03x03 - Modus Operandi

[bunniefuu]

(Cries out)

Argh!

Nicco: 'Otranto has fallen. Sixtus fears Rome is next.'

Sixtus: 'It will be coming for us. For me.'

We must rally the faithful under the banner of Rome.

Call for a Crusade?

'And have positioned myself in the Pontiff's good graces. His Holiness has agreed to the Crusade.'

But my beloved husband's death will prove an excellent motivator.

I shall happily support the cause.

Clarice Orsini is here in Rome looking for you.

Deucalion: 'She intends to destroy us.'

After tonight she will no longer be anyone's concern.

(Groans)

Where the hell is Carlo de' Medici?

The Ottoman Empire may have one or two surprises, for Signor Da Vinci.

Leonardo Da Vinci will save all of Italy!

'My dear husband... Word from Otranto is grave. The city has been taken and those who did not flee were martyred. Though I may despise you for your actions, my own in your absence have been equally despicable. I now find myself in Rome on a desperate mission to rectify my sins.'

(Man groans)

Feeling neglected?

My sincere apologies.

Let us resume our conversation.

Tell me more about your colleagues.

This Labyrinth, where can I find them?

Sorry?

(She chuckles)

Typically... (Sniffs) ..others do this sort of thing on my behalf.

I wonder, is it more of a slice... or a chop?

Argh!

(Groans)

Where is Carlo de' Medici?

Argh!

(Footsteps)

I asked for privacy!

(Creak and click)

Shbeeb, are you there?

(Movement)

Who's there?

(Movement)

(Gasps)

(Panting)

You...

(Theme music)

♪ DaVinci's Demons 3x03 ♪
Modus Operandi
Original Air Date on November 8, 2015

♪ ♪

'(Cries and explosions)'

'(Explosions)'

Bad dreams?

Did you bind me to my saddle?

You were mad.

Stark raving.

I keep seeing them.

Who?

Everyone who d*ed.

Because of me.

Hey, not because of you.

Tell that to them.

They've lost everything.

So have I.

I'm sorry about your father, Leo.

There's nothing you could have done.

The Turks ran all over us. There was no stopping them.

I have to find a way.

You'll feel better once we're home.

We're not going home.

Not yet.

Without Lorenzo, the Council of One Hundred won't back my endeavors.

Sorry, what endeavors?

Saving Italy from the Turks.

Well, if you're going to dream, dream big.

We need to head north-west.

What, towards Rome?

The Vatican.

Your madness remains.

Only Rome has the resources we need.

They're our only hope.

Pope Sixtus our only hope?

We might as well go back to Otranto, put our own f*cking heads on the chopping block.

Don't you have faith in me, Zo?

Of course.

But there's a limit.

Why the f*ck did I untie him?

Come on!

(Horse neighs)

Sixtus: This is a grave error.

I should have stayed safely in my cell.

If His Holiness remains in hiding, he will find it increasingly difficult to sell courage to others.

I feel exposed.

Our sins allow us no cover.

The Almighty is always watching.

Really? I hope He enjoys what he sees.

I understand you intend to summon the leaders of the Republics to Florence rather than Rome.

Florence has always resisted the Vatican.

If we turn them to our side, others will follow.

Mm.

A Pageant of Arms to terrify and inspire.

Skeletons of the faithful adorned and displayed to stir hearts and souls to battle.

Troops of the Condottieri Legion march in battle formation while thespians re-enact the horrors of Otranto.

The Republics will only loosen their purse strings if real terror loosens their bowels.

And so for our climax.

We reveal the c*ptive Turk Devil in the flesh.

(Mumbling softly)

What is it doing?

Praying for mercy, I presume.

The Turks pray to their gods several times a day in the direction of the holy city of Mecca.

There is only one holy city.

Rome. Of course.

I was merely illuminating the creature's beliefs.

Well, that just won't do.

(Whimpers)

Show me some fang, you heathen cur.

(Whimpers)

(Grunts)

(Whimpers)

(Growls)

(Whimpers)

(Cries out)

Not very hearty, are they?

I would have thought these Turks were made of sterner stuff.

We need them to bleed for our cause, not for your perverse amusement.

You make your bed with a bloodthirsty witch, Girolamo.

If we are to prevail, we must be united.

I'd sooner unite my cock with an ant-hill.

Do we have your blessing, Your Holiness?

In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.

You're really going to grab your ankles and bow down before you-know-who.

What are you saying?

Are you not with us?

No.

Not if us means him.

