The wind was roaring by as the air was violently torn out of her lungs and she catapulted towards the ground hundreds of feet below, the sound of running water filling her lungs as she grinned, laughing with pure joy. That is, until she was pulled under the water with a loud splash that echoed in the caverns.

There was no noise other than the roaring waterfall seeping into the catacombs below, its power apparent from afar. After fair portion of time, a gasping, choking breath was heard as a hooded figure emerged from beneath the surface. She looked up the way she had come, and shook her head, somehow seeing something in the darkness of the never ending tunnels.

A shrieking, hysterical, terrified girl, thrashing and screaming as she fell, hit the water moments later, just as the other pulled herself out, feeling the water seep out of her robes and splatter upon the ground. The second practically leaped out of the water, scrambling for any form of land to cling onto. In a flawless, swift motion, a third hooded affiliate of the group whisked by them in a perfect leap of faith, landing in the water easily, barely staying below after he landed.

The only light that came through the open hatch vanished as it squeaked closed, metal grinning and gears turning until it was hidden once more. No non-member of their Brotherhood would enter from there at the very least. Not without the proper tools, intellect, and fellowship within their guild.

The second female, clad in blue, sprawled out on the ground and coughed, her lungs aching as the water that flooded her lungs was expelled; violently so, while the first, resembling the greatest Assassin that had ever lived, crouched by her friend's fallen form. She laughed, and patted her friend's back fondly, trying to assist, despite her joy. "You good, Sam?"

The male scoffed, pulling himself out of the water with a small grunt as he perched himself on the edge, rinsing out his clothes. "She's fine, milady. Leave her be." Scott Lucason pulled off his boots, turning them upside down and watching the liquid slip through the seams and back to the place of its origin. "I swear, you third world country members are severely lacking in common sense! I almost regret being transferred in from London!"

"Shut up!" Ashley barked, slapping his wet hair with a smack to send him tumbling back into the water. He did not reemerge for some time, though neither of the girls seemed to mind. Nobody truly minded Scott; if anything, his presence was a welcome annoyance in the minds of the girls.

Sam slowly walked to the edge, peering over it with a facial expression that displayed a million forms of disinterest. "Should we get him?" She asked, lacking the genuine concern any ordinary person would most likely have.

It was Ash's turn to scoff. "Nope. He can get lost in the abandoned corridors of the catacombs that I bothered to actually map out." She grinned at the water below, as it bubbled and rippled softly. The Assassin lunged at the two girls who shrieked, dodging his advances and laughing when he smacked the cobblestone flooring once more. "Real smooth, Scotland." She said teasingly, reaching down and pulling the tortured soul up to his feet once more, ready to mock him.

Sammy beat her to it. "Should've let you drown." The blue clad Assassin grinned, raising her hands in mock surrender. "Your blood would be on her hands anyways. She's stupid."

"-Hey!"

"-Damn straight, Reynolds." Scott declared, tearing his hand out of hers. "It's a miracle you're still alive, Ashley, what with your completely irritating personality and horrid social habits." She scowled, walking off into the darkened tunnels, irked by his rather cruel banter.

Fire, out of nowhere, suddenly illuminated the age old torches in the corridor, shocking her poor confused companions as they stared at her in shock. "My 'horrid social habits' just lit up the entire passageway without me batting an eye." She retorted, smirking as she darted into the tunnel, sprinting her way down and following the paths she knew like the back of her hands, scarred as they were.

Her leather clad feet whisked through the tunnels, her brother and sister not far behind as she ran, Scott scowling as he tailed her, for he knew exactly how she had lit those tunnels, and it hadn't been with her charm. "Damn ancestor of Arno Dorian." He swore under his breath, eyeing the second hilt on her waist, hidden to all except those who knew her secret. None would question its presence, if they hadn't known of her ancestry and lineage of Eden wielders.

After taking more turns and running down more passages than he would care to admit, Scott was breathing rather heavily; his lungs still laced with filthy water. Their pace slowed, and soon they were moving at a brisk walk, Ashley's head turning left and right as she looked up and down the darkening tunnels, before she turned down a lit one with the sign of our brotherhood at the end. "Come on, we don't have long! I need at least half an hour to fix up my hair before I meet with the council." Sam whined.

Ashley shushed her indignantly. "Shut it, you. I'm trying to concentrate." After no more than a few seconds, a resounding click echoed in the catacombs, and the brick wall rumbled, gears shifting until it began to turn, and light poured in from the other side. A side hallway leading into the Assassin compound, its ancient torches lit to allow its inhabitants to see clearly, was revealed.

It was the Assassin's hall of Legends, and Arno Dorian was one of them.

Walking through the wall as if it were nothing, Ashley, Sam and Scott came through the hallway, and past the portraits of the ones who countless Assassins would strive to be like; the perfect role models of their creed, and the beliefs of their Brotherhood. "We're early." Ashley said slyly, winking as she dashed down the hall, obviously towards the council's chambers, without so much as a goodbye. The wall moved back into place behind them, and sealed the passages beyond off, locked until another dared to venture within.

