able to give you your stuff.”

“Great…”

“Oh! That reminds me.” She started digging around in her bag. She pulled out a bracer and handed it to me. Attached to it was what looked like the casing of a hidden blade.

“What's this?” I asked.

“New weapon,” said Chelsea. “Try it on.” I looked at her, then at the bracer, and then shrugged. I slid the thing onto my left arm and fastened it. I hooked my finger into the mechanism of the hidden blade. I looked at Chelsea. She nodded as if to say, “Go on.”

I looked down at the blade. I flicked my wrist and tugged on the mechanism. The blade sprung out.

Except is wasn't a normal blade. It was much shorter, and consisted of two thin metal spikes that were parallel to each other. But what surprised me the most, was the series of spasming electric volts that crackled as they moved rhythmically across the spikes.

“Woah!” was all I could say. I flicked my wrist again and retracted the blade before anyone passing by noticed.

“Like it?” asked Chels.

“Oh yes,” I said, smiling.

“Thing's just a prototype, but it still works pretty efficiently. We call it the ‘shock blade’.”

“How creative.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I know. Still cool though.”

“That it is!”

“You're probably gonna need that when you get in there. Chances are, getting out when everything's done isn't gonna be easy.” I nodded. I was still horrified at the idea of jumping off the Chase Tower, but I knew it was the only way.

“Come on,” said Chelsea. “Let's get back to the hideout and prepare.”

I nodded. We stood from the bench and started making our way to the hideout to plan the stupidest thing we've ever done.

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

“This is the stupidest thing we've ever done,” I said as I walked out onto the roof of the Chase Tower that night.

“Oh hush,” Chelsea said over the speaker in my earpiece. “You'll be fine. I know it.”

“I hope you're right…” I mumbled.

Once I was on the roof, the winds were a lot stronger. It made the nice white-and-red coat I was wearing for the mission flap around violently. It was cold too. All I had on was the coat, a sweater vest and a button-up shirt, and some dress pants. And good god was it cold. Nonetheless, I carried on. I looked up at the ridiculously tall antenna of the building. I instinctively gave a nervous tug on my parachute bag strap and took a deep breath.

“Alright, Carter,” I whispered to myself. “You can do this...” And so I got to work on climbing the antenna. It took a while, what with me having to cling for dear life and trying not to pass out along the way. Sure, I've climbed to some high places, but I'd never gone 811 feet straight up without anything to stop me from falling but my own two hands. I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty nerve-wracking.

But still, I carried on. I went up, and up, and up, until eventually, finally, I reached the tip of the massive radio antenna.

There I stood, at the literal top of the city. I looked down at all the scenery. Lights were flashing everywhere throughout the night. Buildings lit up like Christmas trees, cars zipped by in trails of color, the stars lighting up the night above me. It was gorgeous. This was the city we were going to save. This beautiful sight was what we're fighting for.

As I kept my balance on top my viewpoint, Chelsea’s voice came out of my earpiece again. “Alright,” she said. “You see the War Memorial?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Good. Remember what we taught you?”

“...Yeah.”

“Good. Just jump when you're ready, but be sure to open the chute when I say so. Too soon or too late and this whole mission is pretty much screwed… and most likely so are you.”

“Gotchya.”

“Alright. This is it, squirt. Whenever you're ready.”

“Okay.” I stayed still for a long moment before standing up straight. I took one last look at my view of Indianapolis before closing my eyes. I took a deep breath as the wind rushed through my coat and hood. I stood motionless for a few moments more. I spread my arms out wide. Then, after hearing an eagle cry in the distance, I finally jumped and took my leap of faith.

The few seconds I was falling felt like hours. The wind crashed past me as I hurdled closer and closer to the ground. Then, just about when I was on the same elevation as the base of the Chase Tower’s antenna, Chelsea’s voice yelled in my ear again.

“Now! Open the chute now!” she yelled.

My eyes snapped open. My hand immediately grabbed at the parachute pull-string. For a split-second it seemed like it was stuck, but after a good hard tug, it came out and the parachute burst from my bag. It unfolded out behind and above me. I felt a quick jerk as the thing caught the wind and slowed my fall down to a gentle glide. I felt myself start to move towards the park as I held on to the ropes for dear life. I signed in relief and couldn't help but smile. I was still kinda horrified, but at least now I felt a bit safer. Chelsea cheered me over the earpiece.

