A/N: I don't own anyone but Alex though a certain Assassin says otherwise….

Okay kiddies I stayed up waaaaay past my bedtime for this one!

"Attack me again!"

Kadar barked with the temperament of a drill sergeant. He was in in fighting stance with feet hips' width apart waiting for his pupil to make her move. Alex painfully willed the dull ache in her shin, knee, wrist, and right shoulder to fall silent, wincing hard as the throbbing stubbornly decreased. After three days of being kicked, punched, hurled, and slammed against the random wall and carpet, she had succeeded in getting Kadar down once and even then she suspected he had allowed for the decisive blow. Both Assassin and novice were bathed in a thick lather of sweat but it wasn't their top priority.

Alex exhaled shortly then launched her feet across the carpet. The tough fibers burned into her feet as she lunged for the Syrian. Blood pumped furiously through her veins, saturating the starving fibers with oxygenated blood. Kadar's face was unreadable, a mask of neutrality veiling his intentions. Damn he was good.

Her right foot propelled up then at a right angle, aiming for the solar plexus.

It would be the last definitive image her mind would digest before her world was thrusted into an abrupt whirlwind of blurring imagery and the sudden loss of footing.

"You learn fast. Your reactions are above novice but you need more practice in clearing obstacles and scaling walls to escape the enemy. You are proficient in weaponry which can be the difference between life and death in battle."

"Thanks," her voice came out in a tiny squeak. "I think."

Kadar paced around Alex who was sprawled across the carpet, flat on her back. She swore her heart was going to rupture from the bony confines of her chest as it pumped at a furious rate. Her right wrist screamed with a deep throbbing ache, sure to be a rich discoloring of purple and yellow. Muscles that had never seen action were knotted together, refusing to move to her will.

"The ability to assimilate into crowds and steal-"

"Steal? Steal as in pickpocket people of their money?"

He stopped the slow methodic circling and knelt at her head. Her beautiful features were contorted in pain but it would pass. The auburn strands were plastered in a mix of hair and thick perspiration partially blinding her right eye.

"It is how we survive Alexandra."

"How about a job?"

"Assassins do not have this job you speak of. Our capability to blend in and disappear cannot be achieved by maintaining this job."

"Okay I get it; no flipping burgers or dealing with stupid people at the DMV but taking wallets is okay. Makes game day at Fenway much more exciting."

"Fenway?" Kadar tilted his head with curiosity that reminded Alex of a small child.

"It's a huge park where lots of people get drunk and watch baseball. Great place to learn how to steal."

A loud exhale suddenly erupted from her lungs and throat as her muscles ached and wailed in agony. Alex immediately regretted the half hearted attempt to shift her arms and legs.

"I don't think I can get up Kadar."

"You whine like a novice," he chuckled with a hint of smugness. For once he was not on the receiving end as he had been with his brother or Altair. But then again Altair didn't have taffeta for hair or droplets of the Mediterranean for eyes or subtle curves. He was a wall of rigid flesh that operated in immaculate rhythm and harmony; coated in musk and perspiration on the hottest desert days.

"That's because I am a NOVICE!" Alex's sharp tone was a hard smack to reality. He shook his head and retrained his attention to her. She had enough energy to bang the back of her head against the plush beige fibers. Her eyes clenched together blocking out the slightly confident expression lighting Syrian's face. "I'm a damn red belt in Krav Maga and I am consistently getting my ass handed to me!"

"There is nothing wrong with being such Alexandra. Every Assassin begins as the inexperienced novice. They are like the baby bird that cannot yet fly from the nest; but with patience, time, and guidance….."

The sharpness in his accent rounded into a softer gentler tone. His brother would speak in such a way when he used to harbor sentiments of distress in his trainings. The elder Al-Sayaf had such an effect with words and wisdom that were beyond his years.

