Part 2: Dealing with a Difficult Dilemma
"Okay, Faceless, now." Black
Jack's voice came over a small transmitter attached to the thief's suit.
Faceless was at a telephone
booth near the Croesus Palace, ready to make the call to Jacobs. Her dark
purple and gray suit blended well with the night, and she was careful to
stay out of pools of light cast by street lamps. "Don't order me around,
Black Jack, I'll call when I feel like it."
Nevertheless, she picked
up the phone, fed a coin into it, and dialed. They had agreed to use a
public phone to make her plea seem more real.
Someone at the other end
answered. "Hello?"
It was a voice she had grown
familiar to hearing. That girl Jas Lee, working with Cooper in attempts
to capture her more times than she could count. "A-Angela Jacobs. P-please,
tell her it's Faceless. I need her help."
Noise of the handset being
passed hurriedly from one person to the other could be heard through the
receiver. A new voice came through. "Mrs. Brighton?"
Apparently, Jacobs still
refers to my counterpart as Brighton, Faceless realized. "A-Angela.
I need your help. Black Jack and Sonny Boy are holding me. I threatened
to expose their criminal status. I-I just escaped. Please, help me." She
made her voice hoarse and weak, and let urgent desperation creep in.
"Why would you want to expose
them?" Angie demanded, not convinced.
"I've realized my mistakes
and want to do good now," she moaned. "Please, Angela, help me, for the
sake that I'm Ashley's mother."
Spade and Diamond, who were
standing nearby all the time, then started pounding on the booth, yelling,
"You're going to die this time, Faceless!"
They forced the door open
and dragged Faceless out, who screamed, "Angela, please help me! Arhhhhh!!!"
She disconnected the phone abruptly, and turned to face the two henchmen.
"Now we'll just have to wait for those enemies of ours to show up." She
laughed, strolling back to the Croesus with them.
***
Angie stared at the dead
phone in shock, and slowly replaced it in its cradle. She sank into the
couch and buried her face in her hands. "Faceless has been taken by Black
Jack and Sonny Boy. She begged me to help her. She said she has turned
good," she mumbled.
"But we can't believe her,"
Cosmo Two voiced out.
"Yeah, we can't, but…" Jas
thought it was better for Angie to say it herself.
"But we can't let her get
hurt at the hands of those creeps," the female magician finished. "I can't.
I need to help. She was the mother of my best friend after all."
"What if it's a trap?" Cosmo
Two pointed out.
"If it's a trap, let it
be. I can't leave Mrs. Brighton in the hands of Black Jack and Sonny Boy.
If her claim that she is changing for the better is true, then I'll be
letting an innocent person suffer at the hands of those people. I can't
let that happen." She turned away. "I'll understand if you don't want to
help me."
"I'll help," Jas offered.
"After all, if we die, we die together, right?" She threw her arm around
Angie.
The others did not need
more encouragement. "Right," they chorused.
Both Zinas growled in agreement.
***
A few minutes later, Ace
stared out the window of the front door with his mind in intense thought.
Ace Two came along and noticed
his parallel counterpart. "Hey, you okay?"
"No," Ace said sadly.
"I'm worried about Angie."
"You shouldn't worry.
She seems to be a tough young woman."
"No, she isn't! She's
an emotionally sensitive young woman. She never had to deal with
a criminal life, being with the wrong crowd or anything."
"Oh, you're kidding.
We all have, including Jas."
Ace snapped, "No!
Angie did not grow up in an orphanage, experience life as
a criminal, or have a dysfunctional family. She's the only one in
this entire group who lived in a normal home with two parents who gave
her so much love and support. Now here she is in a world where nothing
seems to function normally. No normal families, no normal life, nothing!
I'm beginning to wonder if…if maybe she should have never come here."
"What!?
Come on, you don't mean that."
"Ever since she got here,
she's experienced terrible nightmares. She's had painful memories
resurface, memories of losing her parents, nearly losing her best friend,
nearly losing those she loves. I wonder if I'm guilty of doing this
to her." He then put his face down in shame.
"Look, Ace," Ace Two stated
as he patted the Magician's shoulder, "why don't you tell me about your
friend Angie."
"I guess it could help a
little bit. Angie grew up in Mason City, Iowa, with two great parents,
Robert and Nancy Jacobs. However, because she had an incredible love
of learning, a lot of people picked at her and had even beaten her up."
"Did she ever attempt to
get even with those who bullied her?"
"No, she never did, not
even once. She never believed in using violence to combat violence.
She was able to talk to her parents about her problems, which helped her
to keep calm and prevented her from going ballistic on other students.
