Chapter Text
«Well, that was easy, » Khadgar sighed as he log off. «Let's see what we have here. »
He opened the first file. They were in alphabetical order; handy for keeping everything in order, but probably lacking in any logic regarding their connection. He would have to read every single one of them, before making any assumption.
Sadly, it turned out to contain boring stuff concerning Abstergo's history from its very beginning till now.
Abstergo Industries was officially founded in 1937, blablabla, it's one of the largest multinational corporations in the world, blablabla...
He cursed under his breath. He already knew those things. Did he just hack one of the richest multinationals in the world for some piece of information that he could also have easily found on Wikipedia?
That wasn't enough, his client wouldn’t pay him for so little data. He'd demanded something big, something that would put the Abstergo in a critical position. Something that could potentially make some heads roll.
Khadgar liked this prospect. This wasn't about his job anymore. It became personal the moment his client spoke the name Abstergo.
He didn't consider himself a sworn enemy to the company, but there was something that made his nose turn. His sixth sense told him for months that something was rotten behind the pretty façade made of advanced technologies and fancy games. If his work could help to unravel and eventually destroy that façade... well, he was all the way in. His client would not be disappointed.
Khadgar yawned. He was tired for all those hours of hard work on the Abstergo's security systems and hacking. He was about to call it a night and surrender to sleep, but then something caught his eyes. All of a sudden his brain was wide awake again.
While Abstergo functions as any other corporation, a small group of employees has been inducted into the Order. These men and women continue our age-old search for knowledge and understanding, in secret. Indeed, using state of the art scientific methods and equipment from Abstergo's near limitless resources allows us to pursue our greatest and noblest ambition: the betterment of humanity .
The betterment of humanity? What the hell did that mean? He sat up on his chair and resumed his reading.
Officially, the Order of the Knights Templar was created in 1129, but we have endured, under various appellations, since well before the 12th century. We were there when Cleopatra claimed her birthright, when Alexander the Great forged his empire, and when Xerxes sent his armies to crush the Greeks.
Wait, the Order of the Knights Templar? Even though he'd already figured out the magnitude of those people's megalomania, that was a little bit too much even for them. What was next? A mysterious arch enemy? Did this "Knights Templar Order" have a nemesis like any other self-respecting secret organization of dubious intentions? Apparently, yes.
Throughout the centuries, several people and factions have opposed us, but one group in particular has been a constant thorn in our side: the Assassin Brotherhood. Some say we were once brothers. Some even believe that we once shared the same ideals, the same dreams, the same hopes for humanity. That may be true, but if we once had a common purpose with the Assassins, it was long ago. For as long as history can recall, the Assassins have waged a secret war against our Order .
What a name this mortal enemy had: something like “the Assassin's Brotherhood” sounds intimidating for sure.
«Someone has a taste for drama. » He commented before yawning again.
He'd read enough bedtime stories for that night. He was exhausted and even more disappointed. What would his client think of him? Certainly nothing flattering. Khadgar wasn't even sure he would be paid, at this point. Templars? Assassins? Who would ever believe a single word of that? Not him, thank you.
Saddened, Khadgar turned off his computer and headed for the bed. He didn't even bother to change his clothes; he was too tired for that. All he needed was at least ten hours of sleep, anything else was optional at the moment.
He fell asleep the second he touched his pillow.
***
He woke up at the sound of something strange. Did someone just clear his throat? By the roughness and deepness of the tone he realized that whoever was in his room couldn’t be a woman. How was it possible that someone was in his room? The mysterious trespasser could only be an ill-intentioned delinquent, maybe a burglar. But what reason had a burglar to wake him with that sound? It didn’t make any sense.
One thing was absolutely certain: Khadgar was frightened to death. He stared at the wall, frozen.
Maybe if I keep staring at that crack in the plaster he will go away. I just have to look at that tiny little crack and control my breathing. Easy. Oh God, what if he won’t leave me be? Come on, Khad, you can’t bury your head in the sand like a fucking ostrich. You have to turn around and face him. That crack is shaped like a bunny... No, focus. Turn around and deal with it.
He turned slowly, still unsure of his decision.
In front of him was standing a tall man in dark clothes. He couldn’t see much of his face except for a mischievous smirk encircled by a well-trimmed beard and an upturned nose. Everything else was hidden by a black hood.
«Good morning, sunshine. » Said the man like it was completely normal for him to be in Khadgar’s bedroom. «We need to talk. »