One More Circuit: Sukai Todd's Most Prestigious Fanfic Pt.1
By: Sukai Todd/Skye Tsukino
FOR: NON-PROFIT, EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES!
Are You Watching Closely… Are You Sure?
#01:
The Pledge…
Are you watching closely? Do you hear the crows calling you? For every great magician, there are only three parts to the greatest magic trick… First, there is the pledge. You show the audience, the object and make sure they're fully aware of it… Next is the vow, you make that same object disappear… No-one's clapping yet, though. What really makes the audience clap and cheer in applause, is when you can make the final act happen – The prestige… When you make that same object, REAPPEAR! That's when the audience goes wild… The Prestige… Have I bored you enough, with this introduction, yet? I thought so… Let's get into the real tricks, shall we? Oh, yea, and if we haven't met before… I Am Sukai Todd aka The Greatest Showgirl! I hope we'll see each-other again, before the curtains close… Now, we'll travel back in time… Before the curtains opened, officially…
It was when Sukai first met Angier officially, on the balcony of a hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Shortly after Tesla had set up their meeting, more so as a warning to Angier, himself. But, of course, when did Angier ever listen to anyone's warnings? "She's a fair girl, with platinum blonde hair, dark chocolaty brown eyes and a beauty mark on her left cheek." Tesla's voice rang in Angier's ears. "Sounds like my wife, except for the hair color. My late wife Julia had yellow hair." Angier's own voice rang in his ears, as well. "You never really cared for your wife, did you?" Tesla's voice rang a little bit louder, though. "That's my business, I'm afraid…" Angier was snappy enough, even with that said… "Well, what's her name?" He had asked Tesla, full of curiosity. "Her real name is Skye. Spelled with an E. But, you're sworn to secrecy with that fact of hers." Tesla knew how a trick or two, of his own… "Very well, if that's the price of a good trick." Angier's thoughtless agreement would later come back to haunt him. "The price of a good trick, is not always as it seems, Angier. I warn you, while the Machine may only bring you misery. The girl with the machine may only bring you tragedy." Again, Tesla's warnings didn't mean much to Angier… Like, at all!
Anyway, Angier found himself walking behind Sukai Todd as she stood on the balcony gazing into the cloudy skies with the waxing silver moon glistening through the gloomy Colorado, Sunday clouds… "Pardon me, Miss. Are you Sukai Todd?" Angier gently planted his hand, onto the top of her shoulder as their eyes locked and their immediate attraction began sparking and popping, almost as epically as the first light field Angier ever recalled seeing! "Yes, Sir? You're Mr. Angier?" Sukai's innocent, slightly high-pitched, Lolita-style voice caught Angier utterly off-guard… "Forgive me, Miss Todd… But how old are you?" He asked, astounded by her youthful beauty. So, Tesla was a pervert?! What kind of bullshit?! This little girl can't help me… Damn that asshole! Damn right, I'll be using that machine… But it won't be my misery, that will be realized… Angier's thoughts tried racing him off-track, only for him to regain his composure at Sukai's collected response. "I'm 23." She blushed, lightly… "Do you drink – "No." She cut him. "Do you smoke – "No." She nodded. "Do you do any drugs? – "God, no! Ew… Why would I?" Sukai lifted an eyebrow, at his rather overrated questionnaire… "What makes you think, I'm just an average stagehand? Try again, try harder, Sir." She explained, slightly annoyed… "You want to be my stagehand?" Angier asked, feeling a bit confounded. "God, no… Ew…" She wasn't impressed by Angier, now… "Listen young lady, I am NOT that old! Nor am I that perverse…" He blushed, deep. "Bullshit…" Sukai coldly snapped. "Which one?" He asked. "The second one was a lie. Don't know if you've ever dealt with platinum, before…" She thought aloud, toying with him shamelessly… "Ah! That's right… You knew already." Angier blushed a bit deeper, as Sukai headed to sit down only to watch him pull her chair out for her. "Let's sit down? Unless you prefer bickering in the upward position?" He asked, flirtatiously… "I need to sit down. And it's the upright position…" She grinned ever-so-slightly. "Very well…" He chuckled a bit, as she sat down and he gently pushed the chair closer to the table. Damn, those are some nice-ass pants, he's wearing? He must be a Dandy… Knowing Tesla, he probably warned me about this aristocratic magician's snobbish ass… But, he is charming. Not princely, at all… But kind of? Charming… Sukai thought watching Angier discreetly as he sat down and they began their deeper conversation. "Tesla set this meeting up. So, do you mind telling me why?" He asked her, curiously… "I believe he wants me to help you." She nodded, opening a can of Coke-A-Cola and pouring it into the empty wine glass in front of her. "Ah, help me? With what?" He asked her with a slightly devious glare…
