Chapter Text
September 22nd, 1776
The time’s around midday and the city of New York is in chaos. Well mostly the southern part of Manhattan, but it affects the whole city. Last night was horrible. The fire started out of nowhere and suddenly it had swallowed hundreds of houses. Including ours. So, that’s how I lost my previous journals, but took this empty notebook and a pencil from someones table earlier today.
Guess I should start from the beginning, not from my childhood for Gods sake, but from who I am. My name is Scott Lang and I worked as an inventor. Kind of a family business I was hoping it to become one day. Anyway I’m going to record this fire from the normal people point of view and maybe get it to the news if they accept it.
So it all started last night. My wife Margaret and I had just got our little girl, Cassandra, or Cassie is how we called her, to bed. The screams from outside were normal as we weren’t -and are now even less- rich and we lived in the poor district if you could call that one. Money was never the crucial thing in our marriage or life. It was quite an okay place to live. Until this night.
So as I was telling, the screams were pretty normal there and we didn’t pay attention to them any more than any other night. It was a mistake, a burning one. Just something like five minutes later we heard the screams from the houses next to ours and saw the red and orange flames eat down the wooden roofs. We didn’t panic, or at least show it, as we ran to see if Cassie was okay. Then we smelled the smoke coming from downstairs. In that horrible moment we looked to each other with pure horror in our eyes. She handed Cassie to me.
”Take her out! I’ll go get mother.” she said to me and in the second she was gone to the attic. I have completely forgotten to mention Margaret’s mother! She lived with us when she got sick and couldn’t take care of herself anymore. She was always so quiet that I mostly didn’t even know she was present.
As I ran out of the now flaming house with Cassie we turned to look back when we reached the other side of the road and the whole thing crashed.
”Margaret!” I said as I couldn’t think of anything else to say. We stood there without saying anything for a minute or two, but then the neighbors started to shout for us to come out of the circle of the flaming houses, I finally snapped awake. I looked at Cassie and sighed. Margaret wasn’t going to come out of there. In no miracle she couldn’t have survived the whole house coming down on her. I couldn’t stand to think of it, not yet either, too horrible, but we really needed to get away as fast as possible.
Cassie was around eight years old, but I still picked her up and starter to run as fast as I could. I ran, and ran and ran even when the fire was not in our sights anymore. I ran for Margaret, she had been the light of my life with Cassie, of course, and now she was gone.
”What’s the matter, daddy? Why did we go so far? Where’s mommy?” Cassie asked me when I finally stopped running to take a breath. I sighed and looked to the ground, then I realized that she was my kid, and I was responsible of her from now on. I needed to show her bravery and not the depression I was going to go through after this. So I lifted my face and looked her in the eye.
”It’s going to be alright… Mommy is.. Gone.. But daddy will take care of you for now..” I comforted and hugged her.
After that we went to get a shelter or something like it and in this morning we went to get food, or as much as we could get from the soup patrol people. There really were, and still are, thousands of people all hysterical and cold and thinking of their unsure future. That made me realize, that even though I lost Margaret, it should not control my thoughts right now. I have to take care of Cassie, so I can’t panic or she will too.
And so ends last night’s tragedy. I’m here sitting on the ground and leaning to a wall and writing this journal as Cassie sleeps under the blanket we share. I think it is time for us to get some place to stay for the next weeks so I will continue later.
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It’s night now. The day passed by fast and all we got was some bread and a tent they were giving for the people who had no place else to stay. I put it up to those parts of the city where the British soldiers, or maybe better known as Redcoats among the citizens, informed all the people to go to. I don’t even care what to call them. They sure are bossy and want to keep the order, but then again the order is not always bad. There has been many riots lately, but most of the people try to live peacefully whether they like, dislike or don’t care of the actions of the British. As I said, I myself don’t really give a fuck what they do as long as they don’t come knocking down doors and shooting people. They’re civilized people like us, not some pirates from decades ago.
