Part 3: Preparing for the Rescue
As the sun arose in Electro City, the anomalous
astronomical event still continued.
Within the Magic Express, Angie was awake
and alert at 6 a.m. and doing her normal morning meditation.
"Good morning, Angie," said her mother
happily.
"Hi, Mom. You, too, Dad."
"Hello, sweetie. How are you this
morning?"
"Well, kinda confused. I can feel
my magical powers still increasing. I'm worried my magic could get
extremely out of control if I'm not careful."
Nancy comforted her daughter. "Don't
worry, Angie. Your friends are there to help you in this strange
situation. Never forget about them. Speaking of friends, how
are things going between you and your new friend Jas from that parallel
world?"
"It's actually going pretty good between
Jas and me so far. She's got a beautiful eagle birthmark on her right
arm, but I wonder if there's more to that birthmark than I think.
I dunno, maybe it's just me."
"Just give it time, Angie," Robert responded.
"Then again, there's only a couple of days left. Not to sound like
a downer, but I guess your newfound friendship with Jas won't last very
long."
"No, Dad, it won't. I don't know
why, but I feel like she's a little sister to me. She's always trying
to be encouraging, like she was last night. I was so scared of being
selfish she kinda gave me a talkative 'slap-in-the-face.' I'm glad
she did."
"Sometimes that's what it takes to get
people to listen, the hard facts. Jas seems to be a good young woman.
Do you know any more about her yet?"
"No, I don't even know anything about her
childhood. In a way, it may be best if I don't ask her about her
childhood. I mean, I could make her relive something painful herself
and make her feel bad. I don't want to impose that on her."
Nancy said, "We understand, sweetie.
You want to be careful about what you say because it doesn't take but one
word to hurt an individual. You and Jas are getting along very well.
I suspect if neither you nor Jas were around, both Magicians and their
teams would be at each other's throats right now."
"Yeah, I guess so. However, there
is a more important matter at hand: how to get the villains of Jas's world
back to where they belong. If they stay here any longer, there could
be complete chaos here in our Electro City. In addition, there's
the matter of that device I got from Professor Surge last night.
It could give us the extra time we need to pull this off. Of course,
the first thing we all have to do is wait for a call from either Black
Jack or Sonny Boy."
"Concerning Faceless's safety. You
know how tricky Faceless is. For all we know, Mrs. Brighton may be
playing tricks on you again."
"I know, but what if what she says really
is true? I can't just let her suffer if she has truly changed her
ways. I don't care if this is a trap intended for us. I know
somewhere deep under that exterior of dark purple and black exists the
loving mother of my best friend. I am not going to give up on her,
no matter what it takes."
Jas awakened at about 6:30 and noticed the
female magician sitting up on her bed. She was about to say something
when she realized, "No, wait a minute. Ace meditates every day,
and I'm willing to bet Angie does the same. I don't want to disturb
her, so maybe I'll do my kata over here. There's enough room
to do so."
The young woman stretched her arms and legs
to warm herself up for her morning exercise for about five minutes and
then proceeded to do her daily kata.
Meanwhile, Angie's parents continued talking
with her about Faceless's situation.
"Angie," said Robert, "we're proud of you
for doing something like this. You're willing to do something for
someone even though she tried to kill you twice before. You believe
in giving people a chance, and believe me, there's nothing wrong with that."
Nancy agreed. "No matter what happens,
we'll always be proud of you. Just watch your back, though.
I don't want you to be blinded by your beliefs."
"I think I know what you're talking about,
Mom. There are times people including myself can easily be fooled
by the actions of others. I'll try to be careful, but I also have
to be careful about my emotions. Thanks."
"You're welcome, honey. Now,
you try to have a good day, and do your best as always."
"I promise, Mom. I love you."
Mr. Jacobs said, "We love you, too."
Angie opened her eyes in completion of her
morning meditation and then saw Jas working on some of her karate moves.
"Wow," she whispered to herself, "Jas has got to be a black belt to do
things like this. She's really good, and I only know self-defense."
She continued observing Jas's movements for
another 10 minutes.