Of course, there was one little secret she told no one until she was 17."
"And what secret was that?"
"The secret of her magical
powers, the Magic Force within herself. She said nothing about it
to anyone until the day she saved her best friend from death. Angie
cared so much for her best friend's life her power just came to light.
She saved Ashley Brighton's life."
"Ashley Brighton?
Angie did say something about her mother, didn't she?"
"Yes. Ashley's mother
Carlita…is the criminal known as Faceless."
"Oh, my God," gasped Ace
Two. "The mother of Angie's best friend is the master thief?"
"That's right. Angie's
been trying so hard to keep it low-key, but I can tell in her heart she's
crying."
"Why?"
"When we learned Faceless's
identity, Angie realized she punched her best friend's mother. Angie
doesn't like to resort to violence, and I don't blame her for it.
Now Faceless may be changing her ways, and Angie's confused about what
to do."
"I understand, but you shouldn't
be upset with yourself. You're not at fault for any of this."
Ace turned around and snapped
Ace Two again. "No? Then how about this: I almost killed
her once!"
"I almost killed Jas when
I first met her. I was so cautious about scaring Spade and Diamond
I didn't see her, and I shot her by mistake. I nearly gave up doing
magic forever, until she came along and convinced me to change my mind."
After rubbing his hand through
his hair, Ace calmed himself again. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that.
Me, I was under someone's influence when I came close to killing Angie."
"At least you were forced
to do it," Ace Two pointed out. "I felt guilty then, and I still feel guilty
now for causing Jas injury because that was my own carelessness. It was
wholly my fault." He sighed and returned to the subject at hand. "Did she
ever give up on you?"
"No, she never did.
Angie was determined to help me, even if it meant her own death.
She reached out to me with the love in her heart and freed me of the influence.
I've never forgotten that day."
"You see, Ace? You
haven't made Angie weaker; you've made her stronger within herself.
If you didn't come into her life, she would still be lost and completely
alone. You were able to give her hope, inner strength, and courage.
Thanks to you, she felt empowered because of the Magic Force, and more
importantly because of the love she has in her heart. In this entire
group, Angie is the eye of the hurricane, the calm center of all this madness.
She obviously cherishes her friends and is willing to help anyone in trouble,
even Faceless herself, no matter the circumstances or consequences."
Ace looked at Ace Two and
smiled. "I guess so. She did say I put some real magic into
her life when she first saw me on television. Now I understand that
meaning a lot better."
"I know you're still worried
about her, but hopefully not so much anymore."
"No, I'm not. I can
sense she's still unsure of what to do about this situation."
"How can you tell what she's
feeling?"
"The Magic Force within
both of us has created a psychic bond between us. We can tell each
other's thoughts and feelings."
Ace Two shook his head in
awe. "Wow. I thought there were only two people with the Magic
Force, but apparently Angie makes three."
***
Both young ladies strolled
in the darkness, each a silent but supportive company for the other.
Angie gave a regretful sigh.
"Jas, do you think I'm selfish?"
"Why do you say that, Angie?"
Jas was truly surprised. She could not find even one negative point about
her new friend.
"I mean…I'm sacrificing
all of my friends for my own personal cause," she explained. "I know Ace,
Cosmo and Zina would do anything they can to help…but I can't help but
feel that somehow I should be the only one involved in saving Mrs. Brighton."
"Listen to me, Angie." Jas
stopped abruptly and faced her new friend squarely. "We're all friends
here, and even more than that. We're a family. If one has
a problem, the others would not hesitate to help. The cause of Ace and
Cosmo's hesitation was not just because they were worried for your safety.
They want to help, but they have to be cautious. So just stop saying
that you're selfish, all right? We're all doing this willingly 'cause we're
a family."
Jas knew she was being a
little harsher than necessary but she had to make Angie see the light.
She had to do what was best for her friend even though her heart was hurting
for her words.
Angie was quiet for a moment.
Then, she seemed to accept the support Jas had for her. "I'm sorry, Jas.
It's just I can't bear to bring the most precious friends I've ever had
into a personal agenda and let them get hurt."
"They go where they will,
Angie," Jas stated firmly, "and they will help."
Before the older girl could
answer, an excited shout came from Surge Laboratories, where they were.
The voice was easily identified to be that of Prof. Jonathan Surge's, though
they could not make out what he was yelling about at that distance.
They glanced at each other,
and broke into a run for the laboratory, thinking that the professor was
in trouble. They burst into the building to find the middle-aged professor
holding a weird-looking device to the light.
His eyes jerked towards
them, startled. "What are you doing in here?" he demanded.
