2nd Series 02/3 - Shards

by Macx

A tag to Revenge is a wild kind of justice.

Shards
by Birgit Stäbler
a small tag to Revenge is a Wild Kind of Justice

The impeccably dressed visitor looked to be in his early sixties, at least to Cosmos' eyes, who simply thought everybody above 25 was 'old'. He carried a briefcase and a pair of glasses were balanced precariously on the tip of his nose. Everything on him screamed number cruncher. He walked through the corridor of the Magic Express with a stiff back. His eyes never wandered around and he didn't seem to be interested in his surroundings.
"My name is Arthur McGinnis," he introduced himself, shaking Ace's hand as he stepped into the study. Cosmo followed close behind. "I'm sorry if my visit is at an inconvenient time, Mr. Cooper, but I wanted to wrap this up as soon as possible. The matter has been an open case for too long by now."
"It's not inconvenient," Ace answered politely, gesturing at the visitor's chair.
Truth to be told, they were in the middle of putting together a new show. Ace was still not fully recovered and the show had been placed on hold. The magician had decided to use the time to refine some of his acts.
McGinnis sat down.
"How can I help you?" the magician asked.
"I am Ms Anna LeFrez's lawyer," the man now said.
Ace's expression froze into a mask. His eyes were suddenly a stormy gray and his hands clenched into fists. Cosmo's alarm bells went up full blast and he stepped forward, joining Ace behind the desk without crowding him.
"Ms LeFrez's last will and testament has been locked and secured until now because police investigation into her death were still ongoing," McGinnis went on. "Now that the testament was opened, I'm here to inform you that you are the sole heir to her estate and money, Mr. Cooper."
Ace didn't move a muscle, looking to Cosmo almost like a statue, and he briefly wondered if his friend had actually heard the man.
"I understand," he then said softly.
"I would like you to sign the appropriate papers, Mr. Cooper." The lawyer opened the briefcase and took out some papers.
The signing went on in almost total silence and Cosmo watched Ace worriedly. He knew little about Anna LeFrez and all he had found out was that the guy who had tried to take out Ace, James Calen, had killed her -- to get to Ace. She had been Ace's teacher, okay, but what else was there? Now he was named her only heir and that meant there was a connection. Cosmo would find out..... somehow.
The last two months had been hell already. Cosmo felt largely responsible for what had happened to Ace, even though his friend had assured him that it had nothing to do with him.
'But I was stupid enough to get myself caught, ' Cosmo thought darkly. James Calen, a former student of Anna, had kidnapped him to lure Ace into a house rigged with all kinds of traps. Ace had been seriously injured and he was still fighting the aftereffects of the wounds. Just like Cosmo was fighting off the recurring nightmares and the anger inside. His fault! His fault alone! If not for him, Ace would never have accepted the challenge!
Cosmo sighed silently. It was hard for him to accept that his friend didn't really blame him, mainly because he blamed himself so much. It was equally hard for him to see anything but possible enemies in people he met, at least strangers. Still, he had caught himself suspiciously watching even old friend's of Ace coming to visit.
'Paranoid,' he decided with a shrug.
But it was hard to drop that attitude. He kept a close eye on Ace, as if something would happen to him around the next corner, and this overprotective notion had gotten him a look from the magician on more than one occasion. Cosmo couldn't help it; the latest events had put him on the edge, made him more cautious, more suspicious and generally more paranoid. In time it would probaby all go back to normal, but for now it was the only way Cosmo could think of repaying Ace for what he had done to him in his opinion.
Looking at his friend, trying not to let his concern show, Cosmo wished he could overlook the fine lines of still present stress in Ace's face, the slight hollow in his cheeks and the darker-than-usual eyes. Yes, Ace looked like his old self to outsiders, but Cosmo, who had known him for four years now, could tell the difference. Ace was still suffering from the events. He ate less, he was too pale, and he was too silent from time to time; as if he had briefly zoned out.
Now he was reminded of everything once more.
"Damn," Cosmo just whispered.

