"Load the cannon." " On the deck standing next to the Ottoman prince, that is your mother." "Clarice has gone, which makes you the regent head of the House of Medici." "An enemy of Florence is here in Rome," "Carlo de Medici." "I have positioned myself in the pontiff's good graces." "Now is your chance to embolden him." " Cardinal Rodrigo?" "He was the pontiff's right hand since the departure of Lupo Mercuri." "The Ottoman Empire might have one or two surprises for Signor da Vinci." "They have my designs!" "Sound the alarm!" "Otranto's fallen." " It's that thing you designed, that monstrous armored car." "How can I fight myself?" "Leonardo..." "Leonardo..." "Can you move?" "Are you gonna sit there all day?" " The Turks are advancing!" "This way, this way, this way." "They're coming." "On my word." "The longer we fight, the more we save." "Move!" "Lorenzo!" "500,000?" "Florence is bankrupt and Clarice has vanished." "Either she feared retribution or she fled with Carlo." "Perhaps they're in league." " She's at his back, no doubt, but wields a knife, intent on revenge and nothing more." "What evidence do you have?" " What evidence?" "Carlo's a murderer." "He killed Andrea." "She would never..." " She shared her bed with him." "He manipulated her, betrayed her." "Just as she betrayed Lorenzo." "Oh, Lorenzo the Magnificent, an innocent victim?" "Please." "The man fucks anything that moves." "Why are you not protecting her?" "She insisted I remain here to look after the two of you." "You, signorina, and the baby." "Giulio, come on." "Forgive my intrusion." " Please." "I await your instructions, signorina." "My instructions." "My instructions?" "The city is broke and it's our responsibility to fix it." "No, not our responsibility, my responsibility because of you." "Hey." "All I wanted was to go home." "You got us into this." "You signed those papers." " I did it to protect you." "Giulio is a Medici, the sole heir." "What was to stop them from taking him away from you?" "Lisabeta!" "Signora?" "He prefers you." "Shh." "There you go." "Good boy, Giulio." "How can I care for our city when I cannot even care for my own child?" "We need only weather this storm until Clarice and Lorenzo return." "If they return." "Has Naples' fleet arrived in Otranto?" "Arrived and vanquished." "Destroyed before reaching shore." "Oh, dear God!" "Rome will be next." "They will be coming for us." "For me!" " Then we can no longer afford to wait." "We must rally the faithful under the banner of Rome." "Call for a crusade?" "Well, my dear boy," "I cannot simply ask my flock to go to war for Rome." "Alliances must be forged, bought if necessary, and at such a cost that we'd be unable to equip our armies." "I have a confession, Father." "I, um..." "I have not been entirely honest with you." "My travels and travails over the past few months have proved more than a test of faith." "They were also somewhat lucrative." "How so?" " Suffice to say, we have options where allegiances are concerned." "500,000 florins' worth of options, to be precise." "A holy crusade financed by the ungodly Bank of Medici." "How poetic." "We must target Venice first." "If they sign on, the other city-states will fall into line." "Venice's fleet nearly rivals that of the Ottoman Empire." "Which is why a treaty exists between them, one that will take great pains to break." "My murderous brother and his Sons of Mithras may have given us an opportunity." "In killing a trusted advisor, they have also killed..." " A native son of Venice." "Surely that will stir the appropriate sentiments." "Oh, an excellent notion, Your Holiness." "We can utilize the cardinal's death to our advantage." "I have received word that Rodrigo's sister, Laura Cereta, intends to claim her brother's body." "Her father owns one of the largest merchant fleets in the republic." "Mm." "You will need to be, uh delicate." "But her support would no doubt sway the other merchant families." "Then we shall have it." "Come on, come on." "Come on, quick, quick!" "Okay, shh, shh." "Christ, go." "It's all right." "I'll get you out of here." "Shit." "Where are we going?" "How the fuck should I know?" " We're following you!" "Leo!" "Ah, f... uh, okay, okay, uh, patrols are combing the streets." "Routes in and out of the city are blocked." "We cannot stay here." "We need to buy some time." "I'm so sorry." "Over there, the church." "They haven't touched it." "Yet." "Maybe they fear God as much as we do." "Come on." "Head for the church." " Go!" "Let's go, quick." "Quick, quick, quick!" " Go, go, go!" "Stop, no!" " Shh." "Shh, shh, shh." "Wait here." "Okay, go." "Come on!" "Leo!" "Come on!" "Leo!" "Leo, come on!" "Come on!" "Breathe in this compound several times a day." "If it does not improve, seek me out immediately." "It is done." "This is unwise, brother." "We