Charlotte de la Cruz

Charlotte de la Cruz (1992 – 2018) was an American Assassin recruited into the Brotherhood in 2015 and a former employee of Malta Banking Corporation. She participated in the hunt for Assassin renegade Joseph Laurier alongside Assassins Galina Voronina and Kody Adams. As the granddaughter of Erudito leader Florencia, she was also instrumental in securing an alliance between the hacking collective and the Brotherhood.
She was a descendant of the British Assassin Tom Stoddard, the Haitian Assassin Elsie, the Incan courier Quila, the English Assassin turncoat Hiram Stoddard, and the Spanish Assassin Ignacio Cardona.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Charlotte de la Cruz grew up in the Bronx in New York City. Her father disappeared from the family when she was a baby, and she was raised by her mother. Her maternal grandmother, Florencia, whom Charlotte idolized, was in and out of her life throughout her childhood. As a child, de la Cruz watched her family go almost bankrupt scrounging cash for her uncle's healthcare after he was denied his insurance, causing her to distrust big businesses and corrupt politicians. She attended college in upstate New York, where she accumulated a large student debt.Assassin's Creed - Volume 1: Trial by Fire
Not long after graduation, she moved to San Diego, California where she became employed as an accountant at Malta Banking Corporation. In her free time, she enjoyed playing Abstergo Entertainment's Helix, a hobby that, alongside her habit of browsing conspiracy websites, led her to become aware of the Assassin-Templar War.
===Recruitment===
thumb|220x220px|Charlotte being greeted by Galina and Xavier
In late 2015, the Assassins took interest in Charlotte's ability to use Eagle Vision. Kody made contact with her online, probing her sympathy for the Assassins. The next day, she had an interview with World Share that she failed after her interviewer was unimpressed by her bold proposal to cut funding for developing countries in favor of democratic nations. Later that day, she illegally diverted $10,000 from real-estate developers to the account of an elderly woman, Ms. Morehead, who could not afford her daughter's medical bills.
When she went home in the evening, she was unexpectedly greeted by Assassins Xavier Chen and Galina Voronina inside her apartment. Already well aware of the Assassin Brotherhood, she instantly accepted their offer of recruitment, but within moments, her apartment was stormed by three Templars feigning to be from World Share and seeking to kill them. Though Xavier and Galina dispatched the assailants, Charlotte was knocked unconscious when she narrowly failed a leap from her balcony to the other roof. She awoke to find that she had been taken to the hideout of Xavier's cell in the Salton Sea. There, she was introduced to Kody Adams and the Animus and learned that they needed her help.
It was explained an Assassin named Joseph Laurier had apparently gone to the Templars in San Diego to inform them of an artifact hidden by his ancestor during the Salem witch trials. They needed her to enter the Animus and relive her ancestor Thomas Stoddard's memories of the era to determine if Joseph was telling the truth and had betrayed the Brotherhood or if he was just baiting the Templars.
Charlotte progressed through the memories of her ancestor's interactions with Joseph's ancestor Jennifer Querry and was shocked to hear the Isu Consus speak directly to her through Dorothy Osborne, instructing her to seek "the ones with greater knowledge". Galina became impatient and demanded they move ahead to intercept Joseph. Xavier insisted they finish verifying what happened, and Charlotte was loaded into their van with the Animus to save time.
Charlotte witnessed Jennifer's death, and it was agreed Joseph's ancestor did not know where the relic was hidden, so he was luring the Templars. Xavier and Galina left the van to rendezvous with Joseph. Charlotte had her doubts and insisted Kody return her to Stoddard's memories. Continuing, she realized Jennifer was not the only ancestor of Joseph present in Salem and that he was indeed betraying the Brotherhood.
===Confronting Joseph===
left|thumb|220x220px|Charlotte attacking Joseph
Entering the Abstergo facility at which Xavier and Galina had gone to meet Joseph, Charlotte posed as an employee who had forgotten the code to a room she needed. The employee Brad helped her enter a storage room, but when he asked what department she worked in, she responded she was from World Share, which Brad recognized was a lie as Abstergo and World Share were enemies. Charlotte kneed him and bound and gagged him with duct tape before donning a hood and ascending a maintenance shaft.
Just as she neared Joseph's floor, she slipped and fell, but was able to spin onto another shaft and hold on with her knife. Kody noted she had begun to inherit Tom's abilities via the Bleeding Effect. Climbing up, she entered a gym and saw Joseph had already drowned Xavier in a swimming pool and had broken Galina's leg. She attacked the burly traitor to prevent him from finishing her off, but he just tossed her into a wall. Joseph explained he betrayed the Brotherhood because his lover Christian had died on a mission overseen by Xavier, but he was still an Assassin and had planted a bomb. He explained to Charlotte why the Assassins sought her out and offered her the chance to join him. As Joseph's bomb went off, Abstergo burst in and opened fire. Charlotte carried Galina through an air vent, which returned her to the maintenance room Brad was in.
