American Brotherhood of Assassins

Kingdom of France

Continental Army

Sons of Liberty

United States

Templars (1777 - 1778)

The **American Brotherhood of Assassins**, originally the **Colonial Brotherhood of Assassins**, is the branch of the Assassin Order that operates in the United States of America and in Canada. Founded in 1746 by Achilles Davenport, the last apprentice of the West Indies Brotherhood Mentor Ah Tabai, as a guild in what was then the British colonies of continental North America, it was initially based at the Davenport Homestead in Massachusetts.

Despite a productive start cultivating an alliance with New France and various indigenous peoples, the Colonial Brotherhood collapsed calamitously in the French and Indian War at the hands of the Colonial Rite of the Templar Order. Led by Grand Master Haytham Kenway, the Colonial Rite nearly eradicated the Colonial Brotherhood to the last man thanks to the defection of Shay Cormac, sparing only Achilles but leaving him a cripple.

For the next decades, the Colonial Brotherhood would languish as an essentially defunct branch while the Templars consolidated their hold over the British colonies unopposed. This changed dramatically with the appearance of the young Kanien'kehá:ka Ratonhnhaké:ton at the prelude to the American Revolution. Ratonhnhaké:ton, reviving some measure of hope within Achilles, became his new apprentice, setting the stage for the revival of the guild.

During the American Revolutionary War, Ratonhnhaké:ton actively supported the revolutionaries' bid for independence. Like Shay before him, his sole activities were enough to destroy the Colonial Rite, as he managed to assassinate each of the leading members of the Colonial Rite, even his father Haytham. In the meantime, his participation in the battles alongside the Continental Army was instrumental in some of their victories, but he did so under the flawed assumption that the Patriots would support the autonomy of his people in return.

After the revolution, the guild was rechristened as the American Brotherhood and continued to expand alongside the United States, involving itself in key events such as the American Civil War and World War II. In the aftermath of the latter conflict, the American Brotherhood, like the greater Assassin Brotherhood, revised its millennia-old methods to conform with the emergence of a new era in international politics. For the next half century, assassinations of Templars diminished, and the covert war was waged primarily by proxy through the support of social movements and manipulation of elections.

Nevertheless, lethal operations persisted sporadically, such as in the Templars' assassination of John F. Kennedy, and some Assassins insisted on living in isolation off-the-grid, as was the case with William Miles and his family in a compound called The Farm in South Dakota.

In 2000, around the time that the Assassins failed to ensure a presidential victory of Al Gore over George W. Bush, the American Assassin Daniel Cross killed the Mentor in Dubai, having been engineered as a sleeper agent by the Templars. His subsequent retreat to Templars, divulging his knowledge of Assassin bases all across the world, set off the Great Purge which reduced the American Brotherhood to a fraction of its former strength.

Despite this, critical successes followed when a cell consisting of Shaun Hastings, Rebecca Crane, William Miles, and William's son Desmond, foiled the Templars Eye-Abstergo plot to dominate the world and saved Earth from the Second Disaster on 21 December 2012 by unlocking the secrets of the Isu from the Grand Temple in Turin, New York.

## History

### Establishment

*"I have sent similar letters of friendship across the known world. For I believe that we are growing ever more connected, day by day. If my Brotherhood is to succeed, we will need allies from all empires, of all genders, of all races, who believe in the same thing: The Creed."*
―excerpt from Achilles Davenport's invitation letter, 1746.
Ah Tabai, the Mentor of the Caribbean Assassins, was known to have had several contacts with Assassins in the British colonies. Around 1740, Ah Tabai sent Achilles Davenport, the last of his apprentices, to establish a guild in the British colonies of continental North America. There, Achilles met John de la Tour, an Acadian Assassin operating on behalf of the Parisian Brotherhood's Assassin Council. De la Tour was attempting to build a network of information which would help identify threats against the colonies, and he theorized that the New World would contain various Precursor sites and artifacts.

During the Battle of Louisbourg in 1745, de la Tour sacrificed himself to save Achilles from the attack British troops. Before leaving Achilles and his lover Abigail behind, de la Tour named him Mentor and entrusted him with the establishment of the Colonial Brotherhood.

The following year, Achilles honored de la Tour's last command and officially founded the Colonial Brotherhood. Under his direction, the Davenport Homestead was built, serving as the headquarters of the Brotherhood. In less than a year, he was able to gain allies among the English and French colonists as well as the indigenous peoples. To facilitate the expansion of his guild, he sent offer letters to Assassin allies and guilds across the globe. During this period, the Colonial Brotherhood maintained regular correspondence with other guilds, including the British, Caribbean, French, Spanish, and Saint-Dominigue Brotherhoods. Additionally, they had allies in Stockholm.

With the help of Liam O'Brien, Achilles' protégé who had already become his first disciple in 1743 prior to the guild's founding, Achilles managed to induct several prominent members into the Brotherhood. Among the first was Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye, a French naval commander who had strong connections with the French Army. Through de la Vérendrye, the Assassins gained allies among smugglers as well as pirates. Le Chasseur, an informative spy, became acquainted with the Brotherhood at this point, lending his aid in their efforts.

Another recruit was Kesegowaase, a Wolastoqiyik mercenary whose influence allowed the Assassins the support of several warriors, hunters and scouts, further strengthening their forces. Hope Jensen was recruited in 1747 and tasked with creating a network of organized crime in New York, with her gangs soon spread out across the city.

By 1748, Shay Cormac, a former sailor and childhood friend of Liam, was inducted for his knowledge of seamanship, and in time became renowned as the second best sailor in the Colonial Brotherhood. Later that year, Achilles extended an invitation to join the Order to Maria van Antwerpen, however, she declined due to her commitment to serving the Dutch Army.

The Colonial Brotherhood was aided by the French Council, who by 1749, had constructed a ship named the *Aquila* which was primarily meant to serve as the Assassins' naval fleet. Around 1750, Achilles served as captain of the *Aquila,* during which he subsequently rescued Robert Faulkner, a veteran sailor; grateful for his help, Faulkner offered his services in creating a shipping route which would connect the Colonial Brotherhood with the European branches of the Order, with the aid of de la Vérendrye.

In 1751, Faulkner began investigating two shipping companies the Levesque and L'Isle families, suspecting that they were affiliated with the Templar Order. By 1753, Faulkner was appointed quartermaster of the *Aquila.* Around this point, the Assassins expanded their forces out to the open sea, with several of their Order captaining ships in the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1751, Miko, a member of the British branch of the Order, wrote a letter to Achilles, in which he stated his approval of the Colonial Brotherhood, while simultaneously giving Achilles a warning of the threat the British Rite of the Templar Order posed to the American colonies. Achilles also received a letter from Rhona Dinsmore, detailing that she had been seduced by Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer. Rafael managed to steal several Yucatán Peninsula maps which held the location of the Chichen Itza Temples. Rhona requested that Achilles eliminate Rafael if he was given the opportunity.

### Precursor search

#### Tracking the artifacts

The same year, François Mackandal, Mentor of the Haitian Brotherhood, came into possession of two First Civilization artifacts, the Precursor box and manuscript. With both artifacts in hand, the Assassins were able to pinpoint the locations of several First Civilization temples, including one in Port-au-Prince. Vendredi, one of Mackandal's pupils, was sent to investigate the site, but indirectly triggered a defense system, which caused a massive earthquake to occur. Vendredi himself was caught under falling debris while attempting to escape the temple, and approached by the Master Templar, Lawrence Washington, who took possession of the artifacts and slit Vendredi's throat.

With both artifacts in the Templars' possession, the Assassins worked to reclaim them. In 1752, Achilles assigned his Assassins to locate them. In the same year, Shay and Liam had been assigned a mission to aid de la Vérendrye and his men. However, the group was ambushed by British soldiers, with some smugglers being taken has hostages. While de la Vérendrye tended to his troops, Liam and Shay infiltrated the enemy camp, saving the hostages. With the threat dealt with, the Assassins gained a ship called the *Morrigan,* which Shay commandeered as his personal vessel, strengthening the Assassins' naval capabilities.

In March 1752, Achilles assigned Shay to locate the artifacts stolen by the Templars. As Shay, Liam, and de la Vérendrye met with Le Chasseur, they've learned Lawrence Washington was supposedly in possession of them. The Assassins traveled to Mount Vernon to intercept a package meant for Washington, which contained a prototype air rifle, rather than First Civilization artifacts. Shay claimed the weapon and subsequently infiltrated Washington's manor, just as the Precursor box and Voynich manuscript were entrusted to the Templars Samuel Smith and James Wardrop. Following the meeting, Shay assassinated Washington and escaped.

In 1754, the Assassins hired a group of mercenaries to steal a chest owned by the Templar William Johnson, containing his research on the First Civilization sites in the region. A group of Templars led by the newly arrived Haytham Kenway attacked the fort where the research was being held and recovered it. Before departing, Haytham warned a surviving mercenary to inform his masters their time was over.

#### Disaster in Lisbon

By May of that year, the Assassins located Samuel Smith after his return from Europe, tracking him down and pursuing his ship, the *Equitas*, to the island of Terra Nova. Heading ashore, Shay managed to assassinate Smith and reclaim the Precursor box. Two months later, James Wardrop had been located in Albany during the Congress taking place there, and was assassinated in Fort Frederick. Following his death, the Assassins recovered the manuscript, and enlisted the help of Benjamin Franklin in order to figure out how to operate the Precursor box. After recovering Franklin's confiscated tools, Shay and Hope helped him to conduct an experiment, which powered the Precursor box and caused it to project a holographic display of the globe with several First Civilization temples marked on it, including one in Lisbon, Portugal.

The following year, Achilles lost his wife Abigail and son Connor to typhoid fever, weakening his resolve. Later, the Assassins devised their next move at Two Bends; Achilles tasked Shay with traveling to Lisbon to retrieve the Piece of Eden located within the temple.

With Liam occupied, Shay reached Lisbon in November. Upon arriving, he entered the Carmo Convent and successfully activated the mechanisms to open a hidden vault beneath the structure, locating the Piece of Eden. Upon touching the artifact, Shay indirectly triggered a massive earthquake. He narrowly managed to escape with his own life, but the earthquake took the lives of thousands of innocents.

#### Shay's betrayal

    Suspecting that Achilles had plotted the destruction of Lisbon, Shay returned to the Davenport Homestead and angrily confronted his Mentor, holding him responsible for the destructive earthquake. Achilles protested his ignorance, but the two failed to mollify their tempers, and Shay was expelled from the study. After some contemplation, Shay infiltrated the Homestead and stole the Manuscript in the belief this would deprive the Assassins of the means to destroy further cities, only to be confronted by Achilles. Violence ensued when the two failed once again to communicate, and Shay was thrown out a window.

Immediately, Achilles called for the other Assassins to apprehend Shay as he attempted to make his escape. De la Vérendrye, using this as an excuse for to attempt to kill Shay, launched mortars on the Homestead, eventually driving Shay to be cornered near a cliff. Though Hope attempted to appeal to him, Shay refused and was shot by de la Vérendrye, causing him to fall into the water. Though thought to have perished, Shay was rescued by Colonel George Monro, a high ranking member of the Templar Order.

The same year, the Assassins hired Benjamin Franklin for producing new weapons and toxic gases with the intention to poison the population of New York. Their plans were canceled by the Templars and Shay Cormac, which at this moment, didn't know he worked with his former enemies.

In August 1757, after the Siege of Fort William Henry, a group led by Kesegowaase ambushed George Monro and his unit by Shay arrived to protect him and successfully escaped from his former allies. At this moment, the Assassins learned that Shay was alive and he became a target.

