(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
anytime, thank you.
There he is.
It appears
we have a victor, Caesar.
-Rome awaits your pleasure.
-(ABSENT-MINDEDLY) Mmm.
You know, Pertinax, this accounting
provides may figures,
except how much this week
of games is costing us.
Two million sesterces
and change, Caesar.
(INCREDULOUSLY)
Two million sesterces?
For games?
FALCO: There it was,
another fighter
sacrificed on the altar
of Rome's amusement.
I wonder if that was Justus.
No, better to just
forget those names, Falco.
Gladiators are nothing
but trouble.
And you didn't need to be Aristotle to
see somebody had just gone to a lot of it
to take me for a ride.
I considered
fighting my way out,
but the odds were I'd lose and be
carted off in his big sedan anyway,
with a broken jaw or worse.
Up!
-Forward!
-FALCO: You know,
there are laws in the Republic
against this sort of thing.
I thought a ride home from the games
might give us a chance to talk in private.
If this is about work,
my office is in the public baths.
So I've heard. But then I've
never taken a bath in public.
-Is it fun?
-Not compared with being cornered
like some Bithynian bull
and boxed in here for sale.
If my men were rude in extending
that invitation, please tell me,
and I'll have their throats
cut for you.
Thank you, but I think I've seen
enough blood to make my morning.
Then it won't offend you
to listen.
That depends on
what you've got to say.
I need to find someone.
Then go tell the magistrate.
Or better yet, have him call out
the Praetorian Guard.
No, I need this done quietly. And that
means only someone like you can do it.
And if someone like me were
interested, which I'm not,
who exactly would I be
quietly looking for?
A young man. His name is Cato.
We arranged to meet the other
night, but he never arrived.
-I need to know why.
-I don't look for lazy lovers.
And I don't pay
to have them found.
My rate's 150 sesterces a day
plus expenses.
You rate is 100 a day.
I'll pay you 200, plus
a cash advance of six days.
Have we finished
talking about money now?
Possibly. But there are
other things I'd need to know,
starting with your name.
From what I hear,
you need the extra 100 a day
far more than you need
to know my name.
So let's just leave it
at Helena for now, shall we?
DRIVER: Halt!
It appears we've arrived.
I'll have the money
sent over to your office
along with a small bust of Cato,
so you'll know his likeness.
I haven't said
I'll take the job.
You haven't said you won't.
And Falco, thank you for
sparing the necks of my men.
But cross me in this and I won't
be as generous with yours.
FALCO: "Let's leave it
at Helena for now," eh?
She was the essence
of Rome itself.
Beautiful, rich,
and very dangerous.
But then, turning down
200 sesterces a day...
So which to choose?
An omen might be handy now,
some sign to point the way.
(CLATTERING)
Finally! Why should I
worry myself warning you
if you're too damn drunk
to take notice?
I wasn't drunk, Lenia.
I was contemplating.
Well, you better start
contemplating the pair
that's on their way up
to see you now.
Because one of them's big enough
to stand across the harbor
and pee all the way
to the palace!
FALCO: The landlord!
I'd been dodging his goons, not to
mention the rent, for months now.
And if he couldn't get
anything out of my pocket,
I knew he'd be just as glad to have some
cheap gladiator pound it out off my hide.
FALCO: (SHOUTING ANGRILY)
It doesn't matter to me,
Falco, if you are dying of leprosy!
You can rot in Hades,
for all I care!
But before you go, you'll pay me
every cent you owe me,
or my name is not
Germanicus Festus!
(COUGHING DRAMATICALLY)
Ugh!
You looking for Falco?
You'll find him in there, or what's
left of him. I wouldn't get too close.
He's got the Big L,
poor bastard. Ooh!
-It's you again!
-Says who?
Since you already know this Falco,
maybe you should tell him
that we've been sent by
Senator Garrus to pay his bill.
Pay his bill?
What are you talking about?
He's paying me off
with a gladiator?
That trans-Tiberian snake.
Our deal was for cash!
It's not for you, Master Germanicus.
He belongs to Falco now.
-This is Falco.
-You're damn right it is.
And this Marcus Didius Falco
does not buy, sell
or own anyone,
especially gladiators.
But this is Justus. Everyone
comes to see him fight.
No, I'll tell you what this is.
This is a tax shelter.
Or a nasty ploy to keep him away
from his prowling wife, Livia.
Either way,
I'm having no part of it.
Take him back!
I... I can't.
Damn it, boy!
You're a slave, aren't you?
I'm ordering you
to take him back!
Don't beat me, Master Falco,
I beg you,
but it's too late now. Master
Garrus has already gone.
Gone? Gone where?
To the estate in the country
for the grape harvest.
But he should be back
in a month or so.
(SHOUTING) A month?
And what am I supposed to do
with this beast for a month?
What a slum!
What'd you say, Thracian?
I said, better to die with honor
in the arena this morning
than to end up
in a place like this!
(ENUNCIATING)
And don't call me "Thracian."
FALCO: If this was
the omen I'd asked for,
then I was sorry I'd asked.
-Good fight, Justus!
-Nice, Justus.
WOMAN: Justus!
MAN: Hail Justus!
-Justus!
-Justus!
You are working in a bath house?
I do not work in a bath house!
I have an office here.
It's a little arrangement
I have with the local magistrate
for keeping an eye on his mistress.
Something you wouldn't understand.
Niobe!
NIOBE: Get off!
MAN: Oh!
Mesopotamians.
They're all the same.
See a Nubian,
think they own her!
Yeah, well, I suspect you've
cleansed him of that idea.
-Now, talk to me, please.
-Your mother wants to see you.
-(GROANS) -One of your nephews
run away from home again.
-Curio, I think.
-Oh, Hades!
And Flavius sent a tip
on today's chariots.
Go for the Blues
in the fourth race.
Oh, and then
there's a swell pair
who've been lurking in the
corner since we opened.
Something tells me they're
waiting for you to show up.
Oh, them. They're here to give
me 1,200 sesterces in cash.
Mmm-hmm. And I'm
Cleopatra, queen of the Nile.
More likely they're here
to slash you open.
No, that's next time.
Still, I don't think a bit
of size in the room would hurt.
Hey, Justus! This way.
Justus?
Great mother of Isis! Justus!
(NIOBE GIGGLING)
You're Justus!
And you're here!
I never miss you fights.
Never.
Uh, Drago, Savilla, Triton!
I saw you kill them all.
And yesterday, when Ajax
caught you with his net,
I thought I would die!
But the way you sprang back,
incredible!
Oh, Falco, I can't believe it!
This is Justus!
Yes, I've heard, Niobe.
He fights like a god.
Snores like one, too, which is another
reason why I'm not keeping him.
Not keeping him?
You talk like you own him.
That's right. I now own the most
feared fighter in the whole of Rome.
So if you motherless curs
have some business here,
I suggest you attend to it
pretty quick.
You go and tell your Lady Helena
I'll consider her offer.
I said go.
I need you to follow those two,
find out which house they belong to.
Then I'll have some idea
of who I'm up against here.
You mist have had some night!
Take what I owe you, and put
another hundred or so on...
The Blues in the fourth race.
But I don't understand...
I'll explain later.
Now go, girl! Go!
(GIGGLES)
FALCO: So this was the Cato
she wanted me to find, eh?