Charlotte was shocked to find Brad had died, and after noticing his medical alert bracelet, realized he had asthma and suffocated because he could not reach his inhaler. She then dolefully carried Galina back to the van. Galina ordered Kody to inform their leader Gavin Banks to send a team to Salem, but Charlotte told her it was unnecessary, as Joseph never told the Templars where Dorothy's body was buried. As they drove away, Galina asked her how she felt after Xavier and Brad's deaths, to which she sarcastically responded she was happy.
===Hunt in Mexico===
thumb|247x247px|Charlotte in the Animus
The Assassins fled to Mexico, where they momentarily took up residence inside an Assassin safe house in Mexico City. While there, Charlotte relived the memories of the Haitian Assassin Elsie, who was present at Dutty Boukman's execution, in order to find Boukman's book, which had information the Templars were after. However, Charlotte was ejected from the Animus early due to a fault, delaying her search. Frustrated, Charlotte suggested replacing the Animus, which prompted Kody to reveal the various features he had installed into the Animus, which he called "Red Rider", in order improve its performance and increase Charlotte's comfort. After Charlotte thanked Kody for his efforts, Kody remarked that he wanted the Animus to be as good as Charlotte, stating that she was a natural and that not everyone could jump into memories the way she could. After reassuring Kody of his importance, the Animus was fixed and Charlotte resumed her session, having learned to appreciate patience.Assassin's Creed FCBD 2016 Edition - The Chair
After taking a room in a motel, Charlotte used a phone to keep her mother informed of her location. They hired two local doctors to reset Galina's leg; she wanted to leave, but Kody explained he could barely speak Spanish. As the female doctor tended to Galina, the male drew a pistol, but Galina pulled out her own and shot him to death, before ordering Charlotte to grab it and aim it at the female doctor. She explained she was knew nothing of his motives, stating he had been new. Galina knocked her out.Assassin's Creed - Volume 2: Setting Sun
They moved to the opposite motel, as it would be the last place the Templars would expect. Charlotte noted to Kody that she had wanted to leave back before the man intended to attack, believing that she was not cut out for the situation. Kody reassured her that there was a reason she was there and that, due to her impressive performance, she might even help them find the hacker collective Erudito. Realizing they were the ones Consus had obliquely directed her to find, she had Kody hook her up to the to find them. After a night of searching, she discovered a meeting was planned for the following week, but the location was password-encrypted. The sole hint was the question, "What does the cute Pishta say?".
She recalled that her grandmother's childhood nickname for her was "", apparently shared by an ancestor who lived during the fall of the Inca Empire. Waking Kody up, she ordered him to place her back in the Animus, where she began reliving the memories of the Quila.
Charlotte spent two hours in the Animus before Kody was forced to pull her out to let it recharge. Galina then told her that they found the Templar Garcia-Lopez, who could lead them to Joseph. Charlotte refused to participate in what she knew was a kidnap-and-torture scenario, believing finding Erudito was more important. When she accused the Assassin leader of being jealous that Consus picked her, Galina told her that using the Animus leaves them exposed and if she refused to participate in the operation, she'd destroy the Animus, forcing Charlotte to agree to help.
At Chapultepec Park, Charlotte attempted to stealthily tail Garcia-Lopez but got too close, allowing the Templar to spot her and run off. Charlotte helped Kody into Galina's truck before the authorities arrived. Galina immediately accused Charlotte of blowing the operation. She admitted she made a mistake and insisted on going back into the Animus. Galina retorted that this was not a game where she could respawn, as Garcia-Lopez would tell the Templars and come after her.
Charlotte then ignored Galina's order to watch the van to re-enter the Animus. Galina and Kody soon discovered her and pulled her out, the former being made that she ignored orders and the latter noting that the batteries were cooked. Fed up with Galina, Charlotte chose to leave to find new batteries, with Galina telling her she's on her own.
Charlotte then found her way to a bus stop, wondering if being an Assassin forever on the run is what she really wants. She considered calling her mother to say she is coming home but hesitated, wondering if the Templars were tracking her calls. She then became distracted by a thug attempting to extort a citizen and decided to intervene. After failing to talk him down, she used her new skills from the Bleeding Effect to defeat her opponent.
Charlotte later detected Galina following her, who revealed that the Mexican Cartel abducted Kody and sent his left ear as proof. Charlotte joined Galina in a rescue attempt at the cartel's stronghold at the Estadio Azteca stadium, where Charlotte used her stealth skills while Galina took up a sniper position. As Charlotte made her way to Kody, Galina placed blame on her for her mercy, as the female doctor alerted the cartel and for letting Garcia-Lopez escape, which prevented them from leaving the city. Charlotte was soon ambushed by the cartel leader Arturo Viera, who shot her in the right foot to force Galina to surrender her, but Charlotte managed to break free of his grasp so Galina could have a shot. Soon after, the Templars arrive in a chopper, gunning down Viera and his girl. The Templar Whittaker attempted to capture her before being restrained by his superior, Ortega Sanchez.
