Joey's Future : The Middle Years, pt. 2 
J. Pardo libguy3@yahoo.com
Mark and Lana create a stir in the circus world.
 
As Maximo's Circus traveled from town to town, it's reputation spread.
Joey eagerly took his new job as promoter seriously, and travelled all
around the country trying to persuade cities to host the circus.  Mark
and Lana were put in charge of the lions, and they brought a new sense
of excitement to the act.  They would literally toss the 200-300 pound
cats to each other, gently so as to not hurt the cats. This was very
popular with the audience.  The previous liontamers were demoted to be
their assistants, a job they loathed.  They plotted ways to get rid of
the kids, but each of their plans failed, mainly because of their
mother's watchful eyes.  She once saw Stanazio cut a rope used to lift
the lions' cage. Before the circus opened, she replaced the rope, but
kept the old one as evidence. Another time, she saw Vito pour something
into the gasoline used to light the lions' hoops. She poured the
contents of that can into her own, and filled the kids' can with a
light mixture of flammable liquid. She told Maximo what she saw.

"You must do something about Vito and Stanazio, they both are trying to
hurt my children," Lizator told Maximo.

"Surely you exaggerate," Maximo said disbelieving. "Those men love
children."

"Fine, believe what you want, but my children better not be injuried,
or I'll take this place apart," she said lifting the center pole of the
main circus tent.

Maximo's eyes bulged at her display of strength. His eyes weren't the
only thing that bulged, but he decided to cool off before talking to
her, otherwise she might crush his love pole.

She shoved the pole back into the ground and said, "don't mess with me.
As you can see I can back up my words."

"Fine, I'll talk with them tomorrow," Maximo said, clearly afraid.

"Tomorrow then!" Lizator said stomping out.

She was about to go to her quarters, when she overheard the two
troublemakers plotting to hurt her children...

"Hey I know they are strong, that's why I asked Brutus, the Strong Man,
to help us," Vito said. "He'll accidentally be tossing a 50 pound
weight and hit Mark in the arm. The arm breaks and voila, no more act."

She decided to take matters into her own hand tonight. When they went
their separate ways, Lizator visited Vito in his dressing room. She
knocked on his door.

"What do you want?" he yelled through the door, "I'm busy."

"It's me, Lizator," she said sweetly. "I just wanted to tell you how
much I appreciate your help with my kids."

Vito opened his door slowly, feeling rather guilty about hiring Brutus.
He was stunned when he saw Lizator standing in front of his door
wearing a trenchcoat, but having it fully opened revealing her massive
breasts. 

"I show my appreciation differently than most women... Can I come in?"
she said seductively. She didn't gie him a chance to argue as she
strolled into his room, as if she lived there all her life.

She took off her coat, and Vito's eyes nearly fell out. Not only was
she built, having basketball-sized breasts. She had muscles that
wouldn't quit. She flexed for him, her 25-inch biceps exploded into
view. She could tell from his reaction that he was really enjoying
this. She walked behind him, pressing her nipples into his back, and he
nearly lost it. She reached around his neck so that he could have a
better view of her bulging veins in her arm. Suddenly she put him in a
headlock, and applied pressure on his carotid artery. He blacked-out
immediately. Making sure he was still breathing, she easily lifted him
up and tied him with the very rope that Stanazio used on her children's
lioncage. She threw a blindfold on him, taped his mouth with duct tape,
and hid him in her trailer. Now she turned her attention to Stanazio.

She knocked on Stanazio's door, and as he started to open it, she
smashed her way in, knocking him across this room until he hit the
wall. He was in a daze as she quickly pounced on him and put him out of
his miseryand took him to where she hid Vito. She wrapped them both
together with duct tape and hauled them up high above the circus main
ring. She dangled them over a metal pool, in which she poured the
enhanced gasoline mixture, then covered it until tonight's performance.
Her final visit was to Brutus. 

She went to his trailer, but he wasn't in.  She found him working out
with weights behind the tent.

"Brutus, I'm here to tell you that the contract Vito put on my son is
cancelled," Lizator said with a grimace.

"Cancelled by you and who's army?" he growled at her.

"Just by me," she said. She took a weight bar and easily bent it in
half, quickly she put it over his head and taking both ends rammed it
into the ground. He was trapped. She then took her coat off and showed
her did a victory pose. He could see that easily surpassed his
strength, and swore that he wouldn't harm her children. 

"Of course, you won't. But just to make sure, I'm going to give you a
taste of what my son whould have gone through," she said with a wicked
grin. She lifted his right arm, impressive with it's 20-inch biceps,
and quickly snapped it across her knee. It was a clean break (one where
it will take months to heal, but heal straight, as long as it's set
right.) Brutus yelled in pain, but knew that she could have done worst.
Then she left him alone in his agony. 

The next day, Maximo was at a loss. He couldn't find Vito or Stanazio,
and Brutus's arm was broken in a freak accident. How could the show go
on?

"Have your seen Vito and Stanazio?" Maximo asked Lizator.

"Let's say they're tied up at the moment," she replied.

