Ace was lying unconscious in the hospital. His hands and face was
cold, but yet he was not dead. Kayla, his long-lost sister, was beside his
hospital bed with Cosmo, Vega and Mona. Kayla remembered everything almost
too clearly. Ace had been shot. Spade had pulled a gun out and attempted to
shoot her, but Ace had gotten into the way and was shot instead. He
collapsed onto the floor. Kayla attacked Spade and Diamond, angered. She
drove them away with powerful kicks and punches. She had brought him to the
hospital. He had lain there unmoving for two hours. Cosmo, Vega, Mona and
Kayla were all worried. They had all left except Kayla. Kayla had almost
given up hope when suddenly, she heard a low groan coming from the bed. She
leapt up and ran over. Her brother's eyes fluttered open and he sat up
slowly. " Uhh… Where am I?" he asked. Kayla smiled. She bent down and gave
her brother a hug. " Welcome back." She murmured. Kayla looked a lot like
Ace; she had a long stripe of white running down her long hair. Ace was
very surprised to see her, after so many years of separation. He had
thought she was dead, ever since they were lost in the city. He grew up to
be a handsome man, but in his mind he was wondering what his sister would
look like. Kayla had a long scar on her face, a mark of twenty years of
struggling with life.
That night, Ace had gone out with Cosmo. Kayla had stayed in the MAGiC EXPRESS. Then, Vega came. He came in and yelled, "Kayla!" Kayla stuck her head out of the kitchen where she was preparing some fruit. " What is it, Vega?" she asked. Vega said, " Ace is missing. We found Cosmo and this." Vega held up Ace's cloak. It was streaked with blood. Kayla dashed into her room. She came out dressed in a skintight black leather suit. She wore knee-high boots and long, black leather gloves. She went to the garage and pulled out a black bike. " Lucky for me I keep my own bike." She said. " Where was my brother last seen?" she asked Vega. " He was seen last heading out to the desert." Vega replied. " Thanks!!" She yelled as she rode out to the desert.
Kayla walked through the desert, her black cloak billowing out behind her. " Ace, where are you? Answer me!!" she cried. " I know you're out there!" she listened carefully. " Kayla, I'm here… Uhh…" a feeble voice came from somewhere towards her right. She turned on her torch. Its powerful beam swept across the area, revealing a man lying on the ground, injured. " Ace!" she cried and ran over. She pulled him into a sitting position, kneeling beside him. His coat was bloody, and his face covered with sand. A trickle of blood ran from his mouth. Kayla carried him to her bike. Ace gathered all his strength and held on to his sister.
Back at the MAGiC EXPRESS, Kayla laid Ace down on the couch. She removed her cloak and covered her brother. He had already fallen asleep. ' It must be like hell out there.' She thought. She was also a magician by profession, like her brother. She lay down on the floor and fell asleep.
The next day, Kayla cancelled all of Ace's performances. " You're not fit to go out and perform." She insisted on him staying home. " Just look at you. You shouldn't go out yet." Ace was indeed ill. He had been coughing away since morning. " Your cough is getting worse. You'd better stay home." She said. She slipped into the kitchen. Ace, seeing her gone, got up and stumbled to his room. He fell heavily on the bed. Kayla returned with Ace's medication. Seeing him gone, she ran to his room. Ace was lying on the floor, gasping for breath. Kayla ran over with her brother's medication. She poured some into his mouth. After a while, Ace slowly sat up. His breathing was ragged, and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. Kayla looked angry.
One Saturday, Kayla had gone out to watch her brother perform. Her brother had already recovered from the illness. When she reached the ringside theatre, she went straight to the computer on which Cosmo always managed the programme. Ace was already there. He was about to give her instructions on the show when suddenly, Cosmo turned up. " Sorry I'm late. I got a little held up. I'll take over from here." He said. Kayla went out of the room with Ace. Ace later asked, " Kayla, will you be my assistant for the next performance next week?" Kayla was surprised. " Sure. I'd love to be in your show." She replied. Kayla soon discovered that her brother's performances were very dangerous. She loved them all the same. Sometimes Ace would return with a small cut on his arm or a bruise on his neck, but the injuries weren't serious.