October 17th, 1776
It is already a few weeks since the Great fire of New York, as the papers call it. The nights are cold. Well of course the autumn is already dropping the leaves out of trees and the harvest has begun. We still live in the tent, which I decided to move into a little more distant location because the British have started to interrogate the people in search for the one who might have started the fire. I still believe it was an accident, but who really knows. They have even suspected that our generals were behind it. I don’t believe that.. But what does one mans opinion matter in such a high thing. Or let’s say one other than a military person. They seriously suspect every one they think is acting strange. Probably even their own cats or something.. I really see no reason in this.
We visited Margaret’s ‘grave’, meaning the house or what’s left of it, and brought her some flowers Cassie had picked up earlier that day. I would’ve just stayed down and cried for the whole time if it wasn’t for Cassie. She always knew how to cheer me up. Even when I didn’t get any job or hardly any food, she still cheered me up with some stories of how she met some squirrel and played with it. Honestly I think her imagination is really good, and that half of her stories aren’t really true, but she’s a kid so it’s normal.
About the jobs.. I applied for many jobs, but apparently they only need the stable ones who have a house. I think that’s wrong, but what can I again do about it. I still won’t give up on looking for any possible job.
December 23rd,1776
Honestly I’ve been so busy trying to find a job and food and something to keep us warm, that I totally have forgotten to write this journal. I’ve been so busy that apparently I have already gotten over Margaret, or I think I have. Surviving in a tent outside when there’s snow is harder than I could’ve ever imagined. I have started stealing food from the markets and firewood from the farms not that far away. I don’t really like it, but we don’t have any money so I have to do it. Sometimes Cassie brings home some sticks. She’s so goodhearted, I hope this doesn’t change her at all, but makes her stronger instead.
The clothes we had when we first left the house have become a complete disaster, but luckily I snatched something a little warmer from one of the backyards where I saw a bunch of them drying. As I have kept stealing stuff, I’ve just become better with my stealth and lock picking skills. No idea if they’re useful in the end, but if we need to live like this for a long time after this I think they’ll come in handy.
Oh yeah! It’s almost Christmas… I haven’t got any present for Cassie, but I hope that the fact that we’re still alive and have quite good chances of surviving the winter is enough.. Or then I’ll just try to get some better food. That would be good.
December 25th, 1776
This day was a day that almost cost me my life.
I was in the marketplace as usual, stealing food, and for Cassie now something special. The merchants had grown weary of me. For the record I have to say I’m surprised they’ve finally noticed that after three months. There were the usual merchants and apparently some new faces too.
I was going to go for the new faces that the old ones wouldn’t get me, but I never would’ve expected the following events.
As I was taking some better bread from the stand I heard someone yell ”Thief!” from behind. My heart skipped a beat as I turned to see who yelled and froze there facing a pointed finger from one of the old merchants. He had seen. Or maybe he had suspected and saw his opportunity to get me this time. I then quickly looked around and saw some guards in red coats with their muskets yelling for me to stand here. Well that definitely was my cue to start running. Hell I wouldn’t want to get caught when I have a daughter to take care of! So I grabbed actually couple more breads, they were big ones, and started to sprint off as fast as I could without dropping any of the breads.
I ran, again, like I had ran the night of the fire, but this time there was a fast opponent or two chasing me down. My stamina was not made for long runs and apparently theirs were. They were getting close and fast. They were like only couple of meters away from me when some huge white robed man took them down and I stopped in fear. When I saw his face under the hood, he was clearly a native American. He looked at me with a worrying face and shouted:
”Go! I will take care of them!”
I did as he asked and some distance away I looked over my shoulder to see what had happened to this man. I could only see the wounded bodies of the British laying on the ground. I didn’t want to be stated as a murderer too so I kept running and got to the camp. And now we’re starting to have our Christmas meal together.
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Cassie was very pleased to the bread only and just more please after hearing my reckless journey to get it. After the meal she wanted to show me something.
”Daddy, daddy, I made you a present too!” she announced proudly. I smiled.
