Rebecca Crane

"The Templars might have deeper pockets than us, but they've got no ambition, no passion, no competitive edge! That's why, even with all their resources, anything they can do, I can do better."

- Rebecca Crane.

Rebecca Crane (born 1984) was a modern-day Assassin, as well as the creator of the Animus 2.0 - which she affectionately referred to as "Baby." She also provided technical support for the other Assassins alongside her partner, Shaun Hastings.

Early life
Little information is known about Rebecca's past, though it appears that she was not born into the Assassin Order, since she once commented that the Assassins had merely contacted her.

Prior to being an Assassin, Rebecca was into sports, including extreme snowboarding. However, when she broke her leg one day, she began pursuing an interest in computers while she recovered, and found coding to be just as exhilarating as her previous hobbies.

Before being contacted by the Assassins, Rebecca was dating an electronics engineer. When Desmond Miles questioned her about the outcome of the relationship, she replied by saying that she had had a boyfriend before she was an Assassin, and now she did not, implying that he may have been killed. Shocked by this, Desmond asked her if she was kidding, which she was. She went on to say that death was only funny when it was not happening in front of you, and that "(she) should know." She then refused to say any more about the topic.

Some time after her own recruitment into the Order, Rebecca was responsible for recruiting Shaun. Since he had discovered the company's secrets, Shaun had begun spreading the word about Abstergo Industries's ploys, thus provoking unwanted attention. At this, Rebecca attempted to warn him off, saying that he was "messing with the wrong people," though Shaun did not believe her. Shaun later admitted that he would have wound up at the bottom of a river had Rebecca not stepped in to save his life, and bring him into the Order.

Rebecca was also an old friend of Lucy Stillman, however, after Lucy's internment at Abstergo, the two did not see each other for seven years after 2005. The two only reunited in 2012, after Desmond's and Lucy's escape from Abstergo's laboratories.

At one point, Desmond asked Rebecca if she had ever used the Animus to learn about her ancestors, at which she commented that the lives she had relived were "lame" compared to those of Desmond's ancestors. She continued, complaining on how boring it had been spending the whole day firing guns as a Prussian mercenary.

The Hideout
In the Hideout, Rebecca served as technical support for the Animus 2.0, ensuring that nothing went wrong with the machine, or with Desmond's interaction with it. She often left notes within the Database articles that Shaun created, particularly if the entries were for locations that held Glyphs or Assassin's Tombs.

After Lucy had given her the memory core of the Abstergo Animus, Rebecca excitedly integrated it with her own; successfully - albeit accidentally - also transferring the encrypted files that Subject 16 had left behind in Ezio Auditore da Firenze's memories.

At times when Desmond exited the Animus for a break, Rebecca would speak to him about the Order, and his progress with the machine; once approvingly telling him that he was a natural.

A little after Desmond received the warning from Minerva, Abstergo found and broke into the hideout. Rebecca helped Shaun pack up the Animus gear, while Desmond and Lucy held off the Abstergo guards. As they escaped in a van, Rebecca managed to set up the Animus within it, and allow Desmond to reenter the Renaissance, and finish any remaining memories while on their way to a base up north.

Monteriggioni
After her team had arrived at Monteriggioni, and had gained access to the Sanctuary, Rebecca was again responsible for the Animus, and their other equipment. To power the underground chamber, Rebecca gave Desmond several devices of her own making, which would re-route small amounts of power to their new base, upon being attached to circuit boxes across the town.

Throughout their stay in the Villa Auditore, Rebecca regularly sent e-mails to her teammates, usually involving minor matters, such as her missing MP3 player, and how Shaun had stolen Lucy's yoghurt. Several of them also implied a budding relationship between her and Shaun.

After Desmond found out the location of the Apple, and after the team had arrived at the Colosseum, Lucy took Rebecca and Shaun on an alternative route through Capitoline Hill at Shaun's suggestion, as he and Rebecca did not possess the necessary free-running abilities to reach the Apple's location. When Juno spoke to Desmond, Rebecca - along with Shaun and Lucy - could neither hear nor see her.

As Desmond retrieved the Apple, he was taken over by the "goddess," and forced to stab Lucy. However, once Juno relinquished her control, Rebecca and Shaun appeared physically unharmed.

Characteristics and personality
"Look, it's not ideal. And taking a life is never easy. But sometimes there's no other way. Sometimes, Desmond, people have to die for things to change."

- Rebecca speaking about an Assassin's duties.

Rebecca was an energetic, and somewhat immature young woman. Also, despite the fact that she had saved his life multiple times, Shaun was quick to belittle and gibe at her; though she would never be provoked. At one point, when she commented about a movie as Shaun was speaking of the historical background of the Bonfire of the Vanities, he irritably told her to be quiet since "the grownups are talking."

Rebecca was rather tolerant and optimistic, representing Shaun's foil. As the polar opposite of her colleague, she was friendly and talkative. She showed great pride in her work, praising her redesign of the Animus as having a far more enlightened and creative construct; a "competitive edge" as she called it.

She also remained convinced that, despite Shaun's dubiousness of their methods, the Assassins were, as Desmond put it, "the good guys."

Trivia

 * The name "Rebecca" is driven from the Arabic name "Rifqah," which means "company."
 * When in the Animus 2.0, Rebecca adds information to the database using the name REBECCAC84. This username holds her first name and the initial of her last name, as well as implies her birth year.
 * Her e-mail password is Snowmass84, likely to reflect her previous hobby, as well as again implying her birth year.
 * After losing her MP3 player, Rebecca sends an e-mail to her teammates about it, claiming that she "can't sleep without it."
 * In one of her e-mails, Rebecca talks about sometimes missing her family, and her dog.
 * Rebecca was originally going to have shorter hair in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, though this was reverted for the actual game.
 * In Brotherhood, it is suggested that Rebecca is a reckless driver, as when she offers to drive the van, Shaun refuses, saying, "Ah, nice try. I've seen your car."
 * It is implied that Rebecca is either a vegan or vegetarian, as she calls Desmond a "carnivore" after seeing him eat a burger.