The chatter was almost deafening inside the large tent used to feed everyone during meals. The tent was also the gathering spot when the entire cast and crew were called together for a meeting regarding subjects that had to be shared with all of them. Today was one of those meeting days. The reason for the meeting could be plainly heard outside, despite all the noise inside the tent. The sides of the tent had been lowered to protect the inhabitants within. The weather outside was nastier than most of them had ever seen before. It was a rare occasion for the Circus to shut down and not perform a scheduled program, but discretion and safety was the better part of valor this time around. 

Modern weather forecasting techniques of the mid-seventies, such as the first satellite launched into orbit to track hurricanes, went a long way in preventing such disastrous events but people were still caught off-guard sometimes. This was one of those times. They were set up in a coastal South Carolina County only a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean and a storm of hurricane proportions was rapidly moving in. The citizens had been warned to batten down the hatches and only a fool would have ventured out to attend anything, no matter how special the event was. Debbie's Circus had already completed three of the scheduled ten performances, but she knew it was time to move on, preferably much further inland. 

Debbie called the meeting to make sure that everyone was on the same page and aware of what they needed to do to protect themselves and the entire company. Most everyone already suspected what was coming. Debbie made a valiant effort to calm the noise down so she could be heard above the howling wind outside. Only those closest to her knew what she was trying to do. Seeking to help, Brian jumped onto one of the wooden tables and let out a loud whistle, followed by a loud bang on the prop drum he had grabbed from around the neck of one of the clowns standing next to him. The noise suddenly hushed to a whisper. Only the sound of the gale-force winds outside the tent could be heard now. Brian cleared his throat and looked down on the milling crowd. 

"Listen up," he ordered, "the boss lady has something to say. Debbie....," Brian reached down to help the redhead step up on the seat and onto the table, with a little push from behind by her brother, Vic.

Debbie peered out over the large gathering. These people were her family and she loved them dearly. Their safety and well-being were always a priority with the feisty, old girl. The equipment, costumes, and animals of her circus were vital to everyone's future, but the people had to be safe too. Looking down at them, she knew she could count on each and every one of them to do their part in getting the work done for them to move to safety quickly. With as few words as possible, since time was running out to get to safer ground, she gave out the instructions her company would need, including where they should head as soon as everything was ready to go. As soon as she was certain that everyone was fully informed, she dismissed the group and waited for Brian to help her back down to the ground. 

Debbie was immediately surrounded by her closest and dearest, including Brian, Justin, her son, Ben, and Vic. They took a moment to reassure her that all would be well and they'd be back on schedule in no time before heading off to take care of their duties. Each one gave her a warm kiss on the cheek and then hurried away. They didn't have time to dawdle or discuss their fears. With all the confusion going on, no one noticed the extra guy who hung as far back from the center of activity as he could. Kip had found the perfect disguise in the baggy pants the clean-up crew wore. This had been topped off with a grey wig and moustache that easily covered up the strapping, young man behind the mask. He even stooped a little to make himself look older and harmless. It wasn't unusual for the glorified janitor workers to be recruited from townsfolk on occasion so the stranger wasn't that noticeable. Only the malevolent look in his eyes as Brian and Justin passed by on their way out would have exposed Kip for the man he truly was. But no one noticed...they had other things on their minds. 

In no time at all, the entire grounds where the circus had been set up was abuzz with activity. The animals were the first to be taken care of. Their skittishness increased as the winds grew stronger. By the time they were secure, the first droplets of rain began. Everyone worked together like a well-oiled machine, protecting sensitive equipment by storing it carefully and finally taking down the last tent where the meeting had been held. While Debbie's people were going about their business in a 'constructive' way so that no harm would come to anything or anyone, one man was busy trying to decide the best way to be 'destructive' in a way that would hurt most. Kip had been totally unsuccessful in creating an 'accident' that could be blamed on his arch enemy, Brian Kinney. Even his plans to hurt Brian by taking away the one person he obviously cared most about, the blond boytoy he had taken under his wing, had failed miserably. All he had managed to do was cause slight injuries to someone else. As a janitor in disguise, he simply hadn't been able to do much harm. 

