● Haly's Circus is Taxable ●

[Oswald Cobblepot]

".. Where's the tape?! Oh, DVD.. Whateva- video is video, since when'dja turn into the one man Geek Squad?"

● Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot ●

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A few days have passed since the initial meeting with Guido Seals telling Cobblepot that Haly's Circus was in town.. And yet, there was still no envelope on his table from Tony Zucco. Cobblepot had Guido Seals on another job and at the moment- his 'work in progress' building was empty, minus the fifteen to twenty armed guards probably actively busy in a game of Poker to subdue the lingering boredum. Cobblepot's days have grown slow- he had to cut back on a lot of his usual activities due to him jumping head-first into the mayor race in Gotham- he prided himself on getting his hands dirty and letting people know he was still the 'boss,' but not so much anymore.

● Voice on Intercom ● "Yo boss, we gots' some kid named Zucco that says he got an appointment wit'cha, dat true?"

Finally- results, or something like it. Placing down the Gotham Gazette with the article of the murder of WayneTech's employee sharing front-page with Bruce Wayne's critical car accident, Cobblepot pressed a black button beneath his desk and took a puff from his cigar.

● O. Cobblepot ● "Yeah? Send'em up."

It had been a slow few days, aside of a few encounters with resistance from Falcone's guys who didn't join Cobblepot's army, nothing too serious has happened. It was a few seconds before a knock on the door was heard which didn't break Cobblepot's attention from the interesting news of Wayne's accident in the paper as in stepped a young, stocky build guy. He had his black hair greased back and wore a loose fitting hoodie and cross trainers. In his hands was an envelope, Cobblepot acknowledged his presence with a light grunt as the man stepped forward, looking a bit weary.

● T. Zucco ● "Hey uhh.. Mister Pee.."

.. That definitely caught Cobblepot's attention as his eyes lifted and burned a hole through Zucco's chest.

● O. Cobblepot ● ".. What was dat? Run it by me again."

● T. Zucco ● ".. I mean.. Boss.. I uh- I've got some bad news.. That Haly guy? He ain't cooperating, he's saying he don't have to pay us nothin', we don't get a cut of his profit. He said he's done pay'n protection to you.. And that he runs a legit business. He said to gi-"

As Zucco extended the envelope in his hand out to Cobblepot, Cobblepot's hand snatched from the desk and grabbed hold of Zucco's entire arm and grasped Zucco's wrist. Yanking him down, Zucco had zero chance of defending himself as with his free hand, Cobblepot held the cigar about an inch away from Zucco's right eye with a smile plastered on his face.

● O. Cobblepot ● "I don't know how you did business with your old boss, but there's two big things you don't do with me. First, you don't call me "Mister P" or even acknowledge that nickname I have. If you throw it out there again, I'll rip your head clean off of your shoulders and feed it to the mutts in the back alley. Secondly, you don't bring packages from people without run'n it through Guido and I know you didn't run it through him 'cause Guido is in Metropolis on business."

Moving the cigar closer to Zucco's face, he closed his eyes- tight as he could feel the heat emitting from it. The cigar was so close, ashes fell onto Zucco's face.

● O. Cobblepot ● ".. We clear?"

Letting go of Zucco's arm, Cobblepot watched as the young man jumped backwards and landed on his backside- which amused him. Taking yet another puff from the cigar, Cobblepot opened the envelope and to his surprise- whatever was in there wasn't what he thought it'd be. A lot could be told about him when he had a lit cigar in his presence. When he left it in his mouth and took a long drag from it, it meant he either was disappointed or stuck in a train of thought- with the situation before him, it definitely wasn't the latter. Zucco stood up and dusted himself off as he kept a good distance away from Oz, only to have Cobblepot to speak out- disappointed.

● O. Cobblepot ● ".. Da hell I'm 'pposed to do with this? Use is as a frickin' frisbee? Or a ninja-star?"

Reaching into the envelope, Cobblepot pulled out a recorded disc of some kind. The top was layered with silver as the bottom was a light shade of green.

● T. Zucco ● "It's.. It's what happened when I went to Haly's office.. Security footage.."

Zucco's words trailed off, a definite sign of massive failure. Holding the disc in the air between his right index finger and thumb, Cobblepot analyzed it, let the light beam off of it from different angles. Squinting his eyes to add in a dramatic effect, Cobblepot had a pretty good idea exactly was on the disc just looking at how Zucco looked and sounded. Cobblepot understood Haly's actions as he knew Haly wanted to send a direct sign to Cobblepot that he was done, or well.. he thought he was done paying for protection.

● O. Cobblepot ● "I bet on here.."

Slamming the disc down on his desk, a crack formed through the middle as Cobblepot took in another hit from his cigar.

● O. Cobblepot ● ".. Is you failing, for one. I also think on there.. Is all the proof I need to know dat you ain't worth a spot in our ranks. I took Guido's word dat you was good. I wanted to believe too too, kid.. But you can't even get our annual pay from guy that's like 70, has a fake leg and a replaced hip? I know dat 'cause I gave it to'em!"

Cobblepot's voice boomed through the desolate area- it made him sound even more powerful with a slight echo. A few voices was heard from around the corner, the guys paid to protect Cobblepot grew used to of his shouting and disparging remarks, this was nothing new. Zucco lowered his head as Cobblepot kicked his feet up onto his desk and leaned back, placing his free hand behind his head he allowed the cigar to burn for a few seconds before he nodded.

