Chapter 1: Strange Bedfellows
Author's Note: Bethesda owns the characters and story of Assassin's Creed Syndicate. Artemis and her adventures are mine.

Artemis Fayne carefully eyed the pair of travelers who were exiting the train. She knew who they were the instant that they left the train. The infamous Frye twins, son and daughter of Ethan Frye. But what were they doing in London?

As far as she knew, the Council was loathe to send anyone to help in the plight. They preferred to sit and wait for London to fully be controlled by the Templars. Well not if Artemis had anything to do with it. She'd face them alone if she had to. But if the Frye twins were here, perhaps the council had seen fit to send them some aid.
Artemis carefully hopped down to a lower level, attempting to make out what they were saying.

"I've never seen so many people all at once."

Artemis studied Jacob Frye's face, noting the scar on his eyebrow, wondering how he'd managed to acquire it. His face was made all the more handsome by it's presence, not in spite of it.

"The churning seas of London. It's just the way Father described. Now, to find Henry Green and formulate a plan of attack against the Templars."
At the mention of Henry's name, Artemis turned her attention to Evie. Evie was lovely, with her dark brown hair painstakingly arranged in a braided bun on her head, and her blue eyes sparkled with intelligence. Artemis wondered how she knew who Henry was.

"Who is Mr. Green again?"

"The Assassin watching over London. Did you not listen the first three times?"

"Listen to what?"

Artemis shook her head at his childishness, and then smiled as she saw a young boy bump into Jacob, picking his pocket.

"Oi! Watch it."

"Beg pardon, sir!"

As soon as Jacob realized that his wallet was missing, he began chasing after the boy.

"Oi! Come back here you filthy dipper!"

"Jacob, stop!"

Evie's shout did nothing to deter her brother from taking off after the boy. Artemis sighed and ran out from her hiding spot, careful to avoid Evie's gaze. She needed to make sure this idiotic Assassin didn't compromise her relationship with the children in Clara's gang.

She jumped from rooftop to rooftop, taking shortcuts to where she thought the boy might go. Soon, she caught sight of the boy, and Jacob, who was gaining on him. The boy cut through an alley where two Blighters were waiting.

"Shit. Not now."

Artemis readied her knives upon seeing the Blighters, unsure of how Jacob could handle himself in a fight. To her surprise, Jacob was agile, throwing punches to both Blighters before countering one of them who'd pulled a knife out. As Jacob was about to take out the Blighter with the knife, the second Blighter was coming up behind him. Artemis threw her knife, hitting the man squarely in the throat. Jacob turned to defend himself, but was shocked to see that the Blighter was already dead. He carefully plucked the throwing knife from the man's throat, and looked around him.

Artemis was perfectly still, certain that he'd never find her hiding spot. He shook his head, and then clapped his hands together.

"Haha. Excellent. What else does London have to offer?"

Artemis watched as Evie appeared from an alleyway, chiding her brother for running off.

"Now is not the time for tourism, Jacob. Now's the time to find Henry Green. I've always been the quicker climber, haven't I?"

"Not since we were two."

"Race you to the highest vantage point!"

Artemis smiled at the sibling rivalry, thinking of how often she'd challenged Henry in the same way. Although she always beat him. Poor Henry just wasn't cut out for field work. She carefully tailed the twins, watching as Evie darted ahead, her slight frame adding to her agility. Jacob was still quite agile, but he was no match for Evie. Artemis hid herself against the stovepipe of the building next door and listened to the twins.

"Where is Mr. Green's shop located? It was marked on Father's map."

As Evie spoke, Artemis watched Henry climb the building and surprise them.

"Two Assassins. Equal in height. One female, one male. Two decades old, and those devilish smiles. You must be the Frye twins."

Evie eyed Henry with immediate suspicion, but she carefully walked toward Henry.

"And you are...?"

"Henry Green, at your service. I was sorry to learn of your father's passing."

"Thank you."

Evie continued to stare at Henry, and Artemis wondered what she was thinking. Henry was quite good-looking, but was the girl so easily distracted by a handsome face? Jacob, on the other hand, cut straight to business.

"What can you tell us about Crawford Starrick?"