Later that year, the Assassins with the French Army attacked an Oneida village who was friendly with the British Army. Shay and the British Army saved the village. In November, Kesegowaase and Liam with an army, stormed Albany. At this moment Monro prepared the defense of the city and Shay gave him the manuscript to be sure it was in safe hands. Kesegowaase assaulted the fort but was killed by Shay with a Puckle gun. During he battle, Liam mortally wounded Monro, stole the manuscript and left the Templar in a house in flame.

In October 1759, Achilles, Liam, Hope and de la Vérendrye were reunited in New York and prepared the expedition for the next Precursor site. Hope promised she could reproduce Benjamin Franklin's experiment. Shay, who listened to the reunion, informed the Templars, who then organized a heist, which involved the gangs, to alert the authorities. When the authorities were alerted by this heist, they stormed Hope's mansion. During the battle, Hope and Liam used the box and manuscript and they found the next Temple, in the Arctic. Liam left the manor with the two artifacts. Hope shot Shay who was spying behind a window, took his gas mask and tried to poison him. The former Assassin escaped from this trap but received a poison dart thrown by Hope. Trying to catch up on Hope while trying to stay alive, Shay killed her and drank the antidote. In her last moment Hope didn't blame Shay for killing her, as she knew she gave Liam enough time to flee New York.

#### Confrontation in the Arctic

Achilles and Liam went to the Arctic with the manuscript in the search of the Temple. In the same time de la Vérendrye hid the Precursor box and served as a distraction for leading Shay on a wrong lead in the North Atlantic. The *Morrigan* and the *Gerfaut* engaged a naval combat in a blizzard. The Templar's sloop incapacitated the Assassin's Man O'War and Shay defeated de la Vérendrye during the assault. Shay discovered that Achilles and Liam were already in the North and de la Vérendrye taunted him with the fact that he made "a good distraction." Shay then threw the captain in the cold water.

In March 1760, Achilles and Liam arrived in the Arctic with a group of Assassins. The two last leaders of the Colonial branch enter in the cold cave. In the same time the *Morrigan* arrived. Haytham Kenway and Shay infiltrated the Assassins lines where Liam and Achilles found the artifact. Liam tried to take the artifact, only for Achilles to stop him after realizing Shay had been right all along. At this moment, Shay and Haytham arrived and confronted the two Assassins. After a brief argument, Liam tried to shoot Shay but Achilles prevented him in the heat of the moment, Liam dropped the artifact which triggered a seismic event. The Templars and Assassins ran to the exit. During the escape, Liam and Shay fought and they fell in a waterfall. Liam was mortally wounded and blamed Shay for his treason. Shay replied that he wanted to save the world. In his last breath, Liam hoped it was a good one. Shay took the manuscript off the corpse of his old friend. After this, Haytham and Achilles fought and the Templar disarmed the Assassin and was ready to kill him. At the moment, Shay demanded to show mercy to his former Mentor, if he died the Assassins would continue to search the Temple. Haytham accepted but he shot Achilles in the right shin, leaving him crippled for life, at the expense of never forgetting what happens.

### Decline

After the events at the Arctic Temple, the Templars began a massive purge against the Colonial Assassins. In 1763, the Templars launched an attack on the Assassins in the colonies and the Brotherhood was all but destroyed. All members of the chapter were hunted down and killed, except for Achilles, who was captured and tried by the Templars. However, confident that they had broken his spirit, the Templars set Achilles free on the condition that he abandon the Assassins' cause and live quietly in his manor. Five years later, the Templars destroyed the *Aquila,* and the first mate Robert Faulkner had the ship towed into the Homestead's bay.

### Revival

In 1769, the Kanien'kehá:ka boy Ratonhnhaké:ton, Haytham's son, was directed by Juno to join the Assassins. He convinced Achilles to begin training him after preventing mercenaries from seizing the Davenport Manor, and after a year of training - including how to captain the *Aquila* with Faulkner as his first mate - Ratonhnhaké:ton joined the Brotherhood. He also invited citizens like Godfrey, Terry and Lance O'Donnell to live and work on the Homestead, providing materials and crafting equipment he would need.

By 1773, Ratonhnhaké:ton, who had adopted the name of Connor upon Achilles' suggestion, began to recruit locals and immigrants into the Order, starting with Stephane Chapheau - a chef from Boston during the time that William Johnson and his men exorbitantly taxed the people of the city. Both Chapheau and Connor participated in the Boston Tea Party, where they deprived the Colonial Templars of certain funding.

He also recruited Duncan Little and Clipper Wilkinson, after helping them respectively stop a gang terrorizing North Boston and forceful military drafters. Following this, Connor sent his men to stir up rebellion in other colonies, staging tea parties in New Jersey and Maryland.

In July 1774, Connor assassinated Johnson who had found other ways to finance the purchase of Iroquois' territories. Connor learned that the Templars wanted to protect the Iroquois from the colonists. The Assassins discovered a letter from the British Major and Templar John Pitcairn who asked to destroy the Patriots weapons and powder.

### American Revolution

#### Igniting the Revolutionary War

In April 1775, the Assassins believed that Pitcairn wanted to kill Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Connor went to Lexington with Paul Revere to warn them and prepared to defense of the city. During the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Connor led the Patriots against the British regulars of Pitcairn. The Templar fled the battle after heavy losses. After the beginning of the American Revolution, the Continental Army besieged Boston and during the Battle of Bunker Hill, Connor killed Pitcairn. In his last moment he revealed that he didn't want to kill Adams and Hancock but negotiated the peace. On his body, Connor found a letter which ordered the assassination of George Washington.

With the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, the Assassins primarily sided with the Patriots. Initially, they aided in the capture of Fort St-Jean, but soon recognized the people of Quebec did not want independence and worked to prevent the misguided generals Richard Montgomery and William Thompson from conquering Canada. The Assassins also worked to relieve Boston during the city's siege, providing food and protection for civilians while helping Henry Knox transport artillery to Dorchester Heights, ending the British occupation of the city.

In July 1776, Connor went to New York to kill the Templar Thomas Hickey, who was tasked to assassinate Washington. During the chase Connor and Hickey were arrested and send to the Bridewell Prison. In the prison, Connor was charged by the Templars for the plot to kill George Washington. Achilles and the Assassins went to New York to save Connor on the day of his execution. One of the Assassins fired an arrow, helping to sever the noose, which later allowed Connor to escape and assassinate Hickey. Connor, who suspected another plot to kill Washington, wanted to warn the Commander about the existence of the Assassins and the Templars. But Achilles refused believing it would weaken Washington and the Continental Army. Afterwards, the city fell to the British despite the Assassins' help in winning the Battle of Harlem Heights.

Around this time, Connor visited and aided Jacob Zenger in ending martial law, and stopped a conspiracy to spread smallpox in the area damaged by the Great Fire with Jamie Colley, further assisting Deborah Carter in riddling the countryside of a Templar merchant hoarding food supplies to later sell them at inflated prices; as a result, the Brotherhood was strengthened greatly by these three recruits.

#### Broken alliances

    In 1777, Connor left the Homestead to go to Valley Forge and reveal the Assassin-Templar War to Washington. But in the encampment, Connor was tasked by Washington to find missing supplies stolen by the Templar Benjamin Church. During his investigation, the Assassin met his father, who also tracked Church for betraying the Templar Order. The father and the son established a truce and killed Church in Martinique.

In July 1778, Connor broke ties with Washington, after his father revealed that Washington ordered the attack on Connor's village which led to his mother's death, but also a new attack. Connor also broke the truce with Haytham because his father had hidden the truth about his mother's death all along. Connor killed the Continental's messengers and stopped the Kanien'kehá:ka before the conflict could begin. But Connor had to kill his friend Kanen'tó:kon, who was manipulated by the Templar Charles Lee. During the Battle of Monmouth, Connor helped the Continental Army to fold after Lee sabotaged their defenses.

#### Last stand against the Templars

Few days later, the Assassins killed George Dorrance after learning he was responsible for displacing several Iroquois villages. Regardless, the Assassins continued to aid the Patriots as the war shifted to southern colonies like North Carolina and Georgia. They became particularly wary of a dangerous cavalry officer named Banastre Tarleton, and did everything they could to protect American officers who risked engaging him in battle.

The Assassins also remained active up north. Connor aided the French Navy in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781, allowing him to enlist their help in the attack on Fort George in New York. Later, Connor returned to the Homestead so Dr. White could tend to the wounded sailors. At the manor, he found Achilles had passed away after writing a letter to Connor. The latter stated that all of Achilles' property would go to Connor, and that his appearance in the old man's life had given him great hope for the future of the new nation that Connor had helped create. After his funeral service, Connor and the homestead residents buried Achilles next to his wife and son, to be remembered as the "Old Man on the Hill." Subsequently, Connor hung up a painting that Achilles had stashed away because it had brought him painful memories - it turned out to be a portrait of his late family.

In New York, Stephane, Deborah, Duncan and Jacob came to aid the Marquis de Lafayette in clearing the tunnels to the fort where Lee was hiding. In the fort, Connor was injured by the bombardment. He met Haytham who informed him that Lee had fled and he began to fight his son.

After a duel between the two, Haytham held Connor by the throat and began to strangle him. Partway through a speech about Connor's hopeless goals, his son stabbed him in the throat. In his dying words, Haytham stated that he was, in a way, proud of Connor, and that he should have killed him long before.

Thereafter, Connor recovered Haytham's journal and read of his father's tragic childhood and lifetime of betrayal, also discovering that he had saved Connor's life: Haytham was the one who threw a knife at the hangman's noose during Connor's execution, fully severing the rope after Connor's apprentices had fired an arrow and weakened it.

Connor's apprentices were also sent to Yorktown, where they infiltrated and sabotaged British fortifications to ensure a relatively quick surrender with limited casualties.

The following year, Connor confronted Lee, but was immediately captured due to his injuries. Lee, enraged by Haytham's death, declared that he would keep Connor alive so the latter could watch Lee destroy everything he had ever loved. Charles then left, ordering the guards to do with Connor as they wished, to which they began beating him. On his escape, Connor boarded a prison ship stealthily, and learned that Lee was in Boston before killing the leading officer on board.

In Boston, Connor found Charles at the docks, who ran upon seeing him, ensuing in a chase that led to a ship under construction, which had caught on fire as a result of an accident. While Connor caught up to Lee in the vessel's interior, the ferry collapsed, causing more injury upon Connor.

Charles, however, recovered and asked why Connor continued to fight despite being turned on at every point, even by the very men he sought to save. Connor replied, yelling "Because no one else will!" and shot Lee in the stomach. Wounded, Lee escaped the burning ferry.

Limping to a harbormaster, Connor learned that Lee had fled to Monmouth. There, Connor found Lee at the Last Drink Inn, still bleeding but drinking silently. Upon spotting Connor, Lee offered Connor his drink, which Connor accepted. The two sat together for a while, observing the patrons.

In the end, Lee looked over at Connor, and nodded slightly. This signaled Connor to stab Lee in the heart, killing him once and for all. Soon after, Connor retrieved the key to the Grand Temple from Lee's body, before setting him down on the table like a patron who had simply had too much to drink, to which the Assassin promptly left.

### Post-American Revolution

#### Rebuilding the Order

After the resolution of the American Revolutionary War, Connor shifted his efforts towards strengthening the Colonial Brotherhood, in order to bolster the Assassins' presence of the newly liberated colonies.

With this in mind, Connor attempted to recruit Patience Gibbs into the Assassin Order, a marooned slave leader who escaped from her former master, the Templar doctor Edmund Judge. However, Patience's stubborn attitude proved too difficult for Connor to handle, to which he later asked his fellow Brother Aveline de Grandpré from New Orleans to assist, due to her familiarity with and reputation for liberating slaves. While an arduous process, Aveline succeeded in this affair, leading to the assassination of Judge and Patience's agreement to join the Assassin Brotherhood, following which the pair traveled to Connor's manor on the Davenport Homestead.