He pressed his hand across her forehead, ceasing the self flatulence of his student. Alex opened her eyes feeling her head having halted its quasi punishing strikes. His hand was warm but calloused from years of hard labor and training but the rough sensation melted away where they touched. Kadar's hand slid from the damp surface of her forehead and tickled the side of her face. Alex sighed and subconsciously leaned into the open palm. For a moment her pain was mute, erased with the light but soothing caress. But Kadar quickly remembered how sore and stiff his first and only student was.

"How do you feel?"

Stupid question.

"Like I had my ass handed to me by a 900 year old Assassin." Her words were meant to be sarcastic but were hollow in its original intent.

"If you would permit me, I know of a way to ease your pain."

"Right now anything would be nice so please do what you want."

The strong arms were deceptively attentive as they slid under her back. Alex bit the inner part of her cheek at the shifting of strained muscle fiber and stretched tendon. Iron tainted her tongue with a few stray tears to supplement her affliction. Kadar had detected the discomfort hoping his attempts to use subtle shifting to minimize any further ache.

Alex never loved the carpet more than the instant it scrubbed her cheek. Her back bowed inward as the prickling of a thousand tiny daggers nicked her spine.

"Remember your breathing."

"Right," she strained to keep the burning from overtaking her. Her eyes pushed shut expelling a tear from the corner. Kadar was out of her line of sight but her hearing tracked the padding of bare feet which was accompanied by a momentary pause.

"Do not be frightened."

The pitch of his voice lowered, bordering on a husky whisper that was meant to calm her burning nerves. The slow addition of his weight settled on her lower back causing Alex to gasp at the pressure gathering. She willed her body to shut down, let the hands of the assassin bequeath the deluge of allayment her body thirsted for.

At first she was gifted with sharp numbing pain that gathered between her shoulder blades.

"You have to relax."

"Sorry," she hissed. "Kind of hard when it feels like my nerves are being pinched at the same time."

"You truly are a novice."

"Bite me."

"Bite….you?" Alex snickered.

"Don't take that literally. It's a saying. It's one of the things you will learn about this age."

"Y-Yes," he would just have to trust her on that. Alex was his link to this strange and confusing age. So much to understand and learn! The television had nearly been silenced with his sword.

"What is this sorcery?!" Kadar raised the Syrian sword towards the flat screen mounted on the stand. Alex had little time to think and grappled the wrist holding the weapon as the tip of the blade halted an inch of the plasma surface. Alex came to regret using the remote in order to introduce him to humanity's greatest slayer of brain cells.

"It's called a TV. It displays images from another place so please don't destroy it."

"How is this so?" His eyes switching between her and the device which was airing a repeat of Family Guy.

"Humans have figured out how to communicate with new and faster ways over the last thousand years. This is one of them; like the cell phone and radio and my laptop."

"I will never be accustomed to all of this. It is too much!" Kadar shook his head with angst. How could humans craft such things? Why couldn't they live simple as he did? Pigeons worked sufficiently to deliver news and messages across great distances.

"Just as you are showing me your ways as an Assassin I am showing you the ways of my time. I can see it's a lot for you and believe me when I say even I get stressed. I can't tell you how many times I nearly threw my phone across the room."

The assassin lowered his guard and weapon to which Alex exhaled and patted the arm she gripped in reassurance. Her lips were turned up in an unstable but bright smile.

"I will trust your word Alexandra. If you say that it will be comprehendible then I will honor your credence. "

"My parents used my full name when I was in trouble so call me Alex instead."

He couldn't but help to share the warm reception as her presence had become the brightness in the darkness. At first he harbored sentiments of desolation, separation, and forlornness after the Apple transported him to the modest Boston apartment. But then she began to open up, welcoming him into her home, ever the gracious hostess. Her patience in educating him on the ways of her world never wavered though stressed and tested at times.

Kadar wasn't going to give up on her as she was not giving up on him. His brother would not allow him to commit such an act! It would go against what the Creed taught them.

The young Assassin was methodic in the kneading of his fingers across the solid mats of chord and tendon, gauging the reactions of the one below. The coiled masses gradually rolled over, allowing the calloused dry fingertips to usher in salvation.