should not be seen together." "I assumed the Architect would want to know immediately." "His Holiness has agreed to the crusade." "Yes, well, that is good news." "Everything is coming together as he planned." "Something..." "something still troubles you." "Clarice Orsini." " Clarice!" "Look, this is not your... not your concern." " If we act in haste, we risk exposure." "We should wait until her intentions become clear." "She intends to destroy us." "And she will succeed if her investigation is allowed to continue." "But not to worry." "After tonight, she will no longer be anyone's concern." "Signora." "A gift from my husband." "I'm sorry." "For everything." "What brings you to Rome?" "I just needed to disappear for a while." "And the means with which to do it." "I should go." "I've intruded on you long enough." "I never thanked you." "My daughters would not be alive if not for you." "I've made some poor choices." "So many for so long." " Not when it mattered most." "Here." "I can't." " No, I insist." "Be careful." "If you go too far down the rabbit hole, you'll never find the way out." "Mm." "No!" "Release me!" "Release me!" "I demand to speak to your leader." "I am Lorenzo de Medici, leader of Florence." "I demand to know your terms." "Surely the freedom of these people must be worth something to you." "At least let me die with my men!" "No." "No!" "You speak our language." " Yeah, I used to." "He's just scared." "Adin, hey." "Shh, shh, shh." "Stop, stop." "Your mother is alive." "I saw her." "Look at me." "Breathe." "We need to get out of here, you understand?" "Your sister?" "Malia." " Malia." "Is she annoying?" "She looks annoying." "I bet you guys fight all the time, right?" "Well, this is gonna be very difficult for you to believe, but... but, actually, Malia is your best friend." "She is." "No matter what." "Which means even though she's wrong all the time," "you still have to pretend you're listening." "Okay." "I've got a job for you." "Okay, you see those doors?" "We need to barricade them, but we have to do it very, very, very quietly." "Do you think you can give me a hand?" "You sure?" "Okay." "Go to the guys over there." "Hey." "He's gonna be absolutely fine." " Thank you, for Adin." "Where's Leonardo?" "Losing his mind." "It was you." "It had to be you." "I know this must be difficult." "You don't deny it?" "Deny it!" "Oh." "This city, these people," "their deaths are on your hands." "I am not the instrument of their demise." "You stole my designs!" "You... you reached inside my head!" "You handed my plans to the Turks!" "You tricked me." "You used me." "If it was not for the magic you wield," "I would kill you where you stand." "Magic... is only science that you do not yet understand." "Sixtus was right." "About you, the Sons of Mithras, all of it." "You're in league with them." "Everything you told me was a lie." "No." "No lies." "Only truths you have yet to realize." " Enough riddles!" "Why?" "!" "You needed to see what you are capable of." "What we are capable of if we work together." "That is why we brought you here." " You used me to wage war!" "We want the same things as you, Leonardo." "An enlightened world that celebrates knowledge and innovation." "Free from hubris and corruption." "To do that, we must start from nothing." "This is our reckoning." "No." "I can't be a part of it." "You already are." "Just get out of my head!" "Who are you talking to?" "Tanks." "Tanks, tanks, tanks." "Look!" "They've, uh..." "they've added a turret and they've reinforced the exterior with, um, some metal I've never seen before." "But the base structure is exactly the same." "Do you see?" "It's propelled by cranks that rotate the wheels with cannons mounted around the perimeter." "And the mines!" "The mines." "They're my bombards!" "They must have cased them with wood." " Stop." "Bamboo." "No, no, it's not bamboo, it's um... what the... it's black pine!" "It's black pine!" "It incinerates quicker." "That's brilliant." "They didn't..." "they didn't just steal my designs." "They've improved them!" "The cannons on the ship..." " Enough!" "You said yourself you cannot beat them." "No!" "'Cause if I..." "if I just... if I get a chance to examine their armor," "I can..." " Leonardo, wake up." "All of this did not just happen to you." "Those people out there lost everything... their homes, their families." "They don't care about any of this." "They're just trying to survive." "I tried..." "I tried to save them." "I fired on their ships." "I killed..." "Your mother chose her own fate." "I've been so blind." "All this time." " We all make choices we regret." "Our choices are the only thing that define us." "So that makes me nothing less than a murderer." "A destroyer." "Leonardo, look at me." "The Turks needed you to get into the city." "We need you to