Illusions of Grandeur

  Dinara and Kakusi watched Sophie introduce herself, and then do her impromptu torch juggling act. Once Sophie had finished, she announced the Amazing Synders and their high wire act. So as soon as Sophie was out of the spotlight for now and all attention on the high-wire, Dinara and Kakusi walked over to Sophie. Then Dinara started to quietly but very animatedly and sadly inform Sophie of everything that had happened and that she was certain that Amber had whispered and then partially written Gorgo the Gorilla's name down as she died. So Dinara didn't know how but was certain the gorilla was somehow involved in everything that was happening.

  As Dinara was filling in Sophie, Kakusi silently watched the beginning high-wire act as he was more interested in the acts than he was with talking to people when he felt that he didn't need to. When the rope suddenly snapped all eyes were on Whitney, with most watching in shock and horror. Kakusi on the other hand quickly moved forward on his very long legs instinctively while still looking up at Whitney. Then as soon as he was where he thought he needed to be, he stretched his huge arms out in front of him and readied to squat slightly at just the right moment to help distribute the incoming weight and momentum. To everyone's amazement (including Kakusi's, although he didn't show his surprise that his sudden action actually worked or his pain from the sudden strain in his body from his stupid but heroic rescue stunt), Whitney landed in his arms and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck to make sure she really was safe and didn't hit the ground with a splat. Sure she would be in a lot of pain once the adrenaline rush had worn off. However at least she was still alive thanks to Kakusi's quick action. After all landing hard in the 12 foot tall giant's arms may have hurt, but they did have a LOT more give than the unforgiving ground would have. Especially given the height at which Whitney fell.

  Then before anybody realized exactly what had truly happened, Kakusi whispered something in Whitney's ear. Then he set Whitney on her feet. Once she was standing, she did as Kakusi had whispered to her. She curtsied as Kakusi bowed. Then as they walked out of the center ring, Whitney gestured at her family to continue the act. Catching on quick, Sophie stepped back into the ring long enough to say, "Ladies and gentleman please give applause for The Amazing Whitney Synder and her assistant of the night! The Great Kakusi, Electric Giant extraordinaire! If you want to see more of him after our Big Top performances, then you can find him performing his electric feats of wonder in Sideshow Row! Now please continue to enjoy the talents of Whitney's brothers as they continue to soar through the air!"

  As Sophie had introduced Whitney and Kakusi as if it was actually just an amazing surprise act, Kakusi picked Whitney back up and she calmly wrapped her arms around him as if his carrying her out of center stage was just part of the routine. Once they were back to the side where Sophie would be returning to, Kakusi gently set Whitney down on the ground, then knelt to ask if she was alright while they waited for Sophie to return to them so she could figure out exactly what mysterious forces were trying to destroy the circus and it's performers. That is, once she was done giving her impromptu spiel that was to convince the audience that it was just an unannounced but exciting addition to the special morning performance.

  In the meantime Dinara figured she may need to perform earlier than expected given all the unexpected twists and turns of the morning. However her new outfit was now covered in blood and her trailer pretty much a loss. So she slipped into the costume trailer and found one of her old dance costumes that still fit. Then once re-dressed she returned to the Big top and stopped by the Circus band to quietly tell them she decided to change things up and filled them in on the songs she would now be requiring from them. Afterwards she returned to where Whitney and Kakusi were and signaled to Sophie that she was ready to do a couple of her dance routines as soon as the Synder brothers were done, if needed. Then Dinara whispered something to Kakusi, which he acknowledged. Then when a couple carnies came to help check on Whitney and he was certain she would be alright in his absence, Kakusi stood and left the Big Top. As he walked out, he asked a couple of the hands to follow and help him.

  So after the Synder brothers had finished their routine, Sophie announced Dinara the Acro-dancer just as Kakusi and his helpers returned. While they started setting up a couple things Kakusi had them bring in in crates, Dinara walked to the center stage beside Sophie and then Dinara announced to the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen I I will not be performing my usual routines. Instead I will be performing two new ones, In honor of my friend and lover, who unfortunately is no longer with us! Amber the best Mystic this Circus ever had the privilege of working with! So  the first will be an Ottoman song of the sadness of a lost love; and as Amber would want me to continue on, the second will be about the healing of a forever damaged soul! And just as Whitney was before me, I will also be assisted by the Great Kakusi! However this time he will be showing his skill at electrical manipulation to go with my dances, instead of playing high-wire net!"

