Clay Kaczmarek was the Assassin captured by Abstergo Industries before Desmond Miles became an Animus test subject.
The fate of Clay Kaczmarek (Subject 16) is a stark warning of the dangers of prolonged, unregulated exposure to the Animus. Having attained many different ancestors, he suffered extreme forms of the Bleeding Effect. Working against his captors, Clay Kaczmarek hacked into the Animus and uploaded a “living” digital facsimile of his mind to the machine.
Exhausted, paranoid and suffering from too many overlapping identities, he committed suicide some days later. His final act was to use his own blood to smear messages and symbols on to the walls the Abstergo laboratory in the hope that an Assassin blessed with the sixth sense (Eagle Vision) which turns out to be Desmond Miles (Subject 17) whom later read them.
Clay Kaczmarek observed his successor Desmond from his first Animus experiences, looking for opportunities to communicate with him. When the two meet in the Animus test program after the events of Brotherhood. Clay Kaczmarek guides his fellow Assassin through negating the Bleeding Effect and regaining consciousness in the real world.
The Lost Archive DLC reveals that Clay’s capture by Abstergo agents was ordered by William Miles. With assistance from sleeper agent Lucy Stillman. Subject 16, the infamous Clay Kaczmarek was to use the opportunity to gather intelligence within Abstergo’s Italian research facility, - and later, to escape the horrific entrapment of the Templar Order, slash Abstergo Industries slash Ubisoft!
By the time he learned of Lucy’s betrayal, the Bleeding Effect had robbed him out of his former ability. With no hope of escape, and initial reluctance, he eventually agreed to Juno’s request that he sacrifice himself to aid Desmond Miles.
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