Seeing that the professor
was in no danger, Jas's adrenaline left her and she was left speechless.
"W-we thought that—"
"Thought what?" Surge snapped.
"We thought you were in
trouble," Angie explained patiently.
"Trouble?" Surge laughed
in real surprise. "No, I was just ecstatic." Seeing that only the two ladies
were there to share his joy, he told them his finding. "You know that I've
reported about a possible rift due to this phenomenon. I've calculated
that the rift would stay open naturally for three days. This device will
be able to force it to remain open for another day."
"But what will this accomplish,
Professor?" Jas inquired, worried that Surge may actually bring trouble
to them. "I mean, no one's gonna come through it. There are no other worlds."
She tried to change the scientist's theory.
Surge stared at her as if
she were mad. "Of course there are other worlds, young lady! They are everywhere.
Around us, and maybe even in this same position at this very moment!" He
stopped for a moment to glare at her. "I have not seen you around. Where
are you from?" Without giving Jas a chance to answer, he concluded, "You
must be one of Cooper's friends. Impudent fools."
"I'm sorry," Jas protested.
"Professor, could I ask
to borrow this device from you for a few days?" Angie spoke up quietly.
Surge turned his wrath onto
her. "What for? This is one of my greatest inventions! I'm not going to
let you have it, Jacobs!"
"Please, Professor," Angie
entreated. "I really need it." She had to borrow the equipment. "Look,
I know where the rift is. I promise to get information on it and maybe
even pictures if you'll let me borrow it."
Jas's mouth dropped open.
Angie was admitting to Surge there is an actual rip? "Look, Professor,
I—"
"Jas, please." Angie turned
to Surge. "I need it. Please."
The old man stared at her
in suspicion, then decided that Angie was sincere. He was a cranky old
man, but even he knew when to soften a little. He also remembered
the female magician being the one who cooked the delicious lo mein he ate
at the Express three weeks earlier. He sighed and smiled as he said,
"Oh, all right. I'll let you borrow it, but promise me you'll get that
information."
Angie's face broke into
a smile. "Thank you, Professor! You'll get the info and the pics,
that's a promise!"
They carried the device
out of the laboratory, leaving Surge behind, whom they could hear mumbling,
"What's gotten into me to actually let someone convince me to borrow my
invention?"
Once they were some distance
away, Jas had to ask. "Angie, why do you want to keep the rift open for?
Telling Sonny Boy's father about this world having an actual rift is dangerous.
Both crime-lords may enter my world and wreck havoc there."
"I need more time to get
your world's criminals back," she explained. "Nature must be balanced."
She glanced at the device she was carrying.
Jas nodded, understanding.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I was not thinking back there." She grinned in apology,
shifting the device to her arms. "Let me take it. Okay, now that we have
something to work with, let's go home. I'm beat."
***
"So, what are we going to
do about them once we've got them in our hands?" Sonny Boy Two asked no
one in particular.
Black Jack rubbed his chin
thoughtfully. "Good question. Faceless, what would you do?"
"Me? I'll kill them all!"
the criminal declared in hatred, spitting the words out. "Cooper and his
friends have crossed my path one time too many."
"Too true," Black Jack Two
nodded. "Too true."
"But are we really going
to kill them, Boss?" Diamond Two queried. "You know that Miss Malone is
very attached to them. She also loves Ace Cooper. She'll never forgive
you for killing them."
"You're right, Diamond,"
Black Jack concurred. "I love my daughter. I cannot hurt her like that."
"Fools!" Faceless spat out.
"Weaklings! If you're going to let something like your daughter stop you
from accomplishing our cause, then I'm doing this myself!"
"Yeah, Black Jack," both
Sonny Boys chorused. "You can't let something small like your daughter
get in your way."
The two older crime-lords
glowered at the younger ones; beady, yellow eyes glinting dangerously.
"Mona is not a small thing, Surge! If any of you ever even
imply that again, I'll have your heads blown off!" Anger rolled off them
in waves. No one criticized their daughters.
"Okay, okay," Sonny Boy
protested. "We're sorry."
Black Jack returned to business.
"All right, we get Cooper and his friends first, then we'll see
what to do with them." He turned away; ready to retire to his room. "And
don't argue with me."
***
"So, what do you plan to
do, Angie?" Ace Two asked. "We have to save Faceless but we need a plan."
"With this device, the rift
would be able to stay open for one more day, so we have 48 hours to plan
and execute it," Angie mused. "I know that Black Jack and Sonny Boy would
not kill Mrs. Brighton before they give us their demands, so she's safe
for the moment."