He didn't like the grin she had on her face, but couldn't accuse her
without proof. He went into the circus tent. He saw Mark and Lana
practicing their routine. He admired their grace, and their ability to
get the lions to respond. There was genuine affectionate between them
and the cats. 

He would have to scratch the Strong Man act. Brutus couldn't lift a
baseball now with that arm, let alone the 25-pound metal balls for his
juggling act.

As the crowd poured in for the circus, he noticed Lizator talking with
her children. They looked uncomfortable as they looked up to where she
was pointing. Maximo looked up as well as saw Vito and Stanazio
dangling 100 feet above them, being held by a rope that had clearly
been cut revealing several broken strands. It was too late to cancel
the show. He would just have to get them down later.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls! Welcome to the greatest show in
the universe!" Maximo bragged with his deepest voice. "May I draw your
attention to the center ring. Presenting the greatest liontamers since
Gunther Gebel-Williams. They call themselves Lanamark."

By hand gestures alone, Lana ordered Savage, a male lion, up onto a
large bench. Mark stood 5 feet away. Lana with a quick waving motion
commanded the lion to jump into her outstretched arms. The crowd was
amazed as they saw this muscular 5-year-old receive the lion's full
weight. They were even more surprised when she lifted him above her
head. Her 12-inch biceps and deep triceps pumped as she lifted him.
Mark had his arms ready to receive Savage, and Lana gently tossed him.
Mark braced himself and recieved Savage. Savage's front paws were on
Marks left hand, and his back paws were on his right. Wih a quick flick
of his wrists, Mark spun Savage and easily caught him. The crowd roared
to their feet, as Savage gave Mark a slobbering kiss. Mark walked over
to another bench and Savage walked onto it. Mark held out his hand
where a kitty treat had been placed and Savage took it from him.

The next act called for Czarina, a large lioness, to jump through a
hoop held above a metal tank which was ignited.  The kids were warned
to stay back as the tank was lit. As the Circus helpers extended a 3-
foot lit match into the tank, it created a 10-foot flame. The crowd
gasped as they looked above the frame to where Vito and Stanazio
dangled.  The heat from the flame rose and they felt great panic,
especially when the rope that was holding them began to break. Suddenly
it snapped and they plunged to their impending deaths. The crowd
screamed as they stood helpless. Vito and Stanazio knew that their
misdeeds had come back to haunt them and they accepted their deaths as
punishment. Things changed as they were hit on the side by a large
furry creature while they were 5-feet above the flame. They landed
harmlessly on a large pile of hay used to feed the elephants. 

Czarina with practiced skill, was sent at the exact moment to intercept
the falling object, and she did her job. She landed gracefully on the
opposite bench, and was quickly rewarded with a treat. Vito and
Stanazio both burst into tears as they realized they were still alive
and unhurt. Lizator ran over to them and cut their bonds.

"Make pretend it's part of the act!" she ordered, and they both stood
up and waved.

The relief from the crowd was palpable, as they realized that no harm
was done. The ovation the performers received lasted 15 minutes.

Lizator, as the Elephant Lady, put her 3 elephants through their paces.
Another highlight of the evening happened when the elephants created a
sort of stairs, as one elephant got on its knees while another put two
legs on the first one's back and had its back two legs bent. The third
elephant climbed on top of the other two guided by Lizator. When it got
to the top of the first elephant, it appeared to be in a dilemma
because it couldn't get down. The crowd feared for the elephant until
Lizator stood in front of the first elephant with her hands out. Surely
this woman could not possibly carry a 2,500 pound elephant.  Suddenly a
ramp appeared behind Lizator as she commanded the elephant to move. It
walked onto her hands, her 25-inch biceps bulged at the weight, and
continued onto the ramp until it was safely on the ground. Again the
crowd showed their appreciation with an ovation. Then the elephants
were led into the lions cage where the lions used them as landing
stations. Lizator aligned the three elephants side by side as Savage
and Czarina jumped from opposite benches and sailed over them. Such
precision! 

The crowd was near exhaustion from showing their appreciation. As the
show closed, they clammored to buy advanced tickets for tomorrow's
performance.

Vito and Stanazio hurried over to the kids and hugged them. They begged
forgiveness for their actions.  Lana hugged each one. Mark shook their
hands, and told them everything was okay. Even Lizator got emotional
and hugged them both, and they enthuasiatically returned the hugs.
Maximo went over and lifted the kids in each arm. He was grinning
broadly. He promised them a long and lucrative career (after explaining
that lucrative meant they get lots of money).

Joey returned to see the large crowd of happy people pouring out of the
tent. He heard many still in awe of what they had just witnessed. When
he entered the tent, he saw the group hug from his wife and kids to
everyone else.

"Great news!" he said happily. "We've been invited to New York City to
perform at Yankee Stadium at a benefit to raise money for the families
of the victims of the World Trade Center and Pentagon tragedies. We
leave in a week."

The mood quickly changed from elation to seriousness as Maximo left to
make arrangements. They'd put on the best damn show the world had ever seen.