Gladiator: Private

Consider the "Shadows"—former Tier-1 special operators now working for firms like Blackwater (now Constellis) or G4S Risk Management. These men and women are equipped with ballistic shields (modern scuta ), plate carriers, and carbines. They are not police; they are not soldiers. They are private contractors paid $2,000 per day to shield a diplomat, an oil executive, or a war correspondent.

The walks among us today. He is the motionless man in a dark suit, an earpiece curling into his collar, standing outside a billionaire's yacht. She is the armor-clad performer in a windowless Las Vegas warehouse, parrying a blow from a foam sword while a man in a gold Rolex cheers from a leather armchair. Private Gladiator