“Woo! You did it squirt! Now just get to the park and finish the job,” she said.

“Thanks, dweeb,” I nervously joked. “By the way, who's the guy you got to sneak my weapons in?”

“Oh, you'll know him when you see him, trust me.”

“...Okay then. Wish me luck.”

“Of course.” She hung up again. I then focused everything on guiding the parachute, riding the winds all the way to the War Memorial. I watched the beautiful skyline of the city disappear as my height decreased.

Soon enough, my flight came to a close as I finally landed on top the War Memorial. I let the parachute drop onto the roof as I caught my balance and took the chute off. I tried refolding it, but I realized that would've taken too long. So I just left it on the roof and started making my way to the ground. I'm sure someone will find it and deal with it eventually… surely…

Anyways, as I said, I made my descent. I quietly climbed down and made it to the ground. I brushed off some dirt from my coat and straightened my hood. I looked around, first to see if I was seen, and then to see where Chelsea’s informant was.

“Ahem,” said a voice behind me. I spun around to see a man in a semi-formal outfit, wearing glasses and holding a bag. My eyes widened as I recognized his face.

“John Green?” I asked, surprised.

“You're with Chelsea?” he asked.

“I… yeah.”

He tossed me the bag.

“Here's your stuff,” he said. “Now can you tell your cousin that we're even now?”

“I… Sure, yeah.”

“Good. Thank you. I'm getting really tired of your Brotherhood asking me for favors all the time.”

“Okay…”

“Right. So, I'm out. See ya.”

“Er, yeah. See ya, I guess.” He started to walk away, but then turned around.

“And remember,” he said. “I was never here.”

I gave him a thumbs up. He nodded and walked away.

“Well,” I mumbled to myself. “That happened.”

I looked down at the bag and unzipped it. Sure enough, inside were my weapons. I pulled out my baton, knife, and pistols and strapped them to my belt, hidden by my long coat. At the bottom of the bag, I saw the shock blade and its bracer. I took off my left hidden blade and put it into the bag. I strapped the bracer and shock blade in its place and tested it out a few times to make sure it worked. Satisfied, I zipped up the bag and threw it over my shoulder. It looked formal enough to still blend in at the party. Now I just had to find Carraway.

I had to sneak past a few guards that were patrolling the interior of the park, but I still managed to make it to the party area undetected. There wasn't that many people, but it was still pretty crowded. People, many of them probably Templar pawns, were gliding about in their fancy suits and dresses, talking about nothing in particular. They seemed too focused on the party to notice the Assassin hiding in plain sight.

I walked all around the party, looking for my target. Soon enough, I found him. Carraway was standing by a punch bowl, isolated from the rest of the crowd with his back facing me. Perfect. I knew this was going to be risky. I knew that the second I walked up to him, the second he died, everyone would panic and security would come. I knew I had to do this carefully.

I walked up behind him, silent as the wind. My fingers flexed, ready to yank on the mechanism of my blade. I closed in on Carraway. I inched closer, and closer, and closer, until I raised up my arm to strike and…

“I knew you'd come,” he said without turning around. I froze in place. He took a drink from his glass.

“I knew you'd come,” he repeated, a bit more sorrowful this time. Even so, he kept calm and professional.

“Then you know what I'm here for,” I said quietly.

“I do.” He put down his glass. “Go on then. Get it over with.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Just like that?” I asked. “You're just gonna give up like that?” There was no way it could be that easy.

“Pretty much,” he said.

“...Why?”

“Because I'm sick of it.”

“What?”

“Do you have any idea what the Templars have become?”

“Scum of the Earth?

He kinda chuckled at that. “That's one way to put it,” he said. He poured himself another drink and sipped it. “They always tell you the stories,” he continued, “about the Order's heroic stance. About how we'll one day be the rulers of the world and how our control will bring order and peace to the world.” He took another drink. “But it's all a lie. We're not what we trick ourselves into thinking we are. It's impossible. Power, control, it sounds okay on paper. But in practice, it isn't possible. It always leads to arrogance, greed, bloodlust, tyranny.” He paused for a moment. “All the things we've done, everything we've tried to cover up, it's awful. Unspeakable crimes against humanity. Oppression, abuse… experimentation… I'm just sick of it. Sick of being part of our lie. So yes, I'm going to go out willingly, with honor.”