You're back?

You're alive.

I'm not sure which of us is the worse for wear.

That would be you.

I was spared the horrors of Otranto.

Nice thing, too.

Would have mussed up your fine little outfit there.

We need them.

No, you need them.

Nothing to do with me.

You should go.

Your Holiness...

So, Da Vinci.

You have come to seek my blessing.

If I needed a blessing from the Pope, I'd climb into Castel Sant'Angelo and see a prisoner there.

I'm afraid you would find only an empty cell.

Will you excuse us, my child?

Your Holiness.

Is this the Da Vinci you spoke so highly of?

The architect of w*r?

Signora Cereta of Venice.

The architect of the Pope's Crusade.

Well, if you want to take on the force of the Ottomans, you should stay, hear what I have to say.

Hm.

I don't need you to talk to heaven.

I just need you to help me bring hell to the Turks.

I tried to help you.

Warned you that the Sons of Mithras were in bed with the Ottomans, yet you were too proud to listen.

And look at you now.

It's like you've been dragged naked through the mud of failure.

Indeed, Your Holiness.

He seems more casualty of w*r than architect of such.

And yet he intrigues me.

Perhaps he could be useful to your holy endeavor.

Which will fail unless armed with the engines of destruction.

Mechanisms of w*r that I will design and you will pay me to construct.

You were outsmarted at every turn.

I would sooner hire a flock of angels and alight into the heavens.

Your Holiness, Da Vinci is a master.

I know of his virtues and his failings.

He may succeed where you have failed.

We are still under the thr*at of an assassin in our midst.

I'm sure Signora Cereta would sleep better at night were the k*ller of Cardinal Rodrigo found.

Prove yourself and I shall pledge my support.

And now you may take your leave, Leonardo Da Vinci.

(Panting)

The Da Vinci I knew would sooner gnaw off his own hand that kiss the ring of Pope Sixtus.

Well, much has changed since we saw the far side of the world.

(Dogs barking)

What, what is this m*rder that vexes him so?

Why, why do I have to waste my time doing a job better suited to a Papal Guard?

Cardinal Rodrigo, one of the Pontiff's most trusted advisors, was discovered mutilated in a Vatican chapel not far from here.

His Holiness believes, and I concur, that his brother is behind this.

In concert with the Sons of Mithras.

Show me.

The Cardinal was found here.

Hanging from this...

Dethroned, bleeding out onto the marble.

An inverted crucifixion.

Hm.

The body was stripped.

Mm.

Mutilated.

Lips sewn shut, the heart excised and the corpse... suspended... suspended in the manner of Saint Peter.

It's akin to a work of religious symbolism and imagery.

The k*ller...is an artist.

An artist?

Choices were made on account of light and shadow.

This is the modus operandi of an aesthete.

Where I use paint and canvas, this artist uses blood and bone.

And don't you see?

The k*ller we hunt is a pious man.

Really? This monster cleaved the heart of the Cardinal from his chest.

Look at his work and wonder...why.

I take it the dead man's heart was never found.

No.

No.

What does the heart represent?

To a man of God.

The heart is sacred.

So where would we put something sacred?

The sacred heart of Our Lord.

Now, if the k*ller placed something sacred in the Tabernacle, maybe he took something sacred out.

The flesh of Christ.

Why would this monster administer Last Rites to his victim?

He's sorry.

You weren't at breakfast this morning. Nor dinner last night.

I'm sorry. These damned accounts and ledgers...

You know, when I left home for Florence, my father called me a fool.

I wanted nothing to do with the notary business.

And yet here I am.

Nicco, I can help, you know?

I told you I could help.

You're amazing.

6,000 florins?

My God, the officers of the Condottieri are well paid.

Yes, if we can't equip them, feed them, Rome will hire them out from under us.

(Sighs) We must find the necessary funds.

I can't think from where.

Perhaps I should return to work at the Barking Dog.

Hustling drinks could afford us a sword or two.

Well, your tips are low given your...

Given my reputation?

Your beauty.

Still, I had barely enough to survive.

Perhaps if I'd upgraded to brothels and gambling dens where everything is tax free...

Vanessa, you're brilliant.

You are a genius to rival Leonardo himself.

What did I say? Where are you off to?

Tax collecting.

(Passing horses' hooves)

Da Vinci... "Fetch me this. Build me that."

Well, I built a bloody submarine.

(Men laughing)

A ship that moves... underwater.

Underwater, you prick.

I followed him across the ocean to the New World.

