AN: Story's Shadow and I are back everyone. Sorry it took so long for us to get this chapter out... let's just say say a lot has happened in each member of the teams personal life... it's been a rough patch for every member of the 'Nobel Patriots' writing team. But we have returned with our longest chapter yet for Vixens third story.
Special Shoutouts go to Story's Shadow and Rushstar32 for everything they have been doing in front of and behind the scenes. I personally salute you both my best friends :)
Unto the show
-S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ, Fury's Office, A Couple Of Days Later-
Steve Rogers was siting in the guest chair as Director Fury moved through a hologram with one hand, showing an image of a common soldier of Imperious.
"I've spoken with Doctor Strange, after capturing one of his soldiers his study concluded that these soldiers are made purely of our enemy's magic. They have no souls or emotions, they do have an awareness of battle and take orders from whatever commander is leading them. They also can think at the very least on a basic level in combat. These might be heartless, they main revelation is they're not mindless."
Steve rubbed his chin.
"Metatron had informed me personally that these soldiers typically will follow whatever commands they're given to the letter. He said Wraith often had them deal as much damage as possible, to inflict greater suffering. Yet when he wanted to personally battle his foes, he had the soldiers keep reinforcements from arriving to overwhelm them even if it meant the soldiers themselves were destroyed."
"And Stalker had them go directly for them kill if able. It's likely that even though that can think personally, their minds are directly the will of who personally commands them in battle."
Director Fury nodded.
"This could gives us the edge. I will speak with Metatron soon so we can strategize on a greater scale for our defense."
Steve's visage of focus slowly faded as he sighed. Director Fury raised an eyebrow.
"What's on your mind, Captain?"
"Metatron and his students...I feel like we're asking too much of them some of the time..."
"They said they wanted to help us fight Imperious."
"I know, Fury...it just feels sad that they're solely focused on this war...they don't seem to have the time to relax. Even soldiers have to take a break sometimes. They're gonna drive themselves crazy if they don't take a moment to breathe."
Fury sighed as he leaned back in his chair.
"We're driving ourselves crazy over this...this is just a threat we haven't truly faced before."
"I know...I just don't want the rest of their lives to be so focused on destroying Imperious they don't stop to enjoy themselves or at the very least feel something besides despair."
"What do you have in mind that they'd be willing to do?"
"Have them get to know us, this world. Let them experience humanity and the beauty of Earth."
Director Fury scratched his chin.
"They have expressed some interest in learning more about our world. Now that we know they're allies, we should express our hospitality."
"Exactly."
"I'll offer them disguises, can't have our friends be assaulted by some prejudiced jackasses can we?"
Steve Rogers smiled, nodding.
-Manhattan, The Next Day-
Metatron, Cassandra, and Jacob walked the streets of New York City. Given Photostatic Veils by S.H.I.E.L.D., the trio looked like an our group of humans. They'd also been outfitted common clothing from Earth. Cassandra grumbled under her breath as she picked at her jeans.
"I still don't like that we have to wear these...things They're so tight and itchy."
Jacob nodded. He looked at his hands.
"Y-Yes...this world's attire is strange. And these veils feel...unnatural."
"Unnatural? We can't even be ourselves here."
Jacob nodded.
"It would appear so. What do you think, Sensei?"
Metatron sighed.
"I'm not truly pleased with this matter...I just understand why they did this. We already know how at least some of the people of this world view people who don't look like them or aren't of the same species."
Cassandra grumbled.
"Doesn't mean we should go out of our way to make them comfortable or oblivious."
Jacob sighed.
"We must focus on the task at hand, we need to defeat Imperious and that means working with these humans and the other peoples here."
Metatron nodded slowly.
"Regardless, let's see what their world holds. And we have to 'blend in' as they put it. So not looking for insects or fish to eat unless it's...what did they say? On a vendor?"
The trio walked around the city, their gazes going to the towering buildings that seemed to touch the heavens themselves. They made their way to a part of the borough across from the Statue of Liberty. Jacob rubbed the back of his neck as Cassie and Meta shared the same look of confusion with them as they saw people taking photos on the island and around them of the statue as they waved flags. Jacob turned to them as he whispered.
"Is it a statue of one of their gods?"
Cassie's raised her hands in the 'i don't know' gesture.
They made their way towards the park they had spent some time in. A food cart was parked along one of the trails. The man behind it turned to them and smiled.
"Would you three be interested in some hamburgers?"
He pulled out three burgers wrapped in foil, steam danced from them into the air e three turned to one another, eyebrows raised. Metatron sniffed a few times and slowly reached out a hand.
"You have cash?"
He nodded to a bucket with dollars and change in it. Metatron pulled his hand back and reached into his pocket, pulling out a 20 dollar bill. The man grinned as he put the burgers onto the cart and took the cash then handed the trio their burgers.