Suspecting that Templars believed her to be very important to come after her, Charlotte pointed a gun at her head. She then cut a deal with Sanchez, in exchange for Galina and Kody's safety, she would provide them with the location of Erudito's meeting three days from now. Sanchez gave her a day to find out the password to the location before striking her injured foot with his cane, saying its insurance against a double-cross and threatened to harm her friends and family if she did not hold up her end of the bargain.
Following her synchronization with Quila's memories, Charlotte learned that the password was Don Gonzalo Pardo, revealing that the Erudito meeting was in Argentina. Soon after, Charlotte prepared to turn herself over to Sanchez, only for the cartel to attack the Templars, in part because of Galina having cut a deal for the cartel to avenge Viera's death.
Taking a commercial flight to Buenos Aires, Charlotte spotted a man sporting a sign reading Don Gonzalo Pardo, who showed them to their Erudito contact, revealed to be her grandmother, Florencia.
===Working with Erudito===
Some weeks later in an Erudito hive, the team attended a meeting with members of Erudito. During the meeting, Florencia exposed her plans to turn Erudito into a more active and militaristic group by training field agents and building hive bases across the world, which was opposed by Dewalt, who was more traditionalist and wanted Erudito to stay in the shadows. When Charlotte suggested that they try to find a way to make everyone happy, she was informed by Guernica Moneo about the Phoenix Project and its ultimate goal of resurrecting Juno. When Dewalt asked for a full-membership vote of non-confidence, Florencia begrudgingly told him to send the message and that they would meet in an hour.Assassin's Creed - Volume 3: Homecoming
Afterwards, Charlotte questioned Florencia on what exactly her mission was supposed to be, as all she knew was that she was going to be looking for Consus. Florencia explained that they had originally thought that Consus had only spoken to a young Assassin named Giovanni Borgia and only once when he was very young, but now believed that Consus had communicated with Giovanni more than once and thought he had hidden a message. When Charlotte asked whether the Templars had it, as they had access to all of Giovanni's memories, Guernica showed her a visual representation of Giovanni's memories and asked her whether she could see what he was pointing at.
When Charlotte answered that she could not see anything there, Guernica explained that it was probably a false memory and that the Templars did not know about a second encounter because Giovanni did not remember it. Charlotte then deduced that one of her ancestors had witnessed the encounter, which Guernica confirmed to be correct. After Florencia explained that Charlotte's ancestor had been with Giovanni twice, once in 1515 and a second time in 1516, and that they thought Charlotte's Eagle Vision would let her see the truth, Charlotte told her that she wanted to find out more about their family and had many questions. However, Florencia told her that now was not the time and that she had to keep focused on Consus.
While walking through an orchard, Charlotte was informed by Guernica of how Florencia's leadership had turned Erudito into a more effective group, remarking that they had taken down more targets in the last six months than they had done in the past two years. After stating that he believed Florencia's plan to set up permanent hives on each continent was Erudito's future, Guernica informed Charlotte that, despite Florencia stating that it was no big deal, it was possible that she could lose the vote and that he could not even guarantee that the members who listened to him would vote her way. Charlotte concluded that they needed to find a way to convince them and that she knew just the woman.
Walking back into the Erudito complex, Charlotte saw Galina training two new Erudito field agents, My'shell Lemair and Sheed, by sparring with them. After the sparring match was over, Charlotte approached Galina and suggested that maybe they did not have to leave and that Galina could talk to the Erudito leadership to convince them to vote in favor of Florencia's plan. However, Galina refused, stating that she was not a speech-maker and wanted nothing to do with Erudito's politics. Charlotte tried to convince Galina by telling her to think of it as a mission, but Galina replied that they already had a mission: finding Joseph. Charlotte then suggested that they had a bigger mission in the form of stopping the Phoenix Project, much to Galina's surprise. After Galina explained that she and Gavin Banks had almost died trying to end it, Charlotte asked her to help her make sure they got another chance.
Later on, the team attended Florencia and Dewalt's video conference with all the Erudito collective members. As Dewalt was starting to convince the collective to vote against Florencia's plan and the search for Consus, Charlotte once again tried to convince Galina to say something. After Galina once again refused, remarking that nobody there wanted to hear from her, Charlotte chose to stand up and address the collective despite Florencia's protest. Charlotte told the collective that she understood their reluctance to accept Florencia's plan, as the Templars would try to ruin, or even kill, anyone who opposed them and change was frightening. However, she continued by stating that Florencia's plan was not going to be enough, remarking that the Brotherhood had people in every corner of the world, and they still got nearly eradicated.
