Presumably inspired by his own name, Rome became obsessed with ancient Rome, the Roman Empire, and the Roman gods. He became quite wealthy as an auto designer, though he never knew love for another person. Eventually he decided that he would recreate the Roman Empire, using Texas as the heart of the Empire. He established a base within a mountain, and designed several cars which he could take control of and fly to his base. He arranged for these cars to be sold to the wives and daughters of men who might be inclined to stop him. He then began kidnapping these women, holding them hostage to insure the compliance of their loved ones. He also obtained a nuclear missile, intending to use it to force the government to surrender control of the state of Texas to him.