"Mmmmm…." Alex sighed and dropped her shoulders lower. "That feels awesome." Layers of tension and strain from months of sleeping wrong or sleeping in less than desirable positions were alleviating with the practiced agitations. Who needed to pay money when a long dead Assassin could perform the deed at a higher standard? She was putty in his skilled hands.

"I think I'll just stay like this all day."

"Have we figured out what the numbers mean?"

William was pacing furiously across the room. Shaun paused briefly to shake his head then return his attention to the screen.

"So the message said, 'Find them'," the Brit sighed tiredly.

"For the millionth time Shaun, yes!" The elder Assassin snarled with impatience. His fingers began to manipulate the skin where the hallmark of a migraine was gathering. Shaun had been working on this for the last three weeks and nothing! Not a single fucking step forward! The Templars were gaining ground on them every single day! Their numbers were dwindling, further decimated since the eradication of several encampments across the globe. Brazil and Tokyo were offline as fears of Templar moles had reached fevered pitches in each area.

"And find out what the HELL that bunch of ones and zeroes meant."

"It's binary code. It spells out Mera."

"W-What does that mean?"

"It's an old form of the name Minerva or Athena if you prefer."

Who would send an email with a bunch of random numbers, encrypt the name Mera in binary code and literally scream Find Them in the subject line. What if it was the Templars?! Had they discovered Hephaestus and hacked into it? That would be great!

"Uh William," Shaun peeked over the screen. "I think I finally figured out what those numbers signify."

"Damn it Shaun spit it out!" The black clad feet pounded the wood planking. His heat quickened at this turn of events.

"So they're not dates or ages or anything ancient in meaning. But I went back and decided to try entering them this way-"

"Shaun!" William barked with an equally hard fist slamming the desk.

"Right," the Brit pouted. "Well they're coordinates; coordinates for Boston."

"Boston?" William was dumbfounded.

"Boston, home of the American Revolution. Quite honestly I still don't understand why your Yanks threw such a fit back then."

William was sprinting down the corridor with phone shoved to his ear.

"Harlan! Harlan you need to send a team to Boston right now!"

"Boston!? Where the HELL did you come up with this William?"

"Are you going to question me now? I'm the damned expert!"

"Well no but-"

"No buts Harlan! Get the team assembled and to Boston TONIGHT!"

Harlan hung up without saying good bye. Adriano would agree with him on this though the elder Assassin would be concerned as the source of this email could not be confirmed. They had lost too many already and another ploy by the Templars would be another nail in their collective coffin.

"Uh William," Shaun was calling out from the main room. "You might want to come and take a look at this."

The elder Miles dragged himself back towards the main entry room. God he hoped Shaun had good news.

"Your mysterious informant may not be Templar related."

The Brit flipped the switch allowing the room to be flooded with the familiar tone of Vidic.

"We have a location on subject for Project Uni. Lineage Discovery and Acquisition discovered her identity through through hospital records."

"Her?"

"Yes Daniel; our subject is a young woman."

William frowned at the sound of one who killed the Mentor years before.

"So when do I get to make my acquaintance with her? I promise to take good care of her. "

"Quite the romantic one isn't he?" Shaun felt slightly ill.

"Our agents in Boston are tracking her as we speak."

"Does this subject have a name?"

"Her name's Alexandra Koch."

"Hmmm. Sounds sexy…"

"Daniel this is not the time to be thinking with your dick!"

"Lovely," Shaun groaned.

"Shhhh," William hissed.

"Your travel arrangements are made and you head to Boston in 48 hours."

"Bout damn time I get out of here. Feel like a caged animal in this place."

"As I said before, you are an invaluable member of this organization. We'll be in touch Daniel."

"I'll let Harlan know," William was halfway through the email before his words were complete.

