Charlotte de la Cruz
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He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning recent or upcoming releases from the Assassin's Creed series. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. |
- "Abstergo? You're telling me that the world's largest conglomerate is a front for an evil organization that wants to control us all? Actually, that makes perfect sense. No wonder I can never finish the game."
- ―Charlotte de la Cruz, 2015.[src]
Charlotte de la Cruz (born 1992)[1] is an employee of Malta Banking Corporation from San Diego who undertook Assassin training in 2015. She is a descendant of the Briton Assassin Tom Stoddard, the Haitian Assassin Elsie, the Incan courier Quila and the English Assassin turncoat Hiram Stoddard.
Biography
Early life
Charlotte de la Cruz grew up in the Bronx in New York City. Her father disappeared from the family when she was a baby and she was raised by her mother. Her maternal grandmother, Florencia, whom Charlotte idolized, came in and out of her life throughout her childhood. As a child, de la Cruz watched her family go almost bankrupt scrounging cash for her uncle's healthcare after he was denied his insurance, causing her to distrust big businesses and corrupt politicians. She attended college in upstate New York, where she accumulated a large student debt. At some point in her life she moved to San Diego, California and became aware of the Assassin-Templar War after browsing conspiracy websites and playing Abstergo Entertainment's Helix products.[2]
Recruitment
The Assassins took interest in her ability to use Eagle Vision.[2][3] Kody made contact with her online, probing her sympathy for the Assassins. After she came home from work, she was greeted by Xavier Chen and Galina Voronina, and immediately ambushed by Templars seeking to kill them. De la Cruz was knocked unconscious during their escape and taken to Chen's cell's hideout in the Salton Sea. There, she was introduced to Kody and the Animus, and learned that they needed her help.[2]
It was explained an Assassin named Joseph Laurier had apparently gone to the Templars in San Diego to inform them of an artifact hidden by his ancestor during the Salem witch trials. They needed her to enter the Animus and relive her ancestor Thomas Stoddard's memories of the era to determine if Joseph was telling the truth and had betrayed the Brotherhood, or if he was just baiting the Templars.[2]
Charlotte progressed through the memories of her ancestor's interactions with Joseph's ancestor Jennifer Querry and was shocked to hear the Isu Consus speak directly to her through Dorothy Osborne, instructing her to seek "the ones with greater knowledge". Galina became impatient and demanded they move ahead to intercept Joseph. Xavier insisted they finish verifying what happened, and Charlotte was loaded into their van with the Animus to save time.[2]
Charlotte witnessed Jennifer's death, and it was agreed Joseph's ancestor did not know where the relic was hidden, so he was luring the Templars. Xavier and Galina left the van to rendezvous with Joseph. Charlotte had her doubts, and insisted Kody return her to Stoddard's memories. Continuing, she realized Jennifer was not the only ancestor of Joseph present in Salem, and that he was indeed betraying the Brotherhood.[2]
Confronting Joseph
Entering the Abstergo facility Xavier and Galina had gone to meet Joseph at, Charlotte posed as an employee who had forgotten the code to a room she needed. The employee Brad helped her enter a storage room, but when he asked what department she worked in, she responded she was from World Share, which Brad recognized was a lie as Abstergo and World Share were enemies: Charlotte kneed him and bound and gagged him with duct tape before donning a hood and ascending a maintenance shaft.[2]
Just as she neared Joseph's floor, she slipped and fell, but was able to spin onto another shaft and hold on with her knife: Kody noted she had begun to inherit Tom's abilities via the Bleeding Effect. Climbing up, she entered a gym and saw Joseph had already drowned Xavier in a swimming pool, and had broken Galina's leg. She attacked the burly traitor to prevent him from finishing her off, but he just tossed her into a wall. Joseph explained he betrayed the Brotherhood because his lover Christian had died on a mission overseen by Xavier, but he was still an Assassin and had planted a bomb. He explained to Charlotte why the Assassins sought her out and offered her the chance to join him. As Joseph's bomb went off, Abstergo burst in and opened fire. Charlotte carried Galina through an air vent, which returned her to the maintenance room Brad was in.[2]
Charlotte was shocked to find Brad had died, and after noticing his medical alert bracelet, realized he had asthma and suffocated because he could not reach his inhaler. She then dolefully carried Galina back to the van. Galina ordered Kody to inform their leader Gavin Banks to send a team to Salem, but Charlotte told her it was unnecessary, as Joseph never told the Templars where Dorothy's body was buried. As they drove away, Galina asked her how she felt after Xavier and Brad's deaths, to which she sarcastically responded she was happy.[2]
Mexico
The Assassins fled to Mexico, where Charlotte used a burner phone to keep her mother informed of her location. They hired two local doctors to reset Galina's leg; she wanted to leave, but Kody explained he could barely speak Spanish. As the female doctor tended to Galina, the male drew a pistol, but Galina pulled out her own and shot him to death, before ordering Charlotte to grab it and aim it at the female doctor. She explained she was knew nothing of his motives, stating he was new. Galina knocked her out.[3]