Scott turned to look at Samantha nervously. "So... why does the council want to see you two ladies so desperately, now again?"

She shrugged. "I have no clue. But that Dorian is a nut-job with a crazy powerful sword, and all she does is light candles with it. I'd say that warranted a little questioning... after the fact that the French Special Forces tried to tear her to pieces with bullets, and her face is bleeding because of it... But with the council," She paused, struggling to find the right words to use without offending the heads of their brotherhood. "You can never tell."

-----

Walking past the two guards with a curt nod, Ashley ventured into the large, ancient chamber that held great meaning to her and her ancestry. The council was already there, but seemed to end their discussion as she walked in, a serious expression upon her face. "Greetings, elders." She said calmly, stretching her arms out beside her as she bowed her head, formal as ever when summoned by them. "I come with news from Madrid."

They looked between themselves in shock, before the head elder, Guillaume Maxime, spoke up. "How did your mission fare, child?" His smile was kind, though the others seemed bitter.

"Well. Falto, despite our confirmed intelligence, had not fallen in battle, though he was weak, and required much rest from our journey. He is in the compound now, and recovering." Her tone remained level, though she smiled at the man fondly. "Rodrigo Yetnas is no more. His sphere of corruption has been destroyed, and it crumbled before I had left Spain. The Templars are down one more ally. I predict that Abstergo's power there will be gone within the month. I also retrieved this,"

She reached into her satchel, unlatching the clasp and reaching inside to reveal an Apple of Eden. The council gasped, shocked at her find, whispering among each other. "Did the Templars have it?" The female elder, Anne-Laure Manon, asked, eyes wide as she regarded the Assassin with care. "Did they have the opportunity to use it?"

Ashley shook her head and smiled. "No. They were attempting to excavate it, for reasons unknown. I set the equipment aflame, and managed to slip inside, undetected in the midst of the chaos. It was behind a door, hidden behind rubble." She explained, setting the artifact upon the ground and frowning. "The room was destroyed in the explosions that followed the fire, but not before I retrieved what was inside. This location also corresponded on a point of the map of Altair Ibn-La'Ahad's discoveries, and is the third excavation we have encountered. I do not believe this to be a coincidence."

Her voice was grave, and as much as the facts were piling up, the council did not seem as worried as one might believe. "The fact of the matter is that we have already noticed such things, but we must move our plans up... time is not something that is on our side." A younger man, Romain Manon, said, his slightly graying hair shining in the fire's light. "Thank you, for your good work, but it is time we send you out once more."

A different Assassin, and attendant of the council walked up, his hooded head bowed as she deposited the satchel in his hands with a warning look. He was not to lay a single finger on the artifact, or she would know, and he would be executed for committing such an unspeakable act of mutiny.

Monsieur Maxime spoke again, a grave expression upon his aging face. "A group of outsiders, from the United States, has gone rogue, and they are killing innocents, relentlessly. They have connections to Templars, and may be some themselves." He declared, watching Ashley's horrified expression; they had her undivided attention. "Their leader, Oliver Princeton, is a fierce combatant, trained to give up his life for what he believes in, and those whom he serves."

"How many?" She demanded fiercely, her horror immeasurable as the unspoken pain of her childhood gripped her soul. "How many have they killed?"

The council looked between themselves, unsure of their answer to her demand. If they told her the entire truth, or even a portion of it, her mindset would change, straying from the course they deemed fit. "We do not believe it best that-"

"-HOW MANY?" She yelled, eyes wide as she looked up beneath the layers covering her eyes.

They were frozen, surprised by her outburst. "Thousands of bodies have been left in their wake. They are tearing through Europe, and we have received information that they are settling in Diyana, south of here." Her heart leapt into her throat, and she felt sick to her stomach. They were settling in the destroyed city of Diyana, a place torn apart and burned to ashes by the Templars, fifteen years ago. It still had not recovered from the destruction, and was now completely abandoned, the torn spirits haunting their devastated home, trapped in the memories of their pasts.

"You will not go alone in this task; it is far too dangerous for any one Assassin to attempt such a task." Elder Manon declared, standing taller than the others, an unspoken sense of purpose and dignity surrounding her.

Ashley bowed her head once more, complying with her command left unsaid; the elephant in the room. "Of course. I understand," That I am not entirely trusted by you.

"Alexandre Lilou shall be waiting for you near the entrance to the Composé. Be on your guard, Ashley Dorian. These men and women are more dangerous than any others you have come across." Manon said warningly, his wary tone setting them all on edge.

She felt a nudge in the back of her mind; something that encouraged her to exploit that weakness she had found in him. It was in her nature as an Assassin, but she fought it, ducking her head down and frowning. "I understand, Masters. I will return; the deed will be done."