Charlotte concluded by stating that neither group could defeat the Templars on their own and that Erudito and the Brotherhood should merge. After Galina objected, Charlotte insisted to her that joining forces with Erudito could push the Brotherhood's rebuilding process forward by months or even years and, in turn, Galina could train Erudito's agents better than anyone in their organization could. After Charlotte asked Guernica to confirm whether he had found Joseph, which he confirmed he had, she made a proposal: she would find Consus for them and share whatever she found with all of them so that they could all decide the best way to stop the Phoenix Project and, in exchange, they would give them Joseph's whereabouts and Galina would find him using Erudito's field agents as back-up, helping Florencia prove the value of her vision. Shortly after, the results of the votes came in, favoring Florencia.
Afterwards, Charlotte talked to Galina, who was about to leave for Somalia, having learned from Erudito that Joseph was hiding out there and going by the name "Alan Wilde", with My'shell and Sheed as back-up. Charlotte urged Galina to not kill Joseph unless it was absolutely necessary, remarking that she could tell that there was something more to him than violence. After telling Galina to be careful, Charlotte was surprised to receive a hug from her. She was then told by Galina to be careful as well, who remarked that she did not think everyone there was so eager to have Charlotte back, unless it was with a knife. Charlotte was then told by Galina that she believed in her and that she had grown up very much, before she then departed with My'shell and Sheed.
===Finding Consus===
As Charlotte was being prepared to enter her ancestor's memories in the Animus chamber in the complex, she asked Guernica which ancestor she was going to jump into, to which he replied that he was going to keep that a surprise. Shortly after, Florencia walked into the chamber and asked to know the results of Charlotte's stress test, to which Guernica answered that, aside from a puncture mark, she was great. When asked about the puncture mark, Charlotte told Florencia about how the Templar named Sanchez had jabbed her in the foot and how, after a day when nothing happened, she did not think it was a big deal.
However, Florencia chastised Charlotte for dismissing it, remarking that she could have been injected with nano-trackers or infected with some slow-acting poison. As she apologized for her mistake, Charlotte was incased inside a dome which surrounded the Animus, which would thoroughly scan her for the next two hours. After starting the scan, Florencia told Charlotte of how Dewalt would try to prevent the merger with the Brotherhood by using Charlotte to get rid of her. Florencia clarified by saying that the merger was dependent on Charlotte and Galina succeeding in their respective tasks and that, if either of them failed, everything she worked for would be destroyed.
Sometime later, Charlotte's scan was interrupted by Kody, who had hacked the machine in order to make it think that it had run the full two hours. Kody explained that he thought that Guernica was hiding stuff from her and remarked that although Consus had wiped Giovanni's memory, her ancestor, Hiram Stoddard, did not say anything about Consus after witnessing him either. As Charlotte relived Hiram's confrontation with Giovanni in 1516, Kody told her that he believed that something was wrong with Hiram's mind as well and that Guernica knew it. Kody clarified that he had dug up information on Hiram and that, by 1516, he was a bitter and ruthless man, earning him the nickname "Bloody Hiram". When Charlotte asked Kody how exactly this made Hiram any different from Tom, Kody explained that, for Hiram, this behaviour came out of nowhere and that he thought that Hiram's mind was a very dangerous place to be. Kody then stated that he thought that something bad happened to Hiram when he met Consus and that all Erudito wanted was answers and that they did not care what would happen to Charlotte as long as they got them.
After she finished reliving Hiram's confrontation with Giovanni in 1516, Charlotte lamented that they had found nothing of importance within the memory. When Florencia asked whether she had looked hard enough, Charlotte explained that there was nothing except for references to something mysterious involving Hiram and Giovanni that had happened in 1515. After Florencia stated that their algorithms showed that Consus should have appeared in 1516, Kody expressed his distrust of both Erudito and her, prompting Charlotte to ask Florencia if she was holding anything back from her. However, they were then interrupted by Guernica, who stated that some of his people were flipping to Dewalt and that they wanted to hear from Florencia. After Florencia left, Charlotte ordered Kody to plug her back into the Animus and relive Hiram's memories of 1515.
As she relived Hiram's training session with Giovanni in Tuscany in 1515, Charlotte was surprised at seeing Hiram's lighthearted, more likable demeanor and wondered what happened that made him so different in only one year. During her session, Charlotte witnessed Hiram and Giovanni's rivalry while under the tutelage of retired Assassin Mentor Ezio Auditore as well as Hiram's romance with a young Italian woman called Elena.