In March 1804, Connor sent a request to Eseosa, a member of the Haitian Brotherhood, to receive additional training for his role in the oncoming revolution. He willingly accepted this offer and traveled to the Davenport Homestead.

### California Gold Rush

In 1852, during the California Gold Rush, an American Assassin robbed the carriage transporting pioneer John Sutter while it was traveling through the Great Basin Desert. Launching herself aboard the carriage, the Assassin killed the driver and confronted Sutter at gunpoint, telling him that the Maidu people whom he had enslaved and forced to mine the gold in his carriage for him wanted it back. At that moment, the Assassin noticed a gunman in the distance and shot him before he had the chance to shoot at her.

### American Civil War

In 1863, an Assassin by the name of Varius operated in New York City. His Mentor instructed him to steal a Dagger of Eden hidden at the Aztec Club and deliver it to General Ulysses S. Grant. Varius successfully recovered the Piece of Eden, but was later attacked by Cudgel Cormac, who injured Varius and nearly got hold of the artifact. However, thanks to Varius' recruit Eliza, the dagger managed to reach General Grant.

On 14 April 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by Templar-affiliate John Wilkes Booth. After Lincoln's assassination, the Assassins hunted down and killed Booth.

### Modern times

#### Palmer Raids

In 1919, several members of the Assassin Brotherhood infiltrated the Bureau of Investigation and took up employment as agents, using the agency's network and government jurisdiction to further the Assassins' cause. During the Palmer Raids, the Assassins' position in the BOI secured the safe deportation of Anna and Nadya Orelov back to their home country of Russia.

#### Jazz Age

During the Jazz Age, an unidentified American Assassin operated in the United States. This Assassin interacted with several prominent figures of the time, including Ernest Hemingway, Francis Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein.

#### Showdown with Nikolai Orelov

In 1926, the Assassins helped the Russian Assassin Sergei locate the Assassin deserter Nikolai Orelov in the Connecticut wilderness. However, Sergei was ultimately killed by Nikolai.

In 1928, a team of Assassins went after Nikolai and his son, Innokenti. Upon arrival, the Assassins attempted to enter Nikolai and Innokenti's cabin. However, when one of them attempted to open a window, the cabin exploded, having been rigged with explosives. Afterward, the remaining five Assassins went into the woods in order to track down Nikolai and Innokenti. One of the Assassins suggested to check back in with the Bureau, to which another Assassin remarked that this was above Hoover's head and that they were answerable to the Brotherhood. After remarking that he refused to tell the Brotherhood that one old man managed to kill half his team, the leader of the Assassin group stated that he was not taking any more chances.

Upon tracking down Nikolai and Innokenti's makeshift camp, the leader told the group to not rush in and set off another bomb as well as instructing them that he wanted Nikolai and Innokenti alive and that, if they saw them, they had to shoot to maim. However, shortly after finding a trail of blood, one of the Assassins was shot in the head from the trees. Spreading out and searching the area, two of the Assassins followed the blood trail to a fallen tree, thinking that Innokenti was hiding there. However, it turned out to be a trap, as they discovered that the blood belonged to a dead rabbit. At that moment, Nikolai jumped on top of them from a nearby tree, impaling the throat of one Assassin with his Hidden Blade and slitting the throat of the other with his knife.

However, another Assassin was nearby and started shooting at Nikolai, managing to hit him in his right leg. upon running out of bullets, the Assassin began to fight with Nikolai. Although Nikolai managed to break his nose, the Assassin managed to overpower Nikolai and held him at gunpoint with his own rifle, remarking that, despite his orders to bring Nikolai in alive, he personally would have preferred top put him out of his misery. However, the Assassin was then stabbed in the neck by Innokenti, who managed to sneak up on him from behind.

Later on, the last remaining Assassin managed to track down Nikolai and Innokenti while the two were trying to get down a cliff by sliding down a makeshift zipline. After Innokenti had slid down the zipline using Nikolai's rifle, the Assassin shot Nikolai as he was preparing to follow his son. Approaching the wounded Nikolai, the Assassin told him that he would take him to the Washington safehouse, where Nikolai was going to tell them everything he knew about the message he received from the Imperial Sceptre during the Tunguska explosion, remarking that the artifact's message was intended for the Brotherhood, rather than for Nikolai alone.

The Assassin stated that he was willing to leave Innokenti alone and warned Nikolai not to make him change his mind, remarking that he knew that the boy had not gotten far. However, Nikolai replied that Innokenti was worth ten of him, remarking that the Assassin would never find him. The Assassin then yelled out to Innokenti and revealed that his sister Nadya was still alive, living in Russia with a husband and child of her own. After Nikolai stated that he was lying, the Assassin revealed that the Brotherhood had arranged for Anna and Nadya's safe deportation and remarked that the Brotherhood looked after its own. When Innokenti emerged from hiding, Nikolai insisted that what the Assassin said was not true and told Innokenti not to listen to him. Nikolai then told Innokenti to "be strong," which prompted Innokenti to reluctantly shoot his father and the Assassin, killing them both.

#### World War II

During World War II, United States Army Colonel and Assassin Boris Pash attempted to uncover the secret behind the Nazi atomic project, the Uranprojekt, which was overseen by Nazi General and Templar Gero Kramer. However, all the Assassins sent by Pash were eventually unmasked and killed by Kramer, prompting Pash to devise a plan to send an Assassin who would be unaware of the fact that they were an Assassin.

Sometime before 1940, Pash recruited Robert Burton, a spy who had been tasked to infiltrate the organization of London criminal "Jack Turpin," in fact an SS officer and spy named Otto Hammerstein, into the Assassin Brotherhood. Acting as Pash's mole, Burton would keep him informed of Hammerstein's activities. On 7 September 1940, Pash learned that Hammerstein tried to recruit the docker Eddie Gorm in order to steal the research of French scientists refugied in London. Investigating Eddie's background, Pash discovered that the former war hero was unknowingly the descendant of an Assassin bloodline. Pash then decided to use the opportunity to finally have a spy of the Brotherhood able to reach Kramer and approached Eddie with another Assassin, Lieutenant Julia Dusk, trying to convince Gorm to accept Hammerstein's offer and work for the Allies as a double-agent. However, Eddie was reluctant to help them. As they were arguing, an armada of German planes attacked London and a bomb hit Eddie's house, killing his widowed sister-in-law, Maria, and her two children, Justine and Paul. Distraught, Eddie drowned his sorrows in alcohol until Pash and Dusk found him one week later and convinced him to accept their offer.

Over the course of two years, Eddie incorporated himself into the SS. During this time, Julia Dusk became his contact in Berlin. By 1942, Eddie had become a trusted defector and officer in the SS, the "Unterstumfurher." Eddie stabbed Hammerstein and succeeded in taking Heisenberg hostage, threatening to kill him with his Luger if they did not let them leave the room. Eddie questioned Heisenberg he confessed that was kept hidden in Norway, in Vemork, a hydroelectric plant, a project which involved the construction of a device called "Die Glocke."

Soldiers burst into the room and Eddie was forced to flee. Fortunately, Julia jumped into the room through a window and saved Eddie from the soldiers, although she ended up getting hit by a bullet while the two were fleeing the building. Meeting with Pash outside, the three of them entered a getaway vehicle and escaped. While on the way to a hideout in the city, Eddie recognized the vehicle's driver, Robert Burton, Hammerstein's henchmen, and tried to strangle him. However, Eddie stopped when Pash revealed that Burton was one of his agents. After arriving at the hideout, Burton treated the injury of an unconscious Julia while Pash revealed to Eddie that they were Assassins and that Eddie himself was descended from a long line of Assassins. Upon learning this, Eddie decided o become an Assassin and joined the Brotherhood.

In the months that followed, Eddie was initiated into the Brotherhood and trained by Pash, becoming a full-fledged Assassin. On 27 February 1943, Eddie was parachuted into Vemork, eliminated the SS guards and infiltrated the building. When he entered the heart of the factory, Kramer, whom Eddie now knew to be a Templar, was waiting for him, seated in the machine and armed with a machete. Kramer ultimately overpowered Eddie by grabbing him by his throat and lifting him off the ground until he lost consciousness.

As he regained consciousness, Eddie was tied by Kramer to the machine chair, which had been designed by Nikola Tesla. Kramer explained that the machine, coupled with electric Tesla coils, a heavy water reactor designed by the French scientists whom Eddie helped abduct in London in 1940 and an Apple of Eden, was capable of exploring the past of the connected individual. Kramer then revealed his goal of using Eddie's genetic memory, which contained an important line of Assassins, to locate other Pieces of Eden. As Tesla started the machine, Eddie screamed in pain.

#### Post-World War II

In 1977, Assassin William Miles was pursued by Templar agents in Moscow after he had stolen the plans for the Animus. After being rescued by a fellow member of the Brotherhood, Medeya Voronina, William gave her the blueprints and requested she build it before the Templars could. When Medeya asked how she would be able to contact him, William stated she was to meet him at the spot she had saved him, between the old and new zoos, on the night of a full moon, assuring her that he would know whether she had been there. William then departed to meet another Assassin cell in the city.

By 1987, an Assassin compound known as "The Farm" was located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, outside of Rapid City. The community consisted of William Miles and his wife, as well as some 30 other individuals, not all of whom may have been active members of the Assassin Brotherhood. That year, the Miles' son, Desmond, was born. Along with other children at the Farm, Desmond was trained under William's supervision, which proved to be extremely intense, often scaring him.

During the late 1990s, the Assassins and Templars were engaged in a solely political war for the Presidency, with the Assassins supporting candidate Al Gore and the Templars using George W. Bush as their puppet.

#### Finding Daniel Cross

In 1998, during a night out in a Philadelphia bar, the Assassin Hannah Mueller noticed a drunken Daniel Cross muttering strange words, and caught him speaking the word "Templar." Witnessing Daniel, suffering from the Bleeding Effect, pronounce a passerby to be a Templar and ready a knife to kill him, Hannah intervened, reprimanding him for calling attention to himself, and put him in a backseat of her car. While driving to her Assassin camp, located outside Philadelphia, she revealed to him that he was an Assassin.

    The following morning, Hannah woke Daniel after he had fallen asleep in her cabin, and told him that they could not find his name listed on any of the Assassin camps, though Daniel had no idea what she was talking about. She took him to meet the camp's director Paul Bellamy, who began asking where he had received his training, and what his responsibilities as an Assassin were. Daniel, however, was confused about the situation he was in, and could not provide any answers. Paul asked Daniel to show them his arm, where he had a tattoo of the Assassin insignia, though Daniel was not aware of what the symbol meant, saying it only "looked cool" and "felt right." Showing Daniel his ring with the Assassin insignia, Paul asked him once again about his identity, at which point Daniel experienced a vision from the past.

As Daniel relived the genetic memories of his ancestor, Nikolai Orelov, Paul recognized the language he was speaking as Russian, and caught him mentioning "Tunguska." Paul asked Daniel about the visions, and knew he was somehow connected to the Assassin Order, though Daniel showed no evidence of knowing the Order even existed.

Daniel, unsettled by his continued hallucinations, chose not to cooperate, and stormed off to leave the camp. As two Assassins tried to stop him, Daniel attacked them both, managing to incapacitate them easily. However, Paul pulled him off and held his Hidden Blade to Daniel's throat, effectively subduing him.

As Daniel was incarcerated in one of the camp's cabins, Paul proceeded to contact William Miles, asking him for information about Tunguska. William collected information regarding Daniel's ancestry and Tunguska, managing to find out that a team of Assassins had been sent there in 1908 to retrieve a Staff of Eden, the Imperial Sceptre, but only one of them had survived: Nikolai Orelov, Daniel's great-grandfather.