He didn't look like
he was worth 1,200 sesterces.
But then who does?
The truth was, I'd already
decided not to take the job,
whatever that Helena
was willing to pay for him.
But the cash
would tide me over,
at least until I could hand
this behemoth back to Garrus
or my luck improved
at the chariot races.
-(MEN GRUNTING)
-MAN: Pull, damn you! Keep going!
Do it, slave! Now pull!
-Now where did I put that...
-Looking for this?
No, I wasn't.
And I'll thank you for keeping your
big mitts off my business, understand?
It's your nephew, isn't it?
Considering the size of my family,
anything's possible.
No, this is doubtless
some high-born brat
with too much time,
too much money
and just enough sense to
make a mess of both of them.
And you're not looking
for him?
Not if I can help it, no.
And you're getting
paid for this?
I know it lacks the simplicity of
butchering someone for sport.
I don't fight for sport.
And I don't go looking
for more trouble than I need.
So what do you do if
you're not dying of leprosy?
I try not to die
of anything else,
like asking questions that are
better left unanswered.
Nero.
Two-thumbs-down emperor,
every single time.
-You knew him?
-Worse.
He knew me.
(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)
It's Falco.
(WOMEN GASPING)
WOMEN: Justus!
WOMAN: Hi, Justus!
Falco, you rude
Republican.
We've had three emperors
since last you came to see me.
My angel Cornelia,
let's not talk emperors.
I just saw the ghost of one
haunting your neighborhood
and I can still feel
his eyes on me.
And who is that?
-A long story.
-I can't wait to hear it.
Another time. Right now, I need a
small favor and a few quick answers.
(INAUDIBLE)
I'll see to it the word
gets out on your nephew.
And don't worry, if he's anywhere
on the streets of Rome,
we'll know it by nightfall.
The palace spies would
envy your reach, Cornelia.
Are you sure you don't mind
looking after Colossus here?
I'd take him
to my mother's place,
but knowing her, she'd want
to adopt him into the family.
(CHUCKLES)
With what my girls
have to face most nights,
I should be paying you
for the privilege.
Oh, but I do miss you, Falco.
And right now, I'd kill for a
decent conversation with a man
who wasn't always trying to impress
me with his least impressive parts.
If not for the comforts
I could offer you,
just come back and talk,
won't you?
I promise.
-Falco!
-(WOMEN EXCLAIMING SADLY)
You're not gonna leave me
with these women?
I told you, I don't sell people,
if that's your concern.
You're a shade conspicuous
for my line of work,
and while they're not exactly
the Vestal Virgins,
you should be thrilled with
the prospect of Justus for all.
I'd rather see Rome.
What do you mean, you'd
rather see Rome? This is Rome!
You've been fighting here
for years!
I've been fighting
in the arena for years.
And during all that time, you've
never been through the city?
Until last night, just Casca's
gladiator school, the arena,
nowhere else.
Nowhere?
Not even to visit someone?
I had to kill everyone I know.
FALCO: On second thought, maybe it was
better to keep an eye on this bruiser
before he killed
somebody I knew!
Well, since
he whole of Rome's seen you,
I suppose you've earned the
chance to see part of Rome.
But the it's straight back to Casca's
school until I sort this out with Garrus.
-By your honor?
-By my honor.
Then let's go. I want to get this nephew
of mine off the streets by nightfall.
And try not to look so big.
PETRO: A list of convictions awaits
your sentencing, Lord Pertinax.
-Crime?
-Tax evasion.
(INHALES PENSIVELY)
Have him
drawn and quartered.
Next!
Helping an escaped slave.
Burned. Alive. In public.
-Writing graffiti on the palace?
-Disembowelment.
-Christian.
-Lions.
-Christian?
-Lions!
-Christian.
-(SIGHS FORCEFULLY)
Lions.
Stealing food.
Death by starvation.
I know this last man.
He's a veteran, sir.
We fought together
in the Carthage campaign.
He's a good man.
Just fallen on hard times
and needed to feed his family.
I see!
Well, I suppose
there's no harm
in showing a little mercy
to our boys in bronze.
Strike death by starvation
and just hang him.
Yes, sir.
All hail the Emperor,
Vespasian Caesar!
Uh, come, come, Petro,
is this going to take all day?
I have far more
important things to do
than dispose of Rome's refuse.
PETRO: Yes, sir. Here it is.
Treason against the state.
Treason, eh?
I want that one crucified
in the Valley of Death.
(PEOPLE GROANING)
Falco, wait! This place!
Not exactly the Forum, I know.
Since we looked
all over this city...
No one's seen anything of my nephew
lately. I thought we should look here.
The Valley of Death.
Maybe you know more
about this city than you claim.
I only know,
when I lose in the arena,
this is where I end up.
Hail Simplex,
ruler of the valley!
Who calls me "ruler"?
Why not "king" or "emperor"?
Why not "god of the valley"?
'Cause it's late,
I'm in a bad mood,
and it's gonna cost me
no matter what I call you.
So let's get down to
business, shall we?
Oh, it's Falco, is it?
And a gladiator!
I don't like gladiators.
It takes four slaves to lift them,
and they smolder for days.
But you mention business.
A young soul. Twenty-five
to look, 80 if you find him.
Forty to look,
100 if we find him.
It's games week.
What with the crowds and the arena,
I've got everyone
on overtime.
Thirty-five and 90.
Or we leave him in peace, and I spend
your money on a sacrifice instead.
Nobody cheats death
like you, Falco.
-Who we looking for?
-Teenage boy, maybe 15.
If he's here,
he won't have been here
for long.
-Teenage boy, 15! Find him!
-Yeah.
No! No! No! No!
-Take it easy, Justus!
-No! No!
Justus! Calm down!
-FALCO: You knew this man?
-Ajax. We fought yesterday.
-A friend.
-We were all friends.
We trained together, we ate together.
Brothers of the Sword, they call us.
We know the day to fight
will come.
But to end up here like dogs?
Who would kill his own brother for that?
In Rome, you'd be surprised.
Then take me back
to Casca's school.
I've seen enough of your Rome.
FALCO: Don't tell me this trained
killer actually had a conscience!
This city never lacked
for wonders,
but Justus here was proving
to be a new one, even for me.
Put that impressive dagger away
and tell me, O god of the valley,
how much to see this Ajax
gets a decent burial?
Decent burial?
For a gladiator?
How much, damn you?
Well, what with mourners,
masks, musicians,
a plot in the temple grounds,
I couldn't touch it
for less than 400 sesterces.
-Done.
-Cash in advance!
You can come by and get it
tomorrow morning.
Just make sure
you treat him gently.
I'm told
he was a man of honor.
Move!
Well, if I can take 1,200 sesterces
for a job I don't want,
what's a few of them to see your friend
safely across the River Styx?
SIMPLEX: Falco! Wait!
You are in rare luck,
my friend.
I think we've found your boy.
-Oh, no.
-Your nephew?
Guess again.
It's Cato.
(DOG BARKING)
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
(POUNDING ON DOOR)
Helena! What's happening?
It's nothing, Father.
I'll see to it.
-Go back to bed, please.
-Yes, do that, Senator Verus.
This nothing of ours would be of little
concern to a man of your reputation.
You insolent commoner.
How dare you come to
my father's house like this?
I warned you, Falco.