”You did? What kind of a present?” I asked with a playfully doubting smile.
”Come and see for yourself!” she pulled my hand and took me outside of the tent and just behind the tent was her present. It was basically some snowmen to me.
”You see, here is me, this is you and this is mommy! I spent the whole day working on them.” she told me and this made me want to cry. It was so sweet.
”Oh, daddy can see it now. They’re totally like us!” I laughed as I wiped clean the outer corner of my eye. ”Thank you, peanut..” I gave her a bear hug and a kiss to the forehead.
”I wish mommy was here too..” Cassie said as I put her to the ground again.
”I do too, sweetheart, I do too..” I almost got lost in my thoughts. ”But now let’s get inside and try to stay warm for the night.”
We hurried in to the tent and under the extra blankets I had stolen in the beginning of the winter.
March 25th, 1777
I kind of feel sorry for this notebook. It hasn’t got anything to fill it in these last three months. I’ve really been busy stealing stuff and avoiding the military. Though nothing has basically happened. Well, a lot has happened but the most important of them all is that we survived the cold winter! We were blessed for not getting sick.. Many people have got sick lately. Mostly the likes of us with no home. The repairs have not yet even started. It’s sad how many have actually died because of the winter.. We were lucky as Hell..
There was this one event I wanted to write about. Remember that native man who saved my life back then at Christmas? He got caught. They actually prepared a hanging for him, but I read from the papers that he escaped the gallows and killed Thomas Hickey who apparently was going to murder Washington. So many weird things happened in that event. I think I’m happy for not being there too or then I would probably again got to a somehow near death experience with this guy. I’m happy for being in his side or I think we’re at the same side. He let me run that day, so I bet he helps the city and its citizens.
There really hasn’t happened anything else notable except for that event so I guess I’m leaving this to be a short note.
April 15th, 1777
Today was a weird mixture of pure good and bad luck. I finally got caught, like physically. I’m right now sitting in a room basically tied down to a chair, but I think I’ll be released soon. I think. They let me write, so as I wait I’ll write down what happened.
I was in the harbor earlier today. It’s quite far from the camp, but I needed to change the place after that Christmas incident, so that was the best option. Besides the fish is good and sometimes some merchants are actually kind enough to give one or two fishes from their stands. With those things happening I’ve got some friend-ish people to give us food. They sometimes play that they’re giving the fish for a stray dog or cat and I get to pick them up. Too bad for the animals, but I’m a little selfish when it comes to protecting my family.
This time I didn’t see any of those fishermen anywhere so I had to find new ones. That was when I saw this one ship, a frigate I think. Big it was anyway and seemed to have something valuable as the cargo for there was so many guards. These didn’t look the same as the usual military British guys. They had slightly different outfits. I didn’t care about that in the moment and decided to try my luck.
I sneaked to the other side of the wharf and tried my newly improved jumping skills that seemed not have been as much improved as I thought. I fell to the water and two guards from the ship came to see what had splashed the water down there so much. I dove as fast as I could and kept myself from revealing this sneaky plan of mine and saw the two figures leave the side. I got up and tried not to inhale so loudly. After managing to do that I just started to climb the side of the big ship. It wasn’t that hard, but a couple of times my foot or finger slipped and I feared to fall again. Luckily that didn’t happen and I climbed all the way up to find the deck clear. There was only the cargo anymore. I thought that was a little careless of them to leave it unguarded for someone like me to come around and take couple of the wooden boxes with me while just passing by.
I pulled myself slowly and carefully on the deck and constantly minded my surroundings for anyone to come back. When I was quite sure no one was going to get me, I went to see what kind of treasures did they have in this ship. I saw one of the boxes being already open so I sneaked there and took a peek inside the box. This was….tea? Why would they guard tea so heavily? Well later I realized that they apparently feared that the destruction of the tea in Boston would happen in New York too, but I see no reason in that..
