Lineage of Brotherhood

Chapter 3

Early the next morning, the two of them stood in the Animus with the Abstergo staff prepping them for their session. Once the belts were harnessed on and the epidurals had been performed, a procedure that Devyn seemed to have learned how to zen out during, a few of the staff members returned for an added step to the process. They clasped a set of gauntlets onto each of their wrists. Once they were all securely fastened, the staff quickly backed out of arms reach.

Devyn explained, "These are our Hidden Blades. An assassin is expected to be able to pick up any weapon at their disposal and put it to use, but they should never be without their Hidden Blades." With one quick motion, two blades shot out of her gauntlets, extending out past the bottoms of her wrists before sliding back out of view. "I could show you how to use them now, but you should be able to pick it right up as Altair."

He had passed his first test in the Animus with flying colors, but that was just a sparring session. The next logical step was to raise the stakes a little bit. She raised an authoritative finger, "Just remember that you're in here with somebody. Somebody who's trying not to get stabbed, you got it?"

. . . .

Talon gave her a single head nod and braced his teeth as the epidural was inserted. Within thirty seconds the animus raised him into the air and with a forward thrust he felt his mind going back to that of Altair's and the memory sequence. The scene was different than the one before. He was inside the Assassin fortress in the weapons training room. His arms still had the hidden blade gauntlets and around him was fellow members of the brotherhood. He was certain he caught a glimpse of Esther.

Altair and Esther's fellow comrade, Abbas, asked their combat instructor if the group could pair up and fight with their combat skills and practice with their hidden blades, instead of the wooden practice ones. With permission granted it Abbas and Altair began their fight. Talon felt the movements flow through his body, the tension in his arm as he willed the blades out of the gauntlet at appropriate times. It was as if they had been apart of him for a long time. He felt the blades retract and extend as if they were an extension of his own arm.

It was during the course of their combat that Abbas revealed his hatred of Altaïr. Talon could feel Altair's guilt but wasn't entirely sure why he felt guilty for the brotherhood member who had switched from 'training mode' to killing mode. As the two grappled, Abbas held his knife to Altaïr's throat and yelled that Altaïr had lied about Abbas' father to shame him. The commotion caught the attention of the other Assassins. Trying to quell Abbas' anger, Altaïr falsely admitted that he had lied, and the two were taken to Masyaf's dungeon. There they spent a month in confinement before resuming their training.

Talon felt the memory fragment begin to decrease in synchronization. A voice called out to him to stay with it until the next sequence began. He wasn't sure if it was Devyn or a technician who spoke it but he felt his body relax as mind fragments of incomplete memory of his time spend in confinement for a month was gone. The synchronization increased once more when Altair was released from confinement and was faced to face with Esther outside the Assassin fortress. "Care to join me on a run? Maybe find a quiet place to practice one on one after?" Altair asked of her.

Talon could feel Altair's desire to be free from the eyes of his superiors and other brotherhood members for a short time. A run around the city landscape, roof tops to a high place, and a place to practice his hidden blade skills with her is what he desired. She was talented after all, and if he wanted to become a Master Assassin, he needed to be better than what had happened during his fight with Abbas.

. . . .

Esther smiled up at Altair, "Of course." As they started down the path from the fortress, she grabbed him by the arm just long enough to slow him to a more casual pace. "Can we... walk? Just for a bit?" It felt good to be in his company again. It seemed like a moment worth enjoying before they went right back to training.