The woman looked athletic in the way she held herself, her brown hair in a pixie cut, her front teeth prominent when she smiled.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” she said with a refined-sounding, slightly French accent. “I am deeply sorry for any distress we’ve caused you.” She touched her chest. “My name is Dr. Victoria Bibeau. I’m with the Lineage Research and Acquisition division of Abstergo Industries, and I’d like to welcome you—”
“Welcome?” Sean said. “Did you just say welcome? Really?”
Victoria’s smiled dimmed a few watts. “I did, and I realize how odd that word must sound after the manner in which we brought you here. But if you’ll allow us to explain, I think you’ll understand it was purely in the interest of your safety.”
“You Tased my brother!” Grace said. “How safe is that?”
“Not safe enough, trust me.” Victoria turned to the men at her side and gave them each a nod, after which they stepped up into the van. “That should not have happened and I apologize. I’d like to invite you all into our facility. We’ll get you checked out and make sure everyone is unharmed, and then we’ll work on getting you home, okay?”
The two guards unstrapped the four others and ushered them out of the van. Then they lifted and lowered Sean in his wheelchair.
Sean looked around and found that the van had parked in the middle of a wide circular drive of freshly paved asphalt, surrounded by tall pine trees that gave the breeze a spicy, almost citrus smell. Several large buildings rose up multiple stories among the trees, composed almost entirely of glass, connected to one another by enclosed and elevated glass walkways. The entrance to one of the buildings lay on the other side of the drive from them, while the road that had brought them there wound off into the forest.
Sean hadn’t known what kind of place to expect following an Abstergo abduction. Some kind of prison or dungeon. But this looked like the exact opposite of that.
“If you would follow me, please,” Victoria said, and walked backward toward the entrance slowly, facing them and smiling.
The implacable guards made no threatening move or gesture, but their presence was enough to set the group in motion. Natalya, Grace, and David all followed Victoria, and Sean rolled along behind them, the guards following close behind.
They reached the entrance and Victoria swiped her badge to open the doors. They glided apart without any sound, and almost without being seen, the glass was so clear. Inside, they came through another set of doors into a lobby where the Abstergo logo frosted an enormous pane of glass behind a reception desk. The man seated there, wearing a headset and a skinny tie, nodded to Victoria as she led Sean and the others by.
They came around the glass, and the building opened up before them high and vast, rising three stories to a ceiling of glass that appeared to be retractable. Each floor wrapped around a main atrium, open and transparent, the outer walls on all sides also made of glass, allowing a view of the forest in every direction. Abstergo employees walked along or rode the escalators, some casually, some seeming to be in a hurry, just as Sean would expect to find in any corporate office.
“We call this facility the Aerie,” Victoria said. “For obvious reasons. This building is one of five that comprise the complex. Perhaps I can give you a tour after we’ve gotten you squared away.”
Again, Sean had not expected this, and felt disarmed by it. If Abstergo had truly abducted them, this was the nicest kidnapping he had ever heard about.
Victoria led them across the atrium’s floor to a far corner, and there she let them into a lounge area scattered with angular modern chairs and coffee tables, all of it a little cold and sharp around the edges.
“Please,” Victoria said. “Help yourself to the food and beverage counter.”
Sean looked where she pointed, and saw an array of fruit, pastries, coffee, and a cooler stocked with water, juice, soda, and some of that irritating, mildly flavored water that Sean thought was still basically just water.
He wheeled himself over and grabbed a bagel and a soda. Grace picked out a banana and poured herself a cup of coffee, while David took a blueberry muffin and an irritating water. Natalya held back.
“You sure you don’t want anything?” Victoria asked her.
“I’m fine,” Natalya said. “What exactly are you a doctor of?”
“I’m a psychiatrist,” Victoria said.
“You’re a shrink?” Sean wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
“I am.” Victoria smiled. “But my role here goes well beyond that. Please, let’s all take a seat.” She chose a chair at the head of an arrangement of furniture, and the others all sat down facing her, while Sean wheeled himself into the group.
“To begin with,” Victoria said, “let me again apologize for how that operation was carried out. David, are you okay? How are you feeling?”
He had just taken a huge bite of a muffin, so instead of answering, he gave her a thumbs-up and the smile of a chipmunk with packed cheeks.
“Good,” Victoria said. “That’s a relief. Now.” She looked down at her clipboard. “We have Grace and David, Natalya, and Sean, correct?”
They all nodded, eating their food.
“Then we are missing Owen and Javier?” Victoria asked.
They nodded again.
“Do you know where they might have gone?”
Sean swallowed his bite of bagel. “No idea. We really don’t know one another that well. We only met for the first time last night.”
“I see,” she said. “And Monroe? Do you know where he might be?”
Sean shook his head, even though he was pretty sure Monroe had gone searching for the Piece of Eden. He noticed that Grace and David were looking at each other, maybe about to say something, but Sean willed them to keep silent. They did, for now.
