Apples of Eden

"This Apple of Eden will be understood. It must be...Is it a weapon? Is it a catalogue? Is it somehow both?"

―Altaïr musing on the Apple's intentions.

The Apples of Eden were a type of technology, Pieces of Eden, made by First Civilization. They featured throughout history as the cause of some divine and superhuman events, such as the Trojan War or Adam and Eve being cast out of Eden.

History

"This... piece of silver cast out Adam and Eve. It turned staves into snakes. Parted and closed the Red Sea. Eris used it to start the Trojan War; and with it, a poor carpenter turned water into wine."

―Al Mualim about the Apples.

Long before mankind existed, there was a technologically advanced civilization which inhabited Earth. They made humanity, and enslaved them by modifying their brain to be manipulable by Pieces of Eden. For that moment there was a forced peace, until Adam and Eve stole one of the Pieces, an Apple, and started a war between the two species. Too occupied by the war to see the threat, a major solar flare impacted the Earth and significantly damaged both mankind and their makers, and as the people of First Civilization became extinct, mankind grew and populated the Earth, seeing their predecessors as myths and gods.

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A holographic image made by an Apple during the Middle Ages.

The Pieces of Eden were not destroyed by the blast, and throughout time, humans started recovering them, also causing a split of sides based on different mindsets, Templars and Assassins. The Templars were out to restore peace in the way the First Civilization had once done, forced by the Pieces, unlike the Assassins, that fought for freedom and a flawed humanity, putting free will above order.

Many decades went by as the fight continued between Templar and Assassin, both knowing the importance of the Pieces, especially the Apple, to reach their goal.

The Apples featured as the most well known Piece of Eden, being favored by Abstergo in their plan of The New World, being likely the most predictable Piece, as some other Pieces were known to be able to create time paradoxes.

Powers and capabilities

"Those subjected to its glow are promised all that they desire. It asks only one thing in return: complete and total obedience. And who can truly refuse? It is temptation incarnate."

―Altaïr questioning the Apple's abilities.

Apples were designed to create illusions and to control human minds, they were used by many great rulers throughout history, proving the efficiency of the Apples' powers. The First Civilization added a small part to the human brain that made them susceptible to these powers, only those with mixed genes were mentally immune to the manipulation, but not physically. In modern times, humans themselves had already started research on the brain, comparing them to those of other animals, seeing that they were not like the other animals, but not knowing the reason for this.

All the Apples could presumably be used in conjunction with the Staff, though it is only certainly for one; Ezio's Apple. Ezio, an ancestor of Desmond, used the two Pieces of Eden to open the Vatican Vault, before taking the Apple, and losing the Staff that was pulled into the ground.

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Leonardo studying the Apple.

Apples also contained knowledge of many technologies used by the First Civilization. Like most or all other Pieces, they were able to communicate with people, showing them the products necessary to make the technology and transferring wisdom about the manufacturing of the shown devices. A good example of this was Leonardo da Vinci, who studied one of the Apples and invented fourwar machines and several other weapons with technology way beyond his own time.

It is known that at least one of the Apples, the ones that Altaïr, Ezio and Desmond held, could be used as a weapon, turning humans against one another, or killing them instantly with its beam, though temporarily draining energy out of its possessor.

There were only six known Apples, one of which had been destroyed in an Abstergo accident.

Known Apples

First Apple

Main article: First Apple

The first known human possessor of this Apple was Napoleon Bonaparte, who used the technology to power up his force in the French Revolution. With the power of this item, he became the leader of France with the name of Napoleon I, ruling in military and political sense. It is unknown how he came into the possession of this Piece of Eden, and when and how he lost it.

The second known human owner was Harry Houdini, a magician who used the First Apple to create his "impossible" stunts. He was assassinated by a group of people that wanted to take the Apple from him, whereas in common believe, he had suffered from a fatal ruptured appendix.

Later, the Piece was used in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, as to produce a "Phantom on the Hill" effect, making the prosecution of Oswald more difficult, and to disguise the intentions of the assassination. The current location of this Apple is unknown.

Second Apple

Main article: Second Apple

The first known human possessor of the Second Apple was Malik, who only owned it temporarily after retrieving it from Solomon's Temple. For some time after, it was Rashid ad-Din Sinan who kept it, later using it to control the people of Masyaf, in an attempt to defeat Altaïr, but instead the Mentor was overthrown himself, and Altaïr took the Apple from him.

Altaïr then kept the Piece until his death, in 1257, using it several times for either his own safety or for its knowledge.

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The next known possessor of this Piece was the assassin john morgan leader of the assassins in 2012

Third Apple

Main article: Third Apple

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The earliest known human possessors of this Piece were the Freemasons, who brought it over from Europe to the New World. George Washington was a Freemason, as well being the first President of the United States.

During the 20th century, Franklin D. Roosevelt had it in his possession, who teamed up with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin in the fabrication of the World War II.

It was then owned by John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated after his driver – under control of the Second Apple – had driven him into a trap, so the Templars could take the Piece from him.

The Third Apple was given to Kennedy's Presidential successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, who was secretly a Templar. Johnson used the Apple to push for the Apollo 11 project, which retrieved the Fifth Apple from the moon without opposition.

Fourth Apple

Main article: Fourth Apple

The Fourth Apple was first known to be seen in 10th century Chinese art, as a gold ball held by a small demon, first presumed to be an early grenade.

The first known human to possess the Fourth Apple was Nikola Tesla, who found it in his home country of Croatia. He most likely used it to develop his technology on the availability of electricity worldwide, which the Templars started campaigning against, using Edison to publicly slander Tesla and to videotape the electrocution of an elephant, to prove the danger of electricity. Some time after this, the Templars broke into Tesla's lab, stealing his Apple and using it to drive him insane.

The Fourth Apple then presumably came into the hands of Mark Twain, which indicates that the Piece came into Edison's possession after the Templars took it from Tesla. Edison later lent it to Henry Ford, who manipulated assembly line workers for profit. Henry, "as per instructions", shipped the Apple to H. (Adolf Hitler), just before Nazi Party took power in Germany and began World War II.

Fifth Apple

Main article: Fifth Apple

The Fifth Apple was recovered from the moon by Lyndon B. Johnson, after the Templars had taken the Third Apple from John F. Kennedy - who planned on creating a joint space program with the Soviets - and used it for the progression of the Apollo Project. The current location of this Piece is unknown.

Ezio's Apple

Main article: Ezio's Apple

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The Apple was used by Ezio, together with the Staff and after having fallen into the hands of Rodrigo Borgia, to open the Vatican Vault, in which he spoke to a hologram of Minerva, one of the people of First Civilzation.

During the Siege of Monteriggioni, Ezio lent the Apple to Mario Auditore, who kept it safe as Ezio protected the village. However, Mario was caught by Cesare Borgia, who took the Apple from him, and killed him in front of Ezio. Cesare gave it to Leonardo da Vinci so he could study it and supply him with war machines, but it was eventually stolen once more by Rodrigo Borgia, who hid it at the Basilica di San Pietro, where Ezio found it and used it to exterminate Cesare's followers before defeating Cesare himself.

The last known person to come in contact with the Apple was Desmond Miles, who was forced by Juno to stab Lucy Stillman in the abdomen after activating it. Both him and Lucy fell to the ground and Lucy died. The modern day Assassins are currently in possession of this Apple.