"Enjoy."
They walked over to below a few trees and sat in the shade. Metatron and Jacob continued to sniff the burgers while Cassandra took a bite. Her eyes opened a little wide as she felt the taste.
"Huh, not bad."
She continued to eat the burger as Metatron and Jacob followed suit. Jacob mumbled under his breath, making Cassandra turning towards him.
"Not as good as insects?"
"Eh, I mean I think they'd help the flavor."
Cassie and Meta chuckled at this. They sat for a few minutes more under the tree as they finished their burgers before moving on. The trio walked through the park, seeing people have picnics and playing sports. As they continued on their way a dog barked as it ran up to them, a leash with no one holding it flying around. As the canine got closer it stopped as it turned its head to the side, tail still wagging. Jacob and Cassie shared a look of confusion before Meta knelt down. The dog whimpered a little and its tail slowly stopped wagging as it seemed to look through the veil. Meta reached out a hand and gently stroked the dog's head. The dog then began to wag its tail again as it panted.
Meta smiled.
"A pleasure to meet you as well, cousin."
Cassie and Jacob smiled as a young man ran up to the dog, an embarrassed smile across his faces. He panted as he nearly dropped to his knees.
"I'm...so sorry...he got away from me when I opened the door to my car, the collar came undone and I-"
Meta smiled as the man started to pull something out of his pocket.
"No trouble, Sammy was just curious."
The man gasped, looking down at the collar he'd taken out. 'Sammy' was engraved in the dog tag.
"H-How did you-?"
Meta stood up, smiling to the dog.
"Good to meet you both. Sammy, be sure to watch out for him."
The dog barked and wagged his tail. The man stood dumbfounded as Metatron and his students walked past them. Cassie grinned.
"You really freaked him out, Sensei. I thought we were supposed to be blending in?"
Metatron chuckled lightly.
"The Wolf and Dog lines were always close, it's good to see some part of their kin is still alive somewhere...even if not on Faunia."
Cassie and Jacob nodded, bittersweet smiles on their faces.
As they made their way around a corner, they came across a sign with a colorful poster. The trio walked up to it. The design was that of a circus with people in colorful uniforms in action poses that presented acrobatics and strength.
Jacob chuckled lightly.
"Circuses here too? You wanna see how they compare to ours, Sensei?"
Metatron sighed.
"They asked us to relax and to learn about this world. I guess one of their forms of entertainment would be only fitting."
Jacob smiled and nodded. Cassie sighed.
"Let's see what they can do."
-Another Part Of Central Park, A Few Minutes Later-
A large red tent was set up, bleachers were set within it. Several people sat and talked as they waited for the circus to start. The trio sat in one of the lower seats as many had arrived earlier and taken spots higher up.
Cassandra looked around to see several men, women, and children chatting and eating the food they'd bought before entering the tent. Laughter and conversation felt like a constant hum through the tent though she could still make out various individual conversations and laughs. A girl's laugh was high-pitched as a man told her of the clown acts. Two men were discussed an act they called 'the trapeze'.
Cassie turned to Jacob as he scarfed down food he'd purchased with some of the money they'd been given by S.H.I.E.L.D. The Hedgehog had been curious about the food the humans called 'popcorn'. She chuckled at the look on her friend's face.
"Don't eat it all at once, you're gonna choke."
Jacob moaned a little as he chewed curiously on the food before he swallowed so he could respond.
"They said to learn more about their home, eating foreign foods is a part of that."
Cassie scoffed a little though her smile didn't vanish.
"The humans might start to suspect something...or just think you're an oddity."
Jacob sighed before he ate another handful of the food, putting a several back in the bag. He looked around, seeing some having the same bag of food in their hands. They took out a few pieces at a time to eat though he did see some eating a little more than this as well. The Hedgehog followed the former's example.
Cassie smiled, nodding.
Metatron chewed the Hamburger he'd bought, curious to have another from another cook.
"This one tastes less prepared."
Cassie turned to him.
"Really?"
The Wolf nodded.
"It's not bad, I just don't believe they put as much care into this...though they do have many customers, perhaps they were overwhelmed and struggled to keep up with the orders."
The Cat shrugged.
"Maybe."
The lights started to turn off till only one remained.
A man in long red robes and a black top hat strutted to the center ring. He waved to the crowd as he twirled a long black stick in the other hand. A black whip was strapped to one hip that the trio noticed. The crowd whistled and cheered as the man made his way to the center of the ring and the circus. He bowed and took off his hat before returning to standing up. The ringmaster moved one hand across the edge of his hat as he grinned.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Revival Ring Circus is truly grateful for your attendance today. As you know we are an up and coming circus with acts that hail from the good ole' traditional elements of the circus to entirely new additions that I dare say few circuses if any at all have formed for the enjoyment of people across the country!"