Nearly d*ed helping him.

Think he says "Thank you"? Does he f*ck!

Da Vinci?

The heretic sodomite of Florence?

He promised us victory and instead ensured our destruction.

Who dares slander the greatest mind who's ever lived?

If he were here now, I'd make him pay for his sins.

(Cries out)

(Grunting)

Argh!

Come on, that's enough. Leave the drunk.

(Zoroaster groaning and muttering)

Lucrezia.

(Laughs)

You were here the whole time?

Didn't occur to you to lend an old friend a hand?

Those days are long gone.

(Groans)

I'm pleased to see you.

You too.

Is Leo... He's alive.

And a righteous ass.

He left me at the gates of the Vatican.

Strode inside, hell-bent on getting in bed with the Pope.

Sixtus?

He hates that man as much as I do. Why would he conspire with that devil?

He believes it'll help him b*at the Turks.

He never listens.

I think he's messed up in the head.

Me too.

I have something.

Something that can ease your pain.

I prefer the beef.

Cardinal Rodrigo's, I presume?

Adorned to represent the Sacred Heart of Christ.

It's a potent symbol of religious iconography.

Is this to be an art lesson?

Or an inquiry into m*rder?

A work of art can be a window into the soul of the artist.

So in the same way the k*ller's mayhem may be a glimpse into who he might be.

Now, he's an educated man of your faith or at least steeped in its rituals.

He's devout, driven to k*ll and... yet horrified by his own actions.

A disturbed priest, perhaps?

You suspect a man of the cloth?

The k*ller administered Last Rites to his victim before sealing the Holy Communion in the Cardinal's mouth.

He is someone filled with regret.

Well, that rules out my brother.

Perhaps it's your Turk.

More likely someone of your household or staff.

Someone with Vatican access.

Then that list is long.

I am reviewing the ranks of your Papal staff.

You give import to his ramblings?

I do.

Well, I don't!

I have narrowed the field of suspects.

I have pointed Count Riario in the right direction.

Now, let me get on with my mission.

Let me fight back.

They k*lled my father!

I watched helpless as...

(Sighs)

I've done as you asked.

Now give me what I need!

You want my support?

Then bring me the head of the k*ller!

Not the heart of his victim!

(Wet thud)

Prepare my bath!

(Door creaks open)

Idiot.

Moron.

(Sighs)

Wash away my trials, Lord.

Wash them away.

(Sighs in relaxation)

Mm.

Ah, ah, ah...

(Cries out)

Guards!

Guard!

sh*t.

Blood.

Blood.

(Groans)

Look.

There.

Clarice.

(Creaking)

(Dogs barking)

(Creaking)

Pleasure or pain?

I don't have time for either. I'm here to see your boss.

A meeting with Madame Singh rarely ends in pleasure.

My name is Nicco Machiavelli. I'm an emissary from the House of Medici.

I demand you admit me without delay.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

(Bell tinkles)

(Scraping)

(Chatter and music)

Madame Singh?

Oh? You'll find her over there.

(Man cries out)

(Voices cry out)

How much for the fancy lad?

I don't work here!

Good evening, Councilor.

Woman: He's not for sale.

Yet.

(Thwacks of whip)

(Grunts)

I come with a proposal.

Whatever your loins desire.

Boys, dr*gs, animals. Nothing is taboo.

I am no deviant.

In my temple pleasure must be given or pain received.

For some they are the same.

You misunderstand.

Do I?

This temple operates contrary to the laws of Florence.

The services rendered here are illegal, punishable by imprisonment, exile...death.

The Council of One Hundred are my best customers.

Tell them.

What percentage of your profit do you lose to bribery?

Is it 15 per cent, 20?

The taxes of the underworld.

But...if your business were legal...

Florence has taxes too.

Five per cent to the Republic with your profits under guard generating interest in the bank.

For a small fee to the Medicis?

Well, you'd still keep more profit.

I don't think my money would be safe in a Medici bank.

I know why your coffers are empty.

Many of your competitors are already on board with my plan.

As their power grows, yours will diminish.

(Chuckles)

You're no liar either.

(Grunts)

(Laughter)

(Laughter)

Go home, boy.

So this is the... infamous Milk of the Poppy I've heard all about.

The Turks say... that, upon the smoke, dervishes draw ecstasy, soldiers courage, and others...voluptuousness and bliss.

I'd like a dose of all of the above, thanks very much.

The first draw can be tricky.

I'll help you. (Draws)

Oh... Oh, my God.