I'll have your head on a platter.
Save your sweet talk for your
father or your husband, Helena Justina.
I'm only here to finish our business,
if we ever had any.
Found Cato? Where?
Your plaything's right here,
but I warn you,
he was carried in
and he'll be carried out.
-Cato!
-(CLATTERING)
I'd offer my condolences,
but I'm sure you'd prefer the balance of
your money back. It'll be here by morning.
No, your work is not finished.
Oh, no? He was your lover,
you dispose of him.
Cato wasn't my lover.
He was my brother.
And I want to know
who killed him.
-Who says he was murdered?
-Don't toy with me, Falco!
Then do the same
for me, Lady.
You conceal your name when you come
from one of Rome's most famous families,
and your husband, Pertinax,
sits beside the Emperor Vespasian
as head
of the Praetorian Guard,
who could, with one single word,
turn this city inside-out
to find your brother's killer.
So why soil your patrician hands with me?
Because the Emperor and my husband
now have enemies too numerous to count.
Even the hint of a scandal would
be seized upon to discredit them.
And if you're shrewd enough to find
my brother and bring him here,
then you know
what I'm saying is true!
Maybe.
But on your side of the Tiber, the truth
can change more often than your clothes.
Hate me
if it suits you, Falco.
And I won't pretend
to like you.
But as a wife, I must protect
my family and my husband.
And what man could ask more
from a wife than that?
Pertinax, my lord!
What is this midnight meeting that now
requires me to seek my wife's protection?
Cato has been killed.
Killed?
Or was it murder?
I do not know.
When I noticed Cato's bed had
not been touched for two nights,
I grew worried.
So I engaged this freeborn,
Falco, to look for him.
The rest is
as you see.
Falco, is it?
Tell me everything you know
about this now
or so help me, you'll curse the day
you were ever given a tongue.
I only know we found him in the valley
from which none of us returns.
Have you been paid
for your trouble, citizen?
Generously.
Then we need trouble you
no longer for your services.
But I warn you...
No warning is needed, Praetor.
My lips are as silent
as the boy's.
See that it stays that way.
You may go.
(METAL WHOOSHING)
-SULLA: Jump to your left!
-(SWORDS CLANGING)
Don't you know
which one's your left?
Keep your shield up! Up!
Idiots! Kill him!
-I said kill him! Don't you...
-GLADIATOR: Fight! Fight!
There's Sulla.
No, no! Not like that, you pathetic
son of Stupidicus! The weapon!
Always keep your eyes
on the weapon!
Your master, Casca.
I need to speak with him. Where is he?
Where he always is.
Wedged behind a plate.
Or a dozen of them.
He's over there.
This won't take long.
Well, well, well.
I told you he'd be back.
Not much good a trained baboon
like you out there is good for.
I've seen better than you,
Sulla. That's enough.
You don't say!
And he's learned
how to answer back, too!
-(GRUNTS)
-(MEN LAUGHING)
What's this? Don't tell me
you've already forgotten how to fight.
Three hundred sesterces
a day just to board him?
You don't just board a
thoroughbred like Justus, Falco.
If you expect him
to retain his value,
there's food, training sessions,
baths, massages, more food...
And if you want women for him,
that's extra,
though Garrus never did.
You mean to tell me that Justus
has never been with a woman?
(CHUCKLING) Never.
(COUGHS NOISILY)
Garrus thinks it saps
the killer instinct.
Now, if you intend to
sell him back to the Senator,
then you better see
it stays this way, too, huh?
Can you believe they have
the nerve to call these
"door mice in honey sauce"?
MAN 1: Wow! What is that?
MAN 2: All right! Hey!
(MEN JEERING)
(MEN WHISTLING)
SULLA: Her name's Druida.
She's supposed to be
the fiercest woman in the Empire.
(GROANS)
(SULLA LAUGHING GLEEFULLY)
(GRUNTS SAVAGELY)
Get out of here.
We're leaving.
Believe me, I'd love to keep you in
the manner to which you're accustomed,
but at Casca's prices,
I can't even afford for us to be
standing around here. Now, come on.
(PAN FLUTE MUSIC PLAYING)
JUSTUS: Have you ever seen
a woman gladiator before?
A woman gladiator?
Well, every freak in the Empire is
displayed here sooner or later,
I mean, three-headed dogs,
twins joined at the hips,
but no, I can't say
I've seen one of those.
An extraordinary idea, though.
But I'm sure when your time comes,
there'll be plenty of Roman women
willing to have you.
-"Extraordinary." That's a good word,
yes? -Yeah.
A good word,
but not enough to save a skin
if my landlord or bookie
gets a hold of me.
Yeah, but I could help you
with them.
(LAUGHS) You could help me?
By doing what, exactly?
-Killing them?
-It doesn't have to get to it, but...
Listen. In the first place,
I am not your master.
In the second,
I don't go around having people
beaten up or murdered.
(SIGHS) Gladiators!
And do something
with your hair.
What's with the Gaius getup?
Things didn't work out
at Casca's school, eh?
And you can stop looking
so pleased about it, too.
Well, if you want a foul face
to look at, try Simplex's.
He's here to collect
for last night.
Don't tell me you left him
to wait in the office!
Well, I wasn't about to have the King
of Death leer at me till you got back.
Oh, perfect! That necrophiliac
drinks like a fish!
I'll be lucky if he's left me
enough wine to souse a gnat.
What did I tell you?
Why don't you finish this?
By the time Garrus gets back, you'll
have consumed everything I have anyway.
(GENTLY) Simplex.
(INSISTENTLY) Simplex.
Before you thank me for saving your
life, it might just interest you to know
that our old friend Simplex
there isn't drunk, he's dead.
Search the city if need be,
but I want my dagger found.
It has a three-sided blade
and a snake on the handle.
-Understand?
-Yes, sir.
If there's anything you need from the
Praetorians, Domitian, you need only ask.
It was nothing, Pertinax.
I misplaced something, that's all.
But of course.
I, too, am distracted
by the tragic murder of my
wife's younger brother, Cato.
You two were close,
were you not?
Is it true that you were together
the night that he was stabbed?
What are you saying?
Only that you must
never forget
that your father is
the Emperor now.
And everything you do will be
scrutinized by his enemies,
anxious for any excuse
to tear him from the throne.
Now, I've sworn my life
to protect you both.
But I can only do that
if I have your absolute trust.
There can be nothing hidden
between us, Domitian.
Do you understand?
I do.
And you have my trust,
Pertinax. I swear it.
Good.
Then we will go together
to Cato's funeral tonight
and share our grief. Yes?
(SIGHS)
That woman gladiator,
the one I sent for,
the one who's sworn to try and
kill the Emperor.Is she in Rome now?
-Yes, sir.
-Excellent.
We'll just have to see Domitian
gives her that chance, won't we?
And that character, Falco,
-has he been seen, too?
-Yes, sir.
What a perfect day
this is becoming.
And still so early yet.
-Poison? -The wine was cheap.
It wasn't that deadly.
You sure you don't recall seeing
anyone strange lurking around?
In this bath house? Strange?
Please!
Well, someone's anxious to see
me shipped into the next world.
-Your landlord, maybe?
-Never get paid if I was dead.
And poison's more the modus
operandi of the rich. No.
Six-to-five says
this is about Cato's murder.
