It took a while but eventually, Talon's door opened up to reveal Devyn, still wearing her street clothes. Considering the fact that most of the place was in panic mode, not to mention the fact that she had just been shot twice, her chipper demeanor may have come at a surprise. "Well, that got a little crazy." If the halls outside were any indication as to what was going on in the rest of the facility, the commotion had slowed down and things were easing back into a semi-normal rhythm.
Out of necessity, she had called ahead on the way to the facility so that preparations could be made to receive two hostile individuals. So she was expecting a bit of a shit show when they arrived. It didn't help that Abstergo had just experienced a breech onsite. The Assassins were getting desperate. These were bold moves that they were making. Things were coming to a head.
She stepped inside the room with her hands stuffed inside her jacket pockets, but withdrew them to wrap him in an embrace as she approached, resting her head in the crook of his neck briefly, She held on for a moment before releasing him and giving him a quick look over. "You're okay? You're not hurt are you?"
As she looked up into his dark eyes, she could see internal conflict in his eyes. It was understandable. He had wanted to go for a drive, specifically because he needed to get out of this place for a while. Then he was presented with an opportunity to get out of here for good, only to be brought back. It was also quite a way to be introduced to the present day Assassins. Though it could have gone much worse.
"They think one of the technicians was feeding information to the outside. Now they're just trying to find out how they knew we were coming." The landscape of the war between the Brotherhood and the Rite had changed considerably over the last thousand years. Both sides had infiltrated a number of levels of society to push their agendas. She had envisioned them washing their hands of the war completely once their part in it was done, but after this, it was hard not to wonder if the war would be done with them.
. . .
Devyn's idea of a little crazy was certainly skewed. To the point he would have to ask her about some past experiences in Abstergo that was more mild than an internal breech, getting shot twice, and returning with hostages. Just another day in the office for her he reckoned.
He didn't make a sarcastic remark on the notion.
She embraced him and he was hesitant to hug her back with full pressure, given her injury. So a partial hug in return is what she received from him.
He could feel the outline of her lips and nose against the crook of his neck. The sensation brought a grin to his own lips. His smile faded when she pulled away a moment later and gave him a once over. Not the sexy kind of look over either. A look over that was an assessment of his emotional and physical well being. Then she asked if he was hurt and he had to laugh out loud.
"That's comical, coming from the woman who got shot twice a short while ago and is walking around like it didn't happen." He stated in a light hearted manner then added in a more serious tone, "I'm okay. I'm not hurt." Although that was true physically, mentally/emotionally was still undecided.
A knot formed in his stomach when she mentioned a tech feeding info to the assassins outside and another breech somewhere they were investigating, because the assassins had known Devyn and Talon would be out. Eva and Salim.
Abstergo didn't know who it was yet. But Devyn was clever, she would use power of deduction and figure it out soon. The question was would see tell her superiors or keep the info to herself. He needed to talk to Salim in private before he proceeded any further on the matter.
There was another matter he could focus on until then. "Are you okay? I...I haven't decided completely, but I think the most 'hurt' I endured today was when you fell backwards and your arms stopped moving, I just..." He asked of her, inquiring about her physical well being, while he revealed some of his inner thoughts.
. . .
She was sore to be sure, but it could have been a lot worse. Most people knew Abstergo for their Entertainment division. The truth was that the company brought in a lot of undisclosed revenue from military RND contracts as well. There were a number of high profile figures around the world who owed their lives to the team that had mad her hoodie a reality.
"I'll be aright," she responded. She could help but give a soft smile. She wasn't used to somebody having a vested interest in her well-being for totally unselfish reasons. Sure, if something happened to her, finishing his work and receiving compensation would get a lot harder. But, knowing him, that thought probably hadn't even crossed his mind. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you..." Again, she pulled herself into his embrace. If she'd learned one thing over the past few hours, it was that their time together could be cut short unexpectedly. Assuming that the night's events had actually been unexpected.
But he wasn't the only one with concerns. With her cheek pressed against his chest, she hesitantly asked the next question on her mind. "You didn't... tell anyone that we were leaving, did you?" Though she wasn't looking him in the eye, she was listening intently and she could feel the natural rhythm of his body. Leaving had been his idea, it was possible that they'd helped each other set up the ambush. Judging from how things played out, it didn't seem like he'd had a hand in things. But she had to cover her bases.
