Souls Through Time (EzioxOC/DesmondxOC)

Chapter 16 - Claire

September 22nd 2012

Claire's eyes snapped open, her heart pounding, her breaths shallow and ragged. The images lingered in her mind, bright and vivid, seared into her consciousness as though they had just happened. She was no longer in the cold, chaotic void of the dream but lying on the cot in the sanctuary, the soft warmth of the blanket still wrapped around her, Desmond's gentle touch still lingering like a faint echo on her skin.

But the remnants of the dream clung to her, an unsettling presence that refused to fade. She could still feel Clay's desperation, the pull of the artifact's energy, the overwhelming flood of memories—ancient and powerful, bleeding into her own mind, as if every part of Assassin history had imprinted itself onto her in that instant.

She closed her eyes, trying to shake the sensation, but Clay's voice rang in her head, relentless, echoing through her thoughts: "Find the Apple!" The urgency in his words sent a chill through her. The Apple of Eden... a powerful artifact, one of the very things she and Desmond were risking everything to find, to keep from Abstergo's hands. Somehow, in her dream, Clay had managed to reach her from beyond the memories, his voice filled with both warning and purpose.

Desmond's hand squeezed hers, anchoring her in the present as her mind reeled with the strange, vivid experience. His brow was knit tightly, and his gaze held the unspoken fear that this was something far beyond a simple nightmare.

"Claire?" he said softly, his fingers tracing soothing circles over the back of her hand. "You're trembling. Did you have a nightmare?"

She managed a nod, her voice barely more than a whisper as she tried to put the experience into words. "It... it was about Clay. He was there, but it wasn't like a memory. It felt real, like he was reaching out to me. He showed me a massive underground chamber, filled with artifacts—technology that looked ancient, yet advanced beyond anything I've ever seen. And... and there was the Apple. He kept saying it was the key to everything."

Desmond's expression darkened, his eyes searching hers with growing concern. "The Apple of Eden... You think it was something he experienced, some memory he left behind?"

Claire shook her head, feeling a faint shiver as the images and sensations from the dream clung to her mind, heavy and unsettling. "No... it felt like more than that, like he was trying to send me a message. I could feel his desperation, his urgency. It was as if he were reaching out... right here, right now."

Rebecca, who had been working nearby, glanced up at the mention of Clay. Her usually cheerful face was drawn into a focused frown, a mixture of caution and curiosity in her eyes. "Claire, if it felt real, it might have been more than a dream. We've seen instances of consciousness bleed-through from the Animus before. It could be Clay reaching out through the Animus, trying to communicate with you in some way."

Lucy, who had been listening from across the room, moved closer, her expression unreadable yet contemplative, as though considering possibilities she'd never allowed herself to entertain. "You and Clay were in Abstergo's custody together for so long, Claire. We've studied the Animus, but there's so much we still don't understand about its effects on the mind, especially after prolonged use. It's possible that, under the right circumstances... some of Clay's memories might have transferred to you."

A sharp wave of confusion washed over Claire. "But... how?" she asked, struggling to make sense of it. "I've never heard of memories crossing over like that. Clay and I shared the Black Room for months, but something like that shouldn't be possible, right?"

Rebecca bit her lip, her gaze distant as though sifting through every fragmented theory and hypothesis she'd ever encountered. "No, not under typical conditions. But you and Clay went through an experience that no other subjects have. The Animus Black Room—an isolation chamber for minds that had already started breaking down. That kind of prolonged, chaotic exposure to each other's genetic memories could've forged a link between you. And if he died while you were connected..."