This is an awfully fine
piece of steel
for the likes of Simplex
to be toting around.
-Juba the Elder made that.
-Oh, really?
Just one glance and you can tell
who made this, just like that, eh?
I may not know much, Falco,
but I know weapons.
And that's Juba's.
Falco, you think it's
the knife that killed Cato?
I think we better find out
before it ends up poking out of me.
(WATER RUNNING)
Does your work always have
this many dead bodies?
You should talk. Besides, there's
a lot you can find out from a corpse
if you know how to ask.
What do you want?
I heard you're the best mortician
in Rome, so I came to see for myself.
Best, worst,
it's all the same to them now,
from where I stand.
FALCO: What happened to him?
Someone decided he looked better
with a knife in his guts.
His name's Cato.
Couldn't have been much of a fight.
I don't see many bruises.
Haven't you heard?
The rich don't bruise in Rome.
-What about yours? -Drank himself
to death. Will that cost more?
(SNORTS) If you have to ask
the price, you can't afford it.
What are you gawking at, bull?
Your face.
A reward from my master
for trying to escape.
Pretty, isn't it?
Now I'm only fit to work in here, where
the patrons aren't easily offended.
Seen enough yet
to decide, citizen?
FALCO: The rich may not bruise
in Rome,
but the dead usually do.
Mmm! Now, Cato, where did you
manage to pick up a tattoo like that?
So quit stalling
and get on with it, Falco.
Not that I was any too keen
to make this match,
but I had one
three-sided blade
and one three-sided wound.
What'd he say?
"Seen enough yet, citizen?"
(PEOPLE MOANING)
They say you haven't lived till you've
been to a real funeral in Rome.
And if there was any place to find
out who buried that knife in Cato,
this was it, all right.
Besides, I thought Justus might appreciate
a look at how the other half dies.
Is this what you had him do
for Ajax?
Give or take
50,000 sesterces.
Now, I want you
to keep an eye out for...
People who aren't
where they're supposed to be.
-Right, Falco?
-Petro!
And I though you were off crushing
heads on the Judean front.
When I can stay here in Rome
and hope for a chance to crush yours?
Along with your Thracian slave
I've been hearing about.
Not that I could ever limit the
scope of your ignorance, Petro,
but he's not my slave.
He's merely temporary
collateral for a loan.
And don't call him "Thracian."
I'll call him an ox's ass
if it suits me.
And if you're half as smart
as you think you are,
you'll stay away from
the murder of this young Cato.
(IN MOCK SURPRISE) Murder?
Justus and I are simply casting
about for my missing nephew
and marveling at just how much
it costs the rich to say goodbye.
Spare me the stale air, Falco.
You're out of your class this time.
Way out.
It's Praetorian Guard business now.
Come on, Justus!
Let's allow this Captain of the Guard
to get back to his true calling.
Directing traffic.
Just don't say
you weren't warned, Falco.
FALCO: Hmm! Now here was
a new face in the crowd.
And it was clear nobody had to
teach her how to make an entrance.
So what, then?
A friend of the family, maybe?
A friend of Cato's?
Or maybe the only girl in town who can
get you a swell snake's-head tattoo.
-JUSTUS: Who is she?
-I have no idea.
But something tells me
it's past time to find out.
Take my advice, Justus.
You keep away from women like that.
I tell you, if I ever get out of here,
I'm gonna chuck this lousy racket
and I'm gonna paint frescoes
for a living.
(FALCO EXCLAIMS)
-(WHIP CRACKING)
-(MAN SHOUTING ORDERS)
MAN: Pull!
Falco?
MAN: Move forward!
(WHIP CRACKING)
(SPEAKING LATIN)
Say hello
to the goddess Cybele.
A hot ticket among religions
right now.
Though given the way men and
women crave to jump on each other,
I can't imagine
how a fertility cult can fail.
Why, that little
filthy-necked nose-wiper!
-The priestess?
-Worse. The nephew.
Just wait here. I've suddenly got
some family business to attend to.
And what's my little sister
going to say
when she finds out that her precious
darling left home to scrub floors?
-Uncle Falco!
-That's right, Uncle Falco,
who hasn't had a bath
in two days
because he's been combing
the hills of Rome looking for you!
I am sworn to Cybele now.
Why? So you can play
with some pretty girl here
in the name
of practicing fertility?
The boy has joined us
of his own free will.
He belongs to the cult now.
Unfortunately, he already
belongs to a cult.
Namely, my family.
And I think we hold
prior claim.
As I said,
these grounds are sacred.
Don't make me summon the Guard
to prove it.
FALCO: Amazing how fast a temple
full of beauties can suddenly turn ugly.
But the odds were in her favor
now, and she knew it.
Let's say we forget
about the law
and I make an offer
to the eternal Cybele of, say,
mmm,
400 sesterces,
so that Curio here can go home to
reconsider the depth of his devotion?
Keep your money.
The goddess puts no price
on so constant a soul as...
Curio. His name's Curio.
Do you wish to remain in the embrace
of our divine Cybele, Curio?
Yes, I do.
Then the matter is settled.
Well, it does appear that Curio
has found religion after all.
-My apologies to the goddess.
-Apology accepted.
But lest
you judge us unfairly,
Uncle Falco,
please, come
to our ceremonies.
The castration ritual
can be most elevating.
FALCO: Funny, it was already
having just the opposite effect on me.
"Keep your money," she says?
I do not trust people who won't
take a decent bribe when it's offered.
And what's she doing with her own
pack of Praetorian Guards, anyway?
I tell you,
something stinks in there,
and it's not just that nitwit
of a nephew of mine.
-GIRLS: Justus!
-(MAN GREETING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
-GIRLS: Justus! -Do you mind
not drawing a crowd right now?
I'm trying to concentrate
on business.
I'm sorry, Falco.
I didn't want to be rude.
Of course not!
A rude gladiator?
Perish the thought!
And what's that thing you're
waving around out there, anyway?
-One of the girls gave that to me.
-Let me see that.
(SNIFFS)
-You know what it is?
-Not for certain,
but it could be the source of
that nasty smell back there.
Nasty enough to sour my wine
and send old Simplex straight to Hades?
Hey, scribe!
Now, I gotta go and see
Juba the Elder about that dagger.
I want you to take that route
to Egnatius the Expensive.
He's a Greek doctor.
You'll find him at the Insula Tibernia.
He'll know what it is. Now,
here's the address,
and the directions.
And if he tries to charge you
more than 80 sesterces,
you have my permission
to operate on him hard.
-Falco, I can't go alone.
-Well, why not? What do you mean?
-Well, aren't you afraid I might escape?
-(LAUGHING) Escape?
Listen, if you wanted to escape, Justus,
there's nothing I could do about it.
On my own? No.
I don't know the city like you do.
That's right, and that's why
I've written out the directions.
-I know, but...
-What in Hera's hothouse is the problem?
(SOFTLY) I can't read.
Well, that's not
an incurable condition!
Hey, if you can learn to
fight, you can learn to write.
And now I just want you
to take this and ask around.
And with all the fans you got,
who's gonna steer you wrong?
And, if it gets
towards nightfall,
then I'll meet you
back at the apartment.
-Should it take that long?
-With a doctor? Please.
Now off you go.
Justus? Yeah, that way.
Gladiators.
Hail Juba the Elder, man of Roman
steel if ever there was one.