Time was running out for him. His meal ticket back in Florida, Marta, was getting restless with no man in her bed. Kip knew it wouldn't be long before she replaced him with another of the many hunks looking for a free ride. If he didn't get back soon he would lose the support she offered and his chance to strike out on his own with a pile of her money to back him up. The chaos that the coming storm was causing was his best chance to sabotage something...but what? As Kip watched the first of the massive trucks pulling out for their journey inland, a light bulb finally went off in his head. If he couldn't hurt Brian through the circus, why not just hurt Brian himself. That would dispose of his hated ex-boss at the same time as it would injure the circus itself with the loss of their star attraction. Two birds with one stone...why hadn't he thought of that before? He had been going at it all wrong, trying to be too complicated when the answer was simple. 

The streets and highways would be more dangerous than usual, thanks to the weather...not to mention the fact that there would be heavy traffic with so many folks wanting to escape the coming danger. Anyone whose vehicle wasn't in good shape would be in serious trouble if an emergency came up. With the image of Brian trying valiantly to control that stupid old Jeep he was so proud of, Kip hurried off to where the personal vehicles of the cast and crew were located. He quickly found Brian's Jeep. Kip pulled out his pocket knife and swivelled his head around in order to check for any nearby onlookers. The coast was clear. He dropped to the ground and slithered under the engine of the vehicle. He found the hose carrying the brake fluid. He made a slice that was just enough to let some fluid start to escape without losing the entire supply at once. They needed to be on the road before they discovered the trouble they were in. He slid back out and jumped up. There was still no one around. Kip was feeling quite satisfied with himself. With any luck, Brian Kinney would be in the ground or permanently crippled for the rest of his life before he knew what had hit him. Kip sauntered away with his head thrown back, catching raindrops on his tongue and smirking with pleasure.

Meanwhile, after pitching in to help with a lot of the grunt work getting things ready for travel, Brian and Justin had just finished securing their own trailer. They stood together at the door of their trailer, glancing around one last time to make sure everything looked secure. Usually they could pack up and take care of things at their leisure. This was the first emergency move Justin had ever experienced and Brian hadn't lived through that many of them either. Before opening the door, Brian pulled Justin into his arms and gave his lover a deep, loving kiss. A minute later he stepped back.

"Are you nervous, Sunshine? I know this is your first time having to deal with the less pleasant aspects of road life. We are always at the mercy of Mother Nature, you know."

Justin laid his hand on Brian's cheek. "Are you kidding? I have you to protect me from any bad-ass Mother....or father." 

Justin leaned in for another kiss. "Now, no more of that," he laughed. "I don't think Debbie would be too happy if we fall too far behind the others because we were too busy necking in the trailer."

"Riiiight!" Brian agreed, playfully swatting Justin on the rump. 

Brian opened the door and was hit by large splashes of rainwater. The rain had picked up considerably in the fifteen minutes or so that they had been inside the trailer. It was definitely time to get moving. Most of the caravan was already on their way or just pulling out by the time the two men made a mad dash for the Jeep. Debbie watched from under her umbrella as she saw her two favorite employees splashing through the soaked grass to their vehicle. Like the Captain of a ship, she was always the last to leave any of the locations where the circus was set up. She leaned against her car and surveyed the area all around, which was rapidly emptying of trucks, trailers, and cars. She recognized all but one of the cars so she knew who the stragglers were. She watched as Brian and Justin pulled away and headed for the main road. 

She was about to take refuge in her own Volkswagen van when she heard cursing so loud it carried even over the sound of the whistling wind. She turned around and saw that the noise was coming from the unknown vehicle she had spotted earlier. A man, bundled in a gray raincoat, was kicking the tire with all his strength and cussing up a storm. Even though she wasn't sure who it was and the guy was at least thrity-five to forty yards away, Debbie had to see what was up and if she could help. She saw Michael and Ben approaching the van, tucked together under a king-sized umbrella. She called to them to join her and also caught the attention of two of her huskier roustabouts. The five of them sprinted over to where the fella was bent down examining his tire. 

