Assassin's Creed The Cross and the Needle

AvatarofBahamut(LittleBlackDragon), Author of I Should Have Stayed In Bed, Presents

The Cross and the Needle

An Assassin's Creed III Fanfiction

Note: This fanfiction is rated T for ages 13 and older. The work may contain violence and implied and/or mild adult things and conversation topics. The author reserves the discretion to change the rating should such a change be deemed appropriate or necessary.

Chapter 1: Mourning Loss, Opening Doors

The humid air hung still that July morning. It ran thick across the American Capitol, creating a wavering effect as the sun rose above the horizon, into a blue sky that was shedding its last layers of peach from early dawn. And yet there was already activity that Saturday, the small church of Holy Trinity having opened its doors for a more somber occasion. A pair of men heaved a heavy painted urn from a small white van up the large flight of stone steps. It was the final piece needed to be set before the arrival of family and friends come to mourn the passing of the man whose ashes were now held within. And over watching the proceeding group was the man's grandson and newly appointed pastor, a man of twenty seven years.

Adrian had already shed his tears and his prayers. He brushed off his black robes and adjusted the white of his collar, finding it difficult to see the urn disappear inside. It was difficult enough with just the idea of presiding over the funeral, but to start seeing it unfold for himself was another matter. But he was asked and he would honor the request of his family. Perhaps in the end, he thought, it was appropriate. Besides one of his other grandchildren, Adrian Gale was one of the closest relatives to his grandfather, Marvin, both in distance and in their bond.

As he clutched his bible and scraps of paper in his hand, his memories began slowly dancing across his vision. He remembered fondly the days when his grandfather looked after him as a child while his parents were at work. He recalled the stories of the past he used to be regaled with, of both family, country, and of mythology. He missed the days when he would play in the wet grass of the old house Grandpa Marvin used to live, with grandfather himself in a plaid shirt and overalls watching from afar. His other close grandchild was also there, Adrian's best childhood friend, swinging Frisbees and getting her dress dark with dirt tackling him to the ground.

That was when Adrian remembered her. In all the sorrow of his grandfather's death, another one had almost taken the back burner. Theresa Volkov was his cousin's name, a girl raised in the care of her mother, Adrian's aunt, and her step-father, a bright and kindly teacher from the Ukraine. Both of their parents were the only close relatives of their grandfather, both living in the outlying suburbs of Washington D.C. while the rest of the family lived many states over or even outside of the country. Like Adrian's parents, Theresa was left in their grandfather's care as a child. She was four years his junior, but perhaps the more outspoken of the two grandchildren. But both shared a great compassion for people and other living things, something they had shared through the years.

Adrian's hazel eyes drifted down however, when he his thoughts continued. He hadn't seen his cousin in over four years. And the last time things had not ended on a positive note. In fact, he wondered if she would ever speak to him again. Would she even come here? But, he was uncertain, for just the other night he received an unexpected phone call from his relative and friend from whom he had been estranged.

"Adrian?"

The soprano voice was all too familiar to him, and a strange coincidence that he heard it when his thoughts had been on the subject. He looked down the stairs to see a very petite, thin woman in a long-sleeved black dress approaching him. There was no mistaking her for anybody else, though. She still had her long, straight hair pulled into a braid, the same dark dusty brown as his, but contrasted with a pair of olive green eyes beneath her bangs.

"Good morning. It's good to see you, Theresa," he greeted her quietly as she climbed the last stair.

Her expression betrayed that she seemed as uncertain about their reunion as he was. Indeed, she felt of mix of emotions, something between contrite and unworthy.

"Is it really, cousin?"

He shook his head.

"Did you read any of the letters I sent to you over the past four years?"

Theresa folded her hands. Perhaps her own emotions were due to the fact that if the tables were reversed, she may not be as forgiving as Adrian was for her actions that caused the four year drift between the two.

"At first, I didn't. But you're my best friend, I couldn't just throw them away, as much as I wanted to. But then I felt unworthy when I finally looked at them after they just sat in my closet for four years."

Adrian gestured with his hand, having her follow him inside.

The men who had carried the urn walked passed them, nodding to them as they returned to their white van.

Both Adrian and Theresa sat in the front pews of the main floor of the sanctuary, seeing the altar adorned with the urn, and several pictures and keepsakes belonging to their grandfather.

"Honestly," he began, "I feel like I'm the one who betrayed you."

"For four years, I thought the exact same thing."

