Alan Rikkin

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"We are making history here, the past is largely irrelevant."

―Alan Rikkin, 2010.

Alan Rikkin (1951 – 2016) was the Chief Executive Officer of Abstergo Industries and a member of the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order. He held the positions of Grand Master and Guardian within the Order, answering directly to the General of the Cross and the Council of Elders.

Biography

Early life

An Englishman, Alan Rikkin was born around 1951. At some point he established himself as a member of the Templar Order, rising to the rank of Grand Master, and as a highly positioned employee of Abstergo Industries. Rikkin eventually married and, in 1980, he and his wife had a daughter together: Sofia. Around this time, he also initiated what would become a thirty year project with the Abstergo Foundation Rehabilitation Center to seek out the means to suppress humanity's free will and bring the world under the total control of the Templars while purging the planet of the Assassin Brotherhood.

Rikkin became a widower and single parent after Sofia's mother was killed by the Assassins in 1984. With the loss of his wife, Rikkin turned into a colder man. He was a distant yet controlling father who tightened the security at their homes, ensured Sofia had a private education under governesses, and forbade his lonely daughter from playing with "ordinary children". Sofia would wake up at night screaming, afraid that the Assassins would make her an orphan but Rikkin was too busy running Abstergo to be present.

Templar career

Work at the Abstergo Foundation brought the company closer to tracking down a specific Apple of Eden that the Order had been chasing for centuries, which they believed would bring about the Templar endgame. They learned that the object, known amongst themselves simply as "the Artifact", had once been held by Aguilar de Nerha, a 15th century Assassin from the Spanish Brotherhood. However, over the years de Nerha's bloodlines had eventually died out except for one, that of Mary Lynch, an Assassin in her own right.

Alan Rikkin in Baja California

In 1986, Rikkin led a strike-team to capture Mary Lynch in Baja California, Mexico. Intending to put the Assassin into an Animus to uncover clues to the whereabouts of the Artifact, they arrived too late. Though they captured her husband, Joseph, Rikkin was unable to prevent Mary's suicide or stop the escape of her son, Callum.

At the turn of the millennium, Rikkin was among those informed by Warren Vidic that Daniel Cross had returned to Abstergo's facility in Philadelphia after Cross had assassinated the Mentor of the Assassins. In 2010, Clay Kaczmarek was tasked by William Miles to hack Rikkin's personal computer in the hope of learning more about the Animus Project.

Rikkin succeeded the previous CEO of Abstergo Industries after their death in January 2012. In a tape, Rikkin's predecessor encouraged him to stay on course after all he had learned from the previous Grand Masters, and reminded him that the free market would soon collapse, and that he needed to establish the New World Order before all turned to anarchy.

Later that year, Abstergo was hit by a scandal over the testing of their New Fluoride product; the United States government threatened to freeze Abstergo's assets, which coupled with the loss of an Apple of Eden in the DIA satellite accident, forced them to hasten the completion of the Eye-Abstergo satellite.

Animus Project

"I'm about ready to pull the plug on your Subject 17. So either get me results or get another person into that Animus."

―Rikkin giving orders to Warren Vidic via email.

Rikkin oversaw the Animus Project supervised by Vidic and Lucy Stillman. On 5 September 2012, after Stillman starting poking around Leila Marino's case file, Rikkin told Vidic to get her to quit and that she was his responsibility, after sending her a seemingly automated response about being out-of-office. The next day, in response to the recent New Fluoride media scandal, Rikkin emailed Vidic blaming the pills department and that the Eye-Abstergo satellite was being delayed until 21 December so the coverage area could be improved, all the for the good of the customers.

