Fin de Siecle

Fin de Siecle (lit. 'End of the Century') was a server bridge, experienced by a Helix initiate in 2014 through the Helix Navigator.

Description

Abstergo initiated a server sweep, forcing the Helix initiate to evade and escape from one Helix server to another.

Dialogue

• Bishop: Jesus, Deacon, do you read? What the hell is that?
• Deacon: I'm here, Bishop. That's a server sweep. Abstergo is looking for you. And they're close.
• Bishop: Dammit. Can you open a server bridge?
• Deacon: Hey, come on, it's me. Already on it. Couple seconds.
• Bishop: Initiate. We're opening a server bridge. Find the portal and pass through before the sweep finds you.
• Deacon: Got it. Go!
• Bishop: Do you see it? They're hard to miss. Jumping from one Helix server to another should buy you a few more hours. If it doesn't, we're screwed.
• Deacon: Well, WE'RE not screwed. It's your initiate who gets the brunt.
• Bishop: Deacon. You're not helping.

The Initiate approached the portal.

• Bishop: There it is. Go!

The Initiate jumped through the portal, coming out on the other side.

The Initiate walking through 19th century Paris

• Bishop: The signal's holding. Good. You're wading outside the main simulation now. This will throw Abstergo off your trail for a while, but you'll also run into a lot of incomplete and corrupted code. Which probably explains why the people here, aren't quite... here.
  Hmm, looks like the late 1800s. Now this is a Paris I wouldn't mind visiting. Maybe another time. Right now, you need to get to the exit portal.
  I can't see a path through though. See if you can find a route underground.
  You know, the Belle Époque looks a lot cleaner than Revolutionary Paris, don't you think? Fewer beheadings too, I bet.
  No, these streets don’t seem to lead anywhere. There has to be an underground path somewhere.
  I don’t think they can see you. They’re like the Ghosts of Christmas Past. If Dickens had written shoddy code.

The initiate approached the subway entrance.

The Initiate avoiding the train

• Bishop: That's it! I'm reading a route through the Metro station ahead. Shit - this area is becoming unstable.

After a while, the Initiate exited the metro network, noticing the portal atop the Statue of Liberty.

• Bishop: There you are! And you've found the exit, good. It's an unstable vortex of energy, so there's no knowing how it will disrupt the simulation.
  It looks like you'll have to climb Lady Liberty. She must have bled through from another time period. The French should have shipped her off to the States by now.
  Just get to the portal. I'll do what I can to stop it from closing! See you on the other side!

The Initiate reached the portal and jumped through.

• Bishop: And we’re back. Not everyone is so fortunate their first time through a bridge. Sometimes, our initiates are trapped in the system, and we have no choice but to send someone like you, in to rescue them. In fact, one of our initiates is caught in a Belle Époque server right now. If you’re not too exhausted, you can re-enter the bridge, and rescue him. Alright. Back to work, Initiate.

Outcome

The Helix initiate managed to evade Abstergo's server sweep.

Behind the scenes

Although this server bridge is set in 1898, concept artwork depicts the 1889 Exposition Universelle, the world's fair for which the Eiffel Tower was built. Another concept art piece shows the Wright Flyer I, which would not be developed until 1903, suggesting that its planned inclusion could have been a result of the bridge's instability, similarly to the Statue of Liberty (which had already been shipped to the United States by 1885) and the Paris Métropolitain (which would not be opened until 1900).

Gallery

• 
  The Initiate on the other side of the portal
• 
  The Initiate making their way through the underground
• 
  A train passing the initiate
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  The portal at the top of the statue
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  The Initiate climbing the statue
• 
  The portal closing
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  Concept art
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  Concept art
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  Concept art
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  Concept art
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  Concept art
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  Concept art

References

• Assassin's Creed: Unity