The threesome was within feet of the man when he suddenly stood up and looked in their direction. Debbie locked eyes with the man and instantly recognized her one-time employee, Kip, despite his dishevelled disguise. At that same moment, Kip saw the recognition in Debbie's face. Panicking, he turned around and began running. He had nowhere to run...no tents to hide behind and few cars left to shield him. He ran for a nearby restroom set up in the park for visitors. He had been eager to get out of the area now that he had completed his mission, but hadn't counted on his cheap rental car having a flat tire and someone forgetting to put a spare in the trunk. Sadly for him, his misfortune combined with his odd reaction to being discovered, aroused Debbie's curiosity even more than it normally would have. She immediately suspected that the young man wasn't simply paying a visit to an old employer...at least not for innocent reasons. Why else would he have run off like that, unless he was up to something nefarious? Debbie didn't hesitate. She asked the men to go after Kip and politely invite him back to his stranded vehicle where she would be waiting with some questions. The men hurried off.

Kip had quickly entered the women's side of the dual restroom and tried to hide himself in one of the stalls, sliding the rusty lock closed behind himself. He stepped onto the commode to hide his legs and feet, squatting down so he couldn't be seen from the top. He heard the men as they entered the restroom where a line of four stalls stood against a concrete wall. Kip held his breath, praying that they would quit looking quickly. No such luck. Within a minute he saw the wooden door shaking as someone tried to open it. He held his breath even tighter. Without warning, the door was kicked in. It bounced off Kip's body as it was flung into him, nearly dislodging him from the commode. A burly roustabout charged in and grabbed Kip by his shirt. He pulled the protesting man out of the stall where he was now surrounded by four men, three of which he recognized. 

While the two roustabouts held onto Kip's arms, Michael yanked the gray wig, and facial hair off Kip's head. It was then that Michael saw what his mother had caught. Sure enough, this guy was Kip. Michael knew the man had a grudge against his mother's circus and hadn't left on the best of terms. He knew that she had reason to be concerned that Kip had come back, especially during such a stressful time. With Kip protesting the entire way, he was escorted back to face his old boss. He stood in front of her, completely defiant. Debbie watched him carefully, looking for a clue as to what he had been up to. She couldn't guess. Despite the growing storm and their need to move to safety, Debbie had the feeling she needed to find out more before they moved on. Her instincts were screaming...trouble!

"It's been a while, Kip. I'm just curious, why did you come for a visit now...and why do it in disguise? Is there something you need to tell me?"

"You'd better let me go, old lady," Kip sneered. "You can't hold me against my will. You could go to jail for this. I have every right to be here. It's a public park."

Debbie remained calm. "True...true. But I wonder what the cops would say if they knew about your history with us and something untoward happened to any of our equipment or people." A thought suddenly occurred to Debbie. "Such as recently when the trapeze rigging failed and one of our flyers was almost seriously injured. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just came to see how my old friends were doing since I was in the area. No law against that."

"If I remember correctly, you didn't have any old friends with my company...only an enemy or two. I presume you weren't here to look up Brian."

At the mention of Brian's name, something changed in Kip. The defiant look in his eyes changed subtly to one of malice...and something else. It was something akin to glee. It chilled Debbie. She stepped in closer and got right in Kip's face.

"So that's it. You came to do Brian harm. Well young man, you'd better hope that nothing happens to Brian because if it does you'll answer to me."

Debbie wasn't about to let Kip go until she made sure everything was alright and that Kip hadn't had any time to launch any vendettas. She ordered her men to tie Kip's hands behind him and take him with them as they left. They would all meet back up at the new location. Before the men marched off with Kip between them, Debbie got in his face once more. The man was screaming that they would be sorry.

"Oh shut up, will you? We're not kidnapping you. We're taking you to safety since you can't get your car on the road. Once we get where we are going and make sure you haven't been tinkering with things you shouldn't, we'll be happy to let you get on your way."

She watched as the three men left and then joined Michael and Ben as they all headed back to their own car. They were soon joining up as the long circus caravan moved on to the safety of their new destination. Kip rode in the back seat of the car just in front of Debbie's van. He was wedged tightly between the burly men who had captured him. His emotions played out on his face. One moment he felt fear that he would have to pay dearly if and when Brian Kinney's Jeep crashed, the next he felt exhilaration that no one knew what was coming except for him. However this played out, he felt like a winner. If his sabotage worked, the man he hated more than anyone would be gone. If he was lucky, they wouldn't be able to prove that he tampered with anything....at least not in a court of law. If the plan failed, they would have to let him go and he could always try again later. 

As they drove on through the heavy rains that were now pouring down from above, not one of the folks in the mile-long caravan knew what was about to happen. Before the evening was over, they would.

To be continued.....