In a dusty old room in an old building, half crumbling from a recent fire. In that room sat one lonely computer, and one headset burnt to a crisp sat beside it. The computer was untouched though, unlike the rest of the lab. A red light blinked away in the corner of the screen, beeping. And beeping. Until one click and tap and it stopped. A shadow fell over this computer, tapping at the keys. The computer groaned as it started up, automatically opening a program and filling the screen with a movie player. The play button glowed a bright blue color, waiting to be played. The mouse rolled over the button and clicked it.
The video began to load, a swirling blue circle showing up in the corner. Then...
It popped to life.
"Is this thing on?"
"Yeah just give me a moment anddddd....there! Good to go, but make it quick okay? We don't have a lot of time"
"Okay okay...I guess this is it..."
The static of the video com buzzed faintly, the screen showing a girl wearing a worn down, button-up jean shirt. Her skin was pale as that of a ghost but her face was illuminated by the screen she sat in front of. Her eyes were gray windows into a storm that only raged in her mind. Her hair was cut short, barely making it past her ears with two long strands on either side of her face, one side was tucked behind her hair along with her side-swept bangs. She was wringing her hands, looking blankly at the screen. She opened and closed her mouth seeming to struggle with what to say.
"I...I don't know how to start" She said, her eyes pivoting to beyond the screen to someone else.
"Just start somewhere, anywhere. We don't have much time" A different voice, another female but her words sounded harsh and cold. Bitter.
"Alright, alright...um...so...if you're watching this...whoever you are...Assassin, Templar... I don't give a fuck. Just know that we're long gone by this time. And you're looking at the remains of our knock off animus"
"It's not a knock off! Its the real deal, just better! As if any of my work would-"
A third voice, another female but she sounded a lot younger than the one who spoke before her.
"Not now Ada!" The bitter voice sliced in once more to silence the younger one. The girl on screen waited for half a heartbeat before continuing.
"Anyway..." She breathed out, biting her lip.
"My name is Annie Belladrosa...I'm the...whatever number I am...who knows. But I come from a bloodline of hunters I guess. Huntresses who were supposed to be a part of the Assassins but aren't. Or maybe part of the Templar knights who knows...They took their own course of action...because they learned something that scared them shitless"
"... We...I...are here to just protect everyone from...her...from Juno. I don't know what my mission really is right now...all I know is that I need to destroy something...or else something really bad is going to happen and I won't be able to stop it...and nobody will be safe from it"
She swallowed, shifting in her chair, rubbing her arms. Now the fear was stretched across her face. Clear as day. She was scared of what she described. Annie leaned forward, placing her elbow on the counter and rubbed her forehead.
"Shit that sounds so ... Stupid. Ah, listen. I know this is a lot and it's confusing but please...just know that my ancestors... My grandmother and my mother, all of them seemed to know what they were doing. But the end of the world... There's something that needs to be done. Something the first of us, the Belldrosa's, told me. Told everyone that would come before her. That we have to protect the people, keep the balance from swaying. "
"And that we all must make our own choices, and take our own paths. And we will cross both Assassin and Templar alike. Somehow she knew that we would keep this up...But she never said anything about how difficult it would be in the end...or gave any hints as to what to do"
She breathed in, shaking her head. She seemed distraught...her eyes jumping everywhere but the camera facing her
"I lost a lot doing this...and most of the time I've just been fucking around...somehow getting on the right path but not knowing what it's all leading up to...But you have to understand if you've seen what I've seen? The things that people will do if this shit gets into the wrong hands-"
"Annie! Hurry up! They're linking up to the animus at the temple!" came that old bitter voice, seeming more frantic now, sounds of feet moving around and things being jostled. As if the two behind the screen were on a much more rapid clock then before.
"Already? I...But I need to tell them about...god I need to say so much-about Abstargo, about HIM-"
"Annie now! We need to do it now!" came the younger voice, a rapid sound of fingers against keyboards was heard in the background along with a strange chorus of beeps
"Alright chill! I have to go just... Just...don't hate me for what I'm doing. I'm just trying to help...I swear it..." Annie pressed her lips together before getting up and walking off-screen. There was a few taps here and there and then the screen goes pitch black.
That video was one of the many you will see of Annie Belladrosa. She is of many Hunters that are trailing a pray that has long been hunting her family, and in turn, using them as a means to speed up a horrible disaster. Juno has been the hell that has trapped the Belladrosa's, twisting the narrative to do whatever it took to slow them down from catching her. Every major Belladrosa was struck down by Juno's means, a curse that waited until the next one in the bloodline was born to take out the current one. So as to keep that newborn as it was for as long as possible; a newborn who was weak and didn't have anyone to lead them onto this course. Yes, each Belladrosa was met with some sort of disaster...except for one.
The one who fought back and won. The one who got away. She set the fast track for this storm, this hurricane that gave the Belladrosa's their power back. She helped light the flames of rebellion and proved that the Hunters weren't backing down. They were the hunters...and their pray was in sight.
This is the beginning of the end.