Tomb of the Khan by Matthew J. Kirby
Before they’d reached the far end, Grace stopped and tugged on David’s arm. “You’re not gonna to go saying anything stupid, are you?”
He turned back to face her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that whole crazy story.”
“It wasn’t a story. It happened.”
“Would you cut it out? Listen to yourself. Look around you. You really think these people are out there killing kids?”
“Remember Boss Tweed? Back in New York?” David folded his arms. “That’s what these people do.”
“Used to,” she said. “That was a hundred and fifty years ago. Lots of people killed people back then. Our people. Remember?”
Her question hit him with the sharp end, and a tight pain squeezed his chest. His ancestor, Abraham, had been murdered in the Draft Riots by a bunch of racist Irish thugs. He tried not to think about that too often. The memory of it made him feel sick, and angry, and helpless, and he didn’t like feeling any of those things.
“Don’t take it there, Grace.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to help you see things the right way.”
He turned away from her and kept walking. “I do see things the right way.”
She hurried to catch up to him. “But you’re not going to say anything to Dad. Right?”
“I don’t know yet,” he said.
“David—”
“I said I don’t know.” He pushed through the doors, and entered the big atrium in the main building of the Aerie. This space was big and open enough to eat all the echoes. David walked past the plants and the wide stairs toward the main lounge. Grace followed him, and he could tell she wanted to keep arguing, but she wouldn’t, because she didn’t want to be in the middle of it when they walked through the door, or else their dad would ask them what it was all about.
They entered the lounge and their dad got up from one of the armchairs, smiling. He’d dressed up in his dark, navy blue suit, a white button-down shirt, and no tie. “Good to see you two,” he said in his slow and even way, walking toward them with his long arms outstretched.
David and Grace each got a hug, and the three of them went to sit together at one of the tables.
“So how have you both been?” Their dad propped his elbows on the table, his rugged welder’s hands clasped together. “David?”
Grace gave David a glare, which he tried to ignore. “I’m good.”
“And you, Grace?” his dad asked.
“I’m good,” she said. “You shaved your beard.”
“I did.” He rubbed his cheek and jaw. “Are you still in the simulation of our Wangaran ancestor?”
“Not anymore,” she said.
His dad’s mouth settled into that disapproving frown he wore a lot of the time without realizing it. “That’s a shame. I thought that would be a good experience for you. The education system today treats our history as though it began with slavery. Before that, the empires and kingdoms of Africa were—”
“I know, Dad,” Grace said.
He turned toward David. “And how is your great-grandfather?”
“He’s an ace pilot,” David said.
“Yes, he was. He earned the respect of every commanding officer he ever served under. He let me try on his old flight jacket once. It was so big on me.”
“Fits me perfectly,” David said.
His dad laughed. “You know, his father flew with the Harlem Hellfighters before him, during the First World War. Maybe they’d let you experience those memories, too.”
“Maybe,” David said.
Then their father fell back into seriousness. “I’ve always told you how important it is to know where you come from. Who your people are. Who your family is. What it took to get you where you are. But this opportunity is better than anything I could’ve ever done to teach you on my own. You’re … you’re living it.” He paused, and the frown deepened. “I just wish you could have begun this journey with Abstergo from the beginning. I understand they still haven’t caught Monroe.”
“No,” David said.
“It really is criminal how he took advantage of you and the others. I would never have allowed you to go back to the Draft Riots. There are some things you shouldn’t ever experience, even in a simulation. I’ve made that clear to the director and Dr. Bibeau.”
“We’re fine, Dad,” Grace said.
David said nothing.
“Are you still happy here?” his dad asked. “Grace, you’re looking out for your brother?”
“I’m trying,” Grace said, with an edge that only David could detect.
“I knew I could count on you.” Their dad brought his smile back. “That’s why I agreed to this, and I’m happy with this arrangement.”
David felt as though this would be the ideal time to ask if he could leave. His dad had basically brought the issue up, and sounded open to the possibility that maybe this wasn’t the right place for them. But Grace would be furious, and she’d probably refuse to leave. David still hadn’t come up with a good reason to give his dad, other than telling him about Isaiah’s murderous statements, which he knew would seem as unbelievable as Grace made them sound.
“Let’s go get some lunch,” his dad said.
“Where should we go?” Grace asked.
And the moment passed, the window closed, and David knew he was stuck there at the Aerie. For now.
He and Grace spent the next few hours with their dad. The heavy clouds made good on their promise of rain, which fell more like a mist through the trees and filled the air with the scent of wet leaves and pine needles. They drove down the mountain to a Chinese restaurant, and then drove back up, where their dad dropped them off and said good-bye.
After that, they had the rest of the day to themselves. The weekends, when parents usually came, were a time away from the Animus. That had been entirely Victoria’s idea. David had recently gotten the impression that if Isaiah had his way, they’d be in simulations 24/7.