* * *

The house had been built outside the town limit of a town called Whitewater Spring. The town as such wasn't very large. It had one main street and maybe another running parallel. The houses were made of thick wooden beams or bricks. Currently all the houses were covered by an inches deep layer of snow even now a few snow flakes tumbled from the sky, adding a new layer of white. Anna's house wasn't particularly large; at least it was smaller than Cosmo would have expected. It was a brickstone building, two storeys tall, with a clean gravel drive up to a small parking spot in front of the main entrance. Not far away, a thick cluster of trees could be seen and if Cosmo remembered correctly, the sea wasn't far from here.
Ace got out of the magic racer, taking his staff along and using it as a cane. For a moment he just stood there, gazing at the house in a disturbingly silent and faraway manner. Cosmo was about to say something, but then Ace started to walk and the younger man hurried to catch up.
"Nice digs," he now remarked, hands stuffed in his pockets. It was quite cold and windy, and the snow fall was increasing. Just great.
Ace just nodded.
"You lived here?" Cosmo tried again.
"For four years," was the quiet answer.
"Kinda lonely out here."
Ace smiled. "It helps with studying," he remarked, then the smile disappeared again and this strange expression returned.
Cosmo wished he could get Ace to talk about what was bothering him. Okay, so he had been declared heir to Anna LeFrez and it meant that he now owned the house he had lived and studied in, but somehow, something must be wrong. But what? Ace hadn't been at the funeral because at the time, he had still been forced to spend lying down due to his not so inconsiderable injuries. The doctors had allowed him to leave the hospital, but they had told him quite firmly not to run around on his injured leg. Of course, Ace had disobeyed them and had paid the price when the wound had bled again. Ever since the events, Ace had been kind of secluded, brooding.... strange.
"Ace?" a voice called.
Ace turned, as did Cosmo. A smile flew over his face; a real smile this time. Cosmo just gaped at the woman, then tried to hide his obvious surprise and stunned amazement behind a smile. The woman was barely in her late twenties, a far as Cosmo guessed, and only half a head smaller than the magician. She had wavy, russet colored hair with natural pale highlights, which she wore medium length. Currently a fine layer of snow covered her hair. Her eyes were a grayish blue or bluish gray, depending on how you looked at it. A pair of platinum earrings were visible and she had a matching necklace, wearing it over a black turtle neck. A thick winter jacket covered her.
"Kate?"
The woman, obviously Kate, smile a radiant smile as she came closer. Then she did a surprising thing. She hugged Ace. Even more surprising, the dark-haired man returned her hug, briefly squeezing her, and Cosmo wondered what history they shared. It was blatantly obvious they were old-time friends -- and maybe more?
"So you were finally informed, I guess."
He nodded. "You are still here?"
"I never left, actually. I studied abroad for a few years, I made my master's degrees, but I always felt at home here. I never wanted to be anywhere else, and since I managed to impress my professors, I was granted a deal: I work here, I sent them my research, and they pay me." She smiled again. "Easy. I returned a few months ago."
Ace looked at the house and a soft sigh passed his lips as they walked toward it again. He was using the staff to keep some weight off his injured leg. It had healed mostly, but he still couldn't use it as before. The physiotherapist had told him it would need some more therapy and muscle training to get him back to normal.
"I wonder why Anna left the house to me then," he said softly.
Kate briefly touched his arm. "Because she loved you. I wasn't here all that often and when I returned, I never thought about asking Anna about a permanent place here. She offered, I accepted."
"I think of this place from time to time. It's not my real home, nothing ever was, but it felt like the best and safest place."
Cosmo fell back a bit and looked around. All of a sudden he felt superfluous.
"Who's your young friend?" Kate asked and his ears peaked.
"That's Cosmo. Sorry, where are my manners? Kate Morrigan, meet Cosmo. He's my assistant and partner. And one of my best friends." Ace smiled at Cosmo's suddenly slightly embarrassed expression. "Cosmo, this is Kate; a very good friend from my time here."
