The Linchpin

"We should be safe for now" Ember said with a sigh as the Jeep came to a stop on the ferry. Richard quickly went off to find the captain, and they soon set off. Ember flipped the back seats down, and Marco went off to grab some supplies while Ember inspected the wounds of the two younger Crows. "Jesus! Alright, at least they didn't use black talons." Marco returned with Richard and some supplies. Since Richard and Ember had professional training as trauma surgeons, they set about doing the best they could with the supplies that they had. Marco, being O positive, was able to supply Patches, who had lost the most blood, with some blood. Daz was, thankfully, not as gravely wounded.

Still keeping look out, still while holding the gun tightly. Kneeling down on one knee, he asked, "Will they be fine? And, another question - are we heading on to a boat? Would seem wisest - Not many ways they can get the rise on us, less they have... uh, never mind.", as he stood back up, not wanting to imagine if the enemy gained access to underwater stealth weaponry.

"They'll be fine... hopefully" Ember said sadly as she wiped some blood from her hands with a cloth. She grabbed a bottle of vodka from her backpack, and took a sip. "They've both been through a lot. We all met at Bethlem, been together ever since. Four Assassins in the most notorious mental institution in the world." Ember handed the bottle of vodka to Michael, and lit a cigarette. "Assassins turning on their own kind... that's just fucked up." Richard was watching over the two Crows while Ember had a smoke.

Terry stepped out onto the deck of ferry, giving himself yet another chuckle at the rhyme. He had come to London at the request of Abstergo to repair some of their Animi. Apparently they were short handed at the London office for some reason or another. He was sure they gave him some vague excuse, but he didn't really care, all he knew was he was getting a free trip to London out of it. It was a bit chilly out for him, so he was wearing black jeans, his favorite white hoodie and a scarf. Most people might find the scarf a bit much, but he took no risks when it was so easy for him to get sick.

He always found it odd that his father was not a fan of his hoodie, or any hoodies in fact. The only reason he gave was saying 'Only hoodlums wear them, that's why their called hoodies'. Thinking back on that always made him laugh. The Ferry was surprisingly empty today. He thought people used them quite often, but there were only a few other people on the ship it seemed. He pulled his hood up as some clouds parted and shined in his eyes. He really wished he hadn't lost his sunglasses.

(Well its not perfect, but I figured this would be the best way to work my character in. Thanks for the invite, Voidmon. You can find my character link in my signature)

"Jaysus Christ almighty! Go out for a drink, and this fucking happens?!" Ember was on the verge of a breakdown after everything that had happened, but she knew that her teammates needed her. "Da, phone John Kavanah, and have him bring my stuff. I want him on the next flight to Heathrow."
"Aye, love." Ember watched as her father made the call to John before she took a large swig of her drink. She noticed a man in a white hoodie, and growled as she broke the bottle in her hand.

"You one of those hooded bastards, or a friendly" Ember asked quietly as she approached Terry.

(it's perfect)

Terry was taking in the sights of the river and relaxing. He tried to get out as often as he could, too many people didn't appreciate the outside as much as they should, not Terry though, he was a trailblazer. Well maybe not a Trailblazer as much as a guy that goes 'Hey that's a sweet looking trail, I'm going that way'.

His musings on the matter where interrupted when a woman from the other group approached him. He didn't notice her until she had spoken to him. Her question just confused him, not having a clue what she was talking about. It was when he noticed the broken bottle in her hand that he got nervous. "Judging by that bottle, I think I'm going to go with friendly" he said with a wary smile. He was trying to be charming, it wasn't working. It never worked.

Ember looked down at the broken bottle, and hung her head as she set the bottle aside. She was glad that the young man was not an Assassin, yet he could be lying.
"Sorry. Two of my friends were almost killed by a gang of men that love wearing white hoodies. Name's Ember Shay, CEO of Abstergo, and Abstergo entertainment. And whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?" Marco watched from the Jeep, ready to spring into action as soon as Ember’s life was at risk.

Terry's eyes widened when she told him what happened. Of course he would go to the one city in the world where a gang decided that white hoodies where their go to gang outfit. To make matters worse, the woman turned out to his boss. Well, his bosses boss, but it still counted to him. Time to do some damage control before he lost his job over a stupid misunderstanding. "Wow sorry, I'm not a some crazy gang member. And my name is Terry Cleeg, I work for you I guess. I'm an Engineer at Abstergo Entertainment. Although corporate needed me needed me in here for a few days to fix some of the Animi. Short handed and all" he said, rambling a bit nervously.

"Don't worry about it, mate. The last thing anyone thinks about, when they think about a CEO, is a twenty year old emo girl with tattoos, and piercings" Ember said with a laugh. "I would offer you my hand, but..." Ember held up her left hand, and revealed the fresh cuts from the broken bottle, along with the Templar cross branded into the palm of her hand. "I take it you've never looked at the Abstergo entertainment products? The games, I mean. Nor have you been to London before."

