#assassin's creed is limited to just abstergo right now

[talenlee]

A Conspiracy's Theory

Something that a few friends have been surprised to learn with the recent Magic: The Gathering Universes Beyond product, is that I for some reason, am someone who is familiar with the deep lore of Assassins Creed. Oh, not the current games – in fact, after Assassins Creed 3 the only Assassins Creed game I played at all was Assassins Creed Liberation, meaning that I’m something of an originalist in the extremely silly space that is Assassins Creed.

Now, if you’re like me and think ‘oh yeah I know about Altair and Ezio’ and think that you checked out of Assassins Creed at that point and therefore you’re familiar with ‘a lot’ of Assassins Creed, you’re really, really out of date. That period of five years represents maybe six games, and the franchise has since then kept spilling out to 14 ‘main’ games and 17 ‘spinoff’ games. Which is to say, that period of history, the ‘start’ of the franchise story, covers about a fifth of the games in this sprawling franchise, and are the defining framework that the rest of the games follow.

What I think is remarkable then is the idea of ever caring about any of the games after that point strikes me as an interesting non-starter.

In a time when people seem to be thinking deeply about the sanctity of the history touched upon by this incredibly stupid franchise, because they want to use the word ‘DEI’ as if it was just the n-word, it was the first time I was given a reason to think about this series and what it meant to me, as someone who had played a lot of them and then done a hard stop.

I have a theory about this.

It is literally a conspiracy theory.

Spoilers for all of Assassins Creed up to Assassins Creed 3.

First there was the Creed. Assassins Creed releases in 2007 on a bunch of platforms, and it was, generally, heralded as good. It was good in a way that showed ways it could be developed. Some elements of the game were very strong and some elements were a little weak. There was resistance, there were limits, but the technical challenges of what the game was and what it needed to get made meant that there was a certain kind of air of prestige to it. Assassins Creed was promoted as both something special in terms of how it got made and what it was trying to do. Real history, real geography, what an impressive and cool thing it was, and it even got to stand in that weirdly respectable space of talking about Muslim culture without being necessarily enormous assholes about it.

Make no mistake: Assassins Creed would not give you useful insights or historical context for what it was like being a Muslim in Syria in the 1100s. Even though he was stated as being born to a Muslim pair of parents, I don’t think as a player who has indulged in a lot of Altair-ing around, that I learned anything about his faith and beliefs as a Muslim. Despite this though, this was 2007, it was a big swing to depict characters from the region at all as not inhuman monsters and to present Crusaders as actually bad.

Anyway, it arrived, it was a game that we call good by all the useful metrics and it was exciting. It presented in its first piece a mystery story and a promise of more. Because yes, this was the story of Altair Ibn-La’Ahad, but it was a story you accesed through the story of Desmond, a schlubby bartender from the modern day who was supposedly descended from the Assassins and it was left somewhat ambiguous as to what was going on.

It’s been years since this was new, since this was still a mystery, but at this point it was a point of genuine uncertainty as to whether or not Desmond was an Assassin who was being turbo-upskilled by his memory diving, or if he was Just Some Guy who had the right genetic thread, and the first game wasn’t clear on that. In the process, he got the attention of one Lucy Stillman, who worked for Abstergo, the head of the Templars, and in the last moments of Assassins Creed, Lucy revealed herself to be a secret member of the Assassins and broke him out of Abstergo! You went from playing the Assassin things through the interface of the Animus, with all the videogame trappings, to play without that interface and instead play Desmond doing all the cool assassin things.

There was the promise! Suddenly, we had a new story, expanding, and the Animus was out of our reach! What would be our next development?

Anyway, then we get Assassins Creed 2, which was pretty much exactly what you expect of a sequel. It was a bigger game, it had more stuff in it, it was largely better in all the ways people care about, and because it was being made by people with access to all the experience and skill of making Assassins Creed 1, it wasn’t hard to recognise the ways it was better. Consider the boss battle finale of Assassins Creed 1 which is fighting Al Mualim in an open field (who cares) and in Assassins Creed 2, you fist-fight the Pope in the Vatican.

The story had a clear set-up. Desmond dives into a more recent period of history to take on the role of Ezio Auditore, who was an Assassin who was renowned for his ability to fight, and the experience of diving into his memory was meant to be a training experience for Desmond. See, they were preparing Desmond. He was getting ready to start fighting. You see, there was a very clear direction in Assassins Creed 2 for the story to focus on and then, then, then…

Nothing happened.

What we got next was instead of Assassins Creed 3, we got Assassins Creed Brotherhood, which felt like a mission pack for Assassins Creed 2, a sort of temporary stand-in-space where the story builds a treadmill then starts running on it. Then we get Assassins Creed Revelations which is the same treadmill, with a lower incline because there’s less nowhere to go to.

But that’s not to say nothing happened in those two games. One very important thing happened, which is Kristen Bell stopped being a sorta mid-league actor who could be afforded by the crap factory at Ubisoft. It was that special price point where Ubisoft’s story department would pay for like, a Star Trek actor, but not an actor actor. And that meant the story arc being built up in Assassins Creed 1 and 2 got to take a sudden hard swerve to the very important task of completely cutting out the Lucy Stillman plot, by killing her then revealing she was all along a Templar, and at this point, at this point, I started to consider that maybe in fact, this story wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe there was never going to be a Desmond game where he was the protagonist even if I didn’t like him.

If you go back and listen to me on old podcasts from ten years ago, you might find that I didn’t like Desmond and I think that that’s still a fair impression. He was both boring and annoying, someone who both lacked enough personality to carry a game and someone who only showed up in the story to interrupt me from doing something cool I liked doing.

And yet.

And yet.

When I got to Assassins Creed 3, I played it for just long enough to get sick of America, a culture that I think we can all accept is just a flat-out mistake, right? Anyway, that’s where I tapped out. I tapped out and watched the story on Youtube and saw how the narrative I’d spent five games and six actual years of my life paying attention to, farted out wetly. The culmination of this story is that Desmond spends some time being mad at his dad, and then gives his life to save earth from an exploding sun.

It is a complete out of context narrative at that point. What started as a mystery about retrieving information from the memory of the past, is now instead about Ancient Aliens making machinery that will blow up the sun in accordance with a prophecy that works on a functionally arbitary timetable.

This was what Assassins Creed was ‘about.’ This was the story that the games were built towards and it was also supposedly a billion dollars in overall game production costs. And the thing is, when I talk about storytelling in videogames, I normally bring up Assassins Creed when I want to point out that the mechanisms of the triple A game industry don’t have the means to create a meaningful story.

And this is where I veer into my theory.

I think Assassins Creed 1 succeeded. Then I think Assassins Creed 2 was successful enough that Ubisoft changed the parameters and decided agnostic of the games that they needed to make more games in those parameters. It was the kind of mindset that said there wasn’t going to be a game about a story but instead units of game produced within certain genre parameters. It’s a consideration of games as a sausage factory where the tube gets cut and twisted at different points and that’s how you got two more games that were, realistically speaking, perfectly fun games in their own way, but which if they were divorced from the ‘story’ elements of it they’d be better games.

My theory is that whatever Desmond game they were working on got pushed down the line to make room for the most recent Ezio game. Whatever it was doing was more ambitious, freerunning in a modern or cyberpunk city, that got harder and harder, that got more and more challenging compared to mapping historical cities. And in the process, it became less and less and specific, until there was this chunk of a game, this demand of a game that didn’t have anywhere to be or anything to do.

I think that Desmond Game got spun off and eventually reused for parts to be made into Watch_Dogs.

This is, all of it, a conspiracy theory. It is unprovable and unfalsifiable. Anyone who wants to talk about the inner workings of Ubisoft in 2007 is not likely to be able to give entirely trustworthy information. Any of the institutional memory is degraded. There is probably proof of things like Watch_Dogs existing before that point, even as just a hypothetical, and the disjointed story of Assassins Creed, pissbowl knockoff of Chariots of the Gods it wound up becoming.

It does make sense to me, though and whenever I think about it, I just get a little embarrassed how much of the lore of Assassins Creed I bothered to remember given how little it seems to care about what it’s supposed to be.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[xadoheandterra]

Title: Fait Accompli Fandom: Harry Potter, Assassins Creed Characters: Petunia Durlsey, Lily Potter Warnings: emotional manipulation, heavily implied eugenics, misuse of science, heavily implied mental manipulation, implied child abuse, character death Parts: I | II | III Summary:  Petunia Dursley neé Evans had a lot of regrets in her life. Her sister, their estrangement, her marriage. This, she determined, would not be one of them. Notes: This was literally the first Assassin’s Creed fanfiction idea I ever had, and it was a crossover. This idea initially came to me when I started to play the first Assassin’s Creed in a build up anticipation for Odyssey. I had a hard time writing it originally so I scrapped it. I worked on Dreaming Bitter Darkly instead after Odyssey came out and that became my first Assassin’s Creed fic. Needless to say this isn’t going to be an emotionally happy story. At all. Petunia is not a nice woman, and this is 100% from her point of view. I do have a “sequel” planned, or rather a series of 3 stories that will take place. This and it’s two parts (still being written) and another short story that technically takes place at the same time, to set up the background for the story that I wanted to write originally.