The following week, Kayla turned early in her usual magician outfit. Ace was surprised to see her dressed in a black leather outfit, long gloves, and knee-length high-heeled black boots. " I have to compliment you on your dressing, Kayla." Ace said. " This
has got to be the most classy outfit I've seen so far." He laughed. " OK, here's what you do." Ace told her all the necessary preparations and precautions she had to take. Meanwhile, the audience were already filing in.
Kayla, however, forgot one basic step. She forgot to test the electric current. It had been too strong. The result was Ace trying to stay conscious until 11pm. When the audience finally left, Ace fell down in a faint. He groaned as Kayla and Cosmo pulled him up onto his feet. They helped him into the car and drove off.
At the MAGiC EXPRESS, Cosmo went to his room and Ace retired to his room to recuperate. Suddenly, there were a lot of bangings and squeakings and other sounds coming from Cosmo's room. Kayla stuck her head in and said, " Ace needs a rest. Stop that racket at once!" She left.
The next day, Cosmo ran out of his room. He asked Ace, " Ace, my prototype control collar is missing. Has any of you seen it?" Ace and Kayla were taken aback. " No, I haven't seen it." Ace said. " Me neither." Kayla replied. " You're always misplacing stuff. It's no wonder it's always missing. I expect it'll turn up somewhere unexpected." Cosmo looked at her uneasily. " Alright." He said.
That night, a person crept into the MAGiC EXPRESS. He had stolen Cosmo's prototype. He crept towards Kayla's room and slid the collar around her neck. He had programmed it to make her kill Ace!!
The next morning, when Kayla awoke, she only had one idea in her head. "Kill Ace. Kill him." She repeated. She grabbed an ornament sword on the wall. Unsheathing it, she headed towards the living room. Upon seeing Ace, she tried to stab him. Ace dodged. " Kayla! What's the matter with you? Don't you recognize me?" he yelled as he dodged more stabbings from Kayla. Finally, using his strength, he hurled her against the wall. " I'm sorry, Kayla. I had to do it." He pulled the sword out of her hand and felt around her neck. He felt a hard object round her neck. Lifting it up, he gave a cry of surprise. It was the collar! " Cosmo, you designed this thing. Can you shut it off?" he asked Cosmo. Cosmo reached for the back of the collar. He pressed a button and pulled the collar off. " She'll be fine now." He said. Ace carried Kayla to the couch. She stirred a little as he laid her down.
When Kayla awoke, she found Ace bending over her. " Are you feeling better?" he asked. " W… what happened?" Kayla asked groggily. " Never mind what happened. The most important thing is, you're fine now." Ace stroked her hair fondly. Kayla closed her eyes and fell asleep.
The next day, Kayla awoke to find no one in the MAGiC EXPRESS. She decided to write a note to her brother stating that she would be going out for a day at least. While she was writing the note, a faint yellow gas drifted into the room. " Knockout… gas…" she said before she collapsed.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself in a small shack with her brother and Cosmo. The two of them were unconscious. She tried to wake her brother up, but to no avail. Kayla realized that they were tied up and were lying on the floor. She knew that she must get out of there and get help. She struggled with the ropes and managed to get them loose. Untying her own bonds, she proceeded to untie Ace's and Cosmo's. Not knowing how to wake them up, she gingerly removed her brother's communicator from his wrist. The unconscious magician did not stir. She managed to get lieutenant Vega on the line. Peering out of the dimly lit shack, she spoke rapidly into the communicator, describing where the trio were. Minutes after she had spoken to Vega, she heard the familiar sound of the police siren. Ace, however, had not woken up. As the paramedics lifted her brother and Cosmo onto stretchers and took them to the hospital, Kayla stopped to have a quick word with Vega. But before she said anything, she collapsed. The effect of the knockout gas had not worn off yet. Vega lifted her up and placed her in the backseat of his car and drove off. He took her back to the MAGiC EXPRESS.
When Ace came to, he saw blurred images in front of him. Slowly, the images cleared. Kayla, Mona, Vega and Cosmo were standing around him. He asked, " Where am I?" Mona smiled and said, " You're in the hospital." Ace got up, shook his head a little to clear it, and said, " Kayla, what happened? I remember you removing my communicator. What were you doing?" Kayla grinned. "Don't bother to find out. The communicator saved you." Kayla smiled.
