What is the name of the Animus operator who frames the story of Assassin's Creed II?

Desmond Miles is the Animus operator who frames the story of Assassin's Creed II.

Desmond is a modern-day descendant of several important Assassins, including Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze. In Assassin's Creed II, he escapes Abstergo Industries with Lucy Stillman and joins an Assassin team. They use an improved Animus to access Desmond's genetic memories of Ezio's life.

The historical story begins in Renaissance Italy in 1476 and follows Ezio through decades of conflict with the Templars. Desmond's modern sections connect those memories to the continuing struggle between the two secret organizations. The framing narrative also establishes why the memories matter beyond historical curiosity: the team is seeking information that may help the modern Assassin cause.

William Miles is Desmond's father and an important modern Assassin, but he is not the central Animus subject in this game. Warren Vidic works for Abstergo, while Clay Kaczmarek is another modern-day Assassin linked to Animus research.