Back at the plant, Ace was still having trouble keeping his mind focused.
"I can't keep my mind straight because of that gas." However, he
felt something in the one area of his mind which knew of Angie's presence.
"I know you're coming, Angie. You must hurry!"
Minutes later, the young lady pulled up about a block away from the cosmetics
plant. Feeling the Magician's presence stronger than ever within her heart,
she quickly went into the building to find him and the others.
Soon afterward, Aunt Rita pulled up her car behind the Magic Bike. "That's
the cycle, all right." She then got out of her car and followed her niece
into the structure.
Inside the storage room, Glare and Tiny were discussing their plans with
some stolen money when they suddenly noticed a shadow in the smoke.
Drawing their guns, they both noticed an unusually dressed young woman
approaching them for the first time.
Tiny started laughing very hard at this sight. "Isn't that cute? A Magician
look-a-like, and it's a little girl!"
Angie put out her right hand and intently stared at Tiny.
He was still laughing, not realizing he was being lifted into the air.
Glare, shocked at what she was doing, was ready to fire his gun at Angie,
but she quickly created a steel playing card and threw it so hard it cut
his gun into two pieces.
Aunt Rita, hiding behind some boxes, saw her niece levitate Glare upward.
Her eyes widened in the shock of seeing Angie doing her magic. "I don't
believe what she can do," she whispered. "She's handling those two big
guys like they were wadded-up paper ready to throw away!"
Angie looked up at the two thugs and said, "I'm sorry, gentlemen, but you're
both in the way of my job, which is saving my friends!" After throwing
them into separate stacks of wooden crates, she proceeded forward into
the chemicals room.
An astonished Rita followed her from a safe distance. Upon entering the
room she quickly hid behind a group of barrels. She then noticed Sonny
Boy and the other members. "She can't tackle them all by herself, but where
is she?"
At another area of the room, Angie saw the gangster and his group through
some boxes. Thinking very carefully, she had just the idea. "Time for an
illusion," she said softly.
Turning away, she closed her eyes and extended her arms in front of her.
A ball of yellow light formed, and when she put her arms out to the sides,
a perfect holographic double stood in front of her.
The double took off to distract Sonny Boy while she waited for the chance
to rescue Ace and the others.
Sonny Boy himself proudly said, "It won't be long before we say good-bye
to a certain magician and a couple o' do-goodin' friends!"
He was about to lower the rope holding Ace and the others when a female
voice said, "Don't be too sure of that, pal!"
The young crime boss was appalled. "Who--who said that!?" he shouted.
The illusionary Angie stepped forward and stated, "I did it. I'm proud
I did it, and now you're going to let my friends go."
"Over my dead body, you Magician copier!" Sonny Boy screamed. "You're not
gonna get away from us so easily; let's get her, boys!"
Rita became very concerned for her safety. "She's gonna get killed! I've
got--wait a minute! What's going on?"
To her surprise, Angie came up again. Rita had no idea about Angie's holographic
twin.
Angie looked up at the rope and sent Ace a thought. "Wake up, buddy.
It's time to get out of this jam!" She then moved her arms upward to
magically untie the rope and let them down slowly.
As the four gentlemen regained consciousness, Ace was already wide awake
and alert. "Say, Angie," Ace stated telepathically, "would you
mind if I joined the party?"
"Jump in whenever you like. After all, you're the Magician, right?"
"In that case," he said normally as he grabbed his cape, "Magic Force,
reveal the power within!"
Sonny Boy and his criminal team were chasing the Angie double up the stairs
when they heard the commotion.
"Oh, no!" Shades shouted. "That was Cooper!"
"That's impossible!" Sonny Boy yelled.
The double stopped running and said, "I'm afraid he's right, pal. While
you've been chasing me, the real me has already freed the others. Bye!"
She then dissolved into nothingness.
"Back downstairs, quick!"
When the crime boss and his group returned to the chemicals room, they
saw Ace in his customary crimefighting costume and Angie standing at his
side.
"I don't believe it!" Sonny Boy exclaimed in surprise. "I thought this
was a joke, but there really are two Magicians!"
"Oh, dear," Ace said jokingly, "I guess you didn't know I had a friend
who shares a love of magic, especially against crime. Ready, Angie?"
With a look of determination on her face, she replied, "Let's go for it,
Ace!"
Sonny Boy sent his team to try to stop the pair, but they were no match
for the blinding lights and high-speed trick cards used to cut their guns
into little pieces.
"You can best my gang, Magician," said an angry Sonny Boy, "but you're
not gonna get me!" He then took a remote control from his right jacket
pocket and pressed the red switch, setting off a series of explosions.
"This building's comin' down, and you're all going with it!" He then went
ahead and escaped with his gang by the service stairs.
Cosmo, Vega, and Shackles quickly ran out the building by the main door.
Cosmo then noticed the Magic Bike and Aunt Rita's car. "What's Mrs. Wisland's
car doing here, unless . . ."
Ace and Angie started their evacuation when they heard a woman's screaming
voice.