FALCO: I didn't know
if he'd buy it,
but I told Juba
a rather juicy story
of how I had to grab
this fancy knife
on my way out of another man's
bedroom window.
For protection, of course.
(STEAM HISSING)
But since I was too drunk at the time
to recall his lovely wife's name,
or her address,
for that matter,
maybe he could clue me in
so I could quietly have it returned
without anyone
being the wiser.
I know who holds
every weapon made here.
Just show it to me and we'll soon
have the cuckold's name. (LAUGHS)
(GASPS)
(CHUCKLING NERVOUSLY)
You're mistaken. It's not my work.
-Of course it is! Look!
-I tell you it's not!
-Now take it and go!
-MAN: All hail Captain Petronius!
Turn! Turn!
Ah, Captain Petronius!
Messenger-boy Petronius,
you mean.
You know Domitian has had me
all over this city,
twice,
looking for his damn dagger?
Ah! One day, and all of Rome.
So before he has me shipped
to the Judean front over this,
do us a favor
and make him another one.
Dagger?
What dagger would that be?
You know, the fancy one with the eagle
swallowing the snake carved on the handle.
He'll never know
the difference.
And if you whip
your slaves enough,
I'll bet you can finish it
by nightfall tomorrow.
-What do you say, Juba?
-I, uh...
(CLEARS THROAT NERVOUSLY)
I thought you'd never come.
I wonder,
does your wife ever kiss you like this?
-(LAUGHING)
All I ever wanted from that
woman was her royal name,
so that when the moment comes,
the Senate will have no choice
but to confirm me.
So you don't plan to keep her?
Not her,
not her father,
not even her kitchen slaves will be
kept alive once I'm on the throne.
It's a pity
she couldn't join us in this.
She's so pretty.
(LAUGHING)
FALCO: Knowing I'd most likely
be dead within the week,
I'd gone back to the office
to start drinking my way to it
when guess
who was waiting there for me,
and just brimming
with questions, too.
HELENA: This is not the knife
that killed Cato.
I'll wager it is.
Which reminds me,
I wonder how the Blues did
in the fourth race yesterday.
Damn you, Falco,
whose knife is this?
Domitian's. Perhaps you know him?
He's the Emperor's son.
-Domitian? -A piece of information
I could well have lived without.
-Falco, I never told you...
-You never told me half what you knew
when you dragged me into this,
which is more than enough now
to have me killed.
I admit I've been
cautious with you.
Maybe too much.
But we've had four emperors
in the last year alone.
The power in Rome shifts
faster than the wind.
Then go tell your husband.
His sails are more than full just now.
That's not as simple
as you might think.
And why not?
My marriage to Pertinax is one
of politics, not romance.
His loyalty is to the Emperor,
not to me.
That is why I still need you to find
out why Domitian would do this.
You hear that, gods?
My life's not enough.
She wants more.
Domitian and Cato were
friends, Falco.
If he killed him, I need to know if
my whole family is now in danger.
Perhaps the High Priestess Saleena
can answer that for you.
So you know
about the cult, then.
Enough to detest it.
And now your brother's
mixed up in it.
He only joined because
Domitian asked him to.
And that's all I know.
So how much will it take
to keep you on this?
You can keep your money.
I don't want it.
Then what do you want?
Because I still
need you, Falco.
And I've seen enough men to know
that, even in the face of death,
they all want something.
And what could you imagine
I'd want?
Me.
(CHUCKLES)
You're not serious.
Even if you despise me, Falco,
the thought of commanding a woman of
my rank to fulfill your every pleasure,
it must arouse something.
Did once.
But she left a scar on my
heart that's yet to heal.
Afraid you won't
enjoy it, then?
I'm more afraid I will.
We belong
to different worlds, Lady.
And I've strayed
too far from mine as it is.
You're not the only one
with a family to protect here.
So you won't do it,
even to have me?
I'll have the contents
of this jar,
and then try to forget
that I ever saw you.
I'm sorry for us both, Falco.
And sorrier still for Rome.
FALCO: Sorry for Rome?
To offer herself like that could only
mean she was more deceptive
or more desperate
than I thought.
But why for Rome?
The truth was, the man in me
was already regretting
that I would never have
the pleasure of finding out.
(SNORING SOFTLY)
(GRUNTS GROGGILY)
MAN 1: Every room!
MAN 2: This way! This way!
MAN 1: Through here!
MAN 2: Those to the right!
FALCO: Oh, Petro,
it's too early for this!
Gods, I hate to flee
with a hangover.
(POTTERY SHATTERING)
(CLATTERING)
No doubt they'd already torn
through my apartment by now,
so there was no point
heading back there.
So which way to head, Falco?
-(WHIP CRACKS)
-(GROANS)
Falco!
Just like that bastard Nero to come
back from his grave to finish me off.
...cannot be disturbed!
Go away!
Don't tell me Lady Helena
cannot be disturbed, woman!
Or I'll show you
what "disturbed" can mean!
It's all right, Camilla.
Tell Falco these are the last
of these intrusions I will tolerate.
Falco's been arrested.
I no longer see how
that's any concern of mine.
You got him into this!
He was working for you!
I had nothing to do
with his arrest.
Then at least tell us
where they've taken him.
We've been to the Tullanium Jail.
He's not there.
Your husband is commander of the Guard,
Lady. Surely you can give us that much.
I have nothing to tell you.
Please leave this house now.
Come on, Justus.
We're wasting our time here.
You should help him.
What did you say?
Justus, don't.
You should help Falco.
You realize, slave, I could have you
killed for even speaking to me like that.
Then have me killed.
But please tell her
where to find Falco.
How long has Falco owned you?
Two days.
And already you would sacrifice your
life for even the chance to spare his?
Why is that?
Answer me!
I cannot say
what Falco does or is,
but I know I have never met
anyone like him.
I will make inquiries
with the Guard.
Now go quickly, before this fit of
madness passes and I return to my senses.
(CROWD CHEERING)
FALCO: Given my profession, I
assumed my end would be a violent one.
But I always thought the animals that got
me would be at least be vaguely human.
-(MOANING IN TERROR) -That cross!
Are you one of those Christians?
When I'm not a prostitute.
Some of my best friends
are prostitutes.
(GRUNTING)
This Jesus fellow,
they say that when he was crucified,
he rose from the grave and walked again.
Is that right?
Do you believe in this Jesus?
Yes. I do. (SOBBING)
-(ROARING)
-(WOMEN SHRIEKING)
Calm yourself, child.
When the time comes,
I'll go out there with you.
And I'll stand in front, and after
they've tasted my stringy hide,
well, maybe
they'll lose their appetite.
(TRUMPETS HERALDING)
Lady Helena, so where's Falco?
He's here.
Falco's to be thrown to the lions
when the games begin within the hour.
(CROWD CHEERING)
Is there no way
we can get to him below?
Wait here.
(INAUDIBLE)
MAN: Keep moving!
What did you tell those guards
to get us through?
I told them I had a taste for
gladiators before they went to fight.
What man could be more passionate than
one that knows this time may be his last?
Is that true?
We'd best split up
to look for him.
MAN: You there! Move!
(SCOTTISH ACCENT) Hand me a sword
and I'll give you something to stare at,
you Roman pig!
You already gave me something.
And I'm not Roman.