(Gasping)

It feels... It feels sublime.

Like I can truly... I can really feel... feel...

We're seeing the shadows.

The warmth of the flame, the touch of your skin...

Touch of your skin...

Jesus Christ. Oh, Jesus Christ.

(Chuckles)

Now I see what Leo was on about.

I can feel, feel... I can...think, think... (Panting) ..like Leonardo Da Vinci. I can...

No. You're not him. (Panting)

Sorry. Sorry.

(Groaning)

You're right. I'm a fool.

(Anguished moan)

And a right f*ck.

That would be me.

Don't.

Enough.

(Panting) Please. Please.

(Sobs) I'm so alone.

I'm here.

(Sniffles)

(She moans, draws and exhales)

Leonardo...

Such needless death.

I admired her.

She was both the mother and the soul... of Florence.

I'm truly sorry, Da Vinci.

She is now a casualty in this conflict.

This is not the work of the Sons of Mithras.

What are you saying?

Give me your hand.

Feel.

She was with child.

Lorenzo wanted a male heir.

No.

It's not his.

Who, then?

Lorenzo's uncle.

Carlo de' Medici.

Unfair. Palace innuendo.

Oh, no. No, they were seen together in chambers by someone I trust.

But why k*ll his own child? And the child's mother?

He's a monster. He is a man without morality, without conviction.

I know he m*rder*d someone very close to you.

Do you think my judgment is clouded by vengeance?

I fear it could be.

No.

After... After Carlo bedded Clarice, he betrayed her.

Maybe she... Maybe she followed him to Rome to seek retribution.

Maybe he saw her coming.

But what of the Cardinal?

What quarrel could Carlo de' Medici have with him?

I don't know but when I find him...

Without witnesses, implicating anyone will be nearly impossible.

But we have a witness.

Clarice Orsini.

The dead tell no tales, Leonardo.

The contents of the lungs, the bowels, the stomach...

They can.

They can, they can show us where she last walked, the last meal she took.

I've examined many cadavers.

I've learned their secrets.

I'll leave you to your butchery.

We are one.

We are one.

(Both repeat)

We are the horns of the Increate.

We are the shadows at the center of the Labyrinth.

We are the unity within the beast.

We are one.

We are one.

(Both repeat)

We are one.

Where is Deucalion?

I haven't seen him in days.

Why? What has happened?

Clarice Orsini has been m*rder*d, her body found crucified in the Papal Bath.

Da Vinci is here searching for the k*ller at the Pontiff's behest.

Whom does he suspect?

You.

He knows you looted the Medici coffers and stole her heart.

(Chuckles)

I should have k*lled him.

There are many things you should and should not have done, Carlo.

What do you imply, brother?

It's time we notified the Architect.

Our leader is a man of some note.

To make unscheduled contact would put his life at risk.

You're being hunted by Italy's most ingenious mind.

You have placed the future of the Labyrinth in jeopardy.

Tell me where to find him.

You don't.

The Architect finds you.

(Footsteps recede)

(Leonardo sniffs)

(Sniffs)

(Sighs)

(Groans quietly)

(Sniffs)

I'm sorry.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

Sorry?!

Cold comfort for the dead.

I'm trying to put things right.

You work alone, abandoned.

Zo lost faith.

He wasn't the only one.

I don't need anyone.

I see the world like no-one else. I...

I... I don't accept the old, I create the new.

What you create destroys.

I was betrayed.

You should have seen that coming.

How?!

I'm an artist.

I see beauty and truth.

Elbow deep in human entrails?

Dipping your paintbrush into human blood?

Look what you did to my body.

Look at me... Look at me.

You bathe in blood, revel in gore. You are no artist, Leonardo. You are a warmonger. A malevolent engineer, a destroyer of life and beauty.

I am seeking justice.

What you seek is to be cleansed of shame.

You are like Icarus of legend. Ego and pride drew you to the sun. Borne aloft on wings of your own making, and yet when you fell... it was everyone else who d*ed.

(Leonardo sighs deeply)

(Sniffs)

(Sighs)

(Sniffs)

(Praying quietly)

Now, now, that won't do.

You are... You are the Architect.

I am merely the Architect of his philosophy, guiding the chosen ones on the path to transcendence, like our ancestors once did in the caves of Antioch.

Why must we operate in secret?

Why not partner with the Church, perhaps...

The Church has been controlled for centuries by the corrupt, the lavish, the lecherous.

The Church seeks power, not piety.