"I suppose the Council desires news?"

"London must be freed. To provide a better future for all of its citizens."

"Well thank goodness the Council saw reason and sent you to aid us."

"Yes. Thank goodness."

Artemis could tell he was lying. The Council hadn't sent them at all, she was sure of it. But it didn't matter. Now that they were here, perhaps they could be of some help anyway.

"Unfortunately, I am the bearer of bad news. Today, Starrick sits at the helm of the most sophisticated Templar infrastructure known in the western world. Every class, every borough, the gangs, the industries, his reach extends all across London."

Evie's face was grim, but Jacob's lit up in enthusiasm.

"I always thought of myself as a gang leader. Firm, but fair. We'll have uniforms. And I'll unite a mix of disenfranchised outsiders under one name. That's it, Evie! We can rally them to our side."

Artemis was careful not to snort in laughter at his idea. If he wanted to be a gang leader of the disenfranchised, he would have to talk to the current leader of them, Artemis herself. Thankfully, Evie scoffed at his idea as well.

"Oh? Like the way you rallied those card players at the Oakbrook Tavern into the river?"

"Ugh. That was different. They beat me at whist. I can see it now! We'll call ourselves The Rooks!"

He threw his arm up in a victorious pump, but Evie brushed his idea aside once more.

"You were never good at chess, either."

"Have you got a better plan?"

"Find the Piece of Eden."

This time, it was Jacob who scoffed. Artemis wasn't sure that finding the piece was of the utmost importance, but she had the good sense to realize that letting the Templars have it was a very bad idea.

"Well, let me show you the lay of the land, shall we?"

Henry pointed to the viewpoint, where the twins could get a better view of Whitechapel. With their Eagle Vision, Artemis needed to be careful about being seen.
As the twins looked around, Henry spoke about some of the problems they'd been facing.

"Look at what Starrick has done to this city. Whitechapel is riddled with crime. Child labor, despite regulations. A gang known as the Blighters overruns the streets. And Templars behind the scenes. As in all the other boroughs. We need to return this city to the people who built it in the first place."

"We will free London from Starrick, you have my word."

"And my Rooks!"

Henry and Evie ignored Jacob's interjection and continued to stare at each other. His tone changed to one that Artemis had never heard before.

"Miss Frye, your passion is inspiring. Come. Let us return to my shop and I can bring you up to date on the rest."

The two of them broke their stares and blushed slightly. Artemis narrowed her eyes. If Henry and Evie were flirting already, how were any of them supposed to get anything accomplished? Artemis watched as Henry performed a Leap of Faith into a nearby straw pile and was followed by both Jacob and Evie.

"Keep quiet, Kaylock's looking for me."

Henry whispered at the twins, attempting to blend in with the people walking up and down the street. Kaylock. If Artemis had anything to do with it, he would be dealt with soon. Especially now that he was threatening Henry. She crept along the rooftops, careful not to make too much noise, as Evie questioned Henry.

"Who's Kaylock?"

"One of Starrick's gang leaders."

"Why does he want you?"

Jacob loudly spoke, seemingly unaware that the others had been whispering and that Henry had explicitly asked them to be quiet.

"He's after some of my more arcane research into one of the Precursor artifacts."

"The Piece of Eden."

Evie sounded intrigued, eager to hear more about what Henry had to say about his research. Considering that was her main objective, it wasn't too surprising that she was more interested than Jacob seemed to be.

"So tell me about these Blighters.

"In search of an army, Starrick gathered up the nastiest of the Underworld. Some of the city's gangs tried to prevent it, and were slaughtered for their efforts. Now, only Whitechapel's Clinkers remain opposed. But they won't be a match for the Blighters alone."

Artemis could have punched Henry for his slight. She was doing all that she could to rally more people to the cause, but she was only one person, and many men were loathe to listen to a woman in a position of power, despite the fact that they were all ruled by a Queen.

"Well, let's shine these Clinker's up then, shall we? They're just the sort we're looking for."

"I'm certain that you'll want to meet with their leader. But she won't be easy to win over."

"I'm sure that I can charm her."