Then you're a Roman slave.
It's all the same to me.
I was a slave.
Oh, and what are you now, eh?
A senator?
I don't know.
I move like a freeborn,
but my master is in here.
Then run while you can, fool!
Before these monsters eat you
the way they devour everything.
Escape back
where you came from.
Now!
I don't know where that is.
MAN: Bring
the woman gladiator!
Quickly, tell me,
who you gonna fight now?
I think they call him Atticus.
Then listen.
Atticus likes to slash high,
but only strikes low.
If he does it, he leaves
an opening right here.
MAN: Bring her now!
-MAN: Come on!
-(DRUIDA GRUNTING)
I found
where they're keeping Falco,
and Lady Helena's gone
to clear us a way out.
But there's a problem
with keys.
You! Come on, move! Move!
-Don't you start or I'll beat you!
Now move! -Sulla!
SULLA: Pull now! Pull! Pull!
Get going! Move, you!
Move! Come on! Get going!
-Scream!
-(SCREAMING)
(SCREAMING)
I always wanted to do that.
Here. Go!
(CROWD CHEERING)
(DRUIDA ROARING)
It's a pity your father
wasn't here in time to see this.
She's incredible, isn't she?
An absolute Amazon!
Where's she from?
Britannia, I think.
Of course, there's the palace
banquet to culminate the games.
Oh, yes, of course!
If she survives here, we could have
her fight there as a gift to Vespasian.
We can get whoever
owns her to sell her to us.
I don't see
how they could refuse you.
Excellent.
Then it's settled.
Niobe! What are you
doing here?
Freeing you!
Freeing all of you!
-You're insane, girl.
-No! It's a miracle.
Oh, bless you, Falco!
Bless you!
Visit me whenever you want.
No charge.
Neither of you will get the chance
if you don't go quickly.
Apparently the threat of death doesn't
prevent you from enjoying street whores.
What you saw was an expression
of Christian gratitude.
And what are you doing here,
anyway?
I'm still asking myself
the same question.
-(TRUMPETS HERALDING)
-(CROWD CHEERING)
Goodbye, Falco.
(CLATTERING)
MAN: Come on, move!
MAN: Come, to your cell!
(GRUNTING)
Sulla!
-(GROANING GROGGILY)
-Here!
(MOANING)
MAN: Sound the alarm!
(HORN BLOWING)
-Justus!
-Justus?
You mean Justus
was a part of this?
Well, he was most of this.
And he was
right behind me, but...
Then they'll kill him
for sure.
I'll need this,
I'll need that.
Now, you go on.
I'll meet you later.
Well, where? They'll be
at the office, at your place...
Then at Mother's. Now go on.
Halt!
Hold it! Where do you think
you're going, slave?
(LISPING EFFEMINATELY)
There you are, you disobedient animal, you!
-MAN: What?
-Bad, bad, bad!
Well, don't just stand there
like idiots!
Tie his hands!
I'm taking this one
straight home
to see he gets
the whipping he deserves.
Now, get along,
you wretched ox,
before I really lose
my temper.
Go on!
And take it from me, boys,
never own a gladiator.
Bye!
(LAUGHTER)
Our Curio's gone and sworn
himself to the cult of Cybele.
And this time it's gonna take more than
some fast talking for me to get him back.
Aw, don't blame the boy.
He does something like this
every time his sister Lepida
gets divorced.
What, again? That's
number four for her, isn't it?
(ALL CHUCKLING)
Now we know
why I never got married.
Our family's just not
good at it.
Oh, nonsense. I've had three
perfectly good marriages.
-Who's counting, Mama?
-Not you,
who won't have time
for even one wife
if you don't get yourself
out of this fire.
If only I knew whose fire.
Speaking of which,
but I wasn't,
did you ever find
that Greek doctor?
FALCO: So he called it
Mandragora, did he?
Yes.
Some sort of aphrodisiac,
isn't it?
Prepared in small doses, yes.
But mix enough of this with wine
and it can arouse one
clear into the next world.
First lions, and now poison.
No! I've heard enough to know it's time
you catch a ship to Africa or someplace
and disappear
while you still can.
-(DOOR CRASHES OPEN)
-(MEN GRUNTING)
-MAN: We found this soldier spying outside!
-(WOMAN SCREAMING)
(GRUNTS)
By all means find a ship
and book passage, Mother.
But if I can't stop
who's behind all this,
then it'll be our family that has
to flee Rome and not just me.
(PEOPLE CHATTERING SOFTLY)
CHILD: Good night, Uncle!
CHILD: Good night!
WOMAN: Good night.
This one make you
a bit edgy, does he?
It's not him. It's them.
You fear for your family
now, Falco.
Your mother, the children.
-I don't even fear for myself.
-You know nothing of your parents?
I was three, maybe younger,
when we were taken as slaves.
I don't remember anything.
I only know
I'm not from Thrace.
"So don't call me Thracian,"
right?
I don't have a past, Falco.
Everyone has a past, Justus.
It's just that finding your past
could be a bit tricky.
I mean, you were branded every time
you were sold, right? Let me have a look.
It's a small empire after all.
Flavius Glyco,
you old dog, you.
-Glyco?
-Yeah.
I was gonna pay him
a visit at sunrise.
If anyone can get me a lead
into that cult, Glyco can.
But he was a big wholesaler in the slave
trade until his wife made him give it up.
Couldn't keep from sampling
the female merchandise.
Anyway, I'm sure
that's his brand.
(INDISTINCT CHATTERING)
Politics gets ugly, the economy goes
bad, people turn back to religion.
And what with cults
like Cybele's,
I had to take on extra help
just to keep up with demand.
I saw the new temple of Cybele
the other day. Most impressive.
Ah, forget about the temple. You get
a look at that priestess, Saleena? Ooh!
What I wouldn't give
to pray at her altar.
How much can you tell me
about her, Glyco?
There's a rumor that she's been giving
the Emperor's son, Domitian,
a bit more than just,
uh, spiritual guidance.
He's a regular at all the ceremonies.
There's a big one there tonight.
Zeus overthrowing Cronus,
I think.
That's where all this lot
are going.
FALCO: Saleena and Domitian, eh?
What could she want with him?
He's still a boy.
Unless it's Zeus
overthrowing Cronus,
a royal son who hurls his father from
the throne to rule the gods himself.
And then little Domitian becomes
her puppet to rule Rome.
But why kill Cato?
So. Are you here to buy,
Falco, or just to browse?
I'm curious what you can
tell me about my man here.
-His birth, Glyco.
-His birth?
I'm a maskmaker, Falco,
not a soothsayer.
Don't need to be a soothsayer to
recognize your brand on him, Glyco.
My brand? Really?
It's so rare I get to see
one of those anymore.
Oh, the slaves!
Shiploads from every corner
of the Empire.
All colors, shapes and sizes.
They were the good old days.
May I see it?
-I hear he's from Thrace.
-No, this one's from Germania.
I always used to mark the Germans
with an extra little dot there. See?
Oh, fine specimen he grew into
too, eh?
Surely you can tell me more
than just where he comes from.
Well, I bought thousands
of Germanians
after the legions went in
to crush them.
There were quite a few
rather large boy children.
One of them might have been
the son of a local king,
but I'd have to check
the records to say for sure.
Why don't you do that, Glyco?