When Jas finished her kata, she heard Angie
applauding. "Oh," the young adult said in surprise. "I didn't
know you were already awake. I didn't want to disturb your meditating."
"And I didn't want to disturb you while you
did your kata."
"How do you know about the kata?"
Angie moved over to the side of her bed and
answered, "When I took the self-defense course at Iowa State, my teacher
introduced our class to a karate instructor, who showed us his own kata.
I only picked up a few moves, and I probably don't remember any of them
by now."
"Still, it's nice that somebody knows what
a kata is." Turning to the dresser drawer, Jas noticed a photograph
with three people. Going over to see it, she asked, "Is this you
and your parents?"
"Yes, that's the last photo of my parents
and me when they were alive. The pain of losing them is still hard
to deal with."
"I know how you feel. You were raised
in a regular home all your life, with no problems about being a criminal
or anything. Me, I…lived in an orphanage, until I was about 12."
"Really?"
"Yes. My days as an orphan came to an
end after a group of friends and I tried to break into an elderly man's
house and steal from him. My heart wasn't into stealing anything
from that man. My conscience took over when I found him on the ground
with a laceration to his head. One of my 'friends' had hit him with
a baseball bat earlier, but I decided to help him by cleaning his wounds.
When he awakened, I became scared and ran.
"The next morning, I awakened outside and
learned the others were caught and arrested. Mrs. Magne, who ran
the Timber Orphanage where I had lived, wanted to know if I had been involved
with them. The gentleman came along and cleared me. He then
wanted to adopt me. I couldn't understand why, but it seemed he was
willing to give me a chance."
"Because he obviously saw the goodness you
had in your heart. As the others kept trying to take, you didn't
feel it to be right, and when he was hurt, you opted to help him instead
of leaving him to die. He must have been a kind man to give you a
chance. What was his name?"
"Jason Brend," Jas answered sadly. "Even
though I knew him only five years, he considered me as his 'own daughter,'
not an adopted daughter. I thought of him as the only father I ever
had."
"What happened to him?"
"When I was 17, I came home from school one
day and learned he wrote out a will. He left everything to me."
Angie suddenly felt uncomfortable about where
this conversation was going. "Jas, if this is too painful for you,
let's just—"
"No, it's all right. I feel I need to
tell you what happened to me. Dad was running out of time, but I
never once forgot what he did for me. He taught me more karate and
gave me a better sense of warmth and understanding about myself, especially
when it came to my eagle birthmark." With growing tears she added,
"We went to the beach and did our kata one last time. He collapsed
to the ground before he could finish and finally passed on. I went
on with my kata, every movement dedicated to his loving memory. I
loved that man with all my heart."
Angie was silent for a few seconds.
"You were lucky," she said with her own face going down.
"What do you mean?" Jas then noticed
a tear running down the right side of her friend's face. "Angie?"
Unable to hold back her emotions, she tearfully
answered, "You were given a chance to say goodbye to your father.
I…never got the chance to say goodbye to Mom and Dad." She used her
magic to levitate the photograph into her hands. Holding it very
close to her heart, she sadly added, "I feel so ashamed. A lot of
times I wonder, 'Why didn't I go with them that night?' Even though
it's been well over 7 years, I still feel the pain. I regret not
getting that last chance with them."
Jas came up to her and gave her a warm hug.
"Don't be hard on yourself, Angie. You didn't know it was going to
happen. You couldn't prevent that accident, even with the magic you
have."
"Most people say the grieving period is only
supposed to be about two years. Mine will last a lifetime."
"I know, but we must hold on to the fond memories
we have with the ones we lost. We also have to take things one day
at a time. Healing does take a lifetime, and it'll never be easy.
We do have each other right now, as well as our friends. Don't ever
forget that."
Angie released the hug and dried her eyes
with a handkerchief. "You're right. We do have our friends
and each other, although that time will be short. You are a great
friend, Jas."
"So are you, Angie. We seem to have
a lot in common. We both feared what we had would make us freaks:
my birthmark, your magic."
"We've also lost those closest to us.
Most important of all, though, we gained friends who were willing to help
us when we felt sad about something."
Jas nodded in agreement. "We both have
great friends, even though they're basically the same friends."