Artemis smirked at Jacob's remarks. Charm indeed. At the present, she was more likely to stab him than join forces, but she would see what he would offer her. She could use the help, but she needed Jacob to think that she was doing him a favor, rather than the other way around.

"You can't be serious."

"Evie, they're ready to fight and oppose the Blighters. This is my chance to step in! Look out, London, here come the Rooks!"

As the three of them began to run faster, Artemis was less careful about noise, and more concerned with losing their tail. She needn't have worried though, because Jacob clumsily ran into none other than Charles Dickens, the famous author, scattering his pages to the ground.

"Confound this city! No one looks where they're going!"

Instead of apologizing, Jacob turned the blame on Dickens.

"Yes, I've noticed that."

Evie, on the other hand, began to help Mr. Dickens gather up the pages.

"Bloody Drood! I'll never finish it at this rate! Only providence knows where those words are headed now. Well, I must get to work replacing them. Should you ever be in the mood for a tale or two, you can always find me where the ale is warm and the tempers are hot! Ta-ta!"

He then walked into the corner pub, surprising the three assassins on the ground.

"What an odd man."

"That Mr. Frye was Charles Dickens. Knows everyone and everything in this city. If I were you, I'd keep that connection in your back pocket."

As he spoke, two Blighters across the street noticed Henry. The larger one pointed out Henry, while the slight woman began to run, looking for backup. Henry glanced over at them, realizing what was happening.

"Kaylock's gang is nearby. They must not follow me back to my shop."

"We'll take care of it." Evie assured him.

"Here. You might be able to use this."

Henry handed the twins each a revolver, and Jacob held his out in mockery.

"Oh, God, I hope so."

"My carriage is nearby. Make use of it to throw them off of my trail. I will meet you at the curio shop."

As the twins ran for Henry's carriage, and Henry threw up his hood and darted in the opposite direction, Artemis was torn as to who she should follow. She probably should have followed Henry to ensure his safety, but she was too curious about the newcomers. She threw a knife at the larger Blighter who had begun to follow Henry, taking him down in one shot, clearing the path for Henry. Now, he should be safe enough to make it home without too much trouble.

The twins raced to Henry's carriage and this time Jacob was the one who beat Evie. He took the reins and slapped the horse with them to get the carriage moving quickly.
The Blighter's who had been summoned grabbed nearby carriages and raced after the twins. Artemis sighed and began the arduous task of following them. It was quite a feat to leap from building to building, pausing only long enough to look and listen for the trail of destruction. She caught up to the carriage in short fashion, wincing slightly as Jacob almost took out a few pedestrians. He would definitely need some driving lessons before she let him out on the streets again. Evie was doing an excellent job at throwing her knives and shooting the Blighters who got too close to the carriage. When they only had one carriage left following them, Artemis pulled out a knife and aimed for the leather straps that held the horse to the carriage. In one swift motion, she freed the horse from the carriage, upon which it promptly took off down the street, and left the Blighters stranded.

"They're gone!"

Jacob's excited voice could still clearly be heard over the chaos.

"Now to return to Mr. Green."

"Aye, aye, Captain."

"You're relentless."

"That relentlessness will see me become Master when we finish this."

"George would do nothing of the sort. Whatever's left of the Creed would perish under your control."

"Harsh words, dear sister."

"I do hope Mr. Green made it back safely."

Artemis, who had been following closely, almost paused at Evie's softly spoken words.

"Don't tell me you fancy the bloke already."

Artemis almost laughed. It seemed that she and Jacob had been pondering the same thing.

"And what do you suggest we do if our number one source of information turns up dead?"

"Starrick can't be THAT hard to find. I say we turn the carriage around and go find him!"

Even Starrick's name sent a chill down Artemis' spine. Jacob was a fool if he thought he could go after him unprepared. He'd be dead before he even got within two miles of Starrick.

"This is why you aren't in charge."

At least Evie had the good sense to wait before rushing into things blind. Perhaps the two of them could control her foolhardy brother. The carriage soon approached Henry's shop, and Jacob pulled on the reins to bring it to a stop. Evie seemed relieved to be on the ground again, and Artemis couldn't blame her after witnessing Jacob's driving.
The two entered the shop and Artemis carefully climbed down the side of the building, waiting by the door for an opportunity to catch them by surprise.