One of the benefits of working in a secret underground facility is that when something went wrong, there were only so many suspects to sift through. Furthermore, seeing as most of the employees lived onsite, anyone who suddenly disappeared would stick out like a sore thumb. As such, Abstergo would likely start their search by doing a head count.
. . .
"I did not. I went straight to my room following your order, after I made the suggestion to you." He said without any hesitation. It was the whole truth to her question.
A thought crossed his mind and he added, "Three people did see me walking back towards my room alone. I passed a couple of security guards escorting a technician away before I reached my room. A shower and a change of clothes later you met me at my door and we left, presumably unseen. It's hard to say given the labyrinth of this place, staff, and cameras everywhere if we were truly unseen."
Anyone could have seen them walking through the halls in passing, or seen them on the security cameras and think nothing of it. But the amount of employees who would be walking near the parking garage or how many camera are posted near or in the garage to see them leave, that he did not know.
He had a question of his own that he figured was better to ask her now rather than later. After a long moment of enjoying the sensation of her cheek against his own, he reluctantly pulled away so he could see her face. "The Brotherhood AND the Rite only care about being victorious to their own agenda. This war that wages between them, I see now there is no form of ignorance from it. Even after we have completed this job, it won't be long before we become pawns once more. How long will it take before one side or other decides that we would be more useful dead over alive? In here the Rite can keep us alive if we are deemed useful and out of the hands of the Brotherhood. Out there the Brotherhood will find us and give no second thought to ending our lives so we cannot aid either side."
His dark eyes bore into her emerald green ones, "There is no real hope of freedom for us, is there Devyn? No freedom means no nights by a pond, no control of when we work, where we go, hell even what we eat is dictated to us. But...."
The 'But' part of his statement clung in the air like a heavy blanket as he swallowed to finish his sentence. "...I want to ask you, is there a hope of love existing between us in all that? I'm not talking about following orders of 'playing' around or the Animus memory sequence after effects that literally fucks with our desire from that of our ancestors. I'm talking about a love that reflects self and significant other preservation over loyalty to any organization that uses us? Our lives are not our own, but our love can be."
. . .
The hope to one day have freedom to live her own life was one of the only things she had to hang onto. As she listened to Skye call that into question, her gaze hardened. Not even so much toward him, but more against so against the idea that the things she was working toward were some kind of fantasy. That her feelings for him were somehow false or manufactured. Still, she waited for him to finish his piece. When he was done, took a moment to consider his concerns and his questions, but she never broke eye contact with him.
She slid back a bit, leaving a bit of space between them, "You asked me to take a leap of faith with you... There's only so much I can do to let you know that I'm willing." A hand moved over one of the spots where she'd been shot.
She glanced away, piecing together the trajectory their lives could take if they didn't see each other again once their work was finished. "When this is all over, if we go our separate ways... You would be less of a target if I wasn't around. The Brotherhood might try to track you down to see what information they could get out of you, but it would be too late for you to give them anything meaningful by then and they would probably be too busy dealing with Abstergo to worry about you. You'll have the resources to do whatever or go wherever you want..."
A sigh escaped her as she thought about her own future for a moment, "I have to believe that I can have the life that I want too... If not then..." She shook her head lightly, as if to say What's the point? As scary as that thought was, she had to admit the possibility that he was right. She might never get to experience the night by the pond as she had envisioned. These old memories that she'd been rummaging through might be the closest thing to a real life that she'd get to experience.
Disheartened, she finally brought her eyes back up to his. "If you're not ready to take that leap with me... Just let me know before I jump..."
. . .
Talon found her words reassuring. He had feared that when the day came he had to choose between escaping this place with the help of the Brotherhood, or staying here that she would chose to stay and he would go. Now he felt certain if the opportunity arose that he could escape this place and live his own life, she would join him.
"When this is all over, If I have to choose between living outside alone or staying inside with you, I would choose to stay inside with you. Obviously, I prefer outside living, but not at the expense of leaving you behind because...I love you." He stepped towards her, closing the gap between them and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
He pulled back a moment later, just enough to whisper into her ear incase they were being listened to or watched, "The opportunity may come before us to take that leap of faith. A leap for the chance to live a life together in the outside world. I intend to make that jump with you, Devyn Harris."
. . .
Devyn had no intention of staying in the facility once her job was done. It was unlikely that the Brotherhood would ever let her live a normal life if they got word that she was no longer under Abstergo's watchful eye, but she didn't care. She spoke enough languages to disappear into any number of countries all over the world. Even if it would be safer for her to stay, she would take her chances. "You won't have to leave me, we'll walk out of here together."
