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Description
September 19, 2015; Plainfield, Indiana

We all sat at the desk in the quiet of the room. Mom had gotten out a puzzle for Braden to work on while we talked. Our visitation supervisor was fiddling with her tablet, watching us from the sidelines.

“So,” said Mom at a half-whisper. “How are things going in school?”

I shrugged. “Okay,” I said.

“That's good.”

Most of our conversations were like that during the visits. We definitely could've talked about much more, but after the court ruling a couple months ago, she really wasn't allowed to. She was essentially on a leash. She couldn't say or do anything negative to us during the visits. If she did, security would probably be called and Braden and I would be taken right back home. That, and the Assassins had their eyes all over this place. They always do. They're always watching to make sure we're safe. Even though honestly, I don't think this much protection is necessary. After everything that's happened, Mom doesn't have the willpower for it anymore.

Eventually, Braden asked where the bathroom was and the supervisor took him out to help him find it. The door closed behind them and Mom and I were left alone. We stared at each other in silence.

“So,” I said.

“So,” she said.

“What's it like being the Grand Master of a dying order?”

“We still have agents all across the globe, you know. Other Grand Masters too.”

“But not here.”

“No… Not here. Right.”

We were silent for a moment.

“We're gonna keep going, you know,” I said. “We're gonna keep fighting whatever Templars you have left.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “But honestly, right now, I don't have the strength or the will to care.”

I nodded. Suddenly, Mom pulled something out of her bag, a folder. She passed it to me. I took it carefully and opened it up. I skimmed over some of the documents that were inside.

“I want you to have this,” she said.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It was a mission I had been on for months and months. It's all the information I'd managed to dig up about the Armor of Gabriel.”

“The archangel?”

She nodded. “A precursor artifact,” she said. “I'd been hunting this thing down for years, and all I've found are dead ends. And now, I honestly don't care about it anymore. I don't want to care about it anymore. I'm sick of it. Of all of this crap that this war puts on us. For now, I'm done. Especially with this. Maybe you and the Assassins will have better luck than me.”

I looked down at the folder. “Thank you,” I said. She nodded. I looked down at one of the pages. It had a very rough sketch of what I assumed was the Armor. At the bottom was one single word: Prophetstown.

Suddenly, the door opened up again. I slipped the folder into my bag as the supervisor and Braden came back in and sat down. We went back to our normal conversations.

About half an hour passed, and then the supervisor told us that the visit time was up. We all nodded and packed up our things. We all said goodbye and then the supervisor led us out. Mom forced a smile and waved as much she could. We left the room and walked down to the waiting room to meet with Dad. He smiled brightly as we approached and hugged us both. He always did that when the visits were over. He hugged us as if we'd been gone for years, as if he thought he'd lose us forever if he didn't. He let go and talked with the supervisor for a moment about scheduling and all that. When they were done, we all said goodbye to the supervisor and we left the visitation building.

“So,” Dad asked us as we walked to his car. “How was the visit?” he asked.

“Good,” said Braden. I said the same, though nonchalantly.

“What did you guys talk about?” he asked.

I pulled out the folder. “Business,” I said before slipping it back into my bag. Dad raised an eyebrow.

“What's that?” he asked.

“Treasure hunt for another Piece of Eden,” I said. “She's given up on it, so she gave the mission to me.” Dad thought about that for a moment, then just kinda shrugged. “Well… Alright,” he said.

Braden looked a bit confused, but he kinda just ignored it. “We talked about Star Wars,” he said.

“Oh really?” Dad said to him with a smile.

“Yeah.” They kept talking about what went on and what was said as we reached the car. I opened the door for Braden to get in. Dad looked at me from over the roof of the car. He looked worried as always. “You sure it was okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “Nothing bad happened.”

He nodded. “Alright. Just making sure. Come on. Let's head home.”