"True, true," Angie laughed heartily.
"It's just a matter of dimensions." Noticing the clock, she stood
up. "I'd better get breakfast started. I should have enough
eggs, lean bacon, and toast for everybody."
"After that grilled chicken dinner last night,
my Ace is looking forward to your breakfast."
"Good. I guess…your Ace isn't used to
homemade cooking?"
"No, not really."
"Okay, let's get to the kitchen and start
cooking."
The two female friends walked out of Angie's
room with smiles. They both had a better understanding of each other
through what they had told.
***
Meanwhile at the Croesus Palace, Black Jack
and Black Jack Two awakened and looked outside the window of the top floor
office.
"What do you think?" Black Jack asked curiously.
"Of what?"
"Of what we're planning for both Magicians
and their teams? Remember what your Diamond said last night."
"I know, I know. If Mona weren't my
daughter, this would be simple." Black Jack Two then looked at his
equal. "Sorry, I meant our daughter."
"Understandable mistake. There's my
daughter here and your daughter in that parallel world. Speaking
of which, wouldn't your daughter start worrying about you?"
"I don't even know if she realizes what's
going on. I think when she discovers her Ace and his friends to be
missing, she may do an active search for them and me."
"Your daughter sounds just like my daughter,
stubborn and with a heart."
"She should, since we're basically the same
person, just in different worlds." Black Jack Two then noticed the
sun rising. "Do you think this plan of ours will work against both
Magicians?"
"It has to. We have to get rid of Cooper—I
mean, both Coopers—and all their friends. They have all stood in
our way for far too long."
"Agreed. That girl on Cooper's team
in my world, Jas Lee. She's been giving all of us so much trouble
because of that blasted birthmark of hers."
Black Jack was curious. "How can a birthmark
cause trouble?"
"The eagle birthmark she has on her right
arm can become a transparent giant eagle at her beckoning. She's
used it to save Cooper and that teen redhead a number of times, as well
as against myself and the others."
"I see. I guess Lee is very similar
to Jacobs, able to summon power within themselves when it's needed.
However, I do have respect for Jacobs."
The parallel counterpart turned and snapped,
"How can you respect someone who is your enemy!?"
"That young woman has a respect for life.
She even came to me for parental advice when her aunt tried to take her
away from here."
"What!? You should have let her leave!"
"She has a love of learning, and she truly
admires the architecture of the Croesus. I took her home, but Cooper
gave her a new one. Although I still despise Cooper, Jacobs is just
a spirited person, and I like that in her."
Black Jack Two angrily bumped Jack's hover
chair. "You idiot! You're letting your emotions get the better
of you, and you're supposed to be a crime boss! Come on, let's just
wake the others and add some more details into our plan."
As the two left, Jack wondered, "Is this
really what I want to do? What about Mona? I wouldn't be surprised
if his daughter does know what has happened to him, Ace, and the
others."
***In Jas's World***
In a house not too far from the coast, a woman
with green eyes and deep red hair awakened with worry in her heart.
"I don't understand. What could've happened to Ace and the others?
He said he would call me last night, but I never heard from him at all."
Just then, she heard a voice over the intercom.
"Mona, it's Vega. Can I come in?"
She pressed her button and said, "Sure, Vega.
I'll meet you in the living room."
A few minutes later, Mona and Lieutenant Derek
Vega sat in the sofa to have an important discussion.
"Mona, did you hear anything from Ace, Jas,
or Cosmo last night?"
"No," she replied sadly. "Ace was supposed
to call me, but the phone never rang. I'm getting worried."
"You should be worried…because they're not
the only people missing."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Also missing are Sonny Boy Surge, Faceless,
Spade, Diamond, Sonny Boy's men, and your father."
"My father? He can't get around
too far without his vehicle or his hover chair. How is it possible
for him to disappear?"
"I don't know. I've been up all night
trying to find a trace of any of them but no luck so far. I'm sorry,
Mona."
The singer began to have tears in her eyes.
"Ace, Father. Where are you?"
Vega tried to comfort her. "Don't worry,
Mona. I'm not giving up on looking for them."
"You've got to let me come searching with
you. I can't just sit here and do nothing."