"Did you give them the slip?"

"We gave them more than that."

Evie had walked closer to the back table where Henry had sheets of paper scattered across. On the sheets of paper were carefully drawn pictures of faces.
"Who are all these people?

"Over the years we have established a number of connections across the city."

"We?"

As Jacob tilted his head in confusion at Henry, Artemis gently pressed her hidden blade into his back. He tensed immediately and tried to carefully turn his head to look at her.

"You might want to be more careful, Mr. Frye. If you aren't watching your back at all times, you won't survive long in London."

Jacob raised an eyebrow in a mixture of surprise and admiration and held up the throwing knife he'd pulled out of the Blighter's neck earlier.

"Yours, I imagine."

"Yes, and you're welcome for saving your arse."

"Artemis!"

Artemis turned to look at Henry and Evie, the latter of which wearing a pensive expression, and the former staring daggers at her. She pulled her hidden blade back into her gauntlet and stepped away from Jacob's back. He turned around to face her fully, eyes widening as he took her in.

"Well, Greenie, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Henry didn't respond to Jacob's nickname, but he let out a sigh and waved a hand in her direction.

"This is Artemis Fayne. She's a fellow assassin here in London. She's lived here her entire life, and is skilled in both stealth and battle. She's also the gang leader of the Clinkers."

"You couldn't have chosen a better name?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes at Jacob, more certain than ever that she wanted to stab him.

"As a matter of fact, no, I couldn't have. I acquired both the gang and its name recently. At least it isn't some stupid chess name like, I don't know, The Rooks."
Evie let out a slight laugh, but a glare from Jacob silenced her. The smirk on her face, however, remained. Henry coughed slightly as Artemis and Jacob were locked in a staring contest.

"If you two are done with your cane-sword measuring contest…" He began, glaring at Artemis more than Jacob.

Artemis batted her eyelashes at Henry, attempting to look more innocent, which earned her a frown from Evie.

"I don't know what you mean, Hen. Poor Mr. Frye here was under the assumption that he could just waltz into London and start making drastic changes. I was merely attempting to correct his rather egregious oversight."

Jacob shifted his stance, crossing his arms and smirking in amusement. Artemis noted that his blue eyes lit up when he gave her the playful smile. She could use his lack of a poker face to her advantage.

Henry, on the other hand, sent Evie an apologetic shrug, which she accepted with a wide smile. The two assassins then returned their gazes to Jacob and Artemis, blushes creeping onto their cheeks.

"I think we can continue with the discussion civilly, can't we Mr. Frye?"

Artemis extended her gauntleted hand to Jacob, surprised when he firmly grabbed hers and pulled her closer in a power move.

"I certainly hope so."

For what seemed like an eternity, two pairs of eyes, one a bright green and the other a deep blue, stared deeply into each other. Another cough from Henry brought both assassins to their senses and their full attention back to him.

"As I was saying...We have established many connections in this city, and I think that it would be wise for the three of you to meet with them and see what they can offer you."

Artemis shook her head in surprise. The THREE of them? Surely he didn't intend for her to babysit the Fryes and show them every contact they had in London!

"But-!"

Artemis hadn't even been able to finish her sentence before a scathing look from Henry warned her not to argue with him. He was lucky that she loved him as a brother, otherwise a look like that would have earned him a knife to the back.

"Splendid! We'll need focused aid."

Evie seemed to appreciate the idea of meeting the contacts, but Jacob had other things on his mind.

"Focused aid? Psh. We take over Starrick's gangs, we cripple his control."

"You're not aiming high enough. Starrick has influence in every branch of society. We need to match him."

The twins' bickering didn't surprise Artemis in the least. Evie seemed to have a wise, moderate approach, whereas Jacob seemed to be the type to rush in without thinking. Fire and ice, those two.

"I see what you're saying Evie. We need the Rooks."

He glanced at Artemis, daring her to challenge him on the name. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance, but knew better than to challenge him in front of Henry.
"You're not starting a gang called the Rooks."