Later that day, Hannah entered Daniel's cabin and found him stressed, expressing his concerns about sanity, and pleading with her to let him get his medication from his apartment. Hannah reluctantly gave in to his request, and handed him a white hooded jacket, so that he could blend in with the other Assassins as they left the camp.

As Hannah was complaining about Daniel's filthy apartment, Daniel searched through his cupboards looking for his medication. After he found that there was none left, Hannah tried to comfort him by saying that the Assassins could help him if he let them.

She told him about her history with the Assassins, and that their Mentor intended for "their guy" to win that year's presidential election. Daniel noted that he kept seeing a strangely shaped object during his "visions" which he then drew for her on the fog on his window. Hannah quickly recognized the shape to be one of the Staves of Eden.

Suddenly, Paul burst into the apartment. After reprimanding Hannah for defying his orders, Paul's attention quickly turned to Daniel. He spoke gently to Daniel that he wasn't safe in his apartment and that he had to tell them what had happened to his great-grandfather. However, at the mention of Nikolai's name, Daniel experienced yet another vision. Paul urged Daniel to let them know what was going through his head, only to receive a right-hook from Daniel.

Daniel fled the apartment and made his way onto the rooftops, all while continuing to see the events of 1908 transpire his mind. He was pursued by both Paul and Hannah, who implored him to come down with them. As his vision reached its climax, Daniel's mind was flooded with a wide array of images; an Apple, Nikola Tesla, Eden, and his own birth. He then collapsed to the floor, but was hurriedly cradled by Hannah. Daniel assured her that he was all right, saying that he had finally found its purpose, that he had to find the Mentor.

#### Daniel's quest

Over the next two years, Daniel, with Hannah always by his side, supporting him, searched the globe for clues to the Mentor's whereabouts, visiting several Assassin camps in the process. At each location, he appealed to his fellow Assassins for their support and guidance. At some point, Daniel met William personally, who believed his sincerity. On November 5, 2000, Daniel finally got his wish.

While refreshing himself in his room, Daniel was accosted by at least two masked individuals who, after a brief struggle, managed to inject a sedative into Daniel's neck. The following day, he awoke to find himself in the Mentor's facility in Dubai.

Although firstly unsure to where he was, Daniel quickly worked out the identity of the man he was speaking with. Daniel learned that his progress had been watched carefully by the Mentor, who knew about Daniel's visions, and saw him as a unique asset to the Order.

The Mentor then explained how the title of "Mentor," as well as the sum total of the Mentors' knowledge, was passed on from each predecessor. He further went on to explain how the Order itself had changed its way of operating, and no longer simply killed those who had become too powerful or greedy.

The Mentor then passed on his own Hidden Blade to Daniel, commenting on how the weapons were mostly ceremonial in the modern era, but still in working condition. As soon as the blade was given to him, Daniel felt as if he was made to use it. However, unbeknownst to the Assassins, Daniel had been experimented on by Abstergo as a child, with Warren Vidic inserting a hidden impulse that would drive Daniel to kill the Mentor if he were ever presented with the opportunity.

As such, when Daniel put the Hidden Blade upon his forearm, he suddenly recalled the impulse and, in a split moment, acted upon it and murdered the Mentor. He immediately regretted his actions, unsure of why exactly he had done such a thing. Upon hearing voices from outside the room and driven by guilt and confusion, Daniel leapt through the glass windows of the building, and into the sea below. He then began to make his way to the only place he felt would welcome him and keep him safe, Abstergo.

#### Great Purge

On November 21, Daniel eventually made his way back to the Abstergo research facility in Philadelphia. As soon as he arrived there, Daniel demanded that he be returned to the Animus; though it was only after an attack on an unfortunate secretary that Warren Vidic became convinced of his urgency. Daniel was placed into the Animus to freely explore the memories of his ancestor, Nikolai Orelov, which had a calming effect on Daniel himself.

Daniel was soon taken out of the Animus and tied to a medical bed. Under the supervision of Alfred Stearns and other high ranking Abstergo employees, Dr. Sung was forced to extract information from Daniel by administering SK-345 into him. Daniel subconsciously revealed the locations and secrets of the Assassin hideouts he had visited over the past two years, allowing Abstergo to initiate the "Great Purge," which nearly annihilated the entire Assassin Order.

During the Great Purge, many Assassin training camps were found and eradicated by the Templars, including compounds in South Dakota, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Nearly all Assassins within their camps, including children, were massacred by military agents under order of Abstergo Industries. As news of the incoming Templar crackdown spread, the Assassin camps began organizing immediate evacuations. After Hannah returned to her camp, Paul informed her of Daniel's betrayal. Since Daniel knew the location of all Assassin camps, Paul pointed out that they were in danger, and had to abandon the camp. Hannah simply stood in shock, not able to believe what Daniel had done.

Although only a few Assassins managed to evacuate, a few off-the-grid settlements, including the Farm, managed to remain unscathed due to having been warned preemptively. With the Mentor dead, and nearly all of the Assassin compounds seized by the Templars, the Assassins went into hiding, operating remotely from concealed hideouts and cells. The consequent decrease of the Assassins' influence over American politics also allowed the Templars to be successful in placing their puppet, George W. Bush, as President of the United States of America.

Within the next fourteen months, various Assassins, including Paul Bellamy, were captured by Abstergo. Abstergo induced the subjects into a coma and bound them to Animi in the company's Philadelphia facility, where they explored the genetic memory of their ancestors.

#### Post-Great Purge

Following the Mentor's death, control of the Brotherhood eventually fell onto William Miles, and he began to oversee the Brotherhood's activities.

In 2003, on his sixteenth birthday, Desmond abruptly left the Farm, claiming he was fed up with his parents' paranoia about the Templars, and believing them to be nothing more than conspiracy freaks. Despite efforts to locate Desmond, the Assassins were unsuccessful in retrieving him.

Despite Desmond's departure, William continued to loyally serve the Brotherhood, and kept in contact with the Assassin cells via their private email network.

In 2005, when Lucy Stillman, one of his trainees, reached the age of seventeen, William made the decision to raise her outside the Brotherhood. This was to ensure that she would be able to covertly infiltrate Abstergo Industries, and her ties to the Brotherhood were severed as a result. Eventually, Lucy was contacted by Dr. Warren Vidic, who offered her a position at Abstergo Industries. She accepted the offer and immediately started working with Warren on the Animus Project.

At some point prior to 2007, William approached Clay Kaczmarek, who, like William, was a descendant of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and offered him an induction into the Brotherhood, which he accepted.

In 2010, William gave Clay the task of infiltrating Abstergo Industries. His job was to access the personal computer of Alan Rikkin, the company's CEO, and uncover details surrounding the secretive "Animus Project." Succeeding in his efforts, Clay returned to the Assassins with a copy of an e-mail revealing the amount of funding being invested in the project, as well as the identity of the project lead, Dr. Warren Vidic, and the location of his new facility in Italy.

Spurred on by this success, the Assassins decided to plant Clay deeper into Abstergo, this time as a test subject of Dr. Vidic's program. He was informed of Lucy's status as a mole who was already deep inside Abstergo. Assured that when the time came, she would aid in his escape, Clay agreed to the plan.

On 9 December 2010, junior professor Shaun Hastings released confidential information on Abstergo Industries to WikiLeaks under the pseudonym "Guy Fawkes"; Abstergo quickly had the letter pulled, and Shaun abducted for interrogation. The next day, while he was being transferred, Assassin Rebecca Crane hacked the onboard computer of Abstergo's van to show that it was low on fuel. When the van pulled over to rectify this, Rebecca helped Shaun escape, and introduced him to the Assassin Brotherhood.

In 2011, Templars under the command of Daniel Cross launched a raid on the Assassin hideout Hannah Mueller was located in. Hannah stayed behind to give her fellow Assassins time to escape, and tried to reason with Daniel in hopes of returning him to his former self. However, her attempt was unsuccessful, and she was killed by Daniel.

### Clay's mission

#### Infiltrating Abstergo

On 1 February 2011, Clay was captured by Abstergo's Lineage Discovery and Acquisition team and inducted into the Animus project as Subject 16. Held within the Abstergo laboratory by Dr. Vidic, Clay was forced to relive the memories of his ancestors, particularly Ezio Auditore, for dangerously long periods at a time.

Throughout this, Vidic kept the true purpose of their genetic explorations a secret, though Clay soon realized that their efforts were focused on locating a mythical "Apple of Eden." When Clay inquired about this, Vidic threateningly responded that he could not reasonably expect to be released if he knew what they truly sought. Later, William was able to contact Clay and told him to focus on his task; that when the time came, Lucy would rescue him, as they were a team.

However, unbeknownst to the Assassins, Lucy's loyalties had already shifted. Years of isolation, coupled with William's withdrawn and careless personality, had driven her away from the Assassins and into the Templars' arms. Warren Vidic offered Lucy guidance and protection, and she willingly became a double agent for him.

Eventually, Clay discovered the true purpose of the Animus Project and decided that it was time for him to escape. Unfortunately, by this point, his over-exposure to the Animus had resulted in him suffering from the Bleeding Effect, and he soon found himself unwillingly exploring the memories of his ancestors without the use of the Animus. During one of these experiences, Clay found himself conversing with a figure calling herself Juno, who offered a shocking revelation about the true allegiances of his supposed ally, Lucy, as well as his own destiny.

#### The Truth

*"I promised to protect you, but I can't let you leave. William and the others must never know. I'm sorry."*
―Lucy, in a letter to Clay.
Clay reacted angrily when he was informed that his death was nigh and that his purpose from then on was to deliver a message to his eventual successor, Desmond Miles.

In order to convince him of the necessity, Juno revealed that the years of loneliness and abandonment visited upon Lucy by the Assassin Order, so that she might better infiltrate the Templars, had in actuality turned her against them; her mission being to aid the Assassins in the discovery of the Apple, before returning it to the Templars. This betrayal shocked Clay, and brought him to the realization of his place in future events.

After a while, Lucy discovered that Clay knew the truth about her true intentions and attempted to explain her actions, saying that William and the rest of the Order cared little for the lives that they destroyed in the pursuit of their goals, whereas the Templars did.

Knowing she could not sway him, Lucy stated that she would keep the promise she had made to protect Clay, hiding the evidence of his new-found knowledge from Vidic, but that she could no longer afford to let him leave. Faced with no other option, Clay realized that there was only one way to get his message to Desmond.

#### Clay's death and final message

For weeks, Clay planned his suicide down to the most minute detail, biding his time and preparing his message, all the while enduring the repeated attempts by Vidic to uncover the location of the Apple of Eden.

Eventually, Clay managed to create an artificial construct of himself inside the Animus, through hacking the machine during the night, and split it into thirty pieces to be united by his successor, as well as sending one final e-mail to his father.

The next day, Clay killed himself by slitting his wrists with a ball-point pen and draining his blood out of his body, in order to paint several cryptic messages in the rooms where he was being kept, hoping to ensure his successor recovered the message that he had died to pass on. After his death, Abstergo dumped his body in the Tiber river in Rome.

### Desmond's journey

#### Captured by Abstergo

*"I'm not an Assassin... not any more."*
―Desmond to Warren Vidic.

In the years following his departure from the Farm, Desmond eventually traveled to New York and gained employment as a bartender at a nightclub called Bad Weather, most likely due to his looks. While he worked there, his specialty drink was the "Shirley Templar," a Shirley Temple cocktail with gin. Wanting to avoid the Assassins, Desmond never used his real name, and made sure to only use cash to purchase items. Over time, he tried to start a new life, but would sometimes begin to miss his family and old friends.

Unfortunately for him, Desmond was eventually found by Abstergo, after being traced through a fingerprint which was needed for his motorcycle license.