"No. It's too dangerous for you.
We don't know what's going on, and you could get hurt."
"What about my father and Ace? What
if something's happened to both of them?"
"Mona, I promise. If there is anything,
I will let you know right away. For the time being, though, just
stay here where it's safe." Just then, his cellular phone rang.
"Lieutenant Vega."
"It's Miss LeSage. I may have some information
concerning the whereabouts of all the missing individuals. You'll
have to come to the office, though."
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can.
Thanks." He ended the phone conversation and stood up. "Mona,
there may be a break in this case. Stay here and wait for me to call."
Vega then rushed out of the home to his car.
Mona, however, did not like the idea of sitting
on the sidelines. "The hell I'm going to listen to him. If
I have to, I'll locate my father and the Magician by myself!"
She then went into her closet to change into
some appropriate clothing, including blue jeans and a tee-shirt.
She then took off in her own car to locate her missing friends and her
father. "I'll find them before Vega does. Hold on, I'm coming!"
Of course, she had no idea as to what would
happen to her in trying to locate those she cared about…
***In Angie's World***
Everyone enjoyed Angie's cooked breakfast,
especially the team from Jas's world.
"Man," said Cosmo Two as he lightly patted
his stomach. "Angie, you are an awesome cook!"
Ace looked at him and happily said, "That's
why she is the official cook and chef of the Magic Express."
"They call me a 'culinary magician'," Angie
noted jokingly.
Jas stated, "I can see why, too. Do
you ever use your magic to cook?"
"Nope. I use my own two hands to make
some cooking magic. I don't like to use my powers all the time.
In fact, the only time I use magic to cook is when I have one of my crazy
recipe tricks for a show."
Cosmo agreed. "No kidding. She
has such a good time when she gets to perform a cooking trick. She
did a number on that chocolate-chip caramel cake she made for a show last
year."
Ace Two was happily surprised. "That's
great, Angie, being able to cook without the use of your powers. Say, is
it more difficult to cook with your two hands or to do so with magic?"
"It's a lot tougher using magic. I'm
so used to doing it with two hands that practicing doing the cooking trick
right ranks up there with some of the levitational spells and other tricks
I've spent a long time working on."
"Makes sense. You are obviously a believer
of hard work and dedication, and that's not just with mastering your magic,
either."
"I've always believed in earning my way through,
not wishing for it. I'm just glad I have friends who are there when
I do have a problem."
"You and me, both," concurred Jas. "We're
able to deal with how we feel to our friends, which makes us better about
ourselves."
"Got that right, sis," said Cosmo Two.
Angie looked a little confused. "Huh?
You refer to her as 'sis'?"
"Since we're practically the same age, yeah."
"Oh, okay, sorry. I got a little lost
there."
"No problem," said a happy Jas. "I guess
you're kinda like the little sister here."
"Yeah," noted Cosmo. "She's about five
years older than me, but because she's the shortest member of the bunch,
we really call her the 'little sister' of this family."
"I don't mind it." Angie looked at all
her friends with a smile. "It's nice to get to know everybody here,
especially considering what's been going on lately."
"No kidding," Ace Two affirmed. "This
situation with the planetary alignment has really caused things to get
crazy. Speaking of crazy, we need to figure out what to do about
rescuing Faceless."
"I know," said the Magician, "but we need
to wait for that phone call first, and then finalize our strategy for sneaking
in."
Angie agreed. "We can't just bust in
there and make a move. That's dangerous enough to do, especially
at the Croesus Palace. What we need to do is—" She was suddenly
interrupted by a sharp pain in her body. "AAAAHHH!"
Everyone became very concerned about her.
Jas was first to question her safety.
"Angie, are you all right?"
As soon as she opened her eyes, they began
glowing in light blue as everything around her, including all the people
in the room, began to rise off the floor.
Angie became extremely frightened. "Help
me! Please, help me! My powers…are getting out of control!"
As she saw her friends lifting into the air, she shouted, "Stop me before
I harm someone, please!"
Ace felt the fear coming from his female
counterpart. He closed his eyes and telepathically reached out to
her. "Angie, I will help you. Open your mind and heart to
me, and we will get this under control together."