Daniel and Berg entered the modest but comfortable quarters. Robert was seated at the desk, patiently exploring the laptop perched in the center. The Master Templar had delved into retraining his mind to form the words of the English. Maria had been his top lieutenant and confidant and conversed with him between his native tongue and her choppy terrible words.

"Robert," Berg greeted the Frenchman like an old friend.

"Berg," Robert smiled then returned to the screen, pressing the tip of his index finger to the image. "This machine…..this device…I am remembering the English tongue."

"Is amazing I know. But we bring news."

The Master Templar glanced at the men with a cool demand in his eyes. He didn't like to be kept waiting; especially where the Assassins were concerned.

"We leave for a city called Boston. This is a mission to bring back someone of high value and importance. Someone that will further our cause."

"Who is this person you speak of?"

"Her name is Alexandra Koch."

Berg passed the file over with the photo of their target. Robert flipped the file open and pinched the photo in the bottom right corner. The surveillance team captured the image of a petite attractive woman with auburn hair and fair skin. Her eyes were veiled in a slender pair of shades masking the color of her eyes. Robert once again was bewitched by the marvels of this century; images of people, captured by devices that fit in the center of his massive hand, and housed inside a very thin small square that could recall it with a few pushes of the buttons.

"We know where she lives so we will be leaving soon."

"Excellent!"

Daniel wished he could understand what the two were exchanging but the gestures and body language of the ancient Templar was as vivid as English. He knew Robert would be accompanying him to Boston which he didn't mind. Any Assassin who dared to defy them would come to regret their decision. Vidic wanted her brought back unharmed but that didn't mean he couldn't get to know her just a little. Perhaps when Vidic was done with her he would let Daniel have his fun.

In the years he had been actively searching for the Mentor, women had been an afterthought; a distraction to his mission. But after assassinating the Mentor and returning to the only home he had ever known, Abstergo, it had grown into a grain of importance. His sexual frustrations compounded with aggression and impatience pointed at his trainees. In his youth as a drug user and alcoholic, Daniel had thrown himself into many anonymous beds with consequences be damned. The hazy stupor of dope, crack, and cocaine fogged his memory from the nameless faces and places.

But now upon seeing this brunette beauty the long dormant urges and tendencies had assumed a renewed vigor and pulsated beneath the surface.

"I'm going to debrief the team," he announced and hastily exited the quarters.

The small contingent of men carried on in one of the grand training facilities. Each individual was handpicked by Cross to be a part of the missions in which he was the top operative for each. Vidic trusted his judgment in selecting these men and yes women, allowing Daniel the freedom to carry out his wishes.

He paused to observe this group, noting the fierce determination and unwavering loyalty each had sworn. They were a strong brood; comprised of former cops, military, and mercenaries who grew tired with conventional war and mirrored the ideas and creed the Templars dearly cherished. The group would serve to destroy any Assassin defenses or attempts to halt them. There was nothing sweeter than shedding the blood of the enemy in the heat of battle.

"All right listen up!"

Like well trained dogs the men fell into line with feet hips' width apart and hands collapsed behind their backs causing Daniel to smirk with arrogance.

"In less than 48 hours we will be departing to Boston. The target is Alexandra Koch. She is to be extracted and returned here for Vidic. I expect Assassin resistance which is why you have been selected. Assassins are to be exterminated like the vermin they are!"

A few mumbles of ecstasy and bliss echoed through the tight gathering. They had been praying for this! Waiting for this delicious moment!

Daniel sensed their aroused excitement as the very idea of killing was at the same level as a mind blowing orgasm that sent surges of electricity through the body, delivering heights of unbridled pleasure like no drug or alcohol would ever achieve. To feel the adrenaline dominating every cell as sharp metal tore through vulnerable pliable flesh, draining the enemy of precious life. That shower of scarlet pattering the skin as the lifeless corpses of their hated enemies drop at their feet. The heart racing as the endorphins pounded furiously, extending that sweet sweet high.

He felt his face and ears burning at kills past for each fallen Assassin meant one step closer to liberating this cynical confused world.