I’m still not sure how it’ll go, but I figured I’d put this mess out there.

The door to the house stood in front of her like a threat. Petunia clutched at her small bag with tight fingers and tried to build up the courage to knock. She could hear inside the sounds of children and felt tears sting at the edge of her eyes.

Petunia Dursley neé Evans had a lot of regrets in her life. Her sister, their estrangement, her marriage. This, she determined, would not be one of them. With a deep breath Petunia took a step forward, and knocked.

When Lily entered into her small family all Petunia knew was love. She loved her little sister with bright green eyes and red-as-blood hair. She loved her mother for whom she took most after—blond, wisp-thin, with sea-glass for eyes and tall enough to drive most men mad. She loved her father that little pretty Lily took after the most. She loved her Uncles that came to visit and check upon their family, and she loved their ever so perfect life.

Petunia was full of love, and she excited in it. What more could a family as theirs do anything but love?

Lily was five when the family moved to Cokeworth. It started when Lily began to display the gifts. Petunia had only just been introduced to their Uncle in a far more formal matter and explained how important these gifts—hers, and especially Lily’s—were. The family was a small section of a larger group that focused exclusively on pairing off children to bring out traits. Traits like Petunia��s, or like Lily’s. After years and years of genetic research it all seemed to culminate into one major success—Lily.

“You have to keep her safe, Petunia,” her Uncle said softly. “They will try to turn her mind. Keep her focused on the path ahead. Let the Father of Understanding guide you, in this, as the Father of Understanding has guided your parents.”

Petunia took to her job seriously. She dogged Lily’s steps, kept a watchful eye on her sister, and while she faced homeschooling so that she could understand how to use her own gifts and just what the Project their family had been a part of this whole time meant, none of Petunia’s love abated. In secret she whispered truths to Lily about the world.

We are not the first to walk here, Petunia told her. But we are special, Lily-flower. She spoke to Lily about the things their parents taught her—how their family had been born out of a necessity. Long ago, they said, there was a power in this world like none other. Humanity hated this power, hated the things it can do, and fought back. What was once peace became chaos, where there was order now disarray took its place. Violence and bloodshed became humanities tools of the trade. In silence the powers shifted, and then fled, and then vanished altogether to be lost to time.

Lily liked the stories Petunia would tell her, and she kept them secret. Petunia spoke of their Uncle and their job as sisters—Petunia to keep Lily safe, to keep her protected from those who would use her to incite chaos and disorder—and Lily’s to find out what had been stolen from them. They were special, mum and dad said. They were brilliant, bright children with the right gifts born at the right time.

The world is going to end if we don’t do something about it, Petunia whispered. Will you help me?

Yes, Tuney. Always.

Lily was eleven when the letter came, as they expected. Cokeworth had a family that they’d kept a close eye on, one that had been picked for Lily to get close to and she’d succeeded. Petunia disliked the Severus boy. Something about him always rubbed her wrong, but she let the family ruling stand firm because without Severus then the chances that Lily would have gotten her letter—they could never be certain of it. They needed Severus to see her gifts, maybe go running to his mum, and that would put into motion the fact that Lily existed.

Lily wasn’t born the same way others were, after all, and Petunia knew that just as Lily did. Just as Petunia hadn’t been born the same way, or their mum, or their dad. They were the pride and joy of their Uncles, proof concept of the work they tried to replicate. Through them hopefully they could find a means to push peace and order—and stop the death of the world that threatened to come.

Lily though, Lily worried, and so did Petunia. The plans they’d laid came to fruition and soon Lily would be off to school, off to learn fantastical new ways to control her abilities—ways that were old as much as they were new, because they’d been around since before the First or so their Uncles theorized. Lily worried what this could mean. Soon she’d step into a society so far removed from their own. Could they really turn her mind?

What if they lead me astray?

I won’t let them, flower. I promise.

But what if?

Then I’ll turn you back.

Their Uncles were proud of them, their parents were proud of them, and with the letter discussion turned toward the next steps in the plan. Lily would infiltrate the society, take the knowledge, learn enough that they could use what they have left over. How much had changed since the First? Were they even the same? No one had a chance to learn, this ‘wizarding world’ was so far tight lipped that even the few spies they’d been able to get close were still rebuffed. They had a plan though, a plan that hinged entirely on Petunia and Lily and their sister act.

“You need to sell it,” their Uncle said softly. “Sell that Lily is one of them. That you are not.”

I am though, Petunia wanted to say. She had the gifts too! They were different, she wasn’t as true as Lily was, but that didn’t make her any less than Lily.

“You are perfect, Petunia. They don’t need to know that.”

So they worked together, made this act where Lily spoke as if Petunia began to resent her, hate her, and Petunia played it up. During the summer hols when Lily came home if that blasted Severus boy were around Petunia played jealous and bitter.

Until everything went wrong.

Petunia was in her late teens to early twenties and she’d been sent to work at Grunnings as a secretary. They wanted her to pick a potential husband from a group of people with the right genetic line to create more children like Lily. Petunia was close to perfection, and in some respects was perfection, but Lily wasn’t enough and their Uncles wanted more. Lily—sweet Lily was just a teen, alone in a world that made no sense while it made too much sense all at once.

It is fascinating, Tuney, the things they do!

But…wizards? Really?

Well…it has been so long, hasn’t it? Maybe they’ve just forgotten?

That’s not possible. They have to be lying.

Then one day Lily came home for the summer hols and Petunia came to visit and found her little sister in complete shambles. They worked hard to build Severus up to her potential husband and he’d done the unforgiveable—thrown it away, in her face, and treated her as worth less than dirt. Petunia tried to rebuild Lily’s shattered sense of self, but nothing worked. Their Uncles wanted her in London, wanted her to continue the family line. Lily had things well in hand.

I’ve got this, Tuney. I…I have this.

Are you sure?

Yes. Yes, I’m sure.

Petunia worried, because Lily began to speak to her less and less. Before she’d talk fascinating things about this ‘wizard world’ and the innovations they created, and yet disparage against them because supposedly they thought of humans so far behind that it was laughable. Humans learned and adapted—they weren’t animals, and sure they needed guiding but this? This was foolish. Of course there’d also been whispers, something of a ‘dark lord’ that wanted to wipe out humanity or enslave it.

Isn’t that what we are doing, kind of? Enslaving people?

No. No we are making peace Lily. Everyone has their own minds, still, just…no more violence. Or war. And in peace we can stop the Fall from happening again! Don’t you want that?

…I hate war, Tuney.

So do I.

Before Petunia knew it her little sister was close to graduating and speaking of things that made no sense. She came home and introduced her new boyfriend—not Severus, but some strange bloke called James—and Petunia felt as if her world began to shatter. She hated her life as it was. There was so little Lily and instead this new and large man, Vernon, that wasn’t quite what she wanted. He made her feel small and Petunia hated it, but her Uncles felt as if he had the right mix for their work. They needed her to draw him to their way of thinking.

It was the only time in Petunia’s life that she considered her Uncles to be flawed. Still, at least James seemed to be good looking although the way his eyes looked in certain light—amber, like a cats or a bird of prey almost—left Petunia shivering. It made her feel as if she weren’t the beauty of her childhood, and while she knew that to most her long-limbed form was unappealing, she also knew she was a radiant creature when she put her mind to it.

A year later and Petunia got married to Vernon. She invited her sister, her sister’s boyfriend, and that was the end of the line. James was a cruel and capricious man that ruined her wedding and Petunia—Petunia had enough.

The last time Petunia saw Lily was just after Lily’s son came into the world. Petunia took her Dudley, a round creature that resembled his father and held none of the gifts that she or Lily had, and went to a local café. Lily met her there, alone, with her little Harry. They were two sisters with their sons meeting for a simple lunch, except in their family nothing was ever so simple.

Petunia sipped on tea. Lily had some sweet sort of scone that she nibbled on.

“Does your husband know?” Petunia asked and set her cup down.

“No,” Lily said softly. “He thinks I’m researching for our son’s safety.”