The crowd clapped, cheered, and whistled. The ringmaster grinned and chuckled as he took another bow. As he stood up he sighed.
"It is a pleasure to be here in the Big Apple. I've dreamed of taking my circus across the country and even across the world. And to be here, in New York City, one of the grandest cities in the world and my circus perform for your entertainment it is truly a dream come true. And to have you see what the circus has in store for you, you will all be giggling and gleeful by what you see."
The crowd continued to cheer him on. The ringmaster chuckled.
"So to start the show off tonight, one of the most tried and true beloved acts of the circus will have you in stitches! Bring out the Clowns!"
The crowd whistled and cheered as a light set on one of the back areas between the stands that led to the back of the circus. The doors opened and a small group of clowns walked out. They clapped and waved to the crowd, some of them performing silly dances. The ringmaster chuckled as he walked off to a space between the stands.
The clowns made their way to the center though some stood or walked around the outer edges of the ring as music played. A few of them carried a street lamp to the center of the ring. The lightbulb was out, so they looked to it and to one another. They wordlessly argued as they continued to point at the lightbulb. One of them carried a small ladder over and positioned it by the lamp, the others continued to argue.
Cassie raised an eyebrow at this.
The clowns started pushing one another lightly as the clown walked up the ladder then looked to the clowns fighting. He shook his head dramatically before he started unscrewing the lightbulb. The crowd chuckled as they watched the clowns continued to argue and fight without saying a word, not noticing the one taking out the lightbulb.
Jacob chuckled lightly as the same clown started screwing in another lightbulb which went on. The other clowns turned to see this as the one clown stepped down the ladder. He wordlessly admonished them, shaking one finger at them before walking away. The other hung their heads before carrying away the lamp and ladder. Jacob chuckled at this while Cassie giggled and Meta smiled slightly.
Two clowns brought out what appeared a bench press seat and rack whiled another carried a bar and a few others carried large weights that had a big number marked on each. They winced and panted as they seemed to struggle carrying them to the center of the ring. The seat was placed and the others set up the rack with the weights. They stepped aside, wiping their hands across the foreheads as they dramatically gasped in relief. Then one clown, taller than the others walked towards the weights a confident grin on his face.
The trio and the others laughed as he stood there, smacking his chest with either hand then moved around it still smacking his chest or clapping his hands together. He then sat on the bench, moving his hands along the bar and started patting the bar with the other clowns watching. The big clown then stood up and walked around the seat and continued to smack his chest and clapped his hands, which received laughs from the crowd. Some in the crowd laughed so hard, tears ran down their faces.
As the big clown continued to show off by smacking his chest and clapped his hands a short clown walked to the bench. The clowns watched this while the big clown continued to show off. The short clown shrugged his shoulders and picked up the bar with the weights with one hand and began doing bicep curls with it without any issue.
Many in the crowd laughed louder at this, the trio amongst them. As the big clown continued to do what he was doing he received a pat on the shoulder from the short clown. He turned and saw the short clown handing the weighted bar to him. The big clown then took it and he fell forward. The crowd continued to laugh, Meta almost started to howl in laughter. The clowns in this act then carried away the equipment.
The clowns performed a few more acts, one involving them juggling increasingly more absurd items to them pretending to doing a boxing match with giant marshmallow gloves. The crowd laughed and clapped for each performance. As they moved back into the hidden parts of the tent the ringmaster walked to the center ring.
A wide grin was on his face as he waved to the crowd and bowed then spoke as he stood up.
"We're so glad you enjoyed our clown acts! They've worked hard and practiced to achieve the peak of satirical entertainment! Now for our newest act: A fearless high-flying acrobat who terrorizes and amazes all with her gravity and death defying stunts! Please welcome: Danger Dame!"
A young woman walked out from the back, dressed in a tight dark blue leotard and mask. Her medium length brown hair bounced a little as she walked. She simply waved to the crowd as they clapped for her. The acrobat climbed up to a height of stairs to the top where she made her way to a plank that in front of and above it was a handle bar.
One guy grinned at this that sat a short distance away from the trio.
"I love the flying trapeze acts! Wait, she's by herself?!"
Cassie raised an eyebrow at this before returning her gaze to the acrobat. She cracked her neck before she readied her self, inhaling and exhaling.
The ringmaster smirked.
"That's right ladies and gentlemen! Danger Dame is a solo act! This is her first time in the circus business and her skills are so incredible, it's why I'm so confident that she'll dazzle you in ways you haven't seen before! Have at it, Danger Dame!"