On 7 September, Rikkin, emailed Vidic concerned about the progress with the current subject, he became frustrated that it was taking a few days for Desmond Miles—Abstergo's seventeenth subject in the program—to synchronize with the memory they needed to map the locations of Pieces of Eden, one of which they hoped would replace the Apple needed to power the Eye-Abstergo satellite. Going so far as to supply David from the Acquisitions department with a courtesy copy of their email to look for potential alternatives. Despite resolving issues at the Denver International Airport, a problematic baggage handler leaked sensitive information, prompting Rikkin to suspect possible Assassin involvement. Uncertain about internal leaks, Rikkin considered terminating Subject Seventeen unless results were promptly delivered or a replacement introduced to the Animus.

Kilkerman, Rikkin and Liman listening to Vidic's report

Less than a couple of hours later, Rikkin sent Vidic another email after having reviewed the data obtained from Subjects 12-16. emphasizing the continued importance of the Piece of Eden (no. 3) as the top priority. Acknowledging the reliance on the satellite for assistance, Rikkin highlighted the necessity of addressing individuals resistant to its effects. While praising efforts to find an alternate artifact after the DIA Satellite Accident, he expressed understanding for delays in Subject Seventeen's Animus interfacing. Anticipating a critical update in 24 hours, Rikkin prepared an extraction team, emphasizing the urgency of unlocking the final memory for vital information. Regarding the Philadelphia Project, data from Animus Subject Twelve indicated a brief manifestation of the ship in a future state. Administration, citing paradox concerns, maintained the containment policy for objects manipulating time, and the artifact would be moved to secure storage. The Tunguska Incident, now attributed to an Assassin assault, resulted in the destruction of the research station and the artifact. Although alternate wave generation devices lacked sufficient data for research initiation, the Lineage Discovery and Acquisition Division aimed to locate descendants for continued exploration. The Grail was removed from objectives due to insufficient evidence of its existence, and Subject Seventeen's examination suggested literary or Piece of Eden origins for Christ-related artifacts, deeming them negligible for current use. Mitchell-Hedges Communicators' analysis confirmed functionality, providing a secure communication channel post-launch. Due to limited availability, only essential facilities would receive them. Rikkin underscored the urgency of concluding Subject Seventeen's mission, emphasizing its crucial role in the team's objectives, as the success of their endeavors relied on retrieving the locations from Subject Seventeen's memories.

Rikkin leaving the meeting

Rikkin, David Kilkerman, and Henry Liman came to the Animus Project laboratory in Rome the day after an unsuccessful attack from the Assassins. Vidic had obtained the necessary memory, to which Rikkin responded he would send teams to collect all of them, should anyone else obtain one and cause trouble in the Templars' New World. Rikkin also ordered that Desmond be terminated, but Stillman retorted, saying that they needed him to obtain any more information on the sites from his genetic memory, so Rikkin deferred to her judgment.

In October, details of the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order were made available to recruits of the second stage of the Animi Training Program. Kept in a dossier of Abstergo Files, the one pertaining to the Inner Sanctum was entitled "File.0.17\Ins_InnerSanctum" and included the names and positions of all its members, Rikkin being one of them. Revealing his position as the CEO of Abstergo Industries.

On 17 November, Rikkin contacted Laetitia England after she reported that Desmond Miles had stolen a Precursor power source in Manhattan.

Managing Abstergo

Rikkin later became acquainted with Olivier Garneau, the CCO of Abstergo Entertainment, and contacted him in 2013 about his progress regarding the Observatory. He also had a hand in the development of Abstergo's game Liberation.

On 21 January 2014, Rikkin sent a message to Melanie Lemay, congratulating her for her role as CCO of Abstergo Entertainment. Because of her hard work, Rikkin offered her a raise and personally stated that he was looking forward to working with her in the future.

At some point, Rikkin wrote a memo to Álvaro Gramática regarding his concerns with the Observatory. In the memo, Rikkin wrote that his position as the Guardian required him to confer with 2 other Guardians before passing the information to the General of the Cross, who would apprised Gramática within a week. He also wrote that if Gramática may proceed with his plans if he did not receive any updates from the General of the Cross and that he would contact the Cuban, Mexican, and American Grand Masters to assess the situation.