At least Evie seemed to be on her side about his ridiculous name change for the gang. Sure, the Clinker's didn't have the most threatening sound, but she had inherited it from Logan, who'd founded the gang and passed the mantle on to her when he'd been blindsided by a Blighter. As if purposely attempting to change the subject before either Evie or Artemis threw something at Jacob, Henry spoke up.

"I believe I may have an idea of my own. You'll need the police to turn a blind eye to our activities. Our ally in the force is Sergeant Abberline. I've heard he's a master of disguise."

Artemis had to choke back a laugh at Henry's description of good old Abbey. A master of disguise, he was not. He did try, though, so she had to give him a little credit.
"Next up, urchins."

"Urchins?"

Jacob sounded incredulous, and Artemis thought of him as more of a fool than she first realized.

"Urchins! Children make for excellent spies."

"Clara O'Dea…"

Evie read the paper and looked at the portrait that Henry had carefully created. Clara was probably Artemis' favorite child out of all the urchins, though she would never tell any of the others that.

"Smart as a whip, that one. Finally, you would be wise to remember that Starrick never acts alone. There are gang leaders in every borough. You'll meet them soon enough, no doubt."

As if to emphasize his point, Henry pointed at a picture of Kaylock.

"Rexford Kaylock, known for his ability to vanish before your very eyes."

"Shall we make him vanish for real?"

Artemis shared a conspiratorial smirk with Jacob, then chided herself for being friendly toward him. He was attempting to steal her gang right out from under her!

"I suppose."

Evie seemed reluctant to agree, but perhaps the chase through the streets had ingrained in her the severity of Kaylock's grip on Whitechapel.

"One moment."

Henry reached under the counter and grabbed another small piece of paper before handing it to Evie.

"Hm, a templar target you might want to look into. And be cautious. It's rough out there."

He nodded toward Artemis, who stretched her arms out like a cat and prepared to take the twins to meet all of their contacts. Jacob smugly responded to Henry before turning to follow her.

"Don't worry about me, Greenie. I can handle a few thugs."

As Artemis led the twins to a vacant carriage, she thought about how to confront Jacob about her gang. She grabbed the reins, much to Jacob's surprise, and waited for the two of them to sit in the back of the Growler. Evie was content to lounge in the plush back of the carriage, but Jacob chose the seat next to Artemis. She was mildly annoyed by this, especially since she didn't like being so close to men who weren't Henry. Unless she was killing them.

Jacob seemed to pick up on this, and scooted closer and closer to her until a scathing look sent him back to the other side of the bench.

"So, a mysterious unknown assassin in London. George never mentioned you."

"That's probably because as far as the Council is concerned, I don't exist. They know about me, but I am officially an unofficial part of the Order."

Jacob raised his scarred eyebrow, and once again Artemis was tempted to ask where it came from.

"Why would the Council refuse to recognize you as a member of the Order?"

Artemis frowned, wishing that he'd been less curious than she. It wasn't something she cared to reminisce about.

"Henry had taken me in, and had been training me the best he could, though he wasn't as good of a trainer as your father, from what I hear."

Jacob seemed surprised that she'd known about Henry's history with their father, but he didn't interrupt her.

"When he approached the Council about officially making me a member of the Order, they refused to accept me due to my...connections to the Templars."

Evie jerked to attention in the back of the Growler, and Jacob was silent, studying her intently.

"I don't wish to discuss the particulars as of right now, but suffice to say that the Council was wrong in their opinion that I would devote my life to those bastards. I want nothing more than to see the Templars burn for all the injustices they have committed."

With her words, spoken with pure fury, Evie relaxed once more, but Jacob still studied her, which was beginning to drive her crazy. No smart retort?
Artemis slowed the carriage down, pulling gently on the reins so as not to throw Evie around in the back of the carriage. She hopped down from the carriage on her side, despite Jacob having gotten out and offered her his hand. Evie followed suit and the two of them waited for Artemis to lead the way to Clara O'Dea's merry band of urchins. The children were playing a game, and Clara ran over to Artemis to give her a hug upon seeing her.

Clara eyed the twins with an air of amusement.

"What is this place?"

Evie was curious, looking around at the small corner the children had made for themselves.