I didn't know what to say. “If that's how you really feel,” I eventually said, “you can come with us. The Assassins can-”

“No. No. After everything I had a hand in, all the innocent blood that fell on my hands… No. I want this... Please.”

“...Okay…”

“Just promise me something.”

“Yes?”

“Promise that you'll stop them. Stop Natasha and whatever is left of her followers. Because the Templars won't quit. As long as they have a foothold, they'll keep clawing their way back. They're a hydra. You have to take out the heart before you can do any permanent damage. So promise me, promise me that Natasha Wolfgang will die.”

“...I promise.”

“Thank you.” He took another drink, his last one, and then put the empty glass down. “Alright then,” he said. “Do it.”

“I'm sorry.”

“So am I.”

I felt really bad about what I did next, but it had to be done. In one, fluid movement, I flicked out my shock blade, its electricity crackling loudly, and I slid it into Carraway’s back. All of the other guests turned towards us as Carraway’s body spasmed and jerked as the blade did its thing. I pulled my blade out and retracted it, the electricity making a ‘pop’ as it turned off. Blood didn't come out of the wound. The blade cauterized while cutting. With one last spasm, Carraway fell dead on the ground.

Time seemed to slow down as all the terrified eyes fell on me. I frantically started analyzing any possible escape routes. My concentration was interrupted, however, when a woman cried out from the crowd.

“Assassin!” she yelled in fear. And that caused all the guests to start running around screaming. A bunch of security guards had suddenly come running, drawing their batons and shouting orders.

“Catch him!” one shouted over the screams of the crowd.

“Rip him apart!”

I made the first strike. I charged at a guard, lunged on him and drove my hidden blade into him. Another guard ran at me as I let the body fall. He had a knife in his hands, which he raised up with an intent to puncture my skull. I quickly dodged, however. I grabbed the guy's hands as he was swinging the blade and I forced them downward. The knife went straight into his stomach and he yelled in pain as he fell.

I turned to another guard, who was in the process of swinging his baton at me. I quickly reacted and grabbed the baton. I flicked out my shock blade and jabbed at the guard with it. He spasmed for a moment, and I used that moment to yank away his baton and knock him out with it. More guards approached, some drawing their guns. I dropped the guard's baton and sprinted in the opposite direction. I ducked when they fired at me and tased any guards that got in my path. I kept sprinting.

I bolted out of the park and ran down the street. I could hear the guards yelling behind me. I ducked into a wide alleyway and ran onto another street. Suddenly, a car pulled up in front of me. It was Chelsea’s. “Get in!” she said as she pulled up. I didn't hesitate. I yanked open the passenger door and jumped in.

“Go go go!” I said frantically as I saw the guards running around the corner. Chelsea nodded and slammed on the gas. The engines roared and the wheels squealed as the car bolted forward. Pretty soon, the guards were just specks in the rear view mirror. Once we were in the clear, I sat back and sighed.

“Thanks for the rescue, dweeb,” I joked as I caught my breath. Chelsea laughed.

“Anytime, squirt,” she said. “So, is it done?”

“Yeah,” I said, actually feeling a bit sad about my target.

“Good.”

“You know what this means right?”

Chelsea nodded. “It means it's finally time to finish this,” she said.

“Natasha Wolfgang.”

“Our last target.”

“And the last step to setting the city free.”

“That's right”

“Do you know where she is?”

“She's been cooped up in her office at the Abstergo building. Rumor is she's planning to go into hiding.”

“Well, she's not gonna get the chance.”

“She's gonna be escorted by some of her bodyguards next Saturday to get some supplies.”

“Then that's when we'll strike.”

Chelsea nodded. I nodded back. After months and months of hard work, the Assassins were finally about to claim a major victory. The Templars were choking on their last breath. It was time to end Wolfgang’s life. It was time to free the city.

It was time to end this.