"Help!" she shouted. "My foot's trapped! I can't get it out!"
Angie immediately recognized the voice. "Aunt Rita!" she gasped. Starting
to run back to the chemicals room, she yelled, "I've got to save Aunt Rita!"
When she returned, she quickly saw her aunt in her predicament and then
saw a series of heavy beams falling towards her!
"NO!" the niece screamed in terror. Her power growing stronger
within her heart, she stopped, closed her eyes, and extended her arms outward.
Her body emanated a bright, light-blue aura as she yelled, "Let my
heart guide my power!"
Rita screamed when the beams were coming at her. Bracing for the crushing
blow, she opened her eyes to discover the beams were stalled in the air.
"What's happening?" asked she, astonished about the situation. She then
noticed who stopped the beams. "Angie?"
The younger magician began to feel the strain of holding up those beams.
"I . . . can't keep this up . . . for long!" she struggled to say.
Ace, sensing she would need extra help, took her right hand. "Time for
a special assist."
Both feeling a surge of pure magical power, together they shouted, "Magic
Force, unite our powers!"
The pair surrounded by white lights, their combined powers were able to
keep the beams in the air and away from Rita.
"We can do it!" Ace said in thought.
"You can," Angie responded, "but I'm not so sure about me."
One of the beams then slipped from the bunch and landed just three feet
away from Rita.
Suddenly, another man ran into the room and yelled, "Keep it up as long
as you can, guys! I'll get her out!" Shackles had returned to help out
in this dangerous situation.
He quickly helped Rita get her foot out of the shoe which had become trapped
in a small hole.
As soon as her foot was free, she said, "We've got to help Angie!"
Shackles grabbed her arm and said, "Ace can help Angie. We've gotta get
out of here, fast!"
The pair quickly got out of the plant just as it started to collapse completely.
Cosmo and Vega saw the man and woman come out, but still no sign of either
of the magicians.
Cosmo then asked, "Where are Ace and Angie?"
"They're still in there," Shackles answered quickly.
"I'm goin' back!"
Vega grabbed the boy's wrist. "No, Cosmo, don't! It's too late to go back!"
On the inside, the strain became too much for Angie, and she passed out.
Ace caught her and carried her in his arms as they made their way out of
the building. "Everyone get clear!" he yelled.
They all ran away from the plant as it completely crashed to the ground.
Shackles looked at Rita and asked, "Are you all right?"
"I-I think so," she replied in heavy breath. "That was some experience."
She suddenly saw Angie lying limp in Ace's arms and gasped in horror. "Oh,
no!" she screamed as she ran up to her niece. "Oh, Angie, what have I done?
Even after everything I did to you, you were still willing to save my life."
In tears she added, "Now I've lost another relative, and this time my overprotectiveness
caused her death!"
Ace closed his eyes and concentrated on Angie's heart. "Mrs. Wisland,"
he said calmly, "you have nothing to worry about. Angie is going to be
all right. She's just exhausted from the strain of holding those beams
up."
Rita stopped crying and looked at the Magician in shock. "How can you tell?"
Opening his eyes, he replied, "I think it may be best to explain back at
the Magic."
"Well," stated Vega, "you can do that, Ace, while Shackles and I file a
final report on the Sonny Boy cosmetics line at police headquarters. He
may have slipped away again, but at least we foiled his plans." He then
looked at Shackles and said, "I'm going to see you get another year off
your sentence for saving someone's life. What you did took a lot of courage."
"You know," said a satisfied Shackles, "I could get used to doing these
good deeds more often."
"I know people can change," Vega stated happily. "I mean, I can tell you
about two perfect examples."
Soon, everyone left the area where the cosmetics plant once stood, and
all was peaceful in Electro City once again.
An hour later at the Magic Express, Ace explained to Rita about Angie's
own magical powers.
Rita, to say the least, was overwhelmed. "You mean to tell me Angie has
had these powers for most of her life?"
"Yes, possibly all her life. She knew nothing about her gift until she
was seven, when she used her magic to save her father."
"She saved Bob with her powers?"
"Right, but she was afraid to tell her parents about the gift because she
thought they wouldn't love her anymore. In fact, she didn't tell anyone
about her magic until the day she saved her best friend Ashley Brighton
from certain death."
"Wait a minute. When did that happen?"
"During their senior spring break vacation to Colorado."
"I don't know anything about that."
"That's because they agreed not to tell their parents about the situation,
but Angie did tell her the truth."
"Of course," Rita said, "it all makes perfect sense now. Angie told only
Ashley the truth because she trusted her like a sister. If she had told
me about it, I probably would have tried to lock her away forever. How
could I have been so stupid?"
"Rita, you were only trying to make sure she was okay. The problem is you
went a little too far in trying to protect her."
"A little too far, Mr. Cooper? No, I went way too far in attempting
to keep her safe. Ever since I lost my son, I've felt I've had this responsibility
to protect all the children in the family. Until now, I thought I was doing
the job I was supposed to, but after what Angie was willing to do to help
you, I realized I had overdone it. I feel terrible about what I've done."