   As she finished saying that, Kakusi signaled that he was ready for what she had planned. So Dinara asked Sophie to have the lights dimmed. Then Dinara signaled the band to play the first new song. Once the sad song began, Dinara started to just go with the flow of the music, as with Amber's death, Dinara had thrown all her planned performances for this special show out the proverbial window, and instead was just going where the songs she requested took her. It didn't take Dinara long to find her flow and start translating all the sadness and love from the song and her own life with Amber into her dance that she was performing as a tribute to her lost love. As the first song ended, the band immediately transitioned into the second song with Dinara's dance movements slowly transitioning with the changes between the two songs' tempos and slight but noticeable emotional shifts. In the meantime, as the first song began, Kakusi activated the two tesla coils that he had just set up. Then he began to give the audience an amazing lighting show to accompany Dinara's dance routines, with Kakusi standing between the coils and moving his arms as he acted as the conductor, to get the electricity to dance along with Dinara and the songs.

  Sandy reported her decisions and reasoning back to me and her husband, Volodja Uljanov, which brought her to her personal goal of saving Volodja's life as she concluded her report with a recommendation by calmly saying, "Finally, I believe Volodja should command the overall Pluto mission from the bridge of the Vigilant. Commander Batman, I know that it is necessary for you to quite appropriately stay close to your wife right now so we need a commanding officer on the Bridge and I'm competent to lead the away team by myself and will follow his orders to a T."

  I replied to her with, "I brought Kaj onboard so he could take over command of his ship. However I suppose that if you need him on the team, or feel that it's best to have them both on the Bridge so one can handle Vigilant issues while the other remotely handles your away team logistics, then I am fine with it either way. No one-way trips allowed without me. So just succeed and bring everybody back, then we can all finally return home for some much needed rest... or in your and Volodja's case a honeymoon of some sort. Even if it is in a holo-suite for a week, like Lady's and mine was."

  Once Marcel Lestrange announced his intention to bring the frail elderly psychiatrist on their space mission, Commander Sandy Bell's knee-jerk reaction was to answer "Hell no!" but on quick reflection changed her mind and replied so all the away team could hear, "Okay Mr. Lestrange, but only if he agrees and you are willing to be responsible for him. As to the rest of you, this is a volunteer mission as it may very well be a one-way trip. Know that each of you who were on my list play an integral part in the mission's success, but I won't - no one will - fault you if you choose not to go. If you choose to go, please meet me with the rest of the team at the Riot in the Vigilant's hangar in an hour. That is all!"

  Atika and Attila glanced at each other, sure they didn't want to be on a one-way trip, but both silently communicating to each other in their own 'twin' way that as long as they were with each other, it didn't matter what type of mission it was. So Attila quickly installed the device that he had been working on for the Riot (into the attached Garilu so it would not bog down any of the Riot's systems), and added the finishing touches. After he showed Atika everything she would need to know about it's operation, he gave her a quick kiss and told her he loved her (knowing Sandy still didn't truly aprove of the Constanties' relationship but at the moment not caring about her discomfort of it, given the type of mission she had just said they were going on). Then he went to meet Belle in the Riot's engine room, so he could help her with her modifications as ordered.

  After Attila left Atika to the device, she proceeded to work on programing and modifying it as she had been ordered. While she was doing so, Kaj who had finished having a meal with his girlfriend and her kids, said his goodbyes to them. Once done he left the Mess and went to join the rest of the team in the Hangars. He had no gear to pick up, as he had left it all in the Hangars. So upon entering the hangars he retrieved his away gear and weapons. Then he carried his gear back to the Riot and stepping into it's rear cargo bay, Kaj proceeded to re-stow his gear on the Riot. Then he reported to Sandy so she knew that he was onboard and ready to help as needed.

  "Now all I have to think of his how to sever the tent's support," Thought Hope to herself, "A fire maybe? That would do the trick since the tent is made of old dry canvas and the fire would quickly eat through that old dry wooden support!"