On 17 October 2015, Rikkin had a conference with Isabelle Ardant. Álvaro Gramática contacted him after Violet da Costa retrieved a Shroud of Eden from the vault under Buckingham Palace and the Phoenix Project was accelerated.

Spying on Hathaway

In October 2016, Rikkin conducted Simon Hathaway's induction into the Inner Sanctum. After the ceremony, Rikkin granted Hathaway permission to act on his new project of exploring the Templars' genetic memories to rediscover lost secrets. Hathaway planned to explore his ancestor's memories of the Hundred Years' War to learn more about Jeanne d'Arc's personal Sword of Eden and Rikkin gave him a deliberately-tight one week schedule to prove the usefulness of his approach.

Rikkin was keen to stop Hathaway prying too much into the history of the Sword, once wielded by the revered Templar Grand Master Jacques de Molay, believing that learning about de Molay's influence would interfere with his own ambitions for the Order. Hathaway managed to evade Rikkin's efforts and present his findings to the Inner Sanctum which inspired at least some of its members to re-evaluate how the Templar Order operated in the 21st century.

In response, Rikkin privately set about activating Omega Team, a clandestine task force that operated within Abstergo without even the Inner Sanctum being aware, to prepare moving against the entire Sanctum if needs be. However, he was preoccupied by events in Spain, so left Omega on standby to await his return to London.

Endgame

Rikkin in London.

Rikkin arrived in Madrid to assist Sofia with locating "the Artifact": Aguilar's Apple of Eden. After learning of Callum Lynch's conviction for murder, the Templars faked Lynch's execution and brought him to the Abstergo Foundation Rehabilitation Center to find the Apple once possessed by his ancestor Aguilar de Nerha via the Animus.

After learning that Aguilar had entrusted the Apple to Christopher Columbus for life before his voyage in search of the New World, Rikkin traveled with Sophia and Ellen Kaye to Columbus' burial site in the Seville Cathedral, where they found the Apple in his grave. In the same timeframe, Callum escaped from the facility with two other imprisoned Assassins, Lin and Moussa. They travelled to Holborn Hall in London, where the Templars held a ceremony to celebrate Rikkin's discovery of the Apple. As Rikkin presented the Apple to the crowd, Callum assassinated him in front of the assembled Council of Elders, before absconding with the Piece of Eden.

Personality and traits

"You told me she wasn't going to be a problem and here she is stirring up the shit again."

―Rikkin to Warren in an e-mail, regarding Lucy's inquiries into a former employee

Rikkin could be a rude and vulgar individual. Despite both being members of the Inner Sanctum, his emails to Vidic were often disrespectful and impatient. However, in an email written for him with other Abstergo executives, Rikkin showed the intelligence and charisma necessary to head a company.

Lucy Stillman once emailed Rikkin, requesting information on a deceased friend and ex-employee, Leila Marino. The only response she received was an out-of-office notice, despite the fact that Rikkin continued to manage his other emails during the time he was supposedly away, even sending Vidic a message warning the doctor to keep Lucy from asking difficult questions.

Rikkin had a strong need to control situations, particularly when things didn’t go according to plan. He interfered with Warren's Animus research into Desmond Miles’ ancestry, willing to change the directive directly under his colleague’s nose if it displeased him. Rikkin also displayed a clear lack of empathy when he ordered the direct extermination of Desmond Miles once he was no longer deemed useful. However, Lucy Stillman was able to persuade him that Desmond could still serve a purpose for future Templar research, convincing him to reconsider the decision. Rikkin also grew dissatisfied with Simon Hathaway’s research into the Sword of Eden, viewing Simon and his work as a threat to his vision for the Templar Order. When he couldn’t convince the Inner Sanctum to declare Simon “guilty” of treason, he secretly planned to turn Omega Team against the Sanctum, hinting at the possibility of eliminating certain members or the entire group. However, he had to put this plan on hold as he was occupied with other responsibilities in Madrid.