Upon seeing her wounded hand and what look like some kind of religious cross, he reached up to his neck and pulled off his scarf. The scarf was white with black skulls on it, another of his favorite clothing items. He wrapped it around her hand snugly so she would bleed all over the place. He had even lowered his hood to make her more comfortable. "Not the first thing I would think of, but that just makes you cooler than the typical CEOs. I got ink myself" he said. Removing the scarf had revealed the tattoos on his neck that lead down to his torso, not to mention the tattoos on the backs of his hands.

"No, I haven't really looked too much into the games, just surface level stuff. Abstergo scouted me out of highschool when I was sixteen. They gave me a full ride at college, so I focused more on getting through quickly. Although I am going to take a look more at some point. Mostly I spend my time waiting for an animus to get wonky or working on my side project" he said, before realizing he shouldn't have let that last part out. He wasn't sure if Abstergo would be fond of knowing he was using their resources for a theory of his.

"Thanks, Terry. I started out as a black hat before I went to work at Abstergo entertainment with John Standish. I work on the software side, as you might guess. Still a bit of a hatter though." Ember looked down at her hand, and smiled. It was either some form of ass kissing, or Terry was a genuinely nice guy; Ember believed he was the latter. "Thank you, Terry" Ember said sadly as she looked up at him with a smile. "Care to join us? We'll be heading to Abstergo entertainment."

While today was Terrys day off, he wasn't about to turn down her offer. It never hurt to try and become friends with your boss, plus she seemed like pretty nice person. Sans the whole broken bottle moment, which was totally understandable. "You used to be a black hat huh, well I guess Abstergo just has that allure for all types...no offense. Some of my best friends are black hats, uh not that I would give them any private Abstergo information or anything." It was so weird, he wasn't aware until this moment that he could fit his foot in his mouth.

"What I mean to say is, yes I would like to come with you guys. Just let your friends know that I didn't choose the thug life, it apparently chose me" he said, attempting to make a joke. It took everything in him not to openly facepalm at the stupidity of what he just said. "In other news Bob, local madman Terry Cleeg has managed to fit both feet in his mouth, more on this at eleven" he narrated in his head.

Finally seeming to be out of orbit, Michael stood up, and said, "...name's Michael Butcher. Family's been tall as trees for a long while, back to 'bout early 18th century, far as I know. Recently finding out another, late 12th century.". Seeing as to how the man didn't know who the hooded bastards were, he left out the part about his family mostly being Templar. No need for talking of what would merely raise questions. Realizing he still had the bottle of vodka in his left hand, Michael quickly took a sip of it, before setting it down near his feet. To some, he might look intimidating - 6'8, with blood splattered in a couple spots, due to the recent fight, as he was only armed wiith a knife at the time - more so a dagger, due to its size.

"Aye, our families go way back." Richard forced himself up, using his cane to aid him.
"Richard Shay, former CEO of Abstergo, and Abstergo entertainment." Marco helped Richard sit down again, and took it upon himself to introduce himself.
"Name's Marco Coetzee."
"That's Patches" Ember said sadly as she pointed to the young, unconscious, Assassin who resembled Oli Sykes, and was covered in tattoos. "And that's Daz" Ember said as she pointed to the slightly older, yet also unconscious, Assassin.

Bugsy had lost track of all time as he was updating and checking the safety measures of his gear. It was a good half a hour passed when he was suppose to meet with the rest of the group.

"SHIT! Michael we got to go." Bugsy shouted. He scooped up his backpack and quickly throw the clothes and costumes into a suit case. He then oddly ran down the stairs make sure not to set off the traps that were set.

As he reached the window Bugsy shouted again "MICHAEL" there was no response "That fucker left me!" Bugsy hopped out the door and quickly set the locks and trips. He bolted down the fire escape and sprinted down the street.

By the time he got to the meeting spot he was 45 minutes passed the meeting time. "I really screwed up on this one." Bugsy just collapsed against the garage door. He banged his head on the door trying to think of what to do. Then it came to him. He snagged his Ipad from his backpack and started tapping away. He flipped the Ipad close with a sour smirk on his face. "Well got some tickets. Kind of feel bad more Mr. James. I guess he won't be going to London."

Bugsy called a taxi and headed to the airport. The ride was not that bad since he got lucky and picked a first class ticket to snag, but He wasn't looking forward to hear what everyone was going to say to him.

By the time the plane landed, everyone else had to have been there for two or three hours. As he stepped off the plane he sent a mass text to the Crows. "Hey everyone this is Bugsy. I know I'm going to get shit from everyone, but I finally made it into London and I would kinda like to meet up with you guys."