    On 1 September 2012, Desmond was captured by Abstergo agents, at the command of Daniel Cross. The next day, after awakening at an Abstergo facility in Rome, he was held captive for use as a test subject in the Animus.

Dubbed Subject 17, Desmond was forced into the Animus, overseen by Warren Vidic and Lucy Stillman, and made to relive the memories of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a Levantine Assassin active during the Third Crusade. However, Desmond's subconscious resisted their efforts, forcing Warren and Lucy to bring him out of the Animus. When Desmond came to, he angrily claimed to be nothing more than a bartender, but Warren revealed that Abstergo knew of his history as an Assassin, forcing Desmond to finally admit his past life.

    Desmond was then warned by Warren that if he refused to co-operate with their efforts, they would induce him into a coma, continue their work, and leave him to die when they had finished. Without much of a choice, Desmond agreed to help them.

For several days, Desmond relived Altaïr's memories under the Templar's watchful eye, but during the nights, he was anonymously given a code by Lucy that allowed him to open the door to the bedroom provided for him, which granted him the ability to explore the laboratory that he was being held in. As he was presented with the opportunity, Desmond used it to access the Animus' computer, after he had stolen Warren's access pen, gained access to Warren's personal computer as well.

Through reading private emails, Desmond learned much about Abstergo, as well as the Animus subject that had preceded him, Subject 16, who was noted to have suffered from the Bleeding Effect. Eventually, on Lucy's prompting, the Assassins attempted to liberate him, with the gunfire of their assault being heard through an intercom device.

After the rescue attempt failed, Warren boasted that those Assassins were, in fact, the last of the group Desmond had escaped from, and that their desert hideout had been previously destroyed. When Warren left, however, Lucy reassured Desmond that the compound had been found deserted and that his parents had "probably escaped." During this discussion, Lucy convinced Desmond that she was also an Assassin and was working undercover to learn more about Abstergo's plans.

When Desmond finished the memory of Altaïr that revealed a map to several Pieces of Eden, three Abstergo executives decided to dispose of Desmond; concluding that the information they had retrieved rendered Desmond an unnecessary burden. However, Lucy intervened and convinced them to keep Desmond for more testing, as his memories could still reveal more about the locations of the Pieces of Eden.

After the executives left, Desmond realized that he was able to use Eagle Vision, an ability that he shared with Altaïr, which he had picked up through the Bleeding Effect. Using it for the first time, he perceived a strong interpretation of Warren and Lucy's true allegiances, as well as countless scrawled messages and puzzles on the walls and floor of the main laboratory and his own quarters.

#### Escape to the Hideout

After Desmond spent some time alone in the laboratory, Lucy suddenly returned, covered in blood and demanding that Desmond was to get into the Animus before Abstergo discovered what she had done. Desmond, rather confused, agreed to her request and managed to synchronize himself with the closest genetic match between him and Subject 16, which was recorded on the Animus' memory core. Inside the Animus, Desmond experienced the birth of another of his ancestors, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, before he was pulled out abruptly, so that the two could both make their escape.

They eventually found themselves confronted by more Abstergo guards, but Lucy quickly disposed of them, much to Desmond's astonishment. They continued onward through aisles of office blocks and Animi, until they reached another coded door. Unexpectedly, Lucy's access key did not work, but Desmond was able to unlock it through his newly acquired Eagle Vision. As they entered the parking lot, they were blocked by more Abstergo guards, though the two fought them off and managed to reach Lucy's car. Lucy ordered Desmond to climb into the trunk for "[his] own protection," although annoyed by her request, Desmond complied and the two managed to escape.

Arriving at one of the Assassins' hideouts, Desmond was introduced to two more Assassins - Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane - who had previously worked with Lucy. Lucy told Desmond that they wanted him to be trained as an Assassin, which could be achieved in a matter of days, thanks to the Bleeding Effect. Doing so required him to learn through the ancestor that he had matched up with through Subject 16, Ezio Auditore, and Desmond agreed to help almost immediately, which surprised Lucy. After this, he was quickly plugged into the Animus 2.0, where he began to relive Ezio's memories.

However, unbeknownst to Desmond, Shaun and Rebecca, Desmond's escape was part of Project Siren, a Templar plan concocted by Warren and Lucy to extract more information out of him by relocating him to a seemingly safer environment. Both of the Templars hoped that Desmond would feel more at ease among Assassins, allowing him to access crucial memories more easily; particularly the ones that Abstergo desired. Lucy was then to contact Warren once the Assassins had located the Apple of Eden.

After learning the skills of an Assassin through Ezio's lifetime and the Animus, Desmond was retracted from the machine, partly to test his retention of the techniques he had learned, but also to prevent the mental degradation the Subject 16 had suffered from being placed in the Animus for an extended period of time.

Tasking him with infiltrating security protocols around the hideout, Lucy left it to Desmond to figure out how to reach them through the use of his Eagle Vision and newfound freerunning skills Just as he began, however, he started suffering vivid hallucinations of the Third Crusade era. At first, the visions were short, and were nothing to worry about, but after completing the task, Desmond was incapacitated as the visions became more real.

Taken back to medieval Acre by the Bleeding Effect, Desmond once again followed the memories of Altaïr, though this time, without using the Animus. Through the vision, he discovered that Altaïr and Maria Thorpe had conceived a child, Sef, who was to be Desmond's direct ancestor to Altaïr

The next day, Desmond had recovered from the experiences and returned to the Animus, though he neglected to tell his Assassin teammates about what had happened. From there, he continued to watch the genetic memories of Ezio Auditore, despite at one time being thrown out by "corrupted memory sequences."

Eventually, the team learned that Ezio's nemesis, Rodrigo Borgia, had become Pope Alexander VI in 1492, so as to gain access to both another Piece of Eden, the Papal Staff, and the Vault underneath the Vatican. As Ezio entered this Vault, he was confronted by the hologram of a "goddess," who called herself Minerva.

Minerva warned the Assassins of the end of the world, recounting the story of the war between "The Ones Who Came Before" and their human subjects. The Assassins were shocked when Minerva addressed Desmond by name, confusing even Ezio, and revealed that she was in fact talking to Desmond through Ezio. Mere moments after, Desmond was quickly pulled out of the Animus, and upon seeing the three rushing to collect their belongings, he realized that the Templars had found their location.

As he climbed out of the Animus, Lucy tossed Desmond a Hidden Blade with the Assassin insignia on the bracer, and asked for his assistance in covering their escape. Making their way into the warehouse, they were confronted by Vidic and several Abstergo security guards, all of whom were intent on reclaiming Desmond.

Together, the two eliminated all of the Templars that assaulted them, with Desmond - now fully synchronized with Ezio and possessing all of his abilities - masterfully using his Hidden Blade to kill many of the guards himself. With his entourage defeated, Warren was left to confront Desmond on his own, though he opted instead to retreat, before promising hat their victory was only temporary.

The four Assassins then fled north, with Desmond being hooked up to the Animus inside the van so that he could continue to search through his memories for anything useful. Meanwhile, the other Assassins began to discuss the nature of Minerva and her speech.

#### Hiding in Monteriggioni

*"What if I can't stop the visions? How long before I start painting symbols on the walls?"*
―Desmond to Lucy about the Bleeding effect.
    After the Abstergo attack on their warehouse base, the Assassins drove north in an attempt to reach an isolated cabin located in the Swiss Alps, where they would continue searching through Desmond's genetic memories. However, Abstergo set up a roadblock in Grosseto, Italy to intercept them. Looking at a map for a different place to hide, Shaun suggested that the team should take a detour that would lead them to Monteriggioni.

Later on, the team arrived at Monteriggioni, one of the last Assassin safehouses in Italy. As the Templars were actively searching for them, and were analyzing the surrounding environment via the use of cell phone towers, the Assassin group were forced to set up their equipment underground, in the Sanctuary located underneath the Villa Auditore.

Whilst searching the grounds of the Villa Auditore for a way into the Sanctuary, Desmond - through the Bleeding Effect - saw a vision of Ezio in the past, who led him to a high, narrow ledge, which he promptly leapt off. Desmond immediately followed suit, resulting in him performing his first ever Leap of Faith into a pile of hay. Desmond and Lucy then made their way to the Sanctuary, through the tunnel that was used by Ezio and the villagers of Monteriggioni during their escape after the Borgia attack on the town in January 1500.

As the two of hem passed through the tunnels, Desmond saw more visions, which troubled him, and made him wonder if he would eventually "start painting symbols on the walls." Lucy then scolded him, telling him not to joke about his condition, and reminded him that Subject 16 was dead and that he needed to focus.

When the two reached the Sanctuary, Desmond saw another vision of Ezio, who seemed to have visited it in his old age. Before he opened the door to Mario Auditore's office, Desmond noticed the number 1419, 1420, and 1421 written on the walls, which he pointed out to the other Assassins. Shaun theorized that the numbers referred to dates; however, he admitted that he needed to do further research on the matter.

After the team fully set everything up, Desmond was given the responsibility of bringing electricity into the Sanctuary, by inserting power splitters into four electrical power boxes located around Monteriggioni, which would allow them to divert small amounts of power from each source. After that problem was sorted, Desmond continued with his regular Animus sessions.

During this time, Shaun exchanged and received a series of emails through the Hephaestus Email Network with the team as well as William Miles. William provided Shaun with updates on the locations and activities of the Assassin cells located in Moscow, São Paulo, Osaka, and Denver as well as telling him that he would be serving as the lifeline of the São Paulo cell once they contacted him. William also informed Shaun that, once they had located the meeting place for its highest-ranking members, located somewhere in the United States. William assured Shaun that there would be a lot to show him there that he would love, as the headquarters has "lots of history."

In his email, William informed Shaun that the Denver cell has unexpectedly gone off the grid, indicating that they might have been lost, and that headquarters was investigating it. Later on, William revealed that headquarters had gone to the Denver cell's safe house and had discovered that everything was gone, indicating that the cell had either been attacked and captured by the Templars, who took all their gear for analysis, or they went code red without warning and had gone off the grid with no time to notify headquarters, with William hoping that it was the latter.

#### Obtaining the Apple

After Desmond located the Apple of Eden through Ezio Auditore da Firenze's memories, the modern-day Assassins were still left with the mystery of how to access the Apple's Vault. Although Rebecca knew it was opened via a spoken password, the group was unsure of what it could possibly be.

Desmond pointed out the numbers that he had earlier found written on the wall opposite the Sanctuary's bookshelf entrance, as well as the tetractys symbol, of which Shaun correctly deduced its relevance to God, and His 72 names. This number, Shaun also stated, was the same year that Rome's Colosseum was built. Following this, they all concluded that was where the Apple would be found, and began their long road trip.

Upon travelling to Rome, the group separated, with Desmond climbing through the ruins of the Colosseum as the others tracked his route above ground. While he headed deeper, Desmond saw several visions of Juno along the way, until he eventually arrived at the Santa Maria Aracoeli, where he unbarred the door cover for the other Assassins to enter the building.

Upon synchronizing his DNA with a strange pedestal, several levers and structured lowered from the church's ceiling, to which a brief vision of Ezio showed Desmond the way to climb up. Along the way, more visions of Juno appeared, and she explained that the Vaults were made as the only proper places to hide away knowledge. Eventually, Desmond reached a structure with a lever, where he saw a vision of Ezio lowering it. Copying the phantom, Desmond also lowered the lever, which caused another pedestal to rise from the ground, along with a set of poles that Desmond used to make his way down.

Once again synchronizing his DNA with the pedestal, Desmond activated an elevator that took all of the Assassins to climb to the chamber below, which held the Apple in its center. As it was noted that a free-running course was the key to bridging the gap, Desmond maneuvered his way around the chamber and lowered several levers, all the while seeing visions of Juno scattered throughout. Finally, the stairway leading up to the Apple was raised, and the Assassins noticed several symbols being projected around the room as they walked up towards the Piece of Eden.