"Continue as you were," he barked and spun on his boot heels, desiring some solitude as another headache was knocking at the backs of his eyes. The prescription Dr. Sung had prescribed was keeping the hallucinations at bay, preventing the episodes that once afflicted him on a regular basis. His mind was clearer this way, able to remain focused and on track; of course that wasn't without the visions that would invade his mind only on a subtler more docile level. It was the Bleeding Effect; the memories of his ancestors intertwining with his own. Where one once stood many now occupied the same space though in an uneasy dance of past and present.

Mera…..

The voice returned.

Mera…

Alex lifted her head and squinted her eyes in the direction of the alarm clock. The bright red face screamed 4:59. Glaring at the inanimate object which assumed the shape of villainy, Alex flopped her face into the pillow and attempted to fall back asleep.

Mera please…..

This time it screamed in her mind, rattling like gravel against a metal can. Alex rubbed her eyes and flung the blanket aside, determined to find a way to complete her slumber. She treaded down the hall passing Kadar who was snoring lightly from the couch. Alex paused and gazed down at the unconscious Assassin, finding him adorable with the unruly locks of soft raven. His face was brimming with youthful vigor; a mask that was deceiving for it concealed the specter of Death. It was hard to comprehend he was a trained killer when he was wearing a pair of charcoal sleep pants and faded Red Sox shirt with a blue blanket wrapped around his legs.

Alex pushed on, catching the Apple's attention. The golden hue progressed into a soft pulsing glow.

"Alright," she whispered and collected the artifact. "I'm all ears."

As Alex reclined into the couch, her eyes grew heavier with each fleeting second. She didn't fight it and permitted it to take control of her mind.

"Hurry! There is no more time!"

"I need another moment! Please!"

"Minerva," the elder man bent down and clutched a leathery hand around the slender bicep. "There is no more time! We must go! Now!"

"What of Juno?"

"She has been taken care of my daughter. Now please we must go!"

The woman with the velvety rivers of chocolate began to rise but not before hitting the pedestal with several strokes of her fingers. Silently she hoped this worked per her calculations. The numbers had lined up upon the first test but there was no opportunity for another to verify success. Their other trials had failed leaving them no time or resource to spare. Embroilment in war with humans had stolen their focus from the heavens, hindering their ability to foresee the gathering apocalypse until it was too late.

She took a deep breath as the vault that surrounded her quaked with great violence. The end was coming.

Her hand covered the other, lightly massaging the Shard that rested on her ring finger.

"Minerva," a masculine voice beckoned from the right. Minerva twisted her upper torso around to see a man of similar build with slightly shaggy blonde hair. His skin was light bronze as though he had bathed in the liquid metal.

"Enki," she hungrily embraced him then withdrew taking his burning cheeks in her face. Her brow furrowed in panic as her eyes hardened with worry. "My husband what are you doing here?"

"Everything is ready," Enki panted hard. "Now all we need is this," his hand slid over the Shard. "The other are waiting."

"We must go then," Minerva glanced over her shoulder to see the pedestal go silent. The ground continued to thrust, seizure, and convulse but the vault remained steadfast against the assault. Taking her hand in his, Enki sprinted with Minerva from the vault and towards the fractured corridor. He trusted his wife for she had been gifted with such mathematical talents.

Her father, Jupiter, would continuously praise his daughter for such. But now those times were about to be eradicated; erased in an instant as the great fire heralded in their final moments.

They reached the chamber where the others had gathered. They placed their lives in her hands, even now as their world shattered.

"Minerva," Enki paused and captured her face within his solid calloused hands. "Minerva no matter what happens, if we don't survive this, know that I will always love you."

Minerva's eyes welled with the heated sting of approaching tears. He had loved her since they were children, winning her hand over Ra and Set who had aggressively pursued her.

Enki leaned in swiftly kissing away the droplets of crystal that stained her skin. His own bittersweet trails marked the sides of his face and chin. The light but loving caress of his fingers over her lips and chin made this moment harder to bear.