The female magician heard his psychic
call and closed her eyes. As their two minds and hearts came together,
both glowed in blue and violet lights.
Ace was able to float his way to Angie
and held her hands. "Hold on, kindred sister. We must get everyone
safely to the ground first."
Ace Two navigated between his floating
friends to Ace and Angie and clasped their hands together, trying to combine
their Magic Forces together to calm Angie's out-of-control power. A violet
aura flared around their forms as their powers were called on.
"We can't stop it, Angie," Ace told his friend.
"Try to use the meditation techniques I taught you to reach down into your
power and calm it."
But Angie, who had already been frightened
by previous tests showing the increase of her power, was unable to do so.
"Ace, I can't!"
As the three Magicians desperately thought
of ways to get them back onto the floor, Jas closed her eyes and focused
on her own power. She blocked out the hurried talk between her friends
and concentrated. She felt the source of her power in her and gently pulled
out a thread of it, mentally commanding it to work. Nothing new happened.
Oh, well, she thought, I'll take
the risk then. She plunged her whole mental self into the pool of her
power, and from there, threw her will out into the real world. Stop!
The occupants of the Magic Express slowly
floated down to reclaim their original position on the floor. Jas felt
her weak legs fail her and she crumpled to the floor, leaning against the
side of the couch. "Whew!"
"Jas!" Angie exclaimed and ran over to her
new friend. "Are you all right?"
The younger woman managed a weak grin. "Yeah.
Took a lot outta me though."
Ace took a look around the room, now devoid
of any floating things. "What did you do, Jas?"
She grinned. "I re-channeled my power to create
an opposite force to Angie's. They cancelled each other out, and created
a neutral zone." She wiped perspiration off her forehead. "I didn't know
I could do that, but remind me never to do it again. I feel like jelly."
Angie hung her head. "I'm sorry, Jas. It's
all my fault. You used too much of your power at once to neutralize my
power. It could have hurt you."
"It didn't. It is not your fault,
Angie," Jas insisted. "Besides, now I know of another thing I can do with
my power other than calling on Eagle."
"You gave your birthmark a name?" Cosmo Two
stated. "Since when?"
"Since now," Jas replied cheekily. "It's called
Eagle."
"Of all names." Cosmo Two slapped his forehead
in mock defeat, causing them to laugh.
"Angie, you're okay now, right?" Ace asked.
The female Magician smiled. "Yes. Thanks everyone,
for being so understanding."
"No problem," Ace Two assured, grinning. "Just
as long as I get another helping of the food."
***Jas's world***
A shiny blue convertible pulled up at the doorstep
of the Magic Express, and Mona got out. She scanned the surroundings briefly.
It was a bit too quiet, and she wasn't used to it. She missed Jas's kia
when she practiced her karate. She missed Cosmo's shouts and Zina's comforting
growls.
"Angel, may I come in?" She asked.
"Certainly, Mona." The AI slid the door open
to let the singer enter.
Mona went straight to the living hall, where
her friends were most likely to be at that time of the day. She expected
no one, but was still disappointed when the empty hall proved her right.
With a sigh, she prepared to proceed to the control room when she felt
a little dizzy.
"Angel, what's happening?" she managed as
the pressure increased and made her head ache. She sank into the couch,
holding her head. Just before she lost consciousness, she saw the three
Scandinavian statues Ace had glow. Then she gave in to the welcoming darkness.
***Angie's World***
"This is good," Ace Two mumbled as he bit into
yet another toast. "Jas, you have to start cooking classes."
Jas knew her friend was joking, and so played
along. She acted horrified. "Cooking classes? No way!"
The others all laughed as Cosmo rummaged in
the refrigerator for some juice. Then, both Zinas came into the kitchen
and started to tug on their shirts, rumbling.
"What's wrong?" Jas asked as all of them followed
the panthers out to the living hall. "Mona!" She rushed forward but let
Ace check his lover's breathing and pulse.
"She's alive," Ace Two reported. "Mona?"
The beautiful redhead slowly came around.
She stared at all of them in shock. "I must be seeing things." She rubbed
her eyes.