The acrobat nodded down to the ringmaster before turning to the bars before her and to the other platform that was at least 24 feet across. Many were silent as they watched the acrobat take a few steps back on the platform. She ran and leapt forward. Many gasped as the young woman leapt towards the closest bar, which was around six feet away, some even covered their eyes with Jacob being one of them. Cassie and Meta noticed her move her hands out to either side of her. Their ears twitched as they seemed to hear a faint humming sound. Danger Dame had cleared the distance and threw her arms forward, grabbing the bar and swung on the bar.
The crowd cheered and whistled at this.
Jacob moved a few fingers out of the way of his eyes to look. He sighed in relief at seeing her unharmed before turning to his companions. They also all sensed something though it was not within the immediate surroundings.
"Thank goodness she's ok. Hey, did you two hear some really faint humming sound? You know, before the cheering."
They nodded. Cassie raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, strange how no one else heard it."
Meta scratched his chin before he whispered.
"The young Fox explained these people's senses typically aren't very keen...not without considerable training and even then still not to the degree of ours."
His students nodded whereas no one else around him noticed any of this over the cheering. Danger Dame swung on the bar back and forth a few times before launching herself forward, her arms thrown back before she completed two somersaults before grabbing the next bar which was another six feet in front of her. They watched as the acrobat performed the same feet as she leapt then somersaulted to the next bar. Again the same sound was heard. Danger Dame then leapt towards the other platform and launched herself high in the air, somersaulting a couple of time and then seemed to pose with her feet and hands straight down. Cassie's eyes widened as the acrobat land on the platform without shaking or falling. The sound again was heard again.
The crowd whistled and clapped at this. The ringmaster laughed as he clapped, his whip wrapped around one shoulder. Danger Dame bowed a little.
"I told you she was one of a kind, folks! And that was only a warmup for Danger Dame! And for those of you concerned with her safety, don't be alarmed! Look at the net we've constructed to ensure her safety!"
He pointed to a net that was cast with literal lighting from spotlights. It looked sort of thin though it gleamed
"As a nod to one of your city's iconic figures, this net was constructed in part from spider webbing though rest assured it doesn't have that sticky feeling! It's more than secure enough to catch our circus member and keep her from being injured!"
Despite his statement some sneered a little or shook at hearing about part of the net's material.
Meta's eyes narrowed a little.
"A spider's webbing is very strong for its seemingly delicate makeup."
Jacob nodded.
"Comparable to steel if I'm not mistaken."
Meta frowned.
"He could be putting her in danger."
Jacob rubbed his chin.
"If he used it in its design, he surely knows its strength and likely has tested it to be sure it didn't injure his performers."
Meta nodded at this though he returned his gaze to the grinning ringmaster.
"Still...there's something I'm uncertain of here."
Then he looked to Danger Dame as she performed somersault after somersault to each bar.
"Perhaps more than one thing."
Cassie slowly nodded.
Danger Dame performed a triple somersault as she launched herself high above and across to the other platform and once again landed with seeming ease.
"...Yeah..."
The crowd cheered and whistled.
After performing for a few more minutes and doing tricks that the ringmaster identified as being more advanced than most rookie acrobats couldn't perform, Danger Dame bowed before making her way down the steps. Meta turned to his students.
"We mentioned the sound...yet did you feel or sense anything?"
Cassie rubbed her chin carefully.
"...Yeah...felt like a...like a shift in the air?"
Meta nodded slowly. Jacob tapped his fingers on the metal gap between him and Cassie.
"I think...I don't know if I felt it to the degree the two of you did."
Cassie's eyes focused in on the acrobat as she finally got off the steps. The ringmaster chuckled.
"Give a round of applause for the very first performance of Danger Dame! This circus really has gained another gem in its treasure of its rich performers!"
The crowd applauded, many whooping or whistling.
Danger Dame smiled a little and bowed then walked back towards the hidden parts of the circus as she waved. Though she saw the acrobat moved into a dark part that was a little to the side and not to in the back quarters of the circus.
The circus then had performances by giant bubble artists that blew bubbles in the forms of a variety of different forms then fire performers who danced as they twirled bars ablaze with flames then hoop dancers. Then there was a collaborative performance with both groups, melding fire and water together.
The ringmaster chuckled as he made his wave to the center ring, grinning, as the fire and bubble performers left as they waved or bowed.
"And now, our final act! I have saved a truly remarkable performance for the end of show today, ladies and gentlemen! This magic act is so spectacular and astonishing, that what you see we'll perhaps be more real than it appears to be!"
Some in the crowd chuckled followed by clapping. The ringmaster grinned as he turned towards one part of the circus. Cassie followed his gaze first, seeing someone slowly moved from the back quarters though she notice they seemed to shake slightly. Then she notice Danger Dame move her head a little out from where she was.
The ringmaster turned back to the crowd.
"For a final performance, please welcome our resident magician: Mirage!"