So David and Grace watched a movie in the lounge. A little while later, Sean came back, and then Natalya, and then they all ate dinner. No one talked about the Pieces of Eden that had come up earlier that day. Tonight, the chefs at the Aerie had cooked up a perfect rainy-day soup with potatoes and sausage. David had two bowls, and he was thinking about a third when Isaiah stalked in, Victoria behind him.
Right away, something seemed off. Isaiah looked mad, and the way David’s stomach suddenly lurched, he wished he hadn’t eaten anything.
“I trust you all had an enjoyable afternoon with your parents,” Isaiah said without a hint of genuine care. He didn’t even wait for their acknowledgment. “But now we must turn to a more serious business.”
“What business?” Sean asked.
Isaiah looked right at David. “Youthful curiosity.”
Now Grace and Sean and Natalya were looking at David, too.
“I think David knows what this is about,” Isaiah said. “Perhaps he even told you all about it.”
No sense hiding it or denying it. They had the security footage, obviously. So David leaned forward, put his elbows on the table, and clasped his hands together. “I did tell them.”
“What did you tell them?” Victoria asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” Isaiah said. “The point is, David, you left your room in the middle of the night and covertly entered restricted areas. That was extremely unsafe. The garage is often dark and we have vehicles coming and going at all times. What if you’d been hit? What if you’d been locked out somewhere? The rules are not in place to keep anything from you, but to keep you all safe. That’s our chief concern.”
David wasn’t sure yet what to make of the situation. So far, this felt like any normal lecture for breaking the rules, not a termination order. He relaxed, just a little, and wondered if he really had misunderstood the conversation he’d overheard.
“So what are we to do?” Isaiah said. “You know how important you all are to what we are trying to achieve. We have
“What?” The glare Sean fired at David was worse than Grace’s. “But we didn’t have anything to do with him running off.”
“I know that,” Isaiah said. “And I don’t think David actually meant any harm. As I said, youthful curiosity.”
“So you’re not going to send us home?” Grace said.
“I do not want to if it can be avoided. So let’s call this a probation.”
“Meaning what?” Natalya said.
“Your rooms will now be locked at night. In the unlikely event of an emergency, they will automatically open. But otherwise, you will be confined there during the off-hours.”
“Like house arrest,” David said.
Isaiah raised his eyebrows and nodded. “You can think of it that way, I suppose. A natural consequence.”
“So we’re prisoners,” Natalya said.
“Not at all,” Isaiah said. “If you would rather, you can call your parents and have them come get you. But if you would like to stay to be a part of this important work, these are my terms.”
Isaiah made eye contact with each of them. Victoria stood behind him, and David couldn’t read her expression. Sean’s glare at David had lessened, but not by much. Natalya didn’t seem angry with him, but Grace did. He knew what she was thinking. In her head she was yelling at him for getting her in trouble again. Well, it wasn’t David’s fault that their dad always made Grace feel as though she was responsible for him. David hadn’t ever asked for that.
“What do you say?” Isaiah asked. “Shall I call any of your parents? They might be able to come back and pick you up tonight.”
“I’m staying,” Sean said. “I wasn’t planning to leave my room at night anyway.”
“I’m staying, too,” Grace said. “And I apologize for my brother.”
David rolled his eyes.
Victoria looked at Natalya. “What about you?”
“I’ll stay,” Natalya said. “But I still feel like a prisoner.”
“I hope that will change,” Isaiah said. He turned to David. “And you? Our automotive enthusiast?”
That confirmed what David suspected, that they’d seen him climb into the jet-car on the security footage. But maybe Isaiah didn’t think David could have heard his conversation with Cole from inside the vehicle, and that’s why he hadn’t done anything more drastic than lock their doors at night. If David wanted to keep Isaiah believing that, he had to pretend that he wasn’t afraid, and didn’t want to leave.
“That’s fine,” David said.
“No more late night excursions?” Isaiah said.
“Not if my door is locked,” David said.
Isaiah nodded. “I’m pleased we were all able to come to an understanding. And now, I’ll leave you to the rest of your meal.”
He turned and strode from the room.
Victoria smiled. “I’ll see you all tomorrow morning for your simulations.”
Then she left as well, and the moment the door closed, Grace was on her feet. “When are you going to grow up?”
“When are you going to back off?” David said.
“When you stop acting like a child!”
“Hey, listen up,” Sean said. “I don’t care if you grow up or not, David. But you will not mess this up for the rest of us. Do you understand? Some of us actually take this seriously. I take this seriously.”
“So do I,” Grace said.
David shook his head. He could feel his ears getting hot, and his mouth drying up. “Whatever,” he said.
“Whatever?” Grace said. “You did not just whatever me.”
“Actually,” David said. “I think—”
“I am getting sick of this sibling rivalry thing you two have going on,” Sean said. “All I want to know is that you’re not gonna cause any more trouble for me. Or the rest of us. Right?”
David pushed his glasses up and glowered at the table.
“Right?” Grace said.
