New Rome

50. Panic Room

Consul Lex paced his home office, his eyes red from lack of sleep, berating yet another colleague in a phone call.

"I need your vote. You said that you supported me. You agreed that the cost of freed slaves is a drain to the public finances."

"I can't talk now, Lex." The Senator weaselly excused. "I need to go."

"No, don't you-" But the Senator hung up the call.

Lex bellowed, enraged. He'd invested too much, given too many promises.... If the bill failed, then he'd be eaten alive.

"What are we going to do?" Doryen, Lex's assistant, asked pale-faced with worry. Lex pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply, trying to come up with a plan.

"How much money can we pull together?"

"With your wife's estates, your shares and loans from the bank..."

Lex pulled a face. He already knew that all of that wouldn't be enough.

"What about the welfare budget?"

"That money is intended for the poor, sir. It's raised from taxes."

"I'm repurposing it. The people voted for me and for my bill. They shouldn't mind paying for it."

Doryen shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"I'll make some calls, sir."

"Good." Lex swayed unsteadily, exhaustion hitting him in a tidal wave. 

"You should try to sleep, sir." Doryen delicately suggested. Lex nodded. 

"Yes, yes, I'll sleep." He yawned deeply. "Wake me if there's any trouble with the money." 

"Yes, sir."

              "Get up, sir." Doryen was whispering, clearly agitated. Lex sat up in bed, startled. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and squinted in the gloom. How long had he been asleep? Only an hour, maybe two. It wasn't anywhere near enough. 

"What's happening?" Lex's first thought was of a national crisis, but Doryen wouldn't be whispering if that was the case. "Why are we whispering in the dark?" Lex raised his hands to clap them together, wanted to turn on the bedroom light but Doryen grabbed his wrist to stop him.

With a firm grip, Doryen dragged Lex out of his bed. "What-?"

"Shh," Doryen put his finger to his lips. In the gloom, Lex could see the whites of Doryen's eyes. The man was scared. Uneasy, Lex followed his assistant in moving quietly to the bedroom door. Doryen paused suddenly, his whole body tense. Then Lex heard it too, the pip of a card reader being accepted down the hall.

Lex frowned. It was the middle of the night, who could be roaming around his private quarters? Doryen flinched back from the door, looking terrified. Calmer now, Lex yanked his hand free from his assistant's sweaty grasp. He understood what was happening now. It was a break in. And fortunately, Lex had safety measures already in place. He made his way over to the wall and, feeling around in the dark, found a wall socket. Nudging the cover aside, revealed a keypad with glowing numbers. Lex quickly typed in the code and a door panel opened in the wall, revealing his panic room.

Doryen darted inside ahead of Lex and the Consul swiftly sealed the vault door shut behind them.