  And with that idea in mind, Hope the cute but diminutive and also addled clown stealthily crept her way through the shadows of the Big Top to her death dealing goal.

  Kabule had finished going over the basics of what he wanted from his 'assistant'. So he decided it was break time. As such he slipped out of his cordined off area while his 'assistant' was once again distracted with adjusting 'her' outfit. Then Kabule walked towards a rear tent support, as he reached in the jacket that he was wearing and removed his tin of cigarette case. After opening it and removing one, he replaced the tin case in his jacket. then as he placed the cigarette in his mouth, he pulled out a book of matches. As he was about to strike a match, he spotted Hope sneaking around nearby, still wearing his heavy (spare) leather jacket.

  Glad to see his new 'pet' (as she had called herself), Kabule walked over to her and while admiring her lithe little form Kabule said, "Sneaking away from me already Doll? Or did  My'Pet decide she missed me already and was sneakin around to come s'prise me wit'another visit, because I s'prisingly already missed you. So'if you aren't needed for a public performance, how about you spend your time keepin me company 'til my act. Ifn we can get rid of that damn'ugly bafoon that s'posed to be watchin me 'til he be needed, then perhaps ya could even give me a private show, or 'least a lot more of that rubbin and cuddlin stuff. Can't say I ever cuddled with no doll, but I sure enjoyed how you cuddle. So I could get used to that from ya, my Favorite doll. Then you will already be near me, so we can blow this joint 'mediately after my act is finished an' on the road before anybody can stop us from bein t'gether. So what d'ya say, My'Pet? Keep me company til my show, and then stay nearby so I can pick ya an' my bag up as soon as I be finished, then we be outta here."

  As Kabule was talking to Hope, he put adjusted his still unilt cigarette, as he realized his match book was empty. So he said, "Guess I need to go get another book outta my bag b'fore I can light m'cig. So let's go."

  Then he turned and headed back towards the curtained area containing his stuff, certain she wouldn't say no and would instead follow him, as she was the one that had offered herself to him for as long as he wanted her.

   He still wasn't completely certain yet why that was appealing, as he had only known her for a few hours, but he was already warming to the idea of having a doll permanently in his care to do with as he wanted, and for some reason he was only  interested in the idea if it meant having Hope as his main doll. Besides she had already promised she wouldn't try to interfere with him having some additional 'skin' on the side, hadn't she? She definitely was very pleasant to look at, even though he hadn't yet seen her without her clown paint, and he definitely loved the way she rubbed on him and wanted to be near him. So he didn't see any reason not to keep her around as his main and favorite Doll.

  Hope kissed him once again with twice the ardor as before, her nude body held closely to his as she whispered breathlessly, her lips hovering above his, her eyes mere slits of dark shadows, "Please take me right here, right now... utterly destroy me with your fire... I don't want to be a virgin anymore..."

  Sitting up suddenly, Hope became self consciously aware of what she was asking and his eyes on her nakedness as she tightly hugged herself with her skinny arms hiding her small breasts while her big blue eyes teared up when she stuttered, "I-I-I'm not the d-d-doll you thought I was, am I? I'm the small fish you throw back, aren't I? I-I-I'm sooooo sorry..."

  Large tears streaked Hope's white clown makeup revealing her youngster's cute face and began to fall on his chest with her small head soon following with a gentle "thud" then as she listened to his steady heart beat and sniffled said sadly, "Not a beautiful swan like Whitney... just an ugly duckling, and nobody wants one of those for a pet!"

  as she laid against him and cried after her bout of self-conscious worry, Kabule, still with his now lit cigarette in his mouth, slid a broad hand down her back feeling up her little body. He slipped it around her front long enough to possessively (but for some odd reason he couldn't explain; somewhat gently) squeeze one of her very cute-small orange-sized breasts, before sliding his hand back down her backside. Once he caressed her little bottom for a few seconds to calm her some, he then slid his hand back up her body in the same way that he had moved it down her body (breast-squeeze included). Then he moved his hand up to the back of her head and grabbing her blonde her, he used it to pull her head back so he could see her cute face and look sternly into her blue eyes as he said matter-of-factly, "Swans be ugly an' taste bad. You be a perty lil' finch and I bettin you be tastin REAL good. You cert'nly look it an' smell it to me. So my perty lil' bird stop wit' the waterworks, 'til I give ya a reason ta cry. Got it?"