I was so confused that I did not notice my surroundings and when I felt a poke of something sharp in my back I turned around terrified of how lightly these men had stepped on the deck. So there I was, surrounded by at least ten of those weird looking guards and I must say I panicked. There was literally no escape and I thought of my life ending there. I could never see Cassie again and more importantly she would’ve lost both of her parents in a year. The guards tied me up with some rope and walked me in to one horse carriage and they drove me to somewhere close to the borders of New York. They took me to this cabin and tied me to this very same chair I’m sitting on right about now.
I waited there in complete silence for at least thirty minutes and in that whole time I tried to ask all kinds of things about this kidnapping, because I obviously had not stolen anything, yet, but I didn’t get any answers.
Finally when someone other than a guard came in, I raised my face from the table before me. This man was clearly someone highly ranked, I could see it from the looks he got from the guards. Just pure respect.
”Leave us.” he said clearly and loud. This man did not just look like someone to trust your wife and kids with. Well obviously that’s not why I was brought here, but just that you know he looked so suspicious with his not too well taken care of hair and beard. And his eyes looked like he had been drinking all night long.
”We have been watching your actions for a while now, Mister Lang.” the suspicious meter rose up pretty much in my head at that point.
”How do you know my name?” I demanded to know. The man smiled from under his thick mustache.
”Did you seriously think that some merchants would take stealing so lightly and even decide to help the thief after all?” he asked me with the most irritating voice ever.
”Well that was odd, but why not?” I told him.
”Anyway. We finally caught you in action so we had a reason to take you in. We know you have been stealing around the city and that you have a daughter and you live in the western corners of Manhattan.” That really made me horrified. This man seemed to know everything. I had never told the merchants about Cassie. What if they had got her too, I thought and made few frustrated noises while trying to get the ropes off my wrists.
”We have also seen you make contact with the assassin. Are you with them?” he asked shortly after his last pronouncements. But assassins? I definitely was really confused. Did they mean that native man from back then? I thought that he looked a bit weird with a hood so maybe he indeed was an assassin. I really didn’t know what I had got myself into this time.
”Are you?” he raised his voice as he didn’t get any answer.
”No! Why would I?? I’m just trying to survive! We lost our house in the great fire and have been living there the whole time! He just helped me to escape! That’s all..” I answered as fast as I could. ”Could you just let me go!? I didn’t steal anything from the ship!” I tried to defend myself, but then realized that he had talked about the other crimes too.
”It seems that I will not leave you just stealing around. It would be rude for the people to stand you and your little problem with food.. I’ll see you at the gallows tomorrow morning.” He finished, stood up and walked to the door. When he got there, like from some miracle come true the door opened and the slightly dark room was filled with light. Was that my angel? Well he sure was an interesting one if he was.
”What’s your statement of him?” the man in apparently navy blue long coat asked the darker one.
”Send him to the gallows. Just some scum like the rest of the thieves..” this dark interrogator stated.
”Oh Charles.. Did you even talk about the job for him?”
”Naah.. He’s all yours, master..” this man called Charles answered and walked past the man in blue. I just sat there speechless and relieved about the fact that I might have just dodged the gallows. This man in blue walked across the room to sit on the same chair the last one had. He put his triangle hat on the table and crossed his fingers while leaning over the table with his weight seemingly evaluating me.
”My name is Haytham Kenway, I’m the grand master of the templar order in the colonies. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” he started with introduction and I was stunned how polite this Mr. Kenway was. Just a little confused for the part of him being some grand master of.. templars? Like the knights templar from the crusade? Seemed weird but who knows, I took my chances with him.
”Scott Lang.. And I guess I’m just a thief anymore. There’s no inventor Lang left in me..” I stated a little depressed about the fact that I might have had a brighter future if the great fire had never happened.
”Well that could be of use, young man. Would you like to join us? I mean the templar order. It doesn’t require much faith in any Gods but just to share the ideals. We want order and that is what the people are so much against now. They need a leader to guide them to the riches but they wont accept one yet. We are destined to be the leader and to guide these people to a better future.” Kenway told me. It was pretty impressive what he just had told me.