As Talon moved in for the kiss, she brought her lips up to meet him. When he pulled away, she was about to tell him she she loved him as well, but then he spoke of an 'opportunity.' She blinked. It wasn't so much what he said, but how he said it that piqued her interest. She would have assumed that he was talking about the opportunity that would come after they found the Apple, but this sounded like something else.
"What do you mean? What's going on?"
. . .
Talon raised his hand and moved her black hair off to the side so her neck was more exposed. "I don't know exactly." he placed a kiss on her neck then spoke once more. "But if I come to know, I'll inform you." he whispered, bringing the discussion to a close.
He eased up on his affections, so he could look at her once more. This time his face was relaxed and appeared well more himself. "Did the doctor order some R & R for you in your own room? After a day like today, you have more than earned it."
. . .
Devyn tilted her head and gave up her neck to him until his was done kissing her. These little moments were even more precious to her given what could have transpired earlier tonight. But his words did not put her at ease. She understood why he was worried about the Brotherhood keeping them from having a life outside of this place, it was a valid concern. But if he was implying what he seemed to be, Abstergo would come for them using all the means at it's disposal as a billion dollar company. They could quite literally have a private army hired to track them down. As he looked down at her, her eyes met his with worry.
She stood in front of him for a moment, reluctant to leave. If anything, the last thing she wanted was to be alone for the night, but she found herself nodding and moving toward the door. The door slid open and let the light from his room spill out into the dark hallway. She came to a stop in the entry, and tunred to look back at him. "We're so close to being able leave this place, scott free... We just need to finish this... Okay?"
Per usual, she didn't press the topic any further, as it was something he clearly did not want to talk about. She let her knuckles rap against the door jam as she departed, with a "Good night, Skye." The door slid shut behind her.
After she had been gone for almost a minute. Talon's door slid open again, seemingly of it's own accord, seeing as there was nobody on the other side. Or perhaps, it had been opened remotely. If that were the case, one had to imagine that there were only so many in the facility who had clearance to do something like that.
The hallway was outside was completely still and quiet. Almost invitingly so.
. . .
"We started this together, we will finish this together." Skye reassured her. He didn't want her to go. If anything he wanted her to stay with him all night and wake up and see her beside him first thing in the morning. But she probably wouldn't get as good of sleep that she needed to heal up.
She bid him goodnight and he did the same as he watched her go. He settled down onto his bed and a minute later his door opened. He was optimistic it was Devyn returning. But when nobody stepped through and it stayed open he was confused. He peeked his head out and the hall was silent and vacant of anyone. Taking the non closing door as a sign he silently walked down the hall and headed towards the last place he had met with Salim and Eva.
His intuition proved him right and he came face to face with Salim. Once the discreet meeting room door was closed Talon sprang on the burly man pressing him against the nearest wall. Which was comical given their height differences but none the less he managed to do so.
"What the hell happened today Salim?! I get cabin fever and ask to go for a ride and you take that opportunity to have me abducted. Devyn and I nearly walked into a death trap. One assassin said Devyn could come along and she would be accepted just like me. While the other put two bullets into her chest. She would be DEAD right now if she hadn't taken a few seconds to zip up her hoodie moments before. So much for the Brotherhood having honor among their own huh?"
Salim didn't react to Talon's aggression. He had expected something like this to happen. "It's understandable that some members aren't willing to trust her because of her upbringing by Templars. I wasn't aware of who was going to be assigned to retrieve you. I am sorry their was a misunderstanding."
Talon gawked at him, "A misunderstanding? This is beyond a simple misunderstanding. SHE COULD HAVE DIED. You want me to lie to Abstergo and tell you the location of the Apple so the Brotherhood can have it for 'safe keeping'. After today I'm not inclined to do so. I will gladly hand over the Apple if it means Devyn and I walk out of here and disappear from ALL of you."
Talon released Salim and approached the door, "Prove that the Brotherhood would accept her as they would me. For their is no Me cooperating without Her, that I can promise you. Until then I am following the orders I'm told around here." He took a few steps and paused just within range of the door opening to let him out. "You can start earning my trust back by informing her about these meetings you've had me attend and why. I'll give you 24 hours to tell her yourself, before I tell her myself. That should show you just how much YOU trust her. After all you've known her since she was a child. If you aren't willing to tell her, how can you expect anyone else to accept her either. Good night." Talon said in finality as he took one more step and the door slid open, which would revel if anyone was out in the hall or if he had been followed and overheard.