However, as Desmond took the Apple of Eden from its pedestal, Juno's voice was heard, saying that Desmond's DNA had activated the Apple. Juno then took control of Desmond's body through the Apple, and forced him to stab Lucy in the abdomen with his Hidden Blade.

After collapsing in the Colosseum Vault, Desmond was taken away by the Assassins. Having slipped into shock at the ordeal, his unconscious body was recovered and transported to an unknown location.

During this time, Desmond was placed back into the Animus by William Miles and Harlan Cunningham, an American member of the Florence cell. In this session, Ezio and Leonardo da Vinci were shown to have discovered a smaller Vault in Rome, and as Ezio's DNA had activated the Vault, a set of coordinates that was intended for Desmond were projected, showing: 43 39 19 N 75 27 42 W. Finally, after reliving more memories, Desmond's condition worsened to the point that he entered into a comatose state.

### The *Altaïr II*

#### Early missions

In 2012, Assassin leader Gavin Banks intended to seize a ship, the *Altaïr* *II**,* in order to make it a mobile HQ for the Assassin Brotherhood, despite not knowing how to pilot a ship. He encountered Canadian Assassin Susan Drayton, who wanted to steal the ship to fight Japanese whalers. Gavin and Susan came to an agreement to work together, with Susan as the captain of the ship.

Later on, Gavin and Susan rescued Dr. Stephanie Chiu from Abstergo agents in Hong Kong. They then recruited Chiu into the Brotherhood, and she subsequently joined the *Altaïr* *II* as the crew's doctor.

At some point, William Miles assigned the ex-soldier and Assassin Emmanuel Barraza to the *Altaïr* *II* to serve as the ship's armorer and weapons instructor. Emmanuel considered William's act of putting him under Gavin's command to have been William pawning him off on Gavin.

Gavin later rescued former Abstergo employee Emmett Leary from a group of Abstergo agents that had been sent to silence him. Sneaking into Emmett's house in the middle of the night, Gavin initially scared Emmett when he woke him up. However, when the Abstergo agents arrived, Emmett's urge to leave became so great the he asked no questions and followed Gavin in his "tighty-whities." Afterward, reports circulated of Emmett's death and he joined the crew of the *Altaïr* *II* as the cell's hacker.

Gavin later recruited the transgender Scotsman Eric Cooper after the latter had systematically and vengefully hunted down and killed a hate group in Edinburgh who were responsible for the death of the love of Eric's life. Although suicidal at the time of his recruitment, Eric changed his outlook completely due to the warm welcome and acceptance he received from Gavin and his crew, having never experienced that before. Becoming the navigator and supervisor aboard the *Altaïr* *II,* Eric also became close friends with Stephanie Chiu, due to his regular hormone check-ups, and Emmett Leary, whom he closely supervised because of his laidback nature. Due to Eric expressing his intention to some day resume a normal life in Scotland, Emmett would often keep track of ongoing events back home for him.

Later on, Gavin rescued the remaining survivors of a fake Assassin Brotherhood in Georgia, which had been created by the brothers Akaki and Nodar Ninidze in an effort to put an end to the constant wars that plagued their country, after they had been effectively whittled down after being attacked on many fronts by the Templars. Retreating to the Pankisi Valley, Gavin relayed to the freedom fighters the secret history of the Assassin-Templar War. Eyes open to the truth, Akaki and Nodar were inspired to join the *Altaïr* *II* to take the fight to a larger scale than their home country, leaving behind a new and true Georgian Brotherhood.

#### Roaming the seas

On 10 September 2012, Gavin was contacted by an Assassin operative who called him from a public phone in Brisbane, Australia. The caller told Gavin that it had been three days since he had last heard from his team, and that they had failed to report back. As Gavin instructed the caller to quickly pull out of the area, the telephone signal was interrupted. Later, Gavin personally confirmed that the Brisbane team had been eliminated.

Two days later, Gavin received a call from an operative named Janice, who was the leader of the Assassin cell in Whistler, Canada. She demanded that Gavin send additional reinforcements as she had only two operatives with her. He replied that he would see what he could do, only for Templars led by Daniel Cross to attack the Whistler team at that very moment.

Weeks later, on 5 October, Gavin called William Miles and updated him on the status of the Assassin teams in Brisbane, Osaka and Moscow. In turn, William, who was in Italy, briefly informed Gavin of the favorable progress the Assassins were seeing at his end.

#### Traveling in America

As William's team attempted to flee Italy, Harlan Cunningham received a text from William on 16 October, telling him that the Templars were onto them and that they were going into hiding.

On 24 October, Gavin received a coded message from Adriano Maestranzi, the leader of the Florence cell, who instructed him to head to New York and informed him that William should be making contact with the Brotherhood soon. While Desmond remained in the Animus, William transported Rebecca and Desmond to New York, while Shaun stayed in Italy to attend Lucy's funeral. On 25 October, Harlan was again contacted by William, who asked for his assistance in escaping Italy.

At 9:51 AM on 27 October, Harlan led an ambush on Abstergo's tactical Delta Team, killing several of the Templar agents and allowing William's team to escape from the Templars' tail. Harlan sent William a text at 10:38 AM, informing him that they only lost one Assassin in the skirmish, and that one of the Templars, Daniel Cross, had "lost it" during the battle.

Later on, Gavin met William's team at an airport in Syracuse, New York, where he provided them with fake documents that allowed them safe passage into the country.

Gavin then began traveling around the United States, attempting to draw the Templars' attention away from William's team. On 2 November, Gavin sent a text from Stillwater, Oklahoma, informing William that the effort had been successful. The next day, he sent another text from New Orleans, updating William on the upcoming Templar raid of the Florence Assassin team.

During this time, William examined the Apple of Eden, though he concluded he did not have the genes to properly wield it. Upon arrival, William helped Rebecca stabilize Desmond, as well as monitor his condition. While overseeing Desmond, William questioned Rebecca and Shaun about him. William also mentioned that Desmond's DNA had a high concentration of First Civilization DNA, which would allow him to wield the Apple of Eden.

### Desmond's coma

#### Exploring the Black Room

*"Right now you should be sitting in a hospital ward, drooling, and chewing on your tongue. For now the Animus is keeping you intact. Keeping all your ancestors from collapsing into one big mess. But if you can't find a synch-nexus, all those personalities will smash together. That won't be pretty."*
―Clay informing Desmond about his mental state.

Due to the intense mental strain, the exposure to the Apple, and the incident with Lucy which caused Desmond to fall into a coma, William ordered Rebecca to place Desmond into the Animus and shut down all of its non-essential functions, stabilizing his condition. As such, this led to Desmond entering the Black Room, a safe mode built into the Animus' core programming.

Upon first waking on the Animus Island, Desmond was met with a virtual construct of Clay Kaczmarek, Subject 16 of Abstergo's Animus Project. Clay explained that Desmond needed to continue reliving his ancestors' memories until they had nothing left to show him - eventually reaching what Clay called a "Synch Nexus." Once Desmond had located it, the Animus would be able to separate his consciousness from Altaïr and Ezio, and he would be able to wake up.

    Clay then coldly remarked that if he hurried, Desmond could make it in time for Lucy's funeral, which bombarded Desmond with flashbacks of the events that transpired in the Colosseum Vault. Desmond felt deep regret for his own actions, but he proceeded to relive the memories of Ezio Auditore, so that he could return to a conscious state.

After completing the first sequence of Ezio's memories, Desmond overheard a conversation between his father and Rebecca. During it, William was examining the Apple, which made Rebecca nervous. However, William reassured her that he did not believe he had the proper genes necessary to use the Apple, with Rebecca following the conversation by guessing that Desmond did.

Desmond was then pulled out of the memory corridor and back to Animus Island, where Clay explained that the Animus had detected him leaving his assigned partition, and had pulled him back to the island, acting as a failsafe program to try to keep his mind intact. Clay also told Desmond that he would keep the Animus distracted, in order to stop the machine from thinking that Desmond was a virus and deleting him.

    Whenever he collected enough data fragments scattered across Constantinople, Desmond could enter the core of the Animus and reflect on his own memories - the Farm where he grew up, training as an Assassin, his escape from the Farm, life in New York City, and his eventual capture by Abstergo.

He recalled his relationship with his parents and regretted not listening to them, as well as coming to terms with his role as an Assassin, noting that his easiest days were long gone but that he did not want them anymore.

Between certain sequences, Desmond was pulled out of Ezio's memories and conversed with Clay upon his return to the Animus Island. The first time they talked with each other, Clay asked Desmond if it was possible that he could go with him once he exited the Animus, and attempt to find another body which he could occupy. However, Desmond hesitantly refused, and Clay remarked that he understood the reason why and lamented on his situation.

Later on, Clay asked Desmond if he regretted anything he had done in his lifetime, like leaving his parents and ignoring his role as an Assassin for so long. In response, Desmond admitted that he wished he had been more patient with his mother and father, as well as confirming to himself that things between him and Lucy could have gone differently. Afterwards, Clay thanked him for "making sense."

Being pulled out a third time, Desmond was confronted with the sight of the island disintegrating around him. Clay proclaimed cynically that the Animus had scheduled them for deletion, grabbing onto Desmond as the virtual ground beneath their feet began to fracture.

Desmond was bewildered at both the suddenness of it and whether Clay intended to have both of them die together. He was proven wrong with this doubt, when Clay sacrificed himself, pushing Desmond back through the portal to allow him to relive Ezio's final memories.

#### Regaining consciousness

*"I know what we need to do."*
―Desmond, upon awakening from his coma.

When Ezio discovered the Apple of Eden that Altaïr possessed, it began to glow. Ezio, recalling his experience in the Vatican Vault, called out to Desmond, knowing that he would be listening. He urged Desmond to make sense of all the questions and suffering he had been through in his life, while bringing his story to an end and directing Desmond into the Synch Nexus.

It was here Desmond was confronted by another member of the First Civilization: Jupiter. The advanced being explained that the other members of the First Civilization had built Vaults all over the world, each of them researching different methods of salvation from the impending solar flares. Each Vault's discoveries were transmitted to the Grand Temple (located in modern upstate New York), where Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva sorted through what the others had found. In all, six solutions were tried and tested, and although they failed, a major breakthrough appeared to be emerging. Unfortunately, before they could reach this conclusion, a massive solar flare struck the Earth, killing almost the entire First Civilization. Less than 10,000 humans lived, and fewer members of the First Civilization remained, though both races worked together to rebuild mankind following this disaster.

Jupiter then charged Desmond with a mission: to visit the Grand Temple. He told Desmond to take his words, and to "pass them from [his] head into [his] hands," as by doing so he would "open the way." However, he warned Desmond that he was not sure how things would end, for either him or Desmond. Following this, Desmond then woke up from his coma, with Shaun, Rebecca, and his father standing beside him as he sat up from the Animus' seat. After Desmond took in his surroundings, he told the others that he knew what they needed to do next.

### Preventing the Second Disaster

#### Into the Grand Temple

Desmond, William, Shaun and Rebecca soon arrived at the Grand Temple, where Desmond used the Apple of Eden to unlock the entrance. However, on doing so, the Temple activated the Bleeding Effect within Desmond, which showed him that a key was required to unlock its inner chambers. Due to the event causing Desmond's mind to enter a brief fugue state, he was placed back into the Animus by the Assassin team.

