A/N: Yay I'm back and despite having the flu I'm updating! Feel loved. My body feels like I was hit by a MAC truck. Thank (insert religious figure here) for coffee. Also I noticed no one responded to the art contesty thing…*sad face* If you are interested leave me a privet message or something in the reviews. Also for the next character that I'm introducing…um…think of Russell Brand. If you don't know who that beautiful genius is look him up for the accent if anything. You really have to see him to get the gist of the next character. Enjoy!

p.s. no offence to my English audience for the up coming accent. I'm just making it sound like how I think Russell Brand sounds to me.

Helena and Turnstile stared blankly at the tall figure. He had tight red and black stripped pants that looked worn and faded. A few frayed holes shown here and there. He wore scuffed brown leather shoes with a hole in the left toe. He had a dark red jacket on over top of a dirty white ruffled shirt. The hems of the jacket were lined with black. The white shirt was unbuttoned to the center of his chest showing a few necklaces dangling. His hands were covered in white fingerless gloves that looked worn at the edges. In his right hand he held a long black cane. The top was a silver handle shaped as if it were a gun with an incredibly long black barrel. The tip of the cane was also silver and tapered off at the end. He was very thin and bony. His clothing clung to him like skin only accenting his small waste line. He had a few days of growth on his chin and thick bushy eyebrows. His black matted hair was mostly covered by a worn out top hat that the top was coming slightly apart. A few strands of material stuck out at the edges of his attire making him look like one of those hobos from black and white movies. Even his faded color reminded Helena of old television.

"Oi!" He shouted leaning his slim body down dramatically. He clonked Turnstile on the head with the handle of his cane.

"Are ya def or are ya jus'stupid?" He said bending himself back upright.

"Wha…?" Turnstile said looking at the dead Draculoid.

"Wha the fuk are yew an your girlfriend doin' in my circus?" The tall man said each word slowly.

Turnstile quickly got to his feet. Helena was only a second behind them. Helena hid slightly behind Turnstile.

"I think we got us a couple of trainee Killjoys, Ringer." A female voice came from behind them.

Turning they saw a woman in a swim suit looking outfit. It was faded dark and light blue stripped that stopped at her chest. The dark blue continued up the chest making it shape into a heart, tying behind her neck. Her long curly brown hair was tied up into a messy bun. In her hand she twirled a long staff. She had no accent but articulated her words clearly.

"I found a few more in the tent and hanging around the game booths." She said glaring at Helena and Turnstile darkly. Helena panicked. The others!

"Where are they now?" The man she called Ringer said to her with out taking his eyes off them.

She smirked and twirled the staff behind her back.

"Mute found two boys in the fun house and two girls discovered Tigre in the big top." She chuckled to herself. "She chased them into one of the holding carts."

Ringer smiled tilting his head down. The top hat shaded his face making him look more sinister.

"Agon has them in the big top now." She said twirling the staff again.

"Go meet Tosser and snag them two and bring 'em ta the others." He said addressing the girl. She nodded and spun the staff threateningly.

"Just do what they say." Turnstile whispered behind to Helena.

"As questions. Shoot later?" Helena whispered back. Turnstile nodded.

"Alright you Jouvie-halls move your asses or I'll move them for you." She said pushing them with her staff. Reluctantly they shuffled along until they found themselves under the large red and yellow tent. Twirl led them to the center where a large wooden pole held up the center of the tent. They could see the others with large cloth bags over their heads. They stood in front of a large target. Helena knew this was already bad news. It would only get worse, Helena thought, as a tall man with bright red hair and a tight red and white pants suit. It went over his shoulders like overalls but it rose up over his ankles as if it were too small. He had a crazed look in his beady eye as he picked his tooth with a long sharp looking knife.

Ringer stopped them at the center of the tent.

"Ol-right. I trus' your ears work?" he said jabbing Turnstile with the butt of his cane.

"Get that thing away from me!" Turnstile shouted pushing the cane away from his chest.

Ringer put the cane in front of him and placed both hands on the handle.

"Oh so you do speak!" He said leaning back dramatically. "That means your intelligent. So you'll unda-stand when I say you have thirty seconds to tell me wha' the fuk yew an yer girlfriend are dewin in the hallowed grounds a Cirque Du Libra!" He said with a booming finish.

Turnstile took a step forward.

"First off, she's not my girlfriend." He said pointing to Helena.

Ringer pulled a stop watch from his chest pocket of his red coat.

"Fifteen seconds." He said quickly. The tall man tossed a knife just over Rocket's head.

"What was that?" Rocket shouted and ducked.

"T, is that you?" Sky asked in a shaky voice.

"Helena?" AJ struggled. Everyone's hands were tied behind their backs.

"Twelve seconds."

"It's ok you guys!" Helena called to them. "Just stay low and do not move!"

Another knife flew past Sky's arm.

Turnstile began panicking.

"W-we're killjoys. I'm in charge. W-w-we were just passing through and were on our way to Nevada!"

Ringer kept his eyes on the ticking watch and tilted his head.

"One thin' I hate more than Killjoys is liars. Eight seconds." He said dully.