He smiled bitterly.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you still felt that way. I am not entirely blameless. I should have handled it better."

Theresa sighed.

"Maybe," she replied, her gaze upon the light slowly filtering in from the brightly colored stain-glass windows.

"When we were in high school, we had both decided we were going to go to medical school and set up a private practice together one day, helping others, you know? And we would live in the same city somewhere like our parents did and we'd visit each other every weekend with our spouses and children."

"I remember that promise," Adrian's fingers twitched, his smile fading, "And even to this day I never would have imagined things would change."

The two of them fell silent, staring at the altar for a long time. Adrian set his bible aside, the darker side of his memory reminding him of what caused the drift between the two of them.

"I still remember the car accident like it was yesterday, remember everything going black and being in darkness for the longest time, but then…"

That's how it had begun, he thought. Adrian was driving home from one of his graduate classes when he was smashed in a head-on collision with an intoxicated driver roaring down the wrong side of the road. He was able to be taken to a hospital, but he was fatally injured and the life was ebbing away from him. The doctors at the hospital were doing everything they could to save him, but his heart had slowed to a crawl and his injuries were taking too heavy of a toll on him. His heart stopped and his lungs emptied, and for a few minutes, Adrian Gale was dead. His senses dulled but then he experienced something truly extraordinary, seeing things and hearing things. He did not remember the life being gone, only a disconnection of a sort.

And then, somehow, life began to return to his body, his heart began to beat once more and whatever connection was severed as tied back together. He lived to see another day, the ordeal leading to a series of events that led to many life-changing occurrences after the fact. This was including that four year estrangement from his cousin.

"I also remember the day we both stood as kids in high school, proclaiming we'd be people of science, of passionless logic and reason that served the greater good."

Theresa chuckled.

"But even being a doctor may require some sort of compassion."

"True."

Another moment of silence past between them without anyone saying a word.

Theresa shook her head.

"He was my grandfather too," she finally spoke, "I want to honor him just as much as you do. If I have to sit through a few hymns and prayers, so be it, even if it has no meaning to someone like me."

Adrian nodded.

"I have no doubt of that. I think he'd be proud of you for putting yourself through all the hard work of medical school. I'm proud of you, too."

In the midst of their discussion and his pondering something on the altar caught his eye. Theresa noticed her cousin's sudden fixation on the altar and tried to turn her gaze in the same direction. It was then that she also noticed that something was out of place there. Neither of them recognized a particular object that was placed near their grandfather's ashes.

"I don't think I remember grandfather ever having that," she said aloud.

"Neither do I," Adrian agreed.

Theresa rose from the pew walking over and grasping it in her hands. She turned around and brought it back, showing it to Adrian.

"Do you know what this is?"

"I have no idea," he sighed.

Theresa examined the object carefully. It was a small statue of some sort, fashioned from bronze, but greened over from age and lack of care. It was shaped into a fish, though perhaps a rather fantastical looking one, with striking detail down to every individual scale. It seemed to be swimming somewhere, waves carved around the base of its body and elongated fins and tail.

"Grandfather was never that big of a fisher, was he?," Theresa asked.

"Not that I recall."

She looked more closely at the base, seeing that along the rim were strange symbols etched in. Among them were words that were too faded to read and a repeating symbol, sharp and curved upward. It almost resembled the letter A, but not quite. The line was at the bottom, curved with a small point towards the inside of the shape.

"I've never quite seen markings like this," Theresa wondered aloud.

And that was when she turned over the bottom.

"Hang on, there's an inscription here that readable, Adrian. Come take a look for yourself."

The young pastor stood up and walked behind Theresa, pushing up the brim of his glasses.

"You're right."

Theresa's eyes darted as she began reading the inscription.

"Time is a river from which existence flows. Its source can never be reached."

Adrian felt a sudden chill in the room. He felt it odd, but brushed it off as a sudden welcome gust to allay the heat of the day.

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted. But take heed of your actions, for they may have consequences, for we are all swimming in the river of time, and the ripples may travel both forward and back."

"What a strange inscription…"

"Time heals; time kills…time creates, and erases all it brings. And now may the ripples that go forward also flow behind us, and balance be restored to all things."

There was a shuddering sound inside the sanctuary, a tremor seen in the objects around them. As Theresa examined the passage over again silently, Adrian started to have an uneasy feeling stirring inside of him. It was not something he could easily explain. Theresa started to feel something, causing her to look back up at her surroundings. She could now see the subtle tremors in the room around them.