They moved to the opposite motel, as it would be the last place the Templars would expect. Charlotte noted to Kody that she had wanted to leave back before the man intended to attack the, believing that she was not cut out for the situation. Kody reassured her that there was a reason she was there and that, due to her impressive performance, she might even help them find the hacker collective Erudito. Realizing they were the ones Consus had obliquely directed her to find, she had Kody hook her up to the Darknet to find them. After a night of searching, she discovered a meeting was planned for the following week, but the location was password-encrypted. The sole hint was the question, "What does the cute Pishta say?".[3]
She recalled that her grandmother's childhood nickname for her was "Pishtaco", apparently shared by an ancestor who lived during the fall of the Inca Empire. Waking Kody up, she ordered him to place her back in the Animus, where she began reliving the memories of the chasqui Quila.[3]
Charlotte spent two hours in the Animus before Kody was forced to pull her out to let it recharge. Galina then told her that they found the Templar Garcia-Lopez, who could lead them to Joseph. Charlotte refused to participate in what she knew was a kidnap-and-torture scenario, believing finding Erudito was more important. When she accused the Assassin leader of being jealous that Consus picked her, Galina told her that using the Animus leaves them exposed and if she refused to participate in the operation, she'd destroy the Animus, forcing Charlotte to agree to help.[3]
Charlotte attempted to stealthily tail Garcia-Lopez but got too close, allowing the Templar to spot her and run off. Charlotte helped Kody into Galina's truck before the authorities arrived. Galina immediately accused Charlotte of blowing the operation. She admitted she made a mistake and insisted on going back into the Animus. Galina retorted that this wasn't a game where she could respawn, as Garcia-Lopez would tell the Templars and come after her.[3]
Charlotte then ignored Galina's order to watch the van to re-enter the Animus. Galina and Kody soon discovered her and pulled her out, the former being made that she ignored orders and the latter noting that the batteries were cooked. Fed up with Galina, Charlotte chose to leave to find new batteries, with Galina telling her she's on her own.[3]
Charlotte then found her way to a bus stop, wondering if being an Assassin forever on the run is what she really wants. She considered calling her mother to say she's coming home but hesitated, wondering if the Templars were tracking her calls. She then became distracted by a thug attempting to extort a citizen and decided to intervene. After failing to talk him down, she used her new skills from the Bleeding Effect to defeat her opponent.[3]
Charlotte later detected Galina following her, who revealed that the Mexican Cartel abducted Kody and sent his left ear as proof.[3] Charlotte joined Galina in a rescue attempt at the cartel's stronghold at the Estadio Azteca stadium, where Charlotte used her stealth skills while Galina took up a sniper position. As Charlotte made her way to Kody, Galina placed blame on her for her mercy, as the female doctor alerted the cartel and for letting Garcia-Lopez escape, which prevented them from leaving the city. Charlotte was soon ambushed by the cartel leader Arturo Viera, who shot her in the right foot to force Galina to surrender her, but Charlotte managed to break free of his grasp so Galina could have a shot. Soon after, the Templars arrive in a chopper, gunning down Viera and his girl. The Templar Whittaker attempted to capture her before being restrained by his superior, Ortega Sanchez.[3]
Suspecting that Templars believe her to be very important to come after her, Charlotte pointed a gun at her head. She then cut a deal with Sanchez, in exchange for Galina and Kody's safety, she'd provide them with the location of Erudito's meeting three days from now. Sanchez gave her a day to find out the password to the location before striking her injured foot with his cane, saying its insurance against a doublecross and threatened to harm her friends and family if she did not hold up her end of the bargain.[3]
Following her synchronization with Quila's memories, Charlotte learned that the password was Don Gonzalo Pardo, revealing that the Erudito meeting was in Argentina. Soon after, Charlotte prepared to turn herself over to Sanchez, only for the cartel to attack the Templars, in part of Galina having cut a deal for the cartel to avenge Viera's death.[3]
Taking a commercial flight to Buenos Aires, Charlotte spotted a man sporting a sign reading Don Gonzalo Pardo, who showed them to their Erudito contact, revealed to be her grandmother, Florencia.[3]
Personality and characteristics
De la Cruz is a headstrong, opinionated and witty woman who deplores the inequality of the world. Before meeting the Assassins, she illegally transferred ten thousand dollars to her customer, Ms. Morehead, so the latter could pay her daughter's healthcare. However, she quickly regretted this brash "Robin Hood" act of heroism.[2]
Similarly, Charlotte's principles led her to storm out of an application for a job at World Share when her opinions that they should only give to less corrupt governments were dismissed. She also expressed discomfort with reliving the memories of her white male ancestor, and subsequently having to synchronize with his decision to not prevent the deaths of women accused of being witches.[2]
Equipment and skills
Charlotte possessed Eagle Vision[3] allowing her to sense the veracity of other people's statements as well as being able to see through walls.[2]
Trivia
- The name Charlotte is a French feminine diminutive of Charles, which is derived from an old Germanic element meaning "free man". "De la Cruz" is a Spanish surname meaning "of the cross".
- Charlotte's job at Malta Banking Corporation was a reference to the Assassin's Creed movie, which, at the time of the first issue's release, was being filmed in Malta.[4]
Gallery
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Sketch of Charlotte -
Charlotte in her Assassin outfit -
Charlotte using the Helix -
Charlotte escaping her apartment -
A young Charlotte seeing her uncle in the hospital
References
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