While reliving Hiram's mission to Florence, in which he and Giovanni were tasked by Michelangelo with retrieving an Apple of Eden from the Templar Dei Petrucci, Charlotte was unwillingly removed from the Animus by Kody, who explained that her vitals were going haywire. When Florencia told him to give Charlotte a moment to rest and then get her back in, Kody chastised her, remarking that Charlotte could get long-term damage if she did not get a break. After Florencia told Kody the story of how she taught Charlotte how to ride a bike, Charlotte interrupted their argument and told Kody to jump her forward to the last time Hiram saw Giovanni in 1515. After Kody protested that Hiram and Giovanni parted ways in 1515 on really bad terms and that the last thing Charlotte's system needed was that kind of stress, Charlotte reassured him that she was not quite yet ready to rest.
As Charlotte relived Hiram's argument with Giovanni and Elena on top of the roof of a tavern, she noticed a distortion occur within the memory as Elena threw away the scarf Hiram had given her and the memory repeated itself. After being pulled out of the Animus, Charlotte was informed by Kody that they were dealing with a false memory, which caused them to deduce that the reason Hiram never said anything about Consus was because he did not remember what really happened. Florencia then informed Charlotte that, if she kept at it, she could drill through to the truth.
However, Kody remarked that she would also encounter other, more disturbing potential false memories that Hiram's mind rejected and that the accumulated stress could end up being too much, causing Charlotte's brain to shut down to protect itself. Charlotte then told Kody that she had to do it, but, in order to put him at ease, decided to take a break before going back in. After Florencia told her that they did not know how close the Templars were to unleashing the Phoenix Project, Charlotte stated that she was not going to make the same mistake as Hiram and rush into things, remarking that thirty minutes would not make much difference.
After her break, Charlotte once again relived Hiram's memory of his argument with Giovanni and Elena, using her Eagle Vision to help find the truth. However, she encountered more false memories, one in which Hiram killed Giovanni and another in which Hiram jumped off of the tavern's roof to his death, which nearly caused Charlotte's mind to shut down in order to avoid the trauma of Hiram's death. Fortunately, Charlotte managed to make Hiram move his hand towards Elena's scarf, causing the false memory to end and allowing her to see what really happened. Within the memory, Consus spoke directly to Charlotte through Giovanni, referring to her as "the watcher, who soon become the shepherd" and informed her that, in order to stop the Phoenix Project, she had to "let the wolf dwell with the lamb". Afterwards, Charlotte witnessed Hiram's failed attempt to catch Elena after she accidentally fell from the roof to her death, thus revealing why Hiram eventually suppressed the memory.
===Losing Kody===
Upon emerging from the Animus, Charlotte asked Kody what was going on, to which Kody replied that the Templars had somehow found them. Florencia then questioned Charlotte on whether she had found Consus and what he had said, to which Charlotte answered that Consus' message made no sense. After Florencia stated that they would figure out Consus' message later and needed to get to the servers, Guernica came into the room with several Erudito agents and insisted that they follow protocol and wipe the servers remotely after everyone was safely clear of the compound. However, Kody disagreed with the plan, asking what would happen if the Templars got to the servers first. After Kody insisted that they had to leave and asked Charlotte how many times she was going to risk her life for her grandmother, Charlotte realized that Hiram's real mistake was turning his back on Giovanni, his family, which prompted her to tell Kody and Guernica that, regardless of what they were going to do, she was going with her grandmother.
After getting to the servers, Charlotte waited as Florencia uploaded the data while Kody and Guernica planted explosive devices on the servers. After Florencia insisted on finishing the data upload, Charlotte asked her why, as she thought the point was to destroy everything. Florencia explained that the system had everything they knew about the Phoenix Project and how to stop it and that they probably had a mole who had given the Island's location to the Templars and had probably compromised the other back-up sites.
Upon seeing a heavily wounded Erudito agent, Charlotte urged Florencia to leave despite her insistence that she was almost finished. Shortly after, Charlotte pulled Florencia to safety as they avoided a hail of bullets. However, Florencia had dropped the data box, and Kody ran back in order to retrieve it, telling Charlotte that she was right, and this was a war they had to win. Unfortunately, Kody was subsequently gunned down, much to Charlotte and Florencia's shock.
Charlotte consoled the fatally wounded Kody in his final moments, assuring him that he did well to save the data box. Afterwards, Charlotte was approached by Florencia, who stated that was a good soldier for saving the data and that they needed to honor his sacrifice and get moving. However, Charlotte blamed Florencia for Kody's death, stating that he would still be alive if they were at the boats. Charlotte then blamed herself for dragging Kody there but was consoled by Florencia, who remarked that both Charlotte and Kody had done what they had to do. At that moment, they noticed an airplane flying overhead.
Unsure of whether it belonged to the Assassins or the Templars, the group chose to hide from it. Shortly after, the plane was shot down, confirming that it was not a Templar plane. While Florencia and Dewalt argued over whether to help the plane's passengers or take advantage of the distraction to get off the island, Charlotte kneeled next to Kody's body continued mourning his death. Florencia then instructed the group to destroy their phones in order to make sure that the Templars could not track them. After being approached by Guernica, Charlotte told him she was coming and informed him that she did not want the Templars to find Kody's body. Charlotte then took Kody's phone out of his pocket in order to destroy it and said goodbye to Kody.