"Your show, Mr. Angier? You're aiming to be the Greatest Showman, right? And outdo that bastard Borden who recently added his own new stagehand… Some goldilocks girl named Olivia… Neither of them are impressive, to me. However, those are my singular opinions…" Sukai replied, teasing him cleverly. "Greatest Showman? My dear girl, you're very clever, indeed! But I think you're confusing me with that Barnum guy, he's the laughingstock in London, right now… I am a magician, the truest magician of them all. The Great Danton…" Angier responded, chuckling a bit harder at her teasing. "And what is it that don't you like about Borden and his stagehand?" He asked her, curiously. "Beauty and the Beast… Have you heard the tale?" She replied. "I remember some version of it… The prince turns out to be a beast and betrays his lover, who is beautiful beyond all compare leading her to get her ex-lover and the towns people to burn his castle down… Or something?" Angier smirked. "Something like that. Although it's in reverse… Her ex-lover is the real prince." Sukai knew what she was doing. "I thought her ex-lover was a brute, a jerk and self-absorbed – "Asshole?" Sukai read his mind aloud… "I was going to say monster. But that works too… Although your wording is more masculine, than I expected." He thought aloud. "Being the greatest magician is not limited to one gender, Mr. Angier…" She grinned a little wider. "Oh? You're the greatest magician, here in Colorado?" Angier was a bit turned on, by both her boldness and her mystique… "No. I am the greatest magician in America... But nobody has acknowledged me, yet. Therefore, I am taking over the world, one country at a time. If I'm able to work with one of the greats, in the flesh…" Sukai was brilliant, in her own right… "Who? That Barnum and his freakish circus?" Angier chuckled. "Barnum is great and his show is a celebration of life… Though again, that's my opinion. Anyway… I'd like to work with you, Mr. Angier. But on one condition…" She leaned in a little closer to him, but not by much! "What's the condition?" He was ready for it… "I am your most valuable asset and greatest weapon. If anyone gets in my way, they will pay dearly for it. That includes you, Mr. Angier. I am your greatest trick, so if you have any ulterior motives – I think it's best you reveal the Prestige to me, now. I don't often make these promises…" She explained, firm, flirty and confident in her tones. "What if I said, if anyone gets in our way… They will only live in misery. Would that work?" Angier knew he was entering a door, that would never open back up! "I guess, that's fair… But until I see your true Prestige, to be fair with you…" Sukai trailed off, confidently. "Yes, Ms. Todd?" He asked her, smirking. "To be fair with you, Mr. Angier… The Great Danton? I won't be interested in you, like that." She gave him a quick up-and-down glance, then stood up and curtsied to him politely. "Ms. Todd? Ms. Todd?" Angier couldn't let her trick him, so easily… "Ms. Todd? Sukai! Please wait…" He gripped her wrist, causing her to turn to him, still sitting down. "Yes, Mr. Robert?" She asked, using her feminine intellect to her advantage. "Please, just call me Rob… There's no need for such formalities." Angier blushed, deeply… "Very well, Mr. Angier… Rob? What is it?" She asked him, with a look in her eyes that intoxicated him. "Why wouldn't you be interested in me? Why would you only allow me, someone of my greatness to treat you as a weapon? To use you only as a trick?" He asked, his heart was pounding rapidly… "Because, any true magician knows… The true Prestige must first be found from within. The more power you find in yourself, the less power you need to gain from others…" Sukai explained. "If you must know, Rob… I already possess my own Prestige." She sighed, in a sugary tone… "Oh? And what is that ultimate finale of your trick?" He asked her boldly. "Let's just say, I can be extremely persuasive…" She didn't tell him the entire truth, just the half he needed to hear. "Very well. So, if we become the Greatest Magicians