Haly's Circus is Taxable

Haly's Circus was a pretty big deal, people didn't see that.

Some of the bigger attractions banked that money that was paid to them, it was an insurance policy of sorts when things looked bleak. Over the years, the circus' popularity has diminished a lot, spectators have aged and the newer generation can go onto YouTube or something and watch what's done for a fee- for free.

In town for the past few days working directly with The Grey Knight Festival was Haly's Circus, usually it was a big draw for Gotham. Despite being crime ridden, Mister Haly, the ringmaster of the circus decided to take the show into Gotham to bring some fun and good into their lives. Usually the show rolled in near the end of August, but with the festival hitting, Haly felt as if co-sponsoring the event was something the city needed, something good to take their minds off of the negative- the bad that had crippled them recently.

Haly's Circus though, it attracted a lot of attention, both good and bad. When the show hit different towns, it seemed normal for whoever ran the area to hit Mister Haly up for protection money to 'allow the show to go in peace.' Haly has been paying over the course of the past decade or so, maybe even longer.. And there's been a constant thorn in his side- a man known simply as "Rome."

Roman Sionis has been breaking Haly's wallet- literally, taking most of a cut of the profit. There's been times when the circus has offered to take care of Sionis but Haly refused, saying he ran a legit business and this would keep them legit. Haly knew that he didn't need protection, but his acts.. people he considered friends now, did. There's no telling what they'd do to keep Haly paying, the old man wouldn't be able to live his life knowing it was due to him being stingy which is why someone was hurt at his show- either spectator of performer.

This time, that may just happen.

-----------

The first few practices had successfully went down, Gotham City had a great vibe despite the crime and everything else bad going against it. The last of the 'sneak peak' people had left the big-top where the stunts had happened leaving just the performers and technicians.

// Ricky G]: Hey pops, good shot tonight! You really hit'em on the head with that one!

Meet Ricky, a junior in high-school, soon to be a senior when the school-year started in September. The 'shot' Ricky was referring to was a botched shot from his father from a paintball gun that actually looked like a successful trick shot.

// Johnny G]: Yeah.. Yeah, you wish you had that skill!

The relationship the father and son shared was quite special, Ricky was the only child. Johnny G had been apart of the circus life for his entire life- he was introduced to it by his mother and father who was also side-show attractions.

// Ricky G]: C'mon ol' man, you think I can't richocet a paintball shot off of a wooden-beam and hit a target?! Piece 'a cake!

"Now.. Now boys."

The sound of a feminine voice turned both their heads as standing there was Ricky's mother- Johnny's wife, Mary.

// Ricky G]: Are we gonna head down and get some grub from the diner down the street mom?

With a nod Mary looked off toward Johnny.

// Mary G]: You good with that honey?

// Johnny G]: For sure. Ricky- help me go put the bikes in the trailer. Mar- we'll meet you at the car.

Ricky hopped on the dirt-bike he used as part of the show and revved it to life before hitting the throttle and spinning the back-tire out. Moving forward despite his mother's yell from in back of him, he proceeded to speed out of the big-top and out into the open. Waving a few of the other acts- Ricky took his eyes off of the path for a second, and when he turned?!

"I SAID GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE, YA PUNK!"

A body fell in his direction causing Ricky to hit the brakes, hard. As the bike went one direction, Ricky soared through the air but managed to make the best of the moment and pulled off a double flip forward before landing on a knee as he looked behind him to where the body bounced off of the dirt.

"Yeah!? Well.. You're gonna regret it, fat man.."

Ricky watched as the man insulted Mister Haly as Haly shook his fist at him and said something beneath his breath before turning and walking back into the trailer. Pushing himself up, Ricky saw the bike down against the ground and was pretty offended by the action of the as he jogged over to him.

// Ricky G]: Hey.. Hey!

Grabbing the man by the shoulder, Ricky turned him around as the man quickly placed the end of a .45 against Ricky's forehead. Cocking his head back- Ricky stared the man in the eye as the man fired off a smirk.

"Yeah, all you freaks are the same.. Real tough guys 'til you've got a gun in ya face, eh? EH!?"

This drew the attention of the other circus acts as the man grabbed the top of the gun and cocked it back.

".. I'm one sec away from blow'n ya brains out kid. I think Mister Haly needs a reminder on who we are."


The man's attention shifted off of Ricky and onto the trailer where Mister Haly stood. Haly's tone dipped, instead of being mean.. he was almost, terrified. The man with the gun- Zucco as Haly called him fired off a huge grin in Haly's direction as he dug the steel deeper into Ricky's head.

// Mr. Haly]: Let'em go Zucco, this ain't his problem! He's a good kid, damnit, a good kid!