From one of the back parts of the circus a young girl walked towards the center of the ring. She smiled to the crowd and waved with one hand and ran the other through her short brown hair. He thought he saw her sweating a little. Jacob raised an eyebrow a little before he whispered to his companions.
"Really is her first time, the poor girl is sweating."
Cassie nodded.
"Being nervous is only natural."
Meta was quiet, his eyes narrowed a little.
Mirage gulped though the trio noticed she tried to conceal this with moving one hand in front of her throat as the hand flew yellow then her other hand flew yellow. The ringmaster smiled as he spoke again.
"Now show our friends what you can do, my dear!"
Jacob raised an eyebrow at this as he gaze turned to the ringmaster but returned to the girl as her green eyes flew yellow and she moved her hands in a swaying motion. Above her the image of a puppy was formed with a yellow aura around it appeared before the crowd, the visual being much larger than herself. The crowd smiled at the sight of the realistic looking puppy especially when they heard it bark and wag its tail. Many vocally responded.
"Awwww!"
The puppy ran around in circles barking before it did a play bow to the audience.
Meta smiled a little before he whispered to his students.
"Not magic though still a beautiful creation."
Cassie nodded, turning to the crowd. Jacob sighed at the looks on the crowd's faces.
"Right, humans...or most, can't see the difference."
Meta nodded.
"This young woman is gifted regardless."
Mirage moved her hands as another puppy appeared which began barking and playing with the first puppy, running around in circles as they barked at/with one another. Many in the crowd chuckled and clapped at this.
Th ringmaster chuckled, his voice raised up by the microphone he was given by one of the circus clowns.
"A good start, Mirage. The first taste of your gift has caught their eye, now show how you can alter what you've made!"
Mirage turned to him and nodding after a second before turning her gaze back to her creation. She moved her hands in a circle and the image swirled around before bursting in separate directions which in the area between them formed into a flock of birds flying around the space above the crowds and in an oval above everyone with the flock changing the shape of their flying formation every few seconds. The crowd continued to clap some of them calling out suggestions for Mirage to make appear.
The ringmaster grinned at hearing some of the people calling out to her. He grinned and cracked his whip.
"Make it so, Mirage!"
Her eyes widened for a moment then she nodded to him. Jacob's gaze focused on this before Mirage moved her hands around as she heard someone call out to her to make for hoops to be ablaze and have animals jump through them. The birds vanished and large burning hoops were lined across above the ground of the circus then lions and tigers jumped through the hoops as they roared. The crowd whistled and continued to clap at this.
A boy jumped up as he shouted his suggestion.
"Make them fight!"
The ringmaster cracked his whip.
"Make it so!"
Mirage nodded again as she closed her hands into fists.
The lions and tiger turned on one another growling and snarling before they lunged. The big cats roared as their threw their paws forward, claws extruded as they battled. The boy practically screamed in joy, his cheeks bright red as he jumped up and down as he punched in the direction of the images.
"FIGHT! FIGHT!"
The trio saw a faint yellow wave move across Mirage's face. They saw her sweat more, teeth gritted though no anger on her face. The crowd continued to clap as did the ringmaster.
Jacob turned to his companions and whispered.
"Don't they see her straining?"
Meta was quiet for a moment, looking to the crowd then Mirage as she bowed though the look on her face didn't ease. He shook his head.
"No...she's concealed her face."
"What? Why?"
"Make a parade!"
They turned to see a little girl call out, a big smile on her face with a few teeth missing. Then they heard the crack of the ringmaster's whip, which the tip straightened and ended a few feet in front of Mirage as he walked closer to her. Mirage flinched though she quickly clapped her hands together. The fighting lions and tigers vanished and in her place was the girl's suggestion. A parade of dancers and musicians marched around the space above the crowd. Many jumped up at this sight, whistling and clapping louder and faster.
The boy from earlier called out.
"More animals!"
The ringmaster cracked his whip again, the whip ending a few feet in front of Mirage. The young woman winced as she moved her hands in front of her. Lines of light moved towards where the people in the image marched. They then morphed making new shapes. Along with the dancers and musicians marched animals of different kinds, some danced as other reared on their hind legs and roared. The crowd continued to cheer.
A hand moved to Mirage's face as she winced and gritted her teeth. It went to her forehead and she clutched it for a moment then a hat appeared on her head then she took it off as she bowed to the crowd. The crowd continued to cheer. Jacob's eyes widened a little before turning to the ringmaster who simply smirked and grinned.
He then cracked his whip again which got a few inches closer to Mirage.
"Come now, my dear, surely you're just warming up!
Mirage grunted and winced, her face red. She nodded to the ringmaster who nodded back, the same smile on his face.