Petunia didn’t believe her. Once they would’ve whispered secrets back and forth to one another, given each other smiles, and Petunia would’ve felt that little bud of warmth in her chest. Now she felt coldness, distance, and a frigidity that Lily never once before gave her. They went back to tea and scones and kept the conversation to light topics for a while longer. Petunia left; she didn’t have much time available. Vernon would expect her home.

“May the Father of Understanding guide you,” Petunia murmured.

“…yes,” Lily replied, distracted, focused on her son, and the gap between them widened further.

On November 1st, 1980 Petunia Dursley neé Evans stepped out to get the morning milk. There on her doorstep she found a small babe bundled up tightly, with a letter, forgotten on her front porch. The thing was asleep, thank heavens, as Petunia picked the child up. She left the milk for the moment and catered to the child. Who would be so foolish to leave something precious on the front stoop, as if a child weren’t a precious sight to behold.

Petunia rocked the babe gently as she moved into the sitting room and picked the letter up and out. The handwriting looked familiar, and Petunia felt a sinking feeling deep within her gut. Cautiously she peeled back the blanket so that she could see more of the child and her hand shook. She recognized the dark skin, and while the scar above the brow was new, she knew this babe.

Lily’s babe.

Petunia stared at the boy and all she felt was empty.

[floatingpetals]

Vanish in the Dark Pt 10

Pairings: None at the moment(Kind of)

Warnings: Language, nothing major

Word Count: 1600+

Summary: Assassin’s Creed AU and Marvel AU crossover.  The Brotherhood has spent years hiding in the shadows keeping the Templars in line as the years pass on. When the Templars company Abstergo Industries strikes up a deal with Hydra, things have to change. The Brotherhood decides to step out of the shadows, reaching out for the help of the Avengers. What could go wrong?

A/N: Yaaassss, shit’s gonna go down next part! I’m excited, are you excited, cause I am! No but for real, I wanna take time to thank YOU GUYS for reading and sending me love! Seriously, it means so much to me! I’m not super close to the end of this series but it’s getting pretty close. I hope you guys enjoy this part! Also, reblogging and like lets me know if you guys like it or not! Enjoy!!

Once again, the gifs are not mine, credit to the owners.

Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Series Masterlist

“Wait a minute. What?”

Y/N had to hold back the eye roll she felt coming on. Tony wasn’t stupid, so she wasn’t certain why he was continuously questioning every shred of information she fed them. Right now, she was trying not to pummel him.

“Do you need a hearing aid, Stark?” Y/N spoke through gritted teeth.

“No. I just wanted to double check. You’re telling me, they’re in a dormant volcano. In Russia?”

“And Georgia. Don’t forget Georgia.” Aubree added, twirling her knife between her fingers. Tony shot her a glare, but otherwise ignored her.

“There are so many reasons why that can’t be possible.” Tony turned back to Y/N, who was debating on whether or not she could clear the table and deck him before anyone else could react. She had already told him the base information three times. Now for a fourth.

“Not inside. Beside. For the last time, Stark. Their base is BESIDE the mountain, that just so happens to be a dormant volcano.” She growled, tapping the hologram to pull up the landscape map once more. She spun it around, pointing at the locator on the map. “It has a cloaking device on the entire structure, and that’s why it looks invisible.”

“Then how do you know it’s there?”

“Because we’ve been in it!” Alright, now things were just getting sad. Tony didn’t say anything else. He stood staring at the map, hand resting against his mouth as he thought everything over. Y/N rolled her eyes and shot Steve a look, who had been watching the entire thing with silent amusement. He sat to the right of Tony, with Bucky beside him. Natasha leaned against the wall, talking quietly with Victoria as they waited for Tony to get his shit together. Clint and Sam were seated beside Heath and Clark, quietly debating between the four of them who was going to win the football game that weekend. Banner sat in the corner, watching the group interact with wide calculating eyes. 

Generally, Y/N would want everyone pay attention, but that expectation flew out the window twenty minutes ago with Tony’s refusal to accept the information he was given. Everyone knew it was because he hadn’t found it out first. They just didn’t have time for him to come to terms with it.

“Alright. How did you manage to get in there without detection?” The entire room groaned.

“Tony!”

“What?!” Tony asked with a false sense of innocence. Everyone knew what he was doing, but no one could seem to care. He was irritating them all. “I just don’t see how any of this can be real!”

“Just. Would you-?” Y/N fought to find the right words, but even with her years of training, nothing could prepare her for this. “Would you quit being an idiot?! We don’t have time for this shit! They’ve already shown you what they can do within a few weeks! If we waste any more time, then it will only get worse!”

Tony’s lip pulled back into a snarl, but Y/N cut him before he could even begin.

“No, I’m done. You’ve seen what becomes of them first hand. But you clearly don’t know the details, or even care to learn or accept them. Those men that attacked you, none of them were forced. They were willing participants to turn into the mindless bodies you fought. To them, their end game is all that matters. If that means because an empty puppet who ends up dying for the cause, then so be it.” She struggled to contain her rage as she went on, her hand clenched to keep from shaking “That’s not even the worst of them. They were fresh, didn’t have practice. They broke into your home with ease, and it took you how long to beat them? Even then you didn’t actually win, they retreated because their point was made. They terminated themselves when you tried to apprehend them. Because all they were assigned to do was to show you a sliver of their power.”

The room grew silent, the Avengers growing tense with her words. They knew it was serious, they just didn’t know the level. If what she was saying was true, then they really were underestimating the Templars. They hadn’t heard of them before, so to them, it was a new threat. They needed to shake that thought, the Templars have been around for centuries. They had more power then they seemed to let on.

“Look. I get it. Your scared, and you don’t want to accept that.” Tony let out a strangled laugh. “You can deny it all you want, but until you accept it, you’ll never be able to face them. They are a legitimate threat, who’s now teamed up with another. I know it’s a lot to take in all at once, but right now, we need to get our collective shit together and go take down this base.”

Tony’s brows were furrowed, deep in thought. When he said nothing in response, Y/N began speaking of the mission they were all going to take part in. She flicked the hologram, pulling up separate video feeds and layouts, zooming in on highlighted areas.

“This isn’t their main base, but they made the mistake of keeping their main machines here. It’s the Animus 4.36.”

“4.36?” Steve asked, flicking through the designs of the Animus. Y/N waved her hand, dismissing the question.

“Not super important with the number. Just that it’s the reason why they learn as quickly as they can. They get put in for a few hours and come out with years of combat knowledge.” Natasha leaned forward with interest. “It’s not without quirks, but supposedly it’s better than the other versions. With Hydra’s technological advances, they were able to combine the two and limit the bleeding effect. On top of the Animus, they also have one of their data base terminals there. It’s one of three and contains a third of the data. Templars are paranoid and split up their data. Of course, higher ups have complete access to all locations, but for everyone else not so much.”

“When did they decide that move?”

“About a year ago. They got all twitchy when their headquarters got broken into and a bunch of their files were leaked.” A smug grin broke on all the Assassin’s faces, apart from Y/N’s. She turned and shot her members a hard look. “This will not turn into another leg incident. When we go in, you listen to me. Got it?”

The four nodded, sobering up at her tone. The Avengers knew there was a story, and while they wanted to press for more, they didn’t have the time. Maybe on the flight there. 

Y/N returned back to the mission, explaining the known weakness of the building and the last known guard rotations. She made sure to go over everything, answering the other questions the popped up. How many were to be expect in the base? Why was everyone needed to complete this? What would this mean for the other bases when word of this base gets out?

“The plan is to go in, and destroy the machines while getting as much information for the data terminals as possible. Under no condition can we blow up the base. It’s way too close the volcano, and I’m not dealing with a possibility of it waking up. So, we can’t destroy the base, but we can try to strip it as best we can. If we do that, it might slow down the partnership between Abstergo and Hydra long enough to allow us to figure out our next move.”

“And if this doesn’t work?” Tony asked, genuinely concerned. What if they did all this and it turned into something beyond a leg incident? What if it became a body incident? He knew this was important, but so are the members of the Avengers. They were the only family he had left. He couldn’t see them get hurt.

Y/N considered his question for a moment, she herself having her own doubts. Even though odds weren’t high this would work, she wouldn’t put her team in danger if there was any other way. Y/N’s gaze turned to her own family, the weight of keeping the innocent safe a heavy burden for them all. Yet, someone had to do it. Slowly turning back to address Tony, Y/N gave him a sad smile.

“We can only hope it does.”