”What do I get from it?” I made sure it wasn’t just some job what I did because I might have had the same ideals with the rest of the group.
”You will get paid a normal pay or maybe a little extra if you decide to work on this little project that needs geniuses like you to figure it out. And what I hear you lost your house in the great fire? The order will grant you a house with all the goods you need, in some limits of course, but a roof on top of your head will probably be all enough for you right now. I also heard that you have a daughter. So as you would be working quite long hours I think a nanny of some kind would be good for your child. Or maybe a teacher, if you think she requires one.” he pronounced and I went all silent for all the things they were ready to give me just that I’d join their order. He looked at me with some more of his evaluating glance as I stayed quiet. ”And of course some decent clothes would be on the list of those things.. So, what do you think?”
”Umm.. What about the assassins your friend there talked to me about? Are they like there to get me or what? The one I saw was quite friendly to me..” I suspected and he gave me a short glance of disapproval and sort of interest too.
”The assassin brotherhood is our enemy and they have always been there to stop our righteous acts. To a civilian they might seem friendly, if you ever encounter one, but trust me they want this country to stay in the chaos it now is. They don’t see the good in having a leader to guide the people.”
I was really confused, but it sure seemed right to join them. And if I didn’t do it for myself, I could always do it for Cassie. Plus we could really need a roof on top of our heads again.
”Okay.. I think I’ll say yes, but what is this extra job you were talking about?” I think that pleased him really much as he smiled to me and ordered the guard to cut my hands loose from behind my back. As I finally got them released I rubbed the parts where the rope had been to make it I don’t know, less hurting. I sure had not noticed that they were this tightly tied.
”It would be about one certain artifact. There is still this one thing you must know about the history of wars between the templar and assassin. A long time ago there were some superior people called the Ones who came before, who had mankind in their leash and as their slaves. They created the artifacts called the Pieces of Eden. Many of them had different kind of powers, but mind was mostly the key to the use them all. For centuries we have fought over these artifacts and now I am currently locating one of their secret and I would give one other we have found to be your side of the job. It’s something we haven’t for sure got to know. Looks like some kind of a helmet, but I don’t really know what it could have in the means of power.” Kenway gave one Hell of a speech for sure and it made me really interested. These pieces of Eden seemed to be something ancient and powerful and possibly dangerous, but I still said yes. I decided to only do this for Cassie.
After gaining my approval, this mysterious Haytham Kenway left the room and here I am sitting and writing. Mostly waiting.
April 29th, 1777
When I finally got to the camp Cassie was happy and worried about me. I told her that we were going to move into a house again and she was just beyond exited and probably happy too.
We actually left all of the stuff we had into the tent, except for our clothes as we moved. There really were some supplies only a homeless person would need. The house, or more like apartment was in the middle district of Manhattan, closer to the eastern harbor than the burned houses. We finally went to see the old house again and bring some flowers. It was a short trip, but it is done at least. It felt really weird to sleep in a bed, but more or less get used to living inside again.
Today I finally got my membership of the templar order. The ceremony was nothing fancy, but formal for sure. There were few other guys and the grand master, who gave me the ring of the templar and said ”May the Father of understanding guide us.” and I was supposed to repeat it with everyone else. And that moment it was basically over. Mr. Kenway asked me to meet him the next morning in the same place, but stay at least this night with Cassie because I was going to have a lot of work to do starting from the morning.
So I went home and we went to shopping for food, which still felt weird. Tonight we were going to have some pancakes for us finally starting to make a fortune without stealing.
We had some good time baking together and especially eating. Cleaning sure was something we both wanted to avoid, but we weren’t living in a tent anymore, so we had to start keeping the apartment clean.
As I write this, everything feels like it was back at the first time I wrote this journal. She’s leaning to my side, sleeping and I’m writing this journal about a thing that will probably change our lives for now.