I nodded. We opened our doors and were about to get in, when suddenly we saw a hoard to police cars zipping past us on the main road, sirens blaring. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I took it out to read the text message I got. It was from Chelsea, and it said, “Need your help now! Get here ASAP!”

I turned to Dad.

“Oh no,” he said, the realization hitting him. “Really?”

I smiled and shrugged. “Sorry Dad,” I said. “Duty calls.”

He shook his head and sighed. “Alright then, go on.” He smiled at me. I smiled back. I pulled up my hood and ran out of the parking lot. I found the spot where the Cardinal was parked. I always make sure it's somewhere nearby me. I hopped on the motorcycle and revved it up. The engines roared. I stepped on the gas. The wheels kicked up a cloud of dust as they squealed. Then, I darted away, following the police cars on their path back to downtown Indianapolis. I noticed an eagle flying overhead. I smiled at it, thinking back on everything that happened, and everything that would happen.

The Assassins had won a major battle for the first time in years. Indianapolis was free at last. Grant it, there's still Templar scum infecting the city, but we're working to fix that. What matters is, we're ahead now. And I feel like I conquered a lot of my inner demons on my journey. I felt good. Everything that held me back, everything that had made my life miserable before was finally gone. I'd finally let it all go. Now, I have a new mission, a new skill set, new friends, and a new Creed.

Some might call me optimistic. Some may call me blindly hopeful. But if you ask me, I feel like I really learned something, that what I'm fighting for is worth fighting for. Happiness, liberty, equality, fraternity. This is what I fight for. For everyone. Everyone deserves to have these things. And I'm not going to rest until everyone does.

Because I love people. I love the universe. I love the amazing fact that I'm alive and happy and free. I love my friends, my family. I love a lot of things. And as I rode off towards Indianapolis, I thought about it all. And oh, how it made me smile. I couldn't wait to get going, to go help take power from the powerful and give freedom to those who deserve it. I couldn't wait to do more to make the world a better place. Let the innocent be safe. Let choice guide our paths. Let kindness be spread.

Let freedom reign.

Description
September 19, 2015; Plainfield, Indiana

We all sat at the desk in the quiet of the room. Mom had gotten out a puzzle for Braden to work on while we talked. Our visitation supervisor was fiddling with her tablet, watching us from the sidelines.

“So,” said Mom at a half-whisper. “How are things going in school?”

I shrugged. “Okay,” I said.

“That's good.”

Most of our conversations were like that during the visits. We definitely could've talked about much more, but after the court ruling a couple months ago, she really wasn't allowed to. She was essentially on a leash. She couldn't say or do anything negative to us during the visits. If she did, security would probably be called and Braden and I would be taken right back home. That, and the Assassins had their eyes all over this place. They always do. They're always watching to make sure we're safe. Even though honestly, I don't think this much protection is necessary. After everything that's happened, Mom doesn't have the willpower for it anymore.

Eventually, Braden asked where the bathroom was and the supervisor took him out to help him find it. The door closed behind them and Mom and I were left alone. We stared at each other in silence.

“So,” I said.

“So,” she said.

“What's it like being the Grand Master of a dying order?”

“We still have agents all across the globe, you know. Other Grand Masters too.”

“But not here.”

“No… Not here. Right.”

We were silent for a moment.

“We're gonna keep going, you know,” I said. “We're gonna keep fighting whatever Templars you have left.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “But honestly, right now, I don't have the strength or the will to care.”

I nodded. Suddenly, Mom pulled something out of her bag, a folder. She passed it to me. I took it carefully and opened it up. I skimmed over some of the documents that were inside.

“I want you to have this,” she said.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It was a mission I had been on for months and months. It's all the information I'd managed to dig up about the Armor of Gabriel.”

“The archangel?”

She nodded. “A precursor artifact,” she said. “I'd been hunting this thing down for years, and all I've found are dead ends. And now, I honestly don't care about it anymore. I don't want to care about it anymore. I'm sick of it. Of all of this crap that this war puts on us. For now, I'm done. Especially with this. Maybe you and the Assassins will have better luck than me.”