A knife zipped inches from Crow's covered face.

Turnstile couldn't think fast enough. Finally Helena gripped him by the arm and ripped him back. She placed herself between Ringer and Turnstile.

"Astro Zombies kidnapped our parents. I'm in charge. We're not Killjoys. We're on a rescue mission and your tent looked pretty so we stopped!" She shouted and squinted waiting for Ringer to give the signal for another knife to be thrown. The ticking of the watch stopped.

Helena slowly opened one eye to see what damage had been done to her friends.

Instead she saw Ringer leaning on his cane with smug smile across his lips.

"Now that I believe…." He tilted his head still smiling. He brought two fingers to his lips and whistled.

"Let'em go Tosser." He shouted to the tall red haired man. The tall man called Tosser unhappily pulled the knives from the wall and cut the others free. One by one he pulled the sacs off of their heads. They all ran to Helena and Turnstile.

"Is everyone ok?" Helena asked taking AJ by the arm and looking her over. Quickly she fussed over everyone until she was satisfied they were unharmed.

"What's the big idea?" AJ said charging Ringer. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" Rocket and Helena had to hold her back from attacking him.

Ringer stepped back with a large grin raising both his eyebrows.

"Feisty li-ol tart ain't-chya?" He chuckled. "You'd make a lovely animal tamer!"

"Easy AJ!" Rocket said pulling her back.

Ringer started pacing in front of them.

"Now you say, your in charge?" He said pointing his cane at Helena. "Tha' I believe but, parents napped, sure, but… Astro Zombies is a bit far fetched."

"We got a distress signal from them two days ago." Helena said standing in front of the others. "They called them 'Astro Zombies'. I'm not sure what it means but we're on a rescue mission to get them back." She pulled up the still image of the creatures in gas masks and showed the image to Ringer.

"Hmmm." He said thoughtfully rubbing his scruffy chin and bending over to look at the small screen. He stood up straight eyeing Helena up.

"An yew say you're not Killjoy?" He raised his left eyebrow.

Helena shook her head.

"Would a Killjoy run like an idiot from a Draculoid?" She said with a cocky smirk and looked back at Turnstile. He shot her a dirty glare.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Rocket shouted and jumped back from the group. In the center of their group stood a small child with a ghostly white face. The boy giggled and ran behind Ringer.

"Mute!" Twirl shouted and gripped him by the collar.

"That's that kid from the game booth!" Crow shouted and pointed over AJ's shoulder.

Twirl glared at him and picked him up slightly.

"Damn it Mute I told you to stay underground!" She shouted and set him down as if she were tossing him. The boy smiled and mimed zipping his lips.

"Oh, now you're silent! You little son of a-!"

"Twirl!" Ringer shouted. The girl stood up straight and crossed her arms.

"Friggen brat…" She said under her breath and took Mute by the hand and began to leave the tent.

"Excuse me…" Helena politely raised her hand. Ringer turned to face her.

"If you are anti-Killjoy…could you please explain where we are? I've never seen a place like this before." She looked to Turnstile and then back. "You called it a 'Serkus'. My friend here called it an 'Amazing Park'."

Ringer's expression softened.

"You really are jus' children. This used to be an Amusement Park. Well, it was before the war. Once the war broke out the park was closed and condemned. We found no refuge among the Killjoy armies or the filthy medically controlled rats!" His voice filled with hate. "In the end we came back to the only place we thought of as home."

He spread his arms out wide.

"Welcome to the CIRQUE DU LIBRE!" He shouted letting his voice echo off the tent walls. "The Circus of the Free!"

He put his arms back down and placed both hands on his cane.

"The seemingly only neutral numeral party of the Killjoy drug war." He said with a sigh.

Helena hesitated.

"If your neutral then why do you hate Killjoys?" she asked.

Ringer waited a beat.

"Twirl!" He shouted over them with a large smile. "You and Tosser take our guests to Sanctuary. Get them warmed up, food in their bellies and introduce them to the lot!"

Unenthusiastically she waved them along. Helena led the group towards her and Mute.

"I'm Twirl." She said with a sigh. "This is Mute."

The boy waved silently and took off out of the tent.

"He's training to be a mime but don't let the silent act fool you. This is probably the fist time he's shut up. Probably cause you're new." She gripped her staff dragging it slightly in the dirt floor.

"Ca'mon Sweet's ya can't ferget me!" Tosser boomed and spun a knife between his fingers. Twirl let out another sigh.

"Ugh…this is Tosser. He got the name cause he's the top juggling act." She looked at him with disgust out of the corner of her eye.

"Don't gimme that look. Ya know I'm the best lookin bastard here!" He said licking his dirty hand and sleeking back his greasy hair.

"You also got that name from my father because you're the biggest ass hole in our Freak Show!" She said spinning the staff between her fingers. Tosser tried to grab her ass but she smacked him hard on the knuckles.

"You'd better not let my father catch you trying that shit!" Twirl shouted and pushed him back with the end of the staff quickly.

"Yer mother had that same attitude!" He chuckled and walked off to where Ringer had left.

"Ugh, he's such a pig! I don't know why my father keeps him with us." She said continuing out of the tent.