The next day, Kayla disappeared. Ace was worried, and he started searching high and low. He searched his sister's favourite hangouts, but to no avail. Soon, he gave up and returned to the MAGiC EXPRESS. He returned, only to find her asleep on the couch. Ace wondered how he could have missed her as she was sleeping on the couch. He was pondering about that question when Kayla woke up. He asked her, " How come I didn't see you here this morning?" Kayla grinned. " I came in after you went out." She said. Ace shrugged and walked off.
That day, Kayla spent it sleeping. She had been out the whole night and was exhausted. When she went out, it was about ten at night. She met her brother who had just returned from work. He looked drained and flung himself onto the couch. He was very tired and fell asleep immediately. Kayla pulled her brother's cloak over him to keep him warm. The sleeping magician stirred and opened his eyes. He smiled before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Kayla stood up and exited the MAGiC EXPRESS. She climbed onto her bike and started it. Pulling off the band that held her hair in place, she rode off, the wind in her face, her hair flying behind her. That night, Kayla returned, worn out. Ace was at home. Kayla was dressed in a typical ranch outfit. " Hey bro, do you want to go to the ranch barbeque and rodeo tomorrow night? I've been helping out at the ranch for a few months already." She asked Ace. Ace considered the offer and replied, " I don't think I have anything to match your outfit. I'd rather not go." Kayla reached into a bag at her feet and brought out an outfit for her brother. It matched with hers. " I've got you one." Ace admitted defeat. " You really think about everything, you know." He said. " How do you think I survived twenty years without a friend?" she replied.
On the day of the ranch barbeque and rodeo, Kayla decided to use Ace's bike. She pulled it out of the garage when Ace said, " I wouldn't use that if I were you. It's been out of commission for about a week. Ace wore long jeans, a long-sleeved white shirt and a belt. He looked very handsome. Kayla said, " You look great."
Kayla held onto her brother as they rode on Kayla's black bike to the rodeo. When they reached the ranch, ranch hands welcomed Kayla and her brother warmly. Soon the rodeo began. Kayla challenged Ace if he could rope a wild bull. She mounted a horse named Jake and rode off with other riders with a coiled lariat in her hand. Ace mounted Marco and pursued. He watched as Kayla twirled the lariat skillfully. She flung it round the neck of the nearest wild bull. The bull reared and thrashed, trying to get the noose loose. Kayla was nearly flung out of her saddle. She wheeled the horse around and brought the bull back to the ranch. She watched her brother and other riders' try. Finally, Ace managed to get the noose twirling. He flung it onto a bull nearby. The bull thrashed and nearly pulled her brother off his horse. Kayla sat on the fence watching with interest. " This should be interesting." She thought. Ace pulled the bull into an enclosure. Kayla slid off the fence and slapped a high five with her brother. They laughed and went for dinner.
1 THE END
That night, Ace had gone out with Cosmo. Kayla had stayed in the MAGiC EXPRESS. Then, Vega came. He came in and yelled, "Kayla!" Kayla stuck her head out of the kitchen where she was preparing some fruit. " What is it, Vega?" she asked. Vega said, " Ace is missing. We found Cosmo and this." Vega held up Ace's cloak. It was streaked with blood. Kayla dashed into her room. She came out dressed in a skintight black leather suit. She wore knee-high boots and long, black leather gloves. She went to the garage and pulled out a black bike. " Lucky for me I keep my own bike." She said. " Where was my brother last seen?" she asked Vega. " He was seen last heading out to the desert." Vega replied. " Thanks!!" She yelled as she rode out to the desert.
Kayla walked through the desert, her black cloak billowing out behind her. " Ace, where are you? Answer me!!" she cried. " I know you're out there!" she listened carefully. " Kayla, I'm here… Uhh…" a feeble voice came from somewhere towards her right. She turned on her torch. Its powerful beam swept across the area, revealing a man lying on the ground, injured. " Ace!" she cried and ran over. She pulled him into a sitting position, kneeling beside him. His coat was bloody, and his face covered with sand. A trickle of blood ran from his mouth. Kayla carried him to her bike. Ace gathered all his strength and held on to his sister.
Back at the MAGiC EXPRESS, Kayla laid Ace down on the couch. She removed her cloak and covered her brother. He had already fallen asleep. ' It must be like hell out there.' She thought. She was also a magician by profession, like her brother. She lay down on the floor and fell asleep.