in London…" Angier began, "And then the world?" Sukai added. "Yes, then will you show me this Prestige, you mentioned?" He asked her, as she steadily sat on the chair in front of him. "On one condition…" She smirked, "And what that might be?" Angier grinned at her, blushing… "My safety is your top priority. You don't need to care about me. Only my safety… And maybe, if you do that trick well enough… I might be able to crush on you, a little." She explained, thoughtfully. "Very well. And you'll explain what the term crush on you, means? With your American slang?" He placed his hand out for her, to shake… "If you've never been infatuated, then you'll never have a crush on me. If you've never cared for anything outside of your own genius magic, then you'll never know what I mean… But I can teach you, some American slang." She steadily slid her hand into his, only to feel him grip her hand firmly. "I think, I'm already crushing on you… Hopefully, this crush isn't… Unrequited love?" He kissed the top of her black, fingerless-gloved hand passionately. "Only time will tell…" She smirked. "And how old are you again?" He grinned, as they gazed at each-other…
Yes, I was only 23 at the time I was seducing the now 35-year-old, Great Danton aka Robert Angier… Yes, Logan! Yes, Tony Lopez… I am only 23 as you're reading this and you, yes, you are being hanged by the neck, in order to pay for the crime of my untimely, tragic death… Don't worry though, Robbie and I will say goodbye. And not to worry about your little stagehands, they've all been well-cared for. In the workhouse… Be kind to my new fiancé though, he's quite overprotective of me, nowadays. Alright, Lopez? Logan read Sukai's seemingly old diary in shock as he heard his cell-doors opening and the calls from the prison guards… "You've got some visitors… Some old friends of yours and your daughter?" The prison guard explained as Tony stumbled with the chains around him to meet his archenemies, one last time, in the flesh…
It's a real shame, however… I can't get into that one moment, just yet. It's too early on, in the act. Right? How about this? We travel back in time, a little further to what brought Tony and Sukai together… And ultimately destroyed their bond, beyond all possibilities of repair. They were two young magicians, though Tony was a little older than her, by a few years or so… And they both met during one night, when one wonderful trick went awfully wrong. "Now, can I have the help of two volunteers? You, Sir! And you, Miss! Will you please help me tie this lovely maiden for the final trick?" The Great Virgil asked, as Sukai and Tony both headed up on stage; with the audience rooting both of them on… The lovely, thicker maiden was named Yanleyna, Tony's girlfriend and Sukai's acquaintance, at best… "Are you either of you, sailors?" Virgil asked, jokingly. "No…" Tony chuckled, kissing Yelena's thigh as Sukai finished bounding Yelena's wrists and they gazed at each-other shyly. "You can do it." Yanleyna whispered to Sukai, sensing her annoyance with Logan… "Yea…" Sukai nodded, quietly as Yelena was lifted up into the air and the audience sat in silence to what would happen next. Sukai glanced downwardly, thinking to herself… She had to wear that worn out black ensemble… Poor thing, he must be failing in bed, for her. It's a damn good thing, I'm single, right now… Sukai thought silently, as she turned for a moment and saw a young Angier watching her intently; waiting to see what her reaction would be. "Huh?" Sukai gasped, after she and Angier had felt some sparks flying from their first initial meeting only to realize that Yanleyna was now drowning in the magician's tank… "YANLEYNA, YANLEYNA, YANLEYNA!?" Tony roared, trying to beat on the door as Yanleyna drowned right as their stagehand and engineer, John Cutter dashed in front of her and smashed the tank open with an axe revealing the now dead Yanleyna… With her engagement-ring covered in blood, sliding off her finger. "Yanleyna?" Sukai gasped, watching Tony trying to resuscitate her and covering her mouth in shock. "Come with me, love!" Cutter immediately rushed Sukai out of the theatre, through the furthest backdoor and she noticed Angier still watching her from a distance as she disappeared from the scene; still trying to digest what had just happened. Now, this is where you'd think Tony would be the one to be avenging himself, right? He just lost his fiancé, right? His beloved future-wife, Yanleyna in all her unique glory… I have a question for you, Dear Reader… Are you watching closely? Are you sure?