(Sorry for the long post. This is me trying to catch up for being gone)

Upon hearing his phone beep, Michael took it out, and read the text, slightly angry. Sighing, he sent back, 'Get your ass to the ferry by the river, now. Daz and Patches are hurt, bad, but we've met a friendly. Do not bring up Assassins nor Templars. Also, I might be covered with blood, mainly my right arm. Ember's father is here, too. Be polite. I'll debrief-' stopping himself, he got rid of the debrief part, and typed instead, '-explain more when you arrive.'. Sending it, Michael pocketed his phone, and said to Ember, "Bugsy's comin'. Let's hold out here, I'll stand watch, so don't worry.". He lifted the rifle into a more battle ready stance, keeping an eye out, and casting an angry look at anybody who stared for too long.

(Oh my god, it's a zombie! ...seriously though, welcome back.)

"I can't believe that we forgot about Busy. Still, he did screw up. Look, tell him to meet us at Abstergo entertainment" Ember said annoyed as she checked on Patches and Daz. "My poor little Crows. I really need them to pull through."

Hearing his deathnote ringtone, Bugsy flipped his old tracphone open. As he read the text he could sense the Michael was upset, but Bugsy was just happy that someone responded so fast.

Bugsy grabed he backpack and suitcase and headed to the street. He started waving his arms and yelled" Taxi!" he paused then started to yell "Cab!" After a few moments a black cab pulled up. Bugsy swung open the door and throw him and his stuff into the car, before the drive could pop the truck.

"To the river as fast as you can. I'm looking for a Ferry" Bugsy quickly spat out.

The drive spoke in a deep voice, "Whatever ya say," The driver took off.

(Glad to be back)

Upon hearing the new orders, Michael then sent, 'Scratch that. Ember said to meet us at Abstergo entertainment. I guess we're going there soon. Do not attract too much attention.'. Sighing, he sent the second text, and put his phone away. He simply thought of two things - being alone, and taking a nice shower. Then, he said plainly, "When we get there, remind me to not fatally harm Bugsy."

His ringer went off again. After reading the text he spoke, "Change a plan if your don't mind. I need to head to Abstergo entertainment."

"Hey ya are the one paying," said the driver. The driver quickly changed lines and turned to another street.

"I better turn my ringer off" Bugsy mumbled to himself as he clicked the volume down. Then it hit him. He never got any actual pounds to pay the man. All he thought to himself was that the trip was just going great.

Terry listened while they each took turn revealing who they were. At first he thought it was strange that the large man was telling him his lineage, but then again these were Abstergo people, and lineage was a big factor of the company. Speaking of company, he was surprised to find himself in the presence of not one, but two of Abstergo's highest ranking officials. This trip was getting more nerve wracking by the minute.

The group began talking among themselves, and he was pretty sure she called the two unconscious men crows. Was it a codename? A pet name? He had no idea, it was weird but not too weird for him to actually say anything out loud. Things got a bit real for him when he realized the large man was holding a rifle, in London of all places. "Uhhh are we safe? Shouldn't we phone the police or something?"

(As a note, my posts may have some typing errors in them for a week or so. I was at the hospital for cutting my finger open with a knife. So yeah, I'll try and weed the mistakes out if I can)

"Don't worry about that, Mikey, I will." Ember unwrapped Terry's scarf from her hand, and handed it to Marco who set about cleaning the scarf while Ember picked the shards of glass from her hand. She cleaned her hand before applying a dressing, and Marco finally managed to remove the blood from the scarf. "Thank you, Terry. Don't worry, we are fairly safe. Michael here is my bodyguard. After we were attacked, I sent word to the coppers, so Michael has clearance to bear arms in public as a deterrence."

Terry relaxed a bit upon hearing this. The man was holding a rifle, but still the people from before were apparently good enough to take down two of their people already. He really wished he had his gun, but he was forced to leave it back in the United States. It's not like he thought he would actually need to use the damn thing, this was supposed to be a relaxing trip. "Why would a bunch of thugs wants to attack you ma'am? Do they plan on ransoming you for money?" he asked, eyes darting around the shoreline for anything suspicious looking.

"Not exactly. They're after me because of certain things that I know, secrets that should have been hidden for more than three hundred years." Ember didn't know what else to say. Let's be honest, if she said 'Yeah, I'm the Grand Master of the Templar Order, they're Assassins, and they want to kill me. Oh, and I used to work for them until last night', things would have become complicated. "Daz and Patches were having a smoke outside when the attack started, we were all inside having a pint to drink in celebration of my new position." Ember looked down at Daz and Patches, and closed her eyes. Richard had already arranged for the two to be taken to a Templar operated facility via Ambulance.

Something didn't feel right about all this. What kind of gang targeted someone for 300 year old information? The way she described it before made it seem like a random gang attack, but with new information he had it sounded like someone put out a hit and kindapping on her and her allies.This was an uncomfortable realization as he was technically one her of allies because he worked for her. He didn't think thugs or mercenaries were going to stop to make a distinction. He really wanted his gun right now. "How long until we get there? And uh, I don't suppose you guys have a spare gun do you? Just in case these people attack again. I don't want to be defenseless"