Shaun Hastings

"What am I – who are you, my mum?"

- Shaun Hastings, addressing a curious Desmond.

Shaun Hastings' role was to assist Desmond Miles by creating database entries on various people, places, and buildings that he encountered whilst in the Animus 2.0. He also gave tactical support, as a member of the Assassins, by relaying messages from the higher command to other Assassin teams across the planet, particularly to those who were on field duty.

Early life
From an early age, Shaun was interested in conspiracy theories and the unknown. Though initially unaware of the existence of the modern-day Templars and Assassins, he did some investigating into a company called Abstergo Industries, and realized that they were "up to no good" and therefore decided to try to stop them. While working as a junior professor, Shaun took the pseudonym "Guy Fawkes" (after the 1605 Gunpowder Plot) and published articles detailing Abstergo's inner workings to Wikileaks and other news organizations.

Unaware that the Templars would try to silence him, he was eventually found by Alan Rikkin, and kidnapped by Abstergo on December 10, 2010. However, he was able to escape in the van that was taking him to Abstergo. He was then contacted by Rebecca Crane, who "rescued" Shaun, and recruited him into the Assassin Order.

Hiding out
After Lucy Stillman and Desmond Miles escaped to the hideout, Desmond entered the Animus to relive his ancestor, Ezio Auditore's memories. Whilst inside the Animus, Shaun supplied Desmond with informative database entries, as well as the occasional piece of advice on glyph puzzles. As the de facto historian of the Assassins, Shaun was constantly working on his computer, and rarely had the opportunity to speak with Desmond – often telling him to "go away."

Escape to the Sanctuary
Upon escaping Abstergo and setting up camp at the Sanctuary in Monteriggioni, Shaun continued his research, as how he operated in the previous hideout. However, he was much more respectful and tolerant towards Desmond now, though he was still rude and disrespectful towards Rebecca - which caused Lucy to give him a greater workload than the others.

Journey to the Colosseum
After Desmond located the Apple of Eden through Ezio Auditore's memories, they were still left with the mystery of how to get the Apple's vault. Desmond pointed out to the numbers on the wall, as well as the triple triad symbol, upon which Shaun correctly deduces, that they are relevant to God and God's number, 72, which he also stated, is the same year that Rome's Colosseum was built. They all concluded that's where the Apple would be found, and begin their long road trip.

When they found the Apple, Desmond used it to ask where the Temples are located. Shaun, upon seeing and identifying the Phrygian Cap (which stands for freedom) and the Eye of Providence, said both come together in only one place.

However, before he could finish, Juno possessed Desmond through the Apple, causing a temporal freeze in time to those around him, and forced Desmond to stab Lucy in the abdomen.

At the point where Lucy and Desmond collapsed, Shaun and Rebecca were still visibly conscious, and appeared unaffected by the Apple's power despite standing in the same positions they were since previously frozen.

Characteristics and personality
"England is not in Europe actually, Rebecca; we, we tolerate Europe, you know? Like, like a person tolerates herpes."

- Shaun to Rebecca in Monteriggioni

Shaun was often cynical, condescending, sarcastic, and pessimistic, but did have a playful side, often inserting humorous tidbits into the database entries he created. He would often have too little patience to talk to Desmond, though at other times, he would lead off into a long conversation. Whilst Shaun's annoyances were usually directed at Desmond, he also insulted Rebecca, and commented on her immaturity by saying "the grown-ups are talking now" – all despite the fact she had saved his life multiple times. However, he did not get involved in the bickering between Desmond and Rebecca in Monteriggioni.

Shaun was desperate to enter the Animus, and even resorted to begging Lucy through her e-mail, which she silently declined by not replying. Although when he was confronted about it, he would say that "the job behind the desk" was much better. When talking about his status as an Assassin, Shaun stated "I've killed before, I expect to kill again. It's just that I’d prefer not to". He portrayed the rather sarcastic role of an individual who does all the work and never gets noticed or rewarded, as he had complained more than once, saying "no one missed me." His cynical attitude was observed at many times, such as pointing out that the Assassins were still killers, whatever their motives; making them no more the "good guys", than the Templars.

He was also skeptical of most institutions such as the church and governments; he noted in one description of Venice that the city "followed the historical norm: The people got screwed." Despite some of Subject 16's puzzles implying that the Assassins had actively resisted Abstergo's use of capitalism as a mechanism of control, Shaun's dialogue contradicted this as he uses the word "Communists" as a jibe directed towards Lucy and Rebecca.

Despite his attitude towards Rebecca, he held her in higher regard than he cares to admit, since she did save him from Abstergo. Only Lucy seemed to ignore his snide remarks.

Shaun's interest in history was shown clearly through database entries (along with one indicating a fondness for fly-fishing). This was also highlighted in an email from William M. who claimed that Shaun would enjoy the area in which the Assassin leadership were based, and Desmond's assumption that Shaun was interested in Monteriggioni; Shaun responded however that Monteriggioni was no longer alive as a town as it had not changed for centuries.

Trivia

 * Danny Wallace, the voice and model of Shaun, was contacted by Ubisoft when he attended the BAFTA video game awards with a friend. He was e-mailed and asked if he would like to be a character in an unknown video game, which he accepted. The game turned out to be Assassin's Creed II.
 * Shaun's recruitment into the Assassin Order was rather unconventional, as Assassins are usually born into the Order.
 * Shaun states during the corrupted sequences in Assassin's Creed II, that he forgot Rodrigo Borgia eventually became Pope, even though there is a portrait of him on the wall next to his computer.
 * In one conversation with Desmond, Shaun tells him that he has his own special type of ability, which allows him to see information and decode it more easily. He compares it to Desmond's Eagle Vision, only more "useful" in his opinion. He is referring to his high intellect though, rather than some kind of super-human ability.
 * The character Shaun Hastings is named after Sean Hastings, a cult hero in the computer industry.
 * In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Shaun has a portrait of Cesare Borgia near his desk, as well as pictures of famous landmarks in Rome, such as the Pantheon, and some of Leonardo da Vinci's designs, such as the crossbow.
 * Shaun once dated a girl named Kate, whom he fondly calls "Kitty-Kat". However, he is embarrassed when Rebecca reveals that, over lunch, Kate had told Rebecca that Shaun had never made it to second base.
 * Shaun's password for his e-mail account is GuyFawkes23, which likely refers to Guy Fawkes, a man who was instrumental in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
 * Guy Fawkes was also the pseudonym Shaun used for his attempted revelation of Abstergo's true nature, according to the inbox of Abstergo employee James Morse.
 * It is hinted that Shaun was an altar boy at some stage in his childhood, due to his mention of a priest who once informed him, "You know too much for your own good".