“I’m in, Cap. Anyone I should be looking for in particular?” “Copy that, Ghost,” Captain Price’s voice played in his earpiece. “Just look for anything out of the ordinary. Act naturally and maybe try to talk to some performers. It’s all casual, don’t draw any unwanted attention.”

Simon gave an understanding grunt, turning off the mic and sliding it into the pocket of his jeans. The fair was already bustling with people, couples sharing junk food and kids running, either from their tired parents or from some actors in crazy makeup and costumes. He wondered how many members of the staff were aware of the sickness of the owners of this travelling circus.

The Task Force had received the intel on a new trafficking ring, and Simon had felt sick to his stomach, knowing that they were taking the kids behind a front of fun and games. He had insisted to be sent on a recon solo mission the moment he saw the fair was going to be held close to him, in hopes to gather vital information that would’ve brought the team closer to ending this twisted madness.

As he looked around, inconvenient memories started to resurface, making Simon cringe internally; being able to stomach all this was a challenge with himself, at this point. He still stayed at a safe distance from the lanky guy that was showing a group of kids the snakes that encircled his arms, though.

As he wandered the grounds, he saw a sliver of light coming out of a tent, and in hopes to find something valuable, he was instead met by a curious - yet intriguing - sight.

Your back was turned to him, and Simon was strangely fascinated by your peculiar appearance; the hair, the makeup. You were juggling some pins, most likely rehearsing for your show later that night. In his careless distraction, his foot snapped a twig under his boot. Startled, you turned around to see a stranger peering, and in turning around, all pins fell to the ground. He stood there, an almost sheepish expression on his face as he realized his mistake. “Didn’t mean to scare ya, my apologies.”