Shaun had informed him that Vidic was in the elevator, alone, currently between the second and third floors, and Rebecca had assured him they would be able to keep Vidic in the room without a problem. Desmond himself was still crouched over on the I-beam, his heartbeat heavy, but steady and quiet in his ears. The familiarity of the room was relaxing, strangely. He knew every inch of it. Knew where Vidic could run and hide and try to get a weapon to fight back with. Knew where the security cameras didn’t see – not like that mattered much with Shaun and Rebecca looping old feeds for the guards who might be watching – and where he could hide the body if he wanted.
He’d been through worse.
The door opened and Vidic stepped in, slowly, maybe it was a cautious slowness, or maybe it was just that old bastard’s age finally catching up with him. As the doors closed, Rebecca’s voice broke his silent contemplation, “Doors’re locked. Go get him.”
As Vidic walked under his perch, Desmond stealthily turned, watching his every move. He crossed by the Animus, glancing at his precious machine with a forlorn sigh. Vidic had paused in his slow walk to make that sad little sound, giving Desmond his opening. It really was the most perfect moment. Right before Desmond slammed his body into that old man, Vidic turned, fully acknowledging what was about to come. His steely eyes flicked to the Animus again, like he was trying to say goodbye to an old friend.
Desmond knew this scene. It was right out of the Animus. White room filled with nothing leaning over a Templar who was about to die… Yeah, this was the same old song and dance he’d been over for a few months now.
“So I suppose this is the end of the road for me, Mr. Miles.” And the talking. Desmond definitely remembered the talking. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“After everything you’ve done, all the people you’ve killed, it’s an honor to repay the favor.” In his mind’s eye, he could see the Animus glitching, swore he heard that flickering sound. Maybe it was the adrenaline, could have been the Bleeding Effect. “And don’t you even fucking start to spout off some bullshit that it was for the greater good!”
Vidic chuckled. Even pinned to the ground and knowing full well what was going to happen next, the man was insufferably smug and Desmond fucking hated him for it. “I didn’t realize you cared so much about people you never even met. Or maybe you’re trying to blame me for the deaths that I had nothing to do with.”
“Shut up.” Desmond barely recognized his own voice in that moment, it was somewhere between Altair hissing and Ezio’s barely contained hysterical rage and in his own voice it just sounded… Wrong. He took a deep breath to try and steady himself back to the calm he knew he should have in this situation. “Just shut up.”
“Killing me wo-” No. “-n’t change the past an-” Stop. “-d bring them back,” Shut the fuck up. “Mr. Miles.”
“I thought I told you to shut up, Doc.” His voice was calm this time, dangerously so. Vidic opened his mouth to reply, but before he could get another word in, Desmond activated his hidden blade, stabbing the other man in the neck. Blood bubbled in the back of the Templar’s throat, and Desmond automatically closed his eyes with a “Rest in peace, you fuck.”
Rebecca and Shaun stayed mercifully quiet for the next several minutes as Desmond leaned against the Animus, just breathing and letting himself unwind. He still needed to get out of the building, though, so he knew he couldn’t linger for too long.
Right on cue, there was Shaun’s voice helpfully informing him that the hallway down to the elevator was clear and Rebecca had unlocked the door to try and hurry him along. “Yeah, got it. I’ll meet you two back at the rendezvous point.”
They were dead silent on Desmond’s way back to their hideout, to the point where he was wondering if they had just turned off their mics. He’d have to chew them out about that later. The radio silence was nice, but it was too much of a liability in the middle of a mission. When he got back home and they were just as silent, Desmond realized he might have to rethink that assessment and just assume they hadn’t spoken at all instead.
It wasn’t until some outrageously long stretch of time passed and Shaun made an impatient little noise that Desmond realized they were waiting to hear what he was sitting around thinking about. Rather than drag this out any longer, he decided to rip it off like a Band-Aid. “Vidic’s right.” The other two gaped, looking rather understandably startled. “You two can close your mouths, I’m not about to become a Templar or anything. But this one time… He was right. I can’t just keep killing people and assume that I’m fixing anything. Vengeance doesn’t get you anywhere, and it doesn’t make the past hurt less.”
“Very nicely said, Mr. Auditore,” Rebecca quipped, a smirk obvious in her voice. Okay, Desmond had to admit, he walked right into that one. Ezio figured the same exact thing out a few hundred years ago and was a better, less erratic Assassin for it.
But that wasn’t exactly what Desmond was trying to get at. “But I think I know a way that I can fix things…”
Next time on Dragon Ball Z Desmond eats candy bars and there is more set up but also some time travel this time.