● O. Cobblepot ● "You know what you gotta do to fix dis, right? I mean.. I usually don't give second chances to people I'm not too sure of but Guido's word is worth gold in my eyes so I guess keep'n you 'round might pay off."

● T. Zucco ● "Yeah boss.. I know.."

● O. Cobblepot ● "Good."

What seperated Cobblepot from the rest of the 'crime lords' out there was his way of dealing with failure. In the Yakuza, failure meant cutting off a finger, in the Italian, and standard mobs, a beat down was organized. In Cobblepot's circle? He would brand you accordingly, which meant you had two chances to screw up, a lot more giving than other mobs. Those two chances would come quick though as Cobblepot's eye for failure was sharp and he liked to punish. Moving forward, Zucco placed his hand on the table..

● O. Cobblepot ● "You a lefty or right handed?"

With a sigh, Zucco replaced his left hand with his right and and nodded while Cobblepot moved his feet off the table and rolled himself forward. Reaching into the side drawer of his desk, he pulled out a black leather case and dropped it on the table.

● T. Zucco ● "Gotta do it myself?"

Shaking his head, Cobblepot took one last drag from his cigar before placing it in an ash-tray with the cherry still burning. He zipped the case open and unfolded one half before showing the item inside; a soldering iron. Removing it from the case, he plugged it in beneath the desk into an outlet provided in the wall and smirked in a sick manner.

● O. Cobblepot ● "Now where's da fun in dat?"

With a whistle, into the office stepped three soldiers- just casually dressed guys. Once they noticed the instrument in Cobblepot's hand, they moved behind Zucco- one grabbed at his left arm and secured it- while the other shoved Zucco into the seat. The other held Zucco's hand in place as Zucco's palm was pressed down on the top of the desk.

● O. Cobblepot ● ".. I'm being fair. You get two mistakes in my crew kid.. Two. Most guys woulda took you out for not bringing results the first time around but I'm give'n you a chance. I don't think die'n 'cause Haly wouldn't pay you is worth it.. So I suggest you go back and get the money, I don't care what you gotta do. If you come back here empty handed or with another disc, I'm not just gonna do this again, but I'll make sure to kill ya after too."

Biting his bottom lip, Zucco watched as smoke left the tip of the iron, that was as he looked away as Cobblepot moved the iron down and pressed it down across the creases of his middle and index finger- mending it together. Zucco had heard about what happened to those that screamed- he didn't want that so instead he bit down as hard as he could, which eventually was THROUGH his lip as blood dropped from there. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air as Zucco's eyes clenched tight all as Cobblepot's face was illustrated with a smile like a kid on Christmas. After a few moments, he moved the blade away and tilted his head to the side as the guys holding Zucco down turned his hand in the other direction now with his palm facing the ceiling. Zucco was sweating bullets, his face had lost majority of it's color and blood left his mouth.

● O. Cobblepot ● "Good, ya take it like a champ! You know why I do dis, kid? It's to promote.. Success. Failure kid, it ain't my cup'o tea. I don't like when people don't come through for me, 'specially when I make people a lot of money. So don't take it personal, it's just business."\

Cobblepot went to work on the other side of Zucco's hand- doing the same thing except on the other side of his hand. Zucco fought through the pain, he muffled yells of pain, but the numbness kicked in from a mixture of adrenaline and heat, that was as Cobblepot moved the soldering iron away from Zucco's hand which allowed the guards to let him go. The first thing Zucco did was grab his hand, he cursed beneath his breath as reaching to the side, into a portable 'fridge, Cobblepot pulled out a bottle of ice-water and twisted the top off. Taking a sip from it, he stood up and nodded as the guards slammed Zucco back completely unexpectedly as Cobblepot limped over towards him and towered over him. People often forgot how big Cobblepot was, that was until they had the unpleasant surprise of looking up from the ground.

● O. Cobblepot ● ".. Ya gotta cool it off with dis, here ya go."

Sick? Sadistic? Indeed. Running a burn under cool water was often the best thing to do, but icey cold water? Not so much. As the guards held Zucco's hand down, Cobblepot poured the water down onto his soldered hand as he laughed.

● O. Cobblepot ● "I want results kid. I want you to tell Haly he's gonna pay up, or else he ain't have'n no show in Gotham City. Things are gonna change, people gotta know who's boss. Let'em go boys, he got work to do."

The guards let go of Zucco as Cobblepot tossed the bottle of water to the side and moved back towards his desk, taking a seat on the leather chair. Propping his legs back up, he once more picked his cigar up and puffed at it as Zucco crawled out of Cobblepot's office and left to.. Get his work done. He made a statement- he let Zucco and the rest of the on-lookers who was aware of his presence in Gotham in criminal mode know that he wasn't going anywhere. If Zucco would come back empty-handed, Cobblepot would put him through the same pain.. or even allow him to meet Freeze; Cobblepot's paid, 'clean-up' man that erased loose-ends from existence. Either way, Zucco needed to handle his business or meet the end of a steel barrel, whatever worked for him. Hopefully the 'penguin brand' would give him the will to succeed.. Time will tell.

[Ricky Grayson]

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 this weekend 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 Dent's death, the rampage from Joker and Bruce Wayne's critical wreck, Haly felt as if 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 "Oz."

Oz 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 Oz 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 show of a weekend full of them had successfully went down, Gotham City was a great crowd. The last of the spectators 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."

"ZUCCO!"

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 moeny 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- choke-

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. 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..

G R A Y S O N