Upon reliving the memories of Haytham Kenway, an 18th century Templar who once had possession of the key, Desmond learned that ultimately, Haytham's illegitimate son Ratonhnhaké:ton would come into possession of it. Desmond then began to search through his memories in order to find the artifact. Desmond occasionally left the Animus to explore the chambers of the Temple, where he often came across Juno as he had done in the Colosseum Vault. She explained to him the details of the six methods that the First Civilization had tried to use in order to save the world from the previous apocalypse, as well as continuing to urge him towards finding the key.

However, Desmond's experiences in the Animus were interrupted when it was revealed that the Temple's power sources were running low, and that they needed to be replaced. Thanks to Shaun tracking some down, the first power source was found in Manhattan. Desmond journeyed there to carry out his first proper mission as an Assassin, in which he climbed a skyscraper and parachuted from a crane to another building, where the power source was located. Whilst there, he encountered the Templar operative Daniel Cross, whom he disarmed and then knocked out in order to escape.

After further exploring the Temple, Desmond came to realize that whatever was waiting for the Assassins beyond the door would ultimately benefit Juno in some way, though as Desmond was unsure of how it would do so, he warned the others to "play it safe." Desmond also revealed to the others that when Juno appeared to him in the Colosseum Vault, he was shown a vision that showed that should Lucy have been kept alive, she would have taken the Apple of Eden to Abstergo for utilization in the Eye-Abstergo satellite, though it would ultimately fail. Because of this, Desmond came to terms with the fact that he was not forced to kill Lucy, but he instead did it to stop the Templars from gaining the upper hand.

On 27 November, William received a text from Adriano in which he confirmed William's suspicions about the Templars' intent to hack their systems. Adriano also stated that he had decided a "hostile takeover" was in order, and that he would be preparing his cell for a raid on the Abstergo headquarters in Rome.

On 28 November 2012, at 5:08 PM, William received a message from Harlan from the Provincial road SP11 in Italy, informing him that they had infiltrated the Abstergo campus and killed four hackers along with some guards, and destroyed their servers, which meant Abstergo could not track William. After returning to the safe house in Florence on 29 November, Harlan discovered that he or another member of the cell had been tracked back to the base. He sent a message to William at 10:42 PM, informing him that an attack was imminent, but that Adriano was refusing to leave.

The attack came at 6:27 AM the next morning. Harlan managed to escape the safe house while the other Assassins were killed, and Adriano detonated a bomb to destroy the Assassins' files. Harlan managed to confirm that all of the Templar agents were dead, except for Juhani Otso Berg, who managed to escape the blast. Harlan fled to Bologna, Italy, and on 1 December at 12:20 PM, Harlan sent a message to William informing him of what happened, and that he was "going dark." William responded by telling him to stay strong.

Some time later, Shaun discovered a second power source that was in the possession of a wealthy woman who was set to attend a martial arts tournament in São Paulo, Brazil. After arriving at the stadium and sneaking across through the rafters, Desmond arrived at the room the woman was staying in, only to find Daniel Cross once more. After Daniel shot the woman and her husband, he attempted to flee with the power source. However, Desmond managed to catch up to him, eventually besting him in hand-to-hand combat and incapacitating him once more.

With the power source in hand, Desmond fled from the Abstergo agents pursuing him, and escaped the stadium by boarding a train. He and his team subsequently left Brazil on board the *Altaïr II,* and returned to the Grand Temple. After the team's return to the Temple, William sent Gavin a text message which told him that of all William's team were safely back at the Grand Temple in Turin. William also added that the Templars had not followed them, and thanked him for his aid in transporting them back.

Shaun located a third power source in a museum in Cairo, Egypt. However, as the team's deadline of 21 December was rapidly approaching, and Desmond had yet to locate the key to the Temple door, William went to retrieve the artifact in Desmond's stead. On his way there, he emailed his son, telling him to relax, as he had been "fighting these bastards before [Desmond] was even born."

#### Rescuing William

Recognizing the opportunity, Vidic sent Juhani Otso Berg, now a Master Templar, to capture William in the Cairo museum. Seizing William, Abstergo brought him to the same building where Desmond had been incarcerated a few months prior. William was placed in the Animus, but refused to cooperate, knowing that it would prevent Abstergo from using his memories to their advantage.

After Desmond experienced more of Ratonhnhaké:ton's memories, the Assassins were sent a video message by Warren Vidic, who explained that Abstergo agents had intercepted William at the museum and brought him to Abstergo's Roman facility. Vidic stated that in order to let his father free, Desmond would need to hand over the Apple of Eden. In response, Desmond complied, but chose instead to begin a raid on Abstergo's headquarters. Soon after, Desmond traveled to the facility with Shaun and Rebecca.

Upon his arrival at the building, Desmond was offered a peaceful trade-off by Vidic over intercom, but refused. Desmond then fought security guards as he made his way to the building's upper floors, eventually arriving at the Animus room he had been held captive in, months before. There, Daniel Cross yet again confronted Desmond, ordering that he hand over the Apple. Before Daniel could shoot Desmond however, he suffered from the Bleeding Effect, causing him to suddenly speak in Russian. Panicked, Daniel fled and Desmond gave chase. Eventually, the two ended up in the room for the Templars' Animi Training Program, as Desmond caught up to Cross and assassinated him, and retrieved his gun.

Desmond proceeded to ride an elevator up to the fifth floor, where Vidic's office was located, killing any security guards that crossed his path. As Desmond made his way towards the office, Vidic explained his anger over intercom, stating that Daniel was like a son to him, and that Desmond and the Assassins only took what did not belong to them, such as the Apple of Eden and Lucy Stillman's life. Eventually, Desmond made his way to Vidic's office, where William was detained. After Vidic told Desmond to give him the Apple, Desmond used it to control the security guards in the room, forcing one to shoot and kill Vidic before then influencing them all to shoot themselves.

After freeing his father and hugging him, Desmond took the third power source and left the building, using the Apple to cover them. Once he arrived back at the Temple, he placed the power source in its slot, received the details of the last two solutions the First Civilization attempted, and then re-entered the Animus.

On 19 December at 9:12 PM Harlan was in Vienna, Austria and contacted Gavin by phone. Harlan confirmed that he was not being followed by the Templars any more and that he was at the safe house. They began to talk about Adriano and how they missed him, with Harlan expressing guilt over leaving him behind. Gavin reassured him that Adriano's death was not his fault and then told him to go to Rotterdam in the Netherlands to await further instructions from him. Harlan then said he would be ready, and Gavin told him to try to relax until then.

#### Desmond's sacrifice

After reliving more memories of Ratonhnhaké:ton's memories, Desmond learned that the Assassin eventually buried the key to the Grand Temple's barrier outside of the Davenport Homestead manor in Massachusetts. The team traveled there and retrieved it from Connor Davenport's grave, before they returned to the Temple.

William went on to inform Gavin of the news, to which Gavin replied that he would pass it along to the rest of the Assassin Brotherhood. Using the key to open the final gate, Desmond, William, Shaun and Rebecca proceeded into the Temple's deepest chambers.

Upon arriving in the central room, which contained a large orb set in a pedestal, the Assassins were greeted by Juno, who stated that should Desmond touch the orb, the world would be saved. However, immediately following this, Minerva appeared, urging Desmond not to touch it. She explained that Juno had previously tried to use the First Civilization's technology to conquer the world rather than save it, and that she was sealed inside the Temple so she would not be able to do so. While the device would save the world from the impending solar flare, it would also kill Desmond and release Juno, allowing her to continue her quest to rule over the Earth.

Shocked by Minerva's appearance, Juno told her to show Desmond what would happen if the solar flare was not stopped. Minerva stated that while the majority of Earth's population would die, there would be a small amount of survivors. Desmond would become a symbol of love and hope for the new world, similar to Jesus Christ, though following his death, his message would eventually be misinterpreted and corrupted by those who followed him, and lead to war, thus repeating the cycle of religious conflict through history.

Despite this, Minerva pleaded for Desmond to let the world burn instead of saving it and releasing Juno. Desmond stated that if Juno was released, there would still be a slim chance that humanity could stop her, while if the world was allowed to be subject to the natural disaster that the solar flares posed, billions would die, and there would be no hope. Acknowledging Desmond's decision, Minerva stated that the consequences of it were his "to live - and die with."

With his mind set on his choice, Desmond turned to William, Shaun, and Rebecca, and commanded them to get as far away as possible. William pleaded for him to reconsider his decision and find another way instead, but Desmond refused, stating that it was too late to find another option. With this, William, Shaun, and Rebecca hurried to leave.

After the three exited, Desmond walked up to the orb. Juno watched as he touched it with his hand, his body shook violently for several moments and shone a bright gold; though, after a brief time, Desmond fell to the ground, sacrificing his life to protect the planet from the Second Disaster. Later, she was seen walking away from his body, thanking him for releasing her.

### Post-Second Disaster

#### Transfer of Power

    William, Shaun and Rebecca spent the next six months in hiding. Eventually, overwhelmed by the loss of his son, William decided to leave the Brotherhood, writing all his knowledge down in a book for Gavin so that he could lead and rebuild the Brotherhood. William also wrote a letter in which he informed Gavin of his self-imposed exile and apologized to him for dumping this burden on him, but also made it clear that his decision to leave the Brotherhood was final.

Shaun and Rebecca spent some more time trying to locate William, but were unsuccessful. On 14 May 2013, Gavin received a coded text from Shaun with instructions to pick up him and Rebecca in Peru. Gavin and his team sailed there, meeting with Shaun and Rebecca Crane on 21 May, and they gave Gavin the book and letter from William. After reading the letter, Gavin was asked by Shaun what he was going to do about William, but Gavin felt there was nothing to do but wait and move on with their work in the meantime.

Over the next few days, Gavin and his crew made improvements to the *Altaïr II* while sailing north. On 29 May, they reached California, where Gavin asked Shaun and Rebecca to be his eyes and ears in America and keep him apprised of Templar activity. He received several updates from Rebecca over the next few months, and on 27 August, Rebecca e-mailed him saying that she and Shaun had decided to honor William by finding out what had happened to Desmond's body.

On 3 September, in Alliance, Nebraska, Rebecca discovered an email sent by Abstergo Entertainment, looking for new employees. She then sent an email to Gavin in which she remarked that Abstergo Entertainment had been taking up a lot of the Templars' resources lately and that there had to be something going on behind the scenes, stating that she and Shaun had to investigate.

As they traveled through South Dakota, Shaun and Rebecca visited the ruins of the Farm where Desmond grew up. Rebecca remarked that they barely knew Desmond, to which Shaun responded that despite that, they had experienced a lot together and made a difference, comforting her.

On 11 September, Gavin and his team spotted in Honolulu Harbor. Susan wondered why they were not in Osaka yet, and Gavin expressed concern over the fact that his former Mentor Kenichi Mochizuki, leader of the Osaka Brotherhood, had not contacted him. Eric noted that all of their communications had gone down in December, but Gavin informed them that he and Kenichi had their own way to communicate.

Susan was worried about sailing into a trap, but Gavin reassured her they would not fall into it. He then ordered Eric to set sail for the Philippines, saying they were going to go "shopping." By 1 October they had bought weapons from arms dealers there, which Emmanuel inspected.

On 11 October, Gavin read an article about Abstergo Entertainment's Montreal studio which included a statement from its Chief Creative Officer, Olivier Garneau. Gavin emailed Rebecca and questioned her on who Garneau was and what he might know.

#### Undercover at Abstergo

On 24 October, Shaun and Rebecca arrived in Montreal and eventually managed to infiltrate Abstergo Entertainment, with Shaun taking a job as the lobby's barista in order to facilitate communication with Rebecca, who was acting as a courier. At some point, Shaun and Rebecca approached John Standish, the head of the IT department, in order to have him act as their mole inside Abstergo Entertainment and help them gain access to its servers.