  Then he released her hair and just rubbed the back of her head. As she weakly nodded to acknowledge that she would try to stop, Kabule reached over and grabbed the heavy leather jacket that she had just removed and pulled it over her body. As she looked catiously at him, afraid that he was hiding her body as he didn't want to see it and the tears building up again because of it, he said sternly, "I said no waterworks. 'Sides not hidin yer cute lil' bod from my peepers, hidin it from others'. You be mine now, an' Kabule does NOT share. So nobody gets'ta be seein ya neked but me from now on. Got it?"

  Then his hand once again trailed down her body in the same way as before. However this time after he was done fondling her butt, his hand moved around to her front. Then he rubbed her damp crotch and started working his finger over her excited nubbin; to further the point that she was his and he liked what he saw, felt and smelled of her.

  Boss Avaritia had been sitting in the stands with his family angrily calculating what he figured was a personal financial disaster by buying the Starr Circus. When Gorgo escaped his cage, he stood up and smiled wickedly as he thought of a way to at least partially recoup his funds. He pulled a revolver from inside his suit coat pocket and began firing at the giant ape thinking, "At least I'll have your head above my mantle you big bastard!" Soon several of his accompanying gangsters were following his lead also firing at Gorgo and paying no notice to the swinging chandelier that was quickly breaking from its moorings far above the Avaritia family. One exception to that fact was the cocaine-addled flapper, Acedia Avaritia, who threw herself on top of her daughter trying in vain to shield little Lexy from the falling debris.

  Seeing the chandelier starting to break loose as the big ape had flung himself off it, Kakusi quickly moved into the audience stands and braced himself above the panicked woman and child. When it did break loose it fell only to be caught by the big giant using his whole upper body; back, neck, and shoulders. As he strained to hold the heavy chandelier with his very sore, battered and weakening body, he said loudly to the woman and child, "Move now! I can not hold it for long!!"

  After Acedia pulled Lexy away from where they had been sitting, Kakusi's legs gave out and the big man dropped to his knees under the strain of the chandelier. Once the woman and girl were far enough away from him, Sazri Kakusi pushed back with his shoulders and slid the chandelier off his back. Then with what strength he had left, the giant stood on shaky legs and scooped up the frightened mother and daughter as he saw the Big Top starting to catch fire in places. Then carrying the mother and young daughter, he made his way out of the tent pushing through the crowd that was still running out of the entrance. Once he had gotten far enough from the Big Top, he set the mother and daughter done. Then he dropped to his knees, before ultimately falling on his face next to them, where he lay unconscious from the extreme strain and use of his strength; bruised, beaten and perhaps even broken.

  Kabule had ran out of the tent as he had also started chasing after the Gorilla, but as everybody started running in panic, he couldn't get a clear shot and didn't want to waste the precious bullets accidently shooting something other than the odd ape. As he holstered his guns, he watched the ape amble away with Whitney in hand and several gangsters chasing after them. As he looked around and saw that the tent was now catching fire, he saw Dinara coming out of it coughing slightly from the smoke. He made his way over to her and checked to make sure Dinara was alright. Then he looked around to see if he could find his pet. He didn't know why she had called the ape master nor did he have time to care at the moment. All that mattered now that he knew his sister was safe was finding Hope and making sure she was alright. If nothing else she would at least see that he would care for her more than the ape ever would.

  As he looked around for the young clown, Dinara saw Kakusi fall and said, "Kabully I gotta go check on my friend and the panicked girl with her mother that are next to him, but I promise I will keep out of the way of all the flyin bullets and panicked people as it looks like Kakusi took them the opposite direction of the crowd!"

  Then Dinara ran over to the area where Kakusi and his 'charges' had made it to before his great fall, to check on the friendly giant who had, not long ago, risked his life trying to save Amber from her burning trailer, and then stayed with Dinara to try to comfort her despite his distrust of most people. Dinara made sure the crying woman and child were unharmed, then knelt by the fallen giant. She could tell by his breathing that he was still alive, but all she could do for him at the moment was make sure nobody stepped on him, while she also tried to comfort the panicked mother and child that were still huddled not far from where their giant savior had fallen.