Cassie's ears dropped at seeing Mirage wince as she clapped her hands. Yellow light burst forth and swirled around the space above the ground. From it emerged an image of a landscape with the sun slowly rising as it overlooked a a valley lined with trees and rivers that streamed through the land. Many in the crowd smiled as they clapped louder. Their voices slowly lowered as they watch Mirage's legs slowly shook as she seemed to be struggling though they only saw a smile on her face.
The ringmaster's smile faltered for a moment then it returned.
"There's no need to try to dance as you perform your magic, Mirage. What you create alone is stunning. I see why you wish to add to the act, we can work on it later. So let's stay focused. Show them what you really can do!"
He cracked the whip again, it ending a few inches closer to her once again. Mirage slowly nodded as he gritted her teeth, eyes clamped shut, as she threw her hands out to either side of her. The light expanded and then formed the image of a galaxy with stars the sparkled with nebulas that swirled around.
Many in the crowd once again whistled at this, many calling for more. Though this time their voices quieted down as they saw Mirage fall onto one knee, one hand clutched her head. Some thought they saw brief sparks of light emerge from her face some whispering they saw tears on her face before the smile emerged.
The trio saw the tears plain on her face as her one hand clenched her hair as the other shook as it tried to stay up. The image of the galaxy started to spark as it seemed to fade. Many whispered to one another, some with slightly widened eyes. The ringmaster seemed to grit his teeth as he smiled.
"Come now, my dear! No need to show off how you can refocus and alter what you manifest! We can work on this later!"
He cracked the whip again, this time even closer to Mirage. She flinched again and she started to lightly sob. Meta's ear lowered as he started to grumble as Cassie's claws started to flex. But Jacob had already leapt down from the seats and onto the ground floor. Many gasped at this as the Hedgehog stood to his full height. The ringmaster gasped as he turned to face him as did Mirage, eyes wide. Jacob nodded to Mirage before turning to the ringmaster.
"I see through your facade. I know what you're doing to her. I've known people like you my whole life and like them I despise you. You will release her! Now!"
Many in the crowd turned to one another, some whispering.
"Is this part of the performance?"
"I don't know, kind of strange."
"Maybe they have a surprise addition to the show?"
"Maybe it's interactive?"
Jacob didn't look to them just at the ringmaster.
"She's in pain and you know it. You send her veiled threats but I see through them. So I advise you to free her. Now."
The ringmaster scoffed then looked to the audience. He then smiled.
"Ah, I think you're off cue and script, my friend. Still, let's work with it."
He chuckled as he twirled his whip.
"Show me what you're going to do!"
He cracked his whip, the end flying towards Jacob. Many in the crowd gasped, closing their eyes. But the whip stopped just a foot from Jacob, seemingly hitting an invisible force or shield. The crowd watched, many with their eyes wide. The ringmaster gasped but he cracked his whip again, only for the whip to stop again except this time it wouldn't move it as he tried to crack it again.
"What?!"
Many in the crowd gasped at this before some whistled and clapped.
"Whoa! That's a great trick!"
Jacob once again glared at the ringmaster, who's eyes widened.
"Y-You're like Mirage?"
Jacob's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
The ringmaster shook his head and pressed something in his coat. Several men ran to the ringmaster's side: a couple of knife throwers, fire wielders, and strongmen.
"Get him!"
The knife throwers narrowed their eyes before tossing several knives at him. But the Hedgehog motioned one hand to the side, throwing the whip to the ground without touching it. He then raised his other hand up, all the knives stopped dead in the air just inches from the hand. Many in the crowd stood wide eyed or with their jaws dropped. Jacob gritted his teeth as he then motioned a finger from one side to point at the ringmaster and knife throwers then snapped his fingers. The knives flew forward at twice the speed that they'd been thrown with. The blades cut into the clothes of their targets and pulling them back against one of the stands. Nearly all in the crowd gasped before someone screamed.
"He's an Inhuman! Run!"
The crowd ran as they cried out, many falling on one another and many nearly falling over the stands. Mirage watched the stranger that had stopped the whip and knives without touching them with wide eyes. She gasped as she fell onto her side, the illusion above her and on her face gone.
The ringmaster gasped as the strongmen started pulling out the knives that had him and the knife throwers trapped. He turned to the fire wielders.
"Don't just stand their you idiots! GET HIM!"
They gasped then nodded. They rushed forward then blew at the fire, the flames streamed towards Jacob at a swift pace. But they stopped as well midair.
"What?!"
They saw a young woman standing beside the young man, motioning with her hands which the fire followed and blazed around and above her. The fire wielders stood with their jaws dropped, visibly shaking.
Cassie glowered at them.
"You fools are no longer playing with fire. You will be burned!"
Everyone could hear the hiss in her threat.
Mirage gasped at hearing this and saw an older man come to stand by the young woman and man.
"You will no longer use the girl for your gain. Surrender now."
