Connection: Chapter 10

"I don't know," Robert joked, "I think it's pretty bad."

"Why did they choose the name Kapitol?" she asked.

"Apparently some of the founding members of the team went to Capitol College in Maryland together. They changed the spelling because they thought it was cooler."

"And you believed that?"

Robert shrugged. "Why not?"

"I'll tell you why not." Li smoothed her hair with her fingers and assumed a scholarly air. "I majored in history and linguistics in college. The Latin root of capitol is caput, which has two interpretations. It means chief or leader, and in some translations includes the idea of the apex or summit. The city of Capitoline was the exact center of ancient Rome, the repository of power. What are the Romans known for?"

"The Roman Empire," Robert said.

"True, but in our modern world, what piece of the Roman Empire remains?"

"The Colosseum in Rome."

"Exactly. The Roman Empire, through its geographical expansion across Europe, connected its citizens in a primitive network. And the citizens of the Empire gathered in Rome for one reason: games.

"The Romans held games frequently, bloodthirsty events where killing was sport. And not just at the Colosseum. The Capitoline Games were held in honor of Capitoline Jove, the king of gods. See any parallels yet?"

"Dear God."

"There's more. At the centre of Capitoline, at the exact apex of the Roman Empire, there was a temple built for the Capitoline Triad. The Triad was the perfect union of three deities: Jove, Minerva and Juno Regina. Jove was the king of gods. Juno was the protector of warriors. And Minerva," she hesitated, "was the goddess of crafts and war."

Robert looked out the windshield at the deserted street. "These men are demented. Do you mean to tell me that they believe themselves protected by these gods?"

"I don't know. But there are far too many connections to be coincidence. Look at it. Fatality's quick rise to power. Both he and clan Kapitol are the best in their fields. The Latin connection with an ancient society obsessed with games. Violent games. The goddess of crafts and war. The protector of warriors. And one final bit I didn't mention."

Robert waited.

"The second interpretation of the root caput. In English, it translates to human skull."