===Escaping the Island===
While making their way towards the boats close to the southern edge of the island, Charlotte questioned Florencia as whether she found it odd that they were not being followed, to which Florencia replied that she did not, as she had chosen a hard-to-track path. Shortly after, they saw the cave in which Florencia had secured the boats and started making their way towards it. However, Charlotte was hesitant to approach the cave, suspecting it of being a trap. After Charlotte informed Florencia of this, she dismissed Charlotte's worries, stating that she had made sure they were not being followed and that, without phones or tech, the Templars had no way of tracing them.
However, Charlotte then realized that when Sanchez jabbed her foot in Mexico, he could have planted something inside of her, which allowed the Templars to find the island as well as their location on it. Blaming herself for not getting the scan that Florencia wanted her to have as well as inadvertently causing Kody's death, Charlotte told Florencia that they needed to double-back and that whoever was in the plane had probably sent out a distress signal, and the Assassins were probably on their way. When Florencia insisted that there was no way the Templars knew where the boats were, Charlotte tried to convince the group that the cave was a trap by claiming to have seen into the cave using her Eagle Vision. Although Florencia continued to insist that the cave was safe, the rest of the group decided to go with Charlotte's plan, agreeing with her that the cave seemed unsafe, which prompted Florencia to reluctantly go along with Charlotte's plan as well.
As the group began to depart, Charlotte chose to stay behind in order to create a distraction. When Florencia offered to stay with her, Charlotte told her about the tracer that was put on her. Outraged, Florencia berated Charlotte for not finishing the scan and stated that she was an embarrassment to her as a granddaughter. Charlotte apologized for putting them all in danger and promised to make for it, even if it meant her life. Charlotte then told the group to get away from her and let her fix her mistakes.
After pushing a Templar agent off the edge of a canyon, Charlotte made her way into a forest and followed the river, hoping to escape the pursuing Templars. However, the river led Charlotte towards the edge of a cliff, leaving her cornered. Shortly after, Charlotte was confronted by the Templar agent Whittaker, who demanded to know where the other Assassins were. However, Charlotte managed to distract Whittaker by splashing mud on his face and, after a brief fight, managed to knock him unconscious with a tree branch.
However, Charlotte was then confronted by Sanchez and two Templar agents. Charlotte stated that she was wondering when he was going to show up and remarked that she thought he was afraid of fighting women, which prompted Sanchez to tell her the story of he, as a child, had helped his grandmother kill his abusive grandfather by beating him to death with his own cane. Fortunately, at that moment, a helicopter showed up and riddled Sanchez and the Templar agents with bullets. Looking towards the helicopter, Charlotte discovered that it was an Assassin rescue team, with Florencia and the rest of the group on board. After Florencia opened the helicopter door, Charlotte, realizing that there was no place for the helicopter to land, leaped towards the helicopter, barely managing to get onboard with the help of Galina and Guernica.
After taking a seat, Charlotte asked them how they found her. The Dutch Assassin Arend Schut explained that Gavin had picked up Galina's distress call right before she crashed and sent Arend and Kiyoshi Takakura to lend a hand. Kiyoshi then explained that, after they had picked up the group, Florencia insisted that they doubled back to find Charlotte. As they flew away from the island, Florencia told Charlotte that she was right about how they should have left for the boats right away and about the Templars setting the trap for them. Florencia then told Charlotte that, because of her, the data was safe and everyone there was alive, remarking that she saw a much better version of herself in her. Florencia then told Charlotte that, after seeing so much death around her so quickly, it was okay for her to take some time, regroup and give the Assassins some time to figure out a way to get the tracking device out of her. However, Charlotte replied that she could not stop and was actually hoping the Templars could find her, stating that she would be waiting for them.
By October 2016, Abstergo knew of Charlotte's possible precursor-heritage and wanted her tracked down so that her genetic memories could be extracted.Assassin's Creed: Heresy – Chapter 5
===Search for the Phoenix Project===
In February 2017, Charlotte traveled to Hong Kong with Guernica to gather information from an abandoned Abstergo facility in a skyscraper with Barindra Mitra and other Assassins. While at the facility, they were attacked by the Instruments of the First Will. While the Assassins were massacred, she managed to escape through the window.Assassin's Creed: Uprising
left|thumb|250px|Charlotte being attacked by the Instruments
Crashing to a van roof below, Charlotte was able to break her fall but she was injured. A would-be-Assassin with a super heated blade leaped after her, narrowly missing her and stabbing through the roof of the van to where Guernica Moneo hides below, assisting Charlotte on her mission. As Charlotte fended off the rogue Assassins from the back of the van, Guernica drove off at speed. A throwing star broke the windshield, slicing off Guernica's fingers and hitting him in the face. Then, the van crashed on its side as he lost control.