I looked down at the folder. “Thank you,” I said. She nodded. I looked down at one of the pages. It had a very rough sketch of what I assumed was the Armor. At the bottom was one single word: Prophetstown.

Suddenly, the door opened up again. I slipped the folder into my bag as the supervisor and Braden came back in and sat down. We went back to our normal conversations.

About half an hour passed, and then the supervisor told us that the visit time was up. We all nodded and packed up our things. We all said goodbye and then the supervisor led us out. Mom forced a smile and waved as much she could. We left the room and walked down to the waiting room to meet with Dad. He smiled brightly as we approached and hugged us both. He always did that when the visits were over. He hugged us as if we'd been gone for years, as if he thought he'd lose us forever if he didn't. He let go and talked with the supervisor for a moment about scheduling and all that. When they were done, we all said goodbye to the supervisor and we left the visitation building.

“So,” Dad asked us as we walked to his car. “How was the visit?” he asked.

“Good,” said Braden. I said the same, though nonchalantly.

“What did you guys talk about?” he asked.

I pulled out the folder. “Business,” I said before slipping it back into my bag. Dad raised an eyebrow.

“What's that?” he asked.

“Treasure hunt for another Piece of Eden,” I said. “She's given up on it, so she gave the mission to me.” Dad thought about that for a moment, then just kinda shrugged. “Well… Alright,” he said.

Braden looked a bit confused, but he kinda just ignored it. “We talked about Star Wars,” he said.

“Oh really?” Dad said to him with a smile.

“Yeah.” They kept talking about what went on and what was said as we reached the car. I opened the door for Braden to get in. Dad looked at me from over the roof of the car. He looked worried as always. “You sure it was okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “Nothing bad happened.”

He nodded. “Alright. Just making sure. Come on. Let's head home.”

I nodded. We opened our doors and were about to get in, when suddenly we saw a hoard to police cars zipping past us on the main road, sirens blaring. I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I took it out to read the text message I got. It was from Chelsea, and it said, “Need your help now! Get here ASAP!”

I turned to Dad.

“Oh no,” he said, the realization hitting him. “Really?”

I smiled and shrugged. “Sorry Dad,” I said. “Duty calls.”

He shook his head and sighed. “Alright then, go on.” He smiled at me. I smiled back. I pulled up my hood and ran out of the parking lot. I found the spot where the Cardinal was parked. I always make sure it's somewhere nearby me. I hopped on the motorcycle and revved it up. The engines roared. I stepped on the gas. The wheels kicked up a cloud of dust as they squealed. Then, I darted away, following the police cars on their path back to downtown Indianapolis. I noticed an eagle flying overhead. I smiled at it, thinking back on everything that happened, and everything that would happen.

The Assassins had won a major battle for the first time in years. Indianapolis was free at last. Grant it, there's still Templar scum infecting the city, but we're working to fix that. What matters is, we're ahead now. And I feel like I conquered a lot of my inner demons on my journey. I felt good. Everything that held me back, everything that had made my life miserable before was finally gone. I'd finally let it all go. Now, I have a new mission, a new skill set, new friends, and a new Creed.

Some might call me optimistic. Some may call me blindly hopeful. But if you ask me, I feel like I really learned something, that what I'm fighting for is worth fighting for. Happiness, liberty, equality, fraternity. This is what I fight for. For everyone. Everyone deserves to have these things. And I'm not going to rest until everyone does.

Because I love people. I love the universe. I love the amazing fact that I'm alive and happy and free. I love my friends, my family. I love a lot of things. And as I rode off towards Indianapolis, I thought about it all. And oh, how it made me smile. I couldn't wait to get going, to go help take power from the powerful and give freedom to those who deserve it. I couldn't wait to do more to make the world a better place. Let the innocent be safe. Let choice guide our paths. Let kindness be spread.

Let freedom reign.