"How do you know that, Angie?"
Cosmo Two inquired.
"Those two want their every
action to be able to let them gain something or give them advantages over
something," she explained. "They will surely demand something from us,
knowing that Mrs. Brighton is the mother of Ashley, my best friend."
"I suggest we make our way
to Croesus Palace tomorrow night," Ace offered. "We'll split into two teams.
One will be the decoy. We know that Black Jack and Sonny Boy will have
surprises waiting for us."
"Good idea, Ace," Jas commented.
"Ace, Cosmo—my Ace and Cosmo, of course—and I will set off first and disable
any traps. You'll go in ten minutes after us."
"But they already know we
have two teams," Cosmo pointed out. "If they only see one, they'd know
that the other is also in the building and guard Faceless more tightly."
Bluish-violet light exploded
above their heads and then stabled down to become a ball of expanding and
contracting crystal. "I suggest you use holograms."
"Holograms?" Jas echoed,
then the idea hit her. "Angel, you're a genius!" She turned to face the
two groups. "If each team carries a hologram of the other, anyone who sees
us will think that both teams are at the same place and they'll let their
guard down!"
"Yes!" Both Aces chorused,
then grinned at each other.
"It's a good idea, and it
might work," Angie concurred. "Jas, your team disable any traps, carrying
the hologram of my team. Then Ace, Cosmo, Zina and I will evade any other
security features and make our way to Mrs. Brighton, while they think we're
with you."
"Angel, hack into the Croesus
and show blueprint, please," Ace Two requested.
"A moment, Ace." A few seconds
later, a hologram of the blueprint appeared in the middle of the room.
They studied it for a moment.
"Black Jack will have Faceless in the hidden room behind his office," Ace
deduced. "I've been taken there once. It doesn't show on the blueprints,
but there is a panel on the wall outside that room. It's painted the same
color as the wall. I discovered it when I was taken."
"So we can use grapples
to climb up there and enter. We'll have the element of surprise then,"
Angie concluded.
Ace Two nodded. "We'll shop
around for the equipment tomorrow. And together with our magic and power,
we'll be able to rescue Faceless!" he declared.
***
Later that night, Angie was
asleep on her bed while Jas lay not too far away in a comfortable sleeping
bag in her room.
Suddenly, Angie began tossing
and turning once more. "No," she whispered to herself. "No,
not her, please, don't hurt her…"
In her mind, she saw
Faceless with her mask removed. She was tied up in a chair and being
held at gunpoint by Sonny Boy, Spade, and Diamond.
"It's your choice, little
magician," snickered Sonny Boy. "You gonna try to save her, or are
you gonna let her die?"
"I…I don't know what
to do," she said fearfully. "Please, don't hurt her."
Diamond stared at her
and asked, "Why not? She almost sent you and your best friend into
oblivion."
"I know that, but she
is
my best friend's mother. It doesn't matter what she's done in the
past."
"But don't you want to
get revenge on her?" questioned Spade. "She's nearly done in Ace,
Cosmo, and Vega, you, your best friend—"
"NO! STOP!"
she yelled as she fell to her knees and clutched her head. In tears
she added, "I believe she can be a better person if she's given a chance
to prove herself. I know not all people are completely evil.
I'll never believe it!"
"Too bad, Jacobs," sneered
Diamond. "Her life ends now!"
The three gentlemen pointed
their guns at Mrs. Brighton's head and coldly shot her.
As the cruel threesome
laughed, Angie saw the lifeless body of Ashley's mother slump forward in
her chair while blood started to spill on the ground.
The shock was too much
for her to take. "Mrs. Brighton, NOOOO!"
Just then, the female
magician heard another voice. "This is your fault!" the person screamed
angrily.
Angie recognized the
voice immediately. She turned to face the person. "Ashley,
I didn't mean—"
"Don't lie to me, Angie!
You let my mother die, and I'll never forgive you for that!
We vowed that nothing would ever get in the way of our friendship, but
you let them kill my mother. You are my friend no longer!"
Ashley then took out a gun herself.
"Ashley, what are you
doing?"
"Since you took my mother,
I'm going to take you!" She then fired the gun at Angie!
Angie quickly awakened
and screamed, "NOOOOOO!"
Jas heard the younger magician's
scream and woke up fast. She ran up to her friend, who had a cold
sweat on her face while breathing heavily. "Angie, are you all right?
What happened?"
"It's my fault," Angie mumbled.
"It's my fault for what's happening."
Moments later, everyone
else ran into the room to check on her.