“Well, let us hope we find them all soon,” Victoria said. “Now then. Let me lay out the situation for you as we understand it, and then if you can, we hope you’ll fill in the gaps for us, all right? To begin with, we know Monroe brought you all together to use a stolen Animus with modified specifications. We know you came into contact with an object. A Piece of Eden. Do you understand what that is?”
Sean tried to keep his face blank, but he must have done a bad job of it.
“I can see by the looks on your faces you know exactly what I’m talking about.” Victoria glanced down at her clipboard again. “You went into the stolen Animus searching for the Piece of Eden. Did you find it?”
No one answered her.
She waited a moment, and then she sighed and set her clipboard down next to her chair. “Are any of you aware that Monroe used to work for Abstergo?” she asked.
Sean hadn’t known that, but it didn’t surprise him. It had to be something like that for Monroe to have an Animus.
“He is not who you think he is,” Victoria said. “He was a very high-level researcher, until he suffered a personal tragedy. After that, he became erratic. His judgment became impaired. I tried to support and help him through it—we all did—but in the end, he stole some very valuable Abstergo property and he left.”
“You mean the Animus?” Grace asked, laying her empty banana peel on the coffee table.
“Among other things,” Victoria said. “We’ve been searching for him because the equipment he took can be very dangerous if not used properly.”
“What about calling the police?” David asked.
“We work with local law enforcement,” Victoria said. “But legally, we have some latitude in using our own security team.”
“Legal to Tase people?” Grace asked.
“Our team did not know what they would find in that warehouse,” Victoria said. “We received the signal that the Animus was in use. We didn’t know who was using it, and we didn’t know how they might be connected to Monroe. That’s why our people went in with nonlethal contingencies in place. The plan was to simply take everyone into custody. While the transport brought you here, we examined Monroe’
s warehouse and gained a better understanding of the nature of the situation.”
“And we’re gaining a better understanding still,” said a man in a slate-colored suit as he walked into the room. He was very tall, with pale blond hair swept back from his forehead, and eyes the color of vibrant moss. “Pardon the interruption,” he said.
“Not at all, sir.” Victoria rose from her seat. “Please, join us.”
The tall man walked over to them and took a chair next to Victoria, his movements quick, fluid, and efficient. “My name is Isaiah,” he said, “and I am in charge of the Aerie. We’ve been analyzing Monroe’s data, and I believe we can dispense with some unnecessary secrecy. You know about the Assassins and Templars. You know that the Templars control Abstergo Industries, and by now, you’ve probably guessed that I am a Templar. You are right. I am. So is Dr. Bibeau, here.”
Victoria nodded and smiled.
Sean was a bit surprised he would just come out and admit it that way, even if he had seen Monroe’s data. That wasn’t what he would expect from the secret organization behind a global conspiracy.
“The Templars look different than we once did,” Isaiah said. “Corporations have replaced kingdoms, and CEOs have taken the place of politicians. Our organization adapts and becomes what is necessary to be most effective, and we believe the pursuit of technology promises the greatest advancements for the human race, which is where Abstergo comes in. There isn’t anything sinister about us. Contrary to what Monroe may have led you to believe.”
“Tell that to Boss Tweed,” David said.
“Good point.” Isaiah chuckled, the kind of easy laugh Sean’s mom might call infectious. “Yes, there are certainly notorious figures in our history, as you will find in any group that has been around long enough. But if I might present you with a counter-perspective, did you know that Boss Tweed used his influence to build orphanages, schools, and hospitals? Under his control, the city of New York spent more on charity in three years than had been spent in the previous fifteen combined. He helped found the New York Public Library, and secured the land for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Did you know he paved the way for the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge?”
No one answered him, but Sean hadn’t known any of that, and he assumed by their silence the others hadn’t, either.
“It is harder to dismiss Tweed now, isn’t it?” Isaiah said. “As a man, he made terrible, unforgivable mistakes. But as a Templar, he brought enlightenment and undeniable progress to his city. Who knows what he might have achieved if the Assassin Eliza hadn’t brought him down on corruption charges?”
As Isaiah spoke, Sean was finding it increasingly difficult to reconcile Monroe’s image of the Templars with what Sean was experiencing for himself.
“You can judge us by our worst examples,” Isaiah said. “Or you can think about the hundreds and even thousands of Templars you’ve never heard of who nevertheless dedicated their lives to the betterment of our world.” His green eyes looked at each of them, and when they reached Sean, it felt as if his gaze gently took root. “Did Monroe tell you all how important you are?”
“What do you mean?” Sean asked.
“I’ve looked through his DNA analysis of all of you, and it is extraordinary. I believe the six of you together represent something we call an Ascendance Event. According to my theory, the phenomenon has only been documented a handful of times in all recorded history, and is not well understood, governed by sympathetic genetic forces we’re still decoding. That was actually what Monroe was working on here at Abstergo, with his modified Animus. He was researching these Ascendance Events, looking for the next occurrence. Which is where you enter the picture. There is a confluence, a convergence, a synergy in your coming together. Individually and collectively, your potential is beyond our ability to quantify. I find it breathtaking.”
Sean thought back to the image Monroe had showed them of the places where their DNA lined up. Their Memory Concordance. “Are you talking about the Piece of Eden?” he asked.