  As Gorgo ambled out of the Big Top, Sarge the Strongman limped in looking for the new Ringmaster Sophie. He spotted her as soon as he entered in the center ring ducking the gunfire of both gangsters and now the clown attired Officer Ira. Without hesitation, Sarge hurried to Sophie's side embracing her while serving as a human shield for her to the flying bullets - until three of them hit him in the back. Before his brown eyes flickered shut and his muscular body crumpled to the ground, Sarge confessed to her, "I love you Sophie! I've always loved y-"

  Hope too fell but face forward as she chased after Gorgo. However, when she rolled over she discovered a sharp pain in her shoulder and a blossoming crimson stain on the leather jacket Kabule had given her to wear. "Oh... pretty red flower," Muttered Hope before falling backwards unconscious, unaware of the stampeding crowd racing towards her as carnies and rubes both tried to escape from the growing inferno caused by their haste knocking over torches in the Big Top as they panicked.

  The Mongolians with their swords in hand and Tavan by Kellina's side, followed the crowd to make sure they all got to safety, figuring once the crowd was safe they would join in the gorilla hunt.

  Seeing Hope fall as she chased after the crazed ape, Kabule quickly made a beeline for her. The lanky Russian zigzagged through the crowd of panicked people, and reached Hope. He quickly picked her up and stepped back out of the crowd. Once it was clear, Kabule carrying the unconscious Hope, made his way back towards where his sister had gone. Once Kabule relocated her, he walked over to where Dinara, Kakusi, Lexy, and Acadia were at out of the way of all the chaos. Then Kabule laid Hope down on ground, not far from where Kakusi lay unconscious and the mother and daughter sat huddled together as Dinara had gotten the pair to sit by her and Kakusi, while she watched over the unconscious Kakusi.

  After carefully laying his 'perty lil' bird' on the hard ground near the fallen giant, Kabule removed his leather jacket and slid it under her head as a pillow. Once that was done, he opened the jacket she was wearing and saw the bullet wound in her shoulder. He removed her jacket to get a better look at the shoulder wound and did a quick look of her body. He didn't see any other wounds, but discovered that Hope was lucky for not only did the only bullet to hit her land in her shoulder but she was also lucky that it was a clear through and through, which meant there would be no lasting damage once it healed. So he quickly unclasped his knife belt from his chest and dropped it to the ground by his feet. Then he pulled off his shirt. Once it was off, he ripped it open. Then he used it as a bandage as he wrapped it around Hope's shoulder and tied it tightly in place. Then he draped the heavy jacket that he had removed from her, over her like a blanket.

  Seeing Kabule carefully checking over Hope, Dinara watched curiously; and as she wasn't quite used to this side of her brother (the very bad twin), she let her curiosity get the better of her and quietly asked, "Kabully are you gettin a case of the 'feels'?"

  Without looking up, Kabule snapped, "Feelins are for the weak! She's agreed ta and WILL continue ta be MY new pet! That-is all ya need know fer now, LIL' sister! Now shut it! Take care of Hope, the sleepin giant, and the panicked mot'er an' daughter!"

  Dinara said, "Why, where are you going?!"

  Kabule snapped back, "Ta kill that damnable ape before it hurts anybody else!"

  Then he stood and quickly picked up his knife belt, and clasped it back in place over his now bare and muscular chest.

  Dinara looked pleadingly at Kabule and said quietly, "You promised not to leave no more! Besides lots of men with guns and the Mongolians went after Gonzo, or Gorgo, or Go-go, or whatever it's-name-is! Let them handle it! Look around! The tent is on fire and everyone still in there or near us is either dead, hurt, injured, or in some sort of shock.....except you it seems! So what if that Gorilla comes back, and what about those still in the tent?! We can't protect ourselves from him, but you can! We aren't fighters, but YOU are! So we need your protection but first you need to go find Sophie and Sarge! She never came out and I saw Sarge go in!"

  Kabule desperately wanted to go after and kill the gorilla, not because it was the right thing to do but because Hope was already growing on him and he looked forward to having his 'perty lil' bird' around and it appeared Hope considered the gorilla master. So Kabule wanted to terminate that master/slave relationship by violently ripping off the damnable ape's head with his bare hands and playing football (soccer) with it.

