Tristan's Decision [COMPLETED]

The Scaffolding

"I'm going to the scaffolding," Tristan said.

Darting around a stack of sound equipment boxes, he hauled himself onto the ladder and began to climb. Heat rose as he neared the burning lights. When he reached the top the ground was two stories below him. Around him, catwalks crisscrossed over the stage.

Below him dancers merged, broke apart and converged together again. Even from his height, Tristan could tell one dancer was a sixteenth count behind. Shoving the thought aside, he scanned the walkways, trying to locate Victor.

At the far end of a catwalk, Victor was kneeling over a sniper rifle, quickly assembling it. Adrenaline shot through Tristan and his brain whirred with a plan of attack.

"Victor is on the lighting rigs," he whispered, knowing the mic would pick up the words.

"We're on our way to you," Owens said.

"Take him alive if you can," Keller said.

"Got it."

Carefully, Tristan backtracked and diverted to a walkway parallel to one Victor was crouched on. The increased volume of the music masked Tristan's steps as he rounded his target. When Victor raised the gun and settled it on the metal railing, Tristan was ready. Pulling a knife from his suit jacket, he tossed it with perfect aim. It struck Victor in the arm stopping the shot he was about to take. The gun clattered to the catwalk.

As Victor yanked the knife free and spun towards Tristan, Tristan attacked. He ducked under Victor's knife and slammed his fist into the man's side. Grunting, Victor stumbled back but managed to easily dodge Tristan's next blow.

Despite the bleeding wound, Victor came at Tristan with shocking speed. He swiped at Tristan's chest, causing him to jump back. His footing was unsure as Victor charged again, this time cutting the inside of Tristan's arm.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Tristan rolled beneath Victor's follow up attack, popping up behind the man. Victor twisted around, but Tristan grabbed the hand holding the knife in an iron-like grip and kicked Victor in the head. Dazed, the man teetered back, but Tristan kept a firm hold on his wrist and landed another kick to his knee. Victor fell hard onto the metal, growling.

Tristan was about to knock him unconscious when the vibrating of the catwalk told him someone else was racing for him. Glancing back, Tristan saw a bald, angry-faced man coming at him. Barely thinking, Tristan gripped both sides of the railing, levered himself up, flipped backward and smashed his feet into the man's chest. His attacker faltered, the wind knocked out of him.

"Victor has backup," Tristan said.

A sharp pain tore through Tristan's back as Victor lodged the blade in his shoulder. Before Tristan could pull it out, he was shoved over the railing. Panic and fear gripped him but his body was faster than his brain and he grabbed the edge of the railing at the last second.

Before Victor could break his hold, Tristan reached up and grabbed the metal bar with his other hand. Ignoring the agony radiating from the knife, he swung himself over the railing and right in between the two men.

Dislodging the blade from his shoulder, he threw it at Victor's partner and the knife dug into the man's thigh. He let out a howl of pain, but Tristan was already spinning towards Victor, kicking his legs out from under him. He crashed to the walkway, and Tristan punched the side of his head.

Behind him, he heard the roar of his partner. Tristan twisted back, barely missing the knife that sliced the air right by his face. Limping, the man charged forward, but Tristan parried the man's blow and slammed his knee into the man's side.

Feeling the shift of the catwalk beneath him, Tristan spun around and bent backward, barely dodging Victor's attack. The swing left the man too far forward and Tristan used the leverage to break Victor's nose with his forehead. Blood spurted from the extremity.

Feeling a massive hand grab his suit collar, Tristan took hold of the wrist and brought it down hard on his shoulder, forcing the elbow upward and breaking the arm. The man cried out and Tristan spun around and kicked Victor in the head, rendering him unconscious.

Turning on the weakened man, Tristan landed an expertly aimed punch to his face. The man blacked out and slumped onto the metal. Gathering his breath, Tristan adjusted his suit jacket, grimacing at the pain in his shoulder.

Below him the ballet had continued, the music doing its job and muffling the fight. The sound of footsteps tugged Tristan's attention away from the scene beneath him. Keller and Owens approached, their guns held down. At the sight of the two unmoving men, they holstered their weapons.

"I'm impressed," Owens said. "You all right?"

His shoulder was throbbing and blood dredged his suit, but at the moment that was not what Tristan found the most pressing issue.

"Not really," he said. Before Owens could ask where he was hurt, Tristan pointed to a dancer on the stage. "He is a sixteenth count off." His finger pointed to another dancer. "His flexed foot is sloppy." Again his finger moved. "She breathed between beats six and seven when it should have been seven and eight."

Owens laughed but quickly stiffled it.

"I see," she said, smiling. "Well, you did a good job."

"Clearly not," Tristan said, "or I wouldn't be seeing those mistakes."

Keller and Owens exchanged a look that held more words than they would ever impart to Tristan. Suddenly weak with blood loss, Tristan reached out and laid a steadying hand on the railing. The agents caught the movement.

"Where are you hurt?" Keller asked.

"Left shoulder."

"Can you make it back to the ground?" Owens asked.

Tristan nodded. Before he could reach the ladder, Keller called back to him.

"Tristan."

Tired, Tristan looked back.

"You saved the President's life," he said. Tristan dipped his chin in acknowledgment. "Thank you, I don't know if we would be saying that if you hadn't made the right decision."

**********************************************************************

Hello there!

You did it! You chose the path that saved the President and brought happiness all around! YAY!!! Give yourself a cheer! So you have found a completion of a story line but the great thing is there is another line to follow! So if you haven't already, jump over and see what happens when Tristan says no!

Before you go make sure to vote, comment, follow!