The Labyrinth have no such agenda.

The Sons of Mithras claim we are the enemies of man.

Mithrans preach progress at the expense of faith.

Like Icarus, they seek a short cut to enlightenment.

Instead of walking the righteous path, they wish to fly.

The Labyrinth is not a maze but a path.

To navigate it requires absolute focus.

Some may find our methods severe.

But those who need help most rarely ask for it.

I wish I had asked.

I too walked the wrong path.

Sought the wrong truths.

We are our greatest enemy, the willing victim of our wants and desires, our doubts and regrets.

You know of the murders in the Vatican...

Leonardo Da Vinci believes Brother Carlo is responsible.

And do you doubt Carlo's loyalty?

I... am torn.

His father was an elder of the Sons of Mithras, devoted to the Book of...

Now, you must not mention that cursed tome in this holy place.

Even a single page could bring about our ruin.

Forgive me.

Carlo and I have walked the Labyrinth many a time.

You are wrong to suspect him.

I will take you at your word but Da Vinci will not.

I fear vengeance drives him towards us.

Brother Riario, if Da Vinci gets too close, you must help him.

Help him become one.

(Church bell and voices)

It sounds mythological.

It's an exotic flora with restorative properties.

Three bathhouses.

Not one proprietor has heard of it.

Well, it's rare.

It's expensive.

I found some cardamom particulars embedded in her lungs.

She must he inhaled some residue with her dying gasps.

Or we are pursuing a wild goose.

(Pounding)

This one shouldn't be closed. Not at this hour.

Maybe the owner fled the city.

I don't think so.

(Both grunt)

(Gasps) Blade wounds to the abdomen.

No mutilation nor desecration.

I imagine you'll posit he d*ed at a different hand than the Cardinal.

A... a robbery, perhaps.

No looter could miss this glimmer.

He was employed by the House of Medici.

She was here.

Well, this victim's not on display in some tableau.

Did your so-called artist not regret k*lling this man?

He was just an obstacle.

He was incidental to the true target.

Another incidental victim?

I don't think so.

No, this is more brutal, more personal.

Clarice did this.

Savage work for the Mother of Florence.

And for what reason?

Why m*rder some... Roman physician?

Not m*rder. It's t*rture.

Perhaps he was in league with Carlo.

She was seeking information.

I told you. I told you. I told you.

I told you. (Panting)

She would do anything for Florence.

"And now I find myself in Rome on a desperate mission to rectify my sins."

Poor Clarice.

Caught in a web... of her own making.

(Groaning)

(Groaning)

(Muffled grunts)

No! (Gasping)

I don't...

(Crying out)

Who the f*ck are you?

We are one, Da Vinci.

Leave us.

You've been looking for me.

Ah, I've found you.

Surely I found you, Da Vinci.

And now I have you.

I know how you feel.

You have no idea how I feel.

We are not that different, you and I.

We've been abandoned by those we loved, manipulated by those we trusted.

I also once believed in the Sons of Mithras.

(Squeaking)

But my own father, Cosimo de' Medici, betrayed me... as Al-Rahim betrayed you.

(Breathing heavily)

This is our opportunity, Da Vinci, to unite against those who've wronged us.

To take control of our destiny.

But first... you must walk the path.

Your mind must merge with ours.

You must become one.

(Grunting)

(Squeaks)

(Breathing heavily)

You are alone, Da Vinci.

(Groaning)

Now... you shall join us.

(Breathing heavily)

How many men are in this chamber?

How many men are in this chamber?

Crying out)

How many men are in this chamber?

How many men are in this chamber?

f*ck you!

How many men are in this chamber?

F... (Cries out)

How many men are in this chamber?

How many men are in this chamber?

(Leonardo cries out, then falls quiet)

(Gurgling and panting)

How many?

Three.

(Laughter)

Now get me out.

Get me out. Get me out. Get me out.

(Grunting)

Come on! Get me out!

(Yells)

Look at me! Look at me!

Look me in the eye.

I want you to see what they saw before they d*ed.

The face of a k*ller.

(Grunts wildly)

My eyes!

We are the horns of the Increate.

We are the Labyrinth. We are one.

My eyes.

We are the horns of the Increate.

We are the Labyrinth. We are one.

We are the horns of the Increate.

My eyes.

We are the Labyrinth. We are one.

(Draws breath and cries out)

We are the horns of the Increate.

(Crying out)

We are the shadow at the center of the Labyrinth.

We are the unity within the beast.

'We are one.'

(Music playing)