SPECTRE ➸ Daniel Atlas

~five~

FIVE

❝That's the thing with magic. You've got to know it's still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you.❞

✧✧✧✧

"Etienne, what Jack is bringing to the stage now," Merritt informed the French man "Is what we in the magic world call a teleportation helmet."

Jack walked around with the helmet showing it to everyone, the futuristic contraption looking mysterious and alien to everyone. 

"You will need to wear this," Merritt continued. "As it will allow you to literally fold through space and time to your bank in the. . .8th? 9th arrondissement." 

"Yeah."

"Now once you are there we will be able to speak with you through this helmet." Merritt said as Jack put the helmet on the Etienne's head and fixed it. 

"Oh my god, that's beautiful" The audience laughed at Merritt subtle jab. "It has the added attraction of being very stylish. It's about time the French learned from America on that subject. Is that a beautiful piece of headgear?"

"Thank you, thank you." Etienne said waving to the crowd as they clapped and cheered waiting eagerly for the trick to happen. 

"But before you go anywhere, could you please pick a card," Daniel said coming forward with a deck of cards in his hand. "Any card. Not that card. Oh! No, that's an old American joke." The crowd laughed. "You can take that one. Okay. This one? Show it to your friends in Section B. But not to us." 

Etienne showed the card to the audience as the five horsemen walked away to make sure they could not see the card even though they already knew. They only gave the illusion of their oblivious nature to the audience.

"Okay, great." Daniel said once the card was shown.

"Now if you could just sign your name there." Daniel said handing him the pen. "In English if possible."

"Huh. That's good." Merritt complimented Daniel on the joke and Gen chucked. 

"Thanks."

"Put it in your pocket." Daniel instructed and the french men did so, placing his card carefully in his pocket. 

"And now for one tiny detail." Gen called out as she and Henley pulled out a dark colored cloth from their pocket and spun it in the air, which twisted and twirled around the stage making a machine magically appear out of thin air. It stood in the dead center of the stage where everyone could see it. 

The crowd gasped and cheered for Gen and Henley.

"Now, Etienne, let's step into this cockamamie contraption. And I'll step off of it." Merritt said and Etienne stepped onto the machine. 

Jack and Danny stepped forward and pulled down the fabric to close the trap while Etienne stood inside observing everything. Henley held the button and waited for the countdown.

"It's 11:50 p.m. here in Vegas." said Merritt looking at his watch. "That's 8:50 a.m. in Paris. Your bank opens in less than 10 minutes."

"One," 

"Two" 

"Three."

 Henley pressed the button and in a swift motion the machine pressed together in the middle and gave the impression that they just crushed the man. The horsemen pretended that they had no idea what just happened and stared at the machine in shock as the crowd gasped in surprise.