"Nope," Jas laughed. "You're seeing things
right, Mona. Welcome to Mirror World!"
Cosmo gave Jas a light punch. "Mona, you have
entered another world. A parallel one. This is Angela 'Angie' Jacobs. She's
in our team."
After letting Mona take some water to clear
her mind and getting the full story, she smiled. "It's a pleasant surprise."
Then her face darkened. "I think you'll better get on with the plans for
saving Faceless. Who knows what Dad might do."
Both Aces detected the note of worry in her
voice. "Mona, we assure you we won't harm your father," Ace said. "Although
we will have to use force in getting Faceless out and them back."
"I know." Mona nodded. "I'm more worried he
will harm you."
***
"Where's your daughter?" Black Jack Two asked
his counterpart.
"She's taking a short holiday in Romania,"
he answered. "She's coming back two days later."
"So Jacks." Faceless and Sonny Boy entered
the office. "Any plans?"
The two older crime-lords turned to the business
at hand. "Cooper will attempt to enter my secret office through a panel
at the far wall. He found out about it when I kidnapped him. So we'll have
that place guarded. As for the others, I have some traps set for them,"
Black Jack said.
"Mind telling us where those traps are?" Sonny
Boy demanded. "I wouldn't want to get into the party by accident."
"I'll love it if you got into the party by
accident, Surge," both Black Jacks growled. The one from the present world
then produced a blueprint of the Croesus and pointed out where he had set
the traps.
"Good." Faceless nodded. "Then I'll be ready
for them."
***
"I think we need to change our plans a little,"
Jas informed her friends.
"Let's hear it, Jas."
"We know partly that this may be a trap that
Faceless set," Jas started. "She's an excellent hand-to-hand fighter. If
one team goes in, Angie won't fight her, and Ace's magic may not be fast
enough to stop her."
Angie rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Jas is
right," she agreed. "I will not use violence on Mrs. Brighton."
"So what do you propose, sis?" Cosmo Two asked.
"Both teams serve as distractions while Angie
and I climb to that panel and free Faceless. After we free her, we'll all
meet in that secret room so that all crime-lords would be in one place.
Then it'd be easier taking them back. And once we're there, we'll know
if Faceless is Mrs. Brighton or just the thief from our world," Jas concluded.
"Good idea, Jas," Angie supported. "Both Aces
have magic and we both have powers. So we're evenly protected."
"All right," Ace said. "So we use this plan
then. It also means we'll just have to take holograms of Jas and Angie
along instead of the whole team."
"Cosmo and I will work on Surge's device to
reverse the polarity of the rift so that once they get back, they won't
be able to return," Cosmo Two volunteered.
Jas nodded. "Thanks, bro. Now Angie, how about
I help you brush up on your combat skills in the case of self-defense?"
***
The whole Croesus was quiet as the two teams
worked together to make sure their traps were well laid. They could not
afford to take any chances, not with four powerful people as their enemies.
Four people who had been gifted with Nature's mysteries. Four people who
had dedicated their lives to fighting evil.
Black Jack gave a sigh. He never knew why
he became a criminal in the first place. For the money? The luxuries? For
his beloved Mona? He shook his head to rid him of those thoughts. "Spade,
Diamond, check the fear gas properly," he snapped.
"Fear gas?" his counterpart echoed.
"Something Clockwise got some scientists to
come up with," he answered.
Black Jack Two grimaced as the attorney's
name was mentioned. "If he wasn't so useful, I'd have fired him long ago."
"Too true," Black Jack concurred. "But now,
let's see where we have to put the rest of the gas. I'd definitely work
for them."
"In the secret room, of course. And along
the corridors. It may slow them down or even take them out of the game
completely," he mused. "Such are the effects of fear."
***
"Just turn your body more and it'd be perfect,
Angie," Jas instructed the older girl. "Like this." She demonstrated the
roundhouse kick with practiced ease and it landed perfectly on the made-shift
dummy's stomach.
Angie tried it and was met with better results.
She did not like to resort to violence, but in this case, Jas would be
the one doing most of the fighting. She would only defend herself when
necessary. As she tried another kick, she asked, "How long have you been
training in this, Jas?"