// Zucco]: Yeah? I was a good kid too, until I needed some money and I started this. All ya freaks, you're all targets for a bigger predator!

Noticing what was happening, Mary and Jonny saw their son with a gun pressed into his head from a distance- Mary tried to storm forward by Johnny stopped her from doing so. One reaction could cause Zucco's finger to slip- something that would be more than devastating for Ricky, especially with a gun pressed so close to his head like that. It'd be an instant death sentence, Johnny knew that.

// Mr. Haly]: Look Zucco.. Let the kid go and we'll talk business.. We'll figure it out. Just.. Don't.. do- don't hurt'em! He's a good kid, he doesn't bother anyone! He's here with his family for Christ's sakes!

// Zucco]: Naw, ya had your chance Haly. Ya sho-

Before Zucco could finish his statement, Ricky's reflexes got the best of Zucco as he slapped the gun to the left and moved to the right. Zucco's arm darted in that direction as Ricky pulled off a vicious spinning right elbow to Zucco's head that dropped him on impact. Letting go of the gun, Ricky kicked it off to the side as the other circus acts stormed the area as Haly did so himself. The big man huffed and puffed as he reached down and grabbed Zucco by the collar.

// Mr. Haly]: I told ya, ya punk-

Haly hit Zucco in the face with a hard right hand.

// Mr. Haly]: .. This is a legitimate business!

Scooping, Haly fired off another solid shot.

// Mr. Haly]: Tell ya boss he ain't get'n another nickle outta me! We work hard for our money and I ain't let'n ya nobodies, ya scumbags extort us no more! Those days are done!

Dragging Zucco as he was still staggered from the elbow, plus the shots from Haly's massive hand out of the open area and near the entrance- Zucco was out of it. Ricky used his hand to wipe a few traces of sweat off of his forehead that formed from the gun being pressed against it as Johnny and Mary stormed forward, Mary's eyes had welled as Johnny grabbed his son and pulled him in for a hug.

// Johnny G]: Rick! Ricky! Damn.. I- I was ter- terrified!

The three hugged it out as Ricky chuckled lightly.

// Ricky G]: .. Dad.. I'm part of the death-defiant.. darin' and invincible daredevil family of the new century. To scare me, you're gonna need a hell of a lot more than a gun and a pretty shaky trigger finger..

Mary was still in tears as she kept her baby boy close to her. Despite him being a year away from an adult, Ricky was her only child- that was her pride and joy. She had to watch him cheat death time and time again as he pulled off insane stunt after stunt through the course of the circus' act.

// Johnny G]: .. I think it's a pizza night tonight..

// Ricky G]: Yeah.. I'm cool with that. You good with it, Ma?

About to reply, Mary had pulled herself back just a bit, enough to look at her son as she kept the tears locked there. With a few sniffles she sighed as Ricky scrunched his face up.

// Ricky G]: Ma.. I'm OK.. It was just a pu-

She pulled him in again for a tight hug as Johnny made his way around her. Making a hugging motion to himself, he pointed and silently laughed at his son- it was a thing they shared. They were constantly faced with death as daredevils, Johnny and Ricky especially came to take it for granted. To be a successful daredevil, one had to admit that death was around every corner and that's what Ricky's family had done.

// Ricky G]: .. Ma- erckkkkkkk.. You're uh- erckkkkkkkk- chokin'-

Making a face, Ricky forced a laugh as Mary let go.

// Mary G]: .. You scared the hell out of me! I told you to be careful when you're on the bike!

Raising a brow, Ricky scratched at the side of his head.

// Ricky G]: .. Huh? So.. You're NOT worried about the gun?

// Mary G]: Of course not. That guy was an amateur, he didn't know what he was doing. First off.. You don't carry a fourty-five in public, and you especially don't pull it if you're not a cop. As much as this city has gone down, somethings will never change. He was holding to act tough, to play to the image. Secondly, we taught you better than to let it happen.. But the bike!?

She slugged her son in the arm as he grabbed it and winced.

// Mary G]: .. That coulda hurt you! Be careful! God, you men!

Throwing her hands into the air, Mary stormed off as Ricky looked over towards his father and shrugged his shoulders.

// Ricky G]: I guess.. Pizza it is?..

// Johnny G]: .. By the way son.. That Zucco guy? I know it was a close call and all, but on a serious note? He's not worth it. You made your point, don't go seeking him out anymore, alright? Mister Haly can take care of himself, he doesn't need our help. I.. Myself? I'm gonna pay him a little visit for what he did to you, but that's in due time. You though? Don't waste your time.

It wasn't often that Johnny gave Ricky a serious piece of advice, so when his father spoke- Ricky definitely took it into consideration. With a serious look drawn over his face, Johnny nodded a few times before Ricky followed..