"Uh, hi," Cosmo said and shook Kate's outstretched hand.
"Nice to meet you, Cosmo."
They arrived at the large, wooden door and Kate dug out a key. "So, what are your plans?" she asked as she pushed open the heavy door.
"I won't move in, if that's what you think," Ace said, smiling again. "I've got my own place and it more than fits my needs."
"I heard. A train, right?"
He nodded.
"Sounds neat. I always told myself I had to go to Electro City and visit, but somehow I never managed to spare the time." She shrugged. "Work takes up most of my time and then there's the house. Keeps me busy maintaining it." A dark shadow crossed her features. "And it keeps me from thinking too much."
About Anna, was the unspoken addition.
"Where were you when it happened?" Ace asked softly, stepping closer to her but not touching.
"I had been called to two-day seminar to Boston." Kate's voice held a distant note. "When I returned the police was awaiting me." She looked into Ace's darkening eyes. "Anna wasn't murdered here," she said softly. "Calen lured her out of the house and into town."
Ace carefully placed a hand onto her shoulder. "Don't," he only said.
Kate bit her lower lip. "No, I have to. Talking about it helps. Silence only kills you."
Cosmo looked around as they entered. This didn't really look like a magician's home. It was so... normal. He listened to Kate and Ace chatting with only half an ear since most of what was exchanged were past time stories, though not as far in the past that it might ignite Cosmo's interest. Ace was talking about his show, about his life, and Kate related stories from her work and studies abroad.
They arrived in what looked like a huge living room. It was tiled with wood, had high windows that let in a maximum amount of light, a skylight, and there was a glass door leading to a garden that seemed to stretch into infinity. The whole room appeared bright, wide open and friendly. Ace had stopped and Cosmo gave him a closer look. There was this faraway expression on his face again, the one he had had frequently while driving here.
Someone touched his arm and Cosmo nearly jumped. Kate smiled at him. "Come on, I'll show you around," she said softly.
Cosmo wanted to protest, but then he looked at Ace and understood. His friend needed to be alone. Still, he didn't want to leave him alone. Rather unwilling, he followed Kate out of the room and frowned as the door closed.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine. Ace just needs some time alone."
"They were rather close, hm?" Cosmo remarked and then felt like kicking himself. Of course they had been close! Anna had been his teacher!
Kate smiled. "Yes, but it was far more than just a teacher-student relationship. Ace never talks much about his past, right?"
"You got that right," Cosmo muttered, trying not to sound so downcast about it.
"Do you know who Anna was?"
"His teacher. She taught him to use his magic."
Kate nodded. "Yes. But she also raised him in a way. You see, Ace was fifteen when he came here. He had a criminal record, he had no self-confidence and he was scared. Anna knew he had an incredible magical talent, but he didn't want to hear about it."
"He told me the story about what happened the first time," Cosmo told her.
"And it wasn't much different here. Ace was drawn between wanting to practice magic and hiding from the world, never having to use it. He was traumatized from recent events with Jack Malone and he was hurting. I remember when he came here.... you just had to look at him the wrong way and he would close up or run."
Cosmo gaped. That didn't sound like the Ace he knew. "Uh, you lived here when he came?"
Kate chuckled. "Yes. I was a student, yes, and before you ask, yes, I am a magician, but my magic runs a totally different course. No magician is like the other and even if you had twins with magical talents, they'd each be different. Anna taught them all alike. I came to this place two months before Ace, but I knew Anna because she and Mom were old-time friends and I had known her from my early childhood. When my magic made itself known I was already twelve, rather a late starter. Anna decided to teach me what she could. I am a nature magician, I tap into the natural energy flow around us, not the Magic Force. The Magic Force is closed to me. Ace is more adept with the Magic Force, but he has displayed talents of accessing natural magic as well."
"Like when he beats back a storm?" Cosmo asked, fascinated.
"Yes, but he has to mix both. If I do it, it will only hurt me. The Magic Force is way too strong for me to channel."