No one said a word as they looked over the plans, each deep in their own thoughts. Both Steve and Bucky shared a forlorn look when they saw Y/N’s shoulders slump. She acted like she could handle this, that she was tougher than she seemed. In the end, she was human too. Steve’s heart went out to her knowing her struggle. Sometimes the battles they fought were needed to keep others safe, but not without a price. It didn’t mean he was going to let her handle the entire mission herself. They were going to be a team, and they needed to act like it. Starting with him deciding they all needed to get rest.

“That’s enough for tonight. It’s late, and we need to get some rest before we leave. Natasha, can you debrief Wanda and Vision?” The red head nodded, scooping up the paper files and spare tablet on the table. “Tony, we need to let Parker know-.”

“No.” Tony interjected, his tone firm. “He doesn’t need to be a part of this. At least not yet.”

Steve looked to Y/N, silently asking if that was alright. She nodded. The Brotherhood knew of Spiderman’s real persona. And she agreed, he was still too young to be in this deep.

“He’s right. Spiderman’s too young. I didn’t account for him anyways.”

Nodding, Steve stood, casting one last look to the others in the room.

“There should be rooms ready for you, Wanda made sure to see to it.  Get some sleep. We’ll meet at 0500, geared and ready to head out. Dismissed.”

Vanish in the Dark Tag List:*

@buckybabybaby  @ccehrler  @the-echo-of-insanity @aya-fay@kystarlight17 @evra-von-what@sassyandclassyx@alicethecactus@rebsniper @ymstmp-izzi@northscorpio@inumorph@therealwatermelon@locaaednaa@savannahingersoll14@arrowguyxx @stay-wokke@thehunterismine@nilssonelinnn@deanlovescassie@mirajanestrauss1999 @38leticia @lex-ham@fandomsunitedtogetherforever @softwhispers @cookies186 @this-is-nonsense-phonies 

(OPEN) Send me a message if you’d like to be added! Also, let me know if you’ve asked and I’ve missed you! I didn’t mean to miss you:)

[zydrateacademy]

Review - Assassin’s Creed: Origins

An extra year of work and this is all they could come up with? Don’t get me wrong. No matter what I say about this game it will be painted with a certain brush of bias. I’m a well known fan of the entire AC franchise and I possess all but maybe two or three of the more minor ones like those side-scrollers or one-offs like Russia, India, and Freedom Cry. I collect them like Pokemon cards and largely, I enjoy the series as a whole and the only one I don’t overtly like is probably AC3. The franchise as a whole is perfectly fine if you’re a stealth based player such as I, whom will roll rogues and thieves at any moment in any RPG that allows me to do so. There are some missteps and Origins is not necessarily one of them. Yet I cannot help but feel a tad underwhelmed. It’s more or less the Mass Effect: Andromeda problem all over again but in a different flavor of disappointing. Of course, I liked that game too but it did have a recurring feeling of “Is this it?” I will mention that Origins is... fine. It’s more Assassin’s Creed in the same way Andromeda was “just” more Mass Effect. If you’re a fan of the franchise then you’ll be at home here but with an adjustment period. Every compliment I have might have an underhanded semi-complaint chasing them every step of the way but do not forget that I am writing this review while paused during an enemy fortress incursion. The game is loaded and I am actively playing it between paragraphs so that certainly says something for the game as a whole, to be sure.

Chronologically I’m not sure where this story even takes place. Even as an active player of the franchise I have yet to actually beat Syndicate so as far as the ever-present and ever-boring modern segments go, I’m not entirely sure what’s going on. Abstergo industries, the Templars-in-plain-sight of the modern setting still seem to be active as we play as a “Layla Hassan”, an employee of theirs exploring an Egyptian Tomb. The tomb of Bayek, the man you play as in “ancient” Egypt. That’s in quotations but the actual setting is a moderate cop-out, on the very occasion of Rome’s invasion and occupation of the country because developers can’t seem to have a people of color story without peppering white people in at every provocation. Still, it does give us an excuse for gratuitous historical cameos like Cleopatra (yes, that one), Julius Caesar and more.  The game begins with some spastic storytelling between teaching you how to play and vomiting flashbacks that barely constitute as flashbacks considering they are seemingly from mere months ago, though long enough for our man to grow a full beard. Still, the game picks itself off its feet when the first act ends and the story sends you off to Alexandria (yes, that one) which is where the game seemed to actually wake up for me. Basically, Bayek has lost a child to a shadowy masked group and he is systematically eliminating them for the sake of vengeance. He is a “Medjay” to boot, which I assume is some kind of knight with how people treat him. Protector of the people and all. Everywhere he goes people instantly recognize the sigil he carries around.

As the story goes on it becomes quickly apparent that Origins means exactly that. We’re essentially watching the founders of the Assassin order, though that word has yet to actually be used in my playthrough but I know it eventually does. At a certain point he even cuts off his index finger on accident on a slightly botched assassination which doesn’t really get mentioned but obviously leads the way for the ritual of dedication later in the Crusades age. There’s a lot of forward referencing like that dotted around and it is neat to watch, but the tradeoff is that there’s a skewed ratio of mucking about and actually stealthing that I find consistently irritating. No, game, I do not want to escort this spoiled merchant daughter to buy some linens. You see, Egypt is a very dreadful place. All mention of the practice is slavery is gone unmentioned but the tone of the game is still much more dour than Syndicate was. It seems every side quest is based around some form of misery. Once, I saved a woman from bandits who killed her entire family. In another quest I carried bodies from a swamp because hippo’s were aggravated by more bandits and led them to attacking a village. I had to carry corpses to a cart. In another quest, some Roman officer had pushed a woman off a tower because... racism, essentially. Every other quest I encounter is some variety of the above, usually highlighting the brutality of the occupying force. Other times it becomes quite apparent that the country is on the brink of collapse as you get embroiled in political intrigue and the shadowy organization that haunts Bayek at every turn. It’s all just... dreadful. Yet it’s as you’ve seen across screenshots and trailers, the landmass is incredibly pretty.

Yet even this has an undercurrent problem. It’s really not prettier than say... Renaissance Italy all the way back from AC2. The roman architecture is still in full force here as you run across expansive cities. The various oasis (what is the plural for that anyway?) help mix it up a bit but ultimately much of the game in my first dozen hours or so have felt like things I’ve seen and felt before. In an attempt to alleviate this, the game has introduced a Photo Mode. At the click of the button the world stops and pauses and you’re free to roam and manipulate to a limited degree that helps you capture more majestic views and vistas. I heard there was even a mode where you can turn off all HUD and presumably combat entirely just to wander the world and just take in all of the nuances the NPC’s might be programmed with. I’ve personally witnessed musicians, chatting traders, and a tanner. Granted they’re all speaking a different language half the time but the world is a pretty place, at least until you actually get back to playing and discover a burned down village with patrolling Romans and finding letters in loot about how the invading forces are treating the populace. Back to the more depressing episodes of the History Channel. The game itself feels a lot more RPG heavy than its predecessors. There was a fairly neat talent tree present in Syndicate but it felt far too easy to max things out and most upgrades just amounted to “more knives”, “sneakier stealth” and “extra gang mates”. Here, it’s a little more focused. There’s a bow tree, a melee tree, and a tools tree and they all interconnect and you’ll be expanding into each of them at some point regardless of your playstyle. Buying various upgrades will change the way your “adrenaline” attacks work (something you build up over time in open combat), taming animals, poisoning corpses, Slow-Mo bow using, chariot riding and much much more. I’m not sure how to describe it but it is both expansive and focused at the same time while Syndicate’s sytem was fairly straightforward. Thankfully Origins has pulled back on the whole toolset which was a growing problem in previous games. I don’t remember who the worst offender of the franchise was but Revelations does come to mind when it introduced a whole bomb crafting system which I barely used because smoke bombs were all I truly needed. So on and so forth. Origins continues giving us the eternally useful sleep darts and smoke screens. There’s a couple other addons that don’t really even give you any extra buttons, but actually just affect how other skills act under certain circumstances. Even the gear thing is more expanded on in a very RPG like capacity. Unity is the closest comparison but instead of one to five stars, gear typically levels with you and I do mean that quite literally. 