// Ricky G]: HA! You'd break a hip! Old man river can't move like I can!

Firing off a laugh, Johnny trapped Ricky in a headlock and dragged him forward- typical horse-play by the father/son connection. As they followed Mary towards the trailer, she stepped in first- which allowed Ricky to break free from the headlock and follow, leaving Johnny to be the last to enter. Before he did so, he took one last breath of the open air and waved towards Mister Haly while Haly fired one back.

// Johnny G]: Night, Haly!

Doing a salute motion towards Johnny's way, Haly would eventually step into his trailer- he felt bad about what had happened to Ricky a few ago. He was dealing with a lot of pressure from those 'in-charge,' and what just happened is what he was trying to stop from going down. Johnny took a deep breath though and stepped into the family trailer- as the door closed, the last name of the daredevil family was clear..

Barbara heard the swerving of a bike. It had been in the distance and poor driving was not exactly an uncommon noise in Gotham. There were no other sounds and no screams. Barbara began to think she had imagined it. Turning back to her book, Barbara found her place and continued to read aloud:

“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”

Barbara smiled and took a sip of her hot chocolate. The breeze drifted through her red hair and brought with it the sounds of shouting. Barbara had inherited her father's curiosity and couldn't help but investigate. Putting her book on the grass and leaving her cup with it, Barbara jogged towards the noise. As she made her way over the top of a hill, she looked down upon the large circus. She had forgotten that the circus was in town. She had never truly loved the circus. Memories of the time her father battled the infamous clown would always fill her mind when her mother had tried to take her. Even now, she was reluctant to walk forwards. She saw the bike on it's side and several figures shouting at one another. From her back jean pocket, Barbara drew her trusty pencil and tiny notebook. She began to sketch the faces of the people she could see. She started with the man that seemed the most aggressive and froze when she saw he was waving a gun around. Barbara took out her phone and as her finger descended onto the speed dial button that would call her father, the other figures disarmed the first and beat him to the ground. Barbara dropped her phone onto the grass and began to draw.

The face of the large man appeared on her paper, contorted in outrage. Then, she drew the boy's face. It was equally full of anger yet he seemed far more in control. She drew his hair and began to draw what she could make out of his eyes. She became so involved with the drawing that she didn't even notice that the confrontation was over. The young boy was embraced by a man and a woman. They seemed to be his parents. An ache rose in Barbara's stomach as she saw the boy, his mother and his father all embrace. She knew she would never have that again. She put away her pencil and notebook and made her way back to her book.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, Barbara woke at 2am. She slipped on her black jeans, black jumper and old grey sneakers. Barbara climbed out of her bedroom window and onto the fire escape that took her to the ground. This was an activity Barbara would regularly do recently. She would walk the streets of Gotham at night and feel it's heartbeat. She would gauge the rhythm of the City to try and understand it in an attempt to learn how to protect it. After an hour of calm, Barbara drew close to Gotham Railway. A man was walking some way ahead in the darkness when he suddenly stopped and moved around. He was waving a shotgun. Barbara ducked down behind some large bins and poked out from the side.

Out of nowhere, a woman dove down and landed on her knees. Barbara couldn't make out her features but could see the colours red and black featured heavily. The man then fired the gun. Because there had been utter silence before, the noise of the shotgun seemed amplified. It was like a cannon had been let off. Barbara ducked back down and covered her mouth to stop her from screaming. Barbara didn't look and kept her shaking hands over her mouth. The shotgun fired again and Barbara squeaked in shock. There is a moment of silence before sounds of a scuffle. Barbara stayed down until she heard a loud crashing noise. Poking her head back out, Barbara saw the woman standing over the man. Barbara could see they were talking but she couldn't hear a word they were saying. Barbara slowly emerged from the bins and crept along the pavement until she reached a skip. Hiding beside it, she looked once more to see the man flee the scene. The woman watches him leave then vanishes once more into the darkness.

Silence once more except for the distant noises of the City. Sounds of traffic and the faint cry of a cat. Barbara waited for five minutes before stepping out of hiding. Her heart still felt like it was beating hard. This clearly wasn't Batman but someone else entirely. Barbara remembered her father told her that a woman had fought alongisde Batman during his final days. Barbara wondered if the woman that had fought for Gotham then was still fighting. Barbara started to walked past where the confrontation had taken place. There was a small pamphlet on the ground, slightly damp from a puddle. Barbara plucked it from the ground. It was an advertisement for 'Haly's circus'. The man must have dropped it. Despite her better judgement, Barbara decided she would pay the circus a visit. She knew that she needed to know who the woman had been and the circus was her only real clue.