The ringmaster grunted as he rubbed one of his wrists and turned to the knife throwers who took the knives from the strongmen.
"Not likely. This is my circus, she's mine. Besides, she can't leave and she knows why. Who would accept a freak like her?"
Mirage whimpered as her tears fell to the ground.
Jacob's eyes widened as he gritted his teeth.
He turned to Metatron whom nodded. Jacob nodded back before turning back to the ringmaster. The trio then pulled off their veils, revealing their actual faces. The circus men gasped at the sight of them. Jacob's quills stood straight up whereas Cassie hissed as she flexed her claws and Meta simply growled as he ears flattened.
The ringmaster shook.
"Y-You're Inhumans?!"
Jacob scoffed.
"Maybe, maybe not. Maybe we don't stand by and watch some poor girl being forced to dance for some little man high on his own power."
The ringmaster's hands shook as he frowned.
"G-Get them!"
The knife thrower, the fire wielders, and the strongmen looked at him uncertain.
"You have them outnumbered! We have to leave and the sooner they're dealt with the sooner we can go! Now get them!"
The men ran though some more hesitantly than others. The knife throwers threw the blades at the wolf man but Jacob stopped them in mid air while the fire wielders blew fire forward and the strongmen rushed around the flames. Cassie threw one hand up and the fire surged skywards then swirled around then she punched towards the ones who attacked her again.
"You don't learn do you?!"
The men screamed as they jumped away from the fire. Metatron turned to face the strong men, pushing aside one punch then pulled another to force the one man's attack to strike the other strongmen. He grumbled as he moved his head to the side as a jab flew forward then struck a few fingers against the arm's elbow. The man gasped as he felt all feeling below the elbow go numb.
"How did you-?!"
"Enough!"
They all turned, seeing the ringmaster hold a knife against Mirage's throat. The trio's eyes went wide and they snarled, but the ringmaster lightly cut the girl's throat. A little blood was drawn.
"On your knees, freaks. Now!"
As the trio knelt to the ground, Meta's gaze fell on the acrobat from earlier and a group of people in masks and hoods moving through the shadows towards Mirage though she was frozen now. Her eyes met the Wolf's, her eyes widened at meeting his haunting gaze. The Wolf then turned back to the ringmaster who hadn't noticed where his focus had been more a moment.
He frowned then smirked as he scoffed. The man forced Mirage up as he held the knife to her throat, though he pulled it away slightly.
"You Inhuman idiots. You really thought you could free your little friend here? In my circus?! I guess those powers of yours really went to your head. Of course, some of you don't really have the control you think you do. Or else this girl wouldn't be my 'magician'."
Jacob sneered.
"She's not anything of yours."
The ringmaster laughed.
"Taunt me all you want, rat boy. This one caused all kinds of damage once she discovered her powers...now she works for me or else I let slip what she did."
"I-I didn't mean to."
"Of course not, but it's not like anyone would care. Other than these three freaks. But how the hell did you know what was going on? Are Inhumans not tricked by her illusions?"
Cassie frowned.
"Those with sight can see through illusions."
"What?"
The ringmaster rolled his eyes as his men gathered around him.
"It doesn't matter. Now that you three ruined this show we have to pack up and leave. We'll have to lay low and rebrand...may even have to do something different. Damn it."
He turned back to them then smirked.
"You three might actually make good side shows. I can see it now: Three Missing Links! The Rat Boy, The Cat Girl, and the...are you a dog? Wolf?"
Meta just frowned at him.
The ringmaster chuckled.
"Doesn't matter, I'll call you whatever I like. You may have 'powers', but I have the real power here."
Meta frowned then inhaled and exhaled, eyes closed. He looked to his students, his eyes glowing fiercely as his teeth were bared. Cassie and Jacob's eyes widened for a moment then nodded to their sensei. Metatron looked to the ringmaster, his growling rising in volume. The ringmaster turned to him as he spoke.
"Your cruelty and arrogance is not power."
Meta's eyes flew fierce as his body glowed a fierce almost blinding golden light, many covered their eyes as the light became stronger. Even the ringmaster dropped the blade and shielded his eyes with his arms. Then as the light began to fade, the ringmaster and his men's gaze fell on someone or as they saw it something.
Where the man with the canid features stood a being that towered around eight or nine feet in height. Covered in white and gray fur with gleaming black claws and huge white fangs, the creature hulked over them as its ear flattened on its massive lupine head.
One of the strongmen just barely managed to speak.
"W-Werewolf!"
Metatron's gaze fell upon the acrobat who held one of Mirage's arms over her shoulder and another person held Mirage's other arm over their shoulder. They hurried towards an exit. They looked back to see Metatron, eyes widened. As the men started to look in the direction he was, the Wolf turned back to them as he spoke. His voice now deeper and intone with a terrifying growl.
