The touring season has ended for The Czars of Scar, the legendary modern sideshow shock troupe. Talon, the group's new recruit, is treated with an impromptu vacation to the Florida Keys before the rigors of training for a new season are to begin. His journey takes an unexpected turn when a fiery face from his past ignites revenge.

Didi Hammond gazed wondrously at those magnificent words, marveling at the grand scale of the tour bus parked along Sixth Street in front of the posh Driskill Hotel. The exterior of the bus acted as a giant marquee for the most renowned shock troupe in the entertainment industry--The Czars of Scar. Caricatures of each member covered the sides of the bus like a twisted carnival nightmare. Felina, the Mysterious Cat Woman. Koz-Mo, the Known Universe. X, the Unknown Factor. Each drawing maintained perfect likeness, capturing their macabre appeal in a reproduction that would lend itself comfortably to Saturday morning cartoons. In fact, rumors of such a show were purportedly in production, along with action figures, video games, and comic books.

Didi stood apprehensively on the curb with the rain trickling onto her well-fed body. Her dark makeup ran down her high cheekbones, streaking her acne-scarred skin. Black curls of wet hair clung to her softly feminine shoulders. Her arms were scarified and branded with Celtic symbols, each one raised slightly from the skin like permanent blisters. Behind a sorrowful, pitiful expression masked by cosmetics, she was radiantly beautiful. But the reflection she saw in the rearview mirrors of the bus was preposterously hideous, a deplorable trick by the blurry vision of her self-deprecating mind's eye.

The pouring rain cascaded down the side of the bus like dripping wax. The curtains were drawn, revealing the silhouettes of what appeared to be unearthly demons nestled safety inside. Horns could be seen on an individual leaning against the window, while another bore the image of a cat with clipped ears and whiskers.

Decades ago, freaks were born into their trade. Aside from knife swallowers and geeks, it was an exclusive market for those cursed with deformations and rare genetic disorders. The technological revolution forever changed the dynamics of the industry, making it possible for anyone with the desire to become outlandish to do so through cosmetic surgery, a process known as Body Modification. The Czars of Scar were nothing more than a group of well-trained performers born of healthy stock, drawn to the trade by choice.

Didi raised her left fist to the door, hesitating to knock as the voices inside rumbled with the exchange of pleasantries. The streets that surrounded her were unusually quiet. Only the rain.

She sheepishly tapped on the cold metal door.

No answer.

She spread her fingers out to loosen the tension caused by so much apprehension. Two of her digits were missing-her pinky finger was entirely removed, and her ring finger was down to the last knuckle. The swollen end of her ring finger was red and tender, still recovering from a recent and deliberate removal.

She hammered at the door once again, making a much larger racket. Calm footsteps moved through the bus. Didi stood perfectly still, her heart pounding from inhibition and insecurity as the rain splattered against her head, drenching her Christian Death T-shirt and blue jean skirt. When the door crept open, she nearly gasped. It was Koz-Mo himself. The Legend. The television personality. The most famous member of The Czars of Scar towering over her in divine exaltation.

He gazed down upon her with indifference, and grunted, "You Talon's girl?"

She nodded her head anxiously, speechless in his eminent presence. Koz-Mo was an icon to her and many others who shared her subversive interests. He was the host of Far Out, a television show featuring cutting edge music and extreme sporting competitions. His body was thick and bulky and stripped of all hair, including his eyelashes. He was covered head to toe with tiny tattoos of stars, suns, moons, and ringed planets. There was a cartoon-like simplicity to the uniform style of his celestial motif. His eyes were dark and menacing. He watched her, studied her, gauging her presence by the control of her eyes. She had very little.

"Come in," he instructed with forced hospitality. "Wait." He held out a firm hand, keeping her in the rain a few seconds longer. He gazed down Sixth Street, and then back toward Congress Avenue. "Are you alone?"

"Yes," she replied timidly.

He lowered his hand, granting her entrance into the glorious lair of The Czars of Scar. It was the greatest moment in her life.

"Have a seat," Koz-Mo temperamentally insisted.

She coyly took a seat, careful not to interrupt the flow of conversation.

A group of three reclined on the plush couches, toasting champagne. There was no need explaining the significance, it was clear-they had just completed the last leg of the North American summer tour. Winter would fulfill independent contracts for each of them-efforts to make ends meet in the off-season of touring.

Of the three on the couch, only one was familiar to Didi on a personal level. Talon. Her lover. The perfect lines of his face mesmerized her. The definition of his musculature made him hazardously irresistible. Simply making eye contact was enough to frighten away the inner demons that dragged her down into self-hatred. He gave her hope and meaning. Without him, she was nothing. At least in her own tormented mind.

Talon's black leather pants were skin tight with matching boots that breached the knee, fastened tightly with shiny silver buckles. He was shirtless with black satin armbands that hugged his muscular biceps. His head was shaved with a meandering tattoo of a snake slithering over the top of his skull. Its forked tongue splayed at his widow's peak. Its beady eyes were green and sinister.