. . .
Until this point, Salim was had been content to let Talon express his anger. But once the young man challenged his loyalty to Devyn, he'd had enough. Showing a quickness that didn't seem possible for a man his size, Salim closed the distance and stiff-armed the door before Talon could pull it open. His other hand gripped Talon's shoulder and spun him around before he bent down to bring their faces closer together.
He didn't lose his temper or shout. He didn't have to. His deep, bassy voice carried as much weight as his physical frame. "That's right. For her entire life," he pointed toward himself with a thumb, "I have loved that girl like she was my own. I have kept her safe. Who do you think makes her wear that hoodie? Who do you think who told our brothers to spare both of your lives?"
He gave a prodding jab with a thick index finger, "Understand, brother, as of right now, both sides want you dead. The Brotherhood believes what you have just admitted to me, that you would lead the Rite to the Apple and doom us all. If I were to kill you now, I could prevent that... As for Abstergo, they have let you see too much to let you go at this point." He gave a light shake of his head, "Do you think they would rely on a contract to keep you from revealing their secrets? Don't be a fool. As soon as you have given them what they are looking for, you are a loose end... As is she... Like you she knows too much for them to simply let her go just so that the Brotherhood can get a hold of her."
He let the words settle in for a moment as he stood upright again, "She has been chasing the Apple her entire life. She will not leave this place willingly until she finds it. " He gestured to Talon, "You have seen it for yourself... But finding it would be a death sentence for her. That is why I did what I did. To save the both of you."
His dark eyes rest upon Talons. "Besides, you keep the same secret that I do," he said as he reached toward the doorknob. "If you think that that a few words will dispel all of the lies that she's been living her entire life, then go, tell the truth," he pulled the door open, "See for yourself how she..."
The light from the monitors spilled out into the hall, revealing Devyn with their ethereal glow. She was leaning against the wall across from the door to the surveillance room with her hands stuffed in her jacket pockets. She hadn't even gotten out of her street clothes. Her eyes burned at the two of them, but she said nothing.
. . .
Turns out neither one of them had to say anything to Devyn. Judging by the street clothes she still wore and the way her posture was displayed, leaned against the opposing wall with hands in her pockets, she had been their a while. She probably heard the entire conversation. Talon hadn't exactly been careful of keeping his voice down.
Talon opened his mouth for a moment, though on the idea of speaking then closed it, deciding to say nothing. He looked at Devyn (clearly not pleased) and then back at Salim (also not pleased). Talon forced very strained grin and a half hearted shrug of encouragement to his brother.
. . .
Of the number of emotions that Devyn could be feeling, amusement was not one of them. In fact, Talon's attempt to make light of the situation seemed to add to offend her. But still, she remained silent as she waited for one of the two men to work up the courage to speak. Neither seemed eager to do so. "See how I what?" she asked with a shrug, encouraging them to speak up for themselves.
When it seemed as though they had nothing to say for themselves, Devyn's anger softened to a sense of betrayal. They were only two people in this place that she'd felt truly close to since the Doctor had started to distance himself from her, and though it wasn't clear exactly how much she'd heard from their conversation, the fact that she had caught them meeting like this at all was enough to draw certain conclusions. Especially given what had just transpired earlier in the evening.
Salim's face was stoic, maybe slightly apologetic for having lied, but he believed in his cause. Devyn could see that no answers were coming from him. In a way, she felt as though the fact that he'd been keeping secrets from her should have been expected on her part. After all, everybody else who worked for the company had. But as she looked to Talon, she couldn't help but feel like she'd been taken for a fool. "Leap of faith, huh?"
She pushed off of the wall, giving a soft shake of her head at her own stupidity as she started down the hall.
. . .
"Devyn!" Talon called out not surprised she turned her back and would not look back at one of the two persons she trusted most in this whole damn place.
His gaze went to Salim who glowered at him a look of resolve. He might have felt a bit of remorse towards Devyn in going behind her back, but ultimately his loyalty was to the Brotherhood. Loyal to the greater good they claimed to strive for for humanity. "Fuck you." Talon spat. The woman had deserved a real answer from the man who had somewhat caused this. It now fell on him to tell he, if she would even give him the time of day.
"Devyn!" Talon called out, not surprised she kept her back turned on the two persons she trusted most in this whole damn place.
He took a step towards her and got pulled back into the monitor room by Salim.
. . .