David nodded. Barely.
“Good,” Sean said. “Then I’m going to my room for the night. I’ll see you all in the morning.” Then he left the lounge.
“I’m going to bed, too,” Grace said. “I can’t take any more of this right now.”
Then she was also gone, leaving David alone with Natalya. He sat there for a few minutes, and after he’d calmed down a bit, he said to her, “You’ve been quiet.”
“I’ve been thinking.”
“About what?”
“My simulation.”
“What about it?”
She hesitated. “I think I’ve decided that I don’t want Isaiah to find the Piece of Eden.”
Javier liked the idea of a rescue mission, but not the idea of being left behind, doing nothing, and right now Griffin didn’t sound as though he planned to take them with him.
“You need us,” Javier said.
“Oh, really?” Griffin asked. “How so?”
“Our friends don’t know you,” Javier said. “What makes you think they’ll go with you? What if the Templars have convinced them that the Assassins are the bad guys?”
Griffin’s grin had a bit of smirk in it. “Believe me. I can take people against their will.”
“Four teenagers?” Owen asked. “How easy will that be?”
“It’s doable,” Griffin said.
“But easier with us,” Javier said. “They’ll come with us.”
“Oh, you think so?” Griffin said.
“Yes,” Javier and Owen said at the same time.
The Assassin shook his head. “This isn’t like that police warehouse you broke into. This is an Abstergo facility. They’ve got better security than some heads of state.”
“All the more reason to take us,” Javier said. “Just how are you going to get four people out of there if those people don’t trust you?”
“You’re not fully trained.” Griffin turned away and walked over to a worktable beneath the wall with all the weapons. “You’d be a liability.”
“You took us to Mount McGregor,” Owen said.
“That was because I needed you to recognize the Piece of Eden.”
“And now you need our friends to recognize us.” Javier said.
Griffin pulled a cartridge of some kind out of his gauntlet and swapped it for another one. Javier figured it was his electrical blade’s power supply. Then the Assassin started mounting other attachments to the gauntlet, some kind of dart gun, and pieces of electronics with antennas and touch screens. “Last time I took you with me, you disobeyed a direct order,” he said.
“I won’t do that again,” Owen said.
“Besides,” Javier said. “I think you do need us. You were mad when Rebecca left, because I think you were worried. I don’t think you’re excited about the idea of doing this alone.”
Griffin nodded. “Maybe you’re right about that.”
“So let us help,” Javier said. “You’ve been training us. Let us use it.”
Griffin shoved a few more weapons and gadgets into the pockets of his leather coat, and then he leaned forward against the worktable. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Owen asked.
“Yes,” Griffin said. “Suit up.”
Javier and Owen looked at each other, and they joined Griffin at the worktable. Javier grabbed his usual equipment and weaponry. He’d become really partial to the crossbow pistol, but this time, Owen grabbed one, too.
“Zhi used something like this,” he said. “I got kinda used to it. It saved her life.”
“Better take it,” Javier said. Then he grabbed some of the usual grenades he’d used before. But the worktable and wall contained other pieces of gear that Javier hadn’t seen back in Griffin’s storage unit. He picked up a canister about the size of
“Pain grenade,” Griffin said. “Emits a blast of energy a bit like a microwave. Cooks the top layer of skin. Hurts like a bed of nails, but it’s nonlethal, even if you wish you could die.”
Javier slipped one of those into a pocket.
“What about this?” Owen asked, holding up another pistol-like device.
“Laser array,” Griffin said. “Point it at a target’s face and it causes temporary blindness.”
“Most of this stuff seems to be about disruption and distraction,” Javier said.
“That’s because the Assassin is the true weapon,” Griffin said. “Governments kill indiscriminately with their drones and bombs. The Templars accept faceless, collateral deaths in pursuit of their agenda. But we’re different. The Assassins kill only who we intend to kill, and according to our Creed. We face our target without any denial or cowardice over what we do. The minute we let something or someone else do the killing for us, we’re no better than the others.”
Javier found a kind of honor in that.
“Finish loading up what you want,” Griffin said. “And let’s move out.”
Javier grabbed a few more grenades and bolts for his crossbow, then he noticed Owen standing by the evidence table, looking down at it all.
“Hey,” Javier said. “We’ll dive into all that when we get back. Okay?”
“Right.” Owen nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”
They followed Griffin up the stairs out of the house, across the overgrown lawn, toward the barn where Javier had parked the car.
“You probably didn’t fill it up, did you?” Griffin said.
Javier didn’t say anything to that, and got an elbow from Owen over it.
“Get in,” Griffin said.
Owen climbed into the front passenger seat, and Javier got in the back. They both waited as Griffin brought out a large gas can from one side of the barn and filled the car. When that was done, the Assassin got in, started the engine, and they rolled out.
It was already late afternoon, and Griffin estimated it would take a few hours to reach the Abstergo facility.
“It’s called the Aerie,” he said.