#03:
Eclipse…
Anyway, at Yanleyna's viewing during the funeral, Cutter read from the notes of Yelena's diary for the grieving audience… "Yes, I loved him… But each time, I drowned, I felt myself being rescued by the warmth of the ocean waters." Cutter read the diary aloud, "But I knew… When it came to his magician friend… I knew…" He trailed off, "Ya' know, I once met a sailor, I saved from drowning…" He explained, "And?" Tony asked, heartbroken and for the first time, clean-shaven, wearing shoes that made him a little taller than Sukai. "When he drowned, he told me it felt like he was going home…" Cutter explained as they both looked up at Sukai holding a bouquet of white flowers in a black, laced vase. "I just came to say, I am so sorry for your loss, Lopez…" She apologized to him, respectfully… "I am so sorry, for the loss of such a beautiful, young woman." Sukai nodded her down, waiting to hear the end of Cutter's speeches. "I read in his journal, he was in love with someone else. This wasn't the first time, but this girl was different… She has platinum blonde hair, naturally. She had chocolaty brown eyes and she had no fear. She was simply perfect, and I knew it… I knew he loved her, more than any other. I knew, from the moment we met, I was done… He loved her – "STOP!" Tony roared, grabbing her diary and reading it in agony, realizing he had been caught, before he could finish his own game… "I'm sorry, Lopez…" Sukai bowed her head, calmly for him. "You knew?" Tony demanded, tears filling his eyes… "We all knew, Lopez. That's why I'm still single…" Sukai explained, thoughtfully.
"She killed herself?" Tony was having trouble finding the truth within his now failed trick… "I tried to tell her, she wasn't alone. I tried to tell her, I wasn't in love with you or anyone, for that matter. But she wouldn't listen to me… All she said was, you can do it." Sukai's somewhat cold words perfectly blended with mournful tones, broke Tony into pieces… "She killed herself, because of me?" Logan asked her, directly. "I don't… I don't really… I don't know." Sukai shrugged, placing the flowers on the side-table near the rest of the other caskets. "You don't know? You DON'T know? What do you mean, you don't know?" Tony began getting more infuriated, with the entirety of the situation… "I don't know, Tony. She loved you, not me." She replied, heading to exit the scene civilly. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T KNOW!?" He roared, his voice echoing throughout the room… "Lopez…" Cutter placed his hand in front of Tony, stopping him from furthering the disruptions and disturbances, he was causing amongst Yanleyna's grieving family members and, Sukai and his mutual friends… "Why?" Lopez demanded to Sukai. "It was your trick, Lopez. I already have the Prestige within me. That's what differentiates us… But, when it comes to your fiancé. As I said before, I don't know. I really don't know. Sorry, Tony…" Sukai exited the scene, leaving the rest of the room – Except for Cutter, in astonishment by Tony's games being revealed. "Tony? I thought you loved Yanleyna? I thought you cared about her?" Their mutual friend, Lacie Nada asked him coldly. "She was my daughter…" Her mother added, full of rage. "Were you sleeping with that PLATINUM BLONDE BITCH!?" The mother demanded, furiously. "NO!?" Tony defended himself. "He wasn't sleeping with her, I can attest to that. But your daughter's diary said everything. I apologize for this situation, Madame." Cutter tried easing up the situation, to the best of his talents… "And if I may, Sukai is not a bitch… Tony, do you have anything to say before we close this casket?" He asked Tony, calming everyone down, mostly. "Well, Tony? You put a ring on my daughter's finger and now, it's gone, covered in blood somewhere in a pawn shop!" Her mother asked frigidly. "Do you have anything to say?" She demanded, feeling the security of the funeral home restraining her. "I – I don't – I don't know…" Tony was at a loss for words! And, so, their magnetically monstrous rivalry officially began!
To Be Continued…