Sitting opposite Talon was X, the Unknown Factor. X had been the new feature attraction during the tour, taking over Koz-Mo's spotlight since the troupe's inception eight years earlier. Puncture wounds with dried specks of blood gave his occupation away. Suspension was his forte, but this tour brought forth a few new tricks, from walking on machetes to electrocution. The act he was most known for was the one that earned him fame through a television commercial selling light bulbs. Inserting a light bulb into his mouth and a live wire through his nose, the two are joined deep inside his throat, illuminating every orifice on his face while creating a subtle glow in his neck.

X's body was covered with tattoos of circuitry and strategically placed computer chips. A barcode spanned the length of his forehead, resting atop his thick eyebrows. His five o'clock shadow concealed the intricate tattoos of fine colored wires that seemed to give function to his prominent mandibles. Two horns emerged from each temple, the product of subdermal teflon implants. Tattoo work gave them the appearance of stubby antenna. His tongue was bifurcated, or split like a reptile.

Next to Talon was the troupe's infamous founder, Felina, the Cat Woman. Didi was surprised to realize that Felina was pregnant, possibly even beyond second term. She somehow had not noticed during their performance. Felina was dressed in a tight brown velvet body suit, which accentuated her pregnancy. She still appeared wildly savage. Her ears were clipped and pointed with countless rows of silver loop earrings. Her teeth were filed into fangs and her top lip was split from the center to her nose, giving her three lips, much like a cat. Artificially implanted whiskers bloomed from her cheeks. A pair of phony contact lenses turned her pupils into narrow slits. Charcoal-colored tattoos of tiger stripes stretched across her back and down her legs. Her Gravity Act-lifting bricks and weights with the piercings in her nipples, tongue, and clitoris-had always been the show-stopping, crowd-pleasing finale.

Over the years, Koz-Mo's duty with the troupe had transformed with his celebrity as the Dark Master of Ceremony. Contractual obligations kept him with the company, though the limelight inevitably replaced his interests of hooks and whips with microphones and autographs.

Didi smiled proudly at Talon, eager to join the celebration of his soon-to-be new career as Felina's permanent replacement.

"This is your girlfriend?" Koz-Mo asked without regard to her presence.

Talon directed his sights to Didi, sending his cold gaze through her. She recoiled nervously into the cushions. She feared his answer. She already knew what it was despite his disregard of the question altogether.

X and Felina seemed perfectly unaware of her presence as they focused on Talon, having received only abrupt responses from him to their barrage of questions. Felina and X exchanged glances with subtle, approving nods.

"Welcome aboard," Felina told Talon as she motioned to the signed contract lying next to the vase of flowers and potpourri on the coffee table. "Welcome to the circus life." She stared at him with her yellow reptilian eyes. "And now I retire to raise our child." She looked happily to X, the father, as all eyes fell upon her belly. Attention was no stranger. "Give me your hand," she demanded of Talon.

Talon leaned forward with a determined and natural fluidity as he placed his hand in hers. She ran her fingers across his palm, scraping his delicate skin gently with her long, black pointed nails. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back ever so slight.

"What have you lost?" she asked calmly.

The entire mood of the room altered with her soothing tone of voice.

He was quick to respond. "My love."

"She died a gruesome death," Felina picked from the air.

Talon's silence urged her to continue.

"The wrong man was pinned to her murder, and you seek…"

They all waited.

"And you seek…" She took a deep breath. "Something else. What is it?"

Talon was quiet. His face was rigid, his eyes hollow. "My father's Fury," he hissed with a raspy breath.

"A gift from deceased family…is there a connection?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

"Yes." His response fell from his lips without enthusiasm as if riding on a sigh. His feelings were masked under a brilliant pokerface.

Felina caressed the palm of his hand and gently said, "The Child of the Sun makes his home in the Fury. To get to the Key, you must go to the Key. The Child of the Sun is one with night, the storm will be your warning. Caution be with you."

Talon's face crinkled slightly. "If I find them," his words escaped with his breath, "I will kill them."

"Do not jeopardize your career with us," X stated with deep conviction, uncertain if he was overreacting to a bluff or a deeply rooted premonition. "Your reputation and choices in life are now linked to us. What you do will reflect on this company."

Felina gracefully stood, extending her hand for X to arise at her side. "Fate will be."

X stood and offered his hand to Talon. Talon reached up to embrace it with his own, gripping it firmly.

"Good to have you," X told him. "We'll be talking more in the future."

X escorted Felina to the door, helping her through the rain to the Driskill Hotel.

Didi looked up at Koz-Mo, who was staring at her unshaved legs. She crossed her legs uncomfortably, though loving the attention.

"I'll need to be in Los Angeles in two weeks to start shooting the next season of Far Out," Koz-Mo announced. "If you have nothing better going on, I wouldn't mind spending some downtime."

Talon tipped his head slightly in acceptance of the offer. He could see that Koz-Mo had taken a sudden interest in Didi.

"Take off your shirt, Didi," Talon demanded. His voice was edged with intensity.

Her eyes widened as she exchanged an awkward glance with Koz-Mo. She apprehensively reached down and grabbed the wet fabric, clutching it with her incomplete set of digits. She reluctantly lifted her shirt over her head as her wet hair draped her bare shoulders.

"All of it," Talon insisted.

She looked into his eyes and all that she knew of herself melted away. There was only Talon. She unfastened the bra and let it fall to her lap. Her small perky breasts were still moist from the rain, her dark nipples firm.

"Take her," Talon offered to Koz-Mo. "She's yours tonight."