Origins is a massive world with dozens of zones, each of them a certain level range. As you move on in the world, enemies become tougher but will drop better loot. That’s also something I haven’t really found a spot to mention, but the combat is changed to reflect this RPG style; there’s no more countering to a degree. There is a parry skill you can buy early in the game (it’s one of the first things in the warrior tree) but it ends there, as it doesn’t instant kill anyone.  Combat itself is more reminiscent of Dark Souls games, as there’s a lot of flurry attacks and dodging to get out of the way of heavier classed enemies slamming their giant axe down on you. Instakills are now more reserved for your hidden blade and really well placed bow shots. I still have yet to get a full handle on the parrying which I know is vital for survival. There’s a very subtle graphical cue that is so quick I haven’t been able to nab a single screenshot of it. You see a quick red circle around the hilt of the enemies weapon that usually signifies the window to use your Parry but just like any other game, I’m complete shit at it and miss seventy percent of the time. I typically rely on dodgeroll survival and heavy attacks to break defense. I’m sure there will be a boss fight later in the game that will punish me for that. Due to the new combat system, it changed how enemy AI works. In previous games, being caught would alert the immediate area. Instead, I noticed that they can be quite deaf at times to balance out the slightly harsher combat. I once assassinated a guy right next to his patrol buddy and his mate kept walking right along. This is a mixed blessing with how I’m not too great at the actual combat. On one hand, I am punished less for screwups but the tradeoff is that getting caught in open combat means enemies will run towards beacons (Shadow of Mordor/War style) and summon a handful of extra enemies that will patrol the area looking for you. In this way, the game is probably the heaviest in the stealth category as most of the franchise is, and that’s why I like Origins the most when it actually remembers that fact. One of my favorite tools so far is probably Senu, Bayek’s pet eagle. Turns out it functions exactly like the drone in Ghost Recon: Wildlands but with no battery and unlimited range. And I do mean unlimited range, as that little bastard can go across the entire world as you see fit. This can set up a lot of great screenshot fodder if you’re just really interested in seeing the well crafted world itself for a couple of hours. I might take this tour myself some day but for now, I’m fairly content on finding encampments and wiping them out which I’ll elaborate on shortly. Senu herself can scan for enemies, treasures, and various ballistas that you can use while your infiltrating. 

In fact, even she has her own level up. As you capture Eagle Points (which do the usual of mapping the area and revealing side missions) her ability to scan areas becomes more useful. In the beginning you practically have to stare at an enemy in open view before it’ll begin ‘tracking’ them. Now, after a dozen or so eagle points explored I can sort of slowly case an area in Senu’s hover mode and it’ll continually scan enemies even outside the reticle. I liked the drone in Wildlands and I like Senu here, it’s a good mechanic if a bit of an overpowered one where you won’t often be surprised by enemies if you’re patient enough to scan as many as possible. As time goes on you can even upgrade her to pester enemies in combat and helps you hunt. She oneshot a deer at a certain point and I wasn’t even expecting that. Good girl! I mentioned earlier that I find more joy in enemy fort clearing. This hearkens back to a similar problem I had with Syndicate. It was a great game and I thoroughly enjoyed the city takeover stuff (which I did twice!) but once I controlled the whole map the story missions themselves just felt dull and forced. I feel the same way here for the most part as I started having more fun when I actually begun to treat Origins like an actual RPG. I stopped trying to blunder my way through story missions and instead focused on exploring the map, unlock eagle points (that continue to act as fast travel points that will make future questing slightly more convenient), pepper in some side missions and mostly stealth through enemy encampments with various degrees of success. It’s like the game becomes fun when it actually remembers it’s supposed to be in the stealth genre, and I even said in my Wildlands review that Ubisoft does a decent job with stealth as a mechanic that it’s kind of become their cornerstone. Yet they feel this constant need to stuff the game with... stuff. I spent a whole five minutes staring at a blank rock trying to get to an early game eagle point and I was just so damn bored.

Don’t let me take away from its accomplishments though. The combat is frustrating but refreshing. The world is lovely to look at and travel through. The stealth is as fine and ever and it takes some notes from recent RPG’s (Breath of the Wild comes to mind while playing) and employs them in a seamless manner. The characters are fine and the assassination missions are varied and interesting. The dozens of enemy encampments offer unique challenges, treasures, and strong captains to kill. It does of course, have a lot of loot to play with. The Photo Mode is a fun toy to play around with when you’re not too focused on other things. It is however depressing, dull, run of the mill and it feels like it was just factory stamped out of Ubisoft like a few of their others. The pacing is sluggish and there’s no sprint button, you’re stuck with a slow moving camel as your main mode of transport until you can afford a horse. The autorun is useful but fickle and doesn’t always take you where you want to go. The glitches are present and have forced an exit or death more than once. Enemy levels are damn near unfair at times with super units that wander around the world that are typically several levels higher than you or the zone you’re in, making them more like a flash flood to avoid. Origins has its place in the franchise, I simply do not believe that it’s a major step forward. More like a tiny skip.

[katsmoviereviews]

Assassin’s Creed (2017)

Assassin’s Creed is the perfect adaptation. It’s a bad movie, but every aspect of Assassin’s Creed is there, good and bad. It does a good job of capturing what makes the franchise cool, while unintentionally emulating the worst aspects of the games. What I mean is that the characters are weak, the plot is dull and clunky, and it’s dialogue and themes are awkward, perfectly adapting the way story is told within the games. 

Now, while I don’t think this film is any good, I have a weird respect for it because while it has it’s huge issues, it also feels like it had a lot of real care and effort put into bringing the games to life. I genuinely feel that this film might be the best they could’ve done with a faithful adaptation of Assassin’s Creed because it’s failings all come from the limitations of the source material. It’s hard to create a character an audience can connect with when you have to jump between two time periods continually, it’s difficult to weave an engaging story around ridiculous concepts like genetic memories and the Apple of Eden, but this film really does it’s best to make that work and I can respect that.

Something I've seen people complain about is that the film spends too much time outside of the animus. Now, I think that this criticism is undeserved because if you think about it, without focusing on the idea and themes of genetic memory, Abstergo Industries and the animus itself, it wouldn’t be Assassin’s Creed. Those are the things that set the franchise apart from any other historical fantasy. If the story was centred around the historical plotline and the present day content took a backseat, then audiences would question it’s purpose, and removing it entirely would mean it wasn’t an Assassin’s Creed film. The point i’m trying to make is that focusing on the present day and using the scenes in the past as support and action breaks made sense as a decision, even if it may have made the film worse. I respect the decision to tell the story in the present because at it’s core that’s what Assassin’s Creed is, and that’s what made this an Assassin’s Creed film. If you didn’t have a focus on the present day and the stakes involved there, then the historical search for the apple would feel somewhat empty and pointless in my opinion.

However, the major issue with trying to tell the story of Assassin’s Creed is that no matter how you rewrite it, it’s still not particularly good at the core. Whether you’re telling the story of Desmond Miles and Ezio or Callum Lynch and Aguilar you still have to explain too much ridiculous context for it to make sense. To highlight this point, think about Harry Potter. It’s a simple concept that’s workable because of it’s core idea. If you did what Assassin’s Creed did and kept the core concept but changed the characters and story it’s still a whimsical tale of a kid going to wizard school. That concept is solid, the ideas still work and make sense, you don’t need to spend much time establishing what a wand is because people just understand that. Assassin’s Creed however doesn’t have this luxury. In order to tell a story in this franchise, you need to establish the Assassin’s and their ideals, their war with the Templars and what that group stands for. You then need to explain the Apple of Eden and why everyone wants it, the animus and how that works, and a few other things all alongside developing your characters in both the past and present, and both of those settings. Basically, the core concepts of Assassin’s Creed are flawed and over complicated in a way that just doesn’t work on film, which I think is the main issue this film has and makes it hard for me to hate this film. Yes, it’s a bad film and if the concept is so hard to make work they shouldn’t have bothered in the first place, but I can’t help but respect the attempt, I feel like the people making this film really cared about making it the best they could and I approve of that. 

Anyway, I feel like I could easily continue to list my complaints against this film because there’s a lot of them, but I’d honestly rather pay respect to what this film did right. Mostly, I thought it was a solid tribute to the games not only with it’s story decisions as mentioned before, but also with little details like the action choreography which was mostly enjoyable, or the faithful aesthetic. Little details in the designs, like the necklace with the Assassin’s logo on it, or the costumes, or how the Abstergo building looked like an Abstergo building. It’s clear that everyone behind this film really wanted it to feel like it’s source material, it’s just a shame that the source material isn’t really strong enough to carry a film.

Another point I want to make is about the animus itself. So at first when I saw it I was a little annoyed, the weird lift mechanic seemed pointless within the story. If you can record what the subject is seeing why do you need holograms and physical movements, why not just essentially put them into a dream state like in the games? However, as the film progressed I realised that this was a genuinely intelligent film making decision. They needed a way to cut back to the present day during historical scenes in order to make them seem connected and created a visually interesting way of doing it. I found that cutting between what Callum was seeing in the animus, and him acting them out with holograms made for a wonderful visual aspect. It seamlessly blended the past and present together to make it less jarring when the film went back to the present entirely, solving one of the biggest issues I find with the games. It was a constant reminder that the story was taking place in the present and worked excellently for it’s purpose. 

