Exodus

The Raid

Lancelot/Marcus:

Capulet. Capulet. Capulet. Capulet.

That girl is...is...is...

FUCK!!!

Okay, let's be rational about this. I could see in her eyes that she was no killer like her father. Her eyes. Her beautiful, bright, blue eye-

Snap yourself out of it, Marcus!!

She's beautiful. She seemed so genuine, too. So real. A feeling that I rarely get from Templars. Though, from what she said, she might not be much of a Templar at a-

My internal conversation is interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing. It's Mother. Of course it is.
"Is everything ready?" She asks.
"Yes" I reply. "The charges are set on the wall and I've already called the Eagles. They're 3 minutes out."
"Good work. Remember, don't kill ANY of them, this is only to send a message. Transfer the money from their accounts to ours and get out. They'll always make more, so we don't wanna give them a reason to find us."
"Of course, Mentor" I respond respectfully. You'd think being the son of the Mentor would have perks, but in fact I'm the one that gets torn into the most if things go wrong.
"And Marcus," Mother says in her low, serious voice that always terrifies me, "don't embarrass us."
"When do I ever?" I say with a laugh.

The call ends as I check my watch and see that my team is a minute away. I grab my assault rifle from its hiding place and sprint up the two flights of stairs to reach the 66th floor of the Abstergo building. Thank God they moved to Verona. Rome was never this easy to sneak into. I'd already changed into my assault gear, and I always feel like a badass in it. The long black coat waving as I move, the shaking of my rifle, the silence of my quick steps in my boots. The skull balaclavas. And my pride and joy, the armor. I designed it myself, though unfortunately titanium is in very short supply. Graphene is even scarcer to retrieve and buy. Gold Team has the only six pairs I was able to make. Though after today, I'm sure we'll have enough money to change that.

I stand outside of the conference room and tap my earpiece to activate it. "You here?" I ask Jason, my semi-idiotic but always loyal best friend.
"We're hovering above the roof and the ground team just broke through." He tells me.

Almost, as if on queue, I hear an explosion of broken glass below me and gunfire erupts in the room. Yeah, they're definitely here.

I peek out from the wall I'm hiding behind and watch the Templar leaders scramble and scatter like the rats they are, panicking.

It's time.

"I'm blowing the charge. Get down here!" I tell my friend, reaching for the detonator on my belt and pressing that beautiful red button. The entire glass wall on the south of the conference room shatters outwards, and I watch with glee as my brothers and sisters slide down their ropes and swiftly enter the conference room. They point their guns at the shell-shocked Templars and I see Beth aggressively push her hidden blade against this girl's nec-

Elizabeth. Goddamnit!

I run into the conference room right at Beth to calm her down and move her arm away from the terrified girl.

"Easy, easy." I say, putting on a facade of tranquility. "We're robbing them, sister. Not killing them." My friend listens to me and I subtly turn around and wink to Elizabeth to let her know I'll keep her safe. She lightly smiles at me, her eyes wide.
I think they're the prettiest eyes I've ever seen. She's so beautiful and I don't think I've ever se-

"LANCELOT!" I hear Jason scream at me, snapping me out of my trance. "I called you three times get your head in the game! Put the flash drive in the laptop over there. It'll upload the virus so Pulse can hack into their servers."

What in the hell is wrong with me? I'm letting the thought of some girl I just met distract me from my mission. My duty!

I hastily walk to the head of the conference table, plug the flash drive into the MacBook, and slide it over to Beth, the best damn hacker I've ever seen in my life. While she's robbing the Templars blind, I think I'll rub plenty of salt in the wound. I jump onto the conference table, gazing out at our captive audience, and channel the bit of asshole I have in me.

Probably shouldn't look at Elizabeth while I do this, either.

"Ladies and gentlemen," I begin with the most arrogant voice as possible, "the Assassin Brotherhood has come to commandeer your funding. We intend to take every dollar you have stored here. This money will not be used in the pursuit to enslave humanity, but instead to continue to protect it's natural right to be free of mind and body. I strongly suggest all of you remain good little boys and girls, or we will not only empty your accounts, but fill your coffins as well. You see, nothing in life makes me happier than seeing all of you as miserable as possible. Like you there, Lord Capulet." I start chuckling at the older, crueler man. "I wish you could see your face right now. I've only heard stories, but it's such an honor to finally meet the man that's taken so many of my brothers and sisters away from me. Well, guess what? I'm putting an end to all of that. I've been fighting you bastards since I was 12 years old, and I will take each and every single one of you down if I must. We will always fight you and we will always resist you, because no else will."

I end my speech to observe the many enraged yet petrified faces of my enemies.

"L, it's done." Beth tells me gleefully. The sounds of a helicopter rotor descend to the destroyed wall. My team jumps on board, me being the last one. I think of one more little quip to say to the Templars.

"Thanks for the money, lads" I mock. As I turn around, I shout over the loud helicopter: "And as my hero would say, Vitoria..."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Elizabeth staring at me seductively, biting her bottom lip. She grazes her lip with her finger, and it freezes me in place. She's been watching only me this entire time.

She mouths, "I'll text you" to me, never once breaking her gaze.

Best. Mission. Ever.

"AH yes um" the words stagger out of my mouth, remembering I need to at least try to keep my composure. "Vittoria agli Assassini!"

My feigned bravado made her giggle.

"Lancelot!!" An angry voice shouts from behind me. It's Capulet.

"We'll hunt you down! We'll find you, Assassin. We always do. I'll kill you myself!"

Thank god for my mask, because I'm sure the smug grin on my face would be impossible to hide.

I step onto the helicopter and give one last remark to my adversary.

"Oh, have no fear, My Lord." I say, giving the most sarcastic bow to the mastermind. "I've got a feeling that really soon, you're gonna want me dead even more than you know!"

I signal the pilot to get us out of there, and we slice through the air to escape Verona, sirens blaring down below us.

I look into the destroyed room as it fades away, my only focus being the red haired, blue eyed girl staring back at me.

*A few hours later*

My bed feels even more comfortable, knowing that we just pillaged the Templars earlier. Before I can enjoy my rest, my phone dings. I check the notification and see a message from an unknown number.

Unknown: It's Elizabeth.