Salim reached out and grabbed Talon by the arm before he could stray too far away from the surveillance room. "Stop," he ordered in a hushed voice as Devyn disappeared down the dark hallway. "Our hand has been forced," he checked his watch, "I need to know, right now, whether or not you intend to go along with their plans. I have not given up on her, but our brethren have put their lives on the line, and I am not ready to give up on them either."
He pulled Talon back into the room where their conversation had just taken place. One of his tree trunk-like arms raised toward the wall of screens and pointed at one that shifted between views of various holding cells. "We both know that you have been there before. You have what becomes of those who stay down there for too long," he said, referring to the zombified occupants that Talon had seen when he'd wandered into some of the off-limits areas of the facility. "I cannot allow that to happen to our brethren, not while there is still time. You can either help me save them," he looked back down to Talon, "Or you can choose this place and its lies."
At this point, it may have become apparent that he had not yet let go of Talon's arm. Up until this point, Salim had shown both an even temper and an ability to restrain himself when provoked, but the implication was obvious enough. He was asking Talon to pick a side. "It is your choice, brother. I am here to see you to safety, but if you choose too stay, I cannot help you." Finally, his grip released. His giant arms folded across his chest as he waited for his answer.
. . .
Talon's muscles tensed and his body shifted into a fighting stance as he was pulled back into the room. His eyes reluctantly pulled away from the direction Devyn had disappeared from his view and looked towards the screen Salim pointed at.
So, Salim had been watching him, even that early on. From the moment that phone call was made to Talon, he had a suspicion Abstergo would have found a way to get him here, with or without his cooperation.
With cooperation he ended up 'cared for'. Without cooperation and he would have ended up like one of those zombie like occupants in the off-limits ward of the facility.
Salim mentioned not giving up on Devyn yet but his brothers had put their lives in the line and he wasn't going to give up on them either. Talon whipped his head around and gave the intimidating man a hard stare. "You mean that asshole 'officer' who shot Devyn? Yeah, I don't give a damn that he is a brother, he can go to hell. Wish my shots had hit him instead. The other guy was decent. I do hope they got him some medical care for those knees."
It was evident that Salim wasn't going to let him go without giving him a committed answer. That oath about being there to see for Talon's safety, unless he chose otherwise. "If you guarantee Devyn's escape from here. Hell, even if you have take her out of here by force. Ger her out to true freedom and I will do as you have asked of me and keep the Apple from coming into the possession of the Rite. In the event that if you must chose to save only one of us, no matter what, you save her. Promise me that and the Apple will never be theirs. Before coming here I got to live my life. She has never had that. I want that for her more than anything, even if it means I have to sacrifice my own freedom, life or sanity." He said gesturing to the screen that had view of the off limits zombie like ward patients.
He extended his hand out towards the man to shake on it, "Do we have a deal? I need to go attempt damage control that you caused when you said nothing to Devyn while she was willing to listen."
. . .
"You have not taken part in this war for long. Some of us have been fighting it all of our lives. We have given up more than you know. We know what our failure would mean. So you'll have to forgive us if our methods seem severe, but this is not a game that we are playing." He cast a glance toward the monitors, looking to the holding cells where their brethren were imprisoned. "Besides, we will need all the help we can get once we are out of this place."
As Salim closed his hand around Talon's, the grim smile that curled the corner of his lips gave the impression that he'd gladly trade Talon's life for Devyn's a hundred times over if he had to. It was a notion that was confirmed when Salim said, "The only reason that you still live is because I believe you can help me get her out of here." With his massive hand gripping Talon's, if Salim changed his mind about his usefulness in that moment, there would be little that could be done to keep the hulk from mauling him to death right there.
"There will be time for amends, but I need your help first." He glanced to his watch, "Tomorrow, they will likely interrogate and then deal with our brothers, so we must make our move tonight. Now, while the facility is still vulnerable." He reached into his back pocket and drew a key card that bore metallic markings that looked similar to the tattoo on Devyn's wrist. "This will get you back into the detainment area. I would go myself, but I must stay here and cover your tracks." He pointed to the wall of screens, "I am not the only one watching. There are others who keep a watchful eye over this place. But from here, I can control what is seen."
Salim offered the card over to Talon. "I promise, once they are free, one way or another, we will make sure that Devyn is freed as well." He held back a short laugh, "To be honest, if she reacts to your words the way that I believe she will, that may be the toughest task ahead of us." He raised his shoulders into a light shrug, "Perhaps the lengths you are willing to go to in order to accomplish your goal will surprise you."