The next day, Kayla cancelled all of Ace's performances. " You're not fit to go out and perform." She insisted on him staying home. " Just look at you. You shouldn't go out yet." Ace was indeed ill. He had been coughing away since morning. " Your cough is getting worse. You'd better stay home." She said. She slipped into the kitchen. Ace, seeing her gone, got up and stumbled to his room. He fell heavily on the bed. Kayla returned with Ace's medication. Seeing him gone, she ran to his room. Ace was lying on the floor, gasping for breath. Kayla ran over with her brother's medication. She poured some into his mouth. After a while, Ace slowly sat up. His breathing was ragged, and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. Kayla looked angry.
One Saturday, Kayla had gone out to watch her brother perform. Her brother had already recovered from the illness. When she reached the ringside theatre, she went straight to the computer on which Cosmo always managed the programme. Ace was already there. He was about to give her instructions on the show when suddenly, Cosmo turned up. " Sorry I'm late. I got a little held up. I'll take over from here." He said. Kayla went out of the room with Ace. Ace later asked, " Kayla, will you be my assistant for the next performance next week?" Kayla was surprised. " Sure. I'd love to be in your show." She replied. Kayla soon discovered that her brother's performances were very dangerous. She loved them all the same. Sometimes Ace would return with a small cut on his arm or a bruise on his neck, but the injuries weren't serious.
The following week, Kayla turned early in her usual magician outfit. Ace was surprised to see her dressed in a black leather outfit, long gloves, and knee-length high-heeled black boots. " I have to compliment you on your dressing, Kayla." Ace said. " This
has got to be the most classy outfit I've seen so far." He laughed. " OK, here's what you do." Ace told her all the necessary preparations and precautions she had to take. Meanwhile, the audience were already filing in.
Kayla, however, forgot one basic step. She forgot to test the electric current. It had been too strong. The result was Ace trying to stay conscious until 11pm. When the audience finally left, Ace fell down in a faint. He groaned as Kayla and Cosmo pulled him up onto his feet. They helped him into the car and drove off.
At the MAGiC EXPRESS, Cosmo went to his room and Ace retired to his room to recuperate. Suddenly, there were a lot of bangings and squeakings and other sounds coming from Cosmo's room. Kayla stuck her head in and said, " Ace needs a rest. Stop that racket at once!" She left.
The next day, Cosmo ran out of his room. He asked Ace, " Ace, my prototype control collar is missing. Has any of you seen it?" Ace and Kayla were taken aback. " No, I haven't seen it." Ace said. " Me neither." Kayla replied. " You're always misplacing stuff. It's no wonder it's always missing. I expect it'll turn up somewhere unexpected." Cosmo looked at her uneasily. " Alright." He said.
That night, a person crept into the MAGiC EXPRESS. He had stolen Cosmo's prototype. He crept towards Kayla's room and slid the collar around her neck. He had programmed it to make her kill Ace!!
The next morning, when Kayla awoke, she only had one idea in her head. "Kill Ace. Kill him." She repeated. She grabbed an ornament sword on the wall. Unsheathing it, she headed towards the living room. Upon seeing Ace, she tried to stab him. Ace dodged. " Kayla! What's the matter with you? Don't you recognize me?" he yelled as he dodged more stabbings from Kayla. Finally, using his strength, he hurled her against the wall. " I'm sorry, Kayla. I had to do it." He pulled the sword out of her hand and felt around her neck. He felt a hard object round her neck. Lifting it up, he gave a cry of surprise. It was the collar! " Cosmo, you designed this thing. Can you shut it off?" he asked Cosmo. Cosmo reached for the back of the collar. He pressed a button and pulled the collar off. " She'll be fine now." He said. Ace carried Kayla to the couch. She stirred a little as he laid her down.
When Kayla awoke, she found Ace bending over her. " Are you feeling better?" he asked. " W… what happened?" Kayla asked groggily. " Never mind what happened. The most important thing is, you're fine now." Ace stroked her hair fondly. Kayla closed her eyes and fell asleep.