The World Was Saved 2/?
Shaun had informed him that Vidic was in the elevator, alone, currently between the second and third floors, and Rebecca had assured him they would be able to keep Vidic in the room without a problem. Desmond himself was still crouched over on the I-beam, his heartbeat heavy, but steady and quiet in his ears. The familiarity of the room was relaxing, strangely. He knew every inch of it. Knew where Vidic could run and hide and try to get a weapon to fight back with. Knew where the security cameras didn’t see – not like that mattered much with Shaun and Rebecca looping old feeds for the guards who might be watching – and where he could hide the body if he wanted.
He’d been through worse.
The door opened and Vidic stepped in, slowly, maybe it was a cautious slowness, or maybe it was just that old bastard’s age finally catching up with him. As the doors closed, Rebecca’s voice broke his silent contemplation, “Doors’re locked. Go get him.”
As Vidic walked under his perch, Desmond stealthily turned, watching his every move. He crossed by the Animus, glancing at his precious machine with a forlorn sigh. Vidic had paused in his slow walk to make that sad little sound, giving Desmond his opening. It really was the most perfect moment. Right before Desmond slammed his body into that old man, Vidic turned, fully acknowledging what was about to come. His steely eyes flicked to the Animus again, like he was trying to say goodbye to an old friend.
Desmond knew this scene. It was right out of the Animus. White room filled with nothing leaning over a Templar who was about to die… Yeah, this was the same old song and dance he’d been over for a few months now.
“So I suppose this is the end of the road for me, Mr. Miles.” And the talking. Desmond definitely remembered the talking. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“After everything you’ve done, all the people you’ve killed, it’s an honor to repay the favor.” In his mind’s eye, he could see the Animus glitching, swore he heard that flickering sound. Maybe it was the adrenaline, could have been the Bleeding Effect. “And don’t you even fucking start to spout off some bullshit that it was for the greater good!”
Vidic chuckled. Even pinned to the ground and knowing full well what was going to happen next, the man was insufferably smug and Desmond fucking hated him for it. “I didn’t realize you cared so much about people you never even met. Or maybe you’re trying to blame me for the deaths that I had nothing to do with.”
“Shut up.” Desmond barely recognized his own voice in that moment, it was somewhere between Altair hissing and Ezio’s barely contained hysterical rage and in his own voice it just sounded… Wrong. He took a deep breath to try and steady himself back to the calm he knew he should have in this situation. “Just shut up.”
“Killing me wo-” No. “-n’t change the past an-” Stop. “-d bring them back,” Shut the fuck up. “Mr. Miles.”
“I thought I told you to shut up, Doc.” His voice was calm this time, dangerously so. Vidic opened his mouth to reply, but before he could get another word in, Desmond activated his hidden blade, stabbing the other man in the neck. Blood bubbled in the back of the Templar’s throat, and Desmond automatically closed his eyes with a “Rest in peace, you fuck.”
Rebecca and Shaun stayed mercifully quiet for the next several minutes as Desmond leaned against the Animus, just breathing and letting himself unwind. He still needed to get out of the building, though, so he knew he couldn’t linger for too long.
Right on cue, there was Shaun’s voice helpfully informing him that the hallway down to the elevator was clear and Rebecca had unlocked the door to try and hurry him along. “Yeah, got it. I’ll meet you two back at the rendezvous point.”
They were dead silent on Desmond’s way back to their hideout, to the point where he was wondering if they had just turned off their mics. He’d have to chew them out about that later. The radio silence was nice, but it was too much of a liability in the middle of a mission. When he got back home and they were just as silent, Desmond realized he might have to rethink that assessment and just assume they hadn’t spoken at all instead.
It wasn’t until some outrageously long stretch of time passed and Shaun made an impatient little noise that Desmond realized they were waiting to hear what he was sitting around thinking about. Rather than drag this out any longer, he decided to rip it off like a Band-Aid. “Vidic’s right.” The other two gaped, looking rather understandably startled. “You two can close your mouths, I’m not about to become a Templar or anything. But this one time… He was right. I can’t just keep killing people and assume that I’m fixing anything. Vengeance doesn’t get you anywhere, and it doesn’t make the past hurt less.”
“Very nicely said, Mr. Auditore,” Rebecca quipped, a smirk obvious in her voice. Okay, Desmond had to admit, he walked right into that one. Ezio figured the same exact thing out a few hundred years ago and was a better, less erratic Assassin for it.
But that wasn’t exactly what Desmond was trying to get at. “But I think I know a way that I can fix things…”
Next time
on Dragon Ball ZDesmond eats candy bars and there is more set up but also some time travel this time.