Why don't you check your records?
And I'll take a few
of these masks here now.
Oh, you will?
So what do I get out of all this?
If you're very lucky,
I won't tell your wife
about all the extra help
you've been getting.
Uh...
(CHUCKLES SPEECHLESSLY)
Helena! You can't be
going off at this hour!
I'm afraid I must. Someone may
have some information about Cato.
I seem to have caught you just in time.
Are you on your way out?
The Caligula
under the arena again?
Or is it the public baths?
Another rendezvous with
that irritating clod Falco?
Darling, if you really did have
to troll the sewers of Rome
to find yourself a savior,
surely you could do yourself
better than that!
-Pertinax, my lord...
-Spare me your hollow honorifics, wife.
I gave you a chance to rise
with me, but you refused.
Something to do with the
(INHALES SHARPLY)
dignitas of your
noble heritage, wasn't it?
Did you really think
that you could stop me?
Huh?
Madness!
-What now?
-Now?
You and your father will come
to the palace, and tomorrow,
you will sit beside me
at the Emperor's feast
with a smile
to charm the gods.
And if I refuse?
(CLICKS TONGUE)
I'll have your father's skin peeled
off his bones one layer at a time.
And you can watch.
Take them!
(LIVELY MUSIC PLAYING)
(ALL CHANTING)
FALCO: So the Priestess Saleena
and Domitian really are an item.
And maybe Cato finds out about their
plot to do away with Emperor Dad.
That's reason enough
to kill him, I suppose.
And even more to get my nephew
out of here by tonight!
You!
I just came to see,
did Atticus land many hits
on you before he fell?
Not enough to stop me.
But you were right about
that opening by his heart.
Good.
Wait!
Who are you?
You speak like a gladiator
but you come and go
like a freeborn.
I'm Justus from Germania.
Germania? That's just
across the Channel from Britain.
Oh, this Britain, is that
where your people are?
What's left of them after
those Roman butchers invaded.
They killed my family
and enslaved my tribe.
And I swore as their queen
to take revenge
on every Roman I could,
including their emperor
if ever I got the chance.
You were a queen?
All that's left of my reign
is the hate I bear for Rome.
I used to fight
from hate, too.
Hate of the whips,
the shackles.
Hate of everything
that told me I was a slave.
-And then?
-I saw that, in the end,
the haters always lose
in the arena. Hate blinds.
To win, a gladiator cannot let
anything cloud his view.
I gave up my hate to survive.
Let's see that bite I gave you.
You came here because you wanted me,
didn't you, Justus?
It's all right!
You not the first one to say
he's never been with a woman like me.
I have never been
with any woman.
I see.
You're afraid they might break
if you held them?
I know much about how to kill
and nothing about how to love.
You're not afraid of
hurting me, though, are you?
You could always fight back.
-But...
-Oh.
You're the only one I've met in Rome
who I don't want to fight.
You gave me Atticus
and I promised you nothing.
Now let what's left
of the queen in me
offer you something in return.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(PEOPLE CHANTING)
FALCO: I'd been to
a few wild bashes in my time,
but this Saleena gave the word
"decadence" a whole new meaning.
Your nephew, Falco.
Just think about your nephew.
(WHISPERING FIERCELY)
Come on! Come on! Get out here!
Mama! What do you think
you're doing here?
If that boy needs
a dangerous woman to obey,
I'm here to see he gets one!
I don't suppose any of you've seen a
woman with a mask like mine, have you?
-ALL: No.
-No? All right.
(ALL MOANING)
(CURIO GASPS IN SURPRISE)
And people say there's no fun
left in religion, eh, Curio?
(GRUNTING IN PAIN)
You see? I didn't break.
I'm still here.
-But you fought well.
-(CHUCKLES)
And if you fight like that in the arena,
I'm not surprised you've never lost.
(DOOR OPENING)
-(WHISPERING) You must go now!
-I paid you to leave us alone!
Then take your money back.
The Praetorians are here. They've
come to take her to the palace. Now!
The palace? Tonight?
She's been bought by
the Emperor's son, Domitian.
She fights before Vespasian
at his banquet tomorrow.
What opponent goes with her?
Right now she goes alone.
Please!
Druida, we can fight them together.
I know ships. You can escape...
-No!
-Please!
You got what you came for,
and now so must I.
Falco.
I came as soon as
Niobe found me.
She said something about
Lady Helena arrested.
When she didn't show up at the temple,
I went to her house.
Gods, I'm a fool.
I was so keen to stay out
of all this, I couldn't see
what was staring me
in the face.
And now, barring a miracle,
Pertinax is gonna crush us all.
Rome is a strange place, Falco.
Least you've learned that
before I'm gone.
Where else could a highborn
like Lady Helena
be kept as much a prisoner
as a slave queen?
What do you mean, a slave queen?
What slave queen?
Druida, the woman gladiator.
I was with her tonight before she
was taken to the palace, too.
You mean there really is
a female gladiator?
Yeah! You should see her
fight, Falco. She's very good.
And you were with her tonight?
It was extraordinary!
That's the right word, isn't it, Falco?
(EXHALES) I'm sure it is.
But what's this about her
being taken to the palace?
She's been bought by Domitian, and she
fights at the Emperor's banquet tomorrow.
But I fear she carries so much hate
she's going to try to kill him, too.
Gods of Olympus!
That's it! Justus!
I could kiss you.
No, thanks. I rather stick
with women for a while.
(ROOSTER CROWING)
It'll be daylight soon, and by then our
one chance to stop all this will be gone.
Quickly.
-(SIGHS) Falco.
-Petro.
You try throwing me
to the lions again,
-and this friendship's over.
-Look...
It's been 15 minutes
and he hasn't moved.
You weren't supposed
to hit him that hard.
Maybe I haven't given up
as much hate as I thought.
Don't panic, Petro!
I'm buying.
It was you I saw.
-Wasn't it?
-Yes, but you missed Justus.
(SIGHS)
How big a club
did he hit me with?
Never mind that now. We've got
more important things to talk about.
Listen, Falco,
about the lions,
I swear I didn't know.
Well, the only question seemed to be
how fast they could dispose of me.
I may not like
what you do, Falco,
but even I know you're not dumb enough
to murder a noble like Cato.
But since we both
know I was set up,
I'm prepared to offer you
the gamble of a lifetime.
Yeah? What are the stakes?
Well, you just might earn the eternal
gratitude of our new emperor.
-Or? -Or invite certain death.
Still willing to listen?
He'll listen.
FALCO: So here I was,
working like a fiend
to put my head smack in the jaws
of yet another emperor.
And though I knew the lives of
my family hung in the balance,
I had the curious feeling that I
was somehow doing this for Rome.
It's not that I admired
Vespasian,
but the thought of Pertinax taking
over in another bloody coup...
I guess there just
comes a time
when we must take that chance
for the good of everyone,
-even for a man like me.
-(SIGHS)
-Falco, everything's ready, but...
-I know.
A thousand things could go wrong,
and they probably will.
Which is why
I've prepared these.
Now, Niobe, you have become
so indispensable to me
that without you I shall probably get
lost on my way to the next world.
So you are welcome to
my apartment if you want it,
and whatever remains
of Helena's cash is yours.
Fortunately, my debts
will die with me.
-Falco!
-Please.
I worked on that speech all night.