Kate led him through the entrance hall. Cosmo stopped at a low mantlepice and grinned all of a sudden. Some pictures had been hung up on the wall, most of them showing various landscapes, but one caught his eyes. It was a young, dark-haired man with a tell-tale white stripe, sitting at what looked like a beach. A high cliff rose behind him and his hair looked tousled. It was definitely Ace, but he couldn't be much older than Cosmo was now.
"That was a year after Ace came here," Kate explained, smiling.
Cosmo shook his head, amazed. Seeing Ace as a teen was ... strange. He couldn't imagine his friend as anything but a grown-up. Taking a peek into the next room he blinked.
"Cool!"
An old poster hung there, one of the first bunch Ace had ever ordered for his show to be printed. Cosmo knew that collectors paid a whole lot of money for one of them.
"She collected a few tidbits," Kate explained.
Cosmo looked around, grinning as he discovered a few newspaper prints with pictures of a young Ace Cooper. He had already had the white stripes at the sides of his head; weird.
"Want something to drink?" she now wanted to know.
Cosmo shrugged. "Sure." When he sat in the kitchen and had his soda, he gave Kate an inquiring look. "So Ace learned all his stuff here?"
"The basics and some special spells, yes. He left here after four years. He had started to come out of his shell, he had come to grips with his criminal career, though he still blamed himself for a lot of things I wished he wouldn't. Anna was very proud of him; so was I. When his career started out as an immediate sensation, she was even prouder. Ace used his real magic only for the most outrageous tricks and he kept the audience guessing."
"Still does," Cosmo commented, a wide grin plastered on his face. "No one can get behind the special stuff." His face held a proud expression.
"I can believe that. Anna only once came to Electro City -- she hated the city life -- and that was shortly after Ace truly reached into the Magic Force."
Cosmo shot her an inquiring look.
"You know, when he changes in the Magician."
"Oh, that." Cosmo had always wondered how Ace did it, but by now he simply accepted it. Since Ace wouldn't tell him, he had had not much choice in that matter.
"The magic became his second skin," Kate added, smiling at the memories. "I wanted to come and visit, but I never got the chance. My studies took me abroad. I only heard about his mastery and that the magic was now ever-present."
"Uh, it always is, right? I mean.... oh, I don't understand all of this stuff!" the teenager muttered and shook his head.
Kate laughed and it was a nice sound. "Yes, it's hard to explain to outsiders. You see, magic is accessible to the talented, but not each magician can actually draw it around him. Ace managed and it took shape."
Cosmo blinked. "I thought magic is energy....?"
"And matter."
"I give up." Cosmo sipped at his drink, eyes drawn to the snow drifting by outside the kitchen window. "Anna's death really got to him," he then muttered.
"They were close, almost like family. Anna knew he was a special child and she did everything in her powers to give him a second chance. Luckily, detective Vega was on their side and he pulled in a lot of favors to make this work. Anna was appointed Ace's guardian and Vega was in charge of keeping an eye on Ace. He came here weekly in the beginning. Ace trusted him and I think the visits helped him come to terms with what had happened. When Anna began teaching him about the magic, Vega's visits dwindled and finally stopped. It was no ill intent on his side, but Ace had grown used to his new home and there were always the phone calls."
Cosmo grinned as he imagined Vega mother-henning Ace. "Somehow, I can't really picture him as such a Mom," he chuckled.
Kate joined in. "Yes, it's hard, but he was always there for Ace."
He still is, Cosmo thought. And he still cares.
"So, you and Ace work as partners?" Kate asked, changing the subject.
Cosmo shrugged. "Yeah. I run the backstage stuff, he amazes the commoners." He grinned broadly. "Cool job."
Kate laughed. "How did you meet?"
Cosmo cleared his throat and played with the empty soda can. "Uh...."
She raised an eyebrow.
"I kinda... well....." he stammered. "I tried to break into his computer," he then mumbled. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to lie to her.
Kate smiled. "Why am I not surprised? Looks like this runs in the family."