"Adrian?"

"I know this is going to sound crazy…"

"You see the slight shaking, too," Theresa responded.

"Yes."

A moment passed and the shaking stopped. Perhaps it was just a strange occurrence, the two of them thought. Theresa looked back at the statue, intending to return the object to the altar.

However, she was interrupted when she felt the object suddenly grow much heavier in her grip. It pulled her down, forcing her to set it up the floor. Her hands throbbed from the resistance as she pulled them away.

"What the hell?"

"What's wrong?," Adrian questioned her.

Before she could answer him, the sanctuary of the church began to tremble again, only this time it wasn't subtle. They could clearly see and hear everything around them clattering in their places. The only thing unaffected was the statue, planted firmly in front of the altar.

"You're seeing this too?"

"Yes, but… I have no idea. It can't be an earthquake, can it? Or is some kind of storm coming?"

It was then that there was a loud bang, but everything was still in its place. But then, the green upon the statue began to fade away, revealing the bronze underneath. There was a bright flash, temporarily blinding the two cousins and forcing them to turn their heads away. At first Adrian was about to tell Theresa to duck down, worrying that they were about to be hit by some sort of catastrophe. But neither were prepared for the madness that was about to ensue.

The young pastor took a step forward, only to shockingly find no floor to support him, his body starting to tumble downwards. He opened his eyes to see himself descending into a void of pitch black, seeing only a glimpse of Theresa falling in after him.

"THERESA!"

His voice boomed and echoed, his body twisted and turned every which way as they began their descent. He felt for Theresa's hand, finding in the dark that she was thankfully not far from him. But any trace of the church seemed to have dissipated, including the strange statue.

"Don't let go!"

Her voice was just as loud, and he could feel her tiny fingers hanging onto his for dear life. Neither of them was entirely sure what was happening to them, if they had any ideas at all. They felt themselves accelerating into the void. The sensation of wind was rocketing passed their ears, and then at the moment, everything just seemed to stop. All feeling and noise for split second was gone.

"Adrian, are you alright?," he heard his cousin's voice softly speaking.

"I think so, but I can't see… or feel anything…"

However, events were changing rapidly, and it seemed just as quickly as they had been plunged into this darkness, reality came roaring back, a white light bursting through the darkness to engulf them. There was no sound, but they began to feel once again, their grip on one another's hands still tight.

They were hit by a mildly warm breeze, and felt the sudden jerk as though they had merely tripped and fallen down. Both lay with their stomachs facing whatever surface they had contacted, the sound of rustling leaves beginning to whisper in their ears.

The white light dissipated, with Theresa being the first one to get a glimpse of their surroundings. All around them were trees, towering above them with heads of orange leaves, shifting with the course of the wind. She relaxed her grip on Adrian, both of them resting for a moment or so. Both found it difficult to comprehend what had just happened.

But Theresa was also the first to muster of strength to get to her feet, pulling up her cousin along with her. His whole body was shaking, and she herself was not entirely at full awareness after what had occurred. The scent of the woods hit them, withered grass crunching under their feet.

"Are you alright?"

"I don't know. I'm not hurt, but I feel… strange," Adrian admitted, "How about you?"

"A little woozy."

Both grasped each other for support, having some difficulty due to a notable height difference.

"Where… is the church?"

"I don't know, but whatever this place is, it certainly isn't Holy Trinity," Theresa hugged, "Perhaps the better question is where the hell are we now?"

Whatever had happened, no matter where they were, one thing was certain. The two cousins were lost, displaced by something unexplainable. The strange statue was nowhere in sight, leaving the two of them without anything that might clue them in on their circumstances, or so they thought. One way or the other, they would be sticking together to get some much needed answers.

But, where on earth would they start?

…

**Author's Notes: Hello, AvatarofBahamut, once again bringing you another story of misadventures of time and space and Assassin's Creed! This tale will follow not one, but two people, thrust into a most unlikely set of circumstances. As with "It Just Had to be Pirates", my plans for this story are rather limited (as this is also a side project), so suggestions as welcome as per the usual, but be aware that updates may be few and far between. Still, your feedback and subscriptions are always appreciated.**

**PS: Also, apologies if this chapter is a bit short. I'll try to be in the 6-8 page range for this story per chapter (as opposed to 7-10 on average for ISHSIB and 8-11 for IJHTBP).**


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Assassin's Creed, Fantasy