Let's just leave it there, eh?
Justus, if you alone should
manage to survive all this,
then I want you to give this
to Garrus when he returns.
And know that if you're not
the son of a king,
then you ought to be.
Now out of here, both of you.
It's almost time.
But I don't trust Petro.
Neither do I,
but we have no choice.
-MAN: Stay where you are!
-Citizen!
Marcus Didius Falco,
in the name of the Emperor Vespasian
and the Praetorian Guard,
you are under arrest.
(LIVELY MUSIC PLAYING)
There was a time when I could
keep up with a girl like that.
-But, um...
-Oh, I'm sure she'd be willing to oblige,
if Caesar would like to find out.
Anyway, I'm much more interested in
this surprise you've got planned for me.
Or do you really think I don't know
what goes on in my own house?
Even an emperor should be
entitled to a few surprises.
But since you've unmasked me,
bring on the gladiators!
Wait till you see
this, Father.
It's a contest certain to start
a fire in any man's blood.
-She'll probably win, too.
-"She"?
Don't tell me you've found
a woman gladiator.
Not just "a" woman gladiator,
"the" woman gladiator.
-MAN: Let the contest begin!
-A true Amazon queen.
(DRUMS POUNDING)
(TRUMPETS HERALDING)
So that's why you came last night,
to try and weaken me here, eh?
-Druida, please, no. Listen to me.
-No!
We'll do our talking
with these now.
"We who are about to die
salute you."
He looks awfully big for her,
doesn't he?
Nonsense! Five hundred
sesterces says she has him down
before you finish
that goblet of wine.
I'll take that bet!
-(DRUM ROLLING)
-See you in hell.
(WHIP WHOOSHING)
(DRUIDA GRUNTING SAVAGELY)
(BOTH GRUNTING)
By the gods!
She really is a fighter!
Care to join the wager,
Father?
I'll add 500 sesterces
of my own to Domitian's.
-Helena?
-You're on.
(SCREAMING DEFIANTLY)
Guards!
Now, Petro! Now!
(HORN BLOWING)
(MEN SHOUTING)
MAN: Call the Guard!
And who are you?
What's in a name, Caesar?
This, Vespasian Caesar, is the man
who warned me of Pertinax's plot.
And while I must beg your forgiveness
for letting it go this far,
there's no way I could have believed
it possible had I not seen it.
I asked for his name!
Marcus Didius Falco, Caesar.
And this plot?
Near as I can tell,
Pertinax and Saleena
were trying to make it look like your
son, Domitian, was out to get you.
-Father...
-Silence!
Go on.
Then I imagine Pertinax, still
appearing loyal, would kill Domitian
for his supposed treachery.
Leaving only him, as head of the Praetorian
Guard, to become the next emperor.
And how, exactly, did you
come to know of all this?
Through some bad luck,
and the help of this
extraordinary gladiator.
I hired him, Caesar. In the hopes of
securing a good future for my brother,
I married Pertinax
only to find this was no man I'd
allowed into my noble family,
but a snake.
Realizing this, my brother
started to follow Pertinax,
hoping to find some weakness, some scandal
with which to check his obsessive ambition.
When Cato disappeared,
I had no other choice
but to look for an outsider
like Falco to find him.
Do you deny this?
Why should I?
It almost worked, didn't it?
You are more twisted
than the mind can comprehend.
All the better to rule Rome
with, don't you think,
Caesar?
Hold everyone in the palace until I
decide what's to be done with them.
But leave him here.
Now clear the room.
Now!
(PERTINAX SCREAMING)
-How's the cut?
-I've had worse.
But what do you think's
gonna happen to us, Falco?
Most likely,
he'll kill us, too.
-For saving his life?
-For knowing too much.
Vespasian's new to the throne.
Wouldn't look good for Rome
to know he'd almost fallen off it.
People might get ideas.
You knew this could happen,
didn't you, Falco?
The curse of having
emperors, I'm afraid.
Marcus Didius Falco?
I've explained to the Emperor the great
risk you took in warning me of this plot,
and in your efforts
to overturn it.
For that, he is grateful.
However, because of the serious
nature of these events,
he is left with no choice
but to order the following.
Here it comes.
There will be no reward or public
display of gratitude of any kind.
And you will never,
upon pain of death,
speak of
what you've seen again.
Do you understand?
That's all?
No.
In addition, the Emperor will purchase the
gladiator from you at a handsome profit.
Agreed?
The Emperor's decision is
generous beyond expectation.
But as for the offer
to buy Justus,
-I'm afraid that's impossible.
-Why impossible?
That scroll I gave you.
Give it to Petro.
"I, Marcus Didius Falco,
being the sole and legal owner of the
gladiator known as Justus of Germania,
do herewith enact
the laws of manumission
and grant to him his full
and complete freedom
to be a citizen of Rome."
I see.
The fighter belongs
to himself.
Just make sure to pay the five
percent manumission tax
on the value
of all freed slaves.
For a bruiser like that, I'd say
about 3,000 sesterces should cover it.
FALCO: Three thousand
sesterces?
NIOBE: Another one
damaged beyond repair!
-Now that makes five... -And I could
have a free wife now, couldn't I, Falco?
Wife?
With the divorce rates these days?
Now, don't go rushing
into anything, Justus.
Niobe, get on with it.
And my children would be free.
Freeborn citizens,
every one of them.
I've always dreamed
of having children.
-Great big ones.
-FALCO: Niobe.
And I could learn how to
read now, couldn't I, Falco?
Well, I could teach you!
Right, Falco?
I can speak in six
different languages, you know.
And curse in 12 of them.
None of which is gonna help us.
How bad is it?
(SIGHS)
Mother of Isis, Falco.
-How much?
-You're in a hole for 29,000 sesterces.
A new low.
Don't worry, Falco.
We will think of something.
-"We"?
-You sure about that?
You're free to go
whenever you like, you know.
I know,
but I want to be
what you are, Falco.
What exactly are you?
Well, he likes to call himself
a private investigator.
If you can imagine that.
"Justus from Germania,
"private investigator."
That sounds good, doesn't it?
-Perfect!
-I gotta go now, Falco.
Where do you think you're going?
It's getting on to night out there.
I know, but Druida's being put
on a ship to Britain tonight.
Not to worry.
I'll go with him.
All those narrow,
winding little streets.
And Justus?
Your hair.
"Gladiators!"
Good night, Falco.
Good night, Justus.
FALCO: What was it
he said before?
Ah, yes.
"Rome is strange, Falco."
Well, there was no
arguing that.
But was it just Rome
and its empire?
Or was it simply the endless struggles
and strivings of humanity itself
that defied all understanding?
Either way, my time here never
seemed short on surprises.
(CLEARS THROAT SOFTLY)
Don't tell me you've come back
to ask direc...tions...
Why would I do that?
I know exactly where I am.
Yes, in the wrecked apartment of a man
with almost less than he can count.
I notice he still has a bed.
Ah, a bed can bring a man
to his dreams, Helena Justina.
But it can never close the gap
between our worlds.
I know that any relationship between
us is out of the question, Falco.
Then why are you here?
Because it's getting too dark
for me to go home now,
and I hoped you'd be willing
to let me stay.
Just this one night.
MAN: Keep working!
MAN: Right, then!
(WHIP LASHING)
(WHIP LASHING)