get out." "So let the next choice be the one that defines you." "Good news and bad news." "Malia, the girl, says that there's an underground tunnel that can take us out of the city." "Ancient catacombs the Jews use as secret synagogues." "She can take us right to the entrance." " Where is it?" "It's not far." "It's in the underbelly of that building." "And between us and that building are a hundred Turks intent on separating us from our limbs." "That is assuming those vile killing machines don't shred us before then." "Just so you know, the bad news was all you." "How do we get past those soldiers?" "We don't." "We go over them." "Can't this wait?" "The Council of One Hundred has convened in secret." "In the middle of the night?" "Why?" "Has something happened?" "Otranto has fallen." "There's no word from Leo or Zo." "Or Lorenzo." "Come, we must hurry." "Sixtus fears Rome is next." "He sent an edict demanding troops to shore up his city's defenses." "If our men are to protect Rome, who is to protect us?" "Then that's the argument I need you to make." "They've been arguing like this since the session began." "I can't do this." "You're the only one who can." " It's now or never, signorina." "You were supposed to deal with this." "She requested an audience with us both." "Demanded, more likely." "The woman carries herself with the refinement of a tonsured goat." "We do need her support if we are to win over Venice." "If Laura Cereta has asked to see me," "I assure you it is not to offer cooperation." "Your Holiness." "Signora." "Girolamo." "We've met before?" "Many years ago at his anointment." "Well, I wish our reunion was under more felicitous circumstances." "Your brother..." " He was my brother, signore." "Just as His Holiness is your uncle." "My husband was lured to Rome under conditions that widowed me long before now." "The cardinal's path has been righteous since birth apart from a fleeting insanity, which was soon corrected." "Why is the body not yet ready?" "Rigor mortis, signore." "Even in death he insults me." "Leave us immediately." "The Turks are responsible for your husband's death, signora." "They have agents in our midst even in Rome." "And you seek an alliance with Venice in the hope of vanquishing the Ottoman scourge." "Why, my dear, do you think I'm here?" "What of the treaty that exists between your republic and the Ottoman Empire?" "The merchant families have grown frustrated." "Trade routes were expected to expand." "Instead, the opposite has proven true." "It will take convincing to earn their trust." "But my beloved husband's death will prove an excellent motivator." "Then you will join my crusade?" "A crusade is a most holy endeavor, one inspired by the grace of God, not the thirst for power." "I shall happily support the cause." "But not while you lead it." "I refuse to be party to the further corruption of the church." "With our army defending Rome, we would be vulnerable to attack." "If the invasion force reaches us, it is already too late." "We must draw the line before they reach Florence." "But if we offer our men, our weapons, and armor, what assurance do have that they would be returned?" "We would only empower Sixtus further." "We have defied the church before and look what that got us." " Excommunicated!" "Like the faithless heathens who now occupy Otranto." "If Lorenzo was here, he would not allow Rome to dictate..." "Lorenzo may already be dead." "How can we look upon ourselves with esteem if we do nothing while our countrymen fall?" "We must join with the Church." "We have a moral obligation." "A moral obligation?" "Well, this coming from the man whose allegiance shifts with the wind?" "Well, His Holiness has offered to buy the next round, has he?" "You dare talk to me in that way?" "Know your place, child." "Her place is here." "She's the mother of Giulio de Medici, head of..." "She is a whore!" " Oh!" "Nothing more." "And you, sir, are a miserable drunk who cannot even satisfy those paid well enough to pretend." "Signor Cellini, so willing to sell your soul at the expense of Florence." "I would hate your wife to learn how little concern you have for hers." "Or that of your mistresses." "Ooh!" " A shame your bastards won't live to face your rejection." "Sixtus has treated us with disdain and contempt at every turn, and yet you would put our fate in his hands." "The treachery of such an action is no less reprehensible than what goes on in the back rooms of the Barking Dog." "Consider your options, signori." "I think you will find, as I have, that there is only one." "Archery requires patience and focus." "I am focused." " Breathe slowly and always keep your eye on..." " Father!" "Nice shot!" "Ah, yes." "This won't take your weight." "Yeah, well, I have to try." "There's no other way." "Perhaps there is." "Adin." "Hey, hey!" "You