Twenty-five year old Desmond Miles is taken into custody by Abstergo Industries, a shadowy corporate organization, and subjected to bizarre experiments involving a machine called the Animus. The Animus enables Dr. Warren Vidic to reach back through Desmond's genetic memory and search through the memories of Desmond's ancestors. Through this process, Dr. Vidic hopes to uncover the secrets of Desmond's ancestral connection to a group known as the Assassins and to discover the whereabouts of a powerful artifact called the Apple of Eden. Trapped within Abstergo, Desmond is plugged into the Animus and thrust into the memories of his ancestor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, a member of the Assassin order during the Third Crusade. Desmond explores the memories of Altaïr in the hopes of uncovering a mysterious conspiracy... one that Dr. Warren Vidic seems obsessed with, but his motivations continue to elude Desmond. Desmond discovers an ancient battle between two clandestine organizations, the Assassins and the Templars, who both seek an artifact with the power to reshape the entire world. Revelations begin coming rapidly to Desmond as he realizes the true nature of his imprisonment: Abstergo is controlled by the Templars, and Desmond's activities in the Animus are designed to locate the Pieces of Eden. These Pieces of Eden are powerful artifacts that will give the Templars the ability to control the trajectory of human endeavor and fate of humankind. Dr. Vidic's assistant Lucy reveals to Desmond that she is actually a mole for the Assassins and helps Desmond flee Abstergo, taking along some crucial data from the Animus. Once free of Abstergo's grasp, Desmond is confronted by a critical choice. Lucy asks Desmond to join her in the Order of Assassins and aid in the fight against the Templars. Lucy's lengthy and heartfelt speech designed to coerce Desmond into joining her cause turns out to be completely unnecessary as Desmond has already chosen to become an Assassin. Lucy introduces Desmond to two other members of the Order of Assassins, Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane, who will assist him in training to become a full-fledged Assassin. Using the memories that Lucy stole from Abstergo during their daring escape from the laboratory, Desmond enters the Animus in the Assassins' Hideout and engages the memory of a new ancestor: Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Ostensibly the son of a successful banker, Ezio is heir to a position in the Order of Assassins and a crucial figure in Assassin history. Using Ezio as something of a vehicle, Desmond must examine Ezio's memories in order to train for the on-going struggle against the Templars working under the banner of Abstergo Industries. In the process of exploring Ezio's memories, Desmond becomes aware of strange new capabilities in himself that have been awakened through his contact with his ancestors' memories. Dubbed "the Bleeding Effect," this side-effect of using the Animus causes the experience and expertise of ancestors to "bleed" into an Animus user. Unfortunately, the Bleeding Effect often manifests with similar symptoms to multiple personality disorder, driving affected individuals insane... which appears to be the fate suffered by Desmond's predecessor, Subject 16. After witnessing Ezio's climactic encounter with the Pope in Rome, Desmond relives a seemingly baffling memory in which Ezio descends into The Vault and meets Minerva, a mysterious and luminous entity. Curiously, Minerva wishes to speak to Desmond rather than Ezio (a point which confounds poor Ezio completely) and tells of an ancient apocalypse visited on her demi-godly race and the fledgling humans. Minerva also speaks of other temples that contain the means to prevent another on-rushing catastrophe Emerging from the Animus with the newly-discovered information that ancient artifacts necessary to the wellbeing of the entire planet are hidden around the world in secret locations, Lucy alerts Desmond of an impending Abstergo assault on the Assassins' Hideout. Knowing that they are ill-equipped to hold off a full-scale attack, Desmond, Lucy, Shaun and Rebecca flee the melee in a truck after a brief encounter with Dr. Warren Vidic... but not before Desmond gets to try out his newfound hidden blade skills on a few of Vidic's henchmen. Although Desmond learned much through his contact with the Animus, it is clear that more essential data remains locked inside of Ezio's memories. As this small band of Assassins races to safety, questions play through Desmond's beleaguered mind and there is only one way he can answer them. Donning the numerous leads and electrodes of the Animus, Desmond prepares to return to Renaissance-era Italy in the hopes of solving a riddle that could spell doom for the entire planet. http://assassinscreed.uk.ubi.com/brotherhood/#/videos/Video/8332