Cosmo gave her a blank look. "Family?"
"Oh, just a manner of speaking. It's like continuing a tradition."
Cosmo shrugged, embarrassed about his own past. He knew now that Ace and he had had similar experiences, though for Ace they results had been more catastrophic than for Cosmo. Cosmo had had the chance to jump off the train in time and he had grabbed it immediately. Ace had been forced to go up against Jack Malone and he had crippled him for life -- something Malone would never forgive Ace, or Ace himself..
"Yeah, well...."
He shuffled his feet.
Kate gave him another smile. "Don't worry. There is nothing to be ashamed of."
He gave her a stubborn look. "I'm not ashamed."
Her look in return said, 'Really?'.
Cosmo sighed. Was it a magician's trait to always look through him or was he just a really bad liar?
"You're a really bad liar," Kate said as she walked past him and he saw a sparkle of laughter in her gray eyes.
Cosmo stared at her, then decided not to go too deeply into it. It would just creep him out.

* * *

Ace was alone in the huge room, feeling its peace and quiet, the serenity of the place. He had always loved this room because it was the physical form of what Anna LeFrez had held inside her: an open calm and friendliness, a quiet understanding, and a strong support. He remembered coming here, scared silly, Vega at his side, talking to him. He didn't remember his friend's words, but he knew they had been calming in their tone. The events around Jack Malone and Ace's involvement in his gang had been mere weeks ago and the wounds were still open. He remembered meeting Anna for the first time, looking into her serene eyes, taking in her gentle smile. Vega had explained to him what was happening now, that he would live with Anna, that she would teach him about the magic inside him, but Ace didn't want to.
"And you just smiled," he whispered, his voice almost too loud in the empty room. "You knew already; you knew me."
His time here had been like a second childhood. He had had to study and he had had to go back to school. Anna had set up a video link connection to the next larger school and Ace was required to participate. He did and he found he was actually not so bad. Throughout the years he also learned a lot more about himself and about the Magic Force; not without serious backdrops, of course. Taking out the windows while practicing a spell had been one of them.
It had been in here, in this room that he had studied he magic inside him.
"I wish I could have been there," he now said, voice choked with emotions. "I could have saved you."
Calen had killed her in cold blood. Anna, though a strong magician, had never had a chance against such a mundane weapon as a knife. Ace had refused to read the autopsy report, but he knew she had been stabbed several times. He felt sick just thinking about it. He wanted to keep Anna's memories alive as they were.
"You gave me so much and I could never repay you, Anna. All I can do is continue and it doesn't seem to be enough!"
He closed his eyes against the tears threatening to fall.
"You were more than a teacher to me; you replaced what I had missed for so long and now....." He inhaled deeply. "I will miss you, Anna....."
Ace forced himself to unclench his hands and carefully tapped into the magical powers inside him. In this house, magic was everywhere and this room was like a focus point. He drew the powers to him, feeling them swirl around him like a myriad of fireflies. He took out a shard of orange glass that still had some kind of dark metal sticking to it. It was all that was left of the staff she had always carried. There was a stench to it, a bitter taste only a magician could feel, and it reeked of James Calen's magic. Still, there was a softer power to it, something he had always felt while he had been here and something he had partially taken with him when he had left.
Ace cupped the shard in his hands, letting it float between them. It spun slowly, lazily, absorbing the magic, then started to glow. The stench was removed, the shard wiped clean, and the softer magic surfaced. Ace relaxed even further, letting whatever energy was there flow through him. The Magic Force tingled, wanting to be set free, but he held it back. He bathed in the warmth of the stone, smiling slightly as it tingled along his own magic. He felt more planes of magic rise around him, but he didn't dare touch them. Even the tiny snow flakes held traces of nature magic; that was Kate's talent.
