Assassin's Creed: Destiny of Souls

Chapter 2

Claire jolted awake, the cold snap of consciousness hitting her like a slap. Her mind was foggy, the edges of her awareness blurred by whatever sedative they'd pumped into her system the last time she'd fought back. She lay still for a moment, blinking up at the stark, impersonal ceiling of her cell, trying to piece together where she was, why her muscles felt so leaden, why her head throbbed in time with her heartbeat.

The room was silent, the kind of quiet that felt charged, as though the air was bracing for something. She was about to sit up when the door burst open with a metallic clang, and before she could react, two guards rushed in, their hands seizing her wrists and ankles with practiced precision. Her body tensed instinctively, panic flaring as they yanked her off the cot, her bare feet hitting the cold floor with a jolt.

"Get off me!" she spat, thrashing against their grip, but their hands were iron clamps, unyielding and cold. They didn't respond—no explanation, no acknowledgment of her words. They just dragged her out of her cell and down the sterile, dimly lit corridor, the fluorescent lights above casting a harsh, unforgiving glow over everything.

"Where are you taking me?" she demanded, but they remained silent, their faces blank, eyes fixed forward as though she was nothing more than a troublesome package. Her heart pounded, a mixture of anger and dread twisting in her gut as they led her deeper into the facility. She felt the chill of the air seeping into her skin, the foreboding weight of whatever lay ahead pressing down on her with each step.

When they finally stopped, they pushed open a heavy door and led her into a vast, dimly lit chamber. The space was cavernous, the vaulted ceilings stretching high above, casting deep shadows along the stone walls. And in the center of the room, illuminated by a harsh overhead spotlight, was the machine.

The Animus.

Her breath hitched at the sight of it, a grotesque blend of sleek metal and mechanical arms that seemed to reach down from the ceiling, dangling like the talons of some monstrous, mechanical beast. The arm in the center was fitted with restraints, waist and leg supports that looked painfully tight, designed to hold a body in place—no room for escape, no room for movement that wasn't sanctioned by the machine.

Her mind screamed at her to run, to break free, but the guards tightened their grip, forcing her toward the monstrous rig as her feet dug into the concrete floor, her body twisting against them in vain. "No—let me go! You can't make me do this!"

But they could. And they did.

She fought them every step of the way, her muscles straining, her heart pounding like a trapped animal's. Her voice echoed through the room, furious and raw, but it fell into the indifferent walls, absorbed by the silence. The guards ignored her struggles, pushing her to the center, locking her waist into the harness that would suspend her, clamping her wrists into the metal cuffs with a final, decisive click.

"Let me go!" she screamed, her voice breaking as she twisted in the restraints. But her words meant nothing here. She felt like a trapped animal, bound and helpless, and the machine loomed over her, its cold, indifferent structure an ominous presence.

She barely registered the faint sting of antiseptic at the base of her neck before she saw it—the long, thin needle gleaming in the harsh light, held by one of the technicians. Her blood ran cold as he approached, the needle aimed at her cervical spine.

"No... no, don't—" Her voice trembled, her body thrashing instinctively as she felt a guard's hand press down on her shoulder, forcing her head forward, exposing her neck. Panic clawed at her, sharp and consuming, as the technician leaned in, the needle glinting as it descended toward her skin.

The prick of the needle was sharp, precise, but as it slid deeper, the sensation shifted from discomfort to searing pain. She could feel it burrowing into her flesh, the invasive pressure of it pushing down through muscle and nerves, burrowing into her spine like a parasite. A hot, throbbing ache radiated from the injection point, pulsing through her neck, spreading down her shoulders, locking her in place.