Rita could no longer hold back her tears.
Ace tried to comfort Angie's aunt. "Rita, your overprotective attitude
stemmed from the guilt you still have after the loss of your son." He stopped
talking as a feeling developed in his mind. "Angie's waking up. Let's get
to her room."
"Thank goodness," said a relieved Rita.
In her room Angie, still in her costume, slowly woke up. With Cosmo at
her side, she started to sit up on her bed.
"Hey, Angie," said Cosmo, "are you okay?"
"Cosmo?" she asked in a groggy tone. "Oh, I feel so drained."
"You scared us for a little while when you tried to keep those beams up
by yourself."
"I had to do it, Cosmo. Aunt Rita was in danger--Aunt Rita . . . where
is she?" Angie started becoming frantic. "Where's Aunt Rita!?"
Ace and Rita quickly entered the room.
Calming her down quickly, Ace said, "It's all right, Angie, it's all right.
She's right here, safe and sound."
Angie breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her aunt. "You're okay."
"Thanks to you," Rita said. "I don't understand why you saved my life even
after I made you suffer through so much."
"Because I care about you. We may have our differences, but I do know all
you really wanted was to make sure I was all right. That's the one thing
I've always appreciated about you, although I've just about never shown
that."
Rita started to cry again. "Angie," she started as she held her niece's
hand, "can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me for all the trouble
I caused?"
"I'll forgive you if you forgive yourself first."
"Forgive myself? I don't understand."
"Aunt Rita, what happened to your son, my cousin, was an accident. It was
never your fault. It could happen to anyone. You've been carrying this
unneccessary guilt for too long. It's time to let go of the past."
"But I can't forget about Eric."
"You don't have to forget about him. His life may have been short, but
there are more than enough fond memories you have with him to help you
get through this."
Rita smiled at her relative. "You're right. As you said yourself, the good
times and fond memories you had with Bob and Nancy do help you, so I have
to do the same thing with Eric and give myself a chance to heal. Angie,
I am so sorry for everything I've done to you. Even though we can't change
the past, I hope it's not too late to start fresh."
"It's never too late to start over."
As the aunt and the niece hugged each other, Rita happily said, "Bob and
Nancy are proud of you. You're far stronger than I ever expected you to
be, and I know your strength comes from your heart. Never lose sight of
that inner strength."
"I never have, and I never will."
Rita then looked at Angie's friends. "Mr. Cooper, Cosmo, I owe both of
you an even bigger apology. I mistakenly thought you were nothing but a
pair of bad influences on her, but after seeing how she cares for you like
real brothers, I'm beginning to realize you both may have been the best
two people to come along in her life. I'm really sorry."
"It's okay, Mrs. Wisland," said Cosmo. "Like Angie said, all you wanted
to do was make sure she was okay."
Rita shook hands with Ace and Cosmo and thanked them for helping her niece
be able to open her own heart to others instead of going alone.
She was still curious about one thing, though. "Mr. Cooper, when Angie
said you were in danger, it turned out to be true. How did she know you
really were in trouble?"
Ace sat in the chair next to Angie's bed. "That's easy," he said as he
grasped Angie's hands. With both of them beginning to glow, he added, "Our
magical powers are very similar, which has resulted in a special bond between
us. We know each other's thoughts--"
"--And each other's feelings," Angie finished.
"That is amazing," Rita said happily. "It just goes to prove there's no
greater magic than friendship."
Zina then entered the room and joined the group.
Rita realized, "Oh, dear, I forgot to apologize to the panther."
Purring softly, Zina sat next to Rita.
"I'm sorry, Zina," Rita said as she petted the animal. "You're just as
much a true friend to Angie as Ace Cooper and Cosmo."
That night, it was all smiles in Angie's room in the Magic Express, for
Rita finally felt better about herself and began to heal after years of
grief and guilt.
Epilogue:
A few days later, Rita went to visit her son's grave at a cemetery in Des
Moines.
Placing a bouquet of red and white roses in front of the tombstone, she
said, "Eric, I've finally learned to let go of what happened to you, since
this was the cause of my overprotective problem. I have forgiven myself
after all these years. As a result, my niece has forgiven me, but I don't
know if the rest of the family ever will."
"You took the first step, Aunt Rita," a male voice said from behind.
Startled, she turned around and noticed a gentleman with brown hair and
blue eyes wearing a grey dress suit. "Jeff!"
"Angie called me and told me what happened. I'm happy for you."
"You are?"
"Sure. That accident with Eric was not your fault to begin with. I'm glad
you're finally healing yourself."
"How can you forgive me, though?"
"It'll take time, but if Angie could give you a chance, I can, too."
"Forgiving and forgetting is never easy, but we'll do it together."
"And the rest of the family will help, too, if you want to come to the
family reunion in about two months."
Rita happily gave her nephew a heartfelt hug, as she knew she was well
on her way to a new life of comfort, joy, and happiness thanks to her niece
Angela Jacobs and Ace Cooper, the Magician.
THE END
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