Abstergo Industries is one of the largest multinational corporations in the world by the year 2012, serving as a front for the modern day Templar Order. They are the employers of Dr. Warren Vidic and (formerly) Lucy Stillman, the group that organized Desmond's capture, and the company that funds the Animus project. Even though Abstergo is outwardly labeled as a company working in the fields of medicine and science, Dr. Vidic boasts of their accomplishments in fields beyond these. He claims that either Abstergo or its predecessors were responsible for every scientific accomplishment and involved in every mass progressive movement over the past millenium, though Abstergo chooses who gets credit for the accomplishments very carefully. However, these achievements are not purely of their own doing, as when Desmond asks who created the Animus' technology, Dr. Vidic cryptically replies with "Those Who Came Before." He does so after reading several e-mails, particularly one viewable in the conference room, wherein Alan Rikkin writes to Vidic: "May the Father of Understanding guide you to success," a phrase long used by the Templar Order. Abstergo has also been hunting the last of the Assassins left in the world, hoping to end their enemies' way of life, thus eliminating any chance of their own failure. Vidic's e-mail reveals Abstergo and Assassin presence in many events throughout history, such as the Tunguska event. The emails also discuss the Philadelphia Incident, in which the USS Eldridge (which was stationed in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard) was allegedly rendered invisible for several seconds, and sent forward in time. Experiments with the artifact related to this incident were halted, with Abstergo citing concern about paradoxes. Mitchell-Hedge's communicators are also mentioned, along with an abstract reference to the 13 Incan Crystal Skulls that were supposedly discovered by the gentleman adventurer of the same name in the 1920's. New Age theorists state that the Crystal Skulls enable telepathy between their wielders, and therefore, the term "communicators" implies that Abstergo either has these skulls or is able to communicate using them. This communication is likely also undetectable by any modern-day Assassin. Through the e-mails, we learn that Abstergo is being investigated for something called "New Fluoride," which they tested on an isolated community, were caught, and are currently being held in suspicion because of it. This is the reason behind the December 21, 2012 launch of their Eye-Abstergo communications satellite, as afterwards, they risk being immobilized by having their assets frozen. The 12/21/2012 launch is also significant, as it marks the end of the Mayan Long Count, 13th baktun cycle - the date set by many to be the end of the world. Abstergo was also involved in an accident under the Denver International Airport, at Abstergo's satellite manufacturing (and possibly launch) facility. E-mails show that a member of the project apparently went insane, using the Apple present to kill almost everyone at the facility, ultimately destroying himself and the Piece. This loss caused Abstergo to capture Desmond Miles, in order to search for a replacement Piece.
