Numbskull

Day 4 Part 2

I logged out of the Animus, then stared right at the post-it notes stuck on my workstation. They were all filled with unsolved 'mysteries' and tasks to do for the day.

Most questions were about the memories and what would come up next. In my free time — which seemed to come very often considering how efficient I am with the Helix system — I would form theories about what would come next in those memories. I had never really gotten them right but they do give me points to take note of while in the Animus.

Basically, those post-it notes were extremely helpful and my literal lifeline while in the workplace.

He joined the Templars. Seriously? I had seen how dedicated he was to the Brotherhood but he just threw that all out of the window. Through my observations, I found out that even though he had abandoned the Assassins, he seemed to uphold the first, and most important, tenet: Stay your blade from the flesh of an innocent.

But if we dug deeper into what happened, things won't seem so black and white anymore. There was never a good or bad in society, not even two sides of the coin.

Shay felt betrayed — is that the correct word? — by the Assassins when he realised they had sent him to Lisbon to get the precursor artefacts, in turn causing the loss of many lives. His sense of honour lead him to make the choice of leaving the Assassins and taking the Manuscript along with him — away from those who betrayed him.

Why must these things be so deep? Why can't things be straightforward for once? Shaking my head, I sighed. Life isn't a simple, bare journey. It is constantly riddled with complex challenges and in turn, amazing outcomes.

The feeling of a hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality. "Hey. Are you okay?"

I looked around to find Alex right behind me. "I'm okay... Just a little tired, that's all."

"I'm having a bleeding effect..."

"What? So soon? Are you following ghosts?" It was indeed worrying. After all, she had just come for a few days. The Helix is furthermore designed to lessen the Bleeding Effect. If this is real, I'm a failure at not succeeding at the Helix system.

"No," she came closer, "It's the kind that gives me-" a wince "-cramps"

I just stared there blinking at her, trying to come to sense with what I had just heard. She had just threw me off. The research I had done to prepare for the Helix development team to go through with everything related to the Bleeding Effect included going through files of previous Animus users and compiling the most needed information to Diana then working on it with her. Especially those Animus subjects that had gone nuts. "Ok, what do you want me to do about it?"

The reply? A tentative hug from the other party.

"Woah there... why not get some food? It helps me especially when I get hot coffee."

***

I took a glance at her bowl and raised my eyebrows, "You know that salad isn't really counted as a meal my my personal standards? Its just vegetables..."

"Hey- vegetables taste good with some salt on them," She sat down on the opposite side of the rounded table and poked a small piece of raw carrot on her fork, "Want one? Carrots are technically storage roots, not vegetables."

"I'm-sorry-I-hate-carrots", I let out in one quick breath. I would be lying if I said I did not notice her little show of disappointment at hearing that I don't like carrots. Eyeing those small and shiny red fruits in her bowl, I dramatically gasped, "If you don't like cherry tomatoes, I don't know you-"

"What? They're awesome... who would hate them?"

"Yes! Cherry tomatoes are the best and you can't deny that!" A glare from a nearby co-worker was sent my way at hearing my loud tone of voice.

"Isn't it in my salad? All vegetables huh-"

"No, no, no, I take that back. A salad isn't counted as a meal. It's a snack I would eat with all the cherry tomatoes devoured within seconds and carrots left to find their new home in the trash." I paused to take a scoop of rice. "Are you feeling better now?"

She smiled and nodded her head, "Thank you for everything, I would not have found my way amongst all this technology and place as quickly without you."

I returned the smile. Looking past her, and again past the bright LCD screens displaying Abstergo Entertainment's newest game release, I spotted Violet, Berg and Ms. Lemay in a corner. Arguing about something. I couldn't get a hold of what they were discussing but their animated hand gestures and cutting each other off with a frown on their faces told as much of a story.

The trio kept on going and I imagined their argument getting more intense with each word, each gesture. I see arguments going on daily around Level 2 but nothing entranced me as much as this one did. There was just something about the situation that I felt that I needed to take note of.

"Hey, hey." Hands waving in front of my face brought me back to my meal with Alex. "Did you see a ghost?"

I let out a short laugh at that, "What? No. I'm not some psychic."

"Aww... I would have wanted to meet a ghost." I shook my head and concentrated on my food instead, smiling at the absurdity of it all. A psychic — they use Eagle Vision — seeing the ghostlike hallucinations of the Bleeding Effect may be probable in this world where people use the Animus.

I glanced up to Violet walking away from the argument — probably in defeat — letting the other two to continue.

There's more going on here than I realise. Shay is the key.

A/N Oops... I was bored and wanted to release this a day early. Next update back on a Thursday.