Stars Rise

XLVI. "I don't care if you believe me, I just need you to do what I tell you."

While he was already at Potestas Tower, it seemed like a good time to check in on Ilan. Not that linking upstairs to the rooftop took a moment more than linking across the empire.

Since the timeline had been changed, Cristo had no way of knowing what was going to happen to Ilan from this point forward.

Gnomon in hand, he walked, though. Cristo's shoes clacked down the floor of the penthouse foyer, and he retraced Leander's footsteps from last night down the hallway to the rooftop and reached the door to outside just in time to catch the predicted scene.

Call it a feeling. Call it a well calculated estimate, a good prediction, but Cristo found he was right on time for the next escalation in the enemy candidates' plan. Four assassins this time, no telling who let them in or connected them to the router, but they drew their weapons as Cristo walked down the steps past the four columns. Each wore a rosso corsa red three-piece suit as if it was a uniform.

The roof was a military base, the attack was a suicide mission. Cristo didn't add much to the equation, but he pulled out Louis's gun anyway. So did half a dozen security guards around the perimeter of the roof. Shots fired in all directions. Leander was ready this time. The only agent with no gun, he wasn't a target, wasn't a threat, and while the red-suited assassins took aim, took out three of the boss's security, and fired at the boss, Leander got Ilan onto the ground, took the boss's bullet in his shoulder and launched himself at the nearest attacker anyway, slitting her throat with — of all things — a sharp, long, knife, might as well have been from the kitchen, then pulled her body close as a shield.

The other three, threatened by the shock, aimed for him, forgetting their real target down on the ground, and their suicide mission was unsuccessful in all but their own deaths as Cristo's shots and a few rounds from the boss himself riddled their bodies.

The boss went to Leander, who saw that the threat was neutralized and was now holding ripped fabric over the blood that was pouring out of his shoulder wound — as if that would hold it in. The boss touched the hole in his skin and the skin sealed itself back together. The bleeding stopped. Leander was pale, but mostly from bafflement at how his bullet wound had been mended. He didn't say anything, though; not much could surprise him any more.

Cristo led the charge to check they were really dead. No one was concerned that the assassins should have been restrained and not killed. No one tried to heal their bullet wounds before they bled out. For one thing, they already had prisoners to interrogate. The boss wasn't shaken, but he was angry. "There will be no more appointments today," was all he said before he thanked Leander and noticed Cristo was there. "You have a habit of showing up every time someone tries to kill me. I'm beginning to have a negative association with your face."

"Understandable," said Cristo. Security fell back to the perimeter, the corpses were removed, and he, Leander and the boss were left on the bloodstained patio in privacy.

"This morning you didn't want to work with me, but I hope the second near death experience changed your mind. You've put up a wonderful defense, and it would be splendid if you could keep up that level of self preservation for the next few hours, but it's time to strike back. You may not like my face, but we should work together."

The boss didn't argue. That was something. Whether he was speechless or just thinking, he didn't react and he didn't argue. He was still standing like that, both eyes on Cristo, when Nova and Stephen ran out onto the patio together.

Nova reached him first, glancing at the blood on the ground without letting it stop her from getting to his side. "They tried again?" she said, breathless. Stephen was sputtering too, as if they had both run here, but he was taking the opportunity panting for breath provided to avoid coming up with the right thing to say to Ilan.