She stopped at the edge of the tent near the bleachers when a low growl bellowed from the darkness under the seats. A large orange paw swatted Twirl.

"Ti-gray!" She shouted and jabbed the tiger with her staff. "Bad kitty! Don't eat our guests!"

The tiger emerged from the darkness. Sky and AJ both huddled behind the boys.

"That's your pet?" Turnstile said with a dropping jaw. Twirl scratched the large cat under its chin. It let a deep purr rumble from its lips.

"She's our guard kitty!" Twirl said with a smile and wrapped her arms around the tiger's neck.

"Tigre has been in the circus since it started. She's an old girl isn't she?" Twirl said scratching Tigre behind the ears resting her head on the tiger. Twirl was about a few years older than Boomer but looked like a small child next to the large creature.

"Follow me." Twirl said standing up and heading under the bleachers. They continued under to find a large rectangular hole in the ground. Silver stairs went below the earth in a lightless path. As they went down the stairs Helena realized they were in some sort of fall out shelter. The walls were made of patched together metal in a hall just barely enough to fit them.

"After the war broke out we took the roller coasters apart and built the Sanctuary. There's only a few of us so we don't need too much space." She stopped in the darkness. The sound of metal scraping metal echoed through the thin hall. Suddenly light burst from the door and illuminated the hall. Twirl entered and the others followed. Everyone's jaw dropped at the massive size of the room. It was more or less the same size as the tent above them but with a much lower ceiling. It hung only six feet from their heads but it was more than enough space. Six sections of the large space were sectioned into rooms. Part was sectioned into a kitchen where a burly man with bristly black hair and a bushy mustache spun fire as he cooked something on a stove.

"Argon!" Twirl shouted. The burly man stopped spinning fire and turned. He was shaped like a tear drop. His large balding head had little to no neck and was just attacked at his shoulders. His wide body tapered down into tiny feet that seemed impossible to hold him. He had on dark green slacks and a white stained shirt.

"Twirl! How many time I tell you? Or-gon. My name Or-gon! Silly American child not even know name yet I know her since she was dovotshka!" Orgon said in a heavy Russian accent.

"Not now Argon!" Twirl rolled her eyes. "We have guests!" She said greeting him with a smile.

Orgon raised a bushy eyebrow and looked them over carefully.

"Don't worry they're not Killjoy." She said assuring him. Orgon let out a hearty laugh.

"I know Ringer never let Killjoy in Cirque." He bellowed out another hearty laugh. "Welcome little ones. It is pleasing to be meeting you." He shook Helena's hand.

"Argon is our cook. He used to be a fire eater now him and Madam look after Sanctuary." Twirl said.

"Honesty child." Orgon let out a sigh. "Say it withes me. Or…Gon! My name is Fire, I am man of Fire!"

Twirl rolled her eyes.

"Or-GON was from Russia. He and Madam came over before the war. He helped my father even name the circus." Twirl said a matter of factly.

"ARE INTRUDERZ HERE?" An elderly voice called from behind one of the curtains.

Twirl pulled it back revealing a thin old woman sitting on a pillow in front of a dozen screens. She had on a Gypsy like outfit and a scarf tied around her balding head.

"MAMA!" Orgon shouted. "THEY ARE NO INTRUDERZ!"

"WHAT? THEY ARE BRUDERZ?" the elderly woman cupped one of her ears with her hand. Her accent was similar to Orgon.

"MADAM ROMA!" Twirl shouted. "WE…HAVE….GUESTS!"

Madam Roma turned to Twirl.

"I'M ALREADY DRESSED!" She turned to Helena and the others. "WE HAVE GUESTS!" She shouted to Twirl and smiling.

Twirl turned to Helena.

"She's a little hard of hearing. She used to be the best psychic in California now she-"

"PLEASURE TO BE MEETING YOU!" Madam Roma shouted causing Twirl to wince. "I AM MADAM ROMA! I USED TO BE BEST PSYCHIC IN CALIFORN-I-AY! NOW THEY HAVE ME WATCHING COM-PUTER SCREENS! BAH!" The old woman shouted and waved a wrinkled hand at the screens.

"The clowns are our security system. That's how we knew you were here." Twirl said sticking a finger in her ear as if to make sure she wasn't going deaf.

"Creepy clowns!" Madam said under her breath. "TWIRL!" She began shouting again. She put a hand to her temple and started humming.

"YOUR FATHER WILL BE LOOKING FOR YOU VERY SOONS!" She said still humming.

Twirl rolled her eyes and looked at the top left screen.

"NICE TRY YOU OLD COOT!" Twirl shouted. "She actually thinks she's psychic."

"Who is your father by the way? It seems like we've met everyone." Helena said looking around. Twirl smiled at her like she was a child.

"Silly you already did." She said simply.

"Fukin tiger's gonna be da deaf of me!" Ringer shouted from behind them. They turned to see him with a larger hole in his top hat.

"Sorry dad." Twirl said a little annoyed.

A/N: wow, that took longer than expected. Fun facts, a lot of hidden name meanings in here. Hope you liked it. R&R