However, unbeknownst to Shaun and Rebecca, John was secretly a Sage, a human reincarnation of the Isu Aita, and a member of the Instruments of the First Will, who took advantage of this opportunity and eagerly set about using the Assassins to gain access to the building, in order to effect his own plan to reincarnate Juno, the former wife of his past incarnation.

Over the first few weeks of his employment, John asked a number of different researchers for favors, but was repeatedly turned down by them. Eventually, on 29 October, a new research analyst joined the company, and became the first to agree to help John. At John's behest, the analyst hacked computers, Animi, security cameras, and servers around the facility in order to obtain information on Abstergo's actions for the Assassins, though the analyst was not originally aware of this.

After obtaining a number of data files, the analyst was charged with passing on this information to Rebecca and Shaun, who routinely collected it at Shaun's coffee stand in the building's lobby. After John's true motives were revealed and he was killed by Abstergo, Rebecca and Shaun contacted the analyst directly, claiming that they were willing to continue with the hacking project if the analyst was as well.

When the analyst gave the Assassins everything Abstergo had recovered from Desmond's body, including recorded memos to his father, William was able to move on, and sent a message of thanks to the analyst.

On 2 December, Rebecca emailed Gavin, informing him about John's death and their intention to leave Montreal in order to analyze the information they had gathered and plan their next move.

### The Trident of Eden

In 2016, the Brotherhood discovered that Monroe, a former employee of Abstergo on the run, had come out of hiding, Griffin was sent to investigate. Discovering that Monroe recruited a group of teenagers who discovered clues leading to a Piece of Eden while using a stolen Animus, the Assassin tried to learn what they knew and to prevent the Templars from reaching them first. Later, as an agent of Abstergo accosted Owen on the street, Griffin intervened, neutralizing him but the young teen managed to flee with the help of Monroe.

Griffin's intervention didn't prevent the Templars plan from eventually finding the warehouse where the teenagers were reliving the memories of their ancestors and they sent a strike team which captured four of them. However, the last two, Owen and Javier, escaped thanks to the Bleeding Effect and Griffin found them back thanks to the tracking device in their stolen Abstergo bike. Griffin convinced them to work with the Assassins. The teenagers revealed that during their time in the Animus, they discovered that a Dagger of Eden was gifted to Ulysses S. Grant who kept it until his death in his family cottage.

When Griffin returned to his safe house he received a call from Gavin Banks, who revealed that the Dagger was in fact a prong of the Trident of Eden, they took a private plane to New York and from there drove to Grant's house. However, Monroe arrived there first and left with the artifact before, the stash being empty. Before they left, three helicopters filled with Templar agents arrived to the house and after Owen destroyed two of them with a grenade. Griffin subsequently scolded Owen for disobeying his order not to engage, threatening to forgo his promise of exonerating his father to the teenager if he disobeyed again. He then reminded Owen and Javier that there were still three pieces of Eden that Abstergo desired and the Templar's believed they and the other teenagers were the key to finding them. He offered them a choice to carry on, to which Javier was considering refusing, but Owen on the other hand was willing to accept Griffin's offer.

Griffin spent the next few weeks training the two teenagers in basic combat and free running. Subsequently, Griffin was warned by Gavin that their Abstergo informant, Rothenburg, had tipped them that his storage unit safe house was compromised, and ordered him to rendezvous with Rebecca Crane. Griffin scuttled the safe house but was forced to abandon his car as the Templar strike team arrived earlier than expected. After dealing with the Templars, Griffin taught the boys how to blend in by taking a cab to their new safe house, where they met Rebecca, who had set up an Animus for Owen. Rebecca explained to Owen that a Chinese ancestor of his encountered the second prong in 1259. Soon afterwards, she was forced to leave on a different mission.

While supervising Owen's Animus session, Griffin reluctantly let Javier leave the safe house, but the young man stole his car to break into the police warehouse where Owen's father's case file was stored. Upon Javier's return, Griffin scolded him for risking their safe house's location and informed him of the three Tenets of the Creed, saying he was lucky he didn't compromise the Brotherhood. Though Javier protested that he was not an Assassin, Griffin stated that sooner or later a side would have to be chosen.

Once Owen was out of the Animus, having learned nothing about the second prong's location, Griffin informed him of his friend's reckless actions. Owen soon searched through the evidence, finding a spit sample that contained his father's DNA from after the robbery, Griffin stated they would first have to get access to a Helix and the Abstergo Cloud to view his father's genetic memories.

Griffin then contacted Gavin for any intel from Rothenburg, only to learn that the informant had gone dark, leaving Griffin's only resource to rescue the other teenagers from the Templars. Owen and Javier insisted on coming with him, reasoning that the others would not trust the Assassin. After equipping themselves with pain grenades and laser arrays, Griffin drove them to the Aerie, where their friends were being kept, and taught them how to avoid the security systems. Unfortunately, Griffin later got separated from the two. Deciding to clear the two boys a path, Griffin made his presence known to the Templars as a diversion. He soon met up with Javier, who had rescued Natalya and David, who had chosen to flee the Templars, but Sean and Grace chose to stay, which Griffin found unsurprising. Griffin then took the wheel of the high-tech car the teenagers had stolen, and was able to evade Abstergo helicopters thanks to the car's stealth functions. He then learned that Monroe had also staged a rescue attempt that he and Owen were left behind.

Upon returning to the safe house, Griffin desired to vacate the place immediately, believing Owen would be interrogated with drugs or have Helix analyze his DNA. He then contacted Gavin, who informed him that Rothenburg was displeased with the raid and had nearly broken off contact before revealing that Isaiah not ready to leave for several days, Griffin asked Natalya if she should go back into the Animus to locate the second prong. Natalya agreed on the condition that he take them all to Mongolia, which she then talked over with Gavin.

Griffin, Natalya, David and Javier traveled to China via cargo plane. While on the plane, Griffin asked Javier to join the Brotherhood. Javier liked the idea and Griffin told Javier that after they find the Trident of Eden, his induction could be arranged, but Griffin told Javier they would discuss the matter later. when they arrived in China, they met the Assassin Yanmei, who provided a private jet for the journey to Mongolia.

## Techniques

The Colonial Brotherhood were trained in stealth, eavesdropping, swordsmanship, marksmanship, hand to hand combat, as well as free running, pickpocketing, and lock picking. In terms of equipment, most of the Colonial Assassins wielded Hidden Blades, swords and pistols, while some also utilized rope darts.

Their naval fleet grew vast and had many Assassin ships spanning the colonies.

Largely the assassination techniques were the same as previous branches such as the Turkish or Italian branches, except they trained themselves to use the foliage and height of the bushes, cliffs and trees as an advantage over tall buildings.

After the revival by Ratonhnhaké:ton, the Brotherhood had become more diverse and specialized, such as apprentices' skilled use of small melee weapons. Native American weaponry were also utilized, even by non-natives, such as Jacob Zenger's use of Native American warclubs. Unlike the previous generation, the Assassins were known to carry two flintlock pistols. Each Assassin was also taught new skill-sets by other members, such as setting ambushes and the tactic of disguising themselves as soldiers to escort Ratonhnhaké:ton by guard patrols. The Assassins were also trained for the use of the Assassin flag ship, the *Aquila,* for contract missions.

## Appearances

The Colonial Assassins did not have formal robes or uniforms to wear or specific colors like other branches tended to have. Most chose to take on the appearance of civilians, though exceptions existed in high-ranking members such as Hope, Kesegowaase, de la Vérendrye and Liam, who wore hoods and elaborate robes. Though suggested, the uniforms of the members of the Colonial Brotherhood during the Seven Years War were those worn by the 'Gang Leaders' who appeared to be regular members of the Brotherhood with highly skilled training. After the revival of the Brotherhood, new recruits did not wear robes or hoods, with only Ratonhnhaké:ton remaining as one wearing traditional hooded Assassin robes.

All Colonial Assassins had their pistols and melee weapons visible on their person. Metal armor was not worn during the Colonial period, but some Assassins utilized leather armor from hunting animals. The branch also adopted the practice of concealing the entire Hidden Blade mechanism under the sleeves of their clothes, rather than strapping it over them, further improving Assassins' ability to blend with the crowd.

## Members

### Colonial Assassins

**Preformation**

* John de la Tour

**Seven Years' War**

* Atasá:ta's father

* Pierre Bellec (Parisian Brotherhood)
* Shay Cormac (betrayed)
* Michael Crawley (deserted)
* Hope Jensen
* Kesegowaase
* Liam O'Brien
* Benjamin Tallmadge, Sr.
* Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye

**American Revolutionary War**

* Atasá:ta

* Deborah Carter
* Stephane Chapheau
* Jamie Colley
* Achilles Davenport (Mentor; 1746 - 1763/1769 - 1781)
* Robert Faulkner
* Caleb Garret
* Joe
* Duncan Little
* Ratonhnhaké:ton
* William de Saint-Prix (Parisian Brotherhood)
* Clipper Wilkinson
* Jacob Zenger

### American Assassins

**Post Revolution**

* Patience Gibbs
* Ratonhnhaké:ton

**American Civil War**

* American Assassin (1852)
* American Mentor (Mentor; c. 1863)
* Eliza
* Varius
* Varius' father

**20th century**

* Jazz Age Assassin
* Dwight Adams (Spanish Brotherhood)
* Julia Dusk
* Boris Pash

**Modern times**

* Kody Adams
* Gavin Banks
* Emmanuel Barraza
* Paul Bellamy
* Xavier Chen
* Stephanie Chiu
* Christian
* Eric Cooper
* Rebecca Crane
* Daniel Cross (betrayed)
* Charlotte de la Cruz
* Harlan Cunningham
* Susan Drayton (Canadian Brotherhood)
* Griffin
* Shaun Hastings (British Brotherhood)
* Clay Kaczmarek
* Joseph Laurier (went rogue)
* Emmett Leary
* My'shell Lemair
* Desmond Miles
* Desmond Miles' mother
* William Miles (Mentor; c. 2000 - 2013; 2015 - present)
* Barindra Mitra (Unidentified Asian Brotherhood)
* Hannah Mueller
* Akaki Ninidze (Georgian Brotherhood)
* Nodar Ninidze (Georgian Brotherhood)
* Arend Schut
* Lucy Stillman (betrayed)
* Kiyoshi Takakura (Japanese Brotherhood)
* Galina Voronina (Russian Brotherhood)
* Yanmei (Chinese Brotherhood)

### Allies and puppets

#### Colonial Assassins

**Seven Years' War**

* Adéwalé (West Indies Brotherhood)
* Le Chasseur
* Kaniehtí:io
* Gaspar Velasquez

**American Revolutionary War**

* Alsoomse
* Samuel Adams
* Gérald Blanc (Louisiana Brotherhood)
* Emily Burke
* Benjamin Franklin
* Aveline de Grandpré (Louisiana Brotherhood)
* Henry Knox
* Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
* Fillan McCarthy
* Duncan McGill
* John O'Brien
* Israel Putnam
* Paul Revere
* Benjamin Tallmadge, Jr.
* James Mitchell Varnum
* George Washington
* Otho Williams
* Haytham Kenway (Colonial Rite; 1777-1778)

### American Assassins

**American Civil War**

* Ulysses S. Grant
* Abraham Lincoln

**Early 20th Century**

* John Edgar Hoover
* Robert Burton (British Brotherhood)
* Eddie Gorm (British Brotherhood)

**Late 20th Century**

* John F. Kennedy
* Al Gore

**21st century**

* Abstergo Entertainment research analyst
* Florencia (Erudito)
* Heinrich Hart (betrayed)
* Janice (Canadian Brotherhood)
* Adriano Maestranzi (Italian Brotherhood)
* Kenichi Mochizuki (Japanese Brotherhood)
* Saeko Mochizuki (Japanese Brotherhood)
* Guernica Moneo (Erudito)
* John Standish (betrayed)