"Six years?" Jas approximated. "Dad was an
excellent teacher, and I had an aptitude in the martial arts. It just comes
naturally to me now. I'm thinking of taking up Chinese Kung Fu when I get
back."
"I don't like violence. That's why I only
took self-defense," Angie explained.
Jas stopped and frowned. "Dad always said
martial arts was a way of life; an art of statement. I still don't know
what this means, but it was the center of all his training."
Angie detected a trace of worry in Jas. "Hey,
are you okay?"
Knowing that Angie had sensed something, Jas
confessed, "One of my greatest fears is not being able to understand what
Dad meant by that. Karate was his life. I've made it mine. But only when
I've grasped the true concept of the martial arts can I be called a martial
artist. I'm afraid of letting Dad down."
Angie crossed the space between them and patted
Jas on her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll find out one day. I know you will."
Jas smiled, though she was not very convinced.
"Thanks. Now how about I show you some locks and takedowns?"
***
Mona and Ace (Two) strolled hand-in-hand down
the streets, each enjoying the presence of the other. Finally, Mona sighed.
"Ace, sometimes I feel as if I don't know where I stand."
Ace looked at her, surprised. "Mona, if I've
ever done anything to make you feel that way, I—"
She gave his hand a squeeze. "It's not your
fault. It's just that you and Dad have been at odds for so long I'm stuck
in the middle. I know you're willing to make peace but Dad isn't." She
sighed again. "Sometimes, I wish I had a more normal life."
Ace dropped her hand. "I'm sorry, Mona."
"What's there to be sorry for, Ace?"
"If I'd never come into your life, you wouldn't
be so miserable right now."
Mona chuckled to ease the tension. "Ace, I'm
not miserable. With you, Cosmo, Derek, Jas, Zina and Angel, who would be?
I love you, and I'd never deny the fact. Period."
He smiled lightly. "Thanks, Mona."
"No, Ace," the singer corrected, "You've been
my support and my other half all these years. Thank you."
***
"Dad, did Jacobs come to see you?" Sonny Boy
entered the Surge Consortium.
Jonathan Surge eyed his son warily. "What's
she got to do with you, Boy? Unless you're interested in her?"
Sonny Boy blushed a little at his father's
suggestion. True, Jacobs was a pretty lady, but she had messed his operations
up for more times than he could count. "I, uh…I—"
"You're not then." The older Surge turned
back to his work. "So don't bother me."
Sonny Boy glared at his father's back and
exited the building, joining his counterpart outside. "He wouldn't tell
me anything!"
"That's to be expected. Anyway, let's hope
that everything goes well tonight."
***
"C'mon Zina!" Jas teased. "Come and get me!"
The teen and both panthers were outside the
Magic Express. It was early evening, and Jas was warming up for the task
ahead by having some chasing around with the panthers.
Both Cosmos were leaning against the exterior
of the train, arms crossed over their chests, watching Jas. "So, you guys
are very close, huh?"
Cosmo Two grinned. "Yeah. Jas is like my real
sister. We're so close Ulene sometimes gets jealous."
Cosmo chuckled, knowing that was true for
most girls except for two—Angie and Jas. "How can she not? Actually, I
feel so much closer to Angie than to Ulene sometimes. In the sibling sense,
of course. She's the one other than Ace, Vega and Zina whom I'll trust
to watch my back."
"True," Cosmo Two agreed. "Jas is an awesome
fighter. But it's her dedication and love to us that made us bond. I'll
put my life in her hands anytime. But sometimes I wish she would open up
to us more. She takes on the world by herself and keep all her troubles
inside, fearing to trouble us. And unlike Angie and Ace, she does not have
a rapport with Ace."
"You'll just have to keep trying, bro."
Then Jas back-flipped over to them, grinning.
"I'd advise you to watch out, guys."
"Why, Jas? Uh-oh, it's sure gonna be something
bad," both teens chorused.
She just laughed and leapt into the air, executing
a graceful somersault, leaving the two Cosmos to see both Zinas springing
for them. "Jas!" Their tone held murder as they were knocked down by the
panthers and given good washings.
Jas landed agilely, laughing so hard she doubled
over. "Gotcha."