"It's nice to meet you both. This is Babylon Alley. Here we make it our business to know the streets, and provide children with the opportunity to control their own destinies."

Clara never ceased to amaze Artemis with how eloquently she spoke. She was wise beyond her years, and she had Artemis to thank for that. Still, the girl had a quality about her that made others want to follow her. Yes, she was going places, that one.

"Clara. Mr. Green said we might be able to help one another?"

Clara was no stranger to negotiations. She smiled before responding to Evie's question.

"In exchange for our services, we ask a small favor."

Jacob noticed the boy who'd picked his pocket earlier and threw his arms out in protest.

"Well, why not. You seem to have taken most of my money. Why not take a small favor, too?"

Evie held Jacob back with one hand outstretched, while Artemis waved to the boy who'd picked his pocket. The boy threw a small cloth bag filled with coins at her and she easily caught it. Shoving the bag into Jacob's stomach, she quipped.

"You'll find that you get a lot farther when you respect people and are polite, Mr. Frye."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but placed the coins back into his pocket. Clara ignored him and continued.

"There are several factories about the city that are powered almost entirely by child labor. Those children work long hours, with little pay and most are not permitted even to leave the factory ground. They suffer terribly. Artemis has been working to free them, but there are too many for her to free alone. I need you to help her save them."

"A small favor?"

Jacob's annoyed question earned him another arm block from Evie and an elbow to the rib from Artemis. "In return, we offer you intelligence, something YOU clearly need."
Artemis made a mental note to praise Clara for her perfect retort to Jacob. Such brilliance needed to be rewarded.

"Now hold on a minute-!"

Before Jacob could protest, Clara turned to Evie, sensing what Artemis had: Evie was the one who had the brains in the family.

"I'm late for an appointment. What of these terms?"

"We accept."

With a spit shake, the deal was made. Jacob looked none too pleased about the arrangement, but Artemis would appreciate the help. Clara was not lying when she said that Artemis had been stretched too thin. Especially since there were other things she needed to focus on as well.

"Shall we continue to our next ally?"

Jacob nodded, but he didn't seem pleased with the arrangement that had just been agreed upon. Was he always this taciturn? Artemis wasn't certain, given that she'd only just met him, but she hoped that the mischievous smiles he'd given her were an indication that he wasn't as surly as he'd just been. Evie, on the other hand, was most pleased with Clara's operation.

"I think they will be a valuable resource indeed. Well done, Miss Fayne."

Artemis grinned widely. Evie praised her for her resourcefulness, but she had a soft spot for the children of the city. It wasn't that long ago that she was living among them.
"Thank you, Miss Frye. You don't need to continue with the formalities if you wish. You may call me Artemis."

Evie nodded and suggested that Artemis do the same for her. Jacob had been strangely silent up until this point, and as they approached the carriage, he broke his silence.
"So, Artie, who are we off to see now?"

Artemis glared at Jacob, who flashed a dazzling smile at her. She didn't respond to the nickname, knowing that he would get more pleasure out of annoying her if he knew it bothered her.

"We're off to see Frederick Abberline. I'm sure you'll find him most interesting."

Jacob eyed her skeptically, as if he sensed that she wasn't telling them everything about Abbey. She gently clapped the reins and guided the horse along the narrow streets. Normally she would have been more content to leap from building to building, but since she was essentially giving the twins a tour of Whitechapel, she figured that a carriage ride around the borough was necessary. Plus, there was no guarantee that the twins could keep up with her. Though, if one of them could, it would be Evie.
"So are you finding London more exciting than Crawley, Mr. Frye?"

"Jacob. And so far it's been quite dull, apart from beating those Blighters earlier. I'd like to get started on taking over."

"Haven't you ever heard that patience is a virtue?"

"Well those who know me wouldn't exactly call me virtuous, Artie."

He flashed her the devilish smile again and winked at her. Artemis raised an eyebrow at his suggestive comment, but didn't respond to it. Evie, on the other hand, felt free to.

"He's right. Jacob lacks many virtues and patience is the most important one. He'd rather go in without a plan and blow something up instead of carefully and patiently figuring out the solution that causes the least amount of fallout."