Anyway, overall I thought this film was sub-par despite the praise I've been giving it. Probably around a 4/10. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re into the franchise and can gain enjoyment from seeing a man jump onto another man and stab him in the neck like they do in the video games, which I won’t lie, I kind of did so I don’t feel like it was a total waste of time. 

Sidenote: I just remembered how horrible the music in this first trailer is. It’s kind of disgusting. Thankfully the whole film doesn’t do that. 

[floatingpetals]

Vanish in the Dark Pt 1

Pairings: None at the moment(A.K.A I have no idea where I’m going with this.)

Warnings: None right now, maybe language?

Word Count: 2600+

Summary: Assassin’s Creed AU and Marvel AU crossover.  The Brotherhood has spent years hiding in the shadows keeping the Templars in line as the years pass on. When the Templars company Abstergo Industries strikes up a deal with Hydra, things have to change. The Brotherhood decides to step out of the shadows, reaching out for the help of the Avengers. What could go wrong?

A/N: So far I have the first four parts written, but after that I dunno where I’m gonna go. All I know is this is gonna be a long one, and while I’m writing as I go, I’m really excited. I’ve started a tag list, so let me know if you’d like to added and I’ll be more than happy too add you! Also liking and rebblogging also helps me know if i should keep going. Thank you guys!  ❤️

Once again, the gif is not mine, credit to the owner.

Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Series Masterlist

Steve sighed into his bowl of oatmeal, watching Bucky and Sam bicker once again over who gets the last of the Lucky Charms. Natasha sat beside him, munching on an apple, throwing in a few quips herself which only cause the two start back up again. Clint had walked in, took one look at the two that stood at the center of the room gripping the box in each hand, and walked right back out. Steve was starting to think he had the right idea. 

“Could you stop egging them on?” He huffed at Natasha, who added another reason why Bucky should get the last bowl. Natasha only replied with a smirk as she took another bite from her apple. Steve rolled his eyes, knowing that she would only stop when she got bored. And from the look on her face, it wasn’t going to be a while before that happened. With the mounting tension, he thought he’d have to jump in and stop the two from having a smack down in the center of the kitchen. Just as he was about to tell them about the second box that was hiding on the top shelf in the pantry, a bellow from down the hall caused all four to stop and look in the direction.

Tony came sprinting into the kitchen, a piece of paper in hand, and looking unbelievably irate. He slammed the paper down on the island, causing the four to jump. They’ve seen him mad before, but this was a whole new level they never knew he had.

“Anyone want to tell me what the fuck this is?” He snarled, pointing at the paper. All four blinked, none knowing how to answer that question when they hadn’t the slightest clue why he was so angry. Natasha was the first to move, picking up the paper to read the words carefully. A scowl spread across her face as she read the words, unsettled from the amount of information that was typed on the paper. She turned the page over, eyeing the strange triangular symbol on the back of the white page. It didn’t spark a recognition in her mind, but the words spoke of how well the messenger knew them.

“Where did you get this?” She asked passing the paper over to Steve. Tony’s jaw clench as he tried to calm down enough to form a coherent sentence.

“It was in my lab, sitting on top my latest project. Along with a list of reasons why that prototype was not going to work and what I could do to fix it.” Tony scoffed. He was a bit bitter that someone managed to break into his lab, but was even more peeved that person had the audacity to leave a list of his failures he wasn’t even aware were there. “I checked all the tapes, there wasn’t a sign of someone breaking in the compound last night, not even a blip.”

“How is that possible?” Natasha asked leaning against the island. Steve stayed silent, rereading the words as he tried to wrap his mind around the content. If what this was saying was true then things were a lot worse than they thought.

“I don’t know, Romanoff.” Tony snarled, running a hand through his hair. “F.R.I.D.A.Y. already told that nothing out of the ordinary happened, that nothing was shut down. Yet somehow, someone broke into my lab, had time to tinker around with a prototype, and write a hand written 2 page essay on what was wrong before leaving, all while being capable of not setting off a single alarm!”

“Hey!” Steve boomed, switching into his Captain’s command voice. “Look, I get how upsetting this is, but don’t take this out on Natasha!”

Tony turned around, mouth open ready to argue. He stopped short at the withering glare Steve gave him, rolling his eyes at the blonde.

“Fine. Whatever.” He waved them off, snatching the paper out of Steve’s hand. “This is still a problem, however. Someone broke in last night. Someone knows things about us that have never been released to the public. Someone-“

“Knows of the deal between Hydra and that Abstergo company.” Steve finished. He was becoming just as unnerved about the whole thing as well. Bucky and Sam tensed, their eyes flickering to the pages. Tony passed the paper over, hardly sparing them a glance as he continued.

“They want us to meet them tomorrow afternoon. In New York. The only thing I can think of that’s going on that day is the press conference in Manhattan.” Tony was talking about the press conference that the famed company Abstergo Industries was having to speak about the advances they were going to take in the company. Their partnership with Hydra was not public knowledge, but they had heard it through the grape vine that something was happening between the two groups. The Avengers looked in on the company, wondering why Hydra took interest in them. What they found had appalled the group. They learned about some of the experiments that Abstergo took part of, and with this partnership with Hydra, they knew they’d have to do something. This request for a meeting was not something they expected however.

“Is that a good idea? I mean we have no idea who these people are.” Natasha questioned.

“I’m having F.R.I.D.A.Y. run a search for that symbol, clearly it means something. But if what they say is true, and what they know is right, then we might not have a choice.” Tony bit out. He wasn’t happy about how everything went down. However, he knew there was more important things than his bruised ego right now. Well only slightly more important. “I’m also going to up security. I can’t believe someone could sneak in.”

Steve sighed, pushing his unfinished bowl of oatmeal away. “Look, right now we need to worry about what the note said. If it’s true, then we’re going to have a lot more problems on our hands.”

Natasha nodded. “If they’re able to teach someone to become a trained killer in just days by a machine, I can only imagine what they’d do with Hydra’s less than legal experiments. Throw in the serum, they’d be unstoppable.”

Bucky tensed at that, flashes of his past coming up. He shuttered to think what could happen if this all went how the two groups wanted it to go. He passed the page to Sam and stepped up.

“I think we should go meet them.” Three sets of eyes turned to him. “The note said that if we refused, then it was fine. They don’t want anything besides stopping two groups from growing stronger than before. It’s clear they have no ulterior motive. They just want to stop them. And I agree. Hydra is already a problem, throw in the limited things we’ve learned of Abstergo and I’m sorry. I can’t let another one of me come into this world.”

Steve and Tony stayed silent for a moment. Neither wanted to agree to this, but Bucky had a point. They needed to stop this before it started. And if this other group was the key, then so be it.

“Sir.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. called, pulling their attentions away from each other.

“What’s up F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“I’ve done the search like you’ve asked, and I’m afraid you wouldn’t like the answer I’ve come up with.”

“And what exactly is that?”

The AI paused for a moment, before flickering on the tablet laying on one of the counters. Tony picked it up and brought up the hologram.

“It would seem that there is no current information on the symbol. Instead I found only older information. It’s an old symbol that was used dating back before history could record it. There are hints of used back in the Roman era. Perhaps ever before then. You can find old remnants on buildings, ruins, streets, and even some hidden tunnel entrances. The main known locations are Italy, present day Istanbul and recently found, Egypt.

There have been of course, other findings across Europe, and parts of Asia. There was talk of the symbol even having reached here to North America. But the symbols were suddenly wiped from existence somewhere in the 19th century. Across all countries. The only reason we know of them are because of the ones that have been found are from recent excavations and a few codecs that can only be found in ancient libraries.”

“As much as I love having an impromptu history lesson, cut to the chase. What does the symbol stand for?” Tony asked, a bit annoyed at the lengthy build up.

“That’s just it, sir. The only small bit of information I can find of it, besides the recent locations is a name. They called themselves The Brotherhood.”

“The Brotherhood?” Natasha asked.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.-“ Tony began, flipping through some of the images that showed the symbols on buildings. They were faint, a bit more intricate in design that the simple symbol on the paper, but he could tell what was there.

“I’ve already ran a search of the name. It came up empty. I had to tap into Abstergo Industries database to find out more, to see if they knew this symbol. I searched for what I could without tripping their sensors, which isn’t much. What I did find, however, is a bit appalling. It seems that Abstergo Industry is actually a front for an old order that too dates back to the beginning of history.”

Steve raised a brow; This was getting more interesting the longer the AI rambled on.

