Assassin's Creed: A World On Fire

Part One: Chapter 2

Kenny Chase.

He's a twenty-five-year-old college graduate with more than one degree tuck neatly under his belt. He's a nerd. (Not to be mistaken for a geek—yes, there's a difference). He's also my best friend, who works as an engineer for a big corporation. Thanks to that, he already owns a quaint—by choice—house.

Kenny's an oddity though. He's not just your average run of the mill smart. He is "IQ is through the roof, child genius" smart. He skipped so many grades, he graduated high school almost four years before he was supposed to. Though, because he was always surrounded by people years older than him, he's never had many friends. Or girlfriends for that matter.

Which sucks because he's actually extremely good-looking.

He's got blonde hair that just falls so nicely into his baby blue eyes and he's tall. The good tall—not the thin sickly kind—with a lean but muscular built. It's kind of surprising, really, that he hasn't found anyone yet but I think that might be because of his nerd out tendencies...

Once you get him going there's no stopping him.

I fish my keys out of my pocket as I approach his door while still tugging...Altaïr along. It's getting hard to say his name in my head because every bit of me is screaming, "Get the shrink!"

Once the door is open I flick on the lights and tug Altaïr in after me. He still looks a bit green so I sit him down on Kenny's cream-colored sofa before locking the door. After all escape routes are secure—because I highly doubt he'll figure out how to unlock a twenty-first-century door—I make my way to Kenny's kitchen for a glass of water and some saltine crackers to help settle his stomach.

I also make sure to grab a couple of napkins as I go.

"Here, eat this, it should make you feel at least a bit better," I tell him. I hand him the glass as I open the crackers, though I make sure to wipe his mouth with the napkins a bit before handing them to him. Can't have him looking like he just puked up his guts. Once his dignity is preserved, I leave him happily munching on the crackers with a mumbled, "Wait for me here."

It's the middle of the night but I know that, just like me, there's no doubt Kenny's still up. He's probably in his workshop either tinkering with one of his contraptions or trying to solve a difficult equation. My guess is proven correct when I enter his garage and find him scribbling furiously on a worn out piece of paper.

Instead of barging in and dragging him away from his work, I decided to watch him work for a bit.

His dedication to his work is shown in his appearance. By that, I mean that I'm sure he hasn't shaved in two days—if the slight scruff on his chin is anything to go by. Or that he hasn't taken much stock in how he looks for that matter. In fact, his blonde hair has gotten so long that he needs to pin it back with bobby pins. He's even dressed in a plain white tee riddled with holes. That shirt probably had a few run-ins with his machines.

It takes a while for him to notice me standing there. It's not until I shift to lean against the door frame that blue eyes flicker to me. The second they land on me, a big smile takes over his lips. I can't fight my answering one as he scoops me up in a hug.

"Jen," he calls and I laugh as he twirls us around a bit before setting me back down on my feet. "To what do I owe this pleasure, Miss Jennifer?"

Normally I would follow his lead and joke and play until we can't do more than laugh. But today isn't a time for jokes so I stay serious.

"We got a problem, Ken."

He sobers up instantly. Just like I knew he would because, when it comes to Kenny, I know I couldn't be in better hands. He gives a curt nod and waits for me to explain.