Faye left the University and headed north. She was about ten miles away from the mansion and the X-men, when she stopped and found the place Tom had set up for them. It was a dilapidated empty theater. Faye put her hands on the walls of the worn-out building, sent her powers through the walls and hardened the foundation.
"About time," she said once she was done.
Around the corner came Jeff, Cathy and Irvine, carrying the many boxes of supplies Tom had given them.
"The train was delayed on the station. A couple of mutants had climbed on board," joked Irvine. "Can you believe the nerve of those things?!?"
They laughed.
"Kind of shabby, isn't it?" asked Sara as she landed near the building with Hans.
"It'll be ok, once we clean it up. At least it won't fall on our heads now," said Faye, taking one of the boxes.
"WHOO-HOOO," screamed Sally from above them; they looked up. She had been traveling along the telephone wires, it gave her so much energy her whole body glowed.
"And God said, 'Let there be light,'" said Sally as jumped on top of the building making the whole thing light up.
She did a front flip and landed on the street with them.
"It could be a little happier," said Hans looking at the many broken lights and missing bulbs.
"Don't worry! I'll take care of that," said Jeff, raising his hands.
Steadily, different colored bulbs started appearing. More and more, faster and faster, the bulbs appeared and lit up the entire street. Once he was done the brightly colored billboard read, "The Circus Troupe." It was so beautiful that it barely looked like that condemned place Tom once found on the city's network.
They all ooh-ed and aah-ed. Then each took a box, Cathy had six, and, laughing and joking, went inside to prepare for the show.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Did you find anything else, Hank?" asked the Professor wheeling his chair into the library.
"No, the signal was gone. Couldn't be traced," sighed Hank, sitting on one of the sofas.
"Please tell us what the Oracle is," requested Ororo.
"The Oracle of the Realms was an assigned being that eons and eons ago was supposed to take care of higher matters concerning all the realms," explained Hank.
"Realms?" asked Kurt.
"Realms would be the different dimensions that exist. They're much like the one you travel in when you use your mutant powers, Mr. Wagner," said the Professor.
"Exactly. This being is, according to legend, extremely wise and very intimidating. All the things I've heard were merely speculation and myths; until now, that is," continued Hank.
"So, we're supposed to believe that a being, hundreds of years old, took over Cerebro and is now warning us of an attack on the mansion?" asked Evan with disdain.
"No, whoever is, or feels that they are, strong and ready enough to challenge the Oracle of the Realms, may do so. If the Oracle is defeated, he or she will cede the place to the winner," said Hank.
"And if the Oracle wins....?" asked Scott.
"The punishment is death," Hank said, unemotionally. "Many have challenged the Oracle only to find themselves six feet under."
"Ewww......"shivered Kitty.
"I think you kids better get going or you'll miss your show. Please, do your best to enjoy it," said the Professor.
They murmured some words of agreement and, unenthusiastically, left the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hank, is there anything wrong?" asked Ororo, after making sure the kids were nowhere near the door.
"Very. I don't understand what is all this about," said Hank rubbing his eyes.
"Maybe we're better off staying ready for the attack?" asked Ororo, looking at Charles for approval, which she got immediately.
"That is exactly the one thing I don't understand. Why help us? What is the Oracle gaining or losing with such action? Why get involved at all? I don't see how a simple attack to the institute would affect the equilibrium of the realms," she, then, added.
"Well, according to Hank she's very wise," said Charles. "However, I do agree, she's isn't telling us everything she knows."
"What do you mean?" asked Hank.
"Before Cerebro was taken over, I picked up another signal," said the Professor, moving his chair nearer the window.
"Whose?" asked Ororo.
"Magneto's," answered the Professor, looking out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

At the show, everyone tried keeping their minds off the attack. In the beginning, no one really paid attention to the acts. The opening act was a magician, named Henry, the Great (Jeff). He did some nifty tricks and was applauded greatly. When the performance by Andy, the Puppeteer (Irvine), and the Amazing Igor (Hans) came by they started easing up; all except Scott, who kept an eye in his watch and another on the people onstage. Farie and Marie's (Sara and Sally) performance was amazing. Although, Rogue thought Marie had a little too much energy, Kitty enjoyed the way that she worked the stage; jumping, flipping, somersaulting, and bouncing off the walls and across the stage.
Many other acts followed those. The X-men could see that they were a small group because they kept pairing up and doing different acts for the people. The final act was a dance coordinated by the girls, Farie and Marie. It said on their program that it was an Arabic hypnotic dance, done by someone whose name was not mentioned. They waited. The stage started smoking and lights came from different directions. Jean looked behind her and saw one of the performers, Henry, moving his hands on a balcony at the back of the theater. She turned around and out of the floor came a great figure. She sensed the presence of many mutants there but didn't think it was so strange, many mutants had to join the circus to be accepted. The figure moved slowly across the stage and started to take shape; it moved gracefully and almost bewitching, so much that even the most skeptical audience members were stunned by the way it danced. Loud music started coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and as the shape became a girl, everyone followed her in the same tune. Scott was mesmerized by such grace, Kurt and Evan couldn't even keep their mouths closed, even the girls were amazed by the way the girl moved. As the music ended abruptly, the girl vanished without a trace. The whole audience was left clueless, and had nothing to do but applaud and leave rapidly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, behind the curtains, Faye, still dressed on her Arabic costume, looked at the X-men.
"Tell me again, how easy was that?" she asked Tom.
"Too easy, they're really not prepared for what awaits them."
"And they think that tonight's attack is the whole thing?"
"Yeah, clueless, aren't they?"
"They're just kids. Leave them alone. How's Daniel?"
"A little happier that he got to use some of his powers tonight."
"So he won't be a problem?"
"I don't think so. His energy is too low for him to come forth."
"Great! Everything is going as planned."