“They were once known as the Templar Order. An old group that wanted to control and use the people so that they might have order and ‘peace’ in the world. They wanted the world built in their specific image. They cared little for what happened to the common people, just as long as they, the Order, had control.”

“Sounds like another group we know of.” Bucky muttered, watching Tony flip through the files that flashed up on the screen. The AI continued.

“The Brotherhood was once their greatest foe, the group fighting back against the Templars. The Brotherhood stood for the freedom of the people.”

“What are you getting at F.R.I.D.A.Y?” Tony could tell the AI was hesitating from telling them the truth.

“The Brotherhood was also known by the Templars’ as the Assassin’s Order.” The group stood straighter as the word.  “They were a group of highly elite assassins that targeted the Order, to keep them from growing into power. They fought each other since practically the beginning of time, at one point the Brotherhood was nearly defeated. It was around the Revolution they grew in size once more but somewhere down the way-“

“The Brotherhood disappeared.”

“Yes, and that’s why I find- odd. How did they manage to fall off the face of the earth after centuries of fighting the Order? Why is it that now, they’ve stepped up? But more important, how have they managed to keep themselves hidden for so long, even after the number of successful assassinations?”

A screen popped up, faces with list of their information, the words deceased in big red letters across the face. There was a long list, over 40 from the first page with several dozen pages. The four in the kitchen stood wide eyed as they looked over the names of many dignitaries and higher ups. Natasha stepped up pointing at a member of Parliament.

“I though he died of a heart attack two years ago.”

“No, he was killed by poison. The Order, Abstergo Industries, were the ones who performed his autopsy. The reports were falsified for the public, but the Order kept his real cause of death hidden. If word got out, then there would be more panic then necessary. As it turns out, this member of the Order also had a hidden agenda the Order was not fond of. His death was not missed by them. It still did manage to hurt them. Apparently, they lost a quite a bit of their influence in Britain because of it.”

Natasha pointed to another, a senator who had been said to have died in a car crash two months ago.

“Slit throat that was covered up by the crash.” The AI went through a quick list of the ones that stood out the most to the group, and with each one the team was left even more amazed, and frankly, scared.

“How is this possible?” Steve whispered, frowning when he recognized two of the Senators. They pressed for the Accord, but were never linked to Hydra. This made it all seem even more terrifying knowing there was another group out there that was just as influential as Hydra.

“As I stated, I’m not certain. Abstergo Industries knows that Brotherhood is still out there, but somehow the Brotherhood work in the shadows. They’re off the grid. There have been no known sittings of the Brotherhood since before the 19th century. That is, until today.”

Sam whistled low, impressed. “They’ve managed to keep a low profile for so long, eliminating well-known figure heads, and managed to break into our compound without tripping one of the alarms.”

Tony turned to glared at him, but Sam only shrugged. “Think about it. If they’ve managed to do all this, unnoticed by any of us, then they must be damn good at their jobs.”

Steve grit his teeth, not like the truth to Sam’s words. They had to be damn good. He turned back to the hologram that had pulled up the information to the press conference that was scheduled for the next afternoon.

“What about this, what is that you can tell us about the two joining?”

“As you stated earlier, Abstergo Industries has a way to put people into the past, to learn from members of their Order. They can learn how to fight, how to kill, and how to lead by simply laying down in a machine for a few hours a day. They can learn to become masters of fighting in the matter of weeks. All with out sustaining injuries. Their members are willing and wouldn’t need to be wiped to have them do the dirty work of the company. Throw in everything that Hydra knows, and willing to bring to the table; The two would both be unstoppable. The only good thing that comes from this, is a kink in the system that Abstergo Industries still has yet to fix. They call it the bleeding effect.”

“The bleeding effect?” Tony asked, flipping through a few files that pulled his interest.

“They machine they use sends them through memories. If the subject spends too much time in the machine, their brain is unable to differentiate between what real and what was a memory. They’ve lost several members to the madness that it brings.”

“The only silver lining I guess.” Steve muttered.

“I suppose, however, the Brotherhood has made great strides in keeping the Order in line, even though they themselves have not been out in the open. I suggest you take them up on this offer.”

Tony snorted and shook his head.

“Sir.”

“I know, F.R.I.D.A.Y. You’re right. This is too important to ignore.” He turned to glare at the paper that sat on the island once more, the symbol of the Brotherhood facing up. It was taunting him, they managed to do the impossible. It was a blatant show of skill. And a tease that they’d never be as good as the Brotherhood. Tony was not one to back down from a challenge. Clenching his jaw, he nodded. With a swipe of his hand, he closed the hologram.

“Looks like we’re going to a press conference.”

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[floatingpetals]

Vanish in the Dark Pt 5

Pairings: None at the moment(I think I got something.)

Warnings: Language, Blood, dead guy

Word Count: 2500+

Summary: Assassin’s Creed AU and Marvel AU crossover.  The Brotherhood has spent years hiding in the shadows keeping the Templars in line as the years pass on. When the Templars company Abstergo Industries strikes up a deal with Hydra, things have to change. The Brotherhood decides to step out of the shadows, reaching out for the help of the Avengers. What could go wrong?

A/N: Aw-yeah. Part five is done. And now I’m back to, ‘oh lord where am I gonna go from here’. But don’t worry, I kind of got an idea. Kind of. For some reason, I’ve found watching Greatest Public Freakout videos to be a great way to get motivation to do anything. I don’t know if it’s the rage from peoples stupidity, or the face that all the freakouts are hilarious to watch. Oh, well; I hope you guys like this part, I’m going to be really really busy the next few days, so I’m not 100% sure when I’ll be able to update again. Enjoy! Also liking and rebblogging also helps me know if i should keep going. Thank you guys!  ❤️

Once again, the gif is not mine, credit to the owner.

Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Series Masterlist

Tony’s head fell back, stifling a groan under his breath. So far the conference was absolutely boring, all they did was drone on and on about what they were going to do, but never once showed any concrete evidence. Just fed the public lies upon lies. It had been almost twenty-five minutes in, and it felt like forever. Especially since nothing out of the ordinary had happened yet. He was starting to doubt that anything was going to go down.

“This is turning into something pointless,” Wanda muttered, having tossed the magazine down beside her. The others muttered in agreement. The group had had their share of sitting through many boring meetings before, but this was taking the cake. Just when they thought it couldn’t get any more boring, a man in a white coat stepped up. Tony’s head practically rolled when the man’s dull voice began to drone on. He had shut his eyes for only a moment when F.R.I.D.A.Y. beeped in his ear. All five sat straighter, suddenly tense and at the ready.

“Sir-“ F.R.I.D.A.Y. hadn’t had a chance to warn them for what she caught. She was cut off, suddenly silent after a beeping came from the chair in front of Tony, and the man frowned at the sound. Slowly He leaned forward, dipping down under the seat. The beeping stopped, only to be followed by a slow hiss. He shot up from his seat when smoke came out from under the seat. He opened his mouth to shout to say something, but a serious of small pops caught him off guard. In an instant, the entire courtyard, street, and opposite building covered in a thick gas. The small beads that had been scattered from earlier exploded to release the gas they contain, spreading a thick fog that covered the surrounding area. Tony didn’t have time to activate his suit before he took in a lung full of the gas, his whole body going numb. He collapsed to the ground, struggling to find his strength as he choked on air. Through his com he heard the others struggle, their bodies hitting the pavement just as hard. He tried to speak but only succeeded in sucking in more of the gas.

Wanda and Natasha both had collapsed on the ground in front of the benches, finding themselves paralyzed from the thick smoke as well. It was as if the ground shot up to meet the two of them, and both could only barely raise their hands to brace the impact. Neither couldn’t see an inch in front of their faces, but before they dropped they saw Sam following quickly behind. Natasha fought to find her voice, hoping the two people immune to this were at the ready.

“Steve-“She croaked. She didn’t receive an answer, and dread settled in her stomach. Instead, she heard him struggle to answer, along with Bucky.

Both soldiers were crumpled on the ground of the café, for the first time in a long time neither able to tap into their strength. To Steve, he felt like before he was given the serum, his body refusing to answer a simple request to stand. Whatever was in this gas, it paralyzed everyone. Even the civilians that surround the area had dropped. His biggest concern was for their safety, but his next was where the hell this thick gas had all came from. He racked his brain trying to find an idea of where it could have come from but came up blank. It had to have been planted before they even got there. But how did F.R.I.D.A.Y. manage to miss this?