The next day, Kayla awoke to find no one in the MAGiC EXPRESS. She decided to write a note to her brother stating that she would be going out for a day at least. While she was writing the note, a faint yellow gas drifted into the room. " Knockout… gas…" she said before she collapsed.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself in a small shack with her brother and Cosmo. The two of them were unconscious. She tried to wake her brother up, but to no avail. Kayla realized that they were tied up and were lying on the floor. She knew that she must get out of there and get help. She struggled with the ropes and managed to get them loose. Untying her own bonds, she proceeded to untie Ace's and Cosmo's. Not knowing how to wake them up, she gingerly removed her brother's communicator from his wrist. The unconscious magician did not stir. She managed to get lieutenant Vega on the line. Peering out of the dimly lit shack, she spoke rapidly into the communicator, describing where the trio were. Minutes after she had spoken to Vega, she heard the familiar sound of the police siren. Ace, however, had not woken up. As the paramedics lifted her brother and Cosmo onto stretchers and took them to the hospital, Kayla stopped to have a quick word with Vega. But before she said anything, she collapsed. The effect of the knockout gas had not worn off yet. Vega lifted her up and placed her in the backseat of his car and drove off. He took her back to the MAGiC EXPRESS.
When Ace came to, he saw blurred images in front of him. Slowly, the images cleared. Kayla, Mona, Vega and Cosmo were standing around him. He asked, " Where am I?" Mona smiled and said, " You're in the hospital." Ace got up, shook his head a little to clear it, and said, " Kayla, what happened? I remember you removing my communicator. What were you doing?" Kayla grinned. "Don't bother to find out. The communicator saved you." Kayla smiled.
The next day, Kayla disappeared. Ace was worried, and he started searching high and low. He searched his sister's favourite hangouts, but to no avail. Soon, he gave up and returned to the MAGiC EXPRESS. He returned, only to find her asleep on the couch. Ace wondered how he could have missed her as she was sleeping on the couch. He was pondering about that question when Kayla woke up. He asked her, " How come I didn't see you here this morning?" Kayla grinned. " I came in after you went out." She said. Ace shrugged and walked off.
That day, Kayla spent it sleeping. She had been out the whole night and was exhausted. When she went out, it was about ten at night. She met her brother who had just returned from work. He looked drained and flung himself onto the couch. He was very tired and fell asleep immediately. Kayla pulled her brother's cloak over him to keep him warm. The sleeping magician stirred and opened his eyes. He smiled before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. Kayla stood up and exited the MAGiC EXPRESS. She climbed onto her bike and started it. Pulling off the band that held her hair in place, she rode off, the wind in her face, her hair flying behind her. That night, Kayla returned, worn out. Ace was at home. Kayla was dressed in a typical ranch outfit. " Hey bro, do you want to go to the ranch barbeque and rodeo tomorrow night? I've been helping out at the ranch for a few months already." She asked Ace. Ace considered the offer and replied, " I don't think I have anything to match your outfit. I'd rather not go." Kayla reached into a bag at her feet and brought out an outfit for her brother. It matched with hers. " I've got you one." Ace admitted defeat. " You really think about everything, you know." He said. " How do you think I survived twenty years without a friend?" she replied.
On the day of the ranch barbeque and rodeo, Kayla decided to use Ace's bike. She pulled it out of the garage when Ace said, " I wouldn't use that if I were you. It's been out of commission for about a week. Ace wore long jeans, a long-sleeved white shirt and a belt. He looked very handsome. Kayla said, " You look great."
Kayla held onto her brother as they rode on Kayla's black bike to the rodeo. When they reached the ranch, ranch hands welcomed Kayla and her brother warmly. Soon the rodeo began. Kayla challenged Ace if he could rope a wild bull. She mounted a horse named Jake and rode off with other riders with a coiled lariat in her hand. Ace mounted Marco and pursued. He watched as Kayla twirled the lariat skillfully. She flung it round the neck of the nearest wild bull. The bull reared and thrashed, trying to get the noose loose. Kayla was nearly flung out of her saddle. She wheeled the horse around and brought the bull back to the ranch. She watched her brother and other riders' try. Finally, Ace managed to get the noose twirling. He flung it onto a bull nearby. The bull thrashed and nearly pulled her brother off his horse. Kayla sat on the fence watching with interest. " This should be interesting." She thought. Ace pulled the bull into an enclosure. Kayla slid off the fence and slapped a high five with her brother. They laughed and went for dinner.
1 THE END