know, you don't have to do this." "I want to help." "Okay." "You just tie the rope just like I showed you." "Are you sure about this?" "Yes." "No." "You are incredibly brave." "Take one step." "Good." "That's it." "Be careful." "Now remember, when you get over to the other side, pull the second rope so it's tight." " I can't." "Hey, you can do this." "Okay." "Ready?" "Okay." " Yeah." "Hands through there, put your hands through there." "That's it." "That's it." "Now hold on tight." "Okay, I'm gonna drop your legs now." "Okay?" " Okay." "Okay." "And... hold on." "Okay." "Psst, quickly!" "Quickly!" "Come quick." "The bell tower!" "Quickly." "Go to the bell tower." "Okay, just go to the edge." "Gently." "Okay." "Don't let go." " Okay." "No matter what." "Okay." "And... go." "Keep pulling, keep pulling." "Okay." "Here." "To the edge." "Go." "Leo, we've been spotted." " Shit!" "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found." "Call ye upon Him while He is near." "Let the wicked forsake his ways." "Okay." "And let him come in unto the Lord where He shall have mercy." "How dare you defile this sacred place!" "Does your trespass know no bounds?" "Arise, O Lord, in Thine anger!" "Lift up Thyself by the rage of mine enemies!" "Okay, that's the last of them." "Where's my father?" "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth and the wicked be no more!" "And cast Thy vengeance upon them!" "Leo." "Leo!" "What?" "Shit." "Uh go, go, go!" "Oh!" "Oh." "Uh..." "Okay, wait there." "Hey, hey, give me your knife." "Perfect." "Okay." "Right." "This way, this way." "Okay." "That's it." "Go through." "Get back." "Come on." "Okay, go through." "This way." "Come on, quickly." " Watch your head." "Right, this tunnel goes northeast." "Stay off the main roads and follow the river." " Fuck, no!" "You're not going back for him." " Take it." "No." "No." " Please." "Zo, I've already lost one father." " He bought us time to escape." "We have to finish what he started." "These people need us." "Come on." "Okay." "Forgive the interruption." "Have your contacts reported back?" "My lady, if Carlo de Medici is in Rome, his whereabouts have been very well concealed." "However, the missing money has proven more difficult to camouflage." "Continue." "I have spoken with Signor Visconti." "He's an administrator at the bank of St. George." "A client of yours, I presume?" " A very loyal client, signora, and one I would rather not lose." "I have no interest in his proclivities." "Merely the quality of his information." "He recently issued a line of credit to a physician here in Rome." "500,000 florins converted to ducats." "No name is listed." "No." "He would only offer me the man's profession." "Seems your banker needs a little more convincing." "I will handle it from here." "I do, however, require one last favor from you." "Of course." "Girolamo?" "His Holiness has already retired for the evening." "I came to see you." "May I join you?" "Do you ever doubt your faith, signora?" "Of course." "Blind devotion is reserved for the weak." "I was concerned your crusade lacked a spiritual leader." "Perhaps I was wrong." "If the city-states unite behind His Holiness, it cannot be stopped." "I was not speaking of Sixtus." "For your mission to succeed, it needs a truly pious person at its spine." "I believe that person is you." "Then you will join us?" "I will extend my stay in Rome." "I suggest you use the time to convince me." "That bastard sent you, didn't he?" "Oh, I must be very close to home now." "Now where the hell is Carlo de Medici?" "Speak our sacred words." "Embrace Islam." "Become one or face your final moments." "I choose Christ!" "Lose your soul or lose your life." "Speak our sacred words." "Embrace Islam." "Become one or face your final moments." "There is no God but Allah." "There is... there is no God but Allah." "And Mohammad is the prophet." "Mohammad is the prophet." "Speak our sacred words." "Embrace Islam." "Become one or face your final moments." "Heathens." "You're gonna pay for this." "Hey, do you need a hand?" "No." "Thank you, Signor da Vinci." "Let's go." "Let's head north." "I think we need to keep moving." "We need horses." "Does anyone know of a farm nearby?" " Zo?" "Where's your friend?" "Damn it, Leo." " Going back there is certain death." "Come with us." "I..." " Please." "Please." "Look after each other." "Oh, God." "Leonardo." "Leonardo." "Speak our sacred words or face your death." "Stop!" "You do not know me." "But I know your son." "And he is a part of our wondrous vision." "Join us and together we will change the world." "My son is a great man." "A better man than I ever was." "And he would rather die than be part of this... depravity." "As would I." "No." " Do not fear!" "Leonardo da Vinci will save you!" "He will save all of Italy!"