They both survived, but instead of interrogating a defeated Assassin, Charlotte elected to escape to a safe house and in turn save the wounded Guernica. She later contacted Galina's group who was currently in London, requesting for help.
One month later, Charlotte met with My'Shell in London. They went to a local public house and got some drinks. Charlotte questioned why My'Shell wanted to become an Assassin, citing the fact that she now looked at ordinary people around her and immediately can calculate multiple ways to kill them. The Bleeding Effect had turned her into a living weapon, and she now wondered how much her ancestors may now be a part of her, and as such began to question if her own life was just a simulation too.
Charlotte and the Assassins reviewed the media, where a large explosion in Berlin dominated the headlines. Kiyoshi argued that killing 170 people in public does not really fit with the Templar ideals and suggested another faction might be in play. My'Shell revealed that she had a list of Pieces of Eden retrieved from the Hong Kong Abstergo lab and pulled up an image of the Koh-i-noor. Charlotte realized that it was the 'mountain glimmer' Consus mentioned in his message to her. With My'Shell convinced that it was present in the Spanish Civil War, Charlotte strapped herself into the makeshift Animus. The machine appeared to malfunction, with Charlotte seemingly trapped inside a simulation and unable to be woken.
Within the Animus, Charlotte was stranded. Stuck in a perpetual loading environment, she felt like she was losing track of time. She called out to My'Shell hoping that she could hear her, but it was to no avail. Yet, even within this apparent emptiness, she became aware that she was in fact not alone. Someone approached her in the memory corridor and searched Charlotte's genetic memories. In the meantime, Guernica, who was revealed to be an Instrument mole, tried to kill the catatonic Charlotte, but Galina saved her life.
Charlotte desynchronized from the Animus and she confronted a bound Guernica and offered to get him some water despite his attempt to kill her before. In the next room, Arend was on the phone to Abstergo tech support, trying to warn them very bluntly that they have a First Civilization entity among their systems. Unsurprisingly, they hung up on him.
While Kiyoshi and Charlotte berated Arend for his literal interpretation of warning the Templars, Galina returned to the hideout with supplies and clothes. Shortly after My'Shell stumbled through the door, carrying a wounded Otso Berg. Galina immediately sprung her hidden blade and floored Berg with a flying kick to the face. After Galina was restrained by Charlotte, Berg offered a suggestion that they all get breakfast together.
After a lengthy discussion, he confessed that he came across the same financial movements between the Templars and Assassins and that the mystery third faction really was playing them all for fools. With Abstergo compromised, he could not even trust his own faction. Kiyoshi revealed that they believed Guernica to be a member of the faction, to which Berg responded that he knows Jasdip Dhami was another—not to mention the face behind the high-tech armor set. Galina stated that Jasdip went dark after exploring for Gramatica in Australia, suggesting that may be where his secret lab was. Berg laughed the suggestion off as a nice try and argued that while he could not trust the Assassins, that that was exactly the reason he needs their help. Charlotte interjected and warned them all that Juno's plan for the Koh-i-noor was moving forwards and that they needed to act together and fast. Old rivalries could wait. Berg realized that the Assassins knew where the Koh-i-noor was. They returned to the hideout, and Charlotte strapped herself into the Animus once more. She revealed to Berg that they believed the Piece of Eden was in Spain, within the 1930s Spanish Civil War.
===Looking for the Koh-i-Noor===
After reliving the memories of her ancestor for some time Charlotte desynced from the Animus and found herself violently sick. She sought an explanation, with Kiyoshi lamenting that she entered the Animus too soon after Juno's attack. Charlotte felt that something forced her out of the Animus and stated that having Otso Berg watching her was not helping, in turn asking him to leave the room. Kiyoshi escorted him upstairs.