"Minerva," Hermes approached. His face was somber with the weight of fatigue dragging down his modest features.

"Yes of course," she hiccupped between words. Enki swooped in, stealing her mouth in one final kiss, placing every bit of emotion he carried for her since the day they met behind it, gently gliding his tongue across hers, committing what she tasted like in their dwindling moments together. It was deep and passionate causing Hermes to avert his eyes for he felt as though he was interrupting an intimate moment. The others glanced at the floor or walls.

Enki pulled back, caressing her face one last time.

"This isn't goodbye."

Minerva slid the Shard from her finger, entrusting it to him. He would know what to do with it.

"I promise….."

Alex bolted upright dropping the Apple to her lap. Her lungs screamed for air as if she had been held underwater. She gulped the air like a fish until her chest was wailing in protest.

Minerva! Her name was Minerva! Wait! Minerva was another name for Athena, Goddess of Wisdom but who was Enki? Enki had been established as her husband but she wasn't familiar with the name.

"Alex," Kadar groggily called from across the coffee table. The ruffling of the blanket and fluttering of cotton smacked Alex back to the present.

"Kadar," she placed the Apple on the couch. "I didn't mean to wake you. It was the Apple. I heard something and then I saw it on the table glowing a-and that's the last thing I remember."

Her voice lifted in pitch while her hands fell into a shaking fit. The thunder of her heart roared in ears muting the Assassin's voice. What was happening to her? Why her? Why now?

"Alex," the shift in the cushion went unnoticed as Kadar felt her entire body engulfed in light tremors. "Alex listen to me."

His hand rested on her knee which seemed to break the spell she was under. Alex blinked and shook her head, confused initially but once her vision cleared and focused recognition settled in those troubled hues.

"I-I'm sorry," she started to stand but was prevented from leaving by the strong hand around her wrist.

"No," the Syrian shook his head. "I will not allow you to run. I was brought here for a reason: to help you. She said I was needed to help you. Please Habibati."

The accented tone lightened at the final word.

Alex stared at him for a moment. What did he just call her?

"What is that you called me?"

Kadar didn't answer with words but actions. An arm slipped around her waist with the other locking around from the other side. Alex could feel his eyes through the shroud of darkness, observing her reaction. She decided to reciprocate his gesture and roped her slender arms around his lithe waist. Alex decided to tempt fate and snuggled her head just beneath his chin. Her ear rested over his heart, letting its song fill her mind. It was surreal really; sitting in her living room with a supposedly dead man. But this "dead" man was living and breathing.

And he smelled good. It was exotic; musk, spice and earth that freckled his skin.

But her mind challenged this moment by recalling the memories of Clay. The bright baby blue eyes and snarky grin that won her heart over was tearing at her heart like they were accusing her of betraying his memory.

No! No not now! Please…

Kadar looked down to find her pressing her face harder against his chest.

"It means beloved."

The subtle pressure of his hand traced the curvature of her spine.

"It has not been that long since I came to you but…."

The Assassin didn't complete his words. He wasn't sure he could find the right words to say to her. It had been almost a week since his abrupt departure from his home and yet something had continued to bring him closer to Alex. He could go mad attempting to decipher what it all meant but chose not to. It would come to pass when it was meant to be.

"I don't want to sleep alone tonight," she muttered in his shirt. Alex wasn't sure if it was because of the visions or the ghosts.

Kadar heard her awkward plea and carefully gathered her up in his arms.

The bed was more accommodating than the couch.

Alex felt herself being lowered in the center, shivering at the absence of the warm body. Her displeasure was short lived as the mattress groaned and accepted another. Kadar sought her out, quick to envelope her in his protective embrace. His hand went straight for her hair, hungering to feel the rich strands combing through his fingers. He exhaled in a light pain when she buried her face in his chest then ribs then back to the sternum until she was content. While it inflicted some agony it was worth it once she went still.

"Sleep well…..Habibati."