The cape moved slowly, under its own power, the magic matter that formed it expanding and contracting in an invisible wind. Then, in an explosion only the magically talented would be able to feel, he released the energies, letting them race through the house, the very fabric of magic all around him, his body experiencing a rush of power he had rarely ever been privy to before. Ace gasped, eyes flying open, and then it was all over. The shard was gone. He collapsed on his knees, feeling a slight complaint from his injured leg, but he ignored it. He heard his raspy breathing, as if he had just run a marathon, but he felt good.
"Good-bye, Anna. And thank you for everything."

* * *

Cosmo frowned and looked around. Something had just brushed past him... something he had felt before. It was a tingle, a familiar feeling, something like an old friend. Kate, who was standing next to him, briefly closed her eyes and then sighed softly.
"What was that?" Cosmo asked.
She gave him a close look. "You felt it?"
"Ah, errr..... not really. I mean.... there was something..... It felt like... Ace?"
Kate's expression turned thoughtful and he didn't really like it.
"What's wrong?" he demanded.
"Nothing. Yes, it was Ace. He sent the Magic Force through the fabric."
"I knew it felt familiar!" Cosmo grinned, then the grin faded. "So, what's the deal? Why're you looking me that way?"
Kate shook her head. "Nothing. Let's find Ace."
Cosmo frowned but trailed after her as she left the kitchen. What was going on here? He had felt Ace's magic flare now and then before. Nothing new about it. Heck, he worked with the guy!
Ace was still in the huge living room, his cape draped around him completely and his face was a still mask. Cosmo worriedly walked toward his friend.
"Ace? Are you okay, man?"
The older man smiled slightly. "Now I am." He looked at Kate. "Will you take care of the house for me?"
She laughed. "Of course, Ace. You know I will."
"Thanks."
Cosmo looked at them, then decided her was really superfluous now. "Uh, I'll be somewhere... outside." He gestured vaguely, then hurriedly left.
Kate chuckled. "He's quite something."
Ace smiled. "So you noticed?"
"I also noticed something else. He feels the magic."
Ace raised an eyebrow.
"When you just tapped into the Magic Force, Cosmo felt it, Ace." Kate gave him a serious look. "Either it's talent or some of yours rubbed off."
He frowned. "Maybe one or neither. I know Cosmo has talents, but they are more technologically oriented."
"Techno magic?" Kate guessed.
"I don't know." Ace let some magic play over his fingers and then clenched them into a fist. Sparks exploded out of it. "Cosmo has talent and he is sensitive to certain levels of magic, but right now, I don't think a closer inquiry would help. I'm keeping an eye on him."
Kate smiled. "Whatever his talents are, magical or not, he is a nice kid."
Ace laughed. "Don't let him hear that."
Kate chuckled as well.
"But you are right. He's a very good friend and my partner. I trust him with my life in every show and even though he is your typical teenager, Cosmo knows what responsibility is."
They left the house and Ace sent a little shard of magic into the fabric that was Anna's home. Kate smiled at him as she felt his magic flare. Then the door closed after them and they were outside.
"Her memory will never die," she said.
"I know. Thanks for continuing; thanks for staying."
Kate laughed. "Well, it's been my home for so many years now and I never thought about moving. Thanks for not kicking me out."
Ace gave her a mock hurt look. "Kick you out? What do you think of me?"
She elbowed him gently and he grinned lopsidedly.
"I might even one day try myself at teaching," Kate then said. "But right now, the theory and research are enough for me."
Ace nodded. "You can come and visit whenever you want." He made an elegant gesture with one hand and two tickets appeared in his fingers. "For you, my lady." He handed them to her.
Kate took them. "Charmer."
His grin widened.
The good-byes were quick but hearty and Kate hugged him again. Cosmo, leaning against the Magic Racer, watched them with a smile. As Ace finally got into the driver's seat, Cosmo leaned forward.
"So, what's the deal with you and Kate?" he asked.
Ace gave him a smile. "Nothing."
"Nothing?" Cosmo echoed. "That looked more like a something!"
"You are too nosy."
"Me? Huh! So, does Mona know?"
Ace hit the accelerator and Cosmo was flung back into the back seat.
"I guess she doesn't," he chuckled.