Great Purge

The Fall of the Assassin Order was an event in the year 2000 that nearly caused the ultimate downfall of the Assassin Order. Caused by the mysterious Daniel Cross, the event would have an impact on the later generations of Assassins, as they were forced to operate in small teams gathered throughout the world rather than as a worldwide organization.

Cross' abduction
"Я хочу домой." ("I want to go home" in Russian.)"

- A young Daniel Cross, c. 1985.

In September 1985, a young American boy was abducted by the Lineage Discovery and Acquisition division of Abstergo Industries, and became a test subject known as Subject 4; later codenamed Daniel Cross. Using a working prototype capable of mimicking a Piece of Eden, a subliminal impulse was implemented into Subject 4's brain that would force him to subconsciously infiltrate the Assassin Order and kill the Order's Mentor once the opportunity to do so would arise.

Once Abstergo was finished experimenting, Daniel Cross was sent into the outside world in his underwear. He was picked up by a man named Luke and his partner, who noticed the young boy while driving in their truck. After the woman called out to Daniel, he only replied in Russian; after having been experimented upon, Cross had been suffering from the bleeding effect and was reliving the memories of his Russian ancestor, the Assassin Nikolai Orelov.

The Order
"I just beat the shit out of two guys like it was nothing, my vision went red and something took over, pure instinct [&hellip;] It feels like there's something coiled like a snake deep inside of me, and it's waiting to get out..."

- Daniel Cross.

After experiencing hallucinations and attempting to kill a civilian because he believed he was Templar, Daniel was kidnapped by a woman known as Hannah Mueller. He woke up the next day in an Assassin camp. Hannah and Daniel met with Paul Bellamy who was the director of the camp and explained to him that there was no record of Cross and when told that his tattoo on his arm was the Assassin's Insignia, Cross was shocked. When trying to leave after a question about Tunguska, Daniel was stopped by two Assassins who had been watching the intercourse. He easily bested them and would have killed them if Bellamy hadn't put his Hidden Blade to Daniel's neck.

Hannah's attention was drawn to Daniel that night due to Daniel's fit of rage, overturning all of the nearby furniture. Daniel explained to Hannah about his medication and told her that he needed it back. At first, Hannah was reluctant but Daniel eventually convinced her to help him. After discovering that Daniel had thrown the last of his medication out, the man fell into a moment of depression. Hannah told him that whatever was inside his mind, he should let it out.

New Purpose
"Hannah&hellip; it's okay &hellip; I saw everything&hellip; I saw the shape of time. I know my purpose, I understand what I have to do&hellip; I have to find the Mentor."

- Daniel Cross, after his hallucination.

Daniel and Hannah discussed the roles of Assassins in the contemporary Assassin Order after his moment of depression, Hannah mentioning that she'd like to know more about his hallucinations. Cross unexpectedly marked the window with a symbol much like the Staff and asked her what it was. Paul Bellamy burst into the room and claimed that there was a survivor of a mission to Tunguska in 1908, Nikolai Orelov, who eventually went to America. Cross was overwhelmed by hallucinations brought on by that name and punched Bellamy when he demanded to know what he was seeing.

The terror brought on by the images caused Daniel to flee over the rooftops, still assaulted by the visions as he was pursued by Bellamy and Hannah. The hallucinations grew stronger until he finally collapsed from the strain. Daniel's first words after his collapse were that he knew his purpose; he was meant to find the Mentor.

Assassination of the Mentor
"Some of the guys think he's made up. Oz, the great and powerful."

- Hannah Mueller on the Mentor.

After years of searching for the Mentor, Cross sought help from other Assassins around the globe, one night on November 5th of 2000, two men came into Daniel's apartment and kidnapped him. Daniel woke up and found himself in Dubai where he finally met the Mentor. The Mentor told him that he had heard of Daniel's visions, and believed that he would be of very unique value.

The Mentor explained to Daniel how the Assassins had come a long way from murdering those who had become too powerful, greed and perhaps both. He also implied that he would choose Daniel as his successor and presented Daniel his own Hidden Blade, telling him that he had "earned it" and fully initiated him into the Assassin Order. As soon as he put it on, Daniel felt as if he was made to wear and use it. Suddenly, Daniel recalled his memories from Abstergo, being experimented upon by Warren Vidic, having the impulse to kill the Mentor buried so deep within him that he hadn't realized it until the time had come, of Bellamy and Hannah telling him to unleash whatever was inside of him and of being given a new name; Daniel Cross. Acting on the impulse, Daniel assassinated the Mentor and escaped the facility.

The Fall
Subsequently following the assassination of the Mentor, Daniel returned to Abstergo's Research Facility in Philadelphia. With the information retrieved from Daniel, who had visited every single Assassin training camp in the world, Abstergo mobilized tactical teams to initiate strikes on Assassin compounds globally. This forced the Assassins to evacuate their respective bases and go into hiding.