Ace came up to his female
counterpart and hugged her tightly. "It's all right, Angie," he said
calmly. "It's all right. I know what happened in your nightmare."
"You do? Oh, brother,
stupid question."
"No, no. It's okay."
Ace Two wondered, "What
did happen in her nightmare?"
Ace looked at him and answered,
"She saw Mrs. Brighton…be murdered viciously by Sonny Boy, Spade, and Diamond.
Then, her best friend turned on her and shot her out of spite and vengeance
for her mother's death."
Jas was very worried about
Angie. "You gonna be okay?"
"I don't know, Jas.
What I do know is, I will be the one to blame if anything happens to Mrs.
Brighton."
Ace Two came up to her and
held her arms. "No, you will not. Whatever happens with this,
you are not guilty."
Cosmo looked at Cosmo Two
and said, "You and the guys stay here. I'm gonna see if I can contact
Ashley in the computer room."
"Sure, bro."
Cosmo went into the computer
room and made a late night call to Angie's best friend, Ashley Brighton.
In Mason City, Ashley was
sleeping soundly in her bed when she heard the telephone. Answering
it, she yawned, "Hello?"
"Excuse me, Ashley," said
her kindly butler George on the other end, "you have a phone call from
a gentleman named Cosmo."
"Really? Okay, put
him through." As soon as the line connected, she said, "Cosmo?
What's going on to make you call me at 3 in the morning?"
"It's Angie. She's
had a terrible nightmare again. This time, it has to do with you…and
your mother."
After she heard the grisly
details, Ashley inquired, "Is there any way I can talk to her right now?"
"Ace and Ace are trying
to keep her calm at the moment."
"Ace…and Ace? What
are you talking about?"
"Haven't you heard the news
about the dimensional rift?"
"Yeah, so?"
"The rift is here in Electro
City, and there's another Ace, Cosmo, and Zina staying here
along with a different girl named Jas. They crossed over last night,
but so did Black Jack, Sonny Boy, Spade, Diamond, and Faceless."
"Considering what I've dealt
with since I reunited with Angie, I believe you, Cosmo. See if you
can get her to the phone."
While waiting, she realized
Cosmo had mentioned Faceless. "Has Mom really changed, or is she
trying to trick Angie again, like she did when she nearly killed us…or
it may be the Faceless from the other world."
Cosmo came back to her room
and told her Ashley was on the phone and wanted to talk to her.
Angie felt scared to do
so, but Jas said, "Look, she's your best friend. Don't turn away
from her for help."
Both Aces escorted her to
the computer room, where she saw her best friend on the screen. Angie
looked at her lifelong friend in fear.
Fortunately, Ashley talked
to her calmly. "Angie, listen to me. Cosmo told me the details
about your nightmare, and ghastly as it sounds, I'm going to tell you right
now that I wouldn't dare do anything against you if something were to happen
to my mother. Our friendship has withstood everything possible, and
I will still be your best friend and sister no matter what happens.
I don't want you to feel guilty about this. Mom nearly killed us,
but neither of us will give up on her. Just listen to your heart.
That's what your parents would want you to do."
"You would still be my best
friend, even if—"
"That's right. I will
be hurt if I lose my mother, but I promise I will not take it out on you.
You're my shoulder to cry on, not the cause of my mother's death if that
happens. Please, I beg you, don't feel guilty about this situation.
Mom got herself into a very dangerous career, and she knows this could
kill her one day if she gets careless enough. Remember, 'through
good and bad, thick and thin'—"
"It's our friendship that
will always win," Angie completed with tears of joy. "Thanks, Ashley."
"Anytime, little sister,
anytime. Just remember, you control your own destiny, and you have
love and support all around you. Don't ever lose sight of that."
"Thank you, big sister."
Angie then smiled as she cleared her eyes of the tears. "I know I
have love all around me, but I also have to remember to love myself, too."
"If you ever need me,
I'm just a phone call away."
"I'll remember. Bye…friend."
"Bye, little sister."
As soon as the line disconnected,
Angie turned to the others. "Everyone, I'm sorry for waking you up
like this and making you all worried about me."
Jas came up to her and said,
"Hey, don't forget, we're a family. We're all here together, and
as I said before, when one has a problem, the others don't hesitate to
pitch in and help."
Angie looked at her new
friend with a warm smile. "Thanks, Jas. I feel much better,
knowing I'm surrounded by wonderful friends who do look out for me."
Ace looked at her and asked,
"Will you be okay now?"
"I think so. Thank
you, all of you."
Everyone returned to sleep,
and Angie felt comforted by the thoughts about having friends who truly
cared for her when she needed help instead of dealing with her pain alone.