Steve wasn’t sure how long they struggled to simply roll over, but soon after what felt like forever, he began to feel a tingle in his fingers. He let out a groan of relief, his fingers closing and opening easier with each passing second. He was able to pull his legs underneath himself and push off. It was like he was a newborn deer, his body trembling under his own weight. Bucky grunted, finding himself in the same predicament. The stumbled, gripping the tables and chairs as the tried to make their way across the street to the courtyard. The gas, or smoke whatever it was, had begun to slowly dissipate allowing them a bit more distance. Steve could barely make out Natasha and Wanda as they too struggled to stand, and he stumbled to help Natasha up. Bucky was right behind him, pulling Wanda up to her feet. They hissed at the growing tingle as if their whole body had been asleep and was waking all once.

“What the hell?” Sam uttered as he leaned against the pillar, struggling to breathe. He watched Tony slowly do the same, standing to along with all the others in the crowd, gripping the chairs in front of him. Nobody could answer, still uncertain themselves. It wasn’t until the gas faded completely that everyone collectively could move again. The civilians looked around scared and confused, murmurs of questions growing through the crowd. What just happened? Just when they thought things couldn’t get any worse, a scream tore through the courtyard.

All heads snapped towards the sound, a sudden mass of bodies in suits surrounding where the sponsors had been sitting off to the side. From where each of the Avengers stood, there wasn’t a good angle on seeing what had happened. It wasn’t until a few of the security guards began to struggle with a man that they got a good idea.

“I didn’t do it!” The man screamed as he fought off the guards. He threw himself out of their grasp, only to be grabbed by more. He screamed as they dragged them into the building, the panic enough to cause a shiver to go up each spine of those close. The barrier of people surrounding the sponsors split just enough to allow Sam and Tony to see what the man was screaming about.

Laying face first on the ground was an unknown man dressed in a black suit, a pool of dark liquid growing beneath the body. Sam had seen enough battles to know that the male was no longer living. The sound of sirens were in the distance, the wails growing closer.

“We need to leave,” Sam said as he pushed off the pillar, Tony quickly moving through the chairs. He and Tony both met as they strode through the gathering crowd, pushed against the people who wanted to see what happened. After such a boring conference, many of the media there were excited to get something worth telling.

Steve began to argue, but his mouth snapped shut at the hard glare Tony gave him when they met up. They crossed back over the street, passed by the café where the wait staff stood watching as the police cars and ambulances pulled up. They turned the corner right as the yellow tapes were pulled out, and the orders for all witnesses to speak with the authorities. 

Natasha spared a glance over her shoulder, one last time to take in the scene. She paused when she saw a lone man, the man in the white coat, standing on the podium, staring directly at them. Her skin began to crawl under his stare, uneasy for a number of reasons. Straightening her back, she turned away and sped to catch up with the others. It wasn’t until they returned to the hotel room, three blocks down that they spoke of what happened.

“I get their name now.” Sam let out a sigh, walking around the bar to grab two beers in the mini-fridge. He motioned to Tony, who nodded at the offer of alcohol. Both downed the bottle before they began explaining.

“We were played. Somehow, someway, they managed to do it.” Tony stared down the neck of the empty bottle after he collapsed on the couch.

“Do what?” Natasha asked, scooting close to the edge of the love seat. Bucky settled beside her, his face pulled into a frown. “Tony, you still haven’t told us what. What happened?”

“You mean you haven’t figure out what the ‘Assassin’s’ have done, yet? I’m surprised at you.”

“I have an idea of what they did. I need to hear you confirm it.” Natasha bit, her eyes narrowing at the man. Tony scoffed but said nothing in reply. Instead, he pulled grabbed his tablet from the coffee table.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.”

“Yes, sir?”

“What can you tell me?” There was a moment's pause before the tablet sprang to life, a hologram popping up. A man’s face, in his late 50’s, came up with the words deceased written across it in bold red.

“His name was Robert R. Newman. He was a well-known sponsor for NASA, a government-operated branch.” Tony rolled his eyes.

“We know what NASA is F.R.I.D.A.Y. What does that have to do with this Assassin’s crap.”

“Yes, but...” The AI hesitated for a moment, “NASA is also a branch created as a front for and by the Templars.”

The room grew silent, not even Tony had a word to say. Steve turned slowly from the window, wondering if his ears were deceiving him.

“What?”

“It would seem there’s much more than we know about the Templars. My information is limited, but that’s one of the small minute details I learned.” The AI grew quiet, allowing those in the room to process everything before starting again. “There’s more sir.”

Tony set the tablet down on the table, his eyes remaining on the face of the man he saw dead, face first in his own pool of blood less than an hour ago. F.R.I.D.A.Y. took his silence as an indication to continue.

“The man that was dragged away screaming was Franklin Rollin. He is a high power member of Hydra. And the man who is being charged with murder. After the gas faded away, the guard’s found him standing over Newman’s body, with the knife in hand.” The image of the man appeared on the hologram, an article sliding up next to him. “He claims he’s innocent, but the fingerprints and blood on his hands and the murder weapon prove him wrong.”

“Yet he isn’t,” Wanda whispered, fear settling in her stomach. Just as Tony said earlier, somehow, someway, the Brotherhood-the Assassin’s- had played them all. If they could do this, then what else could they accomplish?

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. why weren’t you able to pick up on any of this?” Steve asked the question that had been gnawing at his brain since he dropped to the pavement earlier.

“I’m a bit embarrassed to say, I never sensed a single thing wrong.”

“What about the cylinder under the seat? The one that let out the first set of gas? How did you miss that?” The AI didn’t reply right away. “F.R.I.D.A.Y!”

“I do apologize, but my sensor reading said that there was nothing out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until the second before that I caught a read. By then it was too late.” The AI somehow seemed ashamed it was so easily deceived. “One more detail I must inform you of; once the cylinder had activated, my systems were deactivated at the source, sir.”

“What?” Tony gasped, his head snapping up. Impossible. “How-what? For how long?”

“Five minutes, sir.”

“The exact amount of time the gas lasted,” Bucky uttered in disbelief.

Tony sank back into the couch, Natasha and Bucky doing the same on their seats. Sam leaned against the bar with his arms, his head hanging between his shoulders. Wanda slipped from her standing position to the sit on the opposite end of the couch, while Steve slowly made his way back to the window. How had all of this managed to happen, in such a short amount of time? Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, the highly intelligent AI system didn’t sense anything, and then was promptly shut down as if it had an on-off switch.

“This can’t be possible. There has to be a loophole, a good explanation, something!” Bucky ran his hand through his hair. Not even he had heard of something so complicated being executed so flawlessly. This group had thought of nearly every angle and managed to screw over not only Hydra but both the Templars and themselves.

“Why did they even want us there? If they had everything planned so precisely, they knew we wouldn’t need, why have us there?” Sam asked.

“A show of power,” Steve replied. He couldn’t think of any reason but. “They wanted to show us what they could do.” Slowly he turned back to the room, his eyes tired. The others in the room shared the same expression, the similar anxiety in the back of their minds. They thought they were as cunning and powerful at one point, able to figure anything out. They were seconding guessing themselves after the show today.

“They said they would find us when they’d need us. Right now, I say we just get some rest until that happens.” Steve shook his head, tucking his hands into his jean pockets. Everyone mutters their voice of agreement, moving to stand.

“I’m gonna order us pizza,” Tony said as he whipped out his phone. The group gave their input of topping choices simultaneously while he dialed, coming out as one jumbled mess. Tony made a face. “I can’t understand you, people, when you talk all at once!”

Steve relaxed as the tension in the room dissipated. He turned to leave for his room, pausing to ask for a large double meat lover before he left to shower. Tony grunted in reply and started listing off the order to the kid on the other end of the line.

Steve moved around his room in a haze, his mind still thinking over every last detail of the morning. He couldn’t figure it out, couldn’t see how they managed to pull this off. If he was a computer, he was sure he would be short-circuiting by now. He laughed to himself at that comparison. I’m spending too much time with Tony in his lab, he thought. Just as he passed the end table beside his bed, he caught something from the corner of his eye that wasn’t there before he left.

The dread from earlier settled once more as he saw the neatly folded paper laying on the table. Slowly, he moved to pick it up, finding his hands trembling ever so slightly. He turned the white paper over, frowning at the familiarity of the texture. It was a sketch on a piece of paper. The breath caught in his lungs when he saw the insignia from early expertly melted in the blue and silver wax that sealed the paper shut. Tentatively, he opened and unfolded the sketch paper, somehow knowing what he would see on the page. Two sheets were folded together, a picture-perfect drawing of himself bashfully looking away on the first page, and an equally flawless drawing of Bucky grinning wide on the second. Written in pristine cursive on the corner of his image, were the words:

“Nothing is true, everything is permitted.”

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