Upon arriving at the Lineage Discovery and Acquisition facility in Madrid, Rikkin immediately took charge of exploiting Callum Lynch’s genetic memories. His daughter, Sofia, who had been in charge of the facility, was frustrated by his constant interference. He was also displeased when the Council of Elders summoned him back to London to discuss the Animus Project in Madrid, comparing the summons to being an “obedient dog.”

Despite his controllingand remorseless nature, Rikkin showed a preference for his daughter, Sofia, over most other Templars, granting her some freedom. He spoke highly of her against the Elders, noting her intelligence and how close she was to locating the Apple of Eden. Although he occasionally admitted, most time not openly, that he found Sofia’s defiance both admirable and frustrating, he still believed in her potential. At one point, he tried to prove that Sofia’s faith in Callum Lynch was misplaced, offering Lynch the opportunity to kill his father to teach Sofia a lesson. Although Rikkin knew Sofia was more of a scientist than a Templar, he still hoped she would walk beside him at the Templar meeting in London to present Aguilar’s Apple of Eden. She declined, feeling that he had destroyed her work by shutting down the Madrid facility when its function was no longer needed. Not fully understanding her as she did not explain, further showing his lack of empathy.

Rikkin also valued Sofia’s opinions. He often asked her to review his speeches, and even stole phrases from her, stating that he only stole from the best.

Rikkin was also ignorant of historical facts, proven when he mistook who Guy Fawkes was, believing Fawkes was involved in the French Revolution. When corrected by Caroline Grey, he snapped at her, claiming "We are making history here, the past is largely irrelevant". This attitude resurfaced years later, in October 2016, while working with Victoria Bibeau the topic of Guy Fawkes was brought up again, but Rikkin had quickly dismissed it again. Despite his apparent disregard for historical accuracy, he seemed to hold a particular fondness for Templar history. His office in Madrid, which he considered his second favorite after his London office, was filled with artifacts from Grandmaster Templars, as well as ancient Assassin artifacts.

Behind the scenes

Alan Rikkin is a character introduced in the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed. Despite having a minor speaking role, his voice actor is uncredited. He later appeared in the 2016 film also titled Assassin's Creed, where he was portrayed by Jeremy Irons.

Alan Rikkin's business card.

The production team behind the Assassin's Creed movie tweeted Rikkin's business card. By calling the numbers on it, fans would receive a voice message by Jeremy Irons as Rikkin.

Alan physical appearance differs greatly between the original Assassin's Creed video game and the film. In the video game, he is bald, obese, and has a dark beard, while in the film he shows signs of aging and is noticeably thinner. In the non-canon Les Deux Royaumes comics, he appears to have the same hair style as in the movie.

Gallery

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  Alan meeting Ellen Kaye
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  Rikkin reporting to Kaye
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  Alan walking with Callum
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  Alan with Sofia
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  Alan holding Aguilar's Apple of Eden
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  Callum attacking Alan from behind
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  Callum assassinates Alan

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: The Fall (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed (Les Deux Royaumes comics) (non-canon)
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations – Discover Your Legacy (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations (name only)
  • The Lost Archive (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed III: Liberation (name only)
• Assassin's Creed: Rogue (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Unity (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed Unity: Abstergo Entertainment – Employee Handbook (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Initiates (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Heresy
• Assassin's Creed (film)
• Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization
• Assassin's Creed: Origins (name only)
• Assassin's Creed: Conspiracies (mentioned only)

References

de:Alan Rikkin es:Alan Rikkin fa:Alan Rikkin fr:Alan Rikkin hu:Alan Rikkin it:Alan Rikkin nl:Alan Rikkin pl:Alan Rikkin pt-br:Alan Rikkin ru:Алан Риккин uk:Алан Ріккін zh:艾伦·里金