Age of Treason

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

(GRUNTING)

(CROWD CHEERING)

MAN 1:
Get in there! Come on!

(LION SNARLING)

MAN 2:
Get back to work!

FALCO:
It looked like just another

day at the games, didn't it, Falco?

But then in this Rome, things

were rarely what they seemed,

and I was never big

on the games.

Something about blood sports

just troubled me.

Especially if it was my blood

someone wanted to sport with.

-MAN:
No! No!

-There he is.

Now, these were the first games sponsored

by our latest emperor, Vespasian Caesar.

And it was a safe bet the whole city

would turn out for a rare glimpse of him

and the power that would

ruled their lives for decades,

or maybe only for days.

No one was taking bets

on that one yet,

at least not the pair

touting me.

Get out of the way.

I'm down here

to see Senator Garrus.

Rumor has it he likes to inspect

his stock before they fight.

And I'll move

when it suits me, Thracian.

It'll suit you now.

You break that lift, I get

whipped for one week.

And don't call me "Thracian".

-Helmet!

-Senator Garrus?

On his way to the box by now.

Sword.

Go.

(TRUMPETS HERALDING)

(CROWD CHEERING)

FALCO:
I liked treading into the upper

classes even less than I liked gladiators.

But I'd had a bad run of luck

at the chariot races lately,

and from the looks

of my following there,

it wasn't about to get

any better.

No, like it or not, Falco,

it was definitely time

to collect on some

debts of your own.

Hail, Garrus Libatus! The day

is honored by your presence.

Who in Juno's name is that?

Oh, that's Falco.

You remember him, Garrus.

He was that private informer

you hired

to recover me

from those Salacian pirates.

Justus fights like a god,

doesn't he?

Justus?

Oh, yeah.

A regular Mars made flesh.

And may I add that the Lady Livia

has a keen eye for combat?

Lady Livia has a keen eye

for far too many things.

And considering

what it costs me,

it would've been cheaper to

have let the pirates keep her.

At least they had what it took

to keep me occupied.

I'll wager they all

got to occupy you.

Look, while we're

on the subject of finance,

there's just the small matter of

my fee, which is still outstanding.

Just a slight oversight by your

accountant, no doubt, but...

Money, and more money.

Great Jupiter's loins! You sound like

our new Caesar over there, Vespasian.

Is that all Rome thinks about

these days?

It's all you have

any passion for!

That's different,

I'm a senator.

Do you know he has put a tax on

owning more than 100 gladiators?

Inconceivable.

I swear the man's trying

to erase the Roman deficit,

and ruin me in the process!

LIVIA:
Then why not give

some of them to me?

That way,

they stay in the household

and you can avoid

paying the taxes altogether.

I wouldn't mind taking Justus

down there off your hands.

Providing he lives, of course.

How very clever of you,

Livia, my pet.

But tell me, just what would

you want to do with him?

Mmm...

I'll leave you to the games.

But if you could send a messenger

around with a balance,

then your name would be praised

in places you never dreamed of.

FALCO:
Uh-oh. What's this?

Soldiers? Now two?

Oh, perfect.

Curse me, but it was him!

The Emperor!

And one cross look

from that face

could crush a life

or a whole nation

with all the force

of a living god.

I knew. I once locked

eyes with an emperor,

and just for that he had me

hunted till the day he died.

The eyes, Falco!

Watch the eyes!

The Emperor has arrived?

He awaits you thus, Praetor.

So much

for the corridors of power.

But I'll take a noisy alley

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