“Pieces of Eden,” Isaiah said. “Multiple.”
David pushed his glasses up. “I don’t understand.”
Isaiah turned to Victoria. “This is Dr. Bibeau’s area of specialty. I’ll let her explain it.”
Victoria nodded and cleared her throat. “My research has led me to believe the Piece of Eden you went searching for is one of three. They were originally part of a whole, a Trident of Eden. Each dagger is actually one of the Trident’s three prongs, and each has a different power, or effect on those people exposed to it. According to legend, one prong instills faith, one instills fear, and one instills devotion. Are you with me?”
The four of them nodded.
“Good,” Victoria said. “Now, you’ve heard of Alexander the Great, right? Well, we know he possessed a Staff of Eden, a symbol of his rule when seated upon his throne. But on the battlefield, he needed a weapon.”
“The Trident of Eden?” Grace said.
“Exactly,” Victoria said. “His armies were undefeated. With the Trident to fight, and the Staff to reign, Alexander created an unparalleled empire and became perhaps the most powerful ruler the world has ever seen.”
“Rather inspiring, isn’t it?” Isaiah said.
Sean agreed with him on that, and he also noted how passionate and animated Victoria became as she went on.
“When Alexander died,” she said, “I believe the Trident was broken into thirds and divided among the dynasties that succeeded him. One prong went to one of Alexander’s generals, Seleucus, who founded the Seleucid Empire, which lay to the east and took in parts of Asia. Another prong went to the general Ptolemy, who founded a kingdom in Egypt. And the third prong went to Alexander’s people, the Macedonians. The Macedonian prong and the Ptolemaic prong ended up in the hands of the Roman Caesars. The prong you found is one of those. My guess would be it’s the faith prong. It stayed in Rome and eventually ended up in the Vatican. From there, Pope Callixtus III, a Spaniard, gave it to Alfonso V, king of Aragon, I assume to repay the king for his support. The prong stayed in the Spanish monarchy until Charles V gave it to Cortés. Are you still with me?”
“Barely,” David said.
Victoria rubbed her hands together. “I’m still piecing together what might have happened to the other two, but we believe you found the faith prong in New York City.”
“Or at the very least, we know your ancestors interacted with it,” Isaiah said. “However, the incredible thing is that it seems some of your ancestors also interacted with the other two pieces.”
“Seriously?” Grace said.
“Utterly,” Isaiah said. “Please understand, the combined powers of the Trident of Eden can turn a man into a king, and a king into a god, and you are all connected to it. As I told you, this is an Ascendance Event. You are all rising up as one from the wellspring of your ancestors. It’s as if your lineage and DNA have been moving toward this moment for generations. That is why we need your help. This is something only you can do.”
“And how do you expect us to help?” Natalya asked, one of the few times she’d spoken since they’d arrived at the Aerie. Sean couldn’t forget the image of the agents grabbing her in the warehouse, and still felt shame at his inability to protect her as Tommy would have.
“Dr. Bibeau,” Isaiah said, “did you explain the … the situation? With Monroe?”
Victoria nodded.
Isaiah glanced toward the building’s wall of windows and out into the forest beyond. “Monroe’s story is truly a tragic one,” he said. “I still greatly admire his brilliance, and the man he once was.” Then he brought his gaze back into the room. “But if you were successful in your search for one of the prongs of the Trident of Eden, and Monroe takes control of it … he could do a great deal of damage.”
“So what’s Monroe’s story?” Sean asked.
Isaiah sighed. “His father was a terrible man. Monroe spent his childhood in unimaginable circumstances, much of which he has d
eeply repressed. This condition would render him or any person an unsuitable candidate for the Animus.”
“Why is that?” Natalya asked.
Victoria spoke up. “The psyche of an abused individual is too unstable, too fractured. I tried unsuccessfully to help Monroe through therapy, but he wanted to use the Animus to go back into his father’s memories, to exorcise his own demons.”
“But I forbade it,” Isaiah said. “For his own safety and sanity. That is why he left Abstergo and stole the project he had been working on.”
Sean looked at Grace, and she looked back at him. There had to be more to the story. It wasn’t that Sean didn’t trust Monroe. But there had always been something a bit off about him and his modified Animus, and Sean could tell that he and Grace were having the same doubts. Sean still believed Monroe had good intentions, but he wondered whether they should tell Isaiah what they had learned, which was what Grace had wanted from the beginning.
“Don’t do it,” Natalya said to them.
“Maybe we shouldn’t,” David said.
But Sean’s mind had changed since coming here. The situation was not as Monroe had described it at all. These people weren’t evil or trying to conquer the world, and that seemed obvious to Sean now in looking around this place and listening to Isaiah and Victoria. Abstergo wanted to help and improve mankind through innovation and progress, and Sean also appreciated that they seemed to believe he and the others could play an important part in that.
“Maybe you shouldn’t what?” Isaiah asked.
Sean took a deep breath. “We did find the Piece of Eden. And Grace saw where it ended up.”
Grace nodded along with him. “I did,” she said.