While Charlotte was in the Animus, she began chewing and biting her own tongue, with blood spraying onto the Animus. Arend was unsure what to do while she remained within the simulation but warned My'Shell to remain back. My'Shell countered by saying he should let her through or that Charlotte would surely die. Galina and Berg checked on Charlotte's condition; she still had not fully recovered. Berg then relived the memories of Albert Bolden with DNA supplied by Berg's associate. The Koh-i-Noor was almost within their grasp.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #07 After learning the location of the Koh-i-Noor, Berg pulled himself out and called his associate. The reluctantly allied group then made way for Barcelona, where the Koh-i-Noor was buried in a mass grave 60 miles south from the city.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #08
Three days before Resurrection Day, the group split up with Berg, Charlotte and Galina together and Kiyoshi and Arend doing reconnaissance. Charlotte collapsed and Galina rushed to her side, chastising her for coming out if she was not ready. Charlotte brushed her off and started to dig, saying she had found the Koh-i-Noor. After finding the diamond, the trio noticed they had been surrounded by the Assassin turncoat Jasdip Dhami and his Instruments. They had captured Kiyoshi, Arend, and two protectors of the Koh-i-Noor. After seeming helpless, Galina wryly reminded Kiyoshi of his razor-wire gauntlet. After Kiyoshi literally disarmed two of his captors, Galina joined in the fight against the Instrument forces. Suddenly, as Charlotte touched the Koh-i-Noor there was a blinding blue light.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #09
With that distraction, Jasdip managed to steal the diamond and kill the two protectors. The group then buried the protectors and planned their next move. They all then boarded a plane set for Australia, where Álvaro Gramática's secret laboratory was located.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #10 Aboard the plane and with now one day left, Galina gathered together with the others to discuss the laboratory's blueprints and the team's strategy. When they were ready, Charlotte was the first to parachute out down into the middle of the Australian desert. Resurrection Day had started and time was running out.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #11
=== Resurrection Day ===
Landing sometime after Charlotte, the mismatched band of allies began their attack on Gramática's front door. Galina aimed a sniper rifle at Jasdip and shot him directly in the head, killing him instantly. After Charlotte's signal went dark, they rushed the Instrument's forces, making their way inside. Suddenly a force field of blue light protected the group from incoming gun fire—it was Charlotte using the Koh-i-Noor. The light then turned into a path, leading them to Charlotte. However, when they entered the inner laboratory, Kiyoshi and Arend were struck by a blast from the Koh-i-Noor wielded by Juno and knocked down. Charlotte managed to steal the Piece of Eden from Juno without her knowing and conjured up an illusion to distract her. Kiyoshi and the others looked on, shocked to see Juno seemingly yell at a coffee mug. While distracted, Charlotte assassinated the reborn Isu. However, as the building was starting to collapse, Kiyoshi and the other fled although Charlotte was stuck behind. Berg then detonated the facility remotely outside, Kiyoshi tried to stop him but was struck to the ground. The Assassins were unable to rescue Charlotte, and she perished in the explosion.Assassin's Creed: Uprising – Issue #12 
==Legacy==
After Charlotte's death, a memorial service was held for her on 23 August 2018. Her loss affected Galina so badly that the Russian resorted to self-medication.
==Personality and traits==
De la Cruz was a headstrong, opinionated, and witty woman who deplored the inequality of the world. Before meeting the Assassins, she illegally transferred ten thousand dollars to her client, Ms. Morehead, so the latter could pay her daughter's healthcare. However, she quickly regretted this brash "Robin Hood" act of heroism.
Similarly, Charlotte's principles led her to storm out of an application for a job at World Share when her opinions that they should only give to less corrupt governments were dismissed. She also expressed discomfort with reliving the memories of her white male ancestor and subsequently having to synchronize with his decision to not prevent the deaths of women accused of being witches.
===Skills and equipment===
Charlotte possessed Eagle Vision, allowing her to sense the veracity of other people's statements as well as being able to see through walls. Thanks to the Bleeding Effect, Charlotte had gained her ancestors skills, such as combat and freerunning and was able to use hidden blade.
==Ancestry==
According to Juhani Otso Berg and Kiyoshi Takakura, Charlotte apparently has a Templar ancestor; Kiyoshi hid it from her "for the good of all".Assassin's Creed: Uprising - Issue 6
==Behind the scenes==
Charlotte de la Cruz is a character introduced in the Titan Comics series, Assassin's Creed: Assassins. Where-in her job at Malta Banking Corporation is a reference to the Assassin's Creed movie, which, at the time of the first issue's release, was being filmed in Malta.Anouk Bachman's Twitter
;Etymology
The name is a French feminine diminutive of , which is derived from an old Germanic element meaning "free man". "" is a Spanish surname meaning "of the cross". Charlotte shared her surname, de la Cruz, with a Renaissance-era Spanish courtesan who became an Assassin, Flora.
==Gallery==
AC Comic Charlotte de la Cruz.jpg|Sketch of Charlotte
File:AC Charlotte cropped.jpg|Charlotte in her Assassin outfit
Charlotte's Helix.png|Charlotte using the Helix
Charlotte de la Cruz jumps.png|Charlotte escaping her apartment
Charlottedelacruzuncle.png|A young Charlotte seeing her uncle in the hospital
Juno's Death.PNG|Charlotte killing Juno
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Assassins 
*Assassin's Creed: Heresy 
*Assassin's Creed: Uprising
*Assassin's Creed: Odyssey 
==References==
Category:1992 births
Category:2018 deaths
Category:Individuals
Category:Americans
Category:Bankers
Category:Assassins
Category:American Assassins
Category:Individuals with the Bleeding Effect
Category:Individuals with Eagle Vision
Category:Ciphers
es:Charlotte de la Cruz
fr:Charlotte de la Cruz
it:Charlotte de la Cruz
ru:Шарлотта де ла Круз
zh:夏洛特·德·拉·克鲁兹