"THIS is real power."
He grabbed the ringmaster by his throat and lifted him high in the air, his eyes burning into the terrified soul of the man.
"Men like you have no idea what true strength is and it's not from having power over others. True power comes from the strength of one's spirit and the connection to the source of that magic, real magic. You no longer have hold over her or anyone."
He leaned his jaws closer to the ringmaster who shivered, his overflowing with tears.
"H-HELP ME YOU IDIOTS!"
The men from the circus only shook from where they had dropped to the ground. He turned back to the beast, the jaws now inches from his face.
"Your petty and cruel belief of 'control' over one stronger than you turns to dust when one in their truest form proves that one's wild spirit and strength is greater than the delusion one has power over forces and beings they don't understand."
His ears twitched as the very faintest sound of what he knew now to be sirens headed in this direction. His focus returned to the men as he opened his jaws and roared, to which the men screamed before they passed out. Metatron tossed the ringmaster to the ground. His body glowed once again and golden light and he returned to his original form. He sighed as he turned to his students.
"The ones the Avengers called 'the police' are on their way. We must go before they arrive."
Jacob turned to him.
"Will they know what to do? I fear they won't understand."
"We will talk to the Avengers and they should sort this out. Now, I believe we should follow the ones who took the girl."
Cassie nodded.
"I can hear them not far from here."
Metatron nodded.
-An Alleyway, A Few Minutes Later-
Mirage grunted as she gasped, looking to the acrobat.
"S-Sarah? W-What's going on?"
"It's alright, we're here to help."
"That's good."
The acrobat and the group looked up the alleyway to see the trio from earlier. They gasped at the sight. The acrobat looked to them then back to her group, her breath shaking.
"I-It's ok...they helped her...he covered our escape."
"B-But he...he's a-"
"-not a threat, at least I'm not to the ones who helped the girl there."
The Wolf nodded to Mirage. The acrobat took off her mask and pulled out some glasses to place on her face.
"My name's Cornelia, I look after this group here. We're Inhumans. I heard about Mirage here and what happened to her. She's not really responsible for what happened. She lost control of her powers and some people got hurt...that bastard somehow learned about it and blackmailed her into being his 'star performer'. I snuck into the circus to find and rescue her. Had to use my powers to sell myself as an acrobat. I have kind of a partial control over gravity."
Metatron nodded.
"Your scent told us your bloodline."
"What?"
Many of the group shared looks of surprise and confusion.
Metatron sighed.
"My students and I are...not from this realm...we are connected on a physical and spiritual level with certain beasts. I am Metatron of the Wolf Bloodline."
Cassie stepped forward.
"Cassandra from the Cat line."
Jacob nodded to them.
"Jacob, I'm a Hedgehog."
Cornelia slowly nodded.
"Is this some...Greek mythology sort of thing?"
Meta sighed.
"I'm afraid the answer is a long story."
"Eh, so is Greek mythology."
Cornelia walked forward and shook each of the trio's hands.
"Thank you for helping her...for helping us. We have a little underground home that's admittedly a bit of a walk from here. A lot of humans don't fully trust or tolerate Inhumans. So we keep to ourselves and help others like us. You three are more than welcome in our home. You've definitely earned some new friends here."
The trio smiled and nodded.
Cornelia smiled back.
"If you'd like to visit us, we're-"
"Your home is by that group of buildings that are abandoned on the other side of the park."
Cornelia's eyes widened.
"H-How did you-?"
"Your scent is strongest in that area."
"Oh...ok."
Metatron lowered his head a little.
"Apologies, my line sometimes tend to be... rather blunt in conversations."
"It's ok, I mean you look and can turn into a Werewolf so I guess it's only natural you have a good nose."
Metatron nodded then turned to Mirage.
"I have medicine for her."
"Really?"
A few moments later, Metatron poured a potion into the girl's mouth as she leaned against Cornelia's knees as they sat on the ground. The girl was quiet for a few moments then gasped though not loud. The pain and strain on in her head began to ebb away.
"T-Thank you."
The Wolf smiled and nodded as he put away his kit.
"No thanks are necessary."
Cornelia chuckled.
"You're something else. Thank you, we owe you one."
Meta shook his head.
"That isn't necessary."
He turned to his students as he stood up.
"Until next time."
The Inhuman group looked from Mirage to the trio, though they were gone. Cornelia's eyes were wide then relaxed as she chuckled.
"Of course the mystical animal people are also ninjas."
AN: Please tell us all what you think of this chapter. Once Again please give a special round of applause for Story's Shadow for all the hard work he did in this chapter. Next chapter we'll see something we haven't yet seen: The Continuum Government debating... stuffs getting real as the invasion grows closer, until next time, I and the Nobel Patriots are signing off, see you all soon.