Jacob didn't seem to mind Evie's comments, nor see the concern in them. Artemis hopes that he wouldn't cause her too much trouble. Though if he did, she could always slash his throat. At least she had that as an alternative.

Though she hadn't noticed a small smile creep across her face, Jacob had.

"Thinking of someone in particular, Artie? Is it me?"

Artemis wasn't surprised by his flirtation in the least. He wasn't the first man to try and win her over with honeyed words, and he probably wouldn't be the last.
"Actually, I was just thinking about how nice it would be to slash your throat if you cause too much chaos in my city."

Jacob jerked slightly in surprise, but he continued to grin stupidly at her. She grit her teeth in annoyance, and clapped the reins a little harder so that they reached their destination faster.

"Don't worry, Artie. You'll learn to love me."

Artemis scoffed, and sent him a glacial glare. Thankfully, they'd reached their destination, and she hopped out of the carriage as quickly as she could. If all the Frye twins wanted to do was flirt while they were in London, she'd be better off without the both of them. Henry might appreciate Evie's company, but as far as Artemis was concerned, Jacob needed to keep his distance.

She led the twins down the narrow alleyway that opened into a small grotto where she and Abbey always met. The twins looked around for the inspector, but Artemis knew that he would show up unexpectedly, wearing some sort of ridiculous disguise.

"I don't see Mr. Abberline."

"Well, we tried."

Artemis was surprised that Jacob was so quick to give up on awaiting for Abberline. Patience truly was not a virtue to him. Out of the corner of her eyes then noticed movement, of a frail, hunchbacked old woman. Hello, Abbey. Out of the woman's mouth came a strangely high-pitched voice., which cracked and broke as it rose.

"Pst. I may know a thing or two about that splendid fellow you're talking about."

Jacob walked closer to Abbey and grabbed the lady's cap off of his head.

"What's this?"

Abbey was understandably upset and grabbed his hat back from Jacob.

"God's sake! Are you trying to blow the gaff? Miss, don't your friends have any manners?"

Artemis shrugged while Jacob looked thoroughly disgusted.

"Frederick Abberline, at your service. I presume you're the Frye twins Green mentioned."

Jacob and Evie drew closer to Abbey, as if they were in his confidence. Jacob still had an incredulous look on his face as he spoke to Abbey.

"I was expecting you to be a policeman."

"I was expecting YOU to be discreet."

He had Jacob, there. Evie tried to smooth things over, being the more rational one of the two of them.

"Henry Green said you could help us go unnoticed."

Abberline looked around to make sure no one would hear him.

"This is how it will work. The same deal I made with Miss Fayne will apply to you as well. I will give you the names of criminal gang members, you will bring them back to me. Quietly."

Ever sarcastic, Jacob had to ruffle Abbey's feathers one more time.

"Oh, we'll be as quiet as an old lady. A very hairy, strange old lady that looks a lot like a policeman."

Abbey didn't say another word to Jacob, but he pressed his cap onto his head and nodded at Artemis before leaving. Jacob gestured to Abbey's retreating figure and shook his head. Evie did the same. As strange as his customs were, Artemis knew that keeping Abbey on their side guaranteed that they would be able to roam freely without too much police interference.

"You certainly have some strange friends, Artie."

"You'll learn to love them. Besides, you haven't met all of them yet. Just wait until you meet Aleck."

Jacob opened his mouth to ask about who Aleck was, but Evie interrupted him.

"Perhaps we should begin planning and executing how we are going to take down Kaylock. If he's after Mr. Green, he should be our first priority."

Jacob and Artemis shared a knowing glance, which pleased Jacob more than it did Artemis, but both nodded in agreement with Evie. Artemis herself had been waiting for the moment she could take him down. And now that she had the Frye twins, she could almost taste it. She motioned down the alleyway, toward where she had left the carriage.

"Shall we?"

Author's Thoughts:
Whew! I've been dying to get this finished. It's an escaped plot bunny that actually turned into something! I really love playing Assassin's Creed Syndicate, especially as Evie, a bad-ass female assassin, and I wanted to make another strong woman for Jacob to fight with. I hope you enjoy this little creation!