  However as he looked around at Big Top catching fire, he knew Dinara was right. He was the only one left in the immediate area that was capable of defending them and definitely armed enough. So he removed a pistol and started the slow process of reloading all it's spent shells as he replied, "Fine, I will go try to rescue your friends from the fire. Then I will return and protect all of you in case the beast returns! So eiter way, I mus' leave Hope here in yer care, while I go retrieve your friends and then protect all of you, or die tryin!"

  Then he handed the freshly loaded gun to Dinara, and said, "Take it just in case he comes back before I do!"

  Dinara, reluctantly took it not liking the idea of using a gun, and replied, "Don't worry! I will keep Hope and the others here safe, til you come back to fully protect us as you promised!"

  As Kabule nodded he un-holstered his second pistol and started reloading it as he started moving back toward the Big Top. As he had made his way to the Big Top's entrance, Dinara muttered to herself, "Besides MY Amber-Baby said don't lose Hope, so I am not gonna! I am gonna hope all turns out alright for us, and at the same time keep my friend Hope safe as well, while all you fighters do what you gotta to ensure that!"

  Then Dinara said to Lexy and her mom who were now sitting near her, the unconscious Kakusi, and the unconscious Hope, "Don't worry. My brother may be many bad things but he is my brother and I know him. If he says he will protect us or die trying, then that is exactly what he will do! So you can relax! He will keep us safe with all he has, just like our giant friend just kept you and your daughter safe with all he had!"

  Kabule quickly made his way back to the Big top and re-holstered his now reloaded pistol, as he ran inside. It was starting to get pretty smoky in the tent. However he was able to locate Sophie and an unconscious strongman. Sophie refused to leave without the doughboy, and Kabule realized she already had him laid out on a piece of canvas that she was trying to drag by herself. So Kabule reluctantly grabbed a section of the canvas and helped Sophie drag Sarge out of the tent and over to where Kakusi and Hope were laying unconscious in Dinara's care. Then he and Sophie pulled Sarge next to the other two unconscious people. Once that was done, Kabule pulled his bandana out of his jacket and wrapped it around his mouth. Then he ran back into the blazing tent.

  It was hard to see anything but he managed to escort out a few more people during his second trip into the breach. Then he made one last trip into the tent. This third trip was a lot more difficult as it was very smoky and flames were leaping all over the place, but eventually he came across a still breathing circus performer who had gotten lost in the smoke and fire, ending up in Kabule's curtained off area, instead of outside. So Kabule, knowing they had to get out fast as the tent was starting to fall down around them, did the only thing he could think of given the situation. He put the person on the back of his bike, dumped a bucket of water on his open bedroll nearby and threw the drenched roll over the person. Then he got on his bike, telling the person to hold onto him tight. Next he quickly started his bike and opened it's throttle to full. Once it was started, he quickly worked his bike through the smoky and now extremely flaming tent. His bike came roaring out of the entrance just before the tent collapsed behind it.

  He slams on the brake near where Dinara and the others are waiting. As they help his injured passenger off the back of his bike, Kabule considers just taking off as he is back on his bike and all of his other belongings are lost in the flames. However he sees the look of fear in Dinara's eyes as she recognizes the look of his eyes accompanying his thoughts; the look that also always accompanies his departure. Then he sees Hope still laying on the ground unconscious. The cute clown who already declared her love for him, bared her ripe young body to him, and promised to be all his for as long as he wanted her; near his sister who had made him promise not to leave her again. He may not believe in love and thinks feelings are strictly for the weak, but at that moment something made  the Russian, always on the run, decide he didn't want to leave Hope behind nor leave his sister again just yet. So he would instead stay awhile longer, despite the fact that he knew karma was out to get him and his time could be over at any moment. So he shut off his iron horse, then the desperado got off of it as he looked around as he drew his second pistol to protect those near him as he had agreed to. (His other pistol being left with Dinara who had handed it to Sophie when she arrived, for Dinara didn't want anything to do with guns if possible. However Sophie didn't seem to have that problem and somebody needed to stand watch while Kabule had been making his